The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Alley Oop 5: Malone Gets Fired, New Nickname for the Joker, and Will the Warriors Take It All? (feat. Zach Harper)

Episode Date: April 10, 2025

Juju Gotti and The Athletic’s Zach Harper talk the best basketball movies of all time, that Michael Malone firing, and if the Warriors go all the way. Plus, a deep download on those NCAA games and first round draft picks. Alley Oop is all things hoops and hoopers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What you think about his curl? What you think about the little afro curl he got going on? I think he the first white Jerry curl, if he's white, I'm not sure. Don't sue me, y'all. I think he is, but I get it. Well, now this is territory I'm uncomfortable with. I don't know, but I don't know. Mute it.

Miss Becky bleepin'. You gave me so much motivation and encouragement by dealing with me, bro, that I never necessarily had in myself, bro. You gave me the confidence to want to do this in the first place, dawg. I'll always be grateful for you, bro. I told you this privately. I will tell you this publicly. You are a star.

You should be in front of the camera. You should be on the mic. You shouldn't be behind the scenes. Yeah, all the social media stuff you're great at, but you're a star, man. you should be in front of the camera, you should be on the mic, you shouldn't be behind the scenes. Like, yeah, all the social media stuff you're great at, but you're a star, man. You should be in front of everything. Look, you're gonna make my momma cry. My momma, I know. Good boy, Sega.

We got a star, bro. It was a wonderful game last night. We taping this on a Tuesday afternoon after the National Championship, but we just got earth-shattering news from the NBA. Mike Malone and company out in Denver. What is going on there brother? Well, I think someone reminded Stan Cronkite he owns the Denver Nuggets and he just thought, Oh, I don't, this doesn't seem good enough. Um, I don't know, man. Like it's look, Mike Brown gets fired in December. Yeah. Coach's fire ends happen in December. Taylor Jenkins gets fired nine games before the playoffs. We're like oh that's a little

too close to the playoffs. That doesn't happen. And then Denver's like hold on. What about three games before the playoffs. What if we did that. And it's not like they're a fringe team or anything like they could be the three seed. They're in the mix like they're a half game ahead of this whole traffic jam in the west. I think they just decided all right like this isn't our guy moving forward. Let's see what David Adelman has because he's you know kind of the next hot assistant coach on the market. He will be this summer. I don't know man they just don't have any basketball people running the organization like that's what happens. Bro, like you said, Taylor Jenkins, wow, that was a little much,

but this is a spicy meatball. It is, man. Right before the playoffs. And bro, do you think the Joker or anybody on the team may have had a hand in this or may have just said, hey bro, I don't like how he called me Brucey B last year. But what could it be, man? Juju, I think you can help me on this quest, okay?

On Yokoch's basketball reference page, this isn't anything new. It's been there for a while, but I'm trying to get us away from calling him the Joker because the other nickname on his page is Big Honey. And I just think Big Honey is a way better nickname. Okay? I know Joker's easier and everything and Joker, all that, but Big Honey is a great, like that's an ABA nickname. Like that's a great nickname.

So I'm going to say, I don't know that Big Honey had anything to do with this, but I wouldn't rule it out. I think with this, like, I think you have to make this move this point in the season. I think you have to run it by him, but I don't know that he decides this. I think you have to give him a heads up though. Yeah, yeah, you're right. I think Big Honey might have crossed his desk and then he was like, I don't give a damn. It ain't my horses.

Yeah, you're not firing my horses. I don't care. We're going to move on to the game heard around the world last night. Houston versus Florida, man. Houston had them clamps on Walter Clayton last night. They had the clamps on the whole team pretty much, except Will Richard, the first half, which was a hero. I think he might should have got the MVP of the game last night. How do you feel about that game last night, bro? I like Kelvin Samson. I like Kelvin Sampson.

Like, Kelvin Sampson's just one of those good dudes that you want to win a championship. You want him to get that validation. Like he's one of those basketball lifers, right? Like he's just one of those guys that, you know, I think has earned it. And for them to go out that way, and you could, like the comments after, like to not get a shot, you could live with missing a shot. Right. But it was Clayton to his credit. Like he had a miserable offensive game,

passed the ball really well, a couple of turnovers, but he passed well. He defended well. And then he's the one that made the close out on that shot that caused him to to almost travel. Right. Like he's got a jumps has to drop the ball. If I'm sharp, then it's easy to second guess it. The refs were so bad in their college refs. So they're always bad. I don't think they were one sided. jumps has to drop the ball. If I'm sharp there, it's easy to second guess it. The refs were so bad in their college refs, so they're always bad. I don't think they were one sided, but the refs are so bad. I hold that rock until he gets to

me. I would throw my body into him, toss up some garbage and make them call that foul or they're the enemies forever. Like you gotta throw some contact in there. You know, he at least didn't touch the ball and get the turnover. He tried to shield it to where they could get it. Yeah, I mean, it was such a fun game. And both those teams with the way their tournaments went, it was always gonna come down

to like a chaotic final possession. But man, I just, I feel so horrible for Houston that they didn't get a shot. Right, I feel so horrible for Houston that he didn't get a shot. Right, I feel so bad for Sharp as well, bro. If you out there, you love Sharp, bro, send my boy a text message today, man. Cause the last two possessions, off his knee out of bounds,

didn't couldn't get a shot up. Oh man, I know that's gonna stick with him for the rest of his life, bro. That's true, yeah. Cause I'm not sure how much of a prospect he is for the NBA or whatever. So man, it's got to be rough. Let's travel to the women's side of the tournament.

Gino and them girls, they made it real boring for us to watch. They sure did, man. They slanked that baby all game long. What you think about Paige Becker's and them girls getting it done? Sarah Strong, I see you. Yeah, oh my god. Like, all right, I'm not gonna be too reactionary because it's still, assuming they come out at the same time, it's still Juju Watkins, right? Like, she's still the number one pick. But the absolute number two pick, assuming she goes out in two years, is Sarah Strong,

right? Like, no one else. I mean, she's already this good as a freshman. Setting records for for blocks and steals. She went what? Like 25, 15 and 5 and 3 and 2 or something like that. I mean, she's putting up like crazy numbers. Like that's a lottery ticket. That's not even like a stat line. Like just crazy numbers there. It was deflating because I've thought it was gonna be a great gameating because I've thought it was going to be a great game. Like I thought South Carolina was going to come out and just be South Carolina. For me, it was great because, you know, Paige finally gets her title, right? She went there what in 2020 and now she'll be the number one pick on Monday and, and get to further

her journey in the WNBA. But yeah, I would have liked a better game. What point did you give up in terms of like, no, like there was a point where, and it was probably like, it probably was greater than what I remember the score being, but I think it was like an 18, 20 point game in the third. And Dawn Staley was like, something happened. They gave up like a corner three, like a left corner three. Yeah.

And she like, she left, let out an F bomb, right? She was just like, she was like almost throwing a tantrum. Like she was so frustrated. And I was like, oh no, like this is really over. We have so much time left. I was like, at that point I was like, I'm probably going to come back for the ceremony. Like I don't know that I can,

I'm going to check back in here with the rest for the ceremony. Like I don't know that I'm going to check back in here with the rest of this game. Like I don't know that I can keep just watching this ass whooping. Now, we got we got a we got a we got a statement. We do what we take

calls and they call in. You feel me? Call us. Look at the wonderful callers out there. Where are we with our child? You feel me? Miss Rebecca, cue some of those callers up for us right now, sis. You know, Juju, it's Mason here in North Carolina, way out west of North Carolina near the Indian Reservation Cherokee. I've been watching some, you know, a lot of NBA. I mean, the Warriors are gonna do it, man. I think the Warriors have what it takes. I think Jimmy is the secret sauce, if you may.

I just, I see the Warriors winning it all. However, man, I want to see them win it. Let me know your thoughts. Oh, what a coinkydonk, you feel me? And all these Warriors, God. Look, I can see that happening as well, bro. Them boys like what? 15 and two, three since Jimmy got there?

Don't quote me, something like that. And I think that the veteran presence they got with him and Dre Mom being kind of like, not necessarily all the way enforcers, but they do the dirty work. They do the stuff that's needed so that Moody can go and be who he wants to be Bob Zimski can be who he wants to be you feel me and Steph

But I don't know if he turning back the clock or this is just the time that he's always on He is been magnificent over the past couple weeks with I think the playoffs for them have already started What's your name, bro? Their offense is still like it's still a little difficult to generate some shots, right? The defense is great. I know it's been better lately. I don't want to see Pachemski take threes. I just, I don't want to, it's not, he's not good at it. Even though he's been hot lately, he's not good at it. I don't like watching it aesthetically. It's a bad looking jump shot. I just don't like watching it aesthetically. It's a bad looking jump shot. I just don't want to see.

What you think about his curl? What you think about the little afro curl he got going on? I think he the first white Jerry curl, if he's white. I'm not sure. Don't sue me, y'all. I think he is, but I get it. Well, now this is territory I'm uncomfortable with. I don't know.

I don't know. Mute it. Miss Becky, bleep it. Yeah, I think it's the first one since Jack Sigma, right? Like, I mean, this is incredible territory. You know, he's working with what he's got. I'm here for it. But just don't take jumpers anymore.

It doesn't look aesthetically good. So I'm a little concerned about their offense, especially like you saw what Houston did. It's just one game, but there is the idea that you can be physical with them and take them out of it a little bit. Man, the defense is great. Like that defense is so good. They do remind me of that 2022 team a little bit that won it. I think Buddy Heald's got to come alive. He's not shooting like Buddy Heald should, right?

And like he has in the past. If he gets into his rhythm, shooting the ball, I'll believe a lot more. But yeah, like they got all the makings there. Like it's looking like on the cusp of contending. I like that team a lot. ["Centifogue"] Moving on, brother.

You are the one of the hosts of one of my favorite podcasts in the entire world, Centinephobe, man. Talk to them people. If they don't know what Cinephobe is, tell them what it is right now. Oh, Cinephobe is a podcast where me and Al Hassan and I watch movies that are poorly rated or rotten tomatoes and we try to ascertain if they're properly poorly rated or maybe they didn't get a fair shake that Cinephobe is produced by Anthony Mays and you get it wherever you get podcasts. In that sense, man, I'm going gonna put you on the spot. All right.

What are your top five basketball movies of all time? Oh, okay. You feel me? Number one, White Men Can't Jump. Okay. The one we recognize, not that Jack Harlow BS. I'm never, I haven't watched it. I will not watch it.

I'm good. No thank you. The real one. Billy Hoyle. Sidney Dean. No thank you. The real one. Billy Hoyle. Sidney Dean. Like, yes. That's the one. That's the one.

That's number one. Blue Chips is in there. I love Blue Chips. Neon, Butch McCrae, Ricky Roe. Like Western University, the Dolphin mascot, everything, right? So I love Blue Chips. Above the Rim, Birdie's Birdman.

Like you gotta love Above the Rim. Gotta love birdman like you got to love above the rim Yeah, I love the bird man. I mean he got games got to be in there right? Okay shuttles worth That's the wrong way to AZ fuzz mom saran wrapping the arms which works on the left That's a good way to teach a child to like work on the skills Jake shuttles worth way turned out to be I mean, I guess it worked Maybe a little problematic though some therapy needed in the future. I feel like I need a little bit of a deeper cut here. I'm gonna throw in Hoop Dreams just because that just gave me a lot. I mean, Hoop Dreams is like, that's the greatest basketball movie ever, right? Like that documentary,

Arthur Agee and William Gates is just, oh my god. Oh, you know what Oh Deeper cut it was an HBO movie starring Don Cheadle Okay, the goat or a rebound the story of Earl the Goat Man of gold. Oh my god I think he's right on the street with the best goodbye like this He's gonna take it taking dollars off the backboard leave it to change I think KG makes a a cameo as Wilt Chamberlain and like Rucker Park or so or West Forth or something like that. At one point, I love that.

It's sad. I don't know how good it was because I think I was like 16 when I watched it. I don't know how much I've watched it since, but I love that movie as a teenager. Yeah, man. Appreciate it. That was five, bro. That concludes another great episode of the alley. Oh, man. Appreciate that. That was fine, bro. That concludes another great episode of the Alley Oop, man. Thank you so much. Like I said, bro, without Zach Harper,

this Alley Oop thing don't happen. I promise to God, you feel me? So thank you for always believing in me, bro. Thank you for always supporting in me. I want to get your flowers in front of folks, you feel me? You got anything to say to them folks on the way out, bro? You know what? Always support Juju.

If you've been supporting him throughout Levitard or any of this stuff, Alley-oop, this is the part where he gets to shine. I'm telling you, this dude is the star of stars. Thank you, brother. And we gonna see y'all next week at the same bad time. Look, I can't even speak. I'm emotional. I'm getting choked up over here.

Same bad time, same bad can't even speak, I'm in motion, I'm getting choked up over here. Same bad time, same bad channel, you diggers. Folks listen up, they're here and they're hot. Get ready because Jimmy John's is turning up the heat. After years of perfecting the cold sandwich, toasted sandwiches are finally here. Try one of their three all new toasted creations. The toasted chicken bacon ranch, all natural chicken, creamy homestyle ranch, applewood smoked bacon, melted provolone, fresh veggies,

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