The Ringer NBA Show - The Shannon Sharpe Situation and the Dog Days of the NBA Season | Real Ones

Episode Date: January 23, 2023

Logan and Raja discuss the verbal altercation between Shannon Sharpe and Dillon Brooks at the Grizzlies-Lakers game last week and courtside heckling (2:00). Next, the guys talk about making it through the dog days of the season and next month’s All-Star Weekend (28:00). Hosts: Logan Murdock and Raja Bell Associate Producer: Jonathan Kermah Production Assistant: Kai Grady Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's up everybody? It's Austin Rivers from the Minnesota Timberwolves. It's a new year and I have a new podcast here at the Ringer, Offguard, hosted by me and my guide, Pasha Higigi. Austin and I go way back and talk so much hoop already that we figure those time to fire up the mics and let you in on all of these conversations. Every week, Pasha and I will hit on the biggest stories happening in the league.

And get Austin's perspective of someone currently hooping in the NBA. Tap into Offguard every Friday on the Ringer NBA show feed on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. What's popping? Real ones. Logan Murdoch here, Roger Bell there. How you doing,

Rob? What's going on? Good. Just chilling, man. Like high school seasons winding down. You know, it just kind of weird spot for the NBA calendar, you know,

like as a player, your inner clock, I'm sure we'll get to that. The inner clock, it's a weird kind of time where you're kind of like, need a break. You know,

so I'm chilling up. It's the diggedy dog days. And, you know, usually when there's the dog days of the season, right, where you're scrounging to find topics to talk about, there is something that happens. This always tends to happen around the dog days. There's something that happens or a whole thing that happens that just tells you, oh, I resonate with this. I want to talk about this. And that happened on Friday night at Crypto Staples Center around. in Los Angeles.

When the Grizzlies, who are, you know, friends of the show with the team, we love the Grizzlies. Lakers, yeah, we'll see. But they were matched up at Crypto Staple Center. And Dylan Brooks gets in his bag and he sees one Shannon Sharp. And he says something that we probably can't repeat on this show. Shannon Sharp says something back because listen he's sitting courtside

this is his whole bag he's going to say something back turns into a whole brouhaha of nothing where you know, T. Morant gets involved John Morant comes through there's some

there's just a crowd that descends upon Shannon Sharp who's sitting court side with a with the warm but I I don't know where the direction of this was going cardigan, right? He's there, him and his cardigan and his glasses in a cross-body bag. Pulls up, brings a whole scene, stays in the arena miraculously.

Tells ESPN's Dave McMahon, they didn't want that smoke, right? Turns it to the biggest story in the NBA world. Right. I want to preface this, we're just about recording this on a Monday morning where Shannon, on undisputed, says he apologizes to the Bifis Grizzlies as a staff record label at a crew and just apologize. He's on the apology tour. Roger, when you saw this, what were your thoughts? What did you think? Where are we? He has a league and as a profession. What's going on? Let's talk about this. I had a lot of thoughts. I don't know where to start with the altercation. There were so many pieces of it. I don't know what Dylan Brooks yelled at him.

Like you said, we might not be able to say it on the pod. Like, I don't know. But I, as a Memphis Grizzlies fan, calling a spade a spade, while I am a fan of theirs, I often think that there's way too much antics. Right? And we've talked about this, right? Like, there really hasn't been anything done yet for the, for the amount of, I don't want to say swag because you're allowed to have your swag. But the amount of noise that comes along with them, everybody on that team pop shit.

Like, and, you know, while I can be a fan and like watching you and think you're, you know, poised to do some good things. I mean, popping shit is usually best done after achievement. Right? So let's just start there. Like, I don't know what kind of shit he was popping, but he was going off at it. And, you know, Shannon, you know, you're not in the game anymore. You're not in the game anymore, right?

And I'm a Shannon Sharp fan too. And so I can say that I've been in his shoes where, like, you're that close to it. You know, when I sat with the calves and shit, like I didn't have any skirmishes like that, but there were multiple times where I would be sitting there in the box or, you know, say I'd be sitting at practice and somebody on the team would say something,

you know, a little slight, like taking a little jab at you. And your natural instinct as a competitor who's usually able to defend himself is to defend yourself, but it ain't your place anymore. So I think, Shannon, you know, the motions got the best of him. And it was what it was. I was here for all of this. the, you know, I enjoy a good skirmish.

You probably had a bourbon, you know. You probably was a late Friday night, you know, watched dad. Yeah. Let me say this, though. I mean, let me just say this. Let me say this. Let me say this definitively.

This is definitively. Because the rest of it's just conjecture, but I'm going to say this definitively. Not a single person that ran their ass over there, except maybe Stephen Adams, wanted any problems with one Shannon Sharp. That I will say definitive. Dylan Brooks

John Morant John Moran's pops and all 145 unless he was holding that thing once that boy got his hands on you it was going to be a problem Okay There are two retired NFL players

that look like that they can go into a training camp tomorrow that's Terrell Owens and that's Shannon Sharp And Shannon's bigger. And Shannon's bigger. Both look like they could still run a four or five if you need them to. They can still get a run block, you know, be a lead blocker for Ezekiel Elliott, right?

Well, maybe not anymore. Sorry, we'll talk about that later. But there was an interesting thing you brought up in your brief diet tribe. You know, I'm in a bag. We had Stephen A two weeks ago, so I'm really in a bag with my words. Professionalism at its finest. when you talked about just like, you know, especially the former player aspect of this. Now, Shannon didn't play in the NBA, but he is a former player and an athlete, right?

That's not something you turn off when you are not in the game anymore, right? But he's also now a personality and he's also now a pundit, right? And that gets into the weeds of a lot of the stuff that me and you talk about, Rob, which is the intersection of athletes and journalism and how they clash in together, right? And I'm not calling Shannon Sharp a journalist, but he is a pundit on Fox FS1. How much does that play a part into what went on into that situation on Friday night?

And like, is there boundaries that need to be set? Because if that was me doing that, Raja, I'm getting kicked out of the arena. If that is Joe Schmoe, he's getting kicked out, he or she or they are getting kicked out of the arena. Where are we right now? Like when it comes to like, is there a boundary that needs to be set with this? And what does that say about the current landscape we're in today? There's a lot there, right?

That's not, forgive me a second while I gather my thoughts. First of all, Unk is a LeBron rider die. Right? Like he's unabashedly like a LeBron rider died. And I'm good with that. I'm a LeBron fan too. Like he holds LeBron down regardless. So let's start with, you know, as a LeBron, that's the genesis of the whole thing, right? Like the back and forth was in regards to whether or not, you know, Dylan or Memphis could handle LeBron because Aunt was was riding with his guy, which is straight. Like, I'm cool with that. So, you know, the fact that you are on TV a bunch and you've got. got this platform and you hold this dude down all the time. Well, when that comes to the court and we're spitting that, like, that's going to be an issue. People's ears perk up a little more than if you were an average dude sitting there and could afford a court side seats, but don't nobody know who you are. Do you know what I mean?

So like that in and of itself, you're like, oh, shit, Shannon Sharp. He's over there popping, not getting kicked out of the arena. I mean, yeah, dog, like if you were team Braun and Brown was like, yo, that's my aunt. You ain't getting kicked out of that arena either. You're not leaving. I mean, they might escort you somewhere and pacify the situation, but they're not going to do that. Like, trust me. I just think we live in this where like things used to get handled. I talk about this all the time and I don't mean to be this old curmudgeon, but it pops up in my life and my kid's life and, you know, they're in all these competitive

environments all the time with football and basketball and soccer and different stuff. And, and We live in this world where these young people, I'm not saying Dylan or anybody like that, but just in general. These young people are used to being able to say whatever they want without any ramifications, right? Because a lot of their interactions are done via Instagram or Twitter or Chapsnat or whatever the fuck else they do. I'm sorry.

Wait, hold on. What the fuck? What did you just say? Snapchat, bro. I like to call them stupid things, but all of their interactions are done on these platforms. So I'm talking shit and I'm clowning you, and you can't reach out and touch me, you know?

And so you got this generation of people that just run their mouths incessantly and don't think that anyone will reach out and really touch them, you know? And look, for better or for worse, Shannon Sharp is not from this era. He's not. And whether he crossed the line or not, I'm not going to sit here and debate with you. That was not his place to do that in that form.

But you are going to run across cats that are going to check you for acting like there are no ramifications for those words. And I have this conversation with my kids all the time. I've had it in my life. People ask him, I had a young one of Dia's teammates came home with me the other day. Young wide receiver, he was here to hang out because he didn't have a ride to the basketball game. And he asked me, you know, everyone's a Kobe fan. And I love Kobe. And he asked me about that,

yo, why you had to do that, Coach Rod? And I told him the same shit. Like, I got no problem with Kobe. But at the time, Kobe thought, because we were in between those lines and because he was one of the greatest players on earth that I wasn't a man, or at least that's the way he projected to me.

And it's only so much, you know, before somebody is going to touch you. You know, and so, like, we live in a world where that shit happens. All, it's prevalent everywhere. And just, unk ain't about that life. Now, you know, Those waters get really muddied when your job is to talk about athletes and, you know,

your credibility is on the line, whether you can keep it partial or non-partial, rather, you know, and call a buck a buck. You kind of got to live above that fray and, and Unk made a mistake. But it boils down to, Logan, you run your mouth to the wrong person. And 95% of these young things might not. But you keep running it and somebody is going to hold you accountable for that. So back into like the, I want to get into the, and you're right about all those things. I'm really disappointed about the chat snap, dude.

I just, I'm really just flabbergasted. I know that you, I know that you know the right answer to that, Raja. And we're going to get back to the subject at hand. But damn it, Raja, come on. Don't be that old. Please don't be that old. Why does everybody have to know where you all? at all times. That, that shit is crazy to me. That platform is crazy to me and I'm not hating so

don't. But like, I mean, I'm on a gram. I'm on Twitter. I'm on, you know, Facebook as an older 46 year old person, right? Like, I get it. But that one takes it a step further. My kids tell me, like, they're like, yo, so-and-so is here. I'm like, how the hell do you know that? They're like, well, I can track them. It has their location on. What in the hell? I know. I know. Okay, but, okay, I'm sorry. Okay, back to the, I get what you're saying. I get what you're saying. I get you.

I'm just roasting you because you said the name wrong and on purpose and you were being mean. Okay. But anyway, the question that I have, and back to the point of like, Raja, not Raja, Shannon, like being, for all intensive purposes, a somebody along the,

along the court side, right? Right. You were, as a player, do you guys know who was, like, the only comparison that I that I can compare it to is like Spike Lee who's constantly talking to other guys, right? Do you guys know like, yeah, he's good?

We're just talking shit. Like where does it get to a point where it's like, hey, man, hold on. Even if you are such and such, you got to relax. I've never encountered. I've never encountered that. I always, I always,

with anybody that heckled courtside that I knew and they had a profile that was large enough for me to recognize and maybe even be a fan of myself, we are all, there are levels of brotherhood, right? There are different clubs that you're in. Like, right?

Like, we're all in this club of recognizable, like entertainers usually. Do you know what I mean? Or people like that. And so it would never rise to the level or it didn't with me. And people would say I had a hot head. But I never got into it with somebody, you know, like that.

Now, I would talk shit to somebody in the front row. If they were talking shit to me, I'd use it as fuel. never to the point where you're, you're, you know, you're talking about. Because when Dylan Brooks did it, it seemed like, like, somebody was in his head. Like, like, it seemed like he, it's one thing to say, like, you know, when you hit a three in somebody's face, like, yeah, fuck you. You know what I'm saying? And, like, laugh and run the other side of the court. It seemed like it was a personal bit of like, you, like, it got you out of

your, it got Dylan Brooks out of his game, right? Like, that's what it looked like at the, at that, during that process, right? What is the balance? that you have to have because I feel like, man, it's just, that was one of those things that. You just wave Shannon off, like, whatever, bro. Like, or something like that. It seemed like it got him and the Grizzlies out of their whole game and it became something bigger. So, yeah, to be fair, you are correct. And while I've sat here today and I've said that Shannon, you know, has to be above that.

I mean, he's a spectator. If he were inclined to come into that arena off a few henny's, that's his prerogative. Like, I don't know that he did, but. He ain't got shit to do. He's sitting there front road and... It's Friday night in L.A. He's chilling. Like, you got a job to do.

So when you're out there on the court as a player, nothing that happens in those stands, aside from someone, you know, I've had instances in L.A. where my family is being threatened or something like that's happening. Now I've got to tune in and get involved with what's happening in the game.

That can be distracting. But if you're just talking to me as a player on the court, like, I'm doing my job. I can't be... I can't be like easily enough distracted to be involved with you when I'm out there. So, you know, the Grizzlies themselves, Dylan, all of them, like they were even more wrong than probably Shannon. Not wrong, but they had a job to do that night. Shannon did it is the best way to put that shit.

And so if you're going to be caught up into it with Shannon, like which one of you can't now do your job the way they should that night? Yeah. Well, the biggest thing for me is. just as an NBA player and as a player in general and as an athlete you know you've been around athletes a long time you are an athlete I've been around athletes a long time the most important thing for the most successful athletes and its most successful teams is being able to compartmentalize right it's it's the most essential thing that you can do as a team as a as an individual player and that's, I think, my gripe right now with the Grizzlies as a whole is that they aren't able to do that.

They are all in the, they are way too connected with the outside world and what's going on around them. They are very aware of where they stand in the league. They are very aware of what their potential is and not in a good way, right? You see Joss saying, I'm fine with the West's right, not proving anything. I don't even know if the, despite the fact that this team hasn't proved anything in the Western Conference. I don't even know what their standings are right now. I don't think they're number one, right? No.

And so you're saying all these things. You haven't proven anything in this league. You haven't proven anything as a team. Last year, you stuck your chest out and lost in the second round when you guys probably, a team you guys probably should have beaten. Right? That everyone said that you guys are the more talented. talented team, you probably should have beaten them, right? And then this season, I've been telling you this, like, I saw them on Christmas Day,

fumbled the bag, didn't play well after talking a whole summer of cash shit. After losing in the second round to a team, they felt they should have beaten. And then going into that, to Golden State and going into that arena and then not winning. when all the lights are on you, when you have the biggest game of the calendar. And then I take that back into this game against the Lakers where they get into this skirmish that honestly could have been avoided on all sides, right?

But specifically, Dylan Brooks, it could have been avoided on his end. And he has had a history of just letting things and stuff getting to his head, right? He's had a history of that. And there's just seeds with this team where they're just, not that the moment is too big for them

because I think they're really, really talented, but they let a lot of the outside noise get to them. And not only they let it get to them, they feed into it and put in more into that, despite the fact they haven't even done anything. And that's what always comes up for me with the Grizzlies. Yeah, I mean, look, again, I want to make sure anyone who's listening understands what I'm saying here.

I like the Grizzlies. I'm a fan of a lot of their players. I think they are they are heading in the right direction. I've said before, I think there are some things that they need, one of those being more of the vet kind of leadership type of people, which brings me to this point about them. And it's going to come off,

it's going to come off in a way that I don't mean it to, but it's the only way to say it, they give me AAU team vibes. You know, when you go into the tournaments and you see, you know, these really super, talented teams and it's hard to just focus on the super talent and how good they are because of all the other shit that's going on, you know, with the team, like the antics and the, and the show

and the, you know, just a lot of stuff going on. Now, again, that's just personal opinion. I am, I am from an era past. Like, so today's, today's consumer of the NBA and today's player, they came up you know, with different norms and different things at their fingertips and different acceptable practices when you're certain places. And so they probably don't mind it at all. But they give off AAU team vibes for me sometimes where I'm like, damn, bro, like that. Just what, we got to be doing all of that? Like, does it have to be all of that?

And the reason I say veteran shit is because the vets typically are the ones that can, you're not going to kill it because, you know, John Moran is the leader of that team. and he is heavy with a lot of stuff. I love John Moran. So you're not going to kill it because ain't nobody telling John Moran not to be John Moran. But you could help,

you could help smooth out the edges of it a little bit in a way where it's more palatable for an old curmudgeon like myself. Do you know what I mean? Like you can be really good and I can still say, hey man, there's just a lot. You got a lot of antics, bro. You don't need all the antics.

Like all you got to do, like just win. Just do what you do. You don't need all of that. I'd like to say that this is not just isolated to the Memphis Grizzlies. Because I don't want to feel like we're picking on the Memphis Grizzly. There's precedent for this, right? Like, I mean, they remind me a lot of the 0809 Cabs. Remember the 0809 Cabs, LeBron's first year where they would just like,

they were winning 60 games, they were kicking ass. They would do like the group pictures and they would do the player intros and they got a lot of, a lot of criticism for that in the moment, right? Like they got a lot like, what does this team do? Had the same like AAU vibes. And it's cool, man. Like, you know what, man? I bet it's hell of fun to be on the Memphis Grizzlies.

It's hell of tight. Like, you get to, you get the spotlight. You young. You win the NBA, bro. You want to, every time y'all do something, it gets attention. Like, it's probably hell tight to be on the Memphis Grizzlies. And I think it's just growing pains, right? Like, I think that this is something that they're growing through.

And I think that's going to be what they should have done last summer. which is get the veterans and get all, get these, the, I'm not going to call them the mid-tier guys. That's the wrong way to put it. But like, there's the old guys on the team. There's the young guys and there's like the middle-aged really good vets, right? The guys that can play and get you some bucks. Some glue guys. A little money.

Glue guys, right? And so that's, I don't think they're winning the title this year. And I think if they don't win the title this year, they're going to have to have that type of summer where they revamp their roster. And you were early on this, while you were like, you know, man, they might need a little tweak in the trades

where maybe it's not like a guy. You might, on the service, it might be like, damn, they subtracted to get this guy, right? They probably subtracted. They traded a core guy that was so good, that was young.

Like when the Thunder traded for Kendrick Perkins is an example, right? Where like, on paper, it's like, damn, like, why do they trade this for this guy? No, but you need veteran leadership. You need somebody. We all both know,

Perk going to tell somebody, hey, motherfucker. You need to get into this is what you need to be doing. They need somebody like that. And I think that's going to be very crucial for this offseason because next year, they are going to, all the lights are going to be on them. And it's not all going to be friendly next year, because especially if they don't go to the finals or win a title or have a good show in the postseason.

So they are going, this next summer for them is so crucial for that reason. So what you're describing is overall. all professionalism. And this is not, to the point you just made, unique to the Memphis Grizzlies. This is almost every young team that is... We might be talking about the pistons like this in a couple of years.

You know what I'm saying? It's a young great team. Real talk. Any young great team that you've seen mature right in front of your eyes and be right at the doorstep of winning a championship and then eventually evolve into a team that gets over the and wins a championship or goes to finals and is, you know,

if you watch that evolution, there's a point in time where you're saying they need, they need to mature a little bit and become more professional. And I've been in those locker rooms. I remember being young with the Sixers and we're going to the finals and the lights were bright and we were going out and it was good times. and the, you know, while I wasn't playing a whole lot in those series, I mean, I was playing more than I probably should have in the, in the Laker series, you know? So like, they were counting on

me to contribute, you know, I wasn't dialed in, I wasn't locked in. I had a lot of stuff moving around. Like, there was a lot of stuff going on. Shit, I wanted to be out. Man, this is the finals. We in L.A. I'm in the streets. Yeah, I'm trying to be streets. You know, I'm trying to maximize, bro. Like, we're, you know, and so as you continue to age and develop and you've been through, you know, different circumstances in terms of winning and losing and having heartbreak and success. Like, you start to understand what it's about. And that's all part of the, you know, maturation process and quest towards professionalism. And then, you know, eventually you get there, whether that be by the addition of pieces around you that can help you

learn to be a professional or just the organic, like, arc of a player. But once they tighten up just a little bit. You know, so the next time I'm in a situation like that with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, with, I'm dialed in. You know, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I remember in, in, in, in, in, in the, um, and how, you know, when, we won game one, I ain't do what I was supposed to do. And so, you know, now I'm like, yo, bro, you get your ass.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, what was LA like after y'all won that game against, you know, one. And the, the, the, the, the game won in the finals. What was that like? Well, L. L. L.

L. after we won game one, bro. They didn't, we had to stay there. I mean, it was good times, good times were had. But it wasn't like the shitty was celebrating us. It would have been cool to have won that at home. But, you know, I learned. And so what I'm saying, I'm saying a lot to say that, Memphis and a lot of young teams,

right now it's all kind of fun, right? And that's cool. And fun is important, especially when you're playing over 100 games and you're being with somebody every day. And I applaud the coaches that can keep that atmosphere light and keeping guys engaged and all of that stuff. But there is a level and a threshold of professionalism that you're going to have to meet

to give yourself a chance to get over the hump. Because when you meet your counterpart and you look him in the face and it's a game, you know, it's a seven game series. Equal and comparing apples to apples, the more professional team is going to win that. And that's all we're saying. That's all I'm saying.

It's not a knock. But professionalism is important, especially when you start to see your peer and he's looking right back at you. Like, no, I'm not here for shits and giggles, bro. I'm here for this ring. Yeah, yeah. Let's say a quick break.

We're going to talk about the dog days of the NBA next. Hello, this is your Real Ones podcast, and I am Jade. Did you know producer Kermms jumpshot is broke as fuck? That boy gets no buckets. And we are back. Ra, I, um, I took a, uh, I went to Chase Center yesterday to go see, uh, Nets. warriors and it was the same day as in the Bay Area as Cowboys Niners. At the same time, what I tell you, when I tell you that the Chase Center media area was empty,

you weren't fighting anyone for an interview but it wasn't fighting anyone for an interview when i tell you how empty it was it was it was empty and chase center sells out all the time we got to get you out to chase center for a game you got to pull up you know yeah you're right right right round the bay we're going to figure it out we're going to figure it out um but chase center usually sells out it was it was it was dead either we were going to either we're everyone was on the stream looking at the diners game um or they were looking for a score or they were doing something. The pregame was literally in between questions, Steve Kerr, looking at the monitor at the press conference room, not listening to the question that we're asking because he's watching the beginning of the Cowboys Niners.

You know what that's called? It's called the dog days of the NBA, Roger. Yeah. In my mind, there are two dogs, there are two sets of dog days in the NBA. It is right, the time that we're in NFL playoffs, right? Like early January going into like right into All-Star Break. Those are like the dog days, right? And then there's a couple of weeks like right before the playoffs.

Or no, no, not right before the playoffs. Like right after All-Star break, like in early March, right? We don't quite have like the playoff race is coming, right? But we just, we're still kind of getting back into the NBA season. At this time, Rajah, what is it like, Roth, for the psyche of an NBA player during these times where there's not a lot going on? Your mind might be elsewhere. There's a lot of NBA players looking at the NFL playoffs right now. What is the mindset of the dog days of the NBA during this time?

Yeah. You are right. There's this lull, like, headed into All-Star Break where your internal clock is saying to, you, man, it'd be cool to get away from these jokers for a little while. Like, you need a break. It's hard being around someone all the time, right? And especially they're not your real family. So, like, you naturally know that it's time to take a little break. Even if things are going great, even if you're playing well, right? Like, it's just time. You don't have time built into a season to take a three or four day romp to, like, Cabo or wherever you like the vacation. You know

what I mean. So like you're feeling that. And then the second one is pre-playoff push. Probably a little different now, now that you know, you got the playing game. But you know, you've been on teams before where like you know damn well, the playoffs aren't really in the cards here or whatever. And so you fall into this elongated kind of dog-day scenario. But most of the time, it's kind of pre-playoff push in that weird area between All-Star break and Playoff push.

So most people's minds right now, I mean, you're in kind of cruise control as a team. I always talk to you about, you know, at the beginning of a season, when you know who you are. And what have I said? I said roughly a quarter of the way to a third of the way through the season. You know what I mean? Like you kind of know who you are as a team. You've hit your stride.

By now, most teams I was on, we were in cruise control, meaning, you know, you knew your rotations. You knew what to expect most nights. you had a great feeling going into most games about the outcome either man this team is we're going to wipe the floor with them like because there are games what you go into and you're like yeah we're just going to beat the brakes off of these dudes we're not even we don't even see them like that you know and then there are other games where you're like no formidable like we got to let's go in there let's tighten up let's be a little bit more focused let's play ball you're you're basically cruise control groundhogs day in terms of in terms of travel getting up pregame meeting

or travel you know bus let's hit the let's hit the uh shoot around back nap, eat. You know, you're just, it is groundhogs day, bro. You're doing the same thing over and over and over again. And so now you're starting to talk to the family and to your people. Hey, bro, where are we about to go? Like, what, what, what are you guys thinking? Like, we're starting to plan vacations.

Not unlike at the end of the season when you know you're not making the playoffs and you're trying to figure out, when are the movers coming. How can I get my car shipped home? Like, plans are in place, you know? So that's needed. And the break, I applaud the NBA for elongating it because before, while it was a refresher and we all needed it, it wasn't long enough to really recharge your battery and get back to neutral, you know, like get back to neutral and then recharge.

It was just enough to kind of get to neutral. Now I think they get a little bit more time and it gives you a chance to really like recharge, you know, and come back fresh. That second set of dog days is. is more interesting because, again, if you're a team that's not in a playoff hunt, I mean, who gives this shit, right? Like, we're just trying to get this shit over with. Maybe I'm playing for, you know, my livelihood.

If I'm a free agent, maybe I'm locked in to this deal. You know, there are any number of things that can be going on. But the ultimate thing is we're going to be done when the season ends. We're over when regular season ends. But it can be dangerous for those teams that are now, you know, 10, 11, you know, and you're looking to try to make that playing game because you could sneak some people in there that are at the top that are kind of cruising.

And everyone you can sneak is valuable. You know what I mean? So those are interesting times being on teams like that. So you got the ones that don't care at the bottom, the ones at the top, while it's not that they don't care, it's that they're like, hey, man, this has been a long season, a good basketball, and you might be able to catch us slipping on a random night

like in your town, especially if there's cool shit to do in your town. You know what I mean? A lot of schedule losses. Yeah, you might catch us slipping. So if you're one of those weird teams in the middle, it's hunting season. Yeah. You know what I mean? So like it really is interesting.

But I think as a player in general, you fight the monotony of it right around this time of year. And then again, pre-playoff push, it just happens to you. You don't even see it coming. Something starts to, you're a little distracted. You're just a little bit like maybe even on edge a little bit with people because you've just been around them so long. So I'm not going to say any names, but I was talking to a, I was talking to a player in the

league who, you know, might have, you know, business, you know, like could in a world have business at All-Star weekend, right? And, um, I'm asking. I'm asking him. I'm like, yo, man, what do you, you want an All-Star? You know, what's going on? You know, make a small talk in the, in the locker room pregame. You're an All-Star? And he gives me this look, and he says, bro, I could choose between Salt Lake City for this trip, for this break, or I could choose an island with sunshine and a beach. What you think I'm choosing? And I had to take that, right? I was like, oh, shit. I'm locked in. I didn't even, I didn't even, I didn't even think. about that, right? Of course, right? You have participated in All-Star Weekends, if I remember correctly, right? I think you did, did you did a three-point contest. I did. I was there to participate and my wife had a medical emergency, so I did not get to participate, but I had to go and report and do all the media, and I had to leave the day before the event. Sure. Sorry that that happened.

The overall question is in the lead up to that, though, is like, what is going through the mind of a person that is like weighing whether to go to All Star Weekend or not, right? Because not all players who are participating in All Star Weekend, they're still going even if they're not participating in events. Like, how do you, how do you weigh like, I'm going to go to this shit or I'm not going to go to this shit? Like, what are you, what are you guys thinking up around this time? So you go through, you evolve as a player. When I was young, my second year in the league, All-Star Weekend was in 15. Billy. Oh, I was in my fucking glory. I was there for all of it, brother. Like I was, this was it,

man, All-Star weekend. We're around the town. It's in Billy. It was, it was glorious. It was fantastic. You were in your back. Oh, it was in my back. And then, you know, the next year after I did it, I was in Dallas. I forget where All-Star was that weekend. But I remember- It was in LA, I think, right? Or no, no, L.A. It was in Atlanta. O-3 was in Atlanta. Yeah, so I was like, no, I don't want to go to that, man. I don't want to go. And then it just progressively, like, once I went to one, I ain't want to go to anymore. Because I came back from the first one, exhausted.

Like, exhausted. I went too hard. There's no time once you come back to catch up. Especially back there, because you guys have a Tuesday game or some shit right after All Star weekend. You are right back there, man. And you had to be back by like 2 p.m. or something that, that, that Monday and then you were right back in the grind.

And so I always, after my first or second year in the league, after my second year in the league, I didn't want to go to All-Star at all. It was always. And it's not so, you know, you said Salt Lake. Let me defend Salt Lake. That shit has nothing to do with Salt Lake City. That thing could have been in,

it could have been in some of my favorite spots to be at. And I did not want to be there because of what, you know, everything just descends on that town. It's super crazy. There's traffic everywhere. You're running. There's a lot of shaking hands and a lot of, like, you're just fried after the weekend. You need a vacation from the All-Star weekend.

So, you know, most people, especially dudes on good teams that carry a lot of responsibility on their team. If they're not obligated to be there because of a, you know, a selection or you're competing in something, they don't go. So the year I decided I would go, I, uh, You know, the league didn't think I could shoot. And that year I was one of the best shooters in the league. So I was like, yo, I'm about to go win this shit.

Like I had something to prove. I'm going to go win it. I didn't get to shoot that year. The next year they invited me back. And I told them, no, thank you. I don't want to go. I'm good. I was over it.

Like I had been because one night there, all of the meetings, all of the media, all of that shit. And then I had to leave. But that was enough. I already knew. You invite me back. I don't know I'm not going to that. I'd rather go kick it somewhere, hang out, like let the pressure. kind of, you know, slide off and then I get back to work. So I think most people, if they've

experienced it, and they're not obligated to be there, would tell you that the rest, the relaxation, the disconnect from it is more valuable to them than going to hang out and party and watch a dunk competition. Yeah. I can understand that. It's just those are the conversations you have in a locker room setting during that time, right? It's like, what is going? What are we And there's always like, my favorite is just the scheduled loss of this time, right? Just the scheduled loss. You know, like, you know when you're in a, in a, in a, in a, at a, you know when you're in a time in the season where it's just, it's just tough.

It's just tough to get up. It's cold everywhere you go. It's just, the January is a tough time, man. It's a tough time in the league. It's just tough. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Those mornings, man, those are some tough ones, man. You're getting off, you're getting off a plane at like two in the morning.

It's freezing. and you know, you're getting to the hotel as cold. And then, you know, everybody's coming down at like, I don't know, like 9, 10 a.m. You're getting freezing cold. You got the sweats on. You're getting in the bus again. Wait, hold on, Doc.

Let me tell you, let me give you a horror story from that I heard last night, Doc. The fucking, the Nets, I think this isn't the last game of their trip. They're playing Philly their next game. But after playing a full game in the Bay Area, They took a red eye to New York, get in at six, just so they can have a night in New York, and then they're going to bus to Philadelphia for their game against the sixers, bro. After, listen, that is the last game of a however long, like a five-game road trip, and you got to go back home for a, like, take a red eye, go to New York,

and then take a train to Philly to finish your road trip, Raj. What you know about that? I don't well. I mean, I played in the CBA. What was the worst like turnaround you had to do? The worst turnaround I ever had to do. This was an NBA. So forgive me.

I know we're an NBA pod. But I played for the CBA in Yakima, Washington. So we, it was up in Union, like up in Yakima, up in the Valley. Yeah, that was YAC City, bro. Sun Kings, though. We won a chip. Me, David Vantropool, like, we had some good players on that team.

But we played Idaho in Yakima. And the brilliant CBA people scheduled us on a back-to-back. So we're playing in Idaho against Idaho the next night. So they didn't have flights for us. So everyone, everyone had to load into a bus together. Who's everyone? All of the team staff, both teams all got on a bus. and had to drive out of Yakima after the game,

shower up, get on the bus, and drive from Yakima. Together, this was 99 maybe? No, what part of the year? Like, is this, this is wintertime? Oh, dead a winner. Dead of winter, dog. Dead of winter, dead a winner, dead a winter. So drive up back through the mountain and to get to Idaho.

So my buddy, who was it, Carlos Daniel, myself, and my man Silas Mills, we're like, now we're good. Silas has a Tahoe. we're just going, we'll hop in with him. I want to be on that funky bus with both teams, like nowhere to lay down and sleep. It's three of us, right? Lois can sleep in the front.

I was the young buck, so I'll just sleep in the back, and Silas will get us to Idaho. So I don't know what time they got to Idaho, but we got lost. So we got lost. Simele's got us lost. So we show up in Idaho.

If it's a 7 o'clock tip, we showed up in, in Idaho, at 6.15 just in time to get like a cold shower to try to wake yourself up and and get moving and get out there to play. And that was my worst, my worst back to back ever. It was a shit show of a story. But I like to tell people this. How'd you do? I think I got, I think I got ejected from that for hitting somebody with an elbow. I was like, yeah, I hit someone with an elbow. He busted his face on the floor. And, and I think, call like 16. How is the CBA, bro? What's the CBA like? What was it like, bro? Like,

because all I think about is what's in? Simi pro. All I think about is semi-pro. The Flint Tropics. That's what it seems like. What is that like? It's not unlike that.

It is not unlike that, brother. It's actually a fair. I mean, obviously they took some liberties, but the nuts and bolts, the skeleton of that. Yeah, man. Yeah.

It's pretty accurate, dude. So we played in the Sundome, cool arena. The fan, the community supported us. like heck, but I lived in a Best Western for roughly two years. I had a mini fridge and a little microwave and like seven hangers where you can hang your stuff.

And then like a little shuttle bus, a little Yakima Sun King shuttle bus would come pick us up every day for practice, take us to practice and bring us back. And then you were just stuck at the Best Western, you know. Was the Best Western popping? Like what was the vibe at the Best Western, dog? I mean, it went down at the Best Western, man. because the other teams would stay at the Best Western too. So, like, when they were in town, you had, you had more shit to do.

There'd be dice games in certain rooms. People would be doing stuff. But I didn't have a car. And only the dudes that were from like that, you know, that Western Northwest part of the United States had a car. So between the teen, there were like three cars. So you basically were just dropped off at this Best Western and, you know, defense for yourself. There ain't no Uber eats. There's no or none of that.

No. I ate eye hop at like two meals a day for two years, bro. Like it was, it's what it was. But my favorite league, and I tell this story to young players, and I don't know why. Maybe, maybe I played in the USBL, which was a summer league at that time. When I came out of school, I did not get drafted,

but I did get into the NBA. I did get drafted into what was the USBL. And so I played for a team called the Tampa Bay Windjammers. And we would play locally, like in Broward County. I don't even know why I was called Tampa Bay, but we were playing right here in like Fort Lauderdale. So we'd hop on a plane. and we go up and let's say we play we play a team in in in in in Washington at george

Washington right university so we we play that game and then you'd be playing to maximize you play five games up in that northeast so we'd all hop into like two four toruses you're talking about six eight six nine's like two or three four toruses these were not vans we'd hop into these small cars and then we'd hit we'd hit a team on the shore in new jersey so this was my job I shit you not. You get there like two in the morning. The next morning I get a knock on my door as the rookie. Two garbage bags would get dropped off.

I would have to take, it would be people's funky-ass uniforms, jocks, socks, tights, all of that shit. They wouldn't give me any money, just the bags and nasty shit. And I would have to go sit in a laundromat all morning, wash everybody shit, right?

Find a way to get some food in me or something like that. Bring it back, get it to everyone, and then go out and start for the Tampa Bay Windjammers that night and bust your ass in your town. Get back in that car. Go somewhere in Pennsylvania. Get that shit dropped off again the next morning after sleeping for five hours. Go wash everybody's shit again. Disverse it again. Go out and play in Pennsylvania and do that five times on the East Coast road trip.

And so I always tell people, if you want to know if pro basketball is for you, playing some shit like that. bro this bro that shit'll show you how much you want that or not uh so when you get to the NBA like what are you thinking bro because you're fucking you went from washing motherfuckers draws to like I'm about literally I'm guarding Kobe Bryant in the NBA finals like what the what is going to your mind I literally told my dad I don't give a damn what they asked me to do I'll get I'll get the Gatorade I don't care I don't want to go back to that I don't it's not even like So for a while, I was just happy to be there. But then your inner competitor kicks in when you're at practice every day.

And you're looking around and you're like, well, he ain't that much better than me, bro. Like that, I can play with that. I can do that. You know what I mean? Like, so initially I'm not going to front. I was just happy to be there, bro. I put that practice gear on, stand in the corner. If I got a rep, I got a rep.

And then I don't know about a month went by. And I'm like, man, that ain't. I mean, I could do this, you know. And so then you start to get a little antsy. about like trying to prove to somebody that you can. And it took me, I mean, it took me, I don't know, maybe two months before Larry Brown or one of them asked me, hey, can you guard Vince Carter?

And I was like, yeah, I could guard Vince. I knew I couldn't guard Vince at that time. But I'm like, yeah, I could guard Vince. Come on. Wait, what do you think, bro? Because you're going fucking eating eye hop all the time because you know how the NBA spreads are. It's plush.

It's great. You know, it's a great buffet after the game. They spoil the shit out of y'all after games, dog. And I'm just like, my hungry ass is like, oh my God, it looks great. I'm not eating it. You know, that's against protocol. I ain't doing shit. I'm not, I'm not messing around.

This is your house. But I'm seeing it. I'm like, damn, y'all eating these good ass gourmet meals. And then like, how do you go? Like, what do you go from there to that? At the time, we didn't have those spreads, though. Like, Philly didn't have post-game spreads. We'd have like pizzas, boxes of pizzas and stuff like that, which was dope.

But what I always liked was your media room. So ask anybody who wrote about me or wrote about the teams I was playing on Most of them would say they've seen me in media rooms Because I was fucking up our food You was also coming up in our house and fucking my coffee I'm grabbing something to eat pregame Like I'm hanging out in the media room for a bit

Just to get right and then I hit the court to warm up Bro, there's been plenty of times Where I don't seen coaches like before games Like right like I'm not talking about before games Three hours before My fucking like 20 minutes before the game Don't give me, I got to give me a little popcorn, right quick, me just full, just get me in there. Like, where the media, we're going to go get me.

It is so funny, bro. Dog, I, I can't imagine that. I can't imagine that grind up. I don't know how we got there, but, but it is, it is, it is, you know, so it was always interested in me. Like, when you played in the CBA, cats like myself that had no other opportunities, like we were, we were fine. And in most cases, the ones like myself,

that had an opportunity, like with the combination of skill level and tenacity, like all the things that go into making you a pro. The ones of us that had opportunities to get out of that, for the most part, you'd get out, you know, because there was this hunger in your belly and you didn't know any better, so you would stick there long enough to show someone. The ones that got kicked down from the NBA, so they started at the NBA, right, and were like fledgling NBA players, and then they would get kicked down to teams like ours. Most of the times they never made it. because they couldn't. Like it was, you, you know, I might not have either if the first thing I tasted was the NBA life.

And then you were like, yo, man, sorry, you got to go down to that CBA. Katz would just, they'd be like, no, I'm not doing that shit. No, bro. Or they do go down there and they think they better than they are. Like, I've seen plenty of bouncebacks from the NBA that go to the G League and, like, think that they're better than they are and try to act like the superstar that they should have been in the NBA. And they just do all, whatever that looks like in a G League or, or semi-pro level. You know, they think that they are anointed something and they are, you know, they should be afforded these things because they played like 60 games in one season for a random team, right? It's, it's, the G league and the semi-pro leagues are just so interesting.

And that's where you see work, real work getting done. That's when you see motherfuckers are really getting after it. And they are just, they're really like, what goes into the mind of someone with no guarantees like that, right? Roger like you like bro like you there's always there's always like somebody saying raja go fucking get a job somewhere what are you doing right now living in a best west you can live a better life like what are you thinking in that that time um that's yeah it's interesting right like because even the g league now i mean years past before they started getting paid it was probably more like my experience but now like you're you're making pretty decent money like i think i was making like

$7,000, bro. Like, you know what I mean? To play basketball. And getting room and board paid for. Something crazy. And your room and board paid for it. Like something crazy where like it wasn't going far. There was no option for me.

And it's what I tell my kids. Like there you, there was no option other than that. It was going to happen. I was going to make it happen. It didn't care. I don't care how many people told me it wouldn't happen. I didn't care how many people told me it couldn't happen. I don't care how many people told me it couldn't happen.

I don't care how many people. tried to stop me from making it happen. I remained unfazed and that shit was going to happen because I was going to make that fucking shit happen. And it's all I knew and it's, and it's, it couldn't have worked for me any other way. Now, I'm not saying that that's a good lesson for kids necessarily, right? Because sometimes that shit don't happen. But for me, there was no alternative, Logan.

It was what I was going to do if I had to, you know, stay in the CBA for. for three or four years, no matter what that looked like, it was what I was going to will myself to be able to do. And I got blessed and I was in there. Some of that's right place, right time. There's a lot that goes into that. But what was in my mind was I love playing basketball. I've seen a little bit of NBA.

I don't think that some of the people on those teams are appreciably better than me. so I just have to keep fucking working and keep taking opportunities and putting my best foot forward and I'm going to make that shit happen. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you have a discussion

during the dog days of the NBA. Yes, sir. That is our Monday show. We got some notes for you. Before our last show, we had a little announcement. The Ringer NBA show was going on the road. everybody that you know in the ringer-rubia show where we'll be descending on Salt Lake City including the two voices you are hearing right now

me and Raja will be sharing the stage we back Salt Lake we back so we're like we back oh so we'll be out there man make sure you go to the stateroom.com for tickets we will be there February 18th in Salt Lake I think doors open at 9 I don't have the full information in front of me doors open at nine, show starts at 10. Don't know when we and Ra are hitting the stage just yet, but we will be, we will see you guys there in Salt Lake. Listen, man, I've been talking to Raj. He's ready to be.

He's full politician, man. He's shaking hands. He's kissing babies. But, you know, if you see him in the airport, a little, like, sleepy on the way back home, just that's the only time you don't talk to him. Just like, let him keep the hood over his head, the glasses on. but we will see you guys in Salt Lake, man. And that has been our Monday show. We will see you guys on Thursday.

Talk soon. Tap in. Tell your friends. See you later. Holla.