Speaker 1: Welcome to this league cut rule of twenty four hour
Speaker 1: NBA news.
Speaker 2: This you.
Speaker 1: Chris Haynes. It's time, Mark Stein, It's some time. This
Speaker 1: league and Cut is underway and on fire.
Speaker 2: This should be a good one.
Speaker 3: Hello again everyone, Mark Stein back with you here with
Speaker 3: Chris Haynes. We didn't expect to be together again. This
Speaker 3: soon might be a first in show history. I'm not
Speaker 3: totally sure about that, because we don't have a precise
Speaker 3: record book.
Speaker 4: We probably need to do that.
Speaker 3: We probably need to hire someone who can just keep
Speaker 3: track of these milestones. But recording two consecutive days, maybe
Speaker 3: we did it in the in the extreme infancy of this,
Speaker 3: but we're doing it today even though we just had
Speaker 3: a podcast out Monday.
Speaker 4: It's Tuesday.
Speaker 3: I think everybody knows why we are sounding those alarms
Speaker 3: and had to do this emergency pod. Pretty newsy Monday
Speaker 3: night in Los Angeles, the Denver Nuggets. They complete a
Speaker 3: four to oh sweep of the Lakers to secure the
Speaker 3: first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history. The
Speaker 3: Nuggets become the last of the four teams from the
Speaker 3: ABA that made it to the NBA in the merger
Speaker 3: of seventy six seventy seven, the last of the four
Speaker 3: to earn a spot in the NBA Finals. Historic night
Speaker 3: for the Denver Nuggets. But on the morning after, on
Speaker 3: this Tuesday, we're all talking about Lebron James. By now,
Speaker 3: you've seen the quotes out of his press conference after
Speaker 3: the game. Mister Haynes was there, and that's why we
Speaker 3: had to get together just by way of refresher in
Speaker 3: case you haven't seen what Lebron James said. This was
Speaker 3: Lebron at the podium after the Lakers swept out of
Speaker 3: the conference finals, the end of Lebron's twentieth season in
Speaker 3: the league. Quote, it's not fun to me to not
Speaker 3: be able to be a part of getting to the finals.
Speaker 3: But we'll see, we'll see, we'll see what happens going forward.
Speaker 3: I don't know. I don't know. I've got a lot
Speaker 3: to think about, to be honest. He said that twice.
Speaker 3: I've got a lot to think about, to be honest,
Speaker 3: just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball,
Speaker 3: I've got a lot to think about. And with that,
Speaker 3: Lebron James left the podium. But fortunately for this league,
Speaker 3: uncut listeners and if I may please, friends, review rate
Speaker 3: subscribe to the show if you haven't already. Chris Haynes
Speaker 3: this League Uncut co host, Enfranchise Player.
Speaker 4: He was there.
Speaker 3: He tracked Lebron down after the press conference. Chris paint
Speaker 3: a picture for us, tell us what the scene was
Speaker 3: like last night after Lebron James went off camera with
Speaker 3: the most open discussion of retirement he's ever thrown at us.
Speaker 2: Obviously, that quote, that comment by Lebron James, it was
Speaker 2: kind of a drop drop the mic type of a moment.
Speaker 2: But it was a drop the mic that had a
Speaker 2: lot of still had a lot of It was a
Speaker 2: lot of questions that need to be answered. What was
Speaker 2: he talking about? What did he mean about his future?
Speaker 2: He has a lot to think about, you know, he
Speaker 2: leaves that way, and so I started making some calls,
Speaker 2: and I made some calls to try to see try
Speaker 2: to get some intail on what he meant by that.
Speaker 2: And I was told by those multiple parties that he
Speaker 2: was indeed considering retiring and that he was unsure if
Speaker 2: he would be with the team the start of the
Speaker 2: twenty three to twenty four season. And so, you know,
Speaker 2: again for something like that, you know people that you
Speaker 2: trust getting information like that that's something you really have
Speaker 2: to make sure that this is accurate, like this is
Speaker 2: this is accurate information. This is huge. Lebron James has
Speaker 2: never ever talked about retirement. Never. We've all heard about
Speaker 2: how he wants to play with his son Briannie when
Speaker 2: Briannie finally enters the league that has a dream of his.
Speaker 2: He's never uttered the word retirement. He's never talked about it.
Speaker 2: He's never each each year that's gone by, he's never said, hey,
Speaker 2: I'm gonna think he's never said I'm gonna think about
Speaker 2: my future. And this was all brand new, So I
Speaker 2: felt comfortable with going with what I had on the
Speaker 2: sources front to follow report. Then I was able to
Speaker 2: reach out to Brin later and he gave me to
Speaker 2: gave me the quote, and this quote says, I'm simply
Speaker 2: not sure if I'll be back in the fall when
Speaker 2: the season begins. I have a lot to think about.
Speaker 2: So that's that's what he gave me, acknowledging yes, he
Speaker 2: is considering his future. Is you know retirement is an option.
Speaker 2: Do I believe he retires? I don't. I don't think so.
Speaker 2: But but for him to be at this stage and
Speaker 2: talking like this definitely alarming, definitely alarming, something did not expect,
Speaker 2: and I will even say, even hearing his quotes at
Speaker 2: the podium, I still did not anticipate this type of
Speaker 2: news coming out of something like that. So again it
Speaker 2: was something where I got the information again from multiple
Speaker 2: sources and knowing Lebron, and it was still hard to believe.
Speaker 2: And then I was able to get in touch with
Speaker 2: him later that night after the podium and he confirmed it.
Speaker 2: So definitely definitely something I did not anticipate at all.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because the part I left out of my kind
Speaker 3: of attempt to set the scene. Lebron gives this long
Speaker 3: interview nearly fifteen minutes. His twentieth season in the league
Speaker 3: is over, the season that he passes Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Speaker 3: as the all time leading scorer. And maybe you stayed
Speaker 3: up late enough to watch that conference, maybe you didn't.
Speaker 4: But then the next thunderbolt.
Speaker 3: That really got this story moving was our own Chris Haynes,
Speaker 3: tweeting at one oh eight Eastern time, breaking colon Los
Speaker 3: Angeles Lakers star Lebron James is unsure if he'll be
Speaker 3: with the team when the twenty twenty three to twenty
Speaker 3: four season starts in the fall, and retirement is under consideration.
Speaker 3: League sources tell the NBA on TNT and bleach your report.
Speaker 3: I like you, I mean certainly didn't expect him to
Speaker 3: say these things. And look, these are these are his words.
Speaker 3: You know, you have to digest them and respect them.
Speaker 3: This isn't like whispers from James associates. He's the one
Speaker 3: saying these things that has to be factored in. But
Speaker 3: I'm with you, I just I cannot see any way
Speaker 3: that he actually goes through with retirement. I'm sure he
Speaker 3: was exhausted and utterly frustrated because look, the Lakers. You know,
Speaker 3: this whole season's You know how many times we talked
Speaker 3: about how wide open this season was, or at least
Speaker 3: it seemed to so many teams. Maybe it really wasn't
Speaker 3: as wide open as we kind of forecasted, but it
Speaker 3: was wide open enough that the Lakers could start two
Speaker 3: and ten even after the trade deadline they were still
Speaker 3: out of the playoff picture. They were able to force
Speaker 3: their way high enough up the ladder to get in
Speaker 3: through the play in lane and take out Memphis in
Speaker 3: round one, take out the defending champs in round two,
Speaker 3: so I'm sure getting swept in the conference finals was
Speaker 3: a dagger that you know, had Lebron quite down last night,
Speaker 3: especially when he rumbles for twenty three points in the
Speaker 3: first quarter, thirty one in the first half. You know,
Speaker 3: he's still just playing too well. He's still way too
Speaker 3: too good from you know, from my far away seat
Speaker 3: to imagine that he's really gonna step away.
Speaker 2: Let me give you another scene. Stein. So after the game,
Speaker 2: before Lebron goes to the podium, we're in the locker room.
Speaker 2: AD is to his left. AD is staring into space.
Speaker 2: And this is about forty five minutes after the game ended.
Speaker 2: AD is still in his uniform, sitting down at his
Speaker 2: locker stall, just staring into space. Every minute or so,
Speaker 2: he shakes his head and he just says, I can't
Speaker 2: believe this shit. I can't believe this shit. Lebron James
Speaker 2: just merges from the shower, sits down at his stall.
Speaker 2: He's right next to a d and you know, he asked, Ad,
Speaker 2: you good. Ad is like, I just can't believe this shit,
Speaker 2: and Lebron is like, we did what we can do,
Speaker 2: we do we can do. So I go over to
Speaker 2: Lebron as he's getting dress and you know, we start talking,
Speaker 2: I asked him. I said, because I can overhear them
Speaker 2: talking a little bit. They were talking about the Nuggets,
Speaker 2: A D and Bron, and it sounded like Lebron has said,
Speaker 2: like that's the best team we faced since we've been teammates.
Speaker 2: And so I went over there and I said, Bron,
Speaker 2: you said this is the best team you face. And
Speaker 2: he started to think for like twenty seconds. He said, yeah,
Speaker 2: top to bottom, it's the best team I faced since
Speaker 2: I've been a member of the Lakers. He said that
Speaker 2: they got the depth. He said, they have the pieces
Speaker 2: around Joker. They fit perfectly. And he said, and what's
Speaker 2: most important is that they're all smart. He said, that's
Speaker 2: what we need to get to. They're all smart guys
Speaker 2: on that team. And I said, Broun, I said, and Broun, like,
Speaker 2: I've been around Bron for ten years, right, So losing
Speaker 2: when he loses or when this season is eliminated, he's
Speaker 2: in such a foul move like you can feel it,
Speaker 2: like he is in such a mood like you. Braun
Speaker 2: is one of those people. And I'm not trying to
Speaker 2: up big up Broun or anything like I'm just keeping
Speaker 2: it real. Like Broun is one of those people like
Speaker 2: when when he steps in the room you feel him
Speaker 2: period like he has that or about by himself. But
Speaker 2: in the locker room he was after the game, he
Speaker 2: was chill, and I said, Brian, I said, bro, I've
Speaker 2: been around you when you've lost, and I've seen how
Speaker 2: you take it, like you pissed at everybody like you
Speaker 2: like there's a rage that is just so revealing on
Speaker 2: his face. You could just see it after you know,
Speaker 2: losses like that. But I didn't see that he was
Speaker 2: such in a chill mode. I said, I know you
Speaker 2: still don't like losing, Like what, like, what's this new
Speaker 2: vibe you're on? It was like, see when you've been
Speaker 2: this leave for this loan, he said, you learn how
Speaker 2: to deal with losses better. He said, but I'm gonna
Speaker 2: tell you right now, the shit still pisces me off
Speaker 2: like it did years ago. He said, So don't let
Speaker 2: this look fool you about my desire to win. I said,
Speaker 2: enough said then then he walked out and went to
Speaker 2: the podium and just to let people know a little bit,
Speaker 2: there wasn't the most the mass media were. They were
Speaker 2: waiting at the podium. There wasn't a lot of people
Speaker 2: in the locker room at the time. They were waiting
Speaker 2: at the podium to wait for the players to go there,
Speaker 2: and so I used the opportunity to go hang in
Speaker 2: the locker room and you know, talk with Bron. I
Speaker 2: talked with Ad, talk with Tristan Thompson, and just try
Speaker 2: to get a scene, try to feel, you know, get
Speaker 2: a sense of what they're going through, kind of feel
Speaker 2: the vibe, feel the mood out. That was the scene.
Speaker 2: That was the mood in the locker room before Lebron
Speaker 2: went to the podium, and then after that when we
Speaker 2: got worried of what he's considering. So we both said it.
Speaker 2: You know, it's hard for us to see him walking
Speaker 2: away from the game right now, but we have to
Speaker 2: keep in mind Stein. Remember I told you, I told
Speaker 2: you on this very podcast months ago about Lebron's foot
Speaker 2: and how much pain he was dealing with before he
Speaker 2: had to sit out those weeks. And again, the way
Speaker 2: it was described to me back then, this was before
Speaker 2: it was even revealed that he was dealing with a
Speaker 2: foot issue. They said he was in so much pain
Speaker 2: and fighting through it, and we have to keep in
Speaker 2: mind that Lebron came back early to get back in
Speaker 2: the fold with the team. Wanted to make sure there
Speaker 2: was enough time with the new with the trays that
Speaker 2: were made, wanted to make sure there was enough time
Speaker 2: for everybody to get on the same page and try
Speaker 2: to build some continuity to jail. And this offseason is
Speaker 2: going to be rehabilitation off season for him as it
Speaker 2: pertains to that foot. I don't know what he's going
Speaker 2: to have to go through the summer. I don't know
Speaker 2: if surgery is an option. I don't know if it's
Speaker 2: just rest. But he's going to have to take care
Speaker 2: of that issue. So that's going to be a factor.
Speaker 2: And if he feels like he can come and give
Speaker 2: it another go for a twenty first season, how healthy
Speaker 2: can he be? Again, I've covered Lebron for a decade
Speaker 2: and for the most part of his career, like you've
Speaker 2: never dealt with injuries with him, never, never, But these
Speaker 2: last couple of years, these injuries have occurred. This is
Speaker 2: something we're not a customed to seeing with Lebron. So
Speaker 2: you know, all these are factors right now. How much
Speaker 2: more can he push his body? How healthy can he get?
Speaker 2: Is this something. You know, we don't know if this
Speaker 2: is a lingering ailment that he's going to have to
Speaker 2: continue with if he does decide to continue playing. So
Speaker 2: I think we you know, I think the foot issue
Speaker 2: will be a factor and what he decides to do
Speaker 2: as well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's interesting because I think if you remember,
Speaker 3: he at some point in the last month or so,
Speaker 3: or maybe last six weeks or so, he said something
Speaker 3: the effect of, if I have surgery, I won't even
Speaker 3: tell you, guys, I'm just gonna have like I'm just
Speaker 3: going to have a procedure.
Speaker 4: So it'll be interesting to see.
Speaker 3: If we even kind of get that word. You know,
Speaker 3: he's he's clearly he has said that the foot will
Speaker 3: he's going to need an MRI, going to need a
Speaker 3: full examination determine the severity. Is surgery going to be
Speaker 3: an issue? But again, I'm I'm I'm going to stick
Speaker 3: to my position and say there's no way this was
Speaker 3: the end. And uh, you know, it's hard to stifle
Speaker 3: the cynic in me on some of these points, because
Speaker 3: you know, there are other potential motivations for these comments.
Speaker 3: I mean, obviously, I'm sure you've heard some of these
Speaker 3: theories make the rounds today, because you know, I'm certainly
Speaker 3: not the only one saying it. Did Lebron say this
Speaker 3: because he wanted to change the narrative? Obviously, a sweep
Speaker 3: is a dagger. It's a humbling ending to the season
Speaker 3: for Lebron in ad and instead of talking about the sweep,
Speaker 3: we're now far more focused on Lebron's future on the
Speaker 3: day after. Is this a leverage play to try to
Speaker 3: exert pressure on the Lakers front office? Because Lebron wants
Speaker 3: them to go out and try to trade for Kyrie Irving?
Speaker 3: Does he want them to try to trade for Trey Young?
Speaker 3: Both of those starry point guards were in the audience
Speaker 3: Monday night when Denver won Game four and completed this sweep.
Speaker 3: Because I reported this over the weekend, and you know, look,
Speaker 3: all indications that I've received to this point are the
Speaker 3: offseason focus for the Lakers matching any offer that comes
Speaker 3: in for their restricted free agents, Austin Reeves and Ruey Hatchamura.
Speaker 3: Those are the top priorities as we speak. Reeves a
Speaker 3: clear number one. It's basically been conveyed to me that
Speaker 3: there is no scenario in which Austin Reeves is not
Speaker 3: a Laker next season. They are prepared to match whatever
Speaker 3: comes in for him. The Lakers can't offer more than
Speaker 3: fifty one million over four. There are teams out there,
Speaker 3: you know, are pal Kelly Eco from the Athletic You
Speaker 3: know he reported that Houston has some designs on Austin Reeves.
Speaker 3: The Rockets will have the cap space to offer more
Speaker 3: than that four to fifty one, then the Lakers can offer.
Speaker 4: But the Lakers he's restricted free agent.
Speaker 3: Even if an offer comes in above fifty one over four,
Speaker 3: the Lakers can match it. There are certainly cap implications
Speaker 3: and roster building implications if they do. But the max
Speaker 3: offer Reeves can get over four years, can go almost
Speaker 3: all the way up to one hundred million. But the
Speaker 3: Lakers can match any offer Reeves gets. I think they will.
Speaker 3: I think they want to keep Rui Hatchamura almost as
Speaker 3: much as they want to hang on to Reeves. So
Speaker 3: once those moves are made, what kind of roster flexibility
Speaker 3: would the Lakers have to make additional upgrades? Because you
Speaker 3: have Lonnie Walker, the Fourth, Dennis Shrewder and most notably
Speaker 3: Di'angelo Russell also free agents to be unrestricted free agents,
Speaker 3: their free agent futures are far more up in the
Speaker 3: air than Reeves and Hatchamura.
Speaker 4: But it has been positive.
Speaker 3: Maybe that's you know, maybe bringing back Reeves and Hatchamura.
Speaker 3: It's not enough to excite Lebron. Does he want more?
Speaker 3: Does he want them to try to go after a
Speaker 3: Kyrie or a Tray or a Draymond Green in some
Speaker 3: sort of trade?
Speaker 4: Does he is that what he really wants here?
Speaker 3: And by suggesting that this might be the end, that
Speaker 3: certainly would ramp up the pressure on the Lakers. And
Speaker 3: then you know, I mean, I think Lebron does want
Speaker 3: to be appreciated, and you know, certainly one way, you know,
Speaker 3: he's exiting the playoffs now, didn't make it back to
Speaker 3: the finals. But one way to certainly get people talking
Speaker 3: about you is to suggest that this is the end.
Speaker 3: So there are a lot of theories already in circulation
Speaker 3: about why Lebron might have wanted to say these things.
Speaker 3: And look, I think the reason there is so much
Speaker 3: skepticism is because we've been hearing for years now how
Speaker 3: badly he wants to play with his son, and Bronnie
Speaker 3: James can't play in the NBA before the twenty four
Speaker 3: twenty five season.
Speaker 4: That's the earliest that he can play.
Speaker 3: And you know, I guess we also have to raise
Speaker 3: the possibility maybe something has changed there. I mean, is
Speaker 3: you know, is is that no longer the dream scenario?
Speaker 3: I mean, that would be surprising to me because again
Speaker 3: Lebron has talked about it so often, how much that
Speaker 3: dream fuels him. But is it possible that those goalposts
Speaker 3: have moved? I think I think we have to account
Speaker 3: for that possibility to.
Speaker 2: Again Stean, which I think with Lebron doing this, he's
Speaker 2: never again. I think that's why this is so such
Speaker 2: a big story, is he's never talked about retirement. He
Speaker 2: never has, you know, not after you're seventeen, after you're eighteen,
Speaker 2: after you're nineteen. And now we're here. And so even
Speaker 2: if Stein, even if nothing comes about this, even if
Speaker 2: he does return, now we know it's in the back
Speaker 2: of his mind. Now we know that this is a possibility.
Speaker 2: Like now we have to like we've always known. Obviously,
Speaker 2: you get the year twenty, you know, like you're on
Speaker 2: borrow time, we're on borrow time covering this guy. Lebron
Speaker 2: is on borroll time playing the game of basketball in
Speaker 2: the NBA. But now to have him actually come out
Speaker 2: and say it actually is just starting the clock. How
Speaker 2: long do we have, you know, with this guy in
Speaker 2: the league. How long is he playing basketball in the NBA?
Speaker 2: And that is the part, you know, And it's on
Speaker 2: the day, well, I guess it's on the day technically
Speaker 2: maybe now on the same day for you guys in
Speaker 2: Dallas and in New York, but on the day that
Speaker 2: one of his good friends announced his retirement earlier that morning,
Speaker 2: Carmelo Anthony, and which we did. We talked about on
Speaker 2: our pod yesterday. This is an interesting time, an interesting period.
Speaker 2: I don't know why Lebron chose to do it, say
Speaker 2: this now, I have no clue. But you look at
Speaker 2: the Lakers roster. They have a lot of work to
Speaker 2: do this offseason, a lot of work. And you know
Speaker 2: Lebron's remarks to me about the Denver Nuggets, how they
Speaker 2: think the pieces fit so right? Smart players. Ad told
Speaker 2: me they kicked their button all facets of the game
Speaker 2: and all fastests they were on, all fasts, they were
Speaker 2: on point. Is it a roster situation? Is it the
Speaker 2: foot injury? Is it? Is it anything else? Is it
Speaker 2: a family issue? He said, he has a lot to
Speaker 2: think about, a lot so we just don't know.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and look, maybe that is.
Speaker 3: The smartest or safest takeaway from this, that it is
Speaker 3: a reminder that, yes, you know, he's got a two
Speaker 3: year contract extension that hasn't even started.
Speaker 4: I mean, it's a two year deal worth almost one
Speaker 4: hundred million.
Speaker 3: Year one is next season, and then he has a
Speaker 3: player option for the following season. And the reason the
Speaker 3: contract was designed that way in part, was so if
Speaker 3: lebron wanted to go to free agency after next season
Speaker 3: and theoretically go.
Speaker 4: With Bronnie to.
Speaker 3: I don't know, pick a random team the Charlotte Hornets
Speaker 3: because they drafted Bronnie, that he would have that ability
Speaker 3: to do that and basically free himself up, free himself
Speaker 3: up to go anywhere that Bronnie landed.
Speaker 4: But maybe maybe the overriding.
Speaker 3: Message or takeaway out of all this is just going
Speaker 3: to be that he really is on a year to
Speaker 3: year plan now that it really is going to have
Speaker 3: to be and evaluation every off season of what's next,
Speaker 3: no matter what the contract says.
Speaker 2: This is a new time we're in, you know, in
Speaker 2: covering this guy. So you know that that's pretty significant.
Speaker 2: So it's coming. The end is coming. We just don't know.
Speaker 2: We don't know quite whin yet.
Speaker 3: You were in the building, So tell me what did
Speaker 3: you make of seeing Kyrie and Trey courtside? Not the
Speaker 3: first time, I think they've both attended Laker games previously.
Speaker 2: You know, I don't know what to make out of it.
Speaker 2: You know, I think I think there's more to be
Speaker 2: made out of Kyrie being president than Trey Young right now.
Speaker 2: You know, players, you know they typically I'm gonna tell
Speaker 2: you a lot of players troll style. A lot of
Speaker 2: players troll. They want to start some stuff, so they
Speaker 2: show up, pop up at a team and you know
Speaker 2: that they know everybody's going to see him sitting courtside,
Speaker 2: you can't miss him, just to start some you know,
Speaker 2: start some rumbling, start some bumbling going on. I think
Speaker 2: there's more, there's more smoke with Kyrie than Trey Young
Speaker 2: right now. As of what I've heard, there's nothing brewing
Speaker 2: with Trey Young and the Hawks, Like there hasn't been
Speaker 2: any meeting or anything like that to request a trade.
Speaker 2: There's nothing like that has happened with Trey Young. Nothing.
Speaker 2: And we know Kyrie Irving is a free agent, so
Speaker 2: he's going to have some interest from from some teams.
Speaker 2: So I think there's more smoke with Kyrie with Lebron.
Speaker 2: Welcome Kyrie. Yes he would, Yes, he would. He said
Speaker 2: that on record m It was at some point during
Speaker 2: the season this past season, so you know that's there.
Speaker 2: They know how to play well with each other. And
Speaker 2: you look at the Lakers roster. Look Lebron James, what
Speaker 2: he did yesterday?
Speaker 4: What was it, nine.
Speaker 2: Forty ten and nine and he played in every minute
Speaker 2: of the game at thirty eight years old. They can
Speaker 2: use a Kyrie Irvan on that team. D'Angelo Russell was
Speaker 2: a shell of himself in the dast postseason, a shell
Speaker 2: of himself. I don't think we're gonna see D'Angel Russell
Speaker 2: back with the Lakers. They can use a point guard
Speaker 2: who can create his own shot. And again, I think
Speaker 2: Lebron wants to fade into the role where he's a
Speaker 2: secondary score, secondary playmaker, and to his credit, a lot
Speaker 2: this season he tried to. He tried to do that.
Speaker 2: He empowered Dennis Schroeder and even Austin Reeves to be
Speaker 2: more hands on with the ball, be a playmaker, and
Speaker 2: you would see Lebron just camping out on a corner
Speaker 2: on the wing a lot. You know, that was his
Speaker 2: way of trying to establish other guys to try to
Speaker 2: buy himself some time. And I just think you need
Speaker 2: the Lakers need to have a true dominant point guard,
Speaker 2: not even point guard, just the lead guard that can
Speaker 2: do a lot of the work. You're not going to
Speaker 2: put Lebron on for an eighty two game season, and
Speaker 2: he needs somebody to lean on on the perimeter. And
Speaker 2: Ad did a really good job staying healthy in the postseason,
Speaker 2: has some really good games, But they need a lead
Speaker 2: guard like Kyrie Irving. So I don't think we've heard,
Speaker 2: matter of fact, we have not heard the last of
Speaker 2: a Kyrie Irving Los Angeles Lakers connection.
Speaker 4: Well, look, you know where I live.
Speaker 3: I'm based in Dallas, and this is what we've been
Speaker 3: talking about here for ages to this point. Basically, six
Speaker 3: weeks after the Mavericks season ended, without even getting to
Speaker 3: the players after last season Cinderella trip to the Western
Speaker 3: Conference Finals, the question in Dallas Daily Hourly has been
Speaker 3: will a suitor for Kyrie Irving emerged? Because for so
Speaker 3: long we've been saying we don't see one. That the
Speaker 3: Mavericks are in pole position to resign him, but has
Speaker 3: that changed. We don't have that answer yet, but something
Speaker 3: tells me we're gonna have it real soon. We're gonna
Speaker 3: have clarity on whether the Lakers will become a serious
Speaker 3: trade suitor for Kyrie Irving. And look, I just I
Speaker 3: do before we before we go, do want to just
Speaker 3: make sure we give our props to the Denver Nuggets
Speaker 3: because what they did, the manner they have mowed through
Speaker 3: these Western Conference playoffs should not be diminished.
Speaker 4: Historic season. Denver's been waiting a long time.
Speaker 2: Shout out to Calvin Booth, general manager. The Nuggets shut
Speaker 2: to Booth over there done a phenomenal job.
Speaker 3: And Michael Malone does not like it when the world
Speaker 3: talks about the Lakers after huge Nuggets achievements. But also also,
Speaker 3: though I think he's just that's more messaging for his
Speaker 3: team than for us, maybe he is actually secretly happy
Speaker 3: that we're so focused on parsing every word of what
Speaker 3: Lebron said at the podium and what he said to
Speaker 3: you after, because that means Michael Malone. During this long
Speaker 3: break before the NBA Finals, the Denver Nuggets do not
Speaker 3: play again until June first, when they host Game one,
Speaker 3: presumably against Miami, But you know, Boston as we're taping
Speaker 3: this still has a flicker of life heading into their
Speaker 3: game four later Tuesday night.
Speaker 2: And that's an overstatement. Flicker.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I probably gave him too much credit. It's going
Speaker 3: to be Denver Miami on June first. Write it down
Speaker 3: right now, but for the Denver Nuggets eight nine days
Speaker 3: until they play again. So maybe Michael Malone can use
Speaker 3: this podcast and every article, every video segment today after
Speaker 3: the door that Lebron James appeared to open to retirement
Speaker 3: last night at the podium, maybe Michael Malone can use
Speaker 3: all this as a further motivational material to keep his
Speaker 3: team locked in. But man, they have been absolutely sensational.
Speaker 3: Jokic and Jimmy Butler have been the MVPs of this playoffs.
Speaker 3: And by the next time Chris Haynes and I are
Speaker 3: together for a podcast, will know for sure, for certain
Speaker 3: that their matchup on the final stage has been locked in.
Speaker 3: All right, that does hoh again? Hold on, hold on,
Speaker 3: it's not anything like that. But I got to give
Speaker 3: a shout out myself style. Look at you so disappointed
Speaker 3: start like, oh I thought you had up, you said, disupport.
Speaker 4: You looked at your phone, so I thought maybe you had.
Speaker 4: I thought you maybe you had. You had no text
Speaker 4: that you wanted to hit us all with.
Speaker 2: I want to give a shout out to Charlotte Hanks,
Speaker 2: that's Wifey. We just opened up Charlene's Beauty Supply Store
Speaker 2: in Elk Grove, California, where we have all your hair
Speaker 2: product needs, all your grooming needs or the women. We
Speaker 2: got the wigs, we got the laces, we got the
Speaker 2: extensions for man. We got that for you too as well,
Speaker 2: if that's what you need. We got your your beer,
Speaker 2: grooming products. We got everything everything that you would need
Speaker 2: to keep your hair looking nice, or we got everything
Speaker 2: you need to put some hair on your head. You
Speaker 2: get all that at Charlene's Beauty Supply. And I want
Speaker 2: to make this announcement right here, Stein that we will
Speaker 2: host a live podcast next month at Charlene's Beauty Supply
Speaker 2: Store and it will feature a star NBA player as
Speaker 2: our guest live at our store. Stein, I'll be happy
Speaker 2: to have you. I can't wait to see you, man,
Speaker 2: because you don't get out often, so that that would
Speaker 2: be love to see you here.
Speaker 3: It might be my first trip to Sacramento. I have
Speaker 3: to do some more research on this. It might be
Speaker 3: my first trip to Sacramento since Vladi Devots's jersey retirement,
Speaker 3: which I think was two thousand and nine. Wow, I
Speaker 3: will get that confirmed before this happens.
Speaker 2: So I'm looking I'm looking forward to seeing you, Stein,
Speaker 2: and there will be listen so we will. I will
Speaker 2: give more information on how you can be one of
Speaker 2: the few live audience that we have, you know, in attendance,
Speaker 2: and so just stay tuned. We'll promote that. But I'm
Speaker 2: looking forward to it.
Speaker 4: An NBA Star guest, is that what you said?
Speaker 2: My quoting correctly, That's what I said, Stein, and I'm
Speaker 2: gonna say it again. NBA Star guests on This League
Speaker 2: Uncut podcast live in Elk Grove, Sacramento area at Charlene's
Speaker 2: Beauty Supply Store and if anybody wants to come check
Speaker 2: it out, check the store out, please come on about
Speaker 2: and we'll be happy to have you and to serve
Speaker 2: all your hair and knees. Stein, you need anything on
Speaker 2: the dome.
Speaker 3: They if they can help this face for radio. I'm
Speaker 3: I'm eager to find that out too.
Speaker 2: That's all i want to say.
Speaker 3: All right, everyone, that does it for emergency edition of
Speaker 3: This League uncut again. Please remember to rate, review, and
Speaker 3: subscribe to the show. The next time, Chris and I
Speaker 3: are with you, NBA Finals talk, and let's face it,
Speaker 3: the way things are going, there will be lots of
Speaker 3: NBA off season talk too, because the off season has
Speaker 3: begun for.
Speaker 4: Twenty seven teams in the league now and uh yeah,
Speaker 4: there's a lot going on, all right. Everybody that does
Speaker 4: it talk soon.
Speaker 1: And that'll do it for us. See you next time.
Speaker 1: This League Uncutter is an iHeartRadio production Chris Hanes and
Speaker 1: Mark Stein