June 21, 2024 • 33 mins
Chris Haynes and Marc Stein welcome in special guest three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford! They discuss his transition from player to media star as well as his thoughts on his former teammate JJ Redick officially becoming the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Get ready for a two part conversation with the three
time NBA six Man of the Year, Jamal Crawford. Here
in part one, Chris Haynes and I talked to Jamal
about his new career as a member of the media
and his longtime relationship with JJ Reddick, the new Lakers coach.
(00:22):
He'll talk about how he thinks his former teammate will
do as the Lakers new coach. That's next here on
This League Uncut. Welcome to this League to Uncut in
the rule of twenty four hour NBA News. This you love.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Chris Haynes. It's coach time, work's time.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
It's so time. This League Uncut is underway in on fire.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
This should be a good one.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Everyone. Welcome in to a very special edition of This
League Uncut because this is Mark Stein here with Chris Haynes.
But we are not alone. We have an esteemed guest
for the first episode of this pod that really puts
(01:20):
us in the heart of the NBA off season. We
wanted to start silly season with a bang, with something
that would get everybody excited. And look we've had We
were recording on Thursday night for a Friday morning drop.
We've had a trade today. We've had the Lakers finally
(01:42):
hiring their coach today. But We've got our own little
dose of breaking news because I'm gonna bring him in now, Chris,
the one and only Jamal Crawford is joining us on
this edition of This League Uncut. Always a pleasure. You're
to see the ageless one who looks like he could
(02:03):
still go out right now and throw thirty on somebody,
averaging fifty points in the last game I saw him.
Mister Crawford, how are you man that?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Right there? Can I take you around when I travel?
That's an intro. That is an intro.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
That's a Sway level intro right there.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
You know it's not even exaggerated. Though Jamal Crawford is
averaging fifty points in the last one games that I've
seen him play.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
In a real arena. I appreciate this time, Noah honor
to be here. I said it before I came on
and before we were recording. You guys are two legends.
The Vet legend obviously, Mark Stein's been around the game,
been around. When you speak, people know it's so much
truth behind it, so it's authentic. And then you have
a young Vet he's going to be a legend as well.
(02:53):
And Chris Haynes, who's his rise, your teammates, I can
actually see, I can actually say I've seen it first,
so it's really dope to watch. And now I text
him like, man, that's this to Chris Hanes. This ain't
the same Chris Hanes, he actually same. But to see
how you perceived it has been done.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Where did you first cross paths with Chris Hanes?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Well, I crossed pass with Big Suit in Portland. It's
Big Suit. I saw the suit before I saw him.
Big Suit was Portland, That's what it was.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
That was my first that was my first year. A
couple of leagues. Stan Jamal Crawford signed with Portland. That
was my first year.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
But Stan, he had he had a look in his
eye though I promised to God, he had a look
in his eye like he was so wide eyed. But
you can tell he saw further than where he was
at the moment and he was gonna work to get there.
And I just took an interest in watching him from
a distance, like I saw him in the room and
how he established himself in the room, and just he
always had integrity wherever he went. So it's dope to
(03:50):
watch it.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
We gotta take Jamal everywhere we go for our intros too.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
He's helping our He's helping our street. I didn't know
Chris Hanes when he was in Portland, obviously. Now we've
gotten closer and closer and closer over these last six
seven eight years. But my first intro to Chris Haynes,
he was also in Portland. I will never forget this.
And I think you're gonna know the story I'm bringing up.
He was he was in Portland, but he broke some
(04:17):
sort of Quincy Pondexter news and I'm like, why is
this guy in Portland break I mean, breaking this Quincy
Pondexter story Dexter, right, But you know, obviously you know
then I knew that they have the whole Fresno connection,
but I didn't know all that then, but that that's
what I remember. I didn't know about the big suits.
But he gets he gets plenty of grief for other
(04:38):
things on this show.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And Chris, when you first when you first knew that
the great Mark Stein knew your name? What was that like?
Speaker 4 (04:46):
I was, I don't know that I knew that he
knew my name until I got to ESPN and that's
when we worked together.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So that was two thousand.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
And sixteen and we hit it off from there. And so,
you know, looking as a beat writer with somebody who
had aspirations to become a national NBA reporter slash insider.
Mark Stein was one of those guys who I was following.
You know, you had to have his his tweets on
instant notification. You had to you know, know what was
(05:15):
going on, and you know, that helped your reporter. That
helped you stay aware on what you know, what was
happening around the league. So, no, that it was cool
and once we you know, we became really good friends.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Man, that that was. That was just extra. But no,
it was that was my first year Stein twenty eleven.
It was the lot.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah, we only got to work together the one year.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
It was only one year, it seems it seemed longer.
We had a lot, We've broke a lot of stories together.
We've got a lot done in that year. Like that
was that was a phenomenal year.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
But now you guys are teammates.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Teammates, Yes, I didn't see that.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
I didn't so I didn't see Jamal coming over into
this space Jamal, what was your like, I know things
didn't in the way you wanted them to go. You know,
playing wise scal, we know you will drop fifty in
your last game, and you obviously thought you would get
another chance. But when did you really start to envision
(06:13):
being a broadcast or stepping into this space?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know what? And I say this, and I wholeheardly
mean this the last Like, so I played twenty years,
the last thirteen fourteen, I'm like, I'm gonna be a GM.
I'm gonna be in a front off. You couldn't tell
me no different. Like I knew at that moment when
my six year in six seventh year, I'm like, I'm
(06:38):
gonna be a GM when when I'm done playing. I
never wanted to be a coach. I never wanted to
do TV. I was like, I want to be a GM.
And when I finally let go of the game and
I didn't get the calls, I got opportunities to do that.
And there was actually five teams who reached out and
they're like, hey, come in the front office with us.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
You know the offer of those teams, could I just
throw one out?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Throw one out?
Speaker 4 (07:04):
I heard I can't remember who told me, I heard,
OKAYC reached out at one point.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
What's that? What's that signal? If you're tied up and
you can.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
All right continue? Continue, go ahead, continue.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
So I had five teams. I had five teams reach
out and I had two other teams reach out for coaching,
and I was like nah, because at that point I
had to let go of the game where I couldn't
watch it anymore. Like I had a hard time, you
know me, I love the game or anything, I couldn't
watch it because I kept putting myself in the game.
Oh do this, how is that that? You know? Got
(07:45):
get that many minutes? Like I would do that and
I couldn't watch it. So I had to take a break.
I started coaching my son and coaching kids. Now it
was three years ago, and when that happened, I fell
in love with the game in a different way because
I'm like, man, I'm teaching things that I haven't heard
anybody talk about in thirty years. I'm relearning things. I'm
(08:06):
doing that, and I'm back around the game. And I
didn't want to mess that up because I'm like, this
kind of saved me from depression, and it kind of,
you know, I'm helping these kids. It was great and
so at that time T and T well before that,
JJ Reddick actually shout out to him, I'm sure we'll
talk about it. I'm sure. Well, he was leaving the
(08:26):
Ringer and he was like, Yo, why don't we do
a pod together. I'm like, bro, I'm not trying to
be in the media. I'm not, you know, I'm not.
I'm just I'm trying to play. I'm coaching these kids.
I'm like, all right. Then, Quentin Richardson, I got to
get big props to Cute because without him, I wouldn't
get the media. I did Hooper Vision. He was like, Maul,
(08:48):
you can stay home. Everybody else I don't like travel.
He's like, you don't have to travel. And we're just
watching the games and we're watching with the viewers or
something streaming. Everybody's going to tune in. And we had
some great guests that first year. I only did it
one year, but we had Penny, we had Gary Paygon,
we had Q Tip, we had Ja Cole, we had
Fat Joe, we had Tim Hardaway Senior, we had Gary Paige.
We had so many people and it was just think
(09:10):
like manning cast. But we were watching basketball and I
didn't realize it until after maybe a third or fourth show.
I'm like, dang, we're actually calling the game. Like we're
actually calling the game. He started passing breakdowns to me
and I'm like, he it's your show, just tell me
what to do. But it was comfortable.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I was home.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
And then after that TNT was like, Hey, why don't
you fill in for Chuck? That was the first time.
That was a time where Kenny through the fake pin
and I had to jump and get it and beat
me to the board, and I was like, I kind
of like this, and Cannas missed I think d way
and they kept calling me. Then after it was like
I'm like, I want to do this. I got bid
by that bug and T and T showed a lot
of faith, a lot of grace, and it was like,
(09:46):
come on in and over the last two years my
roles just kind of just kind of exploded. But sorry,
it's a long winded but that was the story of
how I got in the media.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Adrenaline wise, to have to fill in for Chuck with
no experience, how would you compare that to playing in
a huge game.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Trying to follow Vince Carter in the dunk contest after
he's won a three sixty with Meal or came with that,
old Chris says done, Like, there's no replacing Chuck. I
don't care who you are. I don't care how funny
you are, how famous you are. Chuck is a one
on one like there's nothing like him whatsoever on TV.
And I text Chuck this may be a couple months back,
(10:24):
and I was like, thank you, and it was out
the blue. I'm like, just thank you for being you,
Like you bring so much joy and you guys bring
so much joy to so many households. Just thank you,
you know, like for bringing that joy to people, because
Chuck is naturally a giver. But I was just like,
you know what, don't overthink it. Have fun. And that
put me in a place and get krudos to them.
(10:44):
If the show starts to set, we're walking on set
of sixty fifty eight. Shaq is always gonna make things
like Ernie is the best point guard in sports period, right,
talking the game and keeping things moved along. So they
made it very comfortable for me.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
I was going to ask you, Jay Crawl, something along
those lines, should talk about filling in for Chuck at
one point, but.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
You also had to I wouldn't say fill in, but
you have to.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
You stepped into a space where Dwayne Wade had that
role on the On the Tuesday crew before that. I
know what we believe the only did it for a year,
and I don't know that Dwayne really established himself on
that show. But you still coming in, You're the new
guy on the block with with this with this cast.
(11:34):
How did you attack that? How did you approach that
stepping into.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
That role Behind the scenes, Well, d Wade, we had
great chemistry when he was there. We played and I
played off each other. We had great conversation. We obviously
were peers for a long time. But I love music.
Shack loves music. So after the first episode, with the
first time I'm there, it's quiet, people watching the games,
I'm like, play a little music, let me see what happens. Right,
(12:01):
So people are bobbing, they're kind of vibing to it.
I'm like, oh, okay, except I didn't want to go
in and be like I'm doing this and this how
it goes. But Shack's like play that, So I play this.
So now me and Shack are having like versus DJ
battles and everybody's judging it, and it became like a family.
I'm ordering it's Crufford's cafe, I'm ordering peach cobbler. I'm
ordering cakes dessert. So it's like a lounge when you
(12:23):
come into Tuesday show. Now everybody knows that everybody's coming
from all over the building, coming to get their peach cobbler,
come to get their Kke. Music is a vibe, and
I think that part behind the scenes helped carry over
on on camera. Right, and you have Cannas Parker, who's
a brilliant I don't throw gold around easy like she's
the gold women's player to me, but she's a brilliant
(12:43):
basketball mind. Left Coast. Lucy's keeps things light. So it
was like our chemistry continued to grow. But I never
felt pressure. I was always welcome. It was always fun
to be with them.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Sty You know what, you know what the verses is?
What are you talking about? Is like a versus Are
you familiar with that star? Do we have to educate?
Speaker 1 (13:01):
You love just you love exposing exposing lack of pop culture?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Give a little bit, give a little bit, give a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Well, it started around back twenty twenty pandemic year. We
couldn't get out anywhere, We couldn't go out and enjoy ourselves,
couldn't have a good time too too much. It started
versus were started by I believe it was Swiss and
Timberland started a verse started a versus And basically what
(13:32):
it was is that you were you were pit artists
against each other and they would play some of their
top twenty hits of all time and if there wouldn't
be a winner at the end, the winner would just
be picked by you know, just by fans and people
that took it in. And so it was really kind
of like a party vibe during the pandemic that continued
(13:53):
on even after the pandemic. So, uh, you know what
what Jamal is describing as he might he might play
a tune, might play it by an artist, shock might
play a tune by an artist. Just keep going. It's
like a battle, And so it was. It was really cool.
I also stein I talked to Jamal and about doing
(14:14):
doing a versus versus type concept in sports media, And
when I told Jamal about it, Jamal was like, bro,
I've already been on that, Like I've I've a I've
thought about.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
I don't want to say it on here because you
still might do it.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Now, let's get it. Let'mer it.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
I remember you said this, this concept would be gold.
It would be gold. I'm going back again. I'm going
back twenty twenty this conversation we have, so you have
to correct me if I'm off. But the way you
describe your versus concept would be like, say, it's you and.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Iverson and y'all.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
You guys are showing a clip of your top twenty
highlights that you've had.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
That was that?
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Is that the way it was? Yes, Stein, Think of
a show like that. Think of go to some of
the legends back in the day. You know some players
that you would like to see.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Kareem versus Bill Russell. They're both in the room together,
and they both got they only got twenty. You only
could show twenty of their top highlights. Bill shows one,
Kareem tries to top that, shows another one.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
You can keep going and the fans it's a show.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
You can watch it, engage and you can reminisce, and
you can man, I remember that play.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
I remember that play?
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Wow, wasn't it just starts so much dialogue and.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Chris not to cut you off. I've literally been on
one hundred and fifty podcast since then, and you're right,
and I never talked about it. We're breaking news right
now because that was my idea and the pandemic was
to have that, and I'm gonna take that step further.
The first person I reached out to and he was
down to do it was Lou Williams. I said, everybody
talks about who's the best six male of me? And
you you get your twenty best highlights. I'll get my twenty.
(15:56):
We'll meet somewhere, we'll get a crowd, we're safe and
they're and let them decide who's really the best. And
he was like, let's do it. And that was almost
five years ago, now four and a half years ago,
and that was that was the idea, and I was
gonna take that around everywhere. And I'll say this, I'll
take even step further since for breaking news. I had
one of the biggest players in the game on board
(16:17):
to do it as well, one of the very best
players of our generation. So it's down to three now,
and you know, one of those three, I had one
on board saying let's do it. I got it, let's go.
I'll go whoever Hall of Famer, And I'm not gonna
(16:37):
confirm or deny, but I had it on board.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
What that would have been, dope they were on board
to do it, or if they were on board to
battle you in the format.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
No, No, it wasn't gonna be me because I was
just like the barbershop talk like me and lilu. Will
was a perfect matchup because people were saying who who right,
it was this person and somebody of the of that
caliber as well, and he was like, let's do it.
Damn yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Man.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
See hey, y'all family, I gotta break it. I've been
on one hundred and fifty podcasts and never mentioned this,
but I gotta break down.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Absolutely will take it. We appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Definitely, hold on something else, he said to Star. He
said JJ Reddick called him first to do a pod together.
Now this is before JJ has his pod with you
know who Lebron James. Who is now it's going to
be one of his players?
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Just now? This was this was literally, yeah, I gave
you guys two things. I'm sorry, J. That was that was?
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Was it going to be the same formaute Jamal like
talking next to those How was it going to be?
Speaker 2 (17:42):
You know what, we never we never got further with
it because I was just I wasn't in the space
at that time mentally. But yeah, this was he was
at the Wringer with Bill Simmons and he was going
from there to Old Man the Three. So we didn't
get specific. You know, obviously their their POD is incredib
and there's just started this year in twenty four. This
(18:03):
was twenty twenty or twenty.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
I would think that POD has the end now.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
I would say.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Us over.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
I mean, sine, I'm asking you this, if this has
to end, right, does Lebron keep his side of it
and he gets a different person to do that with,
or does JJ keep his side of it and he
gets another coach per se or somebody that's not involved
that he's coaching to do it.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I haven't spoken to either one, but I'm gonna guess
neither should be POD. The Lakers have too much work
to do to be trying to keep POD going. I mean,
especially especially as a coach. But seriously, I mean, if
you were in any locker room and the coach and
(18:51):
one player were potting, I'm just not sure how that
would go over with the other fourteen to fifteen players
in that locker room.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Yeah, that's so that's a different I mean, but you
know what, I'm going to say this too, Fellas, this
is almost anything we've seen. We've seen almost anything happened
with everything that's going on in the world. So I
would I'm not saying it would be different, it'd be weird,
but I'm just wondering which one would stay in it.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Well, you look, you were JJ's teammate for what four seasons?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Four seasons?
Speaker 1 (19:22):
I mean, you tell us you know him much better
than we do. How hard is this going to be
for him to step into coaching with his zero experience.
I know, he is a super sharp basketball mind. He
obviously has the respect of the star player already. Everyone
(19:43):
I've talked to you today says he and a D
are not going to have any issues, that A D
is going to be on board with this. But I mean,
this just seems like a really tall order from where
I'm sitting, because.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
It's a really yeah, it's a really tall.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
This is the hottest seat in professional basketball.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
It is. It's scorching before you even get to the seat.
It's already hot. Right. But JJ is really sharp. Besides
like the basketball mind that everybody can hear just knowing
him as a person, He's not gonna take any shortcuts.
He's really sharp. He's really prepared, and he's prepared for
bad to happen as well, right, Like he's prepared for
(20:24):
point A, point B and Plan C. Like he's prepared.
So now it's just going to be getting the trust
of the guys, right, because if you have that trust,
you can coach them. You can tell them honestly what
you see and vice versa. JJ is not He had
an ego to where he knew he's a good player,
but he didn't have an ego where you couldn't tell
him anything. And we had great dialogue actually over the
(20:46):
Clippers period. That's one relationship I didn't think what happened
with me and him. It felt like we were two
different worlds. It felt like we were just we saw
things differently. And that was one of my fondest relationships
to this day, was being friends with him and how
it grew and how evolved. So I think he'll He'll
have his lumps at times like any coach does, but
he'll figure it out and as long as he has
(21:07):
their trust, I have no doubt he'll be successful, Like
JJ is going to do really really well. I don't
know if that means championship or bus like people feel
on laker Land, but he'll do really well.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
What gives you that confidence that he will do really
well well.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Just the preparation. And I think, and to be very honest,
I don't think any franchise player with any coach right
now is the coach is going there if those two
franchise players didn't sign off on it. So if they
didn't sign off on it right like they know, I
would think. You know, I'm not saying they made to
the full decision, but let's call it what it is.
(21:52):
To be honest, franchise players are in the loop about
what moves are being made by the team. It's their team,
so to speak. So if he's there, it's because they
don't want him to be there some some way, shape
or form. So I would think that if he's there,
they he'll have their trust.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Because I have to say from my seat, look, I
think this would have been a really hard job no
matter what. Again, you have, you have no coaching experience,
The expectations in Lakerland are absolutely off the charts. But
the fact that everybody also knows they did offer this
job to Danny Hurley. Danny Hurley turned it down, but
(22:28):
the world knows that the Lakers offered this to someone else. First,
do we exaggerate that in the media, Like how much
Obviously you're not on that team, but you've been on
a lot of teams in your life. I mean, how
big a talking point you think that would be among players,
(22:50):
and how big a deal would that be among players?
Speaker 2 (22:54):
I think emotionally it's not that big of a deal.
Think about how many times as players we've heard that
we're gonna get traded, then we don't get traded, and
we got it the next day. Hey, you're pro, like
you got to step up and lock in and layerser
focused on that. So I don't think, for example, I
don't think j J's feelings were hurt. It probably came
a little bit off guard because everything we heard was
all JJ at that time. So yeah, and then towards
(23:17):
the end we even heard Manti Williams right, So like
you just never know, and when you've been in this
thing for a long time, like myoie rookie year. Second year,
well then second I was hurt my rookieyear, my third year,
I was hearing my name in trade rumers. I was
emotional about it. I'm like, man, don't give my own
you got how can you? How dare you? Then I
had to look like that just mean somebody else wants
me number one, but number two it may not happen,
(23:37):
and you have to be a pro. And I'll learned that.
And so with that being said, like I don't think
he took that personal and going back to the hurry
things socide note, I don't think that would have been
a great fit anyway with the group they have. I
just don't. If you watch early coach, his whole thing
is built on ball movement, player movement, offense, going side
(23:59):
to side, not trick plays, but continuity plays, misdirection plays.
I don't I'm not sure this Lakers group wants to
play like that. And that could have been you know,
bumping heads there, because I think in a way, when
you have Lebron and a D you're playing almost like
a ninety style. Its more isolation, it's a slower tempo.
It's more so how the game was in like late nineties,
(24:21):
early two thousands versus pacing in space, right, and I
think Hurley wants to want to have played more like that.
I think JJ will be kind of more into let's
play to the player strengths. They take this away, let's adjust,
let's invert this, let's look at this a little bit differently,
and we can still kind of have that partnership.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
I gotta ask you this, Jamal. I gotta put you
on the spot, and please, I like it all right
you've been having. First of all, Jamal has been handling
pressurized questions for years and he knows how, he knows
how to handle it.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
So I ain't worried about that.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Toyo Davis ran the stands with the.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
So I'm asking this.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
So, if you're in that Lakers locker room, right, and
I'm gonna say this first and foremost, I think JJ
will be fine. I really do think he'll be fine.
He has a great basketball mind, he has the support
of the key star players, ownership, management believe in him.
I think he'll be fine. Now, with that being said, Jamal,
(25:23):
there has been talking points on or there has been criticism,
I should say, of the timing of the podcast with
Lebron and JJ, when Darvin Ham was on the hot
seed and now leaning to JJ becoming the next head
coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
If you're a.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
Player in that locker room and you've seen how this
has happened, how are you feeling about JJ becoming the
head coach after coincidentally, you know, being a co host
along with Lebron James on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Well you may look at it, Sime. She may be like,
come on, man, they was doing a pie. Now they
coaching and player together, Like, come on you, I could
see I can easily just being one hundred percent with you.
I could easily see that, even if it's not sailed
out loud, I could feel that energy from one or
two people like come on, man, like what are we doing.
But on the flip side of that, no matter who
(26:19):
was coming to coach, they were gonna have to be
lock and key with Lebron and Ad. That's the reality
of the situation. They were gonna have to be on
the same page with them because those guys are Hall
of Fame players, some of the best players to ever
played and still are playing at that level, both of them.
So you're gonna have to be like in step with
those guys. So if it was Hurley, if it was
(26:40):
Minnie Williams, if it was think about Minnie Williams, if
he would have got the first thing he said, Oh,
he coached ad like, you have to be in step
with these guys. So yeah, they may say that, they
may feel it, but they'll get over it because at
the end of the day, whoever was coming was gonna
have to, you know, get those guys to get their
trust and sign off on it.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
No, it's interesting you bring up MANI because I actually
heard that of few weeks ago that in coaching circles
it did start to make the rounds that. Can you
imagine if Detroit actually lets mony go, he would be
a natural for this Laker's job. And I do think
had it happened sooner, that the Lakers would have thought
about it. But look, I don't want to speak for
(27:17):
Monny Williams, but I just have to imagine, after what
he has been through personally with his wife's health situation
and then the last two years being let go both
in Phoenix and Detroit, I have to think that he's
gonna want some kind of break from the madness and
stepping into the Laker job is the furthest thing in
(27:38):
the world from a break. But I think I actually
have a more applicable hypothetical compared to what Chris just
asked you. The Jamal Crawford I remember he did care
about his slew of six man awards. I can't do
you have three four? I lost track how many.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Before?
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Okay, so see, there you go, you kind of still care.
So so jj Reddick did not vote for Anthony Davis
for first or second team defense. What would have happened
if Coach X whoever it is, took over Jamal Crawford's
team and you knew on his ballot you weren't even
(28:22):
in his top three for six Man of the year.
How easy, how hard or easy would that be to
let go?
Speaker 2 (28:30):
You know me, knowing myself, what I would have done
and say we brought coach X in. I would have
waged like Game thirty two, when he thought, you know,
everything was good, I hit a game, would have a
big fourth quarter and the sixth man. I would say, yeah,
that's what the best six man in basketball does, and
I'll walk off and make it fun like that. I
would just store you know, you know Stan, you know
(28:52):
me when I got new clothes. I wasn't the guy
who warned the school the next day, I want everybody
to wear their stuff. Let it get old, let mine set,
let it simmer. And I hit him with my Jordan's
two months later with all their stuff. So I would
wait and play it that.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Way, because that's definitely gonna be one that is definitely
going to be a question JJ gets at his first
press conference, how did you not have AD on either
your first or second team all defense?
Speaker 2 (29:16):
And knowing JJ, would I think he would say the JJ.
I know he would say, you know what, because JJ,
he's not He's not gonna b su so he would
come right to him. When I bet you they had
that talk. If they have it, they'll have it before
the season. Hey, let you know straight up, this is
what it is. That's how JJ communicates. So he's no,
he's no fluffs and games. He's gonna come right ask
you direct, let's handle this, let's deal with it.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Hold on okay, so hold on here. I'm glad you
brought that up.
Speaker 4 (29:41):
Stein, So.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
That's why he forgot out.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
You know JJ Jamal and I don't think you even
have to know JJ for this, But if JJ really
thought back then that he had a great chance to
be the Lakers head coach. Why would he not put
a D on his top?
Speaker 2 (30:06):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Like, so, if he knew he really had a legitimate
shot to be Lakers a.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Head coach, I would think that he would make sure
a D is first team all D.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
You know what? And that's a that's a great point.
Maybe he didn't think he would necessarily be the Lakers
coach at the time, but he had a bug to coach.
But think about it, common sense, Okay, if I want
to be the Lakers coach and I get a vote,
fray d Man, he get two votes. So maybe he didn't.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Think at least second team.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
At least second time.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
But I'm just throwing out maybe maybe that that can
throw out the conspiracy.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
That right that maybe that how you know, maybe the podcast,
So people who say the podcast was some sort of
a lot to get the Laker job, that's his that's
his out.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
If I knew, I would have gave him. Yeah, JJ,
I hope you're listening to this.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
There we go.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Hold, so we're talking about coaching real quick, and there
was a let me see, I'm trying to meet date
this This was actually today.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
For the win Jamaal.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
They had a list. It came out today for the
win had a list. It's a USA Today Branch five
former NBA players who could make the JJ Reddick leap
into coaching and they include you on that list of
five players. Uh, you just said you didn't as you
(31:30):
started to pile, you didn't have any aspirations of coaching.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Is that? Do you really feel that way cannot change
later on.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
Because obviously people feel you have that the skill set
to do so.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I can see a change later on. To be honest
with you, because my whole thing is when I started
coaching my son, like I could see coaching him and
coaching him through. But my wife and him actually like
you should coach like what And they've never said that
because media is doing so well? Is how been so fast?
And I'm loving it? Like I love media? But shoot
J J g an eight million year off the cut
(32:05):
the phone man so my name and the hat. No,
I could see myself coaching. I think I'm a natural teacher.
I love the game more than anything. I love talking
the game. I love teaching the game, whether it's you know,
whoever pro or if it's a kid on the street,
like if I can help you at your game, I will.
So I feel like I am a natural coach in
some way, So never say never. Maybe at some point,
(32:27):
I don't know how soon or how far away, I
could see myself coaching for sure.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
That does it for Part one of our two part
conversation with Turner Sports Jamal Crawford. Of course, the three
times NBA sixth Man of the Year. Part two drops tomorrow.
Make sure you don't miss it, and that'll do it
for us.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
See you next time.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
This league uncut its and iHeartRadio production. Christine don't march
Stone
Get ready for a two part conversation with the three
time NBA six Man of the Year, Jamal Crawford. Here
in part one, Chris Haynes and I talked to Jamal
about his new career as a member of the media
and his longtime relationship with JJ Reddick, the new Lakers coach.
(00:22):
He'll talk about how he thinks his former teammate will
do as the Lakers new coach. That's next here on
This League Uncut. Welcome to this League to Uncut in
the rule of twenty four hour NBA News. This you love.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Chris Haynes. It's coach time, work's time.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
It's so time. This League Uncut is underway in on fire.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
This should be a good one.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Everyone. Welcome in to a very special edition of This
League Uncut because this is Mark Stein here with Chris Haynes.
But we are not alone. We have an esteemed guest
for the first episode of this pod that really puts
(01:20):
us in the heart of the NBA off season. We
wanted to start silly season with a bang, with something
that would get everybody excited. And look we've had We
were recording on Thursday night for a Friday morning drop.
We've had a trade today. We've had the Lakers finally
(01:42):
hiring their coach today. But We've got our own little
dose of breaking news because I'm gonna bring him in now, Chris,
the one and only Jamal Crawford is joining us on
this edition of This League Uncut. Always a pleasure. You're
to see the ageless one who looks like he could
(02:03):
still go out right now and throw thirty on somebody,
averaging fifty points in the last game I saw him.
Mister Crawford, how are you man that?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Right there? Can I take you around when I travel?
That's an intro. That is an intro.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
That's a Sway level intro right there.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
You know it's not even exaggerated. Though Jamal Crawford is
averaging fifty points in the last one games that I've
seen him play.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
In a real arena. I appreciate this time, Noah honor
to be here. I said it before I came on
and before we were recording. You guys are two legends.
The Vet legend obviously, Mark Stein's been around the game,
been around. When you speak, people know it's so much
truth behind it, so it's authentic. And then you have
a young Vet he's going to be a legend as well.
(02:53):
And Chris Haynes, who's his rise, your teammates, I can
actually see, I can actually say I've seen it first,
so it's really dope to watch. And now I text
him like, man, that's this to Chris Hanes. This ain't
the same Chris Hanes, he actually same. But to see
how you perceived it has been done.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Where did you first cross paths with Chris Hanes?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Well, I crossed pass with Big Suit in Portland. It's
Big Suit. I saw the suit before I saw him.
Big Suit was Portland, That's what it was.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
That was my first that was my first year. A
couple of leagues. Stan Jamal Crawford signed with Portland. That
was my first year.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
But Stan, he had he had a look in his
eye though I promised to God, he had a look
in his eye like he was so wide eyed. But
you can tell he saw further than where he was
at the moment and he was gonna work to get there.
And I just took an interest in watching him from
a distance, like I saw him in the room and
how he established himself in the room, and just he
always had integrity wherever he went. So it's dope to
(03:50):
watch it.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
We gotta take Jamal everywhere we go for our intros too.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
He's helping our He's helping our street. I didn't know
Chris Hanes when he was in Portland, obviously. Now we've
gotten closer and closer and closer over these last six
seven eight years. But my first intro to Chris Haynes,
he was also in Portland. I will never forget this.
And I think you're gonna know the story I'm bringing up.
He was he was in Portland, but he broke some
(04:17):
sort of Quincy Pondexter news and I'm like, why is
this guy in Portland break I mean, breaking this Quincy
Pondexter story Dexter, right, But you know, obviously you know
then I knew that they have the whole Fresno connection,
but I didn't know all that then, but that that's
what I remember. I didn't know about the big suits.
But he gets he gets plenty of grief for other
(04:38):
things on this show.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And Chris, when you first when you first knew that
the great Mark Stein knew your name? What was that like?
Speaker 4 (04:46):
I was, I don't know that I knew that he
knew my name until I got to ESPN and that's
when we worked together.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So that was two thousand.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
And sixteen and we hit it off from there. And so,
you know, looking as a beat writer with somebody who
had aspirations to become a national NBA reporter slash insider.
Mark Stein was one of those guys who I was following.
You know, you had to have his his tweets on
instant notification. You had to you know, know what was
(05:15):
going on, and you know, that helped your reporter. That
helped you stay aware on what you know, what was
happening around the league. So, no, that it was cool
and once we you know, we became really good friends.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Man, that that was. That was just extra. But no,
it was that was my first year Stein twenty eleven.
It was the lot.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah, we only got to work together the one year.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
It was only one year, it seems it seemed longer.
We had a lot, We've broke a lot of stories together.
We've got a lot done in that year. Like that
was that was a phenomenal year.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
But now you guys are teammates.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Teammates, Yes, I didn't see that.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
I didn't so I didn't see Jamal coming over into
this space Jamal, what was your like, I know things
didn't in the way you wanted them to go. You know,
playing wise scal, we know you will drop fifty in
your last game, and you obviously thought you would get
another chance. But when did you really start to envision
(06:13):
being a broadcast or stepping into this space?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know what? And I say this, and I wholeheardly
mean this the last Like, so I played twenty years,
the last thirteen fourteen, I'm like, I'm gonna be a GM.
I'm gonna be in a front off. You couldn't tell
me no different. Like I knew at that moment when
my six year in six seventh year, I'm like, I'm
(06:38):
gonna be a GM when when I'm done playing. I
never wanted to be a coach. I never wanted to
do TV. I was like, I want to be a GM.
And when I finally let go of the game and
I didn't get the calls, I got opportunities to do that.
And there was actually five teams who reached out and
they're like, hey, come in the front office with us.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
You know the offer of those teams, could I just
throw one out?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Throw one out?
Speaker 4 (07:04):
I heard I can't remember who told me, I heard,
OKAYC reached out at one point.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
What's that? What's that signal? If you're tied up and
you can.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
All right continue? Continue, go ahead, continue.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
So I had five teams. I had five teams reach
out and I had two other teams reach out for coaching,
and I was like nah, because at that point I
had to let go of the game where I couldn't
watch it anymore. Like I had a hard time, you
know me, I love the game or anything, I couldn't
watch it because I kept putting myself in the game.
Oh do this, how is that that? You know? Got
(07:45):
get that many minutes? Like I would do that and
I couldn't watch it. So I had to take a break.
I started coaching my son and coaching kids. Now it
was three years ago, and when that happened, I fell
in love with the game in a different way because
I'm like, man, I'm teaching things that I haven't heard
anybody talk about in thirty years. I'm relearning things. I'm
(08:06):
doing that, and I'm back around the game. And I
didn't want to mess that up because I'm like, this
kind of saved me from depression, and it kind of,
you know, I'm helping these kids. It was great and
so at that time T and T well before that,
JJ Reddick actually shout out to him, I'm sure we'll
talk about it. I'm sure. Well, he was leaving the
(08:26):
Ringer and he was like, Yo, why don't we do
a pod together. I'm like, bro, I'm not trying to
be in the media. I'm not, you know, I'm not.
I'm just I'm trying to play. I'm coaching these kids.
I'm like, all right. Then, Quentin Richardson, I got to
get big props to Cute because without him, I wouldn't
get the media. I did Hooper Vision. He was like, Maul,
(08:48):
you can stay home. Everybody else I don't like travel.
He's like, you don't have to travel. And we're just
watching the games and we're watching with the viewers or
something streaming. Everybody's going to tune in. And we had
some great guests that first year. I only did it
one year, but we had Penny, we had Gary Paygon,
we had Q Tip, we had Ja Cole, we had
Fat Joe, we had Tim Hardaway Senior, we had Gary Paige.
We had so many people and it was just think
(09:10):
like manning cast. But we were watching basketball and I
didn't realize it until after maybe a third or fourth show.
I'm like, dang, we're actually calling the game. Like we're
actually calling the game. He started passing breakdowns to me
and I'm like, he it's your show, just tell me
what to do. But it was comfortable.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I was home.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
And then after that TNT was like, Hey, why don't
you fill in for Chuck? That was the first time.
That was a time where Kenny through the fake pin
and I had to jump and get it and beat
me to the board, and I was like, I kind
of like this, and Cannas missed I think d way
and they kept calling me. Then after it was like
I'm like, I want to do this. I got bid
by that bug and T and T showed a lot
of faith, a lot of grace, and it was like,
(09:46):
come on in and over the last two years my
roles just kind of just kind of exploded. But sorry,
it's a long winded but that was the story of
how I got in the media.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Adrenaline wise, to have to fill in for Chuck with
no experience, how would you compare that to playing in
a huge game.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Trying to follow Vince Carter in the dunk contest after
he's won a three sixty with Meal or came with that,
old Chris says done, Like, there's no replacing Chuck. I
don't care who you are. I don't care how funny
you are, how famous you are. Chuck is a one
on one like there's nothing like him whatsoever on TV.
And I text Chuck this may be a couple months back,
(10:24):
and I was like, thank you, and it was out
the blue. I'm like, just thank you for being you,
Like you bring so much joy and you guys bring
so much joy to so many households. Just thank you,
you know, like for bringing that joy to people, because
Chuck is naturally a giver. But I was just like,
you know what, don't overthink it. Have fun. And that
put me in a place and get krudos to them.
(10:44):
If the show starts to set, we're walking on set
of sixty fifty eight. Shaq is always gonna make things
like Ernie is the best point guard in sports period, right,
talking the game and keeping things moved along. So they
made it very comfortable for me.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
I was going to ask you, Jay Crawl, something along
those lines, should talk about filling in for Chuck at
one point, but.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
You also had to I wouldn't say fill in, but
you have to.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
You stepped into a space where Dwayne Wade had that
role on the On the Tuesday crew before that. I
know what we believe the only did it for a year,
and I don't know that Dwayne really established himself on
that show. But you still coming in, You're the new
guy on the block with with this with this cast.
(11:34):
How did you attack that? How did you approach that
stepping into.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
That role Behind the scenes, Well, d Wade, we had
great chemistry when he was there. We played and I
played off each other. We had great conversation. We obviously
were peers for a long time. But I love music.
Shack loves music. So after the first episode, with the
first time I'm there, it's quiet, people watching the games,
I'm like, play a little music, let me see what happens. Right,
(12:01):
So people are bobbing, they're kind of vibing to it.
I'm like, oh, okay, except I didn't want to go
in and be like I'm doing this and this how
it goes. But Shack's like play that, So I play this.
So now me and Shack are having like versus DJ
battles and everybody's judging it, and it became like a family.
I'm ordering it's Crufford's cafe, I'm ordering peach cobbler. I'm
ordering cakes dessert. So it's like a lounge when you
(12:23):
come into Tuesday show. Now everybody knows that everybody's coming
from all over the building, coming to get their peach cobbler,
come to get their Kke. Music is a vibe, and
I think that part behind the scenes helped carry over
on on camera. Right, and you have Cannas Parker, who's
a brilliant I don't throw gold around easy like she's
the gold women's player to me, but she's a brilliant
(12:43):
basketball mind. Left Coast. Lucy's keeps things light. So it
was like our chemistry continued to grow. But I never
felt pressure. I was always welcome. It was always fun
to be with them.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Sty You know what, you know what the verses is?
What are you talking about? Is like a versus Are
you familiar with that star? Do we have to educate?
Speaker 1 (13:01):
You love just you love exposing exposing lack of pop culture?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Give a little bit, give a little bit, give a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Well, it started around back twenty twenty pandemic year. We
couldn't get out anywhere, We couldn't go out and enjoy ourselves,
couldn't have a good time too too much. It started
versus were started by I believe it was Swiss and
Timberland started a verse started a versus And basically what
(13:32):
it was is that you were you were pit artists
against each other and they would play some of their
top twenty hits of all time and if there wouldn't
be a winner at the end, the winner would just
be picked by you know, just by fans and people
that took it in. And so it was really kind
of like a party vibe during the pandemic that continued
(13:53):
on even after the pandemic. So, uh, you know what
what Jamal is describing as he might he might play
a tune, might play it by an artist, shock might
play a tune by an artist. Just keep going. It's
like a battle, And so it was. It was really cool.
I also stein I talked to Jamal and about doing
(14:14):
doing a versus versus type concept in sports media, And
when I told Jamal about it, Jamal was like, bro,
I've already been on that, Like I've I've a I've
thought about.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
I don't want to say it on here because you
still might do it.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Now, let's get it. Let'mer it.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
I remember you said this, this concept would be gold.
It would be gold. I'm going back again. I'm going
back twenty twenty this conversation we have, so you have
to correct me if I'm off. But the way you
describe your versus concept would be like, say, it's you and.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Iverson and y'all.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
You guys are showing a clip of your top twenty
highlights that you've had.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
That was that?
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Is that the way it was? Yes, Stein, Think of
a show like that. Think of go to some of
the legends back in the day. You know some players
that you would like to see.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Kareem versus Bill Russell. They're both in the room together,
and they both got they only got twenty. You only
could show twenty of their top highlights. Bill shows one,
Kareem tries to top that, shows another one.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
You can keep going and the fans it's a show.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
You can watch it, engage and you can reminisce, and
you can man, I remember that play.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
I remember that play?
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Wow, wasn't it just starts so much dialogue and.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Chris not to cut you off. I've literally been on
one hundred and fifty podcast since then, and you're right,
and I never talked about it. We're breaking news right
now because that was my idea and the pandemic was
to have that, and I'm gonna take that step further.
The first person I reached out to and he was
down to do it was Lou Williams. I said, everybody
talks about who's the best six male of me? And
you you get your twenty best highlights. I'll get my twenty.
(15:56):
We'll meet somewhere, we'll get a crowd, we're safe and
they're and let them decide who's really the best. And
he was like, let's do it. And that was almost
five years ago, now four and a half years ago,
and that was that was the idea, and I was
gonna take that around everywhere. And I'll say this, I'll
take even step further since for breaking news. I had
one of the biggest players in the game on board
(16:17):
to do it as well, one of the very best
players of our generation. So it's down to three now,
and you know, one of those three, I had one
on board saying let's do it. I got it, let's go.
I'll go whoever Hall of Famer, And I'm not gonna
(16:37):
confirm or deny, but I had it on board.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
What that would have been, dope they were on board
to do it, or if they were on board to
battle you in the format.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
No, No, it wasn't gonna be me because I was
just like the barbershop talk like me and lilu. Will
was a perfect matchup because people were saying who who right,
it was this person and somebody of the of that
caliber as well, and he was like, let's do it.
Damn yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Man.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
See hey, y'all family, I gotta break it. I've been
on one hundred and fifty podcasts and never mentioned this,
but I gotta break down.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Absolutely will take it. We appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Definitely, hold on something else, he said to Star. He
said JJ Reddick called him first to do a pod together.
Now this is before JJ has his pod with you
know who Lebron James. Who is now it's going to
be one of his players?
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Just now? This was this was literally, yeah, I gave
you guys two things. I'm sorry, J. That was that was?
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Was it going to be the same formaute Jamal like
talking next to those How was it going to be?
Speaker 2 (17:42):
You know what, we never we never got further with
it because I was just I wasn't in the space
at that time mentally. But yeah, this was he was
at the Wringer with Bill Simmons and he was going
from there to Old Man the Three. So we didn't
get specific. You know, obviously their their POD is incredib
and there's just started this year in twenty four. This
(18:03):
was twenty twenty or twenty.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
I would think that POD has the end now.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
I would say.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Us over.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
I mean, sine, I'm asking you this, if this has
to end, right, does Lebron keep his side of it
and he gets a different person to do that with,
or does JJ keep his side of it and he
gets another coach per se or somebody that's not involved
that he's coaching to do it.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I haven't spoken to either one, but I'm gonna guess
neither should be POD. The Lakers have too much work
to do to be trying to keep POD going. I mean,
especially especially as a coach. But seriously, I mean, if
you were in any locker room and the coach and
(18:51):
one player were potting, I'm just not sure how that
would go over with the other fourteen to fifteen players
in that locker room.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Yeah, that's so that's a different I mean, but you
know what, I'm going to say this too, Fellas, this
is almost anything we've seen. We've seen almost anything happened
with everything that's going on in the world. So I
would I'm not saying it would be different, it'd be weird,
but I'm just wondering which one would stay in it.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Well, you look, you were JJ's teammate for what four seasons?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Four seasons?
Speaker 1 (19:22):
I mean, you tell us you know him much better
than we do. How hard is this going to be
for him to step into coaching with his zero experience.
I know, he is a super sharp basketball mind. He
obviously has the respect of the star player already. Everyone
(19:43):
I've talked to you today says he and a D
are not going to have any issues, that A D
is going to be on board with this. But I mean,
this just seems like a really tall order from where
I'm sitting, because.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
It's a really yeah, it's a really tall.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
This is the hottest seat in professional basketball.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
It is. It's scorching before you even get to the seat.
It's already hot. Right. But JJ is really sharp. Besides
like the basketball mind that everybody can hear just knowing
him as a person, He's not gonna take any shortcuts.
He's really sharp. He's really prepared, and he's prepared for
bad to happen as well, right, Like he's prepared for
(20:24):
point A, point B and Plan C. Like he's prepared.
So now it's just going to be getting the trust
of the guys, right, because if you have that trust,
you can coach them. You can tell them honestly what
you see and vice versa. JJ is not He had
an ego to where he knew he's a good player,
but he didn't have an ego where you couldn't tell
him anything. And we had great dialogue actually over the
(20:46):
Clippers period. That's one relationship I didn't think what happened
with me and him. It felt like we were two
different worlds. It felt like we were just we saw
things differently. And that was one of my fondest relationships
to this day, was being friends with him and how
it grew and how evolved. So I think he'll He'll
have his lumps at times like any coach does, but
he'll figure it out and as long as he has
(21:07):
their trust, I have no doubt he'll be successful, Like
JJ is going to do really really well. I don't
know if that means championship or bus like people feel
on laker Land, but he'll do really well.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
What gives you that confidence that he will do really
well well.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Just the preparation. And I think, and to be very honest,
I don't think any franchise player with any coach right
now is the coach is going there if those two
franchise players didn't sign off on it. So if they
didn't sign off on it right like they know, I
would think. You know, I'm not saying they made to
the full decision, but let's call it what it is.
(21:52):
To be honest, franchise players are in the loop about
what moves are being made by the team. It's their team,
so to speak. So if he's there, it's because they
don't want him to be there some some way, shape
or form. So I would think that if he's there,
they he'll have their trust.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Because I have to say from my seat, look, I
think this would have been a really hard job no
matter what. Again, you have, you have no coaching experience,
The expectations in Lakerland are absolutely off the charts. But
the fact that everybody also knows they did offer this
job to Danny Hurley. Danny Hurley turned it down, but
(22:28):
the world knows that the Lakers offered this to someone else. First,
do we exaggerate that in the media, Like how much
Obviously you're not on that team, but you've been on
a lot of teams in your life. I mean, how
big a talking point you think that would be among players,
(22:50):
and how big a deal would that be among players?
Speaker 2 (22:54):
I think emotionally it's not that big of a deal.
Think about how many times as players we've heard that
we're gonna get traded, then we don't get traded, and
we got it the next day. Hey, you're pro, like
you got to step up and lock in and layerser
focused on that. So I don't think, for example, I
don't think j J's feelings were hurt. It probably came
a little bit off guard because everything we heard was
all JJ at that time. So yeah, and then towards
(23:17):
the end we even heard Manti Williams right, So like
you just never know, and when you've been in this
thing for a long time, like myoie rookie year. Second year,
well then second I was hurt my rookieyear, my third year,
I was hearing my name in trade rumers. I was
emotional about it. I'm like, man, don't give my own
you got how can you? How dare you? Then I
had to look like that just mean somebody else wants
me number one, but number two it may not happen,
(23:37):
and you have to be a pro. And I'll learned that.
And so with that being said, like I don't think
he took that personal and going back to the hurry
things socide note, I don't think that would have been
a great fit anyway with the group they have. I
just don't. If you watch early coach, his whole thing
is built on ball movement, player movement, offense, going side
(23:59):
to side, not trick plays, but continuity plays, misdirection plays.
I don't I'm not sure this Lakers group wants to
play like that. And that could have been you know,
bumping heads there, because I think in a way, when
you have Lebron and a D you're playing almost like
a ninety style. Its more isolation, it's a slower tempo.
It's more so how the game was in like late nineties,
(24:21):
early two thousands versus pacing in space, right, and I
think Hurley wants to want to have played more like that.
I think JJ will be kind of more into let's
play to the player strengths. They take this away, let's adjust,
let's invert this, let's look at this a little bit differently,
and we can still kind of have that partnership.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
I gotta ask you this, Jamal. I gotta put you
on the spot, and please, I like it all right
you've been having. First of all, Jamal has been handling
pressurized questions for years and he knows how, he knows
how to handle it.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
So I ain't worried about that.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Toyo Davis ran the stands with the.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
So I'm asking this.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
So, if you're in that Lakers locker room, right, and
I'm gonna say this first and foremost, I think JJ
will be fine. I really do think he'll be fine.
He has a great basketball mind, he has the support
of the key star players, ownership, management believe in him.
I think he'll be fine. Now, with that being said, Jamal,
(25:23):
there has been talking points on or there has been criticism,
I should say, of the timing of the podcast with
Lebron and JJ, when Darvin Ham was on the hot
seed and now leaning to JJ becoming the next head
coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
If you're a.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
Player in that locker room and you've seen how this
has happened, how are you feeling about JJ becoming the
head coach after coincidentally, you know, being a co host
along with Lebron James on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Well you may look at it, Sime. She may be like,
come on, man, they was doing a pie. Now they
coaching and player together, Like, come on you, I could
see I can easily just being one hundred percent with you.
I could easily see that, even if it's not sailed
out loud, I could feel that energy from one or
two people like come on, man, like what are we doing.
But on the flip side of that, no matter who
(26:19):
was coming to coach, they were gonna have to be
lock and key with Lebron and Ad. That's the reality
of the situation. They were gonna have to be on
the same page with them because those guys are Hall
of Fame players, some of the best players to ever
played and still are playing at that level, both of them.
So you're gonna have to be like in step with
those guys. So if it was Hurley, if it was
(26:40):
Minnie Williams, if it was think about Minnie Williams, if
he would have got the first thing he said, Oh,
he coached ad like, you have to be in step
with these guys. So yeah, they may say that, they
may feel it, but they'll get over it because at
the end of the day, whoever was coming was gonna
have to, you know, get those guys to get their
trust and sign off on it.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
No, it's interesting you bring up MANI because I actually
heard that of few weeks ago that in coaching circles
it did start to make the rounds that. Can you
imagine if Detroit actually lets mony go, he would be
a natural for this Laker's job. And I do think
had it happened sooner, that the Lakers would have thought
about it. But look, I don't want to speak for
(27:17):
Monny Williams, but I just have to imagine, after what
he has been through personally with his wife's health situation
and then the last two years being let go both
in Phoenix and Detroit, I have to think that he's
gonna want some kind of break from the madness and
stepping into the Laker job is the furthest thing in
(27:38):
the world from a break. But I think I actually
have a more applicable hypothetical compared to what Chris just
asked you. The Jamal Crawford I remember he did care
about his slew of six man awards. I can't do
you have three four? I lost track how many.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Before?
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Okay, so see, there you go, you kind of still care.
So so jj Reddick did not vote for Anthony Davis
for first or second team defense. What would have happened
if Coach X whoever it is, took over Jamal Crawford's
team and you knew on his ballot you weren't even
(28:22):
in his top three for six Man of the year.
How easy, how hard or easy would that be to
let go?
Speaker 2 (28:30):
You know me, knowing myself, what I would have done
and say we brought coach X in. I would have
waged like Game thirty two, when he thought, you know,
everything was good, I hit a game, would have a
big fourth quarter and the sixth man. I would say, yeah,
that's what the best six man in basketball does, and
I'll walk off and make it fun like that. I
would just store you know, you know Stan, you know
(28:52):
me when I got new clothes. I wasn't the guy
who warned the school the next day, I want everybody
to wear their stuff. Let it get old, let mine set,
let it simmer. And I hit him with my Jordan's
two months later with all their stuff. So I would
wait and play it that.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Way, because that's definitely gonna be one that is definitely
going to be a question JJ gets at his first
press conference, how did you not have AD on either
your first or second team all defense?
Speaker 2 (29:16):
And knowing JJ, would I think he would say the JJ.
I know he would say, you know what, because JJ,
he's not He's not gonna b su so he would
come right to him. When I bet you they had
that talk. If they have it, they'll have it before
the season. Hey, let you know straight up, this is
what it is. That's how JJ communicates. So he's no,
he's no fluffs and games. He's gonna come right ask
you direct, let's handle this, let's deal with it.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Hold on okay, so hold on here. I'm glad you
brought that up.
Speaker 4 (29:41):
Stein, So.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
That's why he forgot out.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
You know JJ Jamal and I don't think you even
have to know JJ for this, But if JJ really
thought back then that he had a great chance to
be the Lakers head coach. Why would he not put
a D on his top?
Speaker 2 (30:06):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Like, so, if he knew he really had a legitimate
shot to be Lakers a.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Head coach, I would think that he would make sure
a D is first team all D.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
You know what? And that's a that's a great point.
Maybe he didn't think he would necessarily be the Lakers
coach at the time, but he had a bug to coach.
But think about it, common sense, Okay, if I want
to be the Lakers coach and I get a vote,
fray d Man, he get two votes. So maybe he didn't.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Think at least second team.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
At least second time.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
But I'm just throwing out maybe maybe that that can
throw out the conspiracy.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
That right that maybe that how you know, maybe the podcast,
So people who say the podcast was some sort of
a lot to get the Laker job, that's his that's
his out.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
If I knew, I would have gave him. Yeah, JJ,
I hope you're listening to this.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
There we go.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Hold, so we're talking about coaching real quick, and there
was a let me see, I'm trying to meet date
this This was actually today.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
For the win Jamaal.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
They had a list. It came out today for the
win had a list. It's a USA Today Branch five
former NBA players who could make the JJ Reddick leap
into coaching and they include you on that list of
five players. Uh, you just said you didn't as you
(31:30):
started to pile, you didn't have any aspirations of coaching.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Is that? Do you really feel that way cannot change
later on.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
Because obviously people feel you have that the skill set
to do so.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I can see a change later on. To be honest
with you, because my whole thing is when I started
coaching my son, like I could see coaching him and
coaching him through. But my wife and him actually like
you should coach like what And they've never said that
because media is doing so well? Is how been so fast?
And I'm loving it? Like I love media? But shoot
J J g an eight million year off the cut
(32:05):
the phone man so my name and the hat. No,
I could see myself coaching. I think I'm a natural teacher.
I love the game more than anything. I love talking
the game. I love teaching the game, whether it's you know,
whoever pro or if it's a kid on the street,
like if I can help you at your game, I will.
So I feel like I am a natural coach in
some way, So never say never. Maybe at some point,
(32:27):
I don't know how soon or how far away, I
could see myself coaching for sure.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
That does it for Part one of our two part
conversation with Turner Sports Jamal Crawford. Of course, the three
times NBA sixth Man of the Year. Part two drops tomorrow.
Make sure you don't miss it, and that'll do it
for us.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
See you next time.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
This league uncut its and iHeartRadio production. Christine don't march
Stone
Hosts And Creators
Chris Haynes
Marc Stein
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