The people did not get what they wanted Monday, so we had Jalen come in Wednesday to record a special podcast.
The first half-hour of the pod is all about the physicality of Tuesday night's Heat-Pacers game. As only he can in the podcast format, Jalen offered unique insight into what it's like to be part of these types of incidents, what Larry Bird really means when he calls the team "soft,” and if there is validity to David West's accusation that he was intentionally injured. We also previewed the Spurs-Thunder series, the Celtics-Sixers game, and, of course, the 2 Chainz arrest.
This one is more of a podcastito. Jalen had a spare 15 minutes between taping ESPN studio shows to give the people what they want. We talked about the Lakers, how people make too much of who takes the last shot in games, retiring the word "swagger," and — most important — the rumors that Rihanna is dating none other than the New York Knicks' J.R. Smith.
Oh yeah, Jalen also went off about something that made him want to stick both his hands down his throat and "just vomit.” I apologize in advance for the 30 seconds of laughter that followed that statement — not very professional on my part, huh?
I knew Jalen was ready to talk college hoops when I saw that he was dressed head to toe in maize and blue. We broke down the NBA potential of the stars playing in the NCAA championship and then moved on to the Thunder’s recent hot streak, Miami's recent cold streak, the Bulls’ run without Rose, Jordan’s commitment to the Bobcats, Jeremy Lin’s injury, and even had time to touch on Stephon Marbury’s foreclosure. Oh yeah, we also talked about Rihanna. For some reason, it seems like we talk about Rihanna every week. Enjoy.
Once again, Jalen Rose came by the studio to record the show, slung his trusty baseball bat over his shoulder, and started breaking down the NBA. He reviewed the New York Knicks offense and discussed how they will incorporate all their new pieces into Mike D’Antoni's "system." He then explained that even though Kobe said he wished the Lakers front office would "come out and either trade [Pau Gasol] or not trade him,” what he really means is “TRADE PAU RIGHT NOW.” When the conversation turned to the All-Star Game, Jalen explained his grudge over the event. Unless you are Jamal Mashburn, I think you will really enjoy this pod.
Look, video! Moving pictures and stuff. Right there, above these words. Click on it.
Jalen came through this week and we couldn’t help but talk a bunch of football after the weekend we just had. We covered his Lions losing to the Saints, Tebow Tebowing the Steelers, and New York's domination of Atlanta. We would have talked about the Bengals and the Texans, but that game was so long ago and so boring, we just decided to skip over it.
We turned our attention to the NBA a few times, including the discussion featured above, in which Jalen detailed an NBA veteran’s pregame preparation ritual. It rivals something a lady would go through on her wedding day. Who naps that much? Is there a nap room in Staples Center? Why don’t NBA players put bubbles in their bubble bath? Are they too tough for bubbles? Who is too tough for bubbles?
Oh yeah, and we both agree: Blue Ivy Carter is a silly name.
“Got to give the people / Give the people what they waaaaaaaaaaaant.”
Jalen was in the studio for the pod, which means we recorded it about 100 yards from Chris Paul’s new arena. We spent a ton of time breaking down what Paul’s arrival in Los Angeles means for the Clippers, the Lakers, and NBA fans. When we moved on to discuss Dwight Howard, Jalen did that thing he does where he casually drops inside information in the middle of a conversation. According to Jalen, a couple of weeks ago, Howard was saying his move to the Nets was a done deal.
Jalen was also really entertaining and informative when we discussed the rest of the major topics in the NBA, the current issues with his Lions and the rest of the NFL, and what it feels like to be a professional athlete heading into a new season. However, Jalen had nothing when I asked him to make a bold prediction for 2012. Nobody is perfect.
Jalen and I don’t agree a lot of the time. He isn’t convinced (as I am) that Timothy Richard Tebow is the greatest quarterback in the history of the National Football League. Weird. He also isn’t convinced that the Lions are a dirty team. Odd. We did agree that the saying “Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.” isn’t 100 percent correct.
As always, Jalen casually drops mind-blowing stories. This week, he detailed negotiating the sale of his Las Vegas home to none other than Iron Mike Tyson. It was easily the most fun we've had recording the pod. Enjoy.
