Welcome to this League uncut in the rule of twenty four hour NBA News.
This's you'll, Chris Hans.
It's so time, Markstein, It's so time. This league uncut is underway and on fire. This should be a good one.
Hello, dear friends, and welcome in to another edition, the latest edition of this League Uncut. Mark Stein here with Chris Haynes. The NBA season. It's seventy eighth season, drawing ever closer. Chris and I recording this on Tuesday night, so it will drop Wednesday morning, and that basically will have us less than a week out from opening night. The first games on Tuesday, the twenty fourth, the defending champion Nuggets getting their rings before they play the Lakers
in Denver, and then Warriors Suns in the nightcap. No Eastern Conference teams making that opening t n T two games slate. Chris Haynes made it though he'll be there. We believe he has been a signed to cover Suns Warriors and well, first, just you ready? Are you ready? I know you've been running around traveling. I've been running around traveling. Are you ready to get started? Yeah?
I'm ready, I'm I'm I'm probably the most ready. I've been in a very long time to start the season, Like, I'm really excited about this.
And that is why would you say.
Well, I'm looking forward to the to seeing how the end season tournament is going to play out.
That makes one of us, Yeah.
You know, I you know, I'd be remiss if I didn't didn't mentioned Dame going to Milwaukee, seeing how that's going to play out.
Your new hometown, Milwaukee.
I hear it's cold now Stein so's it's the exact opposite of what it was a couple of weeks ago during media Day. So you know, I'm just I'm looking, you know, the West. To me, I think it's wide open. But you know, definitely the Nuggets you still got it. You still got to give them the give them the Favorites title. I don't know how overwhelmingly you want to give them that title, but you know, out of respect, you definitely got to give it to them. And I'm
just I'm looking. I'm just happy. I'm you know what, Honestly, start So the summer, the summertime, during the off season, I was so sick of airports. I didn't really go anywhere during the off season. I stayed home and I have fun. I stayed home. I joined two basketball leagues. You know, I was barbecuing a lot, and it was cool. That's what I wanted. I didn't want to airport. I didn't want to be around the airplane. But the problem with staying home is there's certain people in the house that
you just get tired of. And so that that's adding the extra layer of why I need to get back on the roads.
My old head advice to you is to not name names.
I'm not naming names. I just put it out there. I'll let everybody else kind of guess see what I'm talking about for but all you folks leave, I'll leave it at that. I was going to say too much, but you get where I'm going.
If you're in the I mean you were in the shop.
And that's another thing too. That's another thing. Yes, I was in the shop. Charlote's Beauty supply a lot. But the problem with it's done. It got to a point where I'm getting bossed around in the shop and asked being asked to do a lot, and I'm like, no, no, no, I'm one of the faces. Don't try to boss me around. You know you already try to boss me around at home. You're not bossing me around at the shop. So I say all that to say I'm ready to be back on the road.
I don't know when I will see Sacramento first, but when I do, I'm going to sidle up to Davion Mitchell and ask him if his trip to the beauty shop, like what what that? You know, what kind of tone that set for his summer, his off season workouts, the season ahead? Because that was historic to do the interview. People have no idea the level of equipment failure that happened during that. We pulled him for eighty four percent of it might.
Have been on you man. We pulled, but we still got an episode done.
We got it done. I didn't know. I had no clue what we were doing. Producer Ryan would just pulled his hair out. He was he wasn't there. Everybody was remote. So we got it done. We got it done. But I'm ready, I'm ready.
Let's just let's discuss.
Let's start today with what is not done, because again this is dropping on Wednesday morning. The Philadelphia seventy six Ers play their first game on Thursday, October twenty sixth, so a week and change away for the Sixers opener, and the Sixers opener not an easy assignment. Philadelphia at Milwaukee. Sources say Chris Haynes will be at that game for sure. Lock it in Chris Haynes on the sidelines for Sixers at Bucks. The first regular season game for Giannis Antinacunpo
and Damian Lillard as teammates. But by all accounts, James Harden is still going to be a member of the Sixers by the time that game rolls around. I've consistently been told that there is quote nothing close on the horizon in terms of a hardened trade. This Friday, Philly plays its final exhibition game against Atlanta. That is going to be the last chance the Sixers have to get Harden on the floor in an exhibition game. He showed up to camp a day ish late, and by all accounts,
he's been, you know, pleasant, but not exactly present. They still haven't seen him in an exhibit. They haven't seen him in an exhibition game. They've barely had him on the floor for scrimmaging. And that's a thing with no trade, with no trade apparent on the horizon. Look, I guess things could always change. Something could change drastically in the
next few days. And let's not forget I mean, James Harden himself, you know, was traded from Oklahoma City to Houston right before the start of the season in October twenty twelve. But trades of that magnitude, it's rare that they happen now after camp has begun.
So, I mean, Philly is a.
Team you know, well, I'm sure you're going to be taking pulse checks as soon as you get around these guys. I mean, what do you think the mood going to be like if it's true that no trade materializes and James Harden is in Milwaukee with you.
On October twenty sixth.
Yeah, I mean it's everything is pointing to that happening, where James was going to still be a member of the Sixers by opening night. I can tell you this for sure, James was hoping to be traded. He had no plans to play in any preseason games, and he had no plans of playing another game at all, even with him showing up to camp. So that's what you know, that's the next development. If he's not traded by open the night, which it looks like that's going to be
the case. Is he going to eventually play? Because right now, what the team can do, they can still say, well, he's ramping things up, you know, that's what they're doing, you know, trying to just trying to make this things sound as non toxic as it is. Oh, he's ramping up, He's doing his work. What I can tell you is that, you know, he goes through he goes through his practices with the with the team. He's not really doing anything live, not not really scrimmaging or anything like that, just going
through drills. And then he goes back at night and works out with a bunch of coaches and that's where he gets the bulk of his his workouts in. So he's doing two days for the most part right now with the hopes of being traded expeditiously and being in shape.
So it's like, okay, so if the regular season comes starts, what can they say, Like, it's going to it's gonna get to a point where the Sixers are gonna want him to play, and then James is going to have to decide, Okay, am I going to still just try to you know, milk this situation, try to you know, stay behind the scenes and work out and then if you do that, you're gonna get fine for missing games.
So he has a decision to make because all signs are pointing to him still being a member by the time Opening Night starts.
Yeah, looks he wants to go to the Clippers. He's made that clear, and the Clippers to this point, Rank is the only confirmed bitter in these trade sweepstakes. If we dare to even use that term, you know, the Clippers Terrence man is. They're not putting him in trade offers for James Harden. It's one future first and a pick swap, and Philly wants way more, and the Clippers aren't budging. And to this point, any notion of the Clippers flipping that future first to another team to furnish
Philly with multiple future first that hasn't worked either. So and it's interesting because I think there's the theory there in the world that once the season starts, once we get fifteen to twenty games in, some team out there is going to start poorly and then develop tangible trade interest in James Harden, and I just don't see that.
I think there is a lot of skepticism around the league about you know, from teams, do they think that they could really bring James Harden in and get a productive, plugged in player. I'm not sure that there's going to be multiple teams that fall into that category. So right now it's the Clippers and we'll see if anybody else materializes. But I mean, I think you said it. Philly is hoping that James Harden is going to come to the point where he says, I've got to play to build
up some trade value. But we haven't seen ranting and raving and trouble making as was suggested in some corners. But we also haven't seen Harden looking very eager to get back to get back on the floor with the Philadelphia seventy sectioners. And when you talk about all this stuff, of course, it always leads back to Joel Embiid and how is he going to take it if Harden doesn't play. Can Philly be a good enough team with the team they've got. It's been a very messy, bumpy preseason ride,
already a lot on the plate of new coach Nick Nurse. Yeah, Philly I think is one of those teams that we're going to be talking about and looking at with a microscope all season. And as for you, as I mentioned, you're going to be in Milwaukee for that Sixers at Bucks opener, and sources also tell me that you did make it to LA for Bucks at Lakers, and the first game, the first exhibition game that Damian Lillard and Giannis Antitokumpo played together, a lot of eyebrows raised at
how dangerous they already look. And you know, they're both sounding so excited to be together in this pick and roll and just the space that they're creating for each other already when they're still very early in this relationship and are still building chemistry. But I mean, I think both Giannis and Dame have said it just that they can't believe how great it is to play with someone else on their level, someone else that good. But enough of me blabbing. You tell me what you saw and herd in La.
Now, the pick and roll combination looks lethal and they're just getting started. You know, he's still feeling his way within the offense. I'm not it's not even feeling his way within the offense because the offense is the same offense they were running in Portland. Member Terry Stotts, who is his coach for nine years in Portland. He's the assistant coach. He's running the offense, so everything is familiar. And Dame even said like he's having to teach guys
in practice about where to be at. You know, this is a new team, but this is his offense, so he's kind of mentoring guys, you know, on where they need to be with the spots, the need that they're supposed to be at, where to cut, where to move. With that being said, you know, they played again tonight, so as we record this, this is what it was Tuesday night and they played Oka. See Dame was two
four eleven, I believe. And what I'm seeing from him is him trying to fill out his teammates, like him trying to fit in, get guys involved, and you know, he's not being himself right now, and that's gonna come. One thing I know that Yanna's told Dame. He told me, we want you to be yourself. He told me that be yourself. Go in there and do you so that the ball going in the hole. That's gonna eventually come.
But you know, when you look at the the fact that Chris Milton has yet to step on the court, with them, like that's another lethal weapon they're gonna have. Man. And I spoke with Chris Milton last week and he told me that he expects him, Giannis, and Dame to have career years, all three of them, and so the sky's the limit over there. But it's gonna it's still gonna take some time, and gonna take some time from
Dame to fill out everybody. But nah, he stied. I went to the game in La and I went to see my I's something at my cousin in Stance, Patrielspringer, which is Mariah's dad, So I give him a hug, dap him up. We're chopping up, catching up, and right behind him is a group of people wearing all this green. I'm like, who is this? Like, what are these people calling my name? Where in all this green is calling my name? It was Dame's mom, his sister, his ainty. And I told him, I said, I'm sorry, I didn't
mean to like ignore y'all. It's just gonna take some time to get used to all of y'all were in is green. You know, I'm not used to seeing them like that, you know what I mean. So it's a cool experience. His whole. I would say he probably had about thirty family members there at the game in LA. So everybody's excited. Man, they're on board, and uh they you know, everybody's looking forward to seeing what could be.
You know, you brought up Terry Stotts, and maybe when you work that game, you can do me a favor because I'm sure TNT travels with some sort of research operation. And when I think about the things that I miss from my ESPN days, it's.
Really not a long list. I'm gonna be candid with.
You, but what I definitely do miss having that research team behind you, because like ESPN research was just fantastic, constantly furnishing me with all these little nerdy nuggets that you know I love. And you know this might only interest me, but I am fascinated by the Bucks coaching staff because Terry Stotts is a former Bucks head coach. Joe Prunty was also the Bucks former head coach on an interim basis. Adrien Griffin obviously the new coach in Milwaukee.
I haven't been able to look there's I don't know how to look this up. This is not the kind of stuff that Elias keeps to my knowledge, I have not been able to find the research arm that can really tell us if this is.
History or not.
But I cannot remember a time that an NBA team had two of its former head coaches on the bench as assistant. So do me a favor, please, if there's if there's some sort of traveling research representative with you when when you do that game for TNT, maybe throw it at them. I would love to know if that's ever happened before, because, like I said, I can't think of the example.
You might you might give me something to uh, you might give me a little nugget to plug during the game.
Yeah, and you can even say this was brought up by my has been podcast partner Mark Stein.
Yeah, that'd be a perfect time to bring up bring up our podcast. You know what. I'll plugged our podcast doing the broadcast a time or two. I don't know if you know this.
Yeah, I remember Spirodida said something once.
Yeah, okay, who's doing them?
And you know, Stan Stan would probably give us a shout out.
He'd probably give you a shout out.
Stan is Stan is working. Actually I'm working with Stan for the Warrior Sons game on the twenty fourth and I'm working with Stan on Thursdays sixers bucks.
Let me ask you a much more pressing question. Do you like the nick everybody's raving about this nickname freak Time, that this is some amazing thing. Jannie and Dame are freak Time, and like.
Yeah, can I just say that I don't love it. I may like it, I haven't asked them I like, I like. Hmmm.
The reason I don't like it, the reason I don't like it is because I mean Dame Time. Without daming it, it just doesn't have it.
I mean, it doesn't.
I mean, I get it. You know, I'm not stupid. I know, I mean freak Time. Hey, it's easy, it's you know.
I mean, but.
Dang, hold on. Just let you know. I'm on my pod right now. I just had one question for you real quick. We're talking about the nickname between you and honest when it gets late in the game, freak Time. So we're asking do you like that? Do you like that name? We got a couple of something else. I'm not invested in that at all. Everybody's doing talking.
I'm just trying to.
Play, all right. That's all. That's all that everybody else, that's that's all I need that one. I want to know. That's it, all right, bro Oh, I don't think he likes the stuff.
With some kind of flex.
I don't think he likes it.
Now, I gotta call somebody, who can I call?
I don't think he likes this stuff, man, Yeah, I mean.
It's just Dame Dame time. Dame Time was like, is an iconic thing, and now if his name's not in it, for me, it just doesn't work. But people seem to think it's awesome.
I don't know if it's awesome. But I was rolling with it. I was like, Okay, that could be a thing. You know, that could be a thing. I don't Yeah, I don't know if he's uh, if he was feeling it, he would have said it. He's like, I like it. I don't think he's feeling it. You know, he's trying to figure out you know, he's trying to figure out this new role and everything. So, you know what he said, he has more pressing things.
Producer Ryan is just Producer Ryan is just in awe of that flex you just threw down. All right, Well, my Week one travels will not be as glamorous as yours.
I'm staying in state.
But look next Wednesday night in the Alamo City, Victor Webbin Yama's regular season NBA debut the Spurs playing host to the Mavericks Luka Doncic suffered the calf strain on the MAVs trip to Spain. The MAVs have officially ruled him out of their final exhibition game Friday against Detroit, but I've been told there's optimism about Doncic coming back and playing in time for the regular season opener. And look, I'm going because I have to see it for myself.
I have to see the Victor Webb Yama show in person, from the first official dribble, the highlights the games he's played in so far, and what he's doing absolutely ridiculous.
I actually was.
Chatting with Dirk and said, hey, did you catch did you catch Wemby against Miami?
And his quote back to me was running.
A step up pick and roll to a crossover between the legs to a step back at his size, stop it. That was what Dirk said. And again, Dirk seven foot Wemby, I'm going with seven five. I know they say seven four seven three. I mean, did you see that picture of him standing next to your colleague Reggie Miller, who is six six six seven, and Reggie Miller looked about as tall as me in that picture.
I mean the guy let's let's not. Let's not overlook what you just did. You just did a mighty flex right there. You just told us what a Hall of Famer thought, what he texts you personally about. When beyond that is that is the all mighty flecks, that is all one of the greatest players of all time.
He is he is until until until I can call him and get him to just answer a question live and then hang up.
Well, I'm saying, whatever he's he's probably sleep wherever he's at. He's not even he's probably off the country.
Not even Dame, Am I is it David? You having dinner? Am I interrupting you? So?
Like, hey man, I got to ask you something for our podcast.
Yeah, tho, I don't know if he've left Arena yet. Oh that's right.
They were, That's right, they were playing. That probably enhanced the chances of him answering. So look, here's my You know, if you would have asked me a week ago or ten days ago, Victor weh Minyama would not be my Rookie of the Year favorite has scooted probably yeah, because I was thinking, Okay, Portland has given Scoot the team. I mean, they've traded Dame Lillard and it's like, here, this is your team now. And then Chet has looked
so good in Oklahoma City. And not just that, Chet Holmgren is surrounded by so much established talent already that should theoretically enhance his chances of being able to play well and have an impact and hit the ground running. But all that's out the window now. Victor Wenmnyama will be the Rookie of the Year. He is the clear favorite. I don't want to hear anything else. I am sold based on the two doses of exhibition games that we've seen,
this guy looks ridiculous. And to me, the only way you would say that he's not winning Rookie of the Year it's because he didn't play the sixty five games he has to play to win the award. And as Dirk Navitch, you would say, stop it. If you're saying, if you're saying Victor wemin Yama is not going to be Rookie of the Year for any other reason, just stop it. So this is where I give you the floor to refute that if you want to. I mean, maybe maybe you're going with Scoot.
No I was. I was going with school because again, yes, they were giving him the keys to run the team, and I thought it would take a year for win. Beyam Look, I mean he hasn't played against really any starters. But still what you've seen him do? God Lee, I've never stin. He reminds me. I'm just watching them play, man, Like I remember when I'm going I'm dating see now I'm dating myself. Back when NBA Live was the marquee
video game. This is in the NBA Live will probably late nineties, the early two thousands, I believe, before NBA two K took over. But NBA Live they I forgot what year it was, but it was a year late nineties when they started allowing you to create a player. And this feature was so cool. Now it's nothing. You know, everybody every game you could create a player, but now you can create your own player. However, it was a certain height that you could could you could reach. You
couldn't go too tall. I think I think you probably could have got your player to seven four or seven five or something like that. But I remember I would create a player like that seven five, and he would be a shooting guard, and he would just look ridiculously big and long on the court. It just looked crazy like it wasn't real because it wasn't real. It's created. It's a made up guy. Women looks like a created
video game guy. That's exactly what he looks like. I'm watching him on the court, and it's not like he's just hanging out in the paint, you know, like he's Minuke Bowl or something like that. This guy is all around the perimeter, dribbling the ball between his legs, step back side step. Never see anything like it, never, And I know too often we may use that phrase like we've never seen anything like it before. We've never seen anything like this before. This is true in the case
of Victor Women. And I'm with you. I have transferred all of my uh. I transfer everything that I had in Scoop, all the confidence I had in school winning the Rookie of the Year, I transferred over to VIC. And I agree with you. The only thing that would probably keep him from winning it is an injury that will keep him from, you know, reaching that sixty five game. Mark, But nah, he the real deal definitely, or if.
The Spurs are gonna you know, load manage him, which will be very interesting to see if he gets to sixty five games, because you you know that they are bound to be cautious with him, as cautious with him as any team that could have drafted him.
So I do think that's a factor.
What what what are they going to describe it? You can't you can't put you can't put it out as load management. What are you saying they're gonna fake an injury? What are you alluding to? Stein? You can't do that anymore? The NBA is they're serious about this? Now, how are they going to do that? Stein?
Look, if they want him playing sixty games instead of sixty five, they will find a way whatever these new whatever these new rules are. But like I said, I I cannot wait to get to San Antonio for Opening Night and it's gonna be a packed house. I want to see how how eager or annoyed Pop will be for his pre game address?
Have you looked?
You?
Do you know when your first San Antonio game is? When will you get a chance to Actually.
I don't, I don't have one on the schedule. I have my schedule through through the end of January. No San Antonio as a yet.
A lot of Milwaukee, though, a lot of Milwaukee.
Actually I had no, I didn't have any Milwaukee games, and this this this opening was just at it on my schedule a week and a half ago, So things could change. You know, the the you know how they can flex me out, They flex games, they can flex me out, so you know, it's fluid. The end season tournament, you know, we don't know who's going to match up there. You know I'm doing I'm doing a few in season tournament games as well, so maybe I'll catch them then.
Man, am I going to be quizzing you when that happens. I'm gonna be putting you on the hot seat, asking twenty five questions tell me everything.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing how that is going to work. Are you a fan of it or you don't know yet?
Do you really have to ask?
Okay? Yeah, well, I know you're you're, you're you. It's following a European model, so I'm pretty sure.
That that that's the propaganda.
It's not following a European model.
But you know what, actually I think people are more. I think I'm in the minority now. I think people are open minded about it. I think people really are rooting for it to go well. So I'm quite sure that they will love to.
Throw it into my face and shut me.
Up if it turns out to be a success. But uh, yes, you can say that I am. I'm a leading skeptic of the Ncason Tournament because you know, to me, it's not a tournament till we get to Vegas for the seventies. These all the games you know, through the through the quarters are our regular season games that just that, just have two forms of packaging. But let's see, there's no harm in trying something. Let's see, let's see what happens.
Let's see what happens with something new. All right, that is going to do it for this edition of this league, uncut, Chris and I do plan to be with you at least one more time before the regular season officially starts, and in that next show I will be able to reveal well, I think now that I think about it, will it be before Friday night or after Friday night.
We'll have to see. I'm not totally sure yet.
When that other episode, this week will take place because Friday night, the Detroit Pistons come to Dallas. It will be the mavericks last exhibition game, and it gives me a chance. Maybe I have not decided yet. I haven't decided. Should I approach Piston's rookie Asar Thompson, highly rated, highly
touted rookie Asar Thompson. Should I ask him if he and his brother Alman Thompson, Are they aware of the Thompson twins from the nineteen eighties that you were so quick to disparage in our last podcast, even though history will show they had two top ten hits in their vaunted career as a nineteen eighties brit pop powerhouse band.
But yes, and I had to inform you that our good friend, our great listener, Jinny and San Francisco, y'all, y'all definitely go check her out, go on her ig. It is blonde Asian eighty four. She has one of the best bakeries in San Francisco. I've tried her stuff, but she couldn't believe you threw that out to that young kid like that. She couldn't believe you. Throughout Thompson, I had no clue. Producer Ryan has no clue who the Thompson Twins were in the eighties. And he's ten
years younger than me. And now you're going to ask this nineteen year old kid when he comes to town in the next couple of days. Stein You know, first I was saying, don't do it, but you know what, forget it, do it. Let me ask you this, Let me ask you.
Let me ask you this hypothetical before we go. If there was a world famous Chris Haynes before you, from any era in history, don't you think you would have at least heard of them? I mean, they must have been called the Thompson Twins their whole life. And you don't think somebody along the way said, hey, did you know that there used to be a famous man in the eighties called the Thompson Twins. So again, I'm going to hold on, hold on, I'm gonna to ask I'm
gonna take the question. If there was a famous Chris Haynes in nineteen sixty five, you don't think you would have heard of it?
Somehow famous, sir? Okay, if there was.
A famous if there was a famous Ryan Music in nineteen eighty three, do you think produce Ryan would have heard of it somehow I would have that.
Yes, Okay, let's let's let's let's break down famous. There are people who had a run. They had a good, solid run. But famous to me is somebody you that ten thirty years later, that name is still famous, the Thompson Twins. No, I haven't. I haven't heard no the Thompson And I know many Thompson's. I grew up with a lot of Thompson's people, let with the last name Thompson. I even know some I even know to Thompson Twins
growing up. I could guarantee never in their life, where there, ever where they were those Thompson Twins that I know, or they ever ask.
Let's let's do let's do it do a fame.
Let's let's let's do a test the next time, the next time you cover a Laker game. Uh, I would like you to please approach Mike Thompson, father of Clay Thompson and also an NBA champion from the eighties, ask him, Hey, can you believe a podcast in Stein brought up the Thompson Twins And I just I'm just curious. Maybe maybe
I am way off, Maybe I am a dinosaur. Maybe I'm the only person in the history of the NBA who would dare ask today's Thompson Twins if they heard of the Thompson Twins from the eighties.
But I don't think so.
I don't think it was that outlandish of a question to raise.
Well, if you don't think so, then asks ask the twin when it comes to town, ask them. Polo from my homegirl, Jenny, one of the finest bakeries in San Francisco's bear Let me give you her business plug. I gave her. I gave her personal IG plug. Her business plug is Buttercup Baking. That's on IG Buttercup Baking, So go check her out. She's a big fan of Stein.
I don't think so, not anymore, not after after the last show. But yes, next time we get together, I will reveal if I had the gumption to approach young Nasar Thompson to ask him this very pivotal question that we threw at his former overtime elite colleague Tyler Smith.
And poor Tyler Smith, he just didn't know why I was.
Even asking something that happened and yeah, that was.
That was that was that was poor form on my part.
Let's see let's.
All right.
That will do it for this edition of This League Uncut. Haynes and Stein will be back with you again soon, and yes, count it down.
The NBA regular season is almost here.
And that'll do it for us. See you next time. This League uncut it and iHeartRadio production at Christine did Mark Stime