FIRST TAKE | LAL are struggling to find their identity – Stephen A. on Kawhi, Clippers loss to Hawks

FIRST TAKE | LAL are struggling to find their identity – Stephen A. on Kawhi, Clippers loss to Hawks

The Hawks sna their three- game skid after beating the Clippers last night 11 1093 without Trey young kaai Leonard scored 28 points Paul George had 26 but it wasn’t enough to take down the 10 seed in the East uh before we get into this next subject Shannon you know you we got love

For you but I’ll be damned if you GNA take over my spot as as as have C and cooking for you anyway she just sent the text message here tell Shannon he didn’t mention dessert dirt what would he want my carrot cake is my specialty and of

Course cornbread is made and a skillet there you go Carmen that’s what I’m talking about I’m not Carmen can you do can you do like a a a peach cobbler uh something like that I’m not big on car I don’t do I don’t I don’t I don’t I don’t

Do car peach cobbler is that what you want yeah I’m literally listen listen this is a rare moment enjoy it I’m literally telling you whatever you mention she can cook she’s that good oh yeah do you want banana pudding banana pudding but I like a lot of cookies like

A lot of cookies now I like cookies cookies on the banana pudding in the banana pudding what kind of cookies vanilla wafers I mean I didn’t know oh my good vanilla vanilla wafers in the banana pudding they go on top of them Stephen A I never had those Shannon I never did I

Never did look man don’t be looking at me straight you the one telling people you used to eat squirrels when you eat fried squirrels when you right right there I mean I palet ain’t the same what you want me to do what you want me to do

And while you’re talking I eat a mess with squirrel right now somebody cooking squirrel and rice right now all right okay okay all right we move on can we move on what I’ve got a great transition for you yeah Carmen can throw down and she’s going to hook you up Shannon have you

Lost faith in the Clippers Stephen A I have I don’t like what I’m seeing I don’t like what I’m seeing from the Clippers right now I got to confess Shannon I have to confess I can’t even front um you know listen they they’ve been struggling I think losing four the

Last five or six games or whatever K kawh Leonard obviously he was a bit hampered uh you know healthwise I just don’t see it’s almost like I’m watching Minnesota I’m watching Oklahoma City I’m watching these other teams Shannon and it almost seems like they got cires

Around them they got F they got them figured out I’m I’m I’m nervous about that I thought you listen I’m looking at kaw with Paul George with James Harden I’m looking at the Energizer Bunny Russell West coming off the bench the guy I call a microwave the modern day

Microwave Norman po coming off the bench like Vinnie the microwave Johnson used to do for the bad boy Detroit Pistons in the 80s I’m looking at stuff like that zubac’s a big body okay Plum’s a bigger body I’m looking at the pieces and of course the exceptional coaching that

They have I expected better at this point yeah they seem to be tailing off hey they haven’t been the same since we tracked them down in the fourth quarter go back and look it up since we tracked them down in the fourth quarter LeBron ha W dropped 19 outscored him by himself

For the 18 time if you consider the regular season and postseason in which LeBron James has outscored an entire team in the fourth quarter they haven’t been the same and not what were you saying the Clippers run what they run around La they don’t run LA Lakers run

LA and don’t you forget it still to come we’re making pigs who will all of those designer purchases they are expensive Shannon how you feeling about it you tried to get with the field which was like a little messed up but it it’s the same deal Yukon I still have Yukon

Winning it all okay so you gave me that I mean you you you gave me that Molly I mean I didn’t want to do the B you forced me into a b oh I forced me okay that’s cool yeah I’ll get you a Ziploc bag if you win and then we’ll take you

From there all right uh let’s get our pcks here Stephen A what do you have men’s men’s all right I got Yukon coming out of the East Shannon I’ve got UNC coming out of the west region I’ve got Texas A&M coming out of the South you’re going to win a tournament

You got to take chances with some of these picks and of course Purdue they’ve got they’ve got a relatively easy path coming out of the Midwest okay we need Shannon sorry only 90 seconds I got Yukon Houston Purdue and North Carolina okay okay all right let me give you mine

Real quick I’ve got Yukon shocking Arizona Houston and kraton okay you want to go through the women’s yes let’s do women who do you have I got South Carolina mhm Tennessee LSU yeah and JuJu in USC okay Jay oh man I can’t believe you didn’t

Put you didn’t put uh uh yeah those are mine right there you see them look at them hot South Carolina Texas hour UFC I really went out of the limb yeah yeah all talk all right let me go issue is I always got to go I got South Carolina Stanford

Iowa and Yukon oh imagine that Yukon imagine wow I will say this Shannon I will say this I will say this I I’m I’m rooting for a Caitlyn Clark but angrew Reese and how they look outside looking in this ain’t that this is for number 69

And Beyond stop so Coach K I respect you I respect the hell out of you but going off like that I mean clearly you want to be on first take that’s really what that was about because being entirely too emotional about that no hell no it’s

That we’re not going to miss them I don’t blame Rick patino won 20 games in this first year St John’s I don’t blame Rick patino or various others for going like this yo man I’m trying to win national championships here I’m trying to make a final four appearance and you

Want me to be all gung-ho about going to the NIT please nonsense I don’t care look Stephen I I agree with you look as a coach you want to coach another game you would hope your players would want to play another game you would hope you want hope your players would want to

Another opportunity to put on that uniform your players but if they don’t want to play they’re not going to show up anyway it’s like the NFL it’s like the college football playoffs all right next year it’s going to go 16 I’ll tell you one thing those bowl games they’re

Not games they’re exhibitions and basically a lot of ways want to play no here’s the no because here’s the the culture of college basketball has changed you know the way it is right now and as a coach I’d want to coach the way it is right now if your season’s over

You’re not in the NCAA tournament or there’s a couple things are going on if you’re done with your eligibility you’re going and working out with your workout guy because you want to get yourself ready for the NBA draft if you’re an upper CL a guy that has eligibility you

Know what you’re doing you’re putting your name in the portal probably because you want to see a your value and B you want to play the NCAA tournament next year you’re on a team that didn’t get there you want to be in the tournament so you know what you’re pursuing an

Opportunity through the portal because you’re eligible right away to play so the culture of college basketball has changed as a coach I would want my team to play SE Hall’s playing because you it’s a great reflection on their culture but if you’re not playing I respect the

Decision and you’re not playing with Wun you’re not playing with the last nine guys you’re not developing those guys that didn’t get minutes because those guys that didn’t get minutes are going to be in the portal anyway next as soon as the season’s over soy I understand it

But I disagree when when when you play I know when I played Stephen I know when you hoop like we had coaches I don’t think we can refer to them as coaches anymore they’re CEO business managers now they’re managing businesses and different businesses are at different

Stages when you’re at St John’s you have a legacy brand you know we used to call the NIT the not important tournament as players because we used to participate in NCAA tournament right but no but I’m saying like for a guy like St John’s does it does it behoove him as a

Business manager or CEO to Market his product by we won the NIT last year not that’s not what Rick patino wants to use for recruiting and as much as I respect Tom cream when he’s like hey there’s no place for uh you know recruiting and you

Got to go raise Capital the guys have to go raise capital for all these collectives so they can get the right kind of player you got to recruit you’re doing that throughout the course of the year and a lot of guys want to opt out

They don’t want to play in the NIT so if you’re a mid major go play in nit it’s good for your brand it’s going to help you recruit but if you’re a big boy it’s going to hurt your brand more it’s going to help you in the end the in in the end

The NIT and the CBI and all those things Shannon they should end up basically a mid major only there you go got fine with that I’m fine with that goe Shannon go I agree I agree with everything you guys said how does that how does that

Help uh St John’s how do that help Oklahoma how do that help help some of these teams that are Blue Bloods that not not necessarily uh to the Carolina and the uh uh Kansas and the Kentucky but how does that help them in recruiting did you guys make the NCA

Tournament n we went to the NIT we got bounced in the second round how does that help recruiting I mean a guy’s coming to a major program because he wants to compete for an NCA for a national title going to the NIT doesn’t help him what helps these in college

Football guys you know Georgia and Alabama and S and Ohio State Michigan they get to go into these parents living room grandparents living room and says hey we’re going to play for a big 10 or an SEC or a Pack 12 title and we’re going to give you an opportunity to play

For a national title uh we’re not going to the to weedy the bowl we’re not we’re not going to the syal but we’re not going we’re not playing in those games fore spee spe fore speeech foreign might good Lu me spe spee speee spee foreign speee spe spee speech spe Fore spee spee spee spee foreign foreign fore fore foreign for speech speech you spee fore For lovee foreign spee foreign foreign spee speech fore Fore fore foreign for speech spee foreign speeech speeech Spee don’t you Right Speee think him that is over that is over speech foreign speeech fore for speech foreign speech for Fore speech speeech spee fore Speee

FIRST TAKE | LAL are struggling to find their identity – Stephen A. on Kawhi, Clippers loss to Hawks