WEBVTT - Whats Wright - Best Of: Nick Wright reacts to Kyrie Irving's ACL, Steph Curry G.O.A.T. debate, how Michael Jordan still haunts LeBron James & NBA 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.320 Welcome to the Best of the Week for What's Right 0:00:02.400 --> 0:00:05.040 with Nick Right the best takes and moments from this 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:13.280 week on the show. Enjoy for Kyrie, Obviously, you feel 0:00:13.320 --> 0:00:17.360 sick for him. I think Kyrie has handled the last 0:00:17.440 --> 0:00:21.360 couple of years about as well as any player could have. 0:00:21.720 --> 0:00:25.720 And I've been so impressed by him, and as far 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:34.560 as on a dime, remaking his leader reputation and maturity 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:40.159 reputation and kind of sage wisdom and all of that, 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:45.360 I've never seen him like it. Like him going from 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:48.400 a guy who's like, well, great player, but you're gonna 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:50.800 have to deal with a bunch of other stuff to 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:54.880 a guy where the other stuff is a huge part 0:00:54.920 --> 0:01:01.080 of his greatness. And it seemingly happened on the trade 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:07.000 to the Maps, and so you give him massive credit. 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:10.959 You feel sick for him. I also he's a pending 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:15.080 free agent. How this impacts the contract he will or 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:18.600 won't get For a guy who turns thirty three in 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:23.880 a few weeks. Maybe it's craven to talk about that immediately, 0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:28.240 but you think about that, and it concerns you. And 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:33.880 the other thing you think about is this, since they 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:37.080 traded Lukadncic he was playing way too many minutes because 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:43.840 they didn't have another ball handler. And this is a 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:48.920 and they left themselves with one creator, one ball handler. 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:56.840 And now I mean the minutes he has played since 0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:02.080 the start of February. Let's go there, right, Luca was 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:08.280 traded on what February first, Okay, so perfect since the 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:15.360 Luca trade forty two, forty forty two, forty four, forty 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:20.720 thirty seven, thirty two in a blowout, forty thirty eight 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:29.760 thirty eight, and then last night, I it was now 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:32.600 he was playing big minutes prior to that as well, 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:36.360 actually since Luca's injury, he was playing big minutes. But 0:02:36.520 --> 0:02:40.000 Luca was coming back, and Luca would have obviously would 0:02:40.000 --> 0:02:43.400 have been back, you know, well earlier than that. 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:47.960 And the maps the topic right now. 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:50.600 Yeah, we do it right now, like we might as 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:55.040 well just get to it the because we have the 0:02:55.080 --> 0:03:02.600 breaking news on it, and so I I don't there's 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:07.480 a lot of pieces to this demon's that are inextricably 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:09.560 tied to the Luca trade. 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:12.920 And yeah, with the not having the extra ball handler, 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:16.840 but even the guy that they traded for was hurt 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:19.080 since he got there, he played in what a half 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:22.320 of a game, and I think with Nico Collins, with 0:03:22.400 --> 0:03:25.880 Anthony Davis being a known hurt player, that's something that 0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:28.040 you have to take into account and like you're seeing 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:31.200 that firsthand, and I just it was it was obviously 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:34.720 a bad decision. It was like it was Anthony Davis 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:37.560 getting hurt or Luca donc Is just completely flaming out 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:39.440 and being a hinentrance to your team. 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:44.240 Well so that so there were a million reasons the 0:03:44.320 --> 0:03:49.440 Luca trade made no sense, uh, even if all of 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:52.880 your skepticism was correct about him. One was you were 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:55.120 worried about his body, and so you trade for a 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:57.560 guy who's six years older and Anthony Davis who has 0:03:57.640 --> 0:04:02.640 real worries about his body. Another one was you actually 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:06.480 already had depth at center. What you didn't have depth 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:10.560 that was shot creator. You trade a shot creator for 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:14.040 the best shot creator arguably in basketball, and Luca for 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:20.440 another big Another reason it was risky was your window 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:24.400 with Luca was a decade. You then go Nico Harrison. 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:27.120 You said, Nico Collins the receiver for the Texans, but 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:32.839 I knew him. It the You then go on TV 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:38.039 and say your windows three to four years, Well, this 0:04:38.160 --> 0:04:44.159 year is done now done, and next year's in jeopardy, 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:49.440 like are you and also are you going to re 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:55.279 sign Kyrie Irving? Do you still have to? If you don't, 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.719 what are you doing? There was a lot of, you know, 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:04.200 kind of back burner rumors, demons that this could be 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:09.279 a Kevin Durant destination next year, that Katie get back 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:12.960 with Kyrie. You have Anthony Davis. From basketball standpoint, it 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:19.840 would fit great. Okay, Well, now that's massively in question, Like, 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:25.320 I don't know, you tear your acl in March if 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:28.080 you're Kyrie, do you just miss all of next year? 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:32.080 And shout out to Kyrie for shooting those free throws? 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:36.760 You know, he obviously is as big of a Kobe 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:42.240 fan as any active player. Kobe famous famously shot his 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:47.679 free throws after he tore his achilles. You really really 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:54.920 hope that Kyrie's career doesn't follow that same trajectory as 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:59.479 far as Kobe was just never the same guy after 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:05.279 that torn achilles. But I also think Kobe Kobe was 0:06:06.000 --> 0:06:11.480 thirty four when he tore his achilles. Kyrie is thirty 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.880 two about to be thirty three. Was was Kobe? I'm 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:19.880 looking up when so Kobe tore his Achilles in April 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:28.599 of thirteen. Kobe was born in August of Uh. Yes, 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:35.880 we was thirty four August seventy eight. So I I 0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:40.320 just will the MAVs make There's so many tentacles to 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.680 this and I'm reacting in real time. Will the MAVs 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:48.239 make the play in they're three and a half clear 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:53.520 of Phoenix. Phoenix would be a at this point a 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:59.280 more interesting team, uh because of the Kadim Booker factor, 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:01.960 even though that seems to just be ready for the 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:06.080 season to end. But now that whoever gets that ten 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:09.240 seed is dead on arrival, the MAVs have no who 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:14.360 on the MAVs can create a shot, honest to god, 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:20.640 Like last night after Kyrie went down, it's Dante Exum 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:24.760 you you know who you also? I mean Kai Jones. 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:29.400 Shout out to Kai Jones, by the way, who had 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:34.160 some real personal demons and issues or action demons is 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:37.080 too strong. I don't know that he he had a 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.000 It seemed like he might have had a drug problem, 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:44.880 you know, and seems to have gotten himself clean and 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:47.880 is you know, resuming his NBA career. So you root 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:51.200 for young people like that, Like that was going down 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.000 the wrong track. He ended up playing big minutes yesterday, 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:56.320 right they signed him. He goes nine to ten from 0:07:56.320 --> 0:08:02.760 the field. But I mean Clayton Thompson signs there thinking 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:06.840 I can catch and shoot. Well, who's who you're catching 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:07.280 it from? 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:07.640 Now? 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:13.960 This isn't I think, you know what. I think I 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:20.200 did a bad job in my initial reaction to this. 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:20.800 This is a. 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:25.240 Again like the Luca ad trade. 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:29.160 No, the Kyrie injury some in the last ten minutes, 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:38.040 because this is just an unmitigated disaster of historic proportions. 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:45.360 And you can say the injury is just bad luck, 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:52.800 but that's only if you think that if Kyrie's workload 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:56.680 was different, if his responsibility was different, if his ability 0:08:56.760 --> 0:09:00.000 to rest games, if need be was different, He's still 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:03.520 would have torn his ACL. I don't think that. And 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:07.520 the MAVs, who are the defending Western Conference champions, decided 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:14.880 without the player forcing them or even asking them to, decided, 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:24.080 I am going to blow this entire thing up and 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:33.880 take a risk that's unprecedented in NBA history. And within 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:39.040 a month of the trade, the piece you traded for 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:43.280 who was injured when you made the trade got hurt again. 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:51.040 And the guard in this league that maybe at this point, 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:57.320 honestly has more responsibility to his team than any other 0:09:57.400 --> 0:09:59.959 guard in the league because of how the rosters construct 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:08.760 did post Luca. You use him in a potentially reckless 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:14.760 manner and his historically shaky knees get one of them 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:19.959 gives out on him, and now you're just cooked. And 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:25.439 you're a team that does not have your own draft 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:31.040 pick for twenty seven through thirty. So that's the other 0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:36.800 like they MAVs future draft picks. I talked about this 0:10:36.840 --> 0:10:39.439 the other day, so I kind of know it already. 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:46.960 But here's what it is, outgoing draft picks. In twenty 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:53.959 twenty seven, it goes to Charlotte. In twenty twenty eight, 0:10:54.520 --> 0:11:00.280 Okse can swap with them. In twenty twenty nine, it 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:08.720 goes to Houston or Phoenix. In twenty thirty, I think 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:13.079 the Spurs can swap with them. But twenty seven, twenty eight, 0:11:13.200 --> 0:11:21.960 twenty nine, and thirty you do not have your own pick, 0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:30.679 and two of those years, yeah you will have someone's pick. 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:35.400 But okay, in twenty seven it just goes to Charlotte. 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:38.840 In twenty eight, Oka Se can swap with you. In 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:42.080 twenty nine, Houston can swap with you, and in thirty. 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:45.960 The Spurs can swap with you, so if you bottom out, 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:52.280 it doesn't do you any good. I I don't know. 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:57.480 The only reason Demonse. I think Nico Harrison survives this 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:02.280 is because Patrick Dumont, the owner, came out and did 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:04.720 his own press conference where he was like, two thumbs 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:08.120 up to the trade. You gotta be a grinder like 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:12.800 Shaquille O'Neill and Larry Bird were never drank, never party 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:23.000 and just all ball and and I'm yeah, of course, 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:28.280 and I am just sick for Kyrie man. This sucks 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:33.400 and it's it's a lot of money. And I know 0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:36.000 nobody cares about the money part of this with pro athletes, 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:40.360 but Kyrie had cost himself a lot of money the 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:45.200 previous few years and left money on the table, and 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:55.320 then because of his own excellent play and the desperation 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:58.320 of the MAVs post, Luca was in a spot where 0:12:58.360 --> 0:13:02.000 he was going to get that macal and now I 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:05.559 don't know what it means for him. This is devastating. 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:16.240 Oh god, so oh hold on, So that's interesting. So 0:13:16.360 --> 0:13:20.880 that's probably what he'll do. Well, I don't know. I mean, 0:13:21.760 --> 0:13:25.000 he has a player option, but I don't know that 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:30.280 I so he could pick up the player option for 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:34.880 forty four million, but I think it's more likely he 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.559 opts out and still gets a new deal. I just 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.320 don't think it will be a four year max like 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:43.000 so it's if it were a career ending injury, which 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:45.400 it's not, then you just opt into your player option. 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:49.200 I don't think that's what's gonna happen. But I'm just 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:52.480 devastating for Kyrie. I'm not listening, and I'm devastating for 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:58.280 MAVs fans. Thirty days and your entire basketball world is 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:01.560 just you went from having one of the brightest futures 0:14:01.559 --> 0:14:06.000 of any team in the league too its as dark 0:14:06.040 --> 0:14:07.959 as it gets, and all of a sudden, Anthony Davis 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:09.640 is back on the Pelicans. 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:12.800 And they're raising the prices in the stadium for particular. 0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:17.280 Well, that's another thing I saw that story. It's just 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:22.160 a tone deaf timing of the announcement. I don't understand 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:25.640 that piece of it at all. But just joining us, 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:28.560 Kyrie irving torn acl that was the fear last night. 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:32.440 I am amazed by the way quick sidebar. I am 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:42.920 constantly amazed at how accurate those sports medicine folks on 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:49.040 Twitter are by watching the video of something and saying 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:53.280 what injury the guy suffered. I think those guys that 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:59.400 I follow on Twitter bat like eight hundred. I think 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:05.120 four out five they nail just by watching one video. 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:08.960 And it's listen. I do know know nothing about science 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:12.000 or medicine, but it's always impressive to me. 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:23.080 So Shack said that Steph deserves to be in the 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:24.000 goat conversation. 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:26.240 Do you think that's a right take to have? 0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:36.920 Sadly no, So let's talk best point guard ever. We've 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:41.240 done this before. I'll do it again just quickly. Here. 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:47.520 Magic Johnson, I believe this in my bones, is the 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:53.600 greatest point guard in NBA history. And Magic Johnson. It's 0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:59.560 not only that as a rookie one Finals MVP, now 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:02.600 we should of Kareem should have won it, but had 0:16:02.640 --> 0:16:06.720 one of the single greatest finals games ever playing center 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:13.080 at just being utterly dominant to win a championship as 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:16.240 a rookie right after winning a championship in college. If 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:19.840 people don't know what I'm talking about, the Kareem was 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:23.280 out so magic jump center as a rookie against Doctor 0:16:23.360 --> 0:16:26.600 J and the Sixers and dropped forty two, fifteen and 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:31.880 seven to win a championship in the finals. That almost 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:35.000 gets talked about too much. And what doesn't get talked 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:41.120 about enough, in my opinion, is this demanse. In year three, 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:45.560 Magic Johnson was second team All NBA, and then after 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:50.320 that he played nine more seasons before the HIV diagnosis 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:57.840 and was first team All NBA all nine seasons. Those 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:03.640 nine seasons after year three, his MVP finishes were third, second, 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:12.040 hold on sorry, third, third, second, third, first, third, first, first, second, 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:18.560 So again years four to twelve for Magic nine consecutive 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:24.520 first team All NBA's nine consecutive top three MVP finishes, 0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:30.480 three league MVPs, went to nine finals, won five championships. 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:37.320 He's the greatest point guard ever. With that said, every 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:42.600 time I'm putting together my all time starting five steps 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:45.960 the better option at point guard than Magic. So I 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:51.399 know that sounds weird, but whenever it's like, Okay, create 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:55.920 the greatest team you can possibly create, I'm like, all right, 0:17:56.000 --> 0:18:00.000 So the two the only two locks, even with respect 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:04.560 to Kareem, the only two locks are Michael and Lebron. 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:09.200 Those guys are the locks. And now we're figuring out 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:13.560 the rest of the squad, and so I go all right, 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:18.000 so Lebron's there, he can bring the ball up. You know, 0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:20.280 Michael couldn't shoot a three to save his life, so 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:25.639 I probably need some more shooting defensively. I'm going to 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:29.000 be a monster anyway, so I'll put Steph in in 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:32.800 place of Magic. So that's where the best point guard conversation. 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:36.359 You know, gets off to a rough start, or not 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:40.280 a rough start, but it gets complicated. This episode of 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:44.200 What's Right is brought to you by DAYA Pizza featuring 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:48.000 dairy free cheese made with their new DAYA oat Cream blend. 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:50.800 Dairy free cheese come a long way, and DEAA is 0:18:50.920 --> 0:18:53.359 leading the charge. Their pizza's off for the melt and 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:57.159 stretch of traditional cheese without any dairy. 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He has eleven. Steph has four, so 0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:40.960 he doesn't have the the great season after great season 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:43.600 after great season all these other guys did. Here's the 0:20:43.640 --> 0:20:47.399 other thing that he doesn't have. And again I'm not 0:20:47.520 --> 0:20:53.920 tearing him down, but this if everyone who is actually 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:59.560 in the goat debate, which I think is only three people, 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:02.800 but other people might want to expand it to a 0:21:02.840 --> 0:21:05.520 couple others. And even if you expand it to them, 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:11.160 if you include Magic, if you include Wilt or Russell, 0:21:11.320 --> 0:21:21.760 like pick whomever, they all had an extended period where 0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:29.160 they were unequivocally, undeniably the best player in the league. 0:21:29.440 --> 0:21:34.600 Steph doesn't have one. Steph doesn't have one season. Now 0:21:34.640 --> 0:21:37.280 that's again it's like, well, that's his whole career is 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:41.040 during Lebron's career. I get it. But that so you 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:44.640 just so you can't be in the goat conversation when 0:21:44.720 --> 0:21:46.280 and you can be like, what about the Yearie won 0:21:46.400 --> 0:21:50.679 unanimous MVP. Yeah, he was going to be considered the 0:21:50.720 --> 0:21:53.679 best player in the league, and then the finals happened, 0:21:54.280 --> 0:21:59.879 and so like, there has just not been so a spot. 0:22:00.040 --> 0:22:03.359 I'm not tearing him down. You guys know how highly 0:22:03.400 --> 0:22:04.680 I think of him as a player. 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:08.359 He is greatest shooter, arguably. 0:22:09.160 --> 0:22:12.600 The greatest shooter ever. He might be the greatest ball 0:22:12.600 --> 0:22:16.120 handler ever. He's one of the greatest teammates ever. 0:22:17.320 --> 0:22:19.639 But he is offball players. 0:22:19.680 --> 0:22:23.040 I know that's not like exactly the best, the best, 0:22:23.240 --> 0:22:26.160 probably probably one of the best off ball players. 0:22:25.880 --> 0:22:29.560 In NBA history, I imagine. 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:32.200 Maybe maybe the maybe the best. Yes, no, all those 0:22:32.240 --> 0:22:37.280 things really matter. I find to me, Uh, nobody wants 0:22:37.320 --> 0:22:43.160 to have this debate. But an interesting one is him 0:22:43.240 --> 0:22:48.639 versus Duncan. Like it is, it's hard to do, Like 0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:58.440 putting up Steph's career versus Duncan, and Steph's career versus Kobe, 0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:04.240 and Steph's versus Shack are all really interesting because those 0:23:04.240 --> 0:23:10.960 are four so different players, just you know, so such 0:23:11.160 --> 0:23:18.439 drastically different players, different styles, different career arcs like those 0:23:18.480 --> 0:23:25.760 to me are real debates. But Steph versus Lebron, Michael 0:23:25.800 --> 0:23:30.159 and Kream are not wh she is not and that's fine, 0:23:30.280 --> 0:23:33.600 Like that's not a It was also weird timing to 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:37.960 have this discussion, Like Steph was having a down year 0:23:38.160 --> 0:23:41.439 and the Warriors were twenty five and twenty five and 0:23:41.560 --> 0:23:44.320 they traded for Jimmy and they're you know, on the uptick, 0:23:44.359 --> 0:23:46.159 and Steph is playing some of his best basketball of 0:23:46.200 --> 0:23:49.840 the year. But this isn't like some magical Steph Curry season. 0:23:50.359 --> 0:23:54.720 He's not. He has no shot of being first team 0:23:54.760 --> 0:23:58.280 All NBA this year. He is. I remember when they 0:23:58.359 --> 0:24:01.679 traded for Jimmy he had as many games with fifteen 0:24:01.840 --> 0:24:04.439 or fewer points as he had thirty plus points. Like, 0:24:05.160 --> 0:24:09.520 he's averaging the fewest points he's averaged in a season 0:24:09.720 --> 0:24:15.400 since his first MVP is so in a decade, and 0:24:16.119 --> 0:24:23.080 he's averaging below forty from three for just the second 0:24:23.200 --> 0:24:26.879 time of his career. So again, I'm not he's all. 0:24:27.240 --> 0:24:30.919 All that's true, While it's also true is he's having 0:24:31.560 --> 0:24:36.840 the greatest old little guy season ever. So all those 0:24:36.880 --> 0:24:38.960 things can be true at the same time. But goat 0:24:39.160 --> 0:24:49.920 conversation now we're now we're getting a little cuckoo. Where 0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:59.119 we have to start today is with what Lebron James said, 0:25:00.280 --> 0:25:04.760 what was said about what he said, and how we 0:25:04.840 --> 0:25:09.600 got here. So first a level set of what happened. 0:25:10.640 --> 0:25:14.320 Anthony Edwards was asked about being face of the league 0:25:14.359 --> 0:25:16.120 and he was like, I don't really have an interest 0:25:16.119 --> 0:25:20.680 in it, I just want a ball. Lebron was then 0:25:20.760 --> 0:25:24.639 asked about that as the face of the league, and 0:25:24.720 --> 0:25:28.720 Lebron said, yeah, I don't blame him. Why would you 0:25:28.840 --> 0:25:32.520 want to be when all the people who talk about 0:25:32.560 --> 0:25:35.520 our league and it seemed like he was about to 0:25:35.600 --> 0:25:39.879 say former players, but and media, but instead it was 0:25:39.920 --> 0:25:45.360 just a catch all, just shit on the players. And 0:25:45.400 --> 0:25:48.959 then as Bomani Jones would say, hit dog gone holler. 0:25:49.760 --> 0:25:56.240 And then all the guys who Lebron was talking about 0:25:56.840 --> 0:26:04.760 doth protested too much. So the first one was stephen A, 0:26:06.000 --> 0:26:11.400 who did a five minute rant in response to Lebron 0:26:12.160 --> 0:26:17.399 that and I'm not I am not exaggerating when I 0:26:17.440 --> 0:26:22.600 say this. In the first ninety seconds of stephen A 0:26:22.800 --> 0:26:27.879 responding to Lebron saying that the biggest voices in the 0:26:27.960 --> 0:26:34.040 media just go after you repeatedly, particularly if you're the 0:26:34.080 --> 0:26:36.600 face of the league. In the first ninety seconds of 0:26:36.600 --> 0:26:40.119 a response to that, stephen A blamed Lebron James for 0:26:40.160 --> 0:26:45.200 the following the downfall of the Slam Dunk Contest, the 0:26:45.480 --> 0:26:50.080 lockout in twenty eleven, and the Chris Paul Laker trade 0:26:50.119 --> 0:26:53.760 being mixed. He put it all Lebron's feet, all of it. 0:26:54.280 --> 0:26:57.240 He's like ruin the dunk contest because you wouldn't participate, 0:26:58.600 --> 0:27:03.400 and then said the decision was what led to the 0:27:03.440 --> 0:27:10.120 owners locking the players out and changing the collective bargaining agreement, 0:27:10.320 --> 0:27:13.800 and then threw the CP three trade in h as 0:27:14.000 --> 0:27:19.879 kind of a little dessert after a delicious entree and 0:27:19.960 --> 0:27:23.000 didn't really, to my ear, address any of what Lebron 0:27:23.080 --> 0:27:28.359 actually said. And then and I couldn't believe this. And 0:27:29.000 --> 0:27:31.240 let me say this as well. I have a really 0:27:31.240 --> 0:27:34.000 good relationship with Steven A. I actually texted with him 0:27:34.040 --> 0:27:37.119 this morning. But he is so I don't want people 0:27:37.160 --> 0:27:40.919 to think that this is there's like media beef. But 0:27:41.320 --> 0:27:45.040 he knows this. We both have strong opinions. We disagree. 0:27:45.119 --> 0:27:47.760 I disagree with a lot of what he says. He's 0:27:47.800 --> 0:27:52.960 a big boy, grown man. He understands none of that's personal. 0:27:53.640 --> 0:27:57.080 And so I'm not I'm not trying to start something. 0:27:57.119 --> 0:27:59.280 This guy's a friend of mine. I just think he's 0:27:59.320 --> 0:28:02.000 out of his mind on some of this stuff. And 0:28:02.040 --> 0:28:05.800 then on his podcast and this I won't put on him. 0:28:06.320 --> 0:28:09.600 And you know, appreciate those producers of that podcast because 0:28:09.920 --> 0:28:13.240 they put us on their you know, friendly relationships. But 0:28:13.359 --> 0:28:18.199 and Demon's ay, this will blow your mind again. In 0:28:18.320 --> 0:28:22.720 addressing Lebron, James saying that if you're the face of 0:28:22.760 --> 0:28:30.000 the league, you get extra criticism, get shit on. When 0:28:30.119 --> 0:28:34.040 Steven A brought that up on his podcast, you know 0:28:34.119 --> 0:28:38.480 what video played alongside it, like the soundless what we 0:28:38.600 --> 0:28:44.120 call b roll highlights. Hand to god, it was Bronnie's 0:28:44.240 --> 0:28:48.800 bad minutes against the Sixers. That's true. Go look, go 0:28:48.960 --> 0:28:52.080 watch so like again, I don't think that's stephen A's call, 0:28:52.560 --> 0:28:58.520 but it doesn't exactly dispel the narrative that, well, yeah, 0:28:58.560 --> 0:29:02.800 you there might be a little, a little unfairness here, 0:29:03.240 --> 0:29:07.520 and so that was his part of it. Bill Simmons, 0:29:08.440 --> 0:29:15.040 who is as loud and as respected and as important 0:29:15.040 --> 0:29:19.760 of an NBA voice as there is, who is an unabashed, obvious, 0:29:19.880 --> 0:29:23.520 diehard Celtic fan who has never really been what you'd 0:29:23.560 --> 0:29:28.680 call a Lebron guy, and Lebron's never been a Simmons guy. 0:29:31.640 --> 0:29:37.520 Simmons sent out the following tweets. Celts Cavs is a 0:29:37.560 --> 0:29:40.760 wonderful NBA game between two excellent teams that's included some 0:29:40.880 --> 0:29:44.880 terrific individual performances. This next game will be splendid too. 0:29:45.160 --> 0:29:47.400 We're so lucky to be able to watch great players 0:29:47.400 --> 0:29:50.400 like Luka Ancic, Lebron James and James Harden battling it 0:29:50.440 --> 0:29:54.560 out tonight, just basically making fun. It's being like, this 0:29:54.720 --> 0:29:58.560 is ridiculous. Oh, everyone's got to be so positive. And 0:29:58.600 --> 0:30:03.160 then Bill went on a long history lesson on his 0:30:03.240 --> 0:30:06.360 pod this week where he was like, this is how 0:30:06.400 --> 0:30:12.640 it's always been, and then explained how we went after 0:30:12.840 --> 0:30:18.400 guys who either hadn't won or until they won, or 0:30:18.800 --> 0:30:24.240 very specific postseason failures in the moment, which is not 0:30:24.640 --> 0:30:29.080 at all what Lebron's talking about. Lebron was talking about 0:30:29.520 --> 0:30:36.160 the general conversation surrounding the league being constantly negative. And 0:30:36.200 --> 0:30:40.520 you know who totally agrees with Lebron that that's a problem, 0:30:41.120 --> 0:30:45.479 Bill Simmons. You know how I know that because on 0:30:45.560 --> 0:30:52.000 December thirty first, Bill Simmons did an NBA pod with 0:30:52.120 --> 0:30:57.320 the great Kirk Goldsbery that is titled The All Positive 0:30:57.640 --> 0:31:02.080 NBA Show with Kurk Goldsbury that he says at the beginning, 0:31:02.200 --> 0:31:06.640 he's doing because the conversation surrounding the league has gotten 0:31:06.680 --> 0:31:10.920 too negative. So for some of these guys, even when 0:31:11.000 --> 0:31:14.800 Lebron says something they agree with, because it's Lebron saying it, 0:31:14.880 --> 0:31:20.800 they can't agree with it. And then Wilbond on the 0:31:20.840 --> 0:31:26.280