The Ryen Russillo Podcast - Positive vs. Negative NBA Scouting Reports. Plus Robert Horry on the Lakers' First-Round Exit, Vintage Rockets, and Finals Stories.

Episode Date: June 8, 2021

Russillo shares his thoughts on the ways we as fans talk ourselves in and out of players (2:15). Then Ryen chats with seven-time NBA champion Robert “Big Shot Rob” Horry about the Lakers' Round 1 loss to the Suns, Anthony Davis’s groin injury, his title runs with the Rockets, Lakers, and Spurs, Shaquille O’Neal vs. Hakeem Olajuwon, the Basketball Hall of Fame, and more (14:30). Finally, Ryen answers some listener-submitted Life Advice questions (48:45). Host: Ryen Russillo Guest: Robert Horry Producers: Kyle Crichton and Steve Ceruti Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

so who was better akim or shaq akim was better shaq was more dominant but king was better you want me to expand on that yeah i i do all right so go ahead expand on that well i i think as far as his talent i i think dream had more talent he could you know shaq had handlers but dream had a little bit better handlers. Dream could shoot free throws. We all know about Shaq's free throws. He had a fadeaway. Shaq would just, for just his brute strength,

just dunk on you and just, you know, get you out of the way. And I think that is the difference, where, you know, Dream had a little bit of strength. He could go, you know, pound for pound. Because think about it. He went up against Patrick Ewing, youwing, a strong guy. David Robinson, a strong guy. That's what I mean about Shaq

was more dominant in the sense that he could just... Dream wasn't going to dunk on you. He was going to shake you out your pants and then shoot a fade away. He might dunk on you, but it's that difference that separated him. Shaq, when he was in Orlando, he had a little bit of more finesse, but as he got older,

he got bigger and stronger and he just knew what to do. He's just, I'm just going to drop step you, dunk on you. I'm going to hit you with a little jump hook and these things.

So he was dominant because of his strength and power and Dream was just a little bit better because his finesse and his power. That's Robert Ory taking Akeem over Shaq.

We're going to talk with Ory about his rings and whether or not he should be in the Hall of Fame. And an NBA Scattering Report exercise where I do a self-scattering report and life advice. I want to start today's pod talking about something that I've been kicking around as an idea because I think it applies to everything. And that is, if you look at how we could talk about everyone, certainly with athletes, in this case the NBA playoffs, you can talk yourself into, you can talk yourself out of an athlete. I've done this numerous times. I've used it in examples, but I want to go a little deeper on this because I started thinking, who has the highest approval rating? Not just in the NBA. I'm talking about life. Who would be the person you go, you don't hear a lot of negativity about that guy. If that guy posts something or if she posts something, who seems that just everybody's sort of in? I think Beyonce had a really good run there for a while. Maybe not as high now, but I think the peak thing and then it's kind of like I'm a mom. What's up? People really seem to be into that. I think The Rock is another one. You don't hear a ton about it. I just think everybody likes The Rock. He's done a great job. And when you run into him, as I have once at work, you leave feeling better about yourself

because The Rock was just, he was cool. It seems to be genuine. So I don't think that there's many times you could sit there and be like, I don't know how good is he as an actor. I don't know. I don't know the Beyonce catalog enough to be negative about it.

I'm 5% fearful of it. But I was thinking about it for a couple players because as we go through this playoff season, and I've done this before, I want to track each story. I remember one time there was a chance that LeBron was going to have to play Dwayne Wade in the first round of the playoffs. And people were like, you know, that could really be something there. And you're like, why?

That team's not that good, and it's LeBron. So why would he be worried about playing them? But you understand the point. Like, the way we will look at the results, and it kind of changes the way we feel about a player for the offseason, and then that next season hangover because of an early exit or an incredible run. I mean, Jimmy Butler's a really good example of this, where I like Jimmy Butler.

I've never really thought he's a really good example of this, where I like Jimmy Butler. I've never really thought he's a top 10 guy. And part of me goes, is he difficult or was he right about the Minnesota team? Probably. Actually, he definitely was. Was he right about the Philadelphia guys? Yeah, there's probably some stuff there that you could say Jimmy Butler was right about. But then they have that run and then you go, okay, now am I supposed to just think like Jimmy Butler's a top five guy and this guy's incredible. And he had a really good year this year too. So he's all NBA on top of everything else. And they lose in the first round that Miami T had all sorts of problems, but then I could write this. If I wanted to be really nasty

and negative about Butler, I could, and I know I've been critical at times while also complimentary, which is what I like to do. I mean, I could do this about myself, right? If I were a scout scouting me, writing about me, if I wanted to be positive, I could say, and I did this, will outwork everyone, has no ceiling for himself, holds himself to a higher standard on work than others will hold him to, cares, thinks of others, won't get married until he thinks he's a good fit, likes to compete, has to compete, has to get married until he thinks he's a good fit, likes to compete, has to compete, has to make himself feel uncomfortable every few years, adaptable,

can work with guys like Simmons, Van Pelt, go on part of my take and Woj and still be able to hang, works well with others if you are as committed. Now, if you want to trash me, I could do that one too. What the fuck with this guy cool he works hard what about the rest of his life confident but too confident can't he just relax

does anyone like him does he like anyone is the single thing a red flag is it that no one can stand him competes at what lifting cool we've heard about it does he know it's over

he's not going to play for any teams. SVP show was all SVP. He benefited from that. A few complaints from coworkers. I mean, I know which one I like better. And you know, the complaints thing about coworkers, usually those are the people that were the laziest. So that was never going to work out. I mean, that's, that can happen now. I mean, think about Chris Paul. If Anthony Davis doesn't get hurt, I think the Lakers win that series. Chris Paul's out in the first round, and then it's dump on Chris Paul time, and instead he goes for what? He goes six for six, 13 points in the fourth quarter, completely takes over, dominates game one.

There was a time where he didn't take a corner three earlier in the game, and I was like, oh, no, is he still hurt? Like, how did he not take that three? He got rid of it immediately, and then it was like, oh, oh I think he's good this is the best he's looked in a couple weeks but it would have been very very different he still has a chance to disappoint because most of these star players end up disappointing Giannis is on that path Giannis is on that path to nobody's going to want to to vouch for this guy you know what I mean other than Bucks fans where you have to admit in a moment of honesty,

you're like, wait, is there something wrong here? Now there's clearly something wrong. The rest of the team isn't exactly killing it either. And the biggest thing that could be happening right now is we're gonna be sitting here

a few weeks being like, why did any of us ever doubt the Brooklyn Nets? And I think there are people that haven't. And I just wondered if it could all come together. And without Harden, it's horrifying.

And all the role players are terrific. And everybody's doing everything. And Durant looks like he might be the best player in the world. But you get the point, right? Depending on the day and depending on the end

of the series, how will we update your legacy? Because I could do the Tom Bill legacy with a bunch of NBA stars, but I just thought it'd be pretty pointless to be like,

hey, Paul's up. I got Jokic down. I got Booker up. I got Giannis down. I got Middleton way down. All right, you get the point. Luka's kind of facing that. Like, he's the pre-Giannis in a way

because he's still so young and the first-round playoff exits, whatever. They weren't the better team. But I knew this would happen with Giannis unless he got out of the East. You know, finals appearance probably would have been good enough for him. But Luka is the next guy. You know, Giannis wins MVPs because the guy that

wins MVPs, we're also going to hold to a higher standard. So let's do the exercise with Luca. All right, let's be positive first. Uh, he's 22 shootings improved every year. Hasn't gotten past the Clippers the last two playoffs, but Dallas was clearly the inferior team. Team needs to get better. Gets everyone involved, though. Porzingis has to get better to help him. Plays at his own pace. Total confidence. Will be an MVP.

Want to be negative? Let's do it. Hasn't been out of the first round. Trey Young has, and so has Aiton from the same draft class. I've actually heard people saying this, like real people. Dallas, too, dependent on him. 39% usage rate in the playoffs this year.

Easily the highest of anyone in the playoffs. Jokic at 35% second. Regular season, number two, the last two years in usage. Needs to get better at keeping teammates engaged. It's not just about the assist. Has to do a better job of getting Przingis going. Can't fall in love with the three.

Was preseason MVP favorite. Came in out of shape. What happened? Team falls apart when he's not out there. Is that possibly because they aren't used to playing without him controlling every position? How long before he competes for the West? I'm all for some hints at criticisms with Doncic, but when you're 22, you look like you're on the path here. I mean, trying to come up with the top five players right now is ridiculous because Jokic is going to win the MVP.

And I don't even know if he's a top five player. And I've loved literally everything that I've seen from him. AD is in a tough spot, though. Anthony Davis now, especially in a Lakers market, which is entirely different than basically every other market except for a couple and certainly more intense than New Orleans market. every other market except for a couple and certainly more intense than New Orleans market but this is where you know whatever stage of doubt there is for Donchik publicly Anthony Davis is at the latter stages of this I like Anthony Davis so let's be positive first still only 28 has missed 71 games the last three years but it's been a tough two years for a lot of people he's the reason LA was going to win the Sun Series.

After a slow start against Phoenix, went for 34-10 in games two and three. Can stretch the floor. Numbers have dipped, but that was because of injury. When he's right, meaning numbers from outside. When he's right, he's a top five player in the league. LeBron needed him to win anything. Impossible matchup.

Can play the four or five. The trade is worth it no matter what. You already have a ring. He's number three in career PER behind Jordan and LeBron. Let's be negative. He's 28. Figure it out. Constantly hurt. Missed 71 games over the last three seasons. He needs a motivational boost all the time. What's the problem? The Phoenix series, perfect example. What's up with game one? Had 42 in a regular season game against Phoenix. Scores 13 points in game one. Not a self-motivator.

Deferring personality. Can be impressionable. Has been out of the first round without LeBron once. Needed LeBron to actually win anything. Overrated shooter. Has missed 71 games, as we said before, but won't play the five when he should be. Obsessed with being the four. Not a top five player.

Trade could come back to haunt the Lakers. Top three in PER. PER, though, can be flawed for bigs. Both could be accurate, but are both fair? I mean, when you hear it out loud, when I was writing it all down, I didn't really like doing it. I didn't really like writing any of the negative ones for any of the people involved here.

But it's a very easy train of facts. You just attach all of these things together and you could just start doing it with everyone. I think people should start doing it for themselves. Read them out loud to their families and ask them which ones are more accurate. But that might be just way too much for anyone to deal with. So maybe don't do that.

And we will ease into that one a little bit. So, you know, we already know what's going to happen with Giannis here if they can't figure it out in Milwaukee. Like, it's just part of the deal. Especially when you're at that top level. Especially when there's been moments we've discussed you as being the best player in the league.

Because it's happened with Davids. It's certainly happened with Embiid. I've said a bunch of times. There's nights where I look at Embiid and go, he's the best player in the world. Now, he doesn't do it consistently enough. And when you haven't been out of the second round, it's hard for us to go ahead and do that.

Those are the rules. It'll be really interesting if Trey Young gets Philadelphia because then there's going to be the Embiid pileup. And that's it. That's the deal. And we can talk about people being too negative and players saying more and more that, you know, I don't want to have to deal

with all this kind of stuff. But these are the rules. This is what you signed up for. It's not always fair. And just understand next time you hear somebody like me talking about these players, how easy it is to talk you in or out of any single player. I watch this guy all the time, uh, out in Los Angeles on the Lakers, uh, television crew. He's there with a gear who I went on with James worthy, Allie Clifton. It's a lot of fun.

So it's been kind of fun to watch him now that I feel like it's more of a local broadcast for me, but that's a legend seven rings, Robert Rory, who also has a new podcast coming out. That's big shot, Bob podcast, new shows every Wednesday.

What's up, man, man. I'm just loving life. A little bored. Now that the Lakers ain't playing anymore. So what happened? What do you think happened? I mean, it's the obvious man? Man, I'm just living life. I'm a little bored now that the Lakers ain't playing no more. So what happened? What do you think happened?

I mean, it's the obvious with Anthony Davis, but what do you think were the overall issues? I mean, the health thing's the easiest answer, so I know there's another more complicated one, but give me more thoughts on the team. You know, this whole season to me was just dysfunctional in the sense of they didn't have a lot of practice time. I didn't know this until the end of the season.

They only had like 19 practices the whole season. And think about it, that's 72 games. And you add a lot of new pieces, you know, Dennis Schroeder, Montrezl Harrell, you know, Gasol. And you have all these new pieces to a team that just won the championship who had a nice flow at the end of the season, and all of a sudden now you don't have practice time. Guys get hurt

you get uh health and safety protocols i don't think they ever had a chance to become a team you know they'll just plan out per talent and then you can get far in the you know in the league by playing time but when all of a sudden you know and you run against another team that's young and vibrant and is playing better together you have an issue yeah it's a really important part of it because when i looked at them i'm like okay and then the clippers last year like all right they never really figured it out and then you could have said the same thing but they're only through the first round but then you look at the brooklyn nets out east and you go those guys played eight games harden plays a minute a game one so um i'm with you but i i think that

we may be seeing an exception to that like an all-time exception with what brooklyn is you know you gotta understand also those guys of all friends they play together in summertime you just tell those other dudes hey i'm gonna do this you stand there you know like think about joe just stand there we're gonna get you the ball because we're gonna demand a double team and a triple team we're gonna get you to rock. And I always tell people, they always want to compare apples to oranges. And like now, everybody's into this thing where you got to shoot a lot of threes, and I think they're copying what the Golden State Warriors did. I'm like, hold on.

You can't copy what they did because they had three of the best players that ever played this game probably. And, you know, think about it. Steph, one of the best all-time three-point shooters that you're ever going to see in your lifetime probably. And, you know, think about it. Steph, one of the best all-time three-point shooters that you're ever going to see in your lifetime probably. So when everybody's trying to copy these people, and I'm like, you don't have what they have to copy them. I appreciate your effort, but you can't do it. It's almost like when people back in the day said, oh, we're going to run a triangle. You don't have Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan,

so the triangle can't work. And that's what the NBA does. They always want to copy people because they see it works over here. And it's not that case. You've got to have the right pieces to put into those positions. I wanted to ask you that because I've said throughout the entire year, and for obvious reasons, defense was optional. There's just teams that weren't into it. If I talked to teams about it, they'd say,

man, when you're down 15 and you're in that empty arena, it's just different. The guys are kind of checked out a little bit. So you'd see all these scoring. When you see a young guy getting his numbers and understood it's different for a winning team and a losing team. Can you kind of tell the difference between a numbers guy and a guy that can play? You know, you can, you can, you have a lot of guys you see just, you know, jacking up shots and they trying to get hot. And that's the difference in a guy, you know, you can. You can. You have a lot of guys you see just, you know, jacking up shots and they're trying to get hot. And that's the difference in a guy, you know, who's just basically getting buckets. You know, if you look at the way Spider is playing up in Utah, he gets buckets. You know what I mean? He can just do it any kind of way. other guys who come out and they three for 10 from three and you you have they happy with that three for 10 sucks man i know everybody said what you you hit shooting 300 but that's not good if you're gonna shoot 10 threes you gotta make five and that's just how i view it but i know that's

old school and it's changed a lot but you gotta you you gotta get buckets and spider gets buckets you know durant gets buckets and all these guys that can do it from all over the court and not just depending on the three ball, you know, they're going to be in trouble if they, that three balls not falling. What do you think Anthony Davis needs to do differently? Get rid of his trainer.

You know, my thing is you have to look at it. I don't know from, I don't know if he had the same trainer from the moment he came into the NBA. And if he had the same trainer from the moment he came into the NBA. And if he has, he needs to get rid of it because his trainer is not preparing him for 82 games. I know last year was 72 and they had a shortened offseason, but I'm just talking about overall because he's had a history of injuries. And so if you've had a history of injuries,

you need to change your workout. You need to do something. You need to say, hey, LeBron, we both in LA. What you do, I'm going to do. Because think about it. LeBron has been pretty much an Ironman until you get a freak accident when someone rolls up on your ankle. And because I tell people all the time, the NBA season starts in the off seasons, how you prepare your body, how you get your body ready for the 82 grind. And so many guys now about, okay, I did all this during the season. I got to take the proper time. Yeah, you can take the proper time off, but there's still ways to condition your body to be ready for that grind. I think he needs to find a way or find a new trainer

or something to get his body ready for the grind because he keeps breaking down on it. It's just so too weird to me. Yeah, I'm a big AD fan. And the funny thing was when I think about personalities on a team, and we'll get to this with some of the stuff that you did over your career, but what I liked about it, like if you're coming into LeBron's orbit, like there's some stuff that you're going to have to do. Like he's going to help you win. It's going to be awesome. It's almost all great,

but there's going to be an alpha thing. There's going to be a hierarchy where if you're with LeBron, like you're never going to be as important as him. And I think for some NBA players, there's going to be a hierarchy where if you're with LeBron, you're never going to be as important as him. And I think for some NBA players, they may think they can deal with that, but then when it's a reality, it's like, I don't really know if I like this stuff. Where Davis has the personality they think is deferential, where I think he's cool with it. In a way, it sort of protects him from some of the stuff. But there are the moments where I think this year where it's like, okay, you know, you need to kind of motivate yourself. Like you need to find a way of being the other alpha out there as opposed to just the other, other, you know, hall of famer. Cause Davis is going to be one. Um, did you see that at all

with his personality? I mean, is that just something, cause he's 28 now at this point, I think it's an accurate description of who he is as a guy, which isn't a bad thing, but I don't know if he's ever going to break out of that, Robert. I think he can break out of it. I just think he hasn't had, you know, people pushing him to break out of it. Because if you think about it, he's been exceptional in high school,

AAU, college, well, one year of college, then he gets to New Orleans. And it's just, you have to, as a person, want to change your mindset because the people around you have put you in that mindset, put you on that pedestal where you're one of the best athletes to play this game.

But you've got to act like you're not. You know, you've got to go in that lab and start working hard and not sit back and rest on your laurels, so to say. So I think with him, you know, I look at him and sometimes you sit back and you're in awe at some of the things he can do with his size. And then you have this game where he comes out and gives you 42. And the next game he gives you, you know, 18 and 20. And you're like, yo, you just played this team.

Do the same thing. I think with AD, it basically boils down to consistency. And we look at him, we want him to be consistent because all the people who came before him have been consistent. You think about Shaqs, LeBrons, Colbys, MJs, because every dude wants to be considered themselves great and put themselves in that hierarchy with their legacy and whatnot. But you got to understand these guys had the mindset of, I'm going to beat you down. And I don't know if AD has that mindset of, I want to beat you down. He wants to beat you, but it takes someone to call him soft, you know, the game before. Now you got to go out and prove to people you're not soft.

Well, if you do that constantly, you don't have to prove to everybody that you're soft because it would never come up. And I just think he's in the, after this season, I think with all the injuries, with the people calling him soft, I think this is going to be a turning point for him. And I'm hoping so because I'm a huge AD fan. But sometimes you need all these things as a superstar.

Even if you're just any type of individual playing any sport, you need to get hit in the face with some reality sometimes for you to change your workouts, how you look at the game, how you approach the game. And I think this is an awakening season for him. So you're in agreement with me, because I had mentioned it earlier, like from what I'd heard

like the game six day of was kind of a weird timeline because it was clear he wasn't healthy. He tried to go sort of but didn't. I'd heard LeBron said don't even bother

and that AD was sick of guys kind of calling him out and that's why he played game six. Yeah, it gets rough when you I wouldn't want to be in this position because you can't,

you know, injuries are going to happen. You know, you try to do everything to repair and some people just injury prone. And I think, you know, with Charles Barkley, call him street clothes and people call him soft. There's a lot of things he got bombarded with. And for me, I said, I tore my groin in college and I know how difficult it was to play and we didn't switch. So I just went north, south. And for him to, you know, as I know how difficult it was to play. And we didn't switch, so I just was going north-south. And for him to, you know, as soon as I was watching his game and they was putting him on, switching him out on the guard, I'm like, you putting him on booker? What are you doing as a coaching staff?

And that's what made me mad. You shouldn't switch with him. This guy's out here playing on an injured groin, and you switching him to a little. No, you protect him until he either warms up or he says, yo, I can't go. Because once he switched and blew by him, he tried to recover, and that's when he messed it up even more.

So, you know, I applaud him for trying to be out there. And only people who have torn groins or pulled groins know how hard it is to move as a basketball player. So he shouldn't have been out there. I wouldn't have did it. I know everybody said, well, we had to have him for a championship. But, you know, you want him to have him for next year too. When you came out of Alabama, four years, you know, you get to Houston.

You're a high draft pick. You're a lottery pick. How much of a wake up? Because we see this happen all the time in the league. You know, like I'm not sitting there like thinking Torrey Craig at this stage of his career is going. I still can't believe they don't call my number more, but I'll do this for now. But what are those years like for you? You go to this Houston team that's really good and you're competing right away. And, you know, I imagine you probably weren't thinking, well, Hakeem will be good for me because he can kick it back out.

well, Hakeem will be good for me because he can kick it back out. But I mean, what kind of acceptance do you have to have of yourself as a player to make a living in this league, knowing that you're not going to be the number one or even two option for most guys? For me, it's a mindset. You know, you go from being the man in college to being the man next to the man next to the man next to the man. You know, it's just a weird feeling. But for me, I've always had the mindset of winning is the most important thing. I remember in high

school, I used to yell at my guys for not shooting the ball. And they would kick in the back. I said, dude, stop kicking me, shoot the ball. I need you to get hot, you know, and things like that. And, and for me, it's just about playing the sport and enjoying the sport, because if everybody is successful in the court, while you're in the court, you're successful. And I never went there with the mindset of, you know, I need to get this, I need to get that. I wish I would have. I wish I'd have been one of those guys that came out with a voice because I could score. I could get, you know, some buckets every now and then, but, you know, but you can only get buckets when you get plays called for you. I haven't had plays called for me since I left Houston. But I felt like playing alongside Elijah Wan and Otis Thorpe and Vernon and Kenny,

I could learn a lot. Because when you come into a situation that's ideal, and for me, I said this was the perfect situation. Small forward is what they need. I got a center, a true center, a true power forward, true point, true two, all these things that could make me better. And the only thing I would have changed is I wish I would have been there and came in more aggressive. And what I mean by that is when I got there, you know,

I got traded for not shooting the ball. And so I had to, you know, I got traded to Detroit. What was that trade like? Let me jump in there. What was it like when you got traded? It was miserable because, like I said, it was where I wanted to Detroit. What was that trade like? Let me jump in there. What was it like when you got traded? It was miserable because, like I said, it was where I wanted to be. And I had just had my daughter, and she was sick, and it was a lot of things going on with that, you know,

as far as a new personal life. And then getting traded to Detroit where I didn't want to be because it was cold, you know. I wanted to be in the South, close to my family. There was a lot of things going on, but it taught me how to just, you know, play the game. And I remember Vernon Maxwell always telling me, do what got you here. It's the reason they drafted you. It's the reason they want you to do this.

Do it. Don't sit back and depend on Dream, Otis, or me, or Kenny. And I think Vernon was just one of those voices. You know, a lot of people think Vernon's just wild and crazy, mad, mad guy. But he was a voice. He was a voice that kind of led the team, you know, because Dream didn't talk that much. Otis didn't talk that much. And, you know, Kenny talked sometime. But, you know, Vernon was one of those guys that I'm going to go out here and lead by example and give you everything I got. And for me, it was just a situation where I just had to get refocused in my mind and be aggressive offensively and try to help the team out as much as possible. And I learned a lot.

So that was the fun part, you know, learning from the best and winning the championships. What's your favorite Hakeem memory as a teammate? Just the way he ate up David Robinson, man. 95. Just if you, you know, people always sit back and talk about, you know, their Mount Rushmore. And if they don't ever put Hakeem Olajuwon at Mount Rushmore, it pisses me off because I played with, you know, Shaq. I played with Tim. I played with Kobe. I played with Clyde. I played all top 50, top all Hall of Famers, but nobody could compare to what Dream could do on the court. Just imagine MB, Jokic, and all these guys rolled into one guy.

And people don't understand how good this guy was. You go and practice, and we would shoot threes. Dream would shoot you out shooting threes. But at that time, that wasn't what his role was. You know, his role was to play in the basket, do the dream shake, get you 30 points in the paint and kick it out to his open. The guy spotted up and he would do that. And people just don't understand how good this guy was. And it amazes me how you look at all these guys around the league, like LeBron, Kobe, these guys would go to dream to learn his footwork. So that lets you know, you go to the master to try to learn something, make yourself better. So who was better, Akeem or Shaq?

Akeem was better. Shaq was more dominant, but Akeem was better. was better you want me to expand on that yeah i i do because look i i feel like you know and i i know we're all a little guilty of this stuff where it's like oh this guy's so underrated this guy's because like my two biggest criminally underrated players are moses and hakeem like those are the guys that i go well we, we. Is Akeem too low? It gets real hard. It gets real hard when we're talking about the greatest single players. All right, so go ahead. Expand on that. I think as far as his

talent, I think Dream had more talent. Shaq had handlers, but Dream had a little bit better handlers. Dream could shoot free throws. We all know about Shaq's free throw. He had a fadeaway. Shaq was just, for just brute strength, just dunk on you and just get you out of the way.

And I think that is the difference. Dream had a little bit of strength. He could go pound for pound. Think about it. He went up against Patrick Ewing, a strong guy. David Robinson, a strong guy. And that's what I mean about Shaq was more dominant in the sense that he could just, Dream wasn't going to dunk on you.

He was going to shake you out your pants and then shoot a fadeaway. Or he might dunk on you, but it's that difference that made, that separated him. You know, Shaq, when he was in Orlando, he had a little bit more finesse, but as he got older, he got bigger and stronger and he just knew what to do. He's just, I'm just going to drop step you, dunk on you dunk on you i'm gonna hit you a little jump hook and these things so he was dominant because of his strength and power and dream was just a little bit better because his finesse and his power now that's a great answer and i would i would agree with a lot of that and i think it's very brave of you as a lakers analyst to say something like that but you said if you said something about David Robinson, though, that I love. And this is what I really enjoy about talking to guys that played.

You're not always honest with this. Certainly not as players because it doesn't do you any good being honest about it. But I sensed something with the David Robinson part. Like, David Robinson is a Hall of Famer. Really good player. But, like, were you guys sitting around in Rockets locker rooms, like, like seeing or hearing about him and being like you guys think he's better than our guy because it felt like the way you you said you loved him beating up a david robinson almost made you think like because some people back then may have said no i'd rather have david robinson

which i would think is insane but that's kind of what i picked up from you there maybe i'm picking up too much i don't know but no I just remember that 95 series how I think if you go back and look at clips, the funniest thing ever was when David Robinson was like and I thought I played my best defense on him. And Dream averaged like 40 points on him. He's like, I thought I played my best defense on him. And that's what you

know. And it's not always playing backs, but not always about individual defense, but sometimes it is. In this case, it was Dream who was pissed off, so to say, because David was the MVP that year. Dream was the MVP of the previous year, and David got it that year. And I think that was just one of the things that motivates you. As athletes, you know, we always look at what can motivate us.

I know everybody was talking about what MJ did. Every athlete does what MJ did, where you pick out something to piss you off and make you go out there and play harder you do that every athlete has to find some way to motivate you to go harder and I think when getting that MVP trophy in front of Dream that was the biggest you know moment to piss someone off ever and and I and it was weird in that series we saw Dream do stuff that we had seen all year we got into a mode where we were just throwing the ball. It was almost like playground at the ruck or something. Like, go at him, Dream, you know, and watch.

Because he did some things that was amazing. And so I look at David Robinson. I know he's an awesome player, a great player. But I just think Dream was a little bit better because of the footwork and, you know, the talent, the things he could do on the court. You know, David was a great shot blocker, so was Dream. But when it came to posting up and putting you in the mix, it was all about Dream.

Yeah, I'm looking him up right now because I remember the series. I remember being, I was, look, I was more of an Akeem guy. But yeah, I i mean 41 and 16 43 and 11 he had 20 you guys lost that one but he didn't he didn't well god look at the minutes too 40 41 46 44 47 in game six in game six 39 and 17 and then you look at the block numbers i mean god that's see what i mean yeah I mean, look, I loved him. I loved him as a player. And the thing that I tell a lot of guys,

I'll just try to interrupt you, is these guys now who average 25 points are happy about this 25 points. You just shot eight threes. Think about these guys who average 25 points with less possession, putting in work, on the block, grinding, with a different way they call the game.

I'm like, man, y'all points ain't nothing to what these guys used to do back in the day. Man, that's nothing. And so I just think, you know, that's one of the things people don't take into effect when you look at the guys like Cap's record, Karl Malone's record. You know, these guys shot no threes. And look at the points they put up.

And now these guys, you know, they shooting, you know, think about that. One of the Lakers games, they shot 81 times and 40 of them with threes. That's ridiculous. You know what I mean? Now people are going to start calling you old Robert. So just giving you a heads up.

Hey, if I'm old, LeBron's old, CP3's old, Carmelo's old. Who else I play against in the league? All those guys are old because I play Kevin Durant, Steph Curry. I know, Durant. It doesn't feel old. None of those guys. Paul feels old because I was looking at it because this is contract stuff at 36, but he's going to keep playing.

And LeBron, I mean, that's the weirdest thing about the Lakers thing. There's actually going to be some point where LeBron just doesn't look right. And I don't know if it's going to happen overnight overnight I don't know if it'll be gradual because he still had moments this year or I think he you know he's been doing this for years where he paces himself but when he wants to go um and he reminded us all of that last year with the title because you know he was starting to hear that he was behind these other players and you're like oh that was a mistake yeah and you think about this just think look at LeBron and his last game when they lost to Phoenix. I'd never seen him exert that much energy and he looked good at times.

You know, he had some times where, you know, you can tell fatigue set in, but I think that had a lot to do because him being has had many years, many years in the league, this many playoff games, no, not enough rest time, having an injury where he couldn't really condition. So I think he put in some work for a guy at his age and his minutes on his body. Yeah, I'm really glad you said that about game six, because I felt like he knew, okay, this is nearly impossible, but I'm going to give it a go here.

And he had two big, long, extended bursts of trying to do whatever he could. And I think there's a difference between playing 38 minutes and knowing what you have to do over the course of the game. And then there's a difference when you're down 20 and you're going, I've got to follow everything. I've got to try to breathe. There's just not every minute is created equal the amount of exertion that you have. And clearly LeBron was trying to go maximum for two big stretches there big stretches there you gotta give him credit because a lot of guys could just say

you know what they too hot i'm just gonna sit this out you know come back next year even the coaching staff could have did that but i give him a lot of credit he stayed in it i want to ask about the shots i would assume most people ask you about 2002 game four with the Lakers down 2-1 when Divac called it a lucky shot and for whatever reason he volleyball spikes it out into the open instead of just I hate 90% of the time when a big guy would spike the

look you just screw it up we're all scrambling here there's a couple times on the spiked out rebound that I'll allow it but that was one of the all time worst I think everybody says that has to be it, but that was one of the all-time worst. I think everybody says that has to be your favorite. Is that your favorite of all the game winners? It's my favorite. I have a lot of favorites.

Well, you've got a lot of options. Is your son or your daughter? Who's your favorite child? But I think that's the one I'm most known for because if you think about it, anytime you put on the Laker uniform, your spotlight is a little bit brighter. And to do that in the Western Conference Finals, the way we came back in that game, and we was playing the Sacramento Kings who thought it was their year.

And for me to hit that shot game four at home on our court is always fantastic, man. Because I look back at a lot of my game winners. I didn't hit that many on my home court, man. It was always on the road. So it was fun. I think that, you know, overall it's my favorite because to walk off the court and be in the locker room and still hear fans chant your name. You know, think about it. They was chanting my name over Kobe's and Shaq's.

So that makes you feel good. Anytime you can get recognized when's and Shaq's, so that makes you feel good. Anytime you can get recognized when you're playing with those two, it makes you feel good. So I think for me, it has to be one of my greatest shots just because growing up as a Laker fan, being a big Magic Johnson fan, and now to be able to accomplish something in a Laker uniform and go down in Laker history is one of the most clutch shooters

of all time. And it just makes you feel good to have that moment as a top five moment in Laker history. I would think years removed that, you know, because you're the Lakers and because the team had had this run that you're thinking, okay, well Sacramento things, but we don't, you guys are, so they had that huge lead. Samaki Walker hits that three that actually should have counted before the half. And you hit a bunch of shots in the fourth too. So it was like, you were kind of like, like tuned into what you kind of needed. I'm glad somebody said that, man, because they always think I only hit that one shot. I had already hit two threes in the corner. I watched the game this morning. I did. I watched the game because I remember where I was,

you know, when I was sitting around watching it i remember watching the whole series but i remember that shot specifically i was sitting on the floor in front of a television like with a group of people and we're just like you know because i kind of like that sacramento team but i always felt like you guys probably didn't respect them where you're like you guys are good but you don't you don't rebut you know the thing that everybody forgets they came back and won game five so if they're as mentally soft as everybody made them out to be after the fact, and I'm sure you guys probably thought at that time, then they were supposed to be up 3-1.

It's 2-2. They go to Sacramento. They win a close game. And then you guys win the last two, and you win at their place. But did you think – I guess I'm trying to figure out what your respect level was for their mental toughness. You know, I think when you look around that locker room, you know Christy was the heart and soul of that team.

We had a lot of respect for Christy. He had a hard job guarding Kobe. You know, Scott Pollard and Divock, you know, those grinded-out, finesse type of centers. And, of course, Chris Weber was, you know, one of those guys that was a grinded-out, finesse type of centers. And of course, Chris, whoever was, you know, one of those guys that was a grinded out finesse guy too, but you know, we never really looked at them as a team we were worried about. I think all the teams we ever played in the playoffs,

there's only been two teams we were worried about. That's what the Spurs and the Portland Trailblazers, you know, those are the only two teams we ever worried about while we was playing, while I was there. And I think with Sacramento, we just thought they was, you know, glitz and all glamour. And because they were really fancy, they were always trying to do things like, you know, Chris Webber between the legs, you know, baby behind the back. And the funny part is that the starting five never talked trash. It was, you know, the Bobby Jacksons on the bench. It was the Thunderons on the bench.

It was the Thunderbirds on the bench. It was all the guys on the bench that talked so much trash. And we're like, you talking trash. You're not even out here. You're going to mess around and piss off Kobe, and then he's going to go off on you guys and Shaq. So it was one of those things. And I knew it's weird because the starting five knew, you don't want to talk trash to these guys

because we haven't beaten them yet. You know, just because we up, don't talk trash. And it's the bench that was doing all the trash talking. But we respect them, man, but not as much as we respect the other teams. And when I say that, I don't mean that as a dig. I just mean it has a level of concern for certain teams that you play I love that you had another one then too where the 2005 finals it's two a piece

for you and San Antonio and Detroit and they they like you inbound and they double the hell out of Ginobili and I remember like at that stage of your career

I mean you did it your first year right in the first round series or second round series against Seattle. I mean, you lost the series, but it was like it's the forgotten Robert Ori shot where it's like, no, no, no. Like from from the first playoff. That's like my favorite shot. Nobody knows about. That's your favorite one against Seattle.

Yes. Nobody knows because I was a rookie. Yeah. We in Seattle game seven. I pull up here to jump and we go into overtime. You know, eventually lost. But for me, that was a confidence builder. You know, for me, just to do that on that big stage as a rookie, you know, that made me feel good.

Because when I think of that one, I always go, I wonder if that, I wonder what would have happened if you missed it. You know, if you missed it, would it be something different? Because I think there are guys, as much as people argue, you know, i'm not going to say i think there are guys we know there are guys that in that moment they're like i can't wait to get a chance to do this to have this huge moment and then the other group of guys are like i don't want to do this i don't want to do this right now and i think jordan the weird negative influence he had on players is that you think they're just supposed to take it. Like, I don't care if it goes in or not. Like I took it because I'm the guy and you're like, you missed.

It was an awful shot. Like, what are you proud of? You're like, well, that's what Jordan did. And you're like, yeah, but Jordan made a ton of them too. And I always feel like that Seattle series, despite losing it, like maybe that subconsciously planted some kind of seed in your head where that moment was always something you were incredibly comfortable with and you were always going to be? I've always been comfortable with that. I think it goes back to my high school days where I missed a free throw and we lost the game. And I walk in the locker room, I'm looking around the locker room, all my teammates are pretty much in tears. And I'm like, oh crap. And I felt like it was my fault. So I felt like, you know,

and I remember walking to the free throw line, like saying, Oh, I got to make this. I got to make this. I got to make this. Instead of just going up there relaxed. And I learned from that very moment, you got to stay relaxed. You know, we always say the basketball guys are going to put it in or they're going to knock it out. So for me, I think about that. I just go out and I just play the game. You take the shots because we practice shots so many,

so much during our life and our careers. It's become second nature and things we can do on the basketball court. And for me, I just never thought about it at the moment. I just went out and shot the ball and just played and enjoyed the game. And if I make it, I make it. If I miss, I miss. I think the only time that a shot that i missed ever bothered me was when i missed a shot against san antonio in my last year as a laker

in 2004 i think it was yeah for 2004 that's the only shot i ever missed that bothered me because it was like it rimmed in and out so well i'm glad you got the one in in 05 they hard double ginili, and they just left you. They left you as the inbounder, which can happen, but it's you. And, I mean, even the announcers are like, what the hell? What are they doing? And then, you know, you win game five, you win the series. I think the funniest part is when you look at the video

and you see the coach, Larry, who's like, don't leave Rob Adori. I'm like, he was in the – he just said in the huddle, don't leave me. And then you go out and you leave me. I'm like, okay. And when you that hot, there's no way I'm leaving a guy that hot. And for me, I was shooting it from all over the floor.

And there's no way you should have left me because I was going to, I think even if she wouldn't have left me, I was going to shoot it because I was feeling just that good. Last thought. If you don't make the Hall of Fame, how will you feel? If I don't make the Hall of Fame, I'll feel the same. And I say that, let me back that up.

I'm lying. I'll be a little disappointed because in your lifetime of playing a sport, you have a bunch of different goals. I remember coming out of high school. My goal was to get a free education by playing the sport, which that happened. My second goal was to make the NCAA tournament. That was happening. And my third goal was to make the Olympic team, which didn't happen because it's a damn dream team, you know, because I had my mind set. I was like, OK, this is my one goal and I want to make the Olympic team, which didn't happen because it's a damn dream team, you know, because I had my mind set. And I was like, okay, this is my one goal and I want to make the Olympic team. But then they started doing pros

and they put Christian Lader instead of me on. I don't know why, but you know, just kidding. But, and then to win the NBA championship. So, and then the final, you know, peg in your career is to, you know, make the Hall of Fame. So I'd be a little disappointed, but overall, I have to say I had a hell of a career when it comes to basketball, winning three SEC titles,

winning seven NBA championships. I had a successful career. I wouldn't trade it for anything. And I think there's a lot of people out there who secretly will want my career. They might not want my paycheck. They say, like Charles Barkley, he wouldn't want to change paycheck, but he would want my career and they might not want my paycheck you know they say like Charles Barkley he will he wouldn't want to change paycheck but he would want my seven rings and so

I think for me I had a hell of a year a hell of a career and if I don't make the Hall of Fame I'd be a little disappointed but not overly disappointed because at the end of the day basketball is a team sport and I won seven championships doing it and I think every team that ever had respected me they viewed me as a great teammate and and I don't championships doing it. And I think every teammate I ever had respected me. They viewed me as a great teammate. And I don't think any of them have anything bad to say about me. And that's the most important thing. It was a lot of fun talking to you, man.

This was a lot of fun. So good luck with the podcast and keep in touch, all right? Anytime you need me, I'm here for you, brother. You want details? Bye. I drive a Ferrari. 355 Cabriolet. What's up? I have a ridiculous house in the South Fork.

I have every toy you could possibly imagine. And best of all, kids, I am liquid. So, now you know what's possible. Let me tell you what's required. Okay, the email address is lifeadvicerr at gmail.com. Two things coming up. A friend of mine who's been a writer for like 25 years, he's, you know, we had Bill Lawrence on

who was the creator of Scrubs. Well, my friend was, I guess he was the showrunner there for a few seasons and he worked on Scrubs. He worked on Spin City with Bill Lawrence. So that's how I met Bill Lawrence and played in the basketball game, the famous pickup basketball game, which I think by the time I was invited to it on. And so I want to do a life advice for aspiring writers or maybe people that are in the business a little bit. Look, I guess if Brad Inglesby hits us up with an email, we'll read it. The creator of Mayor of Easttown. But I would say, you know, whatever, we'll figure out. You guys send whatever you want to send. I'm not going to send him scripts and send him the scripts or that kind of stuff. So he didn't want to read my stuff for like 20 years. So he's not going to read yours. But he will give you some advice. And he's a huge, huge sports fan.

He has an incredible, incredible story. Played football in college and that whole deal. And then actually played professionally, like I think in Spain, American football. And we're talking like 20 something years ago or longer than that. So he's going to come on and he has some awesome NFL stuff. Like he's totally locked in. So he'd be like a legit sports guest. So we're going to do that.

And then we're going to do another fitness one. So just when you write in your emails for those life advices, put writing life advice or script life advice so that we can sift through them. And then I'll send a handful of them to my buddy. Now, somebody else who I connected with, who I'm a huge fan of his workout stuff. So I don't want to make the other fitness people that listen to this because there's another power lifting guy that I want to have on at some point too. But it just so happened, I hooked up with Jeremy Scott. You can follow him at Jeremy Scott Fitness. His workouts are awesome. I just always really liked what he's done, and he agreed to come on too.

So there you go. So we can do another fitness round with somebody different, some different perspective than our last guy, Whitney. And then we're going to do the one, the writing deal. All right, so there you go. Tie it all up. All right, here we go. First one, the overpriced shirt. so there you go. Tie it all up. All right, here we go.

First one, the overpriced shirt. A buddy of mine, let's call him Paul. This is a really good and simple one. I think a lot of us have been there. That's why I like the email. So good pick, Kyle. He recently had something happen to him. I think everyone's experienced at least once in their life.

I was hoping to get an official verdict to save not only him, but all your listeners. They too will face this fork in the road moment at some point. That's what I liked about this. This was light. This was light. All right, setting the scene. Paul was golfing at a bucket list place in Wisconsin. He underestimated the breeze on the course and was stuck in a short sleeve shirt. A decision needed to be made. Choice A, stick it out with the short sleeve shirt and risk blowing a bucket list golf experience because he was freezing cold. Choice B, go to the pro shop and buy a long sleeve shirt. Selection, choice B.

He spent a ton on this golf experience. Let's not ruin it because he was not properly dressed. After scanning the pro shop, there was a limited selection for long sleeve shirts that fit him. Also, being a high-end course, the price tags were not cheap either. Next thing he knows, he's buying a $175 long sleeve, by far the most expensive shirt in his wardrobe, but it had to be done. Five holes in, weather warms up. Long sleeve shirt is no longer needed the rest of the round. He gets home after a great

day in the course and pulls the $175 long sleeve out as he gets home and is disgusted with the purchase after getting a better look at it. He doesn't know what he was thinking, blaming on the fancy golf course, heat of the moment, hates the shirt, and the shirt is about $100 more expensive than anything else in the closet to pour salt in the wound. The advice needed, if you make an obscenely bad shirt purchase, what is the next move? The way I see it, there are three options. One, force the shirt into your rotation. It won't feel great, but you have to justify the purchase. Two, leave the shirt to sit in your closet in hopes that one day grows on you and you start to like it. Three, give the shirt away, cut your losses and move on. All right. I've been there, man. I've been there when golf trip with

the boys, I was missing something. You're at the pro shop and you buy something you're just not going to want. I remember the first year we were on college game day. I was like, you know, it'd be cool. I'm going to buy something from every school that I go to, which was really stupid because then I had a, just a closet full of golf shirts for a guy that like stopped golfing and I was never wearing them. And I usually was, you know, over time it'd be cool enough that the school or the workout guys would give us some stuff to wear anyway for free. So I'd be spending between like 75 or 80 bucks on a shirt just to kind of say I did it because I thought it was kind of cool

that I'd been to all these places I'd never been before. And you know what I didn't ever want to wear was a double XL, big button down, short sleeve golf shirt that was bright Auburn orange. Send that over, dude. That thing's been given away. That was on the out. And that was back when guys were wearing baggier stuff.

And we're talking 08. So I wasn't trying to go slim fit. That was just, hey, I'm going to buy it. And I would look at it and I'd go, what was the process where you were like, yep, and that's the one. I don't know. Maybe it was the Under Armour thing at that point. Still kind of like new, hot brand. So I can't help but notice that if this is $100 more than every other shirt this guy has, he doesn't like spending money on clothes. There'll be some pushback to that comment, but I mean, there's two types of guys, like guys that are not afraid to spend a couple hundred

dollars on a dress shirt because they are either getting a couple of Briones or, I mean, you can go even far beyond that. I've never gone to the $400, $500 dress shirt level. I know that's probably horrifying to hear from any of you. So if this is already like if the emailer, I'm also wondering if the emailer is Paul, but we got a different name here. So if you don't, if this guy Paul doesn't like spending money on shirts, then $175

is crushing him. This is bothering him. Sometimes people look at it that way. I would try to go, hey, I'll probably spend $175 on something worse over the next couple of years. Or maybe this guy's one of those rich dad, poor dad zealots who would just be like, you can't do stuff like this. You literally can't do stuff like this. But if he had enough money to put together this golf trip, chances are there's some discretionary income where the $175 share purchase isn't going to ruin his day.

But I do understand being in the pro shop, looking around and being like, hey, maybe I get a hat from this place, you know, $45 later. And then a week later, you're like, why did I buy that hat? Why did I buy it? It's stiff. It's awkward. It's not comfortable. I'm never going to wear it out. Like, I don't know why I did it. You know, it's just sometimes it's being at a sporting event or being at the concert. You just want to buy something to say that you were there. And it's like, you know, I don't really need this. So to wear it, to force yourself to wear it seems like the dumbest option because then you're just punishing yourself all over again. I mean,

it's already bad enough that you spent one 175 because you were emotional about the purchase. Honestly, you should have just played in short sleeves. It's not, it could have been that cold if it warmed up enough later on. So that's another issue. I can't imagine there wasn't some sort of pullover that maybe would have worked out, but Hey, limited. All's another issue. I can't imagine there wasn't some sort of pullover that maybe would have worked out, but hey, limited. All right, fine. I'll defer to you on this one. But to keep wearing it, even though you hate it, I don't know. Or maybe it'll be a nice little reminder. In a weird way now, I've kind of changed my mind on that one where originally I thought of it as a punishment. Maybe I like that punishment. Maybe I like to be kept in check. Maybe it'd be

a lesson that this guy can think about it forever. Because the idea that he's going to warm up to it in a couple years doesn't make any sense. And then, of course, he could always gift it to somebody that he normally wouldn't buy something for someone. But if you already ripped the tags off, then they're probably going to know, oh, wait, like you hated this and then you gave it to me. Or they're completely oblivious because we have friends and family that are. We're like, hey, I was thinking about you. I had to wear it that day, but I knew you'd really like it.

And then you give it to that person. And then the $175 isn't even close to the amount of equity that you've bought with this person who thinks you actually hooked them up with something really, really nice that deep down you hate. So if there's somebody you think that would appreciate it, go ahead and give it to them. But I'm just giving you a warning.

Hopefully it's not somebody smart enough to figure out all the reasons that they got it were because of what you said in the email. Kyle i think you nailed it i've done that like i did that at the masters once i have this weird looking masters um golf shirt and i don't spend a ton of time on a golf course but i just had to get my dad yeah i had to i got like a fucking hat clip augusta is different yeah you're right you got a hat clip to like, you mean like to repair the green? I don't. Is that what that's for?

I don't know. You don't even know what it is. It was like a little golden thing to go on my visor that I know I never wear visors, but I got a master's visor too. And, you know, the worst part of the masters was I spent so much time collecting all those cups and then Bill didn't do any. And then by the time that we left, he took like almost all my cups. I had like a fucking cup snake going at the Masters

and Bill just didn't feel like walking around with him and then you got to take the Masters cups when you go home so I have two I have one of each color and he has a bunch but thanks for bringing me Bill yeah I hope no one writes a blog about Bill taking your cups what uh

what were you like at Augusta, by the way? I didn't even realize. Is this when he brought Dr. Bill? Yeah, yeah. I was in heaven. It was like $5 beers, $2 sandwiches. Come on. How many of those chicken sandwiches did you have?

The chicken sandwich was good. I actually was going for the pimento cheese. Big pimento cheese. I just sampled everything. I'm sorry, Cerruti. I cut you off. No, I was going to say the pimento. Yeah, so thatpled everything. I'm sorry, Sir Rudy, I cut you off. No, I was going to say the pimento. Yeah, so that's what it's known for, right?

Maybe a stupid question. Well, first off, I think if you're going to buy something in a pro shop, don't take the tag off right away, right? Can you just return it after your round's over? What do you feel?

What if you feel it in your backswing a little bit, though? I mean, this is kind of something you're going to have to deal with if you don't love the shirt. You're kind of weird about paying $175 for a shirt at a pro shop. But here's the other thing. You don't give it away. Why don't you just sell it on Poshmark, Facebook marketplace? You could recoup at least half of that back, I'd imagine,

right? There's ways to not take the total L on this. Do you think there's a ton of younger people on Poshmark looking for a slightly used Wisconsin pro shop long sleeve. I mean, if you get 50 bucks for it, is that at least you get 50 bucks back? I don't know. Maybe it's like a nice Nike dry fit thing. I'd imagine if it's 170, it's not like some POS thing. It's probably decent.

So I don't know. Explore your option before you give it away. I feel so bad about Poshmark. Michelle Smallman, who is our friend and my former producer and Cerruti's very close with. When I was leaving Connecticut, when I was like, all right, I'm probably out of here. And I had so much clothing, but there were a couple like, you know, second tier, they weren't entry level diesel jeans. They were like a boot cut. Yeah. They were, they were, you know, a couple of sevens in there. I think there was even maybe a pair of true religions. No one can confirm on that one. And then Michelle and I were talking, I was like, I don't know what to do with all this stuff. And I don't know if I proposed it to her or she proposed it to me.

So I don't want to speak for anyone because people are going to hear it and be like, well, that's lame. You had your producer sell your clothes on Poshmark. But I was like, look, if you want to do it, I'll make it worth your while. It's not about the money, but I just don't want to give it all away

or throw it away. You know what I mean? It's nice stuff. Like somebody's going to don't want to give it all away or throw it away. You know what I mean? It's nice stuff. It's all nice stuff. Even if it's a little outdated. Except for some of the stitching. Some of the stitching may have been frowned upon now. So she was in, and she organized everything and numbered it all and listed it and on and on and on.

And then it was like there were no bites. Zero. Just wasn't happening. And then she's like, I don't know what to do. And I was like, I don't know like i don't know what to do and i was like i don't know i don't know what the final transaction is i hope i'm pretty sure i took care of her i hope i did um we'll check on this after the fact but i think i ended up being like do whatever you want with the clothes then because i'm i'm out of here it's not gonna happen

not a big market for those no i listen i i'm just saying explore your options first you don't have to take the loss on this. But I've gotten to a point where now I'm so afraid to buy clothes because I bought stuff that I know I don't wear that I just freak myself out. I'm like, well, am I actually going to wear this? I never end up buying any new clothes. Oh, well, that's good.

I think this guy cared about the golf around that much. Apparently, he shot well, too. So, I mean, it's not the golf around that much. Apparently he shot well too. So, I mean, let's, it's not the end of the world. You know, there's bigger things. There's bigger things going on.

I understand. I liked that it was light and he brought it up, but the more I'm thinking about it, we've spent too much time on it. You know what I mean? Like, yeah. Cause he's not like me where he can't stop himself from doing it. He did it one time and he can't sleep about it.

So I'd say it's better to be that guy than the guy who's like in park city utah buying his fourth fucking flannel so you know wow i think that guy's fine really don't like guys in park city that's not me i'm the guy i'm the guy in park city utah who buys a flannel every time i go i've been to sundance twice and i have four flannels okay see this is the thing with kyle is like we think we know him and then all of a sudden it's like oh i went to augusta and then the second time I was at Sundance, I've been to Sundance zero times every year. I'm like, I'm this is the year I'm going to go. And then I'm like, oh, that's another year I didn't go. Like, I'll forget. It kind of lines with the Superbowl. It's like sort of before it. And then it's like, well, can I go the week before and then go to the Superbowl? That doesn't seem

to make a ton of sense. Um, I'll show you around. What's your, what's your, yeah. What's your park city routine, Kyle? Uh, it's kind of a a lot of wandering because a lot of the bars are like pop-ups and i'm not even sure i totally understand the alcohol rules and i don't want to be like in a park city uh jail for like jaywalking i just i'm a little on edge in park city just because i feel like they're just different folk and i was at a bar last time i was there standing up and some woman who was like a local came up to me he's like just so you know you can't be standing up with a drink in your hand. And I was like, what?

She's like, yeah, you have to be seated. And I was like, oh man, I don't, I just left. I didn't know what to do.

Just drink at the apartment. You know, they show movies that week, right? Well, yeah, no, I've actually never been to one movie twice.

Went there twice, never went to one movie. I thought my Disney World stat was ridiculous. That I've been, I think, seven times and never gone into Disney World. Because I was always there for NBA stuff. And then one speaking engagement where I think everybody else canceled. And ESPN put me on a plane, like, immediately. And it was pretty funny.

It was Joe Namath. You've been to Sundance twice and you haven't seen a movie. Yeah. Joe Namath. You've been to Sundance twice and you haven't seen a movie. Yeah. But I've watched movies that came out because I saw advertisements at Sundance for them. So I was like, hey, this was at Sundance.

We should watch McMillions. Not a total loss for you. You go to Sundance to kind of educate yourself, plant the seed for art, and then you're like, all right, now I'll check it out. Are you busy? Were you doing other things because I feel like we did a couple stuff

yeah we did stuff you know we did stuff but you know it was really just like what's going on tonight where can you get me can't go to that one maybe I'll meet you at this one I heard Jon Hamm is going to be kicking it around smoke a cigarette with him did you smoke a cigarette with Jon Hamm yeah yeah my claim to fame one time

what did you smoke a cigarette with John Hamm? Yeah. Yeah. My claim to fame one time. What'd you guys talk about? Uh, I don't want to say it was awkward, but it was a little awkward. Did he know that you were Bill's nephew? Yeah, he was at the table.

Like I'm just sitting at this table with him. And then, uh, I went out to smoke a cigarette, came back and then he went out later. So I just was like, all right, well, it's time to smoke another cigarette.

Jon Hamm now. That's not a terrible story. That's good. So Sundance was at total loss, and he bought some flannels. So Rudy, obviously, that's what he does when he goes there. He shops for flannels. I love that you had no idea that you bought something to fix divots on a green. That's what it was, huh?

That's what it is. You thought it was a cool clip? You just liked the clip? I think I gave it to my dad who is a golfer. So that's... He knows what to do with it. So there you go.

Give the shirt to your dad. Okay, before we get to the next life advice, I did need to do what should be the last installment of the cushion thing. This is fascinating because I have a good friend

who's texting me about it. A lot of people are very excited about the cushion thing where I also, along with Kyle, have the emails. So we're seeing all the correspondence that I haven't read all of it about like, hey, here's what's happening. This is the follow-up. This is the plan. Okay, here's the final thing that I shared with you guys where we had somebody say, hey, it was me. I freaked out. You don't know them that well. After the first installment of the cushion timeline,

we had a lot of people emailing in saying it's the wife, it's the wife, it's the wife, right? You get a lot of Columbo's on the scene here saying it's the wife. And then I read the deal where the guy's like, hey, it's not my wife. She's a neat freak. I share that with everybody. People are like, it's the wife, it's the wife. I read the final installment, pretty convincing. We have a confession from another, one of the guys that was at the party and then the follow-up set up party. And people still emailed in or hit us up on Twitter being like, nah, it's still the wife. It's not about the cushion anymore. It's about us.

We hate changing our fucking minds about anything. I mean, this speaks to all of us right now in that I know I'm stubborn on certain things, but I also feel like there's things that I'm stubborn on that I've put a lot of work into, where there are other things I'm not stubborn on because I know deep down, yeah, you're not really as educated on this one as you'd like to be. So, you know, lay out. And because of the first part, I'm more willing to do the second part, which doesn't make me better. It's just that I know how ridiculous the first part of it is when it's about stuff that I'm very into.

But this is hilarious. Like guys are still emailing in being like, nah when it's about stuff that I'm very into. But this is hilarious. Like, guys are still emailing in being like, nah, it's the wife. It's like, no, no. You thought it was the wife and you were wrong and now you're like, nah, it's still the wife. After a confession, Saruti, after somebody said, no, this is

exactly what went down. Yeah, this is like watching Mayor of Easttown and denying the ending of the movie. Spoiler. I'm not going to spoil it. No, we're not spoiling it. I'm just saying denying

the end and be like, no, no, no. That person didn't do it. It's like, yeah, that's what let's do this. It'd be like watching Usual Suspects and be like, I still don't think it's him.

They're still waiting for the alternate ending. Yeah, like, I don't really think I don't think it's Spacey. I think he's fake. I think he actually really limps and he was faking not limping. Yeah. Like, eh, I don't really think, I don't think it's spacey. I think he was fake. I think he actually really limps and he was faking not limping.

Yeah. Pretty cut and dry. All right. Okay. Last one here for today. 5'9", 220, full dad bod. I look decent.

Good arms. Haven't benched in a while, but I think I'd be around 220 for a couple reps. I run three to six miles two to three times a week. But I definitely enjoy a beverage or two

and it shows in the midsection. Hey man, you're putting the miles down. Don't feel good about all of it. All right. I want to preface this by saying I know it may come across as cheesy, but I'm genuinely looking for advice.

Top Gun is my favorite movie of all time. Make sure you see the new Top Gun with Miles Teller. Top Gun is my new favorite movie or is my favorite movie of all time. So we're talking 86. And for with Miles Teller. Top Gun is my favorite movie of all time. So we're talking 86. And for those of you that are younger, like my co-hosts here,

also understand that when that movie came out and I was 10, it was people writing down like, yeah, you know, want to be a fireman or maybe a fighter pilot. People were convinced like, you know, I'd really like to go to pilot school because it was a big deal. That movie was a really big deal.

So you have to be a certain age to understand how big of a deal that movie was when it came out. Because there were kids, boys, and little girls both saying, yeah, I'd probably like to be a fighter pilot. And it'd be like 25% of the class would be saying it because of that movie. Alright, so there you go. So at my age, our guy's 38,

it's rare that I come across people that haven't seen Top Gun. Suri, have you seen Top Gun? I have. I didn't love it, but it's a different story for a different day, but I've seen it. You have seen it. Shocking. Kyle? Yeah, totally. Okay. You liked it? Yeah. There you go. All right. A couple underwhelming approvals here from the younger guys on the pod, but to be understood. All right. So

the wife of a couple of people we've recently become close with has never seen it. And upon finding this out, I jokingly, but also seriously said, we need to have a movie night and watch it together. Exclamation point. They came over for a hangout on Memorial day. And before that, lots of group thread texts were sent jokingly saying we were going to watch it together while the kids played and everyone was on board. But like I said, it was always super lighthearted and had a joke vibe to it, even though I was being semi-serious. They came over and we had a nice day and I'm good at reading rooms and I could tell everyone was praying I didn't make things awkward and suggest we watch Top Gun.

I made one super awkward, lighthearted joke to test the waters and instantly knew it wasn't happening. So, yeah, my question is, do I give up or do I try again? And if so, what advice do you have to make this happen? Once again, my son's middle name is Cruz. That's right. I left that part out. Right. Because Top Gun is my favorite favorite movie i have a legit

obsession with tom cruise my son's middle name is cruise my wife had a family name that was important for the first name and i obliged as long as i got cruise for the middle so he gave up the draft pick rights to the first name for the middle name to be named later and so he got cruise that was an important sentence to make sure everyone here in the audience understands the passion that our guy has here. All right. So two things stand out. One is the answer to this. No, fucking drop it.

Okay. Just drop it. It's a movie. Like you like it. Other people, one person hasn't seen it. It's, it's all right. Like this isn't a new vitamin here. It's a, it's a movie.

The other thing is, and I don't know if people are with me on this one. I think watching movies together at your house. I don't know if that's a movie. The other thing is, and I don't know if people are with me on this one. I think watching movies together at your house. I don't know if that's a thing. I think when you're younger, sure. Hey, throw in a movie, but married couples, I don't know that married couples get together and go to each other's houses to watch movies anymore. Does that happen? Cause there's like cuddling going on. Who knows what the rules are, but in general, wait, is this guy a swinger? You know what I mean? Do we see a pineapple out front? I think there's a lot of stuff here that has nothing to even do with Top Gun where I just would imagine a higher percentage of married couples would not be into going to another couple's house to watch a movie. I mean, unless you've got a sick home theater,

and I'm not just talking about 5.1 here, like we used to get excited about in the late 90s and early 2000s when i had a buddy that bought a zenith surround sound i think with five speakers and ordered the subwoofer and be like you gotta come over and listen to ransom like ransom is your choice for a good surround sound movie again this is late 90s so you gotta bear with us here so now um you know unless we're talking full theater seating lighting the whole deal and deal. You didn't bring that up. So, I mean, if this is just, hey, I'm going to throw on Top Gun, I guess digitally at this point, or maybe you have the DVD direct, I don't know,

and you're going to sit on the couch and then me and my wife are going to say, I don't think there's many couples that would even want to sign up for that unless you had some bootleg of the next Batman that hasn't come out yet. So, don't take it personally, and I'm not even talking about you, but to the art that that hasn't come out yet. So don't take it personally. And I'm not even talking about you, but to the art that is Tom Cruise and Top Gun. But I would let this one go. I mean, everything you've said,

you didn't say, hey, I'm semi-serious. You're 100% serious that you want these people. But the other thing that's going to be weird too is you're going to be watching Top Gun and you're going to be looking

at her evaluating whether or not she's appreciated. And you're going to be disappointed. You're going to be so disappointed Gun and you're going to be looking at her evaluating whether or not she's appreciated. And you're going to be disappointed. You're going to be so disappointed. Take it from here, guys. That's it. You're just going to be so disappointed. That's happened to me with Big Lebowski.

I tried to like multiple girlfriends was like, you got to see it. And they're fucking looking at the phone and there's an awesome joke. Walter's, you know, doing his thing and she's not getting the Donnie jokes and it's like, oh, you're wasting both of our time. And it's like, you don't want to be in that position. These are the big Lebowski Urban Achievers. Oh, so these are his kids? Yes.

Well, his children. Oh, so, okay. So he's pretty cool. Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead, Cerruti. No, Kyle absolutely nailed it. You are going to be bummed out because you're going to be watching the movie

through that other person. And when they don't laugh at something that you think is hysterical, it's going to bum you out. And I think it's a bad move to push your taste onto other people. Unless you're really close, unless it's like a sibling or something.

But if you're going to be like, hey, you have to listen to this album, you have to watch this movie and then to listen or watch it with that other person, you're going to be disappointed 99% of the time. Yeah, taste pushers can get real annoying. I've done it a few times. You know, somebody you really like, a band you really like, but then you just realize, you know what? The music thing was always hilarious with the roommates. Because it'd be like, if one guy that was like, he was identified as the guy that really liked that band. Like if one guy really liked Widespread, then he would kind of be the Widespread guy.

But he would want other people to appreciate it. But then it'd be weird if like another guy who knew Widespread later because of the first roommate, then liked Widespread even more and comes back to fall semester. He's like, yeah, I saw him three times this summer. It was awesome. And now that guy's more of a widespread guy than the first guy was, then that builds animosity. So taste pushing in general, despite the fact that we all probably do it to a certain degree, whether it's a new town, like, oh, you got to check out this town. I'm a weirdo about Burlington, Vermont. I'll be like, oh, you got to go to Burlington. No,

no, go to Burlington. Did you love it? I did it to Cerruti not that long ago. I was like, oh my God, you're going to Burlington. Here's a list of a million things you want to do. I'm not a huge assist vacation guy. And for that one, I try to put some time into it, even try to set them up. But granted, there was some COVID restrictions still in place. So he wasn't going to get access to all the stuff that he normally could. And I'm not even telling you to not taste push. I think what I'm saying is when you taste push, don't be disappointed when the person doesn't get as hooked on it as you are. Isn't it great when it works out too? Like Deadwood. You guys know about

Deadwood? I'm doing it right now. You guys watch Deadwood on HBO? You're going to love it. Thank me later. I mean, I've heard it's great, but that's about it. It's also like 15 years old. Okay. Ian McShane at his best. I don't really know how you're going to argue with that. No, Deadwood's great.

Deadwood's great. Everybody should check it out. Deadwood's one of those shows where I've heard a dozen people tell me how good Deadwood is, and I just don't know. I just don't know if I'll ever get to it, but maybe Kyle will push me over the top.

Who knows? Nice. But Van Pelt's a taste pusher in that he has to be the first that samples it. Oh, that guy. But then if you like it... Van Pelt still hasn't watched the wire and he's from baltimore granted he didn't probably grow up where most of the show

was shot but i would have thought he would have appreciated val check's accent or whatever and just the the reference of some of the things and he's like oh the wire the wire the wire everybody likes the wire. The wire is so good. We're like, you know what? In this case, it actually is that good. So you're denying yourself five seasons of arguably

the greatest show that was ever on television. And it still actually holds up a little bit if you can get past the lack of technology advancements because back then they were telling the story

based on wiretaps and stuff that wouldn't be as relevant today. Pay phones, ever heard of them? But Van Pelt would resist it. Van Pelt was a just say no to new tastes, no matter what. But then if he was on something early, then he would be like, Breaking Bad's the greatest thing ever. And he was like the Breaking Bad guy at the office.

And you were like, yeah, Breaking Bad's awesome. You know what else? He likes The Wire. I'm like, oh, I don't want to watch it. I bought him. I gifted him the first season. Apple TV. Like, buy it for

here's your email. I'll be like, hey, did you check your email? I bought you the first season of The Wire. Done and done. He was like, oh, I got to check. I don't know. I don't think the email went through. I just wasted $20. I wasted $20 trying to be like, hey, I already did it all for you. Just hit this link and now you're going to have it on your iPad. And when you're on a flight, you can now, like, you know

how downloads work, right? You're aware of the internet. We had it here for about a couple decades. And he was like, yeah, I can't, I can't figure it out or something. So he's never watched it. And I don't care. This is going to get back to him and we're going to have him on again soon. We were talking last week. It's, I get not wanting to be as into something as somebody else is, but then there are times where you're just being stubborn for no reason and you're only punishing yourself. So I think we got it Thursday podcast. And also remember email lifeadvicerr at gmail.com put fitness or writing or

both, but don't get greedy about the next life advice guests that we're going to have on. And we will talk to you with, uh, James Posey Thursday, potentially. And we're going to have Luke Wilson on where he has a new movie coming out, but I'd rather talk about bottle rocket for the entire time. So I try to do as much of that as I can.

That'll be Thursday. Outro Music