Interview with Jerry West: Part 2

No, not come on.

On this episode of the Heat Check. It's part two, Part two of the logo interview with Jerry fucking West, and my goodness, the logo does not disappoint if you did not listen to part one.

First of all, what are you doing with your life?

Second of all, just put the headphones in because the audio is a little not as clear as I am right now. In this interview, Jerry West gives his opinion on everything from the greatest team in NBA history, which is an absolute shock, how he would construct a roster around Lebron James from absolute scratch.

And that what everyone wants to know.

Right.

Every single person said, you wouldn't, you couldn't. He probably didn't. I asked him about winning time.

Have to ask him about winning time.

If you think I wasn't gonna ask about that, fam, I wait to the very last bit.

But we got there.

I'll repeat the caveat for the first interview. Due to the nature of Summer League, not a ton of quiet places to sit down. We ended up sitting inside of a Starbucks. One little another aside. So we're at the Starbucks, right, and there's this guy in front of us and We're waiting in line to get food. I'm getting like an iced tea. He's getting his little muffin and his hot coffee.

You're my absolute idol. Could you take a photo? Can we take a photo together?

Blah blah.

So I take the photo of them and he goes. The patron goes, can I buy you guys your breakfast? And I go and I look at him and I go, why would you buy this wealthy guy?

I got no, this is what I said.

I say, why would you buy his rich ass food?

And Jerry starts like he's like, no, that's not necessary, It's all good.

And Jerry looks at me and he goes, I'm not rich, and I go, you're not and he goes, I'm wealthy. Yes. Yes. As a result, the audio has a lot of background noise from the Starbucks and the conference that I talked about, the Live Your Purpose conference, which a lot of.

People were living their purpose. That was a tech.

Conference by the way, not sure how that's possible. This interview has been edited for time and clarity. I will introduce each topic for highlighting purposes, additional context for what Jerry says, because I mean, there's a ton of nuggets.

That you just might not catch.

So let's go drop.

So I've spoken to Jerry about this before, the change and evolution in the game, the over abundance of threes.

I know he's not a fan.

The question is how do I get him to say he's not a fan? I thought I would ask him about it for this podcast. His answer did not disappoint, but as an added bonus to me asking like, hey, me and you have joked about this before, what do you think about you know, the over emphasis. It leads into this fascinating discussion about who he believes is the most dominant team in NBA history. Just let's stop right here.

This just never happened.

This just doesn't look at every list, It just doesn't happen.

Almost everyone else mentions.

The eighty six eighty seven Lakers as a top five team in NBA history, But Jerry West prefers the eighty seven eighty eight team, which is the team that repeated, which is the team who traded.

For former number one overall.

Pick Michael Thompson. That is the difference in the roster Michael Thompson. In order to get Michael Thompson, they gave up two first round picks and two players for him. Pat Riley as soon as the trade got announced, he came in and said all kinds of amazing things about what he thought Michael Thompson was going to do for this team. He came in to back up Kareem. This is what pat Riley said about Thompson. Michael Thompson's more

With four number one overall.

Picks on the team. This is the pinnacle of showtime. With Magic at the height of his powers, Kareem is still a force in his second to last year, and it is a roster full of stars. So if you're not on Google looking it up, because I had to do the same. James Worthy's on this team Hall of Famer average twenty points per game on fifty three percent shooting. Byron's Scott is on this team average twenty two points

Kurt Rambis.

We know Kurt Rambis, friend of the show, Kurt and Linda Hardeno's player who ended up winning four titles with the Lakers and Ac Green from Portland, Oregon, confirmed Player All Star who won titles with Magic and Kareem and and.

Kobe and Shack.

The team ran the fast break better than anyone in history. Still, though, could also run the half court offense better than almost anyone else's well through Kareem and Thompson.

Teammate look not on paper.

As fast as other teams in history, but listen when they got out into transition and they wanted to run, it looked like they were all looking to pr for their forty meter dash. They were sprinting. They were impossible to keep up with. Getting the ball in the block to Kareem, of course, allowed them to slow things down,

Fascinating stuff.

Tyl Lou, for those who don't know, came back and beat the Mavericks after they look cooked, and then beat the met and then beat the Jazz after being down twenty five points in the third quarter of Game six.

Many people know Tylou for.

Being Lebron James's coach coming back from three to one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Other historians know Tylu for being on the floor when Ai stepped over him. Jerry West, the Laker executive, drafted Tylo, so there's a long standing relationship here.

The thing that.

Strikes me about this is this piece is that the there's an admission that the Clippers should have been dogshit last year. He is shocked that they won as many games as they did. He is shocked that they even sniffed the playoffs considering how many injuries this team had. Let's talk about it. Kawhi was gone for the year and Paul George. If you had to ask yourself, how many games do I think Paul George played last year?

How many?

Was it.

Thirty one games?

At eighty two? He is legit shocked at the Lakers that the Clippers scrapped and scraped to get forty two wins, just five games less than they had last year with both superstar players. So listen to where Jerry rinks ty Lou in the coaching hierarchy of today's NBA and why Tylu was one of the ones who ran a player off the floor.

We saw it in the Utah series, but they were down.

I want to say three to one.

That series against the Mass and that series against Utah was the series where I really said to myself, Okay, I was incredibly wrong about Tyle Lou because the brand or the.

Reputation was Okay, he had.

Lebron, Lebron and Kyrie, but his coaching against the Mass and his coaching against the Jazz was really impressive.

Well, he's simply one of the best coaching moves people don't know yet and playing for.

Him just like okay, he's not afraid. He believes and Lais believes him. And I want to say when people talking about coaches.

Who THEFA would like three in the league this coaching the more importantly he the fantastic guys, which is so easy to be around. When more importantly he's so smart and he has a great, great way about him employer as you know, he's not that old and I drafted him that I in Los Angeles and he's.

Just the bullbop that he's trying. But I feel fortunately he's.

All the fun.

We'd have a end region.

Such of your two the best players you know here, it's amazing that we won with the mini games.

Do you have a favorite Tylo story that sort of highlights and personifies him?

I do, but I can't talk about I have a lot of them ventified.

You know, a lot of someone for some reason, he's got a different personality.

And he can be really funny.

He also be very part and there's a lot of things that you know, you talk about always not the best slang leasions of player, but he's he's easy to be around. He really expect I don't have.

Here.

In the middle of describing what makes Tyl so special, he also takes time to fire shots at the play in tournament, the play in.

Which I don't like at all.

I think it's an in horrible mistur because you know, you can take one game and.

The side of season you wor it of work. I just don't like it.

And I'm sure if you missed it probably doesn't want to give them the senate that.

I just think it's worthless to me.

And the danger and the danger is that these teams are flowed over year and the label year.

If you get a couple of injuries or you can't, they can't play for a couple of.

The gamer one game you decide you see it that's gonna be and I just don't.

I don't like it. I just think I don't know what the concept.

Is legit hilarious.

The funniest thing about this clip is how Jerry answers the question about how far the Clippers could have gone last year in the playoffs, considering, I think it's pretty wide open, the fact that the MAVs got the fact that the Suns were exposed, the fact that the Warriors broke through, the Bucks got injured. Seemed like the Clippers had a real shot if they were healthy, right. He humbly talks about really how it doesn't matter because we

Nothing you can do to stop them.

I E.

Kawhi, I E.

Paul George, kind of a subtle like, yeah, I think we could have gone deep. He also addresses whether Kawhi could have come back in the playoffs if they would have made the playoffs, and Paul George didn't get COVID and they didn't lose to the Pelicans. And finally, whether Kawhi is any different than the outside world views him, considering that they have a very good relationship, really insightful,

Do you think last year, given how wide opening was.

Well, I'm not sure if it's wide open.

This was a really good team, but I will say this through a thick and pan last year they found the way.

Then it's as hard in the playoffs and there's more cloches from the pages. They have a chance to see and.

Play, and half the time is there're just defenders are waiting on it. And if you have those truly great players, it doesn't make any difference. They still be waiting on me and they were being player and so and that's why I've hurt Nuncle Hamton's best player players.

I mean, you know, it's only a guess I'll find out of you. Look at that. To me, it's a hand of yut thread which they didn't work out that.

Was there a scenario if there was a long playoff run that Kawhi could have come back in the playoffs.

I'm pretty sure he could. I'm sure sure he could.

And to hit him obviously get him back is like a god said, and uh, he wasn't and we didn't get there, so we'll never know.

You mentioned that people misunderstand you. Do you think that people misunderstand Kawai as well?

Do you think he's different than the outside world sees him. No, he's the same.

I love for what he's he's a basketball player, okay, and just watching him work out and see how serious he is.

So he's not as playful as as you.

Oh, I'm much more placy. Yeah, but I'm much crazier him. He has a much greater focus working out on his own.

But you know he's if you're around him when he first came there, and obviously.

You know I wasn't running the team, but I go to crackers of him an all time. You know, you're just trying to rewatch and you watch and watch and you probbabs, you can appreciate, You watch the greatness that he has as a player, but you you wanted sometimes you know why doesn't he happening.

Well, he's been there. I have had the pleasure of getting to know him a little bit better, and.

It's impossible not to be in fatiated. And he's got a wide censored human or he's a probe he really did.

The thing about this clip that was so interesting, not only in the fact that the Clippers weakness was passing last year and that was the admission, is that when describing John Wall, Jerry says that John Wall is a great guy, but his reputation around those who cover the league is not that he has been known to be someone that pundits take shots at for being too self focused or who knows. So I wanted to get at

Done or that move would get made last year.

What does he bring to the team.

Well, he fan's another guy that looked like to play basketball. He can get in the lane you find our three point shooters. It's probably weakness in our team last year.

Passing he would give us in upgrade and being able to attack with the basket.

And he's a good guy.

Okay, he loves to play and we're just hoping that he can stay healthy. Watching him work out, he looked fantastic, great ja he's bringing.

He's been working out out the year.

That would be a pretty good vacation to make that kind of money and not get a chance to play.

I would have liked it much. It would have been probably of four thousand.

You mentioned.

Great guy. And he's a polarizing figure too. There's been people who have said things about him and I don't know that they necessarily know him. Well, why do you think there's this, like, I don't know, disparity in terms of the opinion on him as a as a guy.

You know what, I don't see it any people the same thing and what you got and may have.

Been clear the rumor from.

An unknown silist bes we see all the find I always they would identify the Solmsons times it just has not.

That's not who he is. Is that who we've seen about that players really like him. A lot of our players know him. And so a player comes somewhere, Uh have you re checked the players? I mean protect the ones to know him.

And while we've heard of the good things and all, I can go and say, just what your I see that that moment is how you know know about that?

And who's just again, you're really good for us right now? So it's not just starting to see them.

We will starts because this is a powerful team, the Clippers, that thouleful team in the note all.

Right from one to ten team.

I did not say just it's the team for any team on the That doesn't mean we're the best team.

But I would not play for any.

Game or let you think they're the deepest team.

That's why I say three third finger. Yeah, yes, I see.

So this question was out of left field, no segue, There was no connection to him or the Clippers or anything. I just wanted to know, how do you build a roster around Lebron James If it's you, Jerry West, and all you have is Lebron?

What do you do? How do you best set them up for success?

How do you build around him in a way that makes your team more likely to win a championship but also accentuates.

What makes Lebron so great? Pretty simple, awesome stuff from Jerry.

I'm curious about Lebron and him as a style of player. Obviously dominant, that's been said, But if you have Lebron on your team and no one else, what do you think is the best way to build a roster around someone like him or him specifically.

Again, yeah, if you look at him, I think it makes him to you the more he's already missed his game, called that he's one of the smartest players have never player in the game. I think he's better with an open court. I would try to have a team that shooting, I could run. People can run, and that's names that you play that's taken.

Attacking round and he's going to pick out people to run.

That's beams really dominant.

And sometimes when you get involved down in a half fullt if you have another player playing with him and you know, let's say you're because he's so worthily moved on other players.

You're playing up front when you win. I think that's hurts you a little bit.

You think it would be better in the block.

Oh no, no, right, no, penates fates and say because the size and the fastest ability, he's one of the three greatest players in the player.

He's gonna have taunting figure, he's gonna break every record in this layer and he's someone that greatly amount of person like I do. Uh, it's hard to do what he's done. But he cares about the building, cares about women, who's rhythmed to take care of himself. When you ever hear anything bad about him, Yeah, he is a content.

But it's guys not necessarily point guards because he plays that, but combo guards that can shoot the three and also handle and pass and kind of kind of. That's that long, versatile defender that you guys like that.

The Toronto likes somebody challenge.

Yeah, that's a challenge because the problem is with the team on him. They're usually drafting very low. Yes, they don't get in any areas they can find on those players. They doesn't have to be in the top ken. They should do more later than half. Really second rate and might find a player like that and hopefully that will happen. That's a.

Little thing.

Yeah, it's interesting.

Rosters with him on it look different than other rosters that people construct, just because of all the unique things that he can do.

Well, you put you know, you put him with players that are where he didn't every night just have it. Doesn't have it a scoring roll. He know a lot better than well. And people don't realize how wearing and how dependent the people have come home and go.

They just take him some granted, and so he does it every night and he's you need but some might some heights with roses. How hard you trying to screw it? Some nights you just can't. You can't make the shots if you normally make. And he's only been to score because he's gonna blaw files and get him the three film. But he's a player that.

Really greatly am that you've been brilliant for so long and.

Guy Christou says he's had he's had to say he's gonna drink all the records.

He's been there for a number of year. Gene. That's the amazing tribute, if not only to his play, but doing.

So a little behind the scenes here.

So before I ask this question, and I'm a little hesitant in asking it, so I'm a little long winded in getting there.

So I'm trying to get him to address Winning Time. I'm trying to figure out way to do that.

And I've had lunch with Jerry a few times, and I've been out with them socially as well, and I've never seen him drink, not one time, not once. So to me, it was really fascinated that Winning Time made him look like an alcoholic, just made him look like a guy who throws his trophy through his office window and that he's at the bar getting fucked up meeting his future wife. Crazy shit, I was because I saw a Winning Time after we met extremely sus at this depiction.

What a turn. Did not expect this.

By the way, gotta remember we're about an hour and a half into this interview and he is cooking. One of the craziest things that I saw and that I've known about you for a long time is that you don't drink. And I'm pretty sure correct me if I'm wrong that you've never had well.

You know, as I say, I don't say, I don't mean it, okay, but there have never any alcohol in the family.

Might if I drink after me my night have a block in time.

But I'm not gonnath at all. Like I don't like that it does to any if I'm not, I just.

Don't like it.

Ring I was around their family and my father smo heavily. There's no way that I.

Can smoke anything and listen, I'm not appropriate others I'm going to get pro fascinated because there's things I've just woke the doer.

Yeah, I'm not going to I'm not gonna. Yeah, some people don't, I'm really honest, and some people don't. MENTIONINGEDI with that, that's.

An interesting question.

So, how do you balance that being brutally honest in a talent evaluation role when people are kind of like there's another industry out there to try to.

Make things out to be bigger than they are.

What do you do?

You just don't care.

Social media and particularly these people can get on us the hair and criticize players and next day they'll come back and.

Kiss and make up. I don't like them, but they do it for the people. Will they're free ad contubable. Some of these players are not concidency doing you all who deal?

And you know I've watched this year sent things written about the field god players.

And the owner. They are why you're not going to change you right? This is who they are. And I think it's got to be embarrassing going away.

What is it hard for you knowing that you're brutally honest?

Does that impact and you're also a relationship oriented person?

How do you balance those two things?

Well, you know somebody will come up. We'll say to you, you know I want to know this, okay, And I said, look, this is only my opinion. You and me tell you what you want to hear, or.

If you want to tell you what I think and sometimes I want to tell you what I think about what I t I said, it's not a reflect when you re reflection on how you can get better, not only as a player, but as a person, how.

You can interact with people that how people will.

Be a more accepting of you.

I said, the most astarming thinking will I think it's a smile and yeah, I just I'm pretty simple.

I'm very pretty simple.

And I don't think it's kind of a life in this league today. It's almost forgotten to company. It's the excessive amount of publishing, the excessive now content.

About the players that are in our league, and I'm not always looking something to do longer thy.

W D stand it's ridiculous.

And some of the people on the air and who i'll watch ex players, players who's accomplished basically nothing you talking about the game in their opinion.

When I play, I've been talking about how I play. It was a completely different area the day of saying well, I thought, I've got to be my meaning.

Though I'm older, reading reading things that are meanings, of reading about history, reading about people who have inspired I say, even though I'm battle the person that's terrible, I do care about people are and some people and NBA players, the players and others wore.

I want to feel like if.

Everyone crazy when they're with their franchise and the next second they trade him, and.

Well, you know you're just a numbers. We want to see you.

As I mentioned, players have places where they want to go with today, and you know they want anyone seemingly wants to go to a big market.

I'm gonna go to the place where I can win. I suppose you're good enough. If you're good inough, they can help a lot more money if your own team than you came if you have a tall Also, some places where you go.

And everything looks great, you get there and you'll find out there's not good.

Why does it work? Just get around?

Oh well there's a couple of a lot of different Well we don't go. If you heard that, just out just looked the other good when those people.

Are I don't go.

Over the years, I've learned why.

I think crush if I'll use that to discussed plus crush just sell anything.

And there's been some trust in my life have been betrayed, and I don't do you know where I have it like it.

I'm just frankly that bother here it is, folks here, it is. What did Jerry West think about winning Time?

When I saw that HBO series, I wondered, did they get anything right?

It's not like they got pretty much everything.

But I really don't I really don't want to find them. Uh there's a complete line. It's a complete line they have if forgetting me. Okay, yeah, we're getting me. I don't care what any other says.

I'm not going to right exactly now.

I don't know those people. I don't want to know the dir any money. Yeah, but that was disgraced for a lot of people.

And uh then for some reason, I would details any case that means a feeling good story.

That was the start of an era in Los Angeles, and Gary Blessed the others made the Lakers for years the most popular being intent and to.

Me to find the story that about detroying the people who were involved in it. It's very of time. That's this place.

I love the concept of an owner to say, let's just do whatever it takes to win.

When I look and.

Read about that time, that's the thing that sticks out is just how rare and special and hard it is for owners.

To do that different.

The team today we have immensely don't be in this of course, because they won an young profession. They don't understand how hard the time.

They don't. They think it's easy. The more money is sad, it's not gonna do it. Sometimes people spend a lot of money and they're hopefully losing. They're not going to get better.

And once it gets kind of stuck in the middle, if you don't find a way to get out of there, you're gonna be a younger.

Okay, he retire that because every you'll lead is looking every team in the way.

Look what happens when they leave a great player from some franchise that just began to give a numbers and frustrating for the fans.

Uh every neumerous social fos in the draft can be but it's uh pleasing, and I wouldn't then we don't answer to him.

They don't know. I do believe in ownership of lot. We've been to you, We've been involved with floor owners and I in the n H on this side kind of. Wilber's really been a fan of the house. And I think the lucky stars you can leave them in the help you have anything wrong with today? Who is the most amazing man I've ever seen, an abod who was just when the league individual who was a giver the work, and he and his wife do some of the public clock ex cantime. There's a name when he is a great man.

He is a great man at so at this point in my life and this is life, you know, this is kind of my entire lower at the end of the day.

And I've had a chance to get to Turner like playing.

During US, like during US long figurating US and the oldys.

Never like a man who keeping above.

Time and get at a little quieter for sure. And Steve is a little bit more lambastic, but fantastic and I feel a freaking me.

My favorite thing that he did was He's like, I'm not going to comment on that, and then he just proceeded to comment and comment and comment some more.

He was very honest, very open to the core. You could tell he's not happy about it. We'll just say that. So to close up this interview, I wanted to ask.

Jerry about what I heard whispers of, which is that there's a standing room only section that's going to be put in the new Clippers arena to create an atmosphere very cheap tickets, an atmosphere of the student section in college basketball, to create a real home court advantage, and to make it volatile for opposing teams. Heard about it, I'm like, this is awesome, So I asked him about it.

He tell me, I don't know anything about basketball. I should be fine.

Lastly, you told me about something that's happening to the new arena, a really cool feature that is going to add to the fan experience.

Tell me about that if you can.

Well.

Steven, yeah, he's you know, he he doesn't do things, but just to great monkey. Yeah he doesn't. He wants the fanings here, and there's gonna be a hold of each you a lot of blue. See it's gonna hold be a whole section of it. Sets. Yeah, it's a good seed any mo.

And I promise you let me if they're with And again the prices ipe what they were going to row age and I said, oh my.

God, I said this is this would be fun and college like rappers, so they'll.

Be reasonable reasonable crisis the.

Low reasonship a low reason and in some of these places he's going out and floor suits in particular, and how razy.

That's what people will do to have the received. And after I can said demand, people are going to be.

Seen and they want to put you down there and hopefully someone will run over them and I'll hurt them and they'll have a picture of it.

For there's that book. I don't even like to fir Sea. You can't see the game, but people who like to be close.

To the action, they like to hear a little law language of times and the facial expression.

Of it that man, I just say, it's selling. Disagree there. It will be amazing and it's gonna be a nasty plays for people.

Walt Aner, this are really close to the four I remember when stateful first over them, I said, oh my god, want people, it's so far in the action.

Then at four of the one time may the best place to watch the basketball game? We so close and four, But it really didn't work financier because the even.

More revenue maintaining players, and also it enhances the value of the franchise.

And as I say, this is a different NBA than you've seen them the floor. It'll be different five years from now, but it's still and it's very simple.

The game very safety, and that's that's gone to the charge.

And if you don't stand the whole time, you get kicked out right.

I'm not sure. I'm not sure what the policy is, but I'm sure that's what we steve. We'll be up there with me half the time.

So yeah, that'll be fun. I appreciate you. I hope you get another ring.

I'm not sure.

I don't.

You really don't mean a lot to me. I'll have a few.

I don't even know where they are.

I'm gonna say that you don't even know where the rings are, Like you don't know, it's not in the safe somewhere.

They're just gone, like in a random drawer.

So I mean somewhere okay, and you know they're they're fun, you're hard to get and hopefully every.

Team employer or what if binyam on that's that's a great.

Truths Cherry West.

You have been gracious and fun and insightful, and I have taken up way too much of your time.

Of course, I always great to see you. You know, you have a unique personality and it's fun to be around.

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