Austin Rivers on the Duke Scare, Plus the SGA vs. Luka Debate & Giannis at Odds with the Bucks

Summary

The Ryen Russillo Show | March 19, 2026

Episode Summary: Austin Rivers on the Duke Scare, SGA vs. Luka, Giannis & the Bucks Rift

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Overview

In this episode, Ryen Russillo is joined by Austin Rivers (NBC/Peacock NBA analyst), along with regulars Kyle and Steve, to talk about a live Duke NCAA Tourney scare (down at halftime to Siena), deep dives into NBA storylines including the Luka Doncic vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) debate, Victor Wembanyama’s impact, Denver Nuggets’ outlook, and the latest drama with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The group also talk brackets, Final Four picks, and close out with their trademark banter and practical life advice.

Note: Ad breaks and non-content sections were omitted as per guidelines.

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Key Segments & Insights

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Duke’s March Madness Scare & Austin Rivers’ Lehigh Flashback

[03:07 – 08:47]

• Setup: Austin Rivers joins at halftime with Duke shockingly down 43–32 to #16 seed Siena. The memory triggers flashbacks of Duke’s 2012 loss to Lehigh (with C.J. McCollum dropping 30).
• Austin’s Insight: He shares the mindset of being a favorite but realizing right away, “You could just feel it…three minutes in, I’m like, this is going to be one of those games.”
• On Underdogs: Rivers gives love to mid-major D-1 players: “The reality is, all it takes is one game…these aren’t guys that just learned how to play. Some of the best stars have come from small programs.” (Austin Rivers, 04:10)
• Current Duke Analysis: Expresses concern about Duke’s lack of elite guards:
  “We don’t have that guy that’s gonna just go get 20 in this half…so, we’re gonna have to get it out of the mud. Down 11 is very concerning.” (Austin Rivers, 07:44)

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NBA Talk: Houston’s Crunch-Time Issues & Kevin Durant’s Burden

[08:13 – 15:53]

• Houston Rockets Critique: The group is critical of late-game offensive design, especially the over-reliance on Durant:
  • “You’re asking a ton of him…Put him on the block, run him off a screen, why is he just dribbling into double teams?” (Kyle, 12:54)
  • Rivers: “Sometimes it’s a gift and a curse of KD’s greatness…The lack of shooting around him, with the exception of Reed, they don’t have elite knockdown shooters…It gets choppy.” (Austin Rivers, 09:19)
• Young Guards Stepping Up: The challenge is whether guards like Reed will assert control, as Rivers puts it:
  “Reed, as a young guard, has to someday be like, ‘Let’s calm down, KD. No, we’re gonna get you the ball, but we gotta do it this way.’” (Austin Rivers, 15:42)
• Lakers Praise: Rivers gives LeBron credit for embracing a new, less ball-dominant role and compares his off-ball shift to “Aaron Gordon-ing his way” at age 40+.

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Luka Doncic vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Debate (SGA Supremacy?)

[16:34 – 20:35]

• Mailbag Prompt: “When did SGA pass Luka?” sparks a lively debate on clutch performance and offensive impact.
• Who Do You Want in a Tie Game: Rivers: “The only other guy would be Sha. It’s those two at the top. There’s a gap, then some other guys…ant, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey.” (Austin Rivers, 17:36)
• SGA’s Style & Underappreciation: The group describes SGA as “so unassuming…not sexy for the eye, but dominates games through the midrange which is a lost art.” (Austin Rivers, 18:38)
• On Advanced Metrics and Floor: Russillo suggests SGA’s advanced stats and high floor make a strong case for him being preferable to Luka in certain aspects.

Rivers on SGA:
“He finishes at the basket at will, knows how to get fouled…If teams take away his lanes and ISOs, he’ll make the right play. There’s only a handful of guards who do that.” (Austin Rivers, 20:04)

• Cade vs. Ant: Rivers calls Cade Cunningham “the best American guard in the NBA for my money,” citing playmaking and control of the game.

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Top 5 NBA Players Right Now

[21:41 – 23:49]

Rivers' current top five (with justifications):

1. Nikola Jokic (“Have to put him 1 out of respect”)
2. SGA (“For this season, he’s been unreal”)
3. Luka Doncic
4. Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) – revolutionary defensive impact
5. Jaylen Brown (for this season’s efficiency and expanded game; later debates slot for Giannis and Wemby)

• “Jaylen Brown has become a modern-day Kawhi, two-way, complete…maybe Wemby is out, but it’s hard not to include him.” (Austin Rivers, 23:06)
• On Giannis: “If it’s overall, Giannis could be No. 2, No. 3, No. 4…he could be the second-best player and have a case.” (Austin Rivers, 22:38)

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Wembanyama’s Transformative Defense

[24:12 – 28:02]

• Russillo and the crew marvel at Wemby’s ability to alter 20+ possessions in a half, impacting shots simply by standing in the paint.
• Rivers: “He’s Rudy Gobert on acid. But with quick feet, guard skills, coordination and insane length. I’ve never seen anyone like him.” (Austin Rivers, 25:35)
• Russillo: “He’s impacting decisions even on the wrong block. Nobody else does that. He might be top-2 or even No. 1 next season.”

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Lakers Playoff Outlook & LeBron’s Changing Role

[28:26 – 31:38]

• Crew wonders: Are the Lakers ready to beat Denver, Houston, Minnesota, or other West contenders?
• Rivers: “Great teams are consistent in who they are…It’s about whether LeBron, Luka, and Reaves buy into their new roles, even when adversity hits.”
• Cites LeBron’s humility in his new third-option, off-ball role as a critical positive, but playoff pressure will test this dynamic.

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The Giannis–Milwaukee Drama & Competitive Wiring Debate

[35:09 – 41:56]

• Russillo: “It feels like Giannis wants out, then he says he doesn’t…is he looking for reasons to get mad at the Bucks?”
• Rivers pushes back on conspiracy:
  “He’s just a competitor, man. He’s not built to accept defeat. He’s been a winner, a champion. It’s the delusion that makes athletes great…they think they can win, even when the roster isn’t there anymore.”
• Rivers, after recalling an interview:
  “Giannis doesn’t pop off the floor like he used to…but he’s been so dominant, I don’t think he’s thinking about extensions. He’s built different. He’ll get paid max anywhere, no matter what.” (Austin Rivers, 41:45)

Memorable Quote:
“I think Giannis feels that if he tore his ACL, he’d still get max. The Brinks trucks are in his backyard. He’s got the island in Greece already.” (Austin Rivers, 41:33)

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NCAA Bracket & Life Advice: The Crew’s Picks & Banter

[49:08 – 55:50]

• Post-game: Duke survives Siena, leading to bracket updates and Final Four picks:
  • Michigan, Duke, Houston, Arizona feature among crew picks.
• Lively debates about underdog stories (e.g., Nebraska’s first-ever tourney win), the oddity of power conference teams without much March success, and the agony/ecstasy of March Madness.

Life Advice Segment – Social Etiquette & Practical Problems

[59:08 – 96:49]

• Ticket Mishap Dilemma:
  (“We agreed to spend $200…he accidentally bought $700 seats. Do I eat the overage?”)
  – Crew discuss fairness, work relationships, whether to split, and advise on having an honest conversation about “the fumbler” paying more, depending on humility and friendship context.

• Wife’s Bad Paint Job:
  – Hilarious group therapy over a listener whose wife “paints rooms quickly, but terribly.”
  – Group affirms: prep is everything, do it right, consider gently suggesting redoing the job down the road, or dividing tasks based on strengths.
  – Russillo: “There’s something about painting—everyone thinks they’re good at it.”
  – Steve: “You’ll be looking at those mistakes for 20 years. Take your time.”

• Confrontation with the Ferrari Owning Tenant:
  – Listener recounts calling out a reckless driver in a Ferrari who lives in a dumpy building.
  – The group agrees the emailer is in the right; reflects on LA’s “Ferrari in a hovel” phenomenon, and joke about leaving anonymous notes.
  – “He’s never wrong. He’s probably the guy who will back up traffic while giving you the finger.” (Kyle, 93:31)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Underdogs & March Madness:
  “These aren’t guys that just learned how to play. You go against somebody that confident, you know you’re in for a game.” (Austin Rivers, 04:10)
• On SGA’s Quiet Brilliance:
  “Some of his game is not sexy for the eye, and because of that, we get lost and lose his brilliance and what he’s doing.” (Austin Rivers, 18:38)
• On Wemby:
  “He’s Rudy Gobert on acid…with quick hands, guard skills, never seen that coordination with this kind of length.” (Austin Rivers, 25:35)
• On LeBron’s Evolution:
  “He can now Aaron Gordon his way for this Lakers team. You have to be that smart at age 40 to buy in.” (Austin Rivers, paraphrased, 10:00–11:30 segment)

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Timestamps for Key Sections

• 03:07 – Duke Halftime Scare, Rivers on Lehigh Loss
• 08:13 – NBA: Houston, KD, Offense & Lakers Adjustment
• 16:34 – SGA vs. Luka Debate
• 21:41 – Top 5 NBA Players
• 24:12 – Wemby’s Unique Defensive Impact
• 28:26 – Lakers’ Playoff Test & Denver Matchup
• 35:09 – Giannis, Bucks, and the Competitor’s Mindset
• 49:08 – Bracket Picks & Final Four Banter
• 59:08 – Life Advice: $700 Ticket Blunder
• 75:34 – Life Advice: Wife’s Bad Paint Job
• 88:27 – Life Advice: Ferrari vs. Apartment Rant

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Tone & Language

Conversational, honest, a mix of irreverent humor (self-deprecating and playful), basketball nerdiness, and personal insight. Crew gives each other room for long, thoughtful tangents, especially Rivers’ candid NBA takes and irrepressible March anecdotes.

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Recommended For

Basketball and sports fans who love in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes stories, and the mix of real-life dilemmas embedded in sports culture. Even non-listeners will walk away with a firm grasp of:

• The current state of the NBA’s MVP landscape
• What March Madness heartbreak is really like
• How superstars adjust with age
• Why “Ferrari Guy” will always exist
• Whether to pay for your coworker’s $700 ticket mistake

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Subscribe to The Ryen Russillo Show for more sports insight, March Madness drama, and offbeat life advice every week.

Transcript

[Ryan Rosillo]

Hey Priscilla listeners, you can find every episode on Apple Podcast and Spotify Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

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[Ryan Rosillo]

The Ryan Rosillo show is presented by DraftKings. We have Austin Rivers. We start in real time talking to

[Kyle]

him about Duke's issues against Sienna down at the half. As you know now they came back won that game but we finished it before. So we talk NBA with Austin Rivers including kind of like that Luka SGA conversation we've been having. Also some insight on Giannis that I think he's really good on. Then me, Steve Kyle, we talk about the bracket as Duke wins that final. Then some other stuff, some bracket thoughts that we have. We share our final Fours and then a longer life advice for you for the weekend.

[Ryan Rosillo]

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[Steve]

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[Ryan Rosillo]

Austin Rivers joins us again from NBC. Peacock's coverage of the NBA.

[Kyle]

It's been fantastic. We've talked about it a bunch this season. We've had a bunch of the guys on. But the oddity of this taping was I was like, hey, do you want to do it after the Duke came? Before the Duke came? And it's like you had a million things going on. It's like, all right, look at Sienna.

[Ryan Rosillo]

As we are just starting to tape

[Kyle]

this game went to halftime in the 16 seed. Sienna is now leading Duke 43 to 32. This probably brings back some terrible memories for you. That's the way we're starting off. I didn't mean. Yeah, sorry, man.

[Steve]

Yeah, it does.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[Steve]

I like seeing brown jerseys right now running around. It's awful.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And for Those that forget 2012,

[Kyle]

it

[Ryan Rosillo]

was a 215 game. CJ McCollum went for 30.

[Kyle]

I don't know if you gave Seth Curry shit for his shooting performance in that one. No one really shot it that great for you guys that day. But I respectfully, again, take it where you want on this one because it's probably, you know, it's a tough one.

[Steve]

Yeah, no, it is. You know, it's crazy. The dynamic is, you know, you're the better team. And if we played Lehigh 10 times, we'd beat him nine out of 10. But the, you know, this is why people love March Madness. The reality is all it takes is one game. And if a team's confident again, we're talking Division 1 basketball players. the end of the day, you know, these aren't guys that just learned how to play. They might be a small college, but as we've seen in the NBA, some of the best stars have come from small programs. You know, guys can still play ball. So, you know, you go against a team like Lehigh and what happens when, you know, you take a team lightly or when you come in with, you know, the not correct mindset if your team is not fully together? Guys have different agendas, whatever. It's too late to Turn it on once the game's gone, you know, and that's what happens. And then you find yourself in a ball game. And once you play against guys who have confidence, you can't turn it off. I'm already seeing it right now for Sienna. These guys are cutting, moving, driving to the basket. They're living in the paint, going against a top tier defensive Duke team, and they're living in the paint, backdooring. They're playing confidence sticking out their tongue. You see? You see this shit?

[Ryan Rosillo]

When, when did you know you were

[Kyle]

in trouble against Sienna?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I remember where I was because, I

[Kyle]

mean, back then everybody's just rooting against Duke anyway, so we were all at the gym and guys just stopped and it was like the one TV that was up and everybody's just talking.

[Steve]

You talking about versus Lehigh? Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm just wondering when you guys were

[Kyle]

like going into timeouts.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Cause you had the lead at the half, but I imagine it was still a little alarming.

[Kyle]

It was only a two point game.

[Steve]

I knew it was going to be a ball game two minutes into the game, three minutes into the game, because I, I already heard, I've already seen film. Even at that time, I'd already watched stuff with C.J.

[Kyle]

and

[Steve]

you know, before the tournament game, you know, you do your due diligence, your research, you watch some film the other team. And then I could tell in the warmups with how they were looking and smiling and they were, you know, nodding their head like, we wanted this game. Anytime you go against somebody like that who's that confident, you know, like, already you're going to play. Now, I knew our team was much better. So I'm like, man, we better beat you on our 20. Three minutes into that game, when I'm where it's back and forth already, I'm like, this is, this is going to

[Kyle]

be one of those games.

[Steve]

You could just feel it. And I thought, all right, well, we're just going to go the distance and beat him in the end. We're up to at halftime. And then it just. When it went south the second half, I was like, oh, this isn't good. You know, you could just feel the momentum just slipping away. I'm hoping, you know, down 10 or not, what are they, 9?

[Kyle]

10 right now I think it's 11. It's 43, 32.

[Steve]

Yeah, it's 43, 32.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We're down 11.

[Steve]

You know, the concern is very high right now. I'm not saying we're going to lose the game. The only reason I still have confidence in this Duke team is because of how elite they can be on defense, which has not shown, has not shown so far. And I don't know if it's a defensive issue. It's more than our offense, which is

[Kyle]

a whole different thing.

[Steve]

You know, it's the lack of guard scoring and playmaking, you know, has been the Achilles heel. So now you ask, well, who do we have to put, just throw the ball to like, hey, please just bail us out other than a big man, you know what I mean? Like, who does so much for us, but like, you know, we don't have Knippel, Cooper or some elite guard out there that could be like, hey man, things aren't going right now, Shit's going south. We need you to just bail us out, you know what I mean? Like, we don't, we don't have that. So I am concerned right now, but I, I'm hoping defense, I'm hoping our defense can just step it up. Like how we been a top tier defensive program all year long and like kind of slow them down and then we could just grit our way back. You know, we have a gritty offense, we just kind of. Some guy will hit a shot or two and then we. Cameron just gets us the foul line and he just, we, we just crawl our way back. That's the only way they're winning this game. We don't, we don't have a guy that's going to just go get 20 in this half.

[Tom]

It's not happening.

[Steve]

You know what I mean? So it's like, that's not what this team is. We have good all around solid guards who play hard and can make some plays and, you know, can make a shot here and there. We don't have a top pick guard that's, you know, just going to go get it done for us. So we're going to have to get it out of the mud. Down 11 is very concerning.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, we'll have a score update as

[Kyle]

we navigate to the NBA and we'll get you out of here in time to watch the end, especially if it's tight there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know, I was curious how LA was going to handle the Houston Rockets.

[Kyle]

I'm not high in the Rockets anymore. This offense I cannot watch in the fourth quarter and yet you're at their place twice over three days. You know, you're thinking like, hey, if Houston's anything, they got to get the second one. They got to split these things. And that doesn't happen in the first game. I think I counted 10 double teams on Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter. And I cannot, even though I think Imei is a terrific coach, I can't believe that Houston would just let him walk into a double team and then have no plan or maybe have somebody else bring up the ball and then bringing Kevin off of some stuff.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And so clearly like they were a little bit more ready for where you're

[Kyle]

seeing it all the time teams late in the game, hey, we're just going to double Kevin and we don't care about any of the other guys, we don't care what their three point shooting numbers are. We just don't care.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And Shingoon didn't play in the first game, but I guess it's, it's one, it's a credit to the Lakers defensively,

[Kyle]

something that we think is probably a flaw with them as we map them out for the playoffs.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But I just wonder how, when you're

[Kyle]

watching that happen, how frustrated maybe you get that it feels like, hey, why would you be this predictable when it's clearly not working? The Lakers are prepared for it.

[Steve]

As far as Houston goes, I do think it's a, it's a gift and a curse of Katie's brilliance on offense sometimes. And the way he's able to just bail you out with tough shot making ability.

[Kyle]

Right.

[Steve]

When you play against elite teams to sustain that, to make tough shot after tough shot, it's very hard to win that way.

[Tom]

All right.

[Steve]

And what you're seeing on the flip side would be like what you saw from the Lakers early on this season when. And I'd say very early, you know, kind of they had a spell where they went through this I want, because they've had some good spurts even early, but there was a time where like Luka would just try to just will them with wins just off his greatness. What you've seen is a flip, which I'll touch on the Lakers in a little bit. But with Houston, I've seen this with a lot of Kevin's teams, do you know what I'm saying? And this happened with Phoenix, some of their games, it was like weird down the stretch and you were like wondering how is this happening? Because you have Devin and Kevin, who are both terrific closers and are clutch players. So it's a dynamic where things just get stagnant and then the lack of shooting, to be completely honest, around him, you know, with the exception of Reed, they don't have elite just knock down shooters around him. So it, it gets choppy out there. So yeah, it's, it's, it is hard to watch. And it's. You know, sometimes it's like, man, they need to figure out ways to get movement, even if it's that with Katie not having the ball in his hands. But then you're like, well, wait, we're not gonna have Kevin with the ball in his hands. Like gay. Like, that doesn't make sense. So it's like, it's, it's, it's not easy to, to consistently get something with them. This from what I've seen offensively. Whereas the Lakers right now have two guys who are closing games between shepherd, between Luka and Reaves, and you have a LeBron James who underratedly. I say this has bought in to being like a third option. He's bro, that, that lob last night or him cutting baseline. He's turned into a. Like, you know what? I can. Aaron Gordon my way on the way. That's how great he is at his age. He can now turn into like an Eric Gordon type role. Before he's a superstar, he's still averaging, I know, great numbers, but that's what he's now doing. He's cutting, slot, driving, get the ball in his hands, moving out the ball, being a little bit more tactical when he gets it, a little bit more quick decision, straight line driver. Like, if he can buy into that and be like, yo, we're going to play through Luke and Reeves, these are our guys. And I'm going to be a guy who can still have my moments because I'm LeBron James, even though I'm at 40, whatever years old, but I'm going to be more this role. They're much better. And they, they did that last night down the stretch. And then you have a guy like Luca, so it's like that is simplified. Whereas Kevin, it's like, hey, here, here, Kevin, we're waiting. But they're not really guarding me. They're just sitting there because I'm not, I'm not an shooter. It's. It doesn't look good. So it's, it's hard to win like that. And I don't. That's why people, they had trouble being San Antonio, they've had trouble being okc. All the elite teams, they've had trouble closing. Unless Kevin just come to God, just bails him out through his greatness, asking

[Kyle]

him to do it. And I've seen it live now too, asking him to do it and catch it. And it's 30 plus feet away from the hoop and two defenders are on him just sitting there. It's just. You're asking a ton of him. Like, you can be a Kevin Durant detractor, whatever, but I'm like, look, I see these possessions. I'm like, why the fuck can't you help this guy out? Like, why can't you bring. Why can't you put him on the block, have him run up through one screen, have him curl on a second screen? Like, why can't you have him coming off of something to catch?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Why are you just letting him dribble across half court?

[Kyle]

Now, granted, like, the backcourt in the first game on Monday, you're like, dude, what are you doing? And then he starts to get real frustrated. Like, you can see all the stuff in the court where he's like, you know, and then he. And if he gets it away and then they mess up the 4 on 3, then he's pissed because then he thinks he gave the ball up.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I would just say, like, of all the people that don't like Durant, it

[Kyle]

all goes back to, like, a decision 10 years ago. Fine. But you have to be a little fair with how much harder they seem to be making it on him, because this isn't going to work. And it hasn't worked all season. The fourth quarter stuff, the clutch stuff, have been over it. And that's why, like, look, LA is on a roll. Denver's disappointing, Minnesota's disappointing, ants out and all this stuff. Phoenix, you know, with Brooks back, we'll see Mark Williams, the same thing, because they're missing some guys. But I think I like Houston the least out of, like, seven of these teams.

[Steve]

It's tough, man, because talent wise, on paper, you look at these names on their roster and you're like, man, this is such an elite team. And then you go to their coach. Ime Udoka is one of the best, you know, coaches in basketball. So it's like they have all the. The dots now. Like, every team, they have their weaknesses. Shooting is just one of them around Kevin. And the way they're closing games, that is very problematic because you're asking him to make these plays, like you just alluded to, to, like, shoot over two almost. He gets to a spot, and he does because he's Kevin Durant and he's one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball, and he's one of the greatest scorers and shot makers of all time. I'm a huge fan of Kevin. The way they're closing games right now, I don't know if that's A preference of him saying, yo, email, I want it from here. Because you said, like, why don't they do a screen or a slot screen? Or why can't he cut across the middle and get lower to the basket where he's only a step away or 2ft? Or, you know, realistically, 5, 6ft away, where he's right in his basket of midis and he could just float and shoot. I don't know. A dual action where they have Reed coming off. So at least alleviate some type of action going where there's some type of focus, going where he can operate without all this. Every time he takes two dribbles, it reminds me of what the Timberwolves sometimes turn into in the playoffs, where Ant just tries to take on, like, two or three guys. He saw with okc. This guy would go left when he would spin, move. Caruso was sitting right there with, like, his hands open. It's just like, it didn't look good, you know, I mean, so it's just. I don't know what that is, if it's, you know, so it. It is frustrating to watch because on paper and then at times, you see them play a certain way. I don't know if Reed has to be more demanding with the ball in his hands. You know, I don't know if he has that. Like, Fred. Fred would grab the ball and be like, ao, you've got two bad shots in a row. We're going to get something good here.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do.

[Steve]

Do you understand what I'm saying?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Yeah.

[Steve]

I mean, so that's a. That's. That's something where Reed, as a young guard who's still trying to tap, establish himself, has to be at some point, like, let's calm down, Kevin. No, no, we're gonna run this play. We're gonna get it to you, but

[Tom]

we got to do it this way

[Steve]

because this way's not working. I don't know if that's happening out there.

[Kyle]

Yeah, I don't. I think it's a lot to ask a Reed who I don't even think he may liked the first half of the season.

[Steve]

Right.

[Kyle]

But he's clearly their best option because they got to space it out. And, like, you know, they. They still. I think they have some real flaws in, like, what their closing lineup can be because it's like, we can actually ignore these two guys. Everything condenses down that Spurs Houston game. Like, Durant's getting swarmed by three guys because there's two a man and. And Shangoon. Depending on where their position, their defenders are like, we don't even care about you guys. You know, like, we don't care. And if you want to tell me that Tari Eason from three is this, like, go ahead, make three of those, and then maybe we'll change up what we're going to go ahead and do. I want to pivot, though, to Luca, because we started talking about it, we had like, a really good mailbag question on the 10 Good Minutes NBA thing that we do here. It was like, when did Shea surpass Luca? And with this run from the Lakers, the momentum, there's some people being like,

[Kevin]

hey, you know what?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, are you sure about that?

[Kyle]

Right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

And I'd said, I think the general. Yeah, the general conversation is basically like,

[Kyle]

once Luca gets through 24 and is in an NBA finals, like, nobody's saying that Shay's necessarily better than him. Even though this Shay stretch started three years ago and then the last two years statistically are off the charts, I would say on the advanced stuff, it still heavily favors SGA in comparison to Luka, I would say I'd rather have SGA because I know where his floor is. His floor is still so much higher than everybody else's, where Luka can have a game every now and then where it just completely gets away from him. But I'll ask it to you this way. Not specific to a defensive matchup for you and your abilities, but overall, like, as a team, if there's another guy, the game is tied. And you can pick Luka, you can pick sj, you pick anybody else in the league, but, like, how many people are you actually taking ahead of Luca in that spot? Game tied shot, clock off, 10 seconds to work, and you get a good look.

[Steve]

The only other guy would be Sha.

[Kyle]

So it's those two for you.

[Steve]

It's those two at the top. And I think there's a. There's a gap, and then there's some other guys. Then you throw in, like, there's a little. So you had those two. Then there's a gap, and then at the end of the game, you throw it like an ant. You throw in a Kate Cunningham. The way he's been able to control games. Jalen Brunson for the Knicks is a big shot maker. You know, Tyrese Maxey, there are some guards in that group, but I can't put those guys in the same group as Shay and Luka. It's just not. And honestly, what Shay's done over the past few weeks, I know Luke is having a run right now. I just called that Denver game. He was unbelievable, man. And you don't appreciate it because his game is boring sometimes because he lives so unassuming.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like that Minnesota game, I'm like, he's got what, like how many points? And it wasn't some free throw night either. So keep going. I just want to emphasize that. Yeah, that's just like he's got 36 again.

[Kyle]

What the fuck?

[Steve]

That's exactly the point I was going to make because everyone's like, I always hear the free throw merchant. He's so boring to watch. I hate watching him play. So I'm calling this game and I'm watching this guy make and take the most unbelievable mid ranges. Christian Brown is right in his face, just contested to like they're nothing. He'd look over the bench and smirk like he was not even in like fifth gear. He was in like just cruising regular season like it's a good fun game for regular season. Like that's how he was playing and he just took over the game when he needed to. He's unbelievable.

[Kyle]

And the three against Orlando was, was the play I was thinking of too

[Ryan Rosillo]

because it was like totally on him.

[Kyle]

He kind of backs it up a little bit. He goes for 40 and yeah, I mean I know he took a million shots in that game but like they kind of needed him to because that

[Ryan Rosillo]

Orlando was up for the fight after

[Kyle]

their disaster against Atlanta the night before.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And I'm going not a three. They're like, oh, he's got 36 and he ended up with 40.

[Kyle]

I was like, damn, was that just the most unassuming 40 spot you're. You're going to see from a guy in the league where Lucas like, it'll

[Ryan Rosillo]

be a stretch of three threes in a row.

[Kyle]

It's an and one and he's taking over this four minute thing. It feels more dramatic.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I wonder if SGA were just more demonstrative like an, like an ant or like some of these other perimeter guys that there would be more appreciation for him.

[Kyle]

But he's so 100%.

[Steve]

Yeah, 100%. Some of his game is not sexy for the eye and because of that we get lost and lose his brilliance and what he's doing. First off, he dominates games through the mid range which is a lost art. Like just people just don't do it. He does it especially late game and he has a steady diet of it between every quarter. He has a steady diet of those shots. He finishes at the basket at will and knows how to get fouled.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Denver Double teamed the shit out of him in the second game and he ends up with 15 assists.

[Steve]

Yeah, that's like so you know there's only a handful of guards in the NBA that make that, in my opinion, adjustment who are guys who score 30 every night. And if the guy team is really going over the top to take away driving lanes and ISO opportunities, he will find and make the right play. Kate Cunningham is another guy who I have up there. He's headed that way. Kate Cunningham is the best American guard, I think in the NBA. That's my opinion and I think you

[Kyle]

think he's better than Ant.

[Steve]

I think he's a better playmaker than Ant. Ant's more electrifying, you know what I mean? And Ant has these characteristics about him just as a personality that make him exciting. And his scoring ability is unbelievable too. I don't think Cade can score like Ant. Ant shoots the ball from three like a mid range. Cade can't do that yet. But Cade has a smooth operating way about him and just what he's doing right now with Detroit, on a team that again lacks shooting, they have Duncan Robinson, bro. Outside of that, they don't have any shooting. This guy figures out ways to get and generate good offense every night in close games.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, they don't seem to want to

[Kyle]

play Herder and Duncan together, which, no, they don't. I'm not saying, hey, what a huge mistake, but it's pretty clear that that's, that's just a combo they don't want to do. Although I haven't been tracking all the minutes all that much lately. And the Cade news absolutely sucks with this long situation because yeah, that, that's scary, man.

[Steve]

Like you hear that, you're like, what the hell? You know, especially to someone like that. He's young and obviously takes care of himself. It's like, wow. Yeah, scary stuff.

[Ryan Rosillo]

How much hope do you still have

[Kyle]

for Denver figuring this out on the fly before the playoffs start?

[Steve]

I, I, I can never count Denver out because they have the, they have the best player in the NBA.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So you still think like, give me your top five. Let's just do your top five right now. It's still Jokic.

[Steve]

Nicole is one out of respect. I have to put Shade two, I'd put Luca three, I put Wimby four for what he does just on both sides of the basketball. What he does defensively is just insane. And then five right now this year has been Jaylen Brown.

[Ryan Rosillo]

If you want to give Giannis like

[Kyle]

just the inherited, hey, it's Still Giannis. And when he's right, there aren't five players better than him.

[Steve]

That's a fair point.

[Kyle]

That's what I would do is, but

[Steve]

I would put, yeah, I'm going out this season. If we're going off overall, I, yeah, Giannis would be, I mean, honestly, giannis

[Kyle]

could be 2, 3, 4.

[Steve]

You could put him in any of those. I mean, he could be the second best player. I, I, no one's been in the cold in my opinion, but Giannis has a right to be like, yeah, Austin, I'm, I'm second. I'd be like, yeah, you are. You know what I mean? Like, you could put Giannis anywhere in there too, I guess. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But for this year, the Jaylen Brown point, you know, like, I get what you're saying, because, yeah, what Jalen Brown

[Steve]

has done is I think Jaylen Brown has surpassed what I think we all thought he was. I think we all knew he could score and he was obviously, you know, defensively capable.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He's an elite athlete.

[Steve]

But what he's been able to do just efficiently with the lack of players that have been available, whether they, you know, bro, he's been, he's been a superstar. So I put him in there. He's been a modern day Kawhi like player. You know, he's taken that mold of being a two way player and being complete. With that being said, maybe Wimby's out. I, I don't, I hate putting Wimy not in the top five. He's just what spurs are, what he does on both sides of the ball. I guess it was a Jalen Brown. Is that what you're saying? Is he the guy out of there? Maybe Shane, Luke are in there. Nicole is in there. I would put Giannis in there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You have to. You're right.

[Steve]

That's four. The fifth spots, Wimby or Brown for me. And then right after that I go Kate Ant. But that's the five.

[Kyle]

You know, I think, yeah, Wemby is like, I don't know where that, I mean, this thing could end up being like, I think number two is in play. Number one could be in play next year for him. I went to go live again against the Clippers and it's just, it's stupid. And I'll share, I shared it with the audience. But like, I went back to watch the second half of the Charlotte game

[Ryan Rosillo]

because there were moments there were, that

[Kyle]

still was a game there for Charlotte and they had had a bit of a tough stretch once they got that road Trip started after kind of running through a bunch of teams that awesome went against Boston. So whenever I watch a Wemby game, I'm like, I just want to see what the other team is willing to do. And diabody had an attempt that was just packed back to him and then all it felt like he wanted to do as bad as the shot attempt would be, he just wanted to get it off and it almost like hit the top of the backboard and it almost felt like a win because Wemby didn't block it.

[Steve]

Didn't block it.

[Kyle]

And so then I was tracking their like decisions with the ball in the second half and I counted in the 14 plus minutes that Wemby played in the second half when he was in, there was 25 times that I felt like their decision was impacted just by him being there. So whether it was a block or turning down a shot passing, and then Grant Williams had one where he u turned. He just drives is like, no, I don't want to do that.

[Steve]

Yeah, it's like being a tied up

[Ryan Rosillo]

ball and you're just like, there's no

[Kyle]

one else in the league that is even in that category. Forget the points where you've got 25, like guy with ball decisions that are impacted solely by his presence. And so there's just a different way. Like, sure, he's never going to get a shot off the way a Luka is, the way even an ant, a Cade, obviously SGA Jokic when he wants to take attempts, and plenty of other perimeter guys that we want to think about. But there's just. I don't know how there's anyone even close to getting that many people to rethink that they want to do. It just changes everything.

[Steve]

For that against the opponent, he's Rudy Gobert on acid. Like that was prime Rudy effect, right? People with people. Well, that's the thing, right? Like Rudy's won what, three, four?

[Kyle]

Yeah, I think it's four.

[Steve]

Four. He's like the all time or some shit. Or he tied like Mutombo or something crazy. I don't know. He's up there, right? He's like him and Ben Wallace and like something else. But like he's considered one of the greatest defensive bigs of all time. And his numbers and awards point that you got four defensive player of the years. You are automatically in the conversation for greatest of all time defensive. People laugh and scoff at that because Rudy has these blatant plays where he gets across because he has heavy feet that are slow so he can look silly and goofy and Luka will hit a Game 3 on him or, you know, and people target him in the pick and roll and they're like, how can you be a great defensive player if you get targeted in the pick and roll? It's the Rudy effect on defense. Every team he plays for is top tier in defense. They're always one of the top defensive teams. When you go to the paint, even if he's not there, you think about if Rudy prime Rudy, you think about if he's in the basket. So guys with mis layups shoot high, contested floaters. He's affected shots and change shots, shots that he didn't get credit or blocked for. He altered the effect of the him being the anchor. His teams were always one, two or three in defense. That's why he won four awards. The overall effect he has, this is what Wembi is doing, but on a different level because he doesn't have slow feet. He has quick hands. He has guard like ability and skills. I've never seen the coordination with this type of length. It's just never happened. So he's. That play he had with Garland where Garland, I mean, shook him four times. He just couldn't get away. This guy was separated one time he got five feet of separation, but because it wouldn't be so long, he put his arms out. He still couldn't get a shot off. And then he tries to go shoot a quick floater. After blowing by him, Wemby just takes it out of the air. It's not natural. He is a freak of nature. He's unbelievable. When you watch him live, you're like, that's not real.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I noticed times where he's on what

[Kyle]

would be the wrong block, depending on what's coming down from, like a high pick role with everybody else and they're trying to get him away on. However he's defensively aligned, like, hey, can we get him to a corner? And there'll be times I'm like, I think he's. For everyone else in the league, he'd be on the wrong side. But what he's actually doing is he's staying in the play. If they were to throw it to the corner for a three and he's shutting that down just by his presence, and then he can still make up the ground getting across the paint. If you go the other way in a way that nobody else can do it.

[Steve]

That's what I said, the coordination.

[Kyle]

Yeah. He just has.

[Steve]

Yeah.

[Tom]

I'm going to be.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I feel like I interrupted your Denver

[Kyle]

Thought, though, because we started going top five, which I did appreciate there because look, they desperately need Watson back as any other guy to relieve Christian Brown of having to play against SGA. And then Luca as the like a 30 plus minute defensive assignment. It's just not going to work for literally anybody. And not that I like, you know,

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't really like a slight, like

[Kyle]

the long slight guys against Luca. I actually think you're doing him a favor because he's going to bump you so much with all that stuff. But with this Lakers run and I think the LeBron point that you've made is perfect because a guy with his resume normally would not be willing to like, concede certain things. And you know, look, he's just.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It finally happened at age 41, where

[Kyle]

his body doesn't look as crisp as it should for.

[Ryan Rosillo]

For what the vision that we have of LeBron.

[Kyle]

This is exactly how it should look.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It should actually look worse for somebody

[Kyle]

that has this much mileage, but it's still just alarming in those moments where he looks a little old. You know, somebody gets a jab dribble on him and he backs up and he has to like, get his balance again. You're like, this is so weird to see this.

[Ryan Rosillo]

This all time great look a little

[Kyle]

off balance or something because you just didn't see it for 20 years. Yeah, but are you willing to pick LA against Denver, against Houston, against Minnesota in the first round, depending on who they go up against?

[Steve]

It depends on the consistency of the things that we've talked about. And I know that's like pretty vague, but it's like, can LeBron continue to be this. Even when playing this way, things aren't going right. Is that when you step in and be like, all right, it's my turn again, or do you double down on what you're doing right now and how you're playing? Can Luka be consistent enough with this role with Reeves? Can they share that ball without it getting sticky? And then LeBron then gets frustrated because now he's not getting the ball at all. You know what I'm saying? How consistent can these three be in these new roles? And I say new because this is the first time in my eyes where all three of them have been on the court and it's clear what each guy has to do and what they're doing. And there's a freeness in that which is allowing them to play well and free. Can that consistency be there when it's not working? Because not everything's going to work all the time. The great teams are the ones who don't switch up things when things don't go well. Like you could be up 15 versus the warriors and the prime warriors and like, they just come out and kick your ass. They didn't change anything. They just things. Shots didn't fall, some assignments were missed. It's part of basketball. It's an imperfect game, but they're consistent in who they are. The spurs are the same way. They did it for years. They didn't change anything. Some years they won the finals. Some years they lose the Memphis first round in the playoffs. They didn't change anything. You know what I'm saying? Like, so it's, what can they, what can they do? What are they going to do? Because there's going to be a time in the playoffs where they're down a game in the series and it's second quarter and they're down 15 and Luka just hoisted up a tough shot and it's an air ball and he's complaining to the rest because he got a foul. He didn't get fouled. And then. You know what I'm talking about, Ryan.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Yeah.

[Steve]

So that's, that's what the question is with Lakers. Can they be consistent all the way through? Canadian. He's had all these quotes. I bought in. Now I had to come to the mirror and see who I am. And I, I realize what I have to do and give 100. Okay. Okay. DeAndre. Okay. So you, I've seen it the past couple games. You've been great.

[Kyle]

I think he's been really good.

[Steve]

Yeah, he's been fantastic. Shout out to DeAndre a couple weeks.

[Kyle]

Super engaged, the whole thing. But again,

[Steve]

yeah, okay, that's going like. That's all I'm saying. All of these new roles all these guys are doing right now, JJ's got them locked in. Shout out to JJ Redick as well. Let's. I need to see this in the playoffs as well, when times aren't always perfect. So that's, that's, that's the question with them.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right, before we move on, a quick word on the tool that keeps people's workflow tighter than my takes. Microsoft 365 copilot, the world moves fast. Your workday even faster. Pitching products, drafting reports, analyzing data. Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft 365 apps that you use, helping you quickly write, analyze, create, and summarize so you can Cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn [e-mail] M365 Copilot is your bracket already toast? Did it bust because you picked wrong? Or did it bust for a Reese's? Because everything, including your busted bracket, happens for Reese's? No shame in a busted bracket, just more chances for a Reese's. Turn your busted bracket into a shot at Reese's and more. Post your Buster bracket. Follow and tag Reese's on Instagram X or TikTok. Use the hashtag 4Reese's Sweeps for a chance to score free Reese's and a shot to enjoy those Reese's at the men's or Women's Final Four and Championship games. No purchase necessary. Open only to legal residents of the 48 US NDC 18 years or older. Void in Alaska, Hawaii and where prohibited by law. Starts 3-19-26 ends 3-27-26. Includes daily entry periods. See official rules at every bracket bust for a reese's.com pages Official Rules for how to enter prize details odds and restrictions sponsor the Hershey Co. I'd rather ask this question without the

[Kyle]

cade injury, but with Tatum back getting his legs, the totals have been terrific. So it's not like he's putting up these, these duds from just a box score stand. Like, you're like, dude, he's, he's kind of right back to where you'd expect him to be when he's fully healthy. But whatever version of this will be, it'll be even better once you get a few more weeks into this now. Yeah, I I've been so impressed with, with Jason Tatum and like for, for

[Steve]

one, obviously for him to even come back with like that level of an injury is scary. And you can still see his legs and like how he moves, his jumping like it's there. His he's still building back that muscle, that, that memory, that trust. So it's kind of scaring. It's alarming. Like when you're out there and you're watching him, you're just like, oh my God, please man, God take care of this kid. For him to even have the rhythm of like coming off pick and rolls. Yeah. One where he came off to pick and roll the day, like got right into it.

[Kyle]

I'm like, God leave man.

[Steve]

This guy towards Achilles, he's out here just shooting threes at the very least. I know we're not going to get superstar Tatum and to put that expectation on him is weird and it's just not right. But if you could at Least he's a guy. Like you said, you can stretch the floor, hit big shots, you know what I mean? Like, he's still got even 60% of. Tatum is better than 90% of the NBA. So it's like having him out there is. It changes things to a team that was already a surprise in terms of just how competitive they've been. People undervalued K. Prichard. I think they knew he's good. They undervalued him. People undervalued Derrick White. I think people always known he's one of the better role players. I don't think people understand he has star capability and this is why he is on USA teams, et cetera, et cetera. This team is a high level basketball club and they're very well coached. So you add Tatum back to the mix, even if it's 60% of them, he's still better than 95% of the NBA. I said 90. It's probably 95. So it's. That's. That team is scary in a wide open east where I only look at Boston, New York and Detroit as like serious, serious candidates. And that's. That's wide open. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't want to get you in

[Kyle]

trouble here because your dad's the coach, all right? But I have some Giannis thoughts, I have some theories, so you do whatever you need to do.

[Steve]

Oh, man, I'm good.

[Kyle]

He said all sorts of things this year.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think on one hand he clearly

[Kyle]

wants out, and then he says that he doesn't. And it feels like a battle of semantics. And maybe he's just a free thinker and is like, look, I can't be this definitive about anything. And now the news, the newest stories. He goes up for a dunk recently. You know, he's. He's such a specimen that you're like, is he hurt? Is he not hurt? And then he said, I'm not hurt. He wanted to come back and play. They didn't want him to. They want to shut him down for a bunch of different reasons. I'm a little surprised that he wouldn't want to be shut down considering he's looking at this massive extension that could be on the table from either Milwaukee or if it's a new team.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you think he's.

[Kyle]

He's looking for reasons to get mad at Milwaukee? Because I don't really understand.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, I know he's such a competitor

[Kyle]

and that's my favorite thing about him is that maybe he just loves to hoop, man, sometimes we forget that. But this Seems like a lot over something that is pretty understandable that Milwaukee would want to, like, want to close the season without him.

[Steve]

It's a good question. I honestly, I think it's to your point of what you love about him, because, listen, it can't be, you know, and I understand it's. It's under, you know, people for people to think, oh, he's trying to find reasons to get irritated. He just, you know, he wants to leave and he's, you know, this, this and that. And he's made it clear he wants to be there. Otherwise he wouldn't still be there or he would have really forced something at the trade deadline or been a little bit more demonstrative in terms of his interviews, even more so than what he was. He's been there that long at this point in his career, if he's going to make that change. He would have, or he'll make it this summer, whatever the case may be, right? At this point, like you said, it doesn't make sense for him to put his body on the line for a team that's not going to go the distance and doesn't have a realistic shot of even competing at any level, really, in terms of playoff aspects. It reminds me of just a competitive guy who's unwilling to accept the inevitable defeat. And he's been used to that team being in the playoffs. Doesn't matter if there are realistic chances of winning or not. Everybody that goes into the playoffs thinks they can win.

[Kyle]

You know what I mean?

[Steve]

It's just. That's just the delusion of what makes athletes great.

[Tom]

Right?

[Steve]

He, especially a guy who's won a title here, who's been in the playoffs damn near every year, all right, Even if they don't even have a good roster, just his greatness alone usually just does the job and wills a team to the playoffs. Right? This year that hasn't happened. So, you know, I did that interview with him for the Maya for the Game podcast, or not pot a show with Peacock.

[Kyle]

And he.

[Steve]

He's over here like, man, I used

[Kyle]

to be a beast.

[Steve]

And I was like, you used to be a beast? I go, man, you start a beast, you're an animal. And he was just like, yeah, it's just a little bit not the same. And I was just like, bro, if I. These are career numbers. I never average anything in these numbers, man. Are you talking about. You know, I'm just, I'm looking at from my perspective now. You sit back at the landscape of what this season is gone and his injuries and you know how he doesn't pop back off the floor and how things are, you know, father time, even LeBron, like we see it affects everyone. Everyone's are delayed. Giannis and people like LeBron are freaks. They're able to play for so long with that type of level of dominance and athleticism, but it's happening and it's. And it's. They're not making the playoffs because, you know, it's not because of him, but he wasn't even able to get them there. I think he's like, I'm not shutting it down. I want to play. I'm going to play it through. You guys aren't just going to sit me down. We're not a lot. We're not a lottery team. That's all like a competitive mindset, you know, that's how he's wired. It's a guy who goes to playoffs every year, guys, you know what I mean? You know, he won a finals, you know, not too long ago, you know, so it's like, I don't think him not making the playoffs is like something that's realistic. Especially when like a year ago, a year and a half ago, they got the Dane trade and everything was so exciting. And this is that. I mean, this is where his guy's head's been at. And they got, you know, Griffin out, they got docket, and they're like, all right, we're gonna win. However realistic or delusional that is. That's. That's what was being said. Okay, so now to be here, and I remember speaking to him before the year started. We did that interview right when the year started. People are underestimating us. We have so much shooting. I have all these shooters around me. We have five guys that's in the top 10 of percentage. He was. I mean, that's what it was. Okay? So I'm telling you now, months later, they're not making the playoffs and they're in like the 11th or 12th spot. They're losing games by. And they're not like, hey, we're going to shut you down. You think this guy is going to be like, cool, I get it. No problem. He's like, fuck, no, I'm not sitting down. I don't want to sit down. I want to play. Hey, you got under. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's who he is. It doesn't make sense. You're right. It's not smart. He doesn't have an extension on the table. I don't think he gives A. I think he wants to play.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I think that's the best answer, because it's, like. It's the least sexy, and it shoots

[Kyle]

down the conspiracy theory that I'm sharing with, like, oh, is he just.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Sometimes when you, like, want to break

[Kyle]

up with somebody, you just start, like, overreacting about that. Doesn't even mean anything. You start finding, like, that's what I started thinking of. I was like, I wonder if he's

[Steve]

like, I mean, it's not like, I

[Ryan Rosillo]

can't believe you booked Florida, you know?

[Kyle]

And you're like,

[Steve]

only the winner, you know?

[Kyle]

I hear you. I got it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, it's.

[Steve]

It's not a bad theory, Ryan. I can't hop on that boat. I can't hop on that boat.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, I like it. I like the pushback, because I'm exploring the theory.

[Kyle]

I'm not married to it. I'm exploring it. And I think you. I hope you're wrong.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think you convinced. Look, you convinced me, and I think you should convince a lot of listeners

[Kyle]

that sometimes this stuff is real simple. Like, when you see somebody again, my

[Ryan Rosillo]

favorite thing is, like, those Embiid games

[Kyle]

that Embiid used to play. I used to love those games because Giannis would be like, hey, I don't know how it's going to go tonight, but I'm going to try to make you think you're not at my level for the entire game. And I just loved those games. And you're like, that's what that dude is about. And maybe he's not looking at the extension. He's like, I'll probably get it anyway.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Maybe I don't care about

[Kyle]

draft picks.

[Steve]

Yeah, it's pretty black and white with him. You ever talk to him, he's just like, I want to win. He wants to win. And now he's not going to the playoffs. And, like, sit down. He's like, sit. Sit down. Tell me to sit down. I'm not sitting down.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And by the way, the numbers, thinking about a max, some of the other numbers for him this year are, like,

[Kyle]

again, completely off the charts, so there isn't, like, some dip for him. And one could argue he's getting max.

[Steve]

He's getting a five. Whatever. Wherever he wants, he's getting. And he's already thought that. He thought that before. He feels. I'm pretty sure the Giannis feels that if he tore his acl, he'd still get max. That's. That's. That's the outlook of how people think of Giannis.

[Tom]

I.

[Steve]

That's how he feels. I don't think he even thinks. Guys like that don't even think about their extensions, man. They think it's, like, guaranteed already. Especially guys who've already gotten two or three. You could buy an island in Greece. I don't know what else he's thinking. I don't think he cares, guys.

[Kyle]

He's like.

[Steve]

He's got a big extension. He thinks he's already. He's already making set. And he said, what is he making? I don't know. What do you think? Do you think he cares, guys? It's coming. It's coming his way. The brink Trucks are in his backyard. They're already there.

[Kyle]

What's your next game for NBC?

[Steve]

I've come. Thank God.

[Kyle]

Wimby.

[Tom]

All right.

[Steve]

Wimby Heat. See the band? A Mr. 83.

[Kyle]

Mr. 83 against Wemby. Now we're.

[Steve]

Now we're talking. Yeah. If he scores more than 30, I'm gonna challenge you right now. Bam. If you score more than 30 versus Wemby, it'll be just as impressive to me as you getting 80 points. I want 35 plus. You give me 35 plus, bam, I'll tip my hat more than you getting 80 versus the fucking Wizards. And that's no slight to the Wizards, but the Wizards are in a rebuild right now. They're not even there, like, especially at this point in the season. Like, they don't even have their best product on the floor, competing consistently, you know, I mean, they're giving these young guys time to develop. They're developing, rebuilding stage. And again, 83 points is nuts. It's double my career high. It's fucking insane.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Wait, so you were 41? 42 for you, 41.

[Kyle]

41 against who?

[Ryan Rosillo]

You don't remember? You remember the number, but you don't

[Steve]

remember who it was? No, I know. I know. I go. I silently go.

[Kyle]

It was the Kings.

[Steve]

Oh, and they were good, though, dear. And Fox, you know, it was Fox and Harrison Barnes a little bit.

[Kyle]

And

[Steve]

Monk, you know, harder. Those guys, I think that was a team. Red Mamba. Yeah. He's gonna get plenty of time for Detroit. It'll happen because they're gonna need shooting. And, like, the problem is right now, you can't sit Jennings after everything he's done for you this year. And then Herder's not playing well enough

[Kyle]

or shooting well enough to where you

[Ryan Rosillo]

could be in the game. They, like Dan is a lot.

[Kyle]

Because I think he allows them somebody who's good with the ball, you know, where they can trust. Like, when something breaks down, it gets sloppy because I. I watch enough of him this year that I'm still like, hey, if he's in the closing five, like, are you getting out of the east there? And maybe I'm just being. I shouldn't be. He's a St. John's guy, you know? But, you know, what I have to love about Danis is I've seen him go up against anybody in transition.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He will go like, guys are doing

[Kyle]

U turns on Wemby. He had a play in one of those games where he's like, fuck it, I'll try.

[Steve]

Yeah, he's.

[Kyle]

He's competitive as shit. He's competitive as.

[Steve]

He plays with that. He plays with that. That hunger that I haven't got a big check yet. Hunger. He just has it. Yeah, he has a desperation about him. He has a chip on his shoulder. Some guys are able to keep that even when they do get paid, which is great to see, but he has that right now, and that's why they're playing him. If Kevin was shooting 45 from 3, I promise you, he wouldn't be playing. Yeah, it's fast, right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Because I think Kevin was obviously, like, 45.

[Tom]

Nuts.

[Ryan Rosillo]

40.

[Kyle]

Is there a shooting lineup out there with this combination? But then what are you giving up defensively if it's. Yeah, defensively, I guess, you know, hurt.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Her desperation. A great note to end on because it's getting desperate here. 6, 22 to go in the second half. 6:15 to go in the second half. Sienna still leading number one seed Duke, 61 to 60.

[Kyle]

So we'll let you get caught up on your Blue Devils, and we'll see.

[Steve]

What's the score? What's the score?

[Kyle]

61, 60. Sienna. Six minutes to go.

[Steve]

Oh, okay, CC. We. We're doing it.

[Kyle]

We hunt them down.

[Steve]

My. Again, the same issue is the red flag. I think we'll get past Sienna because

[Kyle]

we're a much better team when we

[Steve]

play an elite team. And it's 88, you know, 70. 70. You know, you. Who do you throw that ball to if it's not Cam? Do we have a guard that can consistently come off and make some plays for us? I'm hoping one of these guys. You never know. The tournament does things to guys, you know, we'll see, but, man, oh, man. Sienna. Shout out to them. I hate saying it, but, man. First round, 16 1. Here we are, people. March is funny. And it's just such a.

[Ryan Rosillo]

This time of year is just. And it's the least. I've ever hated Duke, whether it was the Zion year, not when you were there.

[Kyle]

No offense, but, I mean, I grew up just hating it like everybody else did. If you're from.

[Steve]

Is it just. Is it. I don't want to get into that, because that's a deep answer, but is it. Is it. Is it the. I just hated it privilege?

[Kyle]

I hated it so much. Is it the private school?

[Steve]

That's what it is.

[Kyle]

Yeah. I don't know what it was, man, but it was like, there always was one guy in the team that you were just like, oh, here we go. Like, is there some weird prep school that just sends everyone to, like, the most unlikable faces ever?

[Steve]

I hear you. We had a run where our stars were guys that could easily. I get it. Yeah.

[Kyle]

I don't. I don't know what it was. I mean, it can't be a white thing for me when I'm white. That would be weird.

[Kevin]

That's what I'm saying.

[Steve]

I was like, that's why I hear. But you'd be surprised at how many white guys I. I talked to. Like, I hate Duke. I'm like, why? We got a history of guys like you balling out. What's the problem?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I should love some of these, right?

[Kyle]

JJ and Ler are like, the man.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But I would say the Zion year, I actually just wanted to keep going,

[Kyle]

so I was, like, rooting for it because it would be.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It was this little shift, and then I've watched. I'm just so enamored with what Shire

[Kyle]

does with every group that he gets in there offensively and what he's. He just. I was like, every single guy. And look, K had it going, too.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There became a respect once I started working at espn, started working with more

[Kyle]

Duke guys, and it wasn't even just having K on the show a couple different times, but I think I just.

[Ryan Rosillo]

As I got older, I started going like, hey, if you respect the right

[Kyle]

things with basketball, then you should appreciate this more than you should despise it. But, yeah, I'm sorry. Like, when it was Lehigh, you guys, you know, I don't know, 14 years ago, I was definitely rooting against you. I'm sorry. But now I get to know you. We have you on the pod.

[Steve]

It's all good.

[Kyle]

Mending fences.

[Steve]

As we age, usually good friendships start out as foes.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Score update.

[Kyle]

All right. Still 61 60. Enjoy the last five minutes, man. Appreciate it, my guy.

[Steve]

I appreciate you having me on Talk Soon.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Boost your credit instantly with Experian.

[Kyle]

Boost.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Experian Boost is completely free and can instantly raise your credit scores. Add every day on time payments like phone, utilities, even rent payments to your Experian credit file so your positive history can count. It's fast, secure and free and built for people whose credit doesn't tell the whole story. Seek results quickly. Many customers get instant score uplift monitoring.

[Kyle]

This thing is one of the great hacks of being an adult. And for some of us out there, being an adult when it comes to credit scores took a little bit longer

[Ryan Rosillo]

to learn the lessons, learn the hard lessons.

[Kyle]

And then once you start to protect it, nurture it, raise it, bring it into life, it's something you'd be proud of. There's nothing better when you start opening that up, going, I'm on my way to one day being Mr. Rossillo.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Download the app and get started for free. Results will vary. Not all bills or subscriptions are eligible.

[Kyle]

Savings not guaranteed. Paid membership with connected payment account required. See experian.com for details. You want details?

[Steve]

Fine.

[Kevin]

I drive a Ferrari 355 Cabriolet. What's up?

[Steve]

I have a ridiculous house in the South Fork. I have every toy you can possibly imagine. And best of all, kids, I am liquid. So now you know what's possible. Let me tell you what's required.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We're taping a little bit later after Austin Rivers.

[Kyle]

We'll get you geared up for life advice. Maybe go a little deeper here. I need to do a better job. But Duke pulled it out against Sienna. Caden Boozer, that was a big time layup, but classic. Kind of like love the fight in Sienna, but there was about that five minute stretch where you're like, this is getting really tough for you guys to score. And Duke pulls.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Pulls it out.

[Tom]

Yeah, a little nervous. I have Duke in my final, so I did have sienna plus 28 and a half, though. So shout out to that.

[Kevin]

That was.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, you saw something.

[Kevin]

That was good.

[Tom]

I can't take credit for that.

[Kyle]

I listen to some Chad Millman over here.

[Tom]

No, no, no, no, no, I listen. I like to listen, you know, to a bunch of pods, different people. Shout out to Anthony debundo, shout out to Tate, a bunch of different guys and, you know, hoops guys.

[Kyle]

That's a great DJ right now.

[Tom]

No, I'm just.

[Steve]

I don't.

[Tom]

I'm not going to sit here and tell you I watch a ton of college hoops. Sienna is in the same conference as Quinnipiac. I've seen them play. Quinnipiac did beat them earlier this year. What's up. Take that, Rico. But yeah, no. So, had a good day?

[Kevin]

Yeah. Part of me wonders if that was Marist, what would have happened? I'm just kidding.

[Tom]

That's right. Shout out to the real Mac, right?

[Kyle]

Yeah. I had no idea. It's this untapped resource of college hoops knowledge.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What's your Final Four?

[Tom]

I have Michigan beating Duke and then I have Houston because they play in Houston, so I feel like that's kind of a no brainer there. And then research. What's the other one?

[Kyle]

I have Arizona.

[Tom]

Arizona? Yeah. I wanted to pick Arizona, but I felt like everybody picked Arizona, so I went with Michigan, but Michigan's like the third favor, so it's not like I'm being that cute.

[Kyle]

Kyle, what's your Final four?

[Kevin]

I had the 41 seeds and I had Arizona, but I can't. I was looking today. I can't remember which one I did the bracket on. It's not in Yahoo. It's not in my espn. I mean, it's just like. It's like Lost. I just did the classic. Like, you know, so much easier when you can just like, you know, tap it on your phone instead of the, you know, go over to Kinko's and print out a couple. I just didn't do that. And now I don't know where it is. So if I had the physical copy, you know, I wouldn't be. I wouldn't be kind of confused up here, but I know I had Arizona.

[Tom]

I think we're taping this too. Our bet is still alive. You've got Michigan State to cover, which is like 16 and a half my games later. What'd you have, Ryan? I think you had, I guess. Yeah. So tbd. Yeah. You'll already know when you listen to this.

[Kyle]

That one's still three and a half. The line is the same there. I had a Calcutta last night. Got pretty. A lot of drama. I don't know. That'll recap all of that for everybody that's involved. But yeah, it went deep. Went deep into the night with that one. One guy just kept bidding because he's like, I don't want to go home. You know, and some guys get a couple of drinks in him. They're like, you're not married? Nope. They're like, what are you gonna do tonight? I was like, I'd probably get dinner by myself, watch the Lakers game. What's that like? Man? It's really freaking lonely, actually. It's really lonely. And sometimes north of 50, you start going, hey, is this pointless?

[Ryan Rosillo]

But we're talking about the bracket, not my inner dialogue.

[Kevin]

Do you ever just take a night walk? You ever just go out and just be like, I've been in here.

[Kyle]

Not that old.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[Kevin]

You don't take a night walk.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right, now I should make sure

[Kevin]

everyone's garbage cans are in the right spot.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, I thought about it.

[Kyle]

Yeah. Like, let me slide this in.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's such a great call, Kyle.

[Kyle]

God, you were just. You guys are on it today. I love what you're bringing. I didn't like Wednesday's show.

[Kevin]

I was off. I was off.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, you weren't.

[Kevin]

No. It's understandable.

[Kyle]

I was not good and had nothing to do with anything anyone else did. But as the. Let's say, I think I'm probably the leader of the show. The energy is dictated by my energy. And so there you go. I just didn't think I had a very good show. And so for you, Kyle, to point out that when you start adjusting garbage containers for strangers, that is like, just order the Skechers now.

[Kevin]

Right. Slip ins are having a moment.

[Kyle]

Yeah. Oh, that's so good. No, no night walks. Because I was kind of like, you know what? I'm like, I'm gonna. I gotta get back and watch this. Fourth quarter. Houston in la. Of course.

[Kevin]

Yeah, I know.

[Kyle]

Because I was like, the longer it takes. If it takes me 20 plus minutes to walk, that's 20 minutes. Instead, I can spend 14 bucks to go home with tip. I've been tipping like crazy lately, just paying it forward to guys. I don't know. I don't know what's going on with me. Let's talk about the bracket, though.

[Ryan Rosillo]

St. John's how far do you have them going, Kyle?

[Kevin]

I haven't beaten Kansas, and then I had him losing to Duke, which you can understand. I was very excited with what we were seeing while we were working. But, yeah, whatever. We'll just have to beat him the old fashioned way.

[Tom]

We didn't talk about this, but, like, it kind of sucks to Duke in St. John. I'm sorry. UConn and St. John's are in the same region.

[Steve]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Considering there's no Big east teams other than Villanova.

[Kevin]

Yeah.

[Tom]

Like, I don't know, man. That's weird. It's also, like, why is. Why is Van. I mean, this is. I'm not trying to do the. I guess I am. Money. Money quarterbacking. But, like, why is Vandy going to play potentially Florida in the sweet 16 if they just play it again? They played two times already this season. Just feels like we could be better there anyway.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I wouldn't have minded.

[Kyle]

Maybe St. John's getting the four spot where Nebraska was, but I think I'd rather play Duke than Florida. And I'm not just saying that. After the Sienna game, I thought Duke was the worst of the four seeds, even though they ended up being the number one overall seed because of the injuries to Dongba and Foster. So I. I don't know. I mean, here's Nebraska. I cannot believe that stat. And I'm sure you guys already know this. They beat Troy, they kill him. That's their first win ever in the history of their basketball program. That is such an amazing stat. I almost feel like the football fan base unlock the coolest shit. Like, I know it doesn't make. It's completely nonsensical. Like, why would you say that? But if your team's never won a tournament game prior to today, I almost feel like your football team. You should. Guys. Well, maybe the football team's enough evidence that you guys should chill the fuck out sometimes. To Nebraska fans, even though everybody loves them, everybody loves Lincoln, it's the best. The best. And so I don't want to sound like a dick, but too late, I realized that. But that's unbelievable that you could be Nebraska and never have won a tournament game. Yeah.

[Kevin]

It doesn't sound real.

[Kyle]

Doesn't. When I read it, I was like, how does. How does that even happen?

[Tom]

I'm trying to think, are they. Were they the only Power 4 team to never win a tournament game?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm looking at still in the P5,

[Kyle]

you know, nomenclature for college hoops, right? Yeah, for hoops, I think.

[Tom]

Okay. The biggies. Yeah. All right. Yeah.

[Kyle]

So.

[Tom]

All right. But like, sure. P5 then. Yeah, I'm looking it up now.

[Kevin]

You just go power conference and just leave it up to the imagination.

[Tom]

I think it was Northwestern before them, them and Northwestern. Northwestern won one in 2017. So it looks like that is correct. So correct me if I'm wrong, but because, like, Rutgers is 1:1.

[Kyle]

Rutgers is sneaky deep.

[Tom]

Are they.

[Kyle]

No, they've just, you know, they've had. They've had a few guys fill it up at times.

[Kevin]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Last year. Well, last year, I know, was a disappointment. I'm going to have to look him up now.

[Kevin]

But now, the smart guys last year were like, don't listen to the idiots. It's not going to be good. But it was exciting because they were,

[Kyle]

you know, I had to pull them up. I had to pull up the Quincy Doobie Stats led the nation in scoring his junior year. Rutgers, 20 years ago today, maybe not on the day, but that Rutgers team went 19 at 14 under Gary Waters, if you guys remember that. But yeah, Quincy Dubey was lighting it up and then it was like, is this guy a pro? Like, probably not. Gary Waters last run, Cleveland State, 9 and 22 in his last season there. So he didn't come back.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So, yeah, we're doing a little bracket.

[Kyle]

Little Cleveland State, getting that in there as well.

[Kevin]

Are you guys doing anything? Like, are you changing up the venues for any of the days this weekend or are you just going to be big TV in the house?

[Kyle]

I'm not going anywhere. I am actually.

[Kevin]

This is more of a Steve question.

[Kyle]

Handing my car over to the dealership tomorrow.

[Tom]

Yeah, Ryan, we know what you're doing, right?

[Kyle]

We need a confirmation.

[Tom]

I'm actually going. People are going to. Not like this, not like this. I'm actually going to see Project Hail Marion theaters tomorrow on imax.

[Kevin]

Oh, I'm excited about this one, but I think I'll probably wait.

[Tom]

But it's in the morning.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm turning my screen off.

[Kyle]

If you guys are acting.

[Tom]

I saw. I was confused by it. Yeah, that's fine. I guess Kyle and I will talk. Yeah, I'm going to stop. But it's in the morning. It's like 11am and ice matinee, so I'll miss, like, a little bit of the early stuff, but I should be back in time. But now my plan is to just sit my butt on the couch and not do much.

[Kevin]

All right, well, I think I'm gonna give B Dubs a try.

[Steve]

Well, there's a couple.

[Kevin]

There's a. You know, I ran into a bunch of guys this week who, like, I don't know, I'm like, maybe I'm expanding my group of friends a little bit. I'm like, could we be dudes that, like, hang out and stuff? And I was talking to them about where should we go. They're like, there's not a lot of great TV bars around here, which could be a market inefficiency if anyone's listening from the area. But I was thinking B Dubs. I felt like a little bit of that's mainstream, but I could be mainstream at times. And then there's some other bars that I think I might. I only really have one day to pull this off, and there's like, it might just be some TV problems. So I don't know, should I go for the ambiance and lose the TV problems? Or go just be a B dubs guy.

[Tom]

Like, you know, I mean, this is no disrespect. You don't strike me as a mainstream bar guy.

[Kyle]

I'm not.

[Kevin]

I'm really not. But I was just thinking, for this exact moment, it seems like bdubs is the answer to the equation. So we'll see. I don't know.

[Tom]

You're just looking for some camaraderie.

[Kevin]

Yeah. Sunday. I don't know. It'll be a game time decision. No pun intended. All right, well, I'll let you know how it goes.

[Tom]

So the Johnny's would play Kansas then that day? Potentially, yeah. Oh, boy. Okay, Ryan's back.

[Kyle]

All right, I'm back. All right, here we go. Life advice. Lifeadvice.rrmail.com couple. Maybe quick follow ups. Might go a little bit deeper here.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Hey, Ryan, Steve and Kyle. Apologies for the long email.

[Kyle]

Go on, Ryan. Tell me it's not that bad at all. You have been doing that three year

[Ryan Rosillo]

old, five, six king reporting in.

[Kyle]

No gym stats, usually occasional lifts, pints, glass.

[Tom]

People like the what's up king? Thing. I got a lot of tweets about that. So thank you guys.

[Kyle]

A lot of that, A lot of that. I met somebody that. She was like, yeah, I dated a short king for a while and I was like, I kind of did. He know. And she's like, he loved it. Like, you're my short king. So I think it's. I think it's great. Although I was texting with somebody else, was like, what do you think you would be like if you were five, six, hiccup. I don't even think we can share any of it. It'd be an unbelievable segment. But then I feel like it sucks for all the five, six guys to be like, are you guys seriously doing 30 minutes on this? Dicks. So let's not do that.

[Kevin]

I'll lay out.

[Kyle]

Let's be nice. Be tougher to knock over. Tell you that.

[Tom]

Yeah, lower center of gravity. I don't know.

[Kyle]

Some pluses in there. All right, the airline. Lean it all the way back.

[Tom]

No, never, never.

[Kyle]

Laptop.

[Kevin]

Probably wouldn't need you.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, shout out to our guy here.

[Kyle]

This is about the guy who suddenly thinks he's Pep.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What's his name? Ceruti?

[Kevin]

Guardiola.

[Kyle]

Guardiola.

[Kevin]

Oh, he's like, I produced a couple Ringer FCs when we'd had to fill in.

[Tom]

Yeah, tough times for my guy. Just got bounced from the champions League in embarrassing fashion, but

[Kyle]

probably not the right guy. That's usually what Happens in Jurgen Klopp.

[Kevin]

I got a couple others.

[Tom]

Oh, yeah. No, Guardiola is the right guy.

[Kyle]

Okay.

[Tom]

They're doing all right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Was Klopp the one that smelled his fingers?

[Tom]

Smelled his fingers? Oh, no, that was Joachim Lowe, the Germany head coach. Yeah. That was a couple world Cups ago. That was pretty cool.

[Kyle]

That guy got a good whiff.

[Tom]

Runner back. I forget. I think it was back, right?

[Kyle]

What?

[Kevin]

Oh, was it a. Oh, he did like, his armpit. Like an oil check. What it was that.

[Tom]

I thought it was his. I thought he was doing a little, like, oil check. Lower back situation. Yeah, like, you know, dipping a little lower.

[Kyle]

Why don't we get research on that?

[Kevin]

What do you want me to type in? I guess I'll do it.

[Kyle]

I don't want it. I know what I don't want it to be. I rounded into a better situation. Maybe. I was thinking about Molly Shannon.

[Tom]

Man, it's a huge bummer if you just Google his name, but the first thing that comes up is yoking alone. Sniff meme. It's smelling fingers. It's all bad.

[Kyle]

He just. Oh, here we go.

[Tom]

Germany coach Joachim Lo sniffs his balls and ass. That's the first video that comes up. Tough.

[Kyle]

Look, you don't want to be known as that guy.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't know why I didn't think

[Kyle]

it was that bad.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It was that.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Yeah. Because it is.

[Tom]

Yeah. It wasn't just like, a nose pick, you know, whatever. Taste the situation. It was a full.

[Kevin]

I don't know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Sometimes I think if you picked your

[Kyle]

nose and ate it on tv, it'd be tough to bounce back from it, But I think. I think some guys have.

[Tom]

Oh, man.

[Kevin]

Sometimes you just need a status check, and, I mean, that's not the right place, but, I mean, sometimes you wonder whether it's worth it or not. Not that much.

[Kyle]

Yeah. I don't think it's. I think most men would agree that sometimes you're cur. Like, what's going on down here? There's a whole.

[Tom]

Oh, my God. There's a video. There's a whole compilation of him just putting his hand in different body part areas and just, like, putting around his mouth and nose. This is a tough.

[Kyle]

He should have done, like, an E60 on it. He could have just said, hey, I get. I get massive anxiety, and this is how I. And then it's like everybody's on his side now.

[Kevin]

How the turntable.

[Tom]

Exactly. You know, he never really got a job after that, so maybe that's. People were just weird out by him all they did. He did win a World Cup, I believe.

[Kyle]

Shake his hand.

[Kevin]

What's his email?

[Kyle]

Introduce this guy. Press conference. Just fist bump. Blake, isn't it six feet? Yeah. That was like five years ago though.

[Tom]

No, we're still distancing. Yeah, yeah. Just with you.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right, back to our email. As an Englishman, Ryan, you're welcome.

[Kyle]

For the language, democracy, modern engineering, comedy, music, and the concept of cues. The guns are on you. This guy's fucking letting us have it, boys. I can tell you that I have a few retorts in my head. But you know what makes a lot of good points? We'll just keep it moving.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was in Chicago last year on

[Kyle]

a once in a lifetime US sports trip. My wife and I went to a bar on a Sunday to watch the NFL. The Arsenal Man City game was live on a smaller screen in the corner, so I kept half an eye on it, even though neither are my team. Hashtag Derby County. Some thoughts on them Sortie real quick.

[Tom]

No, they had the lowest point total in the history of the Premier League. So not great.

[Kyle]

Okay, then.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Four Americans in brand new Arsenal shirts

[Kyle]

strutted in demand of the TV in front of us. And the rest of that end of the bar be switched to the soccer quote.

[Steve]

The footy.

[Kyle]

Fine. There are about 400 other screens showing the NFL God bless America. And no one else seemed too worried.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But once the match started, these guys

[Kyle]

unleashed the worst soccer analysis I'd ever heard. Basic rules? Not even close.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Confidence level through the roof. After a few beers and despite my

[Kyle]

wife repeatedly asking, what are you doing?

[Ryan Rosillo]

What exactly are you trying to prove here?

[Kyle]

I started gently correcting them. Hey, that's nowhere near offside. There's nothing in that get up there. And the occasional Arsenal have always been like this. Just little reminders that the Sport existed before 1994.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm not sure there's a profound lesson

[Kyle]

here, except this to the original emailer.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Learn a bit about the game and

[Kyle]

drop a few well timed, knowledgeable comments. The dad has absolutely no idea. You can out expert him with minimal effort. Oh, and develop an English accent. It always works. Getting arrested by English guys is undefeated. Yeah.

[Kevin]

In the America's defense. Offsides can be tricky for me. I find it to be tricky.

[Tom]

Yeah, the refs get it wrong all the time. So not gonna argue with you there.

[Kyle]

If you heard about var.

[Tom]

Var is a disaster. If we had a var and we have. It's essentially instant replay, but it's like somehow worse and then they don't tell anybody. Why Things happen.

[Kyle]

They just do it.

[Tom]

It's pretty. It's pretty crazy.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, Var's tough. I've dipped my toe into Var.

[Kyle]

It's like. It just seems like. I mean, it'd be like, imagine not knowing anything about the NBA and then you see a replay and you're like, well, the other guy swiped down like a Eddard Stark execution on the other guy's arms, but it touched his fingerprint and they showed on the replay and that means he doesn't get the ball. Like. Well, that doesn't make any sense, but, like, yeah, for like 80 years. Everybody was fine with it until we started doing this. It's way better, though.

[Tom]

It's real game.

[Kevin]

Way better.

[Kyle]

Yeah, way better. Massive improvements. Okay, let's get to some emails, some thoughts. A lot of lot. A lot of. A lot of these are centered on money, tax time, right around the corner. So maybe that's. I don't know if there's a correlation. Sup, boss? We're getting a lot of this too. Yeah, all nicknames.

[Kevin]

That's fun.

[Ryan Rosillo]

41 years old. Six three, 200 pounds. No recent gym number since an injury

[Kyle]

a couple years ago, but I'm deep in a serious inversion Power Hot yoga. Damn. All right, good for this guy. It sounds like 41, but he's getting ahead of it. Some people are like, hey, I'm 50. You know, maybe this is 50. The sequel to this is 40. And the guys just all sign up for yoga.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Went to an NBA game recently with two coworkers. Hornets were in town.

[Kyle]

We wanted to see Lamelo Khan. And the young guys plan was simple. Lower bowl in the 100, $200 range. On the way to the arena, one

[Ryan Rosillo]

guy's text that he found seats really

[Kyle]

low for 70 bucks.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I say, cool, buy them. A few minutes later, he follows up.

[Kyle]

He was driving on the phone with me and buying at the same time and got cooked.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Tickets were actually 700 each. So now he's out 2100 for three

[Kyle]

borderline courtside seats at a game that absolutely did not require borderline courtside seat pricing. He has a picture of the seats. So it's like the front row. That's the gap to then the two courtside seats.

[Steve]

Right.

[Kyle]

Because those seats would never be 700 bucks. But like real courtside baseline, the row behind that, which is extremely pointless to spend all that money to be the row behind the row you want to be in, which is too expensive. And then where everybody sort of walks.

[Kevin]

I'd kind of like to be there. I'm always afraid of spilling a drink. You know, I'd rather. I'd rather go to that first row of seats than be all the way on the court. I just. I. I've seen someone recently do that, and it was like, God, kill me. I definitely would.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm just saying, like, if you were

[Kyle]

going to buy them the thousands, it would cost courtside ones and then, like, 2,000 to have the ones behind them. You're like, what am I doing? I don't know.

[Kevin]

Especially about a short king.

[Kyle]

Well, for those seats, not great. I don't know if I want to stay on this theme. It feels too mean, especially going into the weekend. And it's not like I'm some looker anymore.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We had agreed to around $200 each.

[Kyle]

We're just coworkers going to a game. I can afford more, but it feels like a principal thing. Also, when we met up, he was finishing a joint and then sat in

[Ryan Rosillo]

near total silence all night, like he

[Kyle]

just lit his savings account on fire.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Meanwhile, I'm trying to enjoy the game

[Kyle]

while doing mental Venmo math. Well, you know, if you had needed to split expenses to get the Venmo card, you know, get yourself some merch, some snacks.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The third guy here was my direct report, and I had offered to take

[Kyle]

him to the game. Just not a 700 doll. Oh, man. So you offered. You're super screwed on this one.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What's the move?

[Kyle]

Do I just pay the 200 we talk about since this was a reckless

[Ryan Rosillo]

purchase, or eat the full 700 to

[Kyle]

avoid already oncoming awkwardness? Trying to balance fairness with not looking like a total jerk? Love this show.

[Kevin]

Wait, does he have to eat 1400 or 700? Because that would make a big difference. I mean, 700's like, a little bit past the line, but you can maybe talk yourself into it. But if you're just like, oops, the guy you brought, also, you're paying for him, right? Like, in what sense?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Since he said eat the 700.

[Kyle]

Let's keep the discussion around 700, because I think he would have said, maybe he invited. And they all agreed. Hey, we're all paying for our own ticket. 100, 200 bucks. I don't know that he invited the. I think if he was on the hook for his ticket and the other guy he invited, then he would have said 1400 in the. Yeah, okay, he says 700. When he says 700, eat that. Let's go with that.

[Kevin]

All right.

[Tom]

Oof.

[Kevin]

It cannot escape the joint, guy. How big of a fuck up this Is sorry, it can't, it can't be just like oops, like you. He has to understand how bad this is if you are actually going to pay it. I mean, it's probably not going to make you feel any better, but it just sounds like the guy is a little bit cavalier in a lot of aspects of his life and it's finally hurt someone else. So I don't know, would you pay it sliding scale? Maybe he, you, he pays more than you, but you pay more than you want. Like it's not a good compromise. Everyone's upset.

[Tom]

I, I kind of feel like it's all or nothing though, right? Because like would you is an extra hundred bucks? I mean, I guess, yeah, he would be happy about that. But it's still like, you know, you, you still screwed up, so I'm still paying you for your screw up. So if I don't, because I feel the other route is like you just like pick up beers and, and food or whatever. But that's not going to amount to the amount that's probably going to change his life or make unless you have

[Kevin]

the best night ever at the stadium. This is tough because the relationship, like I've had my friends do something that really fucks up the whole gang and it's like we all just have to be like, all right, we have to take this and we push onward. But this is co workers that you're trying. It's not a core guy. Like, you know, that's a real bad fuck ups where we just had to like, all right, we're either not friends anymore or we are and we got to move forward. This is, this, this is tough. This is tough because you're not there.

[Tom]

There's not a lot of this stuff.

[Kyle]

But yeah,

[Ryan Rosillo]

it depends on how you

[Kyle]

feel about the guy. It depends on the dynamic of the relationship. If you're doing way better than he is and you really like the guy, then maybe you're willing to eat some of it. I just don't like coming down with the, hey, mistakes happen. And so therefore now you're out all of this money, you know?

[Steve]

Right.

[Kyle]

That doesn't, that doesn't feel great. But I mean, how do you look? How do you feel about this guy? And it's probably a lot of how he handles it too, right? If he's a little aggressive with it, like, hey, you owe me that 700, it's like, we're not going to discuss the transaction at all. There's no part of you that's a little bit like, hey, so that's where I think the compromise does come in, where if he understands that he screwed

[Ryan Rosillo]

up, that's a lot of money.

[Kyle]

I mean, that's a lot of money. When you think you're spending 1 or 200 and then you're spending 700 and then it just bums you out because then you're thinking about it the rest of the time. Time. Like, I've had situations where the grand scheme of things, I'm way up in the ticket game. Right. But I've still had some ticket experiences where I'm going. I cannot fucking look. When I took you guys to the super bowl and no one played in that Sixers warriors game and I was like, I just spent six grand on this. I wasn't. There wasn't internal math where I was like, hey, who cares? I was like, this sucks.

[Kevin]

Yeah, there was a couple that sucks. But splash sports, awesome time.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

Really good time. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. So how do you feel about the person?

[Kyle]

How do you want that relationship to continue is really the guiding principle throughout all of this.

[Kevin]

I don't think the. Go ahead.

[Tom]

I was just gonna ask. Do you think there's a route in which, like, if he was super aggressive and almost like, was trying to bully you into paying it, would you be more likely to do it or was like super nice and was just like, oh, man, I screwed this. Like, which way do you think you would be more likely to pay?

[Kyle]

I think he was likely to pay.

[Kevin]

Yeah, humility would have. Yeah, humility would help, I think.

[Kyle]

I. I don't.

[Kevin]

I think it would be well within your rights to be like, hey, as the Fumbler here, how much do you

[Kyle]

think you should pay?

[Kevin]

And then maybe I can work with you if there's like a non aggressive way to be, like, all right, looking at the replay here, that's your man.

[Kyle]

What do you think we should do?

[Kevin]

Like, maybe that. Maybe that's a non aggressive.

[Tom]

You should get here. Yeah, right.

[Kevin]

Like, that's like a non aggressive way to see where his head's at. And if he's like, well, obviously we're splitting it.

[Kyle]

It. Then I don't know.

[Kevin]

How long would this email come in

[Tom]

if you guys did this? Would you expect. I. I personally would not expect them to do that. To pick up the tab on my mistake. I. I would feel.

[Kevin]

What year of my life is it?

[Tom]

That's.

[Kevin]

Am I taking the bus or not?

[Tom]

Yeah, let's say it's. Let's say it's. It's like the bleakest time. You don't know. I mean, yeah, I get it. But like I would be, I feel like my pride would be so high that I would be like, I'm not, not. I'm not gonna like bring my buddies down with me. Especially a co worker too. Like, I just, I don't want to

[Kevin]

feel like, yeah, too fresh.

[Tom]

I don't feel like a loser in that situation. So I would, I would just, I would like start, you know, I don't know, doing odd jobs.

[Kevin]

I'd figure it out, start dashing.

[Tom]

Like, yeah, I get on task, grab it.

[Kyle]

I do whatever.

[Tom]

Yeah, I'd figure it out.

[Kyle]

I think a lot of it has to do with one what we've already said about how you feel about the future. What's that?

[Kevin]

Yeah, the first thing we said 10 minutes ago, it's like, what kind of relationship do you have want to have with this guy?

[Kyle]

That should dictate your moves.

[Ryan Rosillo]

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[Kyle]

Month. All right, how about this one? My wife sucks at painting. Hey guys. My pond hockey comp is Victor Stahlberg on rusty edges. Sometimes my legs move faster than my hands. You guys have any other hidden knowledge on Stalberg? And you're like, oh, you know, he's actually pretty good. Pretty good plus minus nothing. All right. Sometimes my legs move faster than my hands. The pain is drying and time is of the essence, so I'll get right to it. Uh oh. At the beginning of the year, my wife bought a house. We're thrilled. We grabbed a sneaky big, mostly affordable home in a beautiful town. It's still very livable, but desperately needs a full interior paint job. The previous owner had kaleidoscope taste, and most of the rooms are bright red, blue, or shamrock green. There's just. I mean, what the fuck are you doing with that stuff? It can't be so different. Like, all right. Some people like a good accent wall, though. I'm not against that. That.

[Tom]

But it's still in.

[Kyle]

Although, you know, what do I give a fuck? I'm never, you know, paint your house, whatever.

[Kevin]

I heard you could just paint the ceiling a weird color and be like, whoa, look what that did to the space.

[Kyle]

Yeah, I remember some kid in high school like, painted his thing, like, black, black, black. Blacker than real black. Yeah. And I thought it was like the coolest thing in the world. I was like, can't even see where the walls end.

[Tom]

You have in limited space in here.

[Kyle]

Yeah. Are we outside? Even smoke weed? I was thinking that. So anyway, soon after getting the keys, we headed over to the local big box to pick out a couple cans of primer and paint. The next day, my wife breaks out the brushes while I'm at work. Oh, wait, this is like home painting. Not palette and art and landscapes. This is actually worse.

[Kevin]

Could be more frustrating.

[Kyle]

Yeah.

[Tom]

And without you. She just did it herself. That's a.

[Kyle]

So here we go. Next day, she breaks out the brushes while I'm at work. When I get home, she's excited to show me how nice Province blue looks in the bedroom. But to my dismay, she's botched the job. We're talking deep runs, sloppy trim, work all around. Worse coverage than last year's cowboys. Immediately, I grab a scraper, which wasn't the feedback my wife wanted.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Fair enough.

[Kyle]

She put in the work. And before I go full taffer, I need to get eyes on her technique. Next time we paint together. Look, I'm no pro, but my contractor buddy fed me some pointers, and sometimes I watch this old house on YouTube. So while I may not be the Bob Ross of baseboard, you better believe I'm cutting out and keeping a wet edge. Oh, this guy's. I love this guy. Yeah, my wife is not. She's all over the place. Not to mention no tape, no drop cloth, and she hates cleaning her brush. I offer a couple tips, but that doesn't go down great either. Here's the catch. She's fast. And the time it takes me to trim out a window. Well, no shit she's fast. You just started a business like Emergency Painters. We're in and out in 45 minutes. You'll never want to see us again.

[Kevin]

The marines of painters.

[Kyle]

In the time it takes me to trim out a window, she'll have half the room painted. I'm meticulous and slow. Always have been. Yes, there's a lot to do, but without kids yet and all our money wrapped up in the house, we have nothing but time. I'll be staring at the ceiling above our bed for the next 20 years or sizing up that footprint behind the toilet every time I take a leak. My wife wants the walls to look better quickly, and I want to take my time to make them look great. With whom do you guys stand and how can I handle it better? Love the show.

[Steve]

Yeah.

[Tom]

Everybody knows. Everybody knows that a proper paint job, the prep is. Takes more time than the actual painting.

[Kevin]

Measure twice.

[Tom]

Yeah, exactly. So if you're taping, I mean. Taping sucks. I bought those edger things before those. I don't like those.

[Kyle]

Yeah, some of those things, the suspect.

[Tom]

You ever see those videos where the guy just comes on, he has the wall, he's like a three foot wide brush and just bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. That thing is done in literally 10 seconds and you're just like, that's awesome.

[Kevin]

Three foot wide brush. Sounds like a carnival.

[Kyle]

Roller.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[Kevin]

Or roller.

[Tom]

Yeah. Sorry.

[Kyle]

Sounds like a carnival.

[Steve]

He just gets one of those.

[Tom]

Like, like, what is it the shop Fat or The brushes, you know, the ones from Home Depot dips that in there, starts going out at the wall. That'd be aggressive. What's the name for that? Why can't I think of the name for those brushes?

[Kyle]

A push broom.

[Tom]

Yeah. Okay. Shop vac. I'm like, that's not right.

[Kyle]

I don't know what the fuck you're doing right now, but I'm hanging on.

[Tom]

Sorry. Yeah, I got lost in my own DIY thoughts.

[Steve]

There you go.

[Tom]

Yeah. No, I've done this before. So we. When we. My. My first house, we painted, we paid all the rooms in there. Basically the first thing we did before we moved anything in. And, you know, it's a combination of a lot of different family members, yada, yada. And I could tell which room was done by who, and I was reminded of it every day, and it bumped me out. So I'm with our guy. Like, I know the import. Like, you're going to look at that wall every single day and be annoyed. So I think the. Can you convince her in like, a year that it's actually not the right paint color and just to.

[Kyle]

Just A year?

[Tom]

Yeah, well, yeah, because you're. You're going to hurt her feelings either way. Right? Right. So.

[Kevin]

But can you.

[Tom]

Can. Can you convince her that in a year, like, in a year, hey, this actually, this isn't the paint color for us. We should go this other way. And then, like, you can kind of do the painting and do it the way you want. Maybe that's the way. But I think. I think without hurting your feelings, you're going to have to kind of wait this out.

[Kevin]

Is he more talking about what should he do about this room that's already screwed up, or how am I going to get through the rest of the house when this is how it works? If he's saying, like, how do we finish the job? With this sort of work dynamic now, I wouldn't suggest, like, giving her tasks that don't actually mean anything. She'll probably sniff that out right away. But can you be like, is she doing it while he's at work? Is that. Is that part of the problem here? Or is part of it. While he's doing his slow and steady work, she's blazing through. If he's like, can you be the person that tapes all this off and preps so that we can get here? Can we just change the division of labor instead of how we're both just doing this on our own timetables here? You're like, listen, I'm a measure Twice, cut once guy. It would really help, I think, the way that this gets done if you could be the one who tapes everything off and you get everything prepped. You know, if you feel like you really want to help while I'm unable to.

[Tom]

The problem is that part sucks, right? Nobody wants to do that part.

[Kevin]

Well, yeah, but we're all adults here.

[Tom]

Does she just want to be the paint person?

[Kyle]

You know, I know who she is. I know who this person is. And there's something about painting. You know, I was trying to think of other things that are like this. Like, what could somebody be ridiculously bad at but wants to prove some kind of point? And there's probably some cooks out there where it's like, hey, no one likes any of this food. But it's like, look what I did today. Like, who's ready for lamb? Like, wait until we get through the appetizers. And you're just like, you know, it's just so.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The person is so excited, you know, there's actually a lot of good qualities

[Kyle]

usually in this kind of person. They're like, let me take control of this. Let me learn something new. Let me see what I can do. But then there's this odd ego that gets in the way of it where it's like, hey, this tastes like shit and stop doing this. I remember I had a girlfriend that made me an army supply of meatballs. Army supply. And she was so excited because she was, you know, I was younger then. She was, like, trying to prove some point that she was going to be domesticated. And she didn't salt any of. There was no seasoning, no salt pepper on any. It was just hamburger balls boiled in marinara. And it was the worst. It was so bad that. And I told her, I'm like, did you not use any salt, pepper on any of this? And she was like, oh, my God.

[Kevin]

How fast did you tell her that, dude? Probably the first thing.

[Kyle]

Oh, man. She was disappointed I saw on her face. But we corrected it. We corrected a mistake, and it laid the groundwork. Now somebody else, you know, credit to her, she took it well. And, you know, we were like, look, let's get back in the lab. It sounds like you might have a wife that's not going to add any salt pepper to the meatballs. Because if she's happy, if she thinks it's totally fine, if she's taking such

[Ryan Rosillo]

pride in her do it herself ness,

[Kyle]

that there's an actual footprint of paint on the tile behind the toilet. And that edges just don't Matter. Like, you could watch videos. You know, granted, the first thing you do, you see somebody hold the brush and you go, oh, you've got it. No, you don't have it. I already know how she holds the brush. She's probably holding it like this, you know, like a toothbrush.

[Tom]

Said what, between the fingers kind of thing?

[Kyle]

Well, no, I mean, the brush needs to be deep into your hand, and you control the base of it, not the handle, but you just see it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There's something about painting that everybody thinks

[Kyle]

they can fucking paint.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Probably more so than even cooking. So this is not rare. There's probably so many great qualities about

[Kyle]

this person, because I think again, like I said, somebody that's like, hey, I want to attack this take on this new challenge and all this stuff.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's like, yeah, but it's also our house. Like, if you bought a brand new

[Kyle]

car, would you want to work on the ignition to prove a point? Be like, hey, the car doesn't turn over anymore. It's like, yeah, but you know what? I fucking get in there, I get my hands dirty. You're like, well, now I'm walking to work. You guys have the wives?

[Tom]

Well, I was gonna say some people notice, like, some people walking. Somebody would eat that meatball situation and be totally fine with it and not ask any questions. And they're just like, whatever, man. I'm eating meatballs and spaghetti and I'm happy.

[Kyle]

Right?

[Kevin]

You're getting balsamic.

[Kyle]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tom]

You know, like my dad, you know, like, when I. I. When I would cut the lawn when I was younger, I was like, yeah, I'm doing, like, a good job cutting the lawn. And my dad would be like, dude. And I would have no idea that I did a bad job. I was, like, oblivious to the job. Like, I was at the lawns cut. What are you talking about? I was like, the lines are all messed up. He didn't go in straight patterns. Yada, yada, yada. There's things I just didn't even know that I didn't know back then. Maybe she's just. She just doesn't know. She's just putting paint on a wall. She sees the color, and she's like, this is great. The room looks totally different.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Can we get her a job?

[Kyle]

Oh, boy.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So she's not at all, you know.

[Tom]

Yeah, I'm just gonna leave that alone.

[Kevin]

You said the word domesticated, and then you just went,

[Kyle]

bruce, man, two strikes.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Is there any part of, like, once

[Kyle]

the dust settles, and in this case,

[Ryan Rosillo]

the paint dries and the edges are

[Kyle]

all fucked up, and all your trim work has these swells of blue paint where it's supposed to be this crisp, white edge.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Can you just go, all right, look,

[Kyle]

we gave it a pass. We gave it a shot. Let's break out some videos. You know, like, if you want to

[Ryan Rosillo]

learn how to do it, because it's actually not that hard, Load up the brush, drag it away.

[Kyle]

The paint sort of fills it in. It's not.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's not that hard.

[Tom]

Well, it sounds like you got to keep it at sanding, too, now, because you're gonna have to sand those bad boys down.

[Kyle]

They don't fix the paint.

[Tom]

I don't mind. You get those streaks in the wall. Those will just come out when you put new paint over it. Been there before.

[Kevin]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kyle]

But now it's textured.

[Steve]

People paying stucco.

[Kevin]

The problem is, he says it's a sneaky big house. This could be a lot of job left. And I think what really need we. You have to come up with something to get you through that. You can't just, like, develop an ulcer while you move from the kitchen to the living room. Because you're just, like, not saying the words that you need to say. I mean, is there anything we could say about that? Like, if this job is nowhere near done and he needs something, he needs something. If we're not just talking about eventually getting to redo this blue bedroom, is it. Like, we've got a lot left? That's the problem.

[Tom]

You're saying this wall, that room is dead. Like, we're leaving it behind. We're talking about saving future walls.

[Kevin]

The bigger problem is the sneaky big house. Maybe there's an office that isn't even going to be gotten to for another couple weeks.

[Tom]

Maybe you should tell her that you're going to take the next one. One, right. And, you know, it'll probably be better. Maybe people will notice that it looks better, yada, yada, yada. Or you can just say, hey, like, I just like. Like, look. See how this. See how this is a little straight? Like, do. Do it. Show her how. Because again, maybe she just does not know. She has no sense of, like, what it's supposed to look like. Do you do it. Do it right, and then you can kind of show it to her, and then you hopefully have privileges for the rest of the house.

[Kevin]

Little more on the Hail Mary uncomfortable side. Can you bring one of your parents over that you pulled aside and be like, wow, who are the painters that you hired to do this? You know, What I mean, and then, like, I don't know. I mean, it's a little bit on the ridiculous side, but if you get someone who could be like, objectively, we're gonna have people over here. And the first people we came in to the construction site is like, who the fuck did this? Like, maybe there's something there.

[Kyle]

I don't know.

[Kevin]

It's easier to say that than do it. But I'm just thinking of a way to get through to where that's just not you being in great. You know, in great of a husband.

[Kyle]

We'll do one more of these for the weekend. Hey, boys. No basketball comp. This one is titled Ferrari and shitty apartment. Six foot, 203 pounds. Love the specificity. Go to Barry's three times per week. Use the 65s. Walk three and a half miles, five to seven days per week. Run three and a half miles, two to three times a week. So I try to stay in shape. It sounds like it, buddy. Good for you. Need your input on a little situation this past Sunday. A little context. You can be vague, but I'll be specific for your own edification. We live just south of.

[Steve]

All right.

[Kyle]

Well, yeah, I guess they're in Santa Monica, where it's a mix of very expensive condos, townhomes and regular apartments. We live in one of the very expensive condos and have cheap apartments on both sides. Think $2,000 a month, which is cheap in LA, which. Yes, he is right.

[Kevin]

That's awesome.

[Kyle]

Two buildings down is a very crappy apartment building.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So, yeah, I think there's certain.

[Kyle]

And look, there's just certain pockets. When you're driving through LA in certain neighborhoods, you're like, okay, that house is amazing. And then the next one is like, what's going on there?

[Kevin]

It's got to happen one at a time, you know?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, right.

[Kyle]

I mean, it's not Sim City here. You can't just wipe out an entire zone and fix it in an afternoon. I wish they'd bring that game back, but at the same time, I'm kind of glad they're not. My wife, eight months pregnant. She and I were out for a walk. Our daily walk on Sunday, constantly. People in the city aren't paying attention. We've almost gotten hit many times, so I'm very vigilant on our walks. So some backdated experiences here.

[Ryan Rosillo]

While walking back to our house, a

[Kyle]

guy in the crappy apartment building who keeps his older red Ferrari and Porsche GTS something or other. I'm not a car guy. Is backing out of the spot, not looking either way. Their spot is basically on the sidewalk, which is how those spots are oriented. So you have to cut it sharply to hit the decline so you don't bottom out. You have to be looking. We stopped short because he just started going. And I go, whoa, whoa, whoa. You got to look both ways. He rolls down his window, looking obviously miffed, and says, oh, you're saying something because I'm in a Ferrari, but if I was in a Tesla, you wouldn't have said shit. Oh, okay.

[Kevin]

I'm just saying he loves his Ferrari.

[Kyle]

Anything you want to do or say? We're on the emailer side here. I think I am. I imagine all three of us are. Are you fucking serious? I think I'd be more inclined to say something in a Tesla.

[Kevin]

Your Tesla probably would have beeped at you. Hey, fucking stop it.

[Kyle]

Yeah, Tesla would have. Just like, you're about to hit someone. And when I had the whole Rivian thing, I was like, I can't believe this guy's getting out of a Rivian and he wants to fucking kill me. I was like, I was feeling a lot more confident when I just thought it was a Rivian until the guy got pretty worked up.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I say, exasperated, you live in an apartment?

[Kyle]

Ooh,

[Tom]

damn.

[Kyle]

That is right to the bone.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He puts his car in park.

[Kyle]

My wife keeps walking ahead of me.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I keep walking.

[Kyle]

He basically gets out of the car, saying, you got something to say? Over and over. He was really mad. And I just say, you almost hit us. Look both ways. He yells, how is it going to hit you? Going one mile an hour. Keeps yelling, but my wife and I are already walking into our house, so obviously the guy's a psycho. I already apologized to my wife. She's from the Midwest, I'm from Boston.

[Kevin]

What a match.

[Kyle]

I love you, too. So our tolerance and desire for random confrontations is markedly different. Yes, it is. My question is one, is the really nice car at a 2000 apartment just an LA thing?

[Kevin]

Stereotypically, people would say that that's the town where your house poor, cash rich, or whatever. People would say that that's exactly what people care about. I've lived in there for 10 years to be like, obviously not everyone's like that, but I know that that's like the stereotype of, you know, just get all the things and you can, you

[Kyle]

know, live in a hovel. So.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, right, right. I. I would imagine it's probably more

[Kyle]

of an LA thing than anywhere else I could think of, because in New York, if You're trying to do that, you're just better off not having the car like so many people in New York. Like, what's the point?

[Kevin]

Yeah, well, then it comes down to certain type of clothes and bags and shoes and. Yeah, that's where it goes.

[Kyle]

Yeah, you probably just get the bags.

[Kevin]

Fun weekend, right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I've been in LA 10 years and

[Kyle]

this is the only place I've ever experienced. 2.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Does this guy know how embarrassing it

[Kyle]

is to have $100,000 cars while living in a hovel? Your word, Kyle?

[Kevin]

Wow, that's crazy.

[Ryan Rosillo]

3.

[Kyle]

Does he know that my you live in an apartment was referring to how embarrassing it is that he's driving a Ferrari thinking he's sick while going home to his shitty apartment? Love the podcast.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I. Look, he started at such an aggressive look. He almost hit you and your wife.

[Kyle]

You're already predisposed to be looking out for this stuff because everything that's happening and you know, again, the pregnant wife part of this. All right, so, like it's, it's very common. Like, the next guy I catch breaking into my fucking car, I don't know what's going to happen. It's. It's happened like 15 times and I swear to God, he might be in junior high and I'm worried about it.

[Kevin]

I fucking believe you, I'll tell you that much.

[Tom]

I don't know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I believe you stole whoever stole the

[Kyle]

shit out of my car the last time. He stole my little brother's stuff. And I'm like, now you're.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Now you're.

[Kyle]

You're not just fucking with me, you're fucking with family.

[Kevin]

Maybe you should start taking night walks, dude. Fucking Batman.

[Kyle]

Tulsa King Patrol.

[Tom]

Yep.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So when something keeps happening to you,

[Kyle]

like this guy going on his walks like, you're pretty. So. So you didn't say anything other than like, hey, don't hit us.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He's used to getting all sorts of

[Kyle]

shit because he's in a Ferrari, but when he says you're just saying it because I'm in Ferrari, I think everything is on the table. Even for a non confrontational Midwestern wife.

[Kevin]

Yeah, it's so funny. He's clearly the guy that will totally fuck up traffic while giving you the middle finger because you beeped at him. He probably does this all the time. He's never wrong. And I think we've all been accused, or we could all probably be accused of like, fucking up the rules of the road. And then just because you're in your car, you're just like 0 to 100. You're like, yeah, well, fuck you, buddy. This is crazy because it's like pedestrians, you pretty much are always in the wrong. Almost always. I mean, you know, some people get a little, you know, happy feet out there, start crossing the street all which ways.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, they're looking down on their phones,

[Kyle]

like, even at the gym. Like, I catch myself looking down at my phone while somebody's backing out in the parking lot. And then they're all apologetic to Kyle's point, because you just always feel like you're in the wrong when it's a person walking. You're in the car who could destroy who.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'll just try to, like, dart out

[Kyle]

of the way, going like, hey, I was looking at my phone. I was looking at my phone. Like, I could. I could keep.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I could be more aware.

[Kyle]

So we could all work on this together. But I don't care who you are, you've been guilty of this on either side of it at some point. And normally you just kind of feel bad, acknowledge you feel bad, and then keep it fucking moving because we got stuff to do.

[Kevin]

But this guy's just the guy who's never wrong. And it's just like any sort of, you know, any sort of suggestion that he's, you know, maybe not paying attention is like a total insult to his intelligence and he just has to fire back at you.

[Kyle]

So.

[Kevin]

So that was never going to go any other way.

[Tom]

So what's. What's the emo question? Is what? Like, did he. Did he handle this correctly? Like, did he do something wrong? Because if that's the. I mean, no, I think. I think it's actually the amount of escalation.

[Kevin]

He's more interested in the Ferrari guy actually feeling the dig. I. I feel like he's.

[Kyle]

He wishes that his.

[Ryan Rosillo]

His a little more.

[Kevin]

It's like, does he even know how

[Kyle]

stupid that is to. To have those two cars again?

[Tom]

Well, his car's out. He said it was outside. He started leaving notes on his car anonymously. It could be kind of funny.

[Kyle]

Might be covered. Probably it is a Ferrari.

[Tom]

And get a sticky note. I don't know. Figure it out.

[Kyle]

One of those paperclip, like the clamp ones for a bunch of papers and just make sure it doesn't go anywhere. Attach it to some McKenzie canvas product.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Look, I think you're probably going to

[Kyle]

run into him again, though, aren't you?

[Kevin]

Yeah, he's a big walker.

[Tom]

He also knows where you live. Right. Because you guys were going into your house.

[Kyle]

So this guy's walking everywhere.

[Kevin]

Yeah, And I imagine that guy takes separate trips into Ferrari. It's like, all right, we'll go. We'll go grocery. Grocery shopping, and then we'll get gas later.

[Kyle]

Do that, too. Like a drive to Outback. Yeah. Yeah.

[Kevin]

This is gonna. You're gonna run into each other.

[Kyle]

So. Look, there's another thing Kyle said here. And finish. When you're in your car, you lose your mind. Yeah.

[Kevin]

So that's when Steve is the most unstable. He's admitted it many times. It's like, I don't know what happens to me, man.

[Tom]

It's really bad. It's really bad. I have the least amount of pain you feel. I feel like you guys. I'm like a pretty patient, even keel guy.

[Kyle]

If you flatline Steve, anything behind your

[Tom]

back in a vehicle, I just. I can't handle it. Can't handle it.

[Kyle]

I don't know that I've ever seen him mad yet.

[Tom]

That. Yeah, well, no, that. Well, you should drive would be more.

[Kevin]

Yeah, I might have that. I'll get down to maybe.

[Kyle]

That magic. That tweet from a former coworker comparing Paolo Banchero, Tobias Harris. That might have been the maddest I've ever.

[Tom]

I wasn't even mad.

[Kyle]

I was mad. I think I was mad.

[Tom]

I was mad about that.

[Steve]

That's fine.

[Kyle]

I'm mad on your behalf. That'll do it for the show. Abrupt goodbye going into the weekend. Kyle, Steve, Tom, Kevin. That is the crew. Please subscribe. The Ryan Rossillo Show. Barstool sports.