You know, he was kinda like looked at as, okay, this is the guy.

guy.And he's gonna, as f- as much as he improves, that's as far as this team's gonna go.

Well, again, everything went right in the summer, and now there's Caleb Wilson.

We're all, you know, giving the guy roses, and we're talking about, you know, how good he- this, the potential.

And we all know how dangerous that word is, potential.

But to me, for Matas, you just, you gotta keep showing the same improvement that you've shown from one year to the next, right? He came in as a rookie.

We'll go back to you just don't know what you don't know, and you see what he does.

Control the closeouts, right?

And this notion that Bryson talked about yesterday and Buddy Heald maybe being one of these kinds of puzzle pieces is being a floor raiser and a rebuilding team that's about youth and developing that youth still needs quality veteran players on it.

And I think this was more of a locker room decision than anything else, quite honestly.

Um, at 35, I think, you know, who he is and what he's about.

And, you know, it's kind of circle back.

It's, it's not the same type of thing.

Right.

But, um, Remember, oh my God, the summer's been long.

We'll keep going.

How are you doing?

Yes, I am.

I'm looking forward to it.

This actually, you know, it's kind of funny.

We're what, August 21st, right? So going back to my playing career, this is when, you know, because we were fortunate enough to win all those championships, we played till late June, right? So we really didn't start getting back into the physical and mental approach of getting ready for the next season until about late July, right? So now we're about a month into preparation where other teams, other players have been at it two, three months.

But this is kind of when we start ramping it up and we would start playing five on five, you know, or we're at the Berto Center back in the day.

And also, as you guys are talking about now, football is getting ready to get started.

right?

How are you doing?

Yes, I am.

I'm looking forward to it.

This actually, you know, it's kind of funny.

We're what, August 21st, right? So going back to my playing career, this is when, you know, because we were fortunate enough to win all those championships, we played till late June, right? So we really didn't start getting back into the physical and mental approach of getting ready for the next season until about late July, right? So now we're about a month into preparation where other teams, other players have been at it two, three months.

But this is kind of when we start ramping it up and we would start playing five on five, you know, or we're at the Berto Center back in the day.

And also, as you guys are talking about now, football is getting ready to get started.

right?

right?

And occasionally you'll cross that line unintentionally.

Okay.

But after he just even answered his own question that, you know, you start talking trash to that guy, he really turns it up.

Then you're like, okay, so then maybe just listen to your own advice, right? But If that's what he needs to get himself going, because he's an important piece of this puzzle, right? Because I know we're talking about how the front office is brand new, the coaches are new, right? We're talking about Caleb.

But let's not let all that overshadow the growth of Matos Buzelos, right? Have we seen improvement every single year? Absolutely.

But as you improve and you get more playing time, You also see some areas that need improvement.

Sure.

[laughs]

But, you know, it was, it was interesting because we're all trying to fight for minutes, so a lot of times in practice, Stacey and I, Scott and I, Scott and Stacey, you know, we were always on the floor together.

Never the three of us, but, you know, basically there were 10 guys, so that meant that one of us, whether it be Scott, whether it be Stacey, whether it be me, wasn't starting when, you know, we would scrimmage at the end of practice.

But also at the end of practice, you know, when... 'Cause there used to be a rule, if you're not playing 20 minutes or more, you had to play two on two, three on three, and that's kind of where it got a little heated at times.

But I don't, I personally don't think we ever f- you know, crossed the line.

I always felt like that, you know, we respected each other enough.

We knew what the goal was.

What, what has been the reactions you've been getting from your teammates, uh, the reality that Stacey's gone?

Mm-hmm.

You know, coming in when he got drafted by the Bulls.

Um, you know, I, I...

We all have this thought or process of what we think we can do, right, when we get drafted and we get to the NBA.

And then usually there's this, you know, a, a dose of reality.

There's an adjustment.

And then you just, you try to find a way to contribute.

So what was your thought, though, when you found out that it was gonna be Stacey King doing that?

Mm-hmm.

You know, coming in when he got drafted by the Bulls.

Um, you know, I, I...

We all have this thought or process of what we think we can do, right, when we get drafted and we get to the NBA.

And then usually there's this, you know, a, a dose of reality, there's an adjustment, and then you just, you try to find a way to contribute.

And I think like everybody, you know, Stacey had that.

You know, he was n- the one thing C- Stacey did not lack was confidence.

So what was your thought, though, when you found out that it was gonna be Stacey King doing that?

So let me ask you, why was it important to you, and why was Stacey so good at it?

You know, it's funny you bring that up, Lawrence, because I actually called Stacey to talk to him about that because, you know, I was doing national stuff and he got many of national offers himself, but he turned them down.

But I was just, I remember I was doing stuff for ESPN and SEC Network and Westwood One and, you know, doing all this stuff.

And I kind of wanted to get back into the Chicago market.

And I actually reached out to Stacy because at the time he was with Mark Shanowski doing pre-half and post, right? And he just kind of talked about how he just felt the love from the fans of winning all those championships.

And even though he wasn't from Chicago, he said he just felt like that was his home.

And he wanted to live here.

is that real?

So let me ask you, why was it important to you, and why was Stacey so good at it?

You know, it's funny you bring that up, Lawrence, because I actually called Stacey to talk to him about that because, you know, I was doing national stuff and he got many of national offers himself, but he turned them down.

But I was just, I remember I was doing stuff for ESPN and SEC Network and Westwood One and, you know, doing all this stuff.

And I kind of wanted to get back into the Chicago market.

And I actually reached out to Stacy because at the time he was with Mark Shanowski doing pre, half, and post.

Right? And he just kind of talked about how he just felt the love from the fans of winning all those championships.

And even though he wasn't from Chicago, he said he just felt like that was his home.

is that real? Or was

So let me ask you, why was it important to you, and why was Stacey so good at it?

You know, it's funny you bring that up, Lawrence, because I actually called Stacey to talk to him about that because, you know, I was doing national stuff and he got many of national offers himself, but he turned them down.

But I was just, I remember I was doing stuff for ESPN and SEC Network and Westwood One and, you know, doing all this stuff.

And I kind of wanted to get back into the Chicago market.

And I actually reached out to Stacy because at the time he was with Mark Shanowski doing pre, half, and post.

Right? And he just kind of talked about how he just felt the love from the fans of winning all those championships.

And even though he wasn't from Chicago, he said he just felt like that was his home.

is that real? Or was

What would be your, uh, speculation on what Pop might've said to the group when he felt like they didn't play up to their expectations in those first three games?

I think you're exact- his exact words, right? He, when I was there, I remember when Bob Hill was the coach, and it was my first year there, and we went through this period where we were struggling.

And we come in one day [laughs] and we're like, "Hey, we got a team meeting right after practice." And I'm like, "Oh, okay." Come in after practice and I'm, I'm looking at Bob Hill, and all of a sudden Pop steps up and starts giving us a speech about not playing up to expectation, and this is, this is horseshit, and blah blah blah.I've never experienced this before.

I mean, you got the general manager telling us that we're not playing up to expectations.

And then he be- he eventually became the coach.

But that's what I truly loved about Pop was when I played for him, you never questioned where you stood.

You always knew.

Yeah.

Not the only one

... is an athlete playing basketball, and I'm, I'm not trying to be disparaging or anything like that.

He's still got a long way to go to learn the game.

Mm-hmm.

Right? But in the simplest terms, he's very athletic, he's got really good footwork.

Mm-hmm.

He's explosive.

Yeah.