Speaker 1: Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of.
Speaker 2: Twenty four hour NBA News.
Speaker 1: This's you, lo, Chris Haynes. It's so time, Markstein, It's
Speaker 1: so time. This League Uncut is underway and on fire.
Speaker 2: This should be a good one. Hello again, friends, Welcome
Speaker 2: to another edition this League Uncut. Don't believe what you
Speaker 2: read on Twitter. Mark Stein, Chris Haynes still for the
Speaker 2: moment together as a tandem. Despite some high profile flirtations
Speaker 2: on the Bird app between Chris Haynes and MSNBC's Chris Hayes.
Speaker 2: I have not received any notifications. I'm still part of
Speaker 2: this show. We're actually you know, the fact we're recording
Speaker 2: this is proof just one more element of an absolutely
Speaker 2: crazy Wednesday in the NBA. We are recording this on
Speaker 2: Wednesday night for a Thursday morning drop. If I have
Speaker 2: my days right. Lakers down huge to the Jah morantless
Speaker 2: Memphis Grizzlies down thirteen halfway through the third quarter as
Speaker 2: we start taping this crazy day in the NBA. No
Speaker 2: Job Morant for the Grizzlies in Game two against the Lakers.
Speaker 2: No Jannis and De Decoumpo against them against the Miami Heat.
Speaker 2: Milwaukee's down one Oho they got to play Game two
Speaker 2: without Yiannis. Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings Unanimous Coach
Speaker 2: of the Year, as touted, predicted, and lobbied for by
Speaker 2: the very in demand Chris Haynes. You called your shot,
Speaker 2: you said he should be unanimous. He got it. Every
Speaker 2: first place.
Speaker 3: Vote, they got one hundred, one hundred voters all vote
Speaker 3: at him first to win that award. Well deserved. It
Speaker 3: was the right, move right decision. There was really Listen,
Speaker 3: I knew you had reservations about that, but there was
Speaker 3: really nobody in his class this year that couldn't make
Speaker 3: the case that they should receive a first place vote.
Speaker 2: It wasn't so much reservations, It's just I didn't necessarily
Speaker 2: think it would happen because like we saw with you know,
Speaker 2: it doesn't sound like Paolo Benkearo is going to be
Speaker 2: the umous unanimous Rookie of the Year, when he would
Speaker 2: certainly have a case for that. But in Mike's case,
Speaker 2: you proved correct. He absolutely lapped the field.
Speaker 3: He lapped the field and at he's the first coach
Speaker 3: in NBA history to receive that award unanimously. So Coach Brown,
Speaker 3: he got some of the this League uncut good karma
Speaker 3: along with them. I'm pretty sure that played a part
Speaker 3: in a voter's decision.
Speaker 2: It has been really nothing good news since he stopped
Speaker 2: by this league uncut.
Speaker 3: Isn't it nothing but good news? I mean, Malik Beasley
Speaker 3: came on the pod and he got what he wanted.
Speaker 3: Two days later, you know, got traded to the Los
Speaker 3: Angeles Lakers. Uh, you know, Dame, I don't know.
Speaker 4: I don't know. If I don't know, if it come.
Speaker 2: Don don't. Let's not point let's not point that out.
Speaker 4: Don't tell him, Hey, dray BA for that better as well.
Speaker 2: I'll tell him either.
Speaker 4: I think we're yeah, we're bat in five hundred.
Speaker 2: Mike Brown. Mike Brown definitely riding the wave of this
Speaker 2: league uncut and the first the Coach of the Year
Speaker 2: award is older than me. It goes back to nineteen
Speaker 2: sixty two to sixty three, first unanimous winner. But like
Speaker 2: I said, there's even more. We have a GM change.
Speaker 2: There is now a GM opening in the NBA. Tommy
Speaker 2: Shephard ousted in Washington on Wednesday night. We didn't even
Speaker 2: get to what I reported Monday about the Mavericks being
Speaker 2: in advanced talks to hire former Utah Jazz lead assistant
Speaker 2: Dennis Lindsay, who will be joining the Mavericks front office
Speaker 2: to be a special assistant to Nico Harrison's I mean,
Speaker 2: there's there's a zillion different directions we could obviously go,
Speaker 2: but in truth, there's really only one place to start.
Speaker 2: And that's the fact that Draymond Green recent guest on
Speaker 2: this podcast, as you noted, the our supposed magic dust
Speaker 2: certainly did not work for him. He's been suspended for
Speaker 2: Thursday nights Game three. You are going to be on
Speaker 2: the sideline at what is sure to be an absolutely
Speaker 2: raucous Chase Center with the Warriors down to zip already,
Speaker 2: and we'll have to play Game three without their defensive anchor,
Speaker 2: their defensive brains, and really the guy who's frequently described
Speaker 2: as the heart and soul of that team. And I think, look,
Speaker 2: the suspension, you know, the stomp was severe, playing to
Speaker 2: the crowd with everybody into even more of a frenzy.
Speaker 2: Adam Silver was there even saying all that. I still
Speaker 2: come away surprised that the league went through with this
Speaker 2: and suspended him. I think the Warriors are surprised. I
Speaker 2: don't think We're alone in that surprise, because no matter
Speaker 2: how merited the suspension might seem on paper, I think
Speaker 2: there was a lot of skepticism that the league would
Speaker 2: actually go through with it and take Draymond Green. After
Speaker 2: he was ejected and missed the final seven plus minutes
Speaker 2: of Game two, I think there was a fair bit
Speaker 2: of skepticism that the league would take this step and
Speaker 2: take him out of Game three, which means, I mean, wow,
Speaker 2: can the Warriors? Can the Warriors win a Game three,
Speaker 2: even at home without him?
Speaker 3: That's a very good question, Stean. Before I answer that
Speaker 3: or tackle that, I should say, Producer Ryan comes through
Speaker 3: again and he related to us that Dame. Don't forget
Speaker 3: Dame won the three point contest.
Speaker 2: Right hours after.
Speaker 4: Thank you. So we are three for four.
Speaker 2: And hey, who knows, maybe the Warriors win Game three
Speaker 2: without him and come back to win this series and
Speaker 2: we can forget this little suspension. But let's be real,
Speaker 2: nobody's gonna forget the suspension because it's a massive, massive story.
Speaker 2: We all remember the way the Warriors season started with
Speaker 2: the practice court clash with Jordan Poole, the punch the Warriors.
Speaker 2: You know, Draymond Green did take time away from the team,
Speaker 2: but he was not suspended at the start of the season.
Speaker 2: He was there for Ring night. But now the most
Speaker 2: important game of the season, he's not going to be
Speaker 2: on the floor. Just give me your takeaways and we'll
Speaker 2: just take it. Something tells me we're gonna we'll have
Speaker 2: a lot to say on all sides of this one.
Speaker 2: But I mean, when this thing came down at almost
Speaker 2: midnight on Tuesday night, Eastern time, what were you You
Speaker 2: were on the court, right, I mean, you're working the
Speaker 2: game in Phoenix.
Speaker 4: I was on.
Speaker 3: I was Yeah, I was on during the game. Yeah,
Speaker 3: doing a sounce clip game. I didn't like it. I
Speaker 3: don't like it. I don't. I might be in well,
Speaker 3: I'm not saying I'm a minority in that, but I don't.
Speaker 3: I didn't even think it warranted an injection. In game two,
Speaker 3: I think give them both flagrant ones and keep it moving.
Speaker 3: I think the bonus is I'm not saying what he
Speaker 3: did is being swept under the rug, but you know
Speaker 3: that's a dangerous play, very dangerous play. When you're grabbing
Speaker 3: a guy's foot his ankle area and grabbing hold to it,
Speaker 3: you know you can commit serious damage. Depending on how
Speaker 3: that player whose foot is being held, depending on how
Speaker 3: he moves, and so, yeah, it was. It was it assessive,
Speaker 3: Yes it was, But I believe the hold was obsessive
Speaker 3: as well. And I don't think I don't think it
Speaker 3: warranted Draymond being a and I certainly don't think it
Speaker 3: should have warranted a suspension for Game three. With that
Speaker 3: being said, Joe Dumars laid out in a statement that
Speaker 3: they took into consideration Dre's past incidents.
Speaker 4: I get it.
Speaker 3: I don't like it still, I think you should take
Speaker 3: it by a case by case basis. I don't, you know,
Speaker 3: because what that what people can lead into that is
Speaker 3: that if that same situation happened with someone else, they
Speaker 3: would get the benefit of the doubt and be allowed
Speaker 3: to play the next next anme, I don't think you.
Speaker 3: I don't think what happened in the past should have
Speaker 3: any bearing on the decision you make moving forward. That's
Speaker 3: just my, uh, my personal opinion. So I don't like it.
Speaker 3: With that being said, to go to state Wars find
Speaker 3: themselves in this in this situation far too often, and
Speaker 3: it's you know, it's typically Draymond Green putting them in
Speaker 3: that situation.
Speaker 4: So there are they used to it?
Speaker 3: I don't know if they're used to it, but you
Speaker 3: know it's gonna be tough, man, because Sacramento Keys are
Speaker 3: playing some extremely great basketball. Man they've actually gotten it
Speaker 3: seemed like the world is catching on to just how
Speaker 3: fun this team is to watch. And even though the
Speaker 3: game shifts to Oakland, excuse me, San Francisco, Oh I.
Speaker 2: May, I wish it was still in Oakland? Am I
Speaker 2: allowed to say that? Yes, I wish I wish it
Speaker 2: was still in Oakland.
Speaker 4: Okay, I love love to be in Oakland.
Speaker 3: Oracle Arena was one of the top three best arenas
Speaker 3: experience wise for me. But it's still gonna be a
Speaker 3: tough game for the Words to overcome. And uh if
Speaker 3: they are, if they find themselves down oh three, you
Speaker 3: know Dremond's gonna catch a lot of hell for sure.
Speaker 2: Well look, I mean you are going to be right
Speaker 2: in the heart of it. You are going to be
Speaker 2: on the floor for you know, one of the most
Speaker 2: anticipated games of the season because how the Warriors, I mean,
Speaker 2: the Warriors are playing for their lives. I mean the
Speaker 2: reality is, and I think a lot of people are
Speaker 2: overlooking this today, even if Draymond Greenen were playing in
Speaker 2: this game three, let's not forget math and history say
Speaker 2: that the series is very likely over. In NBA history,
Speaker 2: teams that go down two with or without their best
Speaker 2: defensive players suspended are twenty six and three to oh
Speaker 2: eight all time. I repeat, twenty six and threeh eight.
Speaker 2: That's a winning percentage of point zero seven eight. Not good.
Speaker 2: So even if Draymond green were playing in game three,
Speaker 2: the math and history are stacked against the Warriors coming
Speaker 2: back out of this hole, especially with their road record.
Speaker 2: But I mean, this thing has so many layers. I mean,
Speaker 2: you mentioned Joe Dumars. Joe Dumars is the one whose
Speaker 2: name is on the press release, a press release that
Speaker 2: very strangely again went out at eleven thirty eight Eastern time.
Speaker 2: I mean, I can't remember an NBA decision that went
Speaker 2: out so late. Why wouldn't that just hold until the morning.
Speaker 2: I mean, even that was bizarre that it drops when
Speaker 2: it did in the middle of a really absorbing Suns
Speaker 2: Clippers playoff game. But Joe Dumar's name, as you know,
Speaker 2: basically the head of NBA discipline at this point. But
Speaker 2: Joe Dumar's last job before he worked for the NBA,
Speaker 2: was with the Sacramento Kings in their front office, and
Speaker 2: then on top of that, he is incredibly close to
Speaker 2: Draymond Green, and based on everything I've heard and read,
Speaker 2: I mean, Draymond looks at him as a mentor. So
Speaker 2: there was a lot here just for Joe Dumars to
Speaker 2: mow through. Look, this is very hard for me to say,
Speaker 2: because I feel like I am one of Draymond's biggest fans.
Speaker 2: And the reason I am one of his biggest fans
Speaker 2: is because my last three years at ESPN, I was embedded,
Speaker 2: basically embedded with the Warriors. I went a lot of
Speaker 2: places where I traveled with that team a ton. The
Speaker 2: reason I shouted out Oakland is because I became a
Speaker 2: part time Oakland resident for three years. I mean, it
Speaker 2: was incredible living in what I used to call the
Speaker 2: Warriors dorm because I would stay at the Oakland Marriott
Speaker 2: and the Warriors would practice on top of the Oakland Marriott,
Speaker 2: and you could I could roll out of bed and
Speaker 2: be in front of a camera in ten minutes. I mean,
Speaker 2: it was the coolest work setup I've probably ever had.
Speaker 2: But having observed this team from very close range, I
Speaker 2: think I have a pretty good handle on how important
Speaker 2: Draymond Green is to that whole machine. Obviously, the Warriors
Speaker 2: universe revolves around Stephan Curry, and nobody would dispute that.
Speaker 2: And I'm certainly not even trying to take an ounce
Speaker 2: away from Steph's influence. You know, he is the center
Speaker 2: of that universe. But Steve Kerr said it today, Bob
Speaker 2: Myers said it today, and it's true. The Warriors don't
Speaker 2: win any of their championships without Draymond Green. He is
Speaker 2: that important on both ends of the court, and beyond
Speaker 2: just his on court contributions, what he, you know, is
Speaker 2: is really an emotional you know, the emotional compass might
Speaker 2: be too strong, but I mean, he is such a
Speaker 2: big part of that team's energy and edge, and so
Speaker 2: I have a lot of fondness for him. I think
Speaker 2: that came through and we had him on the show.
Speaker 2: But I actually would say that the suspension is warranted,
Speaker 2: and I feel like I'm in the minority saying so.
Speaker 2: I think when you combine the severity of the stomp
Speaker 2: with the wrestling histrionics after the stomp that whipped up
Speaker 2: the crowd with Adam Silver in the house, and you know,
Speaker 2: when they do factor in the history, like I said
Speaker 2: to me, the suspension can be justified. The surprise to
Speaker 2: me is that they actually went through and did it,
Speaker 2: because I think the Warriors and even around the league,
Speaker 2: I think even other teams watching this did not expect
Speaker 2: the league to take this step and actually sit him
Speaker 2: down for this huge Game three.
Speaker 3: So the question I have to you is what does
Speaker 3: him getting into it with the crowd, going back and
Speaker 3: forth with them, What does that have to do with
Speaker 3: the incident.
Speaker 2: What it does to what it says is that there's
Speaker 2: no contrition and that there's no if you're gonna say
Speaker 2: you put your foot there because you had nowhere else
Speaker 2: to put it, Like to me, you have to show
Speaker 2: some level of apology or remorse about how hard your
Speaker 2: foot down came on on another player. And I think
Speaker 2: by throwing in the wrestling stuff talking to the cameras,
Speaker 2: it took something that was over the line, even farther
Speaker 2: over the line on my scorecard.
Speaker 3: Okay, again, I'm not Sabonis, so I don't know what
Speaker 3: he felt. But do you believe that Sabonis did a
Speaker 3: little Hollywood at at all to try to sail the severity.
Speaker 2: Look, I think you can certainly make the case that
Speaker 2: he that he's gotten off very light here, all all
Speaker 2: sabonus all, But all we know about Sabonis is he
Speaker 2: got a technical foul. Now to this point, the Kings
Speaker 2: have said he's questionable with a sternhum contusion. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: So I can tell by I can tell by the
Speaker 2: tone of your voice you're not exactly buying that injury report,
Speaker 2: you know.
Speaker 3: I mean, you can get a contusia any type of way.
Speaker 3: But I think if Draymond actually thought he hurts really
Speaker 3: hurts the Bonis, I don't think he's doing that, even
Speaker 3: for Draymond. I know people may find that hard to believe,
Speaker 3: but I think if he really felt like he hurts Sabonis,
Speaker 3: I don't think he's acting that way. You know, he
Speaker 3: said it even after that game that he felt like
Speaker 3: Sabonis was selling it a little bit.
Speaker 4: And you know, rightfully.
Speaker 3: So that's something you know, I think I can say
Speaker 3: most players, but I think a lot of players would
Speaker 3: do that in that situation. Again, I'm not said he
Speaker 3: did it, but I don't. I don't think it was
Speaker 3: that hard of a stump. Again, I just think they
Speaker 3: should have moved on flagrant wants for both of them.
Speaker 3: Both of them kept it, kept it moving. Let's get
Speaker 3: to game.
Speaker 2: Three and it's okay, So we differ there. But I
Speaker 2: guess what also when I come away from this thing,
Speaker 2: because you know, we had Draymond on the week. We
Speaker 2: talked to him exactly a week before the playoffs started,
Speaker 2: and you asked him about the New Orleans game, and
Speaker 2: he went into incredible depth talking about his mindset and
Speaker 2: kind of what made him, you know, go to that
Speaker 2: place that he talks about where he he is trying
Speaker 2: to change the game with the way he comports himself
Speaker 2: on the court. And so the Warriors might have ended
Speaker 2: up in the plane if they don't win that New
Speaker 2: Orleans game. They won that New Orleans game because of
Speaker 2: all the stuff he did that night. And remember he
Speaker 2: even told us he said something to the effect of,
Speaker 2: you know that, didn't he tell Dante DiVincenzo that like,
Speaker 2: I don't even care now if I get kicked out,
Speaker 2: because we've got this game one. It's turned around like
Speaker 2: he went to that place to try to get the
Speaker 2: team behind him, and it did change that game dramatically.
Speaker 2: So I guess the reason I bring that story up
Speaker 2: is just to say this is the way the Warriors
Speaker 2: operate like they might have been in the play in
Speaker 2: if Draymond didn't do what he did in that home
Speaker 2: game in New Orleans. He tried the same approach in
Speaker 2: this game too, and it backfired. But that's a trade
Speaker 2: I think the Warriors have always been willing to make
Speaker 2: because many more times than not it has worked for them.
Speaker 2: They win way more often because of Draymond Green than
Speaker 2: lose because of Draymond Green. Stat muse put out late
Speaker 2: last night when all this was going on this season,
Speaker 2: When you add in the two playoff games, the Warriors
Speaker 2: are a is it a five to sixty two team
Speaker 2: or a five eighty two winning percentage with Draymond on
Speaker 2: the floor. Without Draymond there're a three point thirty three.
Speaker 2: That's their winning percentage. Like he's a winning player and
Speaker 2: he makes this team go emotionally a lot of the time.
Speaker 2: And so that's why I think they roll with it,
Speaker 2: because of course, now there's this whole conversation that maybe
Speaker 2: this is the end, and this is gonna be a
Speaker 2: horrible way for this to end for the Warriors, and
Speaker 2: but Draymond Green has been. There's been so much more
Speaker 2: good than bad from his time as a Warrior.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but the bat has been really bad, and one
Speaker 3: of the bats cost him a championship.
Speaker 2: You know. But people, but even that I would dispute
Speaker 2: to a degree because, okay, Game twenty sixteen, the common
Speaker 2: refrain is he got suspended for Game five and that
Speaker 2: cost them the championship. No, I think it cost them
Speaker 2: Game five, which could have been the clincher, no question.
Speaker 2: But the momentum in Game seven he was, he was,
Speaker 2: He played the best game of his life in Game seven.
Speaker 4: He did.
Speaker 3: But at that point, you gave the Calvs life, You
Speaker 3: gave them momentum.
Speaker 2: Okay, so he gave them life, he gave the momentum,
Speaker 2: But giving them the championship, to me, that's always been
Speaker 2: a step too far. And the other reason I say
Speaker 2: it is because losing that series. The Warriors don't get
Speaker 2: Kevin Durant if they don't lose that series. And so
Speaker 2: then they won the next two, so they won three
Speaker 2: out of four.
Speaker 4: So it's the trade off. It's trade off. You know,
Speaker 4: for every bad there's two goods.
Speaker 2: That let me that was terrible. I'm not trying to
Speaker 2: that was you know, that was a you know, that
Speaker 2: was a really bad moment, a really low moment in
Speaker 2: his career. And yes, it did cost the Warriors a
Speaker 2: Game five that they could have clinched at home and
Speaker 2: handed the Kas momentum. And yes, that mistake will be
Speaker 2: talked about in reference to Draymond Green's career for the
Speaker 2: rest of his life. He's going to have to hear
Speaker 2: about getting suspended from Game five in the twenty sixteen Finals.
Speaker 2: But I just to me, it's always been an oversimplification
Speaker 2: to just say it cost the Warriors the championship.
Speaker 3: Well, when I say that, that because the way you're
Speaker 3: saying it, you're making it seem like that is the
Speaker 3: common theme, like that's the narrative.
Speaker 4: And that might be.
Speaker 3: But from my Vanash point where I come from. Remember,
Speaker 3: I was covering the Caves. I was a Cavs beat
Speaker 3: writer at that time, So I'm judging it off of how.
Speaker 4: What was being said.
Speaker 3: In that locker room to me at the time, the disposition,
Speaker 3: the vibe the locker room.
Speaker 4: I'm basing it all off of that.
Speaker 2: That was the year before you became a CALVS spy.
Speaker 3: Correct, the year before I came a war a Warrior spot. Yes,
Speaker 3: so right when they won the championship two months later.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you were were for the Caves.
Speaker 3: I was a spy for the Calves, according to Dremond,
Speaker 3: and it took it took about half a season for
Speaker 3: him to realize that I was a journalist like everybody.
Speaker 2: You know, it's funny, like I told, I mean, I
Speaker 2: forget about the fact that, like, how crazy is that
Speaker 2: that you covered the Calves the twenty sixteen the great,
Speaker 2: you know, the greatest season in their franchise history, Lebron's
Speaker 2: you know, greatest moment, and then you had to flip
Speaker 2: right over and cover the Warriors.
Speaker 4: I didn't want to. I didn't I want to star.
Speaker 3: And the reason I didn't want to was because of that. Like,
Speaker 3: first of all, when I went to cover the Cavaliers,
Speaker 3: I know it was jumping on it.
Speaker 2: I want to hear it. I've never told me this,
Speaker 2: so I want.
Speaker 4: To hear I went No.
Speaker 3: I wanted to become a national NBA writer, a national
Speaker 3: NBA insider, and so I viewed that Cavaliers job covering
Speaker 3: Lebron as.
Speaker 4: He returned home.
Speaker 2: I view that.
Speaker 3: I viewed that as the stepping stone to get that
Speaker 3: national gig. So the plan was always to do two
Speaker 3: years always, and I did two years was my second year.
Speaker 4: ESPN brought me on.
Speaker 3: I won't mention names of who the people that were
Speaker 3: involved in you know, get me over there, but ESPN
Speaker 3: brought me on and the role was for a national
Speaker 3: NBA insider slash, you know, writer, and that was the
Speaker 3: role for like the the month, the first month that
Speaker 3: we're negotiating, that is the role. Somewhere along the line
Speaker 3: after a month, something changed and then they wanted me
Speaker 3: to cover the Warriors, and I'm like, hold on, here,
Speaker 3: cover the Warriors. Like, first of all, like I'm done
Speaker 3: with the beat stuff, Like I felt like I've done
Speaker 3: the most, one of the most, the one of the
Speaker 3: biggest beats you can do, just covering Lebron, covering his
Speaker 3: his journey home, him getting the championship. And then they
Speaker 3: want me to cover the Warriors. Now all of a sudden,
Speaker 3: after that's something that I didn't verbally agree to, and
Speaker 3: then I'm like, hold on, Ethan Strauss covers the Warriors,
Speaker 3: like what are they? So it was just it was
Speaker 3: a situation where I already had let the Cleveland Plain
Speaker 3: deal to know I was leaving. So I ended up
Speaker 3: taking the role and I and I didn't want to
Speaker 3: take the role number one because I didn't want to
Speaker 3: be a beat writer anymore. But I didn't want to
Speaker 3: take the role again because who do you know stein
Speaker 3: in your history of being in this in this profession,
Speaker 3: who do you know somebody who covered the Celtics as
Speaker 3: a beat writer in the Celtics Laker rivalry time and
Speaker 3: then went to cover the Lakers beat Like I've never
Speaker 3: I've never heard of that. I just never even though
Speaker 3: I don't root for any I just know how fan
Speaker 3: bases are gonna view it, and I know how players
Speaker 3: are gonna view it, because obviously you develop relationships his
Speaker 3: status with players on one team and then you go
Speaker 3: on the other team and try to do that, And
Speaker 3: so I was I was really concerned about that.
Speaker 2: Well, it's interesting because even if it has happened before,
Speaker 2: and I don't really you know, maybe there's an example
Speaker 2: that I just don't remember, you know, like I remember
Speaker 2: the great Buck Harvey, someone I absolutely loved covering the
Speaker 2: Spurs with great columnists for the San Antonio Express News
Speaker 2: for years and years and years. He actually was a
Speaker 2: former Celtics beat writer, but made the move from the
Speaker 2: Celtics to the Spurs, Like, I can't remember a situation
Speaker 2: you're describing, but like I said, even if there is one,
Speaker 2: and I'm forgetting it. You're doing this in the social
Speaker 2: media era, which is a lot. You know, you're gonna
Speaker 2: hear about it. You're gonna you're gonna get those weird
Speaker 2: reactions now that you know, had you done, had you
Speaker 2: switched beats like that in nineteen ninety seven, you wouldn't
Speaker 2: have felt as angst. You wouldn't have felt as angsty
Speaker 2: about it as you probably did in twenty seventeen.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't think I would have.
Speaker 3: But I was doing research like at that time because
Speaker 3: I'm again like I don't want to take it. You
Speaker 3: know that that is the main reason why I don't
Speaker 3: want to take it. But I'm doing research to try
Speaker 3: to see, like, was there anybody, anybody, because I was
Speaker 3: trying to reach out to people, and I didn't reach
Speaker 3: out to anybody because I couldn't find anybody who made
Speaker 3: a similar move covering two rivalries within the year, you know,
Speaker 3: covering two teams in the same rivalry within the year,
Speaker 3: And I.
Speaker 4: Mean it ended up working out.
Speaker 3: Man like, if I was going to make that transition,
Speaker 3: the Warriors were just the perfect team.
Speaker 4: Steph is awesome, Clay is awesome. Dreymond was the one.
Speaker 3: Who had to be convinced over time that I was
Speaker 3: not a Lebron James spy Cleveland Cavaliers spy. But it
Speaker 3: worked out, and you know, I ended up, you know
Speaker 3: me another two years before I got my full time
Speaker 3: NBA insider status.
Speaker 2: Now that you say it out loud, the conspiracy theorist
Speaker 2: in me wonders, like, did they already know what was
Speaker 2: going to happen to Ethan? Somebody on this podcast and
Speaker 2: some other people in April twenty seventeen, did they already
Speaker 2: know that when they when they put you on the
Speaker 2: Warriors Beat. I don't know that answer, but that is
Speaker 2: a that's an interesting question for that all ESBN pod
Speaker 2: that you keep want to make me do someday?
Speaker 3: What I what I can say to that. You know,
Speaker 3: Ethan has spoken on a record on his pod. I
Speaker 3: believe he's written about it a few times. He didn't
Speaker 3: want to do the everyday minutia of what is required
Speaker 3: of the Warriors Beat, like he just you know, Ethan
Speaker 3: is a Ethan is a great writer and he wants
Speaker 3: to spend his time doing great work. And you know,
Speaker 3: he made it. You know, he said this publicly. He
Speaker 3: didn't want to do the beat stuff, the things that
Speaker 3: ESPN was asking. So I essentially came over there and
Speaker 3: did that. But the one thing, and Ethan was able
Speaker 3: to focus on the big picture stuff. But one thing
Speaker 3: that I did like about ESPN is that I was
Speaker 3: required to do the daily beat grind work for the Warriors,
Speaker 3: but they didn't stop me from doing anything else. And
Speaker 3: so I felt like a national NBA insider at the
Speaker 3: time because they let me work on breaking stories on
Speaker 3: you know, other teams. They let me do the sit
Speaker 3: downs when I was doing sit downs at the time
Speaker 3: with Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Dame CJ like dinner sit
Speaker 3: downs for Sports Center. So they gave me so much
Speaker 3: autonomy over there to do some good work. So I
Speaker 3: appreciate them for that. I just did not want to
Speaker 3: be a beat writer. And then when my contract was
Speaker 3: up after two years, they they gave me a they
Speaker 3: gave they offered me a new contract, a new contract.
Speaker 3: It was more money than what I was making, actually
Speaker 3: more money than I was ever making. But again they
Speaker 3: wanted me to stay on the Warriors beat and do
Speaker 3: the same thing, and I said no to that, and
Speaker 3: I went out. Then I went to looking at other offers,
Speaker 3: and and then I got the biggest, the biggest deals
Speaker 3: that I've ever had in my life from those other offers.
Speaker 3: So it ends up working out. But I, you know,
Speaker 3: no hard feelings towards ESPN.
Speaker 4: It just wasn't. I wasn't willing to do that role anymore.
Speaker 2: And that's the Chris Haynes side of the story. Stay
Speaker 2: tuned well, so hold on.
Speaker 4: That's my side.
Speaker 2: People don't care about my side in the other part
Speaker 2: of the equation. No hard Chris, no hard feelings. Hanes
Speaker 2: has weighed in. Mark Stein has yet to add his
Speaker 2: his part of the story. But look, you know what,
Speaker 2: It's true. You made the right decision. You became a
Speaker 2: national writer. Five years later after that, you and I
Speaker 2: got to finally, finally, finally do this pod together that
Speaker 2: we're that we've been trying to do. We finally the
Speaker 2: planets aligned to allow us to hook up to do this.
Speaker 2: You know, I did get a little scared earlier tonight
Speaker 2: when I saw MSNBC's Chris Haynes nominate. You know, when
Speaker 2: I saw him suggesting that you guys were gonna team
Speaker 2: up and that our our podcast partnership was you know,
Speaker 2: I think this is episode twenty eight, so like, I'm like, man,
Speaker 2: did we not even make it to thirty episodes? And
Speaker 2: it's over? But luckily that was just Twitter talk. We're
Speaker 2: still together, and we'll see if I ever, we'll see
Speaker 2: if I ever reveal any of that, We'll see if
Speaker 2: I ever.
Speaker 3: I thought, yeah, yeah, we'll see. Yeah, I'm gonna keep
Speaker 3: you know, I'm gonna keep poking. But I thought when
Speaker 3: we started this podcast, I thought you was gonna hit
Speaker 3: me with tampering charges. Not me, mister Chris Hayes. I
Speaker 3: thought you were gonna hit him with tampering charges.
Speaker 2: Well look, I mean if he offers, if he offers
Speaker 2: you a better deal, I mean, I then I you know,
Speaker 2: what can I say? I mean, I might have to
Speaker 2: just shake your hand and say it was a good ride.
Speaker 2: But hopefully he doesn't. But you know what, if he
Speaker 2: so he wants to come on the pod, maybe, I mean,
Speaker 2: you know, I can always.
Speaker 4: Just we're gonna have to get them all.
Speaker 2: We need a Haines Hayes summit. So producer Ryan also
Speaker 2: notes that this is only episode twenty seven, so we
Speaker 2: definitely didn't even make it to thirty episodes. But luckily
Speaker 2: we're still here, still together. You brought up contracts, great
Speaker 2: segue for the other element of this whole Warriors thing.
Speaker 2: It's been out there now for a month. Last dance?
Speaker 2: Is this the Warriors last dance? Last dance? I know,
Speaker 2: our good buddy Tim Kawakami had Steve Kerr on his pod,
Speaker 2: you know, within the last month and asked him, is
Speaker 2: this the last stands for the Warriors? Like, I just
Speaker 2: don't think last dance is the right terminology here. Obviously,
Speaker 2: Draymond Green has a player option and Klay Thompson wants
Speaker 2: a contract extension. And if they go out in the
Speaker 2: first round and again with or without Draymond Green, history
Speaker 2: says that, you know, only twenty six of three hundred
Speaker 2: and thirty four teams in this position in NBA history
Speaker 2: have ever come out of an O two hole to
Speaker 2: win the series. So history says the Warriors are going
Speaker 2: out in the first round, They've got decisions to make.
Speaker 2: I think the anticipation league wide is that there will
Speaker 2: be changes with this team that it's not going to
Speaker 2: look the exact same that with the new CBA coming in,
Speaker 2: it's going to be too expensive for the Warriors to
Speaker 2: keep this thing together. So I think, you know, the questions,
Speaker 2: the talk as a subject, it is natural to throw
Speaker 2: all these things out and ask you know, we asked
Speaker 2: Raymond directly when he was on do you think you're
Speaker 2: going to finish your is a Warrior? Because you know
Speaker 2: it's unclear if his long term future with this team
Speaker 2: is unclear, and I think he acknowledged that. And you know,
Speaker 2: so again, change is expected to some degree. But I
Speaker 2: don't think Stephen Curry's going anywhere. I don't know what
Speaker 2: kind of contract extension Klay Thompson is getting or not getting,
Speaker 2: but I don't think Clay's going anywhere. Yes, we're gonna
Speaker 2: ask questions about Draymond's future because he has the player
Speaker 2: option for next season at twenty seven point six million
Speaker 2: and he has to make a decision. We're going to
Speaker 2: ask questions about Bob Myers because we've been talking about
Speaker 2: that all year. Is Bob Myers going to stay on
Speaker 2: as the lead voice in the Warrior's front office? But
Speaker 2: I don't think Steve Kerr is going anywhere, So, I mean,
Speaker 2: you know, last it's not as drastic as a last dance. Yes,
Speaker 2: the Warriors are very likely going to look different next
Speaker 2: season than they do right now. But it's not going
Speaker 2: to be a last dancy kind of overhaul where they're
Speaker 2: all gone.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's not I agree with you Wat saying it's
Speaker 3: not the equivalent at all. You know, I think Clay
Speaker 3: will be back. Draymond is up in the air, but
Speaker 3: there's you know, he controls his destiny.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's not the equivalent at all.
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe they're gonna, I mean, if they go out
Speaker 2: in Round one as defending champions, to go out in
Speaker 2: Round one, yeah, they're they're gonna. They're gonna look at trades.
Speaker 2: They might make a trade or two, and they might
Speaker 2: drastically shake this thing up. I don't you know, but
Speaker 2: drastic shake up is not a last dance. But I guess,
Speaker 2: even as I say it out loud, I understand the
Speaker 2: sentiment because you know I did when we had Drake,
Speaker 2: we had Draymond on you know, I said it. I'm
Speaker 2: a basketball romantic and I would love to see those
Speaker 2: three guys in particular play their whole careers together, and
Speaker 2: just the reality is that doesn't happen in the end.
Speaker 2: It doesn't happen in the modern NBA. So are Stephen Curry,
Speaker 2: Clay Thompson, and Draymond Green going to be able to
Speaker 2: play their whole careers together after our first round exit?
Speaker 2: It gets a lot tougher to say that, Yeah, for sure. So,
Speaker 2: as I mentioned right at the top, there's a lot
Speaker 2: of different directions we could have gone in this show.
Speaker 2: With Tommy Sheppard exiting the Washington front office today and
Speaker 2: the injuries with John and Giannis and Mike Brown, and
Speaker 2: I mean, there's so much going on. But I had
Speaker 2: a feeling that Draymond and all things suspension and Warriors
Speaker 2: had a feeling all that was going to dominate today's discussions.
Speaker 2: But I think the perfect ending spot for us is
Speaker 2: it's just to get an update of your travels, mister Haynes,
Speaker 2: because you know you are jet setting, running around series
Speaker 2: the series. I'm stuck at home. I don't have any
Speaker 2: fun travel tales to share. As stated, You've got you're
Speaker 2: gonna be at Chase Center Thursday night tonight for Kings
Speaker 2: at Warriors Game three. Then where are you going after that.
Speaker 3: From there, then I go to LA and I catch
Speaker 3: the Size and Clippers game four. That game would be Saturday.
Speaker 3: Then after that I stay in La, which is cool.
Speaker 3: I got Monday's game Game four between the Lakers and
Speaker 3: the Memphis Grizzle.
Speaker 2: Wow, three different series of.
Speaker 4: Yeah, four days. Yeah, and then after that.
Speaker 3: It's not official yet, but I think I'll finally get
Speaker 3: to do a home game where I reside in Sacramento.
Speaker 3: That Wednesday game, which would be that game five? What
Speaker 3: game would be next week? Wednesday Warriors? It'll be five? Okay,
Speaker 3: that would be five. So yeah, you know, it's crazy.
Speaker 3: I'm thinking I'm second guessing myself, like that that can't
Speaker 3: be five, because that mean King's got Game seven. They
Speaker 3: don't have home court advances. It's yes, they do. I forgot.
Speaker 3: I forgot.
Speaker 4: See it still has a second ar how good the
Speaker 4: Kings are?
Speaker 2: Like, what will that be like for you to jump
Speaker 2: from King's Warriors to Suns Clippers to Lakers Grizz will
Speaker 2: be to do three different series and that short of
Speaker 2: a span.
Speaker 3: I will have a day in between, so you know,
Speaker 3: I can make my calls and you know, do my research.
Speaker 3: So it would be cool because I'm familiar with all
Speaker 3: those teams, so you know, Lakers, Memphis, easy, easy transition,
Speaker 3: you know, all you know, a lot of guys have
Speaker 3: relationship with already from all those teams, Warriors, Clip, I mean, Warriors, Kings,
Speaker 3: same thing, so that that's an easy transition. Like so
Speaker 3: if but if I'm going out East, because I haven't
Speaker 3: spent much time East, it depends on the team. But
Speaker 3: you know there's a few East teams where you have
Speaker 3: to kind of like, all right, you got to dig
Speaker 3: a little deeper. But this will be this will be cool.
Speaker 4: So all right, let me see, let me see.
Speaker 3: So there was one point obviously, you know, for those
Speaker 3: who'll know what you know, as I'm doing sidelines, I
Speaker 3: got a seat right there at the scores table, right there.
Speaker 3: And that's why Stein loves his Dallas Mavericks media seat
Speaker 3: because he's right there, can hear everything.
Speaker 4: Great seat. But there was one point.
Speaker 3: In the game, and I thought fans might have caught
Speaker 3: this on video because bones Hiler took Chris Paul to
Speaker 3: the rack a few times and after one of the layups,
Speaker 3: he after one of the layups, he like went off
Speaker 3: on Chris Paul's like start talking you know, got in
Speaker 3: his face, start talking, wolfing, and then he went to
Speaker 3: guard whoever he was guarding, and so there was a
Speaker 3: stoppage of play not too long after that, and Chris
Speaker 3: Paul is over there talking with ty Loo. He's in
Speaker 3: Tylu face, and so I had to take out my earpiece.
Speaker 3: I'm trying to hear what's going on, and I'm like
Speaker 3: really close and I can pretty hear. And he was like, yeah,
Speaker 3: a young kid doing all that talking.
Speaker 4: Put him on me. Stop being scared. Put him on me.
Speaker 3: Don't go don't go score on me, and they go
Speaker 3: and then go up guard somebody else. You want to,
Speaker 3: you want to, you want to, you know, you want
Speaker 3: to do this right, get on put him on me.
Speaker 3: And Lou said nope, that's just time, and he just
Speaker 3: turned away and start coaching again.
Speaker 4: I said nope.
Speaker 3: So that that was the one thing like behind to say,
Speaker 3: I thought, I thought somebody will catch it on camera,
Speaker 3: because you could see what Chris Paul was pointing like
Speaker 3: at bones, like put him on me, put him on me.
Speaker 3: So that's one thing. And then uh, I told you.
Speaker 2: You know I have not I have not worked sideline
Speaker 2: of any kind on a Tylu game since twenty sixteen
Speaker 2: or twenty seventeen. But I found him to be in
Speaker 2: my limited time doing sidelines for ESPN Radio, Tylu there
Speaker 2: were there were always in game interactions with Tyler. You
Speaker 2: always every single game that that the reporter was in.
Speaker 2: I mean, like I said, he would just ask me,
Speaker 2: was that a foul? What should I I mean, he
Speaker 2: would just I mean, he was joking, but like he
Speaker 2: he would just he likes that sideline commentary.
Speaker 4: And so let's let's keep it on ty Lou.
Speaker 3: As we know, ty Lou is arguably the best best
Speaker 3: coach when it comes to X and OS, drawing up plays.
Speaker 3: He just gets real creative, you know, with that aspect
Speaker 3: of coaching, one of the best. And so Steyle, I
Speaker 3: don't know if you noticed, so he's been he has
Speaker 3: been starting zubots defensively on Tory Craig and you know,
Speaker 3: and you would know STI from the time that the
Speaker 3: Clippers the Clippers Mavericks series was a year ago, two
Speaker 3: years ago when he started zubots on Luca. And so
Speaker 3: these are all like unorthodox like assignments that he puts
Speaker 3: on his players and he expects he expects them to execute.
Speaker 4: So check it out. I didn't get to use this.
Speaker 4: So I went up to Zubos before the game, before
Speaker 4: game two and.
Speaker 3: I said a zoo, like, what's your reaction when coach
Speaker 3: Lou comes to you, like with these crazy defensive assignments,
Speaker 3: and like like how do you accept it?
Speaker 4: And he started laughing and he was like.
Speaker 3: Well, for Toy Craig, he said, I don't care about him,
Speaker 3: but the word what.
Speaker 4: He said, I'm being.
Speaker 3: I'm being I'm being really uh PG thirteen with how
Speaker 3: he said that if you can get my drift. I
Speaker 3: don't want to say exactly what he said, but he said,
Speaker 3: with Toy Craig, I don't care about him, but Luca,
Speaker 3: you gotta you know, it takes more work. I gotta
Speaker 3: put more work and more effort, and I got to
Speaker 3: be better prepared to have the assignment like him. And
Speaker 3: he said, but with Lou, you know, I trust him.
Speaker 3: I trust him, he said, So it may sound strange,
Speaker 3: but I trust that he's going to put me in
Speaker 3: the best, you know, best situation possible. So that was like,
Speaker 3: that was really unique. I wish I could say exactly
Speaker 3: what Zubac said. I don't think he would care if
Speaker 3: I did say it because he said it knowing it
Speaker 3: was on record. But I let that be. They're still
Speaker 3: in the playoffs. I don't want to give more bulletin
Speaker 3: board material, even though I probably have. And lastly, side,
Speaker 3: I wanted to ask you about this one. Norman Powell
Speaker 3: told me he is pissed, pissed off about not being
Speaker 3: one of the three finalists for the sixth Man of
Speaker 3: the Year award, being that he led the league in
Speaker 3: scoring off the bench. He said it was pissed. He
Speaker 3: couldn't believe it when the list came out. He felt
Speaker 3: like his body of work, He felt like his body
Speaker 3: of work warrned it him being in the top three.
Speaker 3: And he feels his disrespectful and he just his pissed.
Speaker 3: Does he have a complaint remember the Clippers over the
Speaker 3: last Let me see if I have the stat the
Speaker 3: Clippers have won. I want to say six of the
Speaker 3: nine last six minut of the Year awards. I believe
Speaker 3: from the combination of Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford, Montrez Harrold,
Speaker 3: so they steady produced those awards on their team. Does
Speaker 3: Norman Powell have a gripe?
Speaker 2: I mean, I can see why he's surprised he wasn't
Speaker 2: at least a finalist, you know, Bobby Portis was. You know,
Speaker 2: it's probably you know, Malcolm Brogden and Emmanuel Quickly. I
Speaker 2: think it's going to be one of those two who
Speaker 2: probably win it and will know this week. Is that
Speaker 2: I think that one might even be the Thursday Thursday announcement.
Speaker 2: So I guess for third finalist it's between Bobby Portis
Speaker 2: and Norman Powell. I mean, I really like the year.
Speaker 4: The leading score off the leaders score off the bench.
Speaker 2: That I really liked the year Porters had. I think
Speaker 2: Porters had had.
Speaker 4: A huge Oh no, no doubt, no doubt. I'm arguing three.
Speaker 4: I'm arguing top three.
Speaker 2: Does he have one of those three? Do we knock out?
Speaker 2: I mean that's really the question. I mean, do you
Speaker 2: take out quickly? Do you take out Brogden? Do you
Speaker 2: take out Portois?
Speaker 4: I mean producer Ryan says is five at the last.
Speaker 2: Nine, which is a lot. I didn't realize that that's
Speaker 2: a lot track of that. Yes, I don't think that
Speaker 2: was a factor because I never even heard that stat
Speaker 2: until you said it, So I really don't think that
Speaker 2: was a factor. But I mean, I'm glad he told you.
Speaker 2: I'm glad he told you how he feels about it,
Speaker 2: and I'm glad you shared it with because I was
Speaker 2: not aware of that.
Speaker 4: No, he said, nobody ever asked him. He said, nobody
Speaker 4: asked him.
Speaker 2: And I can see what I can see why he's
Speaker 2: not happy, for sure. But you know, again, I did
Speaker 2: not have an official ballot, but I must confess those
Speaker 2: would have been my three finalists as well. I really
Speaker 2: think Portois had an amazing year. I don't know why.
Speaker 2: I'm really fascinated about the rebounding situation in the NBA
Speaker 2: because I looked this up for my Tuesday newsletter. The
Speaker 2: top ten rebounders in the NBA nine are from countries
Speaker 2: not named America. The highest American rebounder is number ten,
Speaker 2: Julius Randall, but Bobby Portis was thirteenth. I didn't realize
Speaker 2: Bobby Portis was that high on the list. I mean,
Speaker 2: that's that's quite impressive for a six man.
Speaker 4: I mean he you know, he and somebody who plays
Speaker 4: with Giannis too, So I.
Speaker 2: Mean that's the thing. Not trying to slight Norm Powell
Speaker 2: in any way, shape or form. I just think it
Speaker 2: was a it was a crowded. It's crowded. I mean,
Speaker 2: just even getting a finalist spot is crowded. But uh
Speaker 2: no that I'm glad you asked him. It's amazing nobody
Speaker 2: asked him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so nobody asked him. So all right, I was
Speaker 3: just putting it out there.
Speaker 2: We love hearing about your travelers. Like I said, I'm envious.
Speaker 2: It's very weird. I'm home. I don't know what, when
Speaker 2: or if I will be attending a playoff game this
Speaker 2: post season, which is just crazy weird. But I get
Speaker 2: to live vicariously through Chris Haynes. Say it right, Haynes.
Speaker 4: Hanes, Please, Chris Haynes.
Speaker 2: Who's got? So you got Thursday Sons, Clippers, Lakers, Memphis.
Speaker 3: Sunday, Thursdays, which is tonight, Warriors, Kings, Saturday Suns Clippers, Monday,
Speaker 3: Lakers Grizzlies, and which because we're taping this tonight, we're
Speaker 3: taping this on a Wednesday night. Lakers just lost to
Speaker 3: the Memphis Grizzlies without job series todd On.
Speaker 2: Glad you threw that in because that was on my
Speaker 2: list to make sure we update the scores as we're
Speaker 2: putting this thing to bed. As you said, Memphis without
Speaker 2: jaw wins. Game two evens the series with the Lakers
Speaker 2: at one to one. Milwaukee without Yannis absolutely rolling against Miami.
Speaker 2: So it looks like the Bucks are going to tie
Speaker 2: that series even without their best player. The lead was
Speaker 2: seventy nine fifty was the last score I saw. Wow,
Speaker 2: eighty one fifty five at the half. The Bucks eighty
Speaker 2: one points at the half without their best player. Crazy
Speaker 2: Game two and then of course you've got Minnesota at
Speaker 2: Denver is the game that will be taking place now
Speaker 2: as Chris and I go off the proverbial air. Thanks
Speaker 2: A mil for joining us on another edition of This
Speaker 2: League Uncut. Sounds like with Chris's schedule falling the way
Speaker 2: it does, hopefully we will be able to record on
Speaker 2: our usual Sunday night for Monday morning release schedule. Please rate,
Speaker 2: review and subscribe to the pod This League Uncut, Stein
Speaker 2: and A. Haynes back with you very soon. Thanks for
Speaker 2: joining us everybody, and that'll do it for us. See
Speaker 2: you next time. This League Uncut is an iHeartRadio production.
Speaker 2: Don't suck a look up
Speaker 1: Chris Hans and marks time