Jerry Reynolds shares his perspective on the recent state of the Sacramento Kings

Jerry Reynolds shares his perspective on the recent state of the Sacramento Kings

your afternoon home for Kings talk and so much more the drive guys on sack toown Sports about to be joined by a legend the great Jerry Reynold’s going to join us in uh just a moment here it’s Whitey and Jay got CIO on the chat asking is Draper listening to the broadcast right now in Cabo Draper barely listens to the broadcast when he’s here on the chair yeah so I I would doubt it CIO but we’ll find out he’ll be back on Tuesday uh right now we head up to uh the beauty of the Tahoe area oh I’m jealous nice enough to join us from his sprawling estate there uh Kings icon Jerry Reynolds how are you coach pretty good yes nice I’m looking around I don’t see sprawling but you know anyway has that could have several different meetings I guess uh Jay was asking me what you do up there and I I know you just kind of like to hang out you don’t go fishing or anything like that do you no fish don’t bother me I don’t bother them that’s been my M you know if they they jump out and try to attack me then we’ll have a have a go at it but basically I like to you know I like to walk and then I ride bikes I ride bikes up here and yeah sometimes sometimes kayak a little bit but kayak now is that a oneman kayak or is that a a Twan I can’t get along SE by that long so it has to be one man you and you and Mrs Reynolds don’t go out on the the two person no that’s one of the reasons we’ve been married 56 years we we don’t do that no go well we appreciate your time coach before we get to it really want to get your thoughts on H the great Jerry West but before we get to that we just found out a short time ago no porzingis for Boston tonight to what extent do you expect that might kind of level the playing field for the Mavs well I think it does kind of level the playing field I think that’s exactly it I I mean I think without porzingis it’s going to give the Mavs obviously you know with Kyrie and and and Luca their ability to get to the all the way to the basket and then plus uh you know get get them back maybe in the lob game a little bit you know that’s one thing you know as they be Oklahoma City and in Minnesota we saw a lot of lobs from those guys to to Lively and and Gafford and boy that Lively has been not very Lively here late yeah I I don’t know how you feel and obviously your opinion uh matters more than mine frankly but as I know Dallas hasn’t played great but to my eye it’s more Boston keeping them from doing the things they like to do than it is them just not playing well well I think that’s a I mean that doesn’t surprise me you know I thought going in the one thing that Boston has that nobody else has you know they Four Guys Derek white and and Tatum Brown and and certainly Drew holiday they’re all terrific Defenders and so when you make them switch all you’re doing is just switching from one really good Defender to another really good Defender and Luca and Kyrie haven’t had to deal with that yeah you know they could seek somebody out and it’s like well who you seeking yeah uh and and I think that’s really been a a real real thing there those four guys are all outstanding Defenders and really Drew holiday and and you know I think pum is probably the weakest of the four and he’s really good Legend uh do you think and this is something I think I believe you told me you were listening to the show me and me and WHYY were having this conversation let’s just say the Celtics going to win this series and Tatum kind of sits where he’s at right now nothing extravagant do you look at him as needing a something special to happen in the next couple of games for them to win or would you be and you I think I know where you going would you be okay with where he sits in the pantheon of History if he just had you know a couple whole hum average games but they won the championship well I mean if they win the championship then then you know he he’s a champion but I will say I mean he needs to if he wants to be considered considered kind of the face of the league or one of the top five guys uh in the league he’s got to play significantly better I think uh you know I agree with Jason kid I think Jaylen Brown’s been their best player yeah and actually I I thought that he’s been their best player for a while to be honest with you he’s not their best scorer but best player I I think uh you know Brown kind of is the Celtics version of a Scotty pipp and he’s just a a great allaround player that can do about it whatever needs to be done yeah thank you Jerry yeah it’s interesting a lot of Boston people when you say that they they act like you know they kind of patch on the head and go no no no no you don’t know what you’re seeing but it’s pretty clear here at least in this postseason who’s been the better player but I I want to invite you on and we very much appreciate your time as always I want to invite you on here after we heard the news that we we lost Jerry West today and wasn’t he one of your very first favorite basketball players he was uh he and Oscar Robertson as I as I was growing up I’m just several years behind them about six years behind them both of them and they were my heroes and I think everybody that grows up their heroes are usually four six years ahead you know that sort of thing and uh you know just really obviously uh deservedly so I truly uh Jerry one of the all-time great players and and of course I was lucky enough to get to know him well and spend a lot of time with him and and I mean I always remember my first meeting with Jerry I was just been on the job about a week in Sacramento and Frank HL and assistant I flew down we was going to meet Bill bur one of the assistants for the Lakers to learn a little bit about their video program and and Bill was a little late and then Jerry was there and it just was so nice you know and and spent time with us and you know it’s like I I was you know about to wet my pants you know it’s like my hero and I you know just trying not to embarrass myself you know but is is Jerry West you know treating treating me very nicely and kindly and and and just just I just wow Jerry West and and then you know over the years you know it was great because you know we visited a lot because in my when I was in the front office in particular because Jerry would always we’d call about he’d talk about once a week about different players and stuff because quite honestly he didn’t see the Kings as a competition to the Lakers and so he he’d want to know you know he knew I talked to guys around the league and Jerry was always he didn’t miss anything you know but I’d always get a kick out of him you know he’d always say when he’d call he’d say he’d always tell me Jerry you’re you’re one of my favorite guys in the league you know and I said I said Jerry you tell everybody the same thing and I I has after about a couple years I find said Jerry you’re one of my favorite guys but I know damn well I ain’t one of your fa and and then the The Last Story and guys is’s just so sad but anyway he near the uh he was a Memphis general manager yeah and I was doing TV and anyway we was at a I think at some sort of a scouting combine or something and I was bu with you guys he walked up and it’s been about a week we play the Grizzlies and beat him in a close game or something and he walked up he said Jerry he said I think you might be the biggest Homer of all the broadcasters in the league and I said well thank you I said now you don’t realize I really appreciate that I said what you don’t know is uh your guys need to be bigger homers than they are you know the way things are going for you this year and he just laughed he said I give up so but uh but you know yeah you know when you when when really and uh Jerry West in my opinion I don’t think anybody disputed it’s probably the the most influential person in basketball in the last you know 50 years you know I mean as a player all-time great a coach very successfully all-time executive I don’t think anybody would put anybody ahead of him unless it would be red arback and I and I would dispute that since West was outstanding in a couple of places yeah and and so you know just a you know just a marvelous marvelous career and uh you know one of those guys that was just driven you know maybe to a fault yeah you know I think that you know he was uh there’s no doubt that uh he was about perfection and uh you know it probably took its toll on him in a lot of ways I always said he was one of those guys that just almost never seem to enjoy success and greatness and it’s a shame but uh but truly the logo is he was the logo and deserved to be the logo and we’ll never see another like him that’s for sure no and I I I have a feeling he’s always going to be the logo you you mentioned U how he never missed anything and i’ read a story about he was driving in his car with Mitch cup cheack and they’re driving along and they see something on the side of the own or cup cheack does and he says did you see that and Jerry says kind of you know he yeah I see everything is that maybe what made him such a great executive or Talent evaluator what because you’ve done it yourself and you were very good what do you think separated him made him as great as he was well you know I I really did to try to to be with him in a lot of scouting situations you know because I you know obviously I always felt like being around people like himself and P Krill be around people that are smarter than you are you might learn something if you shut up and listen sometimes and and but you know I always remember him telling me this was early on I ask him about you know what when you’re looking at a player you know what what are you thinking he said and he told me he said first thing most guys do they focus on all the things a guy can’t do he says I focus on what he’s really good at huh and then and then try to decide will that translate to the NBA you know will his what he’s really good at will he be really be good at that you know at the next level and then he said then I I really this is he said then I look at what he doesn’t do and then I say can you teach it you know the fundamental skills you can you can teach those the weaknesses that I mean now I said what you don’t know is and you’ll never know is how bad does he want to yeah work at his game and that sort of thing I mean there’s always those things but uh yeah he said you know if you you know at the you know look at some of the really good players you know might have weaknesses but they’re so good at other things uh you know I mean Luca donich is a pretty good example everybody wants to focus away he’s not a good individual Defender okay uh but you know he can control what he’s certainly he even Hur he can control the game like a few others Jerry of all the you know everyone’s talking about Jerry West and writing about him and of all the things I’ve seen today that’s the most fascinating Jerry West nugget I’ve heard all day that’s incredible yeah that’s a that’s amazing well he you know he was I always say I mean that’s the thing I always thought about like guys like Jerry West and Pete Carill they always saw things and understood things that I didn’t you know and I wanted to learn you know and and like I say I mean so many people you know I’d be around other Scouts who had all the answers and they didn’t even know the question you know I mean it’s like you know they’d be around Jerry they’d be wanting to tell him how smart they were you know and you know just like what are you you know come on guys do you do you not know you I’d be like one of one of Jesus disciples trying to lecture him you know yeah wow wow man joined by the legendary Jerry Reynolds Legend This was something that we had discussed a little earlier on the show and of course it wouldn’t be anybody better to ask than you is Jerry West really like the first or one of the first superstars of this league yeah I would say so you know I mean before I mean certainly he he and Oscar came in you know a little bit like uh like a bird in magic magic and they and they they certainly took it to another level because they they had become big relatively big stars in college at that time because there was sub games on TV you know which before there was almost none so so they came in with a lot of Fan Fair and and certainly people any basketball fan were well aware of them their their track record you know in college was fantastic and so everybody knew they would be be great and uh so yeah I think so and I always remember West telling me an interesting story you know about Oscar he said you know which I thought was was very self observe it you know both those guys I mean that’s why they were so great but he said you know when I came to the league I wasn’t near as good as Oscar he said he was just notches above me and everybody else but he said you know by the time we got about fifth fourth fifth year he said I think I was every bit as good as Oscar and maybe even got better you know I mean he was just being observant you know and I and I think that’s very true because he was he was more athletic than than Oscar and so as he aged uh you know his quickness and speed probably made up for some other things but I I I just thought that was kind of neat how how you know of course and I think most great players do are they’re able to look at themselves probably a little more accurately than than others you know I remember when JJ reck about two years ago whatever it was year and a half he made his crack about you know those guys used to play against plumbers and Jerry West was um a offended by that um you know I know that the game’s a little different now but I mean tell me if I’m wrong from what I know Jerry Reynolds would have destroyed JJ reck am I right I mean there’s still question Jerry Jerry Jerry West pardon me Jerry West if he played Now Jerry West would would certainly be a superstar and he certainly was better than a guy like JJ reck well if he played against JJ reck in his prime and West was in his prime West would have got 50 and JJ would have got seven or eight yeah yeah yeah and and and that’s a fact cuz Wes guard you I mean he was he was a a quicker longer version of Drew holiday in his best and that’s truth he was he was an alltime great I always remember the defensive game when he was I think it was a 25th G win on you know when the Lakers won 33 straight yeah they were in Atlanta and it’s for the 25th or sixth and and the Hawks were good they were 46 win team with marovic and and Lou HUD he guarded marovic and I’ve never seen him bother mirit that much you know I mean Pete to get his 24 in had to take 20 shots plus you know and and I mean but but anyway it’s just one of those things that just stuck out you know as a young coach at that time like whoa I knew this you know you know seeing him in in in life was really something man is is oh I’m sorry yeah go ahead yeah is there and you talked about Jerry’s defense you’ve talked about his athleticism you’ve talked about you know many different capabilities he had is there something that really sticks out to you Legend when it comes to just if you were to say Jerry West it’s this well I I would say this he he was about as probably the most competitive and and to a fault you know he’s one of those guys that uh just simply couldn’t enjoy winning for the fear that someday they may lose you know that sort of thing but uh I’ll always remember that Series against the Celtics where the Lakers lost in seven but he you know he averaged 44 points a game and you know and that’s KY and Sam Jones great Defenders had no chance and first time a guy on the losing team was the most valuable player and I always remember Bill Russell tell me I because I asked him I said did that offend you he said my gosh no everybody knew he was well um I got one more for you I I remember reading that I think it was George Lynch uh I think Dean Smith called up Jerry and said would you work him out because if you know if you work him out then his Stock’s gonna rise was that a thing where if if Jerry West worked out a player before the draft everybody then just took more notice had had more respect for that player just by virtue of that fact absolutely wow yeah yeah I mean he if if if the word got out to very like the guy I mean he moved up 10 spots you know I mean that was yeah yeah it was you know it was you know it’s kind of like Ed Sullivan putting somebody on The Ed Sullivan Show Johnny or Johnny or when Johnny Carson asked the comedian to come over and sit down you know wow it was a he was a maid man when when that happened but yeah absolutely and and why wouldn’t you I mean I think you know but it made perfect sense if if if in fact now west wasn’t above misleading somebody don’t get me wrong sure sure for to his own Advantage which he used very well but uh yeah great great judge of talent and had to respect you know basketball wise of everybody you know in truth probably not everybody loved him but uh you know I I just thought he was well he still my hero you know I mean and you know and it’s a just a sad day sad day when logo is no longer with us I’ll tell you that yeah I know and we appreciate your U sharing time with us and sharing your thoughts on that but you know big part of the Jerry West legend of course was was Kobe but if you had a chance You’ have taken Kobe yourself right you’d have you have di that thing in the bud well Jerry well Jeff Petri was definitely gonna take Kobe and that’s why there again that’s why Jerry West is who jry who he was he knew that Jeff was going to take him and he had he knew he had to trade in front of us to get him wow and and so that’s what they did that’s when they traded V to Charlotte for the 13th pick yeah we had the 14th and uh so uh you know that’s one of those little bits of history that could have been went differently uh you know and and had that you know Kobe had said in his agent that if if if we took him or anybody else really or New Jersey in front of us that thought that he would go to Italy and of course he could speak Italian and we thought he would but but Jeff said well he can go but when he comes back he’ll be a king and so so credit to Jeff I mean you know he wasn’t going to be intimidated by an agent but one last thing guys I heard you you had the olden p on today yes yes yeah yeah Olden uh yeah I really enjoyed Olden I mean he could he was uh you know he could go a lot of different directions but uh was was a very good player very good player that was your trade wasn’t it Pete cha and two picks for him yeah I don’t remember even who we gave yeah I think it was Pete Jo gut in two seconds or something there for Olden and uh and uh so Olden was a you know starter good good Center really very good Center on the playoff team and probably the most physical team the kings ever had yeah for sure you know with with him and Brian Grant and Mike Dell Williams and shuna Marshal and Mi Richmond I mean they would they would stamp you down a little bit softies on that team no come on well well I can say I used tell old I said you’re the soft one on this team Leger real quick before we let you get out of here with all this Sasha venkov uh talk might one out doesn’t one out what’s your take on that especially being the person you are you’ve been in that position of being a a general manager what you know we don’t know what the real is we don’t know if he’s ass we don’t know if the K the team has told him you know we don’t know what would what’s your take on the the Sasha vazov situation right now well I say this I mean I don’t think he’s in a great position to to demand much of anything uh you know that start there I don’t know what the truth is if he wants out I think the Kings would be would it’d be to their advantage to find a way uh you know certainly it’d be to his advantage to find a way uh and so so I’d start there you know I mean you don’t I mean and I get his frustration but at some point uh you know you better look inside first I mean I I certainly the injuries and all that but but he did not play as well as any of us expected and uh how much is on him well I generally think players are supposed to play and and now he didn’t get a lot of Mims we all know that but uh you know I guess I just summ it up this way I look at this team going forward and and Sasha could help but he’s not what they need yeah yeah that’s they got more pressing needs don’t they than what’s going on they got more pressing they got more pressing needs I mean not that he couldn’t be a support player you know if he really could get comfortable and make some but you know the lack of athleticism that they have now and length he does in my opinion he just he doesn’t solve any of those problems Jerry thank you very much we really really appreciate it and I think I know it’s a difficult day for you but I think you’ve helped a lot of us you know deal with our sadness so thank you for that and we hope to talk to you again soon can’t tell you always enjoy it guys you guys take care keep up the good work thank you Jerry Reynolds up there in the Tahoe area is sprawling Reynolds estate in Tahoe must be nice why I that yeah I remember you know when when he cried at the last game you know we thought it was gonna be the last game but I really appreciate that from jar because that was that was you know it’s a sad day for him well and you know when you have personal relationships with people who go on you know and leave us here in our physical it’s tough man it’s one of those things hero and you get to know him and yes that’s it’s one of the toughest things to handle in life you know how many times do you know we we’re confronted with that and we hear I don’t have the words you know and so for for the legend Jerry Reynolds to pop on and have certain and have those words man it just is a test of who he is absolutely when we come back uh we’ll take a look at a ranking of the NBA’s 30 head coaching jobs where would you rank the king’s head coaching job we’ll see how that compares to this list when come back to sack Down Sports

Kevin “Whitey” Gleason and Kyle Draper, play-by-play broadcaster for the Sacramento Kings, present another edition of The Drive Guys on Sactown Sports 1140.

Today, the guys speak with Kings’ legend Jerry Reynolds and get his perspective on the recent state of the Sacramento Kings.

Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up and subscribe!

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