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- [00:06]
A
It's not under.
- [00:06]
B
Under 100, right? Probably. Or just that? Hell yeah. Set the mood in this.
- [00:14]
A
Theater. Theater lighting.
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B
Theater lighting, baby.
- [00:31]
A
Welcome.
- [00:32]
B
Yes, sir. Mind the game here again, baby.
- [00:35]
A
We are very fortunate to have incredible fans on Mind the game. We put it out there to our community to ask questions. This will be a Q and A episode and we got a ton of questions.
- [00:45]
B
Love that. Love that.
- [00:47]
A
And we really appreciate the support and all the fans out there tuning in all the time. Thank you very much. All right. Lakernerd asks, why is the triangle offense less utilized in today's game?
- [01:01]
B
Pace and space and you know, the way teams switch basket, you know, switch everything. Now it'd be very challenging, you know, to, you know, to run the triangle. And obviously the triangle was great. You know, I mean, this time it was, you know, great offense. Tex Winter obviously, you know, great and feeling them implementing that into, into the NBA and, you know, having that, you know, that pinch post game with the, with the, with the gaggle action on the backside, being able to, you know, read and react off of there, you know, two man and three man, Two man and three man games. I thought, you know, it was definitely a great system ecosystem to have. I just think the game is so much more spread out now. The three point shooting, now the attempts on three point shooting, the space, you know, obviously, you know, you know, back when, when they were running it, you know, all that stuff was inside. Yeah, everything was inside the three point line. You know, you know, Bill Cartwright and Luke Longley and, you know, you know, Horace was, you know, kind of a hybrid. He shot a lot of long tools, but none of those guys, Dennis Rodman, none of those guys was really shooting threes, you know, so, you know, they built, they built a system that was perfect for their personnel, you know, and. But now the game is just so much different. You know, to try to try to run the triangle offense right now would be very challenging just because how the game is played and also how defense is covering. You could take a lot of things away, you know, now by just like switching a lot of things depending on your personnel. Obviously that has a lot to do with. But I think it was, it was great in this time, but I don't see how it could, you know, it could be good. You can use certain things from it. Yeah, you know, yeah, there's still like, you know, like, you won 21. You know, we run 21, where you pitch it ahead and chase it. You know, that. That's basically an extended version of kind of the triangle. When you hit the taking component. Yeah, it's taking component off of it. You know, you. You know, they used to, you know, MJ would be on the baseline and then, you know, kind of use the Chicago screen off, off, off Luke Longley or one of the centers to get a catch in the middle of the lane. You know, there's. There's certain things that have been taken. If you watch our game, there's small little bits that's been taken from the triangle offense that teams and players run. That's still there. So it still has an impact in our game. It's just the whole landscape is not. I don't think so.
- [03:17]
A
It'd be interesting to hear Tex, you know, his thoughts on how it would adapt. What tweaks would it make? Because I think you're right. Like, it's just too punishing. It's too difficult and too punishing to cover the space and pace game. Right. You got it. The guys are stretching the floor to the deep, deep corner, out to the hash marks. Guys are flying down, like, are you in the gaps? Are you not? What are you giving up? Like, you know, I think some people say maybe the game's gotten more homogenized, but like we talked about, it's more the jazz, the feel play out of principles. That's what's hard to defend.
- [03:50]
B
Right, Right.
- [03:51]
A
You know, when you know what someone's running every time, even with their counters.
- [03:53]
B
Right.
- [03:54]
A
That predictability can be problematic along with the switching. So I'd love to hear him know, like, how he would tweak it.
- [04:00]
B
Yeah. I mean, Texas so great. I guarantee he could, you know, what would be, you know, it's like, almost like, you know, like Bill Walsh, you know, you know, running the west coast offense like they're running. You know, he would probably, you know, what would he do with. He would make it to what it looks like today's game, you know, but running it exactly how they ran it, you know, in the 90s and early 2000s. I just don't.
- [04:24]
A
Yeah. Too easy to defend because you're forcing a lot of twos, a lot of long twos. Pack the paint.
- [04:29]
B
Right.
- [04:30]
A
So I just. It's just not a fit for this era. But it would be interesting.
- [04:33]
B
It will be interesting where he'd take it.
- [04:36]
A
Here's one from Windy City Assassin. Who were the greatest defensive players each of us has faced and why you have anyone in mind that you're like, that was a great defender.
- [04:47]
B
Yeah. Ron Artest was, you know, meta world peace now. He was, you know, Ronald Solid granite, really good with his hands. Laterally was really good. Strong as an ox, you know, played again early, my early years when he was in Indiana, I mean, you know, it was challenging, you know, for sure. You know, it was one of the best defenders probably I've played against.
- [05:15]
A
Yeah, I mean, it's an interesting question, right? Especially you go back to, you know, back in our, in my era, in your early career, like the game was different, right? Like you talk about defenders, you're thinking about rim protectors, typically Tim Duncan. Just his feel for space and ability to block shots. You know, KG had some versatility to it as well. Incredible communicator. You know, then you think about the guards. I mean, I came in the league, you know, MJ was one of the best defenders. But point guards, you know, I always give Jason Kidd a nod, you know, you know, Jason doesn't have career highlights of dunking the ball. I mean, obviously he could, but he, that wasn't his game. But his like mobility, explosiveness, like his lateral quickness, like he was a freaky athlete in a different way. Right. He wasn't always going to take off and dunk on people, but the way like I remember seeing him one time they take the ball bounds, we're trying to press late in the game and there's literally guys 1012ft on either side of him and the guy kind of went this way and Jason faked and he threw it that way and he took, he picked that pass off. Like I was thinking to myself, like, I'm in the game and I'm like, rewind that. How did that ball, like he had him leaning and he let it and stole the ball. So like his athleticism and also, you know, when he was up for it, when he was, you know, pissed off and competitive, he could really get after people. So. But my point is there's so many players out there that defend in different ways that it's hard to pick one. But so many great defenders.
- [06:44]
B
Yeah, for sure. I just, I had to go straight back to my early days. Like that was. Ron definitely had you, like, okay, this is, yeah, this is what the league is about. Okay. Just continue to lock in. This is, this is a hell of a test for you as a 18 year old kid out of high school, like, you know, going against with a target on his. Yeah, I was like, okay, yeah, I love this. This is awesome.
- [07:03]
A
Yeah, for sure. Okay. From Dustin. Dustin Nielsen, why is ring culture so much more prevalent in the NBA than in other sports? I wish we had a simple answer.
- [07:19]
B
Oh, my goodness. I have. I do not know the answer. I wish I had the answer to this, but I'm not sure, man. It's funny. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know why it's discussed so much in our sport and why it's the a all be all of everything. Like, okay, you weren't a great player if you never won a championship. It's like. Or if you won one, then you. You can't be in the same conversation with this person. It's like.
- [07:45]
A
But that's a great point because what you're saying is like, no matter what you have, you need more. No matter what, right? No matter what. Like, it never ends.
- [07:52]
B
Yeah. And it. I don't know, man. It's just like, you sit here and tell me, you know, Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley and Steve Nash are fucking. Wasn't unbelievable. Like, oh, they can't be talked about or discussed with these guys because this guy won one ring or won two rings or one. Like, it's just. It's just weird to me. It's like saying Peyton Manning can't be in the same room with Brady or Mahomes because he only has one ring. They don't never discuss that in a sport. Or telling me that Dan Marino is not the greatest slinger of all time. Or he can't be in the room with those guys because he didn't win a championship. They don't discuss those things. You know? I don't know. I don't know. Did Barry Bonds win a World Series? I don't think so. I don't think so. Barry Bonds never won a World Series. And you can't sit here and tell me that he's not the greatest baseball player to ever touch a bat. I just. I don't understand where it came from. I don't know where it started. I just. I just. I hope that we just. We have to appreciate more of what guys have been able to accomplish. What guys have been able to do. A ring is a team accomplishment. And if you happen to have a moment where you able to share that with your team, that should be discussed. This team was the greatest team. Okay. Or that team. You can have those conversations, but like trying to nitpick an individual because he was not able to win a team game or team match or whatever the case may be, I just. I don't know where it started. It's just. It's a long conversation. Especially when it comes to, like, you know, me individually. It's just so weird.
- [09:47]
A
It's so weird coming from someone who's won a bunch of them.
- [09:50]
B
Yeah. It's just so weird. It's never enough.
- [09:52]
A
I feel like it was in the 90s. It started to shift, you know, when I got in the league, and maybe I'm short sighted, you know, our memories are fallible. I don't know, but I felt like it was starting to become that way. I don't know. I wonder if sometimes it's. It's part of the way we cover sports nowadays. Like, we don't necessarily. Like, it's not 50, 50, glorify and critique. It seems like it's more critical than it is glorified. I'm not asking for pro athletes to be glorified, but we are talking about the best in the world.
- [10:22]
B
Yeah.
- [10:23]
A
So I think it's really like, we gotta be careful sometimes how we can be so dismissive of a team, a player, an accomplishment or a failure, because these are the best in the world, no matter how you slice it.
- [10:34]
B
Yeah, for sure. It's like you automatically dismiss people in their careers when you. Oh, you just be like, oh, he didn't win a ring or he doesn't have a ring. It's like, do you actually. Have you actually sat down and actually, like, really looked at this guy's career and what he was able to accomplish, you know? You know, they. I mean, Jerry West, I think, went to like nine straight NBA Finals, right? And was only able to win one. And he's the logo of our league. So you can't sit here and tell me that. Okay, well, because he only won one, the guy can't be in the same room with the guy who won two or three or four. Like, why not? This guy, he's our logo.
- [11:22]
A
Not good enough.
- [11:23]
B
Like, it's not good enough.
- [11:24]
A
New logo.
- [11:24]
B
Yeah, it's just. Is, you know, and rest, you know, rest. You know, Our late great Jerry west, soul man. Unbelievable person too, by the way. I love that guy. Big shout out, Jerry West. But, yeah, I don't know when it started, man. I just hope that we appreciate the guys who definitely, you know, don't matter, man. But at the end of the day, when you're all done and you're done and the game has passed you by, I hope you just, you know, hope you just appreciate, you know, what we were able to do. I don't.
- [11:52]
A
What do they say? They say life's an illusion. This is just all noise, really. You know, you gotta run your own race. Enjoy it.
- [11:59]
B
Be in the moment.
- [12:00]
A
Be proud of what you accomplish, if people want to talk well or poorly, that's on them.
- [12:05]
B
Yeah, that's represents them.
- [12:07]
A
I always say that. Right. Like what we say is a representation of us, not the subject we're talking about as much as anything. All right, here's a question from DanielMeina on IG. Why are teams having a difficult time closing games against the Indiana Pacers?
- [12:26]
B
That's a great question, Daniel, and let's.
- [12:29]
A
Set the stage on that question for some people. So they played the Bucs in the first round, came back from a crazy situation to win, I think the deciding game.
- [12:38]
B
Yeah. That was game. Was it game five?
- [12:42]
A
Yeah, I think in Indy. Overtime.
- [12:45]
B
Overtime. Gary Trent had a big game, huge game.
- [12:49]
A
Couple turnovers, couple threes, drive to the basket by Halle and game flips like that.
- [12:55]
B
Game flips like that.
- [12:56]
A
They go and play the Cavs. So most people know this, but of course they had this crazy comeback against the Cavs, I think. Did they miss a free throw?
- [13:04]
B
Halle missed the free throw, got it back, dribbled out.
- [13:08]
A
Now the shot's the shot. But it was like another 14 point.
- [13:11]
B
Right.
- [13:12]
A
I'm gonna call them all 14 point comebacks in two and a half years.
- [13:15]
B
That's their whole thing, right?
- [13:16]
A
It feels like it. Then they go on and play the Knicks in the Garden. Crazy game. The Knicks had no business losing.
- [13:23]
B
They, you know, come back, Smith hits all the threes.
- [13:26]
A
The threes. And Halle hits the shot that bounces up. Reminded me of the Kawhi, Toronto, Philly that bounced around a bunch of times.
- [13:34]
B
And they went in overtime.
- [13:35]
A
Went in overtime. Game 1 of the NBA Finals on the road. We think they're done. And here they come again. I mean, I'll set the stage, but pretty remarkable mental toughness and resilience they have. They never stop playing.
- [13:47]
B
Yep.
- [13:48]
A
Never stop playing.
- [13:49]
B
Boom. Bingo.
- [13:50]
A
That's the number.
- [13:51]
B
That's the answer right there.
- [13:52]
A
You know, they don't stop playing. And then the other part of this, I think it's important for fans to recognize as players. We don't want to admit this, but you play to win or you play not to lose. And at times when you have a 14 point lead with three or four minutes left, you're looking at the clock like, how do we manage the clock? Because it would be stupid not to. Right. But what does that do to you? Yeah, you're trying to find the balance by being intelligent, still being forceful and aggressive, but not being silly, not being cavalier. And so what it does, it innately sometimes gets teams on their heels. They're trying to manage the clock then win the game. So I think there's a really a nice switch in dynamic that makes the game. That's why basketball's great. One team's got nothing to lose. We already got beat. We're down 14 with three minutes left.
- [14:32]
B
Or whatever we got.
- [14:33]
A
Let's go.
- [14:33]
B
Yep.
- [14:34]
A
And for the winning team, if we lose now, so you're on your heels, you're negative. So I don't know. I love the way they play. They play fast, they shoot threes, they have good free throw shooters. They're a more physical and I think better defensive team especially than prior years than we give them credit for. And they're just incredible, I think at.
- [14:54]
B
Mentally staying in, staying there it is right there. They just don't stop playing and they just mentally, they just mentally, you know, engaged man. They don't, they don't waver. No matter win, lose a draw, they don't waiver. So that's the answer right there.
- [15:06]
A
Amazing skill for a team for sure. This episode is sponsored in part by American Express. American Express knows that for an obsessive basketball fan like me, the playoffs mean a lot of travel time. Between broadcasting games and catching up with old teammates, I'm on the road almost every week. From boys Boston to LA and everywhere in between. After all these years, I've learned that the journey is as important as the destination. That's why I've always tried to find a spot to stretch, grab a coffee and get my mind right before heading over to the arena. Fortunately, there's a card that makes every part of that journey better. With Amex Platinum, you earn five times membership rewards points on prepaid hotels and flights booked through amextravel.com on up to $500,000 on flight purchases per year. Plus you get access to the Centurion Lounge, which makes travel that much more intu enjoyable. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. For more information, visit americanexpress.com Travel after many years in the game, both on court and off, I know all about high stakes showdowns. That's why I'm hooked on Michael Crichton's binary on Audible. From the creator of Jurassic park and ER comes this classic techno thriller about a radical aiming to bring down the government with a deadly nerve gas. The cat and mouse game between the terrorist and a determined State Department agent had me on the edge of my seat in the ride over here. But Audible isn't just about heart pounding thrillers. From electrifying suspense and daring Quests to spine tingling horror and romance in far off realms, Audible delivers thrills of every kind. On your command, you'll find gripping titles that keep you guessing, Exclusive Audible originals and bestsellers that hook you from the first minute. Ready for your next great adventure? Sign up for a free 30 day trial at audible.com game and discover what lies beyond the edge of your seat. Question here from Lakers lead How much do assistant coaches matter in the NBA?
- [17:25]
B
Quite a bit. I think. The responsibility that a head coach has on, you know, the things that he has to prepare for and the things he has to get the guys ready to play is so much already, you know, and you know, for the assistant coaches to be able to take some of the burden off the head coach, you know, either with helping with substitution patterns, helping with all the personalities in the locker room, you know, a head coach shouldn't have to deal with that all the time. Now I understand, like I've had fortunate enough in my career to have head coaches that had like an open door policy. If you had a problem, come and talk to me. But on a day to day basis, you know, a head coach shouldn't have to be facilitating that all the time, you know, because it's ups and downs and things and guys have their emotions throughout the course of a season and if you have great assistants, they can, you know, they can tune that down, you know, they can help with that, facilitate that. And also, you know, just the stuff like the small things that happen when guys get to the arena early or guys get to practice facilities early or being able to have assistant coaches that come out there and work with you, watch film with you, get on the court with you, things of that nature and just conversate throughout the rest of the, you know, the rest of that day, throughout the rest of the games, on the road, whatever the case may be. So I think assistant coaches are very vital to team success.
- [18:40]
A
Yeah, I mean, great rundown there. I think it just doesn't work without assistant coaches in all capacities. I think fans have to understand that whether it's them dealing with personalities for the coach or the coach dealing with the personalities and the assistants dealing with some of the film and tactical elements. Preparation, there's a scale there. But all that work needs to get done. You're playing three, four games a week. Like you have to cut off responsibilities and collaborate. Maybe we should break down for like fans what an NBA assistant coach's responsibilities are.
- [19:13]
B
I mean, where do we start?
- [19:14]
A
Yeah. So first of all, usually NBA assistant coaches have 1, 2, 3 players that they're responsible for so that they have to work on film their routine. You know, in the NBA, just for fans, everyone's got to have a routine. You play so many games, different time zones, you're traveling. Some guys are high, minute guys, some guys don't play and got to stay ready. You know, maybe we start there, like, what does it look like on a staff with an assistant coach and his responsibility to a player?
- [19:42]
B
Well, yeah, I mean, you just. You started off by saying, in the sense of when it comes to routine, you know, guys have a routine and they locked in on that, you know, and like you said, you're changing time zones, you're in different cities, you know, but the one thing that never changes is the time that you're supposed to be on the court, the time you're supposed to be in the weight room, the time you're supposed to be in the training room, you know, know, getting those work, getting that work done. Now you have some of the older vets, sometimes it could change kind of just a little bit, depending on, you know, if they played a lot of minutes the night before or if it's three games and four nights, you know, they might switch it up a little bit. But for the younger guys and for the guys that's like, you know, fifth, sixth, seven years into the league, it has to stay the same. And guys go off that routine, and assistant coaches is the ones that are, you know, you're accountable for your own work, obviously, but the assistant coaches be on you about it. And, you know, so every day, you know, when it comes to, okay, this is what time you need to be on the court. If you shoot at 90 on the clock or if you shoot at 50 on the clock. Okay, well, before that, 10 minutes come out 10 minutes early. So we can watch film, you know, we can lock in on, you know, the film from the previous three or four games or just last game, or we just clip in the defensive side or whatever the case may be. So, you know, they're. They're locked in on everything that needs to get done for when, now, when the game starts, you already prepared. And if you're not someone that's in a regular rotation right now, then like you said, they're ready, stay ready. They have those. Those games. Sometimes you can see you could come. I get to the arena so early, there's times where if I don't beat everybody there, that you could have a couple guys that's not playing out there actually running up and down the court with assistant Coaches staying ready, you know, going through the same offensive things that we're going to run, the same defensive coverages that we would do, you know, so they're always prepared whenever your number is called, because we're all professionals, you have to stay ready. And the assistant coaches, they stay on that.
- [21:35]
A
So essentially what LeBron just mentioned here is the player development component. And that happens to the star player all the way down to a guy who's trying to make his name in the league. It's different. Obviously a star player, it's about refining, tweaking, staying optimal for a young guy. It might be like a three year plan and trying to build there. You mentioned playing the stay ready group, we used to call it in Brooklyn. Guys that don't get a lot of minutes need to run up and down. So one thing just to mention is usually NBA film rooms nowadays are built with four, five, six guys that have played. At least four or five of them have played in college or maybe overseas. So they can play against your young guys to just have enough bodies because the rotation guys can't play every day. So you need guys to play against them, whether it's one on one, three on three, five on five. So that's an important thing for people to recognize. You find guys that are intelligent, hard working, that played the game, that you can teach the film stuff to, but they're able to get on the board.
- [22:33]
B
Yeah, I mean, it's funny you say that because I mean, one of our assistant coaches who pretty much works day to day with Bronnie was James Harden's college backcourt mate. Okay, so, you know, so did he.
- [22:44]
A
Get any shots in college?
- [22:46]
B
Probably not. Probably not, no. They brought the ball up, gave it to James. James, do your thing. But like you just said, those guys are, you know, either played in college, played overseas, you know, and so when they're getting out there, they're like really going, you know, obviously they're going at the guys and those guys are going at them as well. And it's still fun, it's still competitive, you know, so, you know, having that, having that, that ordeal is definitely, you know, great for the, for the state.
- [23:12]
A
Ready guys for sure, as far as the extended responsibilities. So a lot of NBA teams have an assistant coach as an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator. They also have to do scouts, pre game scouts, so you'll break down the next opponent. So typically for fans out there, an NBA assistant coach may have, who knows, five to, you know, all the scouts, depending on how your staff divides them. But that Coach has got to probably watch typically, like the last four games that team's played, start to put together clips, start to formulate a game plan, you know, then they go and talk with the head coach about it, how we want to play them, you know, when are we blitzing, when are we switching, what are we doing after the switch? What's our second line of defense? Like, what actions can we. Can we go out with them? So there's a lot of scouting that goes into it. I'm sure you've had some coaches that were incredible at game planning over your.
- [24:04]
B
Yeah, I mean, my first stint in Cleveland when Mike Brown took over, you know, two guys that was basically, you know, ran a lot of our things. Mike Malone was our assistant coach, you know. You know, Lloyd Pierce was our player development guy. Chris Gent was one of our player development guy, and Mike Brown gave them a lot of the reign, you know, and obviously we, you know, Mike Malone's the NBA champion, he's the head coach, you know, and obviously, you know, you see Lloyd Pierce now is right there next to, you know, Rick Carlisle in the finals right now, you know, so, you know, those guys get a lot of responsibility, you know, and I think there's a sense of pride, too, when you become like an assistant coach and you start getting that responsibility where now you're doing the breakdowns of teams and you're doing the scouting. So you come in, you do the scouting, you're saying, okay, this is the personnel, this is who you're guarding. This is things they're going to run. This is how we're going to prepare for them. And if that assistant coach, if you win that game that night because of your scout, you know, the players start to feel a certain way too about it. Like, you know, you start knowing, like, if you got three or four coaches and one of the coaches is doing the scout and we're winning those games, you know, you get like, excited for that coach to come up and talk again, you know, because like you said, it could be you can have three or four coaches that does scouting throughout the course of the season. So there's a sense of pride from assistant coaches, too, when they get up there and they do they scout and they, like, they win those games, you know, so that's pretty cool, too.
- [25:38]
A
Yeah. They're keeping score?
- [25:39]
B
No, they're definitely keeping score. For sure. For sure.
- [25:41]
A
They had a good draft at the start of the year on the opponents, but they're keeping score.
- [25:46]
B
Right.
- [25:47]
A
You know, one thing that, you know, I think is an interesting topic of conversation is NBA staffs have gotten so big now. I don't think there's one way to do it, but I do think that having a big staff can be too much sometimes. You know, nowadays, you know, you got a head coach, you got eight or nine assistants. You know, you got four on the front, you got four on the back. At least, you know, that's before you mentioned film guys, analytics guys, like we've mentioned guys in the film that are playing. You know, it adds up to your managing a lot of personalities. And frankly, at times, you know, coaches are trying to make their way in the league. You got eight other coaches with you. You're trying to validate your presence. It can be very difficult for head coach, I think, to manage the personalities on staff.
- [26:33]
B
And I don't even remember when it took the spike. I don't remember. I just. I guess I just remember just one day just coming to the bench and then just, like, looking down, I was like, holy shit, there's as many coaches as players, right? Sitting on the bench.
- [26:46]
A
When you got in the league, I think it was probably a head coach and three assistants on the front, but.
- [26:50]
B
There was no guys. I don't remember guys being behind the bench when I first came in.
- [26:53]
A
Like, no. Now you have more coaches behind the bench than you do in front.
- [26:56]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [26:58]
A
Now I think there's plenty of work. There's enough work for everyone to do, but managing the voices, the opinions, you know, even sometimes the egos. That, that, that sometimes, especially. I would say this especially for young coaches, I think that can be a challenge.
- [27:11]
B
Right.
- [27:12]
A
You know, being a coach in the NBA has never been more difficult in a lot of ways, because you're kind of a startup CEO.
- [27:19]
B
Right, right, right.
- [27:20]
A
If you're a young coach, you come into a situation, it's a new project. No matter if you have a veteran team or not. You know, you got eight, nine assistant coaches, staff of 10 coaches. You got four, five, six in the video room, you got, depending on the organization, 4, 5 in analytics, you got 10 on the 10 in the performance team. You got a general manager, assistant gm, you know, player personnel, director, all that stuff. So you look around and you're kind of in the middle with the GM of 50 people plus 50 signs, 60 people.
- [27:51]
B
So that sounds like a. That's running a business.
- [27:55]
A
It's running a business and it's not. And unfortunately, depending how you divide and conquer, the. You know, a lot of times it can be more managing than it is coaching.
- [28:05]
B
Yeah, for sure.
- [28:05]
A
It is X's and O's. And so especially in a player empowerment era, you know, trying to facilitate the way agents are involved in our game, the way owners are involved in the game. You know, there's a lot of dynamics that I think make it very difficult. So sometimes really being very, very focal in how you build your style, I agree, can be super cool.
- [28:23]
B
You got me thinking now. Like, I want. If a head coach. The head coach can. Can he decide how many coaches he actually wants to be on the bench, or is this. Is it. Is it mandatory?
- [28:36]
A
So the league allows a certain. On the front, and then there's only a certain amount. I think because of space on the back.
- [28:42]
B
Right.
- [28:43]
A
Right now the team can decide.
- [28:44]
B
The team can decide how many seats.
- [28:46]
A
How many they want to fill on the back. But that's limited because like, say we. You go play the Lakers, the Lakers might say, in our building, you got six seats behind the bench. Use them how you wish.
- [28:55]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was just wondering, like, if I was a head coach, like, if I was like, okay, well, I just want to, you know, three seats in the front and two in the back.
- [29:03]
A
Yeah.
- [29:03]
B
And that's it.
- [29:04]
A
You absolutely can. I think either you have to have a minimum of three or four assistant coach, obviously, to fill the front of the bench. I think the interesting part comes down. What's the general manager's relationship with the coach? How do they feel about it? What is the owner as far as salary?
- [29:20]
B
I was like, I just want my number one assistant on the bench in the front, you know, and my number two and three assistant behind and then one more guy. And that's, you know, I don't know.
- [29:33]
A
I actually don't know the role of having less than. But I think the philosophy you're coming with is interesting, right? Like, because I think one thing that I maybe struggled with as a coach and I wonder if other coaches is clarity at times, being over thoughtful, thinking of too many parameters, thinking of too many, you know, this.
- [29:55]
B
Then you start getting the side conversations that's going on in the timeout. Is we still preaching the same thing or is right this guy telling me I should be doing. I don't know.
- [30:05]
A
So your point of, like, obviously you're exaggerating, but you got one assistant here, like, keeping it clear, keeping it simple, making sure you start your North Star and you stay as vocal to that as possible. Of course we need to adjust. We need to think of everything. But I think fans have to understand NBA coaches, especially with these big staffs, they. They've thought of everything.
- [30:21]
B
Yeah, for sure.
- [30:22]
A
It's a matter of what do they think they can transmit to their team and their team can execute. Right? And so that is a part of this, I think, is really important to recognize.
- [30:30]
B
But I do think. I think a head coach is. I think a head coach is great, but I think a head coach, as great as they can be, is only as great as their assistants. I think their assistant coaches really, really help throughout this. Micromanaging things, you know. You know. You know, head coaches and so locked in, you know, you guys are. You guys are standing up, you know, throughout the whole game pretty much, and you guys are trying to watch everything that's going on. And. Okay, is, you know, is that guy in a rhythm? Is that guy not in a rhythm? Or maybe you even miss that. Like, you know, I'm so locked in on. Okay, we didn't blitz this guy the right way. Like, you know, and to have the assistance to be able to sometimes just lock the head coach back in. Not saying you were. You wasn't locked in. It's just. Maybe I was just focused on this. You know, we didn't. We didn't get a great shot. The last three or four possessions, you know, I wasn't thinking about, you know, this guy right here. I hadn't put him in in four or five minutes, you know, and having the assistance, being able to just be able to micromanage a lot of things and bring things to the forefront of your. Of y' all mind, too. Why you guys are focused on so much? I think, you know, when you have great assistants, man, I think it matters a lot.
- [31:43]
A
Important point, important point. I think there's great coaches, but there's also great staffs.
- [31:47]
B
Yeah, for sure.
- [31:47]
A
That make a coach better. And the totality and the way they work together is really important. We got a few questions about coaching. You know, what makes a Good Coach from AE. Coach 32. This is a sliding scale.
- [32:01]
B
Yeah, it is what makes a good coach, I think what makes a good coach. One, holding guys accountable, you know, being very clear about what you want to get accomplished, you know? You know, and that's every day, like, this is what we want to do. This is how we want to play, you know, and also being able to have, you know, once that trust is built, being able to. If you have the personnel, you know, to be able to, you know, have that extension from that guy on the floor that y' all can kind of have that relationship that's even. Even deeper than just the other 14 guys, you know, or if it's two guys, you know, that you have. But I think, you know, as far as coaching, I've, you know, coaches has always gotten the most out of me and got the most out of the teams that I've played on since I was a kid to now it's just like, you know, not sure, coding it, not being afraid to have that conversation and then just having a clear cut you know, understanding of like, okay, being prepared, you know, when a coach is prepared and you know, it's every day, it's the practice, it's the film sessions, it's the games. Obviously wins and losses take care of themselves. You know, the ball bounces in different ways and you know, that's things you can't control. But what you can control is like how prepared you feel when you walk out on the floor as a player, you know, and I think that your coach and the coaching staff, you know, put you in position to feel like, okay, we have the answers to the test and let's go out and execute that, you know, So I think those are great. There's obviously there's so much more but communication, preparedness, communication, being prepared, I think are two of the, you know, you know, great qualities that a coach can start with, you know, being prepared and just being able to communicate. And we all different people, you know, you know, your communication may be, you know, you know, very, very hahaha. Or your communication, some guys communication may be just more pull you to the side or some, or I may talk a little louder or you know, talk lower, you know. And I think for players, you can't always listen to how they say it. It's about what they say, you know, and you can't be, you know, emotional about the process, you know, so communication and just being prepared, I think those are two great things you can start with. And then all the other stuff you start to learn. We all, you know, we all learn as the days go by and the years go by. And if that's something that you're passionate about, you learn, continue to learn from it.
- [34:46]
A
You made a great point about having tough conversations. I think it's really important for coaches just to be honest because when you skirt an issue, when you sugarcoat something, then the player leaves maybe with a different interpretation of that conversation than was intended. And now you start to get this gap in understanding and then they lose trust and whatnot. So I think it's always important for a coach to be pretty direct, pretty honest. It's not emotional trying to get better, like this is what we need to do. Let's just be clear with it. I think that's an important part of coaching. You know, the X's and O's, the game management, that's a whole other side of the business. But it's a sliding scale, right? Like some coaches could be incredible communicators and motivators. Some coaches may be incredible X's and O's or on the practice floor, teachers. So there's a whole bunch of ways to coach and be effective and be tremendous coaches. Not everyone's excellent at all those things. You have to be true to your personality, to your background, to your acumen. So that I think to answer the question in another way, is that coaching can take on many different forms, especially depending on your team, your personnel, your staff, your environment. Is it a developing team, is it a contending team? Is it a team trying to find an identity? They all need slightly different coaching. So I think that's really important for fans to recognize is coach has to meet that team where they are, try to impart a vision, a clarity, like you said, on the way we operate, not just on how we behave every day, but also how are we going to play with our style of play. And then you're able to hopefully build those habits. You always talk about that too. Building habits every day. And a team that's going to be able to trust each other and do the right things. Just like waiting for the perfect moment to take that game winning shot. Prime Day has always been my favorite time to make the call on those big purchases. And this year it's going to be even bigger. We're taking four full days of amazing deals on everything you've been wanting. This Prime Day will be the perfect moment to upgrade your home gym, transform your kitchen, or dive into a new hobby you've been thinking about. I've been on the hunt for a lumbar support that my buddy Lebron James told me to get an extra firm. And with all these deals coming up, there's never been a better time to make that happen. Whether you're gearing up for summer projects or wanting to treat yourself to something special, Prime Day is the time to do it. Four days of incredible deals and endless possibilities. Shop Prime Day, July 8th through 11th. Trust me, you don't want to miss this. How important are drawn plays versus letting your star player lead the offense freely from ball muse?
- [37:30]
B
How important is drawing plays and being able to have the ability to have the player be able to just be free and just make. I love great ATOs. And obviously, you draw the play to start the game. You draw the play to start the second half. And I think that throughout the course of a game, when timeouts are happening, great ATOs, catching the team off balance is something that's. I think it's really cool and really dynamic. And I've always, like, acknowledged, like, the coach, if the coach draw up a play and we go out there, execute it, you like, that was some good shit right there. Like, that was dope. You know what I'm saying? But throughout the course of the game, you know, being able to. You have to have the personnel, you know, to answer that second part, you have to have that player, you know, you have to have that person that is an extension as a coach, is an extension of him, you know, out on the floor that knows what you're trying to get across, how you want to play. And he's able to put guys in position that benefits their skill set, you know, and if you have that player that can not only get himself going, but. But also put the guys in position of how we want to execute and play out on the floor, then, you know, you let him go. You let them do it. You trust that. You just know that.
- [38:53]
A
Play out of principle.
- [38:54]
B
Yeah, play out a principle. Play out a spacing. Okay. This is how we want to play, you know, and you know that he's going to put guys in position to not only help the ball club, but help his guys on the floor individually, too. He's going to make sure that they're in the right positions, that they don't do things out on the floor that doesn't benefit their game or doesn't benefit their skill set.
- [39:16]
A
Know your personnel.
- [39:17]
B
Yeah. Know your kyp. You know your personnel. If you got that guy, then, you know, that's awesome. So I think it's a. I think it's a. It depends on the personnel. It depends on your personnel. But like I said, having a coach that can, you know, draw up a great ATO after a timeout, you know, you know, catch a team off balance, I think that's pretty cool, too.
- [39:38]
A
Yeah. Great ATOs are always fun. It's always fun. The reality is, and I think maybe this. And I'm not sure this is where the question's coming from. We don't see a lot of set plays in the NBA anymore. We've talked about this before, but the reason why. Two main reasons. Teams switch a lot of stuff.
- [39:54]
B
Yeah.
- [39:54]
A
So you can run the best ato. If they switch it all, you're going to end up on the clock in ISO and getting to your spacing anyways. And so the other part of that is it's easier to play with pace and space. So when a team's retreating, they're on their heels. You got your star player coming down the floor. What do you want to do? Have LeBron James walk the ball up the court and call a play or have LeBron catch that ball on the move, try to fight that, that defense while they're recovering, they're not set, they're not ready for no rotations. So the pie of offensive plays is becoming more and more pace and space. Quick decisions play out of principles because defense is said, I can't let you have this easy quick hitter. Take that away by switching. We'll help from behind. We'll flood, we'll load to the ball, whatever it is. So the ATO is becoming important, but also in its own little part of the game, you know, end of game plays. ATO is like you said, first the play of the game, of the game, first play of the half. But essentially the toughest thing to guard in our league as a team. Coming down, full speed, wide spacing, getting to a quick hitter or having the star just go, you can get downhill. That's the best option we got.
- [40:55]
B
Yeah, for sure.
- [40:57]
A
That's an important thing, I think, for fans to recognize. All right, this question's from Ron. Can the NBA adapt to FIBA rules? This is a different question. Of course we can.
- [41:08]
B
Of course we can.
- [41:10]
A
Why would we?
- [41:14]
B
There's a couple things in FIBA that actually I like when it comes to the rules. And obviously I've played a lot of FIBA games being part of Team usa. The physicality that you're allowed to play with, you know, is, is awesome. But we talked about this too. You're asking this question, but do fans want to see playoff basketball physicality for a full 82 game season? We, we discussed that. We don't have the answer to it. We don't know. It's for the fans. You guys talk to us.
- [41:42]
A
But also straight zone.
- [41:44]
B
Yeah.
- [41:44]
A
Or center can just sit in the middle of the paint.
- [41:47]
B
Yeah. Do we want to have it where you can just play straight zone and you know, Victor Wimanyama and Rudy Gobert and those guys can literally just, you know, sit right there in the middle of the paint and they never have to leave, you know, do we want to see that type of, that type of game? I don't know.
- [42:07]
A
Yeah.
- [42:08]
B
The 40 minute game is intriguing.
- [42:12]
A
It is.
- [42:13]
B
Because the game Happens so damn fast. So there's no.
- [42:17]
A
Isn't that crazy how international games can be over?
- [42:19]
B
Oh, my goodness, yes. And you have no. Like, there's no easing into an international game, you know, and that gives it a little bit more like sense of urgency, you know, you know, so that's something to discuss. That would be something that could, you know, we could possibly, you know, have a conversation about, you know, be hard because, you know, you start messing with the history of the game and all that stuff. You take eight minutes that you know, all that type of stuff. But something to discuss, that's not. And that's something that could be talked about too. I've always, like, I've been very intrigued with the goaltending room.
- [42:54]
A
I was gonna ask you.
- [42:55]
B
I actually love it. I love it. It's exciting. You know, it doesn't happen as much as you would think.
- [43:06]
A
Right.
- [43:07]
B
You know, and even when you're playing against the international guys and this is their rule, you know, there's times where the ball is like tinkering around the rim and they just, you kind of get like, oh, shit, I should have went. Got it.
- [43:17]
A
Like, it's harder than it looks.
- [43:18]
B
It's harder than it looks, you know, But I think that's. I actually like the gold 10 rule. Like, it's pretty cool.
- [43:25]
A
That's an interesting point because maybe I'm biased, thinking NBA athletes are so, you know, amazing athletes that they would become such a big part of our game. But I don't know, like, it's not that easy, right? You're looking to box out, you're looking to, you know what I mean, defend. You're in a rotation, whatever it is, then to just be there flat footed, to be able to go up and get a ball off the rim. It's not as straightforward.
- [43:46]
B
No, it's not as straightforward.
- [43:47]
A
So I'd be scared if it did. I would, I wouldn't like it if it was happening all the time. Lid on the bucket. But I think there is something to it. It wouldn't be. I wouldn't be opposed to exploring it.
- [43:58]
B
Yeah, we have the G League.
- [44:00]
A
We have the G League.
- [44:00]
B
We have the G league. You know, we got summer league, the slow case. We can, we could try a couple. I don't think the whole FIBA rules. I don't. But there's some things that we could possibly like, you know, just tinker with maybe in the G League, in the summer league and see, see how it looks?
- [44:14]
A
Yeah, look, the FIBA game is great. Yeah, it's great. It's different.
- [44:18]
B
It's different.
- [44:19]
A
The NBA game. The. Why? We've tried to like no 3 second defensively in the lane, you know, we've tried to create a more athletic, fast pace, guys getting downhill, making plays, getting on top of the rim. Now the game's stretched, there's even more. More space. I love all that. I love seeing our athletes, our players, our skilled players thrive in the way that we've become accustomed to playing in the NBA. Is it perfect? No, but neither is fiba. You know, I think it's great to have this kind of contrast. It's a challenge, right? Like when you guys start playing Team usa, It's not easy the first few games.
- [44:50]
B
Oh, no, it's a challenge.
- [44:52]
A
It's different. Like the feeling the other team, it's kind of. It levels it a little bit, you know. And then for it being such a contrast for NBA, NBA players, it takes time.
- [45:00]
B
Yeah, it takes time for sure. Yeah.
- [45:02]
A
So in all, I think I. I vote NBA now. I would, I would take. I think the NBA should stay with its ethos of trying to make this as exciting, athletic. But that doesn't mean that FIBA gaming isn't great and we could experiment with more things to meet in the middle. LeBron, what team would you coach if you would become a coach? Let me just stop that one right now and say, please, please don't, coach. Please, please don't.
- [45:26]
B
There's no way. There's no way, guys.
- [45:28]
A
Please don't coach. Alfonso Taylor, thanks for the question.
- [45:30]
B
By now, Alfono Taylor, appreciate you for a kind question, but it ain't happening. No team.
- [45:36]
A
That's a zero chance. Zero chance if you're counting at home. Thanks for watching. Mind the game. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe for more content.