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00:00It's just a lot of Hall of Famers running around right now when it comes to the NBA in San
00:06Francisco.
00:07We're just in one of those moments where like Steph Curry and Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler and Steve Kerr.
00:14And there's just it's just Hall of Famer, Hall of Famer.
00:17And I know some of them haven't been in yet, but they but they will.
00:20And then every week on Willard and Dibbs, then there's Mark Spears with ESPN Hall of Famer.
00:27You know what I'm saying? Halls of Famer.
00:29Yeah, I would imagine got to be multiples like there's a college one.
00:33There's a basketball one.
00:34I think he's even in the bald guy Hall of Fame, if I'm not mistaken.
00:38Well, BGHOF.
00:40Let's find out.
00:41Let's go out to the River Islands guest line.
00:42Mark Spears joining us courtesy of Kendall Jackson Wines, an official wine partner of the Golden State Warriors.
00:49Mark is also in the Hall of Fame of setting up a day for a buddy, because speaking of Kendall
00:54Jackson Wines,
00:56me and the lovely Christy had a little day out there last Saturday.
00:59The weather was perfect.
01:00The food was perfect.
01:01The wines were perfect.
01:03Y'all, if you get a day trip opportunity, go do the dang thing.
01:06It was wonderful.
01:08Hello, Hall of Famer.
01:10Well, first of all, man, I know that food and wine in Kendall Jackson headquarters was amazing.
01:15And you went to Copan, too.
01:16Yes, we did.
01:17I don't know if you tried that day break.
01:20That's off the hook.
01:21Yes, we did.
01:22And Dibs, man, I could grow my hair out.
01:25I just choose to have it short.
01:27I don't think you could.
01:28You could, but I just don't want to have some Afro like Grady from Sanford and Son, you know what
01:35I'm saying?
01:35So that's why I just cut it short, you know?
01:38But I could grow it out.
01:40Oh, I can, too.
01:40But I look a little bit more like Eric Stoltz in Mask.
01:43I just don't want to look like a 70s sitcom star.
01:46Yeah, I get that.
01:48I get that.
01:48I mean, hair grows up there, but just not all over.
01:52And it's a little bit of a rough look for your boy.
01:55So anyway, you're looking handsome as always.
01:59So we are where we are.
02:01We are where we are.
02:02From a hair standpoint, I'm basically, I'm tanking, Mark.
02:06I've given up on hair.
02:07I'm going in the tank with the hair.
02:10Yeah, well, there'll be something that comes up to fix it.
02:14Speaking of which, so Draymond Green says what he says last night.
02:19And I wonder how that grabs you.
02:24Like, obviously, this issue is already out there.
02:26It's been well out there.
02:28But what is your take in terms of what we saw the Kings do last night
02:32and what Draymond said about it?
02:35You know, I think it's much ado about nothing.
02:38And I'm going to tell you why.
02:41You know, the draft lottery is a lottery, right?
02:44Yeah.
02:45Like, if they were doing this, what have they guaranteed?
02:49A better chance, right?
02:52Well, I mean, the Mavericks got the number one pick with a 3% chance, right?
02:57Right.
02:58Remember the long odds that the Hawks had when they got their pick
03:03or the long odds that, I mean, the Spurs didn't have long odds.
03:07But my point is, the last two years, you've got teams that had long odds
03:10that still ended up with the number one pick.
03:12You know, I remember two years ago being in the room or watching last year,
03:17I think, when Masai Ujiri was still with the Raptors
03:19and they had a horrible record and he got like the sixth pick
03:24and he looked like he was about to cry.
03:25So all this stuff that teams are doing or not doing really means nothing
03:32when it comes to the draft lottery because when it's all said and done,
03:35the way the ball bounces, it doesn't guarantee that it's going to be in their favor.
03:41You know, I remember covering the Nuggets in 2003 when there was this draft
03:45where there was this guy named LeBron James and the Nuggets had won 18 games
03:50and it was supposed to be between them and Memphis for the number one pick.
03:55And Memphis had acquired, or in Cleveland as well, Memphis had acquired Vancouver's pick.
04:02And, well, it was Vancouver's pick.
04:05But Memphis had acquired Detroit's pick, I'm sorry.
04:08And what ended up happening was the Nuggets got the third pick.
04:12I mean, it ended up being Carmelo Anthony.
04:14But that being said, they did all that for LeBron James.
04:18Nothing is guaranteed.
04:20And I'm going to be at that draft lottery and I'm going to laugh when it all shakes out.
04:24And all these teams that are doing this, that, and the third to get in the top three
04:29end up getting their feelings hurt.
04:30But your feelings are hurt at the same time, though.
04:33You can only slide so far.
04:34So it's not only getting the best odds to be number one.
04:37It's also ensuring that you can't slip and slide too far down the board.
04:42And that's where I think the tweak needs to be made,
04:45where just because you're the second worst team
04:47doesn't mean you can't wind up at 11th or 12th.
04:51I don't like that because then the reason why I don't like that dropping that far
04:59is because then the bad teams just stay terrible, man.
05:03It's like they don't get any better.
05:05Like, beauty's in the eye of the beholder.
05:07What you determine of tanking or not taking, like, who can really judge that?
05:12But if a team gets punished and what if they weren't doing something wrong?
05:16And they, you know, a team that doesn't, that's like, like,
05:20let's say if, like, the Warriors don't make it into the playoffs,
05:24they're like the 13th seed.
05:25I don't know which one where they land.
05:26Maybe you guys got that.
05:28But, like, it's not out of realm of possibility
05:32that the Warriors can get a high pick, right?
05:34Like, because just what we've seen.
05:37So that, if anything, I think it should be limited to six teams,
05:42maybe eight teams.
05:43It shouldn't go that far.
05:46And also, this is a one-off draft.
05:49So I get it, right?
05:51Like, this draft is so great that even if you're 8, 10,
05:55and even at 13, if the Warriors are 13,
05:57like, they're still going to get a really good player
05:59that could help them next year.
06:01But next year, it ain't going to be the same.
06:04So, like, you're doing all this stuff,
06:06and you're making all these changes,
06:07and the NBA is so reactionary on everything they do
06:11that it all could be for not,
06:13because next year ain't nobody, maybe one guy,
06:17but, you know, it's all based on each year,
06:21and next year it ain't going to be that year.
06:22So you can make all these moves for nothing.
06:25Mark Spears, ESPN, with us here on Willard & Dibs,
06:29and with us, courtesy of Kendall Jackson Wines.
06:32Mark, I mean...
06:33And real quick, they should have did it.
06:35If you were so worried about it, this is the draft.
06:38This isn't an elite draft.
06:39This is a special draft.
06:41They should have did this a year before,
06:43not after,
06:45because after, like,
06:46let me know when the next great draft is.
06:48I can't tell you.
06:49So it's too late.
06:51Well, I wonder this, though, Mark,
06:53because to me, when I see what I saw last night,
06:55if we take Draymond completely with what he's saying
06:59and we buy that something was really amiss
07:02from what Doug Chrissy was doing,
07:04well, then this is about much more than just the draft.
07:07Like, we're talking about an illegitimate finish to the game.
07:12So, I mean, what do you...
07:13Yeah, but we've seen that a couple times.
07:15Right.
07:15We saw that with Memphis.
07:17For sure.
07:17Remember the Memphis game?
07:19All of a sudden, like,
07:20didn't they have, like, a 10-point lead
07:22with five minutes left?
07:23And pulled their people.
07:24All of a sudden, all the...
07:25And pulled everybody.
07:26Yeah.
07:27So this ain't news.
07:27No, it's not.
07:28But...
07:29It's been happening.
07:30But Adam Silver's got to do something about it, right?
07:33So what does he do?
07:35You make this change,
07:36and then next year,
07:37nobody cares about the draft,
07:38and what was it worth?
07:40And then some team, like,
07:42it's for nothing.
07:43It's too late.
07:44You should have did it.
07:44If he was going to do something,
07:45he should have did it for this year's draft.
07:48I can't tell you when the next great draft is.
07:51So it's all for, like,
07:53next year,
07:53we ain't got to worry about this.
07:55A little early, but I mean...
07:57Unless they can make it to affect this current draft,
08:00it's all for nothing, really.
08:02And I think that this is the draft
08:04where it doesn't matter as much
08:06because you've mentioned this, Mark,
08:07a bunch of times,
08:08like 1 through 10 or 15
08:10or maybe even 20.
08:11You can find a good player.
08:13It's two years ago...
08:14Yeah, two years ago
08:15when Wemby goes to San Antonio,
08:18that's the time where, you know,
08:20it's going to be slanted and kind of unfair.
08:23Yeah, I mean,
08:24I do feel like they believe
08:26that there's this top five group,
08:28which to me includes
08:30A.J. DeBansa,
08:31Darren Peterson,
08:33Caleb Wilson,
08:34Cam Boozer,
08:35and now Darius Acuff
08:37that they believe is,
08:39you know,
08:39that top five.
08:41But I'm going to tell you what, man,
08:42like there's going to be...
08:44I hope we can run this interview
08:45three years from now,
08:46maybe five years from now.
08:47Oh, yeah.
08:48Because I think
08:49Nata Mintz is going to be
08:50really, really good, right?
08:53I think the
08:54Karim Lopez from Mexico
08:57is going to be
08:57really, really good.
08:59There are other guys
09:00that are going to get picked
09:02a little later.
09:05Mikel Brown Jr.,
09:06have you watched him play?
09:07He had a back injury.
09:08Yep.
09:09He could fall a little bit.
09:10Like, he's nice.
09:11He had 45 in a game.
09:14The guard from Houston.
09:16Like, so it's like,
09:17to your point, man,
09:18they're doing all this stuff,
09:19but there's enough
09:21for everybody in the top 10
09:22to eat.
09:23Yep.
09:24Fleming's and Wagler,
09:25and I still like
09:27Yaxlund and Borg.
09:29Like, the Warriors
09:30could end up getting
09:30the kid from Michigan.
09:32Right.
09:32He could be sitting there.
09:35Right?
09:36Like, if the kid
09:37waited a year,
09:38he'd probably be
09:38top five pick,
09:39but this year,
09:40it's so loaded,
09:41he could end up
09:42in San Francisco.
09:43So it's like,
09:43that's why I'm like,
09:44it's all this juggling
09:46and trying
09:46and this and that,
09:47but there's a lot
09:48of food
09:49in this buffet.
09:52Mark Spears is with us
09:53on Willard and Dibbs.
09:55There were pieces,
09:56as always,
09:57you know,
09:58you talk to Draymond a lot,
09:59there were pieces
10:00to what he said
10:01last night,
10:02and another one of them
10:03is that he feels like
10:04the play-in
10:06is not working anymore,
10:08and I know that's part of it
10:09is an anti-tanking mechanism,
10:12but I think there's also
10:13an excitement level for fans,
10:14the elimination nature of it.
10:16I get why the Warriors
10:18aren't, you know,
10:19kind of inspired by it.
10:20They've been some
10:20pretty cool places,
10:21but what's your take
10:22on the play-in tournament?
10:24Yeah.
10:25Well, I actually think
10:26Draymond said,
10:27you know,
10:27when you guys could ask me
10:28what he said
10:29at the Kendall Jackson
10:30dinner on Saturday,
10:30I think he said
10:31even bigger stuff
10:33than what we're talking about.
10:34Okay, so what did he say
10:35Saturday night
10:36at the Kendall Jackson dinner?
10:37It's a good follow-up, Mark.
10:39But we'll follow up.
10:41Okay, we'll get back to it.
10:42I think the playing thing
10:45was all started
10:46in hopes of getting
10:47Zion Williamson
10:47in the playoffs
10:49during the NBA bubble.
10:50That's when it all started
10:52because they were trying to,
10:53at that point,
10:54Zion was popular.
10:55He had missing time.
10:57He came back.
10:58You're trying to get him in.
10:59It didn't work,
11:00but I think TB likes it.
11:01TB likes having
11:03their mini NCAA tournament.
11:05So as long as ESPN,
11:07Amazon, Peacock like it,
11:09it ain't going nowhere.
11:10So that's a moot conversation.
11:13In terms of Saturday,
11:16people close to Draymond
11:17told me that was the best
11:18interview that they've
11:20ever heard him do.
11:21I did it.
11:22I'm not going to say
11:22it's because of me,
11:23but I think maybe
11:24that Cardinal wine
11:26he was drinking
11:27might have helped
11:27a little bit.
11:30But one of the interesting
11:31things I asked him about
11:34was what were some things
11:37that maybe he,
11:38if he could,
11:39that were going to keep him
11:40up at night
11:41when his career is over.
11:42And he actually said
11:44that he kicked himself
11:45for 2016,
11:48being suspended,
11:50kind of felt like
11:50he cost the Warriors
11:51the finals,
11:53which is the first time
11:55I've ever heard him
11:55say that.
11:56And he also said
11:57that he thought
11:58that he could have been
11:59MVP of that finals.
12:00And I agree with that
12:01that the Warriors won.
12:04But he said that
12:07he also thought
12:09that that loss
12:10ended up pushing them
12:12to do things
12:12that led to other championships.
12:14So it ended up
12:15working out on the back end.
12:17And then another thing
12:18he talked about regretting
12:19and still bothers him
12:20to this day
12:21and he wishes
12:22he could go back in time
12:23is he said
12:23if he could go back in time
12:24he would take that punch
12:26back from Jordan Poole.
12:27Wow, yeah.
12:28And he said he certainly
12:29he said that's something
12:30that still bothers him
12:31to this day.
12:32And there was a lot more
12:34we could talk about
12:34than he said,
12:35but those were
12:36two things
12:37that stood out.
12:39That's actually
12:40really, really great insight.
12:41So good stuff
12:43to hear as always.
12:44Mark Spears
12:45courtesy of Kendall Jackson Wines
12:47an official wine partner
12:48of the Golden State Warriors.
12:50You're absolutely
12:51the best man
12:52and thank you
12:52for talking to my students
12:53the other morning.
12:54They loved it.
12:55You're the best.
12:56Appreciate it.
12:57We'll talk to you next week.
12:58We got to get dibs
13:00out in wine country.
13:01Yeah, we do.
13:02Yeah, no doubt.
13:02I'm just a babysitter away, Mark.
13:04I'm going to get there.
13:05Yeah, and I'm going to
13:07get you a nice cap
13:08for that head there
13:08to a nice KJ cap.
13:09You better watch out.
13:10I might grow this out now
13:11and show you
13:12what I'm working with.
13:14I can't wait to see it.
13:15You know, I wish we had
13:16enough guts
13:17to have a competition
13:18for that,
13:18but I don't think
13:19either one of us
13:20would.
13:20Yeah, my couch
13:20is not comfortable
13:21enough, Mark.
13:23Mark, great stuff, man.
13:25We'll talk to you again.
13:25Thanks, Mark.
13:27All right.
13:27Peace, fellas.
13:27Okay, there he goes.
13:28That's Mark Spears
13:29of ESPN.
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