The First Take crew clashed over the benching of Tatum for Team USA
MOLLY Qerim had some words of warning for Monica McNutt after some unusually kind words from Stephen A. Smith
The First Take crew was given the platform to discuss their views on whether or not Team USA’s men’s basketball coach, Steve Kerr, was causing problems by leaving players out at the Olympics.
Broadcasting from Chicago, First Take hosts (left-right) Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith were joined by Monica McNutt and Chiney OgwumikeCredit: ESPN
Smith was full of praise for McNutt during the show – something both Qerim and McNutt immediately believed was ‘a set-up’Credit: ESPN
Smith then proceeded to attempt to take down McNutt’s prior stance on the rotation being played by Steve Kerr at the OlympicsCredit: ESPN
During the US’ opening Group C game against Serbia, which they won 110-84, Kerr opted to leave out Jayson Tatum.
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.”
LeBron James NBA GOAT status could depend on Olympic triumph
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.
You can watch on:
Peacock
Sling
Hulu
Fubo
Or if you’re not able to watch, you can follow along with The Sun’s live blog for the latest updates from France.
On Thursday, Tatum finally opened up on his benching in an interview with The Athletic.
“Definitely a humbling experience, right?” he admitted.
“Win a championship, new contract, cover of [NBA] 2K, and then you sit a whole game. Cover of Sports Illustrated.
“So it was definitely a humbling experience.”
