00:00More of our conversation here with legendary Hall of Famer Rick Barry here.
00:05Hey, Rick, real quick, your takeaway on what you're watching with this Caitlin Clark story and how and what is
00:14going on with that.
00:15Listen, the WNBA has not been a moneymaker for almost 30 years, 28 years, I think, hemorrhaged money.
00:22The NBA was just carrying it.
00:23All of a sudden, now they get a golden goose.
00:25He's like the Larry Bird, so to speak, of the WNBA.
00:30Just your takeaway on what and how this whole thing and this saga is playing out.
00:35I was disappointed that they didn't take a firmer position once all of this started and should have been a
00:41situation.
00:42This type of behavior is not going to be tolerated, regardless of whether it was Caitlin Clark or anybody else.
00:47That type of physical play, I mean, this is someone's livelihood.
00:51You can't allow that type of play to take place because it's going to affect their careers.
00:56And in her case, it's even more insane because there's never been a player in the history of the WNBA.
01:03And I know well about it because my wife left USA Basketball to be the assistant for Val Ackerman, who
01:10was the president of the NBA, who she knew really well, and helped them get the WNBA started.
01:15She got all the foreign players.
01:17She set up the training camps.
01:18So I've watched this league from its inception, and nobody, you can name any player you want that's been in
01:25that league, up until Caitlin Clark, nobody's had the dramatic impact that she has had.
01:29And it's all because of the exposure with TV and streaming and stuff.
01:33And, you know, I mean, she has changed the game dramatically.
01:38I mean, sellouts every place that they're going when she went to play.
01:41I mean, Caitlin Clark was kind of like a savior, kind of like, you know, Magic and Bird when they
01:47came into the NBA, helped things and changed things dramatically.
01:50But she's special.
01:52And it's not like you're trying to give her extra protection.
01:55What was going on was just wrong for the game itself.
01:59And here's the thing.
02:00As you well know, a player will adjust to what's happening, right?
02:04If you're allowed to go out and play physical and they're not calling it, you're going to play physical.
02:10If you know that if you play overly physical, it's going to be a big fine and suspensions, you're not
02:16going to be overly physical unless somehow you lose your composure for a second.
02:20You don't want to get suspended.
02:21You don't want to get fined.
02:23And so you adjust to what the officials are calling.
02:26So that's the same thing even with the NBA.
02:29Today, it's crazy how they change everything in the playoffs, which drives me absolutely bonkers, to turn it into a
02:35physical contest like latitorial combat.
02:38I mean, you're giving an advantage to the less skilled player.
02:41And I always kept asking David Stern, God rest his soul, why are you doing this, David?
02:45Why are you letting the less skilled player get an advantage playing in the playoffs by being able to be
02:50overly physical?
02:51And I've many times looked at statistics and stuff.
02:53The majority of players in the history of the league statistically do not do as well in the playoffs as
02:59they do in the regular season.
03:00It's because they give such an advantage to the defense to do the kind of things that they do.
Comments