What's Wright - Kyrie's injury disaster & LeBron's Michael Jordan problem

it is or what's going on. So I'm actually grateful of that ability that I don't waste my vacation sleeping and jet lag. But it is made today. I don't know what day it is, but we're back. I have been waiting for the better part of a week to discuss this story. We didn't even do it on the TV show yesterday, in part because Brew wasn't back yet, but also because I wanted to. I'm going to go long on this face of the league's stuff. So first, Demonse welcome in. Demanse also has some things he wants

to get off his chest about. I think Jason Tatum and Shadora Sanders are both of these correct.

it's I'm gonna sound self aggrandizing. I think it's important and it's gonna be a little bit of history and a little bit of a course correction from I think some people who are playing fast and loose with what actually has happened in the past and how we actually in the past have treated other NBA superstars, which has led to the current angst of this crop of NBA superstars. Before we get to any of that, what missed the cut The Bengals are franchise tagging T Higgins. I do

not understand what the Bengals are doing. More on that on Thursday NFL Combine reactions. I didn't watch a second of it all. Catch up on that this week and John Cena turns heel fellas. I should have made this. I should have made this note to the producers off the air, but we can do it on the air. I suppose the WWE doesn't even qualify quite for the

miss the Cut category. Nothing against our friends at Pro Wrestling, but I'm not I don't know enough about any of it in order to even have I don't know if they I feel naked when it comes to analyzing that. So that'll be your first and last wrestling update on the What's Right Pod. But where we have to start today is with what Lebron James said, what was said about what he said, and how we got here. So

first the level set of what happened. Anthony Edwards was asked about being face of the league and he was like, I don't really have an interest in it. I just want a ball. Lebron was then asked about that as the face of the league, and Lebron said, yeah, I don't blame him. Why would you want to be when all the people who talk about our league And it seemed like he was about to say former players, but the and media, but instead it was just a catch all,

just shit on the players. And then as Bomani Jones would say, hit dog, gone holler, and then all the guys who Lebron was talking about doth protested too much. So the first one was stephen A, who did a five minute rant in response to Lebron that and I'm not I am not exaggerating when i say this. In the first ninety seconds of stephen A responding to Lebron saying that the biggest voices in the media just go after you repeatedly, particularly if you're the face of the league.

In the first ninety seconds of a response to that, stephen A blamed Lebron James for the following the downfall of the Slam Dunk contest, the lockout in twenty eleven, and the Chris Paul Laker trade being mixed. He put

it all Lebron's feet. He's like ruin the dunk contests because you wouldn't participate, and then said the decision was what led to the owners locking the players out and changing the collective bargaining agreement, and then threw the CP three trade in as kind of a little dessert after a delicious entree and didn't really, to my ear, address

any of what Lebron actually said. And then and I couldn't believe this, and let me say this as well, I have a really good relationship with steven A. I actually texted with him this morning, but he is so I don't want people to think that this is there's like media beef. But he knows this. We both have strong opinions. We disagree. I disagree with a lot of what he says. He's a big boy, grown man. He understands none of that's personal. And so I'm not I'm

not trying to start something. That guy's a friend of mine. I just think he's out of his mind on some of this stuff. And then on his podcast and this I won't put on him. And you know, appreciate those producers of that podcast because they put us on their you know, friendly relationships. But and Demon's ay, this will blow your mind again in addressing Lebron James saying that if you're the face of the league, you get extra criticism,

get shit on. When Steven A brought that up on his podcast, you know what video played alongside it, like the soundless what we call b roll highlights. Hand to god, it was Bronni's bad minutes against the Sixers. That's true. Go look, go watch so like again, I don't think that's stephen A's call, but it it doesn't exactly just spell the narrative that, well, yeah, you there might be a little a little unfairness here, And so that was

his part of it. Bill Simmons, who is as loud and as respected and as important of an NBA voice as there is, who is an unabashed, obvious, diehard Celtic fan who has never really been what you'd call a Lebron guy, and Lebron's never been a Simmons guy. Simmons sent out the following tweets, Celts Cavs is a wonderful NBA game between two excellent teams that's included some terrific

individual performances. This next game will be splendid too. We're so lucky to be able to watch great players like Luka Ancic, Lebron, James and James Harden battling it out tonight, just basically making fun. It's being like, this is ridiculous. Oh,

everyone's got to be so positive. And then Bill went on a long history lesson on his pod this week where he was like, this is how it's always been, and then explained how we went after guys who either hadn't won or until they won, or very specific postseason failures in the moment, which is not at all what Lebron's talking about. Lebron was talking about the general conversation

surrounding the league being constantly negative. And you know who totally agrees with Lebron that that's a problem, Bill Simmons. You know how I know that because on December thirty first, Bill Simmons did an NBA pod with the great Kirk Goldsbear that is titled The All Positive NBA Show with Kurt Goldsberry that he says at the beginning he's doing because the conversation surrounding the league has gotten too negative.

So for some of these guys, even when Lebron says something they agree with, because it's Lebron saying it, they can't agree with it. And then Wilbond on the greatest sports TV show that's ever existed, pardon the interruption, did you know, did what he always does, which is whether it is while he's on the broadcast, when Lebron happens to past Magic Johnson for career assists, or when he's addressing Lebron's comments, can't help himself but make it clear,

no matter how great these guys are. They're not quite as great as the guys that happened to be playing during my personal heyday covering the league. It's crazy how that works out, and we're yet to see what the chuckster's going to say, but we'll find out here very soon, and my guess is it'll be more of the same. So now that I've set the table on what happened, oh yeah, and then Lebron responded with tweets. It would appear this first tweet as a response to stephen A,

where I wrote, exactly made my point. But anyways, happy this convo has started. It ain't about face of the game, and it ain't about one person or one show. It's about the culture of basketball. The most beautiful game in the world. Our game has never been better. Incredible young stars from all over the world and some older ones too, laughing emojis. Steph Curry should be all we're talking about today.

This After you score fifty six, let's discuss how great, okay seeing the cav have been this season, won two complete different styles and breakdown why and how they have been. Of course, if players don't perform, we need to discuss that too and break that down even that can be discussed in a way, and this is the important piece of it. Even that can be discussed in a way that's not to bring finality to that player's game, but to leave room to see how that player responds, and

let's watch the journey of that player. This ain't about me either. This is where I disagree with Lebron, and I'll get to that in a second. This sayin't about me either. At this point, I don't really care what's said about me. It's always something. This is about the impact the negativity is having on our beautiful game and our fans. I know I speak for a lot of the players, more importantly, a hell of a lot of great fans that truly love and celebrate this sport around

the world. Hashtag mind the game than a cloud emoji, a brain emoji, and of course a crown emoji, because what would a Lebron tweet be without the crown emoji? All right? He then went on with my pal Scott van Pelt made a similar point after the Laker game, and now everyone's caught up. So to me, the question should be, is Lebron right that the coverage of the league, particularly for the super duper stars, face of the league caliber guys too negative and if he's right, how did

we get here? So I do think he is correct, and I do think I have been a part of the problem at times. I'll explain how in a moment, and I think so where I disagree with him, where he says this isn't about him, it actually is almost entirely about him and one other person, because so much about how we currently cover the league has to do with how we covered Lebron James, because how he was covered has impacted how every other superstar, true super duperstar is covered. So this is a point I used to

make about Prime Klay Thompson. The better example right now might be like Devin Booker, where I think those guys who are in the Jalen Brown Devin Booker tier of players like ten to twenty, if you were ranking them, might be in the actual sweet spot because they get the same MAX contract as the superstar as the super duperstars. But it is not a daily legacy referendum. When they

play great in big spots, they're lauded. When they play poorly in big spots, it we usually look to instead the best player on their team and why didn't he do more? And that's I think what ants comments are referring to. While he wants to be this player on a team, obviously he sees man heavy is the head that wears the crown. And so that the reason I say this is about Lebron and one other person is the Lebron of it all? Is this? How many times have you been watching sports TV and heard a version

of this? Sometimes by me? That's why I'll say, hand up, I'm part of it. Well, after a guy misses a big shot, or plays poorly in a big spot, or doesn't carry his team far enough, whatever it is, how many times have you heard this, Well, if we're Lebron, we'd be killing him. Well, if Lebron did that, And so the way Lebron was covered set a template to where it's how then Durant and Steph and Embiide and Giannis and Jokic, those MVP guys, Well, fair's fair did

it to Lebron? So then we get to this question why did we cover Lebron that way? And that then gets to the other person in this story. The only name in all of NBA history bigger than Lebron's, and that's Michael Jordan, because so much of our basketball, and at this point it's not just basketball, it's overall sports commentary has been twisted is probably too strong of a word, but adjusted, tweaked, manicured to serve the legend of Michael Jordan.

You hell you saw it in some of the reaction to the Super Bowl and Mahomes getting a loss in the biggest game. It's like, oh boy, we all know those super Bowl losses count different than divisional round losses. That's a Michael Jordan argument. And when you look back at how we have covered this league for four years, there's only one guy, one guy who at each and every turn has benefited from him, and it's Michael. Let's go back to how we talk about the nineteen eighties

as a decade. Who was the face of the league in the nineteen eighties, Oh, there wasn't a face. It was two guys. We've turned two guys into one person, Bird Magic. So why why was it not magic and bird or bird and magic separately? Well, in part is it because when we turn bird Magic into one person

and don't give Larry Bird his kind of individual standing. Folks, right now, big enough, NBA fans to care about this, to be watching this pod to or to be watching this clip, probably don't know that Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, their teams played in six playoff games against each other, and Larry Bird was six and up, not in series in games disease, you know bird magic in the eighties.

What we have totally erased one person's legacy from the If you ask die hard NBA fans, give me your top twenty five, twenty five players of all time, the vast majority are going to have every single guy that was the best player on multiple championships with one glaring omission, and it will be the same omission Isaiah Thomas. Why because part of part he is just he has been turned into a bit player. In the story of Michael Jordan partially erased a keeam's legend. Well, his championships came,

you know, when Michael wasn't playing. Even though one of those championships came in a year Michael Jordan got MVP votes, we've glossed over. When people talk about Shaquille O'Neill, Shaquille O'Neill, does anyone have you ever heard someone make this point about his greatness at twenty three years old, he out played he was the best player on the court in a playoff series with Michael Jordan and beat him. No,

we just pretend it didn't happen. And then the pia stay resistants of all that is the guy who was his wingman for the whole thing, Scotty. We we act like he was a just a a nineties run our test and that included in Michael's docs. So why am I explaining that in relation to this, Because it's not only that the guy that today's face of the league or the potential faces of the league have to deal with a constant teardown of what they have or haven't accomplished.

It's that the last the previous guy, the all time face of the league, got the exact opposite treatment. And it is again, if you really look at it, we did. There's so much of how we consume today's NBA that is colored by how we have discussed and talked about these two players, Michael Jordan and Lebron James. When it comes to Michael, we elevate lesser players like Reggie Miller, who was a nice player. He was eighteen three and three for his career. He made zero first or second

All Team nbas. That's who he was into a guy with almost legendary status. Why he had that great one series against Michael. You hear more about Craig Elo who Jordan hit the shotover than Sidney Moncrief who beat him in the playoffs. Was one of the best defensive players ever. Why we talk about the nineties Nicks, who had one All Star on their entire team for a decade like this legendary opponent. Why to build up the legend of

the face of the league. Juxtaposed that to how Lebron when he was rolling through the East the way Michael was in the nineties. We didn't build up the sixty win Hawks, or the Paul George Pacers or the DeRozan Lowry Raptors into something bigger than they were. No, we went the opposite. That's the Yeah, yes, you made eight straight finals, but in that conference against those teams. What is it again? It's it's not that it's always been this way. It's not that it slowly became like this.

It's that it did a one to eighty. There are just certain things that, again in service of one guy at the expense of the other. We've just decided, like someone in some bible, some sports bible somewhere decided coincidentally, right around the time that this guy Lebron was lapping the field in every category. Actually, you know what, longevity is not a factor in any of this. It's just

you know what. And when it comes to how great a player is, how long he was great, nobody cares about that since when that was that was literally never a part of any logical sports discussion until again, so much of how we talk about today's league has to do with these two players. And then we get to the media piece of it, because Bill talked about this. Yes, Michael was criticized until he won, and then once he won, he was deified to a level an athlete in this

country has never been deified. And so the guys this current generation, not this generation, the old guys of this generation, Lebron, Katie, those guys who watched that growing up thought, man, I'm gonna get that same treatment once I win and I'm great and I'm the face of the league, universal praise and adoration. And then the guys who gave that to Michael, like Wilbond, now say we're not on your payroll. Were you on Michaels because that's what he got people. It's

it's all projection. People. People say to me and Shannon that, uh, you guys are They make up in their minds this tight relationship with Lebron that we must have while denying the reality of the pretend relationship that you're acting like that we have with Lebron a moderate shod actually had with Michael, my main man, Michael Jordan, the sideline reporter for the finals, was his dear friend and golf buddy. We we then act like people are being honest arbiters

of this God love him. Built a huge portion of his career on a singular take, which was this guy will never be Michael Jordan, and nothing that he can do can ever change my mind on it. He could never move off that it was. It was the only through line other than his Cowboys fandom for his TV career, and in Woje, who at a point in time was not only a great reporter the best columnist in the in basketball media, got iced out by Lebron's camp and

just eviscerated him for years and years and years. Simmons, who crushed Lebron's family during uh back when he was doing running diaries about the draft, and then Lebron never had a real relationship with him, and then Lebron annihilated Simmons. Celtics has always been a begrudging appreciator of what he has or hasn't done. And then there's like, there's other guys who's so much of their career is tied into Michael, whether it's Wilbon or why does Barkley get a pass

for not winning while he ran into Michael Jordan? All of this, so you have a whole medium machine, and then folks have the audacity, the absolute audacity to act like it's shocking that that it's shocking that Lebron might occasionally push back or might say, you guys changed the rules mid game and this isn't how you've treated guys previously, and so that's what they're talking about, and I think it's reasonable. I don't know if there's a fix for it.

I think maybe the fix for it is for when Lebron retires, this whole thing resets, but honestly, maybe not. All Right, we've got some breaking news here, Demons. Yeah, uh, this sucks. If you want to break it to the audience. Then we'll get into it.

any player could have. And I've been so impressed by him, and as far as on a dime, remaking his leader reputation and maturity reputation and kind of sage wisdom and all of that, I've never seen any like it like his. Him going from a guy who it's like, well, great player, but you're gonna have to deal with a bunch of other stuff to a guy where the other stuff is a huge part of his greatness. And it seemingly happened like on the trade to the Maps, and so you

give him massive credit. You feel sick for him. I also, he's a pending free agent. How this impacts the contract he will or won't get. For a guy who turns thirty three in a few weeks. Maybe it's craven to talk about that immediately, but you think about that, and it concerns you. And the other thing you think about is this, since they traded Lukadncic, he was playing way too many minutes because they didn't have another ball handler and this is a and they left themselves with one creator,

one ball handler. And now I mean the minutes he has played since the start of February. Let's go there, right, Luca was traded on February first, Okay, so perfect since the Luca trade forty two, forty forty two, forty four, forty thirty seven, thirty two in a blowout, forty thirty eight, thirty eight, and then last night, I it was now he was playing big minutes prior to that as well.

Actually since Luca's injury, he was playing big minutes. But Luca was coming back, and Luca would have obviously would have been back, you know, well earlier than that.

a bad decision. Well, what was more likely to happen Anthony Davis getting hurt or Luka donc is just completely flaming out and being a entrance to your team.

another big Another reason it was risky. Was your window with Luca was a decade? You then go Nico Harrison. You said Nico Collins as the receiver for the Texans, but I knew who he did? Uh? The You then go on TV and say your windows three to four years? Well, this year is done, now done, and next year's in jeopardy? Like are you and also are you going to re sign Kyrie Irving? Do you still have to? If you don't,

what are you doing? There was a lot of, you know, kind of backburner rumors, demons that this could be a Kevin Durant destination next year, that Katie get back with Kyrie. You have Anthony Davis. From basketball standpoint, it would fit great. Okay, Well, now that's massively in question, Like I don't know, you tear your acl in March. If you're Kyrie, do you just miss all of next year? And shout out to

Kyrie for shooting those free throws? You know, he obviously is as big of a Kobe fan as any active player. Kobe famous famously shot his free throws after he tore his achilles. You really really hope that Kyrie's career doesn't follow that same trajectory as far as Kobe was just never the same guy after that torn achilles. But I also think Kobe Kobe was thirty four when he tore his achilles. Kyrie is thirty two about to be thirty three, was Kobe? I'm looking up when so Kobe tore his

achilles in April of thirteen. Kobe was born in August of Yeah, so he was thirty four August seventy eight. So I I just will the MAVs make There's so many tentacles to this and I'm reacting in real time. Well, the MAVs make the play in they're three and a half clear of Phoenix. Phoenix would be a at this point a more interesting team because of the kdum Booker factor, even though that team seems to just be ready for

the season to end. But now that whoever gets that ten seed is dead on arrival, the MAVs have no who on the MAVs can create a shot, honest to God, Like last night after Kyrie went down, it's Dante exem you you know who you also fe I mean Kai Jones. Shout out to Kai Jones, by the way, who had some real personal demons and issues I shouldn't. Demons is too strong. I don't know that he had he had a it seemed like he might have had a drug problem, you know, and seems to have gotten himself clean and

is you know, resuming his NBA career. So you root for young people like that, Like that was going down the wrong track. He ended up playing big minutes yesterday, or if they signed him, he goes nine to ten from the field. But I mean Klay Thompson signs there thinking I can catch and shoot. Well, who's who you're catching it from? Now? This isn't I think you know what, I think I did a bad job in my initial reaction to this.

would have torn his ACL. I don't think that. And the MAVs, who are the defending Western Conference champions, decided without the player forcing them or even asking them to decided I am going to blow this entire thing up and take a risk that's unprecedented in NBA history. And within a month of the trade, the piece you traded for who was injured when you made the trade got

hurt again. And the guard in this league that maybe at this point honestly has more responsibility to his team than any other guard in the league because of how the rosters constructed post Luca, you use him in a potentially reckless manner and his historically shaky knees get one of them gives out on it, and now you're just cooked. And you're a team that does not have your own draft pick for twenty seven through thirty. So that's the

other like they MAV's future draft picks. I talked about this the other day, so I kind of know it already. But here's what it is. Outgoing draft picks. In twenty twenty seven, it goes to Charlotte in twenty twenty eight, okase can swap with them. In twenty twenty nine, it goes to Houston or Phoenix. In twenty thirty. I think the Spurs can swap with them, but twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine, and thirty you do not have your own pick.

And two of those years, yeah you will have someone's pick. But okay, the in twenty seven it just goes to Charlotte. In twenty eight, okay, see can swap with you. In twenty nine, Houston can swap with you, and thirty the Spurs can swap with you. So if you bought them out, it doesn't do you any good. I I don't know. The only reason demons. I think Nico Harrison survives this is because Patrick Dumont, the owner, came out and did his own press conference where he was like, two thumbs

up to the trade. You gotta be a grinder like Shaquille O'Neill and Larry Bird were never drank, never party and just all ball and and I'm yeah, of course, and I am just sick for Kyrie. Man. This sucks

and it's it's a lot of money. And I know nobody cares about the money part of this with pro athletes, but Kyrie had cost himself a lot of money the previous few years and left money on the table, and then because of his own excellent play and the desperation of the MAVs post, Luca was in a spot where he was going to get that max deal, and now I don't know what it means for him. This is devastating. Oh god, so oh hold on, So that's interesting. So

that's probably what he'll do. Well, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, he has a player option, but I don't know that. I so he could pick up the player option for forty four million, but I think it's more likely he opts out and still gets a new deal. I just don't think it'll be a four year max like so it's if it were a career ending injury, which it's not, then you just opt into your player option. I don't think that's what's gonna happen. But I'm just

devastated for Kyrie. I'm not listening, and I'm devastating for MAVs fans. Thirty days and your entire basketball world is just you went from having one of the brightest futures of any team in the league to its as dark as it gets. And all of a sudden, Anthony Davis is back on the Pelicans.

that I follow on Twitter bat like eight hundred. I think four out of five they nail just by watching one video. And it's listen, I know nothing about science or medicine, but it's always impressive to me. All right, So we'll get to the rest of the show here in a minute, But first a note from our friends at DraftKings. Who's scoring big in the NBA this season? You are with the with all the new ways to get in on the action at DraftKings sportsbook and official

sports betting partner of the NBA. For monster slams, to dish in the rock to cleaning the glass, get behind your favorite players and the prop bets you can make on DraftKings, the home of NBA player props. Ready to place your first bet, Try betting on something simple like picking how many points your favorite player will have. You go to the DraftKings sportsbook app and make your pick. I don't even remember who we picked before our break, but I know we're picking tonight. So I looked at

these this morning. So there's two, there's one over, one under. I like a lot tonight. I'm looking at Karl Anthony Towns over twenty two and a half points tonight. So you might say, why are you going Karl Anthony Towns

over twenty two and a half? Well, I don't know if you guys remember, but not that long ago, the Knicks were playing the Knicks were playing the Nuggets, that's what it was, and Karl Anthony Towns was guarding Nikola Jokic, and Draymond popped off on Twitter, essentially saying like, that's the soft way to play defense. You'll never beat him in the playoffs playing him that way, ignoring the fact that, of course they beat them in the playoffs last year,

that Carl Lynon Towns's team did. And I know that I know Draymond doesn't think. That's because Rudy Gobert was great. So the reason I'm telling that story is I think Carl Anthony Town's gonna have a chip on his shoulder tonight. I think he's too big for Draymond. I think carlnon Down's over twenty two and a half. And I'm gonna take Austin Reeves under twenty and a half. Why coming off the injury playing a terrible Pels team. I don't think he plays big minutes. Because the Lakers have a

tough stretch coming up, they ease him back in. So I'll take carlyon Downs over twenty two and a half, Austin Reeves under twenty and a half lines an odds subject to change first time. Here's something special just for you new Draftings customers. Bet five bucks, get one hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets, Instantly take it to the rack with DraftKings sports Book Every point Counts. Download the DraftKings sports Book app and use code right wrighd

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expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG dot co slash b ball. All right, demons, let's go to a different lebron story real quick again. We're gonna kind of rapid fire through some of the end of this show, but go ahead.

play in games or the nd season tournament championship. So he's passed fifty thousand already. But that's fine. So he's at fifty thousand, Kareem's at forty four thousand and change, Karl Malone is at forty one thousand, change, Kobe at thirty nine thousand, Michael at thirty eight thousand, and Dirk at thirty five thousand. Okay, those are your top six,

Kevin Durant seventh and thirty five thousand as well. The reason I say continued excellence is Kareem when he scored his forty four thousandth point was in the midst of the worst season of his career, his final season when he averaged ten points per game. Karl Malone when he scored his forty one thousandth point, which was the end was an injury riddled year with the Lakers, the worst season of his career, when he averaged thirteen points per game.

Kobe when he scored the final the thirty nine thousandth point of his career, again eleven thousand less than Lebron's at he was in the midst of the final year of his career when he shot thirty six percent from the field and averaged eighteen points per game. Michael when he scored his what was his number, sorry he get thirty eight thousandth point, He was in his second year with the Wizards, averaging twenty points per game, the worst

year of his career. And Dirk when he scored his thirty five thousandth point was in his final year with Dallas, shooting thirty six percent when he averaged seven points per game.

So it's not just that Lebron has been available and played this much, it's that he is going to cross fifty thousand in a year when he's averaging twenty five, eight and nine, when he is one of three players in the league in the top twenty five in points, rebounds, and assists per game, when he is going to either be first or second team All NBA, and where he is going to finish fourth, fifth or sixth in the

MVP race. Probably to be playing at this level this deep in your career, that's where the stats have to matter, and that's where we can't get numb to it, and when you're on a real contender, which gets us to our next topic. Go ahead to manz La is now.

one of those teams. I don't think they could beat both of those teams. But they have the number one defense in the league over the last twenty games, that's a quarter of the season. You are getting elite production on both ends from Lebron and Luca is slowly turning back into Luca that and also, man, I the I'm gonna eat some of your follow up questions here to Monte because we don't have a ton of time anyone still caping for Darvinham? Was dark just a Lebron scapegoat.

Did Lebron just hire his podcast buddy or did the Lakers have a massive problem at the head coach position the last few years and they're way better now? And listen, I haven't been. I wasn't a big JJ guy. I was really worried about his ability to handle the media, which is weird from a guy who was in the media. But and so I'm not going to act like I thought this was a home run higher I didn't. But I did think they needed to move on from Ham. And I did hear people say Lebron gets his way again,

gets his podcast buddy as the head coach. Okay, if that's the case, does he get credit? I'm just curious. I just want to I don't know the rules of this stuff. I know that Lebron made them trade all their future for Anthony Davis? How did that turn out? Well? Lebron making them trade for Anthony Davis got them a championship and Luka Doncic does that at least even out Lebron making them trade for Russell Westbrook and Lebron made

them higher. Jj Reddick, well, when he potentially wins Coach of the Year this year or at least finishes in the top three, does Lebron get to at least take a picture with the trophy? I don't know. All right, another team with that has skyrocketed on the championship ods the Warriors. Let's do them Warriors.

be valuable. If they don't, then that six line could be deadly, man, because you're playing the Lakers or Denver and round one, the Warriors, you know, don't have I don't think the roster to deal with the Lakers, and they've got no one to deal with Joker. Well nobody does. And so right now they've got twenty eight losses, The Clippers have twenty eight losses, the Kings of twenty eight losses, and then the Timbrels are sitting there with twenty nine losses.

So do I think the Warriors in round one could beat Memphis? Yes? Do I think they could beat Houston? Yes? Do I think they could beat Okay see the Lakers or Denver? I do not, So I don't. I to me, there's three teams that can win the West Okay see Denver and the Lakers. I do think the Warriors, though, gave themselves a puncher's chance, which you are obligated to do when you have one of the fifteen greatest players ever in Steph Curry and he's still playing at a

high level. You're obligated. Go ahead.

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of your guide, Jason Tatum. So what's happening with Jason Tatum that he needs defending and how do you want to defend him?

up twenty five to three in the first quarter. I just don't understand it as like why everybody's acting like he blew that lead in the last like minute and a half the game. It's a long basketball game. People are gonna talk mess. I feel like other guys don't get killed for that. But it's it's just Tatum people. People just love the back of them.

like a junior high schooler. Seems to be kind of reckless off the court, let's say, but he seems so incredibly comfortable with exactly who he is. People are drawn to that. I think oddly people get the opposite feeling from Tatum, like he's always performing, and so I think people are more skeptical.

wherever you go, please you better change the culture. Make sure you do that, because I don't understand why people do that, Like I understand, like you know, I don't want to make it like I don't have that dog in me and like be like why I put those types of types of pressures on myself. But at the same time, I feel like there's also a better way to do that, that way saying it like that, it's just what do you talk about, dude?

So almost a decade ago, right around the time that I moved to LA and was commuting LA to Houston, Demanse started playing for a high level A This isn't about what you said last night. Demanse started playing for a high level AU basketball team called Basketball University that DeMont listened. Demanse went to a six A high school in Houston and was team MVP in all district. Is

a junior for a school with three thousand kids. Demanse was a legitimately high Major D one recruitable basketball player and was playing on a summer team league team that I think it's fair to say, tell me if I'm you know, offending you here had seven kids who were better than.

eight kid in the nation by Rivals five star. Went to Kansas and had one of the weirdest years of any player I've ever seen, because I really was invested in this kid, because I really liked his dad, Because I would the practices were so far away, it's like an hour drive to go to the practice, that I would just stay. I wasn't really like a helicopter dad of this stuff, but I'm not. There's nowhere for me

to go, so I'd stay and watch Quinton. In his first ever college game for Kansas against Michigan State as a true freshman, had twenty one and four on fifty percent shooting, hit six threes. In his second college game ever, he had ten and ten, ten points, ten assists, and then just never played well for them again. Had won,

like I lost law. I think it remained a starter, but just was awesome his first two games and then I don't know, like I didn't follow it enough to be like, did he have falling out with the coach? What was it? I don't know, But by game five was playing fifteen minutes and then it just never in the tournament, you know, was two for ten in the first tournament game. It just didn't work and he ended up uh transferring to Houston, and by the end of his time at Houston he played. So he was supposed

to be a one and done, no doubt. Kid ended up playing three years and being a late first round pick and is now played for four NBA teams. The Knicks drafted him, they traded him to the Pistons. He got traded to the MAVs traded him to the Sixers. And the reason I'm telling the story is because I was in New Zealand and I saw that the Sixers beat the Warriors. It's the only Warriors loss since they have Jimmy, And I'm like, how the hell did that happen? And I look at the box score and I'm like,

did Maxi go crazy? And Maxie had five points on two of fourteen shooting, and I'm like, well, I know Paul George didn't go crazy, So how did they win? And Quentin Grimes had forty four points in an.

me happy. All right, Uh, let's do some quick listener questions also a reminder like rate subscriber review, do all that stuff. I mean, we really covered the gamut today. But go ahead, demons, I say, Louis says, greeting from Portugal. Appreciate that.

beautiful place I've ever been in the world. And we took this little eight person plaine from Queenstown to the Milford Sound, which isn't a sound, it's actually a fjord, but doesn't matter, and you fly over these mountains that have glaciers on them, even though it's the summer down there, those glacier they're glaciers, so they're there forever that it's these like reflective ponds that are like a bright turquoise color because it's glacier ice, plus like the minerals from

the mountain, and you're looking at a place that like it's like, oh, human beings have never set foot there ever, right there's nowhere to land, there's no road, there's no anything, you know, you're just looking at it untouched. And then you land and you take this boat right around Milford Sound and it's just one of the most remarkable places in the world, and so there's not a lot to do. Like I was also shocked at how many people in

New Zealand. I'm going to sound like a jerk here, how many people in New Zealand watch American Sports TV. That's what I'll say. But uh, it was just the It was the prettiest place I've ever been.

those first four hours, had a couple cocktails. I don't I don't know if I'm supposed to say this or not. Now that I said I had a couple of cocktails, I'll say what I did, had a couple of glasses of wine and took one Advill pm uh and then just slept for ten hours. So you stay up for the first four sleep as long as you can, and then you're up for the last two. And we were like, Nick,

you're flying first class. No I'm not. I'm not. Uh, And so the the first class tickets were sticker priced thirty thousand dollars a person, So I'm like, I don't think anyone actually buys these, like you can then like bid on upgrades or whatever. So the but the regular tickets were, you know, a couple grand. So it's listen, it's not a it's not a cheap trip, but it's not it's not like, you know, undoable as long as you can do with the flight, And so I thought, you, well, here,

I don't understand that. So I don't understand the the This is the second trip I've been on where when I went to buy the plane tickets the listed price for first class was thirty thousand dollars and my for one ticket round trip. And my reaction to that always is like, doesn't everyone who has thirty thousand dollars spend on a ticket already on their own? Like I just don't. I don't know, Like maybe it's business travelers and companies are paying for it, So I don't know what did happen.

I will say this. I flew quantas is. They then let you because shockingly first class uh didn't sell out. They then send you an email and like, hey, do you want to bid? Send in a blind bid to upgrade, and so uh you know what I mean. So I did that, didn't get the upgrade on the way back, and so the and but so whatever, like it was totally worth it.