Local Hour: 30 Uninterrupted Seconds (feat. Papi)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

"Local Hour: 30 Uninterrupted Seconds (feat. Papi)"

Date: April 2, 2026
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Amin Elhassan, Tony, Mike, Jeremy (with guest appearances by Dan’s father, "Papi"/Mike)

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Episode Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in downtown Miami, the crew delivers a classic “Local Hour” episode blending heated Miami Heat debates, loving mockery, insightful Marlins talk, and signature playful arguments. The conversation moves from old-school phone calls with Dan’s dad about the state of the Heat, right into Miami Marlins optimism, and culminates in a fiery—and revealing—argument about the philosophy and failures of the Heat's front office during the trade deadline. Key recurring themes are sports fandom in South Florida, organizational philosophy in sports, and how tradition might both serve and hinder team progress.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Papi’s Take on the Miami Heat

Timestamps: 00:17 – 04:40

• The show kicks off with a live, unscripted phone call with Papi (Dan’s father), who brings candid takes and comic relief about the Miami Heat’s struggles.
• Papi describes recent Heat games as “painful,” calling out specific players for disappearing in big games:
  • “[Tyler Herro] against the big teams, the good teams, disappears. I’m going to call him Houdini. He’s a Houdini guy.” (Mike as Papi, 01:19)
• Disillusionment with the team’s costly stars and predictions of just scraping into the playoffs are punctuated by Amin’s playful jabs and Papi’s “Godfather” faith in Pat Riley, including dreaming of star acquisitions like Kevin Durant.
• The segment closes with playful banter about old age and bathroom breaks during games, play-acting the generational gap in Heat fandom and expectations.

2. Transition from Heat to Baseball: The Miami Marlins’ Promising Start

Timestamps: 05:14 – 14:16

• The conversation shifts towards the Miami Marlins' hot start to the baseball season and the contrast between Heat pessimism and new baseball hope.
• The crew discusses the changed landscape of MLB: fast-paced games, greater access for fans, and the rare excitement of a true ace—Sandy Alcantara—pitching for the Marlins:
  • “If he’s back, he wasn’t last year…That’s who he was when he won the Cy Young.” (Amin, 06:21)
• Dan details his positive experience at a Marlins game, noting the differences in fan engagement and the impact of MLB rule changes:
  • “The game is moving very quickly, which I really like. It doesn’t afford me the opportunity to get in my phone and just, like, zone out, which I like.” (Dan, 07:09)
• The show acknowledges the challenge of getting fans to weekday daytime games, with playful lamentations about mid-century day baseball traditions and jokes about dressing up in “suits and fedoras.”

3. Attendance, South Florida’s Relationship with Baseball, and Sandy Alcantara’s Place in Marlins History

Timestamps: 14:16 – 23:49

• Discussion of attendance woes—6,000 fans at a weekday game—even as Sandy Alcantara pitches a complete game shutout.
• Honest talk about the Marlins’ place in Miami sports history, highlighting the rarity of having a “best-in-the-sport” player locally:
  • “In the history of Miami sports… it is the rarest of rare things… this guy at his best is as good as good gets.” (Amin, 19:41)
• Jeremy and Amin run through Marlins history, asserting that only a few pitchers (Dontrelle Willis, Jose Fernandez) ever truly moved the needle on attendance.
• They conclude Alcantara is already the franchise’s best pitcher (“He has better stuff than Jose.” – Dan, 22:50), noting his unique journey across several eras of Miami uniforms and low fan turnout despite team quality.

4. The Heated Miami Heat Front Office Debate

Timestamps: 24:11 – 45:46

The Core Argument

• Mike and Dan criticize the Heat’s unwillingness to make needed roster moves or asset trades at the NBA trade deadline, contrasting the organization’s love of stability and “flexibility” against rivals’ appetite for action and self-improvement.
• Tony and Amin defend the possibility that no worthwhile deals existed, challenging the idea of criticizing the front office without inside knowledge of what was actually available.
• The exchange bristles with personal jabs and classic show bravado:
  • “You have no control over your emotions when you’re calling someone you know an idiot.” (Dan, 27:18)
  • “You sound like a jackass for challenging that notion.” (Dan, 31:31)
• Tony asserts: “Without knowing what was on the table, you cannot speak with any level of certainty that they messed up by not doing [a deal]. You’re doing the Family Guy. A boat’s a boat, but the mystery box could be anything. It could be a boat.” (Tony, 37:04)

Debate Key Points

• Dan/Mike argue the Heat “failed” by being the only team in the conference doing nothing, weakening future prospects and clinging to exhausted strategies.
• Tony/Amin counter that criticizing without actual knowledge of possible transactions is frivolous and that Miami’s refusal to “bottom out” (tank) runs contrary to successful NBA rebuilding models (e.g., Detroit, Atlanta, Orlando).
• Philosophical tension: Is refusing to tank and respecting tradition smart, or is it stunting potential transformation?
• The crew ultimately circles around to agreeing that both points can coexist: Miami’s reticence to rebuild is becoming a liability, but you can’t judge a deadline without knowing actual offers.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Papi on Tyler Herro:
  “I was surprised and Hero, he just disappeared. I’m going to call him Houdini. He’s a Houdini guy. He’s tough against the shitty teams. Against the big teams, the good teams, disappears.” (01:19, Papi)

• Amin on Sandy Alcantara:
  “When he’s at his best, he wanted Cy Young… he can do that to anybody. So you’ve got an ace in the middle of your city now… and that’s the only guy they’re paying.” (06:21, Amin)

• Dan on the Marlins experience:
  “I wanted to give baseball a try… I had a really decent time at the game. I saw a brilliant pitcher on the mound… And I was in my car at 3:28 and I’m like, damn, Rob Manfred, of all people, fixed it.” (07:09, Dan)

• Amin, on the rarity of sports excellence in Miami:
  “It is the rarest of rare things. We got the best guy there at any position… Miami has had very few of those in their history across all sports.” (19:41, Amin)

• Tony, on trade deadline certainty:
  “Without knowing what was on the table, you cannot speak with any level of certainty that they messed up… You’re doing the Family Guy. A boat’s a boat, but the mystery box could be anything. It could be a boat. You don’t know what’s in the mystery box.” (37:04, Tony)

• Dan’s final word on the Heat:
  “It is… irrefutable that they have failed these last two years with how they’ve managed this roster. Irrefutable…” (40:25, Dan)

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Segment Timestamps & Structure

• 00:17–04:40: Phone call with Papi, Heat frustration, comic relief
• 05:14–14:16: Baseball, Marlins’ ace, MLB rule changes, attendance woes
• 14:16–23:49: Marlins franchise history, importance of Sandy, comparison to Heat
• 24:11–45:46: The Miami Heat argument—front office philosophy, tanking, trade deadline frustration
• 36:53–43:30: Meta argument: debating argument styles and what makes fair/team criticism
• 44:23–45:46: Recap, connection of roster philosophy to results and future outlook

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Conclusion

This “Local Hour” is a quintessential Le Batard Show episode: generational banter, impassioned local sports debate, media satire, philosophical discussion about how teams are built or fail, and a peek into the joys and frustrations of sports fandom in Miami. The episode’s headline—“30 Uninterrupted Seconds”—pays off as the crew fights for space to finally speak their piece, giving listeners a front-row seat to both the comedy and the consequences of sports loyalty and front office strategy.

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Recommended for listeners who love Miami sports, baseball optimism, and the culture of sports argument as much as the wins and losses themselves.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike]

Hello?

[Amin Elhassan]

Papi?

[Tony]

He just hung up.

[Jeremy]

Gotta call him back. Love the sound of a dial. This is old school right here.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah,

[Jeremy]

I can't hear it anymore, but there is dial.

[Tony]

We just took two numbers.

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, these are never orchestrated. These are always live. You never know what my father. I'm always a little scared of these because I never know what my father's gonna actually say because he doesn't know.

[Mike]

Hello?

[Amin Elhassan]

Baba.

[Mike]

Danny, what happened? How are you?

[Amin Elhassan]

What happened to the heat, Bobby?

[Mike]

Oh, the heat. Man, I got a headache that first quarter. How many points?

[Amin Elhassan]

Both score about 85. Not 85, 50.

[Mike]

I don't know, man. Are you sure about that? Everything was falling for them. Everything was falling for them. They make all threes. How many trees they make during the game?

[Amin Elhassan]

That one Hower guy made. Yeah. 45 threes in the first quarter. It was crazy.

[Mike]

Oh, my God. I tell you one thing. I was surprised and hero. He just disappeared. I'm going to call him Houdini. He's a Houdini guy. He said Houdini guy. He's tough against the shitty teams. Against the big team, the good things disappears.

[Amin Elhassan]

So what kind of magic act is that? Tough against the shitty teams. But then he disappears.

[Mike]

I bet he's going to score about 80 points against the Wizards. You watch. You watch Saturday, the guy's going to roar like a. Like a big K, like a big star. And then when it comes around the Celtics, he just shrinks. You know, he runs away. How many points he got last night? 12 points? 15 points? Something like that.

[Amin Elhassan]

18 points.

[Mike]

Yeah, that's for a $30 million a year guy. That's a very expensive points. Who else. You mad? Can I tell you?

[Amin Elhassan]

Who else are you mad at?

[Mike]

No, I'm not mad at anybody. I'm just waiting for them to finish in 10th place. Just make. Clinch a little spot in the playoff and then make a big run for the. For the big. That's what I'm predicting. What can I tell you? How about you? What are you predicting? Do you think that they can beat the Celtics? You think that they can beat the Pistons? You think that they can be.

[Amin Elhassan]

The season's over. The season's over. They started 14 and 8. They fooled some people with their offense and they've been 500 since. They can't beat. Beat anybody good. They haven't been playing defense for a month.

[Mike]

Well, what do you mean? They got hero, they got a band. They got the best coach in the NBA. What do you mean? They can play season. It's over. You are not down until you're out. Who said that? Who said that? Who was the philosopher who said that?

[Amin Elhassan]

Yogi Berra.

[Mike]

There you have it. That's my man, Yogi. He was a big guy. Yeah, I mean. I mean, the first quarter last night, that was painful to watch. I had to go to the bathroom about the first three times in the first quarter.

[Amin Elhassan]

Isn't that just because you're old?

[Mike]

I don't know what happened to my system. I get. I got. I got too excited last night, you know?

[Amin Elhassan]

So excited scoring 50 points in the first quarter. Excited about what? The Heat. Chasing them. Chasing them. 20 points down the whole game.

[Mike]

Well, all I can tell you is that the Godfather got big plans. They got big plans for the Heat this year, next year, and the years ahead. You know, you got to believe in the Godfather. He's going to roll those dice over the table. And he tried to get Duran. Is the run available by any chance?

[Dan Le Batard]

You know Durant?

[Mike]

Yeah, he looked good. I mean, he looks like.

[Amin Elhassan]

All right, I can't talk to you anymore. These are the ramblings of an old man. I can't talk to you anymore.

[Mike]

Why not? He. He's about my age. He's playing basketball. What can I tell you? You know what I mean?

[Amin Elhassan]

Goodbye.

[Mike]

But I got. I got big plans for the Heat.

[Amin Elhassan]

Goodbye, dad. What are your big plans for the Heat? Dad? Go ahead. End it with one shitty joke. Because you know we're calling you. You know you're on air, and now you're performing a shitty dance. And it's better when you don't know we're calling.

[Mike]

I didn't know you were calling. What do you mean? I'm on air? What do you mean, air? What air was there?

[Amin Elhassan]

Shitty actor. Get him out of here. Get him out.

[Mike]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

[Amin Elhassan]

I think it would be fair for me today to preach a trilogy on the Miami Heat season after what you just saw happen last night. And I don't know how much objection I would get from Amin in the way of overreaction for What? The last 10 games of Heat basketball has brought us against good teams where they just get dragged. 50 points in a first quarter is crazy.

[Tony]

How is Jason Tatum going to reintegrate with these Celtics? Who knows?

[Amin Elhassan]

Going to be because Sam Houser is Going to make five threes in the first quarter.

[Dan Le Batard]

Got a triple double. I mean, I don't think Sam Houser had a lot to do with it. Are we about done with the Heat talk?

[Jeremy]

Well, it's baseball season, Dan.

[Amin Elhassan]

I want to get to the Heat and I want to get to baseball because The Marlins are 5 and 1 and they have an ace, a legitimate ace who, who can carry a team and get you excited. If they make, if they get all bargains on all their discount coupon. Tampa Bay Rays guys, like, if they, if all these young guys, if they hit, they go 7 for 9 on the young cheap guys. And it's like, oh, those are seven amazing players.

[Jeremy]

Have you ever seen a discount bin at the dollar store?

[Dan Le Batard]

That's kind of what's going on, right?

[Jeremy]

You walk around, you're like, oh, this

[Amin Elhassan]

is even discounted more. This is so. This is a crazy roster construction. Okay, at the top of the hill, you got the ace. He blew out his arm, but when he's on, holy shit, he's scubal from the right side. Is he back? Complete game.

[Dan Le Batard]

Really?

[Amin Elhassan]

Sandy, welcome back. You were the best in the league for a minute and then you got hurt. And they're the. That's the only guy they're paying.

[Tony]

I didn't even know they did complete games anymore. I thought that was outlawed in baseball.

[Amin Elhassan]

He didn't either, but he makes it look easy, right? This is an unhittable person. When he's at his best, he wanted Cy Young. When everyone's throwing 100 miles an hour, that guy goes out there and throws 98 all over the place and nobody can hit him. And so if he's back, he wasn't last year. He was bad last year because he was hurt and rehabbing and then had up and down. But that's who he was when he won the Cy Young, what we just saw yesterday. And he'll do that to the White Sox, but he'll do that to the Yankees too. Like that. He. He can do that to anybody. And so you've got an ace in the middle of your city now. And the Marlins try to build themselves back up. And I think they got Mike on the way home. He was wearing a Marlins jersey yesterday and we did not comment on it. And then he stopped in for a two game yesterday on the ride home and had the ballpark to himself.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, I wanted to give baseball a try. I tried it a couple years ago and I still had some issues with the game. So it didn't quite get its hooks in Me, I saw the postseason last year. I understand it was good, and the World Series was great, and I wanted to jump in, give these Marlins a try especially. And I had a really decent time at the game. I saw a brilliant pitcher on the mound. I saw one good baseball team, I think. And yeah, I went in that game, strolled in like it was a 110 first pitch. I strolled in at 105. Obviously didn't hit a lot of traffic along the way. I didn't miss any of the game, but I got right in, I saw an ace deal, and I was in my car at 328 and I'm like, damn, like, Rob Manford, of all people, fixed it. There's a lot of momentum behind the sport. The riding the hot wave of the wbc, and I don't really have a leg to stand on as far as my complaints. Some small ball is back to a degree. The game is moving very quickly, which I really like. It doesn't afford me the opportunity to get in my phone and just, like, zone out, which I like. And I was thinking about it, and I don't want to take this to a negative place at all, but I was driving home, I was like, of all people, the commissioner, the much maligned. This is how I drive, by the way. Yeah, I drive with two hands and I'm just swerving all over the place.

[Tony]

3 and 6.

[Amin Elhassan]

Thinking about the commissioner, thinking about which commissioner. You think about commissioners on the way home.

[Dan Le Batard]

On the way home.

[Amin Elhassan]

Ways to fix sports on your drive home.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, I was like, man, that was. I had a good time. I was drinking beers. I was with the boys. I saw my team win. I was in and out. And now I know there's not going to be a complete game shutout all the time. And that had a lot to do with the pace of the game. Sandy works quick, too.

[Amin Elhassan]

You got to be careful. A couple of beers that work too quick, and then all of a sudden,

[Dan Le Batard]

irresponsibly don't do that to me. As you know, I'm driving like this just because I drive like this, not because of the beers. And I was like, rob Manfred of all people, fix this sport. And it made me think, like, man, Adam Silver does have his work cut out for him. Because, like, if baseball can fix, like, the nauseating talking points that we went seemingly for a decade on, we're kind of getting to that point with the NBA where we've been talking about, like, what's wrong with the game for about a decade. If Rob, manford, can do it. Certainly Adam Silver can.

[Tony]

What'd you think of the in game host?

[Dan Le Batard]

A little grading.

[Jeremy]

Handsome though, right?

[Amin Elhassan]

To be clear, you're going to get more Jeremy with the show today because he and Samson are going to geek out on baseball things. Sampson's really good on baseball and he might have some opinions on their announced attendance of 6,000 when he comes on with us because he was always trying to fake those numbers and fool around with those numbers. But the thing that Mike says that to me is most interesting about this is that sport was so reticent to change like they had a chance. One time when movies were trying to advertise in creative places, they could have put Spider man on the bases and they were like, absolutely not. We can't do that in baseball. It's all pristine. They cleaned everything up. They sped up the game. They listen. They made these drastic changes. They're putting a runner on second base in order to feed. They've always been ahead on new media, right? Like their, their channel and their network has always been better at this stuff than the other one. Smarter at how it is that they sell it to smarter fans because baseball fans are the smartest because they know how to do the measurements. And David and Jeremy are going to talk about all this in pitch clock, but David was always lying about these numbers at the Marlins games and what Sandy is saying when he comes off the mound. And I really do, I want South Florida to sort of embrace the excellence in this because of how rare it has been in the history of this baseball franchise that is in a city that cares about baseball. As you saw during the World Baseball Classic, South Florida has rarely had ever a man of this kind of excellence at the center of its team. If this, this person is the Cy Young winner on a team from two years ago, the best in the sport at pitching. When the Yankees have started the season. The Yankees just started the season with the best starts ever from their starting pitchers ever for the sport of baseball. No one has ever started faster, better than the Yankees starting pitchers. The Marlins have a horse at the top of their rotation that everybody would want. And he's telling people to come out to the park and genuflect at his excellence. This interview is awkward. It's in his second language. Listen to him after throwing the first complete game in a while to tell everybody, yeah, I'm back. Look, I'm back.

[Dan Le Batard]

Sandy, your 13th career complete game. What makes this one a little different?

[Tony]

A lot of different, you know, so

[Amin Elhassan]

it's been a long time without throwing a complete game, you know.

[Tony]

But this one is especially for me.

[Dan Le Batard]

All my family here, fans is not here.

[Tony]

But we still love them, you know,

[Dan Le Batard]

because we know, we know this is a hard sport and they know what

[Tony]

sometimes they gotta do something and they, they wore the house. But yeah, today was a great. For me.

[Amin Elhassan]

I don't know what happened at the end there to him except that he was like. He, well he thought that he's like the fans have to work. So I guess they've got things to do that, that come. That interview's awkward in his second language.

[Jeremy]

Is that kidding? That guy looks like he's in high school. Who's interviewing him? That's radio intro host pre game host Stephen Strong.

[Amin Elhassan]

What happened?

[Jeremy]

Just trying to figure out the specific, specific title. Guys, it's been a long week. I have been talking non stop everywhere.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, feel free.

[Jeremy]

I'm exhausted.

[Dan Le Batard]

Break?

[Jeremy]

Yeah, that's fine. I'm good man. I'll relax. Everybody's excited about Marlin's baseball. You guys, please. Because it's awesome. Like what's happening out there is awesome. And Sandy's right. Like the fans need to show up. The same way we showed up as a fan base for Jose is the way that fans need to show up to watch you say Sandy's right.

[Dan Le Batard]

So you're.

[Jeremy]

That's what you think. That's intent. Like to me that sounded like he said something and then he's like, oh, I shouldn't have said that. Sandy. Sandy said it in both of his interviews. He said it with Kelly Sacco in the post game interview on tv he said it was Stephen Strom on radio. And what he said is like, look, there are 6,000 people here today.

[Dan Le Batard]

Show up.

[Jeremy]

We're good. Young team come out to the ballpark. Now I would bet that every team in baseball that plays the White Sox on a Wednesday afternoon at 1 o' clock will have the worst attendance of their season on that day. It just so happened to coincide with Sandy throwing a Maddox. But where he is right is this team deserves to have people show up. This isn't the, the fluky 5 and 1 start over their last 101 games. It could have been 100 where you tie it. But over the last 101 games, the Marlins have a better record than the Dodgers do. They've been one of the very best teams in baseball over that stretch. They started horribly to start last year. But what they're doing, the guys they're bringing up, the guys they've traded for. Liam Hicks is a Rule 5 pick Owen Casey, the guy they traded for in the Edward Cabrera trade. They're at the top of the league in rbi. One and two, and you have an ace right there. And Yuri Perez throwing on Friday, who's a dark horse candidate for Cy Young, according to even Jeff Passon.

[Dan Le Batard]

The issue is that when you have a getaway day game at 1 o' clock on a Wednesday, like Major League

[Jeremy]

Sports doesn't do that, right?

[Dan Le Batard]

Like you don't have an NBA game

[Jeremy]

that starts at 1 o' clock and everybody's like, all right, well, I got

[Dan Le Batard]

to go see the Kings at one o'. Clock. Like that.

[Jeremy]

That hamstrings. I think a lot of attendance and

[Dan Le Batard]

a lot of people getting eyeballs on the game because people are at work, people are at lunch, like, oh, no.

[Jeremy]

Watch the game for 32 seconds before

[Dan Le Batard]

I have to go back to my terrible desk job.

[Tony]

I'll be honest, I was thinking about that yesterday, like a Wednesday 1pm game. Who is this for?

[Dan Le Batard]

The Sixers?

[Amin Elhassan]

Who is this for? But this is this. God, this is so interesting. All of this. Who's it for? Is the schedule. These people keep traveling all over the globe in a way that's really tiring by the time they get to that wonderful World Series they gave us. The one o' clock game used to be part of this sports charm that you could go to a day game and watch baseball. And it was something that was quaint and beautiful about the game.

[Tony]

Dan, take me back to the 1950s. Mickey Mantle is running out to the outfield. All this stuff, it's beautiful. The golden age of baseball again. Wednesday at 1 o', clock, it's getaway

[Amin Elhassan]

day, so they don't have to arrive at five o' clock in the morning. I'm just telling you why it is. I'm not talking about the most of the sport, though. Most of the sport played one o' clock games yesterday.

[Tony]

I just want to know the people in attendance wearing their finest suits and ties and hats and a newspaper under their arm and clapping and they're all smoking, chain smoking the whole time.

[Dan Le Batard]

Man, I should dress like that the next time I go. Go to a getaway day.

[Tony]

Chain smoke the whole time. But Wednesday at 1pm the factory just gave you the day off to go. Go take in the Yankees, go see the boys in the pinstripe.

[Amin Elhassan]

This is true. I'm not making this up, okay? The history of this historic sport makes it so, yes, somebody at 1:00 clock would have the honor to go attend the national pastime with a cigarette and a newspaper and a top hat. And the people in attendance were wearing suits. And it was an honor to get off from work and go watch DiMagg. He happened to be in town.

[Dan Le Batard]

He took the train in Dan Do I have your permission to leave Thursday's show early to wear a baggy suit to the Marlins game? I think I want to wear a baggy suit of fedora and have a newspaper under my elbow as I clap and call people whippersnappers.

[Tony]

If you want to stay really committed to the bit, you also have to yell out some racial slurs at some point.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, we are going back to the 1950s. I did find it curious that Amin wanted to go back to the 1950s. That's not going to work out well for you.

[Tony]

I more wanted to just see it from afar.

[Jeremy]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike]

Yo.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know that energy shift when the game gets good and everybody all together in unison knows to stand up on their feet? Oh absolutely Mike.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

You've been at many big time sporting events. You know that moment quite well. That's what it's like when you take your first sip of Cuervo. Oh, delicious. It's the signal that says we're not checking the time anymore, pal. It's when small talk turns into stories. Cuervo, man. It's that high five. A random stranger effect. That's right. The game is popping. You're hugging people you never met before. That's the kind of energy that Cuervo brings. It's so smooth, so delicious. That's the Cuervo effect. Keep it Cuervo.

[Mike]

Don LeBatard, all these high paid analysts. I don't want to mention names. Tnt, espn, you know. Oh yeah, they are dead. They cannot, they're not going to make it. You know, even if they win in, if they lose in Miami.

[Amin Elhassan]

I need to calm you down.

[Dan Le Batard]

I need to calm down.

[Mike]

That's right. They lose in Miami, they don't get a chance in Boston or they are going to have their ass. You know what, in Boston, you know,

[Dan Le Batard]

stugats, they were wrong.

[Mike]

Are they going to lose their job? No. Are they going to get a cutting Payton? What are they going to do?

[Dan Le Batard]

Keep predicting.

[Mike]

What is the obvious? They're going to say, oh, the Nuggets are going to win. Oh, Denver, the altitude and you know what?

[Dan Le Batard]

The Heat are going to win it all.

[Mike]

This is the Dan Lebatar show with the stugats.

[Amin Elhassan]

The larger point I was hoping to make to a national audience is that in the history of Miami sports all across him, it is the rarest of rare things. No, we got the best guy there at any position, at any. Like you can have your discussions because they're skeens and scubal and a bunch of other guys. But this guy at his best is as good as good gets. And Miami has had very few of those in their history across all sports.

[Dan Le Batard]

Big breaking NFL news. A former Pro bowl quarterback has signed with the Raiders. It would seem as though Fernando Mendoza has the perfect mentor in Kirk Cousins.

[Tony]

You like that? You like that, Dan?

[Amin Elhassan]

Oh, I'm talking about sports excellence in our market that has 6,000 fans. As Sandy's like, yeah, the guys, the people have to work.

[Dan Le Batard]

This directly affects one of the biggest local sports stars. A local product. Future number one overall pick in Fernando Mendoza. How corny is this quarterback room a

[Jeremy]

stat for you, Dan, to back up what you're saying? Since 2022, the top list of complete games by team in the major leagues, number five is the Giants at eight, tied with the Red Sox at eight. The Astros have 10. The number two team is Sandy Alcantara with 10. And then the Phillies have 11. And he missed an entire year in that stretch.

[Amin Elhassan]

I mean, I'm not going to forget how excellent this person was. When I tell you best in the sport type of good. Give me all the ones Miami has had. You can do it on one. Is it two hands? Is it two hands, history of sports in South Florida that you can say I had the best at that position or somebody. You can make the argument, you win the Cy Young, you're the best at that position.

[Tony]

Dan Marino, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Barkov. I'll take your word for it.

[Amin Elhassan]

But it's a totally different class. Like even Bobrovsky wouldn't rise to there.

[Tony]

Correct.

[Amin Elhassan]

Like you're, you're talking about hot goaltender. But when you have the best at the craft, where all the other pitchers and hitters would say, Jesus, I don't have a chance there. Like, if you have not seen this person pitch, okay. And I know everybody's sort of numb to this guy throws 104, this whatever. Everybody's throwing very hard.

[Tony]

Kevin Brown winner, so young Kevin Brown.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jose. I think Jose would be in before Kevin Brown.

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, there's. When, when Sandy asks for attendance in that awkward way. In the history of the the the Marlins of all kinds, only two pitchers have ever spiked attendance at the ballpark. It's Dontrell Willis. It was never Levon Hernandez, it was never Levan, and it was Jose Fernandez. Levan won a championship. But there are only two guys novelties. One guy is a black guy. The other guy is the most Cuban of Cuban guys. Came over, almost drowned in the sea. Those were the only two spikes in attendance. This guy deserves that because this guy at his best is better than anybody. He like, he's. He's better than anybody who's ever pitched for this team. I can say that. I can say it flatly.

[Dan Le Batard]

He has better stuff than Jose.

[Tony]

He.

[Amin Elhassan]

He won a Cy Young. He was the best in the sport for a year. Jose Fernandez was not that. And I'm guessing if you look at their numbers, that, that Fernandez's strikeout rate would be better, but not his contact rate.

[Mike]

Right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Sandy no doubt is the more accomplished as Marlin. No doubt. I don't know if like high end, top level, whatever. Sandy's sports debate.

[Jeremy]

2nd longest tenured marlin ever. He's a guy that deserves to be here. He's the only guy on this team that Played in those awful orange uniforms and then transitioned to the new era and now gets to pitch on Sundays in Teal. He's a Stalworth of this franchise and he does really deserve people to show up. The way that it happened for Jose, the way that it happened for D Train. And the great part about this is we could be going to his next start on Tuesday if we weren't doing our Sports Equinox livestream.

[Tony]

Jeremy wanted to say stalwart. He said stalwart.

[Jeremy]

I did again. Long week, man.

[Amin Elhassan]

Couldn't we just have Mike joining us from our Sports Equinox dressed in a baggy suit at the Marlins game. Are they on the road?

[Mike]

They're on the road.

[Jeremy]

No, they're the one team that's at home. We could send them.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm going to do the getaway day thing. You're going to need me. I'll go to the game and certainly the heat analysis as well.

[Amin Elhassan]

We are looking forward to that. On Tuesday night, we're going to do a live show watching all three of the games, Panthers and Marlins and Heat. But I am excited that, oh, so is Sandy going to pitch on Tuesday. I mean, I'm excited about the idea that the nation would be reintroduced after that World Series to really. The Marlins are going to do it with all these raised sort of mathematicians. They're going to build a farm system and they're really going to throw, throw at the sport. Hey, here are seven cheap guys. I bet I can make them into major leaguers that'll be above league average because they've got weight, discipline. I don't think this team's going to hit nearly enough. But on the days this guy pitches, it won't have to. And that's if he's healthy, that's one out of five. And, and the, the idea that the Marlins have one of those. The idea that South Florida has one of those. There haven't been many in our history.

[Dan Le Batard]

They have a lot of things going for them. Two top pitchers, a pretty solid lineup. I know the early season gauntlet of the White Sox and Rockies might inflate those numbers some, but they have a really good farm system, too. They have bats that the franchise is really excited about that they can bring up in the summer and help this team with a run. And also they haven't spent a lot of money. So you got to think that they have some powder to go out and get somebody at the deadline or something that can push this.

[Amin Elhassan]

Why is it powder?

[Dan Le Batard]

You keep your powder dry. It's like it's gunpowder. Yeah.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I thought it was something else.

[Jeremy]

I went the same place.

[Dan Le Batard]

Powder means something different. Yeah. You've got some coke to go out and trade for an arm that's currency.

[Amin Elhassan]

Now you're talking too soon On Jose Fernandez. Given how that ended.

[Dan Le Batard]

No one went there.

[Amin Elhassan]

No. That was just you.

[Dan Le Batard]

No one went there but you. No one was thinking. Not a play on.

[Mike]

No. No.

[Dan Le Batard]

Red car. Yeah. You should. You should think about what you did.

[Tony]

Loss of downs.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

Punt int. Really Throwing over.

[Tony]

Interception.

[Dan Le Batard]

Pick six the other way.

[Tony]

They scored on it.

[Jeremy]

They're not good.

[Amin Elhassan]

Safety.

[Tony]

And they got the ball back.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Tony]

Damn. Damn.

[Jeremy]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Jeremy]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike]

Don LeBatard.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm not going to apologize. I'm.

[Jeremy]

I wouldn't expect you to apologize.

[Dan Le Batard]

Then you're a giant infant, okay? You have no control over your emotions. You have no control over your emotions when you're calling someone you know an idiot.

[Mike]

I don't deserve it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay? I don't deserve it. All right? And you're a fool for saying it. Okay? Stugats. You're a fool.

[Tony]

I was kind of following.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, you're locking in right now. You're locking in on us. Yeah.

[Mike]

All right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's drop the gloves, pal. Let's rock. You should be thanking me for what? Every day. For what? For what I've done around this character. And the second shit gets real for you, you want to come at me and call me a fool? Huh?

[Amin Elhassan]

No, no, seriously, Jeremy.

[Dan Le Batard]

Seriously, pal. I've added 10 years to your career.

[Mike]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.

[Jeremy]

All right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Transition.

[Amin Elhassan]

I am just. I am buried under Tony's thumb. Tony is taking great delight in giving me the giant thumbs down because I mentioned a little too much truth in the truly.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don't do it again, guys. Too thumb me down, guys. It's really evident that everybody got supercharged up and then he went on a run. Like their internal evaluation missed the mark on the Miami Heat, thinking that he saw what they told Barry Jackson and he came out with a Ten Commandments, and they really like their team. They think they're going to make a run. I think it's being proven that's not reality, man. It's being proven that they missed the mark yet again. Thinking that they had enough. Thinking that they were good enough.

[Jeremy]

For what?

[Dan Le Batard]

Enough to make some noise? No, I think that that was it.

[Tony]

No, there's. I don't know. I don't know anything.

[Dan Le Batard]

I haven't thought to anybody.

[Mike]

I don't know.

[Tony]

But I know those people well enough to know that they looked at that roster at the beginning of the year and they knew, look, we have an opportunity in the coming off season and the one after that to have some incredible flexibility. We're not going to sacrifice that this, this year for an incremental gain.

[Dan Le Batard]

Why sacrifice it? Why not add to that flexibility? Everybody else that was in the Giannis pursuit that found out that Milwaukee was unserious went on to make a move to either help their chances in acquiring Giannis or make themselves better. Atlanta certainly did. Or set themselves up for the future. Understanding that it's time to capitulate. We're not good enough like Chicago. I'm not saying go out and get another star. I'm saying what they did, which was the only team in their conference to not make a move, was very clearly an F minus type of move.

[Tony]

You still are stuck in this reality where you think if a move isn't done, that means people say, miami, here have this. Get that out of my face. I'm not doing any deals. I'm Pat Riley. I like what I have. Mike, the reality is you are inundated with calls for terrible deals of different proportions. Sometimes talent return isn't good enough, sometimes removes flexibility and, you know, and basically your ability, your inventory of things to move forward.

[Dan Le Batard]

I hear you.

[Tony]

It doesn't mean they said no. It means there was not a good deal out there to be done.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, they're apparently the only team in the conference that thought that there wasn't a deal to be done, and that's the wrong move because you can't tell me.

[Tony]

So you tell me, what was the deal that could run add a second.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like, add something that helps you.

[Tony]

Okay.

[Dan Le Batard]

In the offseason, what was the deal

[Tony]

where there was a second rounder available?

[Dan Le Batard]

Dude, I don't know.

[Tony]

That's my point. That's my point.

[Amin Elhassan]

You don't know.

[Tony]

I'm speaking with so much certain.

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean. I mean, I'm trying to have a conversation with you. Turn it down.

[Tony]

Don't do that.

[Dan Le Batard]

Turn it down.

[Tony]

No, no, no. I'm holier than thou. My point to you is you don't know.

[Dan Le Batard]

Try to alpha me by yelling at me.

[Tony]

No, I'm not trying. I'm trying to alpha you by giving you facts.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, you're not giving me facts.

[Tony]

I am giving you facts.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're not giving me facts. You're giving me a matter of opinion. You don't know jack shit about the trades that were available to them.

[Tony]

I don't know. I don't know either. Right. That's my point.

[Dan Le Batard]

But I do know everybody else made a move.

[Tony]

The point is you don't know what was and wasn't available. That's the point. You speak with such certainty that I can't believe they didn't make a move. You don't know what was available.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right, well, I'm pretty certain that they could have traded anybody on their roster for anything that would have helped their cause in the off season. I think that's pretty irrefutable, and I think you sound like a jackass for challenging that notion.

[Tony]

But you sound like a jackass for saying, I'm pretty certain when you're not.

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean, you're in luck. You're not the biggest jackass in the zip code, because across the street there are bigger jackasses that miss the mark.

[Jeremy]

It's a jack off.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, it is a jack off. We got a jack off. I can't believe you did jack off.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm like, what are we doing? I am so clearly right on the Miami Heat. Like, this is so stupid.

[Tony]

This is what Mike does. Mike, Mike, Mike.

[Dan Le Batard]

What Mike does is be right about the team.

[Tony]

Mike gerrymanders basically the environment where the argument is happening. I'm not saying to you, though, the Miami Heat are great. They didn't need to make a move. What I'm saying to you is you are implying that there was something to be done when we don't know that. That's what I'm saying.

[Dan Le Batard]

There's always something to be done. It's the NBA. It's talent acquisition. Well shocks we're the only team that didn't do anything. There was nothing to be done.

[Tony]

There was always something.

[Jeremy]

Can I, can I mend fences on this maybe and find a middle ground which is. I know what Mike wants here which is specifically it's. It's guys like Norman Powell or Andrew Wiggins. He wishes the Heat would have moved those players. Theoretically the entire fan base was like move them for first round picks. But. But those things are not available. Mike says okay, just move them for second round picks. But. But would you move those guys for second round picks if you then have to take on long term money? Because Andrew Wiggins is going to be a player going into an expiring deal that his value going into next year. If he's on a exercises his player option is a year at $30 million. Is that more valuable in your pursuit of Giannis or is a second round pick more valuable? Is Norman Powell's money coming off the books or in a sign and trade more valuable to you or a second round pick? These are the, the questions that are out there. You guys each have different opinions on how you go about it and we don't know what deals might have been,

[Dan Le Batard]

what it means, opinion.

[Tony]

No, no, I don't. That's my point. I don't have a different opinion. I am merely operating with the reality that I do not have the information available to me to make a call. Mike is saying hey, they should have done something. Mike, if you told me hey, they could have traded Andrew Wiggins for two firsts, of course I might go ahead and do it. But my point is you don't know what was offered to them.

[Dan Le Batard]

I do know that their position is they felt good about their. They weighed that opinion about their team against whatever was out there. And also I don't need to entertain this anymore. I don't.

[Tony]

Then don't. Thank you very much. Then don't entertain.

[Dan Le Batard]

I won't. Because I was right.

[Tony]

Right about what?

[Dan Le Batard]

Right about them being a nowhere franchise in a bad position.

[Tony]

We knew the roster was going.

[Dan Le Batard]

What do you mean no shit. When they're sending. They're sending their PR guys over to Barry Jackson saying they like their hand explaining to a frustrated fan base which has a right to be frustrated. Why exactly? They stood pat at the deadline. Yeah, I feel pretty good about my position. The defense rest.

[Tony]

What do you think their PR department should have done?

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm not doing this anymore.

[Tony]

No, no, you not doing it anymore.

[Dan Le Batard]

Something. Something everybody else did Something joke. Franchises did something.

[Tony]

I'm asking you what their PR department. You didn't like what they did? Tell me what they should have. The PR department, not basketball ops.

[Amin Elhassan]

You didn't want.

[Dan Le Batard]

The department did what they're supposed to do and have effectively done in this market for several years. Which is what they're supposed to do. Yes. Which is get the message out there, hey, this is the right move. Meanwhile, they're in an unenviable position. When you compare their position to the rest of the league, hopefully this offseason, what we've tried for the last four years in trying to upgrade the talent level on this roster, hopefully it works out. I would have loved some more additional assets that would have put Miami in an even better spot to do so. Because there always seems to be a team that has better assets. And when I look at the lay of the land inside the conference and your. Your competition in acquiring those stars, like, even outside of the conference, like Minnesota, they did things to put themselves in better positions. And I don't think there was some jerk off in front of a microphone

[Amin Elhassan]

saying there's no deal to be done.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, I said jerk off.

[Amin Elhassan]

It was a jack off. We had a jack off before versus

[Tony]

it's a jerk now. It's a jack.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't like. You're taking the devil's advocacy argument. Yes, you are. Like, what kind of stance is that? That there is not a deal to be made to improve?

[Tony]

That's not what.

[Dan Le Batard]

What kind of stance is that? When everyone else in the league makes the move? Mike, it is not. It is not an argument that is based in reality. That is not sports, and that is certainly not the credibility and foundation that Pat Riley has stood against him when it comes to upgrading this roster. That's not who that guy is. That's not the. You think Pat Riley's the kind of guy that's like, oh, he's not. He's not looking at himself in the mirror saying that I'm the kind of guy that can't make a move. That's not who he is.

[Tony]

You're making my point in that they didn't need to make a move. My point is you don't know what was available. You don't know the deals that were on the table. Without that knowledge, it is impossible to sit here with certainty with your chest puffed out.

[Amin Elhassan]

I don't need to entertain this anymore.

[Tony]

And he's a joke.

[Amin Elhassan]

All right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Dan loves this.

[Tony]

You don't. Like. No, no, no, no.

[Amin Elhassan]

He's enjoying the Show.

[Tony]

Let him talk for 30 minutes, non stop. Let me get my 30 seconds.

[Dan Le Batard]

30 minutes.

[Tony]

Let me get my 30 seconds.

[Dan Le Batard]

30 seconds.

[Tony]

Without knowing what was on the table, you cannot speak with any level of certainty that they messed up by not doing it. You're doing the Family Guy. A boat's a boat, but the mystery box could be anything. It could be a boat. You don't know what's in the mystery box. You can only operate off of what's available. You say, hey, if something was available and they didn't do it, of course, again, I'm with you. If there were options to move some of these guys for real asset, for real return on value, of course. But, Mike, that doesn't seem to be the case. You know how I know? I don't even need to talk about Barry Jackson or anyone locally. I didn't hear anything from Shams or Sam Amick or Mark Spears or anyone like, ooh, the Heat had a deal on. On the table to move Davion Mitchell for seven first round picks, but they turned it down because they, like, counterpoint

[Dan Le Batard]

is, I see the rest of the league make moves. That's not okay.

[Amin Elhassan]

But you wouldn't have been happy with Jose Alvarado. Like, I mean, you wouldn't have been happy if they. You're saying, do something.

[Dan Le Batard]

Here's. Here's the argument that I would make. So everybody else had moves, but let's play this game where the Miami Heat were the lone team that legitimately didn't have moves because what? Because of what? Because of why.

[Amin Elhassan]

Show me.

[Dan Le Batard]

Why didn't they have moves?

[Tony]

Show me the move.

[Dan Le Batard]

Why didn't they have moves?

[Tony]

Show me the move.

[Dan Le Batard]

What's the argument? Why didn't they have moves? Because they built a pathetic roster that no one's interested in. Because they literally have zero pieces. Again, F minus failure. If every other team has the piece, if every other team is making a move, then the failure is even greater because they have nothing.

[Amin Elhassan]

The fair criticisms are a year late on Jimmy Butler, no one wins there. But a year late on Jimmy Butler, miss on Durant. Because you're holding on to whatever it is that you're holding on to.

[Tony]

Absolutely.

[Amin Elhassan]

When Durant's in win now, Houston's in win now, you're ostensibly in win now, and you need somebody that's better than Norman Powell and Tyler Herro to advance. Bam. If you're building around bam. Like, these are fair criticisms, right?

[Tony]

But do you see what the difference is? The difference is you're talking about actual transactions that were available and not pursued in the moment. And Mike is talking about. My imagination tells me this could have happened.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, Mike's not doing that. Mike. What Mike is doing.

[Tony]

Tell me what the deal was.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let me speak very clearly to you, because apparently you've missed the last three years. I mean, I have been saying and been right, that the roster is not good enough.

[Tony]

No one argued that.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, no, no. The Miami Heat have Publicly. Publicly, they have. And by their inaction.

[Tony]

What are the PR department supposed to do?

[Dan Le Batard]

Give me my 30 uninterrupted seconds. Give me my 30 uninterrupted seconds.

[Tony]

What the PR department supposed to. Supposed to do.

[Dan Le Batard]

Give me my 30 uninterrupted seconds, too. All right, because we've been right here espousing these beliefs that the roster is not good enough. They've been, publicly, at least, and by their inaction, privately, not doing anything to upgrade the roster or make it better. There is the failure. There is the failure. They miss the mark. We hit the mark. That's the failure. And if they hit the mark, they would have stockpiled assets. They would have done something to put themselves in better position, be it at this deadline or in the off season. It is. I mean, look at me. Irrefutable that they have failed these last two years with how they've managed this roster. Irrefutable by nuking the trade value of Jimmy Butler. By the disaster. Terry Rozier acquisition that I was openly campaigning against by their inaction at this deadline.

[Amin Elhassan]

He also campaigned against Kyle Lowry in terms of.

[Dan Le Batard]

And that was a disaster, too. Even though they made it to the finals. That guy sucked.

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay, look, I'm made uncomfortable by what just happened there. Amin just got an. Amin, look at me. And obediently he did. And you guys have raged at each other about something that neither one of you is wrong on, because he's like, show me the exact deal that they're turning down so that I have the facts to properly criticize this. It's not an unfair appraisal by him because there are a lot of reports, and we think this about Durant. We don't know how close they could have gotten, but the reports are from these credible people that you're not willing to give up some of your young pieces in order to get Giannis. Exactly.

[Tony]

So, like. Well, not in order to get Giannis. In order to get something that's not Giannis in the pursuit of Giannis. Right. That's all I'm saying is we know pretty well in this league when there are sometimes There are rumored deals that we don't hear about until years later. Oh, actually, they were very close to getting Kevin Garnett or whatever, as I was in Phoenix.

[Amin Elhassan]

Right.

[Tony]

But most of the time, when we are criticizing what a front office does or doesn't do, we have available some information. It may not be the full picture, but some information of decisions made or decisions not made. We know about the Jimmy Butler thing. He's right about that. We know about the Terry Rozier thing. He's right about that. Mike's problem is he thinks I'm arguing that they've done a great job. And my argument is, what pertains to this trade deadline, you don't know. You don't know what was available. All you know is, like, everyone else made a deal. What does that mean?

[Amin Elhassan]

So Amin is.

[Tony]

So Mike is basically chasing the action. He wants something to happen. I've worked for a man like that. I'm sorry to cut you off. I've worked for a man like that who would walk in on draft day like, what are we doing? What are we doing? That's not the job. The job isn't just doing stuff. Saying, I got me one of these.

[Amin Elhassan]

I find really interesting how different your perspectives are, because, of course, I've done

[Tony]

it for a living.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, well, you've done it for a living. And he spent 15 years being spoiled by the standard this organization set for us, which is none of this is good enough. And now they'll win the next five games, and it doesn't serve them because they've got a 0% chance at a top four pick if they make the playoffs. They'll fool no one by winning their last five games in a row against. Against bad teams. And then they'll go into the playoffs and be not good enough. And there is no questioning that. The standard they've set has fallen into some deep disrepair because they've been a year slow on moves. They have not made whatever those would have been. That wouldn't be merely getting Norm Powell and making him an All Star, but improving the team so that you don't also now have to look at Atlanta and be like, are you kidding me? Now? Now, Atlanta fixed it in 15 games. And this, this, this locomotive in the Eastern Conference because Detroit's already better and the Knicks are already better, and Orlando kicks your ass every time they see you. And Toronto's got those young wings and you're looking up at the entire conference and they're younger.

[Tony]

The standard set. The standard set is what is the ouroboros that is eating itself up because the standard set of excellence, the way you get excellence is by bottoming out. Now, if you want to have a real conversation about, hey, this front office fails because it refuses to, on policy, on record, to not go the route we went. You mentioned three teams. Detroit, Atlanta, Orlando. You know, all three of those teams have on their roster a number one overall pick, Kate Cunningham, Zachary, Reece Sarcay, and Paola Vancero. Right. All of those teams, regardless of how you feel about Reese Arce, all of those teams went to the muck. They would say, you know what? Got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, and we're folding, and then hopefully come out on the other side of this with a transformational player who's going to have.

[Amin Elhassan]

But now Charlotte's better than you.

[Tony]

Like, Charlotte had a number, a number two or number three overall.

[Amin Elhassan]

But I'm just saying it's the whole. It's the whole conference.

[Tony]

Dan, you're giving me the whole conference of people who took a strategy that the Miami Heat, on principle, say we do not do. We do not do. That's the only part.

[Dan Le Batard]

You found it.

[Tony]

No, that's the point.

[Dan Le Batard]

You found it.

[Mike]

Mike.

[Jeremy]

Mike, It's a point off. They're making each other's points.

[Tony]

Mike, here's the thing. If you had said to me this front office fails because they refuse to do the hard thing, which is be bad for real for a couple years and then come out on the other side, I would have capitulated immediately. I would have bent the knee to use Tony.

[Dan Le Batard]

So how are we highlighting a series of failures over the course of several seasons and saying that this deadline was not one of those things? I know you're just asking the question, but I don't have what was available to them. Few people do. This is a very secret organization. But I do think it's a pretty strong hand. When you say the rest of the conference found deals, they decided on courses. Some like the Bulls went south. Some, like the Hawks went north. The Heat stayed right where they are, and that's. Even the Pacers went north.

[Tony]

I would argue that the Hawks did not go north by acquisition.

[Dan Le Batard]

They did it by subtraction. Yes, but that could happen. That could happen here, too. God, feed me more.