The Draymond Green Show with Baron DavisThe Draymond Green Show w/ Baron Davis: Fred VanVleet on Drake & DeMar DeRozan Beef, Joel Embiid, Houston Rockets Young Energy & 2019 Raptors Championship run & More
Houston Rockets guard and NBA champion Fred VanVleet joins the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis to discuss various topics, including his thoughts on Drake and DeMar DeRozan's beef, Joel Embiid's altercation with a reporter, and the Houston Rockets' season so far (5:00).
He explains why he chose the Rockets over the Raptors and expresses his desire to stay in Houston long-term (40:00). Fred also shares stories about the scuffle between Ime Udoka and LeBron James, Dillon Brooks' wild on-court moments, and having Steven Adams as a teammate (01:00:00). Draymond reflects on being bullied by the Wizards and what it means to be a veteran in the NBA.
Finally, Fred shares his top five undrafted players of all time.
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What's up? Everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show with BD. BD is not here right now currently because BD is out doing something with some politicians for voting, so he's going to tune in whenever you get here. Anyway, we got NBA Champion, NBA All Star and the starting guard of the Houston Rockets, Van Vliet, who was wants.
A guest on The Draymond Green Show.
This is his first time on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis. Give a one.
Welcome to my brother, Freddy Vee.
What up my dog man?
What's up? Bro? Thanks? Thanks for having me back again.
Absolutely, I appreciate you, brother, Thank you for coming on.
Man.
Listen, we gotta break this ice because everybody want to know and I want to know, and as you know, it's a little near and dear to my heart, because anytime you play someone in the NBA finals, there is a natural beef created because it's what we all want and it just naturally happens. And so I am happy to see Toronto and dismay, and I just want to know, like, what do you make of this whole Damar Drake thing. Drake saying he ain't getting this jersey retired. I'll pull it down. Tomor saying good luck with that pretty much said, of course my jersey can retired you as an NBA champion, Toronto Raptor, what's your take on this whole day?
Man? I hate to see it, man, I hate to see it.
Obviously, Damar is someone that I've grown close to, someone like a big brother than me. Drake, you know I consider a friend and someone that you know, I got a lot of love and respect for.
So you know, I hate to see it between those two.
Obviously, they got their own personal relationship and that when Howard it wins and win a lot of different ways. So I hope, I hope they figure it out. I hope it ain't. You know what I'm saying, nothing crazy serious, you know what I'm saying. I just hope everybody can figure it out, But yeah, I don't like to see that.
Do you think ultimately Damar Jersey gets retired with the Raptors?
Yeah, I think it should. I think it should. I think that you know, when you look at when you look at what he what he did, you know, especially when you want to give the history of franchise and what Vince and all of those guys meant at the beginning, and what that meant for Canadian basketball, because that's what a lot of people don't understand. It's how much impact the team and the franchise has on the country. So for that, we saw the impact that with Vince had and then we saw.
It again with DeMar. You know, he didn't lead the.
Team to the title, but he ultimately he built that foundation and that foundation and those were fifty nine win teams, those were first overall seas, that was the Eastern Conference finals, and you know, I witness some of the best basketball played with his two years there. So yeah, I would love to see that for him and for the city and for the team, But only time will tell.
Do you think what and when looking at that situation, do you think that's something that ultimately a drake with all the power that he has let alone Toronto, do you think But but this is the NBA, you know, so it's a little different.
But I don't know, Like, do you think that's and being someone that.
Spent time in Toronto the majority of your career in Toronto, do.
You think that's something that he has the power to alter.
Uh, it's hard to say. I would say that. I don't think it helps.
Yeah, I don't think your help, I don't.
I don't think them, you know, being our odds or whatever the case may be, helps the case of him getting his jersey retired. But also you gotta think and just for me being there, I know a little bit about the behind the scenes of events situation, which was directly like with ownership and people you know, within the organization who had a bad taste in their mouth after he left. For them to be able to overcome that over time and still pay homage to the work in the in the testament of the person that he was and the things that he did while he was there, I think he still was able to overcome some of those behind the scenes things. So yeah, I hope that this situation isn't you know, what I'm saying that deep to where its like we kind of changed the legacy or the history you know of the basketball that was played.
And I believe all things can be reconciled, you know.
What I mean, as long as ain't nobody been hurt and nothing physical has happened. You know, it's it's you know, men being men, and you know, I think they'll figure it out.
You see the first Who's Ultimately if you look at the next, say, fifteen years from now, what jerseys will be hanging alongside VCS in Toronto.
Man, it just I don't know, it depends on you know, who's who's calling those shots. But if you just want to go down the list, I think that it would makes sense for Vincents to be up there. Chris Bosh was another major cornerstone piece and and just a standout talent that was drafted there early. Obviously, Kyle will go down as you know, the fan favorite greatest raftor of all time, People's champion, and then tomorrow I think I think that's a good four. I think Kawhi was the best player that we ever had, that the team ever had, you know, that was the highest level that was reached but I don't know how much you can give to someone who will only played the year, you know what I'm saying under under the team. But I think I think any of those combinations of those four, I think Kyle definitely is going up there, and then you know, we'll see what happens with with Tomar.
I think Damar definitely deserves to be up there.
All Star. I think ultimately the key to the championship because we could figure you out.
You don't think you ultimately go up there.
Uh yeah, It's hard for me to think about myself right now, just you know, being in the midst of my own career.
But I think again, you still have to see.
How time, you know, time will will kind of judge us all and we'll look back. And I know for myself, it being almost what five five years now since the championship, like we get farther and farther away from it, and it becomes like more and more important and more and more relevant and like harder to get back to. So it's like, you know, you start to realize how great that moment was. I wish that I would have got a little bit longer. You know, time as like a starter and a guy to you know, to make more of an impact. But I'm very happy with, you know, the career I had there, the impact that I left, and the relationships that I building. I think that run is you know, one of those legendary runs. So y'all would love to go up there.
Speaking of and switching gears a little bit, just just us as NBA players.
Obviously something when you're at.
The love with that we're speaking of that we all deal with and it's important, you know. Steve Kerr always mentions it like it's it's the thing that we all get frustrated and with that we hate, but yeah, it's it's the thing that we have to love the most because the media attention that is on our sport is the reason.
You know, you can sign.
One hundred plus million dollar deal, and I can sign one hundred million dollar deal, and you know, guys are now starting to sign three hundred million dollar deals, and the reason being is because there's so much interest in our sport and the media attention and the media rights deal and.
All those things.
Yet we're constantly under scrutiny, twenty four hour scrutiny, and sometimes things are written that may not be a spare this week. Not a few days ago, it was reported by Sham that Joel had got into a physical altercation with a reporter. How you know, to my understanding, I didn't read the article, but I read well. Came on an article where he kind of looped in his brother and his son and mentioning his legacy and what he hasn't done, and you know it led to a physical altercation. What are your thoughts before any other questions, just one of your thoughts on the initial situation.
Yeah, I think, man, I think that in this space, I think that the way that we have grown so fast, and with the money that's involved in the just the every day in twenty four hour news cycling, everything seems so important and you can just be a guy on Twitter with a voice and Draymond Green might see my tweeting, he might respond to me and then like now people know my name. And I think that with all of that being said, I think we've lost, like some of the professionalism that goes with what this is still considered a billion dollar business. So first and foremost, the whatever the article was, the excerpt that he wrote about his brother.
His late brother was.
Super out of pocket, like super out of pocket, crazy, no context, no reason to even loop that in under any circumstances. And you can't like take a dig at somebody in the same paragraph that you mentioned you know, someone that lost a love on so close to him. So I would say that first and foremost. Now, what I have did that, I don't know. So I'm not I'm not gonna knock Joel for that because I don't know how I would have responded. I probably you know, I think he understand the consequences that come with that, So I'm sure he knew that before he made his move. But I feel like me personally, if I'm and do that, I'm gonna just go all the way.
You know what I'm saying.
It ain't gonna be It's not gonna be a push or graph, you know what I'm saying, Somebody getting slapped up like once once it's time to go all the way. There is just time and you know, we take our we take our punishment, and we keep it moving. But yeah, I'm not like condoning violence and pushing for that. But it's like certain things, you know, as a man, you still have to stand on some type of principles and that that comment was was super out of pocket, and I think that maybe there's other ways you could have been put out, probably shouldn't have been you know, loud in the locker room at that point, or you know, kept away or whatever the case will be.
So we'll see how it shakes out.
But I think we all gotta be careful how we carry this thing, you know, as it continues to grow, because we can't like lose sight of, you know, some of the things that helped it be what it was as well.
You know we can we can, we can still mess it up, you know what I mean.
So it's like everybody gotta be on their ps and Q's just players. Players always get the flat they get to, you know, the money and the flag, which is how it goes. But it's like the media at the place places partner as well.
Yeah, No, for sure, I think like you said, man, that was fouled for that dude too, Like there's no need for you to mention his son.
There's no need for you to mention his brother.
It's a terrible Like the way you looped it in, it looked like you were just thirsty to actually loop it in because it didn't it didn't make the statement greater, like it actually only made what you were saying about that thing like it didn't make anything right. Actually you did that, and because of that, no one knows any other part of your article that you wrote. And quite honestly, I don't think anyone gives a shit to even know now because they know the most important part is you kind of you did that and took that shot for no reason, and you got beat up on a little bit. And like you said, I'm not want I don't want to condone Vio the size that a little You can't. You can't total opposite way, But I wasn't in this situation. So I'm gonna talk about it, and I agree with you a if you're going to go there, you might as well just go there because the consequence is the same. But they I and I always say, yes, there is a responsibility on us as players to uphold a certain level of integrity and a level of professionalism and to continue to give to this game. You know what I'm saying, because you still got to continue to give to this game for the next young guys that come through. You know, it's not it's our responsibility to deliver it to them in a great standard, not deliver it to them in shitty stands, and so.
We have an obligation and a responsibility.
To do that. I think there's also an obligation and a responsibility though on some of these PR stats. If you know that's happened, you know Joelle feel a way about it, maybe you.
Don't have that guy in the locker room or around at that time.
You know, maybe you have Joelle's security on high alert that hey, he need to be between him and this guy at all times because he's feeling a way, you know what I'm saying, As opposed to sometimes the stuff with the PR it can be so transactional because they're just trying to get these interviews time, and you can miss out on the piece of let me see how this guy is feeling, because that can't happen. Like, these are real human beings, man, These ain't these ain't these ain't robots that Elon Musk created. These are real human beings, you know what I'm saying. These are people with real emotions and real feelings, making real split second decisions, spur in the moment decisions. And can you do a better job as a PR styfle of protecting guys because you know it's for instance, it was what it was, but like, could you have protected me from that guy that asked me the very first question of media that people are worried about you how you know what, like, uh, you know, could you have protected me from that? Because I could have responded differently and that been the whole thing of media day And could you have protected me from that? You know what I'm saying, like is it your job?
Yeah?
Like so you know, I look at that go ahead.
I've been in I've been in some situation, not to the extent of what Joel did, but some other locker rooms that I've been a part of where they're you know, you know how I go. Players get irritated with certain reporters, you know, through the course of the season, or they say things, and Twitter get a lot of people in trouble. You know, people just like to tweet during the games, things like that. So I've asked pr staff to have removed people, you know, certain times, or maybe you just take the you know, you move them around when you got to move them around, just to like let everything die down, because like you said, it not just people. We're talking about like high functioning, like super talented, super egotistical, super emotional like people, and we put, you know, our lives on the line. Yes, we're paid very well and all of those things, but it's like we still are giving a lot on a daily basis, expected to take the high roll all the time.
Like you might not.
Pass, you might not You might not pass that test every single time if you got to do it a thousand times, you might slip up one time. And you know, like I said, maybe maybe you know could have handled it better. But I think everybody have to look and see what they couldn't did better, Not just Joelle. I'm not gonna see him out. He shouldn't have did that, or the reporters shouldn't yet the other people involved know they got a part to play too.
Definitely, And I think, you know, even like you know, the one question that it does raise. And I'm actually a little happy this happened because we've been talking about this for years. Why are reporters in the locker room? Why are why? Why are reporters in our sacred space where we have to get undressed, where I have to dry my wet body off, and they just stand there Why why do I have to be subject to that as at my job? No one else that works in the NBA it's subject to someone watching them get dressed and in and out of the shower. Why am I subject to that? What is it doing? What better interview are they getting me getting dressed possibly in the back of somebody video. What better interview are they getting them being in that locker room than me going to the podium and sitting there with a microphone. Why must I get dressed and undressed in front of media members?
Yeah, no, that's a fact. I prefer the podium by far. And they took it off for COVID, and they brought it back and brought it back.
Why so, now now you got somebody in there getting beat up, maybe they'll change the rule, because there's no reason that there is not a single place in a basketball arena that I can go and be away from everybody. Why is that a single place in my job? See guess what. Most people at their job, they can go into their office, they can close the door. We don't have a single place where we can go except for in the shower store and have a moment to myself or it's just my teammates. Why is that.
Yeah, that's crazy, which.
So it posts that question. But even got beat up on a little bit. I hope they stop to these people from being in a lot. It's testing in there, man.
Yeah, yeah, get crazy in there, get crazy in there. I'm telling you that you got to think about, like shout out to the season reporters that got a little from that. You know, they know how to move around and good. It's good reporters, but it's also some some weird ones, you know what I'm saying. It's also some weird ones. And you know that was for me. I've always been able to speak. I always been able to talk, and you know, I kind of found my way around. But like someone you know, these kids, I got a team full of nineteen, twenty twenty one, twenty two year olds. Man, they don't always know like the best way to deal with these people, you know what I'm saying. They don't always know like the right thing to say, or they don't really understand that the mic is never off or oh yeah I'm off the record, but I'm not really off the record, or like you said, your whole ass might be out in somebody video while you're trying to kind of get dressed. From what I'm saying, It's like I don't necessarily want to see that, you know what I mean on the interet But yeah, we might need to re evaluate that one.
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I want to talk a little bit about you journey. It's just student NBA, you know, before we move into Houston Rockets, which I'm excited as hell to talk about. I think there's a lot of stuff there that a lot of people don't know that I believe about your squad, and I want to get into it a little bit, but just first want to talk about you know, in one year you went from playing in the G League to being a six Man of the Year candidate. As NBA players, there's a moment when the game starts to slow down. I was just doing a podcast with Fred Warner, and I was telling Fred like he was saying, what's the number one thing that you've learned that helps you today. And I was just telling the game moves like this for me now, and it's just so slow. And you know, with that game slowing down, when did it? When did when did you actually Phil it starts slowing down for you? Like I know you went one year of G League and then six minute of year candidate, But when was it that it really really slowed down for you and you like in total control.
Of every day. Yeah, I would say probably like midway through my second year, and then definitely my third year, because like the first year as a rookie, you're just trying to figure it out, you know what I'm saying. Like I said, I played maybe twenty G League games and then I played maybe like forty regular games. You know it's five minutes here and there while I was in the quarters things like that. So I was watching and learning, you know what I mean. And like I've always been a little bit more cerebral just because I haven't never had I never been the fastest, sort of like the most athletic on any team, and my whole entire license I was little kid, so I always had to think. But once I started to get the terminology, the coverages, and really what helped me was like playing defense. So I'm like, Okay, if I could figure out the defense, then I can understand how other teams defend, and then.
On offense, I'll be cool.
And so I didn't have the skill set coming in, Like I couldn't shoot the three right away. I didn't, you know what I'm saying. I had the craziest offensive game, but like I was just learning to cory. Okay, eighteen out of twenty, teams gonna push on the side, they're gonna send it down. Other teams goad, you know whatever. Everybody got their different coverages. And once I started to figure that out, offense became really easy. I was lucky to play with Kyle Lowry and DeMar the Rosen, so I didn't really have to do nothing. My jumper came along, so I was spotting up. I was spotting up. My job was to come in, pick up full court, you know, push the pace, make some open threes.
Cool.
Got to finish a couple of games. Once I started finishing the games in the fourth, I'm like, oh, I'm cool.
I'm here.
You play some high pressure moments, make some big shots and yeah, and then it just continues to grow, so like you go from that to you know, a bigger role and then you know, after that, Okay, now you're the number one option on the SKYT Report. So now that's a whole another layer of you know how teams guard you and you're getting blitzed and you're getting the best defender and you know, so you continue to learn that way. But I would say probably like my second year where I started putting every team together, like so I could just go out there and play.
I never really had trouble with like reading the game.
Yeah, was there was there ever anybody, uh you know the NBA players that you said that you were the powder of your game effort?
Yeah. So I think CP was a big.
Guy for me from the standpoint of like I feel like he could do everything on the court, Like he could do anything up until the point to where I think one year he was like guardan KD. You know what I'm saying in the playoffs, like I remember that series like vividly. You know what I'm saying, what they put Okay, the NBA is different, you know what I mean. You would never like think of like a matchup where like the best option is just for somebody to get under them and make it tough. And you know that I remember that though. Yeah, but I watched Man. I was I had the damn Ankle Breaker DVDs. You know, we watched like I watched everybody, Chauncy J. Kidd, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, CP, Darren Williams, like I watched all of those great two thousands point guards. And then once I got to Toronto, I just was in Kyle's hip pocket every day because I'm like, all right, I need to learn how he puts it together for the game, you know what I'm saying. And once I saw like his approach and the way that you know, he worked every day and how he you know, attacked every single game on the nineteen nighth basis, I'm like, all right, that's why I'm.
I'm gonna just try to take what I came from him, and you know, have my own twist to.
Definitely want to follow up on that. Uh, you know you're talking about CP. I had the opportunity to play with CP last year. Man was one of my favorite teammates all the time. Bro Like one of the best professionals he had. He had, you know, some disdain being here last year and not playing the minutes that he's always played, and like not being able to play the role he's always played.
And there was never a day that you could see he had this day.
But like we lived in the same building, you know, we built a relationship, so I knew his displeasures. But there was never a day that you could see that he wasn't happy, like and coming into the facility and you know, leading and speaking to people, like helping younger guys. Like there was never a day that he didn't come in like professional and locked in. And you know CP is now eighteen years in which is at six feet which is crazy. What is it for you? And you know, being a similar height, you know, and some similar size and stature, what is it for you that you think you have to do along the lines of what CP is doing to extended this this long For one, it's crazy, but at that size.
Yeah, I think one thing I always took from him was like all of the other intangible. So if anybody know him or play with him or played against him, like he never stopped talking, Like he never stopped talking. He talked the whole game, you know, what I'm saying. He's talking to the ref, talking to the coach, and talking to his players and calling them players, talking on offense and talking on defense. You over here, he whispering here, whispering there, like he talked the whole game. And that was always something that I took. I'm like, okay, he always manipulating the game, like twenty four to seven, So I always took that. Obviously, he was a you know, best point guard in the league, NBA All Star type of caliber player, you know what I mean, So he had to model his game a little bit later, like to condense the role for me myself, I feel like that window was a little bit smaller, so like I'm more designed to play a role to kind of give myself more longevity.
I'm on year nine.
I don't know if I can even see you're nineteen right now. I don't know if I can see that far, to be honest with you, but like they're taking care of the body, you know what I mean. I remember I went to see Peace Camp and I was just telling somebody this maybe yeah, ten years ago, twenty fourteen, I was in college and he was giving us a you know a little seminar about how him and Blake Griffin did some blood tests to where they can see what food they react.
Yeah, you know what I mean.
And I'm like, I'm in college and I'm still eating like McDonald's and Popwey's and shit. So I'm like, I'm like, damn, that's that's what it takes on Now that I'm in this position, I'm like, Okay, it's all of those small little margins, you know what I mean that Like, yeah, I might not be able to eat a donate, my knee might be hurting tomorrow.
You know what I'm saying.
I might got to slow down on the on the alcohol here and there.
You know what I'm saying.
It's like different things that might buy you, you know, time, So I always pay attention to all of that. And then, like I said, basketball wise, is like just continue to always grow and get better and for him to go from like the pick and roll, you know, Mastro, you never lose that, But it's like finding ways to make your team better, you know what I meantime.
And speaking of like the guys that you look up to and covering it to this league sometimes depending on type of guys they are. CP is definitely this type. Did you have you had any run ins with CP?
You know what's crazy?
I never had a problem with CP ever, And I don't know because I met him while I was in college, you know what I'm saying. I always have like held him in a high regard. But I definitely know a few people that, you know what I mean, has to run ads with him. So I've heard stories and I've heard different things. But you know, I can't never speak on nothing that I ain't experienced myself. But I ain't never had no problem well, but he is like a feisty, little dirty motherfucker man when it come down to like willing to do anything to win the game.
And I respect that, you know what I'm saying, because Kyle is a little bit like that.
Like Kyle might jump and break your ankle or something if you need to go get the loose ball, like you got some of that too, you know.
What I mean.
Absolutely, there's certain guys that's like, you know, when the ball is tipped, it's like anything goes, you know what I mean. We can shake hands and be friends after, but you know, I mean might not at two tooth out if you got.
Too and that is why we hated each other. Yeah, that is absolutely why we hated each other. But no, CP is definitely no I that makes complete sense because he knew you in college. One thing CP is is he he takes pride and like being a veteran leader for people and giving back to the younger guys. And so the fact that he knew you in college, he's probably always just looked at you like damn, he was at the camp out help you know, I'm willing to help him alone, you know, he.
Because he takes that side of things serious for sure. And one thing I respect because I know who don't do this. He at me and I'm at him. You know what I'm saying. It's guys that I come across that want to play buddy buddy during the game and all that they might duck smoke. They don't want to guard me there, you know what I mean, Like, it's guys that do that. It's a lot of soft guys to be that duck smoke. But CP is he always been at me from day once. I always respected like, yeah, okay, he looked at me like a little brother. But he's still going at me like anybody else. And I'm going at him like anybody else every time.
Yeah, And that's that's the best competition and that's also the best time of respect for sure, when we can go at each other.
And that's just what it is.
Yeah, Man, switching gears, y'all current Houston team.
Like I told you, I got a lot I want to talk to you about with the team.
Man, it's an interesting team for sure, and I like some guys in y'all team, so I want to get into that. But before we get into that, y'all coming off a great win versus the Knicks. H what you say, like, that's your best win of the season, it's something y'all can build on, or how are y'all How are y'all viewing this win? Yes?
Early, I would say for us, Dallas probably felt a little bit better because we had a good Dallas game last year on the road and we gave it away in like the last.
Minute of the game.
We didn't file up three, they had a try to go to overtime, we lost, so that was probably felt a little more like rewarding. But the Nick game was probably our most complete game, Like that was just good hoops. You know what I'm saying, you played a full game of hoops, team effort, everybody contribute, played good. I think we have in the ninety seven so you know what I mean, we were we were locked in.
That was a good game.
And you know, for us, the word all year for us is gonna be consistency, you know what I mean, because you can you can bring that energy, you can bring that effort and spurts here and there at night to night, but can you put it together, you know what I'm saying, consistently and hopefully we can build on that going forward.
Absolutely, and you you ultimately go into the Rockets, it's been your second year there. When you when you first made that decision to leave Toronto and go to the Houston Rockets. What was it for you that ultimately gave you the comfort to make the move And could you have going back to Toronto like once you opted out?
Yeah, I think that I just wanted to get to free agency. I think that I felt the changing of the guard. You know, as players, you kind of get hit to what direction the organization wants to go in here and there and everywhere. There was different contracts and it was just so much going on behind the scenes. So I just wanted to get the free agency so I can make them make a decision, you know what I mean, versus me doing it. So yeah, I could have. I could have went back. The talks didn't go, you know, maybe exactly how I wanted them to go. And then Houston comes along. I have a conversation with em I have a conversation with Stone, and that was really it, Like that's all I needed, you know what I mean, was to have a coach tell me exactly what he needed from me, how you see, you know what he thinks. And I just think I was the perfect guy for the job to come like quarterback all these young crazy dudes that they got and give them some you know, structure and as soon leadership and direction. But I also remember playing them the years that they weren't trying to win, and every after every game we always were just like man, they were really fast, yeah, really athletic, like like you couldn't catch up to him, you know what I mean. So absolutely I remember that it was in my mind. And then having those talks and free agency. Obviously the contract, I mean, it's hard to beat that in Texas life. That's just you know, I could never imagine making forty million dollars a year at any point in my life. So that was hard to turn down. But really it was a conversation with he made that was like letting me know how he viewed it, how he saw me, and what he wanted out of me. And I just wanted to get back to having fun playing basketball and post championship Toronto, towards the end, we weren't really having fun.
You know what I mean.
It got to that point and I was looking for just a new fresh start and I found it.
What what has What Amy has maybe shocked you or stood out that you didn't know you'd get from him. Man, So.
You know how much NBA coaches beat around the bush and protect guys' egos and don't address things, and like he's the complete opposite. But it's weird because it's only the two and a half hours during the game. Everything else is super light. It's fun, it's a great workplace environment. Everybody enjoys coming in every day. Shoot Arounds are light, practices are light. Everything is about the team and camaraderie and just the morale and the group and growing.
As a as a as a unit. I wasn't.
I wasn't prepared for that. And so again that goes to quality of life, quality of living as well. When you enjoyed coming to work every day, you're excited to build, you know, with the team, And that was something that caught me off guard. I wasn't ready because it's just so serious all the time, you know what I'm saying, Like you just see his face and he yelling and shit during the game and he cussing the rest out and trying to fight Lebron. All this is like you just you're thinking, like it's like military all the time. But he pretty cool speaking about fighting Lebron.
I've never heard much about that moment with him, and he may what what was it like in that moment being right there, Like how did that all go down?
Well, the thing, the funniest thing is for us is if you know he mail, you know, like he don't never raise his voice, so like if he yelling at you, it's always a mumble like and you don't move his face.
He don't.
He doesn't, he doesn't get animated or like half the time you don't really even hear what he's saying. The play was going back and forth you know, Brian demonstrative, getting the refs all scared and round up and yelling at the refs, changing calls and this, this and that, and you know, you may you know, may or may not have said some words Brian ain't like you know what I'm saying. They had a quick, a quick love debate about it, you know what I'm saying, and the ref rejected him.
So it just went like that.
But like we watched, you know, you get the full story after the game and you see how it played out. But like in the game, I didn't really know what happened. I just looked over. They said a couple of words to each other and he got ejected. So yeah, everybody ain't you know, everybody ain't friendly all the time. Man, Everybody ain't trying to be friends in the NBA all the time. So that's all that was.
That's the fact. Do you think do you think that part of that happening Also it is because Email also played against bron as opposed to like say, if it was a Steve Kirk personally.
Yeah, for sure, he played against him, you know I'm saying in the era, and he was a scrappy, undrafted defender tough guy, rough guy. You know what I'm saying. I know how he's looking at the star player that's like, oh, you know what I mean, Like I know that mindset that you get into.
So for sure that definitely played a party.
Just as a veteran on this young team, this young Rockets team that you're on when.
You're coming into and what I was saying very early, like when I first say I stepped into being a vet some super young guys, was like nineteen twenty, and I struggled with it miserably, like I didn't know what it meant.
I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know what it took. I just didn't understand it.
And it got sprung only faster than I even knew it would because it was just like abruptly and coming in every single day, what are you trying to teach to the younger teammates and ultimately what is the conversation as you know some places you go into the conversation every day. It's like yo, winning in a championship. I can't foresee that being the conversation everywhere, But like, what's that like for you and with your young team?
Yeah, I'll say first that I got lucky because I had a year two years with Scotty, right, So that was my first impression of a top pick coming in. They're giving him everything he don't really know, like how it go. We're trying to teach it to him, you know what I'm saying. And I can't say that I handled that the best or maybe that wasn't the outcome that I wanted.
How that for that to go?
So I took some of the things I learned from that brought a year, and the two biggest things is Number one, First of all, I have to show you every day, Right, I'm just gonna show you by me being me on a daily basis.
Watch me, you'll be all right.
Number Two, I'm gonna tell you the truth and I don't really give a fuck if you like it or not.
You know what I'm saying. I'm not here to be your friend.
I'm not here to like we shouldn't always get along, but if you want to win and you want to be great and you want to get paid, you know what I'm saying, I could show you like some things that might help you in that regard. And then the other third thing, which I did add was like, you know, taking them off the court and just breaking bread, and.
The chap been chopping it up. And look who the wind, the blue wind here, welcome my brother.
What's up?
Man?
I apologize, man to the legends, to the chap friend, Apologize to my big dog, my host. I was out, you know, trying to be amongst the people, get my vote on be in Line, you know. But I do gotta say being on this damn podcast, man, everybody coming up to me, want to take a picture, want to.
Tell it's Dramond who you voting for.
I'm like, man, there's too many questions, you know what I mean, there's too many questions in the bout blah blah. But I apologize, felas Hey and damn you know, I'm sorry because Fred.
You know you my guy, man, you one of my my all time favorite point guards. Man. I used to it from the time you got in the league. I was like, Yo, who is this dude out here wiggling on.
People like that stud the man with the wig of the game. You know you got you got all the stuff in the rockets. You know they might pick to have a big year, and I think you guys already have you know, you off to a solid start versus Dallas versus Memphis. You know, how did y'all make it? How did y'all make things difficult? More so for great players like job or when you're playing against Luca, Like, what's your energy around there?
Yeah, I mean, we got a lot of young, young, hungry guys like and I would say that I've been around some guys in the league. I think we all have that don't really love it, that just you know, luck love will come with it. But I would say we got a lot of guys that really love the game.
That they get.
They get up for the big names. You know what I'm saying. They want to prove theyself. Well, we got good defenders. We gotta our man Thompson and Tarry Easton. You know what I'm saying. Y'all know, y'all know how Dylan bring it every night. So it's like we got bodies that that really take pride in in that end of the floor. So when they see a big name come in, you know, no matter who it is, they get up. They get up for the game for sure.
To piggyback off that man. I absolutely love Tarry Easton game.
It's like every time I play against him, I come off the games just raving about his energy and you know, like the motor that he has. We're playing, y'all last week, we were up thirty points and his energy changed the entire game. What what is it that? What is it that's keeping him off the floor? Like now, I wouldn't even ask you that way. What does he have to do more to get get more minutes on the floor, because I feel like, for me, I don't understand.
Why why he's not on the floor.
Yeah, for that team, I think the team and y'all, team is much tougher to play against when Tyre East is on the floor in my beingion and I felt that way since geting.
Rookie for sure.
No, I think to answer the question first would be he last year he did have a serious injury. You know what I'm saying that he missed a ton of time for they were trying to figure out, you know, the best way to manage it and things like that.
So there has been you know.
I'm saying the same thing because we're playing pickup in the fall before the season and they keep putting them on my team and he can only play two minutes at a time, in five minutes at a time, and when he's on my team, we go up ten. As soon as you take them out, we go down town. I'm cussing the coaches out, saying why why can't he be on the floors. I'm with you, you know what I mean, right, But there has been a ramp up process for him, you know what I'm saying, just managing the situation that he had last year. Had a major, a major situation on his leg last year. So I think they've been managing that. But I think that he'll continue to grow on that. And then for me, I'm always just trying to develop his mind to go with the fire and the passion. I think that's one thing that makes you great. Dre is like you still got the IQ to go with the crazy shit. So it's like you got all the crazy shit, but it's like you still really got the IQ too. So like for him, I just want him to keep developing that part because I never seen nobody bring a team back from thirty down by itself just off the hustle, like just really just really just taking the ball, one taking the ball, blacking shot, don't get shooting three rip him again, come down like it looked like a and you like, I've never really seen that, you.
Know what I mean. And he's just really doing all that off the muscle.
So like, the more he continued to develop the IQ and learning the game, he got a real special future for sure.
Yeah, another player everybody got their eyes on this season is Reed Shephard.
I mean, obviously he.
A top top pick, but you know, he getting comparisons to you know, NBA point guards. Uh, and you know more so Steph Curry, which I don't know. I don't compare nobody. We don't compare one one.
Stop stop it.
That's what I said, bro, That's what I said right now blasphemos. We don't want to go that route. But like talk about his game, like what's what's what impresses you. I wouldn't comparing with Steph Curry, I was. I would just kind of compare him to you know, Mold, you know what I mean, not so much like you know, people come on, man, I didn't say it. The people say.
People saying good day, read tough man, really tough man. I don't know if I would have looked at him and never said Steph either. You know what I'm saying. But I will say, like he tough, like to come in with that skill set at that age to shoot the ball like that. He's sharp, he's smart, he's tough, sneaky, athletic. You know, he'll continue to grow and get comfortable out there. He had a great preseason and then the first couple of games you could tell, you know, he was trying to get his legs under him. So he's got a real brath. I'm glad that I get him, you know, as a rookie. For me, as a point about.
It, like yeah, I was, I was.
I was gonnat that, you know what I mean, because I remember when I hoop. You know, you always gravitate to the young energy.
You know what I mean? Is it? You know what I mean?
He came, He came first day, Like Yo, teach me everything, you know, you know what I'm saying, And like the biggest thing, the biggest thing for me is like I tell you whatever you want to know, but I ain't gonna chase you down, you know what I'm saying.
So like having him just open mind his sponge.
He want to learn, and he's way farther ahead, you know what I'm saying at twenty than I was, so like, I'm just excited to give him the gems and things that I picked up along the way to give it to him.
So you know he can run with it.
I like him a lot too.
I think one of the interesting things is, and what I like about him is you see him and you're like, oh, I'm going at him, and he check.
He can do his feet, got good hands.
You know, he's gonna continue to learn the NBA game a little bit, but yeah, I'm trying to give him a little bit. We just got to get him some marks more Houston life, you know what I'm saying. Let him hang out with the guys a little bit. He'll pick up some of that and you know he'll he'll make his mark, but shoot the ship out the ball. He's gonna be one of those super efficient point guards. It's gonna be a tough cover on on a ninety ninth basis, And yeah, I love everything about it. Professional dead serious every day, just super professional, dead serious. He ain't got too much funnies with him and Steven Adams grabb him up. They keep wearing the same mustache now. So hopefully, hopefully you can pick up hopefully pick up of some Steve Steven Adams a little crazy crazy stuff too.
That would be good for him. Exact.
I like that because you get to you know, you get to bring him along right as you know, a young young rookie point guard. But then you get to you get to also show him that, you know what I mean, It's like that's how you get busy. Is that like extra motivation for you? You know what I mean coming in into this year, Like I got a young dog. If I'm giving him all this game, I gotta go show him how to you know what I mean.
And I was just telling Dre that, like I it's easy to tell you, but like I got to show you too.
You know what I'm saying.
It's twenty four to seven round the clock, pull up and you know what I'm saying, get a notebook out like this is this is all day long, just on the court and Saint just practice on the plane, it's on the bus. It's how I deal with the staff, is how I deal with this, is how I deal with this, you know what I mean. We'll get to the personal lives. You know, he got to keep come from a great family, so he should be solid there, but like it's all day long, you know what I'm saying, classic and sessions. So I'm just glad to have him right there with me. And you know, I'm excited to see, like how he's gonna pan out.
I would say one of the guys, both of us are excited about seeing this year. It's Jalen Green, Like I think you know, uh b D And both b D and myself both agree that we think he going to have a big year. And I think my my question to you would be, how have you seen his you know, in your two years now, how have you seen his approach change?
I think he just growing up like naturally, like life would do that to you know what I'm saying, you have a baby, It's time to sit down, It's time to tighten up.
It's time to focus on what's important. You know what I mean.
You got a child like contract coming up, you know, tighten up, bro like. But at the end of the day, I will give him ultimate credit. I didn't see the crazy Jalen that I heard about, you know what I'm saying. From the moment I got there, he was on He was on point. He's in the lab every day he worked lift you work on this game everybody, Like, you know what I'm saying, have a good time.
I know, I did.
You know what I mean? You got to Bro. That's the point.
Yeah, that's the point. You know what I'm saying.
I ain't one of them to act like I don't like have a good time. You know.
But exactly his approach was good.
He tried to do everything the coaches ass though, and you could just see like layers, Like halfway through the season last year, I'm like, all right, look they going at you, Bro, like you got to take that personal.
You know what I'm saying, You ain't.
You don't want to be no pick on guy, and you could guard like I'm playing you in practice. You can guard bro Boom, you start taking that personal.
Now.
He got like one of the best I sold number of the you know, defensive stats on the team, like things like that. He started developing whatever whatever work he did this summer to come back with the pace and the balance and the three to be able to put it together. Like you talked about the game slowing down, farm, We're starting to see a translate and I think that all just happy.
You can't like.
Pinpoint when a guy is gonna when it's gonna click form. But I think it's I think it's starting to click form, and I just try to give him the confidence in the space to like be itself.
Man, that's amazing, bro.
I think I got a question for both of y'all because it's like, you know, y'all veterans now you know what I mean, and like talk about like the beauty of you know, Dre you not had cominga for what three years?
Moody for three years? Right? How to how to?
Like, Uh, it's almost like programming somebody, you know what I mean. It's like programming, like, you know, setting different challenges. How does that feel? I say for both of y'all, Like you know, I would say when I was in that I didn't embrace that, you know what I mean, because I was worried about going out and joy you talked about like how you embracing that? Frig you talking about just giving all the wisdom and the isms to the players. I want both of y'all to just talk about like how fun it is to like be re energized through you know, kind of teaching and grooming that next generation.
Yeah, No, it's something that I really enjoy man always. It always takes me back to my rookie year. Assistant coach of Bars Pete Myers would be do you know Pete Myers was our assistant coach, and he told me, he said, Yo, I'm would tell you two things that I want you to keep with you for the rest of your career. He said, Number one, you owe it to the guys that come before you, I mean that come after you to lead a game in a bet space. Then you found it, he said. Number two. He said Number two was, uh, you get paid for the next young guy to get paid. That's how this thing keep going. You get paid for the next young guy to get paid. And when he told me that, it was one of those og isms where like, it's a gym and that's some free game. Now figure out what you do with it. You know what I'm saying, Like, now it's on you to figure out what that means. And for me, I've always taken that person because that's what I was taught.
You know what I'm saying.
I went to Michigan State where Matteenklees and Travis Watten taught me what OG's do for their young fellas. You know what I'm saying that all the guys that came before me, they taught me like, nah, this is what you're doing. You do X, Y and Z, and this is how you take care of and bring the young fellas along. And that's how they brought me along. And so for me, I always try to get that back. And with Moses and JK, like Moses and my relationship hit it off like that right away, immediately, book it stan quick. JK. It took over a year. You know what I'm saying for me to gain his trust, because the one thing with JK is if he don't trust you, you ain't getting nothing from him.
He's just gonna be like okay.
And that's kind of it, like he ain't giving you much either way, ain't giving you much good, ain't giving you He's just like okay. And what I learned to shout out to Anthony varin Won on our assistant coaches, he helped me figure out, Yo, you have to like spend some time with him and build a relationship with him. Then he'll listen to you. But if you just think you're gonna say some stuff to me, he ain't gonna listen. I'm just telling you, and I took it up on myself to this start building a relationship with JK. And once I start building a relationship with JK, that guy K will run through this brick. Well, I have no doubt in my mind he will run through this wall for me. But he also know that I'll run through that wall for him. And so just in guiding those guys. I love it though, because you get like this blank canvas and as an artist, the way I view it is usually just gave me an all white, blank canvas, and now I just get the paint on this canvas and watch it turn into a masterpiece and just sit back like this proud artist. That's like, Wow, I just watched him work to be like go from here to their Emoses movie. Just got paid forty million dollars, Like wow, I'm seeing the young fella get paid. J JK about to make one hundred and forty hundred and fifty million dollars. Wow, Like watching them grow into that man, It's special. So I am race that and most of us were sitting in my room last night till four o'clock in the morning, were sitting here talking, you know, me checking in on and making sure he good. Like you know what I'm saying, you still ain't currently playing the minutes that you want to be playing. How you feeling about that? You know what I'm saying. Talk to me like how you feeling about everything? Like you got your contract? All right, that's cool, But what's next now? Like we was talking about family offices and financial advisors and investments like till four o'clock in the morning. You know what I'm saying. So I uh, I really embraced that side of things. And like I said, for me, it stems from Michigan State. Like all my young fellas, Jared Jackson, Xavier Tillman, all the young guys, I still talk to them. I talked to x on the phone two days ago for thirty minutes, forty minutes, these same kind I still talk to all of them young fellas. Like through the year, Miles Bridges hit me up telling me to stop stop stopped tweeting about great waias that they stopped to leave him alone, said Moms, No, hell, clown, Miles. Miles like you on the court fighting people, and you're gonna be the one to tweet about this. So like Moms, I guess what though hit you. You know why I ain't hit you, because you my young fella. It's staying out there taking out He he was like you the hot because he said you horrified me before I said, Moles, I horror filed you when you was about to dunk on me at the rim. I didn't come up from behind you and take you out, like a different type of thing. Yeah, you know, so I still stay in touch with all them young fellas, man Denzel Valentine Europe. I'm on d MS and all that with Denzel once or twice a week. Like I stay in touch with all those guys because that means a lot to me. And when when you see them succeed, Moses move, he just got paid. I got paid, Like that's how I feel, like, oh man, like he playing well. I played well, like you said, That's how I feel. And seeing the young guys grow in elevate.
Yeah, so I got the same game. I got the same game from Kyle. I think maybe he got it from Chauncey or you know whoever. Tlu and them guys, like you know, it's about passing it on to the next generation. And like one thing I always took from that is like it ain't it ain't my game to give it's ours, you know what I'm saying, Like it ain't this game don't belong to any of us. Who belong to all of us, you know what I mean? And you'd be good to it. It's gonna be good to you. So it's like I could, I would be a clown if I didn't pass it on to someone else the same way it was passed on to me, And just specifically with this Houston team. My initial thing was like we had two rookies, I mean Thompson, cam Whitmark who hadn't played yet, and then we had all the other guys who were there for the three years of seventeen wins, nineteen mans and twenty two wins. And then you realize, like, oh, y'all was just doing shit, y'all wasn't y'all was just ooping, Like y'all, y'all really was playing AAU for three years.
Y'all don't even know what the real NBA is.
So how do I give you this message and give you this game because you may not you probably.
Not gonna see the results right away.
So like right me and Jalen, it took a little minute because it's like everything I'm telling them, he is not working, he not seeing the immediate you know what I'm saying response, And then it took a little bit, you know, getting for them to get adjusted to email as well. But I think my whole thing was like you might not like me all the time, but you're gonna love me, you know what I'm saying. Like you know, you know, like at the end of the day when you don't know what everybody got going on in their life, when you go home and you lay down at night, you gonna know, like, all right, Fred telling me the real Fred, the real Yeah, he gonna tell me the real regardless. And if we got a knuckle up, he just got a knuckle up. Man, ain't the worst thing in the world. You know what I'm saying. I come from that I come from, like you know what I'm saying, having to stand on certain things at certain times, Like that's just what it is. But if we're serious about like I really care about you, I love you, I got love for you, and I'm trying to help. I gotta get it. I gotta give you the real I got to and hopefully you receive it that way. It don't always go that way. Everybody different, but for the most part, I think early on it took a little bit of like a justin period, and then as the season went on. Fast forward to this season, and everything's starting to make sense and like some things, you know, it gets grat or later, you know what I mean. Some things may not may not get you right away, but down the line you will be like, Okay, now it's making sense. Now, man, you did tell me that, that's all I be one like he was right, he was right, And you know, I ain't trying.
To be right. I want us to be right.
You know what I'm saying. I ain't trying to be right. It ain't about me. I want I want us to be right. And jaalb signing the deal this year, Singoon signing the deal this year, you know what I mean.
I know I know what that's like too.
I had an uncertainty even more so than them, because I really had to earn mind, you know what I mean, Like I really could have been out the league. I really could have not had an NBA career. It was that close to for me. So to see them secure that bag, it was a special moment for me because I know what they put into it, and you know, I know that they trusted me a lot with whatever it is that I was telling them, and they was hungry and they listen.
I want you to be careful to thinking you can knock up with the young fellas.
Man and yeah, and I learned that's a hard way.
I ain't trying. I ain't trying to. I ain't trying to get in no trouble. I don't want no static with nobody. All I'm saying is.
If it go there, you go there.
You know what I'm saying.
I'm not going to go there. No, Nope, you don't want it to go there. Brother, I'm telling you, I learned this the hard way. I thought I thought, I thought Steve's could over there, And I learned the hard way. And I spent last night's game getting bullied because of it. So I'm just telling you. Uh, we played the Wizards last night and I spent the whole He was saying, hey, brother, you was getting bullied on my dog. I didn't like that. But you did check. You did trigger them? You did trigger them? No, No, first off, the two and he shine George. They started talking to me I'm literally sitting there asking them, like, yo, y'all talk? They like, yay, what we all? I said, we can talk? Then all right, let's go. I was excited were talking. That wasn't bully. I was getting bullied.
T mc angle. You know what I'm saying. It would have happened behind closed doors. You might have been all right, crazy. You got hit with the sky dog. That's that's that's crazy. They got your red handed dog.
That was crush. They crushed. I spent last night. I spent last night getting bullied, getting bullied because of it. Man, you know, I went into that game just thinking I'm going to play a basketball game. Man, dude came out there want to bully me. Man, I don't want no problems you got.
I don't want no.
Hey your young dog, you got a chill on the gez, bro, I don't want no issues. Had a good time last night. It was fun. I mean, but you did you did trigger, you did set it off with the point you know what you did? No? Well all right, so well yeah, hey bro, hey, come on, bron you know, and the game somebody hit a three and the dude, just why are you pointing that?
Like bro?
So here's the issue. All right, So here's the problem. So the first time I catch the ball on the poor the post and Georgia's mashed up on me, he over zealously is like like and they call a foul and you know I could feel that. It was like more to the pushes. He like yeah, and I could feel. And so they called a foul. And I just talked to my chest like it's cool, bro, like that was cool. It's cool, like top on chests, bro, Like we going. So then as the game keep going on, you know how you can see a look at somebody eye when you like he's like and so, and he's like talking to me, like he's saying little stuff to me, and so I ain't paying it no mind. Yeah, we guess I ain't playing in no mind. You know what I'm saying, just chilling. I'm like, oh he on that type of time. That's crazy because last year he ain't saying a word. So I'm thinking to myself, like, we ain't. I ain't coming in the g he ain't gonna say nothing that's gonna be cooling, nothing like last year he said nothing on and you know he was talking and so I was like Oh that's interesting. So then fast forward to the play. They run there, that's Carl Horns twist. They run the guard guard boss screen. He go off the flare. Our man get watched with the flair. Me being the defensive guy that I am, I'm gonna make a last dish effort and try to get a contest.
You know what I'm saying, make the last dish effort to get a contest.
He pointed at me, and I'm like, my managers pointed at me like I was guarding him Rogers trying to get a late contest, Like, oh, he pointed at you first. Yeah, he pointed at me after he hit the shot as if like he broke me off, and like hit the shot, bro, I'm getting the Lake contest. Ain't even my man. I'm doing more. By the way on Stockhouse, great and defensive grace. I'm gonna get an extra point for that Lake contest that wasn't even supposed to be. So you know what I'm saying, I go for the Lake contest. He pointed at me like like he just dropped me off. So you know everybody on my Twitter like Draymond point stuff hits the three. Well, it's actually the same exact thing, because then he went and got a contest that wasn't his contest, and he got his eye beg and I pointed back at him, and so now I'm like, oh, that was interesting coming out of halftime. This is gonna be fun, you know what I'm saying. And it went from there. He bullied me the rest of the night, like he was bullying me the whole first hour.
But it was cool.
I have did you say anything when you pointed? You should have pointed and said, see, that could have been you. That a Douney Moore. Bro listen, man, I'll tell you what I got nothing. I got nothing then against them, brother. I was not trying to talk toshit Hill. I was just pointing back because he pointed at me. And for all the dummies on Twitter and Instagram, that's like, well, that ain't the same thing because Draymond didn't make the shot. It's the same exact thing because we both contested a shot on the man that was exactly So take that, you dummies that can't identify what's actually happening in the game and can only see what proves my point in what I always say, What can you see you can see who made the shot and who missed the shot. That is about the level of your basketball intelligence. Don't write me on Instagram and Twitter trying to say basketball stupid. You look dumb and you just lose respect. I'm sitting here. I'm sitting here last night with Moses Moody and I started traps starts talking about to play, and Moses right after Blue goes well, the situations weren't the same, of course they were Moses, but these dummies on my Instagram don't know this. Yeah, I'm off.
Got him started.
Now, Hey Queense, drop a comment, please comment, But moving on.
From him, I got a question. I got a question for you, Freddy Me. You're in the second year of a three year deal and you you recently said I didn't come to the Rockets to be a rental What about Houston made it for you? And you know, going there but then obviously being there. What is it that's made you view it as a long term spot for you? For someone that already has a home, You know what I'm saying. A lot of people always say a lot of people don't get a home in the NBA, like you have a home. What is it for you that make you say, no, this can also be my second home. Yeah.
I think, like I said, the talks that we had before me coming here, right was like not one that was specifically targeting like all right, these first two years or these first three years.
It was more so like a big picture.
This is how we see it, you know what I mean, This is the timeline for the young guys blah blah blah, and then living here, you know, just being here in Houston, you know what I'm saying, which is already one of my favorite places to visit. You know, I've grown to love living here in great place to raise a family, and my kids are in school.
We have other family here that that was already here.
We've had family move here, so it's definitely one of those places we feel like, you know what I mean, we could stay. Obviously, businesses, business things can change. Everything is fluid.
But I didn't.
I didn't come here thinking like I'm gonna just come here for two years, get a bag and then jump to the next team, you know what I mean. Like, I'm pretty pretty invested in like the timeline and the journey with these guys, you know, as long as they'll have me out be here, you know what I'm saying, long as it makes sense, But I think that all I'm focused on is trying to speed this learning curve.
But for these guys, because it could take a long time, it could take a little time.
It just depends on how fast it clicks for everybody, how fast we could put it together.
So I think I think the more that we used to stay foot on the gas, you know what I.
Mean, And when we crack the playoffs and make some noise, and you know what I'm saying, start focusing on like winning a playoff series and then like it's steps to everything, I think that that will kind of create the situation out of itself.
But I definitely love being here for sure.
With those young guys, you got you got it, you got a second half against us.
That's a promise, ef.
Hey man, the likelihood that we're going to go in the court and be the smartest team right now, it's probably slim to none because we're usually the youngest team when we're going in the court. So if you think you're just going to go on the court and be smarter than the team full of the best, we're probably wrong. But what we can do is how we outplayed them in the second half with our energy and effort. Because we are young, we can always probably out energy teams. So let's make that a calling car. And while we work on the cerebral part of it, let our calling car be one win week, somebody walk through that door. They know how hard we're gonna play, they know how how we coming at it, and then build from there.
Because when you got the uphone your side, use it.
Yeah, for sure, that's really all we was doing.
Like like you know, like because I've been on the other side, you know what i mean, on the championship team or an older team that's like, you know, coming into a game, like all right, we got you know what I mean, You gotta be ready for that because they running you know what I'm saying, they might take you, and you just hope you keep it close and you try to out smarter.
Than the fourth quarter, you know what I'm saying.
Yeah, now I want to I'm on the flip side of it, where it's like I'm trying to make sure they know how hard we got to go, and then everybody calm down and winning time. You know what I mean, you still got to execute down the strip. So that's been a fun challenge for me. But like I said, I love what we got. I think we're in a great position, you know, for the future of kind of like where the league is and where the West is going.
I like our group a lot, sir, Yes, sir, I like y'all team too.
Man, you know what I mean.
I'll pick you out to be a big surprise. And you know, we got to talk about the championship Raptors run.
Sorry about that, Dre, So you don't want to hear the show is great without a big shot against.
Philly, but y'all, you know that that was a run. I want to really talk about the run, you know what I mean. Obviously Kawhi with the seven bounces on the rim, what was that like? But then coming into the finals, you know what I mean, like ship y'all was balling.
Yeah, that was that was like, man, bro, that was.
Like the highest level of hoops that you can get, you know what I mean. I think that Kawhi was obviously the superstar, but like it was such a well balanced team that it was so many guys playing at a high level. And outside of we lost Game one against Orlando, but we knew we was gonna beat them, and then Philly. The Philly series was a tough one because like that really could have went either way just because of the team. It was like a perfect matchup for us. And then once we got to Milwaukee, we felt good. And then once kd was hurt, we felt good. You know what I'm saying about the finals. So it's like you got to see it in State. I didn't realize, like it's two and a half months, you know what I'm saying. People don't understand that because you always lose and you done. But like when you keep going, it's April fifteenth to June fifteenth, you know what I mean. And then after a while, once once it picks up, is every other day, which which is crazy because early on you get days off, and then second third round it's every other day, travel whatever, you know what I mean. People have injuries, like I remember Kyle was getting like injections in his hand before every game, like crazy stuff. You know what I'm saying, people was people was dealing with all the tyme of you're just a bible of the fitish, you know, And I think that's where our depth came in to play at and then just to you know, like to be able to talk about something, to shoot around and have it translated to the game, like being that locked in, being able to put a fucking box in one end at the game one of the finals that we never worked on before, you know what I'm saying, Like just the just the.
Level of like focus that we had with that veterans. That's that's what.
I always remember the most, you know what I mean outside of the big moments, was like just how locked in that we were as a group, every guy to a t and we was only playing you know, eight guys really for the most part, but it was it was a solid eight rotation.
Yes, it was a getting Marc. I saw at that at that buyout deadline.
Yeah, it was down to y'all and us. Yeah, Marc, I saw you fucked us market Marcus. We got him, supposed to keep that championship in the bank, We got him.
We got the last minute of the deadline, I think they trade that one for like two fifty nine or something crazy. Like I remember we had to play Atlanta with like seven guys because we traded like five guys in the last minute of the deadline.
It was crazy.
That was a hell of a trade. It was no pre for no pire for you in the Bay Area, Marcus, you.
Get no love.
Shout out, Shout out to market. One of my favorite winning linked up with Fred and Kawhi.
Y'all came in and we want we won.
Cool.
I was at that at that game too.
My face teammates Man, great dude.
Ain't no love for you, ma. I got a lot of love from Mark Joe Man. Mark was a great player.
It was fun against marcusoul is nice. Yeah.
I liked your team because everybody was, like you said, everybody had basketball intelligence, you know what I mean, and everybody had little nuances, and you know, implementing somebody like that is you know, it's like it's like having a brain child, you know what I mean. It's like in the middle of the court, you know, allowing y'all to operate. But you know, that was one of my favorite squads. I like what y'all doing in Houston. Man, you know, you one of my favorites this period, just to see how you just rolls to your own you know what I mean, your own artistry. You feel what I'm saying. That's why I respect like you created.
Yo. Yo, this is my one on one painting. This is when you say my name. You know what you know what you see right?
I appreciate that, bro, I appreciate I remember you put me to the side of U.
C l A.
Bru in the summertime, like gave me the gave me the love.
That shit go a long way.
Like I remember every single guy that I watched growing up that ever gave me love and boost boosted me. And that's something that I try to do. You know what I'm saying to guys that that I fuck with that game too, like now, because you never know how somebody look at you like I could kick it with you all day. You know what I'm saying and not tell you like I was in the airport when you when you're dunkling ripped the jersey. I was watching that ship, you know what I'm saying, Like I was watching like I remember exactly.
Where I was when that happened.
You know what I'm saying, fast forward like alays now that I'm getting older, you know, I'm full circle moments that ship been meaning the most of me too.
Stomach too big now you fucking talk you had on you had on a girdle that day. Goddamn shape wh.
I was trying to get an endorsement deals Skims back.
Then they should signed being put ship redo com.
What's up?
Skims happened?
And Jamn be going at him and Steven Adams be doing all kind of shenanigans.
And me and Stephen Adams, Me and Steven Adams don't really get into it much. Man, I think there's a.
Mutual respects nothing.
Listen number one selling the call, selling the car. I got you kick my dog in the nuts, man, I didn't really try you. Yeah, they changed the rule.
They changed the rule.
They changed rule because.
Hey bro that hey Dick, yeah, you didn't all the time. And then the rule number is acting on and all the time, and they be like, I'm coming five. No, I know there's a rule. It's created for me. I've seen that one. I was like, whoa, Yeah, how is it having and Dylan Brooks as a teammate. You know, I've had my first shair of words with Dylan Brooks about Dylan Brooks. Uh. But the reality is, I think, you know, I'm not a fan of his, but I get credit credit of Dylan. Bro, you got one fan I'm not necessarily a fan of his, and he'd be on bullshit from the time of game start. Any team that he's on, he raises the level and I respect that.
Stephen First, I would say, just the ultimate god. Just like the ultimate guy you want on your team, just like he, Like he just do it all, bro. Just he Colmes the locker room. He's just a presence. He's strong in sell. He got he on this Carnivoy die right now. You might eat two Rabbis for breakfast and a forty four our porterhouse on the plane.
Like no size, that's real aqua man.
Hey hey, like no size, no nothing like just straight state, you know what I'm saying. Like he's just just different. Yeah, Like he just he's a real life cave man.
Bro.
Like he's just he's just different and super strong, but super smart. Really just a selfless guy, all about the team. Great screener, great vet. Just to have you know what I'm saying, Like you're going into an alifighter. You want to Steven Adams on your side, you know what I'm saying for whatever, for whatever the situation brings.
Like I've loved having him around.
Dylan.
I was not a fan of before we were teammates. I always respected him because I would say that I play hard every night. I take a lot of pride and bring it every night and whether whatever I got is what you're gonna get. Now, I might not always be a lot, it might not always be great, but I'm gonna give you everything I got no matter what.
Like I ain't taking on nights off.
And Dylan was always one of those guys that I watched on the night to night basis like he don't take knights off. Being his teammate, you get to see the switch turn on.
Or up because it's just on the court.
Off the court, there's not nothing crazy, you know what I'm saying, outside of like just showing up for the game. But to to b the point, like he really on bullshit every game, like it's no pick, like he ain't got no picks, and like he gonna he gonna take you there, like he gonna take you there every time every night, no matter who it is. Like he he came out the first preseason game last year as they had the feb joint.
He came out the first two minutes of the game.
Hit somebody in the nuts, Boom come to find out they had a beef from Feba real he had he had a he had a beef Canada Verse. Who wasn't Germany? Maybe Tice b Yeah, hitting people in the nuts.
First couple of minutes of the game.
He hit him in the nuts.
You know, I'm arguing with the rest. I'm like, no, no, he man.
They sort of sitting on the jumpo.
Trying he bowed.
We looked at like this.
Should be arrested, Like he should go to jail for that dog. It was you should go to jail, but it was to go to jail. Dude, Hey, hey, hey, dude, come on, dude, you're gonna hit me about nuts in the game, officer, this man in jail. It was crazy dog and nut punch diaviol.
No, he on it, man, He on it every night.
I love it. He on bullshit. I want him to keep going though.
I want him to like, I want him to sit at home and come up with scripts and all kind of ship that he gonna say, like, I want him to go all the way there.
No, no, no, I'm flowing him down. I'm trying to. I'm trying to take off.
But I think it. I think I think it helped his game too.
I think I think he played I think he played better and he free when you know he has that mentality. I watched him when they played the Lakers with Memphis, and I watched him have this persona you know what I mean going into the playoffs and then when the media and the Lakers and whatever, he said Fron like he.
Backed up, you don't back out. Yeah, but a lot of that, yeah, he was young.
A lot of that come from the situation he was in too, Like wasn't nobody standing up kind of either, nobody backing him up?
Nobody nobody, Yeah, right, so they did not have his back.
So my thing, So my thing is because I get the flag, like, trust me, I get it.
They come straight to me, your man, tell you man, you know what I'm saying, and I you know, I get both sides. I'm like, shit, y'all tell them, you know what I'm saying. Likes long as we on this court, I ain't gonna let nothing happen to him, you know what I'm saying. And you know, if he with me, he with me, you know what I mean, get side, it's gonna go. And at the same time, I'm telling him, like all right, maybe play it like this, maybe do it like this, Like all right, maybe don't go all the way there unless you're really ready to go all the way there, Like you know, certain certain things. I'm trying to help them.
He need some grooming. He just he needs some grooming, you personality brand grooming. Yeah.
Well, I'm just trying to taper it down a little bit bringing it on the court, and then we're gonna handle it a little bit differently because when I come out the game and the whole opposing team is waiting for me in the hallway telling me they looking for my man.
Nah, I gotta figure out how man.
That's tough, you know, hey, dog, I gotta I played in Cleveland for like the last half of the year and I played with Ryan Hollins, and you know, Ryan Hollins is a good dude, but he be hacking people. He's just you know, he athletic. He he just be hacking and bro him and Charlie Ville and the Waiver got into it. You gotta pull us up on him. I remember I seen that he popped Charlie with one. They start, Charlie starts chasing him on the court and ship I'm like, Ryan, Yo, chill, stop antagonizing. They sent Ryan to the locker room. It's you know, in Detroit. They sent Charlie to the locker room. They about to end bound the ball he take off.
He like around the locker room, Hey, bro, Ryan, Ryan Hollins found Dwayne Dwayne Wade d Way was gonna fuck him up. I was like, d Waite, Man, why are you gonna do that? Bro? You know he's gonna fuck you up every time you come in here. Bro, tonight tonight for you to be going to the hole tonight because you know my dog right there, he gonna fuck you up.
You know, man, that's hilarious.
Hey friend, So so tell me this though you was about to say, when you see the video, how do y'all ultimately find out that this is? This is not for right now. This is for something he did when when he was in Canada.
Because when I come to the lock I come to the locker on my halftime, I said, what, Yo, what the fuck is wrong with you?
Bro?
Like, Yo, what are you doing? Like Yo?
What?
Like you gotta give us the rundown?
Like what's going on?
You know?
This is how we talk like? This is how we talk, Yo, what's up? Oh nah some fever ship dog?
I get it what I get it?
You know what I'm saying, Like, we're not mind you. We haven't played like I'm so damn dumb. I'm thinking, finally got our starting line up. We gotta get our rhythm. We gotta figure out who's gonna play this fool is like get I gotta get my get back.
I get it, I get it. You know what, he should be arrested. People in the nuts stuff.
There's I love the French people as a whole.
Yeah, but playing against Fred you're gonna talk somebody else out just it created a disdain and playing them in the Olympics it created a disdain for some guys. Like so you know what, I may understand dealing a little more than I thought.
Hey, j mom, this right now. You tooke Victor your ass. They're gonna they're gonna get your ass.
Out of here. Hey, you can't get up, you gotta jump. I ain't blowing. I'm not going breadth on figure. I'm not putting a pinky finger on Victory. I'm not pushing. I'm gonna play the defense on Victor. And I'm making up a dunk. I don't want no smoke, man, they don't want nothing that smoke brother.
Sticker service outside of.
I don't want no smoke. And also you know what that may have been. God, why ain't playing the Olympics this year? I ain't playing with Victor and no Olympics. I got no this day with beef. Yeah, you ain't got to beef for them. I ain't playing him in the Olympics. No, he wrote this day we turned over lead the great Draymond Green Shawn no beef. We ain't got no problems. Man. You get old, you get work.
Hey, bron you get older, and you know them young dudes ain't been watching you. I have to tell my homeboy. I'm like, man, you can't keep just punking people in the gym. It's a young dude that was like you and you don't know them. So you know that's that's gonna.
Be our pack. We're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna cultivate these young dudes because you don't know how strong they are. They come. You know what I mean, Oh you call out?
I mean hey, you know I mean the pickup school. It's cool, good job, that's me and pick up, Fred Are you cool? Okay, cool? Yeah, you got it?
No arguing man. Last one before we get out of here, Fred, Uh, you being one of the best undrafted players of all time, All Star Champion, you gotta list the five undrafted guys to your top five undrafted guys before we get out here. I always love a good list.
Damn. I think I try to put the careers together. You know, you're talking about careers like gotta go, Ben Wallace, gotta go, Star, gotta go. Uh, Damn, I just had to list one. It's another one somebody that I always forget this.
Just to always forget you D. You always forget D.
Yeah, you D had a hell of a D had a hell of a career, career, hell of a career.
So twenty years.
If I'm just going off for like body of work, John Starts, Ben Wallace, U D, Bruce Bowen, and maybe.
Avery Johnson.
You over Avery Johnson, ain't Roland.
Yeah, but you know what I'm saying.
Shout Avery Johnson, legend. Shout out to the Yeah, shout out to the Come on, Draymond. I said, I got mad, Draymond. Come on, Draymond. I've been supporting you from all your Warrior days. I got mad.
You know Fred, You know Fred, you want of my all time favorite point guard time.
I got a lot of love for the o G. I meant no disrespect by that, but you know, I think I will go with Fred no respect.
I'm still playing.
We're gonna go, guys, and I like to add one more person, Calvin Cambridge. Listen, man, listen, don't disrespect to the OG. We will revisit that because we ain't going nowhere. But we have kept Fred way over the time. I thank you so much for both of us coming on the show again. Bro. It's always love. Appreciate you keep guarding them young boys, doing your thing. My dog appreciate y'all. Ye sir, that's the next week. Afrottach baby. You know he's trying to go to the area between nine stops. I an't like you're going to go to what's that? What's that?
Shoot?
You'll see it's cracking, enjoy.
See I'll see you next week. A protect here aprotect.
As a round
The volume
