Latest / Stugotz and Company / Set 2: What the NBA Wants (w/Ryan Ruocco)

Transcript

Set 2: What the NBA Wants (w/Ryan Ruocco) · Stugotz and Company

• 0:21
  Speaker 1: It puts a smile on my face to see this
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: man's face. I haven't seen it in a while. Ryan
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Ruco is with us. He's on the call tonight for
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Lakers Rockets, Big big game.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: We'll get to that in a second.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: I want to start with the Yankees, though, because I
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: know you're big into the Yankees. Taylor, our executive producer,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: had what I claim to be the most ridiculous take
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: I've ever heard.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: He said that he.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Would not trade Ryan cam Schlittler, okay, straight up for
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Paul Skeats.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: He said he would not do it. Your thoughts, I
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: wouldn't do it either. I am whiptailor I am on tailor.
• 0:59
  Speaker 4: And it's fun because, like I had, I actually had
• 1:04
  Speaker 4: this discussion with one of my one of my close friends,
• 1:08
  Speaker 4: who was a huge Yankee fan the offseason. He's a
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: smart Yankee fan, and he was talking about you go
• 1:12
  Speaker 4: get schemes and he was acting like Schlitzler would be
• 1:15
  Speaker 4: like a throw in in that deal. And I was like, whoa, wha, wha,
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: whoa wa, Like I'm not like, Schlitler's not a throw
• 1:21
  Speaker 4: Schlitler might be scheens Like I can't I can't be
• 1:23
  Speaker 4: throwing him in there. Here's my reasoning, all right, Ok,
• 1:27
  Speaker 4: First of all, in his start so far, he has
• 1:31
  Speaker 4: performed as well essentially as scheens right, Like, it's a
• 1:36
  Speaker 4: smaller sample size, but essentially he has right.
• 1:40
  Speaker 5: His clock is also.
• 1:42
  Speaker 4: Not as accelerated as schemes, just as far as service
• 1:45
  Speaker 4: time goes in the big leagues, right, So you're a
• 1:48
  Speaker 4: little bit further away from free agency, which means you're
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: a little bit more cost effective.
• 1:52
  Speaker 5: It also for me, and this is.
• 1:54
  Speaker 4: Not an exact science, this is just my own convoluted logic,
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: but the longer I see a young picture having great success,
• 2:01
  Speaker 4: the more I have a clock ticking in my head
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: towards when are they going to miss a year?
• 2:04
  Speaker 5: For Tommy John And so I just like.
• 2:07
  Speaker 4: Always assume that's coming, you know, like and and so
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: I'm like, no, I'll take the guy who's pitching just
• 2:13
  Speaker 4: as well, whose stuff is legitimate, who's you know, I mean,
• 2:17
  Speaker 4: who's done on we've seen him doing on the big stage,
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: and who's just like a little bit less experience in
• 2:22
  Speaker 4: the league.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: See, I'm okay with that explanation of it, because there
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: was thought put behind it.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Taylor just said, I'm not doing it period. It was emotional.
• 2:31
  Speaker 5: It was it's because he's homegrown.
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: Oh no, no, no, that's not gonna like I want.
• 2:37
  Speaker 5: No, no, that's not gonna do it for me.
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: Look I do I understand, like you get more attached
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: to the people you go on the full journey with.
• 2:45
  Speaker 4: But like Paul Skeins is the kind of star and
• 2:47
  Speaker 4: he's so young in his career. If he came over here,
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: like as you guys know, that guy's profile would just
• 2:53
  Speaker 4: as big as he already is.
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: Boom, Like he would be a rock star. I mean
• 2:59
  Speaker 5: here already is.
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: But you know what I'm saying, what the Yankees do
• 3:01
  Speaker 4: to stars like that, they just turbo charge it. So
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: I mean, why not have Schlitzler end schemes?
• 3:08
  Speaker 5: Can we can? We build a pack? Right?
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: I think everybody's why can't we have it? All? Right?
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: Well you can't because the Dodgers going to take everyone. Yes, Ryan,
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: are you?
• 3:22
  Speaker 6: Are you too much of a professional to actually like
• 3:24
  Speaker 6: what's going on with the Mets?
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: No, he likes it.
• 3:30
  Speaker 5: That's a great question. You know what.
• 3:32
  Speaker 4: I'll tell you what I actually I don't root.
• 3:36
  Speaker 5: I don't root actively against the Mets. I really don't.
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: But I think what what I find like kind of
• 3:46
  Speaker 4: a I guess it's like we're to call it uplifting,
• 3:50
  Speaker 4: but an uplifting macro concept here is that while everybody
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: has been complaining about the Dodgers and like, oh, it's
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: bad for the sport, which I totally disagree with. By
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: the way, I love what the Dodgers have been doing.
• 4:02
  Speaker 4: You know, the Mets have tried to go down not
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: the exact path, but a similar kind of spending path
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: and it has not worked, right, you know, And so
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: like to me, I kind of like an example, and
• 4:15
  Speaker 4: again it's not Apple sapples, but just from the you know,
• 4:18
  Speaker 4: alligating dollar standpoint, an example of, hey, here's a team
• 4:22
  Speaker 4: that has just tried to pay their way into a
• 4:25
  Speaker 4: pennant and it's not happening, you know.
• 4:28
  Speaker 5: So like I just think it's good.
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: To have variety within method and that's kind of what
• 4:33
  Speaker 4: the Mets are giving right now, which I do find
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: to be kind of a macro positive for like the sport.
• 4:39
  Speaker 5: If you will.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: He's on the Call of Lakers Rockets along with Jay Billis,
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Malika Andrews. What a great series. What the hell is
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: going on with lebron I? Mean, Ruco, what is going on?
• 4:49
  Speaker 5: I mean, it's amazing like that.
• 4:53
  Speaker 4: You know, it's just he's given them, you know, Game
• 4:57
  Speaker 4: four throw aside, right because I just I think everybody
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: kind of thought, yes, thought that'd be a tough game, right,
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: like with a quick balance back after an overtime game
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: and everything else. But what he's been able to do,
• 5:12
  Speaker 4: it's just crazy. Like even you know, I was just
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: looking at some of some of his numbers in the series, like,
• 5:18
  Speaker 4: how about this, guys, He's held Houston to twenty six
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: percent from the floor as the closest defender. That's the
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: lowest field goal percentgel out by any defender in the series.
• 5:30
  Speaker 4: Like so it's not just like he's doing it offensively
• 5:33
  Speaker 4: or he's orchestraing the team.
• 5:34
  Speaker 5: He's also defending.
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: You know, I when you looked at because the pieces
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: who were around him, it's not like they were big
• 5:41
  Speaker 4: contributors this year, you know, like Marcus Smart, DeAndre Ayton,
• 5:45
  Speaker 4: you know, Luke Knar.
• 5:47
  Speaker 5: These guys weren't Bronnie.
• 5:48
  Speaker 4: It's not like they were playing huge minutes and making
• 5:51
  Speaker 4: massive contributions. And yet, as we've seen throughout his career,
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: lebron lifts everyone else around him, and he gets them
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: most out of his teammates, and it's kind of crazy
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: to see him doing it, you know, at forty one
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: years old.
• 6:06
  Speaker 6: Well, I would argue, if he's defending Tyry Easton, it's
• 6:08
  Speaker 6: probably pretty easy.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: I'm under a certain number.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: But Ruco's not laughing at that. He's a professional, all right, right,
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: I gotta ask you this. So we have noted we
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: already know Kevin Durant has been ruled out for this game.
• 6:22
  Speaker 6: Okay, Yeah, I look at you, and you know, Mike
• 6:25
  Speaker 6: Breen and Mark Jones and all the good play by
• 6:27
  Speaker 6: play guys are sort of rising above all the noise
• 6:30
  Speaker 6: that happen. So I'm curious for what you how you
• 6:33
  Speaker 6: view it the Kevin Durant situation in Houston. It seems
• 6:36
  Speaker 6: like nationally people want to paint it as if they're
• 6:39
  Speaker 6: falling apart internally, but it feels like they're just sort
• 6:42
  Speaker 6: of reading tea leaves on that and there's nothing concrete
• 6:44
  Speaker 6: on what's going on there. I'm just curious from you know,
• 6:47
  Speaker 6: the neutral perspective that you have, how you see what's
• 6:50
  Speaker 6: going on with the rockets and Katie.
• 6:52
  Speaker 5: Yeah, no, that's it.
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: I appreciate that framing and I and that's a good perspective.
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: I think that I'll probably get a a good a
• 7:01
  Speaker 4: better sense maybe you know, in a little bit when
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: we talk with emy tonight. But my what I think happened,
• 7:07
  Speaker 4: and I think why it's kind of like fan the
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: flames for this is people didn't expect him to be out,
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: you know, and like, and it's harder for people to
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: accept an injury when it's unexpected and it's from a
• 7:19
  Speaker 4: place where you know it's a key player, and so
• 7:23
  Speaker 4: not only do they not expect him to be out,
• 7:24
  Speaker 4: but then it happened twice, right, Like, so the first
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: one was a surprise and it was like, what, what's
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: going on? Then he comes back and he doesn't play
• 7:32
  Speaker 4: in game three and you're like, wait, it's a different injury.
• 7:35
  Speaker 5: What's going on? But you know what, it is a
• 7:37
  Speaker 5: different injury.
• 7:38
  Speaker 4: Like I think sometimes the facts actually are the facts,
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: and I think the reality is he actually has an
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: ankle injury that's significant enough that he is absolutely not
• 7:49
  Speaker 4: able to play. And I don't think it was smart
• 7:53
  Speaker 4: for him to not be on the bench in game three.
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: I I that is a terrible optic and I don't
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: care what like rehab is going on whatever. I feel
• 8:03
  Speaker 4: like you can probably time that so that you're on
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: the bench with your team during the playoffs. That I
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: understand people being upset with. But that's not completely unique
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: to KD, you know. And I don't think that's enough
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: to say like, oh, you know, he just like something's
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: going on there.
• 8:21
  Speaker 5: More.
• 8:22
  Speaker 4: I think the truth is he's hurt, you know. I
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: think I think the truth is he's hurt and he
• 8:26
  Speaker 4: can't play, and it's just nobody was expecting it because
• 8:29
  Speaker 4: he was seemingly healthy going into the playoffs and got
• 8:31
  Speaker 4: hurt preparing for the playoffs, you know, So so that
• 8:36
  Speaker 4: that's kind of I think that's the truth of it.
• 8:39
  Speaker 5: And we'll see.
• 8:40
  Speaker 4: I don't know what happens beyond this year with them, Obviously,
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: it seems like there were some moments of at least
• 8:48
  Speaker 4: like internet speculation and friction in the second half of
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: the season, right, But he's so important to them, guys
• 8:55
  Speaker 4: like they just don't have as you know, they don't
• 8:57
  Speaker 4: have a lot of guys you can just give the
• 8:58
  Speaker 4: ball to and say go get a bucket. And so
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: you know, you feel them, you know, a team that
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: you already all year, like wondered about their offense without
• 9:07
  Speaker 4: Van Vliet, especially come this time of year, to not
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: have KD as tough.
• 9:11
  Speaker 6: Well, Ryan, one thing that I don't think people recognize
• 9:13
  Speaker 6: is outside of KD, how young this roster is. Like
• 9:17
  Speaker 6: it's one of the youngest in playoff history.
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: Yes, you're so right, man, I mean I think I
• 9:22
  Speaker 4: have had some nugget here. I don't think there's a
• 9:25
  Speaker 4: single player on their roster who has more than nineteen
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: games of playoff experience outside of KD. Yeah, Like it's
• 9:33
  Speaker 4: it's it's right, and who's you know, not a key
• 9:37
  Speaker 4: figure in anything for them now, Like, so yeah, it's
• 9:40
  Speaker 4: it's extremely young if you look up and down the roster,
• 9:44
  Speaker 4: and so that'll be a reason for encouragement if you're Houston.
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: I think also the thing with the Rockets is like
• 9:51
  Speaker 4: their season has left a sour taste in people's mouth
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: in general, and that is kind of helping frame anything
• 9:56
  Speaker 4: that happens. They were expected to be a contender, and
• 10:00
  Speaker 4: I don't think people fully accepted that that was never
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: going to happen once fam Fleet got hurt, you know,
• 10:06
  Speaker 4: like they just never were going to be a true contender.
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: So it's like the fifty two wins, the five seed is,
• 10:13
  Speaker 4: you know, it's a it's just like a.
• 10:16
  Speaker 5: Little bit of a disappointment for what people were projecting.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: Yes, that's our taste and is his mouth, particularly because
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: he's Rockets and now for every.
• 10:24
  Speaker 6: Time, I'm a huge Men Thomson fan.
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: I love the Rockets.
• 10:27
  Speaker 6: They're great, and I blame you for everything I do.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: Ryan, what are you hearing? What are you hearing?
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: In terms of Austin Reeves and his return to the
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: Lakers here, you.
• 10:47
  Speaker 5: Know, just going on on chums.
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: It seems like, you know, they're expected Austin was expecting
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: to be able to play. But I know from having
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: the Lakers earlier in the season when Austin kind also
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: went through this period where he was listed as questionable
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: in Game ten decision and then wasn't playing, and from
• 11:06
  Speaker 4: knowing JJ and then also hearing his responses like I
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: think this is the kind of thing where they're not
• 11:13
  Speaker 4: going to bank on it until he's like one hundred
• 11:16
  Speaker 4: percent gone through his warm up and been like I'm
• 11:19
  Speaker 4: good to go, you know, because I just feel like
• 11:23
  Speaker 4: they've had a lot of times with Austin where it
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: seems like he's close and then he doesn't play, and
• 11:29
  Speaker 4: so it would feel I think, kind of irresponsible to
• 11:32
  Speaker 4: assume he's going to you know, I once he got
• 11:36
  Speaker 4: upgraded to questionable, you would have thought he was playing, right. Yeah, So,
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: like it seems like everything's trending that way based on
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: you know, Shams's reporting and even just the fact that,
• 11:48
  Speaker 4: like you know, Austin talked to the media yesterday, and
• 11:53
  Speaker 4: so it feels like it's going that way. But I
• 11:55
  Speaker 4: think until we see him like actually, you know what,
• 12:00
  Speaker 4: ever an hour before Tip getting the clearance, then you're
• 12:04
  Speaker 4: gonna still have some curiosity.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: Help me out with this, because I maintain that the NBA,
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: if they were being honest, they would tell you.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: They would love for the Lakers.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: To advance here and then get Luca back and Reeves
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: back and have them advance to the NBA Finals. They
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: know women Yama's not going anywhere, they know Oklahoma City
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: is not going anywhere. They don't know that they'll ever
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: get another run with Lebron James and this Lakers team
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: ever again, and so they would love for that.
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: Team to be in the NBA Finals. Is that fair?
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: I mean, I honestly, I don't know that Like, I
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: don't know that that's the framing that the league looks
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: at the playoffs in like we all projected on them,
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: you know, but I think that there's different motivations for
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: different people in the league at different times, right, because also,
• 12:55
  Speaker 4: you know, I think it's really beneficial for them to
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: have small market teams go far too, even if it's
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: an interim ratings hit, for you to be able to say, like, hey,
• 13:03
  Speaker 4: your collective bargaining agreement is working, your competitive balance is working, right.
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: Right, anyone could do it?
• 13:09
  Speaker 4: Yeah, exactly, there's a value in that, right, Like that
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: is the model the NFL is built off of. And
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: it's not in any way apples apples, but like there's
• 13:17
  Speaker 4: a value to that in a sport. So, you know,
• 13:20
  Speaker 4: I think all of us could deduce that Lebron James
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: in the finals would get remarkable rating, you know, like
• 13:27
  Speaker 4: one last trip to the finals. I just you know,
• 13:30
  Speaker 4: I think, like them just winning this series though, it
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: was a heck of an accomplishment, Like i'd really with
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: these guys out, like this isn't a great roster, you know,
• 13:39
  Speaker 4: like you isn't. Ye, it's and so like I think
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: JJ has done an amazing job even with Luca, Like
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: you saw the way, okay, see just beat the heck
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: out of the Lakers this year. They beat him an
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: average of twenty nine points in their meetings, you know,
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: like it's and it doesn't sound it sounds like there's
• 13:57
  Speaker 4: a good chance Luca won't be back for that series regardless.
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: So I don't know, I think it's it's hard to
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: draw up a path to the Lakers getting through Oklahoma City.
• 14:11
  Speaker 5: Now.
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: Granted people didn't have them winning this series either, and
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: and and it looks like they have a good chance
• 14:15
  Speaker 4: to do that, right, But I don't. I mean, I
• 14:19
  Speaker 4: think NBA fans would love it. It still feels like
• 14:22
  Speaker 4: a really tall order to ask them to go win
• 14:24
  Speaker 4: maybe two more series.
• 14:26
  Speaker 5: With al Luca.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: Yes, that's the way I should have framed it. NBA
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: fans would probably what the Lakers and Lebron.
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: Oh, NBA fans would love that, man, David, I mean,
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: I don't. I don't think you could get a better
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: story like than Lebron in the finals. That would be unbelievable.
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: Crazy yeah game in Cavs Raptors.
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, the series no one cares about.
• 14:44
  Speaker 6: That was My question is can you make us care
• 14:47
  Speaker 6: about that series real quick, because.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: It seems like the Lakers and Rockets. I mean, man, I.
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: I honestly, you know what you do again? You know,
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: because you did it?
• 14:58
  Speaker 5: Is he right?
• 14:59
  Speaker 4: You did it like you're you parachute in for like
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: one game of the series and then out, but then
• 15:05
  Speaker 4: like you end up caring and tracking that series afterwards
• 15:08
  Speaker 4: because you studied for the midterms, so to speak for
• 15:10
  Speaker 4: that one. I think, like what's interesting to me about
• 15:14
  Speaker 4: the Toronto Cleveland series is, you know, Cleveland has a
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: golden opportunity here, like if this is going to be
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: a team that goes to a finals, I don't think
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: you're gonna find a better path than what they have
• 15:30
  Speaker 4: in front of them this year. And yet they have
• 15:33
  Speaker 4: left themselves really vulnerable. And one thing that we see
• 15:37
  Speaker 4: time and time again this time of year is when
• 15:40
  Speaker 4: you have a roster that has athletic, prime two way
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: guys that can upset teams.
• 15:47
  Speaker 5: You know.
• 15:47
  Speaker 4: I think we saw Boston when they went on that
• 15:49
  Speaker 4: first run surprise teams like that because they had prime
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: age two way athletes. Toronto has a lot of guys
• 15:54
  Speaker 4: who play both sides of the ball who are prime athletes.
• 15:58
  Speaker 5: You know with with bar and with Ingram, with.
• 16:02
  Speaker 4: Barrett, you know, they they have guys who are in
• 16:06
  Speaker 4: the prime, who are playing both ways, and like they
• 16:08
  Speaker 4: just look a little more fast and athletic than you know,
• 16:11
  Speaker 4: James Harden right, or to a lesser extent, Donovan Mitchell.
• 16:16
  Speaker 4: But so I think with Quickly, I'd be really worried
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: if I was Cleveland.
• 16:22
  Speaker 5: I'm not.
• 16:22
  Speaker 4: I still think they'll win the series, but they can't.
• 16:25
  Speaker 4: You know, they can't miss this opportunity. The Calves have
• 16:28
  Speaker 4: a real shot. They might end up now Orlando looks good,
• 16:31
  Speaker 4: but they they have a you know, a good chance
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: to go get Orlando and then all of a sudden
• 16:34
  Speaker 4: you're playing an eight seed to go to the conference finals.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: So Riyan, I'll say it.
• 16:37
  Speaker 6: You were just talking about how these small market teams
• 16:39
  Speaker 6: and their success is good for the league. You can
• 16:42
  Speaker 6: also hide in small market teams. Donovan Mitchell, James Harden
• 16:47
  Speaker 6: And who's the DePoy there, Evan Mopley, Evan Mobile you're
• 16:49
  Speaker 6: talking about and former MVP. You're talking about a guy
• 16:52
  Speaker 6: who's been top six and MVP voting twice in Donovan
• 16:54
  Speaker 6: Mitchell and All NBA Team twice. And you're talking about
• 16:57
  Speaker 6: a deepoy they should be doing better. They not be struggling.
• 17:01
  Speaker 6: And frankly, they had a better regular season.
• 17:03
  Speaker 4: You're you're you're one hundred percent right Israel like this,
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: I think they have been kind of like hopeful for
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: like what they were post hard in trade to translate
• 17:14
  Speaker 4: and to go on this run.
• 17:16
  Speaker 5: But if they don't, if they get.
• 17:18
  Speaker 4: Knocked out in the first round, I'm not sure there's
• 17:20
  Speaker 4: a team that would have had a more disappointing season
• 17:22
  Speaker 4: in the entire NBA.
• 17:24
  Speaker 5: Having said that, like, I still think if.
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: You look at their roster, they're deep, you know, like
• 17:29
  Speaker 4: they have a lot of talent. Their bench was really
• 17:32
  Speaker 4: reinforced at the deadline, having Shrewd or having Kean Ellis
• 17:35
  Speaker 4: getting strewspack, having Merrill come off the bench, you know,
• 17:39
  Speaker 4: Jalen Tyson who's emerged as a really good player. Like
• 17:43
  Speaker 4: they they should be, they should be advancing, like and
• 17:48
  Speaker 4: but now they got a lot of pressure on them tonight,
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: Like that's a you can't go down three two.
• 17:52
  Speaker 5: Going back to Toronto, I was in that building and
• 17:53
  Speaker 5: you guys know, like that place is crazy. That's not
• 17:55
  Speaker 5: an easy place to go.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: No, no, it's crazy. Plus they're mad at us. We're
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: still hockey from them. Really real quick, Ryan, how many
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: lunches have you and Israel goody Era has had over your,
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: over your over the span of your of your of
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: your working together here.
• 18:10
  Speaker 5: That's a great that's a great question. Many.
• 18:13
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I I I miss them, you know,
• 18:16
  Speaker 4: I missed having is He on the road, getting to
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: have our nice lunches together. You know, but we, uh
• 18:23
  Speaker 4: we we definitely had some great meals in Mexico City together.
• 18:28
  Speaker 5: Doug Collins back in the day.
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, pick up that name.
• 18:31
  Speaker 6: My favorite is always with Hubi. But then there was
• 18:33
  Speaker 6: a couple of where it's just me and Rucco just
• 18:35
  Speaker 6: you know.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: Well, really, what I'm wondering here is, let's say there
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: was one hundred lunches, how many did Israel attempt to
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: pay for?
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: That's what I'm really.
• 18:44
  Speaker 4: Very generous guy. I don't know how he is with you,
• 18:48
  Speaker 4: with me, He's always offering to pay the bills. I
• 18:51
  Speaker 4: would say, like at least like seventy six of the hundred.
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: Yes, he'd be more generous if I paid them. Yeah,
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: I mean it's kind of tough, you know.
• 19:00
  Speaker 5: I understand. I get the I get the difficulty there.
• 19:04
  Speaker 4: But yeah, and you want to talk about lunch partners
• 19:06
  Speaker 4: hub oh man, oh yes, best storyteller of all time?
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: Yes, well him or Melchiper. I mean, that's it.
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: You asked you be a question and might not come
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: back to you for forty five minutes.
• 19:18
  Speaker 4: No, right, it's you. You're it's a it's you are.
• 19:22
  Speaker 4: You are there to listen and absorb and be amazed
• 19:27
  Speaker 4: at somebody who's, you know, ninety two years old, who
• 19:30
  Speaker 4: can still tell you the most granular details of stories
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: that happened seventy years ago.
• 19:35
  Speaker 5: It's crazy.
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: He's amazing. You're amazing.
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: Rockets Lakers ESPN game five to night ten o'clock. Will
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: be on the call with our buddy Jay, Billis, Emilik Andrews.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: Ryan.
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: We appreciate seeing you a cent here in the broadcasting ranks.
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: Is put a smile on my face. You're a prodigy.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: No one is surprised by this. You are excellent at
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: your job, and I look forward to watching you tonight.
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: Enjoy the game. Man. We appreciate you doing this, buddy.
• 19:57
  Speaker 5: Thank you man, Thank you for those conference. I appreciate
• 19:59
  Speaker 5: you guys,