On this episode of This League, we get into how Shaq found the worst time to possibly criticize Donovan Mitchell, why taking a man's locker is the ultimate sign of disrespect. I cracked Kyrie Irving's eyeg emoji code, folks. And we also have a cool interview with Sam Smndiari and Andy Lou. They're both Warriors insiders about the drama going into Golden State. We also read some of my dms, so, without further ado, I always thought Donovan Mitchell was smart, the kind of
guy who seems to think things through. You don't come to Donovan Mitchell if you're looking for a hot take, You just don't until fucking now, until right now. Do you know, Marty, what is required for a PB and J sandwich?
I mean, self explained it right.
Yeah, Bread, peanut butter, jelly even five year olds, No, it's in a PB and J doesn't matter. The jelly doesn't matter. If you have crunchy or creamy peanut butter, chibata or wonderbread. Those are the three things. That's it. I thought the world knew that, but apparently not Donovan Mitchell.
Wait what are we talking about?
Apparently Donovan Mitchell just got on Twitter and sounded off on what is the perfect ratio between peeb and jelly on a PB and sandwich? Zero? This is what he says.
Oh I did see this.
Yes, he said zero.
Percent peanut butter, one hundred percent.
Jelly, zero percent peanut butter.
That's whack.
Listen. I get some people don't like peanut butter, but if that's you, you don't get an opinion on PB and J talk. If you don't like peanut butter, you don't get an opinion on said topic. No, Shot, you don't like one third of the ingredients, So what are we doing. That's like saying you like tacos, but you don't like taco shells, Like that's not a taco, So no Taco Tuesday for you. So, Spider, you just don't like PEB and j That's just it. You can't have
just jelly. That's just the case. But right now it's funny because he's posting all this, and this is right now probably the least controversial Donovan Mitchell take out there, because the Spider and Mitchell takes are flying around. Boy, and my problem, I've been watching Donovan Mitchell a long time. My problem is not the take, it's the timing of the take. And boy, oh boy, was the timing of this take bad. So this is what happened, Donovan Mitchell. Did you watch the game?
I did?
Yeah, donovd Mitchell balling out twenty one points in the first half alone. They're on a seven game win streak. They're rolling right halftime check Chuck Kenny. Even fucking little EJ came in with his little SHIV at the end, and the TNT guys decided today is the day we are gonna finally go after Donovan Mitchell.
Is that the point of superstardom where he can take you there? Or he's still all star status?
He needs to be second or third option?
Really?
Yeah?
See yeah here he has enough talent to do it.
But what holds him?
Because see, I'm I'm seeing what I'm seeing I will and I'm seeing he's overpowering people what a superstar is?
Okay?
And then after the game, Shack decides that in the postgame interview he's going to confess Donovan Mitchell about the shit that he said earlier. First of all, let me just say this, when someone tells you and they preface what they're about to say by saying you're you're one of my favorite players to watch. Something's coming. Yeah, you know, Donovan, I love you, You're one of my favorite players to watch. But I just don't think you have it. Spiders shit
have been like what is this right now? We're on a seven game win streak, I'm on a heater. You're trashing me eight seconds after I win the game about how I can never perform. Can I grab a gatorade before you comfort.
Me or what?
Yeah? It was pretty tough luck.
It was cringe too. You saw that Donovan Mitchell and Shack said, oh, Donovan, you're one of my favorite players. You see on the video he's smiling like, oh man, one of the great says I'm gonna win. I'm one of his favorite players, and then his smile erase is like that, man, the timing is bad, But to me, the take is not. This is exactly what I've been saying for a year. Donovan Mitchell is not going to be someone that you can rely on in high leverage moments.
The only thing that really matters in the NBA is the playoffs. The regular season is meaningless. It's cute, it's fun. We all love watching it. It's exciting. But if you want to assess someone's ceiling, it's the playoffs and only the playoffs.
Do you agree with that, Marty, Oh sure, definitely. When you talk about you know what all a player has in him and everything that adds up, Yeah, it's the playoffs.
It's it end all, be all, and so no matter how good Donovan Mitchell is, because he's very good. Again, he's one of my favorite players to watch. I also, I too love Donovan Mitchell. He can score in bunches, he's explosive, he's got skills, he's job dropping, all those things we know are all those things. But when he goes cold, oh my god, does he go cold for days. He could go three four games at a time just bricks.
Yeah, just disappear.
And you're like, he knows it too. What's colder? You know that? That? Like, hey, let's say what's colder? Him being cold, ice cold? That's Donovan Mitchell. That is Donovan Mitchell. It is gross to watch. He is one of the worst people to watch on a cold streak because he doesn't do anything else. It's not like he's Russell Westbrook where he's like, oh wow, he got that rebound and he blocks someone just stolen the ball. No, No, he's legitimately doing nothing.
Yeah, becomes a complete negative.
Completeleete liability. So no shot to Donovan Mitchell as a human. I've interviewed him a few times. He's a great guy. I would never speak to someone like that like Shaq did Donovan Mitchell right after he goes off. That was some gall Who is he capable? Is Donovan Mitchell capable of doing more? No? I said maybe when I thought of it to myself, But right now the answer is no. The problem though, is that he's also on a team of guys who also disappear. Rudy Gobert can go away
for stretches, Mike Conley can go away for stretches. So you can't have three guys on a team that can go away for stretches and actually be built for the playoffs. There's no way. That's why they got bounced out of the first round last year, were they were up three to one on Denver right and then.
Just just stopped.
Yeah, stopped. It was just like the true hur that was that. So yeah, the thing that I think that the haters or the trolls or whatever listeners. Fans Donovan Mitchell fans will say, get it confused, This is not This is not to say he's not good. Every player in the NBA is good. He is elite. He is an All Star, which means he is elite of the elite, another echelon. What we're wondering is whether he could do anything else besides score the basketball, put the ball in
the hoop to elevate his team. Statistically, we know because Ernie said it in the in the halftime, which we didn't play, but he said, Donovan, by the way, before we go, Donovan Mitchell's only had one double digit rebounding game in his entire career. So statistically we know Donovan Mitchell cannot do that. That's a crazy staff and that's what's necessary to win a championship. You asked Damian Lillard,
You ask Chris Paul, You ask Steph Curry. When they go cold, they all try to do something else, facilitate, play, make et cetera.
Yeah, really, step Steph will come out of nowhere and have like a really good rebounding game every now. Yeah, that is funny about his game.
Sometimes Steph will lead the team in rebounds when he's ice cold. He did that, not that not too long ago. You have to affect the game when the shots not falling, or you're not gonna win in the playoffs. And the truth is, when Spider is ice cold, he can't buy a bucket. He is a liability even if that take comes at the wrong time. That is the facts. Support for this league is brought to you by Manscaped, who is the best in men's below the waste grooming. Manscaped
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League twenty. Handle your business boys, Handle it something. Something is going on in the water in Cleveland.
Uh, what do you mean, like like Lake Erie catching fire or something?
I know that's that's good choke though. What I mean is there's something going on in the Cleveland Cavaliers' locker room. Because there are two events, two confrontations that have happened on one out of thirty teams, and both of those incidents have ended in a food fight. No, excuse me, food assault actually, because a food fight really implies that like everyone's doing it, that I throw at you, you throw at me. No, this is one guy taking a
hot bowl of soup and it's like burn yourself. I would say this is unusual, not only just the fact that it's happening on this team or professional sports, but it is unusual as a method of conflict resolution as a whole. Have you ever seen anyone throw food?
Throw food? I feel like no. I may be able to like deep dive and think of something, but my initial answers.
No, I've never seen it. I've never personally done it. I think my mom threw tomato juice at me one time because I wouldn't return a library book. I was like sixteen seventeen.
It was brutal reaction.
It was a big time overreaction. But we have a pattern of food assaults now in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room. Let me explain the Calves, as most folks know, are an irrelevant franchise history, speaking outside of when Lebron was there, and there are things that the organization does that tells you that things aren't exactly a well oiled machine. There. I could go into many, but I won't bore you with the details because there are a lot. But they're
trying to turn a new leaf. You know, they still the problem is that they still have when you turn a new leaf, you still have vestiges of that old mentality and that old way of thinking they hang around. There are guys who are still hanging around who shouldn't be there. Let me introduce you now in our plot to Kevin Porter Junior, the protagonist of this Greek food tragedy. So okay, So the Calves went all in on Kevin Porter Junior in twenty nineteen. They paid a lot, I
feel like to draft him, Marty. How much did they pay?
Yeah, it was more than people really remember. So they traded up to thirty same spot Jimmy Butler was taken just fyi, and they sent four second rounders and five million cash to go snag him.
I feel like that's a guy that can't miss. Then, when you pay that much for him.
I mean, yeah, you'd like him to be on your team longer than a year.
You would like that in reality, though we knew prior, anyone who was deep diving knew that Kevin Porter Junior was a risk. He had more red flags than John Wall's bandana drawer. And that's a blood joke, Marty. I got it, I got it, so many question marks heading into the draft. He got suspended for personal conduct reasons. He's I mean, he's a top ten talent, they said, but you knew that it was a flyer, and a
bunch teams passed on him. When when James Dolan of the New York Knicks respectfully says, I pass That tells you pretty much all you need to know about a player. So enter Cleveland Cavalier. Kevin Porter Junior. Hasn't played many games, didn't play really a lot last year, taking a pause this year for some personal reasons. Hasn't been around the squad. And then something interesting happened. They started winning games sex Land, remember sex Land, and Andre Drummond is balling out, and
they made a couple of trades. They got this guy, Torrian Prince to come in and fill the shoes of a wing god, cheered Allen. And that is when, right at that moment, Kevin Porter Junior decided I would like to come back to the team too. The problem is those guys, those new players, they needed a place, like all players do, to store their belongings. That place just happened to be where Kevin Porter Junior was storing his And that wasn't anyone's fault, really, It was JB. Bickerstaff saying, Yo,
take this locker. This guy's not using it. This is your locker now. I don't know who moved his stuff. Someone did, and then Kevin Porter Junior returned back to the team and was like, Yo, where's my stuff? Uh, it's been moved. This this is now Torrian Prince's locker. Someone else's dirty draws and stinky sneakers was in his locker,
and he had a normal, logical adult reaction. He lost his goddamn mind on Torrian Prince, this innocent bystander, trying to fit in with this new teammates, just doing what the coaches says, and all of a sudden, his new team, he's like, just been there a few days, there's already a physical altercation popping off. You think he saw Kevin Porter Junior's stuff and is in the locker and he's like this is my locker now punk? No, like come
on now, it was done by the organization. But Kevin Porter Jr. He took that shit really personal, like very personal. His locker was jacked and is it fair that he lost his mind again? The TNT boy sounded off on that. Apparently it's a big deal.
That's that's respectful.
I mean do that. I don't care if you're a first man twelve man, you can't move my locker it out without calling me and be like, hey, we're gonna move your stuff and move.
It from one area.
Then, first of all, there's personal things in there.
Let's start there.
Second, like that is the ultimate sign. There's three things. That's the signs of respect for players.
Their area, you know, it is the area, their uniform number.
Like all of a sudden you come in like, oh we gave you a number. The shock because we said, well whoa wait, like that would be disrespectful.
So that I would say, those guys know best, and yeah, you're touching someone's belongings, they're underwear, they're weed, they're steroids. Who knows. The one thing that we know for sure.
Is that dere Ayton show.
Yes it is OK. No one wants other people's paws on their stuff. Calves came in and were like, you're over there now, Kevin, and Kevin was like food. You see this PEB and J sixty percent peanut butter, forty percent jelly, Like duck, this thing's coming your way fast. At least it wasn't. It was just a world class tantrum. Just compare and apparently there were some words exchanged to words that JB. Bickerstaff. I'm not sure if you saw this,
but JB. Bickerstaff said that in all of his time the head coach, in all of his time in the NBA, he's never heard these words before. Huh. I don't know what those words could be, but he's been around the league in locker rooms for over twenty years.
Right, that had to be impressively offensive language.
Yep. You had to be saying some slurs and some curse words in a combination. That was creative. But the wildest thing is that this isn't even the first time that it's happened. You had food assault where there was a guy who took his hot tortilla soup. This is a real story. Hot tortilla soup first bowl out of the pot and he tossed it on his assistant coach, scalded him, didn't speak for months. Marty hit the audio, but.
I want to know, Okay, did he throw the soup at you?
Or did he throw the bowl along with the soup at you?
Like, did he like pour the soup on you? Did he launch the bowl? Well?
For a long time, I refused to talk about the soup incident.
This is a safe space.
Yeah, I mean, it's okay now because I've moved on.
Me and j R.
We talked about it, and you know, he apologized. But it was the bowl plus the super the bowl and the soup, and it was the first bowl out of the pot.
So it was hot. Oh no, yes, oh no, very hot.
How where did it get? You get the chest? He seated, went everywhere? No, I was standing up, Oh you're standing up, standing up? And it hit me and shoulder, arm, everywhere, It hit the wall, and I mean it was a mess.
Left hand right.
Wow. I remember that story like it was yesterday, and it still tickles me. It's it's very sad someone would rise to that level. But just soup.
It's easy to forget about. Like and like, I love JR. And for some reason, I had just like erased this completely from my mind.
But one of the.
Weirder stories like of the last decade maybe like just in terms of just bizarre NBA.
Stories, one hundred percent. And now you have Kevin Porter Junior doing the same exact thing. I don't think it was soup, but man, that experiment ended fast and it was expensive. Fifty games he played for the team, and food assault comes into play, and now the Calves are just struggling to find anyone who's willing to take him.
Like imagine Marty, like, I call you up, You're the we'll call you the Suns GM okay, and I'm like ring ring ring ring, Oh good morning, Marty, and you're like, what do you say?
Uh?
How we doing Trista? What do you need?
Yeah, hey, we've got a great a tremendous wing for you. Came from USC tremendous talent. We just have some a lot of depth on our team right now, so we need to get rid of some pieces. Great kid, really great arm Kevin Porter Junior.
Oh right, yeah no, we were high on him in the draft.
Yeah yeah, yeah, what would you guys be willing to trade for him?
I'll throw in uh, I'll throw in Abdel and Madare Yeah, and.
Then it's like click. So he ends up getting traded for this like top fifty five protected pick, which means that probably won't get anything for him. And you know where he ends up. Of course, he ends up in Houston slum lord Tillman for Titta's like, I'll take them, I'll take them for free. Yeah it's trash. I'll take that free couch off the side of the road. I have a room it can fit in. Yeah, I'll take that gamble. So Marty, yes, here we are again being
the NETS podcast that we are. We need to go into detail that Kyrie Irving is using Instagram to send messages and symbols to the world. Again, please tell me what he just posted.
Yeah, you have forced me to finally follow him as well. So okay, it's just a picture posts with texts, and the text says we will be on that stage, the stage where the best of the best meet, you know, the main stage where those who can do and those who cannot talk about those that are doing. If you're rolling with us, great, let's rock. If you're not, you know you want to talk about our greatness anyway with
a bunch of exclamation points. And then there's some emojis too, right do you start fist airy symbol, leo symbol and then the shrug.
So what I think is funny is not really the caption. We'll get into the caption, which is basically basically like when I get t so much on Twitter that I say a tweet like, oh, it must be sad to be an Internet troll. That's basically what Kyrie Irving he's doing. He's like, he's basically like, Oh, you're gonna be talking about our greatness anyway, We're gonna be on this stage. If you don't see it now, then you know whatever. You know, like you've been, you've been got The chatter
is getting to Kyrie Irving. But the funniest thing to me was was the astrological symbols, because Kyrie, you don't put astrology in your caption, your own symbol the aries. Kyrie Irving is an arees unless you're a big fan and you buy in to your astrological your zodiac sign. He places so much value that he puts his sign in his ig posts. People who are about that life,
they know their sign. They're fucking annoying people. By the way, those people, they're like, oh, yes, right now, my star is rising and means that I'm in for greatness is coming my way.
The fact that Kyrie Irving thinks the stars and planets affect his life is like the least surprising thing ever.
Exactly, but he believes these things to be true. So I looked into his zodiac. I sent you the descriptors of a typical Aries, and I think you just might be a zodiac believer after you read these two.
Okay, all right, we've got Aries are the leaders of the pack, first in line to get things going, weaknesses, lack of patience, mood alterations, predisposition for quick loss of temper, impulsiveness, aggressiveness, and Ares will always tell you what they're thinking with a frankness that may occasionally border on rudeness. Rams may also have a short fuse when an Aries is angry.
They'll never play the passive aggressive card. But for people who don't know that well, their temper can be a turnoff.
Are you a believer now.
A little bit?
I'm the needle is moved a little bit.
Aries believe that they are number one, and they are the leader of the pack. They believe that it is their birthright to be in that top of the hierarchy. The celestial moons and the stars they have aligned when they were born for that to be them. And now what do we have. We have Kyrie Irving playing third fiddle when he knows in his heart of hearts, because the stars made it true, he is a leader of men.
He should be in charge. This is only a matter of time before he self destructs, before this whole thing dissipates. He's already not speaking to Nash. I don't know if you saw it, but when he hit that game winner, all of his teammates are around him. A didn't see Nash anywhere nearby. No, not even in the frame, folks. Tensions are high. So the side note is that, yes, of course KD responded to the post right, he's like go off king, meaning that their lover's quarrel has now
been diffused. But Andre Drummond, the center for the Cleveland Cavaliers, also responded big facts fire emoji, emoji emoji. The team that just smoked the nets twice is saying facts to a post that Kyrie Irving made about them being in the final stage at the end where only the greats are there, and Andre is like, I agree, I agree, you will be there. Maybe we will be there. So I'm like, huh, that's interesting because the Nets have been looking for a big man, and I heard that the
Cavs were shopping Andre Drummond. And there again was another emoji in that post that we hadn't deciphered. We know what the star of David is, we know what the fist is, we know what the ares is. But who's the Leo? Leo's another astrological sign, Marty and I looked up Okay, all right, let me look up Kd's birthday. Nope, Libra, let me look up James Harden's one. Something else. Let me look up Sean Marks's zodiac symbol. Something else. I'm like, who the hell is a Leo? You know who is
a Leo? Andre fucking Drummond, Man, I cracked the Kyrie Da Vinci code. I'm gonna say it here first. The fucking stars literally are aligned Drummond to the Nets. So in the last episode, if you caught it, we talked a lot of time about the Golden State Warriors and the problems that are coming around the Bend with Draymond Green and the big Man, James Wiseman number two overall draft pick. You know Draymond famously cussed out Kevin Durant superstar.
You think he's worrying about James Wiseman's feelings. I do not. A week ago, we saw Draymond feverishly we'll call it passionately coaching up James Wiseman after he turned the ball over against the Lakers, and that became to me a sign of more to come. Draymond obviously had thoughts in the post game, and he said, you know what, I'm gonna try to make him better, and next time this happens, I'm gonna do it again. I'm gonna continue to be on his ass. And you know what, right after we
filmed that night, last episode, he did it again. Did you see him?
I did.
He got ejected because he was cussing his own tea. He made out something so explosive that the refs had to get him out of the game. They thought he was talking to them, or maybe they were just appalled. Maybe he was working off the Kevin Porter junior slur list. I don't know. I'm not sure what it could have been but man, the league came out and they said, yep, we made a mistake. Draymond wasn't yelling at the refs. He in fact was yelling at his own teammate, James Wiseman.
And I tell you what me, I'm concerned still. So I hit up some guys that cover the Warriors and have been covering the Warriors for like ten years, and I put the heat on these boys from the Bay. So we're gonna find out what's going on with Draymond Green, what's going on with James Wiseman, what is happening with the entire Warriors' team. There's a lot of suspicious things going on with Steve Kerr and these lineups. So let's
bring on Sam Esfandiari and Andy Lou. We've got Sam Esfandieri and Andy Lou, the two members, the two hosts of the light Years podcast and the facto experts on everything with us. His video, Andy, you're just blowing off steam fans.
It's nicotine, it's nicotine. We're good.
It's all good. It's all goods, it's all good, two hosts of the light Years podcast. So I've got things to ask, I've got things to say, I've got things to ask I about thoughts, But we're just going to start off with softball eight and eight five hundred. How are you feeling?
M Like, like, honestly, we're about to record our own pod after after this, and it's just just a lot of frustration with the coaching more than anything.
Literally a week ago, Steph Curry hits a behind the he pulls a shot over Anthony Davis. They win the game. Honestly, it was pretty lucky. The Lakers looked like they kind of gave up in the third quarter, but Warriors fans like, all.
Right, this is gonna be good.
Then they beat down the Spurs like, okay, now we're gonna get on a run.
Here, look like they're turning a corner.
And then and then the bottom falls out because Steve Kerr. I think Warriors fans are ready to get Steve Kerr fired.
I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Yeah, yeah, I.
Think for a large audience, I think they'll enjoy that one. Steve Kerr is probably one of the most stubborn coaches in uh I was gonna say in sports, but at least in the NBA, he's got to be the most stubborn coach. He's playing just one of the worst starting lineups in the league, and he doesn't seem to want to stay away from that because I don't know. I don't know why it is.
Statistically the worst starting lineup, the worst I like a substantial margin. It's one of those things where it's like if you saw a Saturday Nights game against each other, they're just they were down twenty points with you know, three minutes off the clock.
All of a sudden, it's like twenty.
Two to five were at the eight minute mark in the first quarter, and it's like, what are we even doing now?
Right?
Yeah, that game was over pretty much right as it started. I think I had Warriors minus or Warriors plus six plus seven.
Like you tell us the better team. I'm not.
I'm not like pretending they're not. But it's like the way in which the Warriors lose some of these games. It's just like, you know, like they play a competitive game and then you know, Utah pulls away because they're just a better team.
It happens, right, but it's like just not showing up is just infuriating. It looked like like.
That opening Night game, like everyone saw that against the Nets, are like, the Warrior is gonna be the worst team in the league again, you.
Know, like that, I thought, that's what I thought. Who's in the starting lineup? You think should be out?
Oh, that's that's Kelly Oubra for me, because I think I think, you know, maybe it should be James Wiseman. James Wison probably shouldn't even be playing basketball right now for a team that wants to be in the postseason like that, that's probably like something that that shouldn't happen.
But they have no.
Choice, right They're like, Hey, we don't have any size. We want to develop this guy. He's nineteen years Oh he's going to be our starting center for however much longer, so they're going to keep him in there. I think the guy that you can take out is got to be Ubra, who who's fun. He's like, he's fun to watch. He plays really hard, but he doesn't pass. He doesn't really know what he's doing out there. And at least he'd be a nice microwave score off the bench, which
is probably his best role. And just put Damian Lee, who's a shooter in there in space the floor a little bit. But I you know, they're paying eighty million dollars in taxes for Kelly Oubres.
I'm not sure if they want to do that either.
It's brutal Kelly Kelly. I think I can fill Kevin Durant shoes, Ubra shooting from the field twenty.
Up to thirty five.
Now, yeah, daddy, it's pretty good. It's pretty good, multiple multiple games. So is this a team that wants to go to the playoffs?
Well?
I think that's like the interesting thing because it's like everything Steve Kerr says is like, we're building for the future. You know, it kind of makes sense when you draft in nineteen year old number two overall, but then you have Steph Curry who's still in his prime and Draymond Green, who is not a very patient man in his own right. It's like it feels like mixed messages because like no one thinks they're a contender with you know, Klay Thompson
goes down before the season start. That kind of changes expectations. But it's like it's a weird spot where like they're not really tanking for the future, but they're also not doing things to maximize the group which they have right now.
And I think That's what's really frustrating I Warrior fans. Like, I'll speak for myself here, but it's like, just just go for it with what you have, and then you know, maybe you get to the second round, maybe you make some noise, maybe that helps you in the free agency and people are like, well, yeah, Steph Curry is still one of the three or four best players in the league. Maybe if I go to that team, I can help
push them back into that contention. Like if I was, that's the way I would be looking at it, because like, you still have Steph and his prime. You shouldn't just be wasting what is this like five year plan you're doing.
He's thirty two years old, right, Like I mean, I know, Tom Brady's going to the super Bowl and looks like he's another twenty years in him, but like generally that doesn't work out for athletes, Like you know, just because Lebron looks like he's not slowing down at thirty six does not mean Steph Curry has another eight years of his prime left.
A couple of things that you mentioned I think are really interesting. One you talked about the development of a guy who's really young in James Wiseman, and you also talked about Draymond Green, who's very vocal, very stubborn, one of the most intriguing for someone who hosted podcast that likes to touch on storylines. This Draymond Green James Wiseman,
we'll call it relationship is very interesting to me. From what I can see, it seems like James wisen is a little bit of a deer headlights doesn't know how to play organize basketball. In my opinion, yes, I think I think Draymond Green has maximized his potential and his physical limitations. Will say, based on his IQ and the ability to know the game. He sees James Wiseman filled with physical gifts and he's like, why don't you know
how to play basketball? Young king? So my thought is, James Wise is gonna get paid a lot of money soon. What incentive is he going to have to add to his game at that point? Do you think there's a potential for James Wiseman to be like an Andrew Bynem.
So I'll throw this out there, that is correct. With Drammond, he did not particularly seem to love D'Angelo Russell last year, who he viewed as someone who had you know, made more talent than him, just in terms of like scoring the ball and all that stuff, and he didn't feel like he worked as hard as him or hard enough. Right, the other thing I've seen gives me any indication they feels that way about Wiseman now, Like right now, him and Steph Curry seem to really like him, which indicates
that they think he works hard. But at a certain point they'll probably get frustrated with like, all right, you know, it's great that you you know, run wind sprints with the best of them or something like that, but it has to actually start translating.
So I don't I don't know when that'll come.
But like there's no sign that they are down on him at this point. It's actually quite the opposite. They feel they seem to feel like really positive about him.
It's like too too positive almost. They feel a little bit too positive about Wiseman. They think I think they think he's like the next Anthony Davis. And so there's a lot of stuff with James Wiseman that's awesome, But there's a lot of stuff right now, even if he's nineteen, where it's like he doesn't really know like the feel of the game he doesn't really have, which is a
little bit of the problem. I do think him on a lot of this is him selfishly wanting to be like known as the guy that made James Wiseman into an elite NBA big.
I think that's part of it.
Like the next phase of Dremont's career is to be the next Shack or Barkley and or like a front office guy. Right, So I think this is like something he's going to say, well, I developed James Wiseman to be the best big in the NBA.
I think that's like a lot.
Of when Wiseman dunks all over everyone in two years, they'll be like, that was all me.
I think that's what he's going for here, which is kind of smart.
But if you don't know the game by now, what I mean, if you have no feel because we know that a guy this big has basically made a living and gotten to this point based on that athletic ability, family struggling right at that point, having to do certain things that broke NCUBA rules. If if you're not understanding how to play organize basketball when you know that it's critical, what's going to happen once once the Warriors pay.
Him, So I think that's a different thing. Though right now when I watch him, I just think it's too everything's too fast for him. Like you watch him, and you you see like a guy who like literally played high school ball and then jumped to the NBA.
And just because like physically.
He's an NBA guy does not mean mentally he can process the game that pas I don't know if he ever will though like that, I mean it's fair to say, like, Okay, so the game's too fast for f him now, that does not mean in two years it slows down.
It may or may not. I don't know, you know, it's kind of one of those things.
But it's, uh, you know, I guess it's we'll see, I guess. I guess it gets back to the over the overriding question with the Warriors, which is like he's probably two years away at minimum from being like a winning player, like being a guy you can feel confident about maybe starting on a playoff team. And in the meantime, you have Steph Curry who's thirty two. You have Draymond
Green who's turning he's thirty. They both are gonna turn it your older in like the next month or so, are they just gonna like chill for like the next three years and like hope that like Wiseman, you know, like all clicks for him at like twenty one or twenty two.
Or are they like they're.
Kind of the only team in the NBA who's got like they're on both trajectories but like not committed to either one.
Yep, yep.
That's why it's for me the most as well.
It's like they're not the Spurs. They'd like they love to think of themselves as like we're the new Spurs. I'm like, I don't really recall this happening with like Kawhi and when they have like the you know, like when Kauhi was like the young guy there is like I still recall them winning like fifty five to sixty games.
Well, I guess they would have if Clay was healthy, like maybe not sixty games, but they like they would have gotten there. So like they're doing it a little bit hamstrung. I think with Wiseman though, the one the one real issue I think is he might be a little he might be a little soft. Like that's the only thing where I think where it's like I'm not talking about soft like like he just doesn't like there are plays where he's gonna like he'll rip the rebound
dunket and then he'll get really excited. But you just don't see that enough out of the guy. A lot of this is like he's really young, but a lot of it's like he wants Steve Curs says he wants him to talk to KG and you remember, Kay, like that's KG, right, Like that's that's what he wants out of it.
You don't see that enough on Wiseman.
So maybe that's I think the only that that's the thing where it's okay, that's the problem I see right now will be like it might be a little soft. And then if you are, because that's really not great to be around. Draymond though, just kill you.
Yeah, I was gonna say, because if if that's like a real.
Thing, like he just doesn't like contact from content. So I don't think you grow out of that, Like you're either you're either the guy who likes to just bulldoze everyone physically or you're not like Eric Pascal, right yeah, or Draymond quite frankly, you know, like that's like I mean he Draymond has no problem mixing it up.
So to say, no, absolutely, I think that's Uh, it's something to keep an eye on. I'm calling it now. I'm just on that. That is my forecast. Now this is not going to Uh, I don't think it's gonna get better. You guys can hold me accountable to that. If James Wiseman becomes like the next ad the next be honest. Uh, speaking of hot takes that I've had that I've waffled on, please sell me on Steph Curry being batman.
Oh, come on, five straight finals, three without Kevin Durant.
Let's keep that in mind.
Did Kevin Durant play against your Portland Trailblazers when Steph set the record for points in a sweep? Did Steph play against Houston when he embarrassed James Harden and PJ. Tucker and Chris Paul for like the eight billionth time.
In a row.
Like you can say what you want about Katie Kawhi. They're both physically more impressive. They can do certain things that Steph can't do by proxy of just the reality. Like Steph can't make himself six', ten that's not something he can, do but he he's the centerpiece of the best team of the last. Decade everything revolves around.
Him and you, know if you want.
To Say katie's better than, Him i'm not opposed to. IT i just don't understand why they continue to win games at a higher clip WHEN kd sat And steph played and not vice.
Versa maybe that's a coaching. THING i don't. Know but like he's he's he's still.
Very much one of Those he's one of the like three or four players in the. LEAGUE i think you can actually build a title contender. Around would you like it's been?
DONE i THINK i think there's a standard Of Steph curry that we don't even want him As. BATMAN i think there are a lot of people that want him to Be, superman where it's like there's just, gifts Like superman could Kill batman in about two, seconds, Right like that's that's the ongoing joke About, batman AND i think that that's what you see out of someone Like Michael.
JORDAN i don't even Think lebron is at that. LEVEL i think With Steph, CURRY i think people want him to be like this unstoppable, force which he was for a, while and now that he not necessarily Is let's keep in mind. Though he also my favorite part is that he actually Beat Kevin durant in his seven game series in the. Postseason it's probably my favorite. Part but like they expect him to be this great player day in and day, out and it's, like we do. Know it's
like the regular, season the regular, season seventy two. Games now it just this. Happens he's gonna have shitty. GAMES i think the one criticism right now For Steph, curry even From warriors, fans and we haven't seen this in a long, time is that he's so great off the ball that he's used to playing that way with a lot of people that know how to play with, him and right now he's playing with.
Guys that don't know how to play that.
Way the counterpoint is That steph can actually play on the ball and handle and run a defense on offense, too but it just seems like he doesn't want. To AND i think that that's a little bit of A christism With stefph, today is that he's just not willing to do that because he has to kind of rewire his brain to play the way that people want him to, play which Is kyrie Harden kd all those Guys y're honest,
even and he's. Not he's just not that. Guy so we'll see if he gets because he could average like thirty five. POINTS i just don't know how much that, matters but we'll. See how it's only been sixteen games for.
SURE i you talked About Steve kerr and how stubborn he. Is my QUESTION i have never asked A warriors, reporter And i've had conversations with this a lot with other. Friends how many rings Does Mark jackson get If steve that, Job.
I'm gonna still go.
ZERO i feel like people forget some of the weird stuff About Mark. JACKSON i, mean that would be a fun podcast to. Do the dude told the locker room That festus A zeally was rooting for them to lose because he was out, injured to the point where they had like a confrontation And festus, cried pleading his case that that wasn't.
True his assistant coach also got fired because he was secretly recording What Mark jackson was. Saying that's also a fun. One, yeah there's a lot of stuff With Mark. JACKSON i will say, this so he should have been he should have been announced. It he also played a style with the team that that was very, Like, actually now that you mentioned, it he actually played a style With Stephen clay where those guys get to shoot as many times they.
Wanted it's it's like basically What warriors fans ironically want those guys to.
Do right.
Now, now if you told, me for some, reason IF kd wanted to go to The warriors And Mark jackson was still the, coach THEN i would, say, yeah they probably win, anyway like they Probably.
I'd Say, Andy, Andy OR i could have coached the, team the twenty seventeen team With katie and all those.
Guys But katie would not have gone to The warriors And Steve curR was the, coach then is the counterpoint to? That SO i would say zero. Two but Like Mike brown had that team ready to win a championship WITH.
Kd and, actually now that you and now we're on The steve kerk topic is actually one of the biggest reasons Why kadi left is that he wanted to play a certain way that was more conducive to his, style right to what he wanted in the late game, situations And Steve kerr like he is right, now is, saying, well you're gonna play my, Way you're gonna play in this system THAT i. Want and that's one of the reasons Wh kyrie, SAID i Mean katie's, Today i'm out of.
Here, yeah he wanted to play MORE iso ball And steve didn't want. TO i think it was like he they basically. Changed it was like more iso and then less and less and less and, less and then it felt kind of Like katie was just requiring more in order to, stay which is very. Interesting do you Think Steve kerr gets fired at the end of this?
Year, no no.
Chance in, fact ninety percent of the complaints that we hear on our, show and just kind of like the general sentiment there is because there's like it just feels like there's NO i want to say, pressure but like no urgency with. Anything you, Know it's like he's not getting, fired they're not Firing Bob, Myers LIKE i highly doubt anything's changed, there and so it just feels like there's no urgency to do.
Anything, ever.
Here's a random question With KELLY u right now, engaged who's the now who's now The king Of Horny hours for The, Warriors.
Oh without, It oh without a, doubt without a, Doubt Klay.
Thompson Klay, Thompson Clay thompson The king before even With ubray a, single they Put Steph Kelly ubray and and And Klay thompson on one.
Team it's it's Not it's just it's. Not what is the? Point come? On But Klay thompson who was going out with what.
Is what was her, Name? LAURA i forget her, name but she. Was they were going out for a little while and all the. Words fans were very. Happy it seemed Like klay had turned in the corner and then unshockingly they broke up and Not clay's. Back so he's he's The. King he's, undefeated there's no there's no beating The Rick fox of his, generation.
So, smooth so under like under cells, himself very.
Smart have you heard anyone say a negative thing About Klay, Thompson, like are There clay tom some haters out?
THERE i, mean because you.
Know what's crazy is there's a guy in this office who says that To clay is not a top fifty player in the league because he looks at this analytics so so for, him because he listens to this pod. Religiously tell me where you Rank clay and why and why the analytics don't matter when it comes To.
Clay, wow we're talking about where he tore everything in both of his.
Legs you're, correct, correct pre pre, Injury Clay.
THOMPSON i, mean how many wings are there that can score twenty points, consistently shoot, efficiently and play high level.
Defense like it's one of those.
Things where you're, like, oh, well and then you start making the list and you know it's like Obviously, Kawhi Paul, George Jimmy, butler and then you you, Know Jason, tatum and then you're, like, well Maybe clay might be the fifth or sixth best Wing after those.
Guys there's just not a lot of who can do the things he.
Does even if he can't like dribble through his legs Like James harden or any of that fancy. Stuff he just he's wildly effective at things that contribute to.
Winning look at The warriors this.
Year they replaced him With wiggins And, ubre who are. Starters, right they're Starting cali average maybe slightly at, best maybe a little.
Above maybe maybe.
Not and they And steph still want To he's probably still the best point guard in the, league and he's still an excellent, player and they're decidedly average team without his, presence, Right like even it Takes steph scoring sixty for them to Beat, portland who's like a pretty good team but probably not gonna win a, title right like those and then but then you Put clay on that, team AND i, MEAN i don't Think portland ever beat them in a game that mattered over the last. Decade and you, Know
steph was always always the better. Player but like the combo of those two is just like.
As good as dam and Ces. A they didn't. EXACTLY i think that's the fit stuff With.
CLAY i think the analytics don't look too kindly on him because he doesn't have defensive, stats so no role, steals no rold, blocks. Uh but he's like the best defensive assignment guy that The warriors can throw on.
Someone he's probably the best three AND d like wing player in THE, nba like specifically shoot, threes defend, wings defend, Guards like that's the guy that's the best in THE.
Nba and he can also play next to everyone else.
Offensively the analytics are also aren't great BECAUSE i can get to the free throw line like his.
Field he's not really a, playmaker like analytics don't really bring into, account like him running in a circle taking three defenders And draymond getting a layup on that, play and like we've Watched draymond play Without clay And, staff that layup's not there without, them, Right like it's just
it just kind of is what it. Is like there's he has like a freak out capacity to defenses because like he can miss ten shots in a, Row they're still going to pay attention to him no matter where he is on the court because we've seen him make ten shots in a row immediately after missing.
Ten so WHILE i have you here BEFORE i let you, roll what is the or quart of the? Way what is your prediction for what this team is going to end up doing given its current starting five and the trajectory that you've seen in the last few.
Games for, ME i.
Think That Steve kurt is going to actually create some emergency. HERE i think he's realized there.
Is a lot of mistakes that he's making literally BECAUSE i think he's, stubborn because he wants his offense to run a certain. Way it's Like Phil, jackson When Phil jackson was trying to like push the triangle onto players in the modern, age where they were, like this is just not how we play. Basketball AND i think that's What Steve kurr is. Doing with a lot of guys Like Derek pascal And Jow, Wiggins Kelly, Ubre James wiseman are just, like.
Look this is great in. THEORY i get.
It and if you Had Andre, Dollar Sean livingston And katie And, klay this would make.
Sense but you.
Don't so let's just play a normal way where everyone else is playing right, now spread the, floor run out a lot of high pinker.
ROLL i think he'll end up doing.
THAT i think The warriors do end up being a six seed or a five, seed and.
Unfortunately part of that is Because portland's. Injured like that, actually like sadly, enough helps The.
WARRIORS i think there's a lot Of west teams in the, league The west teams that aren't very good, Either So i'll probably have them as a six seed and staying out of the playing, Game.
I'll be a little.
LOWER i think they're gonna keep riding this weird win to lose two win, three maybe lose two and kind of end up in a seven eight. Seed you, KNOW i think they can put up a nice little. Fight steph will definitely steal a game or two against like The, lakers but.
It's not gonna work out for.
Them and THEN i think it gets interesting BECAUSE i think you're gonna start seeing a little pressure on the. Team you're gonna get the. UH i did the good soldier thing all. Year i'm not signing up to have the entire rest of my career look like, This so do something a little more.
Aggressive stuff is. Gone you heard it here. First that's All i'm. Saying i'm sad that was gone the end.
Of the, year hasn't, signed has not signed an, extension hasn't really talked. There you go a lot about the fact that it's going to get. Done, certainly if you're watching what you're, watching if Your, steph you're certainly evaluating your. OPTIONS i don't hear Any Klay. Thompson i'm a warrior for life, talk that is for.
Sure right, now we're trying to Get clay out of a walking. Boot that's that's that's starting point right. There starting worry about What jersey He wears after, that and.
You also get the first round pick for The wolves twenty twenty, one probably going to be a top five. Pick so maybe they'll Convince steph that that guy's the next coming of genius or.
Maybe or maybe they'll package that In wiseman and you, know offer the poo poo platter of next superstars to you know, what, whoever whoever the next guy?
Is?
Who?
Who who demands a trade?
DEAL i don't, Know, like what have we ever gone more than six months without some superstar demanding? Out someone's gonna be someone's gonna ask for a.
Trade if you Gave wiseman and a first to The wolves For Karl Anthony towns would, Work.
YEAH i THINK I i, mean do that in less than a.
Second, YEAH i mean it kind of times up to what we were talking, about where it's Like towns is actually in a part of his career where he's contributing to, productive winning basketball as opposed to being this theoretical guy who in twenty twenty four could be the best big man in the.
League, Right so, like with that, pick what's that? Pick The wolves can even draft, like you, know Kr Anthony, Towns so we could they could even do, That, so uh, NO i think The warriors would do.
THAT i THINK i think The minnesota is. Man they lost that trade really, Badly. Delo they're losing. Team they're losing. Team with, me we get to and then we get to Reunite wiggins And, towns which everyone's been you, know crying for on the. Internet they're just, like we need to see them together.
Again, yeah big, smokers, loving loving the, Trees jeffersons. TREES i. Heard that's all the time that we. Have thank you so much For sam S mendr And Andy louver for coming. ON i am definitely going to be hitting you guys up as More warriors news comes.
Through.
Uh i'm gonna be definitely keeping my eye also On Draymond green And James wiseman and whether he gets ejected again for cussing.
Out this on.
Teammates so thank. You i'll see you. Guys, bye. Guys let me just say this before we get into LISTENER. Dms if if someone goes back to a hoopdie from a, bens you don't need to ask where they're going to. Be they're not staying with. You SO i just THOUGHT i would say that for anyone who's listening if they think that the money that they make has no influence on the relationships that they have with. OTHERS i just had to say, that let's get into SIM.
Dms all, right we've got why no co host the.
Pod first of, all that's a little disrespectful to, You Mary, ouch like you are a contributor in a huge. Way but WHAT i would say, is, uh there's a lot of male journalists that cover THE nba that are. Solo you've Got Colin, Cowherd you've Got, woes there's. More IF i Think, Abbristow Dunk, dawn nobody's, asking, hey, guys why don't you have a co? Host FAM i, mean the answer is, ONE i Think i'm good enough to do it by myself. Too my natural inclination is to lift others.
UP i was a host myself WHERE i would just deliver lobs all, day making everyone else look, Good and people, said we're not really sure if you're, Funny we're not really sure if you have A pov or your takes of your own because everyone else around, you you're teeing them. Up you're, like do you think about? This oh, yeah what about? This so now anyone who enjoys this, pod they have nothing to. Say the only reason it's funny is Because i'm. Funny if you like the, take it's my.
TAKE i THINK i said this in a prior, episode BUT I i love to, collaborate BUT i want everyone to know That I'm i'm that, guy the guy That Donovan mitchell clearly is. NOT i want everyone to KNOW i can put the cinder blocks on my back and walk up the mountain alone Because i'm built like. That and if you don't like MY, pov there's no one else to blame but. Me you don't like, it, cool but it's mine HOW i built, it and no one.
Else's, okay who's your all time favorite?
Athlete did you see? This Scottie? Pippen there was a clip that just came out the other. Day Scotty pippen hits he's shooting free throws in the early. Nineties he misses a free throw and before you can even know what's going, On Michael jordan comes out of the sky and slams it down with a fever that you've never, seen and you're, like, Holy, holy what was? That and that is something that got me thinking About. Jordan WHY
i thought he's so WHY i think he's so. Great he was one of those guys who was not enough for him to dominate. You it was not enough for him to show you how good he. Was he needed to embarrass you on all, levels at all the. Time it doesn't matter if it's the third game of the season or in The Western Conference finals against The, blazers which that was against The. Blazers that, game he needed you to know that there is no. Shot you aren't even on my level in any, way not in, rebounds not,
defending not in, dougs not in, shooting. Nothing don't even get that into your. Head he, is to, me the origin story Of Kobe bryant And Lebron james and so many. Others, SEE i think you have to, say for anyone who grew up playing, basketball that your all time favorite athlete has gotta Be Michael, jordan or it's sacrilegious to a. Degree, yeah would you.
AGREE i mean everyone our age just had. THAT i mean if you say you, didn't you're. Lying LIKE i, Mean Space jam all those. TITLES i, mean there was something about him that was just excellent and you were just drawn to.
It it's.
True, yeah if you could change any of YOUR Nba league predictions after the first month in the, books would.
YOU i said very early on that The clippers were. TRASH i think they've won thirteen games. Already they've just been quietly, winning no. Drama it almost is like they don't. EXIST i haven't watched a ton of their games because it's on they're On Super. Late but they had a couple of huge. Pickups they got this Guy Serge ibaka who's really good friends With, Kawhi Leonard Nick, batoom WHO i felt like was basically retired and on his last leg and now he is back. Balling are they? CONTENDERS
i don't. Know wait and, see BUT i THINK i was wrong about them falling, off having one of those like we'll call it hangover seasons after you lose in that fashion that you. Lost So i'm not a big playoff p, fan pandemic p, fan as everyone, Knows so wait and. See but IF i had to say one team that has been a, surprise it would be The, clippers which is crazy because the expectations were already so, high but that's what hate will. Do what do you think about The?
CLIPPERS i think they're.
Good.
Good this isn't like a groundbreaking, thing BUT i think they're. Good we'll see it In May.
June.
Facts that's all the time that we have For This league. Podcast please, Subscribe please, Rate please review On apple and On. Spotify if you have multiple, devices do them on multiple devices On subscribe and. Resubscribe that makes a big. Difference we also have some Of This league hoodies in The barstool. Store thank you for. Listening we will be back On. Friday