The volume.
A few weeks ago, you said you didn't want to be traded in the middle of the season, which is why you didn't come to the Warriors, which I thought was gonna happen.
I was at the game. I was like, oh, man, KD came over here. He showed me love.
I was like, oh, we about to get KD. Uh.
Do you want your career to end in Phoenix?
Man, I want my career to end on my terms. That's the only thing. Then, God, that's the only thing I'm worried about, you know what I'm saying. That's all that matter because I see a lot of drudes that don't get that opportunity, you know what I'm saying. So I want to keep putting in that work to make that choice on my own. But as far as the Warriors, I just didn't think it was, you know, And then I didn't want to move. And then it's a player
like me. I just I cost a lot. I cost me going into your team is gonna make It's gonna be a whole new era team when I get to your team, you know what I'm saying. So, and that's a lot of work and change for the season, Like I'm still a value, you know what I'm saying, especially in my contract and just my production that me just getting up and moving in the middle of season, it's going to be a big blow to any team I'm
going to, you know what I'm saying. So it's like I get while y'all want to trade me, and you know, y'all looking at it just from simple fact that's just business, but from me looking at and I'm just like, it just don't make sense for either side right now to go go through that, you know what I'm saying, when we just played the season out and if that's the decision you want to make, you know in the off season, then you know, you figure it out. It's just such
a big change to make. And I've been through it before. I was like, damn, it's not really it.
Yeah, it ain't the right move, like to be able, and I wonder in the middle of the series and all that twenty six games left, you know, if.
I can't stop it, then why not, you know what I'm saying. But and then the narratives that's going to come with all that shit, It's just like, you know, you don't want to go state of you don't want to go play with Draymond no more. You don't want to narrative that in your way, you don't want to go back. I was like, yeah, that shit is annoying. I don't like it, but I can play under like you don't know what, like the type of ship that people say. I mean, I could play under it. The noise.
It's a simple fact that like, it's no need. I didn't feel like it was a need to, you know, make that big of a change right now. It didn't make sense to me, so I tried to I'm glad it was you know, in't looking look at look what you're doing right now, Dre, y'all looking good, Jimmy, And then you still got coming on the way back, you know what I'm saying. So I didn't think it made sense.
Absolutely no. I think a lot of people don't realize what you're going through. That in Phoenix, Uh the Midnight our trade, m H Bridges leave, I think Aiden left, no, Cam Johnson, Cam Johnson, Bridges, Cam Johnson. Those were big gaps, you know what I'm saying. To try to fill those holes, you make that move in offseason. There may be a third team you can get involved in different stuff where you don't have to deplete your whole team during the middle of the season.
That is very tough to do, and I don't think people realize.
And then, like you said, also being at your age, like I think everybody still look at you like you a spring chicken because of the way you play, So you still hooping at the same level, but you're set in your life and in your ways at this age.
To just up and lead that is a lot.
Like for Jimmy, Jimmy needed that, you know what I'm saying, Like Jimmy needed a change.
That was a different thing.
But you know, if he didn't want that change before, which is probably why he was never traded before, because y'all do have that type of power to say nah, And no franchise ultimately want to disrespect guys like y'all because if they do, how do you ever get another one?
Exactly exactly? And then I just want to see it through. You know, when you commit to something in a season like that and it's like everybody still nobody's like big injuries, like everybody's in the lineup, and like, you know what I'm saying, I'm trying to figure see this through to the end and see what we can really do with it, you know what I'm saying. So, and I feel like I'm committed to my coaches and teammates and I want to see it through. So I wanted to lock in on that.
Do you think people are still mad at you for playing with the Warriors?
I mean, I'm sure some people are not gonna like let it go. I don't I'm gonna say they mad. They still angry about it, But I don't think they're gonna forget that I went to the Warriors. You know what I'm saying. That's gonna always be a talking point when it comes to my career. But I don't give a shit. We did some incredible things and we got some of the most fun times of my life moving around as a Warrior. So it's gonna be people that love it. It's gonna be people that hate it, man.
But at the end of the day, it happened.
And it was great and were happy it, Dick because they created a dynasty. Man got to say, see you at the peak of your career and your moment. And so when you think about when time passed and people are like, damn, bro, like we've it's just for to stay together for you know, three four more years.
Yeah they gonna say that. They won't say that, but when they should just be you know, going back and watching that footage so they can learn.
Yeah, that part. You hear people say that shit all the time.
And the reality is twenty and fifteen to twenty nineteen is in my opinion, the best era of NBA basketball for the best five year stretch of NBA basketball in my opinion. But regardless if that's your opinion or not, you may say, oh it was the show. Talent is somewhere in the top three, which is the amount of gods that's coming to NBA. That's a big deal. And you coming to the Warriors elevated it so much to
where that's why it became. It doesn't become that we never we never really experienced the era of basketball we experienced had you not came to the Warriors. That's actually what elevated the game because it elevated teams because then all of a sudden, it was like, oh, whoa wait, we got to build to beat them and that dude, it elevated the team in elevated skill sets.
I think it elevated so much in my opinion.
No, I agree. I agree. And as I was making that decision to leave Okay See, it was like, all right, if I stay at Okay, See, I think I'm passing up on something so incredible that I don't know if I could just pass this up. This ain't this no
regular opportunity. That's how I was feeling. And I didn't know exactly how it would play off, obviously, but it just felt like this would be a huge, huge shifting moment, and not just to people that consume the game, but just how the game is played itself, you know what I'm saying. This seemed like this seemed like something that can't turn down right now, you know what I mean? And it turned out to be that big, and I agree,
you know what I'm saying. There was so many great teams like sixty seven wins Spurs that year y'all won seventy three, Cleek sixteen and had won with fourteen in the playoffs. I think when they fourteen and one, it was like insane shit that was going on team wise and individual player wise, you know what I'm saying. We were seeing that. That's when Kawhi started the Maerage to become a superstar from there, you know what I'm saying.
That's when y'all the Warriors started to come around twenty fifteen, That's when you know, you, Steph Clay started to you know, jump on to be All Stars every year, you know what I'm saying.
So Kyrie started playing with bron that year. We've seen Kyrie in a totally different.
Light exactly, you know what I'm saying. So it was a it was a lot of shift and like you know, dudes that are transforming to be like, oh there are stars now, these dudes are superstars too. Now I'm saying, there was a few extra dudes that you weren't expecting, like a Kawhi like us.
James James had just kind of left you right when that happened, and James became James James James.
You know what I'm saying. Like even Steph, I mean Steph was at an all Star level, but he has sended to like god tear levels around that time, you know what I'm saying. So when you see these dudes, you know, even myself, you know, going from VP, you know what I'm saying, And you see everybody is sitting with the road, you know, just go down the line.
Run everybody.
Everybody leveled up, everybody left up at that time, and it all felt like at the same time. And when you go from seeing dudes become young stars to super mega stars just going to you know, push the league forward for the next ten years, it's just like, wow, that ship. That shit happened quick and surprised us too, you know, because it was so used to the Kobe Shock era of things that slowed down pace of guards back in the back of you down all the way
down court. It was very rare you see a BD or Steve Francis or you know what I'm saying, or now you were seeing these dudes every night, every night. So I think the players that went to the next level, and then the team building I went to the next level too.
Earlier this year, you had an interview where you said that it's a dish by subtraction. Did you think it would become this big of a deal that you say that you play how you can play Philly, look how they like and everybody blowing that up, Like what did you think of that when you said that, did you know was headed here?
Noah I didn't.
I didn't think it was going to be as blown up as it was, you know what I'm saying, Like honestly was just looking like a as just motivation, you know what I'm saying, get I'm finally get the opportunity, you know, Like I always felt like I was the guy that, like the team's a lot on you know what I'm saying, as that X factor to help, you know, get us wins or push us over the top.
You know.
But I always had the feeling that, you know, I could be in that position, you know, and when I you know, the moves that were made and that opening was there, it was just like auditioned by subtraction because like I can I can feel that void, you know what I'm saying, Like I can be the one to step in and have that same production or impact, you know. And it was just like a mentality approach to it. It wasn't like the stoke shot at PG and and
do all that, you know. It was just like like I'm here now, you know what I'm saying, I get an opportunity, you know, to be one of the guys that I've always wanted to be.
But then you know, media takes it in and runs with it.
You know, you got people talking about it, and then Philly starts the way they start, got people mad at PG for leaving, and then like it just turns into this like Norm versus PG. Norm's playing better than PG. Right now, the Clippers are better than the Sixers. Like it just turned into this whole crazy thing. And it was just like nah, Like we got like not only myself, but we got other guys who were scratching and colon
as well. We had four Hall of Famers on our team, you know what I mean for two seasons and we had to figure out how to how to make it work. And you know, you've got to take a lesser role, you know, and play to help the team win. And now that that's that's not here anymore. Like you got the addition or these other guys and audition of me to be able to step into a larger role.
No, I like it, man, because you know I've been I was calling baller vision for a couple uh, I think two seasons.
Uh.
And just to watch your evolution just coming off the bench, you know, candidate for six man in a year, you know, coming in and being focal in the offense right, being a focal point in the offense over the last two years and now becoming you know that guy I remember, you know, I would say my third year when I kind of stepped into the role, like hey, it's up for grabs. There's five, six, seven more points for me.
There's more responsibility, you know. Talk about this for you, you know what I mean, this being your year, you know, to be able to show what you can do, and not that it was something that you know you've been waiting for this moment. You know, you can pretty much say nine years of your career, you know what I mean.
Yeah, man, Yeah, I think you know.
It's just being ready to stay prepared and continue to have faith and belief, you know, like in yourself throughout this grinme. You know, like I said, like I've always been the guy that teams like value in terms of like a winning player, you know, that can come in and help, a guy that you can plug and play in situations, you know, And I've had sparks and moments and stints in my tenure career where like guys get hurt.
And now I'm playing for fifteen straight games starting, averaging twenty plus shooting, efficiency.
Good everything.
But then guys come back and now I'm at the end of the bench and I got to fill that role again.
Just being up and down with that. But like I said, I always.
Believe that I could do this, you know, and I always wanted the opportunity, like talking to Aja, my trainer. Let you all know, you know, just like man, like we just have conversations in the summer, like I really want to see what it's like when when I got the rains, you know what I mean, Like, cause I feel that I can I can produce. I can do this Like I've seen it up close. I've had it in stints and spurts. I've learned. I've watched the guys in front of me tomorrow, Kyle Kauhi operate, Dame CJ.
Like I've seen how these franchise players and organizations that hold these guys to a high standard operate and approach the game.
And I have the same mentality, have the same approach.
I have the same work ethic, if not more in some cases, like like I want to see what.
It looks like.
But it was just about staying ready and staying prepared and believing in myself through all the ups and downs and just waiting, you know, and having talks with with l and Mark when they traded for me, you know about my value, you know, Like I just came from starting from Portland. I don't really want to come off the bench again. Like I'm trying to keep elevating my career, you know what I'm saying, to hopefully become one of
those guys, you know. And they said it like we see you as a starter, you know, but like in terms of how our team is configured right now, like we think it's the best for you to come off the bench, you know and be that spark plug and help us in that way because we need fire power off the bench and me being I want to win at the end of the day, no matter what what it is, like, I want to win. I want to win championships, I want to win games. I want to
be known as a winning player. So I'm gonna do whatever it takes for the team to win, whether that's me taking a lesser role, me stepping up into a bigger role, like like I'm all by winning and that's what it is. And with this opportunity here, I told Elle in the summer like I'm ready for the ups and downs, like you can lean on me, you know what I'm saying, I'm gonna be ready for I'm not
going to shy away from everything. Like it's gonna be a learning experience because this is my first time, you know, in the league actually having this leadership role for a full season, you know, and being looked upon. So it's not gonna be pretty every single game, every single night, but like you know, you got somebody that you can lean on. It's going to continue to put the work in and go out there and try to help this team win.
I know, you know this year you've been having a kick ass year, you know, all Star year. I want you to tell everybody you know why you believe you're All Star.
Dang man, you know be there. I don't like talking about myself, man, I.
Know you know, like I mean, I could do it for you, but you know, just talk about you know, the role, the role you stepped into, you know where people didn't think you know, let's say with PG right and you know Russ not being there as well, and then you know the Clippers not being you know, h thought of as you know, James Harden saying I am the system, you know what I mean, like, you know, talk through all that and then how you've emerged, you know,
as their counterpart. You know, I think, you know, I want to hear from you, but also the fans want to hear from you, you know, just about your getting you know what I mean, and your pace this year and you know.
Yeah, I mean I think for me, you know, I think I'm all Star.
Just like you said, like where the team and where they saw us at, you know, like we just think second to last and in the West, Like they had no belief that we're going to be a good team because we lost PG, we lost Russ and then the whole Kawhi, you know, being out and being hurt, and then the narrative around James.
You know, he's not the same player that he was.
He's not gonna be able to carry a team that you know, the his best basketball days you know are behind him, you know, and for me and him to you know, come together, you know, and be the two guys that he is leading this team, you know what I'm saying on a nightly basis and making sure that
we're competitive. You know that that's a testament to who we are as a players, and then just my production as well, you know, from being able to be in a role of six man behind four Hall of Fame guys, you know, still putting up production in points last year to stepping in and increase some my averages across the board, being super efficient from the field from the three point line, and still being competitive. DG said at the beginning, if we can stay in that top five in the standings,
you know I have a good chance. But just mere emerging it as a guy that you know, people didn't think we'll be able to do this in year ten. You know that I was just fitting this certain role. I think that's the strongest candidate, that my strongest pitch that I have.
You know, I'm producing every single night. You know, I'm doing my thing.
I'm holding it down against the top dogs, the top teams, and my mentality and approach has always been the same.
You know, my work ethic hasn't changed.
I think the biggest thing that I've done going into the season knowing that I'm going to have a bigger role and more pressure and stuff on me from myself, not every much external because like I don't really care what media and stuff talking about because they don't really know. But just with myself was just a mental approach, you know, just like what is my going to be? What's going to be my daily approach to the game, you know, good days, back ays, day days and games like am
I going to be somebody that rises a wave? I'm not going to be even killed, you know what I'm saying and going at it the same way. So I put a lot of emphasism, just like the mental part of the game, making sure that my mind is ready night in the night out because I know my body, yeah, can do it.
You know.
I stressed my body out all summer long, three workouts a day, five days a week, you know, going at it three weeks on, one week off, traveling, still still trained, still getting it in. So I know my body's up for the grind. But where my mental going to be? You know, when you know you're go one night, you know I got thirty thirty seven and then the next
night I got twenty two or fifteen. I'm shooting five for nineteen, you know, like I'm a oh man, like the team meeted me tonight, man, Like I can't do this or it's going to be like you know this happens, like how do I get better?
How to improve? How do I I still get the best from the team.
So that's the biggest thing that I changed going into this season is just making sure that I'm ment to lead strong no matter what. No matter what it is, whether I'm playing great for a stretch of games or you know, I have a few games where you know the ball's not going into the basket.
How can I still be that leader?
How can I still be impactful and keep this team, you know, as one of the top teams in the conference. And I think I've been able to do that so far, even with being out with injury and things like that, Still being in guy's ears, still bringing that competitive fire and grit to the game. But when I'm on the floor, like like we're hanging in there, you know what I'm saying, We're gonna figure it out. We're going to be competitive
every single night. And I think that's what makes me an All Star this year.
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Man, you and Donovan Mitchell, y'all look great this year together after three seasons.
You know, it looked like y'all finally finding y'all grew.
I remember playing with David Wesley, you know, and when you uh, you know, it's like almost simular size backcourt, right, it take you a little bit of time to figure out, like, okay, he's he a point guard to you said, having a ball in his hand.
You know, I'm a point guard. This is what I really want to do.
Like when did y'all really like, what was it a player or when when did y'all really feel like y'all was locked in, you know, as teammates and when did you feel like, Okay, I'm the point guard.
You the two but I understand you know, how are you flowing?
To be completely honest, bro, I'm gonna really say this summer.
Really really got locked in on what we really want to do with what we want to accomplish.
He knew that I was pretty upset about last.
Year and not having the performance that I wanted and what he wanted, and as like a team perspective, Yeah, we just sat down and talked and we just really explained to each other, like this is what we're gonna have to do to win this what we're gonna have to do to get to the Eastern Conference finals and to the finals, and yeah, it was like a grown man conversation. It's really sat down and just unfolded everything.
That's like probably like the first row man conversation I had in the league so far.
It was like, yeah, it was.
Like a lot of release off my shoulders, and I knew it was a lot of release off his as well, because I know that Tannem can work perfectly.
He's a scoring.
Guard and I like to play make And then coming to this year, he's used to average thirty and high twenties, but now this year his minutes are down low and he's not averaging twenty five. He's asging like twenty three, twenty four, and we did a number one team in the league, right, Like he just realized what the talent that he had around him, and he's just letting me facilitate and he's just playing off me a lot more
as well. Just trying to get him open shots and open lists because everybody's going to hand him on an offense event because he's Donovan Mitchell raining all, he's a VP candidate, So just trying to get him some easy ones, get him going, and we need to stretch and make some tough shots. That's when you can go be go be spider that everybody else knows.
Yeah, I like that.
I feel like that a grown man conversation you can see, because that's how y'all operating in the back court like grown professionals. You got taken care of each other, and you know, sometimes it's not even communication it's the numb and you can tell he'll play make for you to get you going right. At the same time you're doing the same thing for him, you know, and you can
see the maturity. I just like the fact that you know, that's your first growl man conversation and it's with your back court mane.
It definitely took us over the top of what I believe h.
Because that was my thing, like my first All Star year at Laurie Market and Jared Allen Evan mob as a rookie Isaaca Corro, like I thought I had to do it all by myself.
He felt the same utah before he came over here.
So it's like, now we got a dynamic duo with these two cent footage that here that can move their feet on the defensive end, block shots and then catch lots break springs on the offensive en, So let's figure this thing out. Then we bring Max Strews, George Me and Big Top hooping here, Like you know, we got we got a lot more pieces now, so we don't have to do as much on the ball. We can get off the ball a little bit more and they can go make and play for themselves.
So I mean it was. It was a perfect dynamic.
For sure, you're staring down the possibility of joining the exclusive fifty forty ninety club this season. I know you're a team first guy, but how important is it for a point guard to be in this club?
Especially the season you haven't?
Man, it's cool.
I mean, I think it's like eight guys in the NBA history that has actually done it and actually completed it for an entire season, which is pretty tough to do. But I mean it's cool just having the stats and like a great a go percentage, like Drake mand said,
like at my size, it's pretty hard. So I mean it's cool just being up there with some of those guys haven't been completed yet for the entire season, so I'm not gonna I'm not gonna like jump into it, but I mean it's cool just being recognized like that.
It's cool to have some stats like that. For sure, you.
Walk into the game, right, It's not like you're saying on fifty forty ninety you hitting those marks?
You walking in the game, like what is that? What does that feel?
Right?
Because because you had a high clip, right, man, Like, what is that?
Confidence?
What's what's that feel, Bro, it's gotta be a yeah.
I mean, just going in with confidence, bro, just trying to play the right way, be aggressive when I can, but just trying to take the right shots, playing the system a little bit, you know, but just trying to be aggressive at all times, trying to get into paint as much as possible. And then with the lob trist that we got, I mean, everybody going back to their man. They five man fives don't never want their bigs to
score ever. Going right now, I'm getting some easy layups, so that's why the field goal percentage so high.
I'm getting looks from the three point line.
Been saying some really good screens for me to come off and get some open looks, and then my team may send me up so well, So get in the free tem percentage. I mean, that's just focused and concentration, So not too much to say. I'd be pretty focused and concentrated. I'm going to the free throw line.
I like that right, Telling me it's just focus and concentration, that's just simply not true. But you just made that sound less difficult than what I see. No, No, I'm talking about one thing you said and specific, which is specifically, which is you said bigs don't want their their centers don't want their man or, so I'm getting easy layups.
I disagree with that. I agree that sinners don't like their man score, but I think you do such an incredible job of keeping like what we're taught as bigs is to cat and mouse, like never give up, like if you're going to fully commit to the guard, never give up if you're completely taking a big away when you're in that two on one situation, and you do it just about as well as anyone where you will literally pass the ball at the very last second, like if you.
Get all the way to the rimm and you about.
To lay the ball up and finally I go because I have to go at that point. You do as good a job as anyone of them making that drop off fast after you get.
That guy to commit at the last second, And that's such an incredible skill.
So I have to disagree with you there where you say I'm getting easy layoups because I got live threats, Because I get a lot of guys with live threats in that situation and they can't finish, and so they can't finish that layup don't know when to take that layup. And if they dropped that ball off, you better believe it. I'm going to steal it. Didn't go the other way, and you do it as well as anyone in this league. So I just wanted to throw that out there while you make it sound so easy.
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You spoke about being from Chicago. We all heard about the Chicago runs. I had the opportunity to go to a couple of them in my day, which is.
After the heyday of them.
But Brian recently was talking other day about getting on the court with MJ being there.
I was there, was guardable, and I know you were there.
I was there, So I want to know what he really as unguardable as he said he was the other day in the clip that he was talking about being unguardable in that pickup game.
You're talking about Mike unguardable.
No, was bron as unguardable as he's Bron said he was unguardable that day he got out there.
Yes, yeah, I was listening to Maverick. He was talking about Lebron being at there. We wanted to see what he had, what he could do. He didn't do it all the time because he had he had broke his wrist and he and it was like it was like a week after his uh. He took the cast off.
He came in.
He was playing, and he came down a fast break and we thought he was gonna pass. The motherfucker took off from frietow mind. He just took off. He missed, he missed, but the motherfucker said too, I mean, just like that. We we thought he was gonna pass. It was it was a three or two. We thought he was gonna pass, and it was like in slow motion. The motherfucker just took off and I was like, damn, he he just missed and the ball slipped out of
his hand. He missed. But I said, you know, that's incredible, that's incredible. I mean for for a sixteen seventeen year old kid to come in and do some ship like that, and he was making shots, playing defense, passing the ball, you could feel his press. You feel his press? Then you you knew that he was going to be that motherfucker in the NBA. You knew that.
That Wow.
So for everybody out there who said Brian be lying about all these stories he told and you know right here he ain't holding nobody.
Ye yeah, yeah, yeah, he was real. He was real that sixteen seven, that thing was seventeen eighteen whatever.
Uh he was real.
Yeah yeah.
And talk about you know, Isaiah Thomas being your favorite player. We got a clip where you hit him with the UTEP step. I need to know one that moment. But also the origination of the UTEP two step.
How did that come about?
Well, it came about because everybody be like, you know, we had games in Chicago, and I didn't like going out because that's when people started shooting up places and backyards and all that type of stuff and game you knows, following you in cars and you know, all this type. It was crazy.
It was wild.
So I'm still in high school and so u uh, I just used to work on my game. I had an unfinished basement downstairs. We didn't have shit, we didn't have computers. We had three camels on the TV. Yeah, we had. We had three channels on the TV and it got stale. So I used to go downstairs and I had two beams and I just used to work on behind them, bad dribbles, spin moves, in and out moves, crossover playing like it was like an eight foot ceiling.
I used to make layups, come coming down, doing some stuff, and just just working on my game downstairs for about an hour. And it was no you know, it was cold outside. You didn't go outside. So I'm just out there working on my just working on ball heads. So that's where my ball handling came in. And I used to go outside during the summer and play against the guys outside and we used to have this uh uh on the sidewalk. It was like if you could steal
a ball from a person. It was like four four people and I used to drive between four or five people over this GalF and and if you go on the grass, that's about the ball up. I need to control motherfuckers, push motherfuckers off, and just do all that type of stuff. I used to go back and forth for about three or four times and then I like, I get it stole, just so you know, game go
on and ship like that. I have some friends that I should I uh uh, you know, work on my ship, right, yeah, if you want to love yeah, so on, so on. I wouldn't go the idea. My coach took me out. I was I was in sixth grade. Uh non, seventh grade. Coach me out of school. He said, we went to the Amphitheater. He said, I want you to check out number eleven. I said, all right, say Jose, I'm checking him out, Like wow, that's so cold in my mind and stuff. He said, what you think? I said, keep
cold blood? He nice? And he said, you play like him. I said, you fuck out of here. I said, oh, you know what, I'm bad.
I'm sorry.
I said, I'm sorry. I said, you no, I don't play like him, he said, he said. He said, I'm gonna tell you something. You play just like him. You got the confidence like him, You control the team like him, you make shots like him. You do all the things that he's doing right now. Just in steventh grade and at that particular time when he told me that, I
started watching Isaiah pattern in my game. When he went to Indiana, I steady watched him, steady watched him, and this pattern in my game after he came back for some league, watched him love. I knew, knew they scheduled, knew when he was gonna play. I'm there an hour ahead of time. I'm in the front row watching him play, you know. And so and so he kept in touch
with me. Somebody told him about me, and we was at a high school summer league game and we playing and they said, yeah, we got a surprise y'all whoever make the final four. You know the teams they come in and we got a special guest player. And somebody told me, and I told my team. I said, I don't know what y'all gonna do, but I'm gonna be here every game and I'm making the final four. I'm making the final four. And Isaiah came in there and talked.
And after he talked everybody, like you know, everybody's out the least, say hey, Tim Hardway, let me talk to you. You want to talk to me. He's like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. He talked to me, said yeah, somebody told me that you've been panning your game after me. I've been checking you out. I've been keeping tabs on you and stuff like that. And I was blown away. He just said, keep doing what you're doing. Go to school, get your education. You know, I don't know if you're
gonna make it or nothing like that. And he said, just just use basketball, get your education. And but you you're playing well, man, and keep up good work and keep your confidence and keep playing. I said, okay, and and so and so and so we came to Detroit my rookie year. He came to pick me up at the hotel and went to his house, had pregame meal, and on the drive back to the hotel, I'm like, oh, I gonna tell this man. I appreciate you, uh taking me to your house and feed me, but uh, I'm
still gonna bust your ass. So and so and so before I got it out, he said, now you know, because you know, you know, took you out for pre game meal, to the house and everything and talk to you. I hope you don't take it easy. I was like, you know.
What I was gonna.
I was gonna I've been trying to figure out how Yeah, I'm not gonna take me. That's what I want to hear. And we we played.
We beat him here too.
And uh in Detroit and uh yeah, man, I always wanted to play against him, man, and uh, it's like the highlight of your whole career. Who played Yes, that dude.
That's how it was.
Man, Man, it is it is. I know how you feel, Parrens, but man, it was.
It was.
It was like wow, I mean there's one of those moments.
It was one of those moments.
It has become rivals.
Man.
We can't thank you enough.
O G.
That was incredible just hearing the stories.
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J Wall, have you seen anybody in the NBA from baseline and baseline as fast as you?
Either after you for the.
Only one I could compare?
You know, like, you know how this should everybody trying to compare somebody to somebody. Only guy seen that's like close to me, I say, Darren Fox, he's just left crazy, like I wondered. I remember I forgot what he was. Was in Houston about to play. We had a day off for the game. I went, I drove like an hour trial to go watch him Blake Wow, And I was like, you know what, this the one kid I can say is close to what I could see in myself because I was basically supposed to be left handed, but he
was really left fit. I'm like, this is the only guy I seen that was close to me with that type of speed, Like don't get me wrong, you know, like d Rose is quick like his crick is on the whole other level.
You know what I mean.
I feel like Jah got a different type of quick, but they don't have that speed to go baseline the base.
That's a different speed.
Yeah, So I say the only one I can say is darreon Fox.
Speaking of d Rose, it's funny.
I was just about to ask you a question about d Rose just and you know, enlighten him just retiring.
You coming into the league.
Where like prime d Row not even prime d Ros because I would say, like he never got the opportunity to really reach his prime, but what we know in
his career is prime d rolls. You coming into the league, what was those matchups like you with the because the thing about your speed was it was speed, but your speed was powerful, you know what I'm saying, Like you played with so much force so where it just wasn't like like the Aaron Fox speed was like he still got it, but he played with way more pace now, but like his speed was just like fast speed. I feel like yours was like fast, but it was also
like powerful. And coming into the league with a guy like d Rose that, like you said, quick but also powerful, what was those matchups like early on in your career against.
D Roll, I tell you this, my rookie, it was AVVP year for him. Wow, just to be honest, but I mean we played them in preseason. I was just like, damn, this might be like the first guy say that's like quicker faster to mean. I mean, just because he's already been in the league, he already had his twitch. He already had to know what he wanted to do. Because me, like when I watched him play in college, I forget
that it's playing Tennessee. I'm Oklahoma in the garden and I was like, this is where I'm going to school. Like when I seen that game and I seen him play Tennessee in Memphis, I already knew in my mind I'm going to play for coach Coyle just because the way he allowed the Rose to play, I knew I
played a similar way. But when I was in the league, like I always tell you people, it's three people, that was like three people three to four people hard as me Kyrie because he could do everything, scoring every level. But the hardest person I had problems with was d Rose was a problem because you got to think with tim system, everybody around him was located to play defense and the ball, get the ball, and you couldn't stop.
It's unlimited pick and rolls. He's scoring that wheel. And you look at any other guards that played for Tim, they all got that freedom. But you know, d Road just on a different level. And like I said, like I always say, like you you know, injuries are part of the game. But I feel like if he Ain't never had no injuries, bro, we wouldn't even be talking about a lot of these other guards the way we do.
That's interesting because guys, because a lot of guys was acting like they were sick when he came into I got an ankle injury, I got the flu like he was. He was scaring people, he was. I look and I look at it. Like my third year, I kind of realized to build my compidence to another level, like I really can go at this guy toe to toe.
Mm hmm man.
First time.
Rickie y'all was like, man, this is right, He's.
Got different It's always interesting to think, like what what does the the guard race, if you will, or the guard outlook like the outlook on the position look like if a d Rose never got hurt, you know, if a Penny never got hurt, right, John, if you never got hurt like you got, I don't think.
People realize you got hurt right.
In the middle of your prime and then like and we'll get into the entries a little later. But I always wonder, like what does the guard position look like at that? And never what does the rap game look like? If bigger your part can never get killed? Right, like you always had those what if of like you see how it played out right like steps steps golded like Russ like yeah, yourself, like the work everybody put in.
But you just always wonder if it looks different at all if d Rose never gets hurt, Like why does that pan out?
That's interesting to be honest, I feel like, man, I don't know. It's like you said, like they were so close to getting close to the championship in the East, like if he don't get hurt, like how they was giving Miami to run everything. I mean when they started to get to that point, he was right there on their toes. So and then you had Indiana, you know, like with Paul George's there. It's just like you said, you just never really know what could have happened or
what would have went on. For sure, but you know, I mean, like you say, you definitely got to get the Roses Flowers, bro, because being the youngest MVP, having the battles against him and it was it was super excited and to see him go through the journey he did.
And fighting back, you know what I mean.
I watched the game and he had his first fifty point game and breaking down in tears. And I've been watching a lot. You know, he never really talks, so I watched a lot of his podcasts. I mean, he was talking about like when he realized he was injured with his toy Ac had to come back.
Like people don't realize.
That's the hardest thing in the world.
Bro.
Now you be on top of the world and then you just feel like you hit rock bottom and you just got to get through that. And everybody thinks everything's fine because we make the money and we live in this letter's life.
But the game we.
Love, it's taken away from us for the time being. So you got to fight your ass off to get back to even feel like you one hundred percent healthy.
Yeah, that happened to me, you know, but I was I watched you college, but in college, right, and it's a lonely island, especially as a point guard when you're an explosive point guard, because now you have to figure out a different way to jump, a different way to land. You know, uh, how to you gotta change your game. And I was going to ask you that, you know, as you came into the league, you know as fast, explosive,
one man fast break. Talk about, you know, the steps of how you evolved right from a point guard perspective from like year one, because you made the leap from year one to year three to being dominant.
Right, talk about that process.
I think, like really just man like having Sam Cancell around, you know, I mean him being my coach, Like he was the master of a mid range. So he was like, yo, you can't outrun everybody because I'll be pushing the breaking like dam where everybody at They not even fast half court. Yet he was like you gotta slow down, Like you got to figure it out. So just watching film with him and understand like you had the master the mid range.
But like I always told you my whole life, I never had to shoot, Like I always got wherever I wanted. I mean, no matter if I played up or played I never tried to play my age, I played up. I always got wherever I want, even in college, like theyre go zone or by I find ways to get there because we were just so talented. But in the league we had real power for real center, so nobody You might probably shoot ten, three, eleven threes a whole game, so your most mid range was your form.
So the paint is back and then you come across the lane, they're hitting you.
So just just working with Sam a lot, working with Robin Clinam at the time, that was d Rose, you know, Kevin love Russ, Kevin Durant, all those guys. Trainer, just teaching me the basically like, yo, you just got to slow down, you got to be a knocked down the mid range because no he was going on these screens.
It's to race to the basket.
I feel like I can get there every time, but I might have a seven foot of there. So just learning that, like learning how to change my pace and learn how to knock down the mean range a lot more with confident.
I think that made my game evolved.
Like I was always good at passing, always trying to get my teammates involved in finding those guys because I knew in the fourth quarter.
If I passed the bar.
Early on in the fourth quarter, you can't double team as much because my teammates have the confidence to make these open shots instead of them only getting the ball in the fourth quarter and they're like, damn, Bro, I don't got in a rhythm. So that's kind of how to my development. Just working with Sam a lot, working on my mid range, working on change of pace, and just watching film Bro, and just watching our teams, just guarding
The volume