00:00Rick, do you like the NBA players of today?
00:03Do you think, again, when you look at them representing your league,
00:06what do you make of them today?
00:07I mean, do you like the way they rep the league?
00:11Well, I don't like it if a guy doesn't behave himself off the court.
00:14I mean, I love some of the things a lot of these guys are doing
00:17with their foundations and charities, helping out those people.
00:19That's fortunate.
00:20I have great respect for the guys that do that.
00:22What I don't like is the way that they're allowing the game to be played,
00:25and I think that goes back to the league itself.
00:28I made a big stink about it.
00:29Somebody just brought something up that happened years ago
00:31showing me this thing about me talking about, hey,
00:33just call the game according to the rulebook.
00:34Stop the travel.
00:35Stop the carrying.
00:36Stop all the nutty stuff that's going on, all this thing with the Euro step
00:39and all this thing and, you know, the guys doing, you know, the sets.
00:43It just drives me crazy.
00:44It really absolutely drives me nuts to have to watch games
00:47and see guys traveling and seeing them do all the same,
00:50the gather step and all this other things.
00:52I mean, I just think how in the hell would someone –
00:54they couldn't guard me when I couldn't carry the ball.
00:56If I could carry the ball and get the extra step,
00:59that guy would have no chance whatsoever of guarding me.
01:01I mean, none.
01:02It's just not fun for me to watch because I was taught how to play the game
01:06according to what the rulebook is, and the rulebook hasn't changed.
01:09And I think basketball is getting ruined on all levels.
01:13NIL has ruined college sports and basketball.
01:15The championship team had five guys out of the pool this year,
01:19five guys transferred to go to play.
01:22The money being paid to these guys in college.
01:24Sure, I think every athlete in college should get some kind of money
01:27for playing on a team so he has a few bucks to go out here and there.
01:29That makes some sense, but not the kind of money they're paying him now.
01:32It's absurd, absolutely absurd.
01:34And what's happened, I thought I was watching NBA playoff games
01:38when I was watching the women's final and the men's final.
01:41They are allowing the game to become so overtly physical.
01:45And why they want this to happen in this sport is beyond my comprehension,
01:49and I had many talks with David Stern, got risked to soul,
01:52the NBA commissioner, and then even Adam Silver.
01:55Why do you want to let the game be so physical?
01:58That's an advantage for the less skilled player, Dad.
02:01It doesn't take talent, skill, and ability to grab and hold and shove and push.
02:05Two guys hit each other.
02:06They both hit the court.
02:07And there's not even a foul call.
02:08It's got to be a charge or a block.
02:10It gives the advantage to the skilled player.
02:12And I just saw a stat.
02:14The overwhelming majority of players, statistics, go down in the playoffs
02:19because the game is to be allowed to become more physical.
02:23And you really have to elevate your game in the playoffs.
02:26And I looked at a lot of the stats.
02:27There's so many guys whose stats are down come shooting percentage
02:31and things of that nature because of the physicality of the game.
02:34And it's happening in all levels of the sports, from the college level on up.
02:38And it's not fun for me to watch because I know, as a player,
02:42I know it doesn't take much to throw me off on a shot
02:46if somebody's able to give me a little push and a little shove.
02:49And it's just not fun to play a game like that.
02:52I didn't sign up to wrestle.
02:54I didn't sign up to play football.
02:56I signed up to play basketball.
02:57And basketball is becoming so physical that I don't enjoy it.
03:02I always used to ask the officials in the playoffs,
03:04can you guys show me the new rule book?
03:06I mean, we don't have a new rule book.
03:08And then you hear even the players say, well, let's play off basketball.
03:10Well, no, it's playing off basketball, which means it's more important.
03:14But the rules shouldn't change.
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