WEBVTT - LeBron James LEAVING Lakers? Warriors & Knicks LANDING SPOTS? Mahomes still NFL's best QB? 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.160 Welcome in What Try with Nick Right? Episode three forty six. 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:05.080 This episode What Try with Nick Right is brought to 0:00:05.160 --> 0:00:11.320 you by boost Mobile. Fresh off vacation, enjoying some watching 0:00:11.400 --> 0:00:16.919 some Wimbledon, wearing my vintage Wimbledon shirt that I still 0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:19.959 never gone. But I wear this while I'm watching, I 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:23.440 feel like I'm more into it. Also, Deman's, you know, 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:27.319 I have a two piece, a nice little matching two 0:00:27.360 --> 0:00:29.560 piece outfit that I wear whenever I go to the 0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:33.000 US Open. That's guys playing tennis on It's just like 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:36.720 cartoons of people playing tennis that I wear it. I 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:40.519 your mom had it squirreled away in a giveaway backup clothes. 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:43.160 She was like, you can't wear this again this year. 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:45.360 You have your Wimbledon shirt. I'm like, I'm not wearing 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:47.720 my Wimbledon shirt to the US Open. Do you know 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:50.960 how ridiculous I would look. I'm wearing my tennis outfit, 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:56.120 but there's so much No, it was for real. She 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:58.960 was gonna get rid of it without telling me. A 0:00:59.000 --> 0:01:01.440 ton to do today. Great to see you, We got 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:06.240 some good family time. Demanse was on our family vacation 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:10.119 with us. We're back from Hawaii. My sleep schedules all 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:12.840 screwed up. You guys don't care about that, so let's 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:14.399 get right into it because we have a ton to do. 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:17.280 We also have a three hour TV show Today shows 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:22.040 from two to five right after soccer so on FS one, 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.120 and there is a lot I want to discuss, not 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.559 the least of which should be one of the funny 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:31.200 what I think will be one of the funniest stories 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:34.360 in the history of this show, and that has to 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:37.839 do with what one of the hosts of the show 0:01:38.040 --> 0:01:42.960 came home to after a ten day vacation. So we 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:45.400 will discuss all of that, but first, thanks to our 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:49.000 friends at boost Mobile, we can bring you straight to voicemail, 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:51.400 which is basically what we're not going to have time 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:54.320 to get into today, which is the US loses to 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:57.600 Mexico in the Gold Cup Final. Not great, they didn't 0:01:57.600 --> 0:01:59.840 play great. They could have won, but they didn't deserve 0:01:59.880 --> 0:02:03.720 to when Bronnie had a nice little highlight play in 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:07.560 Summer League. And more importantly, I also think that Bronnie's 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:10.720 quote about listen, there are guys in this league, then 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:13.320 give you fifteen to twenty points. I'm not one of 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:15.400 those guys right now. I'm not gonna be one of 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:17.679 those guys that gonna have to make it work on defense. 0:02:17.880 --> 0:02:19.960 I thought that was a great quote. I also thought 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:23.280 Bronni had a hilarious quote when they asked him about 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:28.000 the rumors surrounding swirling around Lebron James and he's like, yeah, 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:30.560 I try not to pay attention to that stuff, Like, Buddy, 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:33.160 that is your dad, Like I would, I like it. 0:02:33.400 --> 0:02:35.720 I understand you're like, I don't want to comment on 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:38.679 another teammate's business, but like you guys live in the 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:42.040 same house. And then also do they live in the 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:43.560 same house that you know what, I don't know the 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:45.680 answer to that. Does Bronnie move out on his own? 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:49.079 He might, he's got an NBA contract, Maybe he does. Probably, 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:52.360 you know what. Again, I'll stay out of the young 0:02:52.400 --> 0:02:56.560 man's business. But if there's if there's anyone in the 0:02:56.600 --> 0:02:59.280 world that could all of a sudden be making a 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:01.760 million and a half bucks on their own and the 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:05.720 house that they can afford is a massive, massive downgrade 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:08.400 from what they're used to living in, it might be Bronnie. 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:10.280 So I maybe would you know, stay at home as 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:13.880 long as I could. And Joey Chestnut when the hot 0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:17.160 Dog eating competition. This is a story. The producers love that. 0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:20.800 Every year I remind them I do not like Joey Chestnut. 0:03:21.000 --> 0:03:23.640 I am not interested in Joey Chestnut. And this little 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:27.320 photoshop of me holding up Joey Chestnut's arm, actually I 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:32.040 find offensive. But it's a mustard belt though I didn't 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:34.560 even know that's what it was called the mustard belt 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:38.000 that you know, you know, that's the problem with today's sports. 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:41.120 It's you know, it's too much belt culture. All right, 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:45.560 like rate, subscribe, review, and do give us some likes. 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:48.840 I listen to my friends on poker Go. By the way, 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:52.160 oh man, I do have an announcement coming up that 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:53.920 I think I can make. I gotta clear it with 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:57.440 everyone I think I can make on this podcast on Thursday, 0:03:57.840 --> 0:04:01.960 major announcement me and Poke and things going on. I 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:04.240 have to make sure I'm okay to announce it. But 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.320 on Thursday, we should do that. My point is my 0:04:07.360 --> 0:04:09.680 friends on poker Go, whenever they do a YouTube stream, 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:12.440 they're like, slam that like button. Do the like button, 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:14.240 give us the thumbs up. So I'm gonna do the 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:18.160 same thing. Rate to the rate the podcast five stars. 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:21.360 We would appreciate that and subscribe. Of course, all right, demanse, 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:24.120 let's get right to it, and this first segment might 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:25.400 be forty five minutes long. 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:27.240 Let's see about it. 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:30.880 So Lebron opted into his fifty two million dollar contract 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.080 and then came the trade rumors. Rich Paul came out 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:36.400 with a statement and said, Lebron knows the Lakers are 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:39.520 building for the future. He understands that, but he values 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:42.280 a realistic chance of winning it all. You thought that 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:44.760 they were gonna come away with a center. They ended 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:47.520 up getting DeAndre Hayden, who was a sinner. But something 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:49.640 about this whole process has been peeing you off. 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:51.599 Do you care to share with the audience? 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:59.880 Yeah? So I have just been mystified at the comm 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:12.920 a nation of misinformation, disingenuous commentary, and almost huffing and 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:18.240 puffing from the media, Like, ah, I guess we're forced 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:22.480 to talk about Lebron again. What the fuck else has 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:26.479 happened in free agency? The Kevin Durant trade that all 0:05:26.520 --> 0:05:29.919 of us knew was coming, that we that we talked about. 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:33.320 That that was awesome, that was exciting. Other than that, 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:38.479 it's been the deadest free agent agency imaginable. One team 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:41.720 had cap space it was the nets. They they decided 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:46.200 to use it just to take other teams bad contracts. 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:48.919 Shams was telling us a month ago this could be 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:54.680 the craziest offseason ever. Nothing's happened other than the Durant move. 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:59.240 The most notable move is Norman Powell getting traded to Miami. 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:03.720 Norman Powell, who, by the way, oddly enough, the only 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:09.880 time Norman Powell's been discussed on regularly on podcasts and 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:13.240 TV shows aside from ones focused on the Clippers was 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:16.400 a different Lebron James thing when people were like, oh, 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:19.240 what did anyone think of Norman Powell and his all 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:22.760 Star spot? If Lebron knew he wasn't gonna play and 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:28.160 so but I but I'm listening to and reading folks 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:33.600 basically be like, all right, I guess will feed the 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:39.279 content and engagement monster and have the boring, tired discussion 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:45.560 of could Lebron James be traded? You mean the greatest 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:48.640 player of all time or you know what, to not 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:51.880 argue with, folks, the at worst second greatest player of 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:56.200 all time who's never been traded, who is open now 0:06:56.279 --> 0:07:01.800 potentially to being traded. That's a boring discussion. We'd rather 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:07.080 talk about the Pacers losing Miles Turner because they don't 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:10.520 want to pay the tax because Halliburton got hurt. That's 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.280 what we'd rather talk about, Cam Whitmore for two second 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:17.640 round picks, Like what are we doing? This is and 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:21.120 it's not lost on me today, this very moment is 0:07:21.760 --> 0:07:25.400 the fifteen year anniversary. I didn't know that until I 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:29.320 saw an article' writting about this morning. Today's the fifteen 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:34.960 year anniversary of the decision, which means we've had fifteen 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:43.360 years of enhanced more, round the clock, more, twelve month 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:49.320 a year, three hundred and sixty five day NBA transaction interest, 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:53.240 from player empowerment to the owners trying to wrestle it back, 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:59.480 super Team's homegrown, all of it. It came because Lebron 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:02.560 and MATV put together a TV show and changed the 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:08.200 whole paradigm. And fifteen years later, he's still one of, 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:13.120 if not the most interesting person in the league, and 0:08:13.240 --> 0:08:17.440 folks who cover the league for a living seem almost 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:22.200 resentful that this is a story. So I don't understand that. 0:08:22.600 --> 0:08:25.080 But that's I guess a matter of taste. That's a 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:29.880 personal preference, so be it. But then there is what 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:36.640 I consider the outright misinformation might be too strong, especially 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:43.000 in today's climate, but just misleading and incorrect. I guess 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:52.720 opinions on Lebron's money and Lebron's value and Lebron's impact 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:59.920 on winning, because here's what I know. Last year we played, 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:03.319 we had an offseason. By the way, we're in the Olympics. 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:07.000 They had a whole All the best players in the 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:10.760 world came together in Paris to play a basketball tournament, 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:14.160 and then they voted on who was the most valuable 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.400 player in that tournament, and it was Lebron James. Now, 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:21.000 I argued, you could have gone co MVPs because Lebron 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:23.920 carried the team up until the final, and then Steph 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:27.280 was so utterly brilliant in the semifinal and the final. 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.200 If you want to split the baby, so be it. 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:32.960 That's fine. But he won the MVP of that. Then 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:37.920 this year, we had a whole NBA season, and then 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:42.160 the entirety of basketball media voted on awards. And after 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:48.560 this season, if your name was not shake Gilgess, Alexander Nikolejokic, 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:53.720 Giannis Antena Kumpo, Jason Tatum, or Donovan Mitchell, basketball media 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:57.360 said you were not as valuable as Lebron James. Those 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:00.640 are the five guys that finished higher on MVA voting. 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:03.920 Those are the five guys who received more First Team 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:09.480 All NBA votes. That's the entire list, Not Steph, not Kauai, 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:14.640 not Durant, not who's the younger guys that I'm leaving out, 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:21.280 Not Kaid, not Halliburton in the regular season, he obviously 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:25.800 came on huge in the postseason. None of those guys 0:10:27.440 --> 0:10:30.800 we had an awards. We had a season sixth most 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:34.920 First Team All NBA votes, sixth most, sixth in the 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:38.760 MVP voting. And the reason I bring that up is 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:45.640 then the discussion around Lebron James make being the thirteenth 0:10:45.720 --> 0:10:51.880 highest paid player was well, doesn't Lebron understand that a 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:57.079 huge impediment to winning is his salary? In what world? 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:01.920 In what world is the leagues? I don't know. I'll 0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:07.800 be conservative eighth best player being the thirteenth highest paid 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:16.760 player an impediment to winning. We just saw the Golden 0:11:16.800 --> 0:11:21.880 State Warriors trade for and then extend Jimmy Butler, and 0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:26.400 the narrative surrounding that is that open Steph's championship window. 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:31.439 Jimmy Butler makes more money than Lebron and is worse 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:37.360 than Lebron, they say it again, but no, I'm talking 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:40.680 about the right now, the right now, because by the way, 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:45.080 I would bet Lebron's got as many all NBA caliber seasons, 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:48.240 more All NBA caliber seasons left in him than Jimmy 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.600 Butler does. Jimmy Butler's done being an All NBA player, 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:56.240 Lebron was last year, and Steph and Lebron probably have 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:59.000 about the same amount of seasons left, give or take. 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:02.280 And I'm talking about the here in the now. People 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:09.360 thought that the Warriors made a great move giving Jimmy 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:14.040 Butler that money, and it's a touch more than Lebron makes, 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.680 and he's a worst player, great player, but a worst player. 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:25.640 He like, in what universe is Lebron James making less 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:29.360 than Karl Anthony Towns and the same as Paul George 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:34.760 a bad contract, not a world where he was second 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:39.600 team All NBA and sixth in MVP voting. So there's 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.120 that piece of it that if you're the seventh or 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:45.560 eighth best player in the sport and you're the thirteenth 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:49.880 highest paid player in the sport, you're on a bargain contract, 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:55.320 then there was this piece of it. Well, if he 0:12:55.400 --> 0:13:00.000 was really focused on winning, he should have taken less 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:04.000 to help the Lakers, and that was that is a 0:13:04.720 --> 0:13:12.760 understandable opinion by fans and a just abhorred job by 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:20.120 the media in perpetuating that because Lebron James, if he 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:23.840 had cut his salary demonsey from fifty if he had 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:26.440 opted out of the fifty two and said, you know what, 0:13:26.679 --> 0:13:30.079 I'll play for twenty you know how much cap space 0:13:30.120 --> 0:13:34.040 that opens up for the Los Angeles Lakers zero dollars, 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:38.320 not a penny, because they're that far over the cap already. 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:44.240 If Lebron James had said I'll go from fifty two 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:49.760 million to the league minimum, it would have opened up 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:53.440 roughly ten million dollars in cap space for the Lakers. 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:59.880 Ten million bucks. So this idea that the Lakers could 0:13:59.920 --> 0:14:04.000 have been these major players in free agency if Lebron 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:09.200 had simply taken a discount is belied by just the facts. 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:14.400 And it's also it's also a and we all know 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:20.520 this is true, a disingenuous discussion because had Lebron, let's say, 0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:24.680 Lebron opted out and said I'm going to be a 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:29.680 free agent, and guess what guys, I'm gonna play for 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:36.119 the minimum. The entire conversation would be about stacking the deck, unfair, 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:43.400 faking like that. So there was him simply saying, I 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:46.160 don't know. I'm the thirteenth igh is paid guy in 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:48.920 the league. I'm probably pretty underpaid. And that's even before 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:53.480 you consider all of the off court stuff that I 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:56.960 bring to the table. So yeah, I'll just play for 0:14:57.040 --> 0:15:02.240 my fifty million? Is more? Been totally reasonable? Was there? Like? 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:05.400 So you have to but he opted into the contract? 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:07.680 Like what would have his other options have been? 0:15:08.640 --> 0:15:10.400 He could have opted out and been a free agent. 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:12.960 He could have opted out and been a free agent 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:18.880 and signed anywhere for the literally anywhere for the league 0:15:18.920 --> 0:15:23.400 minimum and leave fifty million on the table or a 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:27.240 lot of places for the mid level, which is about 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:31.360 fourteen million bucks. And the only team that could have 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:34.760 signed him for more than fourteen million dollars would have 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:36.960 been the Nets, which would have made no sense. So 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:38.760 those were go ahead? 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:39.840 And why did he not do that? 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:41.760 Are you saying like, because he thought the Lakers are 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:44.280 going to do a better job with secure and a better. 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:51.160 I think it's a I don't think there is a 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:54.720 perfect solution here for you know what, they're trying to 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:59.400 accomplish all these things. And I'm a big believer of 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:02.320 you can't have everything you want in life, and sometimes, 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:05.000 like you, you know, you have to make trade offs. 0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:12.680 I'm not sitting here arguing that the Lakers owe him 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:17.120 something more than they owe Luca, which is to try 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:20.000 to win a damn championship this season. And I'll get 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:22.040 to the Lakers piece of it in a minute. I'm 0:16:22.040 --> 0:16:26.760 not saying that there is a perfect solution for what 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:36.040 he's trying to accomplish. What I'm saying is the narrative 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:41.160 that a huge impediment to winning is you know, when 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:45.560 you pay a player way more than he's worth, that's 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:49.000 gonna hurt you, like the example of people uses you know, 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:56.040 Kobe at the end when Lebron was according to NBA voters, 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:59.360 which I am not was the sixth best player in 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:03.320 the league LAFTXT year. So that part is to me 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:08.920 just erroneous. Then there is the Okay, you've made over 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:13.400 a billion dollars, you want the Lakers to be more competitive, 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:19.920 take less money Dirk style and give them flexibility. When 0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:23.280 you look at it that him taking less money would 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:27.959 not have given them any flexibility. And then there is 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:32.879 this other part of it which I mentioned on TV yesterday, 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:38.480 and it was the way it was captioned made it 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:41.280 seem like more of a shot at Durant than I 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.200 wanted it to be. But I said what I said, 0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:48.120 which was and this is the part to me demans 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:58.359 that I find. No one can explain this to me correctly, nobody. 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:02.720 Do who do you think right right now this moment? 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:04.919 And there's no wrong answer here to Mon's You might 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:07.280 disagree with me. Who do you think right now this 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:12.920 moment is better Durant or Lebron? And do you think 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:14.600 it's close in either direction? 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:18.600 Offensively, I'd say Kevin Durant. 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:22.200 But as far as a better player, the better players 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:24.720 like just yeah, better all around, I'd have to give 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:29.360 it to Lebron. But it's either way, it's pretty close, probably, yeah, exactly, 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:32.280 the like if one guy's the eighth best player in 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:34.399 the league, the other guy's the tenth best player in 0:18:34.400 --> 0:18:36.800 the league or nine to twelve or whatever. 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:41.879 Right, So I and despite the age, I think we 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:47.400 can agree that Lebron is the more durable player has 0:18:47.440 --> 0:18:52.520 been like you know what I mean? Lebron is less 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:56.520 likely to miss thirty games with an injury. That's just 0:18:57.520 --> 0:18:59.679 that's not a matter of opinion. We just we just 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:05.480 know it. Okay. So here's what I don't understand. Kevin 0:19:05.560 --> 0:19:13.560 Durant was available for trade and the media lost its mind. 0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:18.360 Who should go after him? These are the teams Durant 0:19:18.400 --> 0:19:22.480 doesn't want, the Minnesota Should Minnesota trade for him? Anyway? 0:19:22.880 --> 0:19:24.919 If you trade for him, do you just do you 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:27.600 want to just give him a contract? The Rockets were 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:31.720 the two seed, gave up their leading scorer, a valuable 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:34.159 defender who I don't like in Dylan Brooks, and the 0:19:34.200 --> 0:19:36.919 tenth pick of the draft, and everyone's reaction was like, 0:19:37.720 --> 0:19:40.400 what a great job by the Rockets, they might win 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:43.840 the title. A guy who at the very least is 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:47.240 as good as Durant and I think a touch better 0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:52.040 is available potentially, and the same media is like, who 0:19:52.119 --> 0:19:56.240 fucking want him? I mean, really, it doesn't make any sense. 0:19:57.000 --> 0:20:01.800 That's what I don't understand. Like last year, last year, 0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:07.720 Lebron was better than Steph. They are similar Lebron's older, 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:11.520 but again like a kind of similar port places in 0:20:11.560 --> 0:20:15.240 their career. Steph's team was in twenty four and twenty 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:17.399 five when they traded for Jimmy Butler, you felt like 0:20:17.440 --> 0:20:20.200 it made them contenders. They lost to the Timberwolves and 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:23.639 five in the playoffs. Lebron's team was hanging on to 0:20:23.720 --> 0:20:27.200 the three four seed. They trade for Luca, you felt 0:20:27.200 --> 0:20:30.760 like it made them contenders. They lost to the Timberwolves 0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:34.200 in five in the playoffs. That's like they had after 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:39.080 very similar Olympics, very similar seasons. They Lebron finished higher 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:41.920 an MVP and all NBA voting, but it was very close. 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:46.399 Right If Steph Curry had released a statement like I 0:20:46.400 --> 0:20:49.240 don't know about the future of the Warriors and people 0:20:49.280 --> 0:20:52.600 thought he might be available, it would be a full 0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:59.760 stop freakout about what teams should package, what things to 0:20:59.800 --> 0:21:04.720 try to get him. And we just saw it happened 0:21:04.720 --> 0:21:08.359 with Durant when last year Lebron was better than both 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:13.399 those guys, and the collective reaction is, well, I guess 0:21:13.760 --> 0:21:19.760 maybe maybe a team or two should make a courtesy 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:25.840 call and a collective eye roll of I can't believe 0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:32.479 we're having this discussion. Has everyone lost their mind? Like 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:37.960 if you if you are the New York Knicks right 0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:44.320 now in a wide open Eastern Conference and you just 0:21:44.440 --> 0:21:52.000 hired Mike Brown, who has I don't know, been to 0:21:52.080 --> 0:21:59.080 a finals with Lebron. You're not having a very long 0:21:59.200 --> 0:22:07.320 meeting about well, Carl Anthony towns for Lebron James and 0:22:07.640 --> 0:22:11.800 how that works and then calling the Lakers and seeing 0:22:11.880 --> 0:22:16.200 if they're interested and the towns for Lebron thing demonse. 0:22:16.640 --> 0:22:20.199 Here is the pros and the cons of it. The 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:24.119 cons for the Knicks obviously are guys ten years older 0:22:24.119 --> 0:22:31.520 than the other that's con number one, right, your team 0:22:31.680 --> 0:22:40.560 dynamic changes considerably, that's potentially potentially con number two. The pros, 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:46.240 in my opinion are, oddly, by adding a guy in 0:22:46.359 --> 0:22:48.760 year twenty three, a forty guy who's going to be 0:22:48.800 --> 0:22:53.680 forty one, you actually get better defensively for two reasons. 0:22:53.720 --> 0:22:58.159 What is it's more Mitchell Robinson minutes instead of Towns, 0:22:58.160 --> 0:23:01.119 so that definitively, you know, that helps you a lot defensively. 0:23:01.440 --> 0:23:05.560 But also, as Lebron showed last year once they got Luca, 0:23:06.080 --> 0:23:10.439 if he's not the primary offensive creator, he still has 0:23:10.480 --> 0:23:14.280 the ability to be a good, not great defender like 0:23:14.320 --> 0:23:16.600 he once was, but good defender if that's where he 0:23:16.600 --> 0:23:20.399 can put his energy. The other sneaky pro for the 0:23:20.480 --> 0:23:27.760 Knicks is do they actually want to move towns before 0:23:28.960 --> 0:23:32.959 he's he wants this next mega extension when they traded 0:23:33.000 --> 0:23:36.359 all those picks for bridges and you're gonna have to 0:23:36.400 --> 0:23:40.880 extend him and you've already extended og and you're obviously 0:23:40.920 --> 0:23:44.120 in the Jalen Brunson business like does the fact that 0:23:44.480 --> 0:23:48.879 Lebron would be short term act? Is that actually a 0:23:49.040 --> 0:23:54.320 positive because you don't want to, you know, have the 0:23:54.920 --> 0:23:59.000 big money it's associated with Karl Anthony Towns when there 0:23:59.040 --> 0:24:04.359 are I think legitimate, real concerns of if our two 0:24:04.440 --> 0:24:11.200 best players are bruntsing in towns, are we good enough 0:24:11.359 --> 0:24:15.440 defensively ever to win four rounds? I think those are 0:24:15.480 --> 0:24:20.800 all real, legitimate discussions. And then it's like, right now, 0:24:20.880 --> 0:24:26.480 this moment, as crazy as this is, because he's gonna 0:24:26.480 --> 0:24:29.760 be in your twenty three, But is Lebron better than 0:24:29.840 --> 0:24:33.119 Karl Anthony Towns? My answer to that question is yes. 0:24:33.840 --> 0:24:36.160 If you feel differently than you, don't make this trick. 0:24:36.920 --> 0:24:41.359 But if you think the answer is yes, does the 0:24:41.400 --> 0:24:47.919 twenty twenty five twenty twenty six season have more value 0:24:48.160 --> 0:24:55.560 than future seasons have? Let me rephrase it, does it 0:24:55.680 --> 0:25:05.240 have oddly what's the right word I'll just say it though, 0:25:05.320 --> 0:25:06.760 instead of trying to say what I was trying to 0:25:06.760 --> 0:25:10.679 say exactly, I'll just explain it. Because the East is 0:25:10.960 --> 0:25:18.200 so ripped away due to injuries, does getting ten percent 0:25:18.400 --> 0:25:23.639 better for this upcoming season matter more than it would 0:25:23.760 --> 0:25:28.080 in normal years? Because it's like, man, the Celtics are 0:25:28.080 --> 0:25:31.240 off the chess board, the Pacers are off the chess board. 0:25:31.600 --> 0:25:35.760 The Bucks don't know where they are on the chessboard. 0:25:36.280 --> 0:25:40.080 We're already the favorites in the conference. We haven't won 0:25:40.119 --> 0:25:46.000 a championship in fifty two years. What if we go 0:25:46.119 --> 0:25:52.560 for it? It certainly is a worthy, legitimate conversation, just 0:25:52.800 --> 0:25:58.359 like it now. I wouldn't necessarily want this if I 0:25:58.400 --> 0:26:02.800 were Lebron, But you know another team, Demons that should 0:26:03.960 --> 0:26:13.600 at least discuss it, Golden State Jimmy for Lebron. The 0:26:13.680 --> 0:26:17.960 Lakers get younger, and add you know a guy who 0:26:18.000 --> 0:26:21.080 doesn't need the ball at all, a guy who's you know, 0:26:21.240 --> 0:26:24.040 more about intangibles and devons and stuff like that at 0:26:24.040 --> 0:26:27.800 this point of his career, and you put Stephan Lebron 0:26:27.840 --> 0:26:32.200 together and be like, all right, you know, let's see, like, now, 0:26:32.240 --> 0:26:35.679 if I were Lebron, that's not that interesting to me 0:26:35.840 --> 0:26:39.720 because I actually think the position he's in right like Luca, 0:26:39.800 --> 0:26:43.200 I feel is better than Steph and so at this point, 0:26:43.240 --> 0:26:46.359 and so I don't think that Golden State would be 0:26:46.440 --> 0:26:48.359 a you know that you'd be in a better position 0:26:48.400 --> 0:26:49.600 to win, But go ahead. 0:26:49.400 --> 0:26:51.560 Right with all this stuff going on, like what about Luca, 0:26:51.640 --> 0:26:54.760 who has like the player option next year? And also 0:26:54.840 --> 0:26:56.480 like and how likely do you even think that it's 0:26:56.560 --> 0:26:59.560 that it is that Lebron will be traded what team? 0:26:59.680 --> 0:27:02.600 Well, I don't think it's I don't. I don't think 0:27:02.640 --> 0:27:08.840 it's likely, but I don't at all think it's fantasy 0:27:08.920 --> 0:27:12.119 at this point. That's the first point. The second point 0:27:12.200 --> 0:27:16.240 is and I tried to be very and I will 0:27:16.280 --> 0:27:19.520 again try to be very cautious about how I were 0:27:19.600 --> 0:27:24.359 of this, And this is this is a good reason 0:27:24.480 --> 0:27:27.240 right here to like, rate, subscribe, review, to check out 0:27:27.280 --> 0:27:30.919 the podcast, because this little piece right here we also won't, like, 0:27:31.359 --> 0:27:37.159 you know, specifically push out on its own on socials 0:27:38.359 --> 0:27:40.879 because I don't I I don't want this to be 0:27:41.000 --> 0:27:49.280 aggregated incorrectly. But I told you guys two weeks ago 0:27:50.920 --> 0:27:55.440 that I thought and this was what I would call 0:27:56.359 --> 0:28:07.439 very in a very informed opinion that these finals specifically 0:28:09.880 --> 0:28:17.720 were difficult. Not being in the tournament late into this 0:28:17.880 --> 0:28:22.640