Celtics celebrate 18th Title, LeBron to opt out & Lakers hire JJ Redick | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

[Music] live from New York it's the show that's wondering if Aaron Rodgers and Kevin Wilds are actually on vacation together it's first things first JJ reading I'll help you out Jaylen actually makes perfect sense they were saying your road to the finals was easy which is why they then picked against you in the finals that I hope that clears it up however defending champs since the Steph KD Warriors not only have none of them repeated none of them made a finals none of them have even made a Conference Finals so Brew do you believe a repeat is on the board for Boston it's definitely on the board I mean like possible and I don't mean in a you know that sense but it it is absolutely on the board if people want to have them as the favorites fine they should be one of the favorites there's no doubt because one when you look at their age all right and Tatum is 26 Brown is 27 I mean they are really maybe just beginning their Prime so you have to look at that secondly the way that yes they had the easiest road we can remember to the finals but still they dismantled the Mavericks who had gone through the Western Conference and had a tough road to the finals and beat them in five and if I can add even though the Mavs were a five seed the Mavs post trade deadline had the record and the numbers of an elite team so I I don't think anybody I don't think it'd be fair for anyone to say their finals matchup was an easy one they just made it look easy with how well they play no so there's that and then they should be better now look In fairness I expected this type of leap from Anthony Davis from when he won that championship in the bubble I said uh oh here because the monkeys off his back he is going to be killing the league and he never really took that step but I do think Brown and Tatum just as a team they should be more confident because you've gotten it done and there is a monkey off your back to some degree but at the same time a nice chip still on the shoulder because there are enough doubters and naysayers out there where I don't think they come into next season complacent feeling like we've answered all the questions Tatum still has doubters as a team they still have doubters I mean talking about how easy the road was and they're a tough matchup not for everybody in the US like OKC getting uh uh Caruso yesterday I thought that was a great move for them gidd didn't give them much in the playoffs so they'll be better obviously Denver Minnesota Dallas I think all those teams will be better but there're still a tough matchup for Dallas their tough match up I think for Minnesota because gobear and towns have to get out on the floor and guard now and Dallas they I I said tough match up for them Denver would be tough OKC I think matches up well with them but they've got a chance I am not picking them to repeat I think we're in an era where it is parody and I think the other teams like I said are going to get better so I'm not picking it but absolutely on the board yeah I mean I think great minds here cuz I'm with you it they they deserve to be the favorite and it's not just Tatum and Brown's age though obviously as the all NBA caliber players and the superstars those are the ones that we should focus on 26 27 years old Derek white he's not 30 Chris Ops he's not 30 Drew holiday he's 34 but he was just second Team all NBA defense so it's not like his play is they believe in him enough to they gave him an extension during the year so don't Horford's the only one that's a old guy that kind they restrict his minutes like an old guy and that the retirements on the board for good and I mean porzingis only played 57 games in the regular season so it's in play that they even get more from porzingis next year now he's been injured throughout his career since early on but still like there's room for reasonable Improvement and just continuity is an asset and then I think that second point you made though about the matchup in the west we talked oh Minnesota they were built to beat Denver but how would that have worked against this team and that who is Boston not built to beat their defense is so good when you watch them if you've got five guys who play defense and who can switch and you've got a rim protector and you can stop guys from penetrating to the paint which is Drew holiday's specialty which is Jaylen Brown's specialty when he's locked in there's no one that looks at Boston and like oh that's a mismatch we're going to haunt you so whoever came out of the West would have a tough match up with Boston and then the reason the reason why their finals odds are so low is because do we even have a definitive second best team in the East that's the pro right that's the Vegas odds I don't think that though that Vegas thinks Boston would be a massive favorite over Denver in the finals but what they're saying is Denver would have so many landmines to get to the finals we saw this year and Boston the East is riddled with question marks like I might think it's Milwaukee Philly Indiana New York whomever I think that's a smart point I think everything you said was smart except for the very beginning did you say great minds you're talking you and Brew was that the you yeah you know I'm just I'm the new guy I'm trying this our side of the table don't let him all right so on the board of course likely no uh and so let's just think about why the other teams who didn't repeat didn't repeat the Raptors throw them out because they're a very unique situation they didn't repeat because their best player came for a year won a title and left no one thought they would the Lakers were the favorites the next year playing like it top seed 21- six suffered an injury that knocked him down in the standings which gave them a tough first round matchup and then in the playoffs their other guy Anthony Davis suffered a different injury it's like all of a sudden it's over like the we we all of that period of NBA history post bubble right after kind of melds together but people the Lakers defended their title excellently for the first half of that season and then fell apart the Bucks it was even more Stark the Bucks were the favorites the defending Champs Giannis was playing as well as ever they were rolling and then Chris Middleton got hurt at the very beginning of the playoffs and despite that they were still the favorites They're Up 3 to on Boston and it's over for them the Warriors this would be the old I think it was Isaiah who said I don't know if was Isaiah Thomas or Pat Riley who said it to Bill Simmons in his book but the Warriors I would say was the disease of Moore it was there was bitterness anger about contracts jealousy whatever it manifested in the punch to Jordan pool that I don't think anyone on the Celtics going to hit somebody but that is a weird thing that happens when you win a title sometimes is egos that didn't exist start to exist and then Denver's the most jarring because no one really saw it coming I know you picked the Tim roles to beat them but over the course of the year they didn't look vulnerable in that series they're up 20 at home in a game seven and their title defense ends in a half hour just out of nowhere and so that's why we I think your point on the era we're in from 1987 to 2002 that's 16 Seasons every single champion at least repeated except for one Duncan 99 Spurs who then didn't repeat but then won three more in the next eight years after that every other Champion repeated since then the repeat Champions are legendary teams or the I give this is where Kobe deserves a lot of credit the the Lakers with Kobe pow and buying them that group that wasn't a legendary team which they all had a legendary player a legendary player and oh yeah by the way maybe the greatest coach of all times fingerprin are on a lot of those repeats so I just don't we were used to brew repeats being common place in the NBA almost standard it really hasn't been that that hasn't been the case the last obviously six years and I also think this look they should be the favorite in the East for sure but it's not going to be easy I mean barring injury and obviously we don't want the injuries felt like it was more than ever this season so hopefully the league can get on top of that and players aren't going down but Milwaukee and I talked I've had Dame on my butt list yesterday how do you think he's feeling right now I mean this I don't think it's on him but he should take this personal uh Giannis should take this personal it's been a long time now it feels like since jannis we thought he was going to take over the league but also yanis jannis green lit them moving on from Drew holiday and then Drew holiday might have been the final piece here what's going what's Philadelphia gonna do well that's now there's talk that they've waned on their interest in Paul George but they should be better they make some moves right now they have three players on on their roster so they're a lot different the other thing is like you picked Dallas you picked Dallas yes right I remember talking to you guys about like if we were going to draft players in the finals we were like all right Luca would go one but then how many in the next seven would be on Boston Kyrie and right so I'm not saying Boston's a super team or a dynasty or anything like that but there is something to the fifth starter on their team got All-Star votes this year yes I mean Derek white got All-Star votes he made second team all-nba defense this is a very good team so I definitely think it's not just on the board they've got a really good shot at repeating it feels a lot like Denver except they don't have the Superhuman in yic but they do I think they're not going to be losing critical members well Denver only lost the one you know what I mean it was just Bruce Brown oh Jeff Green Uncle Jeff not that they were yeah but they did lose pation all right so sticking with the NBA for a moment we will been more than a dozen players that became head coaches without any experience okay so I guess some people might say in that sense but I would say no I would say none of them were qualified whether they did well or not if there is a certain thing as a qualification for a head coach JJ reck doesn't meet it he has coached no one over 12 years old ever you know so you how can you be no one can say with a straight face that he's qualified okay even if you look at the players that went to become head coaches cuz I'm who was successful and I know there's a number Mark Jackson I thought had success but I'm going to talk about success relative to what does JJ reick have to do to be viewed as successful that's okay if he has to be no no no I would say Steve Kerr's been successful right Steve Kerr's been successful Doc Rivers won a championship not with the team that hired him not with the team that hired him but Larry Bird was successful got to the finals and Jay kid not with the team that H the other but he's been to the final so let me jump in on that point so you're saying Kerr's the only one well I'm going to show it to you so since bird there have been nine it'll be easier for the audience see than you guys but I I'll I'll explain what that says nine coaches who had no experience ever walk you know get a job like JJ reic the only one that won more than one playoff series with the team that hired him is Kirk the only one so I mean Doc Rivers three seasons in Orlando zero playoff series Isaiah Thomas three seasons in Indie zero playoff series Vinnie delnegro famously three seasons in uh uh Chicago pardon me uh zero playoff series wins might have been two Mark Jackson three seasons in Golden State one playoff series win Jay kid three season one season with the Nets one playoff series win Cur 6 and 23 all that stuff and then Derek fiser two season zero playoff series Steve Nash three season one playoff series so even the ones Brew this is why it's such a risk that we're doc jakay kid oh those are good coaches not for the team that hired him right not until they got you know what experience they did and they did okay they did okay but it that okay not going to okay he's not going to save it so it's just that our old well I I don't want to quote him because I don't know if he wanted to be quoted but someone brought this up to me yesterday and I thought it was a good point why has JJ not gotten the Jeff Saturday treatment oh I I I can answer that at least I football is different oh because of just I cannot it is the hardest of the three major sports to coach I think the coach has much more of a is a factor in the success I cannot imagine and I don't know why the Colts did that anyone anyone correct could step out of never coaching to coaching NFL football basketball it can be done so that so that's why he didn't get the full Jeff Saturday treatment I guess the reason it piqued my interest was the Jeff Saturday thing was a sign of a totally dysfunctional organization owner it was a it was a punchline right and the AJ thing is he's going to walk in as an above average coach as far as pay 8 million a year is more than Missoula makes it's more than they were willing to offer tyo vot uh uh ham round five I thought ham was around four and vogle was around five like I so I my answer Danny is no he is not so the reporting on this for me and I trust the reporters I know some of them some of it's been weird we some of it's been pretty straightforward it is beginning to strain the limits of logic for me to say that LeBron sat back and had no word no influence okay maybe he wants plausible deniability but does anyone here really believe JJ reck is the coach of the Lakers if he does not host a podcast with LeBron James no but I don't think those two things are necessarily the same thing as what you're saying I think they might have hired him because he hosted the Pod with LeBron I do not think that necessarily means Lebron called Rob pinka or Genie BOS boson endorsed this I I agree but the smoke signal has been up on JJ reck for weeks I I mean we know that Coach K is advising Rob pinka on this we know that LeBron has a relationship with Coach K I mean he could call his podcast producer if he didn't want it to be J if he wants to be involved if LeBron wanted to be involved like I'm not against LeBron being involved I don't think he was but he's LeBron James of course I'm not against he's the best player on team so I I have no problem if he was involved to answer your question I don't think the podcast has something to do with it like him being hired I think the Lakers can say look we know that our team leader respects this guy so if if JJ reck steps in the training camp and has the respect of LeBron which he will then that should get everybody else in line the reason I disagree that he could have got the job had they not done a podcast is because JJ was on the head coaching uh radar He got interviewed by Toronto last year they got one of the best GMS in the league msiri Charlotte charl was but he got in yeah he got interviewed with them this year so I think he would have gotten some interest from the Lakers regardless that may be true it just seems to me like if LeBron didn't want this to happen he'd put it out there and agree with that you know they they give him ample opportunity to reach out and be like no no we don't want it it was like okay LeBron doesn't want to make this higher he doesn't want the responsib of it because JJ should be coaching there long Beyond uh when LeBron James is done playing for the Lakers and done playing in the NBA It just strikes me that that relationship is too much of a coincidence higher happened right JJ is the coach he's the coach has LeBron said anything I find that a little interesting LeBron today tweeted a beautiful article wonderful article about his lovely wife Savannah from Harper's Bazaar um and uh yesterday LeBron tweeted about Ryan cougler think it's SM think I don't think it would look LeBron already knows that the perception is he hired JJ re correct I wouldn't tweet anything if I were him okay well I'm I'm just I'm just I'm just observing that it hasn't happened the question is has ad or any of the other players TW maybe they have well I don't even think ad has a Twitter and he's certainly is not tweeting today I Alex Caruso I don't know if it was a tweet or what it was but there Alex Caruso there was some type of quote about Alex kuso keeping receipts and how this is going to help him so I'm not sure I'm not sure what those receipts are but the first interview with JJ and the Lakers was weeks ago they how many podcast episodes have they done since then like J JJ and LeBron have talked about JJ being the coach of the Lakers well that okay all right we'll talk LeBron here for another moment in more Lebron news Dan Wii of the I won't say none um but I think 2% I think it's small but I I will and the reason I go 2% maybe I should go a little higher and and LeBron I've covered a lot of I covered a lot of his free agencies he always plays it close to the vest all right so no matter what and that's why like when Cleveland and that was his first one or you know first one when he left he did not they weren't sure does LeBron still want Mike Brown does he want Mike Brown fired they got no word from LeBron all right he just stayed out of it and I think that's what he did with this but he is like even when he's texting with Dan Hurley he's saying if I'm there you know so that makes you think it are his you know are the the the wheels turning in his head and I'll say this we know he's not going to Phoenix Rick paaw is on the record he's not going to Phoenix for the minimum proba not going anywhere for the minimum right and that takes out almost all the contenders almost all of them all right you got Philly which has the cap room makes great sense basketball wise all right but I I don't see that necessarily happen then I'm going to throw out a few other teams Miami I don't think they have the trade they' have to make a trade I don't think they have the pieces all right cuz they'd have to give up a lot of their pieces that LeBron would want to play with Cleveland has the pieces darus Garland the Knicks is the one to me because if LeBron wants to really make a splash and and look we know he he cares about the goat conversation he can say he doesn't but he cares this week with that fraudulent defensive player I I I don't being taken from Michael I I still got to look through the film I'm just telling you I just I mean the do a little more wide open go ahead but look real talk LeBron's now forget all some players were with Derek Jeter with one team their whole career Kobe Bryant that ain't BR that's not Bron he's been around lean into it if you want and if he went to New York you lead four if you won a championship there four championships for four different teams and you would all of a sudden if you lead New York to the first title in 50 some OD years you got the New York media on your in the goate and so if he wants to do this and there are trades that make sense Julius Rand and whoever and the uh Mitchell Robinson so there's I also think you wouldn't necessarily have to give up if LeBron like you said Miami do they have it if LeBron's threatening to leave for nothing then all of a sudden it doesn't really have to be a fair one for one trade get 40 cents on the dollar instead of the whole thing just to get something instead of nothing I mean I think he's going back to LA but if he does go back to LA you said it's 2% that he leaves exactly he's not winning right well I mean it's probably 2% that they win a title in La I know the odds would say it's a little bit better than that not much they're 40 to one but yeah not not much so that that's the part that'll make that interesting of oh he's choosing for whatever reason happiness weather family but it won't be a basketball reason so I'm just going to make I think a pretty Common Sense observation there's a reason he has not publicly committed and it is the only logical reason is trying to leverage to make sure the Lakers are making moves that show they have the urgency that he has well no moves have yet been made right now they haven't had an opportunity to yet other than the head coach search which I think even if LeBron's fine with JJ they kind of botched because they didn't get the guy they initially wanted so whatever their first move of the offseason was let's just say it didn't go swimmingly the fact until he publicly commits that to me if he's like man I hope we trade for a third star whether that's smart or not I hope that we you know do this with our draft pick I hope we bring these players back if the reason he is not publicly committed is because there are things he wants the Lakers to do then to me it logic only says if they don't do those things he could leave and I think that this idea that now that they've hired JJ he's locking stock back he could just tell us and and you they're not it's not like they're going to lowball him on the contract like you know the leverage isn't about money The Leverage is about moves so I just I think it's more than 2% I don't think it's 20% but I think it's I think it's more than 2% if if he were to leave everybody's like well JJ reck how would he feel I I know he wants to coach LeBron probably be a little relief right I mean Ser it wouldn't be Championship robust right for JJ's for JJ's long-term coaching prospects it wouldn't be the worst thing to not have pretty embarrassing for the Lakers it' be unbelievable JJ's the coach bronn's their second round pick and LeBron's playing thanks for watching subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1

Channel: First Things First

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Id: UJK59WZb--E

Length: 21min 45sec (1305 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 21 2024