Speaker 1: Welcome to this week uncut in the world of twenty
Speaker 1: four NBA news, This new Chris Hanes works time, It's time,
Speaker 1: this link uncut is underway in the fire. It should
Speaker 1: be a good one. Sunday night, Stein Haynes together again,
Speaker 1: back with you on this League Uncut, and I actually
Speaker 1: do know the right day this time. Yes, one of
Speaker 1: our loyal listeners did note that in the intro to
Speaker 1: the last episode, I'm like, hey, we record, we're here,
Speaker 1: We're here knocking this out on a Wednesday night to
Speaker 1: post Thursday morning. Note it was already Thursday night when
Speaker 1: when when we recorded? And it dropped Friday morning. So
Speaker 1: yet another glimpse into my old age, Chris Haynes that
Speaker 1: I can't even keep the days straight. But that's where
Speaker 1: we are in the season. Basically two weeks of the
Speaker 1: regular season to go. Another very busy weekend in the Association.
Speaker 1: Some marquee returned to the court. Lebron James surprised us
Speaker 1: came back earlier the week than we expected. Anthony and
Speaker 1: Edwards also made his return Sunday night, as a certain
Speaker 1: Chrispy Haines on Twitter told us was in the works Saturday.
Speaker 1: I think you tweeted it, and it happened Sunday with
Speaker 1: the Wolves at Golden State, which is just that game
Speaker 1: is just now winding down. We'll save that for the
Speaker 1: end of our recording here so we can actually discuss
Speaker 1: the final score and put that one in some context.
Speaker 1: But look, I think the really the biggest story in
Speaker 1: the league right now is happening in the city where
Speaker 1: I live, the Dallas Mavericks. There in this mix of
Speaker 1: teams desperate for wins, you know, from basically four down
Speaker 1: to still twelve, I'm going to rule. Don't tell Dame
Speaker 1: I said this, but I'm going to rule the Damian
Speaker 1: Lillard Blazers out of the out of the play in
Speaker 1: mix so that they are done. I think, yeah, I
Speaker 1: think even he think even he would, I think even
Speaker 1: he would wave that white flag at this point. But
Speaker 1: basically fourth through eleven, you know, still all these teams
Speaker 1: clumped together. Dallas Friday Night Charlotte at home Sunday in Charlotte,
Speaker 1: two of the most appetizing games left on their schedule,
Speaker 1: two must win games, and Dallas loses both gets off
Speaker 1: to a terrible start. I mean, Friday Night Charlotte is
Speaker 1: in here shorthanded you know they're missing you know, no
Speaker 1: LaMelo Ball, no Terry Rosier. I mean, they've got injuries galore.
Speaker 1: They're depleted. There on the second night of a back
Speaker 1: to back, the MAVs have the rest advantage. They've got
Speaker 1: both Luca don chich and Kyrie Irving. MAVs lose it
Speaker 1: home to Charlotte, and then today, with an immediate chance
Speaker 1: to get some revenge, they fall behind thirty to twelve,
Speaker 1: lose again in Charlotte. I'm gonna say it. I'm this
Speaker 1: is typically not me. I'm usually a you know, let's
Speaker 1: make sure we use all the runway and let's see
Speaker 1: this thing through to the end. No two weeks left
Speaker 1: to go. If the Dallas Mavericks, entering the final eight
Speaker 1: games of their season, lose two of the three gimmes,
Speaker 1: there's also a San Antonio game there at the end.
Speaker 1: But if you lose two of the three most appetizing
Speaker 1: games on the schedule, the Mavericks are eleventh. They're only
Speaker 1: a game behind number ten. Okay, see, but I'm gonna
Speaker 1: say it. Two weeks left to go in the season.
Speaker 1: We know our ten teams now, we know we obviously
Speaker 1: don't know a final order but eleven, number eleven, Dallas
Speaker 1: number twelve, Utah, number thirteen, Portland. I don't think any
Speaker 1: of those three teams are jumping into the play in.
Speaker 1: So basically, the teams that wake up on Monday morning
Speaker 1: in the top ten are all going to the plan
Speaker 1: at least that is that is the way that I
Speaker 1: see it. Dallas is a game out of the tenth
Speaker 1: place for that final play in slot, and you have
Speaker 1: him ruled out already, How hold on before before you
Speaker 1: add more, how many games left Dallas has? They have?
Speaker 1: Dallas has seven? Seven, okay, Lakers have seven. Luca, as
Speaker 1: you reported, he's going to miss the next game because
Speaker 1: he received what his sixteenth technical, right, So Lua, yeah,
Speaker 1: that was what made I mean Friday night was the
Speaker 1: costliest loss of Dallas' season, losing at home to depleted
Speaker 1: Charlotte with the rest advantage. But then that was quickly
Speaker 1: replaced by an even costlier loss in Charlotte Saturday afternoon,
Speaker 1: Mattinee because Luka Donte also picked up his sixteenth technical
Speaker 1: of the season. It's not going to be rescinded on Monday.
Speaker 1: I think deep down the MAVs know that, and unless
Speaker 1: it is rescinded, Luca will be forced to stay out
Speaker 1: of the arena Monday night, when the MAVs play the
Speaker 1: second half of a back to back at Indianapolis against
Speaker 1: their old friend Rick Carlyle. So Luca can't even play
Speaker 1: in the second half of the back to back, and
Speaker 1: the sun the Sunday loss in Charlotte start that was
Speaker 1: stop number one on a five game East Coast swing
Speaker 1: for Dallas. I mean, they've got Indiana on a second
Speaker 1: half of a back to back, then they still have Philly, Miami,
Speaker 1: and Atlanta after that. It only gets harder after the
Speaker 1: first two games. So that that's why I'm not even
Speaker 1: looking at tiebreakers. I'm just I'm just saying, if the
Speaker 1: MAVs can't win even one of two cracks at shorthanded
Speaker 1: Charlotte when they're in a must win situation, I don't
Speaker 1: think this road trip is going to be. You know,
Speaker 1: I don't see them winning in Philly, in Miami and
Speaker 1: pulling out surprise wins that we don't see. That's what
Speaker 1: they're gonna have to do now to prove me wrong
Speaker 1: and make me look like an idiot. They're gonna have
Speaker 1: to win some games that frankly don't look very winnable
Speaker 1: on paper. And then Luca had some very interesting remarks
Speaker 1: after that, the last game that they lost, basically saying
Speaker 1: that he's not having fun. There's no joy. You know,
Speaker 1: there's no joy in the game right now that he's playing.
Speaker 1: And I see people cracking cracking jokes at Kyrie's expit.
Speaker 1: So that's what that's what happens to you when you
Speaker 1: team up with Kyrie. But I mean, there's a lot
Speaker 1: going on, he said, and I think he alluded to
Speaker 1: this as well about you know there's things going on
Speaker 1: off the court. I don't know, you know there's something
Speaker 1: going on, but you have to remember there's all these
Speaker 1: are human beings, these are individuals. There's always something going
Speaker 1: on off the court. But the way Luca makes it
Speaker 1: sounds as if it's like if there there's really something
Speaker 1: serious that that has his attention, and so you know
Speaker 1: that can't be if you're Maverick Mavericks. Yeah, the Mavericks
Speaker 1: fans have have really been They've really had a tough weekend.
Speaker 1: They have they had a tough weekend, and I gotta
Speaker 1: I gotta feel for how tough the Mavericks have been
Speaker 1: taking it, you know on Friday when my story dropped
Speaker 1: with the interview I had with Jalen Brunson. So yeah, that, Yeah,
Speaker 1: well we're gonna get to that for sure. I'm still mad.
Speaker 1: I'm I'm still mad that you can just you know,
Speaker 1: you can get Jalen on the phone and I can't.
Speaker 1: He's a great he's a he's a good individual style.
Speaker 1: That's that's all those two. Now, he's he's I loved
Speaker 1: watching the guy play. He gets better every year. And
Speaker 1: we will get to that in a second. What brought up, Yeah,
Speaker 1: go ahead, you brought up the Luca comments. Look, I was,
Speaker 1: I was in the room when he said it. Luca
Speaker 1: is typically very guarded and non revelatory in his comments,
Speaker 1: so that was a definite surprise that he said that
Speaker 1: much about his unhappiness, which has been very very clear
Speaker 1: on the court. And you know he's alluding to some
Speaker 1: sort of off court discord that's you know, not helping
Speaker 1: the situation. Obviously, he's not going into any specifics. And
Speaker 1: you know you said it. I mean, look, I wrote
Speaker 1: a story last Monday, pretty extensive piece kind of looking
Speaker 1: at Kyrie Irving's first six weeks as a mav and
Speaker 1: I mean it, Kyrie Irving is not the source of
Speaker 1: turbulence in Dallas right now. I mean, if you went
Speaker 1: around that locker room, he has been incredibly well received.
Speaker 1: The guys on the team really really like him. I
Speaker 1: mean when they won the game in LA, when they
Speaker 1: escaped and Moxi Kliba hit the game winning shot at
Speaker 1: the buzzer. I mean, you heard, you heard Kliba just
Speaker 1: in two interviews lavish praise on Kyrie Irving that we
Speaker 1: haven't heard for a long long time, just about what
Speaker 1: a helpful teammate he's been to Moxi. So, I you know,
Speaker 1: it's natural. Look, you can't get around the record. They're
Speaker 1: seven and thirteen since the trade. It clearly has not
Speaker 1: gone well when the two of them have been in uniform.
Speaker 1: There's also been some injuries. So they're three and one.
Speaker 1: You know they I guess three and one when it's
Speaker 1: Kyrie alone, oh and two when Lucas alone. So they've
Speaker 1: had to play six games since the trade where they've
Speaker 1: only had one of them. They've had three additional games
Speaker 1: where they had neither their one and two in those games. So,
Speaker 1: I mean, injuries have certainly been a factor as well.
Speaker 1: But I don't think Luca was in any way, shape
Speaker 1: or form alluding to anything with Kyrie. And obviously, as
Speaker 1: you said, you know, it wasn't just Twitter. I mean
Speaker 1: there were reports about it that you know, there were reports. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't even want to dignify them by
Speaker 1: by giving them any more amplification than that, but there
Speaker 1: were certainly there were certainly plenty of dialogue the next
Speaker 1: day that you know, this was Kyrie related somehow, and
Speaker 1: and from my seat it was not. Um, but look,
Speaker 1: whatever is going on, you know, it definitely raised eyebrows
Speaker 1: that Luca was willing to disclose it. Jason Kidd before
Speaker 1: today's game, you know, said it's on the organization to
Speaker 1: try to help him through whatever is going on. And
Speaker 1: after a really bad first quarter in Charlotte, you know,
Speaker 1: Luca did turn it on and suddenly manufactured a forty
Speaker 1: point game in this dreadful loss today. So um, you know, certainly,
Speaker 1: because this is now a subject that that he has
Speaker 1: shared publicly, there's gonna be presumably more questions and and
Speaker 1: and more talk about it, for sure. But I mean,
Speaker 1: the map, the maps have the maps have so many issues.
Speaker 1: I mean, it just it's you know, it's getting getting
Speaker 1: Kyrie and Luca in every game, adding them more reps together,
Speaker 1: winning games when they're together. But I mean, even if
Speaker 1: it was going absolutely swimmingly with the two stars, I mean,
Speaker 1: they are so poorous defensively, so bad on the boards.
Speaker 1: You just it's really hard to overcome that stuff. I mean,
Speaker 1: Charlotte just getting to the rim in the fourth quarter
Speaker 1: like there was nobody there and and you know, that
Speaker 1: was always the fear of you know, people who did
Speaker 1: not think the Mavericks should do this trade. You're you know,
Speaker 1: they're giving up the Mavericks in this deal. They're giving
Speaker 1: up Dorian Phinney Smith, who, next to Moxi Kleiba, is
Speaker 1: their best defenders. So I mean they got even worse defensively,
Speaker 1: surrendering Dorian Phinney Smith with Spencer Ginwittie and a future
Speaker 1: unprotected first to twenty twenty nine for Kyrie going into
Speaker 1: free agency. So there is a lot of frustration in
Speaker 1: the city where I reside, and frankly, frankly, a lot
Speaker 1: of questions that don't have clear answer right now. I mean,
Speaker 1: you tell me what you you know. I'm sure you
Speaker 1: when you I mean you've interviewed Luca to I just
Speaker 1: remember at the All Star Game you had a you
Speaker 1: had a little visit with him in Salt Lake City.
Speaker 1: I mean, what did you think when you saw that
Speaker 1: that clip? No, it was definitely alarming. It's alarming. I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, he, like you said, he doesn't he doesn't
Speaker 1: reveal too much at all of anything, let alone something
Speaker 1: of that magnitude. So it definitely, you know, it definitely
Speaker 1: caught your attention. But you know, as it pertains to
Speaker 1: the solution, like what is it? Because I know that's
Speaker 1: what a lot of Maverick fans want to know. And
Speaker 1: I see, you know, I look out Twitter. I kind
Speaker 1: of even though Twitter is not everything, you know, it
Speaker 1: kind of gives you a pulse on on a temperature,
Speaker 1: I should say, on just what it's being said. And
Speaker 1: you know, oftentimes, you know, social media pretty much goes
Speaker 1: out and blames the coach. Nine times I tend to coach,
Speaker 1: but I'm seeing a lot of people not just blame
Speaker 1: the coach, but you know, I see I'm seeing a
Speaker 1: lot of people blaming Mark Cuban himself, the owner, and
Speaker 1: so you know, it's just it's an an interesting time here.
Speaker 1: With Dallas. They went for a big swing at the
Speaker 1: trade deadline, got Kyrie trying to do everything they can
Speaker 1: to give Luca that help to try to take the
Speaker 1: team to the next level. You know, with this team,
Speaker 1: you know, not far removed from a Western Conference Finals appearance,
Speaker 1: and it is not working out. This season has been
Speaker 1: it's been tough. You know. JaVale McGee didn't turn out
Speaker 1: to be the player that they envisioned Javelle. I talked
Speaker 1: to Javille McGee. He feels like he still has it,
Speaker 1: you know. So it's just it's tough, man, It's tough.
Speaker 1: I don't I don't know what what's going to happen,
Speaker 1: but obviously it has to be a little bit of
Speaker 1: a roster shake up in the offseason to to repair this.
Speaker 1: I'm not so I'm not so sure of against I
Speaker 1: You're you're there, you're right there, closer. I'm not so
Speaker 1: sure that they're completely out of it. They're going my
Speaker 1: dog barket again, Prince quiet, quiet, shooting down your MAV's optimism.
Speaker 1: That's what he's doing. Yeah, he's tell me, listen to you,
Speaker 1: that's what you say. Well, I think they definitely still
Speaker 1: have a shot man, you got get the look. They're
Speaker 1: mathematically still there. The reason I've reached this, you know position,
Speaker 1: is because you again, if those two games were must wins,
Speaker 1: and okay, it happens once, but the same thing happens
Speaker 1: twice against Charlotte that has nothing to play for, and
Speaker 1: that is missing key players. This is it's not like
Speaker 1: this was LaMelo Ball and Rogier and Gore Hayward just
Speaker 1: going to town. Yes they had Hayward, Yes they had PJ. Washington,
Speaker 1: but I mean this isn't even a full strength Hornets
Speaker 1: team and they just came into Dallas and embarrassed you.
Speaker 1: I mean, Dennis Smith Junior hit the game ceiling three
Speaker 1: on Friday night and was giddy beyond words. He did
Speaker 1: not want I mean he did. He did a lengthy
Speaker 1: round of interviews outside the Charlotte locker room and you know,
Speaker 1: seeing a lot of old faces that covered him when
Speaker 1: he was in Dallas as a rookie, and you know,
Speaker 1: flat out said how much he enjoyed effing up the
Speaker 1: mav season. And then it happened again. He had to,
Speaker 1: you know, he Dallas cuts it to three minute and
Speaker 1: change left Dennis Smith all alone. Alleybdunk hornets back up
Speaker 1: five and he's just he's just chirped at the at
Speaker 1: the MAVs bench. So I mean, those two I guess
Speaker 1: that's what I'm saying. Those two losses were so bad
Speaker 1: that I'm throwing out tie breakers and you know, what
Speaker 1: ifs and every you know, like the what ifs to
Speaker 1: me don't matter. Like if you can't even win one
Speaker 1: of those two games, that's beyond alarming, Like alarming isn't
Speaker 1: even enough. Well, I guess it's going to get worse
Speaker 1: because as you said, and as you claimed it stated,
Speaker 1: it's not getting any better. They're not going to be
Speaker 1: in that top tier. So I hope. Well, and that's
Speaker 1: I mean, and that's and look and and you know,
Speaker 1: you said it. What's going to happen? You know, And
Speaker 1: that's the question everyone has. And look, it's to me
Speaker 1: it is still too early to call it. You know.
Speaker 1: I wrote in my piece last Monday that look, the
Speaker 1: early whisperers signals, indications, whatever you want to call them.
Speaker 1: You know, is is Dallas resigning Kyrie Irving to the
Speaker 1: multi year deal he wants. Is that feasible? Certainly it's feasible.
Speaker 1: But even if the guard play was just working hand
Speaker 1: in hand in perfect concert. I mean, the reality is
Speaker 1: the JaVale McGee signing was a huge swing and a
Speaker 1: miss for Dallas, and they don't have many trade assets
Speaker 1: left and and how are they going to you know,
Speaker 1: A are they going to resign Kyrie Irving? And B
Speaker 1: how do they proceed rosterwise too? I mean, their their
Speaker 1: front line. They have to make some major upgrades on
Speaker 1: the front line given the problems they're having defensively rebounding.
Speaker 1: I mean, they've they've been is talk Franco, who's an
Speaker 1: outstanding writer for d magazine here in town, who's actually
Speaker 1: Slovenia based, A did a piece recently there was really good,
Speaker 1: just kind of laying out how the MAVs have been.
Speaker 1: They've been kind of forced to play such small lineups
Speaker 1: because they're just not getting production from their bigs, and
Speaker 1: so they've played really small most of the year. It's
Speaker 1: a dire picture. I can't sugarcoat it. And then you
Speaker 1: when everybody in Dallas is already in this mode, in
Speaker 1: this mode, there it goes Turner Sports Chris Haynes with
Speaker 1: a expansive Jalen Brunson interview where Jalen Brunson said, all
Speaker 1: kinds of stuff. What do he say? Stuh, Well, I
Speaker 1: think he said somewhere in there that he really wanted
Speaker 1: to stay in Dallas, So you know, I mean, didn't
Speaker 1: he He did say that, and I was not expecting
Speaker 1: I did not expect that reaction from mass Fast. Oh man,
Speaker 1: come on, I miss him. I mean, look, they miss him.
Speaker 1: I mean because because that's the I mean, you can't
Speaker 1: understate how big a loss that was. Because not only
Speaker 1: has he gone to another level, not only has he
Speaker 1: you know, he's got the Knicks back into the East
Speaker 1: top five with his leadership, the dude was just super solid.
Speaker 1: He was you know, he was not a super vocal guy,
Speaker 1: but he was you know, I would say the most
Speaker 1: overt locker room influence that the MAVs had last season
Speaker 1: when they went to the conference finals. And and he
Speaker 1: was great playing with or without Luca. He knew how
Speaker 1: to flourish when he was on the floor with Luca
Speaker 1: and when he wasn't, And and just a very underrated skill.
Speaker 1: And the Knicks got a bargain four years, one hundred
Speaker 1: four million for Jalen Brunson. Some people thought it was
Speaker 1: an overpay. I said, at the time it was not.
Speaker 1: But it's a bargain. Who had that? I mean he
Speaker 1: had that position. I mean it's he's just the dude
Speaker 1: just oozes solidity. Man. But you're are you gonna like
Speaker 1: you get him? Like you guys are just like that.
Speaker 1: How he just gives you a ring? What's up? Man? Hey, No,
Speaker 1: I've been working on for a minute. I've been working
Speaker 1: on it for a minute. I had somebody, somebody said
Speaker 1: it up for me, and I think I said it.
Speaker 1: You know, I said it last our last part. He
Speaker 1: called me at halftime. What texts me at halftime when
Speaker 1: the Knicks were playing the Orlando Magic in Orlando, Um
Speaker 1: believe that would have been Thursday, last Thursday, And he
Speaker 1: said he's gonna call me after the game. And I
Speaker 1: thought he was playing. I thought he was playing in
Speaker 1: that game. And I said, but get back out there
Speaker 1: on the floor. I said, he could worry about me later.
Speaker 1: He said, no, no, I'm actually sitting out this game.
Speaker 1: So I just wanted to make sure I hit you
Speaker 1: back in he caught. Man, he hit me back after
Speaker 1: the game, you know, So that's we're talking. He called
Speaker 1: me probably eleven thirty, probably close to midnight his time
Speaker 1: in in Orlando, and so he gave me all the
Speaker 1: time that I needed, man, and he was he was
Speaker 1: very transparent. I wasn't sure because you know he you're
Speaker 1: not most of the time. You don't get much out
Speaker 1: of Jalen Like he's very polished, very polished. You know,
Speaker 1: he knows how to answer questions. He knows how to
Speaker 1: answer questions without really giving you anything. And uh, he
Speaker 1: was just very transparent man. He and I appreciate I
Speaker 1: appreciate him. I didn't think he's gonna touch on the
Speaker 1: Dallas team. Ye, I didn't think he was going to
Speaker 1: touch on what Dallas offered. But you know, it's one
Speaker 1: of those conversations we had where he just went into
Speaker 1: it and we kind of and I kind of took
Speaker 1: it from there. And so he he was. He was
Speaker 1: more than willing, and he showed a lot of love
Speaker 1: to Dallas. But he also said, hey, that's on them.
Speaker 1: They could they could have had me at a discount.
Speaker 1: I was more than willing to state there the rest
Speaker 1: of my career. He said he wanted to do that.
Speaker 1: He gave a shout out to JJ Barrere, who was
Speaker 1: his VET, and he said he wanted to be be
Speaker 1: in a row like JJ Baret, where you were just
Speaker 1: a Maverick staple, and it didn't get to happen for
Speaker 1: other reasons. So I know a lot of people say, like,
Speaker 1: why didn't they Why didn't they give him that contract?
Speaker 1: It was a four year, believe fifty five million at
Speaker 1: the time. Yeah, So basically when the season started, both
Speaker 1: Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney Smith were eligible for four year,
Speaker 1: fifty six million dollar deals. The rumble when the season
Speaker 1: started was Dallas wanted to wait because in case some
Speaker 1: sort of major trade came around that they would be
Speaker 1: able to trade those guys, because if you sign them
Speaker 1: to those deals, then they wouldn't be tradeable in season.
Speaker 1: So nothing happened for a while. Rick Brunson later said,
Speaker 1: and I think Jalen alluded to this in your conversation
Speaker 1: with him. Rick Brunson, his father, now a Knick's assistant coach,
Speaker 1: told Tim mcman of ESPN that he went back to
Speaker 1: the Mavericks in January and said, we'll take that four
Speaker 1: fifty six now, and the MAVs still held off. Now,
Speaker 1: behind the scenes, there are some in Dallas who dispute
Speaker 1: that account. But Rick Brunson said it. You know, he
Speaker 1: said he put his name on it. He put it
Speaker 1: out there, and you know, I think Jalen alluded to
Speaker 1: it as well. So you know, that's the version that
Speaker 1: is most known and best known. And if guys say
Speaker 1: it on the record, you know you take it at
Speaker 1: phase value. So the MAVs in January still no deal,
Speaker 1: trade deadline passes, Brunson and Dorian Finney Smith are still Mavericks.
Speaker 1: Dorian Finney Smith signs that four year, fifty six million
Speaker 1: dollar extension minutes after the deadline, almost immediately that deal
Speaker 1: is done. But obviously by that point, Jalen Brunson is
Speaker 1: having a fantastic season. He knows he's able to get
Speaker 1: way more than that if he waits to go to
Speaker 1: the open market, and there was no way he was
Speaker 1: to be able to get that kind of deal. I mean,
Speaker 1: there was no way Dallas was going to convince him
Speaker 1: to take four to fifty six after the deadline passed.
Speaker 1: So the real issue, I mean the MAVs, I mean,
Speaker 1: they should have done it from the start of the season.
Speaker 1: They knew what they had. But I think one other
Speaker 1: question that lingers for me. It became clear on once it.
Speaker 1: You know, in the week before a free agency it
Speaker 1: became clear that Brunson was going to the Knicks, especially
Speaker 1: on Draft night when the Knicks made all the moves
Speaker 1: they made to generate more cap space and they they
Speaker 1: shed contracts, and at that point it became clear that
Speaker 1: the Knicks were coming at Brunson with a four year
Speaker 1: offer that was at least one hundred million. So look,
Speaker 1: the Mavericks could have offered five years and a crazy
Speaker 1: number one hundred twenty five million, one hundred and fifty
Speaker 1: million at that point they did didn't do that, and
Speaker 1: Jalen just went to the Knicks. I think one question
Speaker 1: that will always linger for me as an unanswered question,
Speaker 1: what would have happened if Dallas threw a last ditch
Speaker 1: hail Mary and said to Jalen, Okay, we know you
Speaker 1: want to go to the Knicks. We've messed this up.
Speaker 1: We should have signed you long ago, but we're now
Speaker 1: going to offer you one twenty five over five or
Speaker 1: even more, just to see if there was a way
Speaker 1: to change his mind. Now, at that point, maybe there
Speaker 1: was no way. Maybe there was no way to change
Speaker 1: his mind, and he was dead set on going to
Speaker 1: New York and knowing that his dad was going to
Speaker 1: end up on the coaching staff, and he's gonna get
Speaker 1: a chance to play for Tom Thibodeaux, who he's known
Speaker 1: since he was a kid, and basically get to be
Speaker 1: with his dad every single day. Maybe even an extra
Speaker 1: twenty five mill or more doesn't sway him at that point.
Speaker 1: But no, that's a what if that I would still
Speaker 1: kind of throw out there. How do we not know
Speaker 1: sty that they didn't get a chance to make that offer?
Speaker 1: And look, you're to my knowledge, it didn't happen. You're right,
Speaker 1: maybe you know, is it possible that it did? And
Speaker 1: it was never reported and and we never heard about it.
Speaker 1: You know, to my knowledge, I don't believe that happened.
Speaker 1: But you know, maybe I need to take another run
Speaker 1: at it and see if it did. But um, the
Speaker 1: way it sounds like, you know, we're telling all these
Speaker 1: stories from from different sizes and different points of view.
Speaker 1: The way it sounds is that Jalen might have been
Speaker 1: a little you know, frustrated the way things handled that
Speaker 1: the way things were handled that he was going to
Speaker 1: leave regardless, right, yeah, and so and look and that
Speaker 1: and and that's and that's very possible too, that the
Speaker 1: trade deadline comes and goes. He's still a maverick, and
Speaker 1: he might have just said at that point, I'm playing
Speaker 1: this out and I'm you know, I know that, Nick.
Speaker 1: I mean he knew, you know, Leon Rose is essentially
Speaker 1: family for Jaylen Brunson, So I mean he knew the
Speaker 1: Knicks we're going to be there waiting with a significant offer.
Speaker 1: And look, you have to say the move to New
Speaker 1: York has has been fantastic for him. You know, I
Speaker 1: did wonder what was it going to be like for
Speaker 1: Jaylen Brunson as as as relentlessly solid and efficient and
Speaker 1: productive as he was in Dallas. There is a difference
Speaker 1: being the second best player on a team with Luca
Speaker 1: don Chich and going to New York and being the
Speaker 1: guy they talk about as the first point guard of
Speaker 1: repute that they've had in the twenty first century to
Speaker 1: now be the face of that team and you're the
Speaker 1: guy that people are going to point to if things
Speaker 1: don't go well. And Jalen Brunson has faced that absolutely
Speaker 1: beautifully and has been, you know, again, better than ever.
Speaker 1: He's had the best ear of his career, had a
Speaker 1: very good All Star case, has an All NBA case,
Speaker 1: and has just been you know the guy again. He
Speaker 1: gets better every single year. So you know, I don't
Speaker 1: know if we'll ever get all the answers, but the
Speaker 1: answer that we have is Dallas misses him. That's what
Speaker 1: I saw some That's what I saw. I was. I
Speaker 1: was awakened to that on Friday. That's I didn't know.
Speaker 1: It was that deep. I did not know Mark was
Speaker 1: chrisy was catching strays. I saw Mark qub he was
Speaker 1: catching he was catching straights. Off of that story right there. Sorry,
Speaker 1: are going through it, Sorry, mals season as a raveling,
Speaker 1: and here comes over comes Chris Hayes from the Bay
Speaker 1: Area with a one on one with Jalen Brunson. Mark.
Speaker 1: I didn't know. I had no clues. My bad. I
Speaker 1: know now I know now, all right, Well, a little
Speaker 1: closer to home for you, man. I believe Minnesota ended
Speaker 1: up winning that game with the Warriors. I haven't been
Speaker 1: able to pay, but in Anthony Davis's return, Golden State
Speaker 1: takes a home l This West is still crazy, absolutely crazy.
Speaker 1: So Minnesota surging to thirty eight and thirty seven there
Speaker 1: within a half game of Golden State Golden State, clinging
Speaker 1: to a top six spot. New Orleans after a four
Speaker 1: game winning streak from nowhere. With no Zion, the Pelicans
Speaker 1: are back to five hundred and their eighth the Lakers. Now,
Speaker 1: let's talk about the Lakers Lebron James. Earlier this week,
Speaker 1: you and other high profile reporters all reported that Lebron
Speaker 1: James was hopeful to come back in the last three
Speaker 1: to four games of this season. Lebron uncorked a tweet
Speaker 1: saying y'all sources basically saying no timetable has been disclosed.
Speaker 1: And then all of a sudden this morning and again
Speaker 1: we're recording this on Sunday night, and all of a
Speaker 1: sudden this morning, the Lakers upgrade Lebron to questionable. And
Speaker 1: then he has a great pregame workout, throws down a
Speaker 1: massive dunk. Activated for the game, and Lebron James comes
Speaker 1: back with eight games to go. The Lakers have to
Speaker 1: be giddy at this prospect that Lebron is suddenly back
Speaker 1: earlier than they hoped. And then they lose it home
Speaker 1: to Chicago to Pat Pat beab You see Pat BEV
Speaker 1: putting his hands on his nose, saying the Lakers stink.
Speaker 1: How could I not say it's path? Man? Do you
Speaker 1: knew Pat Bear was gonna act up? Did he he
Speaker 1: had the little floater over Lebron. Did he made the
Speaker 1: made the too small signal with his hand? You knew
Speaker 1: Pat Bell? I mean before before the game, Pat beb
Speaker 1: had the tweet Oh with him with some scharmon with
Speaker 1: some scharmon tissue in the car. So is he so?
Speaker 1: So he's saying the Lakers are saw I think that's
Speaker 1: I think that's what I think that's what he was
Speaker 1: getting at. I really do, man, I think that's where
Speaker 1: he was getting at. Yeah, Laker obviously Lakers don't. They
Speaker 1: aren't in the same type of trouble as Dallas. But
Speaker 1: they're they're right there. They're right there. No, And that's
Speaker 1: the thing I think. I'm you know again, I'm you know,
Speaker 1: this might get me tweeted at, so maybe I shouldn't
Speaker 1: do this. But my presumption was that Lebron James is
Speaker 1: sitting there looking at this and saying this West is
Speaker 1: even more wide open than I thought it was. I
Speaker 1: remember when Lebron turned thirty seven last season, I wrote
Speaker 1: a column this was last season that Lebron i can't
Speaker 1: believe I'm saying this, but the best birthday present that
Speaker 1: any of us could give you is the fact that
Speaker 1: the West is more mid than it's ever been. That
Speaker 1: was last season, and then this season it's even more
Speaker 1: wide open, more team you know again, from Phoenix at
Speaker 1: number four, all the way down to number twelve Utah,
Speaker 1: just this clump of teams that are four games over
Speaker 1: five hundred to four games under five hundred. So there's
Speaker 1: the Lakers are right in the heart of this thing.
Speaker 1: So I'm I'm My presumption is that Lebron is sitting
Speaker 1: there saying, if I come back, now play these last
Speaker 1: seven eight games, we can actually move up. I mean,
Speaker 1: the Lakers are only even with this loss, two and
Speaker 1: a half games out of the fourth seed. Now Phoenix
Speaker 1: is supposed to get Kevin Durant back this week. But
Speaker 1: you know, that's that's my presumption of what Lebron is saying,
Speaker 1: that this West is there for the taking. So in year,
Speaker 1: you know, he had his thirty eighth birthday in January. This,
Speaker 1: you know, the same column still applies. The best birthday
Speaker 1: present we can give him is the fact that the
Speaker 1: West is there. But you know, I didn't you know
Speaker 1: they they're playing Chicago twice in a row. I didn't,
Speaker 1: you know, I didn't see today coming. I thought with
Speaker 1: Lebron coming back, even off the bench, they're beating the
Speaker 1: Bulls this afternoon. Shows you what I for sure at
Speaker 1: home too, like I don't. I don't think many foresaw
Speaker 1: that happening, and they gotta get together. I still like
Speaker 1: their team that they're They're definitely a better team as
Speaker 1: constructed now. Lebron James will be returned to being a
Speaker 1: starter for the next game, so they have some work
Speaker 1: a D. I didn't I didn't expect Anthony Davis to
Speaker 1: have that type of performance. He wasn't aggressive at all
Speaker 1: during this game, so they're going to need him to
Speaker 1: be that a D that he was in the first
Speaker 1: half of the season to try to gain some ground.
Speaker 1: But it's going. It's going all the way to the end.
Speaker 1: That's what makes this exciting. It's going all the way
Speaker 1: to the end. We don't know how this is going
Speaker 1: to play out against Stein. I'm still mass fans. I'm
Speaker 1: with you, mass fans. I'm I'm I'm going to say
Speaker 1: Dallas is not out of it. Stein is already put
Speaker 1: an obituary associated with you guys. He's already done it.
Speaker 1: He's already wrote the ABITCHU where it has it right,
Speaker 1: It's already on his substack already. He's just waiting to
Speaker 1: publish it. So I still think they have a shot
Speaker 1: because it's too unpredictable right now. And I guess that's
Speaker 1: what makes everything exciting, man, Pat Bev. I mean, I
Speaker 1: can't you know, Yeah, I didn't see the whole Sharman
Speaker 1: thing till till well after the game, because you know,
Speaker 1: I'm not as you know, I'm not. I'm not as
Speaker 1: good with the social media as I need. I missed
Speaker 1: that until I missed that until after. I ain't got
Speaker 1: nothing but love for Pat Bev. I told, I told
Speaker 1: you the story of me and Pat Bev. Huh interaction
Speaker 1: we had beginning to tell it again? Or do you
Speaker 1: want to not? You don't have to. You brought it up,
Speaker 1: not me. I want the record to show I did not.
Speaker 1: I did not bait you, and you know what, you
Speaker 1: know what I tried to bate you last episode and
Speaker 1: you didn't fall for it. I'm not falling for the
Speaker 1: old man and saw it from a mile away. What
Speaker 1: didn't you like about ESPN. I'll follow that's gonna be
Speaker 1: a whole step. But again you brought it up up.
Speaker 1: But look, I mean like Pat Bev is, he's going right.
Speaker 1: He's going right at the Lakers and going right at Lebron.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I did not like that acquisition
Speaker 1: for them. I didn't think it was gonna go well,
Speaker 1: and it did not go well. I just I from
Speaker 1: minute one, I just thought Pat has two big and
Speaker 1: loud a personality to go in that locker room. I
Speaker 1: just I don't think I never thought that that Lebron
Speaker 1: and Ad wanted to hear all that. But you cannot
Speaker 1: deny the edge that Pat Bev gave Minnesota last season,
Speaker 1: and he's doing it again with a Bulls team that
Speaker 1: that you know, has been one of this season's more
Speaker 1: prominent disappointments. And you know he's that was the reason
Speaker 1: they wanted him. When he, you know, Pat Bev gets
Speaker 1: traded on deadline day, gets a buyout, I think Minnesota
Speaker 1: fans really wanted the Wolves to bring him in. And
Speaker 1: I remember reporting that, no, the Wolves have no plans
Speaker 1: to sign Pat Bev, and I think I think a
Speaker 1: lot of Wolves fans are pretty disappointment because he was
Speaker 1: hugely popular with everything he gave Minnesota attitude wise last season,
Speaker 1: and he's got to give him credit. He's doing it
Speaker 1: again with Chicago because he's that was a that was
Speaker 1: a very flat team. And maybe producer Ryan can confirm
Speaker 1: this while we're scuffling here. I mean, what are they
Speaker 1: nine and four with Pat Bev or you know the record,
Speaker 1: the record since they acquired Pat Bev is pretty good. Yeah,
Speaker 1: they're doing I mean Pat, Pat's that guy, man, He's
Speaker 1: that guy that you if you're a player, you love
Speaker 1: to play with him and you hate to play against
Speaker 1: him because he's going to get under your skin. Uh.
Speaker 1: He may, he may, he may cause some type of
Speaker 1: altercation physical verbal, but you know he's going to have
Speaker 1: his teammates back in you know, I respect Patty man,
Speaker 1: I respect man. You know, I go talk about Pat
Speaker 1: Pat Patton's dress. He talked a little bit about our
Speaker 1: little interaction we had at the beginning of the season.
Speaker 1: He talked about on his pot they can find it there. Uh,
Speaker 1: but I ain't got number love for him, man. There
Speaker 1: was a few things that were left out, but it's
Speaker 1: all good. It's all good. I ain't got number love.
Speaker 1: Producer Ryan has looked it up and says the Bulls
Speaker 1: are now ten and five since signing Pat Batman, so
Speaker 1: it is definitely working for them. And producer Ryan has
Speaker 1: on it. Man, He's on it. He's gotta he's he
Speaker 1: didn't know what he signed up for when he got
Speaker 1: stuck with No. He didn't, No, he did. He thought
Speaker 1: he thought was gonna he thought he's gonna have a
Speaker 1: set schedule dealing with us. That was a good stat
Speaker 1: But we're gonna sign off with a couple crazier stuff.
Speaker 1: I don't know if you saw this today. I tweeted
Speaker 1: these things earlier. But do you realize that if the
Speaker 1: MAVs cannot arrest this slide that they're on, and if
Speaker 1: the MAVs can't make it back to the playoffs through
Speaker 1: the playing rounde and remember the way the NBA does
Speaker 1: its bookkeeping, play in does not mean playoffs. To be
Speaker 1: considered a playoff team, you have to advance in the
Speaker 1: playing round to get either the seventh or the A seed.
Speaker 1: If you're ninth or tenth, you are not a playoff team.
Speaker 1: Let's make that clear. If the Mavericks cannot arrest this slide,
Speaker 1: this will be the first time in league history that Texas,
Speaker 1: the lone star state with three NBA franchises, does not
Speaker 1: send at least one to the postseason. The MAVs first
Speaker 1: season was nineteen eighty eighty one, so the end, there
Speaker 1: have been three Texas teams since eighty eighty one, so
Speaker 1: we're talking more than forty years. In all that time,
Speaker 1: at one of at least one of Dallas, Houston and
Speaker 1: San Antonio has reached the playoffs. The Rockets and the
Speaker 1: Spurs are already obviously out. Can Dallas force their way
Speaker 1: back in and make me eat my words and make
Speaker 1: make Chris Haynes their new number one fan look good?
Speaker 1: The other the other amazing stat related to that is
Speaker 1: Sacramento is on the doorstep of the playoffs. There, you know,
Speaker 1: I think their magic number is one, so I mean
Speaker 1: they will clinch. They will officially clinch their first playoff
Speaker 1: spot in seventeen seasons this week if the Clippers and
Speaker 1: the Lakers and the Warriors can can all join them.
Speaker 1: And as of right now, entering Monday's play the Clippers
Speaker 1: are in the five seed, the Warriors in the sixth seed,
Speaker 1: the Lakers are in the ninth seed and would have
Speaker 1: to do it via the playing route. But assuming that
Speaker 1: the Clippers and the Warriors and the la Akers can
Speaker 1: all join Sacramento, that would be the first time in
Speaker 1: NBA history that California sends four teams to the playoffs.
Speaker 1: And we've had four teams, four franchises in California since
Speaker 1: nineteen eighty five eighty six, when the Kings, of course
Speaker 1: moved from Kansas City to Sacramento. So those are those
Speaker 1: are my signoff stats today. On a miniature scale, it
Speaker 1: would be the first time the Kings and Wards have
Speaker 1: made the playoffs in the same year. If if the
Speaker 1: Warriors are to get in, those two teams have ever
Speaker 1: made it at the same Well, that's why I guess,
Speaker 1: that's why the stats. That's why that statics. I thought
Speaker 1: you were gonna bring up best that I didn't know about.
Speaker 1: The all four Yeah, I mean all four because it's uh,
Speaker 1: that's good for your travel. You got four of the
Speaker 1: eight playoff teams in the West are in California. That
Speaker 1: is good for Chris. It is good for Chris says
Speaker 1: if I'm assigned to the Western Conference. But I don't
Speaker 1: get the picky you'll be I don't get the pick,
Speaker 1: and I guess jinks do you will be at Philly
Speaker 1: Miami and round one. Yeah, so I will say this
Speaker 1: about my playoff schedule. I think I'm okay to say this.
Speaker 1: So usually years passed, you're assigned to a playoff, you're
Speaker 1: you're assigned to a series, stick with that series all
Speaker 1: the way throughout. This year is gonna be a little different.
Speaker 1: I'll be hopping from game to game so I can
Speaker 1: be I can be dim can't wait to see the fits,
Speaker 1: can't wait to see the kills. You know, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: be hyper critical. I'm gonna be looking at everything. Couples
Speaker 1: still listen to start? Do you consider? Well, yeah, you
Speaker 1: got some stylefs, I'll give you that. I'm not gonna
Speaker 1: go there. I was gonna get a little bit critical
Speaker 1: of you. And you're a time No, no, you you're fine.
Speaker 1: No you you you dressed in the Italian suit. The custom,
Speaker 1: the custom fits like you. You're ahead of your time
Speaker 1: at start. Hold on, I forgot everybody. Please, Oh, I
Speaker 1: don't want to give too much. So if I say
Speaker 1: too much, we'll cancel it and Ryan can just delete it.
Speaker 1: But you know, Stein is so European very so European
Speaker 1: from his style to where do you go every summer?
Speaker 1: Sty you have to go there every summer. Where do
Speaker 1: you end up going? Well, I go I definitely go
Speaker 1: to England at least once a year to watch soccer.
Speaker 1: That's that's a given. So I say all this to
Speaker 1: say he is very European. Attire, everything, culture, everything. So
Speaker 1: I'm in Dallas and I believe I was working the
Speaker 1: game for TNT, and I asked Stein for a ride home.
Speaker 1: As stars like sure start start, It's like, sure, okay,
Speaker 1: he said, I don't know how much room I got
Speaker 1: in the car for you, And I'm like, well, who
Speaker 1: else is in the carpentrre? He said no, it'll just
Speaker 1: be us two. So in my mind, I'm thinking that's
Speaker 1: not gonna be a problem. Like I'm like, maybe he
Speaker 1: just has a messy car. Maybe he's got a whole
Speaker 1: bunch of jump in this car that he has to
Speaker 1: move around to make a room for me. That's what
Speaker 1: I thought he was talking about. Star. So I get
Speaker 1: to the we I'm walking with Stein and he shows
Speaker 1: me his ride and this thing is probably the smallest
Speaker 1: vehicle I've ever seen in my life. Star, what type
Speaker 1: of car. Is this again? It is a Fiat one
Speaker 1: twenty four spiders Wow, Because you are correct. I am
Speaker 1: a want to be European and I have to have
Speaker 1: my little Italian knowe not made for the former Friendsno
Speaker 1: Pacific shooting guard, not at all, not even by not
Speaker 1: even by scooting my seat all the way back. I
Speaker 1: was crammed up in there. I felt I was claustrophobic.
Speaker 1: It was. It was an experience that I didn't anticipate.
Speaker 1: And so no, he had a clean car, very clean car.
Speaker 1: That wasn't a concern. That's why. That's why he didn't
Speaker 1: ask me, question me about if it was enough room
Speaker 1: in the car because of junk. It was because the
Speaker 1: size of the vehicle. I asked my first time, I
Speaker 1: wrote in the vehicle like that, and it will be
Speaker 1: the last time. It looks nice from the outside, looks
Speaker 1: nice on the outside. But a brother was cost to
Speaker 1: phobic on that whole. I could wait from her. You
Speaker 1: know what, So you know what, since you are guaranteeing
Speaker 1: that the MAVs are going to roll back and get
Speaker 1: a playoff spot, and since I have so coldly written
Speaker 1: them off, if you are proven correct and the MAVs
Speaker 1: somehow fine thewhere in the playoffs, and if TNT decides
Speaker 1: that Chris Haynes need needs to cover a MAVs playoff
Speaker 1: game in Dallas, I will. I will somehow arrange to
Speaker 1: have a bigger car so if I have to take
Speaker 1: you anywhere in town that you'll becoming I appreciate this time,
Speaker 1: but I get what you were going at I get
Speaker 1: what you were doing. You got the s It's a
Speaker 1: European car. Yes it looks nice, Yes it fits your style.
Speaker 1: But you got that car so nobody would ask you
Speaker 1: for a ride home. That's what you That's why you
Speaker 1: got the car. That is the perfect car to be like.
Speaker 1: You're not being rude, but like Tim mc man, there
Speaker 1: is no way, Tim man, it's like two inches tall
Speaker 1: to me. He's sixty four. I'm six two. I'm not
Speaker 1: giving Tim. I'm not giving Tim McMahon a ride I gave.
Speaker 1: I gave Ray Ridder stretched out is five foot five
Speaker 1: feet on a great day, so he had no problems
Speaker 1: in that vehicle. That vehicle, right, boy, it took some
Speaker 1: work getting in and getting out. So I had to
Speaker 1: expose you a little bit. What's truly scary is I
Speaker 1: don't even remember this. You don't remember this, which again
Speaker 1: just how we started this pod mean lamenting my old age.
Speaker 1: I can't even remember that that that it got so
Speaker 1: far that you actually squeezed into the little and I
Speaker 1: took you. I took you to your Posh Turner hotel. Yes,
Speaker 1: you did, I believe that were you? Were you part?
Speaker 1: You were like three floors high, and none of the
Speaker 1: stairs work, the escalatre, none the Escalaire stairs work, so
Speaker 1: we had to walk up physically up these stairs to
Speaker 1: get to your ride. And you parked way over there
Speaker 1: in the corner. I don't know if that's all right.
Speaker 1: I can't I can't be having anybody danger. Okay, I see,
Speaker 1: I see. I don't know if that was your goal
Speaker 1: to spot you parked way over there in the corner. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I park in one of like three spots, and that
Speaker 1: girl like the same three. Even my kid knows, my
Speaker 1: my sixteen year old who's sometimes who sometimes works as
Speaker 1: my photographer at selected MAVs games when I can make
Speaker 1: the schedule work. He even he knows that I'm so
Speaker 1: crazy that I'm going to park in the same two
Speaker 1: or three spots, whichever one I can find. So I'm
Speaker 1: not again, I'm not knowing that was your car. So
Speaker 1: all I know is that as we get up to
Speaker 1: that third floor, we're walking in that area and that
Speaker 1: car is the only car over there, and I'm just praying, no, no,
Speaker 1: I'm hoping, no, please help me. This is I was thinking.
Speaker 1: I was thinking, it looks nice. I just can't it
Speaker 1: looks nice. See, here's the thing. I fell in love.
Speaker 1: I fell in love with those little Fiat Roadsters when
Speaker 1: I was a kid, and then Fiat amazingly came back
Speaker 1: and made them for a very short time between twenty
Speaker 1: seventeen and twenty twenty, so they haven't even made the
Speaker 1: car for three years. But you know, I love how
Speaker 1: unique it is. You don't. You don't see very many
Speaker 1: and you don't you definitely don't see very many like mine,
Speaker 1: So don't get it, don't get it. Twist the start
Speaker 1: is a lovely car, very lovely car. It's it's it's
Speaker 1: a cool. Hey. When we signed up to do this podcast,
Speaker 1: I never promised you a normal podcast sidekick, So you
Speaker 1: you have signed up for all my weirdness and quirks,
Speaker 1: and that's just the way it is. It's too late now,
Speaker 1: I knew what I was getting myself into. All right, everyone,
Speaker 1: on a far too revealing edition of This League Uncut,
Speaker 1: where we've talked about way more than we should have.
Speaker 1: There you go. This is what Chris Haynes tries to
Speaker 1: do every episode. It's not an accident. Last time you
Speaker 1: know who who Who? Don't you like it? ESPN? You
Speaker 1: know he tries to sneak in these jags. We're gonna
Speaker 1: go there, We're going to go there one day. I'm
Speaker 1: going to get you and now and now he just
Speaker 1: made us talk for fifteen minutes about my car. So
Speaker 1: there you go. Everybody, Please please please continue to listen,
Speaker 1: Please continue to rate, review, subscribe. Chris and I will
Speaker 1: be back in a few days with another episode of
Speaker 1: This League Uncut, amazingly two weeks until the playoffs. Everybody,
Speaker 1: be good. We'll catch you soon and that'll do it
Speaker 1: for us. See you next time. This League Uncut is
Speaker 1: and I Heeart Radio Production, Christine and Mark Steyne, The
Speaker 1: Differ