MJGMB #123: LeBron James and 90s Nostalgia with Travonne Edwards

Well, well, well, it turns out that Lebron guy actually really good at basketball. Still, the age truly is nothing but a number.

I guess I still need to see more. I still need to see more.

Man, Yeah, I'm gonna watch this in two thousand and three. Keep my eye. Let's see what happens here, and we're gonna be talking Team USA kicking off are what we are very excited to talk about our Nineties Hoop series because, as you know, lovers of nineties basketball, this was some of some of our greatest memories are tied up to the players of this era, and we're gonna be discussing that as well as news and notes from around the

Gray and I'm Jack O'Brien and this is my Jack Maddy.

Got it looka hits ten, Kay's spinning.

Blocks, got it with five? Is gonna try another three? Mister, look on James to be honest with the t look a no show?

Time? What you go? Honest?

Ryan Edwards, host of the Black Opinions Matter podcast, Coming Home Podcast, uh high school and college basketball player.

Well, welcome, thank you, thank you, thank you, man, I like y'all did some research. I was I was about to say, they're gonna throw some more stuff.

Yeah, you know is very own, you know what I mean, like up in here, which was like but it's like stuff the very cursory. It's like and a guy wearing a team USA Jersey. What else do I know about you?

Yeah?

No, to be fair, that's my that's my dream interview right there, nar War because he's gonna walk some crazy nuggets.

Every time, like it is weird, just as has anybody ever Ardar.

Oh yeah, I'm sure.

Someone right, somebody.

Well, I think he ended up getting like somebody end up getting him a gift from his mom and he's like started crying and ship.

But it was like wow, like yeah they I don't know, they probably need to see that.

Yeah, it was pretty cool.

I want to say Denzel Curry, but I'm not sure. I don't want to.

Seems like something Zelle would do that feels like something with it firmly within his wheelhouse. But yeah, you earlier before he came on, I saw your tweet you know, we've got to pull up the street and said today just might be an air Force one day. They're not black on black Air Force ones? Are they?

Sadly they are not an air Okay, it was not an Air Force. One day I had to reevaluate my outfit.

I really wanted it to happen, but I went to with the skeptic tel Wind.

Whoa, Yeah, this the last joint stept that did with Nike before he went over to Wool. But you know, you know I worked, I worked at Wide and Kennedy, so this is a Nike household.

Yeah yeah.

And then I was going with the you know, the you know Man's national soccer team Jersey and yeah, you know.

Yeah for sure, although you bring in the UK, you know, the North London man into the scene. Hey, can you give me those? Can you give me those? Kept the ninety sevens as on the side.

Just I wish I was a plug man. You know, every person I know.

Who's at White and I always I have to be I shoot my shot with every time. But anyway, thank you so much for joining us. I mean, where should we start? Should we start with Team USA? Should we start with talking some nineties?

Jack?

What do you think? Where do we start this off?

I mean, let's go nineties? Yeah, yeah, it's the it's the segment that we've been talking about getting ready for all off season. That's time to go.

Uh yeah, I mean every time. I think every time we've had a guest and we put them in the hot seat, we say, let's add some names to some nineties players that we want to talk about. So you're the first guest. We said, here's the menu. Who are some players that you want to like or who are some players you want to discuss? You said, Okay, some of my picks from this group are Nick the Quick Fan actual Saint Nick Van Excellent, Anthony Penny Hardaway, Yes,

Very honestly by Terrell Brandon man Oh the TV Yeah yeah.

Yeah, Brandon's name doesn't get brought up that much. So you're a fan of the pure point guard that too.

But TV is responsible for me to pick up the ball. So I got to show love, you know what I'm saying, Like he's a part of my my hoop journey.

Wow.

So you're from l A. I'm guessing you have your mind right and you are a Lakers fan.

I'm not. I'm not. Uh well, as of the draft. I'm an Orlando Magic fan. I let NBA Twitter decide my team. I was, I was.

I was a very longstanding Chicago Bulls fan since nineteen ninety one.

Wow.

Why what happened? Though? Yeah, Lakers Bulls. I just was being a little jerk.

Bj Armstrong fan. I love Bill carry Wright fan.

I love vj Armstrong, Judge Bosler, Randy Brown, you know. Yeah, I mean you came to the usual entry ways to we never.

Recovered since ninety ninety ninety eight, by the way, So I mean, I mean, you know, Mike retiring, and then we got the Corey Benjamin's and the AJ guidance and the colleague you know, you know, the Pete Myers replacement, things like that, you know, just as good.

Yeah, Little Joy.

With Jamal Crawford and the Derrick Rose years and the baby Bulls Captain Kirk and Ben Gordon. I mean, the list goes on, even the Eddie Robinson years. I mean, I've been down so wow.

So so yeah. So, I mean, let's let's start off with the first name on this, Nick van Axl. You're at the time, you're living in l A. Yeah, you're a Bulls fan, but I think I think for most people who saw Nick van Axel played, there was something very intriguing about him, like from his style. I remember wanting so bad to put two parts in my eyebrow, and my mother would never let that happen.

I did it, but I did it?

Did it?

Yeah?

I was gonna say, there's there's something intoxicating about Nick van Axels, So like, what's how did you? Why did why? Why is this the first name on your list for you? Personally?

He just had swagged me man, Nick Nick. You know what I'm saying.

I got a chance to meeting to like four years ago, but Nick, everybody was on Eddie Jones.

I don't know why.

Like Eddy Jones was dope, right, Yeah. It was like before Gail Good start stripping on the twenty five. Yeah yeah, right at that time, stripping on his retired number.

No, What's like, why y'all let him wear it? Then? You know what I mean?

That was like the case, you know what I mean, Like he should have been six, but everybody was going on to Eddie, you know, the Eddie Jones train, And I was just like, this's post Jordan retirement, you know, I'm saying, It's like ninety four, So I'm like, oh, quick, man, you know what I mean.

He nice. He doing the bounce, going dimes. He was dunking at the time.

For the all people that don't know Nick Arnason could dunk a little bit before you know, his knees got all jacked up and start wearing the two knee braces in the high socks.

But he was just so smooth and he was just old to me, man like, he really was just nice.

And that was the only time, like when Jordan retired, that was my like free agency of like rooting being a fan of the players. So that's when I picked up the Jakre rookie year. I wanted to get the Dallas Mavericks starter jersey.

I watched Champion Jersey.

I had that.

So that's all Jake kids in the Mids.

But I was just I had that freedom when Mike was away to root for other players, tame with Penny Hardaway, so like all those other guys came from like Mike's.

Came from the retired vacuum. Yeah that was left when Mike.

Yeah, it was like go ahead, you can get judge free and.

Go yeah, yeah, have fun whatever you like. I mean yeah, he was, so I just remember there was this like just grittiness to him as a player, especially when like our last great, you know, we're like, you know what, after Magic, We're like, who's like the next great? Like, you know, Lakers point guard and you get Nick van Exel, who like almost felt like like a street ball player, kind of like the way he played and his whole attitude. And I just remember Del Harris always getting mad at him.

I was.

I saw like this interview with Kobe when someone asked him like, you know who who, like who'd you get done by like first that when you got to the Lakers, and he thought about and he's like Nick van Exel, like at the time, he kept doing you reach I teach kind of thing, and he's like, but then after about five days, I realized you couldn't go right. And then I figured him out, and I was like oh.

Oh yeah, yeah, I mean he was lefty that he's like one of the most iconically lefty people in my mind. He's the opposite of Tony Parker.

Yeah yeah yeah, and big hands too, like though he was bombing the ball like all the time, just doing yeah.

Very He had that one behind the back pass on the breakaway where there's like two people in front of him and he went behind his back but two so he went behind his back on it with his left hand to his left side right. But it was like so weird that it like froze the defenders in front of him. It was pretty cool. You should you should check it out. I think it was. Yeah, it was against the Jazz in ninety five, I guess pretty yeah.

Another question we should ask alongside this because for people, I think a lot of players, like a lot of younger people are aware of these names, but few of them actually see really like like a five second clip doesn't really give you like the understanding of a player. What do you you know? Like for people who are hearing this saying, oh, Nick van Exel, like what what why? Why do they need to care? From your perspective, like why go find some longer form highlights of Nick Van Exel.

I think realistically, all those OG players that probably didn't get the love that they deserve, they did it first.

You know what I'm saying.

They inspired the next gen, you know what I mean, Like you don't get Irish and you don't get these type of guys that have you know, you don't without a Kenny Anderson with all they you know, Chris Jackson, my moved out.

Do you know what I mean? For for others?

But you know what I mean, like you don't you don't lot. Like again, I'm shocked that Thrill Brandon got shouted out, you.

Know what I mean.

Chelnsea Billips was like yo, when I was at the bottom of the barrel of my career. You know, TV is the one who showed me how to be like a pro, you know what i mean. Like there's just certain people that just the unsung heroes that like really were like that. Like most people scream John Stockton. I screamed Mark Price. So it just it just it just depends,

And I think that's just like the toolest thing ever for me, more than anybody else.

By your account, just throw his money around. Legally, I can't contact him anymore. Just a misunderstanding with the court, you know what I mean. But he knows I'm a big fan, you know what I mean. I do anything to Brandon.

Do you remember the Sports Illustrated where the cover was the best point guard in the NBA and it was Trell Brandon like and that that was like a real controversial statement. Clean have here, right, Yeah, when he was with the with the Cavs.

I remember that because his I remember this this cover because he was like I was like, didn't quite inspire the most confidence, like when you're posing that question. But I get it.

I think it's probably hard to market him too, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, this is a goddess five or eleven.

You know, No, there was an implied who in the like on the cover, like because he was not even top like ten most famous point guards all the time, but he he was doing people up and you know, his assist to turn over I feel like was the thing that everybody pointed too.

He was just.

Great. He's one of the greats. Yeah, yeah, I think you're right. He doesn't get get shouted out quite as much. We also have a couple of big what ifs on your list with Penny hart Away and grand Hill first three years.

Man, they were supposed to be the ones, you know what I mean, Like unfortunately Penny couldn't you know, he ended up you know, he finally got a chance to tell his story about what really happened as far as his knees and rushing back too fast. Brant Hill damn near having a hole in his ankle, you know what I mean, Like that, that stuff is like kind of unheard of where you damn near suit of medical.

Staff and the team, you know what I mean. Yeah, like them things.

Were kind of misread and misquoted and all those things. You're just like, ah, I can't believe they can't get hurt when they're like, damn near life threatening and things. You know what I mean, that was happening because you know, that stuff was messing with them internally, just like the physical injury. So big fans of them, you know what I mean? Grand Hill FeelA right, all those type of campaigns.

Really, I know, the marketing power, like yeah, Grant Hill with the sprite, you know, I obeyed my thirst certainly when he asked me.

Yeah.

And then Penny was the little penny thing it was, I mean, I think.

For a lot of people, penny wide and making that too.

Yeah right yeah, Chris Wallace wall So y'all know that you knew who was originally supposed to do the Chris Rock Boys, right, I mean little Penny Lawrence, mart Lawrence.

Really really yeah what had it ended up being Chris Rock?

Right?

Yeah?

And mar Lawrence just didn't he just he read the script. He just really wasn't feeling it. And Stacey Genius, Uh, you know, it was like, let's let's choose Chris Rock as at all. And Chris Rock happened to be like he was affordable and then also he was a basketball fan, so right, he just bought him too, the idea of like speaking for a penny while Penny like that his game speak for himself, right.

Yeah yeah yeah, Because I can't imagine hearing past me the rock full and Martin Moore's voice, I had to act the little doll that said on the lines and I'm like, they're just so burned into my head hearing it in Chris Rock's voice that it's hard to even like, would it even been the same if it was?

Yeah, I mean it was so iconic because of his voice.

I feel like, yeah, it's the same thing that you think about, like when you see certain movie roles were up or certain songs getting to this person.

Yeah, like, oh that was made for DMX. Here what I could DM do? Ain't no Heart in Love City? I mean that's like I don't want to hear that, you know what I mean? Yeah?

Yeah, Will Smith could have been Neo and the Matrix imody. I don't. I don't know, Yeah I wouldn't, but who knows? But yeah, I mean like between Penny and Grant Hill, I don't know for the two of you, who who? This is such a hard question asked, but like who would you have? Rather?

Not?

Rather? But like I feel like, because did we fully see their full potential because they were so injury plagued. I mean it was clear when they.

Were grand Hale was the closest thing named, but any was the more Like Penny had the unintentional swag like I was wearing a band aid like Nelly for no reason, like you.

Know what I'm saying, Like it was just certain things that just was just there. And then he had like before his official.

Shoot came out, he had like five non SIGs that he was really floating in that Orlando Colorway.

I was like, God, have right.

The air Up is still one of the joints that I'm like, the flight one. Like them joints are still.

Like engraved in my brain. We still call them the pennies. Yeah, you know what I'm saying exactly.

They were the penny the phone posit.

Is technically not a penny. Yeah, it's technically not a penny. The same thing with the air more up tempo. Oh gee, that's not a pippen. But they just did. They performed so well in these sneakers that like we just dubbed that name like we were we were the first copywriters.

The fans were right, But wait, at what point did they put the one cent logo on the phone posit though, Like it was just that it was a phone posit, but it had it was oh god, a.

Pe yeah, the airpenny one right, the first one right, right, all right, you know what I mean.

But we were just like all the Pennies, you know what I mean, Yeah he wore yeah, yeah, they just were able to flip the pe and then going to because then.

I remember like the Mike Bibbi Arizona team, they were like one of the first players to wear that shoe out and I remember being like, wait, what what are they weren't like what is going on over there?

And then yeah, no, it was just a regular hoopshoe, so it could be used as a team shoe, and it was kind of uncharacteristic because you never really seen unless she was like in a wild Au situation where the Jordan's and it's like, right, I would you wear you know what I mean, Like that's an individual shoe. It's not like a team performed, like everybody wouldn't be able to work, right and that everyone's getting priced out of this situation, right, But I.

Mean yeah, Penny too. He was big. He had like he also had a game, you know, yeah, you know I could shoot, he could post up like he had it all that time. Like I'm always you know, like that what his rookie year. It's it's like how often are you coming in your rookie year? And like yeah, so we went to the finals. Yeah, I mean off the back of that, I mean he felt so ready, Like the how long?

How long do y'all think that run was for him? Just the estimated gain the answer?

Yeah, like before he got injured. Penny's dominance, I would get.

Two years and a half, seasons three, three, But guess what y with Arenas had the same window three?

Is that real? Yeah? Wow, that's.

Felt like it felt like the same thing. The advertising made Pennies feel like it was six years. It literally was a three year run.

We were robbed. We moved on that quick. Does have to be two of the biggest like what if guys ever? Right, Derek Rose, Yeah, Derek Rose is good. Yeah, that's a good answer, Derek Rose, grand Hill, Penny. Those are all because neither of those two was MVP. Yeah, girl, MVP and here three like hey, what's next? You know what I mean? Like yeah, you know, as a Bulls fan, I was delusional.

I'm like, oh he Rolls were about to win it, all right, and it was just kind of like guys till a cl but he just he just never bounced back. I mean he has some you know, he had a fifty point game with Minnesota and stuff like that. But those are those are just morale boosts at that point, you know.

So if you could, if you could wait so it sounds like you're you skew more grand Hill than Penny, but if you could wave a magic wand over their injured body part to get them just that little bit more longevity, who you want to see grand Hills go all the way?

No, I would say Penny.

Okay, yeah, I would save Penny because of the cultural relevance.

Like Green Hill was like Goodie two shoot you feel me?

Like, yeah, he's like the Tim Duncan of small Fords, you know what I'm saying, Like game right, he might have a little crossover and bang on you, but it wasn't like no celebration and it wasn't yeah, it wasn't like no passion.

But he just played the game the right way. It just was a dog. He was just embarrassing people. But Penny, I just felt like we would have got more cooler sneakers. He probably would have got like you know what I mean, Yeah.

Yeah, we would have got some like we probably would have been on the Penny train way longer, you know what I mean, And like that Pinstripe Orlando Joint was just probably would have got more shocking Penny years, you know what I'm saying, Like, so there's there's a bigger what if than like the Till Grant Hill.

You know what I mean. This game feels a little bit more singular like his. It seems like Grant Hill I think was a lot of times compared to Jordan or you know, Penny's game just felt like, I don't know, like captured my imagination as a kid.

You know. It was very It was very fresh though, like the big point guards we had was quote unquote Magic Johnson, you know what I mean, Like but he didn't point four, but like uh flare of like you know, like that one move that's that comes on Twitter every once in a while where he dribbles and spins like that he doing like he was doing some innovation and stuff, you know what I mean.

That kind of was like you've seen that or he you know what I mean. He made passing cool, like mad they made passing cool. But it was like of our era, our generation.

If you I'm eighty five, so like I'm in the nineties, I'm really like, oh Penny that you know, so by the time, and I still you know it just like yo, it's like a bad rapper who doesn't get better and he just only gets trashed.

But you're still riding with it. Like the Knicks years, the Miami heat, I still was like that was like.

Damn near Dion and the Redskins Jersey, Like it was like it was over, but I'm still just rooting for dog.

Like go ahead, That's what it was like. It was kind of a moment though. And then Jason Kidd and Penny were playing together at the Sunset.

They also had well, Phoenix had crazy point guard Factory. They had at one point in time they had Nash, Kevin Johnson, and Jay Kidd.

On the roster. Like what, Yeah, that's nuts, crazy, that's nuts. That's that's too many great point guards. Who are your top five point guards of all time?

Magic, Isaiah Thomas. This is in order, by the way, going to Steph Curry, chasing Kidd, Chris Paul.

Okay, how you feeling about him going to the Spurs.

I love it. I called it all.

I called it out like a year ago. I not not that he would go to the Spurs, but that it was just a good fit. Yeah, saying, because it's like it works out for both you know what I'm saying, Like when we probably gonna tell him shut the hell up, but he's like, because Chris and Chris Paul. I'm older

Just hot, you know what I mean.

It's more of a smarter like hey, when I go this way, you know what I mean, Because Chris Paul is responsible for my former teammate's success, Tyson Chandler.

You know what I'm saying, Like, oh, did you go to Domingas?

I went to do minga Okay, yeah, so you know, in in.

Those scenarios, you gotta look at it like Tyson was a small Ford with the Bulls bad organization, you know what I mean, a guy who ain't never took took one three in high school. You got him playing small Ford Eddie Curry the four and five s, which is you.

Know what I mean, like that, that's that's bad.

So Chris Paul was able to like get him back in the position of like catch lockcatch, you know.

But now he's gonna be able to feed Winby. You know, they gonna be able to do some stuff.

And then getting Harrison Barnes, like that team is going to go to bed on time, they had no extra nights out.

They're gonna drink their wine with pop.

And they gonna be the most professional team ever and they gonna know the every rule in the book.

And if they can get Lori markin into, yeah, that would be interesting. Do you think they're ready to make a run with this current roster or like not a run at the title, but like you know, being the postseason with current roster, do you think they need like a marketing I think they got it. I think they got it enough to be playing and figure it out from there.

Just because the team is just disciplined, Like I don't think them two players hurt them.

I think with Winby in itself.

I think Winby's gonna be like a twenty four to twenty seven point player a game, right, and then that team is going to be smarter and veteran led Like you don't need Chris Paul to.

Do a lot.

You got Stephan You know what I mean, Stephan Castle coming off the bench if he starts or whatever. I don't know how they're gonna use that. What he's going to learn and become better. I give him like a forty thirty five or forty forty game window before he starts getting into like I get it.

Yeah, And like you know, they're gonna be really disciplined.

Pop teams are always disciplined, and they're gonna like trust the system and.

With night and day from them team last year.

Yeah, right, So who should I How far should I have them going? So I'm gonna put money on.

It at least first round like birth playoff Birth.

Yeah, I would go that deep like where they're like in the Battle of ten and seven, you get what I'm saying, where like.

They could beat somebody to get.

Up to like right, that but like I'm not going to be like, oh they're top five, Like no, for sure, but I mean that's either way.

What did they win? How many games they win last year?

Twenty two games? Last year Vegas has them winning thirty six and a half. I'm banging the over on that if I'm betting money, because they're not done like I do.

They're not done like I think they're going out, Like they're not about to bring Chris Paul on to tank to get Cooper flag. You know what I'm saying, Like I'm going to punt this year. This year is bought to be in a positive direction. But they're getting off these all these toxic players, not saying it toxic, but like they're selfish as hell.

Right, that aren't going to propel them forward.

They were frustrated to watch sometimes last year. You know why we're there. You know why we was watching.

It was watching me the ball, Like we can come here watch you know, somebody get looked off.

Exactly, I get it, all right, we should take a break and when we come back, we're going to talk about Team USA. We'll be right back, and we're back. We're back. So Team USA went five and zero in the Showcase Games. They start with Serbia on Sunday in Paris. I don't feel like my main takeaway from the Showcase Games is like, why are so many of these so close? My other takeaway was Lebron James is amazing.

But the.

How are you guys feeling confident heading in?

I just reflexively, I think there's just so much historical momentum aside from you know, a couple off years. But I I don't know. I mean, the one thing is it's a it's completely different than where we started. Like if we're saying ninety two is the beginning of this experiment of dream teams and where we are now, like that stat about what was it In ninety two there were only nine NBA players in the Olympics outside of

I think the thing is it's not a fair comparison to the Dream Team because the Dream Team.

Beat Bell to basically put Bell to ask to.

All these countries so much that they inspired the next generation to focus and take basketball serious as a sport.

Boom.

You know what I'm say of like, Yo, I didn't like how you would treat my country. All right, We're going to make some of these players, you know what I mean. We're gonna actually try to like go get some players to like join on and and and and start having our young guys develop and build that chemistry. Like some of these guys have been playing together since they're fourteen years old and they're like thirty three now, you know what I mean, So like you can't teach

Because you know that response a lot from a lot of people.

He's he's a good coach. But like the idea that you got to run the offense through Joe and be you do not That's not how it works.

You're not using it. As a Sixers fan, I can tell you you should not do that. You know what I'm saying.

Well, you're just like in general, you're just not that's not how that's the best support for the team Anthony Edwards.

The ball sticks love AE, but not in this setting.

I think the best roster out there is Drew Holliday, Ron James, Steph Curry, BAM out of bio, Anthony Davis.

You know what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, I mean Anthony Davis for sure is the one that I have a question about. But I'm with BAM. Though I'm with BAM on the defensive end.

I don't need Bam to be shooting threes and things of that nature, but like they're solid.

I don't love that.

Tyre's Halliburton just fell out on a rotation. Derek White, I do not want to see you on the floor. I mean use to you, you know what I mean, NBA Champion, good player, but this is the force and and everybody shouldn't be playing. I think we get you know what I mean. Like now that we've kind of figured things.

Out, Yeah, it feels like a YMCA coach who's like, all right, so you guys, you five go in and now in the second quarter, you five go.

It's like and I played with my cousin. We play a lot together and like we actually like you should see our two man game it's actually pretty good.

Well, a rant will add a little bit of spacing.

I think him being able to play.

The center as well as a backup center is going to help at some point on the defensive end.

I know people were you know, Brian Winhorse put off this statement.

Speaking he doesn't do this for anybody else, So I'm gonna have to speak out for this one because I don't like how you doing.

My dog like that.

But at the end of the day, K's ready to play, you know what I'm saying. But it's not solely on him, you know what I mean. Like I think I think these are the mixed reports that come out and people will be like, why is he there or why is he seeing Kawhi Holme? This is fishy, and it's just like, no, he's been wanting to play, he's been ready to play for the past two games. But they just move and precaution, you know what I'm saying, They like, do we really need him?

You know what I mean?

On the emergency break glass, and it's like if you aren't one hundred percent, the players are always going to say.

I'm good to go, coach, you know what I mean.

And I think he's I do think that he's a good eighty five percent right, wants to be out there, could contribute.

But it's like at what costs?

I think we got this, you know what I mean, when you really feel that it ain't sore.

We ain't got a million of ice packs on you.

You know what I mean?

Right? You good? But he ready to play.

I ain't got a chance to chop it up with him, you know what I mean? Out there and he's ready. It wasn't no thing of like, oh you can't play. It's just that everybody gotta be on board in the line with that, you know what I mean. The same way how you'll be like why why kawhy not playing back to back?

Right?

There's a system and set like you know what I mean, Like it doesn't work that way. Same thing, ad some dudes really want to play. It's not that they be really hurt, like it'd be like, nah, you know what, he played forty minutes.

We're probably not trying to we need him, you know what I mean. Like that's the thing.

It ain't we ain't getting no more eighty two games with you, like Mickel Bridges, but he put the expectations. Ain't that high on him as a top ten guy. You know what I'm saying, Like, right, I need you to play at least sixty five games.

Yeah, who Yeah, I mean.

I think we talked about this last time. We were talking about tam USA Jack. But like I guess again, after seeing this, who of the teams that would the that team USA are going to face? Like I mean, the odds have it right now that it looks like I guess Canada has the best odds at you know, they're plus eleven hundred, but like that.

Yeah, Canada's plus eleven hundred, Francis plus twelve hundred, Serbia's plus sixteen hundred, the USA is minus five hundred. Like the USA is a big favorite, big betting favorite, which I don't know. I guess that makes sense historically, but also I mean historically this same coaching staff and some of these same players lost in the World Championships, you know, fairly recently was that last year of the year before,

Steve Kerr, right, I do think that they do pay attention. I think that it just needs to be some fine tuning in those things. I don't think that Lebron going the way he's going about it to win ball games for them is going to help them in the long run.

Some true adversity, right, Lebron's still very good.

I do think that he's a top ten player, all that best player in the world stuff. I'm not really taking. But I will say that he knows his advantages right, and it's kind of a flash of what he's.

Going to be. I'm honestly, I'm more impressed.

That he's been able to keep up at this pace of what he's supposed to do. But I always thought I wanted him to become in year eighteen to twenty, Karl Malone right, understanding understanding how to use your body the right way and becoming a good post player. You know what I'm saying, Huh, just because he could dominate in that space. He's literally he's literally bigger than everybody.

You know what I'm saying. But what if Karl Malone and John Stockton were the same person. There you go, there you go. Yeah, because he I mean, he's been he's been great on ball.

I think he dribbles a little. I think he takes a little bit more time to kind of show off. Is Hey, I've been working on my dribble thing a little bit. But in actuality, like you know, I really wish he would go to the block. But he's he's he's helpful out there, you know what I mean on some catch and shoot because Steve Ker's not running step off the off off the screens enough and using it for that.

Yeah.

All right, let me hear everybody's gold, silver, and bronze predictions for for basketball.

Mm hmm. So I mean the US had Serbia first, Serbia has got Jokic. I mean they're currently like the fourth most likely according to DraftKings. I'm gonna go team USA gold, France, Silver, Serbia bronze. Okay, I don't know why I'm doing Canada like that.

I'm gonna go USA gold, I'm gonna go Germany bronze and I'm gonna go France silver.

I'm also I think the gold medal game would be USA France, just because I think obviously when you play in your own country, there's there's like that huge built in advantage. But then on top of it, yeah, just the wenby go bear of it all I think will be interesting. So I go US a gold, France silver, And just because you know I'm black and knees, I'm gonna say Japan bronze.

There it is, all right?

Yeah, got a shout out?

Yeah? All right? Should we take one more break and then do the fastest segment and podcast going.

To be the fastest segment of question answer segment on podcasts podcasting history.

Obviously, here we.

Got and we're back. Can I call you mister Edwards.

That's fine, man, I'm that's called me.

All right, we'll here, professor, Professor eds This is the time we are going to ask the professor the questions, okay, and they are going to be fast. They will be rapid, and you need to just answer quickly because this is the fastest question answer segment in all sports podcasting history. This is the hot seat. We ask you a question, you just hit us right back. Don't give any long winded answers. Just be concise and quick so we can

Yeah, I'm read tecon to Jack? Yeah? You ready? Yeah, I'm ready?

All right, professor, let's go. Okay, it would go block. Oh this is gonna be a quick one too. All right, here we go.

Jack.

You want to go first or I go first?

Why don't you go first?

Mile?

Okay, I'm gonna go first. First question. So, this meme has been being posted and some of the listeners in our discord have been positing this question. What is the worst feeling as a hooper getting dunked on, missing a game winning shot, air balling a shot, or getting crossed up like Jesus on Easter Sunday?

Getting dunked on is the worst feeling? Getting dunked on? All that's all happened to me, But getting dunked on?

What if I know? It's getting blocked, like just getting absolutely stuffed?

Is I got blocked?

I got I got stuffed at the rim, like I went for I went for a dunk and yeah had no Yeah, I mean I had a lot of dunk that season. But it was just kind of like getting met at the rim. It was I was shocked because I thought I could overpower it and it just physics. But he was a cuff and he came down and that was like, all right, I just got like a little boy. I feel like little boy.

That was right right, Suddenly like your jersey and shorts get all big on you.

You're like, yeah, it was like I was on my league.

Yeah right, right, right right.

I liked getting dunked on. I got dunked on twelve times in a game by Dan Gadzurich. We didn't have enough size, and I, uh, oh, my god, explode was like jumping on a grenade. The way I exploded backwards every time he dunked on me. I enjoyed that. I was. I would say getting crossed is pretty humiliating. Happened to me too.

I feel, oh, yeah, your legs or something just like I actually just my feet went together like I like slide, Yeah yeah, I was sliding, but like it was so quick that I was just like, oh, I like and then I was like I was. I mean, I'm a good sport about it, because when you're playing defense hard, that's gonna happen. Same thing trying to block stuff you get dunked on, like it's it doesn't happen, you know what I mean, Like I'm a help side blocker. Sorry,

Kind of yeah, mad, yeah right, yeah, all right, which three nineties guards would you want to see in today's game? Chris Jackson? Mm hmm, great answer. And maybe a healthy Ron Harper. Yeah, pre neat knee round Ron Harper something like that. Yeah. I actually no, Baron Davis late oh yeah, yeah, yeah he late nineties, but Baron Davis, yeah he's two thousand.

Kind yeah yeah, okay. Question. We've been asking a lot of people who's winning the battle of Team USA, the twenty twenty four squad or the two thousand and eight squad.

I'm gonna go with the current team. I do respect this team, though I do respect the Kobe team. I think like they're gonna make the other team is probably going you know what, I'm gonna roll with Kobe in them, because Okay, they're just a little bit more disciplined, you know what I mean, Like right, yeah, and and and also the Bronze of the world is the A d A the aes you know what I'm saying, Like he's in an AE roll.

So I like a young, spry Bron versus a veteran Bron.

And like Kobe still, I was like thirty some years old in that role as the defender, you know.

What I mean, like lockdown Committee, you.

Know, Dwight Howard in his prime, Like that's not bad back tout Dwight Howard, that's grab.

It out the air, start to break. J Kid running at you full time like d Will. Yeah, nah, I'll take it there. Yeah.

I feel like that's the answer we all come to. We're like, yeah, I mean this team. And then you're like you're looking like wait, hold on, no, no, two thousands because on paper.

You know what I mean, you're not people.

You just say Lebron James, but you're not factoring in thirty nine year old Lebron James.

I like five years in the league, Lebron James. Yeah, it's very different, very different.

Yeah, all right, that is the correct answer. Finally, we've seen teams like Memphis, Okay see in Orlando each take that next step over the last few years. Can you give us a team or two. We'll let you give us two that you expect to do the same next season. Utah. Utah is not a name that I expected to hear. Utah, Well, what is it about Utah? Because I get rid of marketing.

They just haven't touched the playoffs yet, but I'd like that they're like, actually, you know what if we're talking about making it because you're you're mentioning teams that are now in the playoffs and are considered playoff and rebuilt.

Or go Houston Rockets, right Houston. Yeah, that's the that's the safe answer. But sure, I like you. We'll talk about Utar is very young.

They drafted really well, Denny and just up to something for the future and just really trying to like clear the house, you know what I mean, get all those bad contracts out, and you know, they got Yonce George. You know I'm bringing over because they bringing over some guys man that that that really not played the game the right way. So look out for them, you know, because they play hard and they compete, so I'm with it nice.

Well, those were all the correct answers to Von Edwards. Thank you so much for joining you Mile Jack got mad Boosties? Where do the people find you? Follow you hear you all that kind.

Of good stuff at travn on x slash Twitter and then at Ravon Edwards on Instagram and breads.

Okay, well, make sure you follow the hashtag mad Boosty's bub s t i e s for show links and updates, and you can also join the conversation on our discord. But you can also find the link for that when you search the hashtag bad Boosties. You can follow us on Twitter.

I'm at Miles of Great, I'm at Jack underscore O'Brien. And that was another another.

Episode that was one three one two three. It's Miles and Jack.

O b e e uh.

That one worked out pretty well. Actually, I we'll see you next week when we'll be talking a little bit more about tam Usa as things begin to really heap up.

Thanks great email, Yeah, no problem. Bye bye