Episode 129: USA Basketball Is Gold Medal Or Bust + Cooper Flagg Is REALLY Good

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Mark Titus | The Mark Titus Show

Transcript

00:00:00Today's episode of the mark Titus show the United States

00:00:03Beat Canada we beat Canada. We're feeling good. But the but at the same time like we're gonna win the gold medal

00:00:08I think that much is obvious the United States is going to win the gold

00:00:11I think I think we're minus 500 on DraftKings right now to take gold in the

00:00:16in the Olympics

00:00:17Canada is is probably going to be the biggest test as the Olympics unfold. We have an exhibition against Canada last night in Vegas

00:00:25USA wins. I don't want to say there was it was easily easily won

00:00:31But at the same time it does feel like they kind of coasted

00:00:34Kept them at large length throughout the second half started out a little rusty

00:00:37but in the end they won and

00:00:40It was sort of a ho-hum victory for for a United States team that will probably not be

00:00:45Challenged much in these Olympics and yet I find myself sitting in this chair

00:00:49Wanting to break down everything because I don't think it's enough to beat Canada by 14 points

00:00:54I want more. I want more blood. We got to figure out the starting line

00:00:57So we got to figure out what the hell is going on with Joel Embiid

00:01:00So we're gonna talk about that Tate's Tate's joining me today to break down the game the US

00:01:05Not just the US Canada game, but like leading up to the Olympics USA basketball as a whole

00:01:11How important is it for us to?

00:01:14Dominate in these Olympics versus just win Steph Curry's doing postgame. I

00:01:18just saw an interview he did before I came in where he's like all we care about is just winning the gold medal and

00:01:23It doesn't matter how we go about doing it and I'm like, I hear what you're saying. That's the right thing to say Steph

00:01:28I agree, but also at the same time I do think I care about how we go about doing it

00:01:32I think we got to beat the shit out of everybody. Um, so yeah, we're gonna talk about USA basketball in the lead-up to Olympics also

00:01:37Summer League in the NBA starts in earnest on on Thursday on Friday on Friday. It starts

00:01:45I'm sorry on Friday that we're recording this on Thursday. It starts in earnest on Friday on the 12th in Vegas now

00:01:50It's already started elsewhere. I am someone who only acknowledges the Vegas Summer League

00:01:54So I'm excited about the Vegas summerly, but at the same time I'm not gonna pretend like I

00:01:58Completely ignore what's going on the other summer league. So there are a few talking points Zack Eadie. You're Bronny James

00:02:03Jared McCain's been playing well, so maybe Jack Gorky maybe maybe a little Jack Gorky Jack Gorky anybody anybody

00:02:10How about a round of Jack Gorky for the boys? Um, we'll talk a little bit about Summer League. Also Cooper flag hype is

00:02:16As high as it's ever been after after Cooper flag on the select team scrimmaging against team USA

00:02:24It the the hype's out of control or is it I don't know. Maybe it's appropriate

00:02:28We'll talk through that a little bit because I think Cooper flag has a chance to the way its position right now

00:02:33I think Cooper flag stepping on campus in Durham and playing for Duke this year as of right this second in mid-july

00:02:39It does have some some Zion feels to it. It has some feels of like

00:02:44People that don't pay attention to college basketball are going to be locked in on college basketball just to watch Cooper flag at Duke

00:02:50So we'll talk through that where the Cooper flag hype machine is maybe a little NBA free agency

00:02:55Good to be back ton of ton of ball to talk about it took last week off for the holiday and now we're back

00:02:59So Tate's gonna join me. We'll break it all down. Let's do it

00:03:02All right. Tate is here. We're gonna start with USA. You got your back-to-back World War champs on first

00:03:07I want to start with this. So you got the USA logo on this shirt, right?

00:03:11You had that's like that's a derivative we'll say of the the old dream team logo

00:03:16Mm-hmm. Yep, and as I'm watching the game last night, and I don't know if this is the old man in me

00:03:20I don't know if this is the basic bitch in me

00:03:22I don't know what this says about me, but my my I was putting notes together kind of I don't know

00:03:26I'm just on my phone like typing in the notes app and then I

00:03:29Kind of abandoned it. I never know how many notes I want when I do shows cuz part of it's like I wanted mine

00:03:34I do if I don't remember it. It doesn't matter other times. I'm sitting down to do a show and I'm like fuck

00:03:39So I'm putting some notes together last night the very first note I write down bad uniforms

00:03:44I said bad uniforms and then I was like does this matter?

00:03:47I think it does but I also think it doesn't it's like who gives a shit about the uniforms

00:03:51but also like

00:03:53How can you have a team this this good with this much talent not not look cool as fuck and a country?

00:03:59This powerful where everyone knows we're gonna win and let me say this about the United States. Our colors are fucking awesome

00:04:04Great colors red white blue is great. Yeah. So what are we known for the Stars and the Stripes?

00:04:10Mm-hmm. You can make some pretty sick USA

00:04:13Jerseys with the colors you have to work with the Stars and the Stripes and the best team in the world and we flop

00:04:19Maybe that's it. We're known for red white and blue. We're known for Stars and Stripes. Those uniforms were monochromatic

00:04:23You know, it's just all white and white numbers on why I mean there's the blue

00:04:27Shading or whatever, but it's like I'm not I'm not getting the red white and blue, right? I got no Stars and Stripes

00:04:32There's one star on either leg on the shorts

00:04:35Yeah, I don't know why this matters to me, but who you blame you blame in Nike?

00:04:40Jalen Brown's

00:04:41We're brilliant. We're blaming Nike for everything. Um, so yeah, I bad uniforms one

00:04:47Was it a bad basketball? Can we can we blame the ball? Cuz I will say like the first quarter last night

00:04:53Guys couldn't dribble guys couldn't really shoot

00:04:56I do think the shooting the shootings interesting because I think the three-point line has moved up

00:05:00In FIBA versus what the NBA three-point line is Canada couldn't shoot either

00:05:04mm-hmm, and I thought this makes total sense that guys would brick threes because

00:05:09The shots you're taking when you're at the three-point line in a FIBA game are literally the worst shots on an NBA court, correct?

00:05:16Those are the shots there do not practice. They're told all year do not shoot this shot

00:05:20Yeah, and then all of a sudden that's the one they want you to take

00:05:22Do you think that we should take a step back and shoot? I think so. I think so. I think we should we should

00:05:27Just practice

00:05:29Yeah, I think we should stop shooting stop spotting up at the three-point line stop spot up like a few feet back

00:05:35Do you buy into the to the ball problem? Like the ball problem was shooting I get yeah eight turnovers in the first quarter

00:05:41That's what I be basket

00:05:42It reminded me of the you remember when the NCAA went to the super orange basketballs in the turn?

00:05:47Yeah, you turn on the TV and you're like, is there something wrong with my color on my TV?

00:05:53But they were dribbling. I'm like great. Well, I found out we talked about this on the show

00:05:56I think at one point, um, the Wilson guy said it's the excuse me. I got the burps the the

00:06:02New evolutions, it's the evos right that we have those here. That's what they're using. They were using those in the tournament

00:06:08Got you. They have extra padding. I think when people went to pump them up

00:06:12you can you do like the squeeze test and

00:06:15Those have so much padding that no matter how much air you put in them

00:06:18You can squeeze and like it feels a little soft

00:06:20So it was happening and then say tournaments they were over inflating them and then they would squeeze them be like, oh

00:06:24This is perfect and then put them on the rack

00:06:26They play with them and then guys are dribbling the balls bouncing everywhere. Anyway, that would that NCAA tournament when that was going on?

00:06:33That's what I felt like I was watching last night was guys like you're watching the best players in the world

00:06:37not just on USA, but can't I mean Canada's got a fucking roster now and

00:06:40All these dudes are struggling dribbling and passing and all this sort of thing

00:06:44And I thought it's got to be the ball. There's gotta be something about the ball. That's not good. I buy into it

00:06:48I think that I think that we have had what four practices now and it looked like just that first quarter the amount of shots

00:06:54That hit like the back of the rim, but before the backboard Steph Curry doesn't do that

00:06:58Yeah, no one does that but at the end of the day, here's something both teams had to play with it Titus

00:07:03They did. Yeah, both teams didn't have to play with it. It was ugly. It was it was ugly

00:07:07Yeah, it felt like it but I loved it. It felt like a college basketball game

00:07:10It felt like I love I love FIBA so much because it does feel

00:07:13if I don't want I hate doing this, but like if if if I'm being completely honest like it

00:07:19Resembles basketball to me like the NBA I love I like a lot

00:07:23But there are like elements of it where it's like you put these tweaks into this sport

00:07:28For entertainment purposes and not for competition purposes. This is purely to like

00:07:33Enhance the entertainment product, which is what you should do. That's a smart move

00:07:36You're making money hand over fist

00:07:38But the the part of me that's like a basketball purist is like I don't what are we doing with the gather step?

00:07:43so do you what are we doing? So FIBA resembles more of the basketball that I love and

00:07:49Part of that though is like it'll be a little sloppier than what the NBA is very very true

00:07:52And and I like the you'll see some travels in FIBA. Yeah, I'm a fan

00:07:56What's your take on the I can't get enough of on a free throw ball hits the rim?

00:08:02Oh, it's so good. Everyone just goes up. It's so good

00:08:05So I feel like great. I love that

00:08:06It wouldn't change my game at all because I'm not playing above the rim but watching Anthony Davis

00:08:11They've got to be addicted to it ball hits the rim. Yeah. Oh, I

00:08:15That's my favorite rule. I would do I would be goaltending everything. I would forget that

00:08:20Like you can you can go you could still goaltend goaltending is still a thing

00:08:24But if I was like if I was Anthony Davis, I'd be like, oh, there's no Colton. I'm just gonna block everything

00:08:28I'm not boxing out at all. I'm running right to the rim ball touches the rim smack. That's how I'd play FIBA

00:08:34Yeah, I love it. Um, but yeah, it was it was a little sloppy start rusty. We talked about the starting lineups

00:08:40Maybe it was the ball. I will say about the ball the the colored panels

00:08:45Something about FIBA balls bricking looks so much worse

00:08:48So much worse like so I I don't hate the ball that they use like the I'm talking about the look of the ball now

00:08:55I don't hate the look of it and like it is it does look cool when they you get it lined up, right?

00:09:00And you shoot it and it spins and you know, like all that looks cool. But when it does brick, oh my god

00:09:04It looks terrible so much worse. It normal basketball

00:09:06I think the I think the misses look bad

00:09:08But I will say someone that can catch it in their shooting pocket and it's lined up right and they get the backspin

00:09:13Yeah, it's pretty that is pretty. Yeah, the makes are pretty. Uh, so maybe

00:09:19perhaps

00:09:20One of the reasons that the United States started slow

00:09:23Grant Hill when he sat down with Raff and Gus Johnson was saying

00:09:27Now remember Canada has had more time to practice and we have

00:09:31And he was not necessarily making excuses, but just stating facts. We're just stating facts

00:09:36So maybe that's why we started out a little slow. I

00:09:39Feel like part of the reason we started out slow is we had the wrong starting lineup out there

00:09:43And Anthony Edwards and Anthony Davis should be in the starting lineup. That's my belief and

00:09:50What say you take I say I think I have a love-hate relationship with Team USA basketball

00:09:56I

00:09:58Love that we have the best team in the world. I love that we have the best team in the world

00:10:03That we have the best team in the world I love that we just get to take

00:10:08Basketball and rub everyone's faces in it. We could do we could start them. We could start five other people

00:10:14We might even be able to start five people that are not on Team USA. Yeah and go win the Olympics. I

00:10:21Love that. I also hate that. We don't have to make tough decisions

00:10:27Yeah, like we're out here starting people

00:10:30I'm not saying they shouldn't but we're making decisions because of who the OG's are right earned it

00:10:36Who did we convince to play for Team USA this year? So we're gonna put them in the starting line. Yeah, I

00:10:41wish that we had to make decisions on

00:10:44The starting lineup as to who's best and that we had to come down the wire and who's gonna take the last shot

00:10:50We don't have to do that. No, we don't there's like a hubris to it a little bit

00:10:54It always feels that way it always it it doesn't feel like it may be it is and maybe this is just me being cynical

00:10:59But it doesn't feel like Steve Kerr or whoever's the coach

00:11:03It's not just I don't mean to pick on Steve Kerr

00:11:05Whoever is USA coach through the years might tell you that they're just tinkering they're finding what works and all that sort of thing

00:11:11But I read it as like we're so good. It doesn't matter just throw five out there

00:11:15we're gonna be and I wish I'm with you like I

00:11:19It is a weird it's a weird position to be in we're like I I love USA basketball so much

00:11:24I will watch every second in the Olympics

00:11:26I will I care deeply about it

00:11:28But at the same time I know going in that we are going to win every game by 20 or 30

00:11:33So it's also like how much does this matter?

00:11:37But I

00:11:39Care so much because I want to see the team like optimized at the highest level

00:11:43Like I think there's a world and we saw a little bit of in stretches

00:11:46There's a world where like the basketball they play our plane is is literally the best basketball

00:11:51You can find anywhere, and it's as pure and it's like it's like fucking Heisenberg cooking crystal meth like you can't find this shit

00:11:58Anywhere else you can't find and there's nowhere else in the world. You can watch LeBron James and Steph Curry and

00:12:04Transition and Curry's throwing an oop to him and like all of that gets me going and I don't care what the score is

00:12:10I don't care that like we it was never in doubt that we were gonna win gold

00:12:13that's why I like care so much and I want to watch it and I feel like at times when you tinker with the

00:12:18Lineups, and you're not throwing you're not optimizing shit, and you're just taking for granted that we're gonna win gold

00:12:22That's the frustration is like you're depriving and not just about me

00:12:26But like all the people watching you're depriving everybody of like we were promised like the we're promised shit

00:12:31We've never seen before and we're still kind of getting it, but god dammit like what if we could just like yeah

00:12:35We're so close to just so so that's what I like what Grant Hill says when he talks

00:12:41But I don't know if our actions reflect it if we had to he says we're constructing a basketball team

00:12:46We're not trying to put the most talent on the court. We're not trying to make people happy

00:12:49You said not everyone can be you know 20 point per game scores if you had to make a basketball team

00:12:57starting lineup

00:12:58Ron James, it's LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James fits on that starting line. He's not that's he's not an

00:13:06Or he's not hey, he's earned it cuz he's an OG

00:13:09No, he's one of the best players to play on this basketball still for sure still yeah that almost 40 years old still Steph Curry

00:13:16Yes, yes, that's a yes that crazy. Yes the way he can stretch the floor and shoot

00:13:20It should it's like a free throw for him to shoot from the feeble yeah

00:13:23I will say I was getting frustrated a little bit last night that

00:13:28Steph like it felt like Steph was getting a little frustrated like I don't think Steph

00:13:34Needs to be the guy and that's what makes him awesome is like he can he can

00:13:37Impact games without shooting even though that's what everyone knows him for

00:13:41But what makes him so good beyond just be he's not a he's not a spot-up shooter. He's he can okay

00:13:47I'll put it this way he can be a catch-and-shoot guy

00:13:49but he's not a spot-up shooter and and I'm worried that there will be times where they're like kind of

00:13:53Like the other dudes are trying to cook and and and be put in ISO situations and Steph's just standing over in the corner

00:13:59And it's like that's not what we should be doing with Steph Curry

00:14:01Steph should just be running around at all times that we're screening for and that's what he's so and then when he catches it'll put

00:14:06It up, but he's not a he's not a hey you go stand over there

00:14:08And if they double I'll kick it out to you guy

00:14:10And there were a few stretches where I was like dude we got to get more out of staff

00:14:13Yeah, but he's uh he's absolutely my starting line now

00:14:18there's one other person that obviously didn't play last night that people are saying falls in the

00:14:23OG category of this guy can't come off the bench mm-hmm, and that's Kevin Durant mm-hmm

00:14:28If you are playing to win are you starting Kevin Durant?

00:14:34That's the only one that I'm

00:14:36You're so so on I am I am I am and I am because

00:14:41Olympics Kevin Durant speaks for itself mm-hmm

00:14:44I do think that there's I buy into like Olympic mellow versus NBA mellow and Olympic Durant versus NBA Durant and and I

00:14:52Durant Durant's awesome. Yeah, I think Durant is

00:14:55Durant

00:14:57Durant is completely bought in on what team USA should be and he is a great scorer

00:15:01And there are times where it looks like he's just hunting his shots

00:15:04But he's hunting his shots within the context of like this is going to help the team

00:15:08And I don't think he's a a chucker and in fact

00:15:10He's not even on an NBA court like he could he could have there's so many times

00:15:14He could have scored like 70 or 80 and he always like caps out at like 40

00:15:18That's like he never has like games where he's like scoring 67 points a game or not a game

00:15:2367 points so I think I think for me Kevin Durant is that dude and I think he's

00:15:29He's a winner despite his two rings being fraudulent and the NBA. I still think he's he's

00:15:34within the the framework of Team USA

00:15:37Absolutely. He's a starter for me. Okay, so we have we have all three are the same so far that is where

00:15:44My starting lineup for last night ends. I know Katie didn't start but Katie's gonna start for this team

00:15:49Joel Embiid he started last night and

00:15:53I think it has to do somewhat with his talent and the way he you know, he carries the 76ers

00:15:58Yeah, he's a great NBA player and MVP MVP MVP runner-up. He's in the MVP discussion every year

00:16:04I think and this is just what I'm saying is a little bit has to be factored in that

00:16:10We recruited him to play for us

00:16:12like

00:16:13Come play for us. Don't play for France. Don't play for Cameroon or whatever. We're you're playing for us

00:16:19He can't he's got a play right? This is a this is like an NIL situation

00:16:23That's what I think. Yeah, we're

00:16:25Yeah, you're you're such a highly prized recruit that we promised you we would start you. Yeah

00:16:32That sucks because I think and I could be completely wrong on that. But what I'm not wrong on is anyone with eyes

00:16:40Realizes that he should not start on this. No. Yeah, you should not start. No Anthony Davis

00:16:45What are we doing? Anthony Davis is a much better two-way player and helps in the end the way he plays

00:16:52You said that the team USA should be the best brand of basket

00:16:56Yeah, Joel Embiid does not help us play the best brand of bat. He doesn't know the ball sticks. He's

00:17:02They don't move it around. He's very good

00:17:05He's not like if you're someone that's like watch the game against Canada like Joel Embiid sucks get him off this team

00:17:10You're that's that's an overreaction. Obviously, he's not bad

00:17:14He's not he could know he's not bad

00:17:15The guy who's who's won an MVP and is going to be an MVP candidate for the foreseeable future not bad at basketball

00:17:23But what he is is he's a guy who has to carry

00:17:27massive

00:17:29scoring load and and

00:17:31Very high usage rate on the Philadelphia 76ers. We don't need that Joel Embiid on this team that in fact

00:17:37Not only do we not need it. We don't want we don't want it

00:17:39It actually fucks everything up. Whereas Anthony Davis is a dude who can on any given night in an NBA game

00:17:46He could score 30 to 40 points. He could he's capable of that

00:17:50But he's also not that's not what he's out there for and I think

00:17:53Pointing at Anthony Davis and saying play defense, which is how he's made his name in basketball

00:18:00Grab rebounds dunk on on rolls to the basket and then every so often. Yeah, if you're open, I mean shoot it

00:18:06Yeah, we're not telling you don't shoot but like like that's your role

00:18:09He's so good at it. He plays so well with everybody. You could play like five out with him

00:18:13And it looks like he accepts it like he accepts that role on the team

00:18:17And I don't know if Joel Embiid can or he's the best that way or even if he wants to play that way

00:18:22did you say a

00:18:23Embiid is the favorite to be the leading scorer in the Olympics DraftKings sportsbook has

00:18:29Joel Embiid four to one as the person to lead the Olympics in score all the Olympics

00:18:35Team USA and it's really not close. Um

00:18:42Yeah, I know

00:18:45No

00:18:46What let me look at last night. First of all, he fouled out 12 minutes five miles

00:18:51Should he could lose? Yeah, he played 12 minutes shot the ball five times

00:18:55scored five points, um

00:18:58What four turnovers

00:19:00brutal night for him brutal night for him at a time like and again

00:19:03you're like split hairs cuz like we're gonna win the gold we're gonna win the gold medal game by by 25 points and then

00:19:09the idea that we

00:19:11Should care about who the center is, but I hate this we should care Titus. Listen, I hate

00:19:17That Steph Curry. Did you watch the postgame yesterday where LeBron and Steph got interviewed afterwards? Yeah, very cool

00:19:24Yeah, those two are two of arguably the best players ever play a game

00:19:27They're getting interviewed and Steph says the right thing which is we're gold medal or bust

00:19:32We don't care whatever it takes

00:19:35Listen we could send our reserves out there and be gold medal or bust. I want world domination. I want domination

00:19:40Yeah, yeah, and not only do I want domination I want I want to see Steph Curry LeBron James

00:19:46Playing together. Mm-hmm like that. Yeah in a meaningful game where they're trying their hardest which like we don't see

00:19:51It's never seen how cool so I and I don't want Joel and B to be

00:19:56Like fucking that up. Yeah

00:19:58Like calling for the ball in the post and then like

00:20:01Backing dudes down and shot faking and jumping into him and and he's going to line

00:20:05he hits two free throws and everyone's like get this guy out of my face and then he's like

00:20:09What I scored two points on that possession were like, yeah, but you're not wrong you did

00:20:15It sucks that it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. But okay, so we're both starting ad, right? Yeah, we're doing

00:20:22I'm doing ad over and bead for sure. Yes, and this is where

00:20:26You need a big guy and if it's not ad it's it's BAM

00:20:29Who I like how BAM fits with this, but it's ad I think it's ad. Okay, which means we are both on to our

00:20:34Fifth starter. Yep

00:20:36How many people are you considering here to I have to which is not to say I don't like the rest of the team

00:20:44It is to say that I I think there are only two that makes sense to me

00:20:48Are these perhaps the two that you are considering? Those are the two those are the two that I am considering

00:20:54Uh, it's Anthony Edwards and Jason Tatum and

00:20:59For me I

00:21:01Think Anthony if we're overreacting to one exhibition game against Canada

00:21:06Which seems stupid but also Canada is the the favorite to win silver their favor

00:21:10They're the favorites for us to meet in the gold medal game

00:21:13So like, you know that that's a good measuring stick is us versus Canada

00:21:17the game changed when Anthony Edwards came in when Anthony Edwards came in the game the energy had and just the the

00:21:24The everyone was just kind of lethargic and and as they kept saying rusty

00:21:29And I don't know if Vegas played a part in that I do find that to be part of the equation that you're you're letting

00:21:35All these NBA guys hang out in Vegas

00:21:36Leading up to a game against Canada

00:21:39So, I don't know what they were up to the night before whatever

00:21:41But uh, they all seemed a little off and then Anthony Edwards was like shot out of a cannon now

00:21:47He wasn't perfect. I was gonna say the energy changed

00:21:50Positively and negatively. Yeah, he was a little erratic springing around threw the ball away a couple times good and bad

00:21:57Yeah, but he did bring the energy but there wasn't a sense of I

00:22:01Don't want to say that it's

00:22:04I'm not good enough with words. I'm no, I'm no Ohio State

00:22:08There was a time there was a time there wasn't a there wasn't a sense of entitlement from Anthony Edwards that I

00:22:14don't want to fully say that the starters had but there was there were more of like a feeling out like a like

00:22:19We're fine. We'll figure and Anthony Edwards is like I'm coming in here to fucking kill dudes. I'm coming in here to kill

00:22:24I'm not here to like look cool or like, you know feel this whole thing out coach Titus

00:22:28I have a question for you then. Do you like that type of player coming off the bench as your six?

00:22:33Yeah, that's the hard thing. That's so I would start I would start Jason Tatum

00:22:37Yeah is and there's nothing wrong with either answer. I think is the fact

00:22:41Jason Tatum gets the hoop. Well, he plays defense

00:22:45Yeah, he he he he would fit in with the scheme that we're talking about he's an NBA champion

00:22:51Mm-hmm. Okay, I think that Anthony Edwards

00:22:55While he brings in the energy of the game

00:22:57That is also someone that I want that if the game doesn't start as quick as I hope yeah

00:23:03He's not even a secret weapon. He's the

00:23:06He's the ace up your sleeve. You're just like oh you thought you had us watch this

00:23:09We're bringing this guy off the bench because there is something to be said that having the most talented team

00:23:13I hate that this is a thing that could happen

00:23:15But having the superior far and away most talented team allows you to come into a game sleepy sometimes

00:23:21Yeah, like we're gonna be fine. I like the idea of our energizer bunny being the sixth man. Yeah, I

00:23:27Don't hate that. Yeah, so Tatum. I mean take it like if Tatum starts like I'm not gonna be mad about it

00:23:33I think Tatum is if Devin Booker starts I would I might scratch my head a little bit last night

00:23:38What was the reason for that do you think because everyone knows that's KD though, right?

00:23:42Yeah, he was just starting for KD. Is it like a teammate thing? I don't know that was weird. I don't know I

00:23:50Couldn't quite. I don't know what the thought was with

00:23:53He played well like Devin Booker, but he's good. He's he's like I don't think

00:23:59He's the reason that they started slow or anything, but do you think Kerr makes any of these switches?

00:24:05Like is Joel Embiid starting after this whole scrimmage exhibition schedule. I will say that Joel Embiid

00:24:10I think history will look back on Joel Embiid

00:24:13I don't think it's controversial to say history when they're both their careers are done Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid

00:24:18Joel Embiid will be considered a better player. Mm-hmm. That's that's a fair. Mm-hmm. That's a fair thing to say

00:24:25So I think having Joel Embiid start for Team USA

00:24:29Looks better. I do wonder about like the legacy. Are we doing legacy plays?

00:24:34For

00:24:36Like 20 years from now, which is why I think why was put on the team by the way for just for the headshot

00:24:41Let's say I'm good in the team the second that team photo got taken. They're like why is like I'm out

00:24:45That was it. I was here for the photo

00:24:46So like 25 years from now

00:24:48Everybody could talk about

00:24:502024 Team USA

00:24:51look at the fucking killers they had and I think like Joel Embiid being in the starting lineup as part of that as part

00:24:56Of it's less about right now and putting together the best team and and although I do like your theory about that was the recruiting

00:25:03And now we've made him a lot of promises and now we have to deliver on those but uh, it's also like

00:25:08It's just a pure like you're playing a video game and you do throw the best players out there now

00:25:13Why is Devin Booker out there? I don't know. Why is drew Holly? I love drew holiday

00:25:17I love you a fucking love drew holiday, but like, you know, Anthony Edwards is a better basketball player drew holiday

00:25:22So why if that was the case, why are we why are we doing those things?

00:25:26I wouldn't I wouldn't hate drew holiday started by he was he would hate drew holiday started

00:25:30List over here

00:25:31He was my third if you wanted to come compare people that were coming in next into getting into a starting lineup

00:25:37I like drew and I like BAM to though. This is this is the problem. I guess this is why we're this is

00:25:43This is the hard part is we do have an embarrassment of riches. So maybe I'm talking myself in circles

00:25:48Maybe I'm like damn maybe Steve Kerr knows exactly what he's doing

00:25:52So so from your starting five, that means that this is your next crew

00:25:56You could have a second group come in drew book

00:26:00Halliburton Tatum and beat does that team win the gold medal?

00:26:05We have Devin Booker. Mm-hmm drew holiday

00:26:10Tyrese Halliburton. Mm-hmm

00:26:12Jason Tatum and BAM out of bio and well, we're Joel be

00:26:17You've you put them to the third team

00:26:20God damn, they're good that team wins the goal that team does win the gold. Yeah, I think you're right. Let's go one step further

00:26:26Can we do people that are not on the Olympic team? Would they win the gold?

00:26:30Who's not on the Olympic team other than Jalen Brown?

00:26:33Kyrie, Kyrie

00:26:36Donovan Mitchell Donovan Mitchell

00:26:39Brunson Brunson Trey young

00:26:43Yeah

00:26:44Who's our big? Yeah, we need some big guys Paul George

00:26:49Brawny of course. Yeah, Brawny would be on there

00:26:52Hmm

00:26:54Can we put well Zacky D, but can we claim him bring him over Canadian? Yeah. Well, we can

00:27:00Beats French. We have bigger NIO than that is true. Yeah, I love America and Bita

00:27:07Yeah, I mean if we could find some if we could find some bigs the team we just listed with like Brunson Jimmy Butler

00:27:13Harden Kyrie Dame Donovan Mitchell. Yeah, that's a good that's a good squad. Yeah, that team's better than

00:27:18this I

00:27:21I you said it perfectly to love-hate relationship because we are gonna beat everybody there. We're gonna beat their brains in

00:27:29But I continue to be

00:27:32not worried, but like like

00:27:34we and we we we run basketball we then

00:27:39Put basketball out into the world and we went on like like fucking like we're missionaries or something

00:27:44We're like trying to spread this across the globe and that's what the dream team did in Barcelona

00:27:48but then it trickled down from there and like even today the NBA a

00:27:51Lot of their initiatives are focused on stuff outside of the country and they're trying to spread

00:27:55Spread basketball all over the globe. They're trying to grow the game

00:27:58and

00:28:00and I my fear is that eventually it goes too far and the game grows too much and and the the

00:28:07The thing you would point to is like soccer with England England did this with soccer

00:28:11They like kind of ran soccer and then they're like

00:28:13Soccer all over the globe and everyone else is like we're better than you know

00:28:18It's like what the fuck we did now England doesn't win World Cups. It's um, I'm worried about that

00:28:22I'm worried about that day coming for us where we're like, what have we done? Yeah

00:28:26But we're not as close

00:28:28We're not really that close and you get reminded of it with these Olympics and stuff that like, oh, we're still we're still good

00:28:34We're still good. But I do I so I don't want to like settle into like, oh, we'll be fine

00:28:38But at the same time like every data point because when you sit here and you're like, yeah

00:28:42Our third string could probably still win gold

00:28:44But at the same time in 2004, we thought that and we lost three games and we won bronze

00:28:49We did we you know, like we were we were not good. So

00:28:53It is important to me that the United States is the best basketball country in the world

00:28:57Yeah, we are so I want to I think this Olympics is big for like

00:29:01There was there's the dream team. Obviously, I think the o8 team is

00:29:05Considered super famous and very important and very talented because they were the redeemed team

00:29:09We'd lose an o4 three times

00:29:11We don't win gold one of the handfuls of times at all

00:29:13We got the only time we've ever used NBA players and not one goal 2004. Oh

00:29:16Wait, they come along. They're like we're gonna be the fuck out of everybody. We're done fucking around. They do that

00:29:22And they became famous for like kind of reestablishing our dominance on this work

00:29:26I think this team despite having not lost gold four years ago. I think we should have the same attitude

00:29:32we're like at a time where Jokic is winning MVPs Victor Wim Benyama's entering the league Giannis is is

00:29:39Very popular figure in the league still Lucas playing in the finals

00:29:43Shea Gilgis Alexander's like the hot up-and-comer and he's not American guy at a time when like the international players are all the rage in

00:29:50the NBA

00:29:51This in our guys like our generation of LeBron's and Steph's and Katie's are you know?

00:29:57Probably on their last legs

00:29:58I think this is an important time for us to just beat the absolute piss out of everybody and not just win by 14 against

00:30:04Canada I won one by 30. I agree. I mean at the end of the day, it's like it's almost like when you talk about

00:30:09Civilization, are we are we creating robots so smart that one day the robots will overtake us. Yeah, that's what that's what win

00:30:15Benyama are we creating basketball outside the United States?

00:30:19So like we giving them so many resources and academies and all this that one day they're just gonna overtake the United States

00:30:25Well, we're selling weapons to foreign countries for them to use against us, which is the first time we've ever done

00:30:29We are and and it's no more evident than when you look at the NBA draft right now

00:30:34But when you still go back and look like here's here's the four teams that they said are the most

00:30:40Threatening to the United States number one Canada. Mm-hmm. Okay, we saw Jamal Murray SGA Lou Dort Dillon Brooks Kelly Olenek

00:30:47Yeah, come on

00:30:49Come it is come on. It is come on, but their whole rosters NBA players Tate

00:30:53Australia were that's the it is but so as we're still

00:30:58Australia

00:30:59Patti Mills Joe Ingalls Matthew Della Della Vadova Josh Giddey

00:31:04but there used to be a time where you would look at these lists and you'd be like I've never heard of any guys and

00:31:09that's my

00:31:10Concern, which is not to say that like I don't want the game. I of course I want basketball to be

00:31:15Worldwide and be very popular. I just want us to be better at it, right?

00:31:18I want to I want to introduce every it's like it's like you're teaching your your little brother how to play a game

00:31:23You're like, I'm gonna teach you how to play poker and I'm gonna take all your money

00:31:25Mm-hmm. That's what I want basketball to be. I want I want it to be all over the world

00:31:28I want everybody to care. I want it

00:31:30I want to convince the entire world that basketball is more important than soccer

00:31:33There's nothing in the world more important than basketball

00:31:35You should you should spend every dime you have

00:31:38Every ounce of energy on trying to figure out how to put together the best national basketball team you can and then I want to

00:31:43be through

00:31:45Well, that's what I want. Yeah, I don't know if you can have your cake and eat it, too

00:31:48I know they're gonna they're gonna get us but they're not getting us now and I like what you said

00:31:51I think this is the last time like this is LeBron's last Olympics, right? Yeah, it's got this Kate

00:31:56Is this Katie and Steph's last you would assume? Yeah, but maybe not

00:32:00I don't know Katie said I want to play to the wheels fall off. So okay, I would love that for Katie

00:32:04here's a question I have about Kevin Durant and

00:32:07Carmelo Anthony before him who probably wasn't as

00:32:11It probably wasn't as extreme of an example, but Kevin Durant at least

00:32:15in my mind is is

00:32:17Not a guy you root for in the NBA and so far as Kevin Durant ruined the league Kevin Durant 2016

00:32:24We're on the NBA. Um, I don't I don't think he's a bad person

00:32:28So like I want to be careful how I'd like I'm not like what a piece of shit this guy is

00:32:32But from a competitive standpoint

00:32:34The basketball fan in me watches Kevin Durant in the NBA and I say I can't root for this guy

00:32:39I just can't like I just can't I get what I get what he's trying to sell me that like I'm a I'm a true

00:32:43Hooper and all this but I'm like, dude, you just don't have

00:32:46You don't have it. You don't have what I'm looking for out of my NBA superstar

00:32:49You're unbelievably talented, but I'll never forgive you for joining the Warriors you bounce around team to team

00:32:55You kind of don't have a home in the league

00:32:57You don't really have an identity other than just like every so often you do a podcast and you say I'm a Hooper and I

00:33:02Love the game and that's like basically

00:33:04What I know you as um, but when Kevin Durant is on Team USA, I'm a Durant guy 100%

00:33:10I'm a Durant guy through and through and I think the same thing kind of happened to mellow

00:33:13we're like he was he was like not not without a home, but like he Denver loved him and then he left Denver and they're

00:33:19Like well, fuck this guy and then he's in New York and some people like does he want to be a celebrity?

00:33:23Does he want to be a basketball and they're like question he put on USA. You're like, that's my guy

00:33:27That's the best part of the Olympics. So like we I hate I'm so excited to rub everyone's faces in shit and just be like

00:33:34We're the best but my god, how cool was the atmosphere last night? You put on the Team USA jerseys

00:33:38You've got Barack Obama walking around with a little strut coming in doing the key

00:33:44You've got you've got coach K in the audience, you've got Greg Popovich in the audience

00:33:48You've got all these, you know, Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Team USA gets the juices flowing

00:33:54Yeah, and I love it, but it's a damn shame that what's our club?

00:33:57I mean, we're not gonna play a game within single digits. We should be able to put two teams in the I don't hate

00:34:04Team USA and USB. Oh

00:34:07That I like that United States of basketball United States of America if we played each other in the gold medal game

00:34:14USA vs. USB

00:34:15That'd be cool. That'd be really cool. I

00:34:18Did this is not what you just said, but I had a similar thought with here's a thought exercise for you basketball

00:34:24Okay, a team of the Saudi all-star game sport a team of players that have played on one team. Mm-hmm and one team only

00:34:32one team guys

00:34:34Versus the mercenaries. Oh, wow, that's strong language right there. Um, so on the mercenaries you have to rant you have LeBron

00:34:43You have let's assume Kawhi Leonard's healthy. Mm-hmm

00:34:49On the one teams you have Jokic Steph you have Steph

00:34:53you have

00:34:54Embiid

00:34:56You have book. That's pretty good

00:34:59Yeah, that's pretty put Anthony Davis on the two teams Anthony Davis is on the two teams Jason Tatum on the one team

00:35:05Say that one team's pretty good. Yeah mercenaries pretty good. I don't know. I don't know that Damon Damon Lillard on the mercenary

00:35:13Yeah, I thought the other day about the the all-star game, um, yeah, we should send two teams and

00:35:20and

00:35:21That that would be fascinating. I would that would make it fascinating

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00:36:04Let's talk about this. Let's a good good segue to Cooper flag

00:36:07Mm-hmm

00:36:08the select team the other the other group of America the closest the closest game that this American team will probably have

00:36:15Happened against the select team with Micah Potter on it

00:36:19Nigel Nigel Hayes

00:36:22Pete they they won by two

00:36:26Push em ski gets it tries to hit the make a shot over Anthony Davis to tie the game at the buzzer gets blocked

00:36:31but uh

00:36:33The reports coming out of that game or that it was a two-point game 76 74

00:36:37I think was the final score. Did you I I was I watched a

00:36:41Leaked YouTube version yesterday. Oh, really fourth quarter. I believe it ended as a one-point game

00:36:46I was a one point I believe correct me if I'm wrong teaser Cody

00:36:48But I believe it in as a one-point game and the select team had the ball at the end

00:36:53Disappointing shot. Yeah, don't like this is gonna take forever Cody, but just just chime in when you get the answer Cody

00:37:00We'll do it next week. Maybe um

00:37:02It was it was and I love messing with that kid and don't don't let me don't let the

00:37:10Media one-point game. Thank you, Cody. Don't let the media fool you

00:37:15they

00:37:17Will say and they are saying

00:37:19That LeBron was on the bench at the end and the NBA players the superstars weren't playing hard. Mm-hmm folks

00:37:27It was not a drew league game out there

00:37:29There is a time where Cooper flag hits a three and eighties face

00:37:32Yep, and then chases down a putback and puts it back in and gets an and one

00:37:36Yeah

00:37:37There's a time where Anthony Davis in and LeBron all these people have to put their foot down and say this kid's 17 years old

00:37:44Crazy crazy to let a 17 year old

00:37:47But what if what if the 17 year old is just that dude?

00:37:51What if what if Cooper flag is just that dude because it's starting to feel like Cooper flag might be that dude

00:37:55Is he in that dude watch he's on that dude watch. I think I think it's clear. He's him

00:38:00it's Mike my only question is is he that dude cuz uh, I

00:38:04Have I'm in a position where I have I've bought every ounce of Cooper flag. I that exists

00:38:11Every time I've watched him play which is not a lot. I've never watched him a ton

00:38:14but every time I watch him play I'm like he is he's

00:38:18He does not he's not gonna belong on a college court. I don't think he's gonna

00:38:21Yeah, I think he's gonna look out of place on a college basketball court

00:38:24I think he should be the favorite to win national player of the year next year

00:38:27And that is with the landscape. We're like RJ Davis is coming back first-team All-American. He's gonna be back

00:38:33You think he's gonna be that dominant on a college? I think he's I think he's I think he's that good

00:38:37I think he should be yeah

00:38:39I I see I I am getting like I'm getting Zion. I'm getting Zion at Duke

00:38:45I'm getting Zion at Duke read on Cooper flag right now, which is not to say

00:38:50He's going to be as good as I on

00:38:53But I I don't know dude. He can do it all and he plays defense, too

00:38:56I think that's the part that's like underrated with him is that he's actually he's got the buy-in give a shit on defense

00:39:01I think Dukes team's gonna be really good. By the way, he's got dudes around them

00:39:04Let's do so they're always gonna be pretty good

00:39:06I think if he's not a first-team All-American, it's it's malpractice from John Shire

00:39:10I've seen enough to declare that John Shire needs to be on the hot seat if Cooper flag is not first-team All-American

00:39:16I am super excited to watch him

00:39:17I think he's going to be very very good and he's gonna be head and shoulders number one pick and he's gonna be a first

00:39:21He moment Zion was dominant because of his strength athleticism blah blah blah. I

00:39:27Think Cooper flag may not be as dominant in college basketball

00:39:31But then when you get to the NBA and Zion had some of his strength athleticism speed matched

00:39:37I think Cooper flag will be a much better NBA player when that type of when it kind of equalizes

00:39:42I think part of what what helps Zion become such a phenomenon at Duke was that he looked nothing like any of us and was

00:39:48just like he's

00:39:50Massive body that could jump out of the gym and barrel

00:39:53He just his arms were fucking tree trunks and his legs were huge and he was still like he was he was built like a bowling

00:40:00ball, but he still could could cut and move and

00:40:04Was agile and could you know, I guess a jump very high obviously

00:40:08So I think I think what Cooper flag what's gonna make Cooper flag a phenomenon is people are gonna feel it

00:40:13It's basically that he's white if people are gonna feel like he looks like us

00:40:17The white the white white hope the whites are gonna be like, holy shit, dude

00:40:21I've never heard more Larry Bird comparison. Yeah, the whites are gonna be like, oh my god, dude

00:40:25This guy this guy looks like he looks like my nephew a little bit doesn't he?

00:40:28He looks like it kind of looks like

00:40:30Hey, Jody. Jody. Come here. Take a look at this kid. Doesn't he look like he looks like Ricky, doesn't he?

00:40:36He looks like he looks like your nephew. Yeah, he does. Uh, I think there's gonna be a lot of that and

00:40:41Yeah, but beyond that like I just think I think he's so talented and polished and the one clip

00:40:47I think it was a first practice where he tried to score on a D and D 80 stuffed in his face

00:40:52But he kept playing and someone put the shot in and he got the tip in or no

00:40:56Backhunter so what I forget the sequence but like he stuck with it and scored

00:41:01The fact that he was like trying to score on Anthony Davis was enough for me

00:41:05I was like dude for you to free to be on the select team at 17 years old and be like I'm gonna go

00:41:09Right at AD. I love that

00:41:11I loved it

00:41:12There was that and there was also a lot of a lot of things came out of that

00:41:16The Cooper flag hype train has never been higher after these clips that have came out

00:41:20But I was most impressed with when he brought the ball up the court against a hounding drew holiday

00:41:26Yeah, like if you can like drew holiday can get in people, right?

00:41:29If he's gonna hit threes over ad and he's gonna tip slam or do whatever, but if he's gonna have handles

00:41:35I know I'm gonna say this because

00:41:38Everyone points it out. Like I'm not gonna act like I've sat here and watched Cooper flag since he was a freshman in high school

00:41:43Everyone can't go through a media session without reminding you he did reclassify

00:41:48He's supposed to be a scene. He's just finished his junior in high school crazy

00:41:52And he's out there bringing it up against drew holiday until he gets a switch and then hitting a three over Anthony Davis

00:41:58It's crazy. The only way I'm trying to think of scenarios where he's not a phenomenon in college basketball

00:42:03This coming season so Zion averaged twenty two and a half a game. Yeah, and nine rebounds. Yeah

00:42:10That's that's a tough ask. That's a tough ask. I know. Yeah, I'm not I'm not saying he's gonna be as good as I am

00:42:15I'm saying that

00:42:17for a sport that struggled in

00:42:20Recent years to like

00:42:21Captivate the country and the casual fan to be locked in on college basketball. I think Cooper flags gonna get those people back

00:42:28But the one fear I would have

00:42:30Beyond John Shire malpractice would be like does he get to Caitlin Clark in the WBA treatment where there's like an attitude from like

00:42:37The ACC and all of college basketball. We're like fuck this kid

00:42:41Well, you think people are like physical with them and like the refs are like, sorry for sorry freshmen

00:42:46This is how it's gonna be and like there's some sort of but but I think college

00:42:51We've had enough freshmen sensations for that to wear off

00:42:54But there was a time like I think Harrison Barnes was the first ever

00:42:57Preseason all-american and when that happened that was like, oh my god. Can we really do this?

00:43:01Can we put a freshman on the and everyone's like, yeah, we can totally do that

00:43:05I mean you see Kevin Durant and Greg Oden and like all these other Michael fucking Beasley

00:43:09Like there's so many great freshmen that have come through the sport in recent years

00:43:13So I think that element of like the media has is it's gonna be fine with it. I'm just I'm curious about like how

00:43:22Because that is one of the problems with college basketball is like we're not

00:43:26it's not a great sport at identifying stars and putting the stars on a pedestal and

00:43:31Some would argue that makes it purer in the sense that like this is not what I was talking about earlier

00:43:37Where it's like this is not an entertainment product. This is not we're not the WWE of basketball

00:43:41We're here to to compete and we're not gonna give you superstar calls and all that bullshit

00:43:46Like go out there and play basketball and we'll figure it out later. Who's superstar or whatever

00:43:51others would be like that is such a detriment to your sport that you're not leaning into

00:43:56The Cooper flag is the fact that it is July

00:43:59It's mid July and I would argue in a sport that you've said many times is lacking the like star power the returning power

00:44:06The notoriety people officially know like the casual fan now knows who Cooper flag is and the fact that he's got to think

00:44:13I don't know if it helps him or hurts him. He's white. Yeah, and he's going to Duke that tells me he fits the perfect villain role

00:44:22But also he's so damn like he's so likable. Yeah, like I said, what is he gonna be?

00:44:25He's he's not gonna be the Caitlin Clark. First of all, I don't know if we have bad boys and returning

00:44:30You know seniors or whatever. They're notable enough to give him the treatment

00:44:33I think people are gonna embrace hunter Dickinson still around

00:44:40We could uh, but hunter became less hateable last year, so I don't know where we're at with the hunter hate, um

00:44:47Yeah, does he have does he have controversies? Does he have?

00:44:52Do we need a like why can't we just like him?

00:44:54I don't know. I think I think every so often it's okay to just be like this Duke is awesome

00:44:58Like that's what I think that I think that part of that's gonna be similar to Zion cuz I on

00:45:04Mean people people say they hate Duke, but like when Zion came around they're like, all right, well that guy rules, right?

00:45:09I love that guy. I think I think the fact well, first of all his name

00:45:13Parlay's very well into some good nicknames, too. And I think that helps the main event

00:45:18That's a good one. People are already talking the tank situation for next year

00:45:23capture the flag

00:45:25How about that? I love it. Are we what do you think the tank situation is gonna be?

00:45:29Is he good enough from what you've seen where it's like, um, it's gonna be

00:45:33All hands on deck to be terrible

00:45:35It's hard cuz the last two drafts have been polar opposites where you've had Victor win

00:45:41But Yama who Adrian Ward renounced he called the greatest prospect in the history of basketball

00:45:45and then you follow that up with this year you have

00:45:50Richa Richa Shea. Mm-hmm. We're sure sure. We're sure. We're sure sure sure. It's exactly how you said

00:45:55Sure

00:45:58It's the first pick who no one's ever heard of and everyone is like what the hell is this this draft so

00:46:04You know Cooper flag obviously is somewhere in the in the middle. I do think I

00:46:11As compared to Richard Richard, I think he's worth tanking for like if he was in this draft

00:46:17I think getting the number one pick would have been very a difference between one and very anything else

00:46:22Yeah, I think it would have been very important. I think next year the the freshman class coming in

00:46:27in college basketball is very good to where if you if you're a shitty team and

00:46:33The lottery balls don't bounce your way and you get like the fourth pick. You're probably gonna still get a good guy

00:46:36I think the drafts can be really good next year

00:46:39Can we is there any chance that we can get the Spurs to tank to get all my god and Cooper?

00:46:45Oh my god, I met him though. They just would they just pick up Chris Paul

00:46:48I don't know if you pick up Chris Paul because you because you're trying to think or

00:46:51Hank

00:46:52Maybe that's the that's the instructions Chris Paul's at the general career. I want you to leave this general tank

00:46:58I want you to drive this tank

00:47:00Take we're putting our general behind the tank, dude

00:47:03I like that hold went hold when we out for the year. Let Chris Paul drive the tank

00:47:08Yeah, and let's pair these two up with Papa bitch. Yeah, Chris Paul to the Spurs did nothing for me. No

00:47:14Nothing, nothing not in the West. I'll tell you that. Yeah, it's another any landscape

00:47:19What NBA free agency moves have done something for you Paul George, that's Paul George

00:47:23Is that the one more so than clay to Dallas? I it is right? Yeah, it is. That's the one it is because the East is

00:47:31it's crazy to say because

00:47:33The Celtics just put on as dominant of a display throughout the postseason as we've seen in a long time

00:47:39coasted through everything

00:47:42But the East is substantially

00:47:44Substantially easier to make it through than the West

00:47:47Yeah, like you there's about there's five teams in the West right now that if you told me any one of them came out next year

00:47:51I'd be okay. Yeah, I think there's now I'm not as high on the Knicks as some but there's two

00:47:57There's the paces. Oh, sorry. Go ahead

00:48:01The Celtics are running it back and now the 76ers

00:48:06Yeah. Yeah, I think for me the what makes Paul George to the to the Sixers

00:48:12So juicy beyond like Paul George is I I still believe in Paul George is like a very

00:48:18High caliber basketball player, even though there are times where you watch them and you're just like what the fuck are you doing out there?

00:48:23Dude, but I still I still think he can be awesome

00:48:28But I think it's the team he went to that makes it especially noteworthy, which is like the the Sixers

00:48:34have been

00:48:35Not a disaster, but like they're a little bit of a punchline

00:48:39They're a little bit of a punchline and that they're like good enough to get you to care

00:48:42They're good enough to get the people of Philadelphia

00:48:44To have a little bravado to puff their chest a little bit be like I think we got something here and then it always falls

00:48:49apart and they're always Charlie Brown trying to kick the football and I think that's what makes it captivating to wear like if Paul George

00:48:55If Paul George would have gone to the Bucs somehow or gone to like the heat or something

00:49:01It would have still popped

00:49:02but like I think I think what makes this such a juicy offseason thing is like

00:49:05Now do the Sixers the Sixers our team trying to get over the hump is this enough to get them over the hump on paper

00:49:11It is I think they're now

00:49:13But second most likely to win the title. Yeah. Yeah, like I think I think it but then also what makes it fun fodder

00:49:21Is like but what if they don't how funny would that be is that they've tried every iteration

00:49:25They were tanking and in the process and there they get all these draft picks

00:49:30They finally find him beat and they're like we're gonna build around this guy and then you get Ben Simmons

00:49:34He sucks and let's get hard and he sucked and you try it

00:49:37You just shuffle through all this all these iterations of what this team is now with Paul George Jared McCain, by the way, it's awesome

00:49:43I think Jared McCain is gonna be awesome for them and actually have an impact in his rookie year for them

00:49:48Maxie is awesome. And there are times where you're watching the Sixers. You're like is Maxie their best player? Of course not

00:49:55So I think you look at the the roster they have now and you think if not now then never and that's what makes it

00:50:02So juicy. Well, yeah, I mean it was

00:50:04I would say last year

00:50:06They failed in a way that was embarrassing for them embarrassing their fans and it was like wait, we don't have what it takes

00:50:13Yeah, bringing in Paul George

00:50:16instead of them

00:50:18Distancing themselves and the Celtics and then the Knicks reloading the 76ers have put themselves in a prime position to come out of the East

00:50:25next year, so we're either gonna get awesome playoffs where we've got a lot of heavy hitters now or

00:50:29They're gonna fail in an embarrassing way

00:50:31Yeah with a team that should come out and and be very competent

00:50:35I think if they if they go to the Eastern Finals and push Boston like six or seven

00:50:39I think that's that's a way that they don't win a title

00:50:41But at least it feel I you know, you're not hanging a banner in Philadelphia for that. But at least you're like

00:50:46Yeah, this was this is better. This is this is yeah, we're on the right track

00:50:52But yeah, if they they lose in the conference semis if the Pacers run them off the floor

00:50:57Can you imagine that oh

00:51:00That'll be Indiana Pacers are just running up and down and Joel and beads just he can't run with him because he's on the floor

00:51:06He's on the floor so much foul bait and he's just laying on the ground and and the Pacers are just running and gunning

00:51:12Can you imagine so we'll have we'll have Knicks Pacers

00:51:15Celtics

00:51:18And 76 teams right now right now on July we're recording this on July 11

00:51:24Teams right now that if they won the title next year

00:51:28You would not be shocked

00:51:30That doesn't mean you wouldn't be a little that doesn't mean that their title favorites in your mind

00:51:33That just means like I have come from the future and I've told you that the Sacramento Kings shocked

00:51:38Won the title couldn't believe you'd be shocked. Yep, right

00:51:41So if I told you say that the Boston Celtics won the title you would say not shocked

00:51:45We'll put that one on the board. Okay, so Celtics and the East. Mm-hmm

00:51:49Let's just do the East it's Celtics. It's Sixers. There's six our Sixers on your list in my opinion

00:51:56The Sixers are on the list and then my list will end

00:52:00From the East if do you think I know Knicks fans are very excited and I know that Villanova

00:52:07Just met brought the super team together and and that there's there as talented as any or not nine as talented as anyone

00:52:14They're gonna play as tough as anyone. They've got the camaraderie. I don't think they're gonna win a championship

00:52:18Do you the Knicks? Yeah. Yeah, I

00:52:22No way. I don't think I yeah, I don't think so. I

00:52:25think the Knicks have

00:52:28Yeah, I don't think so. Does that I don't think so

00:52:31I I say that reluctantly just cuz like I I'm a college guy

00:52:35So like the all those guys like little nostalgia they they matter to me like like it like I see those

00:52:41I see that roster. I'm like, holy shit. It's happening

00:52:44But

00:52:45I think I think I would be I would probably be shocked if the Knicks won that won the championship next year not to get

00:52:51Like too far into also we are forgetting. I'm gonna say this we forgot about the Bucs. I'm putting the Bucs on my list

00:52:56Yeah, I was saying Pacers earlier is like the fourth best team these that's not true. The Bucs are better than the Pacers now

00:53:04The Boston Celtics just kind of

00:53:06Slept walked their way to a championship and many are saying that there's one team that really pushed them and it was the team that

00:53:12they swept in the Eastern

00:53:16If many are saying this many are saying that four great games

00:53:23Really the Celtics only won one of them the Pacers lost lost the rest. Yeah, so

00:53:29No, I think the Pacers are the Pacers are right where I think that's their ceiling

00:53:35Their ceiling is like they're good enough to spoil it

00:53:37they're good enough to beat anybody, but they're not good enough to like

00:53:40Do this over and over and over in each series when the stakes get right or like continue to the play at a high level

00:53:46Giannis will be back. Jimmy box Celtic Sixers box Celtic Sixers in the West. It's

00:53:53This will get interesting. This will get really interesting

00:53:58In the West

00:53:59It's don't we don't buy shocked rankings like least shot. I'm not even I'm not even ranking them in order

00:54:05Putting like I'm just trying to figure out like who I would I would not be shocked if the Denver Nuggets won

00:54:10Yeah, I would not I have four that I ripped off right away and it's it's Nuggets Timberwolves Thunder Mavs. Those are the four

00:54:20That might be it

00:54:23Who else the Suns

00:54:25They're not winning. We're talking we're talking sons

00:54:28We're talking Clippers. No, we're talking Lakers. I

00:54:33Mean no, but

00:54:36You have to

00:54:38It's always

00:54:40Yeah, I guess Lakers technically have to be I guess they technically have to be in the mix

00:54:46But I would be I'd be shocked. I'd be

00:54:50Shocked me. I don't know. That's a tough one because I can't would you really be shocked if LeBron found a way to win?

00:54:56Another title. Here's the thing if yeah

00:54:59If I close my eyes right now and said who is more like could you wake up and see

00:55:05LeBron win another title or the New York Knicks win a title next it's LeBron

00:55:09It's LeBron and the odds don't show it and the teams don't show it and the projections don't show it

00:55:14But I'd be more shocked if I'm not telling you that the Lakers are a better team

00:55:17I'm telling you that that makes more sense and how I

00:55:21Perceive the world that that my worldview says that LeBron James in the Los Angeles Lakers

00:55:26No matter how old he is in this iteration and they're they're a quote-unquote

00:55:29there's there's some degree of a mess at all times is

00:55:32what you get out of the Lakers and JJ Redick is their coach and Ronnie J like the

00:55:37The mini circus that this offseason has been for them

00:55:41but at the same time you have you have two of the best players in the world and one you have

00:55:46LeBron James to you have to LeBron James. Yeah, you have

00:55:50Multiple LeBron James, you know the bronze age and LeBron James senior. Oh

00:55:54Both of we throw throw the Warriors out

00:55:58Warriors are done words are done

00:56:03The jazz suck ass that the Kings would be surprising for sure

00:56:07So they'd be shocking but like the Kings are the Kings are like they took a step back this year

00:56:12But maybe they take us that the the Kings might be the West Coast Pacers were like they can

00:56:17Maybe play their way into a situation. We're like

00:56:20They're good enough to be in the mix but like they're not actually title contender Memphis

00:56:25No, no, no, I mean they're not on this list, but I'm just yeah

00:56:29Yeah, Memphis I think's in the same boat where like they can fuck it up for others

00:56:33But they're not actually a title contender. Although Zack Edie

00:56:38Zack Edie is you want to talk a little?

00:56:41Listen, I'll give you credit. Listen. This is I know you're not a you're not a pat yourself on the back guy

00:56:45Mm-hmm. I would never you never do

00:56:48Um

00:56:49We sat here two weeks ago to this day and you predicted who would be the rookie of the year

00:56:55In the NBA because we did a draft night show and you chose Zack Edie. I chose the favorite YouTube

00:57:02Well, no, no. No, oh, he wasn't the thing. He was not the favorite. Oh, he was not the favorite

00:57:06He is now the favorite. Oh shit is now as of this morning on the DraftKings sports book. He is four to one

00:57:12Oh my god, did I move the line?

00:57:14People are saying that a lot of people

00:57:17You and him going for 14 and 15 in a summer league game the other night. That's crazy. It was a combination. Uh,

00:57:23Yeah, Edie's looked

00:57:26But the thing about I think Edie what we've seen out of the summer league so far from him is perfect because it's not it's

00:57:33No matter where how where you stand on like how good Zack Edie is gonna be in the NBA

00:57:37You're gonna be validated by how his NBA career is gonna unfold

00:57:40I think I personally think that like he's I don't think he's ever gonna make an all-star game

00:57:44But I also think he's gonna be in the league for ten plus years. I think he's gonna be fine

00:57:49I don't think there's this idea that he's he's not going to sign a second contract feels absurd

00:57:53I think he's going to definitely prove worthy of that

00:57:57But it's it's it's like the perfect scenario because the people they're like Zack Edie's gonna be in China

00:58:02Immediately like the second the second is rookie contracts out there the leagues done with him

00:58:06That's not gonna happen

00:58:07But also like the people are like, oh my god is Zack Edie

00:58:10Across between Shaq and Akeem Elijah and Will Chamberlain like no that's not gonna happen either and what we've seen out of summer league

00:58:16I think he's gonna be a really solid role player. I think that's what he's gonna be

00:58:18I think he's he's got very obvious deficiencies and those are things that you cannot fix like you can't make there

00:58:26he's not gonna just like go to the gym and practice moving his feet and like suddenly be able to

00:58:31To be way more agile and stop on a dime and and and do things that he can't do

00:58:36But at the same time like his size is also never gonna change

00:58:39I do think he's got an incredible motor and those two things alone are going to serve him

00:58:45well, and I think

00:58:46We saw that out of the summer league games, which I summer league means jack shit if we're being honest

00:58:51It's just like a fun distraction

00:58:53but also like

00:58:55Who was it? That was it a

00:58:57Jared Dudley was talking about that. I think he's the Mavs

00:59:00Is Jared Dudley the there's something to look up Cody's Jared Dudley the Mavs summer league coach. Um

00:59:05um

00:59:06He said like people watch summer league and they don't realize that guys who will average 20 plus in summer league won't play in the NBA

00:59:13and guys that are

00:59:14that are scoring like five points in these summer league games are well are going to be on a roster because in the point is

00:59:19It's like summer league means means dick, but it's but it also it has to mean something or else. Why are they doing?

00:59:25Are we doing are we do we think Jared Dudley is on the LeBron James Rich Paul payroll? Oh

00:59:30Cuz I didn't even think it that's why you're here. That's why you're here. That's why you're here

00:59:34I I heard and listen, I'm not I think we did a good job credit to us

00:59:40On draft day of being like who like I'm fine with brownie getting drafted. What yeah, that's not also not brownie

00:59:47Like it's not brownies fault

00:59:49the way

00:59:50That brownie has played. Have you watched you see him see a stat line? Whatever. Whatever it may be

00:59:55I've watched all the time. Of course, I watched the whole real the way they're talking about

01:00:00Brownie James's first couple summer league games. I heard a I heard a quote today. It might be my favorite quote

01:00:05I've heard in quite some time

01:00:07Summer League doesn't translate to brownies game because brownie is a better player when surrounded by great players

01:00:15Honestly same I was gonna say I am all

01:00:20Like you put me no shit, dude. Everybody's better with around

01:00:24I was gonna say you put me at the table with Titus and Stephen a Smith and big cat and let me be the

01:00:29Fourth man, that's when I you look that's when I look but imagine you doing their show with Cody. Yeah, I'm not I'm no good

01:00:39But Cody was

01:00:41Cody Cody was annoying the shit out of me before he did the show. So I'm just

01:00:45But you're good kid Cody. You're good kid. Did we get a Dudley? Did we check that in check the duh?

01:00:52Assistant. Yeah, I think he's good job code

01:00:56Summer league team. Um, I'm excited to see the Timberwolves summer league team. Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah, Dylan Hammond and

01:01:05That is what that is what it's for it's like like I

01:01:08Miss going to summer league. I wish I was out there to be that was your you did that a little bit

01:01:11I would go out there all the time. I

01:01:13Stopped when Zion caused an earthquake. He stole though. I remember where I was. I was in Vegas

01:01:20It's hard to hard to forget

01:01:22Zion stole the ball from Kevin Knox dunked it and then it started a ripple effect where an earthquake hit Las Vegas like two

01:01:28Hours later. Oh, wow. Yeah, and Vegas doesn't get a ton of earthquakes and an earthquake hits, Vegas and

01:01:34Ever since then and then Cove it happened and I'm not saying that they're correlated. I'm just stating facts

01:01:40That was 2019 Cove. It happens in 20 and 20. So then there's I don't think they did summer league in 20

01:01:46and then now guys are like like you get a even when you get like a

01:01:49Women Yama and summer league you just get a little taste and then he opts out and he doesn't play

01:01:55So it kind of died down a little bit

01:01:57I really think it peaked when Zion Williamson stole the ball from Kevin Knox and dunked it the Golden Age. Yeah

01:02:02So summer like it was so fun to be out there. The reason you were out there

01:02:05You weren't out there to be like, oh my god is is is Bronnie James gonna be the difference maker for the Lakers?

01:02:11You're out there just to like celebrate. It was so fun for like guys

01:02:14You've completely forgot about Luke Aaron goatee was on a summer league roster for

01:02:1818 years. Mm-hmm. Well, that's that's exactly right you

01:02:22summer league

01:02:23I do agree with Jared Dudley and I do agree with the people talking about Bronnie that

01:02:27You don't put stock into summer league for is he gonna be a viable

01:02:31Primer defender like that's not what you see in summer league

01:02:34How cool is it though to see these people that you know damn well are not gonna be playing Jack Gorky Jack Gorky Jack

01:02:41That's why you go to some fade away the other day. Yeah. Gosh. I remember watching Jack Gorky play

01:02:46And I think the six months ago. Yeah, the that Lakers team that uh

01:02:51like it was Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma and

01:02:56was Caruso on that team and

01:03:00With Alonzo on the team yet, I don't that'd be quite the squad. They dominated summer league. They were so good

01:03:06Uh, I don't know if Lonzo was on that team yet

01:03:08I might be getting my years mixed up but there was a Lakers team through the years

01:03:13that was like a ton of fun and

01:03:14That gets me fired up. That's what I like about something. So Lonzo ball second greatest summer league ever

01:03:202017 remember when Nate Robinson got his jersey retired at summer league. Did you know this? I didn't know that

01:03:27Well, you look that up. I'll give you this story Lonzo ball 26 years old produced a game of 36 points 11 assists and 8 rebounds

01:03:35That's crazy

01:03:38Nate Robinson summer league. Yeah, he got his I think there's like a picture of it to him

01:03:44Remembering Nate Robinson, sir, Nate, right?

01:03:47I found a tweet so like you can't wear Nate Robinson's a Robinson getting yeah network

01:03:52Shout out Jason Concepcion on my former ringer colleague

01:03:55Nate Robinson getting a summer league jersey retired is and will always be the best moment in Las Vegas summer league history, but he's got

01:04:03Oh

01:04:05It's like stapled to the wall

01:04:08That's hilarious. So good

01:04:11But yeah, the Timberwolves do I just want to see Terrence Shannon jr. And and Rob Dillingham on the court together

01:04:16I want to see what that looks like

01:04:18So I'm fired up for that. But

01:04:20Yeah, summer league starts on Friday. That'll be fun

01:04:23Quick break to talk about our friends at Roebuck. I can't go anywhere without spotting someone in Roebuck

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01:05:49Trying to think of what else I want to hit before we go. You saw the news in Indianapolis for 2026 Titus

01:05:55I thought of you that's got to get your juices flowing 49 states, brother

01:05:58So what is it? What does it look like? So it's it's it's the final foreign championship. Yep

01:06:03It's which is which is standard which is we do that already

01:06:07Yeah, like that's that's nothing unusual and when that happens that is the talk of the town like they prepare for it for you

01:06:14I'm obviously very biased

01:06:16But yeah, like I think Indy I think it's Indy, New Orleans and

01:06:20San Antonio's in the mix, but it's it's Indy, New Orleans

01:06:23Those are the two that that like in my in my perfect world. It's like Indy, New Orleans

01:06:27I throw San Antonio in there and then

01:06:29Have a rotating fourth as like the cycle for final four hosts. I think what makes India the reason people love New Orleans

01:06:36There's a lot of reasons but New Orleans brings the party and you can walk everywhere and you go to Bourbon Street

01:06:41It's it's a great great time

01:06:43Indianapolis doesn't obviously have the party that New Orleans has but Indianapolis has two things working in its favor. It's very compact downtown

01:06:51You you fly in you take an uber to your hotel

01:06:54Yeah, once you're downtown, you don't have to you don't have to get an uber

01:06:58You don't have to do anything

01:06:59You're there until the it's time to go back to the airport and then you can walk everywhere and that little perfect downtown

01:07:04It's absolutely perfect

01:07:05The other thing that makes Indianapolis an awesome host city not just for the final four but for just about anything

01:07:10The whole city is big enough to accommodate

01:07:13Anything like it has it has a it has a JW Marriott said like if you want a five-star hotel

01:07:18We we have a couple of those

01:07:20It has the the infrastructure to house all the P the influx of people

01:07:25But it's not so big that there are other things going on in town

01:07:28So what happens is when there's a final four when there's a Super Bowl when there's really anything

01:07:33Massive going on in Indianapolis

01:07:35The whole city gets behind it and they go crazy for in the final four, especially because it's a basketball state

01:07:40so this in 2026 the news today is that

01:07:45The final four will be held in 2026, which we already knew that much

01:07:49We already knew but I'm trying to I'm pulling up. I have it here. Yeah, go ahead

01:07:52So final four in championship, obviously

01:07:54d2 title game

01:07:56D3 title game as well as the semis and finals of the NIT. Yeah all in the same

01:08:04Weekend all in the same weekend in Indianapolis, that's gonna be awesome. That is and I'm glad you said it because

01:08:10The truth of the matter is is there are probably more fun cities

01:08:15To attend. Yeah, there are more fun cities when you've got the Saturday night final four

01:08:20And then you have Sunday off and you have Monday now, so there are more fun cities to be on Sunday

01:08:24There will not be anything else in town, but basket. That's it

01:08:29Yeah, and it is going to be awesome. And that's the appeal of Indy is like the yeah, of course

01:08:33The strip clubs aren't great and I've seen them all I have I've gone I did my research

01:08:37I've been to every single one Sunset Strip, you know where the Pacers used to get arrested

01:08:42Been there had I had to go for research. It was like, you know

01:08:46How are you gonna speak on these matters unless you go see for yourself Red Garter downtown?

01:08:52Spend a little time there had to do a little research. There was work

01:08:55I was working on a piece for that one. That was when I was at Grantland. That was a bit was more of a ridden

01:09:01I

01:09:02Would love to see a written article

01:09:04documenting the strip clubs by mark time, uh

01:09:07But uh, you know like it's not you don't go to Indy and want to get the party started

01:09:12but if you're a basketball person like that is that the appeal of Indy is like the appeal of Indy is like the the

01:09:20fucking the woman that's taking your order at Ruby Tuesday's is like

01:09:25So fucking fired up about the final four people like it's it's shit like that that you don't really

01:09:30I've always said that about Indiana when you talk about like basketball in the state and and you know people from Indiana

01:09:35We think it you saw the picture the Amish Hoopers. Yeah, you know in Fort Wayne

01:09:40It's less about like the top level stuff. Like when we when people from Indiana argue that basketball is bigger in Indiana

01:09:47We don't mean that like our five could beat your five or like the best of the best of the best

01:09:52It's less about the top and it's more about like

01:09:55The the really the bottom it's like the the the people that don't care about basketball care about basketball

01:10:01they care greatly about basketball because you have to and I think that's what makes it an awesome an awesome hose this will be an

01:10:07Awesome event because it's like the people that in New York City the people that aren't into the final four

01:10:11Do not even know that it's going on the P the people in Indianapolis that aren't into basketball

01:10:17Could still probably name the starting lineups of all the four teams that are there and they're like

01:10:21I'm not gonna watch a second of it

01:10:23But yeah, I do think that I do think that you know, RJ Davis probably should have got more national player of the year

01:10:29Right, you know consideration and I do feel that they'll just like rip off shit like that

01:10:33they're going to so you got the d2 and d3 title games and

01:10:38The NIT final all on Sunday. That's your off day. Yeah for the final four

01:10:44Yeah, that is going to be like it. I don't know you go the final four all the time

01:10:47What do you do on your off day when you're in Phoenix? What do you do when you're in?

01:10:50Do you also work on a?

01:10:52Yeah, sometimes I'll reduce a research if we need to it depends on what that yeah, I'm a journalist

01:10:57You know, you never know where the story takes you and sometimes they are going to go to three basketball games

01:11:03Do you think does does Indy hat? So that's if I'm doing my math, right?

01:11:06I'm not much of a math magician 12 different teams will be hosted in the same weekend. Yeah, it seems that

01:11:12I'm not I'm not have I'll call my parents. You can stay my parents. Thank you

01:11:16My parents my question is in all seriousness

01:11:20I think one of the coolest parts of like a regional or found for whatever is you've got four separate fan bases

01:11:26Yeah, does that help hurt now? You've got well, I'm not saying they're gonna be thousands of people

01:11:31Yeah, I guess like you would assume that the division three not to shit on too much

01:11:35But they're not gonna probably bring in a truckloads of like, you know

01:11:40Of alums that want to go to this but yeah, I don't know it'll be it'll be an interesting mix for sure

01:11:45um, I

01:11:46Hope they I'm curious where they're gonna play all these games

01:11:49What is are they playing it at?

01:11:51Bankers life or game break, whatever the hell they call and I tease at Hankel can see Kofila and I tease at Hankel

01:11:56I tease at Hankel d2 and d3 are at Gainbridge and then I'm see

01:12:00I need I need d3 at high school

01:12:03That's I've been saying I need d3

01:12:05I need d3 at Brownsburg not to get to Ohio State on us

01:12:08But I need d3 at a high school in India the fact that we now play our games and state tournaments everything in

01:12:14Value City arena shot and seen whatever

01:12:16Take me back to st

01:12:17John John the and take put that for any state any college anywhere being on top of a small pack gym is

01:12:24Substantially better. What's the best gym in Ohio?

01:12:27Like small wise just any the st. John like what's the Hankel Fieldhouse of Ohio? I mean st

01:12:32Arena arena, no air conditioning. Yeah, you're on top. It's awesome. Yeah, I didn't know if there's another one out there that I wasn't

01:12:40aware of there was a

01:12:41There was a place in Amish country called the pit shout out try way where it's like

01:12:46Underneath or like the court is like in a pit. Those are types of things you only get in Ohio

01:12:52I love her in the Midwest and the Midwest. Yeah, um other thing last thing I had I saw Bart Bart Torvik is is getting

01:12:59Bart Torvik metrics will be part of the official and see a selection committee

01:13:06Sheet that's when they get the printout of all the you know, they're going through and they're looking and they're like, all right

01:13:12It's an official matter here. We got we got Ohio State here

01:13:15Which one belongs in that'll be an official metric and the stat that I saw I think it was Norland or tweeted this

01:13:22I was trying to

01:13:24I was trying to make sense of it all

01:13:26There's there's a wins above bubble that's going to be a new stat

01:13:30so the the stat nerds from baseball have have fully infiltrated in basketball to where like you're gonna have to

01:13:36Get ready to learn nerd buddy is what I'm saying. I'm gonna have to speak wins above bubble

01:13:41Is that it was their wins above bubble?

01:13:44Wob, oh, yeah, there was there was their wob. No, they're only they're only 1.3. Wob. No, dude

01:13:49I can't put them in my tournament. They're only 1.3. Wob. That's a good set though. That's a good

01:13:54I

01:13:56Continue to be fascinated. I'm not I'm not knocking. I'm just

01:14:00Like like everything else in life

01:14:02I sit on the middle of the fence and then I just like shrug my shoulders and I'm like

01:14:05I don't know how I feel about things. Thanks for listening to the show. See you guys later

01:14:08But I I don't I'm not saying like advanced stats don't belong in college basketball. I just find it fascinating that I

01:14:16Continue to find it fascinating that this is a sport that is driven by passionate fans who are just like maniacal about their team

01:14:23And it's it's very much

01:14:25the culture is very much like

01:14:27scratch your balls and spit and talk shit and like like just call guys pussies and like what it like there's no

01:14:34Rationale behind like the opinions that you form we saw that was Zack Edie last year

01:14:38Where you're you know, like half the country is just like Zack Edie sucks and you're just like based on what you're like

01:14:44I don't like him. That's what I'm basing her on and then at the same time

01:14:48There's just a massive shouting acronyms at each other

01:14:51There's just a massive massive

01:14:54market of

01:14:55Advanced stats that have infiltrated college basketball to where it's like it's number two behind baseball. It's baseball and then college basketball

01:15:01I think in terms of advanced stats in sports, but yeah Bart Torvik shout out to him

01:15:05His he's gonna be on the according to I think was Matt Norland

01:15:09I should find the I always wear every time I reference a tweet on the show

01:15:12I I think I'm getting ball sacked like I I see it. I make a note of it

01:15:16I'm like I should bring that up on the show and then for some reason when I start talking about I'm like

01:15:20Am I getting ball sacked? Am I there's like a voice of doubt in my head that uh

01:15:25News in saying ounces that Bart Torvik comm will now be included on official in team sheets for NCAA tournament discussion

01:15:31Not just that but wins above bubble is also going to be a metric included resume based and big win for the process

01:15:37Is what Norlander has to say something? There you go. That's a

01:15:40Something to keep in mind. So all this all this chatter about the advanced stats and you know

01:15:46The people that don't like it say who cares. This doesn't really matter. It's gonna matter now

01:15:49So it's official and I will determine if I like it or not based on if it helps our team. It's exactly

01:15:54That's exactly right. That's what I've always said. I say that to have to be a cowboy state to Ken Pond Bart Torvik all of them

01:15:59I

01:16:00Pick my favorite metric based on how high Ohio State is right where whoever has Ohio State the highest you get my business

01:16:0733 and Bart Torvik rankings right now going

01:16:10Good rankings good rankings. Let's go. I love that. Uh, all right, you're uh, you're going to throw a first pitch tonight. Yes left-handed

01:16:18I tried to come and get you three times today. Why what here's what happened?

01:16:23me and Bluntman did a

01:16:25Challenge last time and we both failed

01:16:27So tonight I have to throw left-handed and he has to dress as a leprechaun to introduce me

01:16:32Oh because of the nine nine nine thing

01:16:34It was the brats, but we did a challenge where the whole office threw it left-handed and we threw one strike

01:16:38Oh my god, TJ through this is gonna this is gonna go poorly TJ probably

01:16:44Slim TJ probably fucking groove that right across the play. No, I bounced it

01:16:48Lefty bounced it 20 pitchers one strike who you think it was. Don't think too hard. Uh

01:16:53Was it Ohio State? No, no, no, no. No, I was it. It'd be the one person that swears he can do this

01:17:00White Sox Dave White Sox Dave right down the fucking pipe left-handed. Yep. I'll be damned. Mm-hmm son of a bitch

01:17:08Paul Skeens through seven no hit innings today

01:17:10And then they pulled him from the game and the pitcher that they brought in immediately gave up two hits the first two batters

01:17:15So

01:17:17What happened to the game? I love I don't know. It's a war on entertaining baseball

01:17:22What was the score TJ one nothing? Oh my god, seven innings zero hits eleven strikeouts 99 pitches

01:17:30They pull the man's arms gonna fall off either way. Yeah. Uh-huh. He's going to get Tommy John surgery

01:17:36He's the odds on that are like minus

01:17:39400,000 that he will get Tommy John at some point in his professional baseball career

01:17:44We know that how many why are we trying to like not?

01:17:47Why are we trying to say like prevent that from happening?

01:17:50We know it's going to happen

01:17:51Anyway, all of the famous pitchers that have had like pitch restrictions and inning restrictions get hurt

01:17:56They get hurt anyway, Ross Berg did it job at Chamberlain did it?

01:17:59They're the two most notable ones in the last 20 years that come to my head if you restrict the guys nothing

01:18:03It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. You can't you can't prevent it. So like at least

01:18:08Go be a fucking legend. Yeah, did he hit? Oh, I hope he threw up

01:18:11I hope Livvy Dunn was chirping from this. I hope so. I hope she got this less

01:18:16I hope she got so hot and bothered by that. Just fucking

01:18:22I

01:18:24Would love to for research for research

01:18:28Well, how's the mincy thing going, uh, I don't know Titus you I look to you for advice sometimes the plan was for him to

01:18:37Me to teach a grade him to take a test

01:18:39K through 12 or first through 12. Yeah, he failed first grade. I know and that's why I bring it up

01:18:45Yeah, he's moved on to second grade. Well, yeah, because if he's failing first grade

01:18:50He's failing. I think I'm great. I think I've okay. Yeah, I

01:18:55think my advice would be like

01:18:58Let him try first grade again. If he fails again, he gets a lobotomy

01:19:01I think that's it. I think those are the stakes we do we do a lobotomy live on the air

01:19:05He

01:19:06Well, that's what everyone's chirping me saying. How do you just move them on?

01:19:10First of all, let's take a look at what education does these days everyone everyone moves on no mincy left behind

01:19:16But yeah, we got we got to have a little meeting. Yeah and decide that

01:19:21Maybe okay. Yeah, maybe second grade is better for him

01:19:24Maybe he's like first grade was always hard

01:19:26But when I got to say I really hit my stride second grade

01:19:29We did started coming together for me all the shapes started becoming more clear and second grade. No, I don't think so

01:19:35Live test Monday, though

01:19:41Yep

01:19:43All right that people are saying that that we shouldn't have even got into the lesson and just played Simon says the whole time

01:19:49All right, Tate, thanks as always for joining us

01:19:52Best of luck with the left-handed pitch and with corralling been minutes. Thanks Titus. And yeah, well, we'll have to talk you say basketball

01:20:00Olympics

01:20:02We're on thanks everybody watching listening. We'll be back next Friday. See you guys

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