Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of twenty four hour NBA.
News misters, you'll Chris Haines.
It's so time, Mark Stein, It's so time. This League Uncut is underway and on fire. This should be a good one.
Everyone, Welcome in to a somewhat international edition of This League Uncut podcast. Mark Stein. Here, I am in far away Madrid making my way back to the United States after spending four days in Spain with the weary and battered Dallas Mavericks. Dallas has made its way back home. I am a little bit behind them, but I will soon soon be back on us Chris Haynes joining me.
He also was on the road this week his TNT debut, shaking the rust off with a preseason game two heavyweights in the desert, the reigning champions from Denver in Phoenix against the super team that has been assembled to try to dethrone the Denver Nuggets. Of course, we didn't get to see the Superstars in action because Phoenix didn't play them,
but Chris Haynes was on the scene anyway. Had an interview with Bradley Beal I saw on Twitter or x or whatever the hell we call it Now, Chris Haynes, how did how did your first TV assignment of the season treat you?
It was cool, a little rusty, but you know, that's what the preseason is for.
Uh new suit though, I think new suit though, I think right.
No, no, no, I haven't No, I haven't put out a new suit yet. That is that suit? Actually, that that blazer that I wore. That's the first ever blazer, that suit that I've worn on a on a TNT assignment. It was when I backed in So this three years ago, first assignment ever. Lakers spurs and uh jacket yep, Greg Popovia jacket right there. So I don't think I've worn it since then, But yeah, I mean it was a good time. You know. Phoenix, the great weather, great great weather.
The only problem with Phoenix is like, you know, the weather was cool, but the weather is still for me, it's still not cool enough where I can just walk a half a mile. The problem with Phoenix is there's no trees, so when you're walking, you're just exposed. The sun is hitting you like you can't hide from the sun in Phoenix. And Dwayne Rakins, the the longtime beat rider for the Suns over there really good guy. I
just tell him all the time. Man, He's always posted and early in the morning, five six in the morning, just posting on Instagram of him drenched in sweat talking about I just ran two three four miles. I'm like, who in the hell is running two three four miles in the desert. It's Dwayne, I tell him, Man, you give me anxiety every time I see that post man. But Phoenix was cool. I was glad to be back on the road. Man. Yeah.
I mean, look, you saw two of the what four or five most important teams in the league this coming season, or maybe important is a poor adjective choice, but of the two of the five or six teams that will be talking about the most, presumably because Phoenix has assembled so much star power, with Bradley Beal brought in to join Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and Denver as the reigning champs, first title in the Nuggets NBA history, and Nikola Jokic returns as Finals MVP after losing out on
the regular season MVP. To Joe l Embiid, I mean, it's early, but we all do it. We all overreact to what we see in the preseason I was, you know, again, far far away when Wemby dual chet the other night. But man, people just could not get enough of their first showdown. And of course we're gonna draw crazy conclusions from preseason games that we probably shouldn't because we're fans, we're the public, we are the basketball public. We cannot
help it. So give me your give me your your quick snapshot of your temperature take on where the Nuggets are and where the Suns are right now.
Well, let's talk about the Nuggets. They're in a mode where they're just in a chill mode right now. You know, I spoke with Calvin boof our God. Calvin Booth came on our podcast the general imagine of the Nuggets, and he told me like that, they're just in a space where they're just ready for the season and they're in a tac mode, but it's in a calm space. And I think he described it like that because this team, like they know, they know their sales, like they understand
what they have to do. They know they're going to be a target. Now, they're not going to sneak up on anybody. But this is a group that's been together. We talked about that at starting five. It's a group that's been together a while, and so they feel like they feel like they're in good shape. What he did say, Calvin Booth did say, is that they're young, you know, so there's rotation minutes to be had. And one guy who was very impressive in his rookie preseason day debut,
Julian Strauter. That guy, he stein he is a quick sharpshooter. He and what I mean by that, he has a quick release. He catches it and it leaves his hand pretty quickly, and he has a beautiful stroke. And I believe he had four three's that game, had twenty points. And so the Nuggets, they're looking for guys who can come in space, space the floor, guys who can compliment Joker as well in some of those rotation, rotational spot duties, and so you know, that's what they're you know, they're
expecting a lot more from Christian Brown. You know, he's a guy that's poised to have a really good season. And so they feel like they this is what they said, they said, as long as they're five, as long as they're five, are healthy, they feel like they're in really good shape throughout the season. Now it's just about adding other complimentary pieces the sun Stein you know, KD, Devin Booker, Bradley Bill. They did not play in the game that I was on assignment on. They played the game before
in Detroit. Remember the the owner of matt Ishpiah, he's out there in Detroit, and so they played out there. They actually went to his house after the after the game for dinner, and they had practice at his at his company's office the next day. So, uh, you know, I could say this T and T was very shocked to learn that those three were sitting out that game.
With the NBA's new player participation policy, that's not gonna fly. Playing the game in Detroit and sitting in all three stars sitting out the national TV game. I don't think that. I don't think that happens in the regular season.
Yes, I love stave Ac Guddy, that's my guy. I think it's safe to say Stan did not approve of that that move made by the SuDS. But hey, it's preseason, and uh you know I'm gonna say this right now. You know we all expect so it's it's it's not a lot that I can break down on the Suns because of those three were out. But those three were out. But what I can say, I think is going to be really good on the high posts, on the elbow, initiating the offense office going through him. I think he's
going to be really good. I think he's going to be a really good big body just in case they have to face the Nuggets down the road. And Joker, you know, those two were teammates for a little bit in Denver. I will say this, Stein, They're they're trying to rotate the point guard assignments between Bradley Bill and Devin Booker, and that is the plan right now going into the season, that those two are going to share
those roles. They did a point guard, Stein, and I'm gonna go as far as I think they need to point guard desperately.
And do they know it? Would they admit it to the side if you ask them.
I think some would, as others wouldn't. So you know, take that as you as you will. But yeah, I think they're going to need a point guard. And I'm and I'll let you I'll let you finish.
But you had the very interesting report that when when the whole Damian Lillard trade went down, Phoenix knew they were going to be in it. They wanted use of Nurkic that you know, they wanted to send eight into the Blazers and take on Nurkic. But had Miami been that third team instead of Milwaukee, you reported that Phoenix's dream scenario would have been to get both nurk and find a way to bring in Kyle Lowry, who obviously
most definitely would address the point guard issue. And same thing when there were rumbles that Indiana might be that third team, we know that the Sons have had a long standing interest in TJ McConnell, So I mean those names were out there. Obviously, Dame did not go to Miami. He very much went to the Milwaukee Bucks. And the Pacers were not involved in the trade either, So those options did not avail themselves to Phoenix. But yeah, I'm
with you. I think that is that is a that's a hole they're going to have to address sooner rather than later.
And the reason I say that, Stime, because you know, you could get by with trying to rotate those guys in at that point guard spot. And and there's gonna be a lot of emphasis with Phoenix on pushing the ball up like out letting the ball get it up, opposed to having a point guard just bring the ball all the way up ninety four feet. So they wanted to get the ball up past half court, give himself a lot of time in the shot clock to get
into their sets. The problem is this Stein and I remember, you know, talking to Chris Paul a few years ago, where it was a few years ago when the Suns were they played when they got the playoffs, they played New Orleans in the first round. Did they played Dallas and New Orleans? They had Alvarado and they had Herb Jones just smothering, hounding Chris Paul ninety four feet, and it took his toll, you know, it took his toll on him getting the ball up with that amount of
aggressiveness and length and quickness. And then in Dallas he faced Bullock and I forgot the other player that he said was hounding them ninety four feet. But Phoenix didn't have another, really another primary point guard to help Chris Paul in that mode. So in the regular season.
Now I don't even remember, was it Phinney Smith.
It might have been Phinney Smith, but it was two lyngty guys. I know Bullock was one of them. It might have been Phinny Smith could have been. But you know he didn't see that type of a defensive pressure in the regular season. You know, teams don't do they don't go all out and do that type of stuff,
you know, in the regular season. So you can see a scenario in Phoenix where Bill and Booker they're pushing the ball up out, letting the ball up, or or they even they're even bringing the ball up full court with very little pressure in the regular season and then kind of thinking like, all right, we can get we can get away with this. This is fine. But when the playoffs hit, when and then when teams start to scheme,
oh no, let's pressure on full court. Young guy, small guy, get up in them, tall lyngthy guy, get up in them. That's where problems can be had. And you didn't work on it because you didn't think you had to do in the regular season because teams are not putting those type of schemes into the regular season. So I think
they desperately need a point guard. Not necessarily for the regular season, but I definitely think they need one come playoff time and That's just my opinion, just just the little basketball that I've watched them against, planned against Detroit, and just knowing what they don't have on that roster currently.
Well, you know Bradley Beal very well. You interviewed him during the game, but beyond that, you've known him for a long time. How much, though, do you think he kind of wants to prove to people, hey, I can do this, I can playmake, I can be I can be a pseudo point guard for this team, because you know he hasn't always done that in Washington.
Yeah, I don't know. You know, I've talked, you know, we talked. You know, I had an any game interview with him, but we talked before the game as well, and he was talking about how excited he is and how he's prepared to do whatever he's called to do. And then you know, I asked him, you know, about the role of I don't know if I'll call him the third star. Maybe he is the third star, but you know about sacrificing Now, you know, it's always hard for that third star a lot of times to get
accimmitted to what that role entails. And he said all the right things, like he's ready for whatever. But stein, what I would say about that point guard position. Man, that point guard that's like, it's like playing quarterback. You don't just step into that role and run everything officially like you're kind of born a point guard. You're kind of groomed into being a point guard. It's not something you could.
Just and you were born a shooting guard.
I would, I would my sources say, well, listen, you don't need no sources. You can come in from the horse's mouth here. I am not a point guard. I am. I am not Listen now from the so you got they give you a little bit of fake news. I'm telling you I'm not a point guard because my handles weren't. That was not that tight. But court vision and finding people, I got that. But the handles, like and that's another
thing too. But people need to understand is you can have handles or could be considered somebody who has handles in half court settings, like somebody who could run pick and roll in half court. But bringing that ball up being pressured ninety four feet totally different from using two or three four dribbles in a half court set to get to the basket. Totally different, And so That's why I tell people that point guard transition is not easy, like it's not and so, and I don't know that
that's fair to ask Bill to do that. That's why I say, I think they're going to need a point guard, real point guard service, a point guard point guard down the line.
Well, look, using Bruce Brown and losing Jeff Green, those are significant losses for the Denver Nuggets. But they are
still my favorites in an absolutely stacked Western conference. And I can tell you I know it was stacked because during my trip here in Spain with the MAVs, with more than one MAVs person that I sat down with, we did the exercise of let's go through the teams in the West and just what you have to who you have to finish ahead of to finish top six, top eight, and it is just tough, tough, it's brutal.
And I mean because the teams at the bottom, the teams expected to be at the bottom, your Utah's, your Portland's, your San Antonio's, your Houston's, they will all be tough outs. I mean, Houston is obviously trying to be competitive this year with the moves they've made to bring in Fred Van Vliet and Dylan Brooks and San Antonio obviously Wemby in July. Everybody wanted to write him off after one bad Summer League game, and now everybody is going nuts
after his his preseason debut. So, I mean, san Antonio, we're still not exactly sure what we're gonna see from them, but I mean, you know they're gonna have a capable team.
You know, Portland is another tough team to read, very young, but I mean you know that they Yeah, again, nobody's just just a gimme in the West, and Utah already showed us last year when when they were written off by everyone after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert that you know they were they were on course to be a five hundred or better team until they finally at the end of the season decided to put an eye on draft positioning. So, I mean, this West is going
to be something else. Denver is still my favorite, and you know, I guess I would say the Suns are probably who I would have at the top of the list of challengers, but I'm I'm not sure. I'm I'm really not sure that, Like, you know, the Lakers I really like the Lakers moves in the off season. And ye you know the Clippers aren done. Okac is moving up the charts. Sacramento. I was doing my radio show last weekend and I was going through all the teams
in the West. And somehow, despite how much we talk about the Kings on this show, I forgot to mention the Kings. And I'm waiting for Mike Brown to call me because and I guess Mike Brown priably does not listened to my radio show in Dallas. But I was still waiting for the call. I mean, we need to go on and on about the the West. You tell me Denver, Phoenix, Lakers, Warriors, who's your favorite in the West?
Okay, Stan, You have to realize, are we ready to do this? Because teams do even you know, teams, players, coaches, they all like to say they don't listen to us, you know, they don't pay us no mind. But during the season they post, they print these articles out, they print these headlines out about who we picked to be a top eight motivation. Are we ready to do this?
Listen today is we're recording this on October twelfth. The season starts October twenty fifth, if you would rather wait too closer to October twenty fifth. You deserve that runway, you do not have. You do not have to make that declaration right now, Like so I.
Don't think are you making a declaration.
Yeah, Denver's my favorite to make Denver's my favorite. To win the West, I think is defending champions. They deserve that. And yes, they they lost, they lost two key guys in their rotation. But Brown I do think is ready to step up, and you know, I think they will cope with the losses. And just Joker is Joker, I mean he is. I just think he's that good and has proven to be such a dominant force who pretty much never misses games. Yeah, Denver's okay, I would agree with you.
The difference is my favorite as well, Continuity, Like they're my favorite. I'm a little you know they Hey, Bruce Brown, Bruce Brown losing him that is a big that's a big loss right there.
That is very real. And look, I'm probably not ready to do the order after Denver.
Okay, all right, all right, that's what I was getting.
That's why I was like, no, I can't do that yet. I'm still figuring that out too.
But let me say this, sty I'm looking at the top eight from last year who made the playoffs, right, Denver, and then I'm going in order Denver, Memphis, Sacramento, Phoenix, Clippers, Warriors, Lakers. Minnesota was eight, Stein I had. Out of those eight, I have a hard time thinking who can get into that eight. No, now, listen, I know there are teams that can get to it. Like so New Orleans they were nine. Maybe they leap for aud Minnesota, but at
eight or that nine right there, it's tough. And I know Dallas they were they were eleven.
Like Minnesota thinks they're better, that they will be better with a full training camp, and obviously Cat missed a zillion games last year. So Minnesota believes they're a better team New Orleans if they've got Zion. I mean, obviously we're gonna have to look at them differently. But that's a huge iff when you know Zion's got to play half a season first before we, you know, we even start talking about it. So but obviously he you know, he played a pre he made his preseason debut and
people got very excited. I mean, yeah, that again, this is the conversation I was having with with various folks in Dallas. You guys, if you want to get back even in the play in you got a lot of work to do to leap frog a lot of good teams.
Yeah, it's tough. Like I have a hard time, Like I think Denver is going to be in the playoffs. Think Memphis, I think Sacramento, I think Phoenix, I think the Clippers, I think the Warriors, I think the Lakers. Those seven, those are seven that I'm pretty certain will be there. Seven. You know, that's not a lot a wiggle room for other teams to jump up in there. You know, I know Dallas is better than what they were last year. New Orleans is better than what they
were last year. Minnesota. It's it, man, I'm looking forward to It's gonna be tough.
Well, we can talk about Dallas now a bit, because again I did not go to Abu Dhabi with them. I met them in Madrid. I got to Madrid a few hours before they did. And look, this will go down as the longest trip in NBA preseason history, both literally and figuratively. They flew nearly seventeen thousand air miles combined to do the two games in Abu Dhabi before Madrid, and they came home Thursday today with both of their
stars carrying injuries. Luka Doncic suffered a left calf strain in practice on Monday, and that was the only real practice that the Mavericks were able to have on the whole trip after they lost to the Wolves twice in Abu Dhabi. Because you know, when you go to Abu Dhabi and it's the league trip, when you're not playing, the league's got you doing all kinds of stuff. There's appearances, there's clinics, there's special dinners and tours, and it's like
it is not conducive to practice. So they had six practices before they left for Abu Dhabi. Go to Abu Dhabi, play the two games, come back. They basically fly from Abu Dhabi to Madrid, which is like going coast to coast in the States. They have their first real practice before the game. Luka calf strain, the same left leg that has been bugging him on some level since late February early March. You know, they lose to Real Madrid. That's the least of their problems because it was their
third string against the Real Madrid starters. In the fourth quarters, so it was the revenge of Facundo Composo. Faco Composo with the last nine points for Real Madrid in the last eighty five seconds. Composo, of course, spent about six weeks as a mav last season. They brought him in to be Luca's sidekick and someone he absolutely loved from their days as Real Madrid Real Madrid teammates, and then Dallas waived him to launch the Kemba Walker experiment, which
didn't work. So there's all these storylines, but the basics of it are Dallas comes back, Kyrie Irving only played one of the three games because of left groin soreness, Luca has this left leg issue, and those two are supposed to be the sure bets for a Mavericks team that has ten to eleven new players. Grant Williams is the only surefire starter. So okay, I just went through all of that. You know, what was your reaction from home?
Just just kind of watching the MAVs go on this crazy long trip and coming back with both of those guys, both of their stars in some level of injury distress.
Yeah, I'm not, I mean, unless you know I've been following you know your reports over there, and they're saying, you know you reported the injury, especially particularly to Luca, is not serious. And I think that's common around preseason,
like you don't want to take any risks. And one thing I will say about the Suns that I didn't say about Vogel told me that he planned to play KD and Booker and two of the last three preseason games, like, so for whatever reason, they're just being really safe and cautious. And you know, you can look at the Milwaukee Bucks as well, Dame and Giannis. They're about to make their preseason debut this weekend Sunday against the Lakers. So I
think that's normal around the league. I wouldn't get I wouldn't get too nervous if I was a fan of
of those those star players all those teams. So I just there's just not a lot to gleanstein from these preseasons for the most part, because we were not seeing a healthy dose of these guys playing, and so a lot of a lot of what we're going to find out is going to be when the regular season starts, and so I do want to see more, but I just don't have There's just not enough sample size for me to go off and have.
Well, this is a MAVs team that needs a good start. I mean, they desperately need a good start after the way last season ended. And that's kind of the issue, is that this trip was supposed to be a renaissance. It's a it's you know, a team that's made a lot of changes. It's the first training camp that Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving get to spend together. And they return home today. They have one exhibition game left a week from Friday against Detroit and then an opening night.
They're at San Antonio in the Wemby Bowl, and I do plan to be at that one to see Wemby's first game, his first real game. But I mean Luka Dancic and Kyrie Irving played in three exhibition games. They played together for less than seven minutes, so they still have not had a lot of court time together. And this is again a duo that last season when both were in uniform, the MAVs went five and eleven. So I mean, I have certainly taken on an alarmist tone here and I'm sure I'll hear about it in my
home city, But I think it is justified. The trip was a grind and now they're basically going to have three days off. The gym will be open for some voluntary stuff, but the Mavericks can't even have an official practice until Monday, and so they got a lot to do next week Monday through Thursday before Dallas area star Cade Cunningham brings the Detroit Pistons into town for an exhibition on October twenty.
Who did the Mavericks open up with San Antonio? One? Okay? In San Antonio?
In San Antonio on Wednesday? What what's your opening night assignments on Tuesday? You'll wear you? Where are you? Are you at Ring Knight? Are you at the other.
Game I actually have? Is that Ring Night? No, that's not. Who does Nuggets have for Ring Night?
So it's Nuggets Lakers Ring Night? And then there's your game Sons Warriors, so Western Conference only the first night of the season. And you said you got.
I have Sons Warriors in San Francisco Tuesday. Then I take off immediately for Milwaukee. I got the Bucks opening night game against the Sixers. That's third, Tuesday and Thursday. Yep, that is a strong week.
I hope you have a lot of good stories for those for the podcast that show rolls around.
I wasn't assigned to that game initially, but you know, things have changed over the last couple of weeks in the league.
You're going to be voting. You're going to be voting in Milwaukee election.
A big trade to change some of my assignments. So I got I got two games that week, so I'm looking for me.
I'm so jealous. I love Milwaukee. I love visiting Milwaukee.
Yeah, it was beautiful when I was there.
I was there, and I'm not sure i've been there since since. I can't even remember because I don't think I went to those finals. Yeah, I can't remember my last trip to Milwaukee.
I have a strong feeling the weather is not going to cooperate like it did when I was there a few weeks ago.
Well, I don't even want to talk about weather because I will really make you jealous, because it has been spectacular in Madrid, absolutely gorgeous, and I'm told it's finally cooling down when I get back home to Dallas.
So, yeah, I've never been stein. Are you one of those guys, you know, older people. I used to wonder this all the time. Why do people retire in Phoenix? Why? I never knew that, but you know, I started to see a trend. The older you got, the more attractive a place like Phoenix became. And I know, my guy Dwight James, the Commas in Portland, he bought a house out there in Phoenix. You know, older people like the sun.
You know what's this is actually some inside baseball on our profession. There was a time when and Dwight James is part of that generation right before me. In terms of writers, a bunch of writers from that era did that. Pete VESSI spent tons of time in the desert, Sam Smith, your guy Michael Wilbon still has a place in Phoenix. I'm quite sure. So all these writers from that generation
before me and there were probably more like it. Just I think housing prices at that time were really, really favorable in Phoenix, and and I don't know if that's still the case now. I'm gonna guess not. I'm gonna guess Phoenix, like Dallas, has gotten a lot more expensive than it used to be in terms of real estate. But back in the nineties that was a very I remember you know, someone like Sam you know, Sam Smith
spent his whole writing career in Chicago. The chance to live in Phoenix sounded pretty damn good.
So it's not a star.
I mean, I know you're basically saying, now that I'm old, I'm qualified to answer this question. I love Phoenix to visit, but I have never had interest in living there. And I look, I love the desert, the desert skyline, and just I really aesthetically, I really have always loved going there and the Steve Nash years from like the Steve Nash D'Antoni is from two thousand and four to twenty ten. Now, I mean I spent more time in Phoenix than anywhere
I went, so I've always had great visits there. My I want to say, my very first NBA All Star Game I covered was in Phoenix. So I've always had great experiences there, but I've never had this huge desire to live there. I think, as an you know, my older self, I could imagine living part time in either Palm Springs or Vegas before.
Feast Vegas yeah oh yeah, huh yeah, Okay.
I get part time three months a year, but I I love the energy of Vegas. Man, I love it is it is it is you know, it's just it's sports. Everywhere you look, everywhere you turn, it's sports.
Yeah, but Vegas is like Stein. Like for me, when I go to a summer league three days, four days, max I started, I start to get irrible, Like I'm tied of Vegas, Like I don't know if I can live there. And then if you live there, are you really visiting the strip that often where all the action is, Like I really never spent time outside of strip in Vegas, so I don't even know what that's like.
Well, I don't know firsthand, but people who do live there always tell me how great it is off the strip and you should just come see how A, B and C is so fantastic. So I'm not qualified answer that question, but maybe people can. Maybe people, maybe some of our listeners who do live in Vegas can educate us.
But in Phoenix, Stein, I know what your favorite steakhouse in Milwaukee is? What again? Carson's Carsons Carsons in Phoenix.
It's a Chicago place, but they have a Milwaukee outlet.
Okay, Steak forty four in Phoenix the best steakhouse I've been to.
Steak forty four best steakhouse in the League.
Best best, I've the best I've wanted to I would, I would challenge any other steakhouse in the league. Was against Stake forty four. Those in Phoenix know what I'm talking about. That place is awesome.
All right, Well, I guess I'm gonna have to meet you there and we'll put that to the test. Yes before all right, so before we go. You know, last the last time we did one of these, you were just you were just love getting me all worked up about Joe l. Embiid and international basketball, which you did on You did it on purpose.
Of course, I need your pe I want to know now that Joel and Bid has picked the United States of America, he will play for Team USA. After all, I think he heard how you were disparaging him against picking team I think I heard that I was.
I was definitely not disparaging him because Joel Embiid knows very well. He's one of my favorite people to speak to on planet NBA. I I don't get to see him a ton, but there are a few players who fill up the proverbial notebook like mister em b So there is no disparaging of him. And you know what, I can rant all I want. It's his personal choice, it's his life. He doesn't have to do what I say. However, I have to admit that I did not I did
not love it. And again you know this. I'm sure USAB officials who hear me on this rant don't understand what I'm saying, because when they lose to anybody, I'm at the front of the line criticizing them. And every single loss, no matter who they bring, no matter what the roster looks like, media with me at the front of the line, treat it like an international incident. So their natural reply is, how are you gonna wrap us for bringing Joel embiid into fold when if we lose,
you're gonna crush us? And now you're saying we're too good. And all I'm saying is, we've heard so many great American players since camps have started talk about wanting to join this team, and if the best of our best show up, and we've got Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry and Lebron James coming back, and Devin Booker and on, Jason Tatum, on and on and on, and if there are so many guys that it's looking like Kawhi Leonard
who also wants to play. If it's looking like Kawhi Leonard has to settle for being a six man or something, then no, they don't need Joel Embiid And it just feels like free agency and I just feel like the most talent rich country in the world in basketball should not be signing the reigning MVP as a free agent. And again, this really stems from me being that basketball romantic who Cameroon is only one step away from qualifying.
Cameroon won a pre qualifying tournament to get to the final round of qualifying without Joel Embiid and without Pascal Siaka, and if those two guys played with the existing Cameroon team and qualified for the Olympics under the flag of their native country, that would be an absolutely incredible achievement and it would not only be huge for Cameroon, but
it would be massive for African basketball. And so I just I would have loved to hear Joel Embiid say I loved that France and the United States spend a year fighting over me and trying to get me. But I am going to get Cameroon to the Olympics through qualifying. And I understand It's risky for him to do that because if Cameroon doesn't qualify, and international basketball is insane, there's twenty four teams that go to qualifying, they get
broken up into four groups. Only one team out of every six team group qualifies for the Olympics, and Cameroon would not be the host. Most likely, the Cameroon Federation almost assuredly does not have the money it would take to win a bid to host one of those tournaments. So Cameroon would have to win on the road somewhere, and I know that's a tall order, but if you've got Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam, they can do it, just like the Bahamas are going to try to do
with DeAndre Ayton and Buddy Healed and Eric Gordon. So I know that I'm ranting into the win and nobody cares, and you're just doing this to get me all wound up because it's fun for you to see me like this. But yeah, the basketball romantic in me will not let it go. I would have loved to see Embiid choose Cameroon because again, I just think with or without him,
the United States is going to be stacked. I really hope for your sake that you are assigned to cover the Paris Olympics, because the US team is going to be If all these guys play, who say they're gonna play, it's going to be the closest thing in talent to the original Dream Team that we've ever seen.
I will say this, and yeah, I get your point, all valid points, all valid points. I will say this. I was watching and I know this is not the an equal equivalent, but I watched a Bruce Brown clip that was forgive me, I forgot what pod he was on.
It's a Bruce Brown clips talking about when he was with Brooklyn how he did not play a single minute in preseason when they had KD, Kyrie and James Harden and he talked about wanting to be traded, wanted to go somewhere else, go somewhere else because he knew he wasn't going to play. That's the same Bruce Brown who did all the dirty work for the Denver Nuggets that helped them win a championship. So what I what I'm what I'm saying is this, Yes, the United States is
going to be the ods on favorite. Yes, but every stars always talk about South and doing the dirty work. But very few of them really know how to do that because they they haven't had to do that ever. They think sacrifices is, you know, taking fewer shots, no diving on balls, what Kobe did his last team, USA stin what Kobe did. And so what I'm saying is you always need a Bruce Brown. You need a championship
team needs a guy like that. That's really that's what his role is to be is to be a guy that's going to dive for the ball, be a houndless defender, guy's gonna cause havoc, be a spot up, you know, spot up shooter and do that. And that's every night. And so while they're gonna have all the talent, it's still they still is going to be a lot of pressure now because they gotta win.
They have to win, and there will be a lot of eyeballs on them, and France is gonna have home court advantage. But again, if you look at all the guys who put their hand up and said they want to play, they they are gonna have way more than twelve good players to choose from. The harder part for them is going to be who you know, how do you say no to some of these guys. But again I'm not even listing. I mean, I can't even remember
everybody who wants to play. And you know they'll have someone like Drew Holliday to do some of that dirty work stuff that you're talking about. I'm sure Drew's going to be.
On the team again.
They this team is going to be stacked a lot these guys. They want to go to the Paris Olympics. That you know, in our basketball culture, they love the Olympics. They don't care about the World Cup. The United States and the last two World Cups has finished seventh and fourth, and it's been an almighty struggle for USA basketball to get that roster filled with players who could who could do it, and you know, two times in a row
they couldn't. But for these Olympics in Paris. Again, the last two World Cups were in China and then this past summer in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. I think that was a harder sell for either of those competitions than getting guys to go to Paris for the Olympics that they are going. You know they are going to be This team is going to be so strong and they've got Joel Embiid now, but even if they didn't even had Embiid chose to play for Cameroon or France,
They're going to be fine. They're going to be stacked. And like I said, I hope, I hope for you your sake that it gets to be your first Olympics, because I think it's going to be. They are going to that team. I mean, if it has Lebron, Curry and Durant on it, they are going to be the talk of the Summer Games.
Yeah, Paris, they love the Olympics. They love Paris too.
Have you been to Paris yet?
Never? Never have never have never have.
Man, I wonder if our guy, Brad Turner, America's ambassador to Paris, is he going to get himself to Paris for the Paris Olympics. I hope. I mean, he basically lives there at this point, but I like, I would like to think that the La Times will send him to cover Team USA and he might just he might just burst into flames.
Oh man, it's good to hear from you. Stein. Hopeful next next pot we do, hopefully you'll be back in the state side.
Yeah, it's good to connect with you good to be back. Glad we're back. We're both back at it and we do have Like you said, we still have tennis days to get our predicted order for the East and West set. So the season is fast approaching. Are you ready?
Basically, I actually am, I actually am star, I am. I'm looking forward to this season. Man, there's really I'll leave it at that. I'm looking very forward to this season.
All right, everyone that's gonna do it for this edition of This League Uncut. Chris and I will be back together soon. I think we actually have a special interview on the docket very soon. And we got lots more to cover and lots more to discuss in these next couple of weeks before the season actually starts. But the NBA's seventy eighth season, it will be here for real before you know it, and we'll be covering it with you every week twice a week here on This League Uncut.
Please remember rate review, subscribe to the show if you haven't already for Haynes, this is stein. We'll do it again soon and that'll do it for us.
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