This is the place where Sports studio. So when I turned it on the halftime, the score was 60 52 Hawks. And then when I checked the score after we finished recording, it was 132, 110 or whatever, Hawks. So I honestly thought the Hornets had a shot with it being so close.
Miles Bridges, you know, is the beast. He was the beast of seasons. So what happened in the second half? It was kind of rough.
It was a rough game for the Hornets all the way around, even in the first half. You know, they kind of hung in there. They were very rippable. The roster was really statistic.
They were a very shallow and scared- roger stadium. The stadium struggled early with. The both of them struggling early. They were young when they played early either.
It just didn't look good for me. I didn't feel like the ever-gotten chill rhythm. And they couldn't get going. It just couldn't.
It didn't go well. But when we started by saying this, I really did not want to see this matchup. I wanted both of these teams to make it to the playoffs because of course, Charlotte is my team. But we got theó two teams back to back.
We could be the Hawks and the Cavs, not with the roster, the way it's trying to construct it. So really, truly what happened was the Hawks played, they were shooting up strong. Everybody was hitting shots early, except for Ray. And then Trey got, you know, he started getting into a rhythm.
Like he finished like 24 points, something like that. And it was just too much to overcome. I saw on IG today that LaMello shot a three at the end of the game that I already won. Was that this year?
I think it was, yeah, it was this year. Okay. Yeah, and it got some little, and then it just the end of this game he was trying to score. They were fighting for Ollie, they wouldn't let them get the shot.
I don't know why he was trying to get started. They playing defense too hard. Like it wasn't, it wasn't like a normal ending of a game. And Trey kept saying, man, you laying for that.
Like he just kept calling lame. I don't know what's going on with that. But yeah, they got some type of personal, which is kind of good basketball himself. They got some kind of personal beat going.
But yeah, it was just ugly man from talking about it. We couldn't get to a rhythm. Miles, Miles, Richardson, I played well. He was frustrated at the end.
I don't know if you heard, but he threw his, he got injected because he blocked the shot and the car got just the cumulation of things. He was upset. So he got ejected. A fan was waving at him.
So he threw his mouthpiece at the fan and hit like a 15 year old girl on the shoulder. And it was just an ugly, ugly situation. But it is what it is. I felt like we were under man this year.
I would have felt that way. I just felt like missing a couple pieces. Gordon Hayward of course didn't show up. He didn't play, which is nothing new.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying is nothing new. And honestly, if he was healthy, his presence would have made a difference. But you can't, that's like 80. You can't count on Gordon Howard just like, get out of 80.
So it is what it is. You think you guys are going to match the offer that Ridges will get? Yes, Ridges will be honing. He's going to get a max deal.
Okay. So he don't feel, honestly, he should. And let me tell you why. When you're, when you're a place like Charlotte, you're not, you're not one of those major cities that can attract a bunch of free agent talent.
So when you have in, in house talent, and you see him developing and growing, as he a max player, no, no, he's not. He's not, he's not, he deserves a payday, but not max. But when you're Charlotte, you got to overpay to get some of the guys in there. You just got to do it.
They're talking about four years. What are you talking about? So four years on 175 M's from house Ridges? Yeah, something like that.
And they offered four years, 64 that he turned down. But it's not, I don't think it's 175. I think it's max. It's like, I thought it was like one, I could be wrong.
I thought he was looking at 175. I'm not mistaken. Yeah, it's 173, five years, 173. Come on.
Five years. Five years. That was shelter. See now that is, for me, that's a perplexing situation to put Charlotte in.
And the reason why I can't even want to just talk about this is because, you know, let's, let's like do a quick little deep dive on Charlotte right now. I really do like the coach. I like, I like, I like LaMello. I like Roseer.
I like Peter Washington. I like, book night is gonna come along. He's gonna be a guy. I like my house bridges.
Gordon Hayward in theory is a great player. In practice, he's obviously always heard when he did him the most. But I see why I injected that deal. I see why they gave him that money because you just want to bet on the talent.
Regardless of what he did show up, like in Boston, he was still able to, when he was on the court, give them something so different as like a creator in that three spot from them was taking over that mark. I think for all the Boston fans, y'all know that he was a small ball for so all this combination of talent and two years in a row of disappointment after flaming hot starts, you know what I mean? Like incredibly like great starts. So I got to like pose a question of, are you certain that miles bridges is worthy of the max?
And that's not even necessarily because of everything we just talked about prior, but mainly I really, we saw him as because of LaMello ball. I think LaMello ball is going to be a great player in NBA. But over the past two years, and obviously what this is the second season now, so the next year will be a third year. This is the only one guys come together and you see what they really gonna be like in the next five years that third season.
So me, he's looked like the second guy, a second star. But to me, he doesn't look like the first star. And that gives me pause to give my bridges that contract if LaMello is already the second guy, you know what I mean? And I kind of root you on that.
I think LaMello is that. But the fact remains that you're not going to be able to sign that talent from outside. It's just those small market teams, but you know, we talk about Zion, for example, leaving New Orleans. They're talking LaMello being a later at some point.
There's always talking to guys in the next stop. It's not like this is where they want to be. Ain't too many honors out there. So when you have the opportunity to maintain talent, do I think that Miles Bridges is a max player at this point?
Absolutely not. I think he's a sending player and he deserves more money than the 464 he was going to get. But they have to go into Heywood's contract was an overpayment. You know what I'm saying?
You got home with Charlotte and he would have any way else. But they had no choice. They really have to sign that talent and keep it. And Miles Bridges with LaMello equals excitement in sales tickets.
You know what I'm saying? Airbnb sales tickets. So that's kind of what you, you're after, if you're if you're MJ, you want to create some excitement. Maybe want maybe make a couple of those friends players want to come in and play with these guys.
You see what they did for Jason Terry, I mean, it's Gary Terry's career. It kind of made him amp up a little bit. Even Rodney as their time is back and he looked good. So it's like you can kind of win if when I say win, I don't necessarily mean like you're gonna make a play off, but you can win on the money side and you can win with the fans with making these moves.
So that's why you keep it, Bridges. You keep it, Bridges, because LaMello likes Bridges. And that's what you're trying to say. If Mello, I'm not calling it Mello.
LaMello is the second star and Bridges, we're not saying Bridges is the first star, right? Well, let me clarify that too. You, LaMello is the first star. Now, right now, yes.
What you're saying, what you're saying, what let me correct me from wrong, you're saying basketball lives, right? So when we talk about when we talk about stars, you ain't necessarily got to be the best player on the court to be the biggest stars. LaMello is the big, he's the big ticket name, but somebody else is that guy who used to talk about talent wise is what he's talking about. So Mello, Mello is the biggest star on that team.
Mello is Mello and everybody else. Kind of how he's magic. Yeah, magic and green magic was the star. Queen was the talent.
Right. So if, if that's the case, and we're just talking about just the game itself, if LaMello is the second star and you need like that, that number one guy, who is that guy going to be? And will they be able to afford him if they pay Bridges? If Bridges comes to that guy.
And that's the, and to me, that's the conundrum. And obviously, one of the ingredients to the Jones argument, because I don't disagree, it's like, it's a very hard position to be in. I don't know what their cap situation is, but LaMello's coming up on his deal with just a year and a half after next season, right? Or maybe a year right after the next season.
The previous fourth season after the next season. So absolutely. So you got to pay him and you're never going to let him go for as long as he's good as long as you want him to be there. I think that MJ kind of learned with Kimba to know what let guys go when it's time to go.
But you're also in that it's like a double sword. You don't want to give a guy that contract when they're not necessarily worth that amount of money. And you also don't want to swing him is when they could turn into something more. So maybe my was Bridges has another level or two that he could go to.
But you also, let's say like I'm in Mitchell just weren't so bad to get out of a Utah and he's willing to go anywhere in the Eastern Conference. That's in contention. I'm not saying that he wouldn't or wouldn't want to go to Charlotte, but does that put a deal like that in jeopardy? Obviously it's far fetched, but and it's strange things have happened.
I mean, so I look at it like MJ is in a very weird position with this team because it seems like they're right on the cusp of doing something pretty special, but they're also right in the danger zone of fucking up and being right back where they were two seasons ago. Right. And that's that's not that would cause conundrum. If you got somebody if they got inside talks inside tracks or somebody like that, then that changes things, of course.
But you know, even then I don't see why they wouldn't be able to afford tomorrow because you got well, Tera is going to be here for a while, but it would be impossible to say he could be dealt the way going to Hayward. You got him on the bush for two more years. He could go both nice little on a Ricky deal. You got PJ on a Ricky deal.
So you got some got you got some flexibility there. My chances of free agent. Cody Martin is a free agent. You don't have that's the good thing about I think you can have I need to look back.
I'm not going to my castle. So you got to get it. But I don't I don't see what we're probably we've given bridges the money and bringing somebody else. I think you got a little time to play there.
But I don't but like you said, it's yet to be seen, but I think more than anything they need to make my little hair. So you want to keep them happy because you don't want to see them in like you want to let him know you could be the statue outside this place. You'll never be the statue there. And that's kind of what you're going to have to sell it more like this is your brand your brand travels.
Why not be the face of this franchise? I think that the deal that's going to happen. Everyone's talking about West work. I think I'm just not going to kill go for West West.
I really don't believe that what I believe the deal is going to be I'm not sure what his contract is. But Miles Turner, I think that Miles Turner is going to be the guy in Indiana because before Gordon Hayward signed his deal, he was already in deep talks with Indiana and he turned him down. I was like, what that's what he went to college at a lot of about. So it's all like pretty much writing on the wall.
So now they can kind of make right in his mind. He can make right what he did wrong and go to Charlotte and still get hurt. If I'm not taking that to his hometown, I was waiting with the college. I'm not mistaken.
Somebody quirk on that. But I think that's going to be the deal. I think it's going to be like a Rosier Hayward for Turner and somebody else. Quick question, just as like a strongly fan, and we can go to next stop because it's not the little metal show.
But would you trade Rosier Hayward and Bridges for AD? No. And the only reason I said it is, once again, even though AD is a big star, I just think he's on the decline and you're getting back kind of what you get giving up with Hayward. How often can he be on the court and how effective would he be?
Even though he's a true talent and if he can stay healthy, I would do it in a heartbeat. But the fact that he can't stay healthy, I just don't see where we benefit them too. And I don't know if that would move them over the hump if that makes sense. I was just thinking because what type of players wouldn't make Lamello better.
Because to me, Lamello, he's like, this is not a skill set comparison. I mean, just like in terms of the star power. He's a clay Thompson site where it's like, he's a pull, he's a draw, but he needs like a Steph beside him in that sense of star A, star B. I think that he's star B.
He needs he needs star A beside him. So if it's a big, it has to be a guy like AD who can take over and you just got to hope he's healthy. If it's a wing, he's got to be a guy like a it's got to be a guy like a Zach Levine. It's got to be you know, those type of like just scoring guards that can change the brand like adjacent to them.
But they definitely help on the inside. I wouldn't be mad if they go get my house turner and they just try to build out a really solid team like Phoenix has. But then that makes for the fact that they do need like that second scoring and I think Rosier is consistent enough, but he doesn't show up in the big, big, big games. Right.
That's what that's what the problem is. And you need that you need to knock down shoot or no days when they're not because everyone's drinking anything. The days when it's not falling, you need that person that can come out there and get your bucket. And it's just that's what's missing.
Like imagine they had a dog in Robinson or something. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
That would be perfect. Melo could penetrate, do what you do and kick it back out. Or if you had like you said, if you had a turn on inside, he could get busy and kick it out of him because you can't even shoot them three. And we'll just rejuvenate everybody around him.
Because he makes everybody better. He does make players better. But he's still freelancing and he's still finding himself. So we just got to kind of see what's going to happen.
For sure. What we got, Cam? Got some super chats. We got a question from a member, actually.
Who's more explosive aunt or Jaz? I was pretty questioned. We met Anthony at where's the chorus? Yes.
I think Jaz. I think Jaz. I think it's Jaz pretty clearly. Can't even say.
Shout out to him. But I think it's Jaz pretty clearly because Jaz's quick twitch ability is way more springy. You know what I mean? Like he's just like, at a moment's notice, he's going up and it looks like, you know what I mean?
Aunt looks not, I'm not saying that Aunt looks heavy, but Aunt looks like he's generating the force to do it. It looks violent. You know what I mean? Yeah.
And the most amazing way possible. But Jaz, he's like a feather getting up off the ground. You know what I mean? And that's where I kind of like, explosive is.
Right. And it's not a shot at all. And on that. But I agree with you 100% it ain't too many out there like not when you talk about like you said, when you talk about that, that quick that quick hop and next thing you know, he's at the front of your rim.
That's yeah. Because if you if anyone knows anything about dunking or jumping, there's definitely an art to dunk in the ball. The like the force that you generate when your knees like go in for that torque that you need to get the ball up, you know what I mean? Well, you make that little, you know what I mean?
Anything that wears when his knees go in at that little 90 degree angle and you see like the force he's about to generate, it's slower than what Jaz does. It's maybe like a millisecond slower, but it's slower because Jaz can really have the bonus hand becoming down the court and then just take off and you're like, what the world? How do you just how we're up a load up? Yeah, like you know what I'm saying?
Yeah. And he always was like almost he's like, he's like powering up where it's like, John, he can come in the court and just in the air. You're like, how do you just you don't even bend your knees? Like, what are you doing?
You know what I mean? So that's the lightness. I'm I'm telling him. Yeah, I was probably confirmation bias, which is why I was leaning towards and because I just saw him blow past in my head, I just seeing blow past and normal power and about the dunk on a lot of people.
But you know, he got hops. It's weird because it may be just maybe jog it just a lot more screen time when it comes to ESPN and stuff like that this year that I just saw more explosive plays from him than Anthony Edwards. Anthony Edwards caught a couple of bodies, but Josh trying to get everybody that that's in his way. But I didn't really see that a lot of that from age this year, but I'm sure it's just what was on my screen more than anything else.
But I don't know. But um, all right, let's jump into the, uh, and you know, know what y'all got in the chat. What was it? One more thing I was going to tell y'all that bridge got five, five, 50,000 for the mouthpiece.
This is stupid man. Pretty great. That's nothing for him, bro. That's so stupid.
Which is crazy. I didn't even just say that. I know right. Yeah.
People's whole year at least salary users. Right. Right. It's just throwing out the movies.
You know what the NBA got to do a rule where like anytime a player gets just fine, they got a bus it down between all the workers and shit. Like all the people working concessions and the fucking people who mop the floor, the ball boys, they all got to bust that down. So if, if, if, if, whoever in 30,000 throughout the year, they got to take those fines and put them on the workers. That's what I want.
Yeah. They gave him 30,000 for what that, that IG video he made. Yeah, he's moving. It comes as true.
You know what I mean? Like they said obscene cofinity. That's harmless. I say they donated a charity or something like that.
I'm looking to see, but I think that's what they do is that money. Yeah. Man, I don't don't even don't even tell you. Okay.
All the money collected from fines, those two programs, home players, by money does not go to the NFL, the NFL, NFL, the NBA collectively bargain on and off field conduct so that's in the NFL. Let me see what those I don't know. Oh, the player finds go to charity and he'll be a charity, the fireface. Okay.
And this is all team put the Washington commanders. You put it in the reparations pod or something. Yeah. But yeah, man, top five coaches.
It's the main topic today. And you know, while we're kind of recapping the hornet's game, I was kind of just trying to jot down a list. It was kind of a little harder than I thought. Because I had my two guys, Spow and Nick Nurse.
Yes. And after that, I was like, well, damn, hold on. Who else can make this list? Monty.
So, but see, okay. So here's where I struggle, right? We've seen well, but it's a great coach. I think he's done it without Yarnas.
So I guess he did make my list. But as I was writing him down, I was wondering about whether or not it was all or more Yarnas. But but I think what Yarnas did for Bud is it allow what it allowed him to accomplish what he couldn't do in Atlanta because he had a guy. He didn't really have a guy when he was doing all this stuff.
So same thing with Monty. Like Monty is a good coach, but he has more talent. But CP3 is a coach on the court. But the only reason he gets passed for me is because a lot of you know, CP3 has been hurt.
He had to play without certain pieces to play without eight in the time. And they're still successful. So because no drop off, he deserves mention for that because you still got to be with top five coach in the NBA. Yeah.
Well, we should put some criteria on it that like a book be a criteria for the top five coaches. Let's just do last three seasons, like the last three seasons. Like who would be the top five? Okay.
Taking into account resume, we're also having the presence of mind of what they're doing right now. So that's what it goes out. I mean, you could put them in there if you feel so strongly that like what I've seen this year puts him in that five. But if shit, do you want me to go first?
I can, I can tell you my five from starting from five to one, or we can all go around do our five and then the four, you know, I mean, I haven't put mine in order, but you go ahead. All right, I'll do one. So number one is steepness. And I'm just like, oh, number five.
Please, man. Number five. I actually have, what's up. I call it.
I do at Monty Williams and number five. I think he's great. All right. What you guys know, I was thinking the same thing.
You know, I just, I can't let him go. You know, he kind of backgored his way into the playoffs, but he still somehow managed to win some games with guys we barely even know. I was just trying to marry, you know, and you made no Lonnie Walker. But who are those other guys that be on the court?
So just on coaching credentials, I just got him over here. Okay. Give me, um, for five, you're gonna be popped for that reason. Like I said, he, he elevates the talent around him, whether it be, you know, no matter what, and these guys are not, they wouldn't be playing worthy in most cases.
The fact that he got them there, he deserves it. And we've seen what he's done with everybody. So we, you know what I'm saying? We've seen this man work.
I can feel that. My number four is actually popped. So I just thought pop number four. Got you.
All right. So number four for me, I'm, uh, since we're doing the last three years, I'm throwing Monty in there. Uh, number four. I'm a third year bomb, but I can't, the only thing is, I can't remember three years ago.
I just remember two years and it's taped. Well, actually, what's he a co-clashing? Yeah. Tell Jake, yeah.
Tell Jake. Well, I can't remember. I just, I just give them credit for the fact they got that team in the play in last year and in the beat. Have, I look at things like, like I said, playing, you know, having that much successful job, you know, you know, still maintaining that spot.
That's, that's difficult to do. And the fact that he's elevated in the way it's each year, I think he deserves that four spot. I feel that. So number three, uh, one of the three is Nick Nurse.
I think Nick Nurse is probably the most just underrated coach when it comes to adjustments. I think that he's such a creative mind on the defensive and offensive end of the court. I think that the way that he can defend stars is really underrated. And, um, yeah, man, like no one saw him coming just like a guy in a G league, a massage, a genius, a genius, gyms, identifying that type of talent, identifying that type of basketball mind.
Yeah. He definitely deserves to be in people's top three or at least four. I'm going, but and I have him over Monte, simply because he beat him last year. I mean, you know, in the finals.
Uh, so to, you look at what he's done since he's gotten gotten there with Giannis. Um, I mean, it's, it's been incredible. I mean, Giannis, there's a lot of credit as well for working to prove on his game, but, but built the whole system around him. And then when they countered what Giannis was doing in the playoffs with that wall, he came up with a way to get around that.
So I got putt at number three. I completely forgot about bud. I'm going to have to slide everybody back on one. So that was slide pop off and bud will be my four in my team's my three.
And I just, and I, and I, and I, he listened to you talk about a king. I don't have no problems with that because you absolutely right. You got to beat the man. I just, I just look at what money did for the last two years with that team.
And even though it does have Chris Paul on it, he does have talent around. I just think he just did a great job. I mean, those guys really, really respect him to play for. And I think if you talk to if you lined up the players in the league and asked him who their favorite coach was, I think he went out.
So that gives him a lot of credit. In my case too. That's why I was in that. Number two, that's actually a good reason, Sheldon.
But number two, I actually, I have, I have spoke at number two. I think Eric Spostre is hands down the best offensive coach in basketball. And the reason why I say that the numbers may completely disagree with me, but just from his ability to manufacture offense with pieces that are not offensively gifted or talented individually at the superstar level, it's like he's, it's almost like he's squeezing an orange and that has no juice in it. And he's getting the most juice you can.
So for the, for that reason, you got to give him that type of respect where it's like, you have a guy's like, you know, just jealiggers, Jimmy Butler, struggling from three this year, you're a band out of bio, not a known shooter. You have Tyler Harrow, very streaky, Duncan Robinson's been pretty mediocre this year. And you're still able to be the number one seed in the East, which has been stacked. So I got to give him that respect at number two.
Yeah, I got spoke. Spostre second for me too, man. You know, I, for me, when it comes to Spostre what he managed to do when LeBron left, show me a lot and just talking to people, people kind of also kind of helped me see a lot when it came to Spostre when LeBron and Wade were there and boss. And you know, you, so yeah, I'm gonna go with Spostre as well.
He showed that it wasn't LeBron and Wade. It was a lot of them, but Spostre had a lot to do with that when they were there. Great. My number two would be Nick Nurse.
And he's done just more less and the consistency he's had throughout this time. And that's one of those teams that I don't think nobody really want to see, you know, it's got, you know, Philly fans, we're gonna talk about that. Right, so I'm saying that I think that, you know, he brings a lot to the table as far as that's concerned. It maximizes players.
You get players like a Scotty Barnes. You wouldn't want him to be with anybody else. You see what Fred Van Blee has been able to do. These guys have developed an under him in the driving.
So, you know, he gets a lot of kudos from me on that. Mm hmm. My number one, this is very hard, but it was kind of, it was kind of simple. What's I thought about it.
It was hard for a second. First of all, I want to give a shout out to everybody who was in the chat because we're bringing up a lot of great coaches. And I think it just shows how the talent, not just on the court has expanded, but the talent one, the bench has also expanded. And basketball is such an amazing game at this point in time because the overflow of just genius and just us two acumen that is not even being given opportunity to be head coaches like, it's ridiculous.
Like a coach like a Dave Yeager deserves to get like a job somewhere in the NBA as a head coach, just off of his defensive crowd was alone, but he's on a bench behind Doc Rivers. I got like Sam Cassell also behind a guy like Doc Rivers. You know what I mean? You know, Ema Uyudoka was on a Spurs bench for, you know, years and players were saying that he deserves, he was having no.
So, I want to give a shout out to like, guys like Mike Malone, Uyudoka and whatnot, who I really couldn't work really showing like JB Bigger staff, you know what I mean? Showing that these teams need to be led by coaches I have an understanding of their players and not just as players, but as men, you know, as actual people. So, with that being said, I think the coach that I have at number one, he embodies that personally. It may be a little bit unpopular, but my number one is Tyloo.
I think Tyloo does the most with least. I think he does the most with the least. I think that he has the ability to get something out of all of his players, then just very few coaches and the ability to craft defensive schemes for star talent, like I just said, from Nick Nurse, I think it's him and Tyloo that are like the best in the league at it, forcing the ball out of guys hands, being able to, you know, craft the boxing one for Curry to bring the Cavaliers back three one. That was not just LeBron and Kyrie's greatness.
That was Tyloo trying to keep that ship steady. So, I definitely got to give Tyloo his credit. I think he's the best coach in the NBA right now, just for his ability to get the absolute most out of people that you never thought would be in this position to do what they're doing. Guys like Reggie Jackson, guys like Paul George, who went from being a joke, you know, for a whole offseason to being like, oh, he's a playoff performer now.
That's Tyloo, you know what I mean? So, you got to give it to him, man. I got Nick Nurse's my number one. I think much like Spole, he proved that it wasn't just Guwah.
Guwah left, the man still continue to win. You look at the growth and development of Siakum this year, then starting out cold, probably had to do with Colby and all kind of other stuff, and then just look at how they managed to finish the year. So, that's a lot of Nick Nurse, and look what he's doing with Scotty Barnes and all those guys. So, yeah.
I got Nick Nurse number one right now. I knew you was going to say, Tyloo. I knew it. I think he's so great, man.
I think he's such a great coach. Yeah. That's what the guy was. Mine has spoken, and it was tough between Nick Nurse and Spole, because I just really feel like they both really, really good at what they do, but Spole gets the answer for me because he's got that mind and heat team in first place.
Like you said, that's not a first place team when you look at it on paper. We look at these teams on paper. They know when they're the team we'd be thinking we'd be at the top. So, the fact that they are there, who goes to them, and that's why he'd be my number one, just for that one reason and that one reason long.
And what was it, three, what happened three years ago? Was that when they made it to the championship? Oh, it's Spole. That was two seasons of growth, damn near.
So, the past three seasons, they made the finals. Yeah, 2020 was the bubble, right? So, yeah. So, that's when we talk about all three, he's had the most success out of everybody in these last three seasons.
Yeah. So, for that reason. Hey, Rob, to your point about having Colau winning the title versus not having Colau, I mean, that's the difference. Like you guys still need a guy.
I don't know if Siakim will be the guy to be able to capture a title, but you give Nick Nurse a guy, then he could be in that team could be in title contention. So, yeah. And it's still, like you said, you need that catalyst and that's still the takeaway from his coaching because that team is still, you put another coaching that position, you wouldn't be in the position you're in, you wouldn't be the threat that you are now without him these last three years. So, he's just as much of a factor as some of the guys on the team.
So, I'm saying that that's saying a lot for coach. Steve was the fuck out of here. I got both of his, my honours. Brad Stevens is just, um, Brad Stevens is just Billy Donovan with, with a fucking Ivy League procedure, by the way.
Oh, they were saying this dude was better than pop. It was crazy. Yeah. Oh, man.
White media love Brad Stevens, bro. It was, it was wild what they were doing. Yeah. They were like, he's the president.
He was president. Brad Stevens insane. It was insane. Yeah.
I mean, he was a solid offensive coach for like, yeah, like coach. Yeah. But man, they were, they were definitely alright, man. He just always looked like, he just always looked like a dude who just caught his five room, like reaching out in the aisle, you know, and went so, went out in the grocery store and went in.
So, whenever, like Marcus Marl would do a bad pass, he would just look at guys like this, like, like for a way, like, you're on coach, man. Yeah. I'd be curious to see what, like, uh, the Boston coach do. Um, Nash is definitely on watch now.
Um, a lot of these guys, man, it's going to be interesting. It's start making an answer. So, um, this next topic, man, like, this was, this was one I never even thought about. I never even considered it because they've been so connected for years.
I never took an approach the way we did what we do with a radio bill bill check. But who was the guy was it? Pop, make, tell, but the Tim make pop. And I was like, yo, so basically the question is, is Greg Popovich, a beneficiary of Tim Duncan's greatness?
Man. I think that one, because you know what, it's like, we, we see pop without Tim. Um, and it's not quite the same. I mean, you know, you need telling them in games, that's right.
Everybody knows that. But, you know, he's able to kind of tread water, uh, koala, he was only able to do so much with the markets and, uh, the martyr, Rosa, you know, their talented. And you see where the world is right now? That was a good question, bro.
I do. All right. Greg Popovich is fantastic. He's one of the greatest coaches of all time.
That's a fact. Now the reasons for why a fact becomes a fact, that's where we come in. So, we don't even have to, you know, get into it. See, it's great.
We know he's great. But is that greatness a product of more of the greatest power forward ever? The same way in which we're talking about, but we talk about Brady. Yeah.
Brady was great and Bell check put him in position to be great with calling plays, training the way that he needed to train, whatever practice that we needed to practice. But Brady had to be able to retain. So it was definitely like a symbiotic relationship there for talking about football. Basketball is, but it's a different sport.
Uh, but it's still the same beast, you know what I mean? Where it's like, you're still having to internalize the ideology of your coach. You still got to internalize the principles of your coach, whether whatever they're trying to do on and off the court. And I think that Tim Duncan was such a perfect, um, like a perfect star for a guy like a great pop of his military background, very, you bought a number, he's bought a book, no nonsense, none of that, you know, show about shit.
And Tim Duncan was just a dude who was swimming laps in a pool and said, maybe I should play basketball. That's where that that's where Tim Duncan comes from. So when pop can berate him in practice or tell you're saying, Tim, you're fucking up, Tim doesn't take it seriously because he's just a dude who's like, all right, well, it's not, it's not that deep. I'll just do what I need to do.
But his greatness cannot be discounted. That's why I hate when people dismiss it when I say the question of Kobe versus Tim Duncan, as if it's like laughable. Tim Duncan got five rings. Tim Duncan is no joke.
For 20 years, pop of it is in the playoffs with Tim. The minute he leaves, we see him with the Marta Rose and Kawhi gets tired of his shit. He's, I'm tired of being here. People for years have been laughing at how pop talks to the media.
Oh, last couple years, it ain't been as funny because he not winning shit. So it's like, why are you getting to stand on this, you know, Obi-Wan Kenobi shit with us? Like we're supposed to just be like, okay, well, that's pop, but you haven't produced what you have when Tim was there in Monam in, uh, 20 part, I mean that like a big three leaves, his legacy starts to get a little shaky for me. And I do think that he is a beneficiary of Tim Duncan's greatness.
But that doesn't mean that that he's not still one of the greatest coaches ever. My last point is the Marta Rose and his MVP candidate just a couple of weeks ago, and he had him. And there was none of that under the pop of it. And I think that it's because pop of itches system can only click with a certain level of talent that also has a certain mentality like a Tim.
Yeah, you can put great players in pop of itches system, but they don't have the humbleness if they don't have the humility. I mean, if they don't have the mindset of just, I got to take whatever he was, whatever. I'm going to just stand the rain just to make sure to buy into the system. It's not going to work.
So yeah, you got David Robinson, same thing Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, those are all similar type players. Like you said, in my opinion, great pop of it's benefited more from Tim Duncan's greatness than Nubelachette, Tom Ray. Because when you say that, you think about where they came from, they are, Tim Duncan was great when he got there. You know what I'm saying?
He didn't so much coach Tim Duncan up to be what he was. He fit him into the system. Tom Ray got there. He was a six round rap pick.
What I thought of as being a starter or even a star in doing it. So it worked in the system, but I think that the coaching part of it, I would get more credit to Belichick than I would to pop. But he definitely benefited from Tim Duncan's greatness, 110 percent, because just based off what Tim Robinson said, and all that he could do, it's not even close to me. But it's like, man, those first teams of RC Beauford, you know, I mean, people have completely discount his acumen in this whole situation.
And that's why when we try to individualize greatness within sports, I think it's reductive. I think that we do a disservice to discourse around sports, because we try to isolate people in like a vacuum of, oh, pop is great, and pop is great. And only his greatness is the reason why everyone else is great. Or it's only Tim Duncan, and Tim Duncan is the only reason why here.
And it's like, no, this is a team sport that is inside of an organization that's inside of a business. It's three level chess. So the players and the people who have to make the shit shake on the court, they have like a relationship all between each other that has to be managed. And Popovich is the shepherd of that relationship.
How do we manage all this talent? Tim Duncan's greatness is in tandem with Popovich's acumen and his ability to shepherd a group of men. But Tim Duncan, being so great at what he does, allows for the legend of a Popovich to grow greater, just like in the same manner of legend of Tim Duncan is allowed to go greater because Popovich is making the right moves for those other guys who aren't as great as him. But hell yes, like Tim, Tim Duncan was definitely the driving force behind it, because without him, what do you have?
Well, I don't know what you have because we didn't really get a chance to see it all that much outside of the last few years. You know, Pop is much older and the game has changed a lot. Popovich was also very revolutionary when it comes to a lot of things. Pop was actually one of the first coaches to go all in on a three point shot before it went league wide and the war is kind of took to go into that.
You know, of course, low management, that sort of thing. He doesn't get credit for that, mostly because it's a spurs. Nobody really talks about the spurs. You know, we saw briefly what they were without Tim Duncan, David Robinson, they broke his foot, they decided to tank, get pop, here we go.
You know, personality types matter a lot. And to your point, you're about Demar and LA being their personality types didn't fit. Well, Pop was going neither did Kawhi up to a certain after he got the big head. You know, it's also when you look at like Phil Jackson, but not necessarily Phil Jackson, you look at Michael Jordan before Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan was still great.
Phil Jackson took him over the top. I think Tim Duncan would have been great. And pop definitely benefited from that. But pop helped take Tim over the top.
You don't get five rings without pop nor do you get five rings without Tim Duncan as well. And I think what also happens is that within winning, you know where they're drafting in the NBA late. So you're able to get guys like Manu and Tony Parker, you find guys like George Hill and while Leonard and these guys that fit your system. But all of that is centered around what you're able to do with Tim Duncan.
But these are like draft picks that pop, you know, and R&C booth for all these guys, man, just to scout, bring it to the system and coach them up based around what Tim Duncan is able to do as that foundational piece. You're a little sicker, and that is saying it better. I think than even what I was trying to say, but you are right. That's not what I was saying was not to discredit pop and what he did.
No, no, I know, I know, I know. Yeah. But yeah, you said it better. You didn't say it better.
Like like Bumblebee can't be Bumblebee without Optimus Prime. You know, you're filming like Optimus is, it's Optimus, man. Like, yo, he is the lead dog, you know, I mean, like Michelangelo, Donatello is cool and whatnot. But we all know that Leonardo is the leader of the Ninja Turtles.
So it's like you've got to be able to fall in line and understand the hierarchy of greatness and which, which makes the whole, which makes the wheel spin, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, pop up, you know, I mean, how many coaches went to him, Duncan was playing that were coaching in the era could have gotten a ring out of him. Feel playing feel like it got one you think? Mm hmm.
Well, maybe Paralee, you're talking about beating Shaq and Kobe in their problems. Yes. Yes. beating LeBron and the way waiting their problem.
Yes. I hate him too. It wasn't that nice. Beat it beating LeBron in the beating.
All right. First of all, beating the team that just beat the show is Shaq and Kobe. Then very next year, yeah, being the shadow of BZ and the D. Ben Ben Wallace, you know, I mean, like Tae Sean Prince, Rip Hamilton, like that was an incredible team.
And Tim Duncan just put in that work and just was like, all right, I'm about the bank shot. These boys are all the way home. And it's just like, you know, the fact that we discount Tim is great. It's just insane to me.
You know what I mean? It's just so ridiculous. And if he wanted to say, oh, well, Kobe was a better leader and blah, blah, blah. Resting for God, rest of the day.
But please let's stop. Let's stop the line. Let's like, like I said, like God said, no more cap. Like, let's just in these his name, no more cap.
So we have to recognize that Tim Duncan was just as much of a galvanizing figure, just as much of a leader as a Kobe or, you know, as a LeBron or as a CP. Like he led by example, and his silence was intense so that people knew that when it was time to go, and when he spoke, it was time to go, when he moved, it was time to go. Because you saw in the action and you saw in the very few words that when he did say something, it was okay, and I tell him he playing around. You know what I mean?
And from all accounts, he has a personality that is just very welcoming. It's very welcoming, but it's a very accountable personality of a person who's just like, we're going to play basketball and we're just going to be playing basketball. Because I know it's still, we're just going to play basketball. That's that's a welcoming personality, but it's also a very rigid kind of like, hey, man, this is what welcome though.
You know what I mean? Like it's just what it is. Like I was like Steven Jackson falling in line. You know what I mean?
Guys like shit, I go splitter getting the best out of them. The guy's like Danny Green and you remember the game with Danny Green and what's his name? We're going crazy. Penny Mills, who else?
It was Penny Mills. Gary Neal. Gary Neal. They were dropping like 17 threes in the first time.
I remember that game with the New Year's. And that's a product of probably just system, but it's also the gravity that Tim Duncan creates because you don't want to kill it inside. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's funny how we, you know, it's because I mean this Brady building, I think just started recently when we found out they were probably going to get the divorce.
Was that like the start of who did it better? So it's more version like when do we ever start really separating greatness out like that? Has that really been? Yeah, that's always been the thing is I think that now though more so than ever it's separated by coaching players instead of player gets player because it was always there for player player, you know, Shaq and Kobe.
But you got coach and player though right? Right. That's it. It's new coaching player.
Yes. I think I think that's some that's some 90 shit. Honestly, that's like some late 90s shit because it's got to be a stemming from the whole goat, George, you know, I mean, the whole goat greatest of all time. Those conversations, I think that we're going to look back on those our grandchildren.
I'll be having those conversations. Hopefully not. But there's going to come a time when there's there's a generation of people discussing sports where they look at those type of convos as being reductive and just toxic to the sport of who is the greatest of all time because for us to look at sports on just not not I'm not trying to get too deep here. But if we're going to look at sports for what it really deserves the type of rigor it deserves within this course, then you got to recognize that like the ability for these humans to be able to do these things on the basketball court or on the football field, tennis court, whatever, the soccer field, this is a scientific thing that's happening.
This is a scientific phenomenon. So for us to see like guys like LeBron 37 Duncan doing he does, dudes doing windows, dudes doing bicycle kicks and shit, we're just like, Oh, well, who's the best? You realize how reductive we sound? It's like, dude, this is human evolution happening right in front of our eyes.
And we're talking about some, well, who the best to ever pick up the ball? No, like, how about we look at it? Who paved the way for the 60s, 70s, 80s, who was the best of that era? Who led to this being normalized?
Who led to this being the best coaching way to coach? All these different things. They make up the evolution of the sport. And I think they were so reductive now where the bill make great, the great make bill.
It's like, no, this that's looking at sports in the back, and it's isolating these phenomenon down to just these very arbitrary things when it's such a wider scope of conversation, how we could be having, you know, man. Yeah, I agree, man. You know, I did a 365 on the Dame Dremon interview. And it's so insightful to me, listening to athletes, premier athletes, talk to each other.
It's a different conversation, and it's not as reductive as that, you know, and, you know, I think they each understand their place, their hierarchy in the sport, and they all kind of appreciate their greatness, especially those that are great, you know, in their own peer group. And, you know, it was really interesting. Like, you would think that given how someone, the media covers athletes that there's this inherent jealousy or beef between players, and, you know, while nothing is 100% pure, and there are players that don't like each other, of course, you know, for the most part, their colleagues, and they respect each other for what they're able to do and accomplish. And something that very few people could ever do.
And I'm so interested in just player media more than talking heads now, you know, that's what we are. But, you know, I love hearing them talk to each other and hearing those conversations. It's really great, man. And just seeing Dremon kind of grow with this podcast, he just has stuff on, and I didn't get a chance to hear it.
But he has stuff about the whole thing about playing with a bronze thing, and I didn't get a chance to listen to Cliff. I was coming here, but I really wanted to hear what he had to say. But yeah, man, it's, it's, you're right. I think there has to be a change in how sports is covered, to something that's somewhat better than what we're getting.
What else people? Hey, people, you know, what, what, what, what, what's good? Who, uh, what was, would you say a grand pop benefited from Tim Duncan's greatness? That was one of the questions we just wrapped up is read a beneficiary of Tim Duncan's greatness.
They both are. I think, look, now, I talk about it, especially in the NFL, right? Like quarterback, head coach, that relationship, it's the same type of relationship in the NBA between the best player and head coach. The, how, if that best player is an all-time great and he doesn't have a coach he respects, you're not going to nothing.
Okay, how great the coach is. Um, you know, because when you look at Michael Jordan to Phil Collins, right? Michael Jordan respected the hell out of a line because Phil Collins, that MJB, MJ, but Phil Jackson is the one that broke through to MJ to let him know, look, you could average 50 if you want, but if you want to win a championship, hit packs and hit curve, right? And Jordan had to understand this is a team game.
So he respected Phil Jackson. He didn't necessarily like Phil at first, right? We all watched the whole thing. Um, you know what I'm saying?
So at the end of the day, they both benefited and I don't think either one of them would be where they are or who they are without the other, you know, with Tim Duncan, still be a great athlete of course, but what do you have been part of a dynasty? I don't know. Um, you know, would top be the most winningest coach on time, probably not. Um, I definitely think that, um, I don't know who benefits more.
I don't think it's equal. Um, because coaches have more longevity than players. So a coach can continue to write, you know, his greatness for longer duration than a player can, but I think, um, you know, obviously Popovich is always going to be judged by the time he had with Tim Duncan, right? So no matter what, he doesn't let, you know, he turns the John Taylor into a monster and jazz another guy and all of a sudden he has another, you know, 15 year run, you know, Popovich greatness comes from the Tim Duncan era.
Um, so to say who they both benefited who benefited more, probably Pop. I think the coach benefits more, um, again, because they have a longer career. So they got to be able to maximize that player's greatness in a very short amount of time. Um, the other thing we covered before you got here, uh, top five NBA coaches, who are your top five NBA coaches, uh, right now, and they'll be a coach right now.
And, uh, you said, based on the last three years, who are your top five NBA coaches based on the last three, um, give me no, no order, but these are just my guys. Give me Mike Malone, Quinn Snyder, Spostra, Tyloo, Steve Curt. Okay. That's crazy.
Wow. So no big nurse. No nurses outside that top five. Nurses nice.
Nurses nice. But you know, Spost is very underrated. Very underrated. Um, and I talked about that when LeBron went there.