October 2, 2024 • 54 mins
NBA superstar Karl-Anthony Towns sits down with Shannon Sharpe at Club Shay Shay for an extensive and candid conversation. Karl-Anthony, also known as KAT, starts off by discussing his offseason activities and his claim to be the greatest shooting big man of all time, stating that he’s an even better shooter than Dirk Nowitzki or any other big man in NBA history. He dives into why he didn’t showcase his shooting abilities while playing at Kentucky under Coach John Calipari and talks about how both his and Anthony Davis’ games evolved after making it to the NBA. KAT also touches on the balance between team play at Kentucky and individual NBA aspirations.
KAT then reflects on Kentucky’s legendary 38-1 season, expressing the sting of their lone loss. He also delves into the Minnesota Timberwolves’ performance last season, offering an analysis of why they were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks and how the team discovered its strengths by relying on veteran leadership and holding each other accountable. Shannon Sharpe presses KAT on his shooting struggles during that series, asking why he didn’t change his scoring strategy. Then, KAT shares his detailed daily routine to keep himself in peak physical and mental condition as a basketball player.
Karl-Anthony addresses criticisms about his work ethic, specifically responding to comments made by Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, and Draymond Green, who have all questioned his practice regimen. KAT sets the record straight and also discusses his long-standing relationship with Kyrie Irving, tracing their bond back to their early days in New Jersey. He explains how he’s learned from Kyrie over the course of their NBA careers. KAT praises the skill and dominance of the Boston Celtics last season and explains how their championship was a long time coming.
KAT spends time talking about his Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Anthony Edwards, highlighting what makes Edwards special as a player and how their connection on the court is so strong. He explains why Anthony Edwards listens to him more than other people and discusses Edwards and other NBA stars' decision not to participate in the NBA Dunk Contest, sharing insights into why stars are now steering away from the event in favor of focusing on the three-point contest.
When it comes to Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony gives an honest assessment of what Gobert brings to the Timberwolves and where he falls short. He also dives into Gobert’s rivalry with Draymond Green and reflects on his time playing under Coach Tom Thibodeau, detailing the ups and downs of his coaching philosophy. KAT gets into the infamous rift between him and Jimmy Butler, explaining how the experience helped him grow as both a teammate and a leader.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Who's called Anthony Towns go but man, that man Broun,
different man, brin something special, just straight off the rip.
He's the best player I've never seen Tyler.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Watch all my Life, Grinding all my life, sacrifice Hustle
Pegg Price Wan Slice got the bron Geist Swap all
my Life, Poppy grinding all my life, All my life,
grinding all my life, sacrifics Hustle Pegg Price One.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Slice got the bronc Geist.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Swap all my life, Poppy grinding all my life.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Hello, welcome to another edition of Club Shayshe I am
your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the propriud of Club
Sha Sha and today we're at Spotlight l A. The
guy that's stopping by for a conversation and the drink
today is one of the most skilled big men to
ever touch a basketball. He's arguably the best shooting big
man of all time, first in the league history to
have ten May threes, ten May twos, and ten May
(00:56):
free throws in the same game. He's the only center
in NBA history to in the Three Point Contest and
the Skills Challenge. He's a four time NBA All Star,
a two time All NBA member, the number one overall
draft pick in twenty sixteen, twenty sixteen NBA Rookie of
the Year, twenty fifteen SEC Freshman of the Year, twenty
fourteen Gatorade National Player of the Year. McDonald's All American
(01:18):
Kentucky alum, and he's the winner of the prestigious Kareem
I Due with Jabbar Social Justice Award. Here he is,
Ladies and Gentlemen superstar, the Unicorn Cat.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Oh appreciate you, man, Appreciate you, bro. How you being man,
I've been good. Life span treating me well. How's the summer, man,
It's good. Got to travel, get more cultured, you know,
see some new faces. God is good. Man.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
You know what, cat you you ain't gonna lie. You
know what.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
We got to a little toast, you know, since she's
a Mennican at all, you know, I know you've put down,
You're known to put down.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
You're tired. We ain't gonna do that that much because
you know, come on, just a little something.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
I'm with it.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
That's my own knyak.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
I'm gonna real yeah that we're gonna sing you home
with about Shamela Portier.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
You know, come on, where the camera?
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Yeah, yeah, far to all the success, everything that you've
accomplished and will continue to complish it.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Think them coming about closer. That makes move, ain't it.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
That's good?
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Okay, I see what you're talking about.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Un Yeah, that's what That's what's going down. Okay.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
I appreciate that you called this thing. You said, I'm
the greatest shooting big man of all time. People like, well,
hold on, did Dirk not play in the NBA?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Noah, Dirk was Definitely.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
When you said that, you knew that you were going
to catch some criticism. But does that just mean that No,
I just got confidence on myself. I'm secure what I've
been able to do, and I shoot the basketball. That's
why I said what I said.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
Nah.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Absolutely, I mean, come on, you what you're supposed to say?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, you you are pro You know how it is.
You gotta have ultimate confidence in yourself. No one got
confidence in you. As long as you got it you solid.
So I just know, you know, when I was, I
spoke from the heart. You know, I know the hours
I put in, I know the work I put into
my game, and I know what the sids say. So
I just wanted to kind of set in stone what
I feel about myself and how I feel what I
(03:11):
could do in this league, and uh, you know, I'm
just going to continue to prove it every single year,
and you know, I'm gonna let the people choose. But
like they, I know people talked about Dirt. Dirk set
the table for me, so right, I'm just super appreciative
of him. Without him, I wouldn't be able to do
what I do.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
I'm looking at the stats in three point percentage, You're
about forty percent thirty nine point eight in the regular season,
Dirk is thirty eight percent.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Towns has two.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
U you shot a higher PERCENTY from the field in
the regular season, higher percenty from the free throw and
his prime Karl Anthony Towns today Dirt in his prime.
Do you believe you could beat him in a three
point competition?
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I think I could be at anybody. But I also
know that without him, I wouldn't even be able to
sit in his chair saying that, right, So it's kind
of like weird to say that because I just know
without him, I wouldn't even have the idea, the ideology
that I could shoot threes at a higher rate and
a high clip like that. I think that with my
shooting ability, I could do anything I say I can
with shooting. But you know, I think we're all for,
(04:06):
especially me chasing with dirt. God, that's a ring.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
As long as I can get that ring, you know,
it's and an MVP.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Man, he was a beast. I remember sitting in Jersey
just watching them. I'm like, man, like, if I could
just be just half of the shooter he is, I
see myself doing really good things. And I you know,
when you're young in Jersey, especially somewhere that hasn't made
any NBA players like that except their characters shout out
to Scataway, right, you're just hoping to just be able
to play college basketball, you know, shooting like that. As
(04:35):
long as you can shoot like that, just to get
a D one scholarship, you know, that's you've made it, right,
you know.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
So You've got two sixty point games, three fifty point games,
fourteen forty point games, and over one hundred and thirty
point games.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
And you said, you know, be able to shoot the basketball?
About that for real? Yeah? You did all that? Damn
I didn't know.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
I'm gonna be honest, and I don't even know if
you knew in college, we didn't see you shoot the ball. Now,
when did you know you could shoot the basketball? Damn cat,
before college you could always shoot like that. I happened
to Kentucky. Man, don't get me starting now, start nah.
You know when when I went to Kentucky, Kyle knew
(05:16):
I could shoot the ball like that. He knew I
was a great shooter. In Jersey, I was shooting a
bunch of threes, making a bunch and and when we
had the UK Pro Day, I don't know if anyone
remembers that, but when we had the UK Pro Day,
I remember we had shooting drill and I think I
broke Kyle Singler's record for shooting on camera on TV.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
So everyone knew I could shoot. But there was things
I had to work on on my game if I
wanted to get to the next level, be able to
play some of the greats I've ever played this game,
like Lebron, James and and and company. You know, for
me to do that, I would have to amplify my game.
I would have to fix my weaknesses. I would have
to be a better post player. I would have to
work on my body more I would have to have
(05:52):
all levels of scoring. So when I got to the NBA,
I was truly prepared for what comes being an NBA
player and wanting to be a great NBA player. So
I just cal saw something that I needed to work on.
I worked on in tremendously hard, got the job done,
found myself in a great position to be in Minnesota.
And you know that the ability to score at three
levels has helped me tremendously in my career.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
I'm looking at you. I look at you and the
way you played in college. I look at Anthony Davis,
another guy that was mainly a blog, shot, rebound the basketball,
and then all of a sudden he comes out and
he can average. You know, he can add one year
you have with twenty eight and eleven. What is it
that is it storing easier in the NBA than it
(06:36):
is in college.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I think it's just different games. I think it's just
different games. I think that when you see what Ad
had to do in Kentucky to win a national championship
and the talent that was around him, Michael Kidd Gilcrest,
another Jersey native, I think that he was asked to
do a different job that was needed to win a
national championship, and he sure as hell did anyone. I
believe it went National Player of the Years.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Yes, he did.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
He did was needed for his team, and I think
both of us did the same thing when we went
to Kentucky. We have to learn how to sacrifice at
the highest level. You know, we're all guys.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Everybody's a five star.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Yeah, but also everyone wants to feed their family. They
know they come into Kentucky to get to the next level,
get to the NBA, to get that NBA money, to
be able to take care.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
You need to tell me you ain't go to Kentucky
to be an accountant or a lawyer or a doctor.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Hey, I want to be aciologist. And they had the
best canesiologists program I seen in the country. So mix
that in with the basketball. Of course, I was gonna
be able to do something special if I went there
and shout out to my mom. You know, she was
the one who was really about I really liked that
school for you, and you know I speel. We both
know Mama and know's best. So I just kind of
went with her, and she was right.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
When you go to a school and you know some
of the guys that was at Kentucky.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
You played with them in McDonald's All America, you played
against them growing up in aau.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
You saw them.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
You said that, Look, everybody wants to go to the
next level. Everybody feels that they can score fifteen twenty
points a game and all of a sudden be the
number one overall pick or be a lot of repick kat,
how do you blend like, Okay, yeah, I want to
showcase my talent. I want to win a national championship.
But in the same breath, I need X amount of shots,
(08:12):
I need X amount of touches in order to do
all the things that I want to do while still
being a team player.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
You know, when we were at Kentucky, we never even
thought about all that really, like not at all, Like
it was all about getting to win. Like we didn't
think about nothing else but that. It kind of mimics
a little bit like Olympic basketball. Okay, you're a national
you know, when you're on a national team, it's not
even about who gets the credit, as long as we
win together. We win, and we win for our program.
We went for our our fans in our college, you know,
(08:41):
so we never thought about that I know I have.
I could definitely think of one game for sure, but
there's been games where I think I scored two points
against North Carolina on.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
CBS Man's the Cat. You can't score two point two.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Points blocked one by like twenty. We all went home
super happy. So you know, there's things when we were
in college. That's what made that team so so great
was the ability for all of us, as five star recruits,
like you said, future NBA picks, to be able to
sacrifice for one goal that was just to win at
all costs. It don't matter what it is. We leave
(09:12):
with this win. And I think the record show for itself.
We won thirty eight straight, found ourselves in the thirty nine.
We didn't get the job done, but I think we
gave a college basketball fans, SEC network and everybody a
lot of fun, a lot of joy in all that winning.
I found myself playing some of my favorite times in
playing basketball in my career.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
How difficult was it your thirty eight, O, you got
a chance to be thirty nine and no possibly forty
and oh probably no one's gonna win more than forty
games because they don't really schedule that many games. And
you lose that game and you believe, I think in
your heart of hearts, I think you guys believe you
guys were the more talented team and that was a
game that you guys should have won.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Has that game haunted you? If that one of the
games that sticks.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yes, I don't even gott to let you. Sorry, I
can't that you finished, okay man?
Speaker 3 (10:01):
That was.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Yeah, that game still hurt. I still haven't watched it, really,
I can't. It's one of those like there's painful memories
I think we both have as playing as professionals, and
I even says in college as well, those that that
game probably hurt the most. And that's something that stuck
(10:25):
with me. And it was something crazy because it was
tough for us, let alone losing the game and having
to look at each other in the locker room. And
one thing Cal always told us was, you know, you'll
never have a group of talent in a locker room
ever again like this, and we'll never see each other
again because we know a lot of us were going
to go possibly to the NBA. And you know what
(10:46):
really hurt us the most was, like I said, not
only just seeing each other and understanding this may be
the last time we ever played with each other or
be able to have this opportunity. But when you have
to go home from the arena and see your families
in the lobby, Oh, it hurt. Hurt, you know, because
we do this for our families, right and for us
(11:06):
to come in front of our families and not be
able to give them the moment that they deserve for
allowing us and supporting us and giving us opportunity to
even be at Kentucky to play the game of basketball,
feeding us all those times, you know, not having us work,
but allowing us to go work on our craft and
our game, and not being able to bring that trophy
(11:27):
home for them. I think that will really really hurt.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
When you go back and assess that game and you
look at your play in that game, Even though you
haven't watched it, I'm sure you've replayed it in your head.
What do you think Kat could have done differently that
could have swung the outcome in your guys's favor.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
The one player I still get mad about today and
they had to change the rule in college basketball after
that game, was the shot clock. Not being able to
review it. I believe Nigel still have the ball in
his hand and the shot clock went off, but we
still let the ball go and count as as a
bucket winner. It was clear as day it was a
shot clock violation. So they changed that rule for the
(12:06):
betterment of the next generation. But obviously everything, yeah, every
rule change always has to affect one person before it
becomes an actor, and that was me last year.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
I mean, you had a great season.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
I mean, you made the All Star Game, All Star Team, y'all,
beat Book and KD swept them, beat through the reigning
defending champs and Denver Nuggets, the MVP and Yoke and
the Denver Nuggets after coming from behind. Then you played
the MAVs have home court. That's what you wanted. You
wanted home court and you got it.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
What happened, they played really good basketball and we didn't
play our best. And pretty simple as that. I mean,
give them credit where credits do. They came in with
a great game plan there guys showed up when they
needed to hit big shots, especially you know, it's one
of those unfortunate things. You know, we played two amazing teams,
(13:04):
amazing amazing teams, super teams, and like you said, defending
champion who has the MVP getting his trophy.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
They had you guys down twenty in game seven, Yes,
you own the road?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Really twenty one, okay, because it was nineteen going in
the high time. That came out and scored and went
up to twenty one.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You on the road, You're in a hostile environment.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
They have the defense, they have the MVP, three time
MVP in four years, they're the reigning NBA champs. When
you on the road in a hostile environment, how do
you guys stay together to say, you know what, guys,
we still have a chance to win this game. What
was said in the locker room at halftime and then
what was said coming guy in the locker room?
Speaker 1 (13:45):
You know, for us it was Finchy. I mean, coach
of the year candidate right there our eyes. He's the
coach of the year in NBA. But for him to
come in there with that kind of poise, he established
poise in the locker room. He let us know that
we've been in situations like this before and found ourselves
winning the game. We know the talent, we know the
(14:06):
work we've put in. Just time to leave it all
on the court, especially for this half and us as
players before FINCHI even got in there. We were just
talking about just staying to the game, you know, like
not letting go of the rope at any point playing
the game out. We knew we never felt we were
down that much. And now that I look back at
the game, I say, wow, we really we really do.
(14:27):
We really were down a lot of boys. So but
it just speaks to our locker room, people like Kyle Anderson,
Mike Conley, all the guys in our locker room who
just continue to motivate us, continue to support, continue to
establish confidence in everyone. It was one of those magical
moments where you feel so connected and all the times
(14:49):
in in Abu Dhabi in the preseason, we were talking
about our camaraderie, the fact that we were unified, the
fact that we felt connected, the fact that we knew
in games when it got to when it got really
difficult and things weren't looking going our way, that we
would lean into the fact that we felt like brothers,
you know, we felt like a family, and that we
would find out find ourselves getting out of a situation together.
(15:12):
That that third quarter, fourth quarter was special, and uh,
all the way down in our sixth Man of the
Year in the NBA Nasri came to play. Everyone just
did so much in that game to help us win.
It was a total team effort to get that game done.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
You mentioned that you guys go into the locker room
before coach Finch comes in.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Obviously he's probably talking to the assistance and about coming
up with strategy.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
In the second half, there weren't any cussing, man, what
the hell home? Man? What the l you doing? Man?
You need to play battle, you need to do this.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
You did.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
There was none of that going on, just poise.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
I feel like a lot of times Finch lets us
talk the game out and you know, we hold each
other accountable. That's what made our team so great was
the ability, like college teammates, to hold each other accountable,
and we all understood what we needed to be done
in a way. We needed to play perfect, second, high, correct,
and we went out there and found a way to
(16:04):
get it done. And I think that's not only a
testament to the guys in the locker room, but our
coaching side and still in confidence, keeping us poised, understanding,
you know, when things got too high, keep us even killed.
And when things got low and things were looking really bad,
you know, we stayed solid, you know, stayed disciplined.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Cat shot went falling.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
No, he shot thirty seven percent from the floor, shot
twenty four percent from the three in the Western Conference Finals,
shot twelve point five percent in five games, the worst
percentage from deep in NBA playoff history.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
I said, I don't know if you heard.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
I said, Cad shot ain't falling, bro, get your big old,
but now you can post. I've seen you give some
of the best defenders not shooting the three with your
back to the basket, drop steps saying you can't guard me.
You can't guard me, You can't guard me. I don't
give a damn about you being on then all the
NBA defensive team. I don't care about you the defensive
(17:00):
player of the year. I've seen you do it, and
then I'm watching you play the Mavericks a lot of
time to get smaller guys like, come on, Cat, tell
me what's going I'm sure the coaches are telling you that.
I'm sure probably and has told you that, probably some
of your closest friends, Cat Broy.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
You need to get down on the box. What's going
on in Cat's mind?
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Obviously you got to process a lot, Cat a lot
going on, because you know, every game matters. There ain't
no oh we'll get them. We'll get them in two days. Now,
got to what's going on in cats here? For me,
just just trying to execute. I know we put me
in great spots. I got good looks, just wasn't falling
and I saw. I talked about it after one game,
(17:39):
you know how I knew the work I was putting in.
So it's it's something when I go home, I'm disappointed.
I want to win the game, but I understand. You know,
I'm getting good looks and I just got to continue
to shoot them. So, you know, for me, it's just
taking what the defense was giving me. I was obviously
getting some good looks at three just and wasn't making them.
You know, obviously we all could look back and say,
(18:01):
we would love me back in the post more in
the Dallas action we call it free throw line action game. Yes,
taking you did that and you you got the ball,
and you would waiting that game that y'all won. You
would wait you got.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
About by okay, yeah, jumping jumping real high? Yes, yeah, yes,
you know, just I think we all could look back
at it and wish we did a little things differently
sometimes too, but you know, we did what we thought
was best in the moment. It didn't work out. And
you know, I feel bad because I told the guys
you know, and me and Ant and have conversations all
(18:34):
the time, even during the Olympics, you know, about things
we both could do better, we could do all around
better so we can help our team winning. You know,
I know that we didn't want to come out with
that kind of result. You learn from it, you move on.
I think that we obviously, like you said, we wish
we could have that moment back. We could maybe change
some things, but it is what it is now.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Mike Conlin said, you have to be more active in
the paint.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Is that something that you could Obviously, you know we're
going to talk out to fifteen hundred shots that you know,
he and t and Charleston said that that's not possible.
But do you feel that's I mean, obviously you work
on shooting. I mean, you can't be as tall as
you are have the kind of touch that you have
without working on it. So how do you split your workouts?
Do you like, Okay, I'm getting up five hundred shots
today and then in the afternoon session. I'm gonna get
(19:18):
played with, you know in the paint. Do drop stiff,
do fade away one leg both? I mean, so, how
does Kat break up his workouts to make sure he's
getting the work that he needs so when he gets
in the game.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
It's second nature for me.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
When I in a regular, regular season, postseason, whatever, it's
the same routine all the time. I usually first one
in the gym. I get there, say probably like six, six,
seven if it depends the time of practice, but let's
just say six on a regular day. Six, get my
sna and you know, get my work in, do my
red bed. After that, head back, get work on my body,
(19:53):
do pt session with the people there, Go on the court,
shoot shoot for an hour, go lift, come back to
our we call it vitamins. Do it with the coaches.
Now shooting more practice, the whole practice, shoot again after
Luca Garza okay, and then you know, go home.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Rest up.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
I've been there for a long time. It's probably now
we're talking about from six in the morning. I'm leaving
around two o'clock, three o'clock. If I get a massage
to take care of my body, going the cold tub
after and everything probably about full thirty five and then
get home. Got a core at the house, so shooting
more shots at the house, and then just relax, take
(20:36):
care of my body, do some rehab ice game ready,
you know, Norman Tech. So really, just I love this game.
I love my job, I love my craft. So I
just dedicate my whole entire life to it. And I
smile because I just I always think about every day
about playing basketball and happy. Even before this, I got
to play a lot of basketball.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
You said, man, I get up fifteen hundred shots to day.
Charles Barkin said he ain't happening. Shocks like the fact
that he's not upset concerns. May Dremond can't and say
you were capping. I mean, look, I don't know what's
what's normal for an NBA player. How many shots he
gets up? I don't know if it's fifty, I don't
know if it's five.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
How many passes you catch a day?
Speaker 5 (21:14):
When he was playing, when it threw him to me, Hey,
I saw the jacket you got on. They threw it
to you a lot, they did.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
They did you know, we caught jugs, I caught drugs,
and we tried to catch fifty passes, but we had
to catch fifty in a row, so if we dropped,
we had to start a hold over again. So yeah,
I called at least fifty you know quarterbacks. Through doing so,
I would say during the course of a practice, given
seventy five, say probably seventy five passes a.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Day, you hear that.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
That means it ain't dropping no passes.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
No, no, not cause you don't.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
God, you've already been out there for hour and a half,
two hours, and so you already tired. So you got
a concentration because concentration breaking not the ball hit. And
you might be at twenty five, you might be at thirty.
Now you got to start all back over again. So
you didn't want that to happen. And the thing, the
last thing you want to happen, cat is that being
a situation where it's fourth down or is it late
in the ball game, and your lack of concentration you
(22:15):
drop a pass and the.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Lack of reps that's the moment where those reps count.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Right right, And so we catch involved at different angles,
shoe tops, over the shoulder, different things like that. But
when people call in the question how hard you're actually working,
does that bother you or you just brush it off because.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
These are not normal guys. No, no, if I were
to say that, yeah, you wouldn't even play.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
You talking about NBA legends.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, the game.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Yes, Yes, I know the work I put in, so
I don't even have to explain it.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I know.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
I know who was there when the gym was dark,
and I know who turned the lights on. Okay, I
ain't worried about that. I know one thing when I
was said, I know, and was not happy about that
because he was like, I know, I've seen you in
there even I'm when I show up, you've been there
sweating and when I leave, you still going for another one. So,
like I said, I don't got to explain. I know
(23:08):
what I do in the gym. I know the work
I put in. Shout out to the coaches PD coaches Corliss,
Kevin Hansen, Moses, you know, shout out to all the
guys over there in Minnesota who willing to you know,
as you know, put their lives to the side, you know, wives, kids,
willing to dedicate that amount of time to me to
allow me to shoot the basketball, to me, allow me
to work on my game, and allow me to be
(23:30):
the best version of myself. So shout out to them
last year especially, you know, we gave up a lot
of their time. You know, they could have been given
to their kids and their family, and they were in
the gym working.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Dedicated to you getting better.
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Kyrie had praised for you after the credit he after
that criticism, you came back dropped twenty five nine of thirteen,
shooting four or five from the three. Kyrie said, despite
the unfair criticism we received, he's a great, great player.
I respect him. I know my teammates respect him. That's
what great players do. They figure it out.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
That's that's my jersey dog, my guy. You know what, man,
I've known Kyrie since he was young, and I've seen
the work he put into his game. So I know
everyone goes so crazy when he's doing these layups he's dribbling,
but I've seen him since he was young doing that.
I've seen the hours he was putting in. I seen
the work he was putting in. I've seen the drills
he was putting. I definitely stole a lot of the
drills for myself so I can improve myself as a player.
(24:18):
You know, when you're watching greatness, you study greatness and
you try to implement it into your game. And I
got none but praise for Kyrie. I've you know, I've
been like I said, I've been blessed to watch him
since I was young, before the NBA, before Duke, before
any of that, just to see where he's at now.
I mean, in my eyes, he's a legend the game.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
Are you surprised with the ease or seemingly eased?
Speaker 4 (24:44):
It looked like it was easy the Celtics handled the
Mavericks or did you think it would be like a
long series. I thought it would be at least I
thought it would be an angle like that. I thought
it'd be at least a six to seven game series.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Celtics was really good last year. Okay, they've been good
for years, but they.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Was locked in.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Yeah, you know what I'm trying to say. They was
locked in last year. They like I know, one of
the reporters was telling me about you gotta lose to
finally win and that history plays and self out and
Boston had to go through that. They've been just so good,
they've been like they've just been knocking on the door.
They finally the door, you know, door finally open, you
know what I'm trying to say. So I know when
(25:19):
we played them that they showed so much poison championship
pedigree in them. You know when we went to overtime
with them and the way they played, they just so
disciplined in their approach. Great coach. Shout out to Missoula.
Took care of my boy and my brother, Deshaun Butler
over there in West Virginia. Yeah, I just you know,
you could see not only the talent, I think we
(25:40):
all see that as basketball fans, you would see it,
but the poise, the discipline, that's what's needed to win
a championship, and they had it. They had it early
in the regular season. I think they shown in they record.
So I didn't know what the series was gonna have,
you know, in order, I didn't know what was gonna happen.
But I just knew that Dallas had a tough, tough,
tough test against the Celtics. You know, they're they were rolling,
(26:01):
they've been resting, they've been waiting for this moment, and
so shout out to them.
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Speaker 4 (27:35):
When you hear like sometimes playoff like you hear playoff rondo,
that's a compliment. Yeah, But Magic Johnson had a situation.
Magic Johnson was a two times finals MVP. Hook shot
down in the middle for the win, and in eighty
four he dribbles out the clock, they go to overtime,
they end up losing, and they called him Tragic Johnson.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
He was no longer Magic.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
And then when you hear the term as great as
you are in the regular season, you haven't been able
to put those same type of numbers for in the postseason.
And they like playoff cat and they mean it in
a derogatory way. How does cat turn that around? How
does how does cat? If there's such a thing as
a narrative, because we see what you are in the
regular season, how do cat make sure he's that same
(28:18):
in the postseason.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Just go out there and do what you do. I mean,
you know, everything was good. I felt I was shooting
the ball extremely well during the whole playoffs and it
was a tough time to have a slump, you know,
especially in the Western Conference finals. But I think, just work,
Just trust the work. Trust the work. You know it
always is going to pay off, you know, and that
never get discouraged by the work he putting in. You know,
(28:41):
if you're putting the hours in, you could look at
yourself in the Marion know that you put exactly the
amount of hours plus some needed to be great. You know,
you live with the work you put in.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
This team you mentioned at Rudy Rudy.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Teams, Mike Conley Anderson was so amazing for us, you know,
side we have we lost them.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
If this team's the what's gonna be Obviously success is
winning a championship. But if this core, if you guys
don't get to the NBA finals, if you guys don't win,
will this be disappointing?
Speaker 1 (29:18):
I mean it would be disappointing. For the fact that
we made at the Western Conference finals and we haven't
took that next step, which is to make the NBA Finals.
You know, it's gonna be disappointing. You know, Minnesota deserves
the championship. They've they've been asking for a championship since
it exception as a team. So you know, I've always
said I wanted to bring them a championship. I wanted
(29:39):
to be a part of the championship team that finally
brings that ring in that parade down to first half.
You know, we just gotta keep working, keep working. I
think that you say it's a disappointment, it's something that
I think everyone's gonna feel the same way if they
didn't win a championship. It's everyone is a disappointment if
you don't come out with a ring out of it.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
When you look at and a lot of people didn't
think the the Rudy Gobert addition, because you're like, this
is not the nineties basketball.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
You don't really need to sell foot this. You need
a guy.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
We got three of them almost yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Because the way Cat can play with his back to
the basket, he can shoot the three. And then when
you look at Rudy, there are certain situations that you
have to take him out of the game.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
It's just what it is.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
He's a four time Defensive Player of the Year. He
makes a boatload of money, but the facts of the
matter is that a lot of times lay in the
ball game he's not.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
On the court.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Cat, I'm not breaking This is not interrupting your normal schedule, programming,
breaking news till your cat. You know that because you're there.
How were you able to put it together this year?
Because the first year it didn't work at and this
year you made it all the way to the Western
Conference plot.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
I think it's he gets unfair Christians because he brings
a lot to our team that we need, right like
the defense. I mean, this is a generational defensive player.
And around the basket. I think we all could agree
in the NBA Goats, any of the colleagues. If he's
around the basket of the ball, you know he gonna
dunk it. You know it's gonna be tough, it feel
me tough to stop that field goal percentage from going down.
So his first year in Minnesota, I I it's it's unfortunate.
(31:07):
It's unfair because I think that we weren't at full strength,
and I also got hurt. I'm never gotten hurt like that.
So to be in that situation was and put him
in that situation, you know, it was unfair. And I
think that this year, you know, with me healthy coming
in and playing a lot of the season healthy, you
could see what happens when you put the team around
(31:28):
him and we have you know, the lob opportunities. Making
him have the four or five pick and roll was
amazing all year, putting him in spots where he could be.
You know, he's super successful on offense and defensively. I mean,
you see what he does for our team, so number one,
number one team in the NBA and defense, and it's
not without Rudy Gobert. Especially Jade McDaniels too want to
give him a shoutout. But without Rudy, I don't, I don't,
(31:50):
We're not going to be near near nowhere near the
same defensive team as we were.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
You willing to take a one hundred plus million dollar
pay cut like Jalen Brunson did, keep this thing together.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
We can keep it all together, and we can keep
it together, right, show me that we all got to
get in the room and say we're gonna do it right,
So I mean Jalen Brunson shout out to him, Yeah,
shout out to him.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
That's why.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
I mean ten million. Okay, that's a lot ten million
even like, hey, but you know what, you know what,
you can't put a value on the fact that he's
at where he wants to be. Yeah, And I think
that's a big value number that no one's thinking of.
He's with his father, he's super comfortable, he has a
team that believes in him. I think that that belief
(32:36):
that a team and an organization could give you is
something It's worth a lot, a lot, a lot of money.
And they give him that that belief And I think
that he thought that was the best situation for him.
But I rew him off for that.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
I was a man.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
As a teammate. We see the charisma, we see the charm. Yeah,
he's funny, Yeah, he's outgoing. Yes all oh brow we
saw him at the Olympics. Yeah, talking to Stelle So
but Steph ain't show up but for the last three days.
But I'm glad he showed up. With how glad he
showed up?
Speaker 3 (33:05):
We did. That's that's nia. What's he like on and
off the court.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
I mean on the court. You see what he is.
He's a competitor, fierce competitor. He loves competing, he loves
He's one of those guys when you know, when you
play at the park, if you're telling me come to
the part we're gonna play basketball, you always show up.
He always going to show up for show. You know,
you got a teammate with him. So and off the
court man, like you said, charismatic, funny, maybe the funniest
(33:34):
player on our team. And we got some funny guys
on our team. So he's one of those guys you
really have, super appreciative and blessed to be able to
be in a locker room with them. They just bring
the morale up, you know, And I think that's rare
for someone as young as he is, as talented as
he is, and what we ask from him every single night,
to be able to bring that kind of energy to
(33:56):
the locker room. Like Mike Conley said one time, he
makes him feel young again.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
Right when when you hear aunt they talking about, well
he could be the next face of the NBA.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
I think he can.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
He reminds a lot of people of Jordan's what is
it about him? What is it about that makes you?
And you said it as soon as I will saying
that he like he can? What makes you so sure?
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Well, before we get to that, I think what we
need to also understand is, I know he met he
reminds people a lot about Jordan. But when I just
aunt he could be the first Anthony Edwards, yeah, you know,
which ain't bad at all? Yeah, well he said yet third.
Speaker 7 (34:33):
Yeah, So.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I think he just he he has the charisma, age
is on his side, he has the athleticism, you know,
and and he got better at shooting.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Got you know.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
I just I think he could do it. I think
he could do it. And this is a very guard
friendly league, and he's a guard that has all the
not only the skill, but the intangibles needed to really
be the face to the NBA for years to come.
And I think that, you know, he got good vets
around him, and Mike Conley has been amazing for him.
So I think he could do it. I think he
(35:10):
could really do something special. And I think what also
can help is winning, and we've shown and starting to
do that. So if we can win at the highest level,
what can you you can't already can't tell aunt nothing right,
So imagine you put a ring too with a championship.
Oh man, oh man, we can't tell him nothing.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
Can't Of all the teammates that I've seen you have
in the NBA, and I'm on the outside looking in,
I don't know this to be true, but it just
seems to me. You have the best relationship with him,
and you take criticism, you take coaching, You'll take praise
from him better than any other teammate.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
If I'm right, I'm right. If I'm wrong, I apologize.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
What is it about him in your relationship that you're
so accepting of the advice the input that he gives you?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
You know, I just want to help him grow in
every single facet of his game, not only his game,
but his life.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
I want to help him be a better man. I
want to help him be a better to His brother
is a better brother. I want him. I want to
be able to help him the ways I feel that
sometimes I couldn't get that help because you know, I
was in a situation. I know how it feels to
be him in that situation. Number one, pick whole state
asking you to help save him and to help them
bring a championship home. And I just wanted to be
(36:32):
a support system for him any way possible I could.
So I want to help him grow, and I think
in helping someone achieve their full potential and something that
I feel that I'm going to continue to work, not
only as a leader, but just helping him as a brother.
You got to let them be free, you know. You
can't give them too much constraint.
Speaker 7 (36:53):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:53):
Maybe sometimes I gotta tell him, maybe you should have
said that, maybe you should scale back on doing this.
Maybe you take this, you take this one on. I
got it. I'll take this conversation on and I'll have
this conbo with whoever it is. I just want him
to be himself, you know, and I've stressed out to
him since day one. So all I try to do
every single day is make sure ancests comfortable as possible,
(37:17):
and he could be himself as much as possible.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
You want to see An do the dunk contest.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
I do. He don't want to, though, really I do.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
So we get we get Ant, we get Jah, we
get Zion, we get Zach Lavigne to come back.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
I don't know we're gonna get ag because.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Hell no, you ain't gonna go to the bank with
me twice to go rob the bank. You're gonna leave
me there.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
So we get we get those four guys because, let's
be honest, dunk contest because the names aren't there. You
used to get the Doctor Jade and the Michael Jordan
and the Clyde Dresslers. You got the big the players
that were like the best players that couldunk. The dominique
will Yeah, they did it. Now we're getting guys and
that's no slight. That's no slight to anybody that's won
(38:04):
the dunk contest. Congratulations, but it's kind of hard to
contentially sell when the guy that's winning he's not even
in the NBA, okay, or the guys.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
That's what I do is the best dunker put here
in NBA, but he but he the best dunker.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
I mean, that's like I said, the best receiverfl.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
You two different stories, you talk about two different sports.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
But but I think it would if it would, I
know what you're trying to say.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
We're trying to say those back in the day used
to have the stars, yet they did it doing the dunk.
Speaker 4 (38:38):
They did it because that's what we get in the
three point competition, like were getting in the three point competition,
we get steph we get Dane Clay participated. I mean
a lot of the three but a lot of the
great three point shooters they're shooting, they participated. Yeah, but
the great dunkers for whatever reason, even Kobe Kobe did it.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
I just feel like, I just feel like, you know,
we in a new era with social media. We got
more eyes, we got more chances to see more talent.
You know, I understand the stars is you know, Anthony
ed warres Zion, John Morant. I mean there they They're
enticing names who have the ability to use athleticism at
the highest level in game. I just feel but you
never know, like these dudes like Mac McClung is amazing dunker,
(39:21):
and he's a great dunk contest dunker. Yes, and there's
a reason why he wins.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
Can let me ask you this has the dunk lost
its appeal because of the three points?
Speaker 1 (39:31):
I think public scrutiny has kind of messed with the
perception of the dunk contest. I think we're seeing dunks.
Jacob Hoppin was doing some crazy dunks.
Speaker 4 (39:41):
Himself because what he's gonna do he like bounced it
off the floor between his leg and like a three
sixty something.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
I was there. I watched it with my own two eyes.
I see some dunks I ain't ever thought was possible.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
And Mack McClung did some amazing dunks. Jacob Topping did
some amazing dunks. So it's like we see in dunk's Like,
so if if you had the same dunk and you
changed the name on the back of the jersey, does
that still change the fact we all have seen a
dunk that's never been done. What I'm trying to say, Like,
I understand the back of the jersey or I get that,
But there's guys out here who are using that dunk
(40:16):
contests the opportunity to prove what they are to the
NBA and to the game of basketball. And you know,
for them to have that opportunity, I think it's special,
especially people like Mac mcclungyy just and he deserved to win.
He don't get me wrong, I get exactly what you're saying,
I think, but we get I think sometimes as fans
we get so caught up in the names and the
dunk contest. We're not caught up in the art the
(40:38):
dunk contest, you know, but.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
At some point in time your creativity.
Speaker 4 (40:42):
I mean, you see some of these guys, what these
and what I mean some of these dunk or YouTube
and then people are like, well, we'll get some of
those guys. But I'm like, at some point in time,
I mean, create you got to run out of creativity, Wheeler,
I mean.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
What, hey, all I gotta say is we still making
new music. Yeah, and new sounds right, and music been
around longer than basketball, so there's always a possibility to
have some new tricks.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
So you don't have a problem with the props because
a lot of times I don't. I don't know when
really when the props came. Yeah, yeah, they seemed like
now at some point, I mean, Dominique was the power dunker.
Speaker 3 (41:22):
Jordan's elevated through the era.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
You had Viz Card telling me, ask you this, the
dunks you've seen now, Yeah, in present day NBA, let's
just get they way better than what I saw in
the past.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Okay, Hey, yeah, I mean Zach Levine going through the
free throw line between his legs.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
I still don't think people understand that was the first
time he's ever tried.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
The dunk within the contest.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
Man, Wow, that's the first time he's ever tried dunk.
Because I actually, I said, Zach, I've never seen you
even attempted. He's like, honestly, I ran out of dunk,
so I just went up there and did the first
thing I could think of. It was the first time
he's tried it. Wow, He's never like for me to
even say he's practiced it. He could decide I practiced it,
I missed it. I just said I'm gonna go for it.
(42:04):
He's ever tried it.
Speaker 4 (42:07):
The man tried to dump for the first time in
competition and basically sealed the win because he dump.
Speaker 1 (42:12):
And what a double overtime, double triple overtime in the Duncan's.
Speaker 4 (42:15):
Basically, you've had some very you had some characters as teammates.
You had Patrick Beverly, Yes, you've had Jeff t Uh,
you had KG. Yes, who's the funniest teammate you had.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
I'm not gonna lie ants up there?
Speaker 3 (42:35):
Yeah, I forgot it.
Speaker 1 (42:37):
Andre Miller is up there, really, Yes, my rookie year
Andrew Miller KG. Of course, Jeff Tige. Shout out to
Jeff Tigue. Man, I'm so happy to see him what
he's doing. Shout out to Jeff Tigue. Man, I've been
told when we were teammates, he needs to be telling stories.
He's the best storyteller. And I see now people are
getting to recognize that. I love that. I love that
(42:59):
He's always been great at that. Mandlo Delo's up there.
He's really fun. Wow, Okay, Man, I've been blessed to
be I've been blessed in a way to be with
so many teammates and to meet so many people at
different stages of life, and to be able to be
(43:23):
able to communicate with them, share energy with them, and
be able to call them a teammate is a blessing
and it's an honor that I don't take lightly.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
Do you believe that every teammate, a lot.
Speaker 4 (43:34):
Of the teammates that you've mentioned, do you believe you've
met them at the appropriate stage of your career? Do
you look back, and says man, Now, if I had
met him a little earlier, that had been perfect. If
I'd met him a little later, that would have been
even better perfect.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
It was perfect for me. I can't go back looking
at this time and that timing, it was the perfect
timing for me in my life, and I'm happy that
I had that moment. Whether it be you know, short
amount of time or years of calling them my teammate,
it was perfect time. God puts people in your life
at the perfect time, and I don't I don't doubt that.
(44:10):
So I was it was the right timing for me.
Speaker 2 (44:13):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Whether they helped me grow as a man, helped me
grow as a player, Uh, it was perfect timing.
Speaker 4 (44:19):
One of your former teammates and this was was going around.
He said, there are players right not currently playing in
the NBA. If I gave a helmet and shoulder pass,
they can go make a team.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
I talked about it on the Rich Eisen Show. I
just said, you know, I don't know, but I can
tell you right now. If you put me in the
slot receiver and you sent me down in the middle
with that medicine ball, I ain't doing it. That little
medical ball going down to the hell.
Speaker 3 (44:49):
That's what's gonna happen. No, they gonna saw you at
half cats pass on me. Nothing.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
I would say, I think there's few players who could.
Speaker 3 (45:03):
Do what you did.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
Uh, but no one's gonna be sharing as Shaw.
Speaker 4 (45:07):
No, I'm saying right now, you take a guy who's
playing in the NBA, We're gonna give.
Speaker 3 (45:11):
Him a pair of help show the path he will
go to training. Can very few of them could do it?
You actually think somebody could make an NFL team right now?
Speaker 1 (45:18):
Let me ask you this, You think Lebron can do it?
Speaker 3 (45:20):
Not?
Speaker 1 (45:20):
No, no, not now, not now though, No, don't take
out now.
Speaker 4 (45:23):
No, I don't think. I don't think any guy in
this I'm talking about right now in his prime. That's
what I'm saying, no prime, if he had done it,
and let's just say, for the sake of argumt, Lebron's
playing basketball and he said, you know what, I'm gonna
take it off like Michael Jordan say, I'm gonna take
a year off and I'm gonna try to go play anything.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
To do to major leagut.
Speaker 4 (45:40):
I just think the nuances, the understanding, because I think,
like a what's I forget the NC state, the offense,
the big fellow.
Speaker 1 (45:50):
Big fellow, big shot, many shot.
Speaker 4 (45:51):
Yes, okay, I think with a year, I think he
can play offensive line or defensive line.
Speaker 1 (45:56):
Yeah, you gotta teach him. So you're saying if you
give him a year, though, I feel like even for
people who may not understand, like I have friends who
are offensive line in the NFL. That's a tough job.
It comes with a ton of chest.
Speaker 4 (46:08):
Match, yes, because the difference is and I'm not saying
because I think NBA players, the NBA players are tough.
But what we do is that we go out there
every every Sunday or every Monday and cat we try
to move a man against his will. Just imagine when
you say I ain't going nowhere and I say the
hell you not. You're leaving this plot of land today.
(46:29):
That's what we do every week. We try to run
through a mofolks. Yes, yes, yes, because football in a sentence,
is about breaking a man's spirit. It's hard to break them.
If I'm shooting threes, you're like that coach, I can't
do nothing. But like sho shot is like everybody's trying
to be shocked. That's what the NFL is about. Everybody's
(46:51):
trying to be shocked, especially on the interior. Offensive line
says I'm going this way, defensive line says I'm going
that way. I'm trying to push a line back or
defense of lineman. And I think guys are super talent.
I think if you took an I think and a
year two.
Speaker 1 (47:05):
People I give is like Bron and Ant. That comes
to my mind first. But I think Ant's played football though, Yes,
that's what he grew up. But just like yes, so
it's kind of like, could I see him doing it?
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Yes? When? How when did they as stop? Did they
play in high school?
Speaker 1 (47:24):
I think so? I think so. But he was, he
was a good football player. Sure, he plays, he plays,
will be throwing the football around at male clinic target.
Speaker 3 (47:31):
He mean he still got I mean he's an athlete.
I think Russ.
Speaker 4 (47:35):
If you took like Russell Westbrook, I think I think
Russ with his speed and his understanding.
Speaker 1 (47:40):
If you amount of power he generates, yes, I think
that's yes, that can help him a lot too.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
I think football is a more physical sport. I think
basketball is a more skill.
Speaker 1 (47:48):
I think it's Yeah. I think that's a good that's
a good one. I think I've seen PG himself. He
was playing wide receiver and he did a really great like, uh,
break out the cut and he looked great. But I
just I just think I can't I can't fathom for
all the NFL dudes who are gonna watch this. I
can't fathom what y'all go through on a Sunday and
(48:09):
Monday and then look back and say, oh, let's do
this again on Thursday. Yeah, you know, like I can't
imagine that.
Speaker 4 (48:15):
I tell you what, go to home deep or lows,
get your hard hat and get get you a nice
nice coat, okay, and get a line up about ten
yards from your garage.
Speaker 3 (48:25):
And run into it sixty five times. Yeah, No, I see.
Speaker 1 (48:30):
That's what Hey, I'm I'm at the point where I'm thinking, like,
I go in the game and I jump as OgH
as I possibly can to go dunk lay it up. Yeah,
and then you know I'll fall on the floor. Yeah,
and I fall. All my team is be like, man,
why you be falling so hard on the floor. We'd
be worried about your safety. And I'm thinking the fact
that I do that. I get right up, I start
running down the court and I said, hey, I was
(48:50):
telling my girl. I said, man, if I trip and
fall in this house right now, I don't know if
I'm getting up, But you telling me in the game
to go do it for the love?
Speaker 3 (48:58):
Yeah, sixty five times?
Speaker 4 (49:00):
And see, like when you jump up there guys gonna
do everything they can not to undercut you.
Speaker 3 (49:04):
They're gonna try to break your fall that were trying
to do.
Speaker 1 (49:07):
We try to all that, I see, I've seen it
the other way. I ain't seen that they are trying
to hell nah, let me fall on the floor.
Speaker 3 (49:15):
What what was it like playing for TIBs?
Speaker 4 (49:17):
Because you hear how till like man Tims grind you
to the I mean, he just words on you playing
his guy's forty plus minutes on a nightly basis, and
then when it comes playoff times, he's done ground him
down to the nubs and then they just.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
Don't have anything. What was it like playing for him?
You know?
Speaker 1 (49:32):
What I respect is so so much about TIBs is
that he wanted to win, and he put the hours
in and he put the work in. So playing for
Tibbs was just watching someone who truly loves what they
do and puts all their passion and their their life
missions being the best coach they could be. And you
gotta respect that. And I think Tis was a he's
(49:54):
a he's a low key funny guy off the court,
you know, and you take the basket away. He's really funny,
and you know I I appreciate him even more now
that I'm older, and you know that we've been able
to talk even at a different level of maturity.
Speaker 3 (50:08):
You feel me, r.
Speaker 1 (50:11):
Man, I got nothing but good things to say about him.
He's been great, He's been Uh, he's been great to
talk to, especially now in my life. And uh, he's
he's one hell of a coach. There's one hell of
a coach.
Speaker 4 (50:23):
Probably the thing that's been talked about most in Minnesota
is yours and Jimmy Butler's relationship. How could that have
been handled differently? What could he have done differently? What
could you have done differently to make that relationship better?
Where there doesn't seem like it's so much animosity, there's
so much dissension, so much anks between the two of you.
Speaker 1 (50:44):
I think for me, like I said earlier, just everyone
we met each other, all my teammates, we met each
other at the perfect time, and I think that we
both helped each other grow and I think that's what
was really appreciative of me. And also we made a
playoffs together. Gloss and all the and all the hoopla
is that you know, after years and years of not
making the playoffs, we finally made the playoffs, and together
(51:05):
we were able to do something that Minnesota has a
seen in a while. And then on top of that,
I'm tremendously thankful that I had the opportunity to have
my first playoff experience. You know, you hear so much
about it, but to actually go through that experience helped
me be a better player and be a better teammate
to Ad. So, like I said, I think we all
met each other at the perfect time and when we
all needed to. God's time is never going to be wrong.
Speaker 4 (51:26):
Had has that situation helped you become a better leader
and a better teammate.
Speaker 1 (51:31):
I think just that season, you know, just you know,
having different people, different personalities, and also just different experiences
than I never had. Like I said, I never made
the playoffs until that year, so I kind of had
that experience under my belt understand what it is to
what it takes me, you know, a playoff team. You know,
(51:54):
I think that it helped me tremendously the rest of
my career and made me a better man first off,
and the second made me a better leader and made
me a better player. So, like I said, God's time
is never wrong. So I met everyone at the right time,
perfect time, and for what I needed in my life,
and it helped me be a better person and be
ready for the next challenges that were coming up.
Speaker 3 (52:13):
Why y'all let Dremond trade.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
Rudy, Draymond trade choke choke?
Speaker 3 (52:18):
Yeah, why y'all let Dramond choke Rudy? Nah?
Speaker 1 (52:21):
I was that situation happened? So yeah, exactly what led
up to it?
Speaker 3 (52:28):
What led up to it?
Speaker 1 (52:29):
I don't know, just all of a sudden, one time
I'm looking and I'm like looking, I'm seeing Draymond do something.
Rudy I'm trying to pull Draymond off, and I'm like, well,
we're gonna have a triple Nelson going on. Abound yourself.
I just, you know, I think they have a funny relationship,
to say the least, and I think that, uh, that
was a moment where I was I was surprised that happened.
(52:52):
I'm not gonna lie, I just I was very surprised that.
Speaker 4 (52:55):
When you were supposed to you were supposed to, like
he grabbed Rudy, you were supposed to grab him, and
then it's somebody you four five, don't.
Speaker 3 (53:05):
We just have a.
Speaker 7 (53:08):
Just everyone in the full Yeah, Finch coming out. Everybody
had a good leg too, fence when Finch had a
good leg, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, that was a That
was the animosity between dra Mud and Rudy comes.
Speaker 1 (53:22):
I don't even know.
Speaker 3 (53:23):
Does Raymond feel that.
Speaker 4 (53:24):
Rudy got some defensive play of the years that belonged
to him.
Speaker 1 (53:28):
I don't know, to be honest, I just you know,
you always hear the hoop li and we just always
we just tuning everything out. Like I said, I was
surprised when it happened to we. I feel like everyone
everyone in there was like, wait, is this really happening
right now? And we're all trying to separate Draymond from Rudy,
and the whole situation went around.
Speaker 4 (53:47):
It was does Rudy ever say anything? I mean, because
Rudy hears all the criticism, it's not like a whole lot, but.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
Everyone we don't know. Rudy Gobert. He laughs about he'd
joke around about it. So it's not like he just
he's really like salty and he won't like like you know,
he gets aggravated. He'll laugh, he lives, he'll joke himself
about it. I think it's a It just shows a
character and also how much he really He just enjoys
what he does, and he cares about his craft, and
he cares about his team, so shows a teammate he
(54:14):
is too.
Speaker 4 (54:15):
This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two
is also posted and you can access it to whichever
podcast platform you just listen to part one on. Just
simply go back to club profile and I'll see you there.
Who's called Anthony Towns go but man, that man Broun,
different man, brin something special, just straight off the rip.
He's the best player I've never seen Tyler.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Watch all my Life, Grinding all my life, sacrifice Hustle
Pegg Price Wan Slice got the bron Geist Swap all
my Life, Poppy grinding all my life, All my life,
grinding all my life, sacrifics Hustle Pegg Price One.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Slice got the bronc Geist.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Swap all my life, Poppy grinding all my life.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Hello, welcome to another edition of Club Shayshe I am
your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the propriud of Club
Sha Sha and today we're at Spotlight l A. The
guy that's stopping by for a conversation and the drink
today is one of the most skilled big men to
ever touch a basketball. He's arguably the best shooting big
man of all time, first in the league history to
have ten May threes, ten May twos, and ten May
(00:56):
free throws in the same game. He's the only center
in NBA history to in the Three Point Contest and
the Skills Challenge. He's a four time NBA All Star,
a two time All NBA member, the number one overall
draft pick in twenty sixteen, twenty sixteen NBA Rookie of
the Year, twenty fifteen SEC Freshman of the Year, twenty
fourteen Gatorade National Player of the Year. McDonald's All American
(01:18):
Kentucky alum, and he's the winner of the prestigious Kareem
I Due with Jabbar Social Justice Award. Here he is,
Ladies and Gentlemen superstar, the Unicorn Cat.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Oh appreciate you, man, Appreciate you, bro. How you being man,
I've been good. Life span treating me well. How's the summer, man,
It's good. Got to travel, get more cultured, you know,
see some new faces. God is good. Man.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
You know what, cat you you ain't gonna lie. You
know what.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
We got to a little toast, you know, since she's
a Mennican at all, you know, I know you've put down,
You're known to put down.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
You're tired. We ain't gonna do that that much because
you know, come on, just a little something.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
I'm with it.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
That's my own knyak.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
I'm gonna real yeah that we're gonna sing you home
with about Shamela Portier.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
You know, come on, where the camera?
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Yeah, yeah, far to all the success, everything that you've
accomplished and will continue to complish it.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Think them coming about closer. That makes move, ain't it.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
That's good?
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Okay, I see what you're talking about.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Un Yeah, that's what That's what's going down. Okay.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
I appreciate that you called this thing. You said, I'm
the greatest shooting big man of all time. People like, well,
hold on, did Dirk not play in the NBA?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Noah, Dirk was Definitely.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
When you said that, you knew that you were going
to catch some criticism. But does that just mean that No,
I just got confidence on myself. I'm secure what I've
been able to do, and I shoot the basketball. That's
why I said what I said.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
Nah.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Absolutely, I mean, come on, you what you're supposed to say?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, you you are pro You know how it is.
You gotta have ultimate confidence in yourself. No one got
confidence in you. As long as you got it you solid.
So I just know, you know, when I was, I
spoke from the heart. You know, I know the hours
I put in, I know the work I put into
my game, and I know what the sids say. So
I just wanted to kind of set in stone what
I feel about myself and how I feel what I
(03:11):
could do in this league, and uh, you know, I'm
just going to continue to prove it every single year,
and you know, I'm gonna let the people choose. But
like they, I know people talked about Dirt. Dirk set
the table for me, so right, I'm just super appreciative
of him. Without him, I wouldn't be able to do
what I do.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
I'm looking at the stats in three point percentage, You're
about forty percent thirty nine point eight in the regular season,
Dirk is thirty eight percent.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Towns has two.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
U you shot a higher PERCENTY from the field in
the regular season, higher percenty from the free throw and
his prime Karl Anthony Towns today Dirt in his prime.
Do you believe you could beat him in a three
point competition?
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I think I could be at anybody. But I also
know that without him, I wouldn't even be able to
sit in his chair saying that, right, So it's kind
of like weird to say that because I just know
without him, I wouldn't even have the idea, the ideology
that I could shoot threes at a higher rate and
a high clip like that. I think that with my
shooting ability, I could do anything I say I can
with shooting. But you know, I think we're all for,
(04:06):
especially me chasing with dirt. God, that's a ring.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
As long as I can get that ring, you know,
it's and an MVP.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Man, he was a beast. I remember sitting in Jersey
just watching them. I'm like, man, like, if I could
just be just half of the shooter he is, I
see myself doing really good things. And I you know,
when you're young in Jersey, especially somewhere that hasn't made
any NBA players like that except their characters shout out
to Scataway, right, you're just hoping to just be able
to play college basketball, you know, shooting like that. As
(04:35):
long as you can shoot like that, just to get
a D one scholarship, you know, that's you've made it, right,
you know.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
So You've got two sixty point games, three fifty point games,
fourteen forty point games, and over one hundred and thirty
point games.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
And you said, you know, be able to shoot the basketball?
About that for real? Yeah? You did all that? Damn
I didn't know.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
I'm gonna be honest, and I don't even know if
you knew in college, we didn't see you shoot the ball. Now,
when did you know you could shoot the basketball? Damn cat,
before college you could always shoot like that. I happened
to Kentucky. Man, don't get me starting now, start nah.
You know when when I went to Kentucky, Kyle knew
(05:16):
I could shoot the ball like that. He knew I
was a great shooter. In Jersey, I was shooting a
bunch of threes, making a bunch and and when we
had the UK Pro Day, I don't know if anyone
remembers that, but when we had the UK Pro Day,
I remember we had shooting drill and I think I
broke Kyle Singler's record for shooting on camera on TV.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
So everyone knew I could shoot. But there was things
I had to work on on my game if I
wanted to get to the next level, be able to
play some of the greats I've ever played this game,
like Lebron, James and and and company. You know, for
me to do that, I would have to amplify my game.
I would have to fix my weaknesses. I would have
to be a better post player. I would have to
work on my body more I would have to have
(05:52):
all levels of scoring. So when I got to the NBA,
I was truly prepared for what comes being an NBA
player and wanting to be a great NBA player. So
I just cal saw something that I needed to work on.
I worked on in tremendously hard, got the job done,
found myself in a great position to be in Minnesota.
And you know that the ability to score at three
levels has helped me tremendously in my career.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
I'm looking at you. I look at you and the
way you played in college. I look at Anthony Davis,
another guy that was mainly a blog, shot, rebound the basketball,
and then all of a sudden he comes out and
he can average. You know, he can add one year
you have with twenty eight and eleven. What is it
that is it storing easier in the NBA than it
(06:36):
is in college.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I think it's just different games. I think it's just
different games. I think that when you see what Ad
had to do in Kentucky to win a national championship
and the talent that was around him, Michael Kidd Gilcrest,
another Jersey native, I think that he was asked to
do a different job that was needed to win a
national championship, and he sure as hell did anyone. I
believe it went National Player of the Years.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Yes, he did.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
He did was needed for his team, and I think
both of us did the same thing when we went
to Kentucky. We have to learn how to sacrifice at
the highest level. You know, we're all guys.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Everybody's a five star.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Yeah, but also everyone wants to feed their family. They
know they come into Kentucky to get to the next level,
get to the NBA, to get that NBA money, to
be able to take care.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
You need to tell me you ain't go to Kentucky
to be an accountant or a lawyer or a doctor.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Hey, I want to be aciologist. And they had the
best canesiologists program I seen in the country. So mix
that in with the basketball. Of course, I was gonna
be able to do something special if I went there
and shout out to my mom. You know, she was
the one who was really about I really liked that
school for you, and you know I speel. We both
know Mama and know's best. So I just kind of
went with her, and she was right.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
When you go to a school and you know some
of the guys that was at Kentucky.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
You played with them in McDonald's All America, you played
against them growing up in aau.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
You saw them.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
You said that, Look, everybody wants to go to the
next level. Everybody feels that they can score fifteen twenty
points a game and all of a sudden be the
number one overall pick or be a lot of repick kat,
how do you blend like, Okay, yeah, I want to
showcase my talent. I want to win a national championship.
But in the same breath, I need X amount of shots,
(08:12):
I need X amount of touches in order to do
all the things that I want to do while still
being a team player.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
You know, when we were at Kentucky, we never even
thought about all that really, like not at all, Like
it was all about getting to win. Like we didn't
think about nothing else but that. It kind of mimics
a little bit like Olympic basketball. Okay, you're a national
you know, when you're on a national team, it's not
even about who gets the credit, as long as we
win together. We win, and we win for our program.
We went for our our fans in our college, you know,
(08:41):
so we never thought about that I know I have.
I could definitely think of one game for sure, but
there's been games where I think I scored two points
against North Carolina on.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
CBS Man's the Cat. You can't score two point two.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Points blocked one by like twenty. We all went home
super happy. So you know, there's things when we were
in college. That's what made that team so so great
was the ability for all of us, as five star recruits,
like you said, future NBA picks, to be able to
sacrifice for one goal that was just to win at
all costs. It don't matter what it is. We leave
(09:12):
with this win. And I think the record show for itself.
We won thirty eight straight, found ourselves in the thirty nine.
We didn't get the job done, but I think we
gave a college basketball fans, SEC network and everybody a
lot of fun, a lot of joy in all that winning.
I found myself playing some of my favorite times in
playing basketball in my career.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
How difficult was it your thirty eight, O, you got
a chance to be thirty nine and no possibly forty
and oh probably no one's gonna win more than forty
games because they don't really schedule that many games. And
you lose that game and you believe, I think in
your heart of hearts, I think you guys believe you
guys were the more talented team and that was a
game that you guys should have won.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Has that game haunted you? If that one of the
games that sticks.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yes, I don't even gott to let you. Sorry, I
can't that you finished, okay man?
Speaker 3 (10:01):
That was.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Yeah, that game still hurt. I still haven't watched it, really,
I can't. It's one of those like there's painful memories
I think we both have as playing as professionals, and
I even says in college as well, those that that
game probably hurt the most. And that's something that stuck
(10:25):
with me. And it was something crazy because it was
tough for us, let alone losing the game and having
to look at each other in the locker room. And
one thing Cal always told us was, you know, you'll
never have a group of talent in a locker room
ever again like this, and we'll never see each other
again because we know a lot of us were going
to go possibly to the NBA. And you know what
(10:46):
really hurt us the most was, like I said, not
only just seeing each other and understanding this may be
the last time we ever played with each other or
be able to have this opportunity. But when you have
to go home from the arena and see your families
in the lobby, Oh, it hurt. Hurt, you know, because
we do this for our families, right and for us
(11:06):
to come in front of our families and not be
able to give them the moment that they deserve for
allowing us and supporting us and giving us opportunity to
even be at Kentucky to play the game of basketball,
feeding us all those times, you know, not having us work,
but allowing us to go work on our craft and
our game, and not being able to bring that trophy
(11:27):
home for them. I think that will really really hurt.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
When you go back and assess that game and you
look at your play in that game, Even though you
haven't watched it, I'm sure you've replayed it in your head.
What do you think Kat could have done differently that
could have swung the outcome in your guys's favor.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
The one player I still get mad about today and
they had to change the rule in college basketball after
that game, was the shot clock. Not being able to
review it. I believe Nigel still have the ball in
his hand and the shot clock went off, but we
still let the ball go and count as as a
bucket winner. It was clear as day it was a
shot clock violation. So they changed that rule for the
(12:06):
betterment of the next generation. But obviously everything, yeah, every
rule change always has to affect one person before it
becomes an actor, and that was me last year.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
I mean, you had a great season.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
I mean, you made the All Star Game, All Star Team, y'all,
beat Book and KD swept them, beat through the reigning
defending champs and Denver Nuggets, the MVP and Yoke and
the Denver Nuggets after coming from behind. Then you played
the MAVs have home court. That's what you wanted. You
wanted home court and you got it.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
What happened, they played really good basketball and we didn't
play our best. And pretty simple as that. I mean,
give them credit where credits do. They came in with
a great game plan there guys showed up when they
needed to hit big shots, especially you know, it's one
of those unfortunate things. You know, we played two amazing teams,
(13:04):
amazing amazing teams, super teams, and like you said, defending
champion who has the MVP getting his trophy.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
They had you guys down twenty in game seven, Yes,
you own the road?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Really twenty one, okay, because it was nineteen going in
the high time. That came out and scored and went
up to twenty one.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You on the road, You're in a hostile environment.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
They have the defense, they have the MVP, three time
MVP in four years, they're the reigning NBA champs. When
you on the road in a hostile environment, how do
you guys stay together to say, you know what, guys,
we still have a chance to win this game. What
was said in the locker room at halftime and then
what was said coming guy in the locker room?
Speaker 1 (13:45):
You know, for us it was Finchy. I mean, coach
of the year candidate right there our eyes. He's the
coach of the year in NBA. But for him to
come in there with that kind of poise, he established
poise in the locker room. He let us know that
we've been in situations like this before and found ourselves
winning the game. We know the talent, we know the
(14:06):
work we've put in. Just time to leave it all
on the court, especially for this half and us as
players before FINCHI even got in there. We were just
talking about just staying to the game, you know, like
not letting go of the rope at any point playing
the game out. We knew we never felt we were
down that much. And now that I look back at
the game, I say, wow, we really we really do.
(14:27):
We really were down a lot of boys. So but
it just speaks to our locker room, people like Kyle Anderson,
Mike Conley, all the guys in our locker room who
just continue to motivate us, continue to support, continue to
establish confidence in everyone. It was one of those magical
moments where you feel so connected and all the times
(14:49):
in in Abu Dhabi in the preseason, we were talking
about our camaraderie, the fact that we were unified, the
fact that we felt connected, the fact that we knew
in games when it got to when it got really
difficult and things weren't looking going our way, that we
would lean into the fact that we felt like brothers,
you know, we felt like a family, and that we
would find out find ourselves getting out of a situation together.
(15:12):
That that third quarter, fourth quarter was special, and uh,
all the way down in our sixth Man of the
Year in the NBA Nasri came to play. Everyone just
did so much in that game to help us win.
It was a total team effort to get that game done.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
You mentioned that you guys go into the locker room
before coach Finch comes in.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Obviously he's probably talking to the assistance and about coming
up with strategy.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
In the second half, there weren't any cussing, man, what
the hell home? Man? What the l you doing? Man?
You need to play battle, you need to do this.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
You did.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
There was none of that going on, just poise.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
I feel like a lot of times Finch lets us
talk the game out and you know, we hold each
other accountable. That's what made our team so great was
the ability, like college teammates, to hold each other accountable,
and we all understood what we needed to be done
in a way. We needed to play perfect, second, high, correct,
and we went out there and found a way to
(16:04):
get it done. And I think that's not only a
testament to the guys in the locker room, but our
coaching side and still in confidence, keeping us poised, understanding,
you know, when things got too high, keep us even killed.
And when things got low and things were looking really bad,
you know, we stayed solid, you know, stayed disciplined.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Cat shot went falling.
Speaker 4 (16:25):
No, he shot thirty seven percent from the floor, shot
twenty four percent from the three in the Western Conference Finals,
shot twelve point five percent in five games, the worst
percentage from deep in NBA playoff history.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
I said, I don't know if you heard.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
I said, Cad shot ain't falling, bro, get your big old,
but now you can post. I've seen you give some
of the best defenders not shooting the three with your
back to the basket, drop steps saying you can't guard me.
You can't guard me, You can't guard me. I don't
give a damn about you being on then all the
NBA defensive team. I don't care about you the defensive
(17:00):
player of the year. I've seen you do it, and
then I'm watching you play the Mavericks a lot of
time to get smaller guys like, come on, Cat, tell
me what's going I'm sure the coaches are telling you that.
I'm sure probably and has told you that, probably some
of your closest friends, Cat Broy.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
You need to get down on the box. What's going
on in Cat's mind?
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Obviously you got to process a lot, Cat a lot
going on, because you know, every game matters. There ain't
no oh we'll get them. We'll get them in two days. Now,
got to what's going on in cats here? For me,
just just trying to execute. I know we put me
in great spots. I got good looks, just wasn't falling
and I saw. I talked about it after one game,
(17:39):
you know how I knew the work I was putting in.
So it's it's something when I go home, I'm disappointed.
I want to win the game, but I understand. You know,
I'm getting good looks and I just got to continue
to shoot them. So, you know, for me, it's just
taking what the defense was giving me. I was obviously
getting some good looks at three just and wasn't making them.
You know, obviously we all could look back and say,
(18:01):
we would love me back in the post more in
the Dallas action we call it free throw line action game. Yes,
taking you did that and you you got the ball,
and you would waiting that game that y'all won. You
would wait you got.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
About by okay, yeah, jumping jumping real high? Yes, yeah, yes,
you know, just I think we all could look back
at it and wish we did a little things differently
sometimes too, but you know, we did what we thought
was best in the moment. It didn't work out. And
you know, I feel bad because I told the guys
you know, and me and Ant and have conversations all
(18:34):
the time, even during the Olympics, you know, about things
we both could do better, we could do all around
better so we can help our team winning. You know,
I know that we didn't want to come out with
that kind of result. You learn from it, you move on.
I think that we obviously, like you said, we wish
we could have that moment back. We could maybe change
some things, but it is what it is now.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Mike Conlin said, you have to be more active in
the paint.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Is that something that you could Obviously, you know we're
going to talk out to fifteen hundred shots that you know,
he and t and Charleston said that that's not possible.
But do you feel that's I mean, obviously you work
on shooting. I mean, you can't be as tall as
you are have the kind of touch that you have
without working on it. So how do you split your workouts?
Do you like, Okay, I'm getting up five hundred shots
today and then in the afternoon session. I'm gonna get
(19:18):
played with, you know in the paint. Do drop stiff,
do fade away one leg both? I mean, so, how
does Kat break up his workouts to make sure he's
getting the work that he needs so when he gets
in the game.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
It's second nature for me.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
When I in a regular, regular season, postseason, whatever, it's
the same routine all the time. I usually first one
in the gym. I get there, say probably like six, six,
seven if it depends the time of practice, but let's
just say six on a regular day. Six, get my
sna and you know, get my work in, do my
red bed. After that, head back, get work on my body,
(19:53):
do pt session with the people there, Go on the court,
shoot shoot for an hour, go lift, come back to
our we call it vitamins. Do it with the coaches.
Now shooting more practice, the whole practice, shoot again after
Luca Garza okay, and then you know, go home.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Rest up.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
I've been there for a long time. It's probably now
we're talking about from six in the morning. I'm leaving
around two o'clock, three o'clock. If I get a massage
to take care of my body, going the cold tub
after and everything probably about full thirty five and then
get home. Got a core at the house, so shooting
more shots at the house, and then just relax, take
(20:36):
care of my body, do some rehab ice game ready,
you know, Norman Tech. So really, just I love this game.
I love my job, I love my craft. So I
just dedicate my whole entire life to it. And I
smile because I just I always think about every day
about playing basketball and happy. Even before this, I got
to play a lot of basketball.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
You said, man, I get up fifteen hundred shots to day.
Charles Barkin said he ain't happening. Shocks like the fact
that he's not upset concerns. May Dremond can't and say
you were capping. I mean, look, I don't know what's
what's normal for an NBA player. How many shots he
gets up? I don't know if it's fifty, I don't
know if it's five.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
How many passes you catch a day?
Speaker 5 (21:14):
When he was playing, when it threw him to me, Hey,
I saw the jacket you got on. They threw it
to you a lot, they did.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
They did you know, we caught jugs, I caught drugs,
and we tried to catch fifty passes, but we had
to catch fifty in a row, so if we dropped,
we had to start a hold over again. So yeah,
I called at least fifty you know quarterbacks. Through doing so,
I would say during the course of a practice, given
seventy five, say probably seventy five passes a.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Day, you hear that.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
That means it ain't dropping no passes.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
No, no, not cause you don't.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
God, you've already been out there for hour and a half,
two hours, and so you already tired. So you got
a concentration because concentration breaking not the ball hit. And
you might be at twenty five, you might be at thirty.
Now you got to start all back over again. So
you didn't want that to happen. And the thing, the
last thing you want to happen, cat is that being
a situation where it's fourth down or is it late
in the ball game, and your lack of concentration you
(22:15):
drop a pass and the.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Lack of reps that's the moment where those reps count.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Right right, And so we catch involved at different angles,
shoe tops, over the shoulder, different things like that. But
when people call in the question how hard you're actually working,
does that bother you or you just brush it off because.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
These are not normal guys. No, no, if I were
to say that, yeah, you wouldn't even play.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
You talking about NBA legends.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, the game.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Yes, Yes, I know the work I put in, so
I don't even have to explain it.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I know.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
I know who was there when the gym was dark,
and I know who turned the lights on. Okay, I
ain't worried about that. I know one thing when I
was said, I know, and was not happy about that
because he was like, I know, I've seen you in
there even I'm when I show up, you've been there
sweating and when I leave, you still going for another one. So,
like I said, I don't got to explain. I know
(23:08):
what I do in the gym. I know the work
I put in. Shout out to the coaches PD coaches Corliss,
Kevin Hansen, Moses, you know, shout out to all the
guys over there in Minnesota who willing to you know,
as you know, put their lives to the side, you know, wives, kids,
willing to dedicate that amount of time to me to
allow me to shoot the basketball, to me, allow me
to work on my game, and allow me to be
(23:30):
the best version of myself. So shout out to them
last year especially, you know, we gave up a lot
of their time. You know, they could have been given
to their kids and their family, and they were in
the gym working.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Dedicated to you getting better.
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Kyrie had praised for you after the credit he after
that criticism, you came back dropped twenty five nine of thirteen,
shooting four or five from the three. Kyrie said, despite
the unfair criticism we received, he's a great, great player.
I respect him. I know my teammates respect him. That's
what great players do. They figure it out.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
That's that's my jersey dog, my guy. You know what, man,
I've known Kyrie since he was young, and I've seen
the work he put into his game. So I know
everyone goes so crazy when he's doing these layups he's dribbling,
but I've seen him since he was young doing that.
I've seen the hours he was putting in. I seen
the work he was putting in. I've seen the drills
he was putting. I definitely stole a lot of the
drills for myself so I can improve myself as a player.
(24:18):
You know, when you're watching greatness, you study greatness and
you try to implement it into your game. And I
got none but praise for Kyrie. I've you know, I've
been like I said, I've been blessed to watch him
since I was young, before the NBA, before Duke, before
any of that, just to see where he's at now.
I mean, in my eyes, he's a legend the game.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
Are you surprised with the ease or seemingly eased?
Speaker 4 (24:44):
It looked like it was easy the Celtics handled the
Mavericks or did you think it would be like a
long series. I thought it would be at least I
thought it would be an angle like that. I thought
it'd be at least a six to seven game series.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Celtics was really good last year. Okay, they've been good
for years, but they.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Was locked in.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Yeah, you know what I'm trying to say. They was
locked in last year. They like I know, one of
the reporters was telling me about you gotta lose to
finally win and that history plays and self out and
Boston had to go through that. They've been just so good,
they've been like they've just been knocking on the door.
They finally the door, you know, door finally open, you
know what I'm trying to say. So I know when
(25:19):
we played them that they showed so much poison championship
pedigree in them. You know when we went to overtime
with them and the way they played, they just so
disciplined in their approach. Great coach. Shout out to Missoula.
Took care of my boy and my brother, Deshaun Butler
over there in West Virginia. Yeah, I just you know,
you could see not only the talent, I think we
(25:40):
all see that as basketball fans, you would see it,
but the poise, the discipline, that's what's needed to win
a championship, and they had it. They had it early
in the regular season. I think they shown in they record.
So I didn't know what the series was gonna have,
you know, in order, I didn't know what was gonna happen.
But I just knew that Dallas had a tough, tough,
tough test against the Celtics. You know, they're they were rolling,
(26:01):
they've been resting, they've been waiting for this moment, and
so shout out to them.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
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Speaker 4 (27:35):
When you hear like sometimes playoff like you hear playoff rondo,
that's a compliment. Yeah, But Magic Johnson had a situation.
Magic Johnson was a two times finals MVP. Hook shot
down in the middle for the win, and in eighty
four he dribbles out the clock, they go to overtime,
they end up losing, and they called him Tragic Johnson.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
He was no longer Magic.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
And then when you hear the term as great as
you are in the regular season, you haven't been able
to put those same type of numbers for in the postseason.
And they like playoff cat and they mean it in
a derogatory way. How does cat turn that around? How
does how does cat? If there's such a thing as
a narrative, because we see what you are in the
regular season, how do cat make sure he's that same
(28:18):
in the postseason.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Just go out there and do what you do. I mean,
you know, everything was good. I felt I was shooting
the ball extremely well during the whole playoffs and it
was a tough time to have a slump, you know,
especially in the Western Conference finals. But I think, just work,
Just trust the work. Trust the work. You know it
always is going to pay off, you know, and that
never get discouraged by the work he putting in. You know,
(28:41):
if you're putting the hours in, you could look at
yourself in the Marion know that you put exactly the
amount of hours plus some needed to be great. You know,
you live with the work you put in.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
This team you mentioned at Rudy Rudy.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Teams, Mike Conley Anderson was so amazing for us, you know,
side we have we lost them.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
If this team's the what's gonna be Obviously success is
winning a championship. But if this core, if you guys
don't get to the NBA finals, if you guys don't win,
will this be disappointing?
Speaker 1 (29:18):
I mean it would be disappointing. For the fact that
we made at the Western Conference finals and we haven't
took that next step, which is to make the NBA Finals.
You know, it's gonna be disappointing. You know, Minnesota deserves
the championship. They've they've been asking for a championship since
it exception as a team. So you know, I've always
said I wanted to bring them a championship. I wanted
(29:39):
to be a part of the championship team that finally
brings that ring in that parade down to first half.
You know, we just gotta keep working, keep working. I
think that you say it's a disappointment, it's something that
I think everyone's gonna feel the same way if they
didn't win a championship. It's everyone is a disappointment if
you don't come out with a ring out of it.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
When you look at and a lot of people didn't
think the the Rudy Gobert addition, because you're like, this
is not the nineties basketball.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
You don't really need to sell foot this. You need
a guy.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
We got three of them almost yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Because the way Cat can play with his back to
the basket, he can shoot the three. And then when
you look at Rudy, there are certain situations that you
have to take him out of the game.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
It's just what it is.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
He's a four time Defensive Player of the Year. He
makes a boatload of money, but the facts of the
matter is that a lot of times lay in the
ball game he's not.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
On the court.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Cat, I'm not breaking This is not interrupting your normal schedule, programming,
breaking news till your cat. You know that because you're there.
How were you able to put it together this year?
Because the first year it didn't work at and this
year you made it all the way to the Western
Conference plot.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
I think it's he gets unfair Christians because he brings
a lot to our team that we need, right like
the defense. I mean, this is a generational defensive player.
And around the basket. I think we all could agree
in the NBA Goats, any of the colleagues. If he's
around the basket of the ball, you know he gonna
dunk it. You know it's gonna be tough, it feel
me tough to stop that field goal percentage from going down.
So his first year in Minnesota, I I it's it's unfortunate.
(31:07):
It's unfair because I think that we weren't at full strength,
and I also got hurt. I'm never gotten hurt like that.
So to be in that situation was and put him
in that situation, you know, it was unfair. And I
think that this year, you know, with me healthy coming
in and playing a lot of the season healthy, you
could see what happens when you put the team around
(31:28):
him and we have you know, the lob opportunities. Making
him have the four or five pick and roll was
amazing all year, putting him in spots where he could be.
You know, he's super successful on offense and defensively. I mean,
you see what he does for our team, so number one,
number one team in the NBA and defense, and it's
not without Rudy Gobert. Especially Jade McDaniels too want to
give him a shoutout. But without Rudy, I don't, I don't,
(31:50):
We're not going to be near near nowhere near the
same defensive team as we were.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
You willing to take a one hundred plus million dollar
pay cut like Jalen Brunson did, keep this thing together.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
We can keep it all together, and we can keep
it together, right, show me that we all got to
get in the room and say we're gonna do it right,
So I mean Jalen Brunson shout out to him, Yeah,
shout out to him.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
That's why.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
I mean ten million. Okay, that's a lot ten million
even like, hey, but you know what, you know what,
you can't put a value on the fact that he's
at where he wants to be. Yeah, And I think
that's a big value number that no one's thinking of.
He's with his father, he's super comfortable, he has a
team that believes in him. I think that that belief
(32:36):
that a team and an organization could give you is
something It's worth a lot, a lot, a lot of money.
And they give him that that belief And I think
that he thought that was the best situation for him.
But I rew him off for that.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
I was a man.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
As a teammate. We see the charisma, we see the charm. Yeah,
he's funny, Yeah, he's outgoing. Yes all oh brow we
saw him at the Olympics. Yeah, talking to Stelle So
but Steph ain't show up but for the last three days.
But I'm glad he showed up. With how glad he
showed up?
Speaker 3 (33:05):
We did. That's that's nia. What's he like on and
off the court.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
I mean on the court. You see what he is.
He's a competitor, fierce competitor. He loves competing, he loves
He's one of those guys when you know, when you
play at the park, if you're telling me come to
the part we're gonna play basketball, you always show up.
He always going to show up for show. You know,
you got a teammate with him. So and off the
court man, like you said, charismatic, funny, maybe the funniest
(33:34):
player on our team. And we got some funny guys
on our team. So he's one of those guys you
really have, super appreciative and blessed to be able to
be in a locker room with them. They just bring
the morale up, you know, And I think that's rare
for someone as young as he is, as talented as
he is, and what we ask from him every single night,
to be able to bring that kind of energy to
(33:56):
the locker room. Like Mike Conley said one time, he
makes him feel young again.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
Right when when you hear aunt they talking about, well
he could be the next face of the NBA.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
I think he can.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
He reminds a lot of people of Jordan's what is
it about him? What is it about that makes you?
And you said it as soon as I will saying
that he like he can? What makes you so sure?
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Well, before we get to that, I think what we
need to also understand is, I know he met he
reminds people a lot about Jordan. But when I just
aunt he could be the first Anthony Edwards, yeah, you know,
which ain't bad at all? Yeah, well he said yet third.
Speaker 7 (34:33):
Yeah, So.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I think he just he he has the charisma, age
is on his side, he has the athleticism, you know,
and and he got better at shooting.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Got you know.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
I just I think he could do it. I think
he could do it. And this is a very guard
friendly league, and he's a guard that has all the
not only the skill, but the intangibles needed to really
be the face to the NBA for years to come.
And I think that, you know, he got good vets
around him, and Mike Conley has been amazing for him.
So I think he could do it. I think he
(35:10):
could really do something special. And I think what also
can help is winning, and we've shown and starting to
do that. So if we can win at the highest level,
what can you you can't already can't tell aunt nothing right,
So imagine you put a ring too with a championship.
Oh man, oh man, we can't tell him nothing.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
Can't Of all the teammates that I've seen you have
in the NBA, and I'm on the outside looking in,
I don't know this to be true, but it just
seems to me. You have the best relationship with him,
and you take criticism, you take coaching, You'll take praise
from him better than any other teammate.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
If I'm right, I'm right. If I'm wrong, I apologize.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
What is it about him in your relationship that you're
so accepting of the advice the input that he gives you?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
You know, I just want to help him grow in
every single facet of his game, not only his game,
but his life.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
I want to help him be a better man. I
want to help him be a better to His brother
is a better brother. I want him. I want to
be able to help him the ways I feel that
sometimes I couldn't get that help because you know, I
was in a situation. I know how it feels to
be him in that situation. Number one, pick whole state
asking you to help save him and to help them
bring a championship home. And I just wanted to be
(36:32):
a support system for him any way possible I could.
So I want to help him grow, and I think
in helping someone achieve their full potential and something that
I feel that I'm going to continue to work, not
only as a leader, but just helping him as a brother.
You got to let them be free, you know. You
can't give them too much constraint.
Speaker 7 (36:53):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:53):
Maybe sometimes I gotta tell him, maybe you should have
said that, maybe you should scale back on doing this.
Maybe you take this, you take this one on. I
got it. I'll take this conversation on and I'll have
this conbo with whoever it is. I just want him
to be himself, you know, and I've stressed out to
him since day one. So all I try to do
every single day is make sure ancests comfortable as possible,
(37:17):
and he could be himself as much as possible.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
You want to see An do the dunk contest.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
I do. He don't want to, though, really I do.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
So we get we get Ant, we get Jah, we
get Zion, we get Zach Lavigne to come back.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
I don't know we're gonna get ag because.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Hell no, you ain't gonna go to the bank with
me twice to go rob the bank. You're gonna leave
me there.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
So we get we get those four guys because, let's
be honest, dunk contest because the names aren't there. You
used to get the Doctor Jade and the Michael Jordan
and the Clyde Dresslers. You got the big the players
that were like the best players that couldunk. The dominique
will Yeah, they did it. Now we're getting guys and
that's no slight. That's no slight to anybody that's won
(38:04):
the dunk contest. Congratulations, but it's kind of hard to
contentially sell when the guy that's winning he's not even
in the NBA, okay, or the guys.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
That's what I do is the best dunker put here
in NBA, but he but he the best dunker.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
I mean, that's like I said, the best receiverfl.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
You two different stories, you talk about two different sports.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
But but I think it would if it would, I
know what you're trying to say.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
We're trying to say those back in the day used
to have the stars, yet they did it doing the dunk.
Speaker 4 (38:38):
They did it because that's what we get in the
three point competition, like were getting in the three point competition,
we get steph we get Dane Clay participated. I mean
a lot of the three but a lot of the
great three point shooters they're shooting, they participated. Yeah, but
the great dunkers for whatever reason, even Kobe Kobe did it.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
I just feel like, I just feel like, you know,
we in a new era with social media. We got
more eyes, we got more chances to see more talent.
You know, I understand the stars is you know, Anthony
ed warres Zion, John Morant. I mean there they They're
enticing names who have the ability to use athleticism at
the highest level in game. I just feel but you
never know, like these dudes like Mac McClung is amazing dunker,
(39:21):
and he's a great dunk contest dunker. Yes, and there's
a reason why he wins.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
Can let me ask you this has the dunk lost
its appeal because of the three points?
Speaker 1 (39:31):
I think public scrutiny has kind of messed with the
perception of the dunk contest. I think we're seeing dunks.
Jacob Hoppin was doing some crazy dunks.
Speaker 4 (39:41):
Himself because what he's gonna do he like bounced it
off the floor between his leg and like a three
sixty something.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
I was there. I watched it with my own two eyes.
I see some dunks I ain't ever thought was possible.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
And Mack McClung did some amazing dunks. Jacob Topping did
some amazing dunks. So it's like we see in dunk's Like,
so if if you had the same dunk and you
changed the name on the back of the jersey, does
that still change the fact we all have seen a
dunk that's never been done. What I'm trying to say, Like,
I understand the back of the jersey or I get that,
But there's guys out here who are using that dunk
(40:16):
contests the opportunity to prove what they are to the
NBA and to the game of basketball. And you know,
for them to have that opportunity, I think it's special,
especially people like Mac mcclungyy just and he deserved to win.
He don't get me wrong, I get exactly what you're saying,
I think, but we get I think sometimes as fans
we get so caught up in the names and the
dunk contest. We're not caught up in the art the
(40:38):
dunk contest, you know, but.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
At some point in time your creativity.
Speaker 4 (40:42):
I mean, you see some of these guys, what these
and what I mean some of these dunk or YouTube
and then people are like, well, we'll get some of
those guys. But I'm like, at some point in time,
I mean, create you got to run out of creativity, Wheeler,
I mean.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
What, hey, all I gotta say is we still making
new music. Yeah, and new sounds right, and music been
around longer than basketball, so there's always a possibility to
have some new tricks.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
So you don't have a problem with the props because
a lot of times I don't. I don't know when
really when the props came. Yeah, yeah, they seemed like
now at some point, I mean, Dominique was the power dunker.
Speaker 3 (41:22):
Jordan's elevated through the era.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
You had Viz Card telling me, ask you this, the
dunks you've seen now, Yeah, in present day NBA, let's
just get they way better than what I saw in
the past.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Okay, Hey, yeah, I mean Zach Levine going through the
free throw line between his legs.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
I still don't think people understand that was the first
time he's ever tried.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
The dunk within the contest.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
Man, Wow, that's the first time he's ever tried dunk.
Because I actually, I said, Zach, I've never seen you
even attempted. He's like, honestly, I ran out of dunk,
so I just went up there and did the first
thing I could think of. It was the first time
he's tried it. Wow, He's never like for me to
even say he's practiced it. He could decide I practiced it,
I missed it. I just said I'm gonna go for it.
(42:04):
He's ever tried it.
Speaker 4 (42:07):
The man tried to dump for the first time in
competition and basically sealed the win because he dump.
Speaker 1 (42:12):
And what a double overtime, double triple overtime in the Duncan's.
Speaker 4 (42:15):
Basically, you've had some very you had some characters as teammates.
You had Patrick Beverly, Yes, you've had Jeff t Uh,
you had KG. Yes, who's the funniest teammate you had.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
I'm not gonna lie ants up there?
Speaker 3 (42:35):
Yeah, I forgot it.
Speaker 1 (42:37):
Andre Miller is up there, really, Yes, my rookie year
Andrew Miller KG. Of course, Jeff Tige. Shout out to
Jeff Tigue. Man, I'm so happy to see him what
he's doing. Shout out to Jeff Tigue. Man, I've been
told when we were teammates, he needs to be telling stories.
He's the best storyteller. And I see now people are
getting to recognize that. I love that. I love that
(42:59):
He's always been great at that. Mandlo Delo's up there.
He's really fun. Wow, Okay, Man, I've been blessed to
be I've been blessed in a way to be with
so many teammates and to meet so many people at
different stages of life, and to be able to be
(43:23):
able to communicate with them, share energy with them, and
be able to call them a teammate is a blessing
and it's an honor that I don't take lightly.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
Do you believe that every teammate, a lot.
Speaker 4 (43:34):
Of the teammates that you've mentioned, do you believe you've
met them at the appropriate stage of your career? Do
you look back, and says man, Now, if I had
met him a little earlier, that had been perfect. If
I'd met him a little later, that would have been
even better perfect.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
It was perfect for me. I can't go back looking
at this time and that timing, it was the perfect
timing for me in my life, and I'm happy that
I had that moment. Whether it be you know, short
amount of time or years of calling them my teammate,
it was perfect time. God puts people in your life
at the perfect time, and I don't I don't doubt that.
(44:10):
So I was it was the right timing for me.
Speaker 2 (44:13):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Whether they helped me grow as a man, helped me
grow as a player, Uh, it was perfect timing.
Speaker 4 (44:19):
One of your former teammates and this was was going around.
He said, there are players right not currently playing in
the NBA. If I gave a helmet and shoulder pass,
they can go make a team.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
I talked about it on the Rich Eisen Show. I
just said, you know, I don't know, but I can
tell you right now. If you put me in the
slot receiver and you sent me down in the middle
with that medicine ball, I ain't doing it. That little
medical ball going down to the hell.
Speaker 3 (44:49):
That's what's gonna happen. No, they gonna saw you at
half cats pass on me. Nothing.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
I would say, I think there's few players who could.
Speaker 3 (45:03):
Do what you did.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
Uh, but no one's gonna be sharing as Shaw.
Speaker 4 (45:07):
No, I'm saying right now, you take a guy who's
playing in the NBA, We're gonna give.
Speaker 3 (45:11):
Him a pair of help show the path he will
go to training. Can very few of them could do it?
You actually think somebody could make an NFL team right now?
Speaker 1 (45:18):
Let me ask you this, You think Lebron can do it?
Speaker 3 (45:20):
Not?
Speaker 1 (45:20):
No, no, not now, not now though, No, don't take
out now.
Speaker 4 (45:23):
No, I don't think. I don't think any guy in
this I'm talking about right now in his prime. That's
what I'm saying, no prime, if he had done it,
and let's just say, for the sake of argumt, Lebron's
playing basketball and he said, you know what, I'm gonna
take it off like Michael Jordan say, I'm gonna take
a year off and I'm gonna try to go play anything.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
To do to major leagut.
Speaker 4 (45:40):
I just think the nuances, the understanding, because I think,
like a what's I forget the NC state, the offense,
the big fellow.
Speaker 1 (45:50):
Big fellow, big shot, many shot.
Speaker 4 (45:51):
Yes, okay, I think with a year, I think he
can play offensive line or defensive line.
Speaker 1 (45:56):
Yeah, you gotta teach him. So you're saying if you
give him a year, though, I feel like even for
people who may not understand, like I have friends who
are offensive line in the NFL. That's a tough job.
It comes with a ton of chest.
Speaker 4 (46:08):
Match, yes, because the difference is and I'm not saying
because I think NBA players, the NBA players are tough.
But what we do is that we go out there
every every Sunday or every Monday and cat we try
to move a man against his will. Just imagine when
you say I ain't going nowhere and I say the
hell you not. You're leaving this plot of land today.
(46:29):
That's what we do every week. We try to run
through a mofolks. Yes, yes, yes, because football in a sentence,
is about breaking a man's spirit. It's hard to break them.
If I'm shooting threes, you're like that coach, I can't
do nothing. But like sho shot is like everybody's trying
to be shocked. That's what the NFL is about. Everybody's
(46:51):
trying to be shocked, especially on the interior. Offensive line
says I'm going this way, defensive line says I'm going
that way. I'm trying to push a line back or
defense of lineman. And I think guys are super talent.
I think if you took an I think and a
year two.
Speaker 1 (47:05):
People I give is like Bron and Ant. That comes
to my mind first. But I think Ant's played football though, Yes,
that's what he grew up. But just like yes, so
it's kind of like, could I see him doing it?
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Yes? When? How when did they as stop? Did they
play in high school?
Speaker 1 (47:24):
I think so? I think so. But he was, he
was a good football player. Sure, he plays, he plays,
will be throwing the football around at male clinic target.
Speaker 3 (47:31):
He mean he still got I mean he's an athlete.
I think Russ.
Speaker 4 (47:35):
If you took like Russell Westbrook, I think I think
Russ with his speed and his understanding.
Speaker 1 (47:40):
If you amount of power he generates, yes, I think
that's yes, that can help him a lot too.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
I think football is a more physical sport. I think
basketball is a more skill.
Speaker 1 (47:48):
I think it's Yeah. I think that's a good that's
a good one. I think I've seen PG himself. He
was playing wide receiver and he did a really great like, uh,
break out the cut and he looked great. But I
just I just think I can't I can't fathom for
all the NFL dudes who are gonna watch this. I
can't fathom what y'all go through on a Sunday and
(48:09):
Monday and then look back and say, oh, let's do
this again on Thursday. Yeah, you know, like I can't
imagine that.
Speaker 4 (48:15):
I tell you what, go to home deep or lows,
get your hard hat and get get you a nice
nice coat, okay, and get a line up about ten
yards from your garage.
Speaker 3 (48:25):
And run into it sixty five times. Yeah, No, I see.
Speaker 1 (48:30):
That's what Hey, I'm I'm at the point where I'm thinking, like,
I go in the game and I jump as OgH
as I possibly can to go dunk lay it up. Yeah,
and then you know I'll fall on the floor. Yeah,
and I fall. All my team is be like, man,
why you be falling so hard on the floor. We'd
be worried about your safety. And I'm thinking the fact
that I do that. I get right up, I start
running down the court and I said, hey, I was
(48:50):
telling my girl. I said, man, if I trip and
fall in this house right now, I don't know if
I'm getting up, But you telling me in the game
to go do it for the love?
Speaker 3 (48:58):
Yeah, sixty five times?
Speaker 4 (49:00):
And see, like when you jump up there guys gonna
do everything they can not to undercut you.
Speaker 3 (49:04):
They're gonna try to break your fall that were trying
to do.
Speaker 1 (49:07):
We try to all that, I see, I've seen it
the other way. I ain't seen that they are trying
to hell nah, let me fall on the floor.
Speaker 3 (49:15):
What what was it like playing for TIBs?
Speaker 4 (49:17):
Because you hear how till like man Tims grind you
to the I mean, he just words on you playing
his guy's forty plus minutes on a nightly basis, and
then when it comes playoff times, he's done ground him
down to the nubs and then they just.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
Don't have anything. What was it like playing for him?
You know?
Speaker 1 (49:32):
What I respect is so so much about TIBs is
that he wanted to win, and he put the hours
in and he put the work in. So playing for
Tibbs was just watching someone who truly loves what they
do and puts all their passion and their their life
missions being the best coach they could be. And you
gotta respect that. And I think Tis was a he's
(49:54):
a he's a low key funny guy off the court,
you know, and you take the basket away. He's really funny,
and you know I I appreciate him even more now
that I'm older, and you know that we've been able
to talk even at a different level of maturity.
Speaker 3 (50:08):
You feel me, r.
Speaker 1 (50:11):
Man, I got nothing but good things to say about him.
He's been great, He's been Uh, he's been great to
talk to, especially now in my life. And uh, he's
he's one hell of a coach. There's one hell of
a coach.
Speaker 4 (50:23):
Probably the thing that's been talked about most in Minnesota
is yours and Jimmy Butler's relationship. How could that have
been handled differently? What could he have done differently? What
could you have done differently to make that relationship better?
Where there doesn't seem like it's so much animosity, there's
so much dissension, so much anks between the two of you.
Speaker 1 (50:44):
I think for me, like I said earlier, just everyone
we met each other, all my teammates, we met each
other at the perfect time, and I think that we
both helped each other grow and I think that's what
was really appreciative of me. And also we made a
playoffs together. Gloss and all the and all the hoopla
is that you know, after years and years of not
making the playoffs, we finally made the playoffs, and together
(51:05):
we were able to do something that Minnesota has a
seen in a while. And then on top of that,
I'm tremendously thankful that I had the opportunity to have
my first playoff experience. You know, you hear so much
about it, but to actually go through that experience helped
me be a better player and be a better teammate
to Ad. So, like I said, I think we all
met each other at the perfect time and when we
all needed to. God's time is never going to be wrong.
Speaker 4 (51:26):
Had has that situation helped you become a better leader
and a better teammate.
Speaker 1 (51:31):
I think just that season, you know, just you know,
having different people, different personalities, and also just different experiences
than I never had. Like I said, I never made
the playoffs until that year, so I kind of had
that experience under my belt understand what it is to
what it takes me, you know, a playoff team. You know,
(51:54):
I think that it helped me tremendously the rest of
my career and made me a better man first off,
and the second made me a better leader and made
me a better player. So, like I said, God's time
is never wrong. So I met everyone at the right time,
perfect time, and for what I needed in my life,
and it helped me be a better person and be
ready for the next challenges that were coming up.
Speaker 3 (52:13):
Why y'all let Dremond trade.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
Rudy, Draymond trade choke choke?
Speaker 3 (52:18):
Yeah, why y'all let Dramond choke Rudy? Nah?
Speaker 1 (52:21):
I was that situation happened? So yeah, exactly what led
up to it?
Speaker 3 (52:28):
What led up to it?
Speaker 1 (52:29):
I don't know, just all of a sudden, one time
I'm looking and I'm like looking, I'm seeing Draymond do something.
Rudy I'm trying to pull Draymond off, and I'm like, well,
we're gonna have a triple Nelson going on. Abound yourself.
I just, you know, I think they have a funny relationship,
to say the least, and I think that, uh, that
was a moment where I was I was surprised that happened.
(52:52):
I'm not gonna lie, I just I was very surprised that.
Speaker 4 (52:55):
When you were supposed to you were supposed to, like
he grabbed Rudy, you were supposed to grab him, and
then it's somebody you four five, don't.
Speaker 3 (53:05):
We just have a.
Speaker 7 (53:08):
Just everyone in the full Yeah, Finch coming out. Everybody
had a good leg too, fence when Finch had a
good leg, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, that was a That
was the animosity between dra Mud and Rudy comes.
Speaker 1 (53:22):
I don't even know.
Speaker 3 (53:23):
Does Raymond feel that.
Speaker 4 (53:24):
Rudy got some defensive play of the years that belonged
to him.
Speaker 1 (53:28):
I don't know, to be honest, I just you know,
you always hear the hoop li and we just always
we just tuning everything out. Like I said, I was
surprised when it happened to we. I feel like everyone
everyone in there was like, wait, is this really happening
right now? And we're all trying to separate Draymond from Rudy,
and the whole situation went around.
Speaker 4 (53:47):
It was does Rudy ever say anything? I mean, because
Rudy hears all the criticism, it's not like a whole lot, but.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
Everyone we don't know. Rudy Gobert. He laughs about he'd
joke around about it. So it's not like he just
he's really like salty and he won't like like you know,
he gets aggravated. He'll laugh, he lives, he'll joke himself
about it. I think it's a It just shows a
character and also how much he really He just enjoys
what he does, and he cares about his craft, and
he cares about his team, so shows a teammate he
(54:14):
is too.
Speaker 4 (54:15):
This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two
is also posted and you can access it to whichever
podcast platform you just listen to part one on. Just
simply go back to club profile and I'll see you there.
Host
Shannon Sharpe
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