← The Ryen Russillo Show
The Ryen Russillo Show
Wizards President on the No. 1 Pick, Wemby & the Spurs Bounce Back, Plus Future Lottery Pick Nate Ament
01:16:29
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- [00:00]
Ryan Rosillo
Hey Priscilla Listeners, you can find every episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. In sports, winning takes more than talent. It takes strength, reliability and the drive to go the distance. Sound familiar? That's the same DNA you'll find in a Chevy Silverado. As capable and dependable as a winning team, Chevy Silverado shows up and gets the job done. It won't flinch when the pressure's on. It doesn't take plays off when it comes to trucks. Chevy Silverado is football guy approved. To learn more About Silverado, visit chevy.com. The Ryan Rosillo show is presented by DraftKings. We are pumped about the show. We are live at the Combine here in Chicago. We have Michael Winger, who is president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. They won the lottery. I was in there and we're going to sit down and talk about his team. So that's going to be a lot of fun. And a lottery pick out of Tennessee. Nate Amen. 610 measured great. Huge week for him on the measurements. Not a pun. We've got life advice as well as my recap of the spurs taking control of the series and winning Game 5 at home. The NBA playoffs are here, and DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA, brings excitement to every game day the whole postseason. When the lights get brightest, the best players in the world show you exactly who they are. Playoff stars turn it up round by round, and DraftKings turns it up with them from the first round all the way to the Finals. Bet player props bet live from the opening tip to the final possession. Every bucket, every dime, every clutch takeover matters. And only DraftKings sportsbook keeps you in on the action all the way through. New DraftKings customers bet just $5 and you'll get $100 in bonus bets instantly. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app now. Use the Code Ryan to claim your profit boost. That's Code Ryan R Y E N To get a boost every day of the NBA playoffs In partnership with DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-My reset New York call 877-8-HOPE and wire text hope and why Connecticut called 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org
- [02:18]
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Ryan Rosillo
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Boothill Casino Representative
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- [02:29]
Ryan Rosillo
See sportsbook.draftkings.com promos Limited time offer a lot to get to today, but we'll start in San Antonio with the spurs emphatic win against the Timberwolves. When I've watched this series, I think you'd probably agree when the two teams are right, when there's nothing weird going on, you know, shot variants or absurd, you know, spikes or, you know, just kind of the Wemby thing, not being around for Game four when the two teams are at what they're supposed to be, there's a significant gap between the two teams, which, you know, also speaks to the regular season and you know, spurs are going to move on in this series. I think it's credit to Minnesota with the different challenges they've had through the playoffs. I mean, ants had some incredible moments and then you have last night where, you know, part of it's defensive stuff, part of it's maybe not getting him involved in different ways, but you know, ant can't have five shots in the first half of Game five. So we'll get to that a little bit. But really this game is about when Benyama coming back and 16 points in her six minutes. And look, I don't know if it's him being ejected in Game four coming home. I read all the stories I heard about the quotes after the fact. I think it's kind of like a nice storytelling version of some of this stuff where we can be a little too dramatic with it, where it's like, well, he needed to prove or whatever. But those first six minutes. This is kind of who he is now, folks. He is the most fun watch in the NBA at this point. This has replaced the Steph quarter where he's going for 20 and he's taking tougher and tougher shots and he knows he's feeling it. He's almost wondering, like, what can he pull off those peak Steph moments that have brought us so much joy as basketball fans? I think ants in that conversation because it's a wing with his attitude and the ferocity with what he plays with when he just starts really cooking, which we've already seen in this series. There's other players that are the best players in this league. Obviously, with SGA likely winning the mvp, he gets dinged for not having enough aura. You know, Tatum's probably in the not having enough aura category as well. Luca. It depends, like when he's just going off and it's absurd shot making and no one can ever do anything with him. Like it is a lot of fun But I also think there's like enough detractors that don't necessarily appreciate it because of the other nights where he can be kind of a tough watch at times. But if you're talking about like the unfair OKC stuff of like, yeah, they win, they're eight. No, in the play playoffs, they're missing their second slash third best player. They have 13 guys they can play and they can trust every single one of them. It feels boring. You know, look, I, I, that doesn't feel entirely fair, but I get how we get there with it. And then on the other side, you have Wembanyama doing the stuff that he did last night. I don't think there again, I don't think there's anything more fun than what he's doing. He had an offensive play on Rudy Gobert where Rudy was lost. He like turned around the wrong way. There was a couple plays like this where it kind of reminds you of like a dad playing with a bunch of neighborhood kids in the driveway, where he's just doing stupid shit and making all the kids around him look dumb. The difference is this is a guy doing this in his third year in an NBA playoff game. He had a block on Shannon Jr. In the second half where you can't believe he blocked it. And then they show the replay and he's like looking up at the ball off of the release and then tips it with his fingers. My favorite play was a play that didn't even count. They're in transition and the first thing you think of, especially with all these great perimeter players around Wemby, is here he is bringing it up, which we know he brings it up, right? But there's still an instinct for any of us that have, have grown up and loving basketball and watching it as long as I have where you're like, get it to a guard, get it to a guard. And then you're like, oh, that's right, he doesn't have to get it to a guard. Not only does he not have to get it to a guard, he pulls a smitty dribble on Jade McDaniels. Unfortunately, that's where he hit him in the face with the off hand. So it was called an offensive foul, but that was going to end up being like him getting loose at 7 foot 4, almost 40ft away from the basket in transition with a really good defensive player flying around him. And he shakes free from him with a hesitation dribble where it looks like he's going to spin the other way and then goes Right into the paint. It was so loud. He celebrated the whole thing. I don't care. The play didn't count. That was just more to the enjoyment of what this guy is when he's absolutely cooking. Sure he can be a little clunky at times, you know, with some of it just because there's so much body there where if you get into them low, you know, it's just harder for him to fight through against like certain guys. But it hasn't been the case against Randall and Jaden McDaniels. I thought San Antonio did an awesome job last night with that two man game with Fox where it's Fox against whoever is defending him, usually Jaden McDaniels. And then if they work it where they get Wemby in a role and he's pinning J.D. mcDaniels down underneath and then Fox can still go if it's Randall or if it's Rudy. I thought Fox had some really nice moments last night, but this play in particular, just real simple two man game with those guys. Fox can take it to one side or the other and then throw it back to the lob or he's clear if he has a step. But the stuff I like the most is WEMBY Just pinning McDaniels into the restricted area and getting the catch. And McDaniels if he can't stop and just going to foul him every single time. And you could see McDaniels was getting frustrated the entire game. What else did I like? They talked about a line in the sand being drawn after game four. And this was the post game stuff. So basically Mitch Johnson had said line in the sand. Felt like the guys tonight drew a line in the sand. And that's in response to the game four loss and the things that happened last night in game five. A 142 run happened in this game to start the second half for Minnesota. So this game gets to 61 apiece. San Antonio was one of 13 during this stretch. I think it was a carryover the close of the first half where you're like, hey, the score isn't as bad as maybe it should be. I think San Antonio would have been up 30 earlier if they were just average during this stretch. But they missed 12 or 13 shots. And I'd say going back and looking at it, like a lot of the shots are pretty good. They just, you know, like a lot of teams do. They had kind of a bad stretch while Minnesota is getting back into this thing and champagne hits a three and then it's Castle Castle. Castle. The display of what this guy put together was just all time stuff. I'm not going to say, like, you know, when he's in the hall of Fame that they'll run this video feels a little early for that. But the intensity, you know, some of the Castle drives I don't always necessarily love. But with the Castle, like, overall, hey, good versus bad, the good is so much more than the bad. When he can maybe get an offensive foul or he just completely gets stopped, but even when he gets stopped, he still like maintains all of his balance on one foot. And then everybody else defensively is like either gone up and down or they're out of the play. And then he just makes this super easy layup where it's just about him going like fast, not to slow, but fast to an absolute stop. But he's going to dunk, he's going to spin move in this and then he's going to pull up. So he goes for six straight points after the champagne three. And that's the game. That's the game. It was basically over after that. There are a bunch of plays in this game too, where if you're thinking about two rookies in Harper, who is now already looking like one of the best finishers in the league, this guy is going to be really, really special, man. Serti was asking me before the show, he's like, would you take Dylan Harper, number one over anyone else in the 26 NBA draft class? And honestly, I'm such a fan of like, I've just seen it. I've seen what he's done in these playoffs, like taking over and closing out Portland in his first ever playoff series. In one of those games matching Scoot Henderson's intensity and winning the Scoot battle, unfortunately for us Scoot fans out there, but it happened and it was real. You're like, yeah, okay, your third ever playoff game as an NBA rookie and you're going to be the calming force and you're going to make every single shot and make all the right decisions. I can't unsee any of that stuff. So I would go, yeah, I'll take Harper right now. If you were Washington and said, hey, would you, Would you give them the number one pick for Dylan Harper? You would, you would do it? I don't even know that it really should be that much of a debate. Unless you just think like, hey, everybody's sleeping on Peterson, which may actually be happening right now, but you've got Keldon Johnson, who looks like, I don't know what his Core workout is he is beasting guys. You know, he'll get Randall with him one on one. Usually he likes to come in from the corner so he's got a little momentum and these guys cannot stop his momentum. He's smaller than these players, but he is stronger than these players. Even these guys that are like, like, Randall's not a small dude. I think there was a Nas Reed play where he put him under the basket and he's just going up and finishing against these guys. So it's great to see that Harper again finishes against anybody. Castle just goes right at dudes. And even Carter Bryant, there was a play where he just smashed into Randall. And I'm glad they didn't call it because it was like two guys just being physical. And Carter's like, I'm not having this. There was a play in game four where Terrence Shannon looked like he was going to. I don't know what he was going to do to him, but he was like, not feeling it may have been used. I'm not sure. And Carter Bryant just kind of looked back at him and laughed. This is again two rookies, a second year player, and again Kelden, who's been around for a little while, hanging on top of all the other players, hanging with, you know, whatever you want to say about Minnesota, we know this, is that they are physical, they are strong, they're not afraid. And the San Antonio group is like completely like, just they're not intimidated by him whatsoever. The Ant. Five field goal attempts in the first half. You know, we can sit here and say, hey, can't happen. It was a little reminiscent of that Western Conference finals game last year against OKC where you're like, hey, you know, Ant, you've got to be more aggressive. You're going to take more shots. But it was one of those deals where it's like, well, if he's running into a double every single time, like, what do you want to do? There was plays last night where two are on him with the ball, and then Wemby's lurking behind, not playing anybody. And then that gets into the Rudy Gobert discussion, because Rudy, basically, Finch goes small in the fourth quarter. Rudy plays 209. And I was waiting for that. I was waiting for it last night to go. When is he going to pull the plug on Rudy, hoping just to put five offensive players out there? Because when Rudy, you know, that's why I made such a big deal about his two dunks. Well, the layup and then a dunk and N1, his five points to close out game four. It's like, hey, they actually passed to him. And then last night was another reminder of why usually they don't pass to him. So I don't. We'll talk about the Rudy thing afterwards because I think there's, like, a lot of victory lapping and. And I don't want to turn that into this because, like, look, they had plenty of issues. Minnesota had issues last night. Shot selection I don't think was great. There may be something about trying to get Ant coming up from the baseline or getting him off the ball instead of him just inviting himself into the trap all these times. But, like, dude, it's ridiculous. Like, when you're sitting there and it's Ant, so I'm not knocking him for not having enough shot attempts. If you're him and you're facing two perunor players in a double team and then Wemby's 10ft behind them, like, what the fuck are you supposed to do? So, look, this series, I didn't even know that it was going to go six, but Wemby, right now, I would rather watch him than any other player in the NBA. I usually don't get excited about loyalty programs. They promise big rewards. Then it's like you actually have to eat 48 pizzas to get one free. Wow. So when I heard about the Shell Fuel rewards program, I was skeptical. Shocking, I know. Me, skeptical. But here's the thing. It's actually kind of annoyingly practical. You're already getting gas, you're already grabbing takeout. You're already buying snacks you definitely didn't need, but absolutely deserve. With Shell Fuel rewards, you just get rewarded for that. And not in a fake point you'll never use way. It's actually savings on gas and the part that got me the savings stack. So it's not like one sad little discount. It's you fill up, you eat, you shop, and it all piles up into real savings at the pump. Joining takes less than three minutes in the shell app, and you'll save on every fill after that. Literally every single one. Join the Shell Fuel rewards program and save. We have Michael Winger in studio from the Wizards, president of. It's a massive title. You have a big title, Monumental Basketball.
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Michael Winger
It's a bloated title.
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Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, it's all right. Let's go through lottery day. You've got a great chance at the number one pick. It's my first time and probably last time ever in the drawing room. I'm glad I got the experience. It's Nice to see you there. Yeah, I know you were focused, but not rattled at all. But take me through. Is your stomach a mess? Are you anxious? Are you totally calm? You're like, hey, I have no control over this, so it doesn't matter. What did you actually feel like? Because you seemed stoic prior to and during.
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Michael Winger
It was my first experience in the room. And so part of me was just sort of consuming the environment, trying to figure out who was in the room, what folks purpose was in the room, making sure that I was saying hi to the people that I knew, giving hugs to the people that I wanted to give a hug to. But then once Byron started reading off the instructions, he asked everybody to take a seat and he starts reading the instructions. Yeah, I had the bubble guts a little bit. I was like, oh, my God, like, I can't believe I'm sitting here. You have all of these. You have this giant worksheet of lottery ball odds in front of you.
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Ryan Rosillo
And I'm trying to.
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Michael Winger
Yeah, right, exactly. A thousand scenarios. We had the first 140 of them. And so I'm quickly trying to process in my head, okay, what numbers do I need to see come up first? And the inverse, what numbers, if I see them are going to piss me off? And so first number was four. Thought, okay, that's a low number. I like low numbers. Second number was two. It's like, oh, I'll be damned. That's another low number. So this is good. And then when the one came up, I knew we had it because we had every 1, 2, 4 combination. And I was just sort of stunned for a minute. And I remember telling myself the entire time, whatever happens, just don't overreact. Don't overreact if it doesn't go your way, don't overreact if it goes your way, just don't overreact. But the gentleman sitting next to me from Indiana, Ted, he tapped me and so he and I both knew that we'd gotten. Not we. That the Wizards had gotten the pick. And then Byron called out the last number 13. And I just. The first thing I thought to myself was, I just wish I could be around my group right now to celebrate this moment because it really is an absolute buzzkill to be in that room for the next hour, not be able to call your owner, not being able to call your wife. You can't celebrate with your players, your gm, like nobody. And so. And you don't get to escape fast enough to get to them during their moment of elation. And so you're sort of like rounding third when it was the home run that won it. And, like, everybody's already celebrating. It's like, ah, you know, I sort of want to be in the pile, too. And you just can't get to the pile fast enough.
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Ryan Rosillo
That was a great explanation because it was something I thought about, like, this thing that's so important. It changes kind of the outlook for a franchise. And then it's like, now I can't tell my own.
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Michael Winger
I can't tell anybody. I can't. You know, I mean, there's a lot of folks in the room, guys.
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Ryan Rosillo
Like, we're going to bug me for an hour straight. You can't do anything.
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Michael Winger
But, you know, I mean, like, take you, for example, right? Came over, gave me a hug, you know, congratulations, and that means something. But you don't. You don't share the same joy because, like, you move on to your next thing. This is our next thing. It's like, this is our thing. And so there's nobody else in that room who shares that with me. Like, okay, we've got the first pick and really amazing draft, and what the hell are we going to do with it?
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Ryan Rosillo
Right. And you're also sitting next to somebody who's probably devastated. He's devastated. There's somebody else who I'm not going to name, but I hadn't really ever known, but we have a mutual friend. And I went over like an hour after the week we were just before. They were about to let us all out.
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Michael Winger
Yeah.
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Ryan Rosillo
And I was like, hey, you know, And I just went. I was gonna say hi. And I'm sure you said. But he. It was like I was invisible. He was still so upset about what had happened, but it wasn't. That was a very subdued room in general, like on the highs and lows. But it was. You could tell with this one person. It was just.
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Michael Winger
I know you're talking about. I felt the same.
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Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. And I. I was. It was like I was invisible. He was just kind of looking through me. And it's changes the course of franchises. So here you are. I'm trying to figure out a way for you not to be able to stonewall me on this. But then I'm also, I think, anticipating your answer.
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Michael Winger
Well, let's see how good of a stonewaller I am.
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Ryan Rosillo
How many players are in play for number one?
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Michael Winger
We can only draft one. True draft one.
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Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. They haven't changed that rule.
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Michael Winger
I think that there are three or four players in play. I think that by the time we get to. I would imagine that within the next few weeks that will change. And the reason I say that is because you don't prepare to have number one. And so all of the work that you're putting in, like in our case when the regular season ended, we knew that our floor was five. And so you have to find five guys that you can fall in love with. And as soon as the regular season ends, I mean, quite frankly, even before that, you start to study those guys. And it's easy to fall in love with guys who are really good basketball players and really good people. And there's a good handful of those guys at the top of the draft. It's like it's easy to fall in love with the kid that you think is probably available at 5. It's easy to fall in love with the kid that you think is probably available at 4. And so far, those are the kids that we've fallen in love with. It's like we like that group. We like that group a lot. The 3, 4, 5 group. Now that we get to prepare for one, we've got different work to do. And I imagine that over the course of the next handful of weeks we'll probably fall in love with two or maybe one player who will be the guy. But as of right now, having prepared for five, there's five guys we love. But over the course of the next few weeks, we'll, I mean one, we have no choice but to whittle it down. But now we get to focus on one, which is not something you do when you only have a 14% chance of getting it. You focus on the thing that you're most likely to get, which is five.
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Ryan Rosillo
I don't feel stonewalled at all. That was thorough and that was terrific. I do have follow ups, but here's a quick one. Does fit need break the tie?
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Michael Winger
I don't know that there would ever be a tie that's not. And I don't mean that with respect to this particular draft because it is very topic. Well, it's very deep. But even the guys at the top, like there's a lot of competition among those guys. I don't think that you ever get to a point where there's a tie. I think that you get to a point where. Like your player choosers, they have figured out some, some kind of way to distinguish between player A and player B such that there, there isn't a tie, so to speak. Fit could be a thing. I'll give you an example. Like, let's just Say, hypothetically, the top two players, the top three players in this draft, two of them were purely centers. We've got Alex Saar, who we're in love with and we think is going to be the forever wizard and a really, really great player. Probably doesn't make a ton of sense for us to draft a five at that with. With, like, the top pick, particularly if there's somebody else at a different position who is, you know, neck and neck. That might be a scenario where we let Fit break the tie, Maybe. But, like, in this draft, we don't really have that. We don't have that problem because I
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Ryan Rosillo
think your situation is incredibly unique because there's a bunch of young players I really like, you know, and Sar would be one of them. I mean, I could. I could just list a ton of them here. But then there's also a philosophical pivot with where the franchise is at, with the Trey trade and the AD trade. So normally a team that's picking this high, that has the kind of regular season record, I would normally be like, hey, don't worry about fit. Don't worry about it. That's where you can make mistakes when you're not a very good team. But the hope would be with those two players healthy and then the support of all the younger players around them is like, hey, this should be a team fighting for a playoff spot in the East. So before I kind of go down that road, I want to go back to that decision. Was it a philosophical pivot? Was it the pricing of these two guys that have made all star teams? What went into, hey, we need to do something different mid season.
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Michael Winger
So I think I. And we think of things sort of in the form of a pie chart. You've got all of these different slices of a pie that lead to a decision. And so various different slices of that pie were. Probably the biggest slice of the pie was our young players sort of showed us on the floor that they were ready to play in more competitive basketball games. I think that we had exhausted sort of this. Never mind wins and losses. Let's go try to develop these guys. Let's give these guys a ton of minutes, let them play through their mistakes, let them play through repeat mistakes, and you're, like, not banging them over the head with a loss. And so we did that for two years with Alex and three years with Bilal. Two years with Alex, key bub, one year with Trey Johnson. But we also wanted to see sort of when we draft guys, particularly in the first round, I shouldn't even Say, first round, when we draft guys that we believe in, we want to give them an opportunity to show what they can do. Like, we see them in practice every day, but your opponent in practice is your teammate who knows what you're doing. There are no secrets in practice. And so it's just a much harder environment to evaluate a player. And so throughout the course of this last season, we wanted to give Will Riley run. We wanted to give Jameer Watkins run. Like, we wanted to see what these guys could do. But once we were getting up toward the trade deadline, our group sort of, you know, we meet all the time we were watching, these guys are like, alex got a lot better, and Keyshawn got a lot better, and Bub got a lot better. Like, maybe it's time to. Maybe it's time to roll the ball out and be in considerably more competitive games. Okay, so we make that decision, then it is. Well, we. We've got basically two avenues to add proven talent, draft and free agency. You look at the prospect of. You look at the free agent prospects for the 26 off season, and we had a ton of cap space at the time. We were scheduled to have, like, 85 million in room. It was our opinion that Trae Young was the best free agent on the board. And we decided internally, okay, like, if this is the best free agent, like, he fits with us, he would really help our young players get better. He'd help us be in competitive games. Let's, you know, like, let's put in a call, see if this is even worth the conversation. I mean, to Atlanta, see if, like, they have plans to retain him, whatever the case may be. And we immediately got into really friendly professional conversations with the Hawks that escalated quickly, and we end up trading for Trae Young. And then, so once we got Trey, it became, I don't want to say our philosophy, because our philosophy's been the same from day one. But our competitive approach changed, and we knew that we would be some degree of good with Trae Young, and even if it was just all of our young guys, but you're still three weeks away from the trade deadline, so you're talking to every team. And a friend of mine was managing Dallas, and so we sort of danced around AD a little bit, like, what are you thinking? What are you doing? And then it became sort of apparent that they would entertain a conversation. And so internally, we decided, oh, hell, we've already gotten Trae Young. What if we paired him with one of the best bigs in the league? One of the best Bigs of all time. And we just sort of. We went with it. It was, you know, the price point was right for us. Neither player displaced, sort of like a proven player in that position. And we knew that whatever happens at the draft, like, whoever we draft is going to be able to fit between Ty and AD and
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Ryan Rosillo
Alex.
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Michael Winger
And like, everything else is, like, these guys got to compete for their minutes. And so we're very fortunate to add
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Ryan Rosillo
those guys because I think there was a time, like, when the first thing happened with Trey, I went, okay, you know, look, it's the. The piece is going out in his resume. And I also think, like, sometimes, even. Even those on the outside, like, we can be critical of some players, be like, you know how hard it is to be what he's been. Do you know how hard it is to be, like, what AD has been at that time? And, like, there's this gap, I think, that you guys understand every single day. And it's like, we're trying to. If you don't have anyone that's kind of in that level, you're trying desperately to figure out a way to do it. And so when the deal happened, I was like, God, there's all these young guys I love.
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Michael Winger
This is the trade deal.
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Ryan Rosillo
The trade deal, the first trade deal. Because I was like, all right. Like, you know, there's certainly in. In my experience watching him, I'm like, hey, the high side is great. The low side. There's some stuff that I found sort of frustrating. Um, and then I thought, okay, does his presence open up everything for these guys to feel more free, or does it potentially, like, get in the way if he decides, like, hey, I'm just going to take every single shot, and then it's everybody kind of. Because I think that happened at times with Atlanta. So when it happened, I. I didn't get a chance to ask you the question, but I. I guess I'm asking it now is like, what are you discussing on how he impacts the development of all of these resources that you've put into all these young players around him? Because, you know, I could probably guess a couple different answers on it, but I'm curious how you play that out leading up to the decision to do it.
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Michael Winger
Well, there's two sides of the floor, and so offensively, he's an absolute genius. I mean, he is a savant with the basketball in his hands. He's a playmaker, he's a shooter. He can create for others. He'd create for himself up until that point, or I should say, really, up until the time that we can get him on the floor sustainably healthy. Other players on the floor have had to create for themselves and others, and we don't have a pure, natural playmaker, like. Well, I was gonna say like Trae Young, but, like, Trae Young doesn't really exist anyway. We struggle offensively to create because we don't have somebody as naturally gifted as he is at creating something. Like, he is an offensive engine. We lacked an offensive engine. We have great play finishers. We have great athletes. We have great guys who. Who do something great, but we didn't have an offensive engine. And so what we felt was adding him as an offensive engine, he will create space for everybody else. He creates a lot of defensive movement. I mean, he's a. He's a. He's a float threat, and he's a lob threat. He's a three. A threat from three.
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Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. I mean, SAR should be.
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Michael Winger
Yeah.
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Ryan Rosillo
But, like, depending on how AD and Saar would play next to each other anyway. But, like, it's the best thing ever for a big. For sure. Right.
- [30:31]
Michael Winger
And when Trae Young has the ball in his hands, there's 10 defensive eyeballs on him, and if there's 10 defensive eyeballs on him, then hopefully somebody gets some space. Hopefully somebody gets a split second to make a move. And that, like, you can't replicate that with coaching, with. With, like, you know, designing a bunch of fancy plays. You just can't recreate what Trae Young does. And so we felt very strongly that he would help our guys get open looks, whether at the rim, in the corner pocket, it doesn't even matter. But also, having somebody on the floor that has been to multiple All Star games, who's played in the postseason, you know, we wanted that. We wanted somebody who could sort of, like, articulate what that requires in the regular season. And so that was partly why we. And then on the offense or on the defensive end, like, I mean, he'll be the first to tell you, like, he's not. He's not a humongous athlete. And so, like, he gives up size on the defensive end, but he, like, he'll play with effort, he'll play with. He'll play with intelligence. And, you know, he talks defensively when he's in the position to talk. And so. But right. He's not a shop locker, and guys could potentially bully him where they need to bully him, like, bigger guys, huge guys. But that's okay because that puts more pressure on Alex, and we don't mind the Pressure on Alex, that puts more pressure on Bilal. That's fine. We want that pressure on those guys. So we're, you know, he's going to add a lot of value to us, and that's why we did the deal.
- [32:10]
Ryan Rosillo
Do you know who is going to be the center between SAR and ad? Because we know how AD feels about playing center.
- [32:15]
Michael Winger
I would imagine. I would imagine Alex. I would imagine Alex.
- [32:19]
Ryan Rosillo
Right.
- [32:21]
Michael Winger
But if AD says, you know, AD wants to play the four, I think, well, that's been.
- [32:26]
Ryan Rosillo
That's historically. Because I think there's a hope that, like, SAR is sort of that. I mean, the best version of him is like, man, if you have this stretch five, it. To me, that's like, if you're a gm, you go, what's the number one thing you want? And I'd be like, hey, can I find a stretch 5 who plays defense? It's why Porzingis is going to get another contract this off season. But I think that part of it is kind of really interesting because it kind of depends on who provides the spacing more so than the preference.
- [32:56]
Michael Winger
Well,
- [32:59]
Ryan Rosillo
yes, offensively, maybe.
- [33:01]
Michael Winger
I would also submit that AD is a special talent and AD's a special guy. And if AD says, I need a break from the 5 for a few minutes, BK is going to give him a break from the 5 for a Few minutes. So we will. I mean, we will listen to Anthony. He says, you know, I love that he has a very loud vote in what happens on the court.
- [33:31]
Ryan Rosillo
Do you think these trades,
- [33:35]
Michael Winger
it doesn't
- [33:36]
Ryan Rosillo
signal anything in the timeline, but I think it confirms something that I've felt for a while is like, you start hoarding cap space, you might be wasting your time.
- [33:44]
Michael Winger
I think. I don't know that it's a waste of time. I think it's a. I think it's a high risk going into free agency with a tremendous amount of cab space in what could also be a limited free agent marketplace. And so that was part of our analysis. That pie chart was, okay, if we don't do this deal with Trey and then we don't subsequently do the second deal with ad, what are we doing with this cap space? Well, one, we're going to chase Trae Young and hope he comes, but, boy, it sure would be a whole hell of a lot easier to sign him in free agency if he's already got six months of experience with us, wouldn't it? So that's partly why we traded for him. But there's got to be guys in free agency that are willing to come, right?
- [34:28]
Ryan Rosillo
And you don't know that.
- [34:29]
Michael Winger
You don't know. You don't know. And guys aren't really getting to free agency anymore. It's like if a player wants to be on his team and a team wants him on that team, they pay him, like, they extend him. And so it's just not. It's not as prevalent as it used to be. Like, you used to be able to go into free agency with a bunch of cap room and have meetings lined up and talk to stars and they just don't get there anymore.
- [34:59]
Ryan Rosillo
Is there any lesson along your stops with some of the. I think the best basketball minds that you know, I think the philosophies can change just based on like the cap space thing is a really good example. But is there a moment or some kind of thing that you can actually share? Because there might be a strategy you don't want to share with us where you're like, hey, this is just a great way of thinking about this game and prioritizing kind of the right things. Because I feel like all the guys I've gotten to know that do the job that you do, you know, some of it's very similar and some of it's like fascinating and how different people can be on. On prioritizing, like, hey, this is so hard. I think it's the hardest general manager job in American sports because the math and if you don't have one of those guys, it doesn't really matter. But in your years of doing this, something that you've kind of stayed true to. It's a great question.
- [35:50]
Michael Winger
A couple things come to mind. One is probably I learned in Oklahoma City was the importance of vets around young players. The importance of the right vets around young players who have the right professional disposition but are also unafraid to say what needs to be said, who've had the real life experiences to draw upon in order to say the thing that needs to be said, but who are also still very capable basketball players so that they aren't discounted by virtue of their age or their inability to, you know, perform. And so, you know, like, we had Chris for a while, we had CJ for a while, and those guys were outstanding. I mean, just absolutely freaking outstanding for us. And quite frankly, the hardest part of doing our trades was trading Chris and trading cj. But I learned in Oklahoma City that you need guys like that around young players. You need guys like that to help
- [36:58]
Ryan Rosillo
give me a Chris story, because I love him.
- [37:01]
Michael Winger
I don't have Chris Stories. Because Chris stories stay in the locker room.
- [37:06]
Ryan Rosillo
I'll tell you one that I think is not that bad. So it's not like. Well, I don't mean bad and like, I'm not ashamed. But I was told when he got there, Billy was like, hey, you know, it's sort of a weird dynamic.
- [37:18]
Michael Winger
Which Chris are you talking about?
- [37:19]
Ryan Rosillo
I'm talking about Chris Paul.
- [37:20]
Michael Winger
I'm talking about Chris Middleton.
- [37:22]
Ryan Rosillo
Oh. I don't have him ranked as high in my vet thing. So I. That's. That's. And whenever I hear Chris, I think, got it.
- [37:29]
Michael Winger
And I was not Oklahoma City with Chris Paul.
- [37:31]
Ryan Rosillo
You were the Clippers.
- [37:32]
Michael Winger
Yeah, I already left.
- [37:33]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. All right. So I don't know, are there any stories anyone told you about Chris Paul? I'm just kidding.
- [37:37]
Michael Winger
I mean, I've heard a lot of Chris Paul stories.
- [37:41]
Ryan Rosillo
That's really funny.
- [37:42]
Michael Winger
All for the good.
- [37:43]
Ryan Rosillo
Well, I was. Because I was like, wait a minute, was he in there in the 20 series? I'm like, I don't know. Because in a way, I was like, I thought he was already with the. The Clippers, but then I was like, all right, we're already down this road. You can't tell us a Chris Middleton story. That's fine. CJ though, stud. When he got to New Orleans, they were like, thank God.
- [38:04]
Michael Winger
Wait, they. New Orleans?
- [38:05]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. I mean, I'm talking when he first showed up there, I remember hearing. And again, I don't think I'm sharing it, but it's just like, we've got an adult here.
- [38:13]
Michael Winger
He's an adult. He's an adult. He's ultra high character. He takes unbelievable care of his body. He's constantly in the gym.
- [38:19]
Ryan Rosillo
Really good. And it was like, hey, let's get
- [38:20]
Michael Winger
this a 20 point per game score.
- [38:22]
Ryan Rosillo
If you don't trade him, I don't think you end up with a number one bit. No comment. I didn't mean it that way. But, you know, I love that you said that, because when I see some of these rebuilds, maybe it's guys with different backgrounds that come in. Maybe it's the media. It's like, everybody's supposed to be 18 or 21.
- [38:43]
Michael Winger
Yeah.
- [38:43]
Ryan Rosillo
And then it's like, okay, well, cool, so we're just going to lose a million games. And we all understand what's happening here, but, like, I think there's some teams that kind of doomed their young core guys by having horrible habits of getting their brains beat in for, like, three plus years.
- [38:55]
Michael Winger
I agree with that. I've seen that.
- [38:57]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, yeah.
- [38:59]
Michael Winger
And then one other thing that I recall learning, particularly in Oklahoma City, I mean, I'm sorry with la, is
- [39:09]
Boothill Casino Representative
all
- [39:09]
Michael Winger
these guys are still writing the book on who they are, no matter how old they are. And whatever some guy did in Miami or Charlotte or Brooklyn, your environment can help a guy be different. While leopards may or may not be able to change their spots, the perception of that leopard can change. And so we had some rough dudes in LA from time to time and they were unbelievably important to our organization. And like, whether or not people could change, I don't know the answer to that. But don't necessarily take the most widely held view of a guy and assume that that's the truth. And so really knowing a guy and giving him grace, giving him a second chance or a third chance to be something different than maybe he's been before, I think that's really important.
- [40:05]
Ryan Rosillo
Wow, I've not heard that answer before. I really like that because, yeah, I mean, I can sit here and hear and then like he gets another chance and then you'll hear about it like, no, no, we need, we need this edge. Like, I think every team needs like one guy. And you may not like the overall package, but in some of those spots, like, you need somebody who's ready to fight back. I think that's like a standard roster rule that enough teams don't, don't buy into. That's actually a good transit. I don't know how we'll finish up here quickly, but, you know, there's a unique situation with Peterson here because of the year that he just had. And then I went back and watched the high school stuff, so I was like, oh my God, prolific. Like, oh, all right. Now that you have the number one pick and he's in that conversation, like, how different does the work go into trying to figure out what happened this past year at Kansas?
- [40:51]
Michael Winger
It's the same work with everybody. It's the same work with everybody. It's just he has his variables, the other guys have their variables, but you still have to dig into all this stuff. You have to dig into the health, you have to dig into the family, you have to dig into the competitiveness. How good of a teammate is he when things aren't going well? How does he respond to that? How does he like to learn? Is he a visual learner? Is he an audio learner? Is he a hands on learner? We dig into every imaginable piece of information we can dig into to help us understand the athlete we owe it to the organization. We have to the fans to dig into that info. But sure, like on his list of things to dig into, the health. Yeah. I mean, you have no choice. Like, you saw it in real time at Kansas, but it's not at all unique. Every draft candidate has something that you need to study. There's just no perfect guy. That's not to say there's no perfect guy in this draft. There's just no perfect player.
- [41:50]
Ryan Rosillo
I'll close with this. You played, I think 26 guys got into a game pre this year.
- [41:54]
Michael Winger
I didn't know that.
- [41:55]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. It was actually lower than maybe I thought it was going to be when I did the math on it. So there's things I like about bub. There's things I like about Bilal, and there's certain, like, fit stuff. Saar has all sorts of traits of like, hey, this could be really good. And then Trey was one of my favorite players in the draft. I love Keyshawn. I mean, you've got. I thought Jameer had some minutes where I'm like, okay, this is real. The Will Riley stuff. At the end of the year, you even had Julian Reese have like an 1820 game. I haven't at even looked. Mention Cam Whitmore. Leaky Black, who I bet you like Sharif.
- [42:27]
Michael Winger
Sharif.
- [42:28]
Ryan Rosillo
Sharif coming in. Yeah. Who I. I'll admit, like, after his. I was like, oh, that's not going to work.
- [42:33]
Michael Winger
And he won us a game in Detroit. I mean, he was outstanding and he was great for us all season long.
- [42:39]
Ryan Rosillo
It feels a bit like. I don't know if you'll answer, like, do you have any idea, Tristan?
- [42:45]
Michael Winger
I mean, Tristan was terrific for us.
- [42:46]
Ryan Rosillo
Tristan. I mean, it just, it was. There were all these nights where like, hey, if you were on, like, yeah, let me eat my eyes on the Wizards for a few minutes. And I'd be like, ah, this guy's playing his ass off. And I thought the wheel stuff was good to close the year too, as I said. So there's a lot of guys I like and it. It kind of feels like in the best way ever in sports is like, hey, you guys are going to have to figure out who's going to be who here. I mean, it really feels like this going into this year. The number one pick, AD Obviously, Trey. It's like, hey, those minutes are not going to be there for you anymore. Was that a conscious decision?
- [43:15]
Michael Winger
Yeah. And in exit interviews, you know, big team meeting at the end of the season. BK said it. Will said it in individual meetings. We've all said it. Like, nothing is promised to anybody anymore. And so we promise to maintain a culture of development 100%. Like, that's just in our DNA. That's who we are for the rest of time. For the rest of our time. Like, it's a culture of improvement. It's a culture of player development. Ad the oldest guy on the team to the youngest guy on the team. But for the last handful of years, a lot of minutes have been just gifted to our draft. The kids that we've selected in the draft, and we've let them work through mistakes and mistakes and mistakes. That's. So when some of these guys that you're talking about sort of showed us some of these guys are ready to be in competitive games.
- [44:12]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. Like you said at the top, we
- [44:14]
Michael Winger
got to be in good games. In order for us to be in good games, we tolerate fewer mistakes. We have to play guys who know how to play. We have to play the guys that are playing well. And so by virtue of wanting to win more basketball games, our tolerance for mistakes, our tolerance for laziness will be either little or nothing. And so you're exactly right. These guys are going to have to fight for their minutes. And whoever's, you know, whoever steps up in camp and whoever steps up in practice and, you know, I mean, it's an NBA season. It's a very long NBA season, so guys are going to get hurt, but it's no more gifts. And I love that because I like, our group is ridiculously competitive. I mean, almost comically competitive. You just watch these guys in practice, like, geez, like, is there anything they don't compete at?
- [45:06]
Ryan Rosillo
Right?
- [45:06]
Michael Winger
Like, first to the parking spot, like, come on, who cares? But it'll be competitive. It'll be a really competitive camp. It'll be a really competitive early start to the season. But to your point, it's like, if you want to win, that's NBA basketball. You have to compete.
- [45:25]
Ryan Rosillo
Did you keep the four ping pong balls?
- [45:28]
Michael Winger
I can't answer that question. I have secrets. I can't tell you.
- [45:33]
Co-host/Panelist 1
I.
- [45:33]
Ryan Rosillo
Look, I think you were very, very helpful in this. Did you. If you had dropped out of the top four, would you have come on the show?
- [45:39]
Michael Winger
Yeah, I would have.
- [45:43]
Ryan Rosillo
You're the man. Thank you so much for doing this.
- [45:45]
Michael Winger
Appreciate you having me.
- [45:46]
Ryan Rosillo
Have fun doing all the homework, man.
- [45:49]
Michael Winger
Good seeing you again.
- [45:49]
Ryan Rosillo
Good seeing you. There's no better place to watch the NBA playoffs than at kosm. I've been wanting to check it out. Looks like you can go courtside in Shared reality as Cosm's massive LED dome surrounds you. Adjacent to the dome is the hall made for the fans. It's your game day HQ with every game all at once on a wall to wall LED display. Great food and drinks delivered to you in your seat. When you can't be there, be at cosm, get your tickets and get your courtside at kosm. That's C O s m dot com. Today we have a lottery pick in studio. I'm going to let him introduce himself here because, Nate, it seems like I've seen your name pronounced a million different ways and I'm already starting to worry about it. I think I do know what it is, but why don't we just.
- [46:37]
Nate Amen
What do you think it is?
- [46:37]
Ryan Rosillo
I think it's Amen. Yeah.
- [46:39]
Nate Amen
Correct. My name is Nate Ament from University of Tennessee. Now, I actually pronounced it wrong. My dad saw an interview, my first ever, like, interview. I pronounced it wrong. I said Nate Ament and he let me hear it. He said, what the hell are you doing, man? So now I say it correctly.
- [46:55]
Ryan Rosillo
Well, that's. I can imagine a dad being like, what are you doing here? Yeah, I just think it's. It's one of those things. It's like you got to get it right before you come in. Thanks for doing this. How have these last couple days been for you as you.
- [47:06]
Nate Amen
It's been good, a little hectic, but, you know, just blessed, honored and grateful for the opportunity.
- [47:11]
Ryan Rosillo
The great thing is, is the reaction to when you measure really well, as if you're also supposed to be surprised. Do you realize like how ridiculous that is? Like, hey, great job on the measurements. You're like. I was actually pretty aware how tall I was.
- [47:23]
Nate Amen
It wasn't really surprise to me, to be honest. I've been living in this body for a little bit now, so
- [47:29]
Ryan Rosillo
there was no. You're not still growing?
- [47:31]
Nate Amen
I think I might be. I'm trying to get some facial hair. So until I get that, until I get that, I think I'm still growing.
- [47:37]
Ryan Rosillo
How many interviews have you done?
- [47:38]
Nate Amen
I've done. Today was my first day. I did four today, got seven tomorrow, then two on Thursday.
- [47:46]
Ryan Rosillo
What will you remember the most? I think from the interview process today?
- [47:51]
Nate Amen
Man, I mean, they just be grilling you. Just sit down, they grill you, watch some film, watch some bad clips, some good clips. I don't know. I mean, first ever job interview is pretty good one. I mean, pretty high level job, I think.
- [48:04]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, it's true. Yeah. They don't let everybody apply for these Jobs. So that's. That's a good part that you're already. Already here. I. I do want to ask you this just because of, like, the nil and how much has changed things. What was realistic about you potentially going back to Tennessee?
- [48:19]
Nate Amen
Yeah, I mean, it was. It was a very real conversation.
- [48:21]
Ryan Rosillo
Really?
- [48:21]
Nate Amen
Yeah. I mean, I think you'd be stupid not to, you know, consider every option. And, I mean, I think I still left a little bit on the table with my college performance. I think I could have done a lot more. And, yeah, I mean, we're just, you know, waiting to hear back feedback from the, you know, the teams in lottery and see what's going on. But I think we got ourselves in a pretty good position, so just kind of made sense to enter the draft.
- [48:43]
Ryan Rosillo
What did you like about your freshman year?
- [48:46]
Nate Amen
I loved a lot of it. I mean, my teammates, for the most part, like, they were just the best teammates could have had. Also just the University of Tennessee and Knoxville in and of itself. I think it's, like, the best. Not only campus university, but just, like, the best city most. Like, it's growing super fast, and there's so much to do there. But, yeah, I mean, the fans were great. Everything was great. Coach Barnes gave me hell for the whole year, but it was. It was one of the best years of my life, for sure.
- [49:11]
Ryan Rosillo
When I was 16, I went to his camp in Providence.
- [49:13]
Nate Amen
Really?
- [49:13]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. He was the worst. I hated him so much. Now, granted, he wasn't super locked in. You know, Maybe I was 5, 11, then Wing from Martha's Vineyard, so I wasn't necessarily on PC's radar. But I remember he spoke to us, and I didn't like him before. Then he spoke to us, and I liked him even less afterwards. And I'll never forget, he, like, looked at 200 of us, and there were some real dudes. Like, there was guys that was gonna play D1 in some of the games we were playing in. But he was like, I can beat every single one of you one on one. And guys were kind of looking at each other, and we were like, what?
- [49:51]
Nate Amen
You know, what's kind of crazy is I. As soon as I got here, I met one of his old friends.
- [49:55]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah.
- [49:56]
Nate Amen
And he was like, hey, give. Give Rick a call for me. I know he makes you guys play defense, but when he played, he never played any type of defense. So I'm gonna give him a call and let him hear it for sure.
- [50:04]
Ryan Rosillo
Well, it was nuts. Cause, like, there were some real, like, you know, New York kids there. And, you know, that's the cool thing about camp. Especially, like, when you're from this place. I can't even call where I'm from. It's like a suburbs, an island, completely isolated from everything. So there wasn't a ton of run. But I remember, like, Rick kept giving this speech over and over and over again. And then guy, there were some guys from the city that were just like, we were sitting in this hot Providence summer day on a court. Our asses, our back hurt. Like, even as teenagers, I'm like, I'm cramping. This is so bad. And then guy started, like, saying stuff, been like, hey, shut the up. You know, he would kind of like look around because you couldn't figure out of like the 200 kids. And then he picked a dude. He was like, all right. He's like, I'm gonna prove it right now. I can beat any one of you. And he picked a guy with seriously, like, with old school rec specs on. It was one of the least athletic looking dudes there. And then he, like, put him in the blender and started posting him up and killed him. And guys were like, this is who you picked to prove the point. Like, even as high school kids, we couldn't believe it. The point is, is that I brought it up to Rick once and I didn't get as in detail as I just did here. And he kind of was like, yeah, I was kind of messed up back then. And now I think you guys know that he's a hard coach, but that it seems like he's mellowed in a way where. Where he's getting guys in still.
- [51:19]
Michael Winger
And it.
- [51:19]
Ryan Rosillo
And it feels like the players like him more because I think in Providence they hated him 100%.
- [51:23]
Nate Amen
He tells us. I mean, we were in a film. Film session one time, and our film session is super long, but, like, towards the end, he was just telling us, like, how good we have it because, like, when he was at Texas in Providence, he said he treated his players like dogs. Like he was just. He would run him to have five hour practices, run him however he wanted to, talk to him however he wanted to. But he definitely showed out a lot, for sure. But that also just speaks to how crazy he probably was when he's at Texas and Providence.
- [51:47]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. For. To get a guy. Because I still think college basketball coaches are 10 times crazier than college football coaches.
- [51:51]
Nate Amen
Yeah.
- [51:52]
Ryan Rosillo
People are always like, no, football, football, fine. I'm like, no, no, you don't understand. Like, the craziest college basketball coach is still crazier than the. The top football guy. Again, an opinion, but I think I've seen it enough. And when Rick is like, yeah, like, he's agreeing with you. When I was kind of like, hinting at this story, but all right, let's look at the other side. Because you said you were watching some film with different teams. Like, if I said, hey, what didn't you like about your freshman year? What would you say?
- [52:15]
Nate Amen
Yeah, I mean, I think from a. From a production standpoint, I feel like my numbers, I think, could have been a lot better. I think in towards the, you know, beginning half of the season, I think definitely could have performed a lot better. I think I started to pick it up towards the end, but I think that, you know, just in overall terms of the numbers and, you know, what I produce, I think I could have, you know, been way more efficient and had a lot better games to, you know, honestly help us win a lot more.
- [52:43]
Ryan Rosillo
To be honest, some of the stuff that I saw, like, I was like, all right, what. What's going on here? Like, when you're a younger player and you have, like a ball dominant guard who's been around a little bit more, more, it's like I felt like you got stuck playing off the ball, and then it was like, I don't know if that takes you out of aggressiveness or if it's like, hey, this isn't my responsibility and I'm supposed to get somebody else loose. Like, it's probably the first time in your life that uncertain possessions. It's like your role is this and not all the things that you had in growing up. How hard was that?
- [53:13]
Nate Amen
Yeah, I mean, it was pretty hard. I mean, it was. I mean, it was great playing with, you know, the guys I was played with. And I kind of knew. I knew it coming in for sure. But I mean, just with Tennessee, we. We try to play in the half court a little bit, try to, you know, play fewer possession game and try to make each possession matter. So it's kind of different for me. You know, coming out of high school, you just guns a blazing, get the ball, you're going to the other basket as quick as you can. But, I mean, I think it's important to learn different styles, important to learn how to play on the ball, off the ball. It's another reason why I chose Tennessee. And, you know, when I get to the NBA, I'm not always going to be on the ball. I'm gonna be playing with hall of Famers and great other players. So It's a, it's a good contrast to learn from this in high school where I was on the ball constantly to go to, you know, Tennessee, where all five players on the court could be on the ball.
- [54:01]
Ryan Rosillo
How many of these guys have you played with that are projected lottery picks? Like how not played with or maybe you have, but different stops. Cause I don't know your full AAU high school career, but I imagine a few of these guys you played against, right?
- [54:13]
Nate Amen
I think I've played against almost everybody or with them at a camp. Yeah, I've played with, with or against either in college, high school, almost everybody in the lottery.
- [54:24]
Ryan Rosillo
Can you give us a scouting report on anybody? Is there anybody? I mean, this might be. Yeah, I don't know if agent's gonna like this, but is there somebody? You're like, I can't believe this guy's projected ahead of me. You may not want to see an answer because then you come off as a jerk. I mean, I may be a GM going, I love that that's in him.
- [54:41]
Nate Amen
I mean, I personally think that I'm the best player in the draft. Obviously I'm going to take myself over.
- [54:47]
Ryan Rosillo
Why would you take yourself over everybody else?
- [54:50]
Nate Amen
I just think, I mean, for me it's a no brainer. I think, how could you pass up on me? Like, when it comes to size and skill set, with that size, I think there's not anything on the court I can't do. I think I'm a young player and I'm only getting better. And if you look at me from high school till now, when I first started playing basketball, each year I've gotten better and better. I've grown in, in height and weight and just that upward trajectory is, is a sign of growth. And I think you really will be kind of stupid to pass up.
- [55:17]
Ryan Rosillo
I do think like at your height, the guys that think they can dribble, you can actually dribble. Yeah, I, I think it's actually like my favorite thing about you where I go, oh, wait, like you're really a perimeter guy at 6:10?
- [55:29]
Nate Amen
Yeah.
- [55:31]
Ryan Rosillo
There's also kind of a story that I don't know that many people know about. But like, when you got hurt this year, was there a debate on just shutting it down?
- [55:38]
Nate Amen
Never. Not for me at least.
- [55:39]
Ryan Rosillo
But did they want to shut you down?
- [55:40]
Nate Amen
They want to shut me down for the next couple games. They told me, they said it could be two to six weeks, you gotta sit out. But for me, I was trying to get back the next game and this
- [55:50]
Ryan Rosillo
Is after the Alabama game.
- [55:51]
Nate Amen
Yeah.
- [55:51]
Ryan Rosillo
Injury.
- [55:52]
Nate Amen
Yeah. I mean, I got injured during that game and I tried. When we went back to the training room, I told him just to throw some more tape on it and let me hop back out there. But I'm kind of fortunate that they didn't let me do that. Could have been way worse if, if I went back out there. But yeah, there was no chance I was going to sit on March Madness or even the SEC tournament for that matter.
- [56:07]
Ryan Rosillo
Even though, you know, like, there's probably some stuff about March Madness you'd like to do over, but the overall experience to have that kind of attention on you. What are you going to remember from that time?
- [56:18]
Nate Amen
Everything. This was the best team, one of the best teams I've ever been on. Playing for the best university in the country. It brings me so much joy and makes me so proud to be able to wear the Tennessee across the front of my chest and then. And obviously represent my family with the name on the back. But we just had so much fun with it. I think that, you know, as the, the year went on, we just grew so much closer, especially towards March Madness. It was probably like one of the best months that we had.
- [56:43]
Ryan Rosillo
When you think about your rookie year in the NBA, you know, it's. I know what the right answer would be. Right. Because it's kind of like, hey, I'd like to play. But then it's like, would there be a benefit to being with a better organization, a better coach, maybe prioritizing development? What if it's a little bit later than I want to go, but it's a more competitive team? Like, what are you hoping for other than just the stock answer of like, hey, I'm just excited to fulfill a dream and all that. Because they're like, for you, it's. It. It could be like a few different landing spots that are totally different scenarios for a rookie.
- [57:14]
Nate Amen
I could go. I mean, yeah, you're right. I go anywhere. I mean, my ego says want to say that, you know, obviously I want to be the highest pick I can be. That's just my ego talking. But if we're talking longevity wise and the career I want to have, like you. I mean, you mentioned it, like, I just want to go to the best team for me and develop. I think that this is like the most crucial time for us young players. Like, our career can go so many different ways based off where we're drafted. And I think for me, as. Because I'm so young, because, you know, my ceiling super high and I'M not the player I want to be yet that whatever team I get drafted to is going to be leave a huge imprint on my career. So I think that's just another, you know, huge, huge thing for me.
- [57:52]
Ryan Rosillo
And the great thing is we just found out from your reps you're going to play in the scrimmages next two days, which is crazy.
- [57:57]
Nate Amen
100%. Yeah. Yeah.
- [57:59]
Ryan Rosillo
For a guy projected as high as you're going to go, we don't see that very often. So commit. I'm just kidding around, man. I'll see you out there stretching maybe and getting some of the free gear. Enjoy the week. It's a really cool experience, and I can't wait to see where this all goes down in June.
- [58:13]
Nate Amen
Nate, appreciate it. Thank you.
- [58:16]
Ryan Rosillo
Okay, guys, it's grit week. This is the part of the football calendar where nobody's watching but everything gets back built early mornings, pads back on conditioning, film reps. Spring training in football is all about putting in the work when nobody's cheering yet. And honestly, that's the same mindset behind the Chevy Silverado. This is a truck that is the definition of grit. Long days, dirty work, and showing up day after day, no matter the conditions. Strong, dependable, and built for the grind. Because grit isn't about being flashy. It's about being ready when it's time to go. Check out the current offers and build your silverado@chevy.com that's Silverado. All grit, no quit. And you can build your Silverado@chevy.com today.
- [59:09]
Michael Winger
You want details?
- [59:10]
Ryan Rosillo
Fine. I drive a Ferrari 355 Cabriolet. What's up? 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. Today's life advice is brought to you by Microsoft 365 copilot. What if you could add an AI assistant to your work without leaving your workflow built into Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook? Copilot works where you work, helping you do more in the apps you already use. In Word, Copilot helps turn scattered notes into a first draft. In Excel, it generates insights from your data. And in Outlook, it cuts through the noise to get you up to speed faster. The apps you know go further with Copilot. Learn more@m365copilot.com Work all right. Our Combine studios. How's everybody feeling today?
- [60:04]
Boothill Casino Representative
Much better now. Let's leave it at that.
- [60:08]
Ryan Rosillo
We will leave it at that.
- [60:09]
Boothill Casino Representative
Yeah.
- [60:10]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Breakfast buffets, man, it's. It's a wild card. Yeah.
- [60:13]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. Well, tight, tight quarters here. I appreciate the decision anyway because I was kind of like, wait a minute. Don't get too comfortable. All right, 41, 5, 10, 190. Mostly just walk my dog and implement the occasional fast After a heavy duty weekend comp. Big cat think about getting fit regularly, but usually end up ordering a little extra for the table while I'm out to eat. A little extra for the table? Yeah. Big cat's got a great frame. Great frame. What a waste. I'm 41, divorced once, and my bank account is best described as humble. Well, that's pretty good. Honestly, after three years ago, I met my now wife at work. She's smart, beautiful, and was 26 at the time. So that means he was 38, she was 26. I think that's pretty normal. I was in the middle of a messy divorce, had zero interest in dating. But after a year, me dodging happy hours, we played nine holes in a muni course with coworkers. She can't hit an iron to save her life, but I've been all in ever since. I think there's a lot of guys out there who wouldn't want to be married to somebody who is better at them than golf. I think I'd be okay with it. All right. We legally tied the knot in January, and the two of us are heading to Bora Bora in June for an official ceremony. Full disclosure, I'm not footing the bill. That's her dad. I would never ask for something like this and definitely feel a little uncomfortable with that kind of money getting thrown around. But it's always been her dream, and her dad insisted on granting the wish. He's a great guy. We get along really well. Her mom and siblings slowly got on board, too. Except for the little brother. 23. The kid is on a mission. He texts her constantly saying she's ruining the family. Calls me a pedophile and a gold digger. Okay, this guy's online all the time? This 23 year old?
- [61:59]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Yeah, it's a bummer.
- [62:00]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, he was raised by online concern and essentially prays for our downfall. My wife and I talk through everything early on in our relationship. The age gap, the money, the past. Dude, it's 12 years. It's not sound like a Hugh Hefner situation. The past and we're solid. She shrugs him off, but reading that level of hate toward her makes me want to lace up the gloves. I'm not going to catch A battery charge. But do I confront him, text, call, meet in person? Or I just wait for him to grow up while he's enjoying. While we're enjoying our life together? Have you experienced something like this or know anyone that has? Looking forward to sharing notes on a future Bora Bora Travelog. Wow. Yeah, look, it kind of sucks, but I think you answered your own thing. Of all the different options here, you're just going to have to wait until he grows out of this thing. And if you're going to be together a long time, I would put money on him eventually hitting an age here, maybe the next five years, maybe seven if he's still online a lot, watching conspiracy videos on YouTube and isn't working 40 hours a week like this kid. Unfortunately, I think some of the stuff that's like a cool awareness thing, like, I've talked about this with my friends where, like, I never, ever would have in college. It blows somebody's mind to be like, hey, do you still talk to Mark? And you're like, no, I don't like his politics. That happened zero times in the eight years I was in college. All right. There was one guy that once said something positive about Newt Gingrich, and I was like, what are you talking about? And he was like, he's running the country right now, Rossillo. And he was so proud of.
- [63:25]
Co-host/Panelist 1
That was a smart guy thing to say back then, too.
- [63:27]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, well, Newt had some serious, like, momentum there for a little while in the mid-90s, but this guy was like, sort of on current events more than anybody else was. And you just knew, like, I don't have a counter for you and I don't care and I'm gonna go play hockey.
- [63:41]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Like, yeah. I remember there was dudes who'd be like, you know, he's really the most powerful man in America. Alan Greenspan.
- [63:46]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah.
- [63:47]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Like, yeah. Are you just saying that because you've heard other guys say that and it sounds smart or yes, yes, is the reason.
- [63:52]
Ryan Rosillo
But I would say, like, in the awareness of some of the good things, like some of the issues in society, like the awareness level, there's a benefit to that. And then there's an awareness level where you're like, hey, maybe you're too aware and just kind of lost the plot here a little bit. If you're calling your future brother in law a pedophile because now she's 29 while you're 41. Although that's always that score when a team's up like 51, 44, it looks way Worse.
- [64:21]
Boothill Casino Representative
Way worse. One more.
- [64:24]
Ryan Rosillo
It's so true.
- [64:25]
Nate Amen
Yeah.
- [64:25]
Ryan Rosillo
Like 51:44, I think is the worst seven point lead as far as for the losing team. Anyway, I think about that stuff a lot. Cause like, 81:59, you're like, oh, my God, this game's over.
- [64:38]
Co-host/Panelist 1
5129. Am I doing the math right? No. 5139.
- [64:42]
Ryan Rosillo
5139 looks like it's a disaster.
- [64:45]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Or 4129 is probably the worst.
- [64:48]
Ryan Rosillo
That's probably even worse, right? Yeah. But on a marriage thing, I've talked for too long on this one already, so I wanted to just go to you guys. Do you have anything like this?
- [64:57]
Boothill Casino Representative
No, I've always kept a pretty close range. But I thought you were going to be like, I was positive you were going to say, like, all right, man, what's up? There's a way to be alone. I don't know, maybe you guys go on an ice run or something for the thing you run.
- [65:12]
Ryan Rosillo
Oh, with the other guy. I think he's helpless right now at 23. If he's calling you a pedophile for marrying his sister. When there's 12 years of difference, this guy's not worth really. Like, you think so, huh?
- [65:22]
Co-host/Panelist 1
I'm sure he uses a lot of other buzzwords that are like, really trendy right now, too, for just like, big picture things. Okay. I know exactly who you are. Yeah. The fascism.
- [65:31]
Ryan Rosillo
He's the one sentence to Bora Bora.
- [65:36]
Co-host/Panelist 1
So I, yeah, I got nothing. I mean, I remember. Damn. I remember. I'm trying to think of, like, the age gap, because my wife is, I think, three, almost four, three years younger than me. And we had another buddy. He started dating a girl in college who was way younger than him. But then as you get older, like, it just doesn't matter. Like the get the gap doesn't matter. We used to make fun of it back then, but none of us were actually mad about it. We just did it because it was fun to make fun of Our buddy, you know, I, I is the dad. The dad seems cool that he invited you on the trip. Like, he seems to like you. That's the most important.
- [66:08]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. Maybe that's the end of the play. You go to the dad and say, hey, look, I don't want your son to get in trouble, but you tell me what to do.
- [66:14]
Michael Winger
Yeah.
- [66:15]
Ryan Rosillo
Because if you're sending us to Bora Bora, clearly the dad's on board. He said all the other siblings are on board. And it Just sounds like this kid sucks. So I would let him grow up before I'd waste any more time on, like, trying to convince him that he's wrong because he's. Again, I would bet money there's an age, if you stay together with his sister, where he's gonna go, hey, man.
- [66:33]
Boothill Casino Representative
You know, and probably apologize to his parents for being a dick to them
- [66:35]
Ryan Rosillo
in his own way, too.
- [66:36]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Yeah.
- [66:38]
Boothill Casino Representative
Yeah. I thought around 23 is when that flip switches and you at least say sorry to mom and dad for everything you put him through up to that point. But I guess if he lives at home. My only concern is if he lives at home and you guys are doing the visit thing, if you give him, like, three years, something's gonna boil over at some point if he's just gonna be there.
- [66:56]
Ryan Rosillo
So I don't know.
- [66:58]
Boothill Casino Representative
I think maybe. Maybe going through the dad as a. If you guys are even close like that, then, yeah, I think there's gotta be some sort of step towards a path of this not being the thing.
- [67:07]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Does it matter to your. Does it matter to her that your. That her brother feels this way? Like, does she care? If she doesn't care, then I think,
- [67:15]
Boothill Casino Representative
well, he said he's bumming her out, right?
- [67:18]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, he's bumming out the sister. But, you know, sometimes when there's just, like, that one crazy person, the best thing you can do is, like, not give them the power to ruin it for the rest of you. Just be like, hey, man, cool, thanks.
- [67:30]
Co-host/Panelist 1
I think you enjoy Bora Bora. You spoil her in other ways. Make it seem. I mean, it seems like things are good, but just, like, maybe go a little extra and just be like, how much? And then he's gonna feel increasingly worse about how. What his opinion of you is. If you're, like, a really good husband and you're just awesome with the family, he's the only guy that's actually holding out and not liking you. Like, it's going to be his. His, like, existence is going to be hard if you keep doing that. So that's what I would do. Yeah. The kill McKinnes thing, and you'd be
- [67:54]
Boothill Casino Representative
able to tell with the rest of the family if they're like, yeah, Trent. We just hope he figures it out.
- [67:58]
Ryan Rosillo
You know, he's got a.
- [67:59]
Boothill Casino Representative
He's got a good heart.
- [68:00]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah.
- [68:01]
Boothill Casino Representative
Trying to find new ones.
- [68:02]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, I like that.
- [68:03]
Boothill Casino Representative
But like, that. There's a. There's that, like, sort of not silent, but, like, you don't say the words that, like, yeah, we're really Worried about where he's headed, but, like, if that's the error that everyone else talks about, he's like, he's a good kid. You know, he'll figure it out. If that's the way that they're. Then like, everyone's already on the same page with you anyway, then it's probably. Probably a little easier to just move on with this unpleasantness.
- [68:22]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. The other thing that's kind of weird about this is I think the older brother is usually far more protective of the sisters than it is the younger brother. I'm the older brother of four. Two sisters, two brothers. And so I think there was some, like, inherent thing, but I was kind of out of the house by the time my sister that's in closest to age to me was like, entering high school. Yeah. Like, if I came back or like, heard something, you know, I don't know. But I. My first thing was always, like, defensive of like, I don't. You know, I'm still a teenager, so, like, I'm not mature enough or developed enough normally. My experience has been when you're the younger brother of the sister, the sister's like, you can fuck off, dude. You know, you can. You can pretend you're being protective of me. I mean, I've seen some scenarios where like, the older sisters, like, yeah, thanks for input. Now I'm banging your roommate. You know, like, I'm totally in control of this. And yeah, your concern is noted, but we are. We are moving on with our own decisions and we don't. Like, I think older sisters care the least about a little brother input of any of the different. Connect the dots on a pop quiz.
- [69:31]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Probably right together.
- [69:32]
Boothill Casino Representative
Probably nailed that too.
- [69:33]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah. All right, let's get another email in here. What do we got here? That's not gonna work. Let's see. All right. Hey, y' all had a question. A Southern fan, okay or not. A Southern fan had a question that I wanted. The show's ruling on no gym stats, but listening to Rosillo's. Since Rosillo's first show with svp, my fiance has been giving me a hard time about how much I spend on non essential items. Now, when I say hard time, it's mostly good natured ribbing. However, sometimes I can tell it does bother her. She's from a very modest upbringing, and while I am too, I can tell she's uncomfortable with the money going out. I'm the breadwinner in the house and we do just fine financially. Which is. Which I convey to her been conveyed to her. For instance, I recently placed all the TVs in the house, not because they were broken, but more so because I wanted to upgrade to better tech.
- [70:38]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Yeah, TVs are actually, like, relatively cheap, too, today, so.
- [70:42]
Boothill Casino Representative
Yeah, well, it depends on which tier you're looking at.
- [70:44]
Ryan Rosillo
All right.
- [70:44]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Yeah, you're not buying, like, the highest at the end, but you can get, like, a decent.
- [70:47]
Boothill Casino Representative
There's a lot of Chrysler 3 hundreds masquerading as the fandom.
- [70:51]
Ryan Rosillo
How are your TVs doing? Let's give our guy a shout out.
- [70:54]
Boothill Casino Representative
My TVs are great. My TVs are awesome.
- [70:56]
Ryan Rosillo
That one the brand that we had set up for you.
- [70:58]
Boothill Casino Representative
Yeah. TCL is working overtime for the NBA
- [71:02]
Ryan Rosillo
season, tell you that. Overtime. I can tell she's uncomfortable. The money going out. All right, replace all the TVs. Another example is replacing an office chair that was perfectly fine but was bothering my back during long hours. How do I broach the subject without making things worse? Willing to modify my spending, but also don't want to feel like I have to justify everything that's delivered to the house. Signed. Maybe I have a buying problem. I don't know. That didn't seem that bad.
- [71:29]
Boothill Casino Representative
Yeah, I needed some crazier examples, I think.
- [71:34]
Ryan Rosillo
Look, people are. People are really different about this, though. I remember I had a friend we. I don't know, when I was broke, I was like, I just don't really care. Like, me saving $2,000 is not going to do anything. My life's not going to be.
- [71:49]
Boothill Casino Representative
Yeah, this hole's deeper than that.
- [71:50]
Ryan Rosillo
So, like, I was like, if I'm going to buy camping gear because it's on sale and, like, are you going to go camping? I'm like, well, if shit goes weird, I have. I'm. Yeah, I'm ready to go and circle
- [71:59]
Boothill Casino Representative
in a roof rack. I like to.
- [72:01]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, right. Like, what kind of lumber could I put up there? There was a car stereo thing where, like, a friend was like, I'm going with you to Best Buy because, like, I can't wait to see how much money you're going to spend. And then I was kind of like, what do you do with yours? He's like, I save, like, 60% of it. It. And I was like, you saved 60% of every. Like, how do you even live that way? And then I realized, like, he doesn't spend anything. And he was, like, entertained by mine because I was like, there's no amount that I'm putting in an envelope that, like, is going to change any of this. Anytime soon. Unfortunately, I was kind of married to that philosophy financially for a long time, but I don't. Look. I think there's. There's times with me, like, when I move, I'm like, you dick.
- [72:40]
Boothill Casino Representative
When you just look at the stuff that you're.
- [72:42]
Ryan Rosillo
You're.
- [72:43]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Yep.
- [72:43]
Ryan Rosillo
The worst. I've had a couple moves where I was like, you need. You need to change. And I've been. I've been a lot better about it as I've gotten a little bit older. Yeah. So I'm just trying to explain, like, there are two. One person can be doing nothing wrong, and the other person can have concerns that aren't too aggressive. And yet you're just not going to see the world the same way.
- [73:04]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Yeah.
- [73:04]
Nate Amen
To your.
- [73:05]
Co-host/Panelist 1
To your moving thing, like, every. We try to do a spring cleaning every year, and I'm like, you really know, like, hey, I bought some dumb stuff, and a lot of it's, you know, clothes, things like, man, I really didn't wear that as much as I would have liked to. Like, can I. Can I.
- [73:15]
Ryan Rosillo
Can. I didn't need a poshmark.
- [73:17]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Yeah.
- [73:17]
Ryan Rosillo
Waffle.
- [73:18]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Can I make any back? Like, but I'm not. I'm not a big buyer of random things. Like, I don't. There's probably things that I should buy where I'm like, now just hold out with this old thing or this whatever for way too long. It's like, hey, buddy, you're doing it, like, somewhat okay. Like, you could probably buy that. Uh, but I don't know. I don't like clutter around the house, so I get it. So I don't know. I guess
- [73:44]
Ryan Rosillo
I got some furniture I got to sell, but I've gone through it, and it's just the worst experience. It's the worst. It never, like, it can be a $5,000 couch, and if you ask for a thousand, they're like, are you nuts? Yeah.
- [73:57]
Boothill Casino Representative
Also, do you have a truck?
- [73:58]
Ryan Rosillo
Right.
- [73:58]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Yeah.
- [73:58]
Boothill Casino Representative
Yeah.
- [73:59]
Ryan Rosillo
Although usually with a couch, for me, after, like, 10 years, you're like, so all the other cushions are mint condition
- [74:04]
Co-host/Panelist 1
except for that one. One dent. Yeah.
- [74:06]
Ryan Rosillo
You never think about rotating these, like, your tires? That's a good point.
- [74:10]
Michael Winger
I guess.
- [74:10]
Boothill Casino Representative
There's a couple things that I think might be missing from this email. Like, can she see the accounts? Is that part of the problem? Or is it like, she's. You're just assuring her everything's fine and she has, like, access to stuff without actually seeing how things are going? You know what I mean? Is she just, like, wondering if it's enough and you're assuring her that it's enough. Because then I'd be like, all right, maybe maybe throw her on the visibility of the accounts there. If you're like the money guy. I don't, I don't understand. But that could also make it worse. She'd be like, oh, my God, I just realized their Amazon subscription's 20 bucks sucks. That's another thing towards the Tali. I don't know. There's got to be some way that maybe not changing your ways, but be more save positive. Maybe you can counter her. Oh, my God, look at that office chair with. I don't know, I found this new thing that rounds up my change into Acorns account or something. Maybe just attack her with positivity towards her goal of saving money. Try to, try to distract a little in a none.
- [75:09]
Co-host/Panelist 1
I mean, you could just simply do
- [75:10]
Ryan Rosillo
like a budget too and be like,
- [75:11]
Co-host/Panelist 1
hey, actually look at the amount that we're putting away each month, and this is the amount that I'm spending on the things that you don't think are worth it. And here's why I think it is worth it, because it's not that much. And prove, prove it to her. Like, get a spreadsheet out. You know, get on Excel.
- [75:23]
Ryan Rosillo
I would admit that if I were the breadwinner. And then all of a sudden I was like, I spend whatever I want whenever I want. I mean, within reason. And then you marry somebody and they're like, hey, I can't believe you bought a new office chair. I would, I would have a hard time.
- [75:37]
Co-host/Panelist 1
But for the record, though, you'd rather that person's better than the person who doesn't care. And it's just like, spend whatever you want has no, it's just like, you know, hey, I don't care about finances whatsoever. I'd rather the person because, like, I grew up in a house that, you know, my dad was just like, you put your money in the bank. Like, that's what you do. Even if that's not the right call now. Because it's kind of not.
- [75:54]
Boothill Casino Representative
It sounds like it's not.
- [75:55]
Co-host/Panelist 1
But like, back then it was like, you save your money, you don't buy dumb some stuff and, you know, and
- [76:00]
Boothill Casino Representative
that has you wait till London broils on sale, right?
- [76:03]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah.
- [76:03]
Co-host/Panelist 1
You're looking at the prices of stuff. Like I, I. And that's always been kind of ingrained in me. So I'm, you know, I always think, like, what's the level of success that I could have where I would not care about buying, like, something stupid. Right. Like, would I ever buy.
- [76:18]
Ryan Rosillo
I don't know.
- [76:19]
Boothill Casino Representative
You can't even think of something.
- [76:20]
Co-host/Panelist 1
You cannot even know. Something dumb. Like, just really, like, a really expensive piece of clothing or jewelry or whatever.
- [76:26]
Ryan Rosillo
Like, Whereas, like, a Y3 Mercedes leather jack.
- [76:28]
Co-host/Panelist 1
That. Exactly that. Like, I.
- [76:30]
Ryan Rosillo
That's actually an investment.
- [76:31]
Co-host/Panelist 1
I don't know that I'm in a brat. I don't know that I'd ever be like, oh, yeah, I'm cool with buying it. In my. In the back of my head, I'd be like, that's a dumb purchase. Like, why would I do that? You know?
- [76:38]
Ryan Rosillo
So I don't know. Jet skis, Seasonally. An argument against it. Yeah, I can understand. But I think you make a good point that you'd probably rather that than just do whatever. Maybe she was just thrown off by, like, if you replaced every TV, what are we talking about? Like, TVs 4 and 5? Are you even watching TV? Number 3? You're definitely not watching TV number 5. But then you replaced it. That might, like, blow her mind from a very practical standpoint of, like, you just replaced it. You didn't even need it because you like tech. Like, maybe that's a hint that there's all sorts of stuff that's happening here all the time. But I would ask the person, like, you know, usually when this is happening, it's some sort of version of retail therapy. Yeah.
- [77:14]
Boothill Casino Representative
Also, how are her parents? Like, do they, like. If she comes in the house with an iced coffee, they're like, oh, do
- [77:20]
Ryan Rosillo
they make their own?
- [77:20]
Boothill Casino Representative
That's where your money's going? Because, like, I got my. I got a set of parents that are that way, too.
- [77:25]
Co-host/Panelist 1
It's like, you know, the avocado toast crowd.
- [77:28]
Boothill Casino Representative
Not even that. It was just, like, we come in with it. Like, I'll dump out the. If there's, like, this much Dunkin left in my cup, I'll just throw it in the recycling bin before I walk in. Because they're like, you know, housing market's tough, and you're out here with your coffees. I'm like, I can't get into this with you guys right now.
- [77:41]
Ryan Rosillo
Yeah, yeah, you don't need that. I mean, that's the other thing, too, is it's like, hey,
- [77:46]
Boothill Casino Representative
how's that house account doing?
- [77:48]
Co-host/Panelist 1
Oh, my God.
- [77:49]
Michael Winger
The.
- [77:49]
Boothill Casino Representative
Duncan brought this up.
- [77:50]
Ryan Rosillo
I was just.
- [77:51]
Boothill Casino Representative
You don't even want to know what cigarettes cost.
- [77:55]
Ryan Rosillo
All right, well, that'll do it for life advice, because we have an NBA lottery pick waiting for us downstairs. So another abrupt ending. Thanks to everybody on the show. Ryan Rossillo Show, Barstool Sports. Sam.