Hour 2: Russian Barber Roulette On Bird Road

Summary

Summary of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" Episode: "Hour 2: Russian Barber Roulette On Bird Road" (Released November 20, 2024)

In the November 20, 2024 episode titled "Hour 2: Russian Barber Roulette On Bird Road," Dan Le Batard and his co-host Stugotz engage in a dynamic conversation with special guest David Sirota, delving deep into the pressing issues of American corruption, the state of investigative journalism, and transitioning seamlessly into spirited sports discussions. The episode masterfully balances serious discourse with light-hearted banter, providing listeners with both insightful commentary and entertaining moments.

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1. Introduction and Guest Welcome [00:56 – 02:25]

Dan Le Batard opens the show by warmly introducing David Sirota, praising his commitment to nonpartisan investigative journalism. Dan emphasizes the crucial role Sirota plays in holding the powerful accountable:

Dan Le Batard ([01:14]): "He's doing the hardest of work right now... a nonpartisan investigative news site that does an exceptional job of actually holding the powerful to account."

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2. Corruption in American Systems [02:25 – 06:44]

David Sirota provides a compelling analysis of the pervasive corruption undermining various American systems. He highlights healthcare and climate change as two critical areas deeply affected by corruption:

• Healthcare Crisis:

  Sirota points out the neglect of healthcare in political discussions, explaining how lobbying has sidelined essential conversations:

  David Sirota ([03:15]): "The healthcare lobby has made sure that that wasn't even part of the conversation."

• Climate Change Inaction:

  Drawing parallels to the movie "Don't Look Up," Sirota underscores the existential threat posed by climate change and the government's inaction:

  David Sirota ([06:04]): "We know what we need to do to deal with climate change... That's terrifying on kind of like an existential level."

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3. Critique of Donald Trump's Cabinet Picks [06:44 – 13:43]

The conversation shifts to Donald Trump's controversial cabinet appointments. Sirota critiques the selections as detrimental to governmental integrity:

David Sirota ([06:57]): "Donald Trump is picking people to deliberately destroy the last institutions that are still standing in the government."

He cites examples like Dr. Oz's appointment to Medicare, highlighting conflicts of interest and the broader implications for corruption:

David Sirota ([08:00]): "That’s emblematic of the picks that he's making... conflicts of interests are so absurd, it almost feels like a political cartoon."

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4. The State of Investigative Journalism [13:43 – 17:50]

Dan Le Batard brings attention to the challenges facing credible journalism, commending Sirota's unwavering dedication:

Dan Le Batard ([13:06]): "Journalism is very much under threat... a nonpartisan fact-based thing that he is doing that people should support if they're interested in accurate information and journalism."

Sirota candidly shares the emotional toll of pursuing truth in a seemingly indifferent society:

David Sirota ([13:55]): "There are days that I wake up and I'm like, I don't even want to get out of bed... Why are we actually reporting the truth if nobody actually cares about the actual truth?"

Despite the exhaustion, Sirota remains resolute, emphasizing the importance of factual reporting:

David Sirota ([14:20]): "You have to believe that at some baseline level that the truth still does matter."

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5. Transition to Sports: Celebrating Nikola Jokic [22:25 – 25:00]

The show shifts gears to sports, celebrating Nikola Jokic and his monumental impact on the Denver Nuggets:

• Jokic's Influence:

  Amin Elhassan presents astounding statistics showcasing Jokic's dual impact:

  Amin Elhassan ([22:25]): "With Nikola Jokic on the floor this season, the Nuggets have a 125.8 offensive rating... without him, the worst offensive rating in NBA history is 86.3."

• Dan's Praise:

  Dan Le Batard lauds Jokic's unparalleled productivity:

  Dan Le Batard ([23:02]): "Statistically, empirically, it's going to be hard to argue that anyone has played basketball more productively than this man has."

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6. Analyzing the Cleveland Cavaliers' Season [26:50 – 32:37]

The hosts delve into the Cleveland Cavaliers' dismal start to the season, debating the team's reliance on Evan Mobley:

• Mobley's Role:

  Dan Le Batard posits that for the Cavs to challenge top contenders, Mobley must elevate his performance:

  Dan Le Batard ([26:50]): "Mobley has to be their most productive, most trusted player... to eliminate some of the inefficiencies in Donovan Mitchell's usage rates."

• Host Debates:

  The panel discusses whether Mobley can transition into a pivotal offensive role, with Amin Elhassan and Izzy Gutierrez providing insights into team dynamics and player usage rates.

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7. Humorous Banter on Barbershop Experiences [34:00 – 42:59]

Injecting humor into the show, the hosts share amusing anecdotes about modern barbershop frustrations and the challenges of cash payments:

• Dan's ATM Struggles:

  Dan Le Batard humorously laments the limitations of ATM withdrawal limits:

  Dan Le Batard ([35:27]): "I needed more than that to pay an assortment of people in cash because I like doing it the good old fashioned American way."

• Host Interactions:

  The conversation evolves into playful exchanges about cash handling, barbershop experiences, and the evolution of tipping practices, showcasing the hosts' chemistry and wit.

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8. Conclusion and Final Remarks [42:59 – End]

As the episode wraps up, the hosts continue their light-hearted discussions, reflecting on everyday inconveniences and maintaining the show's signature blend of serious and entertaining content. This seamless transition ensures that listeners are both informed and entertained till the very end.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Dan Le Batard ([01:14]):

  "He's doing the hardest of work right now... a nonpartisan investigative news site that does an exceptional job of actually holding the powerful to account."

• David Sirota ([02:25]):

  "I think no matter where you look, corruption is part of the problem bearing down on us in our daily lives."

• David Sirota ([06:57]):

  "Donald Trump is picking people to deliberately destroy the last institutions that are still standing in the government."

• David Sirota ([13:55]):

  "There are days that I wake up and I'm like, I don't even want to get out of bed... Why are we actually reporting the truth if nobody actually cares about the actual truth?"

• David Sirota ([14:20]):

  "You have to believe that at some baseline level that the truth still does matter."

• Dan Le Batard ([23:02]):

  "Statistically, empirically, it's going to be hard to argue that anyone has played basketball more productively than this man has."

---

Conclusion

This episode of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" effectively navigates through intense political analysis and spirited sports discussions, all while maintaining an engaging and humorous tone. Dan, Stugotz, and David Sirota provide listeners with a comprehensive glimpse into the current state of American corruption, the challenges facing journalism, and the exhilarating world of NBA basketball, ensuring a well-rounded and captivating listening experience.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network.

[David Sirota]

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[Jon Weiner]

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[David Sirota]

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[Jon Weiner]

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[David Sirota]

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[Mike Ryan]

This is the Dan Levator show with.

[Dan Le Batard]

The St Guts podcast. Do we have anybody back there who says lever instead of lever? Do we have any levers instead of levers?

[Fat Lever]

Fat lever. I'm a lever guy.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, that's the only example I have.

[David Sirota]

Fat lever.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, so none of you are lever.

[David Sirota]

Fat lever.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right, which do you say? I wasn't talking to you yet, Sirota. I was introducing him.

[Fat Lever]

He was weighing in.

[Dan Le Batard]

He was weighing in. I understand, but I haven't introduced a question. I know I asked a question of the group though, but I haven't told the audience, who the hell's with us? So they just heard a stray voice and they've had enough of those around here. Still got everyone. Once in a while a new voice appears and they don't know who it is and they really don't like it. So when Sirota makes an appearance and he's doing real credible journalism at a time, it is more endangered, it feels like, than it's been at any point in my lifetime. I would tell everyone listening that he's doing the hardest of work right now. A nonpartisan investigative news site that does an exceptional job of actually holding the powerful to account. He's also got a book that you can [e-mail], the Handbook for the Politically Deceased, which I am in the mood. Middle of reading. Thank you for joining us, David Sirota. Can you tell me, though, as you watch everything that's happening in America right now, can you just run us through quickly, as someone who is very fact based, how many American systems you see right now that are failing because of the unprecedented corruption?

[David Sirota]

I would ask, I would flip it around and say, how many how many systems are actually succeeding despite the corruption? I think there's very few of them that are actually succeeding right now. I think, look, I think no matter where you look, corruption is part of the problem bearing down on us in our daily lives. I think take a look at, think about an issue that wasn't even discussed in the election, health care. I think we are most people listening, including basically everybody who's not a zillionaire, is one or two medical emergencies away from potentially having a serious financial problem, whether or not not you have health insurance. And the healthcare lobby has made sure that that wasn't even part of the conversation. We didn't even talk about it in the election. So I think when we talk about corruption, there's cash in envelope corruption. Like I have a lot of money, I'm going to buy this congressman's vote. And then there's the corruption. That's the money in the system is so endemic, it's so big that the politicians and the political system doesn't even really talk about these issues. And I think that's where you can really see the corruption. I mean, think about the housing crisis. Think about the basic affordability crisis. If it's talked about at all. It's often portrayed as, oh, you know, workers are being paid too much. It's not really talked about as corporations are ripping us off. It's not talked about that way in our politics because corporations are the ones who own lots of the media and own of the politicians who decide what the parameters of the conversation are. If we're not talking about something in our politics, if it's not a central issue in our politics, even if it's a central issue in our daily lives, that's a product of a leap, of a system of legalized corruption that buys the entire conversation in terms of American.

[Dan Le Batard]

Systems failing, because you're doing a very good job of covering this and media is one of the entities I think, that is failing. You find which scariest and which most appalling.

[David Sirota]

If it's a different answer, yeah, that's a great question. Look, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I go back first and foremost to healthcare. I mean, health care premiums continue to go up. The unaffordability of healthcare, even if you are paying those premiums, continues to go up. And by the way, healthcare outcomes continue to be problematic. I mean, Americans average lifespan, chronic disease, et cetera, et cetera. So to me, this is the central problem that we all face. If you're a human being and our healthcare system is failing in an epic way. And our political system's refusal to really talk about it or deal with it is a big one. Now, I should mention I worked on the movie with our mutual friend Adam McKay, don't look up, which was a metaphor in part for climate change. The fact that we know what we need to do to deal with climate change, and we're not actually doing that. We know that we can address this issue through investments in green energy, through reducing our use of fossil fuels. We don't need a magic wand to come up with some amazing technology to do this. The fact that we know we can do it and we're not doing it, knowing what scientists are telling us are the consequences. To me, I mean, that's terrifying on kind of like an existential level. There's the terrifying I may not survive a healthcare system where I can't afford medical care. And then there's the I'm not sure the human population is going to survive because our system is so corrupt. We're not doing what we need to do to reduce our use of fossil fuels. So. So those are the two. Those are the two I think I would put out there.

[Jon Weiner]

We're all gonna die.

[Dan Le Batard]

Can you tell me, David, what you make of the present ransacking of the government? Is Trump trying to break everything?

[David Sirota]

That's a great question. I don't know. It's hard for me to speculate on what Donald Trump's motive is. I would say this. Clearly, the people he is picking for his cabinet are people who. I mean, in some ways, you could look at them as looters. I mean, look at who was just picked to run the Medicare system. It kind of boggles the mind. And we did a big story about Dr. Oz a few years ago when he was running for the Senate. And it's important to remember he ran on privatizing Medicare. He ran on that. He did. He was a paid spokesman for Medicare privatization schemes and Medicare Advantage, which is a privatization scheme. Donald Trump, and I should mention Dr. Oz, invests in a big way in the healthcare sector that will benefit from privatizing Medicare. Donald Trump could have picked anybody to run Medicare. He picked that guy. And that's emblematic of the picks that he's making. So I guess one way you could look at it is Donald Trump is picking people to deliberately destroy the last institutions that are still standing in the government. Another way to look at it is that Donald Trump is picking those people because he thinks that destroying those institutions is a way to Build new and better institutions. I mean, I guess that's kind of an optimistic way to look at it. I don't really look at it like that. I look at it as there's not necessarily any method to the madness other than tear everything down. And we could go through. You know, the guy who he nominated for Department of the Interior is very close to the oil industry, and that's the job that deals with whether the oil industry can drill on public lands. I mean, you can go through the lists. It is a list of people like that, where the conflicts of interests are so absurd, it almost feels like a political cartoon. And I think your question is right. It's hard to determine what the actual motive is other than a lack of care or a deliberate desire to burn everything down.

[Dan Le Batard]

Linda McMahon as head of education made me think that when they're throwing it back to the states on schools, that they want everybody a little bit dumber because, and this is just empirical, the uneducated vote for that party. That's an empirical fact. I'm not having an opinion opinion there that's calling anyone dumb. The less educated you are, the more likely you are to support what's going on right now.

[Fat Lever]

Yeah.

[David Sirota]

I mean, the other way to look at it is that if education is not a big priority among the Republican voters, the Republican electorate, who Donald Trump perceives to be his coalition, that's the kind of move that you would make. I mean, I think Donald Trump, clearly, he ran a campaign. We can talk about how his behavior and how he ran on immigration and the like. But I think the central thrust of his campaign was actually what the Democrats used to run on in this way, which was it's the economy stupid. I think Donald Trump benefited from the fact that people were understandably and are understandably pissed off about how hard it is to afford anything in the United States. But I think it's worth also mentioning here that I think the Democrats ran a really bad campaign. Let's just throw that out there right now. They ran a bad campaign. They did not try to reach out in a real way to the working class. They did not tell a story about the corporate villains that are actually making people's lives worse. Donald Trump told a villain story about people who aren't villains. You know, immigrants, Democrats, liberals, academics. Right. But he at least told a VI story. But I think the point is, is that we are now have seen the four out of the last five elections where it's the economy stupid. Elections. Think about it. The 2008 financial crisis, Obama wins on that message. 2016, after 10 million people have been foreclosed on, people are pissed off about the growing affordability crisis in the aftermath of the financial crisis that's in it's the economy stupid election. 2020 people are obviously pissed off about the pandemic depression, et cetera, et cetera. Another election like that, and then 2024. My point is that people keep voting for change. And by the way, the only reason I think it skipped in 2012 was because the Republicans basically nominated Gordon Gekko as their nominee. Mitt Romney looks, I mean, if you wanted to come up with a political cartoon of a greedy Wall street guy, that would be your guy. I think Obama got lucky. But I think my point is we're in an environment where the population continues to vote aggressively for change, and Donald Trump benefited from that. But I'm not sure it means that there's this paradigm shift. Unless the Democrats simply throw up their hands and say, you know what, all of Donald Trump's voters are deplorables. We can never reach them and we should just ignore them and insult them. I think that's wrong. I think it's immoral. I think it's a bad political strategy. But I think the Democratic Party has to say, listen, we can reach those voters, but we have to tell a real story about what's going on in the economy. They keep talking about, here's what we can do to fix this or that. But they don't tell a story about, for instance, we go back to healthcare. You never, you rarely ever hear the Democrats talk about the healthcare corporations are the problem, the insurance companies are the problem in the healthcare system. The Democrats don't want to do that because they don't want to off their healthcare industry donors. The problem for that party is they're causing caught between voters who want things and donors who they want money from. And so the party often sounds completely incoherent and talks only about a very small set of issues. And the party does not name the actual villains that we all know are bearing down on us.

[Dan Le Batard]

I want the people to hear from me again on this dugouts because journalism is very much under threat and the even the credible newspapers are scared of Donald Trump when they have billionaire owners like Bezos. So what this man does at the Lever, a nonpartisan investigative news site that's just going to basically, they're doing very difficult work, very thorough work, and they're growing, at least in part because most people don't trust the media right now. And this is a nonpartisan fact based thing that he is doing that people should support if they're interested in accurate information and journalism.

[Fat Lever]

They are seeking out the truth. And I'm wondering, Dave, has the pursuit, the seeking, the pursuit of the truth, has that become exhausting? Because it seems like no one cares about the truth anymore?

[David Sirota]

I'm so glad you asked this question because yes, it really is exhausting. And I will be honest with you, there are days that I wake up and I'm like, I don't even want to get out of bed. Because like, what does it even matter? Like I just. You see this, this, this poster right here from our movie, don't look up. That was the mini joke. The mini joke was that the asteroids headed towards Earth and the population is so distracted that it doesn't actually care about the asteroid headed towards Earth. In fact, there's going to be a mini movie in the movie where they're going to do a asteroid headed towards Earth movie release on the day that the comet actually hits the Earth. So that's a long way of saying some days I feel like that where it's like, why are we actually reporting the truth if nobody actually cares about the actual truth? And, and look, I end up getting up every day and doing the work because ultimately you have to. You got two choices. You can walk into the ocean and say, forget it and nothing's worth it, it's all pointless. Or you can say, listen, if you keep putting the truth out there, verifiable facts, and we write our articles, you know, you don't have to trust us. You can click the links to see the source material, to see whether, whether we're right or wrong. Right. You have to believe that at some baseline level that the truth still does matter. I mean, we certainly know, I should mention, we certainly know that reality matters. And what I mean by that is climate change is happening, for example, whether we want to admit that it's happening or not. Climate change is human caused. Whether people want to admit that or not, that's true. The science, what's actually happening in the world, doesn't care about whether we care about the truth. It's going to happen. So I guess the point of doing this work is to try to make the truth actually matter, to try to make reality actually matter, even if we can distract ourselves from it. But look, I hear you, right? There's some days where I wake up, I'm like, shit, I don't even want to read the truth. The truth is sometimes so crushing, I want to look away. But we can't look away.

[Jon Weiner]

We're all going to die.

[Mike Ryan]

David, there's another option. You just watch football. Relax a little.

[David Sirota]

Well, I watch the Nuggets. I watch the Nuggets. And by the way, that's. That's a. That's a. An up and down experience. I'm like, sometimes I think they're amazing. Other times they're pissing me off. Like, Jamal Murray has got to get with the program. Like, seriously, wow.

[Dan Le Batard]

Put it on the poll, please. Juju at lebatard Show. Does Jamal Murray need to get with the program?

[David Sirota]

I mean, he needs to get his shit together. Like, I love him, but he's.

[Dan Le Batard]

This explains why he was so interested in Fat Lever before, by the way. Just gave me in my ear such phony. Such insincere sorrow. He's like, poor s still out here fighting.

[Fat Lever]

I mean, this guy is waking up every day fighting. That's good fight. No one cares.

[Dan Le Batard]

The good fight, but he keeps losing. You know what?

[David Sirota]

I take inspiration from Jokic. He, like, gets there. He doesn't make a big deal out of it. He just pounds away at it. Not that I'm a journalist at the level of what Jokic is as a basketball player, but I take. I seriously am, like, deeply connected to the Nuggets in a way. That's unhealthy, and I'm proud of it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. But you should know there's another option beyond football and the, you know, walking out into the ocean. You could just sit there, fight for the truth, and the ocean soon enough will come to you.

[David Sirota]

That's true. That's. That's.

[Dan Le Batard]

Although I'm in Colorado, it's coming there, too. Wait a minute. You think there's going to be land on this planet that's not going to be covered by water? That's funny.

[David Sirota]

All right, that's true.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. That is a truth that makes you want to not get a up in the morning. See you later, Sirota. Thank you for all the.

[David Sirota]

Thanks, guys.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Have a good day.

[Dan Le Batard]

Thank you for all the gloom.

[Mike Ryan]

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[Fat Lever]

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[David Sirota]

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[Fat Lever]

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[David Sirota]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Fat Lever]

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[Chris Cote]

Terms of Heat fans, you're the most irrational of us right now.

[Dan Le Batard]

What's the pivot? Oh, irrational stugats. How am I irrational? You don't hear your voice tucked in, my boy. By the way, your voice. If I were making a cartoon thing that was meant to symbolize irrational, that's the voice I would give Entire Premise.

[Mike Ryan]

Premise this is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats this episode of the.

[Fat Lever]

Dan Levitard show with Stugotts is presented by Smirnoff. We do game days. Please drink responsibly. The Smirnoff company New York, New York.

[Dan Le Batard]

Start of the day Start of the day it is the start of the day Start of the day Start of the day it is the start of the day Start of the day Start of the day it is the start of the day Start of the day Start of the day it is the start of the day.

[Amin Elhassan]

So it's time to celebrate Nikola Jokic because headed into yesterday and this is a two parter, the best offensive rating in a single season in NBA history was 123.2. The Nuggets, with Nikola Jokic on the floor this season have a 125.8 offensive rating. But even better, the worst offensive rating in NBA history is 92.2. And without Nikola Jokic on the floor, the Nuggets had an 86.3 offensive rating. So without him, the worst offense of all time with him the best offense of all time.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, I was scared earlier this month to just make the proclamation that this is the best basketball player ever. That statistically, empirically, it's going to be hard to argue that anyone has played basketball more productively than this man has. But let's. Let's go out to Mike Malone here on the Jokic minutes, because again, he's noticed this. He notices that he's a bad coach when Jokic isn't in the game, and they're bad at offense, and he's bad at coaching offense when he's not in the game. And then he's the best coach ever at offense when Jokic is in the game.

[Jon Weiner]

It's Michael Malone. That's a fine. He does not like to be called Mike.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't believe that's a fine. I don't believe I should be fined for calling Michael Malone Mike because he doesn't like it. He's got to win more championships than the one that he's got for me to make it Michael official.

[Fat Lever]

You just made Jokic the best player in NBA history. He's won one.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's underachieved with Jokic. He's got the. He's got the best. He's got the best player I've ever seen.

[Jon Weiner]

Why is it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Why is he only one one?

[Jon Weiner]

Wow. Stugatz is rubbing up on.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's take 20 years. Let's listen to Michael Malone when he is asked about playing Jokic. So many minutes to apologize to Nicole.

[Jon Weiner]

And you have to play in so.

[Mike Ryan]

Many minutes for such a stretch of being.

[David Sirota]

No, man. You see. You see his paycheck. Paycheck. I mean, come on, man.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's also listen to Jokic here.

[Amin Elhassan]

And I love this sound.

[Dan Le Batard]

I quoted this sound before, but I didn't play. This sound of him trying to remember the last time he had a bad game. And then the correction that arrives when he thinks he had a bad game.

[David Sirota]

Have you had any bad nights this year?

[Dan Le Batard]

I think it's who plays second game and we lost Clippers here, 41. Oh, no.

[Fat Lever]

When was my bad game? What was that second game we lost? You had 41. Oh, nope.

[David Sirota]

Can't think of one.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Was he actively trying to look like grew from the minions for like a good amount of time? Because he looked exactly like him there.

[Jon Weiner]

He did do that during the playoffs last year and as part of the marketing campaign.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

He's keeping it going.

[Jon Weiner]

You know, they let him keep the wardrobe.

[Dan Le Batard]

I wanted to ask Amin and Izzy, now that I've got them here because we have not talked about this at all. I know they've talked about it on Oddball, and I imagine they'll talk about it on basketball Illuminati. The Cavs start the season 15. 0. If you do that, you're generally playing for the championship in the history of the sport, if you're good enough to win 15 games to start a season, we'll see you later in the season. And you're going to be playing the latest games. I badly wanted to see Jokic against the Celtics. I wanted the Celtics to have to beat somebody that had championship pedigree, the best ever. I mean, I just wanted. I wanted to see them have to dethrone somebody versus just sitting there and waiting for injured teams to come their way. But the thing that I wanted to ask Izzy and Amin is I've liked Mobley since he got into the league. And so you've got in Alan Garland and Mobley, you've got a really three, and then Donovan Mitchell on top of that, that's a strong four. But I feel like Mobley's got to be your best player in order for you to be a team that challenges Boston. That Donovan Mitchell can take all the shots late, but that you have to eliminate some of the use or what they've done this year. Really, you guys correct me because you're more on that. You're more into the scheming than I am. But I would imagine that so much more offense is running through Mobley now and that they're using him so much more like Bam Adebayo that you limit the inefficiencies in Donovan Mitchell's usage rates such that they are by just going to a player who can be more efficient. Do you guys disagree with that? That for the Cavs to actually be what they represent right now, Mobley has to be their most productive, most trusted player. And then you take Donovan Mitchell and anytime you need a bailout, you use him.

[Jon Weiner]

Dan, when they started the season five. Zero or six zero or something, I said that. I said I don't think they scratched the surface of how good they can. And everyone's like, what do you mean? I'm like, because Mobley still is Mobley. And Bam is actually a very good comp. It's like those guys that were waiting, dude, if you ever reach that point where you're that Giannis level of. Not Giannis productivity, but Giannis level of man, f this, give me the ball. Get out of my way. Then that takes their team to another level. I don't know if that's going to happen. 15 games in. As I watch Mobley, I don't know if he's ready to take that leap yet. But. But they are running stuff through him and he is facilitating a lot more than he used to in a BAM out of bio type of way.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Yeah, I don't think we're ever. And this is. I'm sort of in your shoes here when it comes to my opinion on Mobley in comparison to bam. Like your thoughts about BAM before, I don't think he's going to have that offensive mindset to just try to take over. I still don't see it in him. I see him being more of the complimentary player who will dominating games in way that you maybe don't notice, but I still don't think of him as, hey, I'm going to get 30 and 12 on 15 shots and trust me, you're going to be good. I think this requires Donovan Mitchell, at least at a playoff level, requires Donovan Mitchell to be absolutely great.

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, and the difference between the Cavs and the Heat and the construction around these two players is the Cavs have two guards in Garland and Mitchell who play in different spaces of the floor than Bam does. Where Bam's been trying to do this his whole career is alongside Jimmy Butler, who offensively is occupying some of those same spaces. So this allows Mobley to open up his game in a way that. That is tremendous. And if you look at the usage rate across the team, I believe it's 30% usage rate for Mitchell, 26 for Garland, 22 for Mobley, that's kind of evening things out from where they've been.

[Jon Weiner]

Sure. My argument against BAM is that even when Jimmy's not there, he still does not step up into that vacuum. He still plays the same type of style and that's the difference. But also, I would argue, Dan, when you look at how the Cavs have played and Donovan Mitchell's been sensational this year and Garland's been great, and a lot of they credit that also to Mobley, that Mobley has allowed them to kind of play a freer style that does not involve pounding the rock as much. So the impact is there. It's not quite as in your face apparent as we want it to be, which is 30 and 12, like Izzy said, but the impact is there offensively for them.

[Amin Elhassan]

The thing with Bam, though, that you mentioned is like just the other night, right. They're running actions where it's Bam, Duncan and Tyler all playing off of each other. They're running actions with all three of them. With Jimmy out of the game and what happens?

[David Sirota]

BAM.

[Amin Elhassan]

Erupts for 30 points and 12 rebounds himself. So he's able to have those types of games. When you're running those actions that way and creating some space, it's all just about roster construction. And that's why the Cavs are set up for success here.

[Fat Lever]

I'll say it, this Cavs team, worst team to ever start 15 and oh, no doubt about it. And it guarantees nothing. I'm telling you, the Capitals in 19, 48, 49, they started 15 and oh, did not win the Cup.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

I can't believe you went there.

[Jon Weiner]

They went to the finals though.

[Fat Lever]

They did.

[Jon Weiner]

Dan's point.

[Fat Lever]

I mean, the Warriors 24, no, 20, 15, 16, made it to the finals, did not win.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

I mean, Dan, you have to, you have to think that this team's not that good when they've got your boy Niang out there doing it and playing 30 minutes.

[Dan Le Batard]

I love my pear shaped Niang. He'll go out there and give you five threes. He's putting up the shots whether he goes over five or five for five. I do have a trouble trusting the Cavs because of how thoroughly their front line kept getting dismantled by that old Knicks team.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Mitchell Robinson, what a series.

[Dan Le Batard]

Because. Because I was confused. The thing that made me think the Cavs are better this year than they were last year in the last few years is they went into Madison Square Garden against these new, not gritty Knicks and all of a sudden it' not Mitchell Robinson taking them out. But I don't, I don't believe that there can be a lot of quieter 15 and oh starts than the one that the Cavs have had, at least in part, because I don't think anyone listening to this will believe that. That can be a core that can sustain that in a way that would have them have 75 wins, finish 75 at the pace they're on. I'm just doing the head. They're doing this in my head. But it's like 75 and 5 or something like that is where it is that they would end up. Even though there are 82 games, I've got two forfeits in there because the math is confusing to me.

[Fat Lever]

That's where. But 15 out of 16 is what you're saying.

[Dan Le Batard]

But I'm saying like at this pace, I don't think anybody believes this pace is real. And I would ask Izzy in a meme, do you? Because they go into Boston, this would be a Classic Stu got good loss. You go into Boston, you're playing against the champions and you lose by a bucket.

[Fat Lever]

It's also a champion reminding you that hey, we're the champions. Get through us. Did you see Big Al last night? Wake up call.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Another sort of sign. When I watching the game last night with Mobley and like man, I mean Darius Garland shooting 50% for the year. But yesterday was awful. Finished 3 for 21. And in the end who was out there taking more shots? It was him.

[Jon Weiner]

Not Evan Mobley or, or Donovan Mitchell. The, the other thing I want to point out is those 48, 49 Washington Capitals that Stagat mentioned started 15 0.

[Fat Lever]

Yeah.

[Jon Weiner]

They finished the season 38 and 22. Meaning they went 13 and 22 after that 15. Yeah. You know who coached them? Some bum named Red Auerbach.

[Dan Le Batard]

What I want to get into with you guys, some of this stuff happening about around inside the NBA. I know Charles Barkley's not going to be happy at all about working for ESPN and not having control over not he's not.

[Jon Weiner]

This is, this is, this is the caveat, right? I can't wait. We talked to Samson tomorrow, right? I can't wait to ask him about this. I've never seen. It was like a three team training. You get a settlement and part of the settlement is someone else is coming in and saying hey, we'll take the high salaried players, older players over here. But the show is going to be produced, created, shot all by Turner in the Atlanta studio with their staff, with their people. And it's no different than ESPN airing the McAfee Show. Just like, hey, here's the show. All you do is hit a button and it's live. Now the question is, is how much feedback can ESPN give back after the fact? How much feedback will they receive? Meaning a great example of this. Last night we have this great two great games on tnt, Cavs, Celtics and then spurs and Thunder where the spurs won without Victor Minyama. Chris Paul had to turn back the clock night, right? The first thing they come out from is Charles and Kenny talk about Kenny said, I showed Charles how to use an ATM because he's never used an ATM in his life. And then Shaq says I've never used an ATM either. And then they start arguing about how is that possible. And Charles said, cuz we're black. Like we didn't have any money until we had millions of dollars so I didn't have to ever go to an atm. And they spent like a strong five minutes talking about using an ATM until, like, Ernie's. Like, I didn't know that's where we were going to start the show tonight. I thought we'd start with these games or whatever, so. Which, by the way, hold on. Can you imagine never using an ATM ever? Like, Shaq does not know Dan's worst nightmare.

[Dan Le Batard]

I still use one. And I feel so lonely going through them. I feel like I'm going through an old west town.

[Fat Lever]

I've seen you go into a bank.

[Dan Le Batard]

I've walked into a bank as well. Yes. HE LAUGHS Listen to me.

[Fat Lever]

Listen.

[David Sirota]

What are you doing here?

[Dan Le Batard]

He's laughing hysterically, like, saying hi to the workers. I have no idea.

[Jon Weiner]

I've got Dan filling out the withdrawal slip. Not even an atm. You pull out paperwork and give it to him.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right, so why am I in the bank instead of at the atm?

[Fat Lever]

Why that much money, huh, my man?

[Dan Le Batard]

Because I need more cash than the ATF puts on. On its limits on your daily limit. My daily limit is frustrating. And here I go, more cash.

[Mike Ryan]

Why do you need so much cash?

[Fat Lever]

I think you can increase your limits.

[Jon Weiner]

Billy, in order to make the. The cash phone call thing you get. You need a lot of cash to do this. You can't do it with, like, 200 bucks.

[Mike Ryan]

Is that why I will have it.

[Fat Lever]

Chris, with the AT have advice of you being able to raise your limits. It's just an email. Like, hey, I'd like my limits to go up a little.

[Dan Le Batard]

I emailed a private banker.

[Fat Lever]

Oh.

[Dan Le Batard]

And I don't know how many.

[Mike Ryan]

If it was one of those little things in the corner. That's not a real person. That's like an AI thing. Like, they make, like, Clippy, the old paper clip. That wasn't just a you thing.

[Dan Le Batard]

Thank you, Billy. I appreciate all of your private banker expertise. The thing that I was doing was trying to get it to $1,000 instead of 600. I think 600 is the normal limit. And I needed more than that to pay an assortment of people in cash because I like doing it the good old fashioned American way. Get your computers.

[Amin Elhassan]

Here you go.

[Dan Le Batard]

And here's another thing that happens when you give people that money, then all of a sudden they have that money with no record of how it is that they got that money and there's no paper trail.

[Fat Lever]

What are you talking about?

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm just saying I'm giving people cash because I want it to come with no strings attached. You just grab it and you take the strings off of it and you go elsewhere with your cash.

[Jon Weiner]

Is this A Jay Leno situation where.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

You'Re in gambling debt or a hush money situation.

[Dan Le Batard]

Look at how much I get fined around here. I'm the only one paying the fine. I mean, in fact, if I pooled. Let's see here. I'm going to bet me here, if I pooled everyone in this office on the amount of physical cash that everyone's got combined, I'm going to have more than that in my wallet.

[Mike Ryan]

$1,000 a day.

[Fat Lever]

Hold on. Let's do this.

[Dan Le Batard]

But between everybody, I'm not even talking about you guys. I'm talking about everybody who works here, the amount of cash that they have.

[Amin Elhassan]

What's a wallet?

[Dan Le Batard]

Amin? Do you have any cash whatsoever?

[Jon Weiner]

Typically, I have like 20 bucks on me, but today, zero.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let me say this is an eternal frustration.

[Jon Weiner]

Billy has Dan going to the ATM every day. Get a thousand bucks.

[Fat Lever]

That's what he said.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, that is not what I said. No, I just said I wanted the daily limit to be larger than a thousand dollars.

[Jon Weiner]

The control room has like ten bucks. I think I have eight dollars.

[Fat Lever]

Six singles in the rare two dollar bill.

[Jon Weiner]

Wow.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Maybe Dan stole the fine bucket. He's the only one with cash.

[Fat Lever]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jon Weiner]

He's been recycling it this whole time.

[Mike Ryan]

You know, not talked about the advancement of ATMs where you could choose the bills.

[Jon Weiner]

$10 bills.

[Mike Ryan]

Loved it.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

I love a good 50.

[Fat Lever]

Do you let the ATM decide or you choose it yourself?

[Mike Ryan]

It used to decide for you, right?

[Jon Weiner]

You decide for yourself. You got to do a little potpourri. Let me get 150.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right.

[Jon Weiner]

120.

[Dan Le Batard]

A little bit.

[Fat Lever]

Everything.

[Jon Weiner]

Two tens. Yeah, five, five singles.

[Mike Ryan]

I also, by the way, they don't give singles. At least mine don't. I wish. But like, I also try to do accounting where I, I, if I'm going to the atm, the money is basically spent. Like I know what I'm spending it on. And then I'm trying to figure out, like, what's the best way to do this. And it's usually, by the way, barbershop. Like, as I don't want to. I don't like asking for cash back when I give them. Like when I pay for my haircut, the tip. But I also, like, I don't want to give an extra $10 to a tip if it's only giving me twenties. You know what I mean?

[Fat Lever]

How much is the haircut?

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Tough question.

[Mike Ryan]

It's a. Yeah, we don't. It's a whole.

[Fat Lever]

It's an easy question.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're going to. No comment. Stu got content. We're making. You know what?

[Mike Ryan]

It's tricky. I can answer it.

[Fat Lever]

No, no, no. Let's hear him out. I'm willing to hear him out.

[Jon Weiner]

I, I, I feel your frustration.

[Mike Ryan]

It's a tricky situation.

[Dan Le Batard]

You just gave me a no comment.

[Mike Ryan]

I didn't, I commented. It's just a trick situation.

[Fat Lever]

You're more frustrated than I am. But let's hear him out because we're.

[Dan Le Batard]

Doing a show together and I need to answer as opposed to no comment. And I don't want to badger an employee for something more than no comment.

[Fat Lever]

You were happy when you couldn't hear him before.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, it's a tricky situation. Now you know why it started at $12. I was getting my $12 haircuts on bird Road. Styles and cuts. Just the letter N. Styles and cuts. But I didn't have like a set barber there. So then it became kind of. Yeah, we're playing Russian, Russian roulette with the situation. Yeah, okay. Barber roulette. Well, they were Russian.

[Dan Le Batard]

Unless you're in a Russian barber.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, Russian barber.

[David Sirota]

The Roth.

[Mike Ryan]

The old Russian barbershop on Bird Road. There are lots of room. Russian names in Cubans.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do you realize how funny it is that you're paying for a haircut the same amount that my father's been paying his haircut with the same barber since 1970?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, that's what I was paying. And then I found a new barber shop because I wasn't like, there was no reliability here. Barbers were getting older. I was like, you know what? I'm a youngish man. The 80 year old's cutting my hair. We're going with an 80 year old hairstyle here. So then I found another barber that I selected strictly because he has the same first name as me. So I went to that barber and then he had a situation where he left the barbershop. And then when he left the barbershop, I went with him because I liked the haircuts I was getting. But then the price changed at the new barber shop because of their rules. They had a strict grandfather. You in for a little bit. I felt bad because I saw the listed price. So I was paying him that. And then he's like, by the way, next month I have to raise the price, solicit price. But it's fine because, like, you're already paying that. But like, I, basically a decision was made for me. I'm going to be paying more for haircuts now.

[Fat Lever]

Are you going to tell us the price?

[Mike Ryan]

I started at $12. Now it's $35 for a haircut. Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

Plus tripled.

[Mike Ryan]

And that's what I'm saying. Daddy's not getting his haircut as often.

[Fat Lever]

Now, by the way, I went out there in the room. Roughly 17 people out there. They have about $340.

[David Sirota]

Wow.

[Jon Weiner]

Those bimmels here. This. Bimal.

[Fat Lever]

Bimal is.

[Jon Weiner]

I told you. I knew it.

[Dan Le Batard]

I knew it.

[Fat Lever]

Bimal was only like 60 of it, though.

[Dan Le Batard]

So are you guys. Oh, I think you got me beat. I've got $220 on me.

[Jon Weiner]

Yeah, that's a fine.

[Fat Lever]

You didn't go to the turn that.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

In as a fine.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's.

[Mike Ryan]

All things are adding up. He got. He has cash on him all the time. He was late to work today. He's missing $800.

[Dan Le Batard]

What do you guys do with airport baggage handlers now? Do you guys go from.

[Jon Weiner]

I listen to. We've been over this luggage.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

We do our own stuff.

[Dan Le Batard]

We take it to the.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

To the person, they take it for us.

[Dan Le Batard]

And I don't have to tip anybody. In the instances where you have to give a valet or a baggage handler money the way you used to give them money. You guys are telling me that many of these Val now have Venmo and Zelle and everything happened to me last night. But airport baggage handlers.

[Fat Lever]

Five bucks.

[Dan Le Batard]

But what? Five bucks from where? What? Five bucks strong.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Thank you.

[Fat Lever]

What's your Venmo, Dan?

[Jon Weiner]

I'm telling you right now, I haven't used a baggage handler in like 25 years. And not because I don't check bags. I don't check bags, but when I do check bags, Izzy said you go right inside. It made it so easy. You just scan your boarding pass. It says, how many bags do you have? I said two. Then the two stickers come out. I don't even put the stickers on. I just go up to the counter.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're making a three week trip and you've got 50 pounds of luggage. What are you giving the handler in cash? That handler is just losing their money. Right? I'm not.

[Jon Weiner]

You're no longer handler. I'm not using a handler.

[Amin Elhassan]

Are you talking about the curbside handle? No one uses that.

[Jon Weiner]

Nobody uses that.

[Fat Lever]

No, he's. He's saying a guy that meets you at baggage claim takes your bags off the thing, puts them on, talking about, and then takes them out to the car.

[Dan Le Batard]

Dozens of people on the curb that are employees that you. To get cash.

[Izzy Gutierrez]

Have you noticed that they're not helping anybody?

[Dan Le Batard]

Nobody uses.

[Fat Lever]

It's usually handicapped people. Like people within wheelchairs and stuff.

[Jon Weiner]

Now it's, you know what it is? It's also people who I had a friend who was trying to tell me this and I'm like, because the line is shorter outside. And I'm like, no it's not. There's no line inside. There's no line. They've got you fooled. They've got you brainwashed. Big baggage handler has you believing, Dan, that this is the only way.

[Chris Cote]

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