WEBVTT - #thisleague UNCUT: Double Debate Edition 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:05.040 Up next on this edition of this League Uncut, Chris 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:08.280 Haynes and me Mark Stein, we will provide you an 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:13.760 in depth look ahead at the NBA's inaugural in season tournament. 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:18.880 Will weave in some transactional news out of Philadelphia in 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:22.239 the midst of some ranting from yours truly, and we'll 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:25.640 go just as deep on the All Star Game, which 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:30.440 this season in Indianapolis will revert to an East versus 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:33.920 West format, no more player draft, and we'll look at 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:37.360 what's ahead for the future of the NBA All Star 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:40.600 Game and the next possible format change. All that to 0:00:40.640 --> 0:00:42.199 come here on this League uncut. 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:44.479 Welcome to this league uncut. 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:51.400 Rule of twenty four hour NBA News. This you, Chris Hans. 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:59.240 It's time, work's time, it's some time. 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:04.200 This league is underway, in fire. This should be a 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:09.680 good one. Let's do it. Welcome in everyone to another 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:14.480 edition of this League uncut. Mark Stein here with Chris 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:19.480 Haynes of Turner Sports, the same Chris Haynes, who can 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:24.840 hardly contain his excitement because the in season tournament. We 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:28.240 are recording this on a Thursday night. Of course, TNT 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:31.600 games they're on Tuesday nights during the early part of 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:36.280 the season, so TNT Thursdays don't start until after the 0:01:36.360 --> 0:01:40.200 calendar flips and don't have to go head to head 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:46.040 with the NFL. So Chris Haynes safely operating from Sacramento 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:52.240 as we speak, and he half of this podcast very 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:56.480 intrigued and excited by the n season Tournament. The crotchety 0:01:56.520 --> 0:02:01.840 old man not so much say that. I'm I mean, 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:05.480 I guess I'm intrigued to see how it is received, 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:11.400 because that's really the mystery. How will fans react to 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.840 this thing. You know, we've seen all week long. You know, 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:17.800 they've unveiled the new courts that teams are gonna use 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:21.960 and the special jerseys that teams are gonna use. And 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:25.880 of course, cynical people like myself would say the reason 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:29.120 they have to introduce all these different things is because 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:33.600 the actual games themselves are very much not different, which 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:39.760 a in season cup stickler like myself cannot overlook. But 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:41.960 and I'm just really, I'm really just giving Chris a 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:44.440 hard time. But he said on a recent podcast that 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.280 this was something he was looking forward to, So I'm 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:51.040 never gonna let him forget it now and keep keep 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:53.080 giving him a hard time, Chris Haynes. 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:57.040 Yes, well, start, I'm looking forward to it just to 0:02:57.080 --> 0:03:00.720 see how is going to be received. That's it, that's it. 0:03:00.800 --> 0:03:03.760 I don't know what to expect. Yes, you talk about 0:03:03.760 --> 0:03:08.000 the changing of the jerseys, new jerseys, new floor designs 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:12.359 on the court, that's all good. But is the play 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:17.120 going to is the play going uh? Is the play 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:20.799 going to display desperation? Because ultimately that's what you're looking for. 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:23.760 You're looking for that n CUAA tournament feel. You're looking 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:27.280 for that, that's the kind of atmosphere that you want, 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:30.280 you know, for those do you know do you know 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:32.120 the rules? Not the rules, but do you know the 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:36.240 breakdown of this? Do you want to explain that? Stile 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:37.600 the breakdown of this play? 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:37.960 In turn? 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:43.360 Excuse me later today, later today. I also have a 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:46.080 TV essay coming out, so I have been studying it 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:49.160 intently because I've got a TV say looking at it. 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:50.640 I knew we were going to get into it on 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:53.040 this pod. I know we're going to get into it 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:55.880 as well on the radio show that I do Saturdays 0:03:56.640 --> 0:04:01.600 in Dallas. Because you know, the big national televised game 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:06.520 late Friday night, Mavericks at Nuggets, that is the N 0:04:06.640 --> 0:04:11.120 season tournament debut for both teams, Luca versus Jokic. So 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:15.600 you know, that is the you know, the big first 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:18.160 or one of the first two marquee games from an 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:23.240 ESPN perspective. But here's the thing and the reason that 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:27.039 I've been such a naysayer about it, and I can 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.240 criticize myself too. I'm even a snob about it. 0:04:30.279 --> 0:04:30.440 You know. 0:04:30.640 --> 0:04:33.240 You know, I'm a huge soccer fan, so I've been going. 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:37.560 I've had the great privilege of going to Cup games 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:42.160 in England for almost thirty years, so I'm really familiar 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:46.919 with what this is supposed to look like. And my 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:51.360 biggest quarrel with it is you can do the fanciest 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:54.800 court designs you want, you can come up with the 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:59.760 sweetest new uniforms you want, but this thing isn't a 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:04.320 tournament until the quarter finals at best, and for my money, 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:08.360 it's not really a tournament until the Semis, when two 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:12.279 teams go to Vegas. If my math is correct, it 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:15.920 takes sixty seven games to stage this in season tournament. 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:22.440 Sixty of them are gonna be group stage games that 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:25.640 are basically regular season games that are counted twice. The 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:28.880 games that are played on this Friday night and basically 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:32.640 every Tuesday and Friday through November, four games each for 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:36.560 all thirty teams. They're regular season games that they're counting twice, 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:40.719 and the four quarter final games same thing, will be 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:44.360 regular season games counted twice. It's really only going to 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:49.719 be those last three games in Vegas when teams go 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:52.120 to the desert for the Semis and Finals. That's going 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:54.880 to have a tournament feel, and it's really just that extra. 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:58.600 The final is the eighty third game for the two 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:00.760 teams that reach the final. I do think when we 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:03.640 get to that portion, when we get to sending four 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:07.360 teams to Vegas to contest the Semis and the Finals, 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:10.760 at that point there will be a novelty factor and 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:13.880 it will be a tournament feel. But you again, I 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:18.040 you know, I'm just being mister negative here and you know, 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:20.960 old man yelling at clouds and get off my lawn. 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:24.200 But you know, the NBA came out with this hype 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:28.360 film this week, the Heist, and it's it's very well done. 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:33.159 It's a play on the Whole Ocean's eleven franchise. And 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:37.680 you know, Michael imperiole e outstanding actor who does the narration, 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:40.920 and you know it's got the version we've seen. I 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:42.960 think it comes in installment, so I think there's more 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:45.039 versions to come. But you know A d is in it, 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:49.400 and Draymond Green is in it and a few other stars, 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:51.679 so you know they've got Kawhi's in it. I think. 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:56.640 So they got some high wattage players to participate. But 0:06:57.760 --> 0:06:59.839 very early on, I want you to take a listen 0:06:59.880 --> 0:07:04.040 here to the first four sentences of this short film. 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:09.800 I got something something that's never been done before. All 0:07:09.840 --> 0:07:15.640 thirty teams, single elimination one NBA Cup, all leading right here, 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:18.600 the most unpredictable city in the world. 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:22.960 The movie talks about something that's never been done, a 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:28.360 tournament for all thirty teams. But it says single elimination tournament. 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:32.080 And that's the thing. If it was a single elimination tournament, 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:35.360 I think people would be hyped. But it is not 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:39.640 a single elimination tournament. It is not. It does not 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.320 until the quarterfinals. When we get to the final eight, 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:47.640 it becomes single elimination. But it isn't single elimination for 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:52.480 sixty of the sixty seven games that comprise the NBA tournament. 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:54.760 For the whole month of November. It's going to be 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:59.320 regular season games that count twice, four for each team, 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:03.200 two at home, two away, and the results of all 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:05.960 those will give us six group winners and then two 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:08.720 wild cards, and that's how we're gonna get down to 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.960 a quarterfinals. And like I said, that is as a 0:08:12.240 --> 0:08:15.440 as a champion of cup competitions, as someone who loves 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:18.040 cup competitions, and like I said, I've been going to 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:22.280 them myself for almost thirty years. There's just there are 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:26.040 very few soccer elements to the NBA's version of an 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:29.000 nd season tournament. And that is my quarrel. And look, 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:33.560 hopefully everybody's gonna come back and say that I was 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:38.520 just overly negative naysayer, old man didn't want to give 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:40.439 this thing a chance, and it was great. And if 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:43.760 that's the way it is and people end up loving it, 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:46.800 I'll be the first to say I'm glad I was wrong, 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:51.760 because it would be great if this thing became something new, 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:54.520 a new tradition that livened up the regular season. Because 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:57.680 all of this is designed to try to make the 0:08:57.720 --> 0:09:00.559 regular season more interesting. That is what the end NBA 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:04.280 is constantly working on. That's what the player participation policy 0:09:04.800 --> 0:09:07.240 is about. And that's what this is about. You know what, 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:12.160 mister Haynes, it's your you really should I've rambled on 0:09:12.320 --> 0:09:16.760 long enough here. You please react to my old man 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:20.200 rantings because you are not a Soccer Cup snob like 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:23.160 I am. So just all you've heard, you've heard you. 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:26.839 I think you've got the gist of my various complaints, 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:30.560 and like, give me your perspective now after hearing me 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:31.400 run through all that. 0:09:32.320 --> 0:09:35.640 Well, yeah, I mean you have some valid you made 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:43.040 some valid points, you know, particularly about particularly about wanting 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:48.080 to get the NBA season a little bit more interesting 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:50.800 throughout the course of season. That's definitely been a complaint 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:54.320 by fans is that, you know, the saying is the 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:57.720 NBA doesn't get serious until after the All Star break 0:09:58.160 --> 0:10:00.280 and so and then also when you're talking and with 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:04.040 talking about league partners, you're talking about TV partners here 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:08.920 where where guys are sitting and they're resting, you know, 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:13.079 T N T and ESPN uh. You know, they've always 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:17.560 had a problem with that, you know, and then fans 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:21.240 have complained even more so this is something that not 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:25.200 only can get the interests of the fans or get 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:28.760 the you know, get fans intrigued, but also with your 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:31.760 TV partners, you can tell them, hey, we have some 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:35.920 important games that we now can associate with the regular 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:42.200 season that will hopefully help with ratings and revenue and 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:44.400 things of that nature. Then you add in the player 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:49.680 the new player available availability protocol in there. You know, 0:10:49.760 --> 0:10:52.520 this is all you know, All this, one way or 0:10:52.559 --> 0:11:00.520 another is geared towards incentivizing the existing TV part and 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:04.000 the new partners where that's going to be a stream 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:06.760 a streaming company coming on board the next TV rights deal. 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:11.479 So again, I don't always like some of the ideas 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:17.280 the NBA throws at at the league. The All Star game. 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:20.920 I didn't like the mixing up the different players off 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:23.280 of East and West because then it was never East 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:27.640 and West anymore. And then the you know, so going 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.280 putting the All Star back in this traditional format. I 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:33.520 love it. But what I was going to say is 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:36.120 that I kind of like that they at least try 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:39.880 new things, and then they're not afraid to go back 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:43.000 to the way it was. You know, we tried it 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:46.800 for three or four years, didn't work, Let's go back. 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:49.800 That's fine. I think they I think they had to 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:52.880 try something for the regular season. I think everybody was 0:11:53.000 --> 0:11:54.760 kind of fed up with the way it was. 0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:57.200 And see, I think you you raise a great point there, 0:11:57.240 --> 0:12:00.440 because you know, for years there were you know, it 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:03.400 wasn't even whispers. We would hear suggestions from Adam Silver 0:12:03.480 --> 0:12:05.360 that hey, maybe we're going to call this thing the 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.360 Stern Cup. There is still nothing at this point that 0:12:08.520 --> 0:12:12.480 is named after David Stern, who not only was Adam 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:17.000 Silver's mentor, but is widely recognized as the greatest commissioner 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:21.440 this league has ever had. Whether you're a fan or 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.160 not a fan of David Stern, and certainly David Stern 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:27.240 had his detractors, but when you look at the overall resume, 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.240 you know he is regarded not just for the NBA, 0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:36.360 I think he is regarded as the signature commissioner of 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:41.520 major league team sports in North America. He certainly had 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:44.560 the longest reign thirty years. And there's you know, the 0:12:44.679 --> 0:12:48.880 NBA has There's been all kinds of trophies named and 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:52.760 renamed for greats in this league, and there's still nothing 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:57.680 that bears the name of David J. Stern, the commissioner 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:01.280 from nineteen eighty four through twenty fourteen. But so that 0:13:01.520 --> 0:13:03.880 this is called the This is all it is. It 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:06.120 is only called the n Season Tournament. That is the 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:09.200 official name of the event, and the teams are playing 0:13:09.280 --> 0:13:12.920 for the NBA Cup. That's all it's called. Now. My 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:16.839 take is the reason that is you can't name this 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:21.280 thing the Stern Cup in the event that it doesn't work, 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.760 and that and that in two years, three years, five years, 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:27.679 one year, whatever it is, they have to scrap it. 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:32.160 And I agree with your other point here. It doesn't 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:34.319 do any harm to try this. I can list all 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:39.840 the things about it that I personally question and find 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:42.880 very unsoccer like, but there's no harm in trying this. 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:45.880 Maybe this clicks, I know one league source told me 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:49.040 during the summer. You know, you can never be sure 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:51.800 what resonates with younger fans. Maybe they're gonna love it. 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:53.880 And if and if people love it, I'll be the 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.520 first one to put my hand up and say I'm 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.640 glad I was wrong. And it's you know, it's here, 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:05.280 and none of the complaints I'm voicing are gonna land. 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:08.680 And the league office is new, they've heard my take 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:12.520 on this for months and they're well aware of my 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:14.880 stance on the whole thing, and the messaging I always 0:14:14.920 --> 0:14:17.680 get back is you're too impatient. You got to give 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:21.200 the NBA a chance to see if it can make 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:25.239 this thing work. And Adam Silver publicly always says traditions 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:28.600 are not built overnight, and that's fine, and so give 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:31.960 it a whirl, give it a try. There's no harm. 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:36.760 And look, I understand why the NBA did it this way. Basically, 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:39.760 my complaint is, this is not a tournament. It's not 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:43.160 a separate tournament from the NBA schedule, and that's what 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:47.000 I wanted. I wanted a separate tournament. And the league 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:49.640 is saying, with all the problems we have with our 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:54.280 schedule now playing eighty two games and players not playing 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:57.320 eighty two games anymore, and with the league feeling it 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:01.400 needed to institute a player participate a patient policy to 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:04.480 try to get more players and more stars to play 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:09.040 more often, they didn't want to create a separate tournament 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:12.760 for a secondary trophy that teams and fans might not 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:16.800 consider important. Because the fear then is, if this is 0:15:16.840 --> 0:15:21.120 completely separate from the NBA standings, would the LA Clippers 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.840 be playing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all out to 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:31.440 win a separate secondary championship and potentially risking their availability 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:36.080 for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. No, they wouldn't, and to 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.800 be honest, that is something that happens in England as well, 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.320 with both the FA Cup and the League Cup. The 0:15:41.360 --> 0:15:44.440 best teams in England don't always play their best guys 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.400 in those competitions because they're focused more on winning the 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:51.280 league championship and the Champions League. So that was a 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:53.760 valid concern. That's why the NBA didn't do this. The 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:56.480 NBA said, we're going to make these regular season games 0:15:56.480 --> 0:16:01.960 that count twice to make sure that teams take it seriously, 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:04.240 because if you don't take it seriously, you end up 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:08.960 hurting your playoff chances. But I guess all of this 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:12.520 ranting is meant to say, I think for this thing 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:18.160 to succeed ultimately, it's going to have to overtime work 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:23.040 in some of the elements that we see in soccer competitions, 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:27.600 in in season tournaments abroad. Because we just saw it 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:36.040 this week in Germany and England. In the German Pocal 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:42.600 the German Cup, Sarbruken from the third Division upset Mighty 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:47.240 Bayern Munich and that is Soccer's version of the fifteen 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:51.080 seed that knocks off the number two seed in the 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:54.280 NCAA tournament. And that's what this thing doesn't have. In 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:57.360 the League Cup in England, they are moving now to 0:16:57.400 --> 0:17:03.120 the quarterfinals Arsenal and both teams from Manchester are out. 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:08.760 They those three huge teams have already been knocked out 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:11.639 and Chelsea and Newcastle play in the next round, so 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:14.240 one of them won't even advance to the semifinals. And 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:16.800 there's still a team in the English League Cup, port 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:20.119 Vale from the third division, And so that's really where 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:24.880 you get the romance and the intrigue. And in this version, 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:28.919 the NBA's version, it's the same thirty teams we already 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:33.080 see in the standings. It's East and West separated until 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:37.359 the championship game, just like we see in the NBA finals. 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:40.720 So there are no new teams participating, no one else come. 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:43.480 It's the same thirty teams we always see. I just 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:46.520 think down the road for real success in this thing, 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:49.359 to really generate interest, there's going to have to be 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:52.720 other teams, whether that's you know, is it. Do two 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:55.960 Euro League teams somehow get thrown in the mix? Do 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:59.040 teams from elsewhere. Come in. Do you have a G 0:17:59.160 --> 0:18:02.120 League all starts team that gets to participate? You need 0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:06.680 some other teams just to give we need something different. 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:10.080 And then another idea would be, if you really want 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:14.080 to make this thing a tournament, take all thirty teams, 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:23.920 time out. Chris Haynes is tweeting during our podcast, unbelievable, unbelievable. 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:29.520 I'm like, I'm really in a rant. I'm getting all 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:35.160 wild up. I'm toggling between. I'm toggling between. I'm toggling 0:18:35.200 --> 0:18:40.080 between soccer and the NBA and what the NBA needs 0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:42.600 to do to make its n season tournament better and 0:18:42.640 --> 0:18:47.159 what happens and what happens while we're taping. Chris Haynes 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:52.800 has the temerity to tweet be our sources cold. While 0:18:52.880 --> 0:18:55.600 Danny Green was disappointed by how the final days of 0:18:55.640 --> 0:19:00.240 his tenure in Philadelphia unfolded, there remains an affinity between 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:04.080 the three time NBA champion and the seventy six ers organization. 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:07.760 Neither side has ruled out a return should a roster 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:13.320 spot become available. You so happy, you loved you loved 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:15.000 breaking my flow there with that news. 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:18.400 Hey, I was looking at you. I was gonna see 0:19:18.440 --> 0:19:20.679 let me see if Stott is gonna break. Let me 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:23.800 see if he just knowing you, you can't focus, You 0:19:23.840 --> 0:19:27.119 couldn't just finish your rant. You had to stop mid sentence. 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:28.680 Don't let this stop. 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:31.800 Okay, okay, So so I'm you've heard me, now go on. 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:33.360 I don't know. I don't know how long we've been going, 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:36.520 fifteen minutes, twenty minutes, whatever it is? So am I am? I? 0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:36.800 Just? 0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:41.240 Am I wrong? Am I? Am I being too like? 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.479 I don't think I am like We I want this 0:19:44.560 --> 0:19:45.400 thing to be good. 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:48.080 I would love but Stein. What you have to remember 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:52.760 is Stein. Also, the NBA can still tweak it after 0:19:53.440 --> 0:19:53.800 that's this. 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:55.960 That's true, that's true. But here here was the point 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:58.720 I was getting at before your before your Danny Green news. 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:02.480 If we want to make this thing more of a tournament, 0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:05.679 and it's only gonna be the thirty NBA teams we 0:20:05.760 --> 0:20:09.280 already see, then why don't we just carve two weeks 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:13.360 out of the season and take everybody to Vegas and 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:17.879 play a thirty team, single elimination tournament in Vegas. So 0:20:17.960 --> 0:20:21.400 it's part of the schedule, but it can be done 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:24.080 in two weeks so it doesn't drag out over six weeks. 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:26.800 But I'll tell you why that's not gonna happen. Cause 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:29.920 the teams that make a lot of money with their 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:34.600 home dates, your Warriors, your Lakers, the teams that really 0:20:34.640 --> 0:20:37.760 make big bank on a home game, they're not giving 0:20:37.840 --> 0:20:41.360 up multiple home dates to go play a tournament in Vegas. 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:44.679 So I don't think that version's gonna happen either. Teams 0:20:44.760 --> 0:20:48.200 will fight that, and so that's what I'm saying. Somehow, someway, 0:20:48.280 --> 0:20:50.760 this is year one. Try it any way you want it. 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:54.320 Let's see how it goes. Let's see if court surfaces 0:20:54.359 --> 0:20:57.159 and New Jersey's really hook fans. I don't think so. 0:20:57.600 --> 0:21:00.359 But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you know, maybe I'm not 0:21:00.400 --> 0:21:03.600 the demographic that they're targeting. Maybe these floor designs are 0:21:03.600 --> 0:21:05.840 just gonna wow people and mesmerize them. 0:21:05.880 --> 0:21:09.320 But that it's not. It's not a maybe you're not 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:12.040 the demographic. You are not the demographic. 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:15.479 I'm gonna ask you then, have you how many games 0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:18.040 have you watched in your life because the floor was 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:18.600 so cool? 0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:21.560 No, it's not my it's not I don't think it's 0:21:21.560 --> 0:21:26.359 my demographic either. It's not out of one of us. 0:21:26.520 --> 0:21:28.880 For the twenty year old twenty one year olds. 0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:32.399 I think, yeah, it's for the teenagers, you know, to 0:21:32.480 --> 0:21:35.800 the twenty year olds, you know, who are fascinated by 0:21:36.520 --> 0:21:40.000 just different colors. Like with me, Stein like, I'm a 0:21:40.040 --> 0:21:45.240 stickler for tradition. I'm like all these before you had 0:21:45.760 --> 0:21:48.520 two different jerseys you at home, and you had a 0:21:48.560 --> 0:21:52.400 way maybe here and there there was alternative, maybe there's 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:56.400 a third jersey. You know, growing up in the nineties, alternative. 0:21:57.000 --> 0:22:00.800 Now it's like how many jerseys teams have. It's like, damn, 0:22:00.800 --> 0:22:04.320 they got six, about six of them. So like, I 0:22:04.440 --> 0:22:08.120 feel you in that regard, But you know, these kids, 0:22:08.160 --> 0:22:09.679 you got to think about the shoes, and I know 0:22:09.720 --> 0:22:12.679 we're going off a little bit. Think about shoestn remember 0:22:12.720 --> 0:22:16.480 when players had their own signature shoes. Those signature shoes 0:22:16.520 --> 0:22:19.520 were the same colors as their uniforms. Think of the 0:22:19.560 --> 0:22:23.879 Penny Hardaways back in the day, the Jason kids, Michael 0:22:23.960 --> 0:22:27.280 Jordan's red and black, red, black and white. Those are 0:22:27.320 --> 0:22:31.800 pretty much his colors. Now with color ways, they would 0:22:31.880 --> 0:22:35.560 you know, there's all these different colors and players, the 0:22:35.640 --> 0:22:39.760 prop the NBA players, they wear shoe colors that are 0:22:39.960 --> 0:22:44.080 mismatched from their uniforms from their jerseys. So it's just 0:22:44.119 --> 0:22:47.200 a different era that we're in. And it's not my 0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:50.520 demographic their targeting. It's the demographic that's coming up, the 0:22:50.560 --> 0:22:56.640 demographic that consume NBA content and other content in different ways. 0:22:56.680 --> 0:23:01.800 You know, I still I watched most NBA games on 0:23:01.840 --> 0:23:06.879 my phone, but I still feel much more comfortable watching 0:23:06.920 --> 0:23:10.600 it on TV. I think that's probably the opposite for 0:23:10.680 --> 0:23:14.800 the younger generation. So you know, hey, it's worth a try. 0:23:14.880 --> 0:23:16.040 I think you have to try. 0:23:16.400 --> 0:23:20.240 I'm about fifteen years older than you, but if that 0:23:20.320 --> 0:23:23.960 means your mindset is closer to mine than the kids 0:23:24.000 --> 0:23:25.680 of today, I'm worried for you. 0:23:26.520 --> 0:23:29.080 I'm an old soul Stein. I'm an old So. 0:23:29.280 --> 0:23:32.320 You talk about shoes are religion, and shoes always have 0:23:32.440 --> 0:23:35.919 been religion, Like I mean, I just had such a 0:23:36.040 --> 0:23:38.240 I mean, you know, I've talked about this about ten times. 0:23:38.280 --> 0:23:41.280 I had such a good time recently interviewing George Gervin, 0:23:41.400 --> 0:23:43.040 like he has a new book out with our friend 0:23:43.119 --> 0:23:46.480 Scoop Jackson, and I just I mean, I could have 0:23:46.560 --> 0:23:49.560 talked to George Gervin for two hours. And I remember 0:23:49.600 --> 0:23:51.399 the last time I went to the Hall of Fame, 0:23:52.640 --> 0:23:56.040 going through the exhibit Hall, and they got it. They've 0:23:56.080 --> 0:24:00.119 got a pair of nineteen seventy seven Nike high top blazer. 0:24:01.080 --> 0:24:01.679 That's cold. 0:24:01.720 --> 0:24:03.959 I mean they like, I wanted to crack the glass 0:24:03.960 --> 0:24:07.240 and take those shoes. Liked. 0:24:08.560 --> 0:24:12.400 H It's it's just different, stun. It's a different time man, 0:24:12.520 --> 0:24:16.960 different time man, and it's you know usually you know, listen, 0:24:17.000 --> 0:24:19.920 I'm not complaining because again that they're trying to reach 0:24:19.960 --> 0:24:23.399 an audience that's not us, and so for that, I 0:24:23.440 --> 0:24:25.240 will have to say, let's give it some time. Let's 0:24:25.280 --> 0:24:28.280 give it a few years. Remember, they'll continue to tweak it, 0:24:28.960 --> 0:24:32.240 you know, from year to year before finally saying, hey, 0:24:32.560 --> 0:24:34.960