You're tuned into Heat Check with Triste Quick.
On this episode of the Heat Check, I'm back from Sacramento, baby, and I've got a first hand report on the Kings and the Lakers, and goddamn it, I didn't get to warm up on that beam.
No beam for me.
But what I got was a massive once in a generation storm that just cleared out three hundred thousand homes worth of power, put one hundred year old trees on roofs right next to my Airbnb. So I saw some shit that was historic. I had get into some drama surrounding Lebron. We move forward and we talk about John Collins, who has been just circulating in trade rumors since pre pandemic. Honestly, like he's had it. He's had it with the trade rumors.
There's now trouble brewing in Brooklyn now that Kevin Durant has gone down with an mcl sprain, and oh my god, what is happening in Chicago with Zach Lavine and Billy Donovan because no one's seems to know the path forward.
And of course we talk about what NBA player said he wanted to beat Skip Bayless's ass. Lot to talk about Nick so drop that generic beat.
So I had the pleasure the honor of going out to Sacramento for the very first time. I had never been there in my life, let alone seen a King's Game.
Let alone been to the new.
Golden One Arena, let alone enjoy the presence of Casey and Dill, Kenny Carroway, Damian Barling, who are the absolute best.
But that King's Game was some bullshit. Let's be honest, Like.
Kings Lakers, let's just before we get into it. The pageantry. It was I think their eighth or ninth consecutive sellout. The fan base was rocking. We got there, we went to dinner right across the way. The way that it's actually set up is really cool. So they've got this Kimpton hotel called the Sawyer right across from the arena, and all the players stay there and it's like you can tunnel in so you don't even have to leave.
And I tell you what, when you know and you're a woman and you know where the players are staying one thousand percent, the lobby was wild, like even pregame before the team buses showed up. I mean, there were girls basically naked out there in the lobby of the hotel, just sitting there and just milling about.
It's like, oh, I know what you're doing.
You're trying to catch a lebron You're trying to catch a shrewder like you're waiting.
They had so much.
This was like three point thirty four PM, right game starts at seven. They're like, nope, I'm not waiting for after at the after show. I'm gonna try to get them when they're in their pregame warm up and warm them up on my beam. And they were this amount of makeup that the women had on. It was crazy. Anyway, it's like maybe like maybe one hundred yards from the entrance of the arena, which is fucking awesome.
And they have these Kings residences too.
So there's like this frosty glass door and it's like King's Residences. Apparently Demona Simonis stayed there for the entire duration of the season and he got traded there like a awesome condos, just very pimp shit, and so that was awesome. So we went to dinner quote unquote, it was like the it was like the Grandma Special. We ate at four because the game started at seven, so we went and got steak at this place inside the
Sawyer Hotel called Echo and rig awesome steaks. They had like nine different steaks to choose from, all.
Grass fed, really great. Chopped it up with Kyle and Kenny and Damien.
Then we went into the arena, met up with all the you know, big jay journalists like James ham and and we got to meet I got to meet Deuce and Mo who I've been on their podcast before.
They're awesome, give them a follow.
It was just one big, one big reunion of people who have never met each other, they had met each other. I got to see Phil Handy. He gave me a big hug. That was a whole thing.
It was awesome. Got to be on the court.
And then because we were just like ten deep of journalists like, oh.
No, I love you, Oh no, I love you. Oh no, I'm a big fan of your stuff. Oh my god, we gotta get together. Oh where'd you go at sacramto the security of the team. By the way, these are.
King's journalists who have been there every single game so far. They're like, hey, you guys can't be here. You're too much right now, this is too much. There's professional photogs taking pictures of us. We've got like fans coming up. It was a thing, right, it was a thing. And and Damien and Kenny were like, we do this every game, like whatever's happening with you?
They're not, they don't want this. We go through the tunnel, they're.
Hardcore checking our credentials now, which, by the way, my credential, which was made out of paper, ripped off my wrist, so I had to just like show it like a badge, and they're like, just make sure you see it. So we all hung out in the media room, did our thing, go up to the media area, which is a great, incredible view. They were kind, they're kind of spoiled. They want to be down on the floor. But I've been
in Staples before. They put you in the like six hundreds, you know, they like put you in the noseblazes, so really cool stuff. But in terms of the game, probably one of the better games of the season. I would say, back and forth and back and forth again. Final score one thirty six, one thirty four, so no defense was being played at all. Daron Fox is amazing, Like he's one of those players that you see up close and personal where you totally understand why he's better than you
think he is on TV. In the fourth quarter, I don't know what he had in the fourth quarter. I want to say it had to been twelve.
It was nuts.
It was at absolutely nuts, and he just couldn't miss. And the King's got into this huge deficit. We're starting to freak out because we're out by the concourse and by the NBC Sports Bay Area little booth meeting fans. We look up and they're down like nine, or like down twelve. Kenny's like, they'll cut it. Lebron's on the bench in the fourth quarter, They'll cut it to two and we'll see what happens. And I tell you what, Fox just took over.
Insane.
Also, we've got to give love to my man Demonisa Bonis. He had a horrible, horrible night and Sabonis had what did he had? He had twenty five twelve and seven and he had one rebound in the first quarter. He was largely garbage in the first quarter. He got fouled out early and he still had twenty five twelve and seven.
That's insane. He's so good. Thomas Bryant, though, this team, this King's team, needs a backup five. This is the most Kings Talk will probably do in this detail.
But I was there. So they need a backup five, right, they need one. They found one. His name's Thomas Bryant. He plays for the Lakers. He gave them twenty nine and fourteen. He was making he was making Sabonis.
Look like a like a wet tissue paper.
He was so movable, demonic. Sabonis is known for being so strong. So you know, like Steven Adams light and Thomas Bryant, Thomas Bryant. Can we just say Thomas Bryant put up twenty nine and fourteen.
He's not that good. He's fine player.
He had the second most points of his career that night, so he was a beast. Dennis Shrewder, the one who turned down eighty four million dollars from the Lakers, now is back on a veteran minimum. He had twenty seven, four and two. He had four threes, four for five from three, eight for eleven shooting. His drive is pretty much what sealed the game for them because Darren fox hip checked them.
They called him for a foul.
There's only two seconds left, and now, what what do you figure they're gonna do like, there's tie the tie game, Dennis Shooter now goes to the free throw line, but they call a challenge. They don't have any more timeouts now, and so Dennis Shooter hits both free throws. You're down two, You've got two seconds, no timeouts to advance the ball. I think they moved it actually up to three point
six seconds. Daron Fox actually gets slapped on the arm while he's shooting from three after that hip check foul.
No call on Russell Westbrook, just absolutely insane.
And then of course Mike Brown after the game is like Barry and Keegan Murray because he had zero rebounds. So that's like what he came there for. It's a mess like the Kings right now. Don't let the national media foolia like me. The in Sacramento, they.
Are quietly worried. They are quietly feeling like the only.
Reason that we are still here is because the Clippers are on a slump six game, five game losing streak. The Warriors are on this little baby slump, and the Suns are on a massive six game slump. In terms of Golden One, I think it's a top three arena in the league. It's so insane. It's so amazing. You walk in the front entrance. I love stadium reviews. You walk in the front entrance and you immediately see the court.
It's in like think about that. You immediately walk in and you're like, oh, yeah, basketball is being played here. There's no walls or cylinders that keep you from seeing. Oh there's well, there's not banners, but you know what I'm saying. There's not banners, but where banners would be, you can see that. You can see the raptors where the banners will be. You can see like the dip into the bowl of the arena. You walk in and
it's very much like indoor outdoor vibes. There's windows that they open up in the middle of the spring so that like little birds can fly through. I guess sunshine, wind, noise, who knows, just fresh air. There's a bar up top that functions as a standing room only section so that you can watch the game while you're at the bar.
Just a total meat market. It's I think it's Sierra Nevada.
Draft house spelled like drought house, you know, but that's how you spell draft I guess anyway, awesome. Lebron James amazing in that game, just insane. But at the end of the day, no beam for me, lots of trees down, lots of power out. Went to Little Speakeasy something after the game, hung out, got back to my Airbnb. No power, no heat, no power, no phone charging ability, nothing.
So it was eventful, very eventful.
Met some guys, one guy named Travis the Terror at a bar.
It was awesome.
I recommend going to Sacramento. That's enough Sacramento talk. Let's talk about Lebron James. Lot of rumors surrounding Lebron James, tons of them. We got to get to the bottom of what's real, because it was. It was awesome seeing Lebron James as Laker. That was my very first time seeing him in.
Purple and gold.
He's probably better than I've seen him in a long time, going to the rack, not settling for jumpers, impossible to stop just to freight train. I mean, he's been doing this too. I think he's probably better now than he is in his rookie season.
That's crazy. He's better now than he was in his rookie season. So just before the.
Game again Sacramento, Lebron was interviewed in an article in The Athletic. They claimed he was growing impatient with the lakers lack of action in the trade market, in the trade front, so he ends this interview. It's a full back and forth where he's playing cat and mouse with one of the Athletic reporters who will not be named, and.
In the back and forth he ends the interview.
Lebron James ends the interview and says, y'all know what the fuck should be happening. I don't need to talk to you because they're trying to prod them. Hey, do you wish they would do more? Do you wish they would do more? And he's like, listen, it's not my job to make them do more. And they're like, well, but you're you're playing so well, Like what do you think You're sort of still in your prime your championship window. And he's like, dude, just get off me, get off me.
In at the end of the interview, he says, y'all know what the fuck they need to do, Like, just get I don't need to talk to you. So then they published the article, and in response to the article, because the headline was like Lebron's patience is waning, he says, actually, my patients, he quote tweets the article, by the way, I think by the reporter. He quote tweets the reporter,
which is always a great sign. I think there's six thousand quote tweets, and he goes, actually, my patients isn't waning. You make it sound like I'm frustrated when I'm really not. I told you over and over my job is focused on the guys in the locker room. My job isn't on the roster. That's the reality of that conversation. And I said what I said with the utmost respect and calmness, because that's the mood I'm in. You're welcome, five game
winning streak, smiley face, laughing emoji, wink emoji. Case closed. Right, that's the case closed. It's over, no drama. Lebron wants to stay in LA and everything's fine. He's happy with the lack of action. Nothing's happening, No one's going to trade for him, nothing. Right, this is the end of the segment.
Well, it's not this league without this league.
Right, you don't know the NBA If you don't think that GMS didn't see that article and say, let's just make a Callie call. Let's just ring ring, just do a little phone conversation, because the rumors today were full of gms.
Preparing for a Lebron trade.
According to Seandavaney at heavy dot Com, multiple teams are preparing for exactly that a Lebron trade. Let's break down this rumor. Devaney wrote, the notion of any team for enough to employ Lebron James in a trade sounds ludicrous, But if circumstances around James's current team, the Lakers continue on their current path, that could be the next step
for James. According to executives around the league, multiple teams multiple teams are preparing for the possibility that James will seek to force a trade this summer, as he, having just turned thirty eight, looks to finish his career in a winning environment. And unlike this past offseason in which teams were blindsided by the trade demand lodge by star Ford Kevin Durant on the eve of free agency, front offices around the NBA will be prepared for James's potential move.
Everyone was stunned when Kevin Durant asked for a trade. They couldn't even make it happen. They weren't in preparation mode. They didn't know Star was going to be available, so they didn't have assets or cap space or anything. They're like, fuck, I didn't know Kevin Durant could be available your Phoenix, and you're like, damn short of Devin Booker, we can't do shit. No, no, that's not gonna happen this time. And you know what, I hate to say, I saw
it coming, but I did. The second this Westbrook trade went sideways, Lebron was either going to never make the playoffs ever again, that team would need a complete restart and he would be in hell in the most beautiful weather environment possible, or he'd be like, let me get the fuck out of here, let me get the hell out of Dodge, because there's just no way he could spend the rest of his career in like the goal being the play in tournament. His goal now is to
play in tournament. That's where it is. That's just the facts, and the problem, of course, is that's Rob Plink's fault.
The Lakers have no more aces in the hole.
They have two first round picks that they are refusing to trade, and fair enough, because it's probably not gonna take him over the hump right, They're not gonna be a tender If they do that. Now, they're just even more fucked for the next year. It's kind of a no win.
Situation, a hole that they've dug themselves into.
And at this point you might not even be able to get Buddy Heald and Miles Turner anymore for the two first round picks that it was going to require, because Buddy hild is playing awesome, Miles Turner is playing awesome. An executive for the Eastern Conference Contender says this that is the most likely thing if he wants to end on a good note. The most likely scenario is to go back to Cleveland one last time.
I'm coming home. I'm coming home.
It is a good team, you can win, and it's where it all started. No one's gonna hate him for going to Cleveland again. The trick is that is getting the numbers to match up.
If you could do something with Kevin Love's contract, that could be key. Pause what that is.
Well, I think last year during the All Star break, he started to put the breadcrumbs out in the ether about how much he appreciates Kobe Autman, how much he loves what JB.
Bickerstaff is doing.
But so much of this obviously is impacted by where Lebron James Junior lands Bronnie, and I doubt that Bronni wants to be spending the beginning of his.
Career in Cleveland.
Ask Lebron Senor how Cleveland is when you're single, young, rich. It's not great. It's not great destination. Truthfully, there is another option out there. According to a Western Conference exec, if there's a bidding war going on at some point, this is where it gets really interesting for very important team, our team.
There's a bidding war going on at some point.
The Warriors are in a great position because they can give you the young guys, Wiseman coaminga moody Pat Baldwin. I can't believe Pat Ball wants thrown in there whoever the Lakers want. But you have to either add Jordan Poole Andrew Wiggins. And that's not easy. Pause, Yes it is, Yes, it is.
For our dubs. I'll give everybody.
I'll give Pool, I'll give Wiggeds, I'll give Wiseman. You could have them all, you can have them all. We'll take Lebron for our dubs. Get another chip, you know, what I mean, just continue the dominance. But if they want to win now, you can give up pool. If you're getting back Lebron, he says. If they keep Draymond and come back with Steph, Clay, Draymond and Lebron, that would be a fun, fun team to watch. There would not be a possibility that average people could afford tickets to go.
To those games.
No one would be I mean, they would be sold out months in advance. The Nosebleeds would be like six hundred dollars court side, like Taylor Swift concert tickets. He's like thirty k a ticket for a courtside show of Steph Stephan Braun, even for one year. Oh my god, I don't think the Warriors could pull the trigger fast enough.
If Stephan Braun.
And it's fitting because they've been basically warring this whole time, right the first ten years of Lebron's career, twelve years or whatever it was. He just threw subtle shade shots at Staph. Steph kind of went back and forth. It was all very low key, nothing above the ground, but you knew there was like this little mini rivalry. If they come together, they will be in spot. It's like I don't even know, I don't have words for it. This team would break every attendance record in every arena,
every single game. It would be like Kobe and MJ or Bird and Magic playing on the same fucking team in their prime years. It would transcend a superteam. It would be super super team. And somehow, now, if you add Brownie James in the mix, maybe you keep Lebron there for well past this prime. It doesn't matter if Joe lacob is paying five hundred million dollars with the luxury tax, our dubs still swimming in money. You raise the prices, you raise the popcorn, you raise the drinks,
you raise the parking, you raise everything. Everything changes. Championships En Sue Katie was the story last offseason.
Is Lebron gonna be the story this off season? If so, I cannot wish