The Grind of Coaching NCAA D1 Basketball 👉 Coach Adam Gordon On Family, Life, And Basketball

Fyf sports man is Lamont man. We back back with another podcast video man today We got another great episode for you guys Before we get started make sure you guys like comment subscribe hit the notification bell to the video if you haven't done so already Again, we appreciate all the engagement. We appreciate all the support As we're grinding the 20k Again, we're just trying to pump out these episodes put all this information out to you guys as it comes to us And again, we appreciate all the support thus far but today we got another great interview for you guys We're bringing another former college head coach in who's had a lot of college experience at the d1 level at the d2 level Juco level and again, he's gonna speak on a lot of topics NCAA related. We're gonna speak on some NBA basketball as well And again, just a lot of great topics About you know the behind the scenes of NCAA basketball What he feels about NBA basketball things of that nature Other than that, make sure you guys are joining our Facebook group NBA go talk Make sure you do that. We're gonna be going live soon You'll know when we go soon because I know all you guys are hitting the notification bell I can tell but just by the the comments and the likes that you've been putting on all the video So I appreciate that so far, but you know with all that aside, we're gonna go ahead and get straight to the guest All right. And as you guys see from the title of the video, we've got another Special guest to the podcast today, man And you know just like many of the guests that we we brought on the show in the past I love bringing people on to the show Who who delve into the sports world not just on the court, but off the court as well I love talking about their experiences whether it's in professional or college basketball Getting an understanding of you know, how they feel the culture of basketball and just sports in general is headed And you know, we'll also talk, you know NBA basketball as we always do on this podcast show, but you know No further ado. We're gonna go ahead and introduce this guy into the show. His name is Adam Gordon man, I met this guy at a coaching conference called rising coaches Out in North Carolina and that was a great coaching seminar. I learned a lot there just in a couple days And we're just gonna go ahead and introduce me how you've been doing Adam. I've been doing great. Thanks for having me on the show It's crazy that that conference was like almost a year and a half ago at this point. I know man It doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but it definitely was But I the one thing I know for a fact is that I did learn a lot like it really helps Show me where I wanted to what direction I wanted to go in as a coach Just with the connections and meeting guys like what I did want to do what I didn't want to do So I definitely learned a lot, but hopefully I can get back to another one pretty soon if we're able to have one But just a little about you yourself and I'll tell you guys about him Adam Gordon has a really really deep Basketball background Started off as a student assistant at the University of Tampa Assistant basketball coach at the College of Central, Florida moved on as an assistant For men's bat or graduate assistant for men's basketball at Clemson University director of operations at University of Northern, Colorado Moved on as the director of operations at Mississippi State then moved on as the associate head coach for Southeast Missouri State University and now he's currently one of the founders of Rising coaches that what we just spoke on before. It's really a really good program for coaches a mentoring program for coaches So if you're a young coach And you're looking to get a little additional insight into the coaching world to see if it's something that you want to do You should definitely check out rising coaches For those seminars or online sessions that are ran by him and his staff But just Adam. I want you to tell us a little bit about you know your journey through basketball and Not just your journey through basketball but Just how as a coach going through the grind and just looking at some of the jobs you had I know it's been a grind How do you how do you maintain that that work and life balance With all of those jobs having to move looks like moving from different states And then just that work-life balance not just with yourself and your own sanity, but with your family as well Yeah, great question, and I appreciate the info hearing you talk about all the stops made me tired. Just listening to it But you know coaching is something that I've wanted to do from the time I was like 12 years old and Like I remember being a little kid, you know Saturday mornings. Most kids go watch cartoons I remember getting up Saturday morning and watching like the NBA games on the East Coast and Then like watching it all day long and then going outside and playing ball and coming back and watching some more So when you're young and single Like I was for the first, you know, I don't know ten years of my coaching career those those moves To different states those those different jobs. I mean, it's awesome There's nothing more that I would want to be doing with my life and I wasn't getting you know Some of those jobs you're getting paid seven grand a year You know the most I made and I would say my first eight years of coaching was like $20,000 a year So while that's it like is a sacrifice and it may seem crazy to some people To just pick up and move across the country for for that little amount of money And work that many hours like I loved it. I loved every second of it now once I got older I got married I had kids It gets a little harder and you definitely have to Start making decisions like something's got to give you're either Gonna spend more time with your family more time on your job and that that is a really hard balance and that's just two factors that you also got to take into effect like You know you got to devote some time to your health and try to work out you should be you know, whether you want to devote time to your faith or your You know your finances I mean something's gonna get sacrificed and it is a really, you know Hard part of the profession is trying to figure that out, you know, and everyone's got to do it for themselves And I don't know that there's a right answer, but it definitely has a challenge Yeah, that's you know we just had a college guy on who spoke about his grind as a player and that's the one thing that I like what you said was You just have to love what you're doing, you know as a player you have to love what you're doing and then especially as a coach you really have to love what you're doing because you're gonna run into so many challenges with Having to move and then not just having to move but the low pay Understanding that there's a ultimate end goal in it if you're really dedicated to the craft and I think that's one of the main Things that young coaches need to understand it's not gonna happen day one You're not gonna have you know, there's not gonna be too many Brad Stephens Like scenarios where you can get that big job when you're you know under 40 And I don't think we think he was 35 he might have been that just right at 35 when he got that job So it's definitely a grind. So, you know, yeah, definitely appreciate just you know, just looking at all these stops you made Now with that most recent stop when you're an associate head coach Southeast Missouri State University and also what your experience as the director of operations at Mississippi State another thing that I wanted to talk about especially in the high ranks in college basketball, so you saw it from like a D1 level and I'm not for sure. It's the Southeast Missouri State. Are they a d2 or division one? They're in Ohio Valley conference with Murray State and Belmont. Okay. Well, yeah, so so with that being said especially at that level The one thing that we see Going on in the NCAA right now, and I think this can really change NCAA basketball going forward Players get paid. I've spoken to a lot of players, especially during this pandemic We want to start their own YouTube pages get paid off their likeness the balance between NCAA violations and things of that nature. Where do you see that? Where do you see the NCAA is headed with with regards to that specifically? And and do you think this is something that players should push for? Oh 100% I'm so glad that You know, this is finally coming to fruition after like years of putting public pressure on the NCAA to do it I think it's crazy that like Athletes haven't been able to make money off their own likeness I mean, it's nuts, especially when you consider that like any other college student can do it But if you're a athlete you can't like that doesn't that doesn't make sense to me. So yeah, I'm really I'm really excited You know in terms of like what it's gonna look like I'm sure It's gonna be you know some chaos at the beginning because if I had to guess There's probably not gonna be too much guidance given From the NCAA. So each school is probably gonna have to figure it out for themselves and each state is gonna be different, but Hopefully, it's a smooth quick transition and and I I think it's a great thing that athletes will be able to finally make some money off of You know their fame which they've earned and deserve and whether that's fame on a national level and they're able to cash in on that Or just like some notoriety in their community or on their campus. I mean, that's valuable and there's no reason you know people shouldn't be able to We should be teaching these people how like you should teach athletes and people in college How they can make money like if we're not teaching people how they can make money in college Like what the hell are they in college for? Like the degree is great, but you get the degree to make to make money, right? So I Think I think it's much needed. I think it's It'll be interesting to see how it works. But I think they're definitely finally finally doing the right thing. Yeah, I mean 100% agree with everything you said there, you know, especially I think a lot of people get this confused for you know These universities just saying you know what? We're paying each player a certain amount of money and I say it's not necessarily about paying them directly I said, it's just really allowing them To make money off their own likeness And a lot of people were surprised to hear that the NCAA was stopping players for a long time from doing that now we've seen States like California open that door for athletes. I'm sure that's really gonna start to spread like wildfire fire to other states And I just think it's just a change now that the NCAA is just gonna have to accept it It's it's starting to become too big states is now starting to implement laws I think now their hand is gonna get forced to make a decision on it so a hundred percent agree on that particular topic and the second topic on the NCAA and I really wanted to hear from you about is the pandemic and You know, do you see this changing and changing the landscape of college basketball? we know how much money that sports drive to schools and Do you think there's just gonna be pressure on these universities to find ways to get fans back in those seats because Because of the revenue that these programs bring in especially the d1 and d2 schools Yeah, I think there's no question like this pandemics changed everything, right? like every walk of life including sports And so for sure this season is gonna be unique Because I don't think you'll see too many fans in the stands Certainly not what we're used to and then yeah, I don't know how long it'll take before it does get back to normal but I do think like two things that That that kind of will happen Or that's being forced to happen because of the pandemic is one the amount of time that coaches take from their athletes Which is another issue that I think is is important to talk about You know when when I don't know if you're familiar with this But about I don't know probably ten years ago the NCAA Before ten years ago or whatever the year was like you weren't allowed to work your guys out in the summer They were allowed to be on campus. They could work with the strength coach, but you couldn't be on the court like going through workouts Over the last ten years. They've loosened like they've allowed it and then they've continued to loosen and loosen the restrictions And so college basketball has become a year-round sport where yeah You're only competing from those same months, but you're in practice. You're in full workouts Like ten months out of the year actually more than that And I think that's like crazy So I think this pandemic has forced Obviously time off for everybody which I think is healthy and I hope that coaches realize like man. We really don't need them Under our direct supervision 24-7 for 12 months out of the year So I hope I hope some schools realize like oh, we're fine Like the guys are actually excited to get back in the gym because we did you know? We were forced to give them some time off and that's how it should be you you hate to see athletes get the joy of the game taken from them because It becomes such a grind and they're not allowed to to you know, be a human being and experience other things Along with their college experience. The other part of it is the money part which you kind of touched on and Yeah, I think definitely programs are gonna be forced to operate a lot leaner Than they're used to and I think for sure this year with all the budget cuts and the furloughs that the colleges are experiencing But even going forward even after kovat lifts Which hopefully, you know happen sooner rather than later, I think schools will realize well Maybe they didn't need this budget of millions of dollars and 20 people on their coaching staff to operate They were able to do it, you know Leaner this year. So why can't they do that moving forward? So I hope we continue to see that, you know Like coaches cut back a little bit on the time demands and you know Not that I hope that people's budgets get slashed but I I could see that happening I can see you know And you're again you're seeing it right now Programs from the high school level all the way up to NBA teams are are cutting their budgets cutting staffs down And that's never good I mean that's That's not something, you know, that is positive. But I do think you'll see people be a little bit more tight with their money That's that's correct and what I really appreciate one thing that you said in there about The practicing and you know The practice hours allowed over the summer and it's starting to become more of a year-round sport. Yeah I've become familiar with that as well, and I've definitely seen that You know some schools and it's different from school to school. Some schools require students to stay over the summer. Maybe take summer classes But but players are spending more time on campus the one thing that I've seen a lot at least from the player side of things Especially with d1 athletes. I run into so many d1 players who after they graduate a Lot of them will just stop playing basketball together Like you'll ask them to join a league or to do that and they don't want to they're not interested They're so burnt out from just a grind That they just don't want to play anymore and You know as a coach, you know Not as a coach and what you've experienced on your end dealing with being the director of basketball operations two different universities Now now you're in the rising coaches. Do you think or have you seen that? happen to any degree with coaches or or or Personnel or staff with some of these teams can it can they get burnt out as well? All the coaching burnout is really real like Really real because as much as the kids are putting time in the coaches are putting Probably a little bit more time in or definitely more time in Because not only are they there at every practice every workout every weight session, but they're preparing for games. They're they're Preparing for recruiting visits. They're on the road recruiting You know the amount of hours coaches put in is Astronomical and again, unless you're at, you know, the power five level you're really not making that much money doing it And you're having to again make those choices of you're sacrificing something So whether that's your family your relationships your health Your finances like there's sacrifices being made and so the the burnout on the coaches side is is definitely a real thing I've experienced it personally And it's part of the reason I decided to step away from coaching Because I had just been so career driven for so long I don't know that I ever really took a step back and was like is this really what I still want to be doing And it's funny because as soon as I decided to get out of the profession I can't tell you the number of phone calls. I got from people saying like oh man I've really been thinking about doing the same thing. What's it like? How is it? You know, it's it's just kind of funny to see that I think everyone experiences it at some point But You know just because you experience it doesn't mean it's time for a change. Sometimes it does sometimes it doesn't I think that's something Everyone's got to figure out for themselves Sometimes you just got to hit the reset button, you know and find a way to get some Physical space or some mental space to you know, really kind of recalibrate and you know Find your love again, you know for what you're doing but like you said earlier if you're not passionate about this like this is not the career for you because The time you're gonna put in to the amount of money you're gonna make is not it's not correlated properly So there's a lot of other things you can do where you can make more money and work less And have a lot more time for extracurriculars or whatever whatever else it is So, yeah, but coaches get burnt out all the time and and you know, that's part of why we started rising coaches was because I think for a long time coaches felt like they were going through that on an island and Coaches kind of are afraid to voice that because they don't want to seem Like they're not appreciative for the opportunity they have because jobs are so hard to get And so part of you know What we do with rising coaches we connect them with other coaches and help them build Genuine relationships and we're not afraid to talk about things like this and it's okay to you know Have doubts that doesn't mean you're a bad person or a bad coach other people have those same doubts and just giving people an outlet to share that and People to connect with that have been through it as well Has proven to be really really valuable So that's one of one of the things that we try to you know help our professionally Yeah, that's that's big time right there And it's just even with me on a and I'm on probably one of the lowest levels of coaching post post grad players You know, I experience it like the ups and downs the emotions that you experience from coaching in game the practices Dealing with stuff off the court and I don't deal with nearly as much stuff as you might have dealt with when you were at Southeast, Missouri State or Even as the director of operations at Mississippi So again, if you're a coach out there, man You got to be mindful of the grind the time that it's gonna take and you just got to be you just got to have A lot of intestinal fortitude because this job will take a lot this job Especially at that level can take a lot out of you if you allow it to Yeah, there's no there's no low levels of coaching to I mean if you're you're you're dealing with human beings just like anyone else and you're trying to get a group of people to come together and play as one and Sacrifice their own, you know stats and shot attempts for each other So everyone everyone's a ball coach, you know, there's no there's no hierarchy or anything like that. It's just different It's just a different set of problems that you do it. Hey, I'll take it. I'll take it Hey, so well, we'll go ahead and transition because you know, we talked about college And it's how you deal with dealt with things like that particular level. Now. We're going to kind of transition on into you know Just professional level with the NBA bubble NBA basketball again a lot of people just like college. We didn't know Where would be headed when this pandemic hit? Once we found out basketball will be back Myself and a lot of people that I know we were all excited just to see basketball back I was really appreciative of the fact that when I saw the first NBA bubble game They made it look and feel like an actual game at least from the the TV perspective. I know it probably looks Vastly different from the players perspective on the court but with regards to the NBA bubble and The setup what has surprised you most about just that setup and Were you surprised that teams actually came back and played? I don't think I was too surprised because like the NBA is like far and away the like the best run professional league in sports in my opinion They do such a good job and have for decades Being on the cutting edge of things. They seem to always make the right decisions when it comes to like You know society culture, you know, whatever like they're there they always tend to be You know on the right side of issues I know they spent a ton of money to get that bubble, right? I think I read like 75 million or something that they're spending down there in Orlando, but they definitely got it, right? And you know, I think the proof is there I think very few people if any of I don't think anyone's gotten sick down there They've been able to keep the virus away They've been able to you know, put out a great product. Like you said the games they look great. They feel great when I'm watching them and so I'm glad they I'm glad they kind of stepped up and we're the first ones to get it going and I'm glad that they Have executed it at such a high level And I'm a big late. I'm from LA. So I'm a big Lakers fan. So I'm glad to see my late the lake show On the way to another championship, hopefully. Oh, hey, that's that's perfect that you mentioned that Because man, you know just you know now that I'm into it just talking sports with people on the daily basis. I Did not know there was so much hatred towards LeBron James man now joining the Lakers. So the one thing I see most Is I see a lot of Laker fans Who were so? They were that you know, they're there was so big of being Kobe fans They cannot accept LeBron James being in a Laker uniform. So they're just torn inside So they want to see the Lakers win But at the same time they love to see when LeBron James plays bad So they love it when he plays bad they eke out the win and they can talk about LeBron, but their team advance It's a weird. It's a weird mix that I see. I don't understand it. But um, what do you think about? The Lakers and that's the team. I really wanted to touch on because Dave surprised me the most Being able to come back and play like they have especially I thought the Clippers were favored over and the Clippers just kind of fell Apart. I mean, you know, what do you think about the Lakers? And then how do you think this final series against Miami is gonna play out? I think the Lakers So first of all, like I mentioned, I'm a Lakers fan. So I'm sure I'm a little biased in terms of like LeBron and You know like people getting emotionally invested and hating on them I think that stuff is stupid like I don't know me personally I just like appreciate Watching great basketball and great basketball players Every single person in the NBA is really really really good. Like those dudes don't miss open shots ever And just the way they make their shots I mean the way the ball goes in the net like I just appreciate the craftsmanship and the hours That every single one of those dudes have put in to get to that level so when you see somebody like LeBron who's impacting the game at every single level in Every single way and filling up every single stack category like I mean, what is there to what is there to hate? You know, like maybe you don't like the way someone plays Maybe you don't like their You know attitude or you know, you know the way they carry themselves, but how can you not appreciate that level of greatness? He really is whether you like him or not, like there's no debating the fact that he's one of the greats of all time So so there's that I'll say that in terms of the Lakers, I think it was really interesting after like last offseason When you saw, you know some, you know, obviously Kawhi left you saw KD leave But it almost shook out like every team had two superstars like there was no more teams with like more than two Where in the past like obviously the Warriors had a bunch You know So everybody I was excited coming into this season because I wanted to see like what duo Would prove to be the best and and I think LeBron and AD are doing that. I think with the heat you definitely see more of a complete team I think the Celtics were like that. They were more of a complete team, but it's hard to deal with two Absolute superstars who not only are superstars and really really good But they have like freakish like size and athleticism that you know makes them impossible to deal with You know, you got Anthony Davis who's a seven-footer who's shooting shooting the three-ball like a like a two-guard off the cut He's taking people off the bounce You got LeBron who can play all five positions and it's built like a power forward, you know, it's just it's hard to deal with and then there when their role players are making shots like I'll be honest. Like I did not think our team was very talented Heading into the playoffs. I know we I know we won some games and things like that and had a good regular season, but You know, usually You got that third Like really key player right on every great championship team, but again, I just don't think anybody had that this season and so, you know having guys like KCP and you know Rondo and You know Kuzma who hasn't had a great playoffs, but I guess that's enough You know as long as as long as those guys can make plays every now and then knock down shots And the one thing I think that Lakers probably don't get enough credit for is I think their role players really good defense They really try to defend they got bigger guards And I think that's created some problems for some of these other teams yeah, I think especially with the Lakers and It went if you can get and this isn't for any team in the NBA If you can get your role players to buy in to a certain role That's half the battle one right there And I think the Lakers and LeBron have done a good job especially with guys like Caruso and other guys coming off the bench, you know, even Kuzma even though he's been up and down of Allowing them to buy into a role and Kuzma is a guy who his rookie year was averaging like 17 a game He's sacrificing a lot. You know, he's giving up a lot of points. He's coming off the bench Kuzma's the one guy that looks lost to me That hasn't Really really found his role on the team. You know what I mean? In my personal this is not based on anything, but I think he struggles to defend and I think he probably gets Told that in film sessions and in practice maybe and so maybe that shook his confidence a little bit But they need him to score a little bit right like at least at least we thought that going into the playoffs And he hasn't been able to do that consistently at all You know with Kuzma plays and I don't know if you've seen this as well But I've only recognized it because I struggled with this when I played he plays as if he forgets the offense and he thinks I'm so sped up and sometimes in little panic that he's not confident like you can tell the difference between Caruso offense and Kuzma offense Caruso's a little bit more patient like he understands what's going on What's about to be executed? I don't know what's going on with Kuzma. There's something going on there. That's Got him out of sorts. He's definitely not the same. I don't think it's unmanageable because at least he's playing hard And I think that's the difference between him and a guy like Michael Porter jr Where there were times where Porter jr. Just didn't play hard or Kuzma at least will play hard and will make some plays I'll take that over nothing. Well, you know, that's that's how I feel about Kuzma The last thing I wanted to touch on and this is real It's not necessarily controversial police on my channel. It's been kind of controversial We speak, you know, we speak at least I've spoken on the 90s a lot I think the 90s was great. I think the talent in the 90s was stretched a bit thin especially with the addition of the expansion teams and I'm I'm not uh, I don't I don't give any of those guys in the 90s any leeway for losing the Jordan so much I don't give them no leeway and primarily because we hear the three and six for LeBron We hear the 6-0 for Jordan all the time. So I use the same I call it the Jordan standard I apply the same championship standard to every player in the 90s the Barclays the Milan's the Ewing's If you don't have the rings I'm using the Jordan standard against you I'm gonna hold it against you for your career With regards to 90s basketball to dispatch ball There's the there's a consistent theme is there's no defense in this league in the league today Like how do you feel basketball has changed from the 90s going into the 2000s? And now like is defense absolutely gone Or just players are players just that much better off just from your perspective, what do you think has changed since the 90s? Okay, before I answer that we got to get back to I want to talk a little more Lakers But I'll come back to the Lakers. I don't know. I want to talk Rondo. I want to talk playoff Rondo with you Oh, yeah, but first first listen, I'll answer your question about The decades there's no question like it's not even close players Can shoot the ball so much better now than they could then and they can shoot it with so much more range which puts so which obviously puts so much more pressure on the defense because you got to cover more ground and It's not okay to just get a hand up At a three-point shooter anymore. Now, you really have to like chase them off the line And not only are you having to do that with like shooting guards and small forwards now you got to do it Sometimes with four and with some teams all five positions especially like when you got big guys like Joker that can shoot the three at a high clip or You play against teams like the Rockets that don't even play a center and all five guys are you know? Really capable of knocking down the three. So that's I mean that's changed It's almost like a different game just because of that and then obviously You know, they call way more The rules have changed where you can't put your hands on players as much as you used to be able to You can't hand check guys. You can't physically, you know move them as much I think those rules are good I'm not one of these people that thinks People that play now are soft because of that like you shouldn't be able to just chuck dudes as they're trying to drive the ball It makes it a lot harder to defend but if you watch NBA like Compared to like a college game. They're still physical as ----. You know, I mean like the refs let those dudes play a lot So, I think the rules are fine, I think the way they call it's fine I think the biggest difference is I mean you got Pretty much every seven-footer in the league now can knock down threes where in the past you would have small forwards Who couldn't shoot, you know, like? Nobody's got a small forward that can't shoot now The small forward like is that even like a position it's just a wing So, I mean, that's that's it Yeah, that's true now we can get back to the Lakers because I do appreciate your answer on that but What do you think of that? Like do you agree with that or you think like? What are your thoughts Well, yeah, I mean what my thoughts are. I think the game is different like the 90s more physical I think there's a lot of nostalgia attached to the 90s, especially since it included Michael Jordan like You can remember the NBA on NBA NBC theme song like those games with the Bulls and Knicks Bulls Pacers When those things right there just made the 90s special But in regards to the talent the game has changed Taking away hand checking It just makes defenders and give it makes it harder for guys to defend I don't think hand checking. I think that was a good move to take hand checking out because defense should be a skill you should not Allow a built-in foul To give defenders an advantage. They should have to be able to work on their craft at defending and just get better But guys today it's just so much talent man coming in and just like we talked about earlier These guys are playing basketball 12 months out of the year. This is starting in high school going into college going into NBA Like it's starting to become a profession where you don't take any time off. And so they're coming into the NBA we see Luke Adonchik, he's coming into the NBA looking like a seven-year pro He's doing things that we've never seen a second-year player do and this is you know This is across the league. We got young guys playing out of their mind Trey young De'Aaron Fox all of these young guys looking like vets. They're asked to lead teams early So the NBA I think it's just a lot more talent a lot more athleticism a lot more skill Maybe the basketball IQs went down somewhat With social media and guys wanting to make that next highlight play, but I think the game is just as good So I don't really have any beefs toward the 90s. I just think the game has changed somewhat. That's all I mean, yeah, I agree. I agree with you. I think that I think you're right though Like I don't know if the basketball IQ has decreased maybe it has I don't know, but I do think dribbling is much more Acceptable and used a lot more now than it was back in the day I mean even if you go back further than the 90s Like if you go back and watch like some of those games in the 80s I mean dudes would sit here like they would literally hold the ball in the wing. They'd wait for cutters You know There'd be a lot more screens off the ball and they'd be patient and try to hit people on the move like going to the Basket, you don't really see much movement off the ball Like it used to be with like pin downs down screens curls into the lane You don't see movement like that the movement that you see now is off like post splits And things like that, so I don't know I agree with you the games I think it's I mean, I don't know if they had it in the 60s and 70s It's just shot clock. I mean the shot clock changes everything Yeah, that ball. I mean just like ball screens. There's like every offense is pretty much based on ball screens now for the most part and You know, you would only use to set ball screens for your point guard Now you're sitting ball screens for like I said the Jokers sitting ball screens for a seven-footer to come off and make plays So, yeah, I'm with you the talent the size the athleticism and the skill level as people like as Evolved and I mean it'll keep evolving as long as the game You know continues to grow I think That's that's a hundred percent true. Hey and You said playoff Rondo and I have to I have to admit this after his first game back When he came back from the hand injury, I was one of the first people to say he didn't look ready I Don't know if it was a condition or his time It was off so I I was on him pretty tough after that first game and he's since proved me extremely wrong Because he's found he's can't he's came back to form very quickly I didn't think and we saw so many players who came back from injury in the bubble play terrible I just thought it was gonna be consistent theme with with Rondo He's definitely proved me wrong. And I think he's been that like x-factor Allowing LeBron to get some rest off ball Allowing Brown to play off ball some and they look like a completely different team when they can play Rondo LeBron and a D at the same time as opposed to just LeBron and a D and then you can sit LeBron and play Rondo and a D together It's like, you know how like to me they're one of the hardest teams to guard because of Rondo Getting back to form so quickly like wait, what do you think about Rondo so far? Well, that's why I asked because like I to be completely honest. I haven't been like a huge fan of Rondo's either And as I watched like the Lakers Especially like like I think it's cool when he's with the second unit and it's like him and ad out there I think that's good, but he's so ball dominant and You know, I can't argue with it because he's he has he's played great Lakers have won, you know, like what am I talking about here? But like I think in the fourth quarter when he's out there still on the ball so much and LeBron's on the wing And 80s in the post like I think the ball's got to be in those two dudes hands and like I'd rather not have Rondo Out there now. He gives you so much though like decision-making wise Defensively, he's so vocal. You can hear him like on TV Putting people in the right spot. So who am I to question this but like at times like when I'm watching just as a fan I'm always like man get get right like okay Rondo was great in the first three quarters get him out of there So it can be like LeBron and ad time and surround him with shooters He's just with Rondo he just makes the most timely plays He'll hit a contested three something that's not we not even in his game You know, it's just like the timeliness of some of the stuff that he does I can see why it makes it hard for a coach like Bowler to take him out, especially Every game every game. I'm like man get him out and then he does something big-time and I'm like, all right go Rondo But I will say that I'll give Vogel props because I do think the Lakers like Might be the deepest team like they really play You know 10 11 dudes and every single one of them Contribute, you know, they're all important and that's a it's really hard to juggle that many dudes Like that's a one thing or coaching that gets overlooked a lot is like You know, do you stick with your main guys? Do you you go into your bench and like they've really been consistent playing all those different guys And again, that's not easy to do I Was talking to somebody about that as well This is this is back when The Lakers were playing Denver the Clippers, I mean what a Clippers were playing Denver the Lakers were playing Houston and I saw something where I said If they match up the Lakers are gonna win. The one thing that I saw was I was watching the Clippers game. I saw Reggie Jackson sitting on the bench Obviously, we knowed in that series. He lost his role. He wasn't getting many minutes He was just sitting on the bench just looking pissed off the whole game and then when I transitioned to the Laker game Obviously, you know when that Houston series JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard were Essentially didn't play But they were standing up jumping around cheering the team on No one going into each of these games against Houston. They weren't going to play at all And when I saw that dynamic, I said it's something going on with the Clippers to where they can't even cheer each other on without fans as Opposed to what's going on with the Lakers where you got two guys who know they're not even gonna play going into this series Off a coach's decision and not just to just average guys. These are two vets you know with Dwight Howard who's been a hall-of-famer in this league JaVale McGee's been a champion with the Warriors and That's where I saw the two different. That's the primary difference that I saw between these two teams That's what made me switch from saying I think LA's gonna win it what what do you think about that? Don't you have to give that credit to LeBron? Have you ever seen a LeBron team where the role players haven't been all in and I mean they've certainly gotten beat When their role players haven't performed maybe or been as good or good enough but I've never seen a LeBron team that has like bad chemistry of you I Mean that's one thing. That's what I said. You got to give it to LeBron James cuz Even a coach can only do so much But your best player really is the one that's gonna help you Create that culture in your locker room the same way. We saw with Tim Duncan and Greg Papa bitch without Tim Duncan They don't have that culture and win those five championships and Yeah, a hundred percent. I give LeBron credit for that That's one of the things that's not basketball related that I think he gets no credit for I hear a lot of this took noise About oh, he's getting his players traded. He's a bad teammate He did this to Dwayne Wade and I was like you guys realize like, you know At the end of the day all of his teammates love them. They love playing with them and They they they all are winners there, you know, they might not succeed in the finals with six finals losses But getting there is and just get in there a lot of times It's tough and and to have that type of chemistry everywhere You've went with Cleveland Miami now in LA. I think that's that's something that he just doesn't get credit for yeah, for sure and a Mentor of mine Tim Ryan. He always says it man when your best player is your hardest worker You've really got a chance to be good. And I think there's no question that even the haters, you know Everyone knows LeBron's work ethic is unmatched and that's all the greats Jordan Kobe Tim Duncan like all those guys You know, we're the best player on their team but they're also their hardest worker and that just sets a tone for everybody and That can't be under That can't be over appreciated. You know, I mean like that's so rare and it's so Crucial and it's something that like I said all the greats share in every sport probably I know we talked about the greats man And and that's why you know, we'll wrap it up on this and I'll get your last thoughts on this as well And I think we're LeBron James And I tell this to a lot of people who have that hate for him I said Kobe went through this like y'all don't really understand it Kobe went through the same type of hate that you've given LeBron his whole career He was looked at as a villain for most of his career and it wasn't to the end of his career when he was about to retire where everybody was like Man Kobe's about to retire and he didn't really start getting his praise Until he started to retire and then soon after he retired we see the tragic tragic tragic incident With the helicopter crash and now he's passed now He's gone and then you think back at all the hate that was thrown his way during his career And it's just like man with these great players like LeBron You really gotta just appreciate him. He's in year 17. We don't know how many years left of LeBron that we had I mean he could retire at year 18 or 19 and It could be all be over with just that quick And I like I said, that's why I don't like to harp on and spend much time hating because we won't see LeBron again Maybe for another 20 30 years It's just time to start giving guys like that their appreciation and that's just across the league on all levels Really just got to start appreciating talent At any level of basketball as opposed to just throwing out all this hate Yeah, no question, I mean I Think you probably find that with every sport every every great that there is. I mean Jordan went through that. It's uh It must be something in a human nature to root for the guy on top to get knocked down You know, I mean like what's the phrase people like to fall better than the climb? Or something like that so Yeah, I don't really Again I love to appreciate like greatness Even if it's like a sport that I don't really watch and it's on TV and I'm watching it Like I'm trying to pick out the dudes that are you know, like clearly high-level, you know it can be tennis or whatever and you know, I'm gonna try to like take something from it like man that person's really locked in or You know, whatever but yeah, I agree you gotta you gotta appreciate the greatness and the hours that that go into you know working on the craft and just the you know, the You know the winning, you know like the success You gotta appreciate that. Even if you don't like the person you gotta appreciate the fact that they've like produced results That's true, man. Hey, well coach man. My time is running to an end here We definitely got to get this wrapped up before we get out of here, though For any aspiring coaches for any current coaches man How how can they reach you with rising coaches if they want to be a part of that that program that you have going on? over there Yeah, appreciate you asking Visit rising coaches calm for all the info what it is is a community. It's inclusive For basketball coaches, so it doesn't matter what level you're at high school NBA We've got members we've got over 1,300 coaches who are members we got them at every level And we try to hit on three things with those coaches and for our members. We try to provide genuine relationships That'll help you personally and professionally. We try to provide Unbelievable resources and content to help you work on your craft And then the third thing we try to provide is is opportunities through our job board job leads in our search firm Where we've been fortunate to help a lot of people Further their career and you know get opportunities that that are good fits for them personally and professionally so yeah, if you're interested in coaching or you are coaching and you're interested in connecting with others and you know those three things connecting and improving And advancing then check out rising coaches calm. I Appreciate there. Yeah, you guys I'm gonna put that information in the description of the video If you want to reach out to them directly, I'm gonna have all this information down below But again, we appreciate your time today appreciate you coming on the show Sharing your experiences and basketball with us I think a lot of people are gonna get a lot out of this particular interview, but you guys You know as we in this show as I tell you guys always make sure you like comment and subscribe hit the notification bell To the video. We have a lot coming up for the show soon We will be going live two hours before game two of the NBA Finals. So make sure you hit that notification bell So, you know exactly when we go live and you can participate in those live debates But again big ups to Adam Gordon for blessing the FYF podcast today We will be back. We will be back tomorrow with more sports and news, but as for the day FYF sports