
Transcript of Gordon Hayward Joins the Show & Pat Bev and Rone on How the "Bronny Effect" Will Impact the Lakers
The Pad Bev PodcastPat, Pat, Pa, with Roan. Roan. We're back in the saddle. I'm in New York. Pat's in Aviv. No, he's not ducking. I know you're not ducking. I know you're not. There's no smoke to be ducked because it seems like you guys took care of business in your latest effort. How's basketball and how's life, bro?
Basketball is phenomenal. Hit a ton of threes today. I think we made like 15 threes today. Basketball is great. I mean, well, life is great. I mean, I'm able to play basketball. I'm able to shoot a lot of balls. I'm able to record If I'm not recording a podcast, I got a shoot.
And that warms my soul. And it's officially basketball season now. We got through the summer, we got through the fucking spring, the start of football season. Football put their claim on it, but it's basketball season.
What about James Winston, though? We got to talk about James Winston, man.
What do you want to say about him?
Hey, man, what he did last game was truly fucking remarkable and impressive. For anyone out there, I want you all to hear me out on this. Always stay prepared. You never know what might happen. You never know, injury-wise, attitude-wise, team-wise, team Teamwise, team losing. They want to go different directions. He was the backup's backup. You talk about always being prepared. The five P's, proper preparation prevents poor performance. Yeah, 5P. For him to sit back, have a star role when he came into the NFL. This year, the back-up is back-up. Someone gets hurt. Someone else, I don't know, is not getting the job done. For him to step up, get the job done in Cleveland is fucking impressive.
Cheers. And it doesn't matter if he probably played poorly on prior plays. He was ready to go. You know what I mean? He was ready to go. Even if it had happened in his past, he could step back up and And it prevented the poor performance, as you said.
Yeah, he got it done. So I just wanted to- That was a PPP no loan. Yeah, I see that. But I just wanted to inform everybody out there, man. It might not look like it's your turn or your time. Stay prepared, stay ready, stay positive. Shit, go work out for the best. Good coming to good always. Subscribe to the motherfucking pot. And if you're a kid, mother freaking pot, Christmas is coming around, listen to your parents.
But at the same time, you're talking all this football and you're refusing to acknowledge the fact That the bears lost on a Hail Mary in one of the most devastating fashions that could ever happen to a football team.
A Madden type shit.
Yeah.
Real Madden type game. The look on Caleb's face. Fuck, man. These motherfuckers, man. Walk away to the locker room, man. They got me fucked up. It's okay. It's okay. It happens. Move on to the next play.
Was there holding on that play?
Come on, man. You can't call that shit. Can't call that. So what? Can't call that. Nfl, Big Boys League. So what? Move on to the next play. If that's how they got to beat us with a heel married, I mean, we're pretty good. Next game. Here we go.
Did you see what was going on with that cornerback who was tucked away in the corner of the field, waving to the fans, celebrating? And then the play started, and then he turns around and finally gets into the play. He almost missed the play, tipped the ball up, and that's why it got caught. It was the guy, Tareek Stevenson.
For the bears?
For the bears.
Hey, man, you all see Tareek Stevenson, man, in Chicago, man. Tell them everything going to be okay. Lock the fuck in, man. We're trying to win fucking games over here. Stop talking to the fucking crowd. Do that shit after the fucking horn goes off. Stay a pro. Be a pro. Act like you've been there before. You don't see Tom braided doing no dumb shit like that. Be a pro.
Speaking of Chicago, what do you think about this Lil Durk situation? Yeah, I feel you, bro.
Damn. I'm wrong. I woke up to it. I woke up to it and I said, ain't so. Please say, It ain't so. And they got the... I don't know too much of what's going on, but I just only know what I hear from the Internet. He said, murder to hire? Possibly death penalty? I'm like, You got to think. That's the homie. That's the homie. That's the homie. I know his homie. His homies know my homies. It's sad, man. Sad as fuck that you work your ass off to get out of Chicago. And Lord knows I know how hard it is to get the fuck out of Chicago. You got to fall, get back up, fall twice, get back up twice, three times, to even move forward and to get to this place of Fame and fortune. I'm fortunate as fuck, bro. Straight up. But that's Chicago, though, Ron. I'm going to be honest. People from Chicago understand you can't trust no motherfucker in Chicago. You can't even trust your own homies in Chicago. I mean, it was like that way, way, way, way back in the day when the Italians ran in Chicago. They called it backdoor, but that's what they was doing.
You feel me? You have a friend who was a rat. So don't be surprised if it happens, I don't know, 40, 50 years later, it's just history repeating itself. It's fucked up, man. It's fucked up. When people say you lose homies to the streets and they still alive, that's what they mean. You know what I mean? I don't lost plenty of homies that's still alive. Motherfuckers out here telling and doing wrong shit and stilling and type of shit like that. These are things that you shouldn't have to worry about in your crew, but it is what it is. So I'm fortunate as fuck, man. I'm fortunate as fuck.
What advice would you give to somebody who was a little bit younger than Dirk and was going to potentially be in a situation like the situation that he was in?
You got to understand. It's different. For someone that's outside looking in who don't understand the rules, it's different It's a different world. Street shit is street shit. And it sounds, come on, man, what do you mean? Pass streets to the street. You feel me? Motherfucker, smoke your brother, you're going to want to get your dick back. Motherfucker, smoke your cousin, you're going to want to get your dick back. Somebody smoke your father, you're going to want to get your dick back. Somebody hit you, you're going to want to hit them back. The streets have a different rule. It's a different world, right? But understanding that and having influence and having money and having Fame, it's hard to separate the street shit from reality, right? Reality says someone hit you, turn the other cheek. Street shit say somebody hit you, hit their ass back. Now, while you're maneuvering through this way of life and you're trying to understand, okay, cool, what's not to do, what's to do, you sometimes get confused of street shit in reality. And I had to learn that growing up, especially me being an MBA. I can't go to dinner with twelve motherfuckers.
I can't hang around a certain crew to look the way they look. People are just, oh, Pat Beverly, he's just a gangster with a jump shot. They label me off like that. So it's a way of doing things. And it's hard to separate sometimes. It's hard. That energy is really hard to separate. You got to I think I'm 36. I separated when I was 30. You know what I'm saying? So it's hard to separate those two because that's all you know. I don't know, if you lose it all, I got kicked out of school. I I go back to the streets. That's all I knew. That's all I had. So it's tough when you come from it. But it's just two different worlds that people don't understand. You have to understand both worlds. It's two different worlds. It's fucked up.
Got to be smart.
Got to be smart. It's fucked up, but it is what it is.
Yeah. And it makes you really appreciate what a blessing having basketball is. And family.
You got to think this man got kids, man. I always think like that. Okay, cool. Can't be making hasty decisions. Let me calm down, count my ass to 10. Okay, cool. You know what I'm saying? You got kids, man. So you're living for somebody else. They ain't about you no more. So it's, Fuck, Fucked up, man. You D. R. R. R. R. Retired, a little dirt. It's fucked up. Chicago is fucked up right now.
Brutal. Hoping the best big beach got out, though, no?
Yeah, Beach got out. Hence, why I gave you the five P's because... Say less, say less. If you know, you know.
Now I'm tapped in. You got on that navy blue.
Say less, say less. Not too much, not too much. If you know, you know. Say less, say less. Say less. Okay.
One of the things I've enjoyed the most this week is just corresponding with you a little bit because Pat has ascended into the position of my conciliere. Okay. His what? His conciliere.
No, you're not hearing me, bro. I got every fucking pick right except one. Cuzzle do a crazy ass bet. Cuzzle do a crazy ass bet. She asked me, she don't even know what the fuck going on. She asked me, this, this, that, that, this, this, this, this. Yeah, Cuzzle, yeah, Cuzzle, yeah, Cuzzle. Yeah, Cuzzle.
Yeah, Cuzzle. Yeah.
What the bet? My fuck, you got some money, Cuzzle, bet what you want to bet. She, I'm going to bet a thousand. All right bet. She put a thousand. Thousand gets her 20,000 wrong. One pick off wrong.
She just missed it.
Hallibur, nine assists. This. It was max. He got 18 points. Drumming got 14 rebounds. Halliburton got plus 20. Kelly Oubrey plus 12. Pascal Siaakam plus 15. Listen to me, DraftKings. Motherfucking listen to me. We went off. Ron, that ain't it, though, Ron.
I got more. Hallibur has been a menace, dude.
Another one-off wrong. Bobby Porter's finished with 14. Tori and Prince, he didn't get his 10. Another one-off wrong. This one gave 8,000. Yeah, Cuzzle locked in. Shout out to DraftKings. Draftkings, man.
Draftkings. But you can't say you're locked in when you didn't actually hit it.
I mean, but you got to think I'm doing six pics, five pics. I missed one type shit. I look at it like that.
Well, why not bet them all straight then?
I don't even know how to do that. I don't even know how to bet. I can't bet. I'm fucking telling you how the fuck I'm going to use DraftKings.
I'm saying why doesn't your cousin bet them straight?
I don't even think she knows how to do it. She's calling me, actually, because of what you think.
That's why I've been calling you because he's been my conciliary. He's been my advisor when it comes to basketball. She could have cashed out, Ron. Wait, the cash out is still there.
She could have cashed out for 1,500. For 1,500, Ron, she could have cashed out. See, I didn't know what to do, because I didn't know what cash out was. What the fuck? So, yeah, shout out to DraftKings, man.
Shout out to DraftKings. Shout out to your cousin. What about Skims?
Do we got Skims yet, Ron? I heard you supposed to close the deal. Did you close a deal with Skims or no?
I had a great conversation with Skims, and I'm pretty sure that Skims- Okay. I don't want to say that I'm going to keep it brief, but they got the best boxers around, my brother.
I need some skims.
No, the skims are insane. The things it does for your package.
I can't wait till we do a video shoot with skims.
That's what I said. I hope you told Wifey. I told Wifey that we're We're underwear models now, and we're about to be fucking- Listen.
They need to know about the next deal we got coming in.
What's the next deal? Draftkings. I mean, we have been with DraftKings this entire time, but- I heard they're trying to get some exclusive me, you, Pat Bia, power, Ron type vibes. Well, here's what I think that DraftKings wants. I think that they want to find a way that you could give people the inside insight. They want to know how Your tremendous ball knowledge can translate to them making the pics that are going to get them feeling good about themselves.
Okay, well, goddamn, here we go today. What's today?
Let's start talking about Tuesday's games. We got Mavericks Timberwolves.
No, we got to start from the beginning. You got to go Indiana, Orlando because people bet on everything, right?
Okay, fair enough. Who do you like?
So I like both teams. I like Magic because Magic is... Indiana is coming off a back to back. They just played Philly yesterday. That matters. Betting-wise, that matters. You guys have to understand that. Coming off back to back matters. It can matter in a really good way or it can matter in the awful way. But you got to think, Indiana came off an overtime game.
That matters.
Wait, but, Pat, this is today. We got to look ahead to tomorrow's games because this This podcast isn't going to come out till tomorrow.
This is going to- You're right. So I'm going to look at- This is going to be...
We're going to be on yesterday. You look at that. I'm going to open up this package from Skims.
Okay. So you're looking at the Dallas Mavericks Timberwolves. That's what you're looking at.
That's what I want to talk about. Dallas Mavericks Timberwolves. Who do you like? Okay.
I like where they play at. That's a key. That's important. All that's important. Where they play at, where they play at. Mavericks at Timberwolves.
So that means that's going to be in Minnesota for anyone who can't follow the schedule at home.
That is in Minnesota. I like- Do you like players?
Do you like wanting to win? Do you think there's going to be a lot of points or a little points?
I think it's going to be a lot of points. I like Dallas- Mavs They're on a back to back, though.
They play tonight.
That's, again, something... Okay. In that case, I like Timberwolves then.
So you like Timberwolves. You like the Mavs having to come into Minnesota, and it's all in the Timberwolves. We're going to rock in the Timberwolves. That's tough.
We Coming to play Minnesota on a back to back is tough. I like Minnesota. Let's go up to Denver.
Let me just ask you about Minnesota. Do you think Minnesota figured it out yet as far as their wing situation? What's going to happen with their bigs? What's going to happen with Randall? Who's starting 10 games from now?
If Randall keeps playing the way he's playing, I think he continues to start.
What about Nas Reid? Where does he fit into the rotation? Because Nas Reid, he could do it all.
He fits in where he fit in last year. So you go play this 20 to, I don't know, 28 minutes, depending on what type of game it is. My concern, not concerned, but my... Okay.
Here's the point.
Is the point guard play starting and back up. Obviously, Mike Conley is there. Mike Conley is third, class of motherfucking '06. I love Mike Conley. He's my class. You know what I mean? But him being in that unit, he needs an explosive backup. So the point guard play is important to me. The point guard play and a two guard play backup-wise is important to me. Not Anthony Edwards, the Mike Conley, the G. Vincenzo, and we don't even know who's the backup point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves is now because it was Nakeel Alexander, but then David Chanzo came here, so you have to play him. So that took minutes away. So my concern is the point guard/backup two guard.
Is it Alexander Walker? Is he getting some of the minutes? I don't know.
But you got to think, Jimmy Chienzo played well last game. He played well. But again, they played the Toronto Raptors. This is not a Western Conference team. So I look at everything. I just don't look at... I look at everything.
So who do you think is going to have the best game, though?
They played Sacramento Kings in the West. When they played the Lakers, he struggled. But when he played a team from the East, he played well. So the West is a different monster, like I said before.
Fair enough. The West is a different monster. I love that. You want to do a Wednesday game, maybe, or something like that?
Let's do a Wednesday game. We got Denver versus Brooklyn. Denver hasn't won a game. So they got a little pressure on them. I'm going with Denver there. Kings versus Jazz. Kings haven't won a game. Jazz haven't I'm in a game. I'm going Kings. Pelicans versus Warriors. Warriors just lost. I have to go Golden State.
Golden State, is this the best Golden State roster that they've constructed in the last two or three years?
Early. It's early to say. It's early to say.
But are you watching what Buddy Heel is doing over there? Why can't they figure out how to use Buddy Heel? But Philadelphia couldn't figure out how to use Buddy Heel?
You got to get Tyrese Maxi to wrap.
But this is a one, two situation. Tyrese can't run a point, and then Buddy is spot up.
Yeah, you can. But Tyrese Maxi, he need 8, 9 dribbles. You got to give him that. You got to give him 8, 7, 8, 9 dribbles. You got to get to his shit. You got to get to his shit.
You think some of the gravity- You need you to score 20 He points off two, three, four dribbles.
Can you do it? But you're talking about two different offenses also. Obviously, Steve Kerr, he's used to movement often, so Buddy Hill don't have to do a lot off the dribble. Nick Nurse, he like guards that can break a motherfucker down, getting the paint, run, pick and roll. That's why I love playing for nick Nurse. I have some of my best offensive years playing for nick Nurse. But Buddy Hill doesn't have to do all that. Buddy Hill come off a down screen. You can literally replace him, Clay Thompson, Buddy Hill. And When it comes to three-pointers made in the last, I don't know, four or five years, Buddy Hield is right up there with Steph Curry. Do your homework.
So you talk me into it. I'm going Buddy Hield. I'm going to go for an over on whatever his three-point prop is. Get me in this.
And he's coming off the bench, too. That's the thing. The punch coming off the bench is pretty impressive. What's his name? Podrowski? What's his name?
Podzimski? Brandon Podzimski?
Yeah, he got to play better. And I know he's trying to find his way, but he got to play better with the With that second unit. He got to play a little bit better. And he will, though. He will.
He will. And you know who else on that team? Melton.
Melton. But Steph Curry has an ankle sprain.
That's true. That's something to remember if you're- Members. Steph Curry has an ankle sprain. That's why I'm just taking this. Well, you picked them to win.
You got to think, I'm a player. I played in the league. I come into a locker room, I look on that board, Steph Curry out. I feel real good. I feel real confident. But at the same time, Jante Curry, fracture hand. He's out.
That's how I feel whenever Jante Murray is out. I'm like, Oh, fuck, yeah. I'm about to put in work because Deontay Murray is in. That's how I always would feel.
Different game. I like Minnesota, I like Denver, I like Sacramento, and I like Golden State. If Steph Curry don't play, I like Pelicans. If he play, I like Golden State.
This is huge. This is huge Huge information. Damn, see, I feel like you're tapping into something given this gambling knowledge, dude. I feel like you being outside of the NBA, you can really see things clearly. You have a fresh take on everybody who we just talked about and who's playing.
And I'm on some shit like, What you think about Dennis Schroeder, Pat? Okay, cool. Dennis Schroeder? Oh, he playing Milwaukee. Oh, Milwaukee got Coach Ham. Oh, Coach Ham is his My ex-coach and his guy, he want to show up. Yeah, take the over on Dennis Schroeder.
Damn, bro.
That's how I'm doing my shit. I'm doing my shit based off shit that I know. Relationships, back to back, fatigue, playing against two, confidence. I'm doing my shit as a hooper.
Did you see that? He just asked himself the question, dude, I'm about to be out of my job.
I'm one pick off, $20,000. I'm literally seven points off, Torian Prince, $20,000.
Man, your cousin would have loved that. That's amazing.
She don't even know what the fuck she doing. What about this guy, Thierry and Prince? Torian? Yeah, him, him, him.
That's why I need to have you as The Conciliary. And I'm sure that your cousin has to use you as Conciliary.
We got to talk about LeBron James. We got to talk about the Lakers real quick. So if the Lakers would have started off 0-3, everybody would have been yelling, Fire JJ Reddick. Everyone. Lakers are 3-0. They're playing some really good basketball. The ball is moving. Rui is hooping. Lebron James looks better than he did last year. Ad looks great. Dilo looks great. Ar looks great. No complaints about the Lakers. Top 4 seed in the West.
Marking it now?
Marking it now.
I'm calling it to Bronnie The effect, bro. They draft Brawny, and look what happens. Everything changes in LA. He's the piece that they've been missing.
Brawn did a move, baseline. I think somebody stood him up. He fated, going right. Brawny got up, gave him a look. Lebron gave him a look. I say, oh, yeah. Brawn, you was right. Your take was right. The motivation is on Brian to put on in front of his son. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right, brother.
Well, the Lakers must have seen it first. The Lakers must have known this is going to do extraordinary things.
Yeah, don't send him to the G League. Don't send him to the G League. Yeah, Brian needs to see his shorty out there on every bench. I see my son out there. I thought, I hit a motherfucker with a fade. I'm going to hit a motherfucker with another fade. I'm going to put on because my son right there, Ron. You was right. If you all didn't hear Ron's take, rewind that shit back. Ron said it perfect. Tell him what you said, Ron.
Yeah, I said, Brian is going to be great on the Lakers. Shout out to him.
Ron, that's a bit more than that, Ron. Come on, indulge in what you said.
I'm just trying to be humble. I'm not trying to beat my drum. I'm going toe to toe with Skip Bayliss dusting him in sports takes. You know what I mean? I just was bobbing and weaving. It was really the fact that Skip was saying that this is going to be bad for Bronnie. I said, This isn't for Bronnie. This is for Bron. This is for LeBron James. He's going to be supercharged, quarter tank extra, and it's diesel fuel. He's going to be fired up, free throw line, jumping, hooping, passing, shooting.
The way that he's- Robert Good.
He looks amazing. He looks good. Triple doubles.
And his demeanor, his swag, his attitude. He always had it, but having a son on the bench, oh, my God, it's different. You hear him saying shit like, Hey, man, I just scored 10 in a row. Give me the motherfucking ball.
He He was talking his shit, and he was like, You ready, son? He was like, Just be calm out there. The way that he was even talking to his son just right before he went in for the first time, pretty exciting. And then, randomly, he was like, Ain't that our boy?
No, they lost him. What about Big Zu? Everybody clown me when I said Big Zu was a top five center and boy averaging a dub in 10.
2010 is pretty good. Is that top five, though?
Right now, yes. Right now, Big Zuback is a top five center in the NBA. Right now. I don't give a fuck what nobody say. Check the numbers.
What about Sabonis, though?
Big Zuback is a top five center in the NBA. Right now, check the numbers. He's had consecutively three 20-point games, the most he's had ever in his career. He's locked in. I'm talking about like a little dirt.
Locked in. Man, I guess hopefully justice happens with that little dark situation. And man, the Pat-Pat pop with Ron.
Ron.
Cheers to you, my brother. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy Tel Aviv.
Love my motherfucking nigga, and if you was any darker, you would be my darker nigga.
We also have a huge... We got a big interview coming up. It's Gordon Hayward. We had Gordon Hayward on today, and it's a great one. People are going to love it.
The Great White Hope.
The Great White Hope.
The Great White Hope, the next next thing since Cooper Flag.
Do you remember how high-flying he was in Utah?
I ain't going to lie, Gordon Hayward was tough. I fuck with Gordon Hayward, man. I fuck with him the long way. Every time you think Gordon Haywood was out, he just popped back up new contract every single time. Up Utah, Gordon Haywood. Nice. Charlotte Bobcats, Gordon. Nice.
You know he made $321 million?
The Great White Hope, what do you mean? He's supposed to pay the man. Listen, one of my questions was this, and you all let me know fans who subscribe to the pod. And if you're not, subscribe to the motherfucking pot. It's my Jewish community, Leheim. Subscribe to the pot. Love, love, love. Gordon Hayward versus Chandler Parsons, Prime, prime. Who are you taking? You're white.
I'm taking Gordon Hayward over Chandler Parsons. Okay.
Over CP?
I mean, CP had one good contract. Cp had- Prime. What are you talking about, prime? Some good years, prime, prime. But the athleticism that Gordon Hayward, remember how he would like, stalk down, block you? He would transition, stuff you.
And he had a little beach arm like he did- Bulky. All the time. Yeah, I fuck with Gordon Hayward. Yeah, I fuck with Gordon Hayward.
Did you ever see the video where he... The gender reveal video?
No. Gordon Haywood gave me problems, too, sometimes.
He gave you problems in what way?
Depending on the health of him and where he played at. Utah, Gordon Harrell gave me, I think he gave me a couple of buckets, like a keep me on his back, get to the midi, try to post me up. Yeah, I think I fouled him a couple of times. Yeah, Gordon Harrell was a problem. Respected, respected white man in a Black man's league.
What were they saying about him in the Black man's league? He was like, Oh, you put a cone next to him.
Yeah, Gordon Hayward, name on the board. You look up, it's a little orange thing next to his name, cone. But he wanted no pushover, though. You know what I'm saying? He wanted no pushover. You want to just go just bop him and get to the rack. He was tough. He was solid. He was solid as fuck.
And I'll tell you what else was solid, this interview that we have with him. Let's actually get into it right now. All right, guys, let's take a second to talk about new Amsterdam Vaca, new Amsterdam Vaca, a premium vodka with unparalleled smoothness. And you might have questions, but all of them will be answered as soon as it tickles your very first taste bud. Even having it close to your mouth, you start to get that sensation that you're about to find your wins, that you're about to transcend because this is five times distilled. This is three times filtered. That means they're doing the extra legwork to make sure that your drinking experience is sublime no matter what season it is. Sure, it's the fall right now, but I'm falling over trying to get some New Amsterdam vodka. Particularly, I've been enjoying a nice New Amsterdam Mule and a nice Mule glass, the ginger beer with a little bit of lime together with the New Amsterdam Vaca. It really is the best stuff. We were drinking it the entire time at the nicest, and it just brings good tidings. Good tidings abound with New Amsterdam Vodka. You will always enjoy it.
I I always do. And that's why you should find your wins today with New Amsterdam Vodka. All right, guys, let's take a second and talk about GameTime. Gametime, the official ticketing partner of Barstool Sports. Basketball season is here, and we cannot wait to get out to some games this fall with the help of GameTime, the official ticketing partner of Barstool Sports. There is no feeling like seeing your favorite player, Draina 3, live in GameTime can help. You know how much GameTime loves us? Well, that's about how much we love Game Time, because their brand is strong, and their brand new Game Time Picks feature is making it even easier to get into a game. Game Time Picks filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats, so you don't have to waste your time searching through thousands of tickets for NBA or college basketball. College basketball is here, too. I might want to get out to a temple game. I might want to have fantastic seats to see the Temple Owls play, or maybe the St. Joseph's University City Hawks. Allegedly, the Hawk will never die, and neither will these incredible deals for game time.
Just pull up your chosen event and go to the GT pick setting at the top of the screen, or browse the best local game time deals near you or on the game time app homepage. Look at those deals. What are you waiting for? I might go buy these Villanova Wildcats tickets today. All of that's available with game time Picks. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the game time app, create an account, and use code patbev for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and use code patbev for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today. What time is it? It's game time. All right, we're back with another episode of the Patbev pod with Ron, and we have a very special guest. And with any special guest, it's only right that we introduce him right. So here we go. A cerebral NBA All-Star. He made his style famous. He made more noise with the jazz than Miles Davis. 14 years in the league and it's got him top billing. You try to G-check all of G's checks, it's over 300 million. But he was the player whose legacy is more than paper.
Hooper, Catholic movie producer. Welcome Gordon Hayward. Welcome to the show, my guy. That was cool, man. Thank you for being here. Well, I had to do the homage to you, bro, because I was doing my research and I heard something about G-time at Butler. What was going on with G-Time, bro?
Yeah, I don't know if I have the skills like you do with that, but that's a while back. I'm surprised you found that.
Oh, I dug deep, bro. So you were rapping a little bit over at Butler?
Yeah, we had one rap. I think we went platinum, so it's no big deal. That was something that me and the boys just did. We were just having fun. I think it was our spring break right before getting ready for the tournament. And when you're bored and you got nothing to do, you start just rapping a little bit.
So, yeah, that's cool. Yeah, no, it was a blast. It was fun hearing about that. How did you guys record it? Did you guys just do a little dorm room set up with the blanket over the head, recording on the side of the laptop or what?
Actually, because it was spring break, some of my best friends... I grew up 20 minutes from Butler, so we were actually at my house back in Brownsbring, Indiana, and I think we just had a laptop, and we just had a beat, and then we just recorded it. I mean, it took us way too long for how bad of a song it was, but it was something fun to do. And I think it's come up multiple times over the course of my career. Somebody will bring it up and then play it in the locker room, and everyone's always clowning me for it.
Bro, why are they clowning you for expressing your artistic vision? I mean, you're just trying to get your creativity off a little bit.
Ron, I needed you in my corner in the locker room. You defend me a little bit.
We would have had Yeah, a little white chocolate two on two type of thing going on. But I was doing my research on you. I was trying to link up with your guy, MCAP Jen. I heard that you were a Freeestyle Friday guy back in the day, that you were.
Yeah, for sure. You dug deep on this research? I remember watching Jen back in the day. That was... I mean, Jen was awesome. And I connected with him probably, man, like three years, just over Twitter, three years into the NBA or something. I actually haven't followed up with him in a while.
Is he doing okay? He's doing great, bro. He's so successful. He's internationally popular, crushes it in New York. He was doing stand-up comedy for a while. He's the man. He's just a super positive and super intelligent guy.
Yeah, I didn't know he did comedy. I know he rapped, and he obviously free style. And I think he had the conversion to become Christian at some point in time. But that's really cool.
Yeah. You also took the plunge, almost literally. You were in Rome recently, and you went all the way, and you're on the Catholic squad now. Welcome to the team, brother.
Oh, are you Catholic as well?
Yes, sir.
That's awesome, man. Thank you.
Yeah. How was that? And what spurred that decision?
Oh, man, it was an amazing experience. I don't know if you've ever been to Rome, but Rome, just the history there, the tradition, even if you're not Catholic, it's just a place that I think you have to go visit as a human. And There were so many people that hooked it up. My wife is Catholic. Our kids go to Catholic school. And so I grew up actually Lutheran, which is not too different. And I felt like there might be a day where I want to convert, but I wanted to do it on my own terms. And I wanted to take the time to learn about it because there are some big differences. And now that I'm retired, I was able to take some classes this summer. There was a priest friend of mine who's actually Joe Missoula's a boyhood priest. Joe hooked it up and we took classes, and Father T was able to be. And he was like, Well, I'm going to be in Rome. Wouldn't it be cool if you got confirmed in Rome? And we made it happen. I couldn't pass that opportunity. The Archbishop of the military came and did the ceremony, which was awesome, and we made a little trip out of it.
So it was really cool.
What is the conversion from Lutheran to Catholic? Is it like being in the transfer portal? Are they recruiting you? You know what Are they throwing offers at you? Do you have types of salvation? Or what's the recruitment?
There's no N-I-L, I think, in that portal. I think they're just happy for anybody to convert and be saved, for sure.
For sure. That's dope. Well, it's exciting. It seems like an exciting lifetime for you, and to be able to do it over there in Rome has to be incredible. It seems like you have a ton of new stuff that you're working on, and I I want to get into all of it. But first, I want to get into the fact that you are now... One of your life's goals is to help people shoot the basketball better. I want to ask specifically about some guys that are in the league right now, because in the summertime, you always see guys who retreat to their personal trainers, and maybe they'll get a shooting doctor, whether it's one of the old-school guys or a lethal shooter type of thing. They'll be like, Okay, I'm going to go and fix my shot. But then some guys come back with a brand new shot in the offseason. I think that we saw even just the other day, and Edwards is chirping Mikhel Bridges at the line, being like, Oh, that's a brand new shot, or people are breaking down Chet It's a new shot. And they're like, Oh, this is a new shot.
His release point's different. It's more of a push. It's more of this or that. What happens in the offseason when players change their shot? And what are you trying to do with your new I guess, program technology as far as fixing people's shots?
Yeah. Man, I think anybody in the NBA that decides to change their shot, that's an endeavor right there. That's a challenge because they got to where they were with whatever shot they had before. And so it's risky because you don't want to mess everything up to the point where then they can't shoot or they can't be themselves when they're out there on the court. But obviously, whoever it is feels like they want to change their shot because they feel like it would enhance their game. And so it's super risky. I think you got to have the right person. More than anything, you got to put in the time, as you would already imagine and know. But I think it's... I I've been seeing Chet's new shot or Mikael's new shot. I feel like both of them shot it pretty well. Mikael, especially, his shot is interesting. I was always jealous of players that shot it way over their head because you just can't I get to it. And I think it's hard to shoot that way. I think it's harder to be consistent. But if you can do it, you're almost unguardable. And especially when he was in Brooklyn, he started pulling out these mid-range jumpers where he's pulling up.
And he's as tall as KD when he shoots it all the way up above his head. But maybe he felt like he wasn't as consistent or whatever. So I guess that would be a reason to maybe try to tweak it. I wouldn't say anybody, an NBA player, probably needs to change. Actually, there's probably a couple of guys that would need a full call about? A whole full overhaul. So the technology that we have, it's really simple. It's not even much tech at all, but it's called the Form. And Form stands for focus on repetitive motion. I think when you're shooting a basketball, there's a lot of negotiables that come into play. You can shoot a basketball a lot of different ways and be successful if you just put in the time and the effort. But I think there are some things that make shooters better than others. So there's some non-negotiables. And this technology that we have is basically a square. It's a square basketball, which is unique, and it sounds funky and different, but it really does help. And it helps you get your elbow and your wrist aligned, because when you shoot a basketball, you want to shoot it straight.
That's what you want to do. And you can work on your if it's long or short, but you don't want to be missing left and right. And this really helps get your elbow in and your wrist aligned. And because it's also a square, it helps you keep your guide hand silent, which is something that I was working on in my career a lot because I would use my thumb when I shot a little bit. And this thing helps get rid of that because you can put your hand on the side of it. And then it also helps with hand placement. I think one of the biggest keys of shooting a basketball is getting your hand in the center of it. If it's on the side, you have to start using these other forces to get it so it will be center so you can shoot it straight. But yeah, this thing that we designed and developed, I think it really works. And I actually bought it myself It was a product already before, and I bought it, talked to the inventor, his name is Charlie Wallace, and really liked it myself. And then I decided to partner with an old college team in mind, and he's actually a college coach, too.
And we thought that we could really help, specifically kids and youth learn how to shoot better. And we changed some things a little bit, designed it a little bit differently. But, yeah, I think it really helps. And it's something that I'm excited about, excited to dive right into. And so that's That's the basis of it.
Are there certain shooting coaches that can wind up ruining a player's shot? Have you ever seen that in your history in the NBA? Because I'll look at guys like Ben Simmons. I'm not saying his shot is ruined, but his shot at Montverde was significantly different. Or then Markel Fultz. His shot at Washington was a different shot that he wound up. And I know he had the scapular imbalance and had some medical things that went on. But have you ever seen someone try to do something to change their shot and it winds up negatively or adversely affecting their shot long term?
Yeah. I don't know if you could maybe say that it would be the shooting coach that would do it. What I will say is, and I think almost every NBA player could probably tell you the similar things, I think shooting is so much mental. So if you've done it one way your whole career, and also, for example, like you said, Ben, when he was in high school, he's probably the most confident person in the country country when he's in high school because he's just so much better than everybody. And confidence plays such a huge role. And so then when you get to the NBA and maybe you have some struggles and then you want to change your shot, so you work on it all summer. Now it's like you're nervous about what everyone's going to say. You're nervous if it's going to work. You just worked on it all summer, but you don't really know because you haven't played in any games. Now it's in front of people. It's in front of other coaches, other players. And then maybe you start to tighten up a little bit, and that adds to the whole deal. I mean, if you can't be confident when you're shooting, it's never going to work.
And so I wouldn't say that I've seen... I think a lot of these guys know what they're talking about, and they know how to make someone a better shooter. But certainly, I think Markel is a big example. You're not wrong on that one. And I think a lot of it just comes down to the mental. I've also seen plenty of players like Mason Plumly. He's a teammate of mine, and he's draining free throws 10 in a row easily. Every practice, he's doing nothing but working on free throws. Then he gets in the game and he can't hit a free throw. And I think if you start 0 for 4 or you miss the couple, now you're tight up there. Free throws, especially, are all mental. And so then he shoots left-handed. I don't know if you've seen that. Did you see he was shooting left-handed, and he starts hitting them more consistently. Now, I don't know this for a fact, but I would probably say, I haven't talked to him about it, but I would guess it's because he's like, and he actually heard it. I think he heard his thumb or his finger or something.
And so he almost had to shoot left-handed anyways. But I think in his mind, it was like, well, I can't shoot any worse than I was shooting. So here we go. I'm just going to shoot. And it doesn't really matter what people think or say. And now he starts hitting them. You know what I mean?
It's almost like, yeah, I'm shooting with my left hand. You even expect me to make it? I don't even expect to make it. It takes away a little bit of the pressure.
Absolutely. And that's a big deal. I think that's something that is hard. It doesn't matter what you do as a coach. It's hard. You can't really teach confidence. I always gain confidence from just being in the gym as many times as you can. I know that's what Kobe talked about. So that way, when you get into the game, you've done it thousands of times. It should be no thing, but it is. It is a thing. So the pressure and just being up there, and especially, like I said, free throws is everybody's watching you.
So how did you maintain your... You said staying in the gym is how you maintain your confidence, but what were the keys when you would maybe have a slump a dip in confidence to regaining that confidence?
Yeah, I think you got to go back to the fundamentals. I think you go back to the basics, and you try to just... I always tried to start right next to the rim. One thing that did help me always was like, and this is just like, this might not work for everybody, but I started listening. I would go in the gym, and I'm putting on a track or albums of music music that I listened to when I was in high school or when I felt like I was killing. You know what I mean? And it gets you in this mindset, and you start to get more swag. For whatever reason, that would help me. That would get me going a little bit.
You brought up Kobe a second ago. Have you ever heard that you look like a white version of Kobe in the face?
People have said that before. Yeah, they have. I think it's the eyes. I think it's the eyes. I think it's our eyes. They're similar.
I think so, too. I was digging in before this, and I started seeing that comparison being made, and I'd never seen it before, but it reminded me of the comparison when people say that Troy Akeman looks like Jay-Z, and then you see a little bit of it, and you're like, Oh, shit, I can't unsee it now. That's right.
Once you see it, it's hard to unsee, for sure.
When did you first hear that? Who first brought that to your attention? Is that new?
I don't know. I think it's new. Somebody brought it to my attention when there was a bunch comments that said it when I went on Paul George's podcast.
Yes, that's where I saw it in the comments over there, and I was like, Wait a second.
What the fuck? Hey, I'll take it. If I could be compared to Kobe, I'll take it.
And let's set the record straight. You didn't step in the lane on purpose on that 60th free throw. I know that you... I just want to have the air cleared. You weren't given in the lane violation on that 60th free throw or that 60th point, were you?
Absolutely not. No, no. That was actually a weird conspiracy that people thought, which also painted me in a positive light because everyone was like, oh, Gordon's such a good dude. He made sure Kobe was going to get his 60th point. Kobe took forever on that free throw. I don't know what he was doing. He took way too long.
Yeah, he was going to make it anyway. I mean, that's almost like he would be pissed off. I feel like that's not disrespectful to him, but he's not going to want it on a cheap way.
No, he definitely doesn't want to hand out. He doesn't want any excuse or anything.
Yeah, I just wanted to get the record straight on that one because there There's a lot of internet conspiracies. I'll still see the clip go viral where it's like, that's the fraternity of the NBA that he did that for him.
No way.
Yeah, you still want to- No way. And he's a competitive guy. I want to talk a little bit about your upbringing. All right, guys, it's time for our Body Armor MVP of the Week. And of course, the Body Armor MVP of the Week is brought to you by Body Armor, Sportwater, electrolytes, alkali The water, the stuff that is going to make you feel good from the inside, the folks that take hydration dead seriously, the water that has a PH of nine plus. Oh, my goodness. That's absolutely delicious and nutritious, if I could add that. My MVP of the week is that guy, JJ Redick. That guy, JJ Redick, has the Lakers playing as if they were all drinking body armor. I'm almost that they are because I can see it on the court, the way that they're hydrated, the way their mental acuity has elevated from the previous coaching regime. You could tell that that's just the body armor difference. He has every single player clicking on every single cylinder. I really believe that body armor has something to do with it. Congratulations to JJ Redick. You can come by the Barstool Sports Office next time you're in New York and pick up your complimentary bottle of water for from Body Armor.
It's great stuff. You know we love it here at the office. Everybody's always drinking it, and I know that JJ has got to be doing the same thing. Congratulations to you for the MVP of the week, and always my MVP, Body Armor. Head on over to your local 711 and get your Body Armor Sportwater Today. Okay, guys, let's talk about DraftKings. The NBA is finally back, and a new season means new ways to get into the actions at DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA. Who's draining threes from beyond the arc? Who's crashing the boards and grabbing rebounds? Get behind your favorite players and the prop bets that you can make on DraftKings, the home of NBA player props. Ready to place your first bet? Try betting on something simple, like picking a team to win. Go to the DraftKings Sportsbook app and place your bet. First time, new DraftKings customers can bet $5 to get $200 in bonus bets instantly. And Pat, and I are going to be putting up some very special parlays right there as a clickable option within the DraftKings Sportsbook. Pat has the inside knowledge. He's telling me who's playing on a back to back.
He's telling me who shies from the lights whenever there's a nationally televised game. He has all the insights, and DraftKings has the place for you to place your bets. Take it to the rack with DraftKings Sportsbook. Every point counts. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook and use code Roon. That's code Roon for new customers to get $200 in bonus bets when you bet just five bucks. Only on DraftKings, the crown is yours. It came to my attention that you're dad is a computer engineer?
Yeah, well, was. Is that- Was? Retired computer engineer. Yeah.
Congrats to him. So where did your basketball acumen come from? Did it come from him? Or did you get more basketball from him or more video game know-how from him?
Oh, definitely not any video games. Did your research tell you that I'm from Indiana?
Yeah. I guess you're just born with it. I guess it's That's right. It's just inherent to you.
It's definitely in our blood.
Is he from Indiana as well?
Yeah, my family is all from Indiana.
That explains it.
Yeah. So I just grew up loving hoop and loving playing. And I would actually play. My dad had this league on Sundays. It wasn't even a league. It was just a group that played on Sundays, and they were gracious enough to let me play when I was real little. And so I played all the way till I graduated from high school with them. And just doing that every Sunday Sunday. My dad certainly taught me everything I knew about the game, but he wasn't... My dad's 5'10, like a 5'10 white guy. So it's not... He got cut from the high school team. He loved it, though. Played in college, just like the co-rec thing. And that's how I got into basketball. But it was just... I wanted to be a computer engineer. I went to Butler, and I actually was in a dual degree program to be a computer engineer. And I started as a physics major, but then shifted to math. But I obviously left, so I didn't get... Who knows what would have happened.
Bro, you were studying physics?
Yeah, physics and computer engineering, double major. That was a poor choice. No, I had to switch out of physics. That was by far the hardest class I've ever taken because physics, math came really easy to me. But physics, you have to figure out which math formula you want to use or sometimes think of creating one yourself. It's not just doing the math.
Can they give you... They don't give you the formulas before the test or something like that? Like a list of the formulas? Not for physics.
For math, you get all the formulas. For physics, you got to figure out which one to use.
You're balancing equations and shit like that. It's a ball game. Physics is No joke, bro. Physics will put you through the ringer.
So I actually... Here's a story for you. So I took AP Physics when I was in high school. It was the same exact book, the same exact course. And as my freshman year in college, and I still got to see. That's how hard it was.
You couldn't just remember the answers from the homework from last time?
All the questions are different. You got to figure them all out.
That's nasty. But still, I think it's a tip of the cap to you that you're even considering studying physics. There has to be a pretty short list of guys who were in the MBA that were even taking a physics 101 class.
Maybe. That could be true.
That could be true. Do you remember any of it? You ever throw around any Newton's laws while you're just hanging out regular life?
No. If I could go back, if you had a crystal ball, which obviously we don't, but if you have a crystal ball, and I would have known, I would have been in the NBA, I would have been potentially starting some businesses. I would have definitely done business finance or something. You know what I mean? Because as it stands right now, I left after my second year. You basically took all the science classes from Butler before, and then you were I was supposed to take the last three years of it. We're going to be the engineering, which is what I was interested in. So I didn't even get a chance to really take those. I have basically a math minor, which I can't. What am I going to do with that? Like, nothing.
Yeah, it doesn't maybe add enough to the grocery list. It doesn't really apply. Yeah, I can't even think of anything. It's tough. I can't believe. As soon as I was able to stop taking math classes, when I graduated high school, went to college, I was like, Oh, I don't have to take any more math. I'm out of here. You're out of the math. Anyone that electively takes math is like, there's a different- Well, math came easy to me.
I would rather do that than read or something, right?
Yeah. I brought up the video games a little bit. I saw you clutch a 1v4 in Fortnite with a baby in hands. Okay. I saw the clip of that. That was years ago. I dug a little bit deeper, and then you were like a buck hunter, an all-star, whatever, back in the day. A what? Or you were like a deer hunter type of deal.
You must have looked up something wrong on that. I was wrong? You mean Deer Hunter, the video game?
The video game on NES or something like that because you couldn't play Maybe I got the wrong interview from GQ, but they said that you couldn't play GoldenEye. You were getting in trouble for GoldenEye.
I was getting in trouble for GoldenEye. That is accurate. My mom was not... I had to basically have... I had to present her why I should be allowed to play James I said, I'm the good guys. I'm fighting the bad guys, so you should allow me to play this game.
Yeah, it makes a ton of sense.
But GoldenEye was the game back in the day. I had to go to friends' houses to play that one.
Yeah, it was an absolute classic. But it all led to... I mean, that shooting one way or another, it's in your blood.
Yeah, I guess you could say that. I would say video games helped me transition to the NBA because I left at I'd never really left home. It was obviously a huge transition for me to be in Utah by myself. And that technology allowed me to hang out with friends because you could be on Discord or I think it was Skype at first. You could be on Skype, hanging out with your friends. It was something that allowed me to still stay and have people, obviously, because I didn't know anybody besides my teammates. And when you're first in the NBA, I was 20. Now I have Raja Bell and Al Jefferson and Paul, and they have families. And so it's different. When you're in college, you just hang out with your teammates. In the NBA, it's not really like that. Everyone's got their own thing they do. So after you go to the gym, you come home, I got all this time on my hands. I'm not doing anything, but I could play video games with my friends. And also, I think it was an outlet for competition. I mean, I'm a huge competitor, and so playing video games is another one you can compete at.
You mentioned your career starting off in Utah, and you had an It's like an interesting overlap. So your first year in Utah, you played with Andre Kirolenko. And then Andre Kirolenko's first years in Utah, he was playing with John Stockton and Karl Malone. So you're basically a degree of separation from these legitimate legends of the Utah Jazz. What was it like playing with Andre Karolenko? Is he as maybe crazy as he seems, or what was he like it as a vet at the time for that rookie year for you?
Man, this is going to be hard to try to remember, but that first year, you're just trying to soak everything up, and you're seeing and playing against guys that you were That you idolized as a kid. Ak was one of the most talented people that I played with as far as on the wing. He was all of six 6'9, could pass better than probably anybody that I ever played with, especially on the wing. He was super athletic or just long. It was one of the two because he would stand under the rim and could jump up, go between the legs and dunk it. That's insane. Like, vertical, which is insane. But AK, as a vet, he taught me that vets get to not run and touched the line on suicides. I remember being pissed off about that because I was one of the last ones, but I was the only one in suicides that had to touch the line. But it came back to work in my favor later on.
The conditioning. I mean, you're in the high altitude. You got to get it right.
Yeah, exactly. Andre would... I remember this, too. He was a big reader. I know he was a video game guy, too. He was big into WOW, I think, which I've never, ever played WoW, but he would sit in the locker room before the games and read books in Russian or whatever it was. And I remember looking at that thinking Man, shouldn't we be focused on the game? But as the season went on, you realized you're in there three hours before the game. And I think it was his way of probably silencing the noise and getting his mind right and focusing because you do just have so much time in the locker room before the games. Well, you had way more back then because back then, too, now everybody gets table times, treatment times. We're stretching. We're then getting on the table, getting worked on, we're then activating, we're then meeting for film. And so then there's not as much time. But back then, especially as a rookie, I just showed up there. I'm not getting a table time. I'm a rookie, and I'm hardly playing. I'm not getting treatment. So I'm just sitting there not doing anything.
Then he was reading, AK was reading.
Yeah, it's just some Leo Tolstoy or whatever Russian that he was locked in.
I don't know what he was locked in now.
Good for him, though. If people haven't treated themselves to the mixtapes and highlight reels of your Utah jazz days. You were fucking flying around out there. Some of the highlight tapes, it'll be like two full minutes of chase down blocks. If you're just rim protecting, like you're playing above the rim consistently the entire time. So can you break down what the art of the chase down block is, what you're seeing, what you're looking for, and how you're slowing time to meet up at the exact right time for those things, or is it just pure athleticism?
I like how you phrase that, slowing time. I think it's I think it's a natural... I don't know. I could never understand why more people didn't do it, because to me, it was just a natural play. I'm running back, trying to make a play on the ball. And to me, you almost have a slight advantage, because if they're not going to dunk it, you get to be the one to time them up and try to just go block the shot. I think that was just from natural just playing, just hooping, just playing ball in the growing up, you know what I mean? So for me, it certainly was you had to get your steps right, and you're basically watching the guy with the ball, trying to figure out when he's going to time his steps, and then you just go make a play.
Is it more footwork, or is it more waiting for them to make a move and then being able to quickly react after they've made their move?
I think it's both. I think it's both. I can, especially back then, I could jump off two feet or jump off one foot, and so I could I could quickly react and go get it. But the best ones always were when you could time it up and they didn't know that you were coming. You know what I mean? And then you just go pin it on the backboard. And that was definitely one of my favorite plays to do was to chase down block because it's such a momentum changer. You're denying their basket, and usually it starts something on the other end, too.
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I think that you're, obviously, best season, 2017. You're an all-star. You guys win your division. First round, you take care of business against the Clippers. Seven-game series, six series against the Clippers. And that was, I think, Chris Paul's last year out there. But you guys were stacked. You guys had such a complete team. What do you remember about that Clipper series and overcoming and being able to take the wind out of their sales?
Yeah, I think we shut down Lob City. That was the last year they were together. And that was probably the most fun I've had playing in the NBA was, I mean, anytime, a game seven on the road in LA against CP, Blake. Deandre Jordan, when he was in his prime, was a monster. But also JJ. I mean, that team was stacked. They certainly should have been better than And then, I guess, their results that they always had. And I think there's been plenty of podcasts of them talking about that. But yeah, that was an incredible run. That was definitely probably the most fun I've had playing in the NBA. We had a good group of guys, amazing coaches. Quin is an amazing coach. And then we ran into the buzz saw there with Golden State. I wasn't going to say it. Yeah. The thing is, you don't have any dime to celebrate. I don't think we went home. We went straight from LA to Golden State and got her ass handed to us that first game, too. And they were just waiting because I don't think they lost a game till maybe the finals or something.
So they were just waiting on us. And man, they were so good that year. But yeah, that clip series was fun.
And you obviously are playing with Rudy Gobert. And then it seems like over the years, it's almost like the narrative on Rudy Gobert is changing, and people almost aren't cognizant of the fact that he's a four-time defensive player of the year guy. What can you speak to about his talents as a defender, as a rim protector, as a center? And then how do you see... You're seeing the narrative. Have you seen this, how people are speaking ill of him or not as jazzed on Rudy Gobert's game right now?
Was that a pun intended?
No pun intended. It just, that's the wrapping coming out. I'm just at the end of the time, and it just flows from me.
I haven't seen this narrative, but I can speak to it. Rudy is, obviously, I think one of the best of all time at protecting in the rim. Just statistically speaking, he gobbles up rebounds. He always had a natural timing around the rim. He's obviously seven, whatever, two, but long, too. So he I mean, he's good at protecting the pain. That's what I think he's really, really good at. But he always had problems guarding on the perimeter. And that was something any time that we played like a quick guard that could also shoot, it was going to be tough for us. We had really tough times against Boston when they had IT. We had really tough times against Kemba. We had really tough times against Dame. These guards that if he came out too far, they go right around him. And if he's back at all, they're just shooting. And so I think that would probably be his only critique as a defensive player is being able to guard the perimeter Now, I don't think he's bad at it. I think it's just those are world-class, elite level players that that was what they did best was coming off, picking, roll, shooting.
We had problems with Steph, too. But Rudy is-Who was it? Yeah, exactly. Rudy is obviously going to go down in history as one of the best defenders ever. But it is what it is.
When you look at some of the rookies in this year's class, you look at guys Zachary Reja Shea and Matis Buzales, and they're guys who have similar body types to you. When you look at their body types in their games, what do you recommend for their first three years in the league as far as Getting their body right to be able to sustain, hopefully, a 14-year career like you did.
Yeah. Man, it's so different now, because when I first came in, I was having to guard... First off, it was double bigs in the post. You're also having to guard these big wings who all post Paul pierce, Melo, LeBron, Joe Johnson, Ron Artest. These were like, I mean, 240 plus. And now it almost seems like everyone is like, My last year's in the NBA, I was at 230, and I was one of the bigger wings in the league. So now it's so much more about speed. And I would just tell them, I can't tell you how many times I actually bench press. You just don't You need it in the NBA, but what you do need is all the legs piece. You got to be able to just train your legs, one for the speed, but also for being able to play, like you said, the whole season and try to not get injured. You're going to have freak injuries, obviously, but you got to be just training legs, I think, nonstop, just so your body can hold up, because it's all about the lower body.
Is it the squat rack? Is it bandwork? Is it reverse lunges? What are we talking about?
I don't think you need to You don't need to be a power lifter at all. I think probably more reps than heavyweights, but bandwork is huge. I mean, that's what I did probably my last three years. It's all bandwork. The core is obviously extremely important, too. So you can get a lot out of just doing calisthenics type stuff. But certainly, I think just hitting the lower body.
You're a movie producer now, which I think is a lot of children dream. I think a lot of kids want to grow up and be like, Hey, I want to make movies. And you already have one out. That's right. You already flipped one. You studied sound engineering? What was- No, we got a chance to go.
I got a chance to go to Skywalker Ranch.
Yeah, what was that like?
Yeah, I mean, Skywalker Ranch is legendary. I mean, that place is Northern California. I think it was initially started in 1978. I didn't realize how old it was, but it was amazing to go there, man. They got just these theaters and soundproofing studios where they're really doing the movie magic that you hear about. Our movie, actually, it's called Notice to Quit. It's not in theaters anymore, but you'll be able to stream it here soon. But we got our movie rated. Initially, it was going to probably be rated R, and we got it rated PG 13 just for language. And so when I went out there, that's one of the things we were doing is we're We're scrubbing the F-words. And so to do that, though, it's like you have to add a little magic, because when we filmed it, they obviously say the word. So we had to It was interesting to see that process and figure out how they did it exactly. And they also added sounds. And it was a fun just to be able to experience it. Chris Caspasio is the one who did our sound editing, which was amazing that he did that, because because he's worked with all the best directors and done sounds, like sound editing for all the big-time movies.
So I really got to see the best of the best in action, which was a really cool learning experience.
So how did they do it? They just cut away from the mouth moving of the F word and then have the actor say a different word and then make it sound like a bus is going by or something like that? What's the gist of it?
It's a little bit about what you said. If you can cut a little bit early, so maybe you see their mouth, or you can add... You can speed up some of the scenes a little bit, so it just goes by a little faster. Now we're talking about small increments, right? But yeah, and then you have the actor say the other word. Actually, our director, he had some foresight to film them saying different things in case we wanted to make it PG 13, which made it easier, so you didn't have to go back and shoot over again. But yeah, it's It's definitely a little bit like that.
Are you enjoying this new endeavor? And when you extrapolate out 5, 10 years, how do you see you spending... Obviously, you're going to be able to spend a lot more time with your family, but how do you see you spending your time professionally and busying yourself creatively.
Yeah. I mean, that would be amazing if we could keep telling stories. I think my partner and I, Simon Hacker, we want to be storytellers and not just pigeonhold into the typical athlete-like sports movie because this one that we just did has nothing to do with sports. Our production company is called Whisky Creek. We actually also started a distribution company, too, because we distributed the movie ourselves, which is quite an accomplishment. And so we want to be able to tell stories. I want to be able to go to a movie that I produce that my boys and I could go see, like me and you could go see, and we'd have a good time. But then also I want to do one where it's like me and my wifey can go to see it, or me and the kids can go see it. So there's a A lot of different things as far as stories to tell. And now that I'm done, obviously, we'll have a lot more time.
I got a movie pitch for you. A white basketball player who's a wing becomes a battle rapper. We'll call it 6'8.
There you go.
I think it could play. I don't know. That might be able to play. I'll just keep on throwing ideas at the wall. But for the time being, I really appreciate you coming through, you giving us your energy, you telling some of your story, and it seems like you got a lot of cool stuff ahead. So we'll definitely keep an eye out for whatever movies or however I can get my shot right. We always appreciate it and appreciate all the work that you put in on the court.
Yeah. Thanks, Ron. Thanks for having me, man.
You already know, man. Best of luck. And once again, Pat sends his love.
All right.
See you. Good stuff, brother. Appreciate you.
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