Gil's Arena - Gil's Arena Talks The Mavs' Big Loss and Dillon The Villain

Episode Date: October 11, 2023

Gil's Arena Talks The Mavs' Big Loss and Bad Boy Dillon Brooks as Gilbert Arenas and The Gil's Arena Crew break down the Dallas Mavericks preseason loss to Real Madrid and what to expect ahead of a crucial season for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's squad. They also get into Dillon Brooks' first ejection of the season with his new Houston Rockets squad and debate if No Chill Dill has a target on his back after poking the bear too many times. Please Like and Subscribe!! Sign up for Underdog Fantasy HERE with promo code GIL and get a $100 first deposit match: https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-gil's-arena Gil’s Arena premieres every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET. SUBSCRIBE:  / @gilsarena   APPAREL PARTNERS TUFF CROWD: https://www.tuffcrowd.com/ ADIDAS: https://www.adidas.com/us/agent-gil-restomod-basketball-shoes/ THE HOMETOWN FAVORITES https://thehometownfavorites.com/ Gr8ness: https://www.gr8nss.store/ Pre-Order Rashad's Book Here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD9ZQ3HD?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 Chapters Intro 0:00:00 Show Start 0:02:48 Mikey Williams Felony Charges 0:05:55 Best Player That Didnt Make it  0:11:03 Dillon "The Villain" Brooks 0:18:09 Dirtiest Thing Someone Did To You 0:28:47 Dirtiest Player You Played Against 0:32:55 Mavs Lose To Real Madrid 0:36:03 Will The Mavs Make The Playoffs? 0:40:04 Luka's Future In Dallas 0:47:09 Who's Got A Deeper Bag? Luka or Shai? 0:50:33 Who's Got The Deepest Bag In The NBA? 0:53:41 SGA and OKC's Playoff Chances 1:07:08 Gil Gives Game on Skill Development 1:16:33 How Important Is Pick Up In Skill Development 1:47:54 MostlyFans 1:54:08 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Pick any two breakfast items for $5. New four-piece French toast sticks, bacon or sausage wrap, English muffin sandwiches, value iced coffee, and more. Limited time only at participating Wendy's Taxes Extra. Welcome back to Gilderina. We're getting my $100 fantasy. We talking about flashing lights, baby. Flashing lights everywhere.

They just been saying shit about me. They didn't even fucking know me. This is my school. This is what I was doing with what I was living. Y'all don't know what goes on in practice. Or the locker room. I'm out. Welcome back to Gil's Arena presented by Underdog Fantasy. Woo! We back. It's Wednesday.

Gil, you've been styling all week. I'll stop. Every day. I'll stop. Every day this week, you have expanded and upgraded your fit game. I'm at work. You're in the basement. You look good.

I'm at work. You got the shortest commute amongst all of us. I always sleep. You make your grand entrance. But obviously, this is Gil's Arena presented by Underdog sleep. Hey, you make your grand interest, but obviously, this is Gil's Arena presented by Underdog Fantasy. We got Gilbert Arenas here. We got Lexi Brown

back with us, Brandon Jennings. Freedom back on the, okay, he got room. First time he sit next to you, huh? Yeah, this is. First time he sit next to you.

Okay, you got freedom. You got manicured and styled. He back looking less dusty. We got an exciting show for y'all today, so here's what we got cooking in the arena.

Dylan Brooks was ejected five minutes into his preseason debut with the Rockets, but does the man known as Dylan the Villain have a target on his back? Former blue-chip hooper Mikey Williams is facing six felony gun charges, but how will this affect his future on and off the court? And who has a deeper bag?

Shea Gildas Alexander or Luka Doncic? We will discuss. But before we get into all that, as always, this show is brought to you by Underdog Fantasy. Download the app. Promo code GILSARENA. That will match your first deposit up to $100. A lot of you guys have bought in to the movement.

You're doing it. We need more of you. We're trying to put all these competitors out of business. They're not playing fair. They're trying to do us dirty. They've been slick talking. We're not with all that. Yeah. Nobody see this, though, because

they're not watching their shit like they're watching this. Okay. But, you know, as always, we do mostly fans at the end of the show. Do it during the show, too. Go ahead. Drop a good question. And if you include your underdog fantasy username, you will get a $50 bonus in your account if we use

your question on the show. You can also email us. Videos at mostlyfansgill at gmail.com We've seen Miranda 6pm. She got love yesterday with the video. We want to see more of you guys. You guys are very active in the chat. We want to see your faces. Send us videos. I want to see you. I want to see y'all. I want to see y'all we want to see

We want to see is that what's behind it was behind those user day. So how do you look like? Matters with the question they asking I mean, you know If they're in the chat talking right reckless and their appearance doesn't warrant the ability to do those Type of things we just want to know I'm pretty sure the person who comes to ask a question They're asking an actual They face shouldn't even matter at that point, but if they're in the chat talking spicy is what we're saying We need to correlate okay does the face match the ability for you to say the shit that you got it got it got it That's all

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Players mess up too. Apple Fi. Wherever you get your podcasts. We're going to start the show with a serious subject. So on Tuesday, Superior Court judge ordered four-star Memphis freshman Mikey Williams to stand trial on six felony gun charges. Williams is accused in a shooting at his home in San Diego County back on March 28th when he allegedly fired shots at a car that was leaving his house. Bullets hit the car, but nobody was injured inside of the car. There hasn't been a witness that said he did it but the police I guess were able to

correlate based on some testimony that it was him. So nah, that's why he's in court. So Williams has been free on a $50,000 bond since his April arrest and remains on the Memphis roster but has been taking online classes, not participating in any team activities while the legal

process plays out. So he was one of the biggest names in the high school basketball scene, millions of followers on his now deactivated social media accounts, and he had a shoe deal with Puma, living the life. So Gil, we'll start with you. Just thoughts on Mikey Williams facing felony gun charges. Well, first question, was it self-defense? I believe his lawyer said that that's what it was,

but they're trying to figure all that out right now. I mean, you know, that's what it was, but they're trying to figure all that out right now. I mean, you know, it's hard to give a take when you don't really know what's really going on with him. I mean, if it's self-defense, it's self-defense. He's at home and, you know. It's just sad that, you know, just, everything can be taken from you just like this, right?

You know, one bad decision, 10 seconds, you know, your whole career is gone. So, you know, hopefully, you know, he prevails from this. It looks like he's going to miss a year of basketball, which forces him to come back next year, right? It just derails the process. And, you know, it just makes the journey a little bit harder for him.

You know, it's not an easy sailing thing anymore you know because he has this this tag on him it's really going to make it a little bit harder for him to get to that next level yeah and according to reports i think he had a function or he had some people over at the crib some other people showed up that were uninvited i think he asked them to vacate the premises i don't think they did it quickly enough and that's what led to the situation. Sound like some jealousy. Yeah. Like having a party and here comes some people that wasn't invited that probably

got the call or probably heard and then just was trying to come over there and start some stuff. Yeah, it's tough like with these young guys getting so much attention so early. You can't expect them to always make the right decision. What, 18 years old? Yeah. I mean, yeah, you can have a party when you're a kid. Obviously, you're not expecting people to show up that you don't want to, but like Brandon said, a jealousy thing, and it's sad that he's in that situation, and I hope he is able to beat this and continue his career because he's a really talented player. He has a cool personality from what we've been able to see on socials. But I think that's the thing about this social media era.

These guys have so many eyes on them, and they're just not smart, like posting where they are. Their friends, even if they're not posting where they are, the people who they're with are posting where they are. So it's really easy to find these guys, and I just think they need to be a little bit smarter when it comes to that. And the people you probably have around them are probably what, his age? They don't know better either.

Probably no real adults around. So it's like, these are kids. I think the house he was at was his spot. He was living there. I think some people were living there with him. That 18 is crazy. I got a bread. I'm a grown man. Yeah. Didn't he get like 3 million in high school or something like that?. At 18 is crazy. I got a bread. I'm a grown man. Bread. Yeah, yeah.

Didn't he get like three million in like high school or something like that? It was something like that. It was a good check. My problem, my thing is, in high school, there's never been a house party. That turned out. That turned out well. No, that's true. No, that's true. Always in the middle.

Always getting called. Here, always in the middle. You're going here. Neighborhood. Oh, shit. Party in it. You got to in call. Here, always in the middle. You're going here. Neighborhood. Oh, shit. Party ended. You got to go. Right?

Am I right? Yep. Right? So it's like those are the type of parties that do get interrupted, right? So it's like one of those things where you really have to be careful when you're a kid. Now in high school, now there's NIL deals. Right? Now you're giving kids real money right now if the NBA players can't handle it like that what makes you think a high

school or college kid is gonna be able to handle that type of money three million dollars he's he's God in his his world yeah yeah Mikey's NIL valuation in 2022 was 2.6 million dollars unless it your point this is a dude that we've seen for years now I used to play with, this is a dude that we've seen for years now. He used to play with Bronny back in the day, and we've kind of been able to follow his whole career. And it feels like he was given a little too much too early just with the attention, especially living in this world on social now

where you have to project this image of yourself, and you've got all these millions and millions of followers and people that are looking to take advantage of you. I know, Brandon, we've talked about that. They see you, and then you get all the kind of leeches and all these other type of people trying to eat off you, and then when things don't pan out necessarily, where are they at? They disappear quickly.

So we're hoping the best for Mikey, but let's expand this out. Obviously, we've been around the game for a long time, so you know people who should have made it but didn't for whatever reason, sometimes bad grades, off-court issues, or even just some bad luck. So who's the best player that you've seen that would have been a star if they stayed out of trouble? Stayed out of trouble?

Or just didn't succumb to off-court issues, we'll say. You know where I'm from, right? I'm right here in the valley, bro. We don't... Bro, you're close to that. We don't get in trouble over here. Like... Is it just trouble or is it just like... Not even necessarily trouble, but like...

I mean... Well, what's the bust today? Like, you know, like... No, I mean, when you talk about like... They didn't make it because of like circumstances. Like just... Like... Jelani Gardner. I remember... Beast. They didn't make it because of circumstances. Like, just... Jelani Gardner.

You remember... Beast. Yeah, you remember, you know, he used to... Like, he was the person that wasn't in the NBA that I seen rock NBA players. Like, every day. Yeah. Like, he was at Pepperdine at the time,

and you remember he had that, when you throw the ball over here and cross it back over there. Yeah. He used to, he was about 6'6 point guard. Yeah. Could jump out the gym. I know he was getting in trouble a little bit. I know he had kidney problems. Yeah.

Right? Just like, just talent that I see didn't make it has nothing to do with trouble. Yeah, not even necessarily trouble, but just, you know, growing up in LA. You was up there with UCLA when he was coming up there Yeah, yeah, not not him my brother around the same age Yeah, but these are dudes you would see in the gym like all right this dude's a surefire You know sure thing Shay cotton is another name that comes up his wasn't off off You know off the court issues per se but Brandon who's a guy or some guys that you saw that you're like this dude

Guarantee gonna be a star in the league Man one come Ronaldo Sidney he was on my team when I was SCA he was like a it was like a freshman and played all five positions like he was one for sure yeah that I thought was gonna make it for sure yeah big started at Artesia went to Fairfax and play with Harden at Artesia yeah oh yeah I think McDonald's all-american too I think too also too also. Yeah, he's probably the only kid I know that probably had the most upsides. Was the kid Collins who was coming out of high school in your class?

D'Angelo? Yeah. How's he? D'Angelo Collins. Yeah, he's I think a little bit older. I think probably closer to my generation. Yeah, that's Tyson then. Tyson and him, right?

Yeah, but I think Inglewood and then Tustin, he bounced around a little bit. I got whiffs when I was in the NBA hearing his name, that he was supposed to be nice. Like 6'9", 6'10". Lex, how about you? Oh, my bad. Taylor King? Yeah. I mean, eighth grade, he committed to UCLA. These are things that we wasn't getting verbal commends or anything like that.

So guys like that. Taylor King, another dude, had a modern day. I remember I saw Taylor King play Renardo and Harden at the IEF Championship game at the Pond. But Harden and that crew smacked him. Yeah, they were too good. They were too good. Lexi, how about yourself?

Let's see. There's a girl that I played against in Orlando. She's a little bit older than me. Her name is Alexis Prince. I actually was training with her this past offseason in Orlando. But she went to Baylor. I think she's like 6'3", lanky. People compared her game to Kevin Durant when we was growing up.

She was so tough. And I don't know. She was in training camp with me in Chicago and like she just can't like she just never got over that hump but like she's so cold she goes overseas and just like does her thing but she's somebody when I was younger I would like go to her high school game like I'll go watch Alexis play all the time and you know I thought she was like definitely gonna be in the W at some point and it just never happened for her but I mean she's doing her thing you know she's happy she's doing well

for herself so she's definitely somebody when I was growing up like she gonna be in the lead for sure that's kind of the dark side of the game too you see these people we talked before about giving so much so early all these expectations all these adults that kind of cling on to brand obviously you spoken about that and it's just wild to see when they don't pan out how quickly people will flip on them. You know, you think about it. Lenny Cook, people like that.

Like, immediately on them. People don't realize sometimes players are scared of success. People don't realize that's a thing. Like, people are, like, you'll see someone really talented and you'll be like, yo, what's going on? Go hard. And they like where they are. They like that potential. Oh,

they could be this. They could be that. And they're like, yeah, I could be, and I'm going to stay right here. Yeah, it's that extra gear that they don't want to tap into. Like, you know, like to get to a next level, you have to really do it. Like if I'm an all-star and I'm running five miles a day, and someone says, well, to be a superstar, you got to do 15 a day. A lot of players don't want to do that 15. They're like, the five I got, you know, I can. You know, like Tito Maddox. Legend.

Oh, you don't know Tito. Mm-mm, no. Tito was about 6'5", bully ball. Like, he was already just Compton. He was a Compton kid. Played with Supercruise, bro. Yeah, he was, like, feared, bro. Like, nobody wanted to play against him.

Like, nah, I ain't got time for this today. Right? He just played bully basketball. Feared bruh, like nobody wanted to play against him like I ain't got time for this today, right? He was just he just played bully basketball like a guard pounded can was fast I mean was an athletic but it was fast quick and strong went to Fresno Got drafted by Houston Okay, okay. The only reason he wasn't in the NBA Cuz when he came to LA they warned him they said Houston, y'all might want to leave him back home.

Leave him back home because when he comes to L.A., he might not go back on the plane. They landed in L.A. They landed in L.A. That was the last time they seen Tito. What? Tito got picked up by his boys, had about 50 of them out there, and then never seen him again.

Damn. Left the bag? I mean, was he getting the bag industry? Yeah no he was like he his style was his style was like it was like J Will remember Duke J Will? Yeah yeah yeah. But taller and stronger. Okay yeah I'm gonna say that J Will was rookie of the year. Yeah he was he was tall he was he's just a big stocky dude just fast strong and it was, he was tall. He was just a big, stocky dude, just fast, strong, and he was just homesick. That's a blast from the past. That's why him, Super Crip, just the whole, we had to play him in the white summer games.

I actually had to guard him. 6'5", J-Will's from Duke is... No, it's like he was... You know, nice dude off the court, but... He was trying to take your court break. He was like that West, he was like that Westbrook

like mannerisms. Okay, okay. Right, he's coming in and he's just bullying you and just came home and like, I'm good. I don't want to.

I'm cool. I don't want to play. I'm cool. That's too far from home, man. Like, I mean, yeah. So, so back to Mikey. We wish the best for Mikey.

Hope this legal process plays out. You know, hopefully we can get back to his basketball career, playing with Penny and the Memphis Tigers. But let's keep this thing moving. Back to the NBA. You know, talking about trouble, we got Dylan Brooks. Got tired of y'all being on his nuts all offseason, so he returned the favor on Daniel Tyson's last night against the Pacers.

Like, what? First preseason game, Tyson trying to set his green. Brooks appears to hit him with the low blow. Oh, no. Didn't they have a little altercation in the USA? Yeah, it feels like. I mean, no. Didn't they have a little altercation in the USA? Yeah, it feels like. I mean, in the Olympics. Wait, so that, wait, that said two.

So he had gotten a, without a flagrant two? They called it flagrant two. Oh, okay. Five minutes into the game, reviewed it, said he. They reviewed that? Yeah. And they called it a two? Interesting.

Out of here. Five minutes is crazy. But, I mean, he does have... Wait, hold on. Can you show me again? Come on. Hold on. I mean, honestly, I don't have much to say

because obviously this is something I don't experience as a woman. So I'm like, I don't... But it's like... There's the other angle. That angle looks bad. That angle looks bad. Now, this angle...

It looks like some extras. It does? It looks like Tice put some extras on it. It does look like he sold it a bit. He sold it. But again, I don't know what that feels like, so... That's what he owned this year. So this isn't the first time

books have been booted for a junk punch. If we go back to, I think, game three of the playoffs last year. Oh, yeah, he's LeBron. I remember that. That was weird. Wait, hold on, hold on. Let me see.

So he got ejected to the playoffs last season. Nah, that's so deep. That's so deep. Nah, man. Come on, man. Come on, man. Come on, what? What is he reaching for? He's the ball.

What ball? LeBron's going behind the... Go, go, go. What ball are you reaching for, Gil? Come on, man. LeBron going behind... Look, he not even... Boom.

Yeah. Where? He's going behind the back. LeBron threw his leg. Boom. No, LeBron went behind the back and he went for LeBron. Like look. Like his... What? Gil, and he went for LeBron. Like, look. What?

That's crazy. If LeBron doesn't go behind the back, right, and he still has the ball here, which means when he goes behind the back, this leg goes forward. If he just dribbles here, he misses the leg and goes for the ball. Also, his hand was like this. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. But, no, that's the crane. What is it? I'm trying to get through you. What is it? This is I'm saying. No, but... But no, that's... Oh, my... That's the crane. What is it?

Like, that's... I'm trying to get through you. What is it? This is... I'm trying to get the ball. I don't know what NBA y'all been into. This is crazy. This is...

We know. If you... This one or this one? This one or this one? The grab? The grab. The grab. The grab.

The grab. The grab. The grab. The grab. The grab. The grab. Were you saying the grab, the squeeze, or the whole punch? No, the grab is nuts. Well, in Dylan Brooks' defense, he did say he likes to poke beer, so we should have took the man at his word. After the game, Brooks told Locked on Rockets host Jackson Gadlin he has a target on his back like the target he has on opposing player sacks. It's weird that every time that happens to me, I get picked on.

But I guess it's just a part of my reputation. Do you feel like there's a target on you? I don't know. What's the name? What's my name? My name is Dylan the Villain, so I guess. This guy. He put the target on us.

So did Dylan Brooks have a target on his back? And if so, did he put it there? Yeah, I mean, at this point, anything that looks suspect, they're going to, he's not going to get the benefit of the doubt. That always happens with players like that. You know, him, Draymond, Rasheed. I mean, Rasheed was, he wasn't this type of player. He was an offensive player.

But, you know, when he said something or looked like he was gonna say something, they was gonna give him the text. So when you're the defensive player, that's the agitator. They're not gonna really give you any leeway, especially when it comes to superstars. They're not gonna give you leeway, but that's... I don't know what I would've did right there. If you were who? Dylan?

No, the ref. If I'm looking at it, I'm like, I'm looking at how it looks. Like, what was the idea here? Were you literally trying to hit him? Or like... Any other player probably wouldn't have got ejected for the same action. No. Yeah, that's a fact.

I don't think so. That's a fact, yeah. You feel like prior reputation. He's like really leaned into this villain role. Preseason. Like, I don't think so. That's a fact. He's like really leaned into this villain role. He's like really leaned into this villain role. Pre-season. Like, is he dirty? Like, would you consider him a dirty player?

As of late, yeah. I don't know. That thing he did to Brian was nuts. But has he always been like that? That was crazy. No. I feel like this is like a new development in his character arc. I don't know.

I mean, he on right now to him. He feel like, everybody on me. He did a four year $80 million deal with the Rockies. You know what I'm saying? He and Drake mentioned him in songs. He on right now. He lit.

Can Brooks overcome this reputation? Or is this a permanent thing? I think this is who he is. I think it fits him. This is his identity. But, you know, there's a difference between being a villain and being dirty. I think that sometimes defensive players think they need to play dirty to be effective. Like the best defenders in the game ever.

They wasn't dirty players. They wasn't dirty players. They were defensive players who stopped you within the rules. They wasn't holding, they wasn't punching, they wasn't clipping. They were guarding you. When you talk about Gary Payton, when you talk about Pippen and Jordan and these type of guys, they were defensive players that stopped you. So if you're trying to be a defensive player, be one.

If you're trying to be a dirty player, eh. You got to 80 million, you good. I think he likes the attention though. Was Bruce Bond a dirty player? It was, I mean, like he had moments. Like Bruce Bowen, Rajah Bell, right? Okay.

They have moments of doing something dirty because you've probably done something to them. All right? So, you know, if someone, boom, hit him with a cheap shot

and ran off, right, he's going to get you back at some point. Same thing with Rajah Bell, right? You know, Kobe clotheslined boom, hit him with a cheap shot and ran off, right, he's going to get you back at some point. Same thing with Roger Bell, right? You know, Kobe clotheslined him. So we already know Kobe was on something, throwing a little elbows or something that really got into it. But for the most part, defensive players aren't dirty like that. You know, if you're a defensive player, you're on principle, right?

Like, I can stop you, right? You know, as an offensive player, you know, KD and P.J. Tucker used to have, like, when you hear them argue, the argue is about, yo, play regular defense. Guard me, stop playing dirty. That's what it is. Football, play defense. You say you can guard me, guard me.

Right, all the dirty stuff, that's not needed. Right, right. And then P.J. Tucker, like, I got you. Like, if this is what you do Let's let's battle make each other better. Mm-hmm, right doing all the extra stuff and stepping on the shoes and punches Do you consider Dylan Brooks a top defender in the league? If you take all of the antics out, would you put him in that conversation? What's his defensive stance? I?

Mean he made all... I mean, he made second team defense. Okay, okay. Yeah, he did. He made a defensive team. So... I'm talking about, I mean, obviously what he does is effective.

Take all that stuff out. You're right, Gil. You're right. You're right. Yeah, huh you right Man yeah, you're right. Okay players fuck up. No, but like I mean, that's a that's a deep so He gets credit for his defense. So his defense is his defense, you know, Marcus smart You're getting credit for your defense when you look back at some of the players in the past and their brute players are knocking players Out of they didn't make no NBA defensive teams. I feel like you have to, as a defender, because it is about like you're the principal

of it and being in the right spot and guessing right sometimes, sometimes you have to do that extra to get that attention on your defense. Because again, people are always just looking at who's putting the ball in the basket. So I think, I mean, I think it was good for him from a career standpoint because he got so many eyes on him all the time now, and I think that's how he got that contract too because people wasn't really checking for him like that until he started doing all this extra stuff.

So how much dirty stuff do players get away with during the course of the game? And if they get away with it, can we call it dirty? No, I mean, there's dirty players. I mean, some of them get caught, some of them don't. But you have dirty players, right? No one respects them. No one respects them, man.

It's not part of the game. That's not part of the game. It takes no talent to clip and clothesline and punch. That's not talent. Yeah, and it kind of makes you not want to play. Like, what are we doing? You know what I mean? I train all summer on my craft, right?

And you want to punch on me and hold on me and do all this. What is the point of it? Like, this is what you own, okay? Cool, right? It's not really like, like, I want to test my offense against Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, like, Paul George, right? Marcus Smart. I want to see what you got so it makes me better.

But as an offensive player, does a defender doing that type of stuff, does that get under your skin at all does that impact Your game offensively are they doing their job when they pull moves like that now you pissed off you rattled I mean for the most part I mean if you know it's no one's you know punching you and doing all that grabbing you of course is good It's it's working. Yeah You know, but it's yeah I mean

It's like it's like when that it's like when that guard check-in a guard you 94 feet and He'd come in bumping you like, you know, his whole job is just like yeah Like that's that's the annoying part But if I'm shooting and you trying to go under my my foot or like you said you hit me when I'm like or something It's like alright like what you doing? Like before I was like the bumping and you know, that's normal Yeah, that jump shot when a guy, you know put this foot under you so when you're laying it. Yeah, ankle like yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah like that because you know So what's the dirtiest thing someone did to you in the game that you can remember and share on gills arena?

It was Dallenberg It wasn't his fault though. So does it make it a dirty play? No, it was dirty. So what happened was, you know how you get a rebound? You got the rebound and did one of those, right? And then pass it up. So I got mad and right then clipped him, boop, and he tumbled. Next play down, I'm doing pass it and I got a brush screen. So back then we had the brush screen, the big, so the

big can come up and catch the ball, right? Part of our offense. So I pass it guard to guard and then went to go brush screen. As soon as I came through, boom! Just pop! And I just walk out of bounds like, yo ref, I think I got hit.

I'm sitting on the little thing, under the basket like, yo, he hit me I know he like he literally hit me and it was like I you know back there wasn't no replay, but it got me good They're trying to fight him after but they said he was a black belt Yeah, I want those problems My fault. How about yourself? Me? The dirtiest? I mean, I had to play like how Dylan Brooks, like, I had a guy trying to, like, grunt me the whole game up at Oak Hill. Like, my senior year on some weird, on some, like, weird shit.

Like, he was, like, just on me, like, grunt, all, like, grabbing on me. And I'm just, like, I was just, like, I was just weirded out. It was, like, my first game at Oak Hill. And I was, like, this is what we're doing on the East Coasted out it's like my first game at Oak Hill and I was like this is what we doing on the East Coast mm-hmm this is this is what we do up here at Oak Hill in Virginia did you do any elbow anything to him just to kind of yeah yeah yeah I was hitting him and stuff and I'm like telling see sounds I can't run like look at this guy like this guy is like literally blatantly like grab grump anomaly I'm like well what's going on like what is this so it's like my first game at Oak Hill we

talked about dirty players are dirty plays okay if they're retaliatory? Like, if somebody does some shit, like, was Dallin Bear okay to do that to you because you gave it to him first? I felt that, like, I received more pain than he did, to be honest. So it seemed like an equal. It wasn't equal. You know, it wasn't. It should be equal if it's a retaliation. He should have clipped me back. He should have clipped me back.

He should have clipped me back. Lexi, what's the dirtiest thing someone did to you? I'll say, in the W, we don't really have many dirty players, I'd say, which is good. I mean, like, defensively, I mean. I'd say DT's probably the dirtiest now, like, with her just extra-ness that she does now. But I feel like the first time I like got like really like elbowed or like extra bumped was my first season overseas. I was in Hungary and a girl like had the ball and she just hit me across my whole face.

And the ref just like looked at me and was like, welcome to Hungary, girl. They do not mess with Americans over there, I'll tell you that. So that was a hard season for me from a referee standpoint. They're just not nice to Americans. And do you feel like it's tougher to deal with it overseas because you're on their home territory? For sure. If some shit goes down, you may not have the support you need.

Yeah, and some of the refs barely speak English, so you're just kind of looking at them. They're looking at you. They just see words coming out. You're mad, so they assume you're just saying the worst thing ever. So I just learned to just shut up when I was over there. They're probably just like, get up. No, literally, that's what they do.

They just look at you like... Ripnum was funny. Rip and Chauncey, but more Rip. So Rip used to keep his nails a little sharp. That's the worst. A little extra sharp. That's the worst. Right? And so when they're playing and he's reaching, you feel, ah. Oh, wow. Yeah, natural nails are sharp because people always ask me about my nails. These do not scratch people. Those nails scratch people. Yeah, you can feel them like, ah!

Yeah. The nails probably the worst, you know, with the sharp nails. And then you look at the ref, you're like, sir. And sharp ass elbows too, that's the other one. But when you look back on your guys' careers, who was the dirtiest player that you played against? Played against? Like, I mean, it didn't affect me, but just, you know, he was in the league probably Reggie Evans maybe.

Wow. Like, players like him, because they're so strong, right, when they're going to get rebounds, they're doing all the rebounding, like they're throwing their hand. Like, he ain't trying to rebound like this. He's trying to hit you in the face while he's rebounding, throwing his legs, and he's doing all the extra. Deliberate or?

Deliberate. Okay. It's just, he's using everything, right? So, you know, somebody going to get their mouth busted a couple times, you know, wrestling with him. And, you know, he just had that energy, but, you know, that was his game. So if you was playing against Reggie,

you already knew what time it was. Like, I know if I go in, right, and miss the layup, if he didn't hit me the first time on the layup, if I tried to offense a rebound, I know I'm done. I know I'm done. So you got to stay out of the lane with him. Pull-ups and threes. Yeah.

I wouldn't say player. I think the dirtiest league I've been in was, like, China. Playing in China was, like think the dirtiest league i've been in was like china playing in china was like the dirtiest league i just think there's just everybody because they didn't they don't they don't know really how to they can't really stop us on a you know on the offensive end chinese players yeah yeah chinese players so i just think the whole league is just it's like one of the dirtiest leagues i ever played in for real yeah it's like it's just they out they just out to get you i mean moment, OK, was just wild because I was like, whoa. But overall, just like playing, Chyna. For me?

You still playing too, so if you want to be fifth, go ahead. I mean, I think everybody just says Diana because she don't care about what anybody says about her at this point in her career, but I don't remember her playing like this like in her prime days like when she was younger, but like now it's like the elbows, it's this, but Diana's funny because she like she'll do something and she'll just be like, oh my bad, like she'll be talking to us like the whole game. Like I really, I, she's like one of my favorite match- because, like, obviously I respect the hell out of her because of who she is

and what she's accomplished, but, like, the back and forth that we have in the games from, like, my rookie year to now, like, it's been cool for her. Like, her respect for me

has grown, and, like, she's always my matchup when we play Phoenix, so. But, yeah, she be doing a lot sometimes, and it's fun. I gotta, like,

hit some of these in the game when she got the ball, but it's fun. I got to like hit some of these in the game when she got the ball But it's fun. It's all fine When once you get older you got a little extra No, you go play on the curl they got people got the trick for you But let's keep it overseas. The Mavs took on Luka's former team, Real Madrid, out in Spain on Tuesday night and took an L.

Luka only played five minutes, dealing with a calf strain. Kyrie was on Chilling's Island with a groin injury. But we got some highlights. So after former Mav, Ficando Composite hit a dagger three. Luka was spotted on the bench cracking up. We got it right here. Damn. Real Madrid up forward like 13 seconds ago.

Boop. That's his boy. That's his old teammate. Very unserious. Yeah. So, obviously, context. Luka played five minutes. No Kyrie. It's not the real Mavs team. This is the NBA team

taking the L to Real Madrid. So what do y'all think about the Mavs losing? It gives this false narrative of this is how good the teams are versus you know, like this is how good the teams are versus, you know, like this is actually the team

that would have played Denver if there was a world championship in June. Wait, so they won the EuroLeague last year? Right, so this is the type of team where like there's no NBA player on there. Right? But it gives this false thing because

we're in training camp. No one's in shape yet. You guys are in shape. We're not in shape. We're not going hard. So when you guys beat the NBA teams, it gives this thing that, oh, the Euros is this good and this good and this...

They've been playing, right? They've been playing, so they're in shape and we're trying to get in shape and, you know. Figure out the roster. I'm going to say, they've probably been

in shape since August. Yeah. And going overseas, you know, they make you go on that soccer field. Like if the star, like even when,

you know, who beat Sun's, was that last year? 70? Oh, yeah, yeah. The Adelaide 36ers? Yeah, I mean, you know, Devin Booker, they didn? 70? Yeah. The Adelaide 36ers? Yeah, I mean, you know, Devin Booker, they didn't play. Yeah.

Yeah. They didn't play like that. I mean, you see what happened to the team that played the Wizards. They lost by 60. Right. In D.C., right? Are they trying to make that? Kuzma and Poole played. That's why.

Yeah. Are they trying to make that a big game or something? Are they trying to make it big? No, it's just this thing where they all, you know, when the narrative comes that the Euros are playing better and they're good and this and this, it's like they've been in shape for months. We're trying to get in shape. Like this is, the Stars are not playing. Yeah, the Stars ain't even playing.

We're trying to get our legs. We're coming off a training camp. We're still trying to make cuts. Like it's cool for the NBA to match these up, but I mean if you really want that smoke, when they win their championship in June and we win our championship in June, let's play. Let's play. We'll see if they're the real Madrid team.

I mean it's just like, that's the only thing that I have issues with. It's like the narrative, call it how it is, right? I call it how it is. Yeah, they won. There's no Kyrie. There's this... Everybody's still trying to, you know, make the team and play, and it's not really...

Yeah. It's a pickup. Yeah. I mean, second screen, third screen out there playing during that time. Hard. Taking it serious, obviously, you got the chance to beat an NBA team, of course. Of course you're going to do it. Yeah, I know.

For sure. I mean, you got that story forever. Yeah. I'll look at them, yeah. I killed Luka. He was on the court five minutes. I had like 37. Luka was on the court.

I held Luka to nine. He came out there and hit him with a backdoor. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shit, Luka only dropped nine points on us. And leave the five minutes for them. I used to hate preseason because there's always someone talking, right? And you came in the game like, all right, I'm going to just do jumpers and just try to sprint out. You're just using it to do something like, all right, jump shots.

And if I don't have the ball, just run to the corner. Just working on something. And then there's always, dude, oh, man, I thought you was nice. Man, you know who got at me like that one time? Will Bynum. It was a preseason game in Detroit. And I was just like, you know, just going through the motions. And he was like, he was on me.

And he was just going, I said, all right, all right, bro. All right, watch. All right, I'm going to get you back. And Scott, he was like, see, he don't want to play hard. I play hard all the time. I'm like, all right, all right, all right, Will. No, Will's my guy, though. So let's talk about the Mavs a little bit.

We got a small sample size of Luka Kyrie backcourt last season, which on paper should be one of the best in the league. And they're 16 games together. Last year they were 5-11, though. But Mavs added some peace to this offseason. And I think the most important thing was they got Kyrie to re-sign. But he's out indefinitely right now with a groin injury. We'll see what his status is going to be as the season comes. But Mavs

did not make the playoffs last year, so we got to ask, looking at this Mavs and this squad, will the Mavs make the playoffs this season? Whatever they did last year, they're going to do this year. So, I mean, they did make the playoffs. So, no. Your answer is no? No. Oof. What's that special piece you said they got?

I said they added some pieces. Oh. What about the play-in? They lost Christian Woods, though, right? Yeah, they got Graham Williams, Seth Curry. I mean, they're going to make the play-in? I mean, you know, 12 teams, 14 teams. You said no playoffs, dude.

The playoffs is the play-in teams. Is that a huge play-off? Are you saying they're not going to finish top 10? No, that's just the play-in. No, are they going to finish top six? Top six.'s just the play-in. No, are they going to finish top six? Top six, yeah, top six. Top six for sure. Nah, man, I'm not doing it.

But do you consider seven in eight playoffs, though? No, no, no, because it really got to be top six because you can lose. So it has to just be the top six. But without the play-in, the eight. So I'll be like, y'all made the playoffs and then y'all lost. Y'all lost in a play-in game. Y'all was then y'all lost. Y'all lost in a playing game. Y'all was a playoff team. Y'all lost in a playoff game.

But that's what I'm saying. Top eight? How do we break that down? Are you finished top eight? Do you still feel like even if you get smacked in the... No, I need to be top six. If you're not top six, you're not... Comfortable?

Yeah. Watching at the crib? I need them for sure. I don't want to play no playing game towards the end of the season and it's like, hey, well, go home now. I mean, that's what I'm saying. It's only don't if i'm seventh how did i get dragged into this right that's what i'm saying like because seven like if you look at seven yeah seven till 10 that's like sometimes 15 games 12 games 10 games that that games. That is not even close.

Seven is closer to two than 10 is closer to seven. Right? So that should be, that should be inherited. Like eight, okay, you could be two games or a game and a half out,

but usually seven from 10, sometimes that's a big gap. And the fact that they got to play, it's like, come on, man. So you think it should be like nine,10 play, and then they go play the 8 and try and bump the 8 out? No, no, no, I think 9 and 10 should fuck off. Like, they been doing it. Like, hell, get out of here.

Like, no. No playing. You had 82 games to get to... Why am I giving you more? You had 82 games to get to... Why am I giving you more? You had 82 games to beat eight. Yeah. You went nine and ten. That's not my fault.

What was their actual reasoning for adding the play in outside of, like, the obvious? Money. More games, more money. Like, that's all it was. Money. No, then they said he was going to try to make the ending competitive. Oh, so people would stop trying to lose them.

Yeah. Like, it was supposed to be competition like but you know instead of in since tampering We talked about that yesterday like at that point in the season This is China. You want to take how many teams is it in the league? Mm-hmm? I think 30 30 right. Mm-hmm So I'm team somebody playoffs I think 30. 30, right. So how many teams don't make the playoffs? 14, right? 14? 16 make it, 14 don't. Instead of the play-in game,

why don't you have that whole bottom list? Have like a little NIT type thing. Have a tournament for them. The way off. And how they play, that's where they draft at. That should be the in-season tournament. That should be the draft. D tournament. That should be the draft.

Draft. If you win this, you get the number one pick. I guarantee there won't be no tinkering then. But Will there, let me play devil's advocate. If you're on one of those teams, are you going to try to play hard so they can draft your replacement? Huh? Say if you're on one of those bottom feeder teams, are you going to play hard so they can draft your replacement? Like say you got one of them coming in. That's the thing about the lottery.

Like, it's all chance and luck. When you play hard, you win. You don't play. You're not that important on that team. You get the number one pick, and now you're not on the team no more. That's a team problem. Right, that's a team issue. You know what I mean?

You know, because at the end of the day, if I have to now, once I'm at a certain thing, I have to revert to try to win now. So I'm not going to be sitting players to tank it because if I sit these players too long, like Dame, right? How long did he miss the last, what, 10 games? He missed the last 10 games and now the playoffs start. Now I got to tell him to come back and play. Yeah.

That ain't happening. Right? So now in your mind, you can't have him sit. You got to have him play every game now to make sure he's intact for this play-in, this new style. Right? It's like there's ways to. But I can see that side of it, because if it's the Blazers with Dame,

and it's like, look, Dame, if we win this and we get the number one pick, we get win B. Yeah, I mean... But if we don't, we get scooped, and you're out. We get Brandon Miller. I mean, what I'm saying, it's just... You're trying to figure out how to make it competitive. Just being... What is it? Like, you're playing good enough to be 10 and 9,

but not eight and seven Yeah, yeah, and if I'm if I'm if I'm if I'm the last team why do I care anyway If I'm the last place team Why would I want to make the playoffs if I'm 15 14? Why 14th, why do I care if I make the playoffs? I get more chances. So I don't care about making the play-in game. Yeah, because you could be the fifth pick and then win it at the end and get the first pick. Like, yeah.

There's a lot of chances. I would definitely... I've just never seen just a system where losers get... Adam Silver again. Another idea for you. Losers get rewarded. I've never seen... I just...

Well, that's the NBA lottery in a nutshell, though, right? It's losers getting rewarded, man. That's just... That's nowhere... And they wonder why everybody want to be a loser. You get rewarded. You get the... You get the biggest back for losing.

Like San Antonio, right? Their franchise went up, what? Half a billion dollars? When we be coming in? Yeah. A billion, half a billion dollars? When Wimby coming in? Yeah, a billion, half a billion dollars for being that bad. You got a player to make your franchise worth a half a billion dollars more. That tells me I'm just going to lose every year. I'm going to lose every year, keep getting these number one, number two.

I'm going to be calves when Bron left. Give me four number one picks and number two pick. So we asked the chat, will the Mavs make the playoffs? 55% said yes. 45% said no. So Luka said he's happy in Dallas. But of course, he's not rolling with not making the playoffs. So how long will that happiness last?

So if the Mavs missed the playoffs again this season will Luka consider a change of scenery? Luka ain't going nowhere. Okay, I think Mavs fans would be happy to hear that Who's the owner? Mark Cuban. Okay, you see how he treated Dirk, right? Okay Trust me. I got you Mark Cuban. Okay. You see how he treated Dirk, right? Okay. Trust me. I got you. But Luka not going nowhere. No.

Yeah, nah. I'm just saying. Now, Luka would never go nowhere. Nah. Man, he'd give Luka percentage of that team before Luka leaves. Before Luka did? You crazy. He ain't dumb.

So you think he's good? Yeah. I mean, he's good? Yeah. I mean, that's... How long do you stay around, though, in those situations? Until he look like dirt and he's ready to retire. So if the team keeps going on the down, if you look, do you stick around for that? I mean, how was dirt team in the beginning?

No, no, no. Okay, so like 94, 95, 96. They were nice. Okay. You know, they had some, they were nice. Like they had Michael Finley over there. You had... Those squads were actually 94, 95, 96 squads. Ooh, 97. They started getting good to like 99 what are you talking about Antoine Jamison was on one of those teams you know we talk about dirt young days like when he first got there no look at the look at 98 no no look at the the squad though yeah good day Finley Jamison you have but there's like seven

eight straight losing season listen And when did they win? Hit the hit the. When did he finally win a championship? Hit the team. Wait, 94, 94, what team are you in? No, not 94. Why are you in the 94? Because that's what you said.

I said 2004. Ew, we got the chat. We got the take. He only has one, right? Yeah. But yeah, after that point from 99 on. I said 2004, five and six, right? No, you said 94.

Oh, my bad. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, my bad, my bad. No, no, no? No. You said 94. Oh, my bad. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, my bad, my bad. No, no, no. 90, oh, no. Got one back, dude. That wasn't in the NBA yet. Got one back.

That's what I'm saying. That's why I was looking here perplexed. I figured what was going on. 2004, 5, 6. Yeah, for sure. Squad, squad, squad. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

Yeah, but from 99 on, all winning records. Yeah, they didn't shit. Steve Nash, Josh Harlow. They didn't have a losing record until 2017. They were really like... I feel like this year they're going to have to show some improvement and then just a little bit more improvement every year, and I think that will be... But is that improvement like top eight?

Can they get in B? No. I mean, they can. Can they get Embiid? No. I mean, they can. They have enough pieces. To get Embiid, right? They got enough pieces to get Embiid. The only team that really has pieces to get Embiid is probably New York Knicks.

Yeah, but he not going to go there. There's another team, Gil. We'll talk about them soon. He just won't want to go there. I'll give you Randall and... Yeah. Give you Randall and uh, yeah You're handling, uh shit, whoever

Kringle I mean that's you got it. You got Andre, but you got enough pieces to say Are y'all trying to rebuild I got some young pieces over here. Here you go. Mm-hmm We had another table go talk about that could be the dark horse. I don't think anybody wants to live or play there, but we'll get to them in a second. So on the subject of Luka, Danny Green offers some interesting perspective on Theo Pinson's Run Your Race podcast when asked who has a deeper bag between Luka and SGA. Say Luka. Deeper bag.

Listen, man. What's the count, huh? Both of these guys are MVP caliber players. 100%. And I think Luca for sure will, I think he for sure will get one. I think Shay has a really strong case of getting one at some point in his career. I think Luca right now is the better, I wouldn't say all around player, but probably makes the team better.

He is more closer to Bron than anybody in that fashion. More of a triple-double guy. I think Shea has the deeper bag. Their body's well. Shea makes it look a little smoother a little bit sometimes. Got you. I think he has a little more mid-range, a little bit more in between. A little wibber.

Yeah. more mid-range, a little bit more in between, a little more Kai in his game with the finishes and with the handle. I think Luka uses his body more when he's in the paint and in the post. Got you. Shea uses his shoulders unbelievably well on every jump roll. All the time. Oh my God. You see guys. You rolling with Danny Green's assessment of Shea versus Luka?

Yeah. So Shea got the deeper bag than Luka. When you're talking about like being all that all that junk that's going in.

Yeah, he does. Yeah, I mean. This ain't about who's a better player who has. Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's the aura. Yeah, he does. This ain't about who's a better player, who has. It's the aura too. It's the swag. Sometimes people get confused when you say certain things

like, oh, how can he have a better bag and he averaged 31, this and this. Shut up. Let the players, let us do what we do. We're not trying to hear you Your opinion of what we know what we talking about Mean I mean, I mean it's two different bags though to the house

Yeah, like he you know shaves more the fashion, you know more like he got the more swagger and then Lucas more like bird Drop 30 go have a beer after mow the lawn It's just like it's two different. It's's two different backs, but it works for both. Like both got game. It's just, you know, you want the bird or you want the new age. Is Lucas Bagg deceptive just because of his body type? You know what I'm saying? You look at that dude.

He looks like he'd be easier to guard, but he gets buckets. I feel like he'd move exactly how he looked. You can't stop it, though. Yeah, you can't stop it, but he gets buckets. I feel like he moves exactly how he looks. Like, the way he plays. You can't stop it, though. Yeah, you can't stop it, but he does use his body extremely well. And that's why I agree with what Danny Green said with Shay. Like, his footwork, the way he maneuvers through the lane, his little slow Euro, like, those are...

It's like Andre Miller. I was actually watching his style at the end of the day. Take your time, like, never out of... He has a lot of changes, like, he has a lot of change of pace. Yeah. I was actually watching his highlights the other day. Take your time. Never out there. He has a lot of changes. He has a lot of change of pace. Yeah. In small spaces, and that's something that Luka doesn't necessarily do often, but he

does a lot of the bully ball too sometimes. The bully ball. Keep you on your hip. And a pump. Pump. All right. Yeah. So let's expand this out.

Who has the deepest bag in the NBA right now The deepest bag does this count for off the court to like how you walk in like that Are we just probably the court or is that how you walk in or it's like in the court bag just just on the court Okay, okay, but you could like if you want to yeah, you know, I look at how you walk in You know I'm saying how you get ready. It's the whole or Satan shit He taking over the deepest bag. I mean they can dribble like you said right now or ever right now We'll get it to every post up. Yeah

three ball Probably Kevin Durant Okay I probably Kevin because it's like, I can just pull up two. Everybody doesn't realize he's a sharp shooter, but he only takes two threes a game. If he took ten threes a game, that'd be a whole different story. But, you know, like, when it comes to just that overall... He got that double cross, that long cross. He has some things with him.

Kyrie Irving? Kyrie? Kyrie Irving. I was hoping somebody... Kyrie Irving. I feel like that's, like, the most obvious choice. For sure. But obvious is better.

I'm just saying, is it obvious? Is it true, though? Does Kyrie have the deepest back? Yeah. Yeah. You know what makes his back so deep? Because he understands how to move his feet individually with his hands. So when he's moving, everything's moving the same.

Like, he knows, you know, how to place everything. And, like, I don't think nobody in the league can just guard him. Like, one-on-one, I don't, like, I feel like if he wants to just get it

and score every time, he can't. Like, it's nothing. If he misses, it's just, it's the ball fault or whatever, the rim trip. Like, nobody's stopping Kyle. It's just so, it's different.

Everyone, everyone's tricky. Like, it's different. Everyone, everyone's tricky. Like, everyone has their own little thing. Darius Garland got a bag, too. Cleveland, Darius Garland got a bag. He got that irky jerk. Yeah, yeah. I'm waiting on him to take that next step, too. He got that irky jerk.

Yeah, I like his game a lot. Let's expand it out to our era things that we've seen you can go back a little bit too but who has the deepest bag ever ever in our you know I mean it has to has to be this era I mean you know they didn't have bags like that baby. They had little mini bags. I mean, you know, they didn't have bags like that They have little mini bags You know, this is this bag now you got duffel. Yeah. What about your bag? I I was fast and you can score and kiss and I said because I was fast I didn't need to do all the So what would like Allen Iverson be in this conversation? Okay. Now that's tricky, right?

He comes in 96, right? And from 95 on, they didn't know how to move left to right. So Tim Hardaway was hurting the league, right? So when Iverson came in and he had that extended cross, he was making all guards and anyone who guarded him look so bad because they didn't know what it was that they deemed it illegal, right? So they deemed his crossover illegal. So what they were doing is targeting him.

So you took that weapon away from him. So he had to try to create other ways to try to figure out how to score. I mean, he wasn't the best dribbler. He wasn't like Kyrie and Chris Paul and all of them. He just knew how to get where he was fast and quick low crafty Jamal Crawford Jamal Crawford Jamal Crawford's in there Jamal he could pick a ball Jamal Crawford could pick up a ball anywhere and just to this day get a bucket right now Right now you still have buckets to give it's so it's so hard because you see more of dudes' bags in the summer. Mm-hmm.

Because that's when they have the freedom, right? Versus when, you know, like Nick Young in the summer versus Nick Young in the... Yeah. I'll say even, yeah. Nick Young in the summer versus Nick Young in the season. Yeah, at least some players get that freedom during the season. What about a guy like Baron Davis? Oh, y'all.

People sleep on BD, but... No, that's a good one. No, that's a good one. Yeah. Yeah, you know all that Okay, jerk BD stay healthy. He topped three in the league. Yeah every year he in there. Yeah, or jerk like if BD style came into this era It'd be hard to guard him. to guard him because he was such a great passer first mm-hmm that that's where he was he was a passer didn't score so but no he was so good at scoring and creating space and doing all that but you know he relied more on his assists it's like you know like more like a

Darren Williams style you're right like I'm gonna give it's like, you know, more like a Darren Williams style, right? Like, I'm going to give you 22, 23, and, you know, 10, 11 assists. But if BD wanted to average 30, there was nobody going to guard him. Big, strong. Yeah. Steve Francis, you know, those type of...

Another guy watching in the summer was like, nobody in the gym could guard BD. Jason Williams was nice. White chocolate. White chocolate had a bag. Until they put the cuffs on him. So, Chad threw some names in.

Marbury, Rod Strickland, Mahmoud Abdur-Raouf. I'm like, yeah. I'm like, he was, he was Steph

without the dribbling. Who, Mahmoud? Yeah. But, he give you, he gonna give you the, but that's what I'm saying It's hard to put it's hard to put the 90s guys

In there because there's rules like people don't want to accept it like stop fighting me on this Your rules handicapped you I don't care what you say a Bugatti in 1980 and 90 is not faster than the Bugatti today. I'm sorry updated the engines, but it's still I sold That's what I'm saying, there's no test of time like we get it you were you were good then right the moves that we're doing today right 1015 years are gonna be creating some shit that makes today look horrible. At some point, I'm pretty sure in 19 and 1950, the moves they were doing was awesome, right? Well, Pistol Pete, the only one probably got a bag.

Pistol Pete probably the only one that got a bag back then. And his bag. And we're talking about in the 70s. That's from the 80s on to 90s. He's the only one. Even Magic, his passing bag was phenomenal. Yeah.

Like, Pistol Pete, Pistol Pete is really underrated with passing because he had no reference of the things he was doing. He was just creating it with his imagination. They're still not

doing that today. Some of the things he's done, they've never done it again. Yeah. Right? So it's crazy. He's still never done it again. So it's crazy, still never done it again. Like Jason Williams was the closest.

White Chocolate was the only one trying to do it off the... As I said, he's the closest thing to Pistol Pete when it came to just creativity and making passes and doing all that. But, you know, as time goes, players look at stuff. You know, 19 was it. What was that dunk contest, Michael Jordan? 1988? Mm-hmm. That was this.

That was the dunk contest of the dunk contest. Right? So all people still talk about that. You watch it now. You realize, you know, out of 12 dunks watch it now, you realize, you know, out of 12 dunks between Jordan and, you know, Wilkins, nine was windmills. All right?

I guess, you know, I'm going windmill from the middle. That was Dominique. I'm going windmill from the side. I'm going to go to the side, do the windmill. It ain't change, bro. I'm going to go to this side, windmill. I'm going to come at an angle. Listen, it's a windmill, bro.

You don't get extra points because you changed where you did it, bro. It's a windmill. Every year, 1986, 70, we know what Dominic's going to do. We know I'm about to jump. He's going to rock the cradle. We're going to jump for the... This is the problem with that. When he first did it, jump for the free throw line 50 Yeah, the next year

45 the next year 40 I'm not giving you a 50 every time you do this thing You gotta come with the James fly white don't give me give me something with it this I seen I Was watching because I wanted to critique it. First dunker, Otis Smith, came, did a reverse windmill. Yeah. Boom.

Yeah. 40. Next man, threw it off the backboard, two-hand dunk. 41. What? What? man threw it off the backboard two-hand dunk 41 what Dominique Wilkins came up windmill uh-huh 44 like hold hold on no hold on hold on the dunk the first dunk was the 44 the first dunk was the 44 the opportunity it's like oh y'all so crooked man just all right we got it Jordan and Dominique. It was the 80s, girl, you know.

This is it. They was on that white house. But as I said, like, then, like, come on, like, if you see the dunks now, we got better, right? We got better. No, for sure. So don't tell us who the best dunker is. We know. We can see it.

All right, so last question for y'all on this subject. Whose bag do you wish you had when you look at it throughout the course of NBA history? Who impressed you the most? And, you know, you say you always write down people's plays. Who was the guy that you were writing down a lot of their stuff, trying to incorporate it into your game? Everyone. Like, I, you know, I, everyone.

If someone had a right-to-left crossover, I wanted to see what made his crossover fast. Like, someone who had great, like Joe Johnson, the right to left crossover, I wanted to see what made his crossover fast. Someone who had great, like Joe Johnson, the way he moved and his low split from Telepher's spin, how he, like that Garland, when Garland has the ball in his left hand, he cuffs it and spins. He don't do that on the right side. So now I want to see how his footwork is when he does that move, since he gets away with it.

Right? You know, like, people have their tricks that make them good, and I just wanted to learn them, add them, you know, to my game. Like, for the most part, I knew how to do every move, I just didn't need to. You know, most players who are really super fast, they don't have the dribbling, because they don't need it. They're just going to use their speed and just take off. I had to have anybody's bag? Mine. You just keeping yours? I'm the most influential out of California ever.

So I'm not changing that. I like my bag. I like that. You don't want any? High top, Gumby, I like my bag. So is that what you include with the off the, because there's a whole aura of swag, though. Like walking into a gym, everybody knows, oh, BJ here.

Ask anybody in 07, 08, when VGen has walked in the gym, everybody knew. I like my bag. How would you map that out timing-wise? When are you showing up for games? Back in high school. Are you making an entrance? I mean, it was... You coming to watch the girls play before?

No, no way. No, no. Like I mean it was It's okay the girls play before no no no I'm coming in right I'm coming in right when the game is almost over like around like third quarter You know got to check it in walk the you know that walk through in high school You know walk through here for you know so I'd out go in the locker room come back out First thing off the backboard so no jump on. No jumpers during the JV game? Nah, nothing. They were there. Nah, nothing. Anytime you saw a team getting up jumpers, they were about to get cooked.

Nothing. I tried to shoot jumpers during the JV halftime. Man, my swag was different in high school. Nah, but I love Kenny Anderson, though. Like Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech, Kenny Anderson. Like if I had that Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech swag. New York guard. Yeah, for sure. I mean, that's the best point guard ever.

But you know you got to take his jumper, too, right? Huh? You got to take his jumper, too. Hey. No, I'm just saying. You got to take his jumper if you're going to take his bag. No, I wanted this bag. I'm taking mine.

Oh, the Bobby Hurley? Huh? The Bobby Hurley? Yeah, the Bobby Hurley. Yeah, yeah. I used to try it, too, but because I wasn't left-handed, it irritated me. You couldn't do it? I got to try it on the right side and just like, ah, ah, ah, ah.

Yeah. Ah, I didn't like it. Yeah. Lexi, whose bag do you wish you had? I don't know if I wish I had it, but it's someone that I watched a lot. Christy Tolliver. She went to Maryland.

She plays for the Mystics now. She was my teammate last year, actually, in L.A. for a year. She's older. They won the championship I want to say in 09 maybe at Maryland. She's the reason why I went there initially. Great shooter. Her handle is definitely better than mine, especially at that age. So she's someone I watched a lot. She's behind screens. Doesn't really shoot a ton of layups.

When she does they go in, so that's pretty accurate with my game a little bit. So yeah, she's someone I definitely looked at a lot. Okay. Let's get back to SGA just real quick. Just talking about the Thunder. We talked about them a little yesterday with Chet. Finished 10th in the West last season, but they got bona fide superstar, SGA first team All-NBA, Josh Giddey, Chet, solid young core. West is stacked again this season, but the Thunder currently picked 11.

But we got to remember, to quote Gil, ton of draft picks, including four first-rounders in 2024. So they got their own pick, got the Rockets pick, Clippers and Jazz.

So potential of three lottery picks. Clippers didn't give you no lottery pick. Rockets, Jazz, and themselves too if they're boobas. But are people sleeping on the thunder? How far away are they from being a legit playoff team? What's so funny,

if they gel fast in this preseason and they get off to a good start, I mean, they can actually make the playoffs this year. They have enough talent. I mean, there's no difference between them and, what, Sacramento? Yeah, I was going to say that. Can they have a season like Sacramento last year?

I mean, it's just one of those things where... So you think, what, top three, top four? They could, like, when you're talking about, you know, like the top, you have to start off good. Right? It's about your start off. Like, trying to catch somebody, you know, like you start off like behind minus 10 and trying to catch during the end of the season. That's hard. Right?

That's hard. You know, everyone's in shape. Everyone's ready. So, you have to get out to that start right now. You know, like, we's in shape, everyone's ready, so you have to get out to that start right now, right? You know, like, we're in shape first. We're clicking first. So you can steal some wins that's not expected. And, you know, next thing you know, you're 15 and 3, and, you know, it's really hard to, you know, catch you at that point. Yeah. I mean, they got a lot of potential.

But like you said, it just depends on how they start, but, I mean, got a lot of potential hmm But like you said it just depends on how they start but I mean I like their young core Yeah, I like their young core. They're definitely gonna be exciting check coming this year. I saw his first game. He played well So I mean they're they're gonna be right there. They're gonna be right there. I think we'll see yeah I think they're gonna be fun to watch they're motivated. I think that's the biggest thing you have a young group You don't have to beg them to play hard and I think they're always gonna go out there and play hard I mean you have SGA out there like you're always in the position to win a game when you have a player like that They kind of remind me of those old Thunder squabs with KD Russ and Harden before they really started going out there and getting it But you're just watching that team even watch the Spurs game obviously is preseason So you take away the grain of salt, but they're a young squad

So they're gonna play a lot more games. It's kind of some of these older teams in the West They don't got to worry about resting guys and doing all that kind of stuff and Like the Kings like they can go dominate regular season postseason. Obviously, they'll probably get humbled but They'll do enough in the regular season. I think surprise a lot of people and even if not this year next year They probably like two or three more years away. Yeah. It's understanding like now, it ain't more...

It's more on the organization now versus being, you know, back in the day. Now you have these kids developing and getting younger, right? They're younger. And when you have the new, not the old media where like even with, was it Boston, right?

Tatum and Brown. They've been trying to break that group up for the last two years. Not really, they're only 23 and 24, 24 and 25. No. Same thing with this like you you you you have them for at least eight years Before you lie and when I'm sitting I'm sitting with a 20 year old a 19 road a 21 year old I have no interest into their in their late 20s before I'm thinking about breaking it up other than that

I'm just gonna let them grow together. And I don't think they understand that. I mean, back in the day when, you know, everybody came in the league at 22, you know, 22 after your rookie season, you're 26, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, you're 26 years old.

I mean, shit, I got two, I might sign you to extension, other than I'm trying to get rid of you. For sure. But for the most part, you know And I think they should be cautious too because you know, do you think they gave up on you know? Katie Russ and James and them too early when they were young So, you know, you don't want to be in that same type of situation again with all these young ins

If they were just broke bread with James like there's no telling like Serge Ibaka like, you know It's kind of like the same thing. You know. In a sense. It makes you wonder, what are you looking at in practice every day? Right? It makes you, like, he's a six-man. So if the Rockets knew he was a max player, like the rest of the world, what were you thinking?

I know what they were thinking. They were going to keep him on a bench as a six man so he can get six man pay. He's my starter, but I'm gonna put him as a six man so he gets the six man pay. Everyone knew he was a starter. So you're trying to sign Surge and then sign him, not realizing he's the most important piece.

Yeah, yeah. Right? And what ends up happening is you got outbidded. You couldn't afford him. All it cost you was four more, was it four million a year to keep him. So wild to think about. Yeah, because they should have paid James

more than they paid Serge. Yeah, and then what ends up happening is if James stays, you can say, there's probably no Golden State Dynasty. Yeah. It's probably, this is probably. And Braun. Yeah.

This is probably the three, the two to three championship team right here. Yep. Yep. But do you think everybody on that crew would have stayed happy? They were playing. But I'm just saying, I feel like between KD, Russ, and Harden, somebody... Yes, because

they didn't know the expansion of their personal talent. When James left and James became a megastar, now he knows what he is. Russell,

he doesn't know who he is until KD's gone. And they're like, all right, Russ, do your thing. He's like, just go out there and play hard. Just go out there and play hard. Now he's, and we're sitting here like, okay. And someone said it. I don't know if it was, was it Earl Watson? When they was like, yo, dude's going to average a triple-double this year He's probably gonna have it someone said it yo the way he plays he's probably gonna average a triple-double this year with nobody there But that's the more rust and Katie you can see rust UCLA guy So, you know, he has a chip on his shoulder, but you can see with him and KD

And that thing probably wasn't gonna go much long cuz Russ and everybody thought he was crazy at that point. Russ thought he was an MVP level player when it was KD's team. But needed KD to leave the show. He was capable of getting the MVP as well. Okay. So sometimes you have type of players that it's so easy for me, it's easy for you. So in his mind, I create so much force and so much attention, you get easy shots. That's how Russell look at it. KD's like, I don't need you to do anything. I'm me. I'm without you, I'm going to be MVP no matter what we do.

Sometimes it's hard for someone who gravitates so much to realize it's easy for him too. He's like, well, he's MVP because I'm getting him the ball. It's that theory. That starts coming with stats, people whispering, and the media starts chiming in. You really have to be self-aware, especially when you're young, that it's us. As soon as you feel that I'm better than you, you're going to act like that. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I mean, than you, you're going to act like that. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

I mean, 20s, man. Right? Yeah. It was 20s. Yeah. Yeah. It was 20s. Yeah.

Yeah. 20s, and they already had been to the finals. I read an article that, especially when teams do this, let's say the best player... This happens every single time. Let's say a best player's not playing, and then the team starts winning. They start saying, oh, they might be better without him. That right there, oh, my God. They did that with the Kruzlys.

Oh, they must be better without him. That right there. I hate that. And that article right there, that article right there usually breaks a group up if they already got like some type of tension breaks it up every time because the team really believes they're better without him and then now he's coming back trying to prove and they saying little things you know they said you know that guy who never got a chance in all right see now

look man I got my we six and oh without you. Hey, man, the ball moving more. All right, yeah. All right, all right, all right. Happens every time, man. It happens every time. All right, well, let's keep this thing moving. This has been a topic that's been sitting around for a while. We finally get to do it, so I'm excited. So offseason is time for Hoopers to work on their game.

It's been, you know, months, but always pertinent. Always in the chamber, just in case. Offseason is time for Hoopers to work on their game and add to the toolbox in preparation for the season. So, Gil, you were, you know, it's opinions of Hakeem charging 50 racks, but you can say that because this summer you were also in the gym with NBA trainer Chris Johnson working with Darius Garland and Jordan Clarkson giving out some free game.

Here's a trick. Let's just say this is a pop big, right? He's got a roller. And they're going over, right? What I would do, and that's my guy. I would come here, and I would use this right here, right? I don't need to fight with him. All I do is just block him, right? Boom, right here.

He can't do nothing now. He can't come over me. Right? If you leave this open here, he's going to fight through it. So I can pull. Now it's one-on-one. Now I can. Right?

So even if you don't, even if you're not fast with your hits, me grabbing, me grabbing him, you can pull me back. Right? Bees that roll will hate it, but in today's game, it's perfect for you guys because he's going to pop out, so you don't stop nothing he does. So all you're doing is just slinging it. Helps you cut faster. Helps you split faster. Yes.

Turns you faster. Y'all see it? So, you know, we talk about just kind of off-season and the approach, guys working on stuff they may not get to do during the season versus, all right, this is what you're going to be able to do this year, really focus and concentrate on that. What's your best advice for skill development in the off-season leading to the preseason?

Skill development or working out? There's two different... Give me both. Okay, so skill development means you're self-aware that you need, you know, you need to improve in a category, right? And this is usually my irritation with, you know, with trainers and just the regular public

because they think that you can go to someone for two, three days and you can inherit their skills. Like, no, that takes months. Sometimes it takes years, right? Depending on how dedicated you are to it. Like, if your best player, your favorite, can't shoot and he can't shoot for 10 years, do you think he just went into the summer not shooting?

No, he just don't know how. Ain't been trained enough to how to process it in the game. You really have to be self-aware of what you're lacking and then you're going into the summer and that's what you're attacking. Summer. I'm spending four or five months on this thing Right and proving it so when it gets to the game I can actually add this to my game This is not something you can just all right I don't need to work on my left hand and I think I can just dribble around

Left-handed, you know, you know most of the summer and be I'm left-handed now, right? No, I'm I'm eating with my left hand, open the door with my left hand. Like I'm consciously using this, right? It's a conscious thing. Like I want to be let out. Like I'm trying, I'm writing with my left, you know, so it becomes second nature. So when I'm in a game, it's just a natural habit, right? So it's being self-aware. So when the season's over with, you look yourself in the mirror and say, all right, what do I need to improve on? And then you write it down if you got six items Whatever number one you attack it that summer

Next summer that one next summer. So six years later you have a full package You have no flaw And you know players don't understand that. Players think, you know, I'm working out for two hours, and I got better. No, you didn't. You just worked out. You worked out for two hours.

You got, you know, 100 shots, and you did that. They didn't get you. You're sweating cool. You're in shape. You're in shape, but did you get better? Like, people don't think. Everyone, every NBA player trains in the summer. They train in the summer. How many big men have you seen working on big man moves in the summer?

Right posting up doing it ain't seen one of them shits in the game Because it's just a workout. Mm-hmm There's skill development. There's workout and then their skill enhancement Skill enhancement. Yes, Like if someone says, huh? Like let's say if I want to work on my feet,

I'm going to go work out with soccer players. I'm going to go work out with football players. Okay. Whose feet are the best in sports? Yeah.

Soccer and football. Right? So I'm not going to work out with a basketball dude for fucking feet placement. I'm going to work out with soccer guys. I'm not gonna work out with a basketball dude for fucking feet placement. I'm gonna work out with soccer guys. I'm gonna work out with football guys who's doing ladder drills and then incorporate that into my basketball workout.

But that's gonna be my main focus, working with soccer and what's the name? With eye and hand coordination. I'm gonna go play some baseball. Like I'm gonna, or boxing. You have to enhance your ability. You can't just be a basketball player and they're going to be great at it. You have to do other things

to enhance little things. Hip movements. You got to do hip things if you're trying to work on your hip movement. So guys need to be more of a student of the game. I think that's what's lost, being more of a student, being more open to other things

that can help you with basketball. I feel like that's what that's what's lost being more of a student being more open to other things that can help you with basketball I feel like that's what a lot of young ins need today to just being more open But like what you just said, I mean, I'm sure they'll see it. But that's that was good though. They get it They get it, but they don't get like it's like we knew we thought we knew everything we we did until we see someone else Doing something else, right? I thought I worked really hard and I thought I was doing it until I seen Kobe. Mm-hmm. Same, yeah.

Like, ah, that's what it takes, right? So you're taking 400 shots in the same spots. Why? Oh, supersetting it. Okay. Right? Now I'm recording Steph, right? Okay, so your workout, you know,

your warm-up is 300 shots all moving. No rest. No water. Got it. Right? You know what I mean? You don't know what's making someone great until you actually watch them.

Right? It's like, here's really the thing. Just like spelling, right? If you want to learn how to spell, once you learn how to spell your name, to learn other words, you just can't keep spelling your name. You got to learn how to spell other words.

Same thing with sports. If I know how to shoot going right, I don't need to keep working on that. I already know how to do that. I know how to do that. Let me work on something that's not comfortable so I can make it comfortable. Now I can go left and right. How much time do you think players should spend on something that they know that they're not good at, but not necessarily will do in a game? For me, for example, I'm going to

have to handle the ball but I'm not like I'm not breaking people down off the dribble so like how much of like ball handling do you think like players should do that are very aware like I'm not gonna be in very many isos but I'm gonna have the ball coming off the screens or I'll have it in transition or something like I've seen like I've gotten like not criticized but like my training sometimes I spend a lot of time on ball handling and like some of my like my dad or my friends are like you don't you are catching a ball off down screens and flare screens like you do not have to spend all that damn time dribbling the ball in your workouts so how would you like how you balance that

like what they're saying is correct but how they're approaching it is wrong because you don't do it because you don't have the dribbling to do it. Once you get the dribbling to do it, then you're going to be doing pick a rose and coming downhill because now it's part of your package. Right. Right. So if Steph didn't have the dribbling package, right, that he has, he would be easier to guard. Right. The dribbling is what makes a shot even dangerous because now he's going to Yankee,

now you got to back up, now you got to come forward. So with you, if you've been shooting since you was little, Yeah, what the fuck you looking for? You spend all day dribbling. All day just bouncing the ball in the house, just sitting there all day. When they say 10,000 reps, you're trying to get 10,000 bounces in your arm. Full speed, slow.

That's all you're doing all day. Before practice, 30 minutes. After practice, 30 minutes. In practice, if you usually catch and shoot, in practice, where it don't count against you, start dribbling and shooting. All right? Use that time. Whatever you're working on in your personal,

use it in practice. Right? That's the only real time you have. I remember when I was talking to Devin Booker when he made a comment on IG about doubling. Why y'all doubling in open runs? In open runs. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then Trae Young, and I was like, hold on, wait, hold on y'all. Y'all looking at this wrong. You want to be doubled here because that's the only real time you get it. When the season starts, you're not getting doubled in practice. You're working on everybody else's stuff. So you're not going to get doubled until you get in the game. So what happens in the game is it affects you because it's the first time you're seeing it.

So now you're getting doubled in the game. Now you're pissed off and now you just got cut in half But if you train in the summer being doubled when you see it's not foreign to you And that's a lot of respect if you're getting doubled in the pick up game in the summertime But you double me but you don't need help double like I want I need when we when I played ones it was one on two I'm playing like if you're gonna it was one on two. I'm playing, like, if you're going to play me one, you got to bring somebody else. Like, I used to be JaVale and some, JaVale, I want to play two, because that's what happens in a game. Okay.

Right, I want to be more realistic. Like, I don't think people understand, you have to be realistic, for it's a process to be natural in a game. No matter what you do, you have to make it realistic. Like, you know, like, we'd be going through the dribbling drills, just, like, warming up, you know. Ha, ha, do, you have to make it realistic. Like, you know, like we'd be going through the dribbling drills, just like warming up, you know, we do that. And we like, that's when you say, yo, I want you to try to rip me. Right. Yeah. Try to rip me, please. Like, so now you get to really try to work on your actual ball handling skills. Right. And that's, that's what I learned. Just watching people's process.

The elite is doing something different. We saw it with Steph. They're doing something different. We watch Steph. For everybody who goes online and sees Steph camp workout,

that's his workout he does before the camp. And then when everyone leaves, he has a two-hour workout. Yeah. See, he's not showing you the two-hour workout. He's showing, I'm showing you this, you know, a little fun. But he's going hard. Like, he's going hard. It's 22, 23 minutes straight. Probably about, he's probably taking about 200, 250 shots.

And that's his warm-up, and then he has his real workout that we don't know what it looks like. Different. And that's what irritates me, man. I take this shit serious, man. If I'm working you out like I know your flaws I know what you're good at I know what you naturally have and as A trainer your job is to enhance it make it better

Are you can complain all you want? I don't care Like I don't care like if if that's the finish line you're trying to get to my job is to get you to walk towards it Right. Just walk towards it every day. Like let's just say, you know, man for like working a day We're gonna come to the gym and I'm gonna say alright make a layup Make a layer you can go home Not working out is my problem. Right? Just as long as you take a step towards the goal is right i mean think about you're only working out for what maybe two hours straight and maybe another two it's like it's not like you like why wouldn't you not want to go hard like you know

saying you two hours to beat for this game of basketball like you know you're blessed to be able to play this sport make a lot of money and all you gotta do is just wake up in the morning for two hours it's not like you gotta to, you know, work a nine to five or you got to, like, you know, get the kids. It's like, you know, I'm just going to the gym for two hours, come back later, go hoop. It's like, it's fun. But that's why you need real friends and...

You need real friends and people around you that are doing something. That's like, that's really sitting you, like, that's like, you know, I'm watching you come in and be like, yo, you working today? Like, nah, man, you tripping. I'm going to work out. Like, you know what I mean? Let's go work out. Let's shoot. Like, you have to have, you have to have someone who has the same drive just as hard as you.

Because what happens is when you tired, they pushing. When they tired tired you pushing when y'all both got that energy whoo yeah that's an explosive workout like if me and my friends didn't fight after one-on-one y'all ain't my friend you know i mean like you ain't my friend if we're not fighting like in our 21 games like it's just like like are you trying to win or not? I need you to cheat me on the score. I need, it has to be, this has to be realistic, man.

We fight each other, go to the store, try to grab the little Sprite with the extra, did you win a free one? You know what I mean? Come on, man. Let's make this realistic. This is life, man.

And sometimes we just don't know how hard to push until we see someone pushing it. Sometimes it's too late. But like you said, some people are scared of success, too, of what comes with it. What comes with it. What comes with being so big. A lot of people aren't ready to be that big. And that was my argument with the 50 million ring and the 300 million without. It's deeper than me because I think of the game different.

50 million in a ring, understanding what it is, you're telling me you're okay with being mediocre. You would rather win a ring on someone else's hard work. If I know I put everything into the game and I failed, I took the responsibility of being the dude and just didn't succeed. I can live with that. I can't live being somebody's side. I can't live with- That's another thing I feel like when people are like when we talk about people are afraid of success I feel like sometimes people are also afraid of putting in all that work and then being deemed like a failure because you didn't maybe Bring home a championship or something like that But I feel like it's not even about that you doing it for the right reasons if you feel like you put in everything that

You got into this game You can't let other people's opinions make you feel like your work was all for nothing. So I feel like that's a thing too. What's funny is if you take all, think about when you're talking about that whole debate of the million and the 50 in the ring and the 300 million if you told both those guys to work out You can see one you can see why one makes the 200 million like he I'm writing you a check work 200 there's a he's getting paid this for a reason right the work ethic is different Mm-hmm, right, but is it or I mean it's sometimes that talent I understand what you're saying

But if one player is more talented other one guy might might bus that's work hard this dude might just be how about this you ever Seen Allen Iverson play you don't have a ring, right? You seen how hard he went. Mm-hmm, right? Mm-hmm We can name people with rings that was mediocre did they go as hard as that man? Hey, oh no because the only way To go harder than him is to be the dude with the same amount of money and the chip Right, but if you are this is what only you made it reflects your work ethic. I

Don't want the work ethic of 50 million dollars That's three million dollars 17 16, you know your career. That's three million dollars 17 16 you know your career that's three million dollars I know what the fuck that looks like on the bench how are you trying to negotiate you gonna tell me when I know on my bench who three million dollars is I want to be there I don't want to be him no thank you right right right right, while I'm running the bleachers at night, he's at home chilling. Like, I'm running the bleachers.

I'm getting in shape. When we lose a game, they talking to me. They don't care about what you're talking about. No. You have no... It's like being a manager or being drive-thru window. Being a drive-thru window is easy, right? It's easy to be being drive-thru window. Being a drive-thru window is easy, right?

It's easy to be a drive-thru window. Hey, y'all, it might help you. The manager is the heart. He got to open up early. He got to close. He got to make sure all y'all getting paid. If the business fails, it's his fault. It's his fault.

And that's how I process this stuff. Like, which road are you taking? Which road you want. Which road you want. You want the easy road? It's his fault. And that's how I process this stuff. Which road are you taking? Which road you want? Which road you want? You want the easy road? Like, oh yeah, you know, 50... I'll sit here, you know, go in there and hit a shot or two and yeah, yeah.

And it worked for some people. That's good, but not me. That's the life that some people might want. I got like, oh, 50 million's a lot. Yeah, I mean, yeah, if you make zero, I mean, you know, they gave me 50, like that's all you cared about? That's it? Okay, I can feed my family.

Cool, that's what's up. That's what's up, but they say I can make 500. 500 means I got to do this. I got to do that. Yeah. You can't, that's what I'm saying. It's hard to, it's hard to talk to me about it because I work so hard and I know what it looks like. Like I'm telling you, I'm, I'm, I'm like, I know I troll a lot, right? But I'm telling you, you know what I mean? I troll a lot, but,

but I'm not going to say I'm lying. When I say in my whole career, the two consistent people I've seen before the game in my 10 years was Kobe and Ray Allen. I need you to think about all the players that was in that era. Those are the two consistent players I've seen more than me in the gym. When I came to the arena at 3.30, Kobe and Ray, that's it.

Yeah, I've seen Ray. All the people y'all call greats and all that, those are the two people I seen working before the game. And I know that because I was there every single time just to see who's there. So a question for you, Gil, how hard does it get to stay focused, stay locked in once you get that big bag? So you sign a max deal, you put all that work to get that. Now, you know, you've got 150, 200, 250 million coming to you no matter what. How do you stay locked in every summer to keep wanting to put that work in? It's kind of extension what Lexi was talking about, but to stay locked in every summer to keep wanting to put that work in? It's kind of extension of what Lexi was talking about. But to stay locked in, to keep wanting to put that work in when you have all this extra bread. Now, when you're coming up trying to get the money, yeah, you're working hard for that goal.

But now once you've attained that goal of getting that bag, what keeps you locked in and motivated? Like, see, it's, okay, so now I got to revert to back when I was playing versus me now, right? So It's a new goal. What is your goal? Your goal wasn't to make 200 million Whatever your goal was you were doing it. You was heading that way to get 200 million, right? That's how you got 200 million because the goal you was after Was to get that right and you got it. Whatever your goal is, you still got to obtain it. It's like saying, why does Steph work so hard still? Because he has goals. He has goals still. That's what it is. Why does LeBron still do what LeBron's doing?

He has goals. You know what I mean? The goal wasn't to be a billionaire. I mean, if it was, he gets to chase that. When Kobe was playing, he wasn't trying to be the best player in the NBA. He was trying to be better than Michael Jordan. Now that gives him something to chase because Jordan's that he's Jordan's not in the plan anymore He's not playing when Kobe's getting into his back. So he gets to chase this so that means he's not living in real time That mean he doesn't care what you're doing. You're he doesn't care what y'all doing. I'm chasing I'm chasing this it's done. This is the point he has this is his resume. That's what I'm chasing this. It's done. This is the point he has. This is his resume. That's what I'm chasing I don't care who's won MVP this year. I don't care about that in real

I'm chasing that you need to put someone out there that you get the chase that you can't conquer. Yeah Yeah, right. So if you can't conquer that means you're never satisfied if you never satisfied whatever's coming. It's just okay cool I'm still going. Yeah. I think outside of their, I know they have goals, but I think what else keeps them going that I've seen being around a lot of people who are successful like Steph, I think their team. Their team too when they get the bag.

Their team, the people that they're around, their significant other. I think that's why they're still so successful too, him and Bron. You know, their crew that they roll with. You know, everybody around them are successful. You know, their family. You know, all that's important too when you get that money. So I think that's one of the biggest reasons too outside of just their goals is like the people they have around them every day.

Everybody around them are successful or either working or, you know, on that same level as them. Yeah, I think they just also, I think a lot of these players like genuinely just love basketball and they love the work. And the fact that they are making hundreds and tens of millions of dollars is like the cherry on top of them. And I think that's that mentality also separates a lot of players. Like, I feel like there are a lot of players in the league right now that don't really like

playing basketball at all. Like, not even a little bit. They're just good at it. They're just really good at it. I mean, I feel that's true for any industry, though. Yeah. Like, I can make a lot of money

doing this. I don't particularly care much for it, but it's a way for me to feed my family. Right. And then that's why there's levels to things. Yeah.

So, yeah. I mean, I think it comes down to just the true love of the game because, I mean, the way LeBron loves basketball, like, it's been something really amazing to watch. Like, he's the player. He's who I grew up watching being, like, the GOAT pretty much is LeBron. It's crazy thinking from 2003 now to the year 21,

the work he's putting in, he's still playing at a level. We talked about this yesterday. You take the stats from 2012, compare them to last season, you can almost argue last season's better, you know what I mean? Which is wild to think about. But let's talk about just the modern era. Everybody's on social media, the importance that that has. But are you guys cool with players posting their workouts on Instagram,

social media? It depends on who you are. It depends on who you are, what you're showing. Yeah. The elite ain't showing you shit. I'm about to say, the only time you see them

probably working out is like in a commercial. It's like in their commercial. LeBron might give you a quick one. I'll be like, hey guys, I'm in the gym in case y'all were wondering. Yeah, he gonna show you some of these abs, Steve. Yeah, yeah. But not like no full, like not no serious.

I think now that's more for the trainers, because there was a time where players were posting their workouts a lot, and now I don't feel like- The good ones? No, like just players. I mean, there's a lot of players. No, I feel like... The good ones? No, like just players. I mean, there's a lot of players. No, I'm saying they're good players. No, obviously not the good, good ones. But like there's like, I mean, the NBA is a huge league.

Like there's a lot of players in it. So it's like they were posting their workouts, but I feel like overall, they haven't really been posting as much. I see more workout videos on trainers' pages than anything, but obviously that's their job. The reason that you don't show your real workout, because you don't want to show someone what you're doing or what you're working on. That's really how it is. If I'm working on

a new move, I ain't trying to show you. When I hit you with it, that's when I... Because defensive players is like, oh, that's what he's working on. Okay, that's what he's doing? Yeah. All right. So I'm not going to show you. I'm not going to show you. I'm showing these shooting threes, and that's about it.

We got Rashad McKenzie. He's not here today, but he's watching the show, supporting us from afar, going hard in the group chat. I'm going to read you a couple of comments he made. We have his permission. Gil don't want to reward losing LOL but wants to average 39 and not go to the playoffs. Laughing my ass off. Stop with like seven Ps on it.

So stop. No, I get that. What was the question? The question was would I want to average 39 points or 15 and win a championship? Do you know how, do you know what my, what level of in shape? He is not even here. Think about 39, what type of in shape I have to be to average 39, right? That means you got to have a few games of like 50 or 60.

Now, tell me what type of mindset do I need to have to accomplish 39? What type of defense is guarding me? That means I'm playing one on five. That means I'm rubbing my engine a thousand miles an hour every day. That means I got to go to sleep early. That means I can't party.

I can't club. I got to be focused. I got to be mentally focused to average 39 a game. So fuck your 15 and your fucking ring because I know what 15 looks like. That means you're playing, what, 20 minutes a game. You get to hang out.

You get to have fun because I know to win a championship, That means you're playing, what, 20 minutes a game. You get to hang out. You get to have fun. Because I know to win a championship, the best player wasn't averaging 15 points. That's why I don't want to talk to, I don't need to talk to that. I know how much I scored against your team. 39. And it wasn't, you know what I mean? It was 37, 35, 33. I don't know who was guarding me.

But I guarantee you but I guarantee you I Guarantee you he wasn't working harder than me. So if if my 39 and I didn't get to make a playoff My teammates know and I know that I had to do everything in my power like what was Jordan like When he was averaging 34 and 37 and didn't make the playoffs? The scariest man on the planet, right? The scariest man on the planet, right? I don't want to go on the boy averaging 37. Hell no.

That's why I said it's goofy talk. It's goofy talk. Like, we know, like, think about 37. We're not talking about, like, people, because you didn't make the playoffs, they're going to say, oh, he's a loser. Like, averaging 39, you're not trying to win. And at the end of the day, only one team wins. You're like, I'm not trying to win. I'm averaging 39.

Right. That means in today's era, that's the second leading scorer ever in history. I What we know how Jordan was when he averaged 37 points, right? I think it led the league in scoring right first team You know could possibly win MVP all-star all NBA Like we know what process comes with that because we know what you have to do To be that we know what James Harden looked like when he averaged that We know what Colby was carrying when he was averaging that so if you're telling me do I want to be that or

You know 15 I'm good. Yeah, yeah, if you haven average 15 on a championship team, what's that? Are you starting or are you probably off the bench? You can come off the bench. You can come off the bench or you can start, depending on what your team up look. The question off the bench. The question's off the bench.

And it didn't say how many points. Off the bench. Would you rather come off the bench? Just rather come off the bench as a... Or no playoffs and average 39 points per game. I'm averaging 39. They're going to pay me 500 million. But that's what I'm saying.

It's not about the money because we know what it comes with. We're just talking about the two players. The two players. That means that dude who's on the bench. You don't even get in the fucking game until your team has probably won. Or you get in three minutes or whatever whatever whatever your process is it's not mine we're not training the same we're not working out the same we don't have the same mindset we're not watching game film the same we're not the same

right yeah I didn't get us to the playoffs because most likely my team is not as good your team is good if you you're coming off the bench and y'all get to win I'm sorry I don't want I don't get us to the playoff because most likely my team is not as good. Your team is good if you're coming off the bench and y'all get to win. I'm sorry. I don't want that behavior. Yeah, you're a winner, but you're not a winner because of you. That's the difference. I'm a loser because of me. You're not a winner because of you.

Who do you think stays in the league longer? 39. Who's on the billboards? Who's on this? Like I we know what it comes with. We have we know what Kobe looked like when he was trying to get that team to he has to score 81. When he was scoring 81 did he look like a loser? Nah nah he looked like a fucking winner didn't he? Y'all lost. When he was scoring 81? Was he looking like he was trying to win that game when he was going 63 and three quarters? Was he trying to win the game?

The narrative is just so stupid It is the dumb. It's dumb. We're shy. It sounds amazing when I got a ring But yeah, did you play? Yeah, I scored 10 in the championship. Yeah, they put me in for four minutes. Oh, congratulations. Ah, fuck that. I don't want to be the benchman. Who was the star?

I want to be him. How about that? I want to be the star who was winning because I want to be in the position to win or fail. I want to shoot a shot. You're telling me you'd rather just not do nothing so no one gets to judge you.

That's what this whole thing is really about. Do you want to be somebody and have the opportunity to be a failure? Or do you want to be nobody and take someone else's... Success and hop on, yeah. Interesting. So last question for all of you,

and this is probably more geared towards high schoolers, college players, the younger generation, but how important is playing pickup to skill development? Depends on how you use it. And depends on who you're playing against. Yeah.

And depends on who you're playing against. So it's a high-level pick up. Pick up because he's horrible. Well, I mean, even if you're doing some of that stuff to work on your stuff, but you're taking it now to play against people who are better than you. Like, you're talking about playing in adult leagues when you were coming up.

Because I've got to play some grown-ass men because that's going to prepare me to play against these 16 17 year olds in high school mm-hmm so you know I guess you have play a pickup a play and pick up with the right people like it's just it's it's what are you playing it for like you know if you have a goal in mind like okay I need to I'm working on this right that means it becomes harder when you're when you handicapped yourself like I'm working on this, right? That means it becomes harder when you handicap yourself. Like, I'm only working on going to my left and doing everything left, right?

So that means when someone's sitting here talking shit, right, you don't revert back to what? Like, nah, I'm going to prove you wrong. Like, nah, I'm going to stay focused and work on my game. So you can call that a productive day. So it all depends on, because, you know, when you get to a certain level, pickup game is not. It ain't doing nothing for you

if you're just trying to play it to be dumb. Like LeBron playing pickup. He playing just to get some cardio. Just get some, like, rhythm. So those are the type of games where, you know, I'm going to just be working on something, you know? Yeah, I think, like, towards my earlier in my career, I took pickup real serious, like UCLA. But it definitely depends on who you know? Yeah, I think like towards my earlier in my career, I took pickup real serious.

Like UCLA. But it definitely depends on who you're playing against though. Working on your game. Like you can't be working on your game and then playing against like, you know, 24-hour fitness. But just to play devil advocate, you go to UCLA and like you said, a lot of those guys

I had to play against KG when I was coming up. I was going probably 140%. He was going about 35. And I had to do that just to be able to not get my ass busted. But when you're playing against those guys there, a lot of guys are just going to get cardio. So does it make sense to play against other guys who are hungry or trying to come at you that you might see that aren't necessarily the higher level guys? For you or KG? I'm just saying for you guys in the league, like playing against dudes who are playing

overseas whatever it may be, aren't necessarily NBA guys, but are going to take that challenge personally and going to try to embarrass you. Like guys come to the Drew League, Frank Nitti, you know what I'm saying? When guys come to the Drew, they think the shit's sweet. Frank is trying to cook y'all. Yeah. Well, I think the Drew is different. Like the Drew, because, I mean, that's like, I mean, that's a real game.

So it depends on how you're feeling. But I feel like UCLA, if you catch guys outside of the Drew at UCLA and where it's like no cameras, then you're going to get a whole different type of, like, atmosphere with your guys. Because now there ain't no cameras, ain't no nothing, and you're already, you know. Once you suit up, you know there's a target, right? so Real run, you know any of those leagues if you ask them what I was doing I'm scoring 50 at the half. There was one where you guys are 73

When I retire and I'm still playing I'll play down to 360. I'm averaging 70 something right date They like yo, you gonna pass the ball. Nope To you know Say you know, I see you the ball. I didn't pass it the ball to NBA players who's making 10 15 million a year Why am I passing you? I'm just being realistic Yeah, I didn't come here to sit here to pass you the ball And I see there was a record here and the record said

32 points a game. I want it. I want the record So I'm averaging 70 just in case somebody come behind me. There's There's a big gap. Mm-hmm. That's I'm like I'm coming here to do something. I'm not coming here to My girl came at happy. No, I'm coming here to do something. I'm not coming here to like I came at happy No, I'm coming. I remember playing with Brian Russell Came in at the happy to get in 50 No one getting the ball So we get the ball like I like it's always had that mindset

I don't know what I'm saying is you don't know who you're playing against. That's that's feeding on something But I might be playing against Trevor Ariza, right? And he's sitting there picking me and doing this and then we get into the NBA and his confidence is so sky high that he's on. Like, no, I gotta did all that now. I got you to be sitting on the bench like,

dude, don't never pass the ball. Like, I ain't trying to guard, dude. Like, dude, don't. Like, that's... Yeah, it'd be like that. It the ball like me. I ain't trying to guard you like dude. Don't like that's Yeah, it'd be like that maybe like that Everybody watch your man Everybody watching if I see a guy everybody else. I said man my kids got enough problem man That 10-1 he got to come see me. I go did I get I don't come see me and now who care

You got to come see me. You got come see the kid Who's somebody you couldn't wait to see like in the summertime that that was kind of like wolfing or you heard like? the city was like wolfing on and he was like Or was everybody just hearing you they just knew that nobody Like it was like like when I like I said when I played pickup I'm playing it to try to yeah Like even in DC and Barry farms when you know I was one of the first NBA players to play inside the gates and the project and they were talking trash and all that Yeah, I don't know

I'm treating this like the NBA game. Yeah, I'm sure I'm treating like NBA games. I'm coming here playing NBA style. I don't Barry Farms was fun. the Rutgers 65 60 65 My god, will we do this is easy right that like I don't have the Kobe's name guard of me. Yeah, who are you? Yeah Like I treated the sorry player like yo, I get to get, yo, I get to get some points. I got to think about it. I'm guarding someone who can't play defense. I get to score like 40, 50 against you, so if I play against a great defender, he can

give me the 25 and balance himself out. Yeah. Right? That's how I'm looking at it. I'm not looking at, oh, man, we got to play you. No. I'm going hard at you, sir. Sir, I'm going hard at you, sir.

Sir, I'm going hard at you. Let's keep this thing moving. Time for our last segment of the day. Mostly fans. Not to be confused with OnlyFans. Gil, would you start at OnlyFans? I'm just asking. I'm just being honest.

Women starting OnlyFans, you got men that'll pay. You know you can put any content on there. I'm just saying, attractive men will pay for attractive women. Who's paying for men? Think about the women that are like donate dollars, right? I mean, just put it in perspective. Like, you know, who you think is donating to me? Money's great. Like think about it. You got it like that. I'm just thinking about it. You know, ain't no sexy ladies coming in like, oh, yeah, I'm a thirst trapper.

No, no. There's a bunch of old two threes and fours. Yeah, you put enough of them together, you can make a 10. There's a bunch of people that complain about body shaming. That's the people that's coming in and donating money, man. It ain't the same, you know. Ain't no men becoming billionaires and millionaires

all for OnlyFans. Two nickels make a dime. Hey, y'all remember that. You know ain't no man becoming billionaires and millionaires off Two nickels make a dime. Yeah, remember two nickels can make it done You know how goofy you look trying to be oiled up and stuff Magic Mike Just seems like I've never heard a bunch of women say yeah, but it go to the to the strip club. I know it's out there, but nobody's like... Nobody's... I mean, we don't know the women that do. I'm sure it's women.

I mean, we can assume what type of women. We see the type of women that's at strip clubs, right? Maybe attractive women at the women's strip club. Yeah, yeah. Yo, please. Man, that's our cue. I'm just saying. First question comes from underdog username, Bfoss24k. He said, what's your favorite Hooper of all time, offensive player and defensive player?

I gotta think. My favorite player? My favorite player is Peyton Hardaway. So that Hooper, an offensive player? Or did you just- Hooper. Hooper. I just, it's what made me love basketball. When he came into the draft and I seen his highlights, it's just the style.

It was just so different. I mean, I watched NBA growing up, but I wasn't in tuned into it until when he came into the game. And it was just like, you know, I mean, think about the draft that he's in and who that player was versus the other guards that was in that draft. I mean, in that league at the time, he was just, it was different. And I was like, oh, I want to be him. What about offensive player and defensive player? I was my offensive player. I asked you if it was Hooper, offensive player.

Offense and defensive. Like was my offensive player I asked you if it was Hooper offensive play offense and he got here My office gang banging after breakfast Like okay, so okay. Okay. Okay. He's my favorite player offensively probably Kobe Probably Kobe Defense Man I'm sorry, man, but... I already know where this is going. No, it's just hard for me to really... Because who y'all might think is great defensive players ain't defensive players to me.

Because I was... My brain worked different on finding out the flaw and then using it to my advantage. So who y'all think is great defensive players because of the awards they get, that probably is not the defensive player for me. So I'll just go with Dennis Rodman. Defensive player, I'd probably have to go Gary Payton. Trash talking, you know, just the way he played. Offensively, favorite to watch, like I could just watch all day. Man, I'll, it gotta be like either Jamal Carford, Kobe, or like KD.

Just flawless, they're just flawless. It's like, it's just easy buckets. Like any of those three in that type of, for offensive. For me, I'll do both. Well, not both for each, but WNBA for defense, probably Tamika Ketchings. Because she just was everywhere and she could guard so many positions. So she was just fun to watch. And obviously she was a threat offensively. My favorite player offensively, probably Dane Lillard.

Only because it translates more to like how I play. So I like to watch players that I can probably learn stuff and emulate in my game. And my favorite player ever, probably Kobe. But the player that made me fall in love with NBA basketball was Jameer Nelson. I was growing up in Orlando. I love Jameer.

He was like my, I don't know why, but when I was little legs, I had a jersey and everything. I love Jameer Nelson. Him and Jelate West in college. Jameer Nelson. That was a squad right there. Orlando Magic, yeah. They were like 30 at some point. They lost an attorney. I can't remember, but...

Yeah, they lost an attorney. Before that, you know, like, okay, who are these little dudes? But let's move on to question number two from Underdog Username JustWink24. He said, with Anthony Davis seemingly the number one guy in Los Angeles, who has a better season, AD or Zion? Damn. I'm going to go AD. Okay, some Lakers love for Mr. B. I'm going to go AD because I think the level of play, who he plays for, just everything.

I just think everybody wants him to come back healthy this year. I'm going to just say ad right now we mean like just like I was talking about like that if Zion manages to stay healthy the whole season everyone's gonna be like they gonna lose their shit over it or what if ad stay healthy we never seen her stay healthy either who stays home who stays I think that's what it is I think that's what it is like I think that's what it is. Who stays healthy? Zion, not healthy, averaged what? 27 and what? 26 and 7

or something like that? He's insane when he's out there. 26, 7, and 5, not healthy? And what AD averaged? Not healthy. And Zion is still kind of... I feel like he has still kind of a clumsiness to his game because he's just in and out and in and out. So I feel like him being healthy,

it might all come together in a way that we still haven't seen yet from him. So AD averaged 56 games last year, 26, 13, and 3. It's that defense, that AD defense. And if he could average 30 this year, if he really went out there. For sure.

And he has the... Everything's really set up for him to really average 30. Yeah. Because it's his team. You know, like, come on now. So do you see, I mean, we've heard LeBron say this the past couple seasons, but do you see LeBron taking a dip in that 29-30 point range? Listen, you can't take a dip into something like that. But my point is to give to give ad the keys All right, let's try this way

Let's say LeBron averages 24 and 80 averages 26 are they winning No, so like like for LeBron and take a dip he has to see the chip You know in I'm saying? Like, and that's just how it is. Like, you can't say, you can't go in and coaches this all the time. Hey, you know, this year we're expecting, like, you know, like 24 and, you know, 8 and 6. That sounds cool.

But who's going to take, who do you have taking on this extra weight? Like, you know, the 80s has to say, all right, I'm going to average 30. He's going to have to take, like, some points from the rest of the team first. Bron's still going to do his thing. And then if AD can do that at a consistent level, then Bron might be like, all right. Okay. I want to take a back seat. But I need you to, like, start demanding wanting to do it so I don't have to average 29. I mean, come on. But can you see AD averaging 30 on a LeBron team?

Yeah. Okay. Especially right now at this. Yeah. Basically tell him to. This will be the year. Yeah. And then Darviham said he wants AD to shoot six threes a game this season.

Y'all rolling with that? That's what he want. Whatever to keep him from falling. That's fair. Whatever to keep him from falling. That's fair. Whatever to keep them from falling. Yeah. That actually might be the safer route. For real.

It might be the safest route. I know it ain't going to happen, but it's like I just wish all stars just was all healthy. It's all stars healthy. Just like turn the fatigue off so nobody gets hurt. Right. And let's see what the game looks like when everybody's just. Like no aches, no. Yeah, just everybody.

There ain't no game missing. Like we get to really like see like how great the NBA is. Like a playoffs with all their superstars. Nobody, nobody. Let's get to it. That would be dope. Last question comes from a friend of the program, Ballhead Lou Will, back again, getting another 50 piece. Everybody else out there in the chat, you like it.

You can get $50 for every good moment. Ballhead Lou Will. Mostly fans question. Ballhead Lou Will about to become a millionaire off of just mostly fans questions if he stays on this trajectory. Whose responsibility is it to develop players, coaches or players themselves?

Players. Yeah. Players players themselves? Players. Yeah. Players for sure. Players. It's like a teacher, right? Like, I shouldn't have to force you to be great. That should be something you want to be. Right?

And the same thing with a teacher. Like, you know, if you want to sit in the back of class and sleep, it's not my job to, like, to force you to force you to want to be something in life. That has to already be instilled in you. You know what I mean? So a coach shouldn't have to say, hey, we're going to get some shots after. Hey, hey, hey, come in early like if the coaches if the coach is doing that that guy is not going to be successful because the only way he's doing is because somebody was reminding him like i should be the one like yo hey i'm about to go to the gym can you be there yo i'll be there eight can you be there i'm coming back tonight can you be there

right or coach say hey i'm gonna be here from six in the morning to this cool right but the fact that you know the coach is like yo yo yo to tap in yo we're gonna watch Or a coach say, hey, I'm going to be here from 6 in the morning to this. Cool. But the fact that the coach is like, yo, yo, yo, tap in. Yo, yo, we're going to watch some film. That means the guy don't have it for himself. You think someone's telling Kobe that he need to, you got a time schedule? Yo, we going, no. LeBron, yo, I'm coming in at 1.

Someone's telling LeBron to come at 1? No. I agree with that, but I also feel like the coach need the coach gotta have knowledge Well, you can't just be like it is important for the coach to know because the coach gotta have the knowledge though You can't be you can't be like just what a coach that don't can't help To get you better. Oh, and I individually or in a game Because this was going on Twitter, I think maybe a week ago They asked the Iowa women's head coach about caitlyn clark basically they're like like what are you doing to help caitlyn like get ready for the w become a pro and she was basically like my job is to make her the best player at

iowa and my responsibility is not to make her a pro. And people like had a lot of negative feedback on that, but I was just like, thinking back to when I was in college, my college coaches made me a really, really good college player, but what I did on my own is what made me a pro. Well, most college coaches don't give a shit about, I mean, not like that, but I'm trying to keep my job. Yeah, but I'm like, why would one player, like you have a whole team of players that probably are not going to be pros.

Why would you adjust everything to make sure that this one player is a pro, like, if they're not doing anything else on their own? A coach's team, right, everyone's fitting the scheme, knowing the best player and the most talented player figures it out themselves. That's usually how it is. But a coach sitting up times and stuff, I've never seen my coach in none of my workouts. I don't know what the fuck he's doing you know what I mean like it's it's man being great ain't easy no I mean they could put you in situations for you to be successful that's what I'm saying like

that's what I'm saying yeah and if you have a coach that's not doing that then you got to go find a new coach but a coach should know your game and should know all right, like this is like, you know, yes, it is important for the player But a coach too he should be able to because a coach can derail you to yeah, I completely yes and this is what I want to ask some of the casual fans out there when they say they they you know, like players make each other play better and You know learning from greatness, you know, cuz that was a big knock like, you know 50,000, you know to learn, you know the knowledge of what this man has how many um

How many players play with Kobe? A lot? A lot. How many guys showed Kobe's passion? I don't even think he had one teammate. Okay, not one, okay, I figured. How about Jordan, right? Jordan's the greatest and he's the most fierce and he had, how many people that he played with in his whole career?

Showed that same. Showed that same type of passion. Probably just Luke Longley. You said who? I was going to say Dennis Robinson. Right, but they're not there for three days. They're with him six months. Six months.

Every day. They get to pick this man's brain every day. Why isn't translating? When people think it's this easy to just go there and do some shit, Kobe mindset wasn't, no one processed that information. And they all knew what he was doing

because they told stories about it all the time. I remember when Kobe was at the gym three hours before I got there. And I still came three hours after Kobe. And you're telling me your jump... I never played with Kobe.

I heard about his workout. And I can say he taught me the game better than he taught any other of his players. It's you. It's you. It has nothing to do with a teacher

But you have these great guys like you that this in real-time with you how many people has Done what LeBron's done and picked up the information LeBron's picked up and working on his body and none So I want to hear shit about what a legend is doing in off season for three hours. So I play the game, I've been in locker rooms, I don't want to hear shit y'all talking about. All right? It sounds cute.

It sounds cute, right? But there's legends here like there's legends here in real time that I Don't see our where's the Kobe mentality? Yeah, where's the mama mentality? Where's the young Kobe mentality. It sounds great. It sounds great. It sounds great. I mean, it sounds cool when you're doing blogs and shit.

It sounds cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It do. It sounds cool when you got your blog and you get to say and you get to repeat. You get to repeat,

yeah, you know, my mentality is this and that and that. Where is it at, Adam? I didn't see it in your game. I didn't see it in your work ethic. You was around it in your work ethic. He was running man every single day He's around Michael Jordan every single day Every day and you didn't come in 20 minutes early

We talking about, man? And they wonder why, you know, them players stay away from me. That's the new Austin Reed shirt. From the people at Follow Through, shout out. Hey, Follow Through. CJ, hook us up. AR15. 315, that sounds like... Sounds like what time the show might end. AR-15. 3-15. I was like... I was like...

I was like, what time the show might end? I'm just kidding. So last week we did our old school, new school debate between Melo and KD and who was a better peer scorer in their prime or in their peak. Tomorrow we are asking this. Who's more influential, MJ or Steph Curry? Gil, you get to weigh in on this tomorrow because you'll actually be on the show. Lexi and Brandi, you guys will not be with us tomorrow,

unfortunately, so we want to get your opinions now. What do you think? Who's more influential? More influential, MJ or Steph Curry? We really got to think about it. I'm like... Gil, Steph got people wearing Under Armour. Think about it.

I'm not even going to lie. Isn't The Rock the most influential on Under Armour Who the rock the rock more influential the rock like? the actor The Wayne Johnson he's a slur that he's the one who pushes under on me really for football and rest well I mean well well I mean Steph got his own brand so he's curry brand now and he's only You're right. You're right. Yeah, it's the rock collab. We were tough crowd. No, girl, I think I said is the rock club What's up? You know, okay Steph Curry is a more that is a hard question. I've got a billion dollars and he's still hooping From my norm. I mean they I mean the deals, you know, you know, it's hot. It's hot

It's such a hard I mean, I mean it just depends though. Like, you know, Steph changed the game, you know, for... So did MJ. You know, MJ did his thing. It's just two different errors. It just depends on what error. It's unfair to... The reason it's unfair is... One's still playing, one's not.

No, it's... If we put... Okay, so we have Michael Jordan, right? Yeah. In an era where the NBA, like this is the stuff that, like some people got to do the research. The NBA back then needed Jordan for their face. Just like the dunk contest, right? They made you... The league was just

getting started. People don't realize in the 80s it was just getting started. They were trying to build something. They needed them dunk contests. They needed Michael Jordan. They needed these guys to represent their teams. So guys who didn't want to be a part of dunk contests, the team wanted that jersey on that court at that time.

So there was guys in the dunk contest that's like, well, why are we here? We know who they want. Why are we wasting our time? So when people say, yo, Jordan did it, Jordan had to. Jordan had to. Like Nike was making sure that them shoes is there. The league was making sure the space was there. They were building a product.

That's hard to take away when you're talking about the impact MJ had over everybody versus Steph. So it's, you know, the mass is going to go with MJ because his punch was bigger. We're waiting for your full opinion tomorrow. I gave it now, so I don't have to give it to him. No, you're not. We're going to get to it tomorrow. Got it.

But we appreciate you guys, as always. Shout out to Underdog Fantasy. Again, download the app. Use promo code GillsArena. Shout out to the entire crew. Shout out to Lexi. Shout out to Brandon. Yes. They say you look like you work at Pennzoil, so you're getting a little slander today, so I want to just leave you with that final thought.

I like the blue, though. I like the blue. No, for real, I was in there. I was like, man, I don't like this, man, but it was a shirt. Wear what you did. Something I would wear. That's a dad fit, man. Who's here tomorrow? Definitely a dad fit. Good dad fit. The people's champ Rashad McKenzie and Kenya Martin. Rashad said he's coming for you

Gil. 10-1. I don't know why. We appreciate y'all rocking with us. We will see you tomorrow at Gil's Arena. Yes sir.