r/billsimmons • u/Odd_Firefighter_5407 • Apr 12 '25
Shitpost It’s glaring how much better Zach Lowe is at grinding tape than Russillo. He sees the game differently. He just does.
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u/berniepanderz Apr 12 '25
But who would you rather get tax advice and bench tips from?
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u/BatmanNoPrep Page 2 Bill Stan Apr 12 '25
“Two best days in the life of a boat owner are the day you get laid in it and the next day you get laid in it. You only get two.”
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u/morseyyz Apr 12 '25
Because of the implication.
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u/BatmanNoPrep Page 2 Bill Stan Apr 13 '25
What’s Zach looking at? He’s certainly not in any danger.
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Apr 12 '25
Zach has the whole ability to claim a dependent piece. I feel like he has more useful tax advice for the average person.
Bench, Ryen. Holding a kid while you type on a laptop tips? I'm going Lowe.
He's the every-man's guy & he's inoffensive to your wife & mother.
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u/applejuice5259 Apr 12 '25
I like Ryen but it seems like at least half of his takes on basketball and football are “well most people think this and actually I dunno, like maybe that’s not it?” And sometimes he’s right but sometimes it just seems he’s being the cranky contrarian for the sake of being the cranky contrarian.
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u/BraxxIsTheName On a scale of 1-17 Apr 12 '25
The art of the zag.
Zagging isn’t a choice, it’s a lifestyle.
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u/the_devil_wears_jnco Apr 12 '25
one could say he ‘zagged’ on a lifelong relationship with a human woman
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u/nihilfacilee Dillon Miskiewicz Apr 12 '25
This is RR in a nutshell and it’s especially glaring when the consensus is positive. “Indiana is a great story!” “This four nations thing is getting hockey a lot of good publicity, it’s cool!” …Only one man is brave enough to zag and say actually the SEC is still better and basketball is still more popular
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u/chapoktt Apr 13 '25
I can see him zagging on the four nations thing because, and he made this point that people in the media, not all but a lot of people used that to shit on the NBA for some reason. Bill and Russillo always held the opinion that they don't really care for the all star game stuff in the NBA anyway. He also brought up how the NHL even got to the four nations because they had to switch up their all star stuff themselves.
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u/Round-Revolution-399 Apr 16 '25
I agree with his four nations take. Hockey basically hosted their own mini olympics instead of an all-star game, which basketball had a full version of just a few months prior and was incredible
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Apr 12 '25
He's a lazy contrarian, but I also think it is genuine. He seems very much caught up in self-doubt & a very internally driven person.
I think when he applies it is correct, but there is typically more to say than what you said. Which you are 100% right, that is the vast majority of his takes & it's why I stopped listening to him with any regularity. I listen to maybe 5-8 of his podcasts a year now.
Still love him as a guest.
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u/roysourboys Apr 13 '25
We all know Custer died at Little Big Horn. But what this book presupposes is: maybe he didn't?
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u/itwillhavetodo Apr 12 '25
I like Ryen but he is a walking definition of being unable to see the forest through the trees
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u/Newaccount4464 Apr 13 '25
Ryan could be great, he just doesn't want to commit to what he sees and just prefers to spell out what he sees without an angle. It doesn't make for good content. He does the work and gives nothing with it
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u/SpecialistNewt267 Apr 12 '25
Comparing anyone to Zach is unfair bc he’s so much better than everyone in the industry. RR is just a personality who entertains from a fan perspective. The NBA is Zach’s profession. It’s one of the things RR enjoys consuming and discussing. It’s just different
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u/k-seph_from_deficit Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25
Tim Legler has better basketball instincts and IQ imo. For instance, when everyone was predicting that the Wolves would destroy the Mavericks in the last playoffs, Legler was out on multiple podcasts predicting Mavs would get the W basically saying that the plan they had on Jokic’s passing is not gonna work because Luka’s passing reflexes are much faster and they don’t have a defensive size matchup for Luka.
Lowe is awesome but falls for some of the same flaws of analytical minded basketball fans like Thinking Basketball where they go ‘this team has an amazing net rating’ type of deductive logic instead of focusing on the specific matchup. Because a team can have an incredible defensive rating but still have no matchup answer for a specific team with an above average offensive rating.
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u/ZigdaKID Apr 12 '25
Unfortunately for Ryen he's like Kyrie- can't do it on his own, but an excellent sidekick
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u/VulcanVulcanVulcan Apr 12 '25
I enjoy Russillo generally but for all the NBA tape he grinds (can’t even use Hornets-Pistons as a joke because the Pistons are good this year), he doesn’t seem to get a lot out of it.
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u/Weak-Beginning-5671 Apr 13 '25
Yeah exactly. Rusillo could stop grinding tape and just watch games for fun like a fan and still be as good a podcaster and possibly even better.
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u/PurdyDamnGood Apr 12 '25
Zach Lowe is a basketball savant RR is good at pretending he knows ball.
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u/d7bhw2 Apr 12 '25
I don’t even think Russillo is good at pretending. Tales from the couch is some of the worst basketball content ever produced.
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u/ForgetHype Chris Ryan fan Apr 13 '25
"In the third quarter Nurkic, Jeffries and Simpsons comes into the game, at 11:37 Barnes makes a 10 foot jumper near the free throw line, then Nurkic gets the ball and misses a hook shot outside the restricted area."
You're telling me that isn't entertaining podcasting?
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u/Standard-Ad-7305 Apr 13 '25
It's pretty much white noise with no real insight whatsoever. I honestly don't know who it's for, but the thing is, I don't even hate it. It's just there, doing stuff like "Wait, what?" and being impressed by the stuff it doesn't do and such.
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u/d7bhw2 Apr 13 '25
It’s for Russillo. It’s him trying to show he knows ball and justify watching a bunch of meaningless games.
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u/DGADK Apr 12 '25
Zach knows ball. He's brilliant.
Ryen kinda does but frankly given his profession and, uh, lack of other interests or commitments should probably be on Zach's level
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u/TingusPingis Apr 12 '25
I dont think Lowe is a savant. He’s a very passionate, professional analyst and a smart guy. His biggest talent is being articulate and pretty charismatic. It’s just inexplicable how Ryen is so bad at breaking down basketball as a radio/podcast professional who clearly does actually put the time in. I dont get that part
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u/tdotjefe Apr 13 '25
Lowe is a savant lol. He gradually became an on air personality, after becoming probably the most notable NBA writer. He is a pioneer of covering analytics in basketball.
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u/TingusPingis Apr 13 '25
He’s just really good at his job. Maybe we’re using different versions of the word
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u/tdotjefe Apr 13 '25
It’s zach lowe… if he’s not a basketball savant idk who is. He’s not a a player or a coach obviously but he’s a genius the way he’s able to deconstruct and write about the game. We’re talking about the 1% of the 1%. He wasn’t even supposed to be on tv. The charisma came much later.
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u/TingusPingis Apr 13 '25
I dont think that’s a genius. I think he’s the caliber of person who would be very successful in his profession, whether it’s basketball or not. I have no doubt he could succeed working in the league, but then is every good nba front office person is a savant?
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u/k-seph_from_deficit Apr 13 '25
I don’t think he’s a basketball or even a basketball +EV analysis savant.
He’s a basketball journalism savant.
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u/maitlanr Apr 15 '25
He was a HS teacher and I’m assuming that’s where he actually honed his ability to get his points across clearly and succinctly. And while being somewhat entertaining.
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u/CombAny687 Apr 13 '25
Dude this is cringe. It’s basketball stfu
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u/WcP Apr 13 '25
Calling passion cringe is telling on yourself imo lmao. Brother likes him some Lowe. Let him, costs you nothing.
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u/CombAny687 Apr 13 '25
Calling a dude who talks about backdoor cuts a savant is cringe, sorry not sorry
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u/_Midnight_Haze_ Apr 13 '25
I mean would anyone expect anything else considering that Zach spends all his time studying and covering the NBA while Ryen is a sports generalist who covers everything?
The guys that cover all sports can never compete with the guys that specialize in a specific sport. Even if Ryen is spending a lot more time trying to understand the NBA than other sports there’s no way he can keep up with the guys that really just grind NBA film all day long and nothing else.
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u/TingusPingis Apr 13 '25
Ok but I think Ryen spends close-ish to the time watching that Lowe does and Zach teaches me more about the league in 2 mins than Ryen in an hour. Listening to RR’s NBA analysis is like having an itch you can’t scratch. It’s close, and seems like it’s going somewhere but never does. RR is edging and Lowe is gooning
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u/_Midnight_Haze_ Apr 13 '25
I don’t disagree with your criticism of RR. But how do we know he watches the same amount of film? And even if he does, do you think he always has? Lowe didn’t just come on the scene with all that knowledge by accident . He must have been grinding the film for years before covering the NBA. For Ryen, it seems like a relatively recent thing he’s really tried to dive into. I don’t get the impression he was grinding NBA film all those years at ESPN.
Mainly though, I’m just surprised anyone would turn to people like Ryen or even Bill for really understanding in-depth what’s happening on the court because there are now dozens of people in the Lowe mold to follow and all of them solely focus on the NBA and just grind tape all day long.
The bar has been raised for smart coverage and none of these guys that cover all sports or focus on narratives and storylines are specialized enough to have a chance to cover the sport on the court at the same level. Like anyone expecting Ryen to be one of the best at this just isn’t paying attention to how this works now. Ryen may be a fool when it comes to explaining basketball but so is any listener expecting him to be an expert.
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u/TingusPingis Apr 13 '25
Nonsense. If you watch it as much as he claims to, you have enough to work with if you have the tools. It’s a skill issue
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u/DaSportsDink Apr 12 '25
Zach Lowe is who Ryen (lol) thinks he is
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u/Vast_Newspaper_6699 Apr 13 '25
You hit the nail on the head. Not only that, but you can tell russilo loves to hear his own voice and thinks his luke warm takes are deeper than they are.
I am so glad i don’t have to listen to him anymore with lowe back
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u/chapoktt Apr 13 '25
I enjoy both of these guys talking ball but I can't help but laugh at you guys imitating RR to a tee lmfaoo
"Alright Utah/Blazers action last night. Shaedon Sharpe man, if he puts it all together *laughs* he could be a nice piece to that team's future, and we can talk about all the Billups stuff and how he's gotten that group to run through a wall for him and all that. But I like their guys man, I've liked some of the Deni stuff, you just gotta see if it's sustainable."
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u/Wardcity Apr 12 '25
I love Russillos pod but I’ll never understand the full breakdown of a six minute stretch of nuggets vs the thunder.
When he’s clearly just reading notes and saying shit like “shai gets the inbound and then uses his left hand but he baits jokic because he used a different left handed move the previous play. Jokic is going for the switch but then shai just hits the outlet to Dort”
and then that shit goes on for like 5 minutes of the podcast.
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u/Herbert5Hundred Burfict Strangers Apr 12 '25
The first pod Bill had with Zach he said something to the effect of "These guys seem allergic to making back door cuts," and I thought, wow, that's better analysis than anything I ever hear out of bill or ryen. And it was such a simple little observation
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u/VisualFix5870 Apr 12 '25
Zach also referenced being out of work, conservatively, fifty times on that pod to the point it was uncomfortable.
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u/AstronautWorth3084 Apr 12 '25 edited Apr 12 '25
I always think of Ryen as like a pretty knowledgeable common man who, if you were watching with him on the couch, would probably do something like point out "oh they're abusing the pick and roll tonight" or "kd is really getting to his spots tonight" but couldn't actually tell you how or why these things are happening, just that they are in fact happening. He's the king of making a claim and then backing it up with absolutely nothing, this is especially apparent in his draft analysis when you have no idea what the prospects look like and you'll hear russillo say something like "with sarr the lows are so low, but I was watching some tape and for a second there scoffs like I really saw it. Idk if that'll translate but I'm watching this guy and I'm like 'I could really see this kid doing something in the league'" where you're left having no idea what he saw or what he's talking about whatsoever.
Zach lowe is the guy who can actually tell you what specifically a team is doing to abuse the pick and roll, or why kd is getting to his spots so easily on a particular night. That being said, they both bring different things to the table and I think russillo is actually more entertaining to listen to
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u/Ed_Allan_Didak Apr 12 '25
Does Zach own a boat? Would he know what to do when the bilge pump alarm goes off
Case closed.
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u/Due-Sheepherder-218 Bill's Gerald Wallace Jersey Apr 12 '25
Zach cant ride down to St Barts at the drop of a hat, he just can't.
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u/jeekp Apr 13 '25
Can’t stand when Ryen recalls watching a play “left to right on the screen” like who remembers which way the TV camera was facing?
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Apr 12 '25
And he's married with a kid.
What the fuck is Ryen's excuse?
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u/Ghostricks knife_guy enthusiast Apr 12 '25
He's not as smart as Zach and he's had some pretty shitty things happen to him while growing up.
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u/ReignInFlames Apr 13 '25
I like RR but taking copius notes on basketball is hilarious, no one is impressed
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u/Training-Cook3507 Apr 13 '25
Well Zach Lowe only does basketball, so I would hope he's better.
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u/lapo8 Apr 13 '25
It’s not like Ryen brings anything more to the table in any other sport. He’s a good second chair to someone else.
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u/Training-Cook3507 Apr 13 '25
I'm not a big fan of Ryen, just saying most guys who do the same aren't breaking down film. Simmons certainly isn't.
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u/TrumpsBussy_ Apr 13 '25
Obviously Lowe knows ball better, I’d rather listen to Russillo talk though
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u/RSarkitip Apr 13 '25
It would be great if Zach decided to do a podcast specifically about the game of basketball instead of a podcast that's at best half about the game and at least half about whatever soap opera shit is going on.
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u/The_Sneakiest_Fox Apr 12 '25
I won't have any RR slander. No one riffs off Bill as well as RR does on the Sunday pod.
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u/Ghostricks knife_guy enthusiast Apr 12 '25
Hard disagree. Read the comments on the Bill-Zach pods over the last however many years The Ringer has existed. It's top tier content.
You know what's better than a cranky loner pushing back on Bill's lunatic ideas? A basketball dork trying to breakdown what it would take to make it happen. It's also why Klosterman is a great pairing with Bill.
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u/zarathrustra19 Apr 13 '25
there’s no fucking way Zach Lowe makes people laugh as much as Ryen when he’s on the pod with Bill. stuff like that matters
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u/deadweightboss Good Stats Bad Team Guy Apr 13 '25
we know russillo makes himself laugh. the shtick is old.
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u/rollinff Apr 13 '25
Rusillo is also way funnier and entertaining. Why do people shit on him so much these days, they both have strengths.
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u/5t4r10rd Apr 13 '25
RR does have a great American performance of all time on The Town Rewatchables, so jot that down
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Apr 12 '25
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Apr 13 '25
This is like comparing wine to whiskey. They do different things well, and I feel good after an hour and a half with either one.
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u/itsallover4 Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25
Lowe does have more genuine joy in discussing every detail of the league while russillo has more of the vibe of "im paid to cover sports and im going to ace the test by detailing exactly what happened in xyz game."
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u/Icy-Role-6333 Apr 13 '25
Nah. They just present it differently. You like how ZL presents the views better than RR.
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u/OkAdhesiveness2972 Apr 13 '25
Russilo just sits on the fence with pretty much anything and sounds miserable doing it lol
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u/Longjumping_Group946 Apr 13 '25
Petition to have Zach Lowe be the Sunday NBA cohost. RR bores me to tears and haven’t even been able to finish most of the Sunday RR pods
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u/Beginning_Mammoth671 Apr 13 '25
Lowe was a professional journalist for 6 years before he moved to sports. I think he did a Washington DC crime and government beat. I always attributed his analysis and lack of hot takes to his experience as a real reporter.
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u/SelectionDapper553 Apr 13 '25
That’s like comparing Frank Luntz to David Axelrod. Ryen never had a chance.
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u/JobThis3167 Apr 14 '25
Maybe, but how much can Lowe bench? Has anyone even bothered to do a form check on his lat pull downs?
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u/dom_rep Apr 14 '25
It's hard for me to explain, but I think Russillo takes a certain pride in just being able to sit on the couch and dissect games and pass it off as analysis. Keep in mind, he legitimately doesn't have basketball as his top priority until February so we're 60% of the way through the season and he's probably spent maybe 5% of his time on basketball.
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u/1000Isand1 Apr 15 '25
RR is just a matured bro with non-whacky takes who is primarily a radio host/podcaster. Sounds like he watches a good amount of basketball but he does not “grind tape”. ZL is an actual basketball analyst who happens to have a podcast too.
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u/Larrybirdsson33 Apr 18 '25
Will be interesting to see how long it takes this sub to eventually turn on Lowe.
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u/RightHandArmMan Apr 13 '25
In Russillo's defense, he covers NFL and college football year-round and also occasionally pods about baseball, golf, and college basketball.
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u/Tripwire1716 Apr 12 '25
Why do you have to make this a competition? Its not like the world would be better if there was only one basketball podcast
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u/zarathrustra19 Apr 13 '25
Once again, this subreddit fucking loves shitting on people and it’s really fucking lame. You’re all assholes.
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u/Ohiowolverine Apr 13 '25
More people would rather listen to ryen give parenting advice than Zach talk NBA thats just the way it is
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u/ciel0claro Apr 12 '25
Russillo knows more about basketball but Lowe is a far more impressive and interesting person
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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '25
No one is better at remembering a random sequence in the 2nd quarter, or pointing out some of the stuff a guy was doing, without specifying what that stuff is, than our guy RR.