Nightcap - Hour 1: ASG new format, LeBron misses ASG, McClung 3-peat

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Go ahead. Did you like your format? Listen? I didn't like the format. I don't even like the games.

For one, the players aren't even playing for real obviously, it is all star breaking. Want to you want to be cautious to make sure You're able to come back and get through the All Star break injury free. The format, it hasn't made it any more interesting than it was before. The point of having this format was to make it a more interesting for the viewers for those that are basketball fans. But I think they made it maybe five or ten times worse than it already was.

Honest with you, and this is from.

Someone who who is not a huge basketball fan but is getting more into the game of basketball. This didn't help any not one bit. I'm not sure what mister Silver is gonna do about it. I think maybe at the players can come up with a better idea to make it interesting.

This just wasn't it. It just was.

It's hard to get it back once you lose it. We saw that with the Pro Bowl, Yes, sir, and I kept trying to tell those guys on Joe, Yes, I see guys, they're gonna cancel this. They're not gonna keep giving you guys free money like this. You can't play touch football in a tackle football league. And y'all say, I listen, I'm not telling Look, I want you guys to go. You can play. We've done it. I went to a number of all Star Games. You went to

And this is not it. Look I get it.

I thought the team shot when they played the upp the Rising Stars, I thought they played harder than I was. Like, you know what if the East and West actually played like this, Yeah, okay, this might be doable, oh Joe.

But then you're not gonna You're not gonna get the Stars to play like that. You know them boys even to go out there playing hard like that.

No, it's not.

Maybe maybe you try one on one, Maybe you try horse. You gotta try something on your because this just ain't cutting it. But you know it's not cutting it.

You know, horse ain't The horse is not going to to get the viewers. That's not going to grab you attention. You have to have some type of format that's going to grab the viewers' attention and had them locked in the entirely of the time. If anything, I say, bring back the East West and let's say the winner gets home at home home court advantage or something. Do it buying where eighteen puts up a million dollars. You know, if money is an incentive, they will play unh You

Well, they used to be ojo before they started reading the revenue because when I first went to the Pro Bowl, the winners got ten thousand and the losers got five. Well, you really needed that money because if you invited ten to eleven people, that ten thousand was gone.

You damn sure better try to win that. That's your overhead it.

You better damn sure better try to win that game on Joe to uh to offset some of that cost. But I just don't I just don't really know how the NBA can get it back because the guys have made a decision.

They're not gonna play hard. They're just not Ojo.

I just told you, listen, get it back to the East versus the West. Yes, have a pot, have a pot, have the play and you know the players. Let the NBA put up the pot let's say five million dollars, say five million, and the players get to spit that five million, they get a cut. That's the only way it has to be in order feeling to play hard. It has to be incentivized with money. Nothing else. There is no format that's gonna get them to play hard.

Thank you about what you just said, O Joe. I've got if. Some of these guys got two hundred and fifty and three hundred million and three hundred and twenty million dollar contract and I've got to incentive Now, I got to incentivize you for you to showcase your sport.

Well, let us think it. Think about what you're just I've got the fuck.

I've got to further incentivize you to showcase your sport. So this is one of the collection of the NBA's best player twenty four of the best NBA players. Now I need to further incentivize you. It used to be an honor to go to the All Star Game. It used to be an honor to go to the Pro Bowl, right, Oh cha, what happened?

You know?

You know why you have to incentivize it. We're in a different why we're in a different era. All Star break. That's PTO. That's the player's PTO. This is my time off, So you're telling me I need to work doing my break. Okay, you know what, I made the All Star team. I'm an All Star. It's a great achievement, you know what. I am honored at the midway point, you feel I played to a certain level while I'm worthy of being one.

On Joe baseball, hockey, Oh Joe, think about this. So if it doesn't mean that much to you, why the hell they complain when they don't make it. Because every year we hear NFL players complaining they didn't make the Pro Bowl, and we basketball players complain and we see all of this.

But now when you get there, you don't want to play.

Can I tell you why they complain when they'll make the All Star Because they understand when they make the All Star, when their resume look good, when it's time to get paid. Understand that is leverage for their agents. When it's when it's time to talk contract negotiations. Yes, I'm an all star, I'm all pro. You know, whatever it is. It may be that LEAs don't go oh joe. You know how it is once you get tired, once you reach a certain level. What did Tom Brady do?

I'm not gonna go over there, bull drive around. I did one year, but I was in a contract year. Well in the contract, yeah, hey, contract year. I said, oh no, y'all not finish. I'm not finna get in and we ain't take the two tight ends. And Tom Complin was running double tight end. I said, y'all, kiss my butt. I'm out of this thing. I say, I'm out of here. First quarter, I went and got me to two ice bags put on both knees. I don't know if they were hurting or not, but they felt good.

I don't know, O Joe. I'll be honest.

I don't know when this happened, whether the disconnect was like, hey, let's just dunk and shoot threes.

Ain't no defense, don't shoot threes.

I don't know whenning in the Pro Bowl that they decided they want to play two hand touched. I don't know the exact year, but I knew the exact moment when I said, you know what, they're gonna cut this inshot?

Yeah.

Yeah, but you know what, who comes up with a format? Huh, mister Silver, You.

Know, well, he just trying. He's trying stuff. You see baseball.

See if I get it in baseball, Oh Joe, you throw the ball, you try to put bat on ball, and you run the base, you try to catch. But it says, okay, whoever wins the all whoever wins the All Star Game, that's who has home court home field throughout the playoffs. Well, maybe you might need to do that for the for the All Star Game instead of the best record win the All Star Game.

You know who needs you know who needs to come up with the format for it for to be interesting to get the players to play who the players.

Players? But you know what, you don't wanna kill me all these players?

Oh Michael Jordan, Oh Kobe, and not go look at Kobe and Michael Jordan all start gameing.

Oh they y'all love them so much, they're going all out. But that's what I don't get.

I love the Mamba mentality and black Jesus. And then y'all get over there, y'all lay it down. See that's the problem I got on yow ain't gotta listen. And guys that make it, I think they're more than they've earned that right to be there.

Yes, absolutely, but you can't.

You can't applaud and lawn someone for how they approach the game and then you go over there and you lay it down because that's what y'all do, right, that's what y'all do.

Maybe maybe they need to have Michael Jordan come in there and give them a pep talk. Na, Mike, Mike chilling with that cigar man. Mike ain't coming there and talk nothing. But I'm telling you, I'm telling you what the fore man needs to be.

Matter of fact.

You know what you can do sometime You can listen to the people. That that could that could always be one. If you don't listen to the people and it's not working, the format not working with the NBA officials who create the format.

Leave it in the player's hands.

Oh Joe, they left it in the player's hand. You see, you got two or les to what eighty six? You got shooting threes in dunks. They left it in the players head, and that's what you got. Don't let the players players f it up. They left it in the players head, just like the Pro Bowl and what happened on Joe.

You got no game no more. You got the skills competition flag flag football.

Yes, so no, do not leave it up to the players. That's the problem they left it. The problem is is that they gave the players too much control. Somebody decided this is the way we're gonna do it. They tried everything. Well, whoever wins this quarter gets three hundred thousand for their favorite for the Boys and Girls Club and your favorite the charity that was adopted. That didn't work. They tried

Yeah, all these gimmicks and all that other stuff. Oh Joe, it's still the fundamentals.

Look the MLB they have the home run derby, right, but you still it's an All Star game.

You put back on ball. That's what it's about.

Football is about catching, running, and tickling basketball. They play tougher at UCLA. They play tougher at the Summit in New York. Now you mean to tell me you're gonna do that in the offseason, But come All Star Game when it's the opportunity for you to showcase for the world to see.

Lay it down.

Yeah, and then y'all wonder why the ratings, don't wonder, don't wonder why the ratings are falling.

You know why. But also, now you got to be careful that now we're asking for the players to play a.

Little bit harder, a little bit harder the All Star Game own great, Now we're happened when somebody get hurt?

Then what old Joe at the fifty years before they did this.

So you make it seem like all of a sudden, this is a new, something new, like they just instituted an All Star game and asking these guys, so you know what, play basketball. You make it seem like they just two to the Pro Bowl and ask them guys to tackle and catch and run.

They've been doing that. Yeah.

The only thing that we didn't try. They didn't try to do was kill the quarterback. They didn't try to kill the quarterback.

Yeah.

But other than that, yeah, you got tackle. God didn't got to catch you come across the middle. He ain't gonna really try to lay into you. He might have put a shoulder to you. But you know, I got uh. They threw me a scene one year and run it. I saw him. I just braced. That's all I could do. He ain't go all out.

Guys, I'm not gonna go all out, But you got to do more than what they're doing.

That's just not nearly good enough. What I enjoyed. Obviously, you're air.

In my era, when it came time to the Pro Bowl, we played some football and now yeah we didn't. We didn't like try to knock somebody's head off. But no, we thought up. Now, we thought up, you're gonna thut up real good? Right, you know I'm here now, I'm here.

Yeah.

Remember when when Sean Remember when Sean Taylor caught the punter? Yeah, Brian Moran, I was like, yeah, yeah, man, stop playing.

But I get it.

But I mean, but I just don't know. I just don't know what else something needs to happen. But I mean, because you know, I don't know how salaries keep increasing if the fan viewership keeps decreasing.

That's a good one. That's a good one. I mean, I know they're about to lock their start next year.

They on a new what how about a billion eleven billion dollars I think they got eleven was ten eleven billion dollars with Amazon, NBC ESPN. Eleven billion. Yeah, over the over the next over the next ten years or something.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, Oh.

Eleven year deal worth seventy six billion. Come on, salaries are going thank thank about it. Salary are going super Max players with one team? You be on one team, you make x amount of all the NBA teams three fifth in five years, that's gonna be four hundred million.

Somebody's gonna be wanting their money.

Now, y'all get mad when teams trade y'all and keep y'all from getting that super max contract, cause you feel a lot of people think it.

That's what they did with Luca. They keep from paying three fifty. Hey, nah, we got this thing under control. So don't get hey, I just like I told you the other night, Oh Joe, don't get mad about a problem you created.

Is right?

I got a question now, I understand that Luca and his greatness, especially on the court, they traded him away because of the things that were going on off the court in which they went didn't want to be on hand to pay him three hundred fifty million for that Supermax.

Can you tell me another player who's in line to get a Supermax?

Uh, Shae can get one, But Shave's onna be two ninety.

So what's the difference.

Why is his two ninety and Luca Zone's gonna be through fifty.

Cause Luca but that's not Shane's original team. Shay got traded from the Clippers.

Clippers right, why they wait, wait, wait a minute, why they Why are they pushing him for him getting traded.

Because they called that they called that Bird Rights team that drafted you, Ladd Bird. You could you could play a guy up team and it doesn't count as much against the cap, or doesn't count anything against the crack cap.

Oh hell oh they are man.

So he meant now he missing out on money because y'all decided to trade me. As matter of fact, if you look back at it now, you should.

Have kept you.

Yeah, the Clippers should have kept it because they traded what they wanted. They Paul Kawhi was gonna go to the Lakers unless they got him Paul George, And that was one of the things that was one of the pieces that they wanted.

They wanted uh uh.

They wanted Shade, they wanted Gallinari, they wanted all those first round pick up protect the picks, they wanted all that those pick swaps. And they got it and Shade his blossom. Reports said Doc did not want to do him, saying, hey, Kawhi, just give this guy a little time.

He's gonna be special. QUI say, I don't got time, and there it is. Yes, so.

It's uh, it's I just like I said, I mean the dunk contest. I mean Clung, he's handedly saving the dunk contest.

Listen, but it is he man. What is what I like about it? I like the reaction from the players. I like the reaction to the players. I like the reaction from Zach Levant, Zach Levie. I like the reactions with John Moron, with them boys want to now that that will make it exciting again, I'm not sure if they.

We've heard that before. Huh, we've heard that before. Guys get excited. Oh if you do it next year, I'll do it next year if you do, and may never happened.

Now, now, listen, we talked about two dunkers. Now we ain't just talk about know anybody. We talk about two people that are creative.

We've seen we we we we we've seen and heard that before. We'll see. I hope it happens. I hope they come back and they play. Matt McClung says, naw, y'all need to give me a million dollar appearance feet and if I win, I take that little meets me one ten. I ain't just coming back. I ain't just coming back. And if I don't win, I don't get nothing. No y'all will give me a I'm a free I'm the only guy in NBA history to win three can take it the dunk context.

I have a question, Uh, yes, how can he continue to elevate and involve his game outside of Duncan so he can have an opportunity to play it at the highest level.

Well, he seemingly can't get out of the G League. He was on the Lakers and had a couple of good had a couple of good runs. But he and Austin Reeves came in to say didn't he oust Reeves come in together, and you see oster Reeds just.

Get better and better and better and better. How tall is awesome?

Reads?

You think probably like six four six ' five. Well, how tall is mcloon six two? That's why it looks so good when he dunk.

There's your problem. He's elevating, yep.

But there there's your problem as well, though you and if you're six to two and then going to play in the NBA at the highest level, do you understand how special you have to be yes, you have to be how's tall in John morn.

Trom six to two?

You see the difference special it's only one of them, and it's only one of the man NBA. It's only one job. Yeah, yeah, But the thing is you got to do more than jump high. Oh yeah, you got to be explored John Jock and joh has handles. He can get to the rim. It's slithery. Do you get fitted?

Yeah? Everything. He's gotten better at shooting. He's got better at shooting. Yeah. Uh, you know, Matt, he has the jumping.

Now to got work On another aspect, Graymond Green says players on the Rising Stars don't deserve the privilege to play on Sunday.

Do you agree, O.

Joe, that's not nice. I mean, if they're riding the Stars, look at the name. What are they called again?

On the what Rising Stars? That means, hey, Dray Bond.

Had y'all guys done what you're supposed to guess what, they wouldn't be.

Yeah.

Your commissioners trying anything to drum up interest in this game. Yeah, you creating a problem. And then when they other people try to solve and rectify the problems that you guys created, you get mad. How about you guys flail a little harder, and the rising Stars wouldn't be playing on Sunday.

We wouldn't have had.

This far back four teams and divided up and this and that and the game goes to parting.

Yeah, I'm confused.

But what I'm confused Why he's upset for a problem they created.

Yeah, I mean, I don't, I don't.

I don't agree with Draymond, but obviously he's feeling he might be the voice of reason for other players as well. That feels like the writing Stars shouldn't be playing, shouldn't be playing.

But listen again, they wouldn't be.

When Draymond needs to do is get with Lebron, get with some of the other veteran heads in the NBA, and figure out a way to get the interest back.

And only the only thing I can think of, and I.

Know the n ME might not like it, is they need to incentivize it even more to getting them boys to play hard. Go back to the East and West and have a pot of money that the winner can split the matter of fact, and the loser don't get nothing. The loose shoe get nothing. Oh Joe, you making seventy million dollars a year. You're gonna get it centiviized. You're gonna get it excited about a million dollars. Stop it, old Joe, I stole a million, I said five, Oh Joe, Then oh think about it.

Every one of every I guarantee you, every one of those guys today that was on that court pulled up in a private jet after the game. They're gonna get in that private jet and go to wherever they're going. Right, it ain't money, oh Joe.

And listen.

Money might have been a modivating factor for them to get to that level, right, but after that, after perceived That's what you have to really really appreciate about the really really great, right the Brady's, the Jordan's, Da Kobe.

After they had all the money and nothing, had all the fame, nothing changed, they still played it that they were flat ass broke.

Yeah, yeah, Chase that I mean that.

Now we gotta continue, we gotta continuously incentivize it. I've got to ask a guy, hey, bro for extra five hundred thousand when you play hard, when you're making fifty million, when you're making fifty million on the court and you're making another twenty five to thirty off the court. But can you just just just want just do this for us different that that that that it is different. At some point in time, they're gonna have to come to the conclusion that the game is not gonna be played.

It's not.

How about I got another one? I got another one. How would you like to see this? Now you might not like it. I'm just throwing this out there. We have all these people in the world that play La Fitness on the park. What do you think about cimillions playing the NBA players on All Star Break?

No?

Yay, they remember they was complaining. They complained about Mac McClung. He was in the G League. They complained about him being in the Dunk contest. You think they're gonna be excited about somebody coming off the street.

And I'm listening, I'm just trying to think of things that he that will get the viewer's attention. Now, bad it get the viewers attention because you got dudes that playhoop that never made it, getting get stars, getting stars get fans attention.

Oh Joe, why you stars? Why you think team want to get them?

Hold on, If stars get fans attention, then the viewership wouldn't be declining, but.

They not playing hard.

He you, oh Joe, When you come down and you see a team shooting fifty five, sixty seventy threes, what's excited about that?

When you miss it?

When you missing the fifty or sixty of them, you take sixty five, you take seventy threes, and you miss fifty five of them.

Right, clink clink, clank clank. Nobody run, Nobody runs.

Hey, you get a three man break, Everybody run behind the line and try to spot up four three. Nobody goes to the nobody goes to the whole. That's not nothing excited about that.

Yeah, you're right, you're right. I don't have an answer. I don't have an answer. Somebody do. But they got to come up with something. They gotta cut. They really don't have to castle the game.

It's okay, And it wouldn't be no All Star break, Yes it would. You still have the three point competition, you have the skills Challenge. Oh okay, okay, just cancel. Okay, I see what you're saying. Yeah, the All Star Game.

Hey, you get selected the All Star you're not gonna go play, Hey, skills Challenge you want to do the skills challenge, you want to participate in something, okay, fine, but there will not be a game on Sunday, Okay, cause y'all ruined it.

That's a good way. That's a good way to look at it. It's not gonna happen.

But I like where you. I like where your mind is at.

Lebron sits side of the All Star Game. It's his first time missing an All Star Game in his career year twenty two. He's did twenty one time start a player because of lingering discomforted his left foot in a do you agree? Lebron accepted knowing he probably wouldn't play right.

Absolutely, but that twenty times before.

That hadn't okay, So why he's the Rays earned the right to be able to sit out in the All Star Game where they're not going to be playing serious anyway, It's okay.

Exactly sit out. Now.

Let Norman Pole get an All Star Game selection. Just like Yiannis Yais knew he had the league had a little slight injury. He pulled out. Now Trey Young is a four time All Star selection. That's the problem that I got. You're right, He've earned the right but he didn't come. He didn't get it until Saturday. You know you're not gonna play. Why you block somebody else from playing?

Well, hold on, man, now, hold on, now, what is Lebron even though he wasn't playing one to be there and be part of the team. Jannis was there? Did you not see Giannison? That you what's there?

Okay, I see what you mean. I see what you mean. He should have pulled out completely. In general, Yes, okay, I see they obviously they still gonna let him come. He's still the biggest, biggest name in basketball. Sure, they're gonna love to love to have him come.

Let him walk, get introduced and year twenty one and year twenty two or twenty one time starter NBA starting for Lebron James, give him that.

Let the fans see that.

Bro. Come on, man, Norman Pole deserved to be I thought Norman he didn't deserve it. He earned the right to be there with the way he's played in the first half of the season. Now, I ain't breaking news to the chat. Y'all know, I'm the biggest fan of Lebron's biggest supporter, right being that, But I disagree. I I wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly, extrenuously disagree with the decision to make this announcement the day of the All Star Game. He

Mm hmm? Anybody thinks that? Yeah?

But but and honestly, uh, I can't even be mad at him, because we talked.

This is Lebron, I mean this, this is Lebron.

If if there's one person that you know what, if if I'm not gonna play, I earned every right to decide Sunday morning or the side Saturday morning.

No, Lebron James is not bigger than the game of basketball. I didn't say. I didn't say it was bigger than you thought. He earned the right. No, he has not. No, you have it.

No, I definitely Oh and no, no, I I vehemently disagree with you on that. If Lebron, Lebron James, the all time leading scorer in the NBA, decides, you know what at the All Star Game this Sunday, you know I don't.

Want to play, he said, see no, see no, No, I'm not saying he doesn't have that right. Okay, I'm saying he doesn't have the right to do that Sunday to day of the game. Make that decision on Thursday when you're telling you the team, now shock team only has seven players. They're down a man, seven players, five players, four players. They ain't even playing for real. They might play one on one. You just said it yourself. They just shooting three. They might just play horse. Okay, So

I have a question, Yes, what if what if it was a lingering issue and it didn't flare up until he got there?

Man, stop it, o Joe. I'm just I'm asking a question.

That's and Lincoln. So, so what did he do to call it to flare up? You know, you know, shit be acting up now when you hit your forties? Now, what did he do to call the laguer? Did he play basketball in between Wednesday night today. He just played Wednesday. Wednesday.

Wednesday, he played Wednesday, Remember, yeah, he played Thursday, was off.

Friday, he was off Saturday, he was off Sunday.

He makes an announcement that he's not gonna play an All Star game.

So I'm just trying to figure out.

What did he do in between Wednesday after the game and today that calls it to flare up.

Yeah, that's a good question. That's a good question. I will I will text him and ask him. But you know, I kind of I agree and disagree with you, honestly because it is Lebron and the fact that he's made the All Star for his twenty twenty first year, if I'm not mistaken, twenty one straight start, twenty one straight, you know, and he wanted to actually be there even if he didn't play, And I think that's why he didn't.

Pull the joke. He could have. Jannis is there, Joanne?

That's Janni's did we talk about Lebron? Lebron said he.

Wanted to be there. He could have come and do exactly what he did. Nothing, Yell, I listen.

I I agree with you to an extent, and there's another side of me that doesn't agree with you.

So I I get what you're saying. That's just that's what to do. That's all o Cho that is.

But I'm saying, yes, sir, you know I don't want to play, but don't show Ojo. You know good, Well, if you've been fit for three days, why you show up on the people job and then walk into work. I ain't gonna be able to come to work today. You could have called in to do that, so we could have had somebody to come in and field fill up your job. Now now you leave it, we ain't got nobody to feel the spot, right, Why you come? Why did you come? Tell Ojo? Why did you come?

Did that?

Uh?

Huh?

I just like, like I.

Said, Look, hey, y'all know how I feel about Lebron, but I don't disagree with him on this one. These disagrees e streniously and vihiblely on this on this decision. Oh no, hey, let's take a listen to Lebron's explanation of why he didn't play.

Kind of more a maintenance type of wearing terarra situation.

I mean, it's a little bit of both, you know, I was hoping that it would feel a lot better this morning, you know, but it's it's not as where I wanted to be, and you know what, thirty games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the Wild Wild West. I felt like it was very important for me to kind of take care of myself and understand, you know, what's what's coming on.

So I want to say it's maintenance.

Well, it is maintenance, but at the same time, it's like, you know, I have to look out for myself when it comes to this, to this injury that I've been dealing with for years.

See, yeah, okay, the Lemons ship quest, there's thirty let me Shaques, So I just want to know this little till maybe you can help me out with this talk to So, when did he realize that they needed to make a playoff push? There was thirty games left and they're in the Wild Wild West. Was it Thursday, Friday, Saturday? Or was it Sunday morning three hours before the game? So I'm just trying to figure out when did that dawn on him?

Hmm.

Man, We're in the toughest conference, the Western Conference. Yeah, there's only thirty games left this is the wild wild West. We need to make a payoff, playoff push. So I'm just asking you, humbly, when did he come to that conclusion, you know, humbly answering.

I don't know.

I'm not sure when he came to the conclusion. But again, we talked about Lebron James. We talked about the Lebron James who has thirty games left and he's deciding he's deciding to take the All Star break off and letterally take it all the way off. I understand your point and saying, you know what, if you're not going to play in the game, allow someone else to come in and you can still attend.

He chose not to go that route. In him choosing not to go that route, I still agree.

With him because it's Lebron James and that's what he decided and felt was best for him to do.

But guess what talk to me. Tell the people at home when you fly. What happened to joints?

What they do? O Joe flare up? Oh so you beat a tempee? He got on a plane altitude with joint swell? Ain'tle Swell needs swell? Yeah? You mean he could have stayed at la and nurse those injuries. You don't say, oh, cho, that's a goo one, that's a go, that's a good one.

A lot of times, you know, if you have things like knees and stuff like that, they might wouldn't let you travel because I mean, you traveling it doesn't help it.

Nah, it doesn't.

So that's all I'm saying. Lebron has a right. But I'm just saying nothing changes. If he makes this decision on Thursday, he still gets an opportunity to come. He still the crowd still gets to hear him introjuice. Norman Pole gets his excuse me, his first All Star Game selection.

No harm, no foul. That's all I'm saying. Okay, that's it. Got you, I got you, I hear you.

It's just that uh And like I said, normal, I think Norman Powells has earned the right based on what he even before, Like when James Hard not James Harden earned the right to be there.

But early in the.

Season, Power was cooking for power with the what now James has gotten it going early scoring doing what he did. You know, James always gonna be able to quarter ball, but mainly he was facilitating, you know, getting you know, Tenel says getting level of says things like that, Norman Power is a straight Hey, let the rip, James come up and James and now they got a qui back.

So they got three scores. They're playing really, really well.

But I would love I would have loved to see Norman Powell get an opportunity for his first All struggle.

But you know what he gotta do. You got to use that as motivation. God damn Lebron don't want to move.

By the way, Lebron ain't want to give up a spot, boy, you gotta do something else.

You gotta come a little harder next year. Oh Joe, he's never gonna get voted in With the fans. Trey Young is leading the All, leading the league and assists and it's not close. He didn't get voted in. He had to or somebody had to get pulled. The players, the players and.

What you call him and what you call him the fans like, okay, Trey, if y'all just doesn't pull out, he doesn't go.

Last year he was twenty seven and ten, he didn't go.

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on now, hold on now, wait a minute, now, my little nephew, my little cousin. My little cousin ain't played the night either, So we got the same manage, we got that same energy.

Man, man nephew ain't played the night either.

Man, the reports are that he was sick. Now, I don't know if he got sick.

So when did he get sick. Did he get sick Wednesday? Did he get sick Thursday? Did he get sick Fried?

We don't. We won't know. But here's the thing. But here's the thing.

No, oh Joe, look and man hate to draw Lebron is it's not gonna make it's not gonna treat I mean people do I see people in the chat talk about what about what about at really y'all compared to at Lebron. All I'm saying is, look, Lebron, just let what you call him, Norman Power go.

He's still gonna.

Get introduced, just like they introduced a man.

You see a man, let's give it up a mad man. He walked down and he walked down there there applauded it.

You hey, holdo, you heard what you just said, right, Yes, you just said.

I know, y'all not comparing ant Man to Lebron but you saying no, you saying Lebron should have pulled out for somebody else.

Lebron should have pulled out for Norman Power. I don't know who. Look, my thing is, this is how I am, Joe, This is how I operate. If if I'm not gonna play, I'm letting somebody else go.

Yeah, but see you you you talk about what you would have done. We talk about Lebron and Lebron don't want to move the way you would move and make the decisions you're honest with.

Why it's still it's pretty one because, oh Joe, what I once I found out that, Hey, it's not like they're gonna take what if I don't go, they gonna take my my Pro Bowl start away? Because then I just go ahead, Hey, I'll be on crutching going over there, old choke and I need this, but I need this, Hey cuse and and I was first all to the three times old Choke, right right, So I just think, Hey, in fourteen season, Sharon Shark goes the liven Pro Bowls.

Ye in this social media a in this social media era.

But if a man knew he was sick on Thursday, get your ass out the way too, you know, man it no, I have I keep it a. I keep it right down, oh right down in the middle. And if you were sick under the weather, I don't know who who who's the uh, who's another who's another team guy that probably would have made it if he uh because a dull AD's got an injury.

Ad made it. He had to come. He he's hurt. He ain't got no choice, right.

Hey, But that was funny, bro, But you don't hold you A lot of times these guys like they don't always be in position right because it's just like a lot of times these guys that go they go every single year, yeah, every single year, just look at you go look at your offensive lineman. For the most part, the offensive lineman once they go come a time they go and go and go, Cause you look go average offensive lineman probably have the most, have the most. Look

Now. Once you break through, hard idiot, But once you get it, it's smooth sailing. All you got to do is just insisting at what you do. That's it. I don't know. Uh, I don't because here's the thing.

Tyree's Maxi is in the East, so they needed somebody from the East to pull out and for Maxi because Maxie is playing out of his mind. So I don't know who the other guy would have been in the in the west had ant Man and Lebron pulled out.

But that's just me.

That's just the way. That's the way I feel about it. Oh Joe Matt McClung wins the Dunk Contest three. Pete Job might enter next year. Levigne said he might come back one time. Uh. Janni's on the twitter, Yiannis, we've seen you in the dunk contest.

No, no, you're too tall.

Yeah, not only is he not only is he too tall. Jannis doesn't have the creativity. He doesn't have the creativity to win. Now, you know, first first round he might do a little something, but you don't have the creativity to go deeper into the rounds for the dunk contest.

Man, right, Uh, he said, I got hacked. My kids tweeted that they came next to her. Night's dad took my phone out of the charger, went in the room and tweeted, I found out this morning. Yeah that's but see, that's the thing, and people people get upset. Back Lebron, Lebron didn't enter. I don't look at Lebron as a creative dunker. I look at Lebron as a power dunk. And if he goes against someone that's creative, he don't lose.

Lose. Yeah, he's gonna lose. It's only there's only a few of them. Now, it's only right.

But you look at a Zach Levine creator, you look at uh uh uh, who's the other Aaron Gordon.

You look at some of those guys like that.

You look at a Vince Carter you look at guys like that, they're creating dump. You see when Jordan's see Dominique lost to Jordan. I do think Dominique one. I think domit. But you see when Jordan came with the creativity doing all this up and under there, and they're doing all this stuff through we hadn't seen before, and you like because before that it was one hand power dunk, dunk.

It for the free throw light.

Jordan, they do it for Jordan did for the free throw light and put it out there in front of you like this here. Let you see it. He coming and doing it sideways, rocking the baby with it. You see how that look. That's why Mac McClung. Mick McClung jumped over the top of the car and reversed it. Yeah, Mac McClung reversed.

It and then spent and dunked it over Evan Mobley.

He caught it up the guy off of a hubble board, dumped it and dumped it.

Hold on, what about the one where he jumped over there. He jumped over the dude then touched the rim of the basketball. Yeah, the remb of the ball, and then creativity, creativity every time, you know, and get the one he did with Evan Mobile. You got to be able to jump first. Now, you got to be able to jump first. And I don't think that stretching. The taller guys have enough creativity to be able to do some of that stuff or just no, no.

No, it won't look the same because they too damn tall. They're too tall. You see.

That's why Jordan looks so good doing it because he's sick, sick. Mike McClung looks even better because he's see it too, and you're like, how long is this guy gonna stay in the air?

Right? Oh? Jo to take it from the guy put the ball on the rim. Look, he's looking at the rim as he touches the rim and then dumps it. Yeah.

Think about the guy off the hubble board. He takes it out of his head. Boom boom. Right McClung got my kind of Verden man. I say, what you think is is vertical is.

Probably I would say above forty five, but maybe even fifty fifty.

Has there ever been anybody could jump like that? Fifty? Yeah?

But see the thing is they measure their jump running, you know in the NFL, you stand flat.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, And.

We've had guys that go forty five and a half forty six. I think Gerald Senopal went forty six. Boss Bailey went forty six. Oh yeah, we got a lot. Yeah, I mean just app let us, just raw app lettuces.

Yeah. In the NFL players, they got it now.

Yeah, yeah, I mean, but you can tell a guy that can run fast is normally explosive because that's fast twitch muscle.

Yeah.

So you look at guys that run them four to three, go check their burn those are the guys that do with forty right, and so so I would I would not be surprised if mac McClung has like a forty eight fifty inch vert to be able to be that how over the real bot Joe and fixed two.

Yeah, you got you got it. You got to have bunnies, now, you got that. And he ain't. He don't have he don't have long arms.

Use So you look at a guy like John is a guy like kd have you know, have wingspan of damnar eight feet.

Mac mac McClung really is a normal dude. If you saw mac.

McClung walking down, and if you're not an avid basketball fan, you walked right past Yeah, he looked like an average dude.

Yeah, and that's crazy. I ain't know me and his VERD was exactly the same.

Numbers.

Now, oh but he but he was. He was all fifties castle that castle. Had he not missed that first dump? Yeah, he missed it like three or four times. So I was surprised they gave him his high score as they did, considering he missed it so many times.

Difficult.

Matt McClung. What he missed the first dunk? I think he missed it? What one time? You think he ran up there one time he's like, okay, I got it.

Out it now? Yeah, fifty fifty to fifty.

It ain't a whole lot of if you go back and look, I don't know how many times he's got anything but fifty. I mean, bro, you dunking over shack or you dunking over taco fall man, Come on now, So it's gonna it was it was, And see I think the thing is, oh Joe, people don't want to give it got credit because because normally the old when I first started, because the dunk contest started in the.

ABA, it wasn't the NBA. And when the NBA absorbed the Aba they brought it.

And you had stars, your guys that actually participated the dunk contest, they were actually in the game. You had the Doctor Jay's, you had to Clyde Drexel, you had to dominate. You had uh, the Michael Jordan's, you had the best car with the Kobe's and you know, you had those guys. So those were the stars. Now Mac McClung got the g League. You got guys that are like role players and like nobody knows who they are. You're like, who is he? Yeah, So that's that's the

He was it's gonna be a but he's he's saving the dunk contest, O Joe. He really is. I mean he really is. He did an unbelievable job.

But the think about it after after a three peat, Now you got other players chiming and players that can actually dunk, players that are created, our creative players that we have former Dunk Contest winners saying they gonna come back. That will make the game that much more interesting. It's getting to the point now when mcclunk continued to win, the Dunk Contest might be a little bit more interesting than the All Star Game itself because you not well.

Nobrel, But think about it, oh Joe, Now the three point competition, I mean you get because think about it, you get Steph, you get Damn, you got Clay, you got some of the best three point shooters, but none of the best dunkers in the three point is in the Dunk Contest. So that's what's like when you remember you go back and look at it's a Clyde going up against Mike and and and and Dominique. Yeah, when Sean Kemp was in it, I mean they used to have guys that are.

Uh deep deep Brian remember Deep Brown.

Yep, Dee Brown wanted Larry Nance. Larry Nance, I think beat Doctor j in the first one. I think it's back in eighty eighty three, eighty four.

Uh, but.

It's tough, it's and I think the thing is like I said, for me, I never thought bron was a creative dunker power dunk.

Can he dunk on people?

Yes, yeah, absolutely, But I think the most creative dunk was the Rocker Baby. I think that was maybe like after the Kobe situation, he did the rock the Rocker Baby. But I would like to see a man. I would like to see Jah. I would like to see go against and and Levine and Aaron. Aaron Gordon said he's done. He said, y'all, ain't robbed me three Both times I done got robbed. I don't got robbed him this block two.

Damn y'all. And would be nice and creative as hell too, Oh Joe, check this out.

CEEP three and Winby were disqualified after trying to hack the NBA Skills Challenge. CEP three thought he figured out a way to skirt the rules of the NBA All Star Game twenty twenty five Skills Challenge, but He and Women were disqualified for the Shenanigans, the final stage of the three point three part skills challenge of bobs shooting, but to get through the relay with the fastest time it's possible. Women and Paul didn't actually shoot the ball. They just rake them from the right.

Yeah.

Instead they flung the balls quickly towards the basket, not engaging in any sort of shooting motion. Hey, listen, if you're not they violated the spirits, Ojo, See what I tell you?

What what what?

If you create something, somebody is gonna try to find a way to be cheated always always, Now you know that. Now if you if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying. Now don't tell me. You don't tell me you ain't. You ain't cheat on your tests back in the day, and now you know, look at the skills challenge ojo.

Oh man, here you go, Skills Challenge s A T F CAT any kind of tests.

Well, if I cheat on the SAT and then got and gott like five hundred, right, I don't know who the hell paper I was cheating off for what they get free?

You need to complain. You need to complain.

That's why you you always got to sit next to somebody smart shoe. How do you think I passed mine?

Bro Uh? Last cha?

When you going to say, take a sat on a college campus, you're not gonna know any of them, damn people, At least I didn't.

They from all over the state.

They coming from Savannah, Reidsville, Glenville, Hinesville.

Forest, They coming from all over. I ain't know no one person in that class.

And I had just played the game, got in late, had to get up there early.

I was like, I already know you got you got you gotta look, you know, the smartest small folk. Gotta look to him now. But I see you and that's my dog. That what my home. Yeah? What they do twin when they do boy.

Huh yeah yeah yeah yeah, made his lot appearance.

Okay, I'm gonna see you down the south floor. You want to go down to Florida. Yeah, come on down here with you. Boy.

Say they got they got some labradodles down there. Oh yeah, they got they looking for a labradood We got we got them about ninety five pounds.

Yeah. Make sure she got all the shots. She up to date.

Oh yeah, she up to date, She up to date. I got something for I take good care of Titus. I got Farmer's dog. We got farmers dog man bad CP three, c Pree three no better hello CEP three, bitter League nineteen years.

Yeah, try try trying to try to find a short cut. Yeah, no, that was what you call him. That was CP three.

But he know everybody who's going track couple CP three women like I take.

I take, I'll take it, I'll take the blow. Yeah. It's kind of like uh uh uhh when you remember the Pistons didn't shake the bull's hand.

Oh yeah, and Bill Lambert said that was me with everybody said bad that everybody you know, damn where.

That was Isaiah. Uh but Bill Labert don't really care at all. Bill Labert, Okay, I take the.

Adam Silver says he's emphatic with angry, empathetic, excuse me, empathetic with math fans, but believes Maths did what was the best interest of the organization in terms of anger at the fan base. I'm empathetic. I understand that was the final. It was in the finals last year. I've also said this before. I liked Luca very much. It seems truly authentic that there that he was stunned and you could see it, and it's body language. I am

Oh choke, chime in.

They thought they did what was best for the team. Can I ask you a question on real quick or chat? That's your question? The trade was made, has been by what a week? Maybe two weeks to this point? Two weeks weeks?

How's that trade going right now? Eighty got hurt? How is it okay? Okay?

I'm just curious. I would like Adam Sandler to come out, Adam Sandler. I would like Adam Silver, he come out, He come out. Hey, I want Adam I wish I would like Adam Silver to come out and speak and speak the real How about you to tell the truth?

How about you be honest. You know what you want? What you want him to tell me? What you want him to say me?

I want I want him to say how he truly feels. I want to say exactly how he truly feels. You make it, you god damn trade. What was goddamn ridiculous? But you do realize he's the commissioner of the NBA and that's the problem, the fact that he's in a position of power and he can't say how he truly, god damn feels because he's a commissioner.

Have you ever heard Roger Dale say how he truly feels? Yeah, when the cameras ain't rolling, okay, is he probably said that with the cameras they rolling.

Oh t You gotta understand people in position like that, you can't say everything that you feel, or you won't be in that position long.

I mean, that's the problem with society now, that's the problem with people in positions the power. Everything is fake, everything is PC. They never getting the people some of the things they want to say. The people are saying it at home, but the person that's sitting in the highest seat refuses to say it because they got to be PC.

When you had trash quarterbacks. You didn't say that. Huh.

When you had trash quarterbacks, you didn't say that suck. Why didn't you say that publicly?

Time out?

Let's rewind. Let's go back to my career. Yes, what quarterback did I have?

That suck? All your all your quarterbacks? So all your quarterbacks were great.

I had John Kidnap good and I had Carson Palmer.

They were game.

There were game they weren't good, and you didn't say they weren't GOODA This is a game of football. Now, way let me finish. We strive for perfection. We strive for perfection the greatest. If you fall short, that means we're good. They weren't bad. Everybody has a bad game. You had bad, but you didn't say did had a bad game?

Why didn't you say that? Because ninety nine point nine percent of the time they're good.

When they had a bad game. Why didn't you say my quarterback suck? See, you said do you want people to speak through? That's what you said, chat chat. That's not what he says.

What are you doing now? He said, that's completely different. You say, I would you just speak how you really feelable? Kind in a bad game doesn't mean you suck. You know what, My quarterback had a bad game. He sucked this game. Said my quarterback wasn't good this game. For one, all of them to talk like that. For two, I just want Adam Silver. See that's what we need. You know, you know you talk about you can't do certain things when you're in certain positions.

Look what forty five be doing. I ain't gonna say a name. Look with forty five be.

Doing haaking a plumb fool, all the things you're not supposed to do when you have the Yeah, when you sit, it's the highest seat.

But he but you have to understand what he is. He's their doctor king they no you laughing, But that's how they view him because he's in bold of them to say, to say what they feel. So there's no more decorum, right right right, there's no real respect.

You throw that out the window. You say whatever, right, I don't. I don't.

I don't want to live in a society where you get to say whatever, do whatever, and it gets like, oh that's how I really feel.

I don't want to live like Okay, I understand what you mean. I understand what you mean.

I mean.

It was like that, it used to be like that in the sixties.

Yeah, they said whatever they did. Whatever you came home in your uniform and you wore your uniform out, they could they would literally kill you because a black man had a uniform on.

Right. Nah, I'm good. Yeah.

I think as a society, as we become more advanced, our behavior should also become more advanced.

We shouldn't go back. Now.

Some people might think that's okay, let's go back to where it was. Well, where it was for you might have been great. It wasn't great for all, and it's never gonna be great for all, But I think it can be better for most.

That's just me.

Hey, but no, Look, I understand people in position like a commissioner, you have to like sometimes you gotta just you gotta take all that because that's what the owners do. The owners pay you to take all the criticism that they're supposed to get.

Right, Okay, you see how people blame it.

Adam Silver he knew about it, so what's he gonna do? You See, David Stern was able to block a trade because the NBA, they owned the hornets or the dependam with the hornets at the time, so they could block that trade because they didn't think it was in the best interest of them.

They got no say so all of that.

It's just like what did Rogers said, Roger Cadellong Commission always says, you know, we let team handle team fiends.

That was a team decision.

You can't force us to keep a player if we want to trade it. I just look, I get that. I get it because you look at that Luca at twenty five years of age five time first team, all the NBA selections, and they made a move that came out of nowhere.

You didn't hear anything. You heard no more.

You heard nothing about Anthony Davids being traded, You heard nothing about Luca Doncis being traded, and all of a sudden, Seans drops that bombshell. Yes, sir, so it caught everybody off guard. And because of the players that are involved, and also because you didn't hear anything about it.

That is the biggest trade. That's the biggest trade it in be a history.

Oh yeah, absolutely absolutely though, But like he said, we'll see if the only time will tell, Oh Joe, if this was the right move, and.

Listen, the only time will tell. But it's telling right now. It's telling right now, and it's telling real early.

Nights. Get out here, go flames. Oh, go ahead with Joe.

Okay, Chad, I'm back. I'm back anyway, y'all. See my jacket. This is my I just came from Andred but Telli concert I bought. I bought me a jacket, little but Telly jacket. I know, y'all probably though y'all ain't at the opera, nothing like that. But you know, if you're going a nice little date with your girl, y'all in the car man, put some Andrea Bertelli on. He has a nice album that you might enjoy. It is called Loving Loving porta Fino. I think I think that's I

You'll like it.

Matter of fact, he might be coming to your city soon. Go on Google and check that out and you know, something something different. You might enjoy it.

Okay, he's back. Yeah, he gets uh, he's ah. It's past his bedtime. So around eight o'clock he's gonna start getting assy. He gonna want to go to bed. All over the place.

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