Wait is this Kesha? Who's this singing? I know it's Pitbull, but who's singing?
You know? All right?
Because I Shaquira's fine. I just I can't do the Kesha thing. If I'm going to allow Pitbull on the show, I can't compound it with pit Bull and Kesha.
But we'll we'll allow, Shakira, will allow today?
How do you feel about going limp biscuit pit Bull Shakira back to back.
That's rough.
That is counter to the brand of this radio program. But you know what, I'm one for a bit. I'm one to motivate our guests, and our next guest is motivated by Pitbull.
Hello, Zach Harper, Happy Wednesday.
Hold on a second, Happy Wednesday. Do what's wrong with Kesha?
She sucks.
Good enough for Darryl Morrid like every one of her posts.
Yeah, build a chance, build a decent NBA team, and I'll respect your musical taste like whatever.
Daryl Morey.
Hey, if it wasn't for all of those things that are definitely not his fault, they would be multiple time champion.
I know, I know, so I'm old enough to remember when you were good at your job, you could keep it. Uh, Michael Malone. Yeah out in Denver. What's what's going on?
Zack? Oh? Man? I think what I think? I think? Yesterday morning, Uh, someone reminded Stan Kronk that he owns the Denver Nugget and he was like, yeah, make whatever changes he want. I don't care. I don't know, man. I It's like I I think, you know, it wasn't
great going into this year, but not like this. Like throughout the year, you hear things about uh Antony Jones, it did great report on this yesterday, but you hear things about, you know, his battle with Calvin Booth, and you know he you know, Michael Malone doesn't typically have a great history with a front office, but you know, Kelvin Booth wanted to play these young guys and like, I'm sorry, Like the young guys aren't that good and they're trying to win. And so I understand that he's
in these battles left and right. The defense has not been good. Also, Aaron Gordon has played forty eight games and Can Davi's Cambo Pope got to walk for free. So like that next man up thing, just do like there's a there's a drop off there, like you know, Christian Browns hasn't been really good filling in, but the drop off is still there, like from the next spot down.
And Jokic hasn't been good as good defensively as he was previous years because he's got to do too much on offense because Jamal Murray's need doesn't work anymore and his hamstring is is hurting all the time. And you know, I think there are plenty of reasons to question Malone. I don't think he's an infallible coach by any means, but I think they're doing pretty well considering the injuries
and the issues with this roster construction everything. Like I get not letting Calvin Booth stay on past this season. I you know, they but also even in regards to that, you tighten the first strings, what's he supposed to do? Like this is a frugal ownership and they didn't want to spend the money to you know, be deep in the tax all that stuff and spend what it takes to remain a contender in a champion And now they're just letting, you know, everyone else take the blame for it.
And you're gonna do it three games before the playoffs. You're gonna give David Adoman three games in the midst of this playoff, you know, push and traffic jam in the West to figure it out, and then hey, we think there's more to this group than there than what's been shown so far. Sorry, Josh Crocky, there isn't this is it. It's Jokic, save us or nothing.
Let me let me move over into what Josh Cronky had to say about like he wants to see these guys play.
With joy again.
Yeah, and like, I don't know, pat Riley's the one that said infamously or famously there's winning in misery and NBA basketball and maybe this is a generational shift.
I don't know that.
And look, you should approach your work with enjoyment, and you should find joy and life oers and that. But this stuff is hard, man, Like, winning at a high level is hard. And I don't have an issue with a coach who at times decides that a more heavy handed approach is necessary for a team that I might not be maximizing. Uh, you know exactly who they could be. And side note, I've never seen Russell Wilson, Russell Westbrook do anything with joy.
I don't know that he knows what that.
Is like that that that's that kind of struck me, Like I want to see this team play with joy and like, dude, you don't get it. This stuff is hard winning championship like give me, give me your take on that.
Yeah, go go run in Nate and under League then right, like that's not what just is. Like this is maybe like he watches the Thunder and their post game press you know, uh, you know, little sideline interviews and everything goes wow, they have so much joy, Like yeah, because they win by fifteen every night, right of course they have joy. Like it's yeah, this is hard, and I I think that's I'm fair to say about Westbrook. You clearly don't watch him on Instagram. He's always happy on Instagram.
He's just not happy playing basketball, but he's always happy on Instagram, So you know you gotta you gotta follow him there smash that Liken subscribe button with the Nuggets, Like I mean, man, this, I do think Michael Malone is a very grading coach and personality. I do like I think that, and we've seen that in the past, like he does get on people's nrves. I think I
think that's he's very hard mentality. He does try to like push buttons and call his team soft and call them weak and say that, you know, they suck at defense and all this stuff. And he's done that in the past, and it motivates them early on in the season. It ends up working. And he's even admitted like, yeah, these are just motivational ploys. Right when I say, no one believes in us, as everyone believes in them. These are motivational ploys. Like he He's admitted to the stuff before.
There's a certain point where you want to be coached or not, like you either do or don't. And I know that Joki has not been happy with the defensive stuff and some of the commitment to that and maybe even some of the coaching with it. You know, I don't know that he is completely absolved of this. I don't think this happens without one without telling him. Obviously they told him too, Like I think he has to
give some level of okay. I think if he if they say, hey, we're going to fire at Malone and he's like, no, you're not, I think they would have to reconsider on some level. Right. I'm not saying that he went out and got Malone fire, but that I got to assume that that the best player in the world can affect that one way or another. At the same time, like, yeah, you want them to be happy, well, maybe don't put them down a man every time you add to the roster, like they like his backup is
DeAndre Jordan in twenty twenty five? What like, what do you expect to happen? These guys are are are a man down the rotation at least every single game. I don't know what joy they're supposed to have.
Yeah, and it's look, it just comes down to this.
You know, rich people shouldn't talk to anybody besides other rich people, but they don't know how other people live, Like, you know, right, Miriam Addelson, Patrick Dumont. They talk after the Luca trade, Josh Kronkey talking af like, I've got a finance bro who I grew up with, who I had dinner with last year, and I haven't seen a number of years, and he's made millions upon millions of dollars.
And he dropped a lot. He said.
You know, in life, if it's a problem about with money, it means that it's actually not a problem. I'm like, don't say that to anybody outside of your other rich bros, dude, because it is a problem for people that don't have generational wealth like you have been able to create based off the connections that.
You have rich people.
Like when it comes to ownership in sports, Okay, hire good people, let them do their jobs and enjoy your life on your ship or traveling around, Like, don't don't meddle, don't get involved because you don't know what normal people have to do day to day to get by.
Like it's easy for.
Josh Cronky be like I need you guys to play with joke, Like, yeah, you've got millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars in the bank. You can live your life easy every day with joy. The rest of us have to get up and work. Like the ownership situation. Whenever these rich people try to get involved and then explain themselves, they only compound the problem.
Yeah, like your job is to sign checks. Let the basketball people do the basketball stuff right. And by the way, the Kunky family doesn't even like they don't even enjoy owning a basketball team. They enjoy owning everything else, but not a bad They don't enjoy owning a basketball team. That's been pretty clear throughout this whole time. I mean, look, I enjoy my life, right, I've I've got my dream job. I've been successful at it, Like I do pretty much
what I want. Like I'm in a good spot. I wouldn't go like, and I believe in work ethic and all this stuff. I wouldn't go out there and try to relate to a Kardashian for life advice. Right, they don't know, Like, I can't relate to that. That doesn't make any sense, right, They're on a different stratosphere. They can't relate to anything that any normal person is able to do. So like a Kronky or a Dan Gilbert or any of these people, Like, you know what I
should do right now? I should look at all these basketball operations, like what are you doing? No, sign the checks, that's what you're there for. Sign the checks, you know, get the get the city to fund your arena, even though you can pay for it. Do that stuff. Don't do don't do the NBA stuff.
Yeah, it never ends well.
The best ownership groups and pro sports hire good people, let them do their jobs, then go live their dream life. And that's you know, ultimately the model that we all should hope for. And I guess, Zach, it comes down to whenever you've been able to achieve something, some sort of measure of success, even extreme success. I just feel like a lot of these people believe they can translate that skill set into running a sports team, and they're not mutually excl It's not the same thing.
It ever is, right you, you if if your success comes from the business world, which obviously does, if you end up with that much money or your dad is mister Dolan, right, then you can use that stuff to use the business side of it, like go affect the business side of it. You want to make more money off the people, you want to, you know, find ways to market better all that stuff. I'm here for it, Josh Cronki. Let the basketball people do the basketball stuff.
Any other organization you have, you hire basketball people to do their stuff. Like, one of the things I appreciate about my job, and it has been expressed to me through my bosses, my editors, all that stuff is they always say to me and like, this is very empowering. It's something that not like not any other place I've worked has done. They say, we hired you to be you, So go be you, right, That's what basketball people are
supposed to do. They're not supposed to do anything else but be basketball people in NBA organizations and instead that all these dumb ass games all the time, like these political games and stuff, instead of just focusing on basketball stuff, and you get situations like that when that happens.
Speaking of your reputation, Zach, if I told you, oh though, that somebody on this radio show referred to you as a basketball bully, would you push back on that or agree that that's real?
Oh, basketball bully? Yeah, that could happen.
Okay, well no, this was Tom. This was Tom Aberstrow.
Oh yeah, well okay, all right, Yeah that I did bully Tom on a basketball court.
Oh okay, okay, because I did. I didn't bring it like I texted you. The texted you this off air. I have not had the heart to bring up the Read Shepherd stuff because on the show last year, prior to the draft, Tom did the Tom thing where it's like he's going to be historic, he should be the number one pick. Like I think, I think a lot of people liked Reed Shepherd. Tom liked Read Shepherd scoach too.
Much.
But I did bring up the fact that you push back on his Kevin Garnett Cooper flag comp and instead of instead of standing up for himself, he peed down his leg and went back because he was afraid that he was afraid that you were gonna stuff him into a locker? What did you do to poor Tom Havershow well, this was years ago.
This is probably legitimately like ten years ago. We were both in Miami and we played basketball and I lit him up, like Tom's good. Tom can play, but I lit him up, and I was talking to some trash and I hit a deep shot to win the game. And so I was a bit of a basketball bully. And then you know, I could be very aggressive in my opinions and stuff like that. But yes, like I can, I wouldn't say I am a basketball bully. I can exhibit the behavior of a basketball bully from time to time.
But also one I watched and look I've gotten We could do a whole week of shows on draft comps that I have gotten wrong, all of us a lot wrong. But I watched, really watched one game of Reed Shepherd last year. It was the game against Oakland where they got and I was like, this guy can't get past any of these dudes. He stinks, And I was like, there's no way. Like I watched one game and I
was like, Nah, this guy doesn't have it. The Cooper flag is really good, but the idea of comparing him to Kevin Garnett just to me, even even eighteen year old Kevin Garnett, just doesn't make any sense. You keep trying to like, people keep trying to find these Kevin Garnett comparisons, and they tried it with Anthony Davis. If that didn't work, like it just you gotta you gotta
find other people. Like there's certain guys like you know, we do it with Dirk Navitsky and stuff like we've done it with like Lowry Markinen with Drknavitski set Like, No, Dirk's this level of guy. You got to find someone lower.
What is the tale of tape between you and Tom? Is there a sizeable size difference between the two of you.
I mean, I think we're we're the same here. You're doing a lot better shape than I'm inn okay for sure, but I think we're I mean we're about like I think I think we're the same height. I don't know. It depends on you know, how tall my hair is that day, but we're the same height, hesn't He's in better shape. I might have a longer reach than he.
Does based off of because Tom's usually one that will stand up for his own opinion or kind of bring the noise back. Based off of the way he just declined to take my bait, it feels it.
It felt more personal.
Than just a game winning shot in a pickup basketball game.
I think this is what I think he I think he knows like Tom's a very smart, eloquent, reasoned person. I think he knows I'm kind of a loud idiot at times. I think he just doesn't. I think he's like, oh, I don't want Zac to be annoying about this, so he's just like, it's not worth.
It, Okay, all right.
I think that's probably what it is.
Gotcha takeaways from So mcmanimon just reported the NBA rescinded that second technical against Luca, and ultimately the reason it sucked for me is I'm dial the end of that game because watching Lebron and Luca try to figure this thing out has become like a fascination of mine, based off of how smart they both are as players, so I want to kind of see how this thing unfolds.
And then it's a one point game last night, Luca gets run for talking to a fan and then the thunder just run away from him and it ruined my experience as a basketball consumer.
What were your takeaways, dame?
I mean, I was locked in that game, and and you know, here's what I hate. I hate that the reaction is, well, yeah, but Luca complains all the time, So this is just justice for that. Like, sure he does complain all the time, So does Draymond, so does
Chris Paul. So like you can Lebron complains all the bit, like you can go through all these like Yoki's complains all the time, Like all these guys, all these stars about the history of the game, complain, yell at ref talk all the time, right, Like it is just you get leeway if you have a certain skill or you set a certain tone or whatever. It's just like, yeah, it's unfair. That's life. I don't know what to tell you.
That's what it is. And I don't I don't believe because you drive eighty five miles in a you know, on a sixty five mile an hour freeway all the time. The one time you went sixty eight, you deserve a speeding ticket. Like I just I don't believe in that, Like that was a bad technical foul. The times that he's complaining to a ref and yelling and whining and stuff him up for that stuff, that's fine. This was
a bad technical foul. The refs should have gotten together rescinded it right on the spot, and instead you have what has become more of a problem with officiating. Like I don't like blaming rest for stuff. I believe in accountability when it comes to players and teams, and like I don't believe ref's ruined, you know, ruined the game for you and made you lose. I think the entirety
of the game is what matters with that stuff. But the rest took away last night through a bad technical foul, the enjoyment and like the analysis and everything that's good about the NBA, because they wouldn't just think, like take a minute and be like, maybe he was yelling at that fan, Maybe we shouldn't team up for that for the second one. Maybe we should like just take a breath and be like, hey, we're gonna take this back, but you got to watch it the rest of the game.
Why can't that happen? I don't understand, like why it has to happen. Yeah, that happened the way it did.
Now for sure. What's the scene like in Dallas tonight? How do you think this is gonna go?
I So I wrote about this a little bit in the Bounce today, which is on my plug. It's our free newsletter from the NBA that I about the NBA that I do every single day on the Athletic. It's free, you don't have to pay for it. The Athletic dot com slash. The Bounce goes right into your email box. I wrote about this today. We had earlier this season, we had karl Antonia Town's return to Minnesota right and the fans loved it. They loved him, but they still
wanted the Temperwolves to win that game. And then not that long ago, we had Jimmy Butler returned the Miami and the fans hated them and they were so happy that he lost that game. And tonight, I think for the first time ever, we're going to see Mavericks fans not only love and embrace Luka Doncic. I think they're going to root for the Lakers to win. It's like a big middle finger to Nico Harrison. Wow. I don't think they've become Lakers fans. I don't think any of that.
But I think the goal for Mavericks fans, knowing that this team is cooked and there is no light at the end of the tunnel for this thing this season and maybe not even next season, depending on how Kyrie recovers from his injury, I think the whole goal for the majority of really die hard Mavericks fans is Nico Harrison has to go. And I don't know how realistic that is, but the worst that this trade looks, you know, short term and long term, I think that's what they
want to emphasize. And I really think it's going to be a cool scene, an emotional scene, but a weird vibe.
Yeah. Yeah, it's man.
If they go to the extent of charing for the other team, I mean, you know, it's such a generational misstep. And I feel the same way about it today, Zach that I did the moment I heard about the trade, like, and you know, wondering where you're at, Is there anything that you have heard since this deal went down that made you pump fake on your take about how misguided the whole thing was.
No, not like I don't know. I don't know what I could hear, right, I legitimately don't know. Like we're walking Luca right, like he's out there, he's getting better, Like he's playing really well, They're starting to gel like they look they look pretty dangerous. This Malone stuff with Denver might eliminate a potential big threat for them in the postseason, where it's like you might start believing in
the Lakers as actual contenders. Like I don't even know what to think anymore, But I don't know what reporting could actually happen outside of a heinous crime that was covered up that makes me believe that this was even a reasonable trade to think about, let alone execute.
Yeah, now I'm with you, all right. Last thing, because we are in saw Lake. There is a basketball team that plays here. They are three there are three games last. Nobody gives a rip. Everybody's just waiting for the season. And but we are hoping that there is a little bit of luck here that does land Cooper flag and saw Lake after watching him play in the tournaments. What are your takeaways, and you know your your your thoughts For Jazz.
Fans curious to see what this kid is in the NBA.
He's really good. I mean I do, I do think at the NBA level, and I still feel this way watching him in the tournament. I still feel like he's a long way away from being someone who can consistently create his own shot in a way that like he can shoot. But creating your your own shot versus catching and shooting are two very different things. And I think catch and shoot he'll be fine. I think creating his own shot it is a bit of a mess, and so until he does that, I think he needs to
be with a strong lead guard or a strong playmaker. Sensibly, I think he's going to be awesome right away. I don't think he's going to have any of that you know, rookie figuring it out. Like he's just such a competitive, smart athletic player, and I think he's going to avoid the fouls. I think he's going to be, you know, really active defensively. And I was impressed in the tournament.
We saw this during the regular season a bit, but in the tournament, super impressed by his playmaking in terms of his passing ability, catching the ball on the move and finding guys in the corners, finding guys under the basket. He's a he's a really good passer. So I just you know, he's got to bring up the ball handling. He's got to bring up the creation at the NBA level. But everything else like looks like, you know, a very good to elite skill that I think he'll have right away.
And sounds a little Garnett like to me.
But uh well, yeah, I mean if Garnett was with six eighth and a lot worse, I think he would. I think it would be Cooper Flag.
I just want to know what you did to poor Tom Habershaw when none of us were looking, buddy, that's all.
It's you know what. And Casey's listen, it's what I did to Tony Jones two. I lit him up on a basketball corps. That's right, Tony.
Wow, we're gonna we're getting a text from Tony because I've got the time.
That's Tony about the time he and Kareem Copeland were arguing about who had to garden me? Not who gets the guard me, who had to guard me on a last possession?
Wow, Porter are you. We need to clip this sound and we need to play it when Tony joins us this week.
Oh yeah, whatever Tony says about other times is a lie.
Tony never lies about his basketball careers. I kind of what you're talking about. Tony can ball, all right, buddy, Thanks for the time with you out too, all right.
Thanks.
Zach Harper from The Athletic UH.
He does write a daily newsletter about the NBA called The Bounds for the Athletic. You can get him on Twitter at Talk Hoops is where you find him.