Right after we recorded our podcast (coming tomorrow) which featured John, Kyle, and I talking about how it’s possible that Marcus Hayes still makes appearances on Philly Sports Talk, Marcus Hayes made an appearance on Philly Sports Talk.

When discussing the Sixers, Hayes said he has never talked bad about “the plan,” and then called Sam Hinkie a “whiz kid” (sarcastically), a fraud, and other words from the hot take grab bag. But that wasn’t even Hayes’ most scorching take. That title belongs to when he said the absence of a point guard like Ish Smith is why Jahlil Okafor got in a fight in Boston.

“Wait a minute. Whoa. I gotta back up here,” John Gonzalez replied. “Not having Ish Smith is the reason why [Okafor got in a fight] in Boston?” Hayes clarified: “Not having any veteran leadership,” which led to a Pee Wee Herman-esque “Ha Ha” from Gonzo that just has to be heard (around 1:50 in the video above). I mean, this is the face of a man who cannot believe what he just heard:

gonzo

But Hayes wasn’t off of his confusing hill yet:

Hayes: “I imagine sensibility is refreshing to you [Gonzo], because you so seldom spend time in it”

Gonzo: “You just said not having Ish Smith is the reason why …”

Hayes: “I’ve written that as well. I’ve written entire columns about it. It’s NexisLexis [Ed. note: It’s actually LexisNexis] or Google, you can look them up … I’ve said it in print. I’ve said the void of leadership lets punks run around in the streets and get into fistfights.”

Bravo to Hayes here actually, still sticking by his awful, awful take long after everyone accepted how awful it was. If you’re gonna have terrible opinions like “the veteran leadership of Ish Smith would have stopped Okafor from having altercations, when out in public, without many of his teammates,” it’s at least good to stand by them. Not for Hayes, but for everyone else.

Clip after the jump.