Broadcasting from Chicago, First Take hosts (left-right) Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith were joined by Monica McNutt and Chiney Ogwumike ESPN Smith was full of praise for McNutt during the show – something both Qerim and McNutt immediately believed was ‘a set-up’ ESPN Smith then proceeded to attempt to take down McNutt’s prior stance on the rotation being played by Steve Kerr at the Olympics ESPN
Then , in the next game, Joel Embiid was not only dropped to the bench but didn’t play at all as the team beat South Sudan 103-86.
“With this being such a tight window, I am not really tripping over the rotation at all,” McNutt told Smith , Qerim , and Chiney Ogwumike.
“Because I think Steve Kerr has done this enough and has enough wherewithal to call the numbers that he needs to call.”
McNutt also noted the importance of point differential in FIBA basketball, pointing out that if a player is in their stride, there’s no need to rotate for the sake of it.
“Let them cook. We have plenty of meaningful basketball games left to player over the pursuit of gold,” she added.
Smith began his response by boasting about First Take’s exceptional ratings over the past 12 years.
“The beauty of the show is the brilliance that you just heard. So eloquent. So seamless. So smooth,” he told the audience.
“It’s a set-up,” Qerim quickly warned McNutt, who replied, “A complete set-up!”
“Monica will have you thinking, ‘D**n, that’s really really beautiful and so accurate with what she said.’ It is not.”
Smith then proceeded to break down McNutt’s argument, claiming he felt Kerr was “full of it.”
He prefaced his criticism by calling Kerr “one of the greatest coaches we’ve ever seen in the history of basketball.”
This was followed by Smith ripping Kerr specifically for deciding before tip-off to alert Tatum to the fact that he may not make it onto the court in their opener.
“Do you know have any idea how insulting that is,” Smith said.
He also claimed the decision to play Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holliday, who “defer to” Tatum when playing for the Boston Celtics , ahead of him for the US, “Don’t make no d**n sense.”
How to watch the Olympics in the US
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While you may feel very far from the 2024 Paris Olympics , you can stay up-to-date with all of the action right from the comfort of your sofa.
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