Club 520 Podcast - Club 520 - DeMarcus Cousins on Anthony Davis & Pelicans, John Wall at Kentucky, GOAT John Calipari

Episode Date: September 9, 2024

We’re back with Season 2, Episode 100 of Club 520, where Jeff Teague and the guys are joined by DeMarcus Cousins, reflecting on the NBA career of one of the best big men of this era. Boogie talks about getting recruited by John Calipari and playing alongside John Wall for one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. The guys discuss the New Orleans Pelicans team which featured Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, and Jrue Holiday. The guys all agree that the Pelicans were one of the most underrated rosters of all time. #Volume #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. The Volume. Are we back? Another episode of Club 520 live from Vegas. Where we at, Teague? You know, Resorts World, Vegas. The hesitation almost cost us our sponsorship. Hey, we trapping out here in the basement.

You know what's going on, Club 520. Special, special guest to my left. We're going to introduce my man's last to my far left. We got my dog, Bishop B.

He ain't out to pearl. He's how you what, nasty? Cool and nasty. Let's get to it. Let me go to spot. Yeah. We started off Saturday with a bang, baby.

I know you keep your feet proper. I've never seen black forces with the white laces before? Nah, I haven't. But, you know, I'm not mad at it, though. I ain't mad at it. What size you were, 16?

I'm a 16. Yeah, we'll get you together. I ain't mad at it. We'll get you together. I'm a senior pair. You feel me? OK, for sure. If you see somebody walking over those, he might gently rob you.

You know what I'm saying? Nah, nah, nah. Cuzz could have got that off with that fit today. Yeah, that'd be good. I'm not mad at that. I'm not mad at that. I seen Cuzz hoop.

He got some moments where he could wear it off. He got some moments where he could wear it off. That black king's jersey, for sure. Hell of a combo. To my right, my dog, Young Nacho, Young Tig. How you doing, man? I'm chilling, bro. Kings jersey, for sure. Hell of a combo. To my right, my dog, Young Nacho.

Young Teague, how you doing, man? I'm chilling, bro. Hype, bro. I'm a fan of our guest, bro. I'm so excited to be here, man. We've been trying to get him on the show for a minute, so it's cool, for sure. Hell yeah, man. Listen, man, this episode, we've been looking for it for a long time, man.

One of Dakota's bigs to every hoop, you know what I'm saying? Kentucky legend, big man. You know what it is. The Marcus Cousins, big cuz. Appreciate you sliding on us, big dog. Thank you, guys. Thank you, man. I appreciate y'all boys having me, man.. You know what it is. The Marcus Cousins, big cuz. Appreciate you sliding on this, big dog. Thank you, guys. Thank you, man. I appreciate y'all boys having me, man.

I love y'all platform. What y'all doing is dope as hell, and, you know, you are my full support, Jeff. I appreciate any athlete that, you know, is brave enough to go out and use his voice on an everyday basis. So, I applaud you, bro. Appreciate that, bro. I just got one thing to say before we start. B.E. Hinn, one thing to say before we start. Be him. You and Melo.

For sure. Y'all his favorite players bro. For real bro. Oh for sure? Oh that's hard. Hey. He did arguments bro. That's our life.

Our arguments. Y'all play. Yeah. And that's the dope part about this platform is for us is like we get to you know what I'm saying show love to the people

that we fucking because we really like basketball but you legit legit one of his favorite players bro. So this is a dope moment is for us is like we get to, you know what I'm saying, show love to the people that we fucking because we really like basketball. But you legit, legit one of his favorite players, bro. So this is a dope moment just for us to happen, man. I appreciate that, man. For sure, bro. Let's get this shit cracking. Man, come on, baby.

We already in Vegas with it. It's 185 degrees. Nine in the morning. Shout out to everybody in Vegas holding it down. Y'all got the toughest skin on earth. For sure. We're going to take it back, man. High school days, man.

You know what I'm saying? Growing up, you was that dude where you was at. How was it to, you know what I'm saying, to be the point to where you were part of that, like, inaugural Kentucky recruitment situation? Damn. You know, it was dope, bro. And I think it was even more special because the group that was coming in, like, you know, how we came in, you know, from our backgrounds, you know, it's different types of kids that, you know, come into, you know, that collegiate level. And it just so happened that we were, you know, really, really similar and me, John and Eric. So, you know, it was really dope to go into a situation that we really didn't know what we were getting ourselves into because originally our plan was to go to Memphis.

You know what I'm saying? So, you know, we were Memphis kids. Like, if that made sense. Most definitely. So, you know, for things to kind of switch on the fly the way they did with Cal, you know, making that move to Kentucky. I mean, obviously we wanted to play for Cal, but, you know, going to Kentucky in that moment in time when Kentucky was kind of, you know, it was still a very prestigious school.

It was still, you know, one of the most popular schools, but it was in a very, you know, low period when it came to you know tubbies last years there um you know they weren't quite having the success and you know when it came to kids picking schools you know memphis had just became the hot spot but you know cal leaving so it was now where you know kids were kind of trying to follow cal but outside of that you know it was the typical hot spots kansas uh duke uh you know, Carolina was still, you know, a very popular school. So, you know, UCLA, USC, things like that. So Kentucky wasn't really ringing like it was in our time.

You know what I mean? So for us to kind of go there and, you know, just get that that blood flowing that blue blood flowing again and um you know this for me is definitely one of the most special times in my life when it came to playing basketball uh the way they accepted us the way they embraced us um they allowed us to just be ourselves and you know we went out there and we not only you know won games for the university and the school and the fans, but, you know, we set a standard that kind of was everlasting for that period of time, you know, Calipari was there. And, you know, we've had conversations with Kyle and, you know, he thanks us all the time because Kyle doing what he did,

it took a special group like that to keep this you know for sure that that machine running and you know obviously we didn't win a championship but you know the blueprint we kind of set for everybody coming behind us was you know even more impactful than actually winning a championship so uh we'll always have our special place you know in history when it comes to you know that uk air so um that's really So, it was really dope, man. It was really dope. That 2012 team said they'd beat your ass, though. Crazy.

Shout out to Moog. No, shout out to Lil Bro. What up, bro? What up? I know Moog, though, man. Moog my dog, man. I was kicking it with Moog during lockout years. Moog a wild I was kicking it with Moog During lockout years So Moog a wild boy bro

So I was saying Who gonna guard AD What Who gonna guard him Who gonna guard Him

Michael Kidd Yeah Who gonna guard him He was the number one Point guard in his class As well Who gives a shit We had the number one

Pick in the draft bro What are you talking about They had two though They had AD We had a number one pick in the draft, bro. What are you talking about, bro? They had two, though. They had D. We had a number five. We matched up. Perfect. They had number two.

I had a job, bro. They had Gilly. Gilly. They had T. Jones. We had Patrick Patterson. They had T. Jones. Hey, it wasn't enough. That's a good one.

That's a good one. That's a good one. What about their team with Cat and them, though? They had a squad. They had a whip. They had a squad. What about their team with Cat and them, though? They had a squad. They had a whip. They had a squad. That might have been the most talented team to come through. For sure, bro.

And they had, like, three starting fives. It was crazy. You book off the bench, it's crazy. But the thing about college, like, you know, you can always, you know, sit there and be like, well, we the only team that won a chip. We know, like, college, the best team don't always win. The best team that night wins. Facts. So, you know, it ain't necessarily the truth when it comes to, yeah,

we won a chip, the other team didn't. When we line that thing up, it's going to go our way, I promise. That's crazy I had that much talent go to that school, bro. And that's why I asked that question because now you see, you know what I'm saying, Kyle rebranded himself for Arkansas, kind of the same situation to where everybody was, all right, Memphis was the standard. We saw D. Rose, about Tariq. All right, I want to be like that.

Y'all set the tone for a lot of different things, and I think y'all deserve more flowers because y'all were really pioneers in the aspect of coming in and being that one-and-done situation, that era, like maybe not as culturally impactful as like the Fab Five, but y'all were like that for kids in that generation to come and actually play together for a common goal because y'all play for each other. Absolutely. And you don't ever see too many recruits of y'all's stature

at that time period who was doing that. So that's what's super dope. And I know, obviously, you can tuck it to the core, but how is it now to see Kyle, you know what I'm saying, get the wheels back rolling in a different situation? Well, I mean, that's Kyle. That's kind of expected, man. You know, I've got the utmost respect for Kyle,

just the way he carries himself, the way he goes about business, the way he approaches relationships with, you know, the people that he chooses to have relationships with. So I appreciate, you know, everything that comes with Kyle. So, you know, to see him go to the next program in the first year, obviously they haven't played yet, but just with the talent that he's brought in in just this short amount of time shows you the impact

that Kyle has put on college basketball. So he's well-respected with each generation. You know, and sometimes coaches kind of get lost in the generations. This guy has found a way to flow through each generation. You know, and sometimes coaches kind of get lost in their generations. This guy has found a way to flow through each generation and actually be successful within those generations. And success isn't just winning a championship in college. Like I said, it's the best team that night wins. So you can't determine success off, you know,

necessarily championships in college because it's that hard to win. on any given night it's anybody's night so I hate that narrative when they try to well he's only got this many what you know it's it's bigger than that when it comes to college basketball for sure he changed many families he changed many families a lot absolutely bro and you know I've been on record you you know, talking about that conversation. But just him with me deciding to go to the NBA and the conversation we had, it's just like, look. And in my mind, I'm like, Coach, you know, I'm trying to come back. I want to win a chip in college. Like, you know, you feel that way.

You fall in love with the place. Like, you really want to win for that university. So that's where I was at the end of the season. And Kyle was like, look, dude, if you want to take care of my family, you're going to stay. If you want to take care of yours, you're out of here. That's real. That's all I needed to hear. That's real.

You know what I mean? That's real. And it takes a coach like that to understand both sides of this thing. Because, you know, we've all heard the horror stories of coaches holding guys back. And they miss that opportunity to get to that next level because it's not always guaranteed. You could just come back and then you the hot thing. That's not how it works. When you hot and they like you, you have to, you know, cut that stuff.

Because that next year, then they start picking you apart. Well, he can't do this necessarily. So it gets a little tougher, you know, going year to year. So Kyle understands that. He understands both sides. He knows how to remain successful with, you know, doing what he does, and he knows how to make these guys that play for him become successful long term. And that's really what it's about.

That's right. I got to ask. I mean, we know, you know what I'm saying, he was well taken care of regardless of how he was going to take it. But imagine now if y'all had the official official nil situation oh my god what you i would have stayed four years i'll tell you that how much you think you would have got especially in kentucky come man. And it's not necessarily because, you know,

I think we was the hot shit. I put timing into it and everything. Just the timing of it, you know, us kind of being that team to lift Kentucky back up out of the shadows, if you want to say.

That's facts. How much these kids getting? I saw, what's the, the big K from kansas got two million yeah i say iu y'all gotta got five come on yeah get two of them to transfer it's crazy to leave y'all see y'all getting five if you would have came back for your sophomore season you would have got five million easy what i'm getting for my junior season bro you ain't gonna

be there yeah i guess you you wow if i'm getting more than the season. Bro, you ain't going to be there. Yeah. You out, bro. You out. If I'm getting more than a rookie contract, why not? Nah. You would have left. It's going to be top five regardless. Cal wasn't even going to let you stay that long, bro. Cal wouldn't let you stay for you. You really out of pocket for one to stay.

You damn near really too old to still kick it on campus with all that money. You want to be rich and less. I ain't mad at you. But I was like, fam, Zach, do you really want to be 24 and rich

on college campus? Bro, go to the league. Where is that? That's real, bro. Y'all tripping. Man,

I don't know. I ain't never rich enough to pass up on no money. Y'all tripping. I'm just saying that you had, it's not like that's it,

that's all for you. You was the number one pick regardless. You know what I'm saying? I was the number one pick. Bro, outside of John, you was going to go number one. regardless you know what i'm saying number one pick bro outside of john you was gonna go number one nah i didn't i didn't because you left with him you was definitely running for number one pick yes bro if you would have came back that next year that's how it ended up coming but for me it you know, me going into college,

I wasn't the guy where it was like, oh, he's guaranteed. That wasn't my position. Like, it ended up happening for me throughout the season. So, me initially, it's like I got comfortable in that situation. After we lost, it's like I'm comfortable here. Like, also I want to win. And then for me, the NBA, it was just, I never really thought I was ready. Like, you know what I mean?

I knew I was talented, but I'm looking at guys like Ben Wallace and shit. I'm like, man, they ain't got a chance in hell, bro. You know what I mean? Nah, he's looking at Shaq, Tim Dunn. These dudes huge, bro. Yeah, crazy. So, that was never really my reality. But, you know, by the end of that year, things changed for me.

And like I said, the conversation definitely put things into perspective for me with Kyle. So, you know, I made that jump. Who did you model your game after, though, growing up? Because to me, I feel like you was one of the first stretch bigs that could really handle the ball like that. Like, I don't really know anybody before you that could really play outside the three-point line like that um for me uh i kind

of say my game is it it's like a mud like you know what i mean i i never had a favorite team growing up i'm from alabama we don't have a right i had a lot of favorite like favorite players so it's obviously my my number one was carmelo anthony can see that. Yeah, the way he moved with the ball, like his size, the physicality, the finesse, the combination of both, you know, I fell in love with it. Amari Stoudemire, the same type guy. Stout. Obviously, I love Shaq with just his dominance and the intimidation that he played with.

I love Pau Gasol with his grace, like just just the way, and the way he thought the game. You know, he didn't rely on just athleticism. So, um... You're definitely a mutt. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? You know, I took... And I had the opportunity

to, you know, be in Amari's camps growing up as a kid, so I got to know Amari. Even the high socks, I took that, you know, from Amari and Mello. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay. Young Mello. So, um, you know from Amari another young fellow so You know, I got a chance to pick his brain as a young kid, which you know really helped and You know, I could see the way he used his feet more so than you know his his his just Usual I've let us and it was more in the feet with getting around people and being crafty with that. So, um, I just took a lot of things that I saw from, from players that I liked and,

you know, I just kind of combined it into my game and these were the results of it. It was a monster, bro. He came on the scene as a rookie and was dominant. I'm like, damn. I used to say when we played,

I'm like, man, if he get in shape, cause the rookie year used to get tired. I'm like, if he get in shape, he going to average 30. Like, he too good. And I remember Al Horford saying, this motherfucker is nice. He nice.

And I'm like, Al? Yeah, Al don't cuss. He was like, he's nice, bro. He's nice. He was like, man, we got to stay away from him. He got to stay in the West. We got to stay in the West. Al saying he nice, that He's really nice, though.

I appreciate that. Yeah, me and Al definitely had some battles. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. You weren't telling me that. I'll tell you that. Nah, hell nah. You know, I get in the locker room.

He's like, nah, he's nice, bro. That's for sure. Because that's how I felt about John. Like, you know, when you come in the league, I'm like, man, he ain't about to do all that running fast shit. The first game, he dimmed their head. He had his best game against us. It was like his second game of the year. I think he had like 25 and like 10. The first game, he dimmed their head. He had his best game against us. It was like his second game of the year.

I think he had like 25 and like 10. I was like, yep. Stay away from that, yo. Dude was a lightning bolt, bro.

That's crazy. That's probably one of the few people in the league who was probably just as fast if not faster than you. Yeah, but he had Reeboks on, so I was like,

nah. ZigTag. I was like, nah, ain't no way. He about to get busy and them. He got busy though.

I was like, that's funny to say the Reebok era. That was, y'all was the last era of the nasty team AU shoes. You had the Reeboks with the Adidas with the Pro Models, Pat Leathers. Yeah, it was bad, Thomas. But we definitely came up in the nasty era. Oh, for sure. Oh, we had Harachis.

Yeah, we did. Harachis was cool. Yeah. Can't be mad at the Harachis. Nah, classic.. Oh, we had Harajis. Yeah, we did. Harajis was cool. Yeah. We met at Harajis. Nah, class. You gotta respect it. And it was, y'all had, y'all was Kentucky's, y'all had that shit. Yeah, we had some shit. Yeah. We had some shit. They used to have the long shorts. I went to Wake Forest. I used to be jealous because they shorts came down to they calf.

They had e-blend shorts and stuff. All the fuckers, man. E-blend shorts and his shoelaces. I'm a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had a lot of turnovers. He had his shoe laces. I'm like, he wildin'. He gettin' busy. Yeah, yeah.

I'm like, he don't wear his shoes. What? But man, like you said, you was going through the process like, all right,

how can I compete with these guys? And then you go, and now it's like, all right, I'm in the league and I'm doing what the fuck I'm supposed to do. How was that moment

when you got settled in Sacramento like getting to being an NBA pro? How did I get settled into it? Or just how did the confidence, like, all right, I'm here. Like, I ain't questioning. I'm here. I'm supposed to be here.

It started with me in practice, honestly, right? And I'm a guy that, like, I build off moments. You know what I mean? And once I surpass that moment, I don't really look back. Like, I don't even take time to really appreciate it. It's on to the next. Like, you know, what can I do next? So, and I plan on, you know, I enjoy the fruits of my labor at the end.

You know what I'm saying? So, with that being said, it started in practice. You know, and I had a really good defensive big in my rookie year in Samuel Dallenberg. Yeah. He was older, but he was, you know, he was really good defensively. He was smart. And, you know, playing against him every day, like, if I can, if I could fry him, don't nobody else really got a chance. Like, and obviously it was guys, guys you know that were better defensively but you know for him to be my test every single day you know for a full season that was you know that

was like great you know target practice for me so um it started there and then um you know with just each game i built you know my confidence grew and um you know it was also kind of hard because i had a coach that was not fucking with me at all. Yes, that's right. We see he wasn't really fucking with anybody. Yeah. At the time, it was Paul Westphal. So he was like, he never wanted me to shoot the ball. He didn't even want the ball in my hands, which, you know, I thought was, you know, crazy.

But, and it's kind of weird because in a way, you know, they'll dog you out and say you ain't coachable when you don't do what a coach tells you. But let's say I was coachable in that situation, where would my career have gone? You know what I'm saying? For real. I mean, it could have been shorter. I could have been a completely different player. Like, you know, the opportunity could have, whatever. It's a lot of hypotheticals.

But, you know, that's just, you know, things I kind of think about in those type situations. But as far as just continuing my growth, it started in practice. And, you know, it carried over to games. And with each game, I got better. I'm facing these guys that I grew up watching. I'm like, I'm really fine. These niggas. You know what I'm like, I'm really frying these niggas. You know what I'm saying? And, you know, once I just got to that level of, you know, I feel like I'm the best player on the floor every night.

You know, there was really no looking back for me. You know, that was my mindset every night. You know, I wanted to kill what was ever in front of me. It didn't really matter who it was. Who got at you, though, your rookie year? Plenty, plenty. Like, who was that one that really like, ah, damn. I'm cooking him, but he tearing my ass up. Boss.

That's crazy. I mean, I got a long list, bro. TD, Tim Duncan. Man, he fried. A mute killer. Yeah. Man, TD. KG, you there? Nah, I i mean towards the end with kg he wasn't really you know a bucket

getter like kg was like a talker yeah he was the ultimate team guy but you know he kind of finished they put the ball in his hands at the end of game sometimes him and pete uh paul pierce so it was kind of like that situation but um he wasn't necessarily the guy getting it every possession okay so uh not not kg but uh zebo for sure zebo fry my ass a few times that's that's always been you know a fun matchup for me um yeah legend absolutely yeah uh andrew biney he was big as shit bro andrew bynum used to fuck me up, bro. You called Andrew Bynum before he tweaked out. Yeah, Bynum was really good. Nah, he was, though.

Early in my career. He was young, super young. He was. Yeah. He was going back at Shaq, bro. Yeah, he was. He was a big Shaq. Did you play Shaq?

I did. Shaq almost broke my motherfucking back. Pause. Shaq was in his last, that was his last season. He was with the Seltzers. Shaq was like 450 out there, bro. He wasn't even moving. And I went to go for a rebound and I jumped backwards.

I just felt like I ran into a wall and my whole back cracked. I just laid on I ran into a wall my whole back cracked right now I just laid on the floor bro. Like man just contemplating like do I really want to do this shit? Him and Nate was wild and bro He picked me up in a game against us. They was beating us so bad in Atlanta. He picked Nate up in the game Oh, I see him do that in practice. Oh, he picked him up in the game.

He said, pass me the fucking ball. Picked him up. I said, man, what is this nigga's home run? That's where I used to be. They beat us by 30, bro. I was like, bro,

what are they doing? Pick this man up in a game, bro. Yeah, I've definitely got my, fair share. Hell yeah. That's the league, bro. The only thing is nobody come through the league

be like, yeah, I never had a bad night or a motherfucker ain't never fried me. That's cap. You ain't played enough. Yeah. You not playing. Yeah. That's not possible, bro.

You going to have a bad night. For sure. I've always wanted to ask this, and this is one of my favorite gifts, means of all time. The post-game interview, when they ask you about the official, you say, it's goddamn ridiculous. But that's my favorite gift, means of all time The post game interview When they ask you About the official You said It's goddamn ridiculous But that's what My favorite

GIF means of all time bro It's used for all the Raw shit now But that's one of my Favorite things I've got for you I had to ask you about How is that

Cause he was in a moment He was like man This is a bullshit But to get that seat Ever used so much Now how is that man Cause you like Immoralized with that one

Man bro Jeff you know How that shit go bro Come on man Like It you like a moralize with that one man bro jeff you know how that shit go bro come on man it's like a unwritten thing man they be on bullshit no you know you know the league push narratives bro you know and sometimes it's you know we need this team to get by or we ain't really concerned about this team winning right now so um you know it was one of them moments and i wasn't really happy about it bro like let let us play ball like let us play ball like at the end of the day and um you know i hate

when they kind of you know over ref or you know want to control the game too much then they take the game out of the player's hands so um it's real it was kind of one of those moments for me and then you know when it comes to basketball bro like what what makes it fun is that you know the way people express themselves and and you know the different emotions that you get throughout the game like that's what made us fall in love with the game from the beginning yeah so and obviously the nba is a business and not only is it a business it's a billion dollar business so it's it's up there so it's a lot of you know qualities that have to go into you know being a a worker of the nba so with that being said you know it it's kind of like a fine line

between you know the raw foundation of basketball and you know incorporate business into it as well so um for guys that fell in love with the game you know naturally organically you know it's kind of hard to translate you know what i mean yeah the entertainment aspect kick in yeah so for me like when i step on the floor bro my number one purpose is i want to go win the game like i'm gonna show every expression when i'm excited about a play you're gonna see that when i'm upset you might see that you know um if i'm frustrated you might see that and that's just kind of how sports go it's full of emotions those emotions also get you over the hump you know what i mean those emotions that that digging deep like i'm not gonna allow this this player to score on me those type of emotions help you perform so you know once you start trying to

take that out of the game it's hard for guys to translate because you know some guys feed off that and then this it's other athletes that you know naturally nonchalant like this motherfucker yeah they don't really give a fuck and they that and then that time is it enough to you you know, get by with it. Oh, yeah, I care, man. But, man, it's, you know, like at the end of the day, like I appreciate, you know, every way. And at the end of the day, this game, this sport is an art.

Like however you decide to express your art, like that's how you do it. You're an artist. So, you know, that's the part of the game that kind of frustrates me when it comes to you know the business and the raw foundation of it for sure because dre was on yesterday he was talking about like you know saying when you're doing that you winning it's passionate it's all these good things that then with it's not as perceived as oh he's a problem he can't control himself it's just like the same things that help me win is the same thing you criticizing me for for. It's what you want me to do in a situation.

Right. But we always talk very highly of this team that you was on, man. Y'all Pelliskin squad was so nice. Y'all had one of the most underrated rosters of all time. How did that link up happen? Which part? The beginning. You just even thinking about going there.

I wasn't thinking about it. It happened. I wasn't thinking about it at all. I got traded during the All-Star game right after. That happened. I was at a point in my career, I was in Sacramento for six and a half years, almost seven years, and I was frustrated. I wanted help.

I wanted another guy on my caliber like I just wanted something to help me you know get over that hump um I was really passionate about winning I wanted to be that guy that you know take them out of their losing years all of those things but it just didn't happen and bro it would get to the point where I would just go home and pray like bro just send me just send me some help. Yeah. Anybody. And, you know, you ask for things, they, you know, it'll happen, but not necessarily in the form you expected it to. So I ended up, you know, getting traded, and initially when I'm on the phone with my agent,

rest in peace, Dan Fagan, and he's like, you know, we could veto the trade, we could tell him we're not showing, whatever, whatever. And in that moment, I'm like, damn, Anthony Davis's like, you know, we could veto the trade. We could tell him we're not showing, whatever, whatever. And in that moment, I'm like, damn, Anthony Davis. Like, I've been asking to play, you know, a guy that's similar in talent, like, that can help me get over the hump. And I'm like, it's not necessarily, you know, a guaranteed thing

that I can get to a spot with that type of help or that can help me, you know, continue to be successful in my career. So I'm like, fuck it. We're going to make this shit work. Right. And I knew I already knew A.D. I knew, you know, the different, you know, the skill set that he had. You know, he could do a lot of different things with the basketball. So with that alone, I was intrigued.

And I'm like, we can definitely make some shit. Y'all was cool. And it would take, and, you know, coming in, I'm like, you know, we got to figure each other out. And that first half of season that we played, it wasn't that successful, but we had a lot of good moments. And, you know, that was good enough for me. I'm like, oh, we're going to definitely make this shit work.

We got an off season to kind of get some guys in here to compliment us so i think we can make some things work and uh on top of all of that we had the perfect coach and i've been gentry who was you know super open-minded you know he was a free flow type of coach um he was he was a coach i would say is all about control chaos, if that makes sense. Yeah, for sure. So he allowed me and AD to, you know, get a rebound and push and initiate the offense. We also have to, you know, compliment Rajon and Drew because those guys were the ultimate teammates.

Elite. Elite at what they do, but also allowing us to flourish in what we do. And it took guys like them to you know be unselfish and also understand the bigger picture and what we were trying to do to be okay with that it was it was times rondo would get a rebound and throw me the ball to bring it up like so uh we had that type of chemistry and obviously it was short-lived but um man it definitely could have been a beautiful situation i could could have won the shit, bro. Oh, man. And honestly, I don't think it was happening that year that, you know, I blew my Achilles.

But, you know, down the line, I definitely thought we had a chance to be a special team. We definitely needed, you know, more shooters to, you know, kind of help us out and open the floor up for us. But we definitely had the foundation and the core to, you know, make some shape. I always tell this story when we play, I remember you was talking shit to me. And you was like, why you ain't playing? I was sitting out one game. He was like, why you ain't playing?

I was like, next time we play, y'all ain't playing. He was like, you scared of dope. He scared of dope. He scared of dope. He scared of dope. And I'm like, what? So we go to Minnesota, we playing. So I'm on the court. I'm like, yeah, motherfucker. I was like, can't bust his ass. He scared the dog. And I'm like, what? So we go to Minnesota. We play him.

So I'm on the court. I'm like, yeah, motherfucker. I was like, Cat, bust his ass. He said, what? Bro, it's a picture. Cat posting up. He looking at our bench like. I said, hey, bro, crazy.

So you're behind that? It's him, bro. It's you. It's always him, bro. It's you. It's always Jeff, dog. It's him, bro. You being a part of that is crazy bro he's cat's post mastermind bro he's looking at i'm crying bro i was like hey bro's crazy it didn't get on offense like i told you he started on cuz cuz go to the basket cat just wrap him up

they like switch touch touch touch he like, he can't run, Tits. He got to guard somebody. I said, oh, he's crazy. I was like, it's too wild, bro. Y'all be having like Kentucky beef, man. Nah, it wasn't that. For me, I got a lot of love for Cat. Nah, nah, it was all love.

I think Cat is super talented, man. A really good player. He had a really good season this year, too. Shout out to him. But, you know, for me and the time I was at, it was more so just coming from a competitive nature. Like I said, when I stepped on the floor, bro, like, I'm killing whatever in front of me.

Respect. And I want you to understand at the end of the game the difference between me and you. Like, that was my mindset. So, nah, honestly, understand at the end of the game the difference between me and you like that was my mindset so um nah honestly i was just trying to put cat in his place like in my mind i felt like i was the best big in the league and you know it's also a form of a compliment because i know how talented you know cat is the fact that at that moment in time cat was considered one of the better guys in the league or a better big in the league. You on my radar, too. Same way I'm on yours.

So when we match up, I'm going to make sure I get the best of you and we win the game. And, you know, that was my mindset. Y'all might have the best big lineage, though. I was thinking about that. In the colleges, Kentucky, just you, Cat, and AD alone is. That's crazy. Yeah.

That's true. Yeah. Yeah, I definitely, definitely. is. That's crazy. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. Yep. Yeah, I definitely, definitely. Big man you for sure. Yeah. Yeah, from a big. And also, as we know from a guard standpoint, it ain't too many people fucking with Kentucky.

Nah. Nah, Kentucky. That's why Cal definitely the GOAT, bro. He is the GOAT, bro. I mean, there's many forms of a GOAT, too, bro. Obviously, he's not the most winningest coach. But his impact on college, bro. I mean, it's many forms of a goat, too, bro. Obviously, he's not the most winningest coach. Yeah. But his impact

on college, bro. Nah, for real. Changed it, bro. Untouchable. It's not many coaches. Coach Kane's a goat. It's many forms

of a goat, bro. It's many forms. It is, but Coach Kane ain't saying that many top players like that, bro. What? He didn't. Nah, he got a bunch of top Kentucky Kentucky got way better

NBA players than Duke oh yeah Kentucky for sure bro we can go from cuz years on up but that's what I'm saying what what generation I'm saying it's because JT BI and all them after that Jabari all them days hard killers because you got JT Jabari Kyrie Kyrie don't count bro Kyrie played two games dog

you played one year bro he was there I'm taking Duke overall talent, bro. Devin Booker, him, John Wall. It's a long list, bro. As a Louisville fan, it hurts me to even pick you, Cal, on this side. But I have to pick you, Cal, on that.

Yeah. And that's to let you know how much I fuck with Cal. Because I ain't care about Jalebson because he wasn't on shit. But like, tell me them I ain't like them. But I like Cal because fuck basketball. I'm about to make sure that it don't matter what y'all do the next four years of your life, everybody about to be straight.

And I'll fuck with that more than anything because it's just like, fuck sports. Everybody about to be cool and I'm going to make sure y'all cool. Yeah, y'all can put a banner up,

but I'd rather everybody mortgages be taken care of. Absolutely. I'm fucking with that. Rick Pitino could never. Come on. Nah, he didn't. Shout out to,

hey, Uncle Rick. Yeah, off the court. Respect. Casino. Hey, no drink bars here. He got a Louisville bird on his arm. It's this logo. It is.

He's dedicated. Oh, you for real? Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's up there? I don't know why he do that. Sorry. That's wild, man. That's my lineage.

This is for the family to discover. I ain't go there. Hold on. What? He don't even know. Louisville, went to Butler He had been twice This for the fam though

It's for the fam He went to Butler What a Louisville Fuck this This dude crazy man This dude crazy I ain't got to show him Back to him

That's crazy Shout out to my dog Oh man But now in the era You see a lot of crazy bigs Like I showed him back tattoo. That's crazy. Shout out to my dog. Oh, man. But now in the era, you see a lot of crazy bigs. Like, how is it now that you see, like, the bigs kind of flourishing? Like, you see, you know what I'm saying, step back to see that? Because I definitely feel like this, you came a little bit too early pause. Like, you would have been doing it the same type of time.

Like, you see a big, you see a yo, like, dominating the league at that position. Getting MVP matches. One time, you know what I'm saying, the big was respected, but it was kind of like slighted with your numbers. Now it's like, okay, they leading the way type shit. It's definitely an era thing. I do feel I came in a little early

when it came to my skill set and the way I played the game. Like I said, when I came in the league, my playing style wasn't really embraced even when i went to college like you know uh me and cal laugh about it all the time now but like cal you lied to me bro like he told me i was gonna be bringing the ball all these different first practice bro i tried i got a rebound tried to bring it up i didn't turn it over and cal was supposed to stop he like what the fuck are you doing? Like

Why are you dribbling the ball? I got the number one pick At point guard And I got my fucking center Dribbling the ball That's Kyle And in my mind I'm like

You right Damn You told me You know You know do my thing Like So it was like Nah

Like get your big ass Under the basket And you know Try to catch lives Nigga So You know So it was like, nah, like, get your big ass under the basket and, you know, try to catch lobs, nigga. So, you know, going into the league, it was similar. It was still two bigs in the post when I came into the league. You know, they were really pushing, you know, the jump hooks and shit like that.

It wasn't the flashy layups and being crafty around the basket. That wasn't really embraced. And definitely shooting and ball handling. It definitely wasn't the flashy layups and being crafty around the basket. That wasn't really embraced. And definitely shooting and ball handling, it definitely wasn't embraced. Not at all. So that's kind of why, you know, I could see why Westfall wasn't really feeling me either as a player. So, you know, fast forward to now, and, you know, you see where it's basically the big is initiating the offense in the NBA, no matter if they can score it or not.

The offense is initiated through the big. And it's just crazy to see the game now develop into what was once frowned upon. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, that's basketball. Yeah, he started that shit, though. Yeah. You know, that's basketball. Yeah, he started that shit, though. You know, I mean, we at the point now where guys don't even know how to make a post pass. When I was growing up, that was actually a drill.

Like, you know, show how, go low, you know. Drive to the elbow. Yeah, like, we had to actually know how to make a post pass. For sure. And that's something that's not even really taught anymore. So, it just shows the evolution of the game. It's like now they even ridicule bigs who can't shoot it's like bro he ain't even supposed to open three sit down it's like damn that's true i remember when he started i mean he was always capable of shooting threes but i remember when you started shooting threes like pulling up i'm like bro he really going i'm like he gonna shoot everyone bro if you was back bro he was

shooting like a guard i ain't tripping like i shoot threes bro i ain't about to hesitate or nothing i'm like oh yeah he got all the freedom in the world and i remember we al whoever said that like i gotta start shooting threes like that's where the game is going that's why i think al was real special because he always knew where the game was going i went to that used to say that he was like bro the game you even fresh Always adapting. He used to say that. He was like, bro, the game, you can fresh up. Yeah, that's dope.

He definitely shooting the cover off. Bro, that's all he's shooting. Shit nasty, but it go in. Disgusting. Yo,

hey. Bro, we hit them six and he gets the pace. I said, come on, what the fuck, man?

I know how it came. But the guy had damn six, bro. You're not Kyle Corver, bro. Bro, I'm telling you. Shit,

he is nasty. Now, bro, you're not Kyle Corver, bro. Bro, I'm telling you. Shit, he is nuts. Now, like you said, it's the big era right now. And to see a guy like Zach Eady get drafted, what, top 10? Yep. And for people in college to say, man, he can't play in this league, he can't do that, I think it's another turn of the game. Because seeing him go top 10 lets me know we're going back to the big man era. Because I would have never thought Zach Eady was going top 10.

But we were too slow. He was going first round. And so when he got calls, I was like, oh, shit. But the playoffs showed it, though. Yeah, but you see him and the guy from UConn. I don't know his name for sure. The big from UConn that got drafted, too. And it's like rim protection running the floor big and score

and the paint the big man air is back and like to know that it's like and you still hoop I'm like shit

what we doing man I don't know what we doing bro um you know I've I've embraced

this new journey like you know um it can be a lot of reasons why I'm not in the NBA or whatever the case may be. This is also why I've kind of, you know, moved into this lane, too, of using my voice and, you know, just speaking for myself

because we also came into an era where if something was said, you just kind of had to take it on the chin. That was labeled as being professional. You know what I'm saying? And now it's the era. It's like motherfuckers say some players come out like, you motherfucking lot. You know what I'm saying?

We in that era now. So a lot of things was said and, you know, a lot of narratives was put on my name and, you know, some true, some not. And at the end of the day, if you want to know who i am as a person or how i carry myself every day you can hear straight from the horse's mouth you know what i'm saying so uh i don't need nobody else to speak on who i am i can speak for myself yeah um and uh that's just kind of where i'm at with it now and um as far as you know continuing the hoop man i love the game

like you know uh it's it's hard to just be like all right i'm done with this shit i've been doing this since i was a kid like you know what i'm saying like this is like waking up brushing my teeth for sure you know what i'm saying so um just to you know call it quits because one one door shut on me there's so many opportunities out here and um i've come to understand that and i've come to embrace it so So, you know, I'm going to continue my journey playing. And if, you know, as far as me, you know, reaching out, trying to convince these guys of what I am and who I am, you know, I'm kind of done with that.

Like, if an opportunity comes that makes sense for me, you know, I consider that. I definitely look into it. But as far as me, you know, going out, trying to reach out to them, I'm past that. Because, you know, you know what I bring to the floor. It's been proven. If you really wanted to know who I am, you would take the time out yourself to get to know me and not listen to the next. Because that's what this business is.

Like, that's why narratives is such an important thing. Because that's literally what you know is passed around it's not them like hey man you know who are you what what are your answers what are you it's none of that oh never you know what i'm saying they just listen to the next person yeah and everybody don't vibe with each other it could be some shit i don't like about you and you can go tell him well he don't like me so shit i don't like him. And that's just kind of how it goes. So, you know, that's where I'm at when it comes to playing ball. Shout out overseas life, though.

That shit's sweet. You know, I'm enjoying it, bro. Honestly, I just gained a whole new respect for hoop because, you know, you'd be brainwashed to think, like, the NBA is the ultimate level of basketball, which is a fact in itself. But when you think about it, it's only, what, 600 guys in the league? It's two billion people playing basketball. So you mean to tell me the 600 and first person isn't good?

You know what I'm saying? So, you know, I've come to experience, like, to understand that. And, bro, I'm, you know, I'm back to, you know, really loving the game and getting back to my competitive nature and being myself. And, bro, it's been fun. I found my joy again. You know, I'm happy. I'm happy where I'm at in life. And, you know, I'm going to do this shit until I'm tired of it.

Man, when you get tired, man, come play on my team in the Big 30. Bro, I'm going to get there, bro. I promise I'm going to get there. You got about three or four more years. Yeah. But when you get there. Bro, you are not going to be playing in the Big 3 in 40. Shit.

You ain't. Big 3 fun as hell. I see you out there cooking. I'm trying, bro. I was getting cooked by a young nigga. He was on my ass. He was on my ass, man. Shout out to Briscoe, Kentucky. Oh, for sure. He was on my ass. Briscoe's a bucket, bro. He was on my ass He was on my ass Shout out to Briscoe, Kentucky

Oh for sure Briscoe's a bucket bro He was on my ass But nah Big 3 cool though No I know I know I'm talking about you at 40

I'm going to be out there bro You're going to be coaching bro I am going to be coaching You'll be out there I know Gary Payton Yeah I'll be a coach Yeah I'm going to be a coach Swaggy P

Turning a coach Nicky going to be a coach Swaggy P I'll turn into a coach Nick you'll be the coach It's crazy They be winning though Nick team winning Yeah they got Jordan Crawford JC Oh yeah yeah yeah

Shut out the instant grits Man that's my dog bro Yeah he be cooking out there That's a hell of a day Yeah he got that name In New Orleans Yeah Instant

That's his lane though Yeah Big three Yeah go get a bucket For sure Filthy out there bro Yeah Instant That's his lane though Yeah Big three Yeah go get a bucket For sure Filthy out there bro I can't do nothing with it Nah I can't mess with him

For sure man But listen Big Cousin We appreciate you Sliding on us man This is a highly Anticipated interview man We thank you for Sliding on this big dog man

Tell the people Where they can find you Where they can support you At too man Shit it's You know it's Boogie Cousins On my Instagram And you know I got my ownogie Cousins on Instagram.

And, you know, I got my own podcast with All The Smoke with Rachel Nichols. So that's been going really well with me. Sir. For me. And, you know, just support, man. Support all this shit, man. I think it's really dope what we doing. And like I said, it takes a lot of courage to, you know, go out and do these things. So, you know, support my brother Jeff and his guys.

And, you know, let's get this thing rolling. Let's take over. You know, man, you heard him. Tap in, check the show out, Auto Smoke Productions,

Club 521, Motown, T, Redemption, where we at again? Resorts World, man. Vegas, bro. Vegas, baby.

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