Welcome to this league cut rule of twenty four hour NBA news.
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Chris Haynes. It's time, Mark Stein, It's some time. This league and Cut is underway and on fire.
This should be a good one.
Hello again everyone, Mark Stein back with you here with Chris Haynes. We didn't expect to be together again. This soon might be a first in show history. I'm not totally sure about that, because we don't have a precise record book.
We probably need to do that.
We probably need to hire someone who can just keep track of these milestones. But recording two consecutive days, maybe we did it in the in the extreme infancy of this, but we're doing it today even though we just had a podcast out Monday.
It's Tuesday.
I think everybody knows why we are sounding those alarms and had to do this emergency pod. Pretty newsy Monday night in Los Angeles, the Denver Nuggets. They complete a four to oh sweep of the Lakers to secure the first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history. The Nuggets become the last of the four teams from the ABA that made it to the NBA in the merger of seventy six seventy seven, the last of the four to earn a spot in the NBA Finals. Historic night
for the Denver Nuggets. But on the morning after, on this Tuesday, we're all talking about Lebron James. By now, you've seen the quotes out of his press conference after the game. Mister Haynes was there, and that's why we had to get together just by way of refresher in case you haven't seen what Lebron James said. This was Lebron at the podium after the Lakers swept out of the conference finals, the end of Lebron's twentieth season in
the league. Quote, it's not fun to me to not be able to be a part of getting to the finals. But we'll see, we'll see, we'll see what happens going forward. I don't know. I don't know. I've got a lot to think about, to be honest. He said that twice. I've got a lot to think about, to be honest, just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I've got a lot to think about. And with that,
Lebron James left the podium. But fortunately for this league, uncut listeners and if I may please, friends, review rate subscribe to the show if you haven't already. Chris Haynes this League Uncut co host, Enfranchise Player.
He was there.
He tracked Lebron down after the press conference. Chris paint a picture for us, tell us what the scene was like last night after Lebron James went off camera with the most open discussion of retirement he's ever thrown at us.
Obviously, that quote, that comment by Lebron James, it was kind of a drop drop the mic type of a moment. But it was a drop the mic that had a lot of still had a lot of It was a lot of questions that need to be answered. What was he talking about? What did he mean about his future? He has a lot to think about, you know, he leaves that way, and so I started making some calls, and I made some calls to try to see try to get some intail on what he meant by that.
And I was told by those multiple parties that he was indeed considering retiring and that he was unsure if he would be with the team the start of the twenty three to twenty four season. And so, you know, again for something like that, you know people that you trust getting information like that that's something you really have to make sure that this is accurate, like this is this is accurate information. This is huge. Lebron James has
never ever talked about retirement. Never. We've all heard about how he wants to play with his son Briannie when Briannie finally enters the league that has a dream of his. He's never uttered the word retirement. He's never talked about it. He's never each each year that's gone by, he's never said, hey, I'm gonna think he's never said I'm gonna think about my future. And this was all brand new, So I felt comfortable with going with what I had on the
sources front to follow report. Then I was able to reach out to Brin later and he gave me to gave me the quote, and this quote says, I'm simply not sure if I'll be back in the fall when the season begins. I have a lot to think about. So that's that's what he gave me, acknowledging yes, he is considering his future. Is you know retirement is an option. Do I believe he retires? I don't. I don't think so.
But but for him to be at this stage and talking like this definitely alarming, definitely alarming, something did not expect, and I will even say, even hearing his quotes at the podium, I still did not anticipate this type of news coming out of something like that. So again it was something where I got the information again from multiple sources and knowing Lebron, and it was still hard to believe.
And then I was able to get in touch with him later that night after the podium and he confirmed it. So definitely definitely something I did not anticipate at all.
Yeah, because the part I left out of my kind of attempt to set the scene. Lebron gives this long interview nearly fifteen minutes. His twentieth season in the league is over, the season that he passes Kareem Abdul Jabbar as the all time leading scorer. And maybe you stayed up late enough to watch that conference, maybe you didn't.
But then the next thunderbolt.
That really got this story moving was our own Chris Haynes, tweeting at one oh eight Eastern time, breaking colon Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James is unsure if he'll be with the team when the twenty twenty three to twenty four season starts in the fall, and retirement is under consideration. League sources tell the NBA on TNT and bleach your report. I like you, I mean certainly didn't expect him to say these things. And look, these are these are his words.
You know, you have to digest them and respect them. This isn't like whispers from James associates. He's the one saying these things that has to be factored in. But I'm with you, I just I cannot see any way that he actually goes through with retirement. I'm sure he was exhausted and utterly frustrated because look, the Lakers. You know, this whole season's You know how many times we talked about how wide open this season was, or at least
it seemed to so many teams. Maybe it really wasn't as wide open as we kind of forecasted, but it was wide open enough that the Lakers could start two and ten even after the trade deadline they were still
out of the playoff picture. They were able to force their way high enough up the ladder to get in through the play in lane and take out Memphis in round one, take out the defending champs in round two, so I'm sure getting swept in the conference finals was a dagger that you know, had Lebron quite down last night, especially when he rumbles for twenty three points in the first quarter, thirty one in the first half. You know,
he's still just playing too well. He's still way too too good from you know, from my far away seat to imagine that he's really gonna step away.
Let me give you another scene. Stein. So after the game, before Lebron goes to the podium, we're in the locker room. AD is to his left. AD is staring into space. And this is about forty five minutes after the game ended. AD is still in his uniform, sitting down at his locker stall, just staring into space. Every minute or so, he shakes his head and he just says, I can't believe this shit. I can't believe this shit. Lebron James just merges from the shower, sits down at his stall.
He's right next to a d and you know, he asked, Ad, you good. Ad is like, I just can't believe this shit, and Lebron is like, we did what we can do, we do we can do. So I go over to Lebron as he's getting dress and you know, we start talking, I asked him. I said, because I can overhear them talking a little bit. They were talking about the Nuggets, A D and Bron, and it sounded like Lebron has said, like that's the best team we faced since we've been teammates.
And so I went over there and I said, Bron, you said this is the best team you face. And he started to think for like twenty seconds. He said, yeah, top to bottom, it's the best team I faced since I've been a member of the Lakers. He said that they got the depth. He said, they have the pieces around Joker. They fit perfectly. And he said, and what's most important is that they're all smart. He said, that's what we need to get to. They're all smart guys
on that team. And I said, Broun, I said, and Broun, like, I've been around Bron for ten years, right, So losing when he loses or when this season is eliminated, he's in such a foul move like you can feel it, like he is in such a mood like you. Braun is one of those people. And I'm not trying to up big up Broun or anything like I'm just keeping it real. Like Broun is one of those people like when when he steps in the room you feel him
period like he has that or about by himself. But in the locker room he was after the game, he was chill, and I said, Brian, I said, bro, I've been around you when you've lost, and I've seen how you take it, like you pissed at everybody like you like there's a rage that is just so revealing on his face. You could just see it after you know, losses like that. But I didn't see that he was such in a chill mode. I said, I know you still don't like losing, Like what, like, what's this new
vibe you're on? It was like, see when you've been this leave for this loan, he said, you learn how to deal with losses better. He said, but I'm gonna tell you right now, the shit still pisces me off like it did years ago. He said, So don't let this look fool you about my desire to win. I said, enough said then then he walked out and went to the podium and just to let people know a little bit, there wasn't the most the mass media were. They were waiting at the podium. There wasn't a lot of people
in the locker room at the time. They were waiting at the podium to wait for the players to go there, and so I used the opportunity to go hang in the locker room and you know, talk with Bron. I talked with Ad, talk with Tristan Thompson, and just try to get a scene, try to feel, you know, get a sense of what they're going through, kind of feel the vibe, feel the mood out. That was the scene. That was the mood in the locker room before Lebron went to the podium, and then after that when we
got worried of what he's considering. So we both said it. You know, it's hard for us to see him walking away from the game right now, but we have to keep in mind Stein. Remember I told you, I told you on this very podcast months ago about Lebron's foot and how much pain he was dealing with before he had to sit out those weeks. And again, the way it was described to me back then, this was before it was even revealed that he was dealing with a
foot issue. They said he was in so much pain and fighting through it, and we have to keep in mind that Lebron came back early to get back in the fold with the team. Wanted to make sure there was enough time with the new with the trays that were made, wanted to make sure there was enough time for everybody to get on the same page and try to build some continuity to jail. And this offseason is going to be rehabilitation off season for him as it pertains to that foot. I don't know what he's going
to have to go through the summer. I don't know if surgery is an option. I don't know if it's just rest. But he's going to have to take care of that issue. So that's going to be a factor. And if he feels like he can come and give it another go for a twenty first season, how healthy can he be? Again, I've covered Lebron for a decade and for the most part of his career, like you've never dealt with injuries with him, never, never, But these
last couple of years, these injuries have occurred. This is something we're not a customed to seeing with Lebron. So you know, all these are factors right now. How much more can he push his body? How healthy can he get? Is this something. You know, we don't know if this is a lingering ailment that he's going to have to continue with if he does decide to continue playing. So I think we you know, I think the foot issue will be a factor and what he decides to do as well.
Yeah, and it's interesting because I think if you remember, he at some point in the last month or so, or maybe last six weeks or so, he said something the effect of, if I have surgery, I won't even tell you, guys, I'm just gonna have like I'm just going to have a procedure.
So it'll be interesting to see.
If we even kind of get that word. You know, he's he's clearly he has said that the foot will he's going to need an MRI, going to need a full examination determine the severity. Is surgery going to be an issue? But again, I'm I'm I'm going to stick to my position and say there's no way this was the end. And uh, you know, it's hard to stifle the cynic in me on some of these points, because you know, there are other potential motivations for these comments.
I mean, obviously, I'm sure you've heard some of these theories make the rounds today, because you know, I'm certainly not the only one saying it. Did Lebron say this because he wanted to change the narrative? Obviously, a sweep is a dagger. It's a humbling ending to the season for Lebron in ad and instead of talking about the sweep, we're now far more focused on Lebron's future on the day after. Is this a leverage play to try to
exert pressure on the Lakers front office? Because Lebron wants them to go out and try to trade for Kyrie Irving? Does he want them to try to trade for Trey Young? Both of those starry point guards were in the audience Monday night when Denver won Game four and completed this sweep.
Because I reported this over the weekend, and you know, look, all indications that I've received to this point are the offseason focus for the Lakers matching any offer that comes in for their restricted free agents, Austin Reeves and Ruey Hatchamura. Those are the top priorities as we speak. Reeves a clear number one. It's basically been conveyed to me that there is no scenario in which Austin Reeves is not a Laker next season. They are prepared to match whatever
comes in for him. The Lakers can't offer more than fifty one million over four. There are teams out there, you know, are pal Kelly Eco from the Athletic You know he reported that Houston has some designs on Austin Reeves. The Rockets will have the cap space to offer more than that four to fifty one, then the Lakers can offer.
But the Lakers he's restricted free agent.
Even if an offer comes in above fifty one over four, the Lakers can match it. There are certainly cap implications and roster building implications if they do. But the max offer Reeves can get over four years, can go almost all the way up to one hundred million. But the Lakers can match any offer Reeves gets. I think they will. I think they want to keep Rui Hatchamura almost as much as they want to hang on to Reeves. So once those moves are made, what kind of roster flexibility
would the Lakers have to make additional upgrades? Because you have Lonnie Walker, the Fourth, Dennis Shrewder and most notably Di'angelo Russell also free agents to be unrestricted free agents, their free agent futures are far more up in the air than Reeves and Hatchamura.
But it has been positive.
Maybe that's you know, maybe bringing back Reeves and Hatchamura. It's not enough to excite Lebron. Does he want more? Does he want them to try to go after a Kyrie or a Tray or a Draymond Green in some sort of trade?
Does he is that what he really wants here?
And by suggesting that this might be the end, that certainly would ramp up the pressure on the Lakers. And then you know, I mean, I think Lebron does want to be appreciated, and you know, certainly one way, you know, he's exiting the playoffs now, didn't make it back to the finals. But one way to certainly get people talking about you is to suggest that this is the end. So there are a lot of theories already in circulation about why Lebron might have wanted to say these things.
And look, I think the reason there is so much skepticism is because we've been hearing for years now how badly he wants to play with his son, and Bronnie James can't play in the NBA before the twenty four twenty five season.
That's the earliest that he can play.
And you know, I guess we also have to raise the possibility maybe something has changed there. I mean, is you know, is is that no longer the dream scenario? I mean, that would be surprising to me because again Lebron has talked about it so often, how much that dream fuels him. But is it possible that those goalposts have moved? I think I think we have to account for that possibility to.
Again Stean, which I think with Lebron doing this, he's never again. I think that's why this is so such a big story, is he's never talked about retirement. He never has, you know, not after you're seventeen, after you're eighteen, after you're nineteen. And now we're here. And so even if Stein, even if nothing comes about this, even if he does return, now we know it's in the back of his mind. Now we know that this is a possibility.
Like now we have to like we've always known. Obviously, you get the year twenty, you know, like you're on borrow time, we're on borrow time covering this guy. Lebron is on borroll time playing the game of basketball in the NBA. But now to have him actually come out and say it actually is just starting the clock. How long do we have, you know, with this guy in the league. How long is he playing basketball in the NBA?
And that is the part, you know, And it's on the day, well, I guess it's on the day technically maybe now on the same day for you guys in Dallas and in New York, but on the day that one of his good friends announced his retirement earlier that morning, Carmelo Anthony, and which we did. We talked about on our pod yesterday. This is an interesting time, an interesting period. I don't know why Lebron chose to do it, say this now, I have no clue. But you look at
the Lakers roster. They have a lot of work to do this offseason, a lot of work. And you know Lebron's remarks to me about the Denver Nuggets, how they think the pieces fit so right? Smart players. Ad told me they kicked their button all facets of the game and all fastests they were on, all fasts, they were on point. Is it a roster situation? Is it the foot injury? Is it? Is it anything else? Is it a family issue? He said, he has a lot to think about, a lot so we just don't know.
Yeah, and look, maybe that is.
The smartest or safest takeaway from this, that it is a reminder that, yes, you know, he's got a two year contract extension that hasn't even started.
I mean, it's a two year deal worth almost one hundred million.
Year one is next season, and then he has a player option for the following season. And the reason the contract was designed that way in part, was so if lebron wanted to go to free agency after next season and theoretically go.
With Bronnie to.
I don't know, pick a random team the Charlotte Hornets because they drafted Bronnie, that he would have that ability to do that and basically free himself up, free himself up to go anywhere that Bronnie landed.
But maybe maybe the overriding.
Message or takeaway out of all this is just going to be that he really is on a year to year plan now that it really is going to have to be and evaluation every off season of what's next, no matter what the contract says.
This is a new time we're in, you know, in covering this guy. So you know that that's pretty significant. So it's coming. The end is coming. We just don't know. We don't know quite whin yet.
You were in the building, So tell me what did you make of seeing Kyrie and Trey courtside? Not the first time, I think they've both attended Laker games previously.
You know, I don't know what to make out of it. You know, I think I think there's more to be made out of Kyrie being president than Trey Young right now. You know, players, you know they typically I'm gonna tell you a lot of players troll style. A lot of players troll. They want to start some stuff, so they show up, pop up at a team and you know that they know everybody's going to see him sitting courtside, you can't miss him, just to start some you know,
start some rumbling, start some bumbling going on. I think there's more, there's more smoke with Kyrie than Trey Young right now. As of what I've heard, there's nothing brewing with Trey Young and the Hawks, Like there hasn't been any meeting or anything like that to request a trade. There's nothing like that has happened with Trey Young. Nothing. And we know Kyrie Irving is a free agent, so he's going to have some interest from from some teams.
So I think there's more smoke with Kyrie with Lebron. Welcome Kyrie. Yes he would, Yes, he would. He said that on record m It was at some point during the season this past season, so you know that's there. They know how to play well with each other. And you look at the Lakers roster. Look Lebron James, what he did yesterday?
What was it, nine.
Forty ten and nine and he played in every minute of the game at thirty eight years old. They can use a Kyrie Irvan on that team. D'Angelo Russell was a shell of himself in the dast postseason, a shell of himself. I don't think we're gonna see D'Angel Russell back with the Lakers. They can use a point guard who can create his own shot. And again, I think Lebron wants to fade into the role where he's a secondary score, secondary playmaker, and to his credit, a lot
this season he tried to. He tried to do that. He empowered Dennis Schroeder and even Austin Reeves to be more hands on with the ball, be a playmaker, and you would see Lebron just camping out on a corner on the wing a lot. You know, that was his way of trying to establish other guys to try to buy himself some time. And I just think you need the Lakers need to have a true dominant point guard, not even point guard, just the lead guard that can
do a lot of the work. You're not going to put Lebron on for an eighty two game season, and he needs somebody to lean on on the perimeter. And Ad did a really good job staying healthy in the postseason, has some really good games, But they need a lead guard like Kyrie Irving. So I don't think we've heard, matter of fact, we have not heard the last of a Kyrie Irving Los Angeles Lakers connection.
Well, look, you know where I live.
I'm based in Dallas, and this is what we've been talking about here for ages to this point. Basically, six weeks after the Mavericks season ended, without even getting to the players after last season Cinderella trip to the Western Conference Finals, the question in Dallas Daily Hourly has been will a suitor for Kyrie Irving emerged? Because for so long we've been saying we don't see one. That the Mavericks are in pole position to resign him, but has
that changed. We don't have that answer yet, but something tells me we're gonna have it real soon. We're gonna have clarity on whether the Lakers will become a serious trade suitor for Kyrie Irving. And look, I just I do before we before we go, do want to just make sure we give our props to the Denver Nuggets because what they did, the manner they have mowed through these Western Conference playoffs should not be diminished.
Historic season. Denver's been waiting a long time.
Shout out to Calvin Booth, general manager. The Nuggets shut to Booth over there done a phenomenal job.
And Michael Malone does not like it when the world talks about the Lakers after huge Nuggets achievements. But also also, though I think he's just that's more messaging for his team than for us, maybe he is actually secretly happy that we're so focused on parsing every word of what Lebron said at the podium and what he said to
you after, because that means Michael Malone. During this long break before the NBA Finals, the Denver Nuggets do not play again until June first, when they host Game one, presumably against Miami, But you know, Boston as we're taping this still has a flicker of life heading into their game four later Tuesday night.
And that's an overstatement. Flicker.
Yeah, I probably gave him too much credit. It's going to be Denver Miami on June first. Write it down right now, but for the Denver Nuggets eight nine days until they play again. So maybe Michael Malone can use this podcast and every article, every video segment today after the door that Lebron James appeared to open to retirement last night at the podium, maybe Michael Malone can use all this as a further motivational material to keep his
team locked in. But man, they have been absolutely sensational. Jokic and Jimmy Butler have been the MVPs of this playoffs. And by the next time Chris Haynes and I are together for a podcast, will know for sure, for certain that their matchup on the final stage has been locked in. All right, that does hoh again? Hold on, hold on, it's not anything like that. But I got to give a shout out myself style. Look at you so disappointed start like, oh I thought you had up, you said, disupport.
You looked at your phone, so I thought maybe you had. I thought you maybe you had. You had no text that you wanted to hit us all with.
I want to give a shout out to Charlotte Hanks, that's Wifey. We just opened up Charlene's Beauty Supply Store in Elk Grove, California, where we have all your hair product needs, all your grooming needs or the women. We got the wigs, we got the laces, we got the extensions for man. We got that for you too as well, if that's what you need. We got your your beer, grooming products. We got everything everything that you would need to keep your hair looking nice, or we got everything
you need to put some hair on your head. You get all that at Charlene's Beauty Supply. And I want to make this announcement right here, Stein that we will host a live podcast next month at Charlene's Beauty Supply Store and it will feature a star NBA player as our guest live at our store. Stein, I'll be happy to have you. I can't wait to see you, man, because you don't get out often, so that that would be love to see you here.
It might be my first trip to Sacramento. I have to do some more research on this. It might be my first trip to Sacramento since Vladi Devots's jersey retirement, which I think was two thousand and nine. Wow, I will get that confirmed before this happens.
So I'm looking I'm looking forward to seeing you, Stein, and there will be listen so we will. I will give more information on how you can be one of the few live audience that we have, you know, in attendance, and so just stay tuned. We'll promote that. But I'm looking forward to it.
An NBA Star guest, is that what you said?
My quoting correctly, That's what I said, Stein, and I'm gonna say it again. NBA Star guests on This League Uncut podcast live in Elk Grove, Sacramento area at Charlene's Beauty Supply Store and if anybody wants to come check it out, check the store out, please come on about and we'll be happy to have you and to serve all your hair and knees. Stein, you need anything on the dome.
They if they can help this face for radio. I'm I'm eager to find that out too.
That's all i want to say.
All right, everyone, that does it for emergency edition of This League uncut again. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to the show. The next time, Chris and I are with you, NBA Finals talk, and let's face it, the way things are going, there will be lots of NBA off season talk too, because the off season has begun for.
Twenty seven teams in the league now and uh yeah, there's a lot going on, all right. Everybody that does it talk soon.
And that'll do it for us. See you next time. This League Uncutter is an iHeartRadio production Chris Hanes and Mark Stein