Local Hour: I Am The Dream

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Local Hour: I Am The Dream
Release Date: April 3, 2025

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1. Welcome and Team Introductions [01:21 - 02:19]

The episode kicks off with Dan Le Batard and Stugotz welcoming their listeners to another engaging Local Hour from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami. This time, the team introduces Jeremy as the newest member, signifying a fresh dynamic to the ongoing discussions.

• Chris Cote: “All right, welcome to the Sans Dan Le Batar show once again, game four people, and we bring in one new member of the team. Roy returns, but a new member of the team. Jeremy.”
  [01:21]

• Dan Le Batard: “I'm here to make sure we get to five games.”
  [01:34]

This introduction sets the stage for a series of lively debates and unique perspectives that the hosts are known for.

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2. Balancing Work, Sleep, and Social Life [02:19 - 08:48]

A significant portion of the early discussion revolves around the team's personal lives, particularly their sleep habits and social interactions. The conversation reveals contrasting approaches to balancing professional commitments with personal well-being.

• Amin Elhassan: “I famously don't use alarms. I've talked about this on the show.”
  [05:30]

• Chris Cote: “You just gonna let me get some steals?”
  [04:06]

The dialogue highlights Amin's preference for waking up naturally without alarms, leading to playful teasing from Chris and Roy. This segment not only showcases the camaraderie among the hosts but also underscores the importance of personal routines in maintaining their demanding schedules.

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3. Deep Dive into Miami Heat Performance [17:25 - 23:48]

The core of the episode centers on an in-depth analysis of the Miami Heat's recent performance streak, delving into topics like potential tanking strategies, player performances, and the broader implications for the team's future.

• Dan Le Batard: “A win in Boston is always a good thing. They broke the Celtics' nine-game win streak... But the way that they're playing that is exciting.”
  [18:21]

• Chris Cote: “The NBA is in a situation where they have a league that is doing incredibly well right now financially... and they have this unique opportunity to address these problems while the TV money is skyrocketing.”
  [24:51]

The discussion navigates through the complexities of the Heat's strategy, questioning whether the team's recent successes are part of a deliberate move to appeal to fans or a genuine resurgence in performance. The hosts debate the impact of tanking on fan engagement and the overall quality of the sport.

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4. The Role of Media in Shaping Sports Perception [21:06 - 28:10]

Amin Elhassan takes the floor to critique how media narratives influence fan perceptions and the integrity of sports. He argues that the media often prioritize sensationalism over genuine analysis, which can distort the public's understanding of the game.

• Amin Elhassan: “The biggest, noisiest, most incorrect, oftentimes people are the ones who seem to be working for broadcast partners of the league.”
  [21:06]

• Chris Cote: “The games in basketball have been devalued by the league and its players because there's so many games.”
  [34:49]

This segment emphasizes the tension between the business side of sports and the authentic fan experience. The hosts explore how media priorities can sometimes undermine the true essence of competitive sports, leading to a disenchanted fan base.

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5. Player Performance and Team Dynamics [30:56 - 39:33]

Shifting focus back to individual performances, the team discusses notable players like Davion Mitchell and Donovan Mitchell, analyzing their contributions to their respective teams and their impact on the league's competitive landscape.

• Dan Le Batard: “Since joining the Miami Heat, in 24 games, Davion Mitchell is shooting 47% from three.”
  [37:59]

• Jeremy: “...when the Knicks didn't trade for Donovan Mitchell, there was the ESPN news cycle being like, New York dodged a bullet.”
  [38:32]

The conversation underscores how individual player performance can influence team success and fan loyalty. The hosts debate the long-term viability of key players and their roles within their teams, providing listeners with nuanced insights into player dynamics.

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6. Addressing Gameplay and Entertainment Value [40:02 - 41:53]

The discussion transitions to the broader scope of how games are presented and perceived. The hosts compare the intensity and importance of NBA games to other sports, questioning whether the sheer volume of games diminishes their individual significance.

• Amin Elhassan: “What we have is the way we talk about the game.”
  [35:45]

• Chris Cote: “The game has not evolved in a way that allows 82 games for 30 teams to matter.”
  [36:42]

This section highlights the challenges the NBA faces in maintaining the excitement and importance of each game amidst a crowded schedule. The hosts suggest that changes in presentation and media coverage are necessary to preserve the sport's appeal.

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7. Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions [41:53 - End]

As the episode nears its conclusion, the hosts reflect on the discussions, reiterating the need for balance between business interests and the love of the game. They also hint at upcoming topics and playful segments, ensuring listeners are eager for future episodes.

• Dan Le Batard: “Some gangster shit... Always dominating cocks—”
  [32:46]

• Jeremy: “It's going to be our little impact on the show for the next couple weeks.”
  [32:26]

The episode wraps up with light-hearted banter and teasers for the next Local Hour, maintaining the show's signature blend of serious analysis and entertaining dialogue.

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Notable Quotes

• Amin Elhassan: “The biggest thing in football is a football game. And the biggest thing in basketball is who got traded, who signed where.”
  [27:16]

• Chris Cote: “The NBA is in a situation where they have a league that is doing incredibly well right now financially... let's address these issues and get ready for being out there in a world where possibly sports won't be overvalued.”
  [24:51]

• Dan Le Batard: “Adebayo and Tyler Herro are both playing some of the best basketball on the offensive end of their careers.”
  [18:21]

---

Conclusion

In "Local Hour: I Am The Dream," Dan Le Batard and his co-hosts deliver a compelling mix of sports analysis, personal anecdotes, and critical discussions on the current state of basketball and media influence. By balancing in-depth conversations with light-hearted banter, the episode provides listeners with both entertainment and thoughtful insights into the evolving landscape of sports.

Whether you're a die-hard Miami Heat fan or simply interested in the dynamics of sports media, this episode offers valuable perspectives that resonate with a broad audience.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

Hey there, travelers and dreamers. We all have that dream trip that we've been wishing we could go on. But too often, life just gets in the way, whether it's work, family, responsibilities, or in my case, and I'm sure many of yours, price. But your dream trip doesn't have to stay a dream any longer because Priceline is here to help you book it. With millions of deals on hotels, flights, cruises and rental cars. That bucket list destination, yeah, it's a lot closer than you think. You know, I've been wanting to go see the Pittsburgh Pirates for a long time at PNC park in Pittsburgh. That's like at the top of my list of bucket list destinations of baseball parks around the country. And because I now know about the type of deals that Priceline offers, I may pull the trigger this summer and go see those Pirates. Priceline makes it easy and stress free to book a flight and a hotel so I can go see my team play live. With millions of travel deals like up to 60% off hotels, I know I'll be able to find great options even when I need to book last minute. So don't just dream about that next trip. Book it with Priceline, download the Priceline app or visit priceline.com to go to your happy price. Actual prices may vary. Limited time offer terms apply.

[Stugotz]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast.

[Chris Cote]

All right, welcome to the Sans Dan Le Batar show once again, game four people, and we bring in one new member of the team. Roy returns, but a new member of the team. Jeremy.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm here to make sure we get to five games.

[Amin Elhassan]

No, Jeremy, that's exactly, you know, like the league is like the conspiracy theories. Like this needs to go the full five in order to get the ratings up. That's what Jeremy said.

[Chris Cote]

We did.

[Jeremy]

We, We.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, we went on a hot streak.

[Charlie]

We won yesterday and we're like, get Jeremy for tomorrow.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're welcome.

[Chris Cote]

It's like the ref, they send in that one ref, he's got to call Scott Fost. Way to go, Adam Silver to try to stretch this game out. So that means you want to start with the Dodgers now We'll get to the Dodgers. We got John Morant gun stuff. We're going to do some Saudi wealth fund investment in sports. Charlie and I became gym bros yesterday. Amin thinks he's much cooler than me. Melo going to the hall of Fame. Where do you want to start, Amin?

[Amin Elhassan]

I want to talk about kind of nerd you and disagree.

[Chris Cote]

Can we start with sports?

[Amin Elhassan]

No, you asked me where I wanted to start.

[Chris Cote]

I know.

[Amin Elhassan]

You could have started anywhere. Could have started whatever sports topic you want.

[Chris Cote]

I. I was.

[Hannah]

I.

[Chris Cote]

So before the show, I was like, hey, what do you want to talk about? We could talk about the Suns, where Kevin Durant's gonna end up next year, how the Suns were had a 20 lead in the finals. And now this feels like the most disappointing amalgamation of talent since, I guess, since the Nets, which was also a Kevin Durant product. But you want to talk about how uncool I am, knock yourself out.

[Amin Elhassan]

What happened last night, man?

[Chris Cote]

Nothing happened last night.

[Amin Elhassan]

Look, I hit. I hit up golf. I was like, what's up, man? I was like, hey, we're grabbing dinner and then let's grab drinks. I'm like, cool. So, like, around 9:30, I'm like, hey, man, what's up? What's going on? We didn't hear from you guys. I get a text back at like, 10:15. I think we're going to call it a night. I'm like, at 10:15, I'm asking for a drink. Yeah, ring. Y'all can't do one round?

[Chris Cote]

Well, they. They sell them whether I'm there or not, so you can go ahead and get you one. However, yes, I was done. So I think it's like. So Charlie and I went and worked out yesterday, and Charlie and I do. I mean, we did a little different stuff because, like, we're different situations. I feel like you're a major league night guy. I'm not anymore. I'm out of the major league night game. I'm a minor league night guy. My nights end early. So when I heard. I got to be honest with you, when I heard that Amin wanted to hang out with us, I got nervous. I was like, I'm not ready for that game. I ain't ready for that game.

[Amin Elhassan]

You see, like, you act like I won't adjust. Like, you know, if I'm playing basketball with little kids, I'm not out here throwing bows and, like, slapping boards and, like, shoving them out the way. I know how to play nice. And, like, here we go. Oh, you stole the ball from me. Ha ha. I know how to do that.

[Chris Cote]

You just gonna let me get some steals?

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, man. Like, get your confidence up. Like, oh, I don't know if I can do another one like that. I'll play that role. I know who I'm playing with, man. I know my personnel.

[Chris Cote]

You could have missed one or two oops. I mean, to be completely honest with you, I was done man, like that we had. I felt like I had a good night until you said we didn't have a good night. Like me, I had took, took my guys out for a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. We had drinks, we looked around. I mean that's it. We laughed, we had a good time, we ate some expensive food. Then it's 10:30. We like hey, we did it. We had some laughs. We did it. Guys, high five. Let's go to bed. Be well rested for work in the morning.

[Jeremy]

Perfect night, perfect night. Didn't need one more drink. We respect the 9am hour.

[Amin Elhassan]

You guys.

[Roy]

What time do you guys wake up when you stay here to do the show, what time do you have to be up? Because like we all get up at like the ass crack of dawn cuz we have to commute in.

[Amin Elhassan]

But yeah, yeah, definitely.

[Chris Cote]

I mean I, my commuters just walk downstairs.

[Amin Elhassan]

Right?

[Roy]

So you're just rolling out of bed at like 8:30?

[Chris Cote]

Nah, I wake up at like 6:30.

[Jeremy]

Same.

[Chris Cote]

Just because is this, I mean I'm.

[Roy]

Not going to a second location to drink if I'm getting up at 6:30.

[Chris Cote]

I mean it's not an intense. I beat the alarm up normally because I set the alarm for seven because I want to be down here by 7:30.

[Amin Elhassan]

That guy.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, I beat, I beat the alarm. I don't beat the alarm at home. I beat the alarm when I'm on the road. When I'm on the road it's easy to beat the alarm because I don't got to worry about nothing. I can go to the room and go to bed.

[Amin Elhassan]

I famously don't use alarms. I've talked about this on the show.

[Roy]

You're only beating it when you're on the road.

[Chris Cote]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

At home. Terrible home record.

[Chris Cote]

Only beat it on the road.

[Charlie]

Never use an alarm.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, we've done this show before, right? Like the, the whole idea.

[Charlie]

I've never heard it.

[Amin Elhassan]

Like I feel guilt. The guilt wakes me up.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, which is why you have to. I've done it before where I have forgotten to put on alarm and then the guilt wakes. The problem is I don't get good sleep. The guilt wakes me up an hour before and I'm like do I grab my phone to set the alarm now? But that'll wake me all the way up.

[Amin Elhassan]

Now you're.

[Chris Cote]

Or do I go back to sleep and then it's like. It's just nervous sleep. It's not good sleep.

[Charlie]

The only time guilt gets me is when I have like an early flight. If I have to catch an early flight. I'm like worried about.

[Chris Cote]

That's anxiety.

[Charlie]

Well that, that's when I will wake up before my alarm like a normal work.

[Jeremy]

Do you feel guilty about making it to flights in the morning?

[Charlie]

Well, no, he was just saying. He was using the phrase the guilt alarm.

[Amin Elhassan]

How dare you be asleep like oh I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm up, I'm up and I. So to answer your question, 5:30 today I was up because like I'm like ah. Cause I always wake up like oh shit, it's 10:30 and no, it's 5:30 and I'm like well I'm up now.

[Chris Cote]

It kind of sounds like you're using a typewriter even though the word processor was invented, you know that you can have. Because it sounds like the sleep is not restful if you're concerned the whole time about when. If I'm up in time. So why don't you just set an alarm and sleep till the alarm goes off?

[Amin Elhassan]

Well first of all, I love that the peak of technology and advancement is the word processor for you put it on the phone. Juju. Do you know what a word processor is?

[Chris Cote]

It was just the best analogy I could think of as a.

[Charlie]

Well said.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, A word processisser. It was just the best analogy I could come up with. So I guess I don't understand the reason for not setting alarm when we.

[Amin Elhassan]

Have don't need it.

[Chris Cote]

You're one of these guys.

[Amin Elhassan]

The guilt wakes me up like you're like, oh, it's time to get up, start my day. I'm like okay, the day has started. Like that's how I am. I wake up like that. Oh, it's like a shock.

[Chris Cote]

So you're like how De Deion Sanders said, like a lion. Don't need to stretch you just like I don't need no assistance. You want me to warm up? I was made for this. I hop up ready to work because of guilt.

[Amin Elhassan]

I wish I didn't have to stretch. But yes, pretty much like I don't sleep a lot. I sleep maybe like four to five hours a night.

[Chris Cote]

Do you take pride in this though? Because this there are and I don't want to make it seem like I'm being judgmental because I'm sure there are some weird unnecessary things just as a man that I take pride in. That's ridiculous. But this seems like like a ridiculous thing where it's like I could set an alarm and sleep more comfortably and restfully and get up. But you just like, to be able to walk around and say, hey, you know what I don't do? I don't use no alarms. That's the type of mother I am.

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, first of all, we're on air. Second of all, you're making the assumption. You muffled.

[Roy]

You sound so well rested right now. I'm not going to lie. Like, this is the most. You've had great energy all week, but right now, you just sound rested.

[Chris Cote]

Yep.

[Roy]

Sounds like you made the right choice.

[Chris Cote]

I mean, don't need that. I mean, it sounds great, too.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, because I'm. I'm not. You're making the assumption that I'm tired as a result or it makes an impact on my day, but my day. My energy level is fine. I don't drink coffee. I don't. I don't. Like. I don't do any of these. Like, I need my morning Matcha or I don't do any of that stuff.

[Chris Cote]

So this is. You keep doing these voices, which suggests to me that suggests you're a nerd. That. No, no, not even. That I'm a nerd because I drink Matcha. That you think that somehow this makes you, like, Iron man better or cooler or something.

[Amin Elhassan]

Iron man, dude. Think about it. Someone who doesn't get hangovers, who. Who doesn't sleep a lot, who doesn't need coffee. I am the dream. Who has never caught Covid.

[Charlie]

No, you're impressive. Like, his ability to do the show after. His ability to do the show after a red eye is wild.

[Amin Elhassan]

He does it almost every week on the reg, bro. Yeah, they should take.

[Chris Cote]

Like, honestly, he lives in Phoenix. That man got. He got the. He got the bug. You never got it.

[Amin Elhassan]

Never got it.

[Chris Cote]

You got it.

[Amin Elhassan]

Never got.

[Chris Cote]

You just ain't test.

[Amin Elhassan]

No, no, I never. I never. I never. Let me put this way. Obviously, if you're asymptomatic, you don't know whether you got it or not, but I never had symptoms.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, I was like you. I never had the symptoms, but I had to get tested for something. It was like, oh, damn.

[Amin Elhassan]

No, I got tested a bunch of times.

[Chris Cote]

I had a vacation in the basement, too. It was marvelous.

[Amin Elhassan]

I got, like. I wasn't a regular testing. It wasn't like, every week I got to go in for my COVID test, but the times I tested, I always tested negative.

[Chris Cote]

So I guess the thing that I wanted to circle in on is, like, this is one of those, like, stupidly masculine things where you take pride in something that's irrelevant.

[Amin Elhassan]

And is it irrelevant?

[Chris Cote]

It's 100% irrelevant.

[Amin Elhassan]

I don't know.

[Chris Cote]

Like the idea that I don't judge you.

[Amin Elhassan]

Put it on the poll. Would you like to never get hangovers, not need sleep, and not need coffee? Yes or no? If it's irrelevant, it'll come back 90% no, right? Maybe 80% no. If it's irrelevant. I feel like these are traits that are not irrelevant. I feel like these are traits.

[Chris Cote]

You know what? These are traits of what? Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, you know what, Dominique?

[Jeremy]

Dominique, I think you deserve some credit here because you're bringing out the best of Amin by not getting the drink with him last night.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

Take the best of me. The best of me.

[Jeremy]

You're at 100% this morning.

[Chris Cote]

You came in firing. Nah, I think that you're. I think you are talented enough that you at 65, 70% are like, all right, we're cool. But I got you at a hundred today. And this is a different Amin. This is a fired up amin. It's a prepared Amine I gotta overcome.

[Amin Elhassan]

Jeremy. Oh, we started 10 deep in the hole, right? And I gotta mount this comeback.

[Dan Le Batard]

You don't want to talk about the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, your Miami Heat.

[Chris Cote]

Honestly, I'd rather talk about Shohei and the Dodgers. Ain't no start.

[Amin Elhassan]

That ain't a local topic.

[Chris Cote]

I'd rather talk about the.

[Amin Elhassan]

We have a local hour, bro.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's a local hour.

[Amin Elhassan]

It's a local hour. We do local things around here, like go out drinking with our boys. That's a local topic.

[Chris Cote]

I did. It just ended at 10. I was out drinking until 10.

[Amin Elhassan]

Don't get me started on this character Jason Goff.

[Chris Cote]

What about him?

[Amin Elhassan]

What's he got?

[Chris Cote]

He's not even here to defend himself.

[Amin Elhassan]

Exactly. You actually had to be here. He got nothing going on.

[Chris Cote]

You don't know what he got going on.

[Amin Elhassan]

He's still in the church. The church is tithing to taking trips to Miami and going out to Carbone. Wherever y'all went.

[Chris Cote]

He is. We went to Maple and Ash. Maple and Ash and Golf is probably doing community service this morning. He wanted to rest up to help the people. He not even here to defend himself. I do think it's funny, though, that you believe that this junior high ass shit is gonna make me feel embarrassed.

[Amin Elhassan]

What junior high?

[Chris Cote]

When you text us last night, he's like, y'all some nerds. You thought I was gonna be like, oh, my gosh.

[Amin Elhassan]

Amin called me a nerd.

[Charlie]

I'm on my way.

[Chris Cote]

Watch me. I will show you amin.

[Amin Elhassan]

So first of all, that's exactly the voice I hear when I think of you. Number two. No, that was resigned. Like I get it. Like the night's over and so this is me lashing out. Oh, this isn't like maybe I can change their mind by appealing to their whatever.

[Chris Cote]

So yeah, it was just like I lost. So I'm a go ahead and dunk on all of them. I mean, I don't know, I think if, if you're putting things on the pole, I actually, I don't need a poll for this. I don't need valid validation.

[Amin Elhassan]

Coward.

[Chris Cote]

Oh no, it's not a coward. Like, because I felt like what I was going to do was not fair. The truth is, if I lay out the situation, you're a 42 year old father of three with a wife and you got to work at 7 o'clock in the morning. Should you take your ass to bed at 10 o'clock? All respondents are yes. Like that's, that's, that's who I am. That's who I am.

[Amin Elhassan]

And all of them, yeah, I'm 46. That means I put you in your place now. What you talking about? I got three kids and mine are, I got twins in there. That's double the work. That's not like the single like when they add them up, it's more.

[Chris Cote]

I feel like they cancel each other out.

[Amin Elhassan]

No, it's a multiplier effect. I'm telling you brother, I think they.

[Chris Cote]

Keep each other busy because the age.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, busy with like problems with tomfoolery, with shenanigans, with chicanery.

[Stugotz]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Hey there travelers and dreamers. We all have that dream trip that we've been wishing we could go on. But too often life just gets in the way. Whether it's work, family, responsibilities or in my case and I'M sure many of yours price, but your dreamtrip doesn't have to stay a dream any longer because Priceline is here to help you book it with millions of deals on hotels, flights, cruises and rental cars. That bucket list destination? Yeah, it's a lot closer than you think. You know, I've been wanting to go see the Pittsburgh Pirates for a long time at PNC park in Pittsburgh. That's like at the top of my list of bucket list destinations of baseball parks around the country. And because I now know about the type of deals that Priceline offers, I may pull the trigger this summer and go see those Pirates. Priceline makes it easy and stress free to book a flight and a hotel so I can go see my team play live. With millions of travel deals like up to 60% off hotels, I know I'll be able to find great options even when I need to book last minute. So don't just dream about that next trip. Book it with Priceline. Download the Priceline app or visit priceline.com to go to your happy price. Actual prices may vary. Limited time offer terms apply.

[Hannah]

Weather is starting to warm up. Regular season starting to wind down. Games of consequence in sports starting to ramp up. I know what you're going to need by your side. It's by my side already. Miller Lite. Yeah, that's right. I'm making my springtime a Miller Time. I'm making my sports time. Miller Time. Going to a car race Miller Time. Gonna see some tennis Miller Time. Gonna chill in the backyard with some friends and make some memories Miller Time. I love Miller Lite because it's got taste that I know I can depend on. No games, no gimmicks. It's that simple folks. It's just a great beer. For people who like beer. Miller Lite is brewed for taste. It hits different than the other light beers. It's got simple ingredients and at just 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces, Miller Time is always a good time. The original light beer since 1975 and still the very best one. Miller Lite great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Don LeBatard, you're getting started on the breakfast flan.

[Amin Elhassan]

Oh man, I've been singing a song to myself all morning long Breakfast flan. Duh nuh nuh nuh.

[Chris Cote]

Stugats.

[Amin Elhassan]

Have you never heard the breakfast flan, son? No.

[Hannah]

Hit me with it.

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay. I wish I had some breakfast flan. Breakfast flan. Da da da da da da da da. Where can I find a breakfast like that?

[Stugotz]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.

[Chris Cote]

All right, so this is the local hour. I will give. I feel like we got off to a good start. We're gonna. We're gonna go to the bench and bring in Jeremy to see if he can hit us with some Heat topics. Just. I just. I want the on off numbers to not be embarrassing. Okay, so we are sending some of our starters to the bench. We're bringing Jeremy in to give us some Heat stuff in the local hour. Don't blow the lead, Jeremy.

[Dan Le Batard]

A win in Boston is always a good thing. They broke the Celtics nine game win streak which was the longest in the Eastern Conference. Now the heat of won six in a row, coming off losing 10 in a row and they've won all of these by double digits. First team ever to be as bad as they were, lose 10 in a row and then win six straight games by double digits. But it's the way that they're playing that is exciting. If you want to believe in a team getting to the first round and having at least a competitive series with the Cavaliers or the Celtics, which is not something you would have expected, Is.

[Roy]

It the power of friendship?

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean, look, I mentioned Pella Larson and the power of friendship in the preseason and look who's entered the starting lineup and become one of their most important role players. That's Heat rookie second round pick Pella Larson.

[Chris Cote]

Are Heat fans bothered by the fact that we had this argument yesterday that I won against Amin about tanking in the NBA? Are the Heat fans at all concerned about their moving out of an opportunity to get a franchise changing player in Cooper Flag?

[Dan Le Batard]

I think an overwhelming amount of the fan base is still in that space of wishing they would just lose as much as possible and get a top draft prospect because they're sick of what they've sort of conceived as running it back over and over again. Even though there's only three players left on the roster that were here more than a couple of years ago. There's two rookies in the starting lineup and I think you could want to add to a young core, which is totally understandable. The Heat. You guys mentioned protections on draft picks yesterday as a problem. The Heat are actually in an interesting space where if they get their draft pick this year, their picks for next year and 2028 become unprotected if they make the playoffs. Those picks remain protected if things go poorly. So you can look at that as a silver lining if you're one of the fans that wanted to tank and now you make the postseason. But the, the inspiring part if you're a Heat fan is bam. Adebayo and Tyler Herro are both playing some of the best basketball on the offensive end of their careers. And Herro finally overcame the adjustment from other teams and is playing like the all star level of player that he was in the first half of the season. So it's good things to be able to take away whether this leads to anything or not. But am I starting to feel a little delusional? Yeah, I am.

[Charlie]

It's the spin, the washing machines going.

[Chris Cote]

Oh gosh, oh, the spin.

[Amin Elhassan]

I didn't know I heard sound like something dripping. I was like, right.

[Chris Cote]

There's a couple of things in that I thought was interesting. It's interesting that there is, there are these competing interests that while I thought that it's only one drive is to not be good, that in this situation the Heat have the drive to protect their picks going forward, which would be another. Could be a potential future solution too, where it's like, you can't have so many losing seasons in a row or you'd lose your draft pick, right? But the other thing that pops out to me is there's some things that are simple about sports and entertainment of any variety is that you should. That your incentive should be very clear to you. The idea that there are situations where fans want their team to lose, that sucks, man. Like, I never want to be in that situation. And that like, you have to admit, at least, like, if you don't want to agree with me about tanking or about how that impacts the, the quality of the product or the TV product or even the in game experience. You have to admit that it sucks when you are wanting your own team to lose.

[Amin Elhassan]

So what sucks is it's widespread, right? Once upon a time, people watch their team play and they won and they lost and they were happy, they were sad or whatever. And then like there was like a small group of people like me who was like, no, I'm interested in how all this works. Like, and you know, the numbers and the money and da da. And like. And so that's my origin story. I got a copy of the CBA and I was like, I'm gonna read this and understand why these Trades can and can't work, right.

[Chris Cote]

I feel like you should do your voice over again. Cause somebody who picks up a CBA.

[Amin Elhassan]

And was like, oh, I'm interested in.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, there we go.

[Amin Elhassan]

Cap mechanics. On how these trades get consummated. And so I learned. And then I got a career in this, and then I got out of the career doing this, and I started doing media. And I'm doing media from, like, my perspective of, like, this is the stuff that we're thinking about when running teams. And, like, at first, it was, like, a niche thing for a lot of the nerds out there, but now it's turned into, like, everybody, like, you talk about anything. They're like, well, actually, in the cap ram, I'm like, guys, like, it's okay to be happy about getting a player and excited for the season. Oh, I hate this. Now they're not gonna. You know, we're not gonna find out whether so and so is gonna be a thing. And, oh, now we're gonna have, like, the eighth pick instead of third. I'm like, guys, it's okay to be happy for your. As opposed to everything being a big picture conversation. I realized I'm part of the problem, though, because I taught these people how to have a big picture conversation.

[Roy]

I feel the same way. Like, I understand. I call it, like, the GMification of sports fans. Like, I understand fans being, like, interested in that. And. And, like, I'm kind of speaking for myself, too. Like, obviously, I'm. I'm interested in all of the big picture ramifications, but I'm interested in the big picture ramifications, am I?

[Amin Elhassan]

There it is.

[Chris Cote]

God, man. Chris, you might be the mvp.

[Roy]

I want to know what kind of draft pick we're going to get if we lose. But I also want to be a fan, and I want to see my team win.

[Charlie]

And then if you're a fan, you're.

[Chris Cote]

Like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Roy]

It's, like, so into the nitty gritty sometimes where I'm like, oh, now we're talking about, like, comp picks. And like, all. I'm like, this is. I. It's too much. It's. I. I don't. I'm not the gm. I don't need to know the dollars and cents decimal points of the. How much cap space is left.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, it's true. Aprons.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's why I'm crushed to see some fans on Twitter or Blue sky upset about the fact that the heat of 16 in a row here.

[Amin Elhassan]

What are they doing?

[Dan Le Batard]

It's like, what are they doing? Why aren't they losing on purpose? Just lose the playing game. And it's like there's. Not only is there pride, but there's an entertainment value. You're not excited to go into Boston and punk the Celtics to where they're pulling their starters with six minutes left. That's an awesome feeling that you can get in the regular season. Like, that's right there for you, even in a season that's been disappointing.

[Jeremy]

Also, like, LeBron's on the team. There aren't Heath fans watching.

[Roy]

Aw. There's Jeremy and his podcast.

[Jeremy]

I'm on the broadcast.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's devastating. It's as mean of a thing as you could have said to me.

[Jeremy]

Three thirds.

[Amin Elhassan]

There's also, by the way, we should point out, no Porzingis, no Jrue Holiday. And also no fuck to your.

[Dan Le Batard]

No Andrew Wiggins, no Duncan Robinson.

[Amin Elhassan]

Oh, wow.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, there's.

[Roy]

There's contract incentives, too, right? Like, Spell probably gets paid, like, 50 grand to make the play. I don't know how much it is, but, like, players make money to be on an all star team. I mean, Chris, I don't know how much he gets paid. I feel like if I said $500,000, that's way too high. But 50 grand is probably too low. It's somewhere in the middle. I'm just ballparking here.

[Chris Cote]

50 grand and getting spoiled out of the bed. He's. He oversleeping that alarm that.

[Roy]

I mean, how much do you think his playoff incentive bonus structure is?

[Chris Cote]

I don't know, but I know exactly.

[Roy]

You don't know. I just threw out a number.

[Charlie]

Okay, you're pineapple, but thank you, Chris.

[Chris Cote]

I wasn't trying. I wasn't trying to make fun of you. I just was pointing out that 50 grand go motivate him. Yeah. This. To get back a little bit to the tanking of it all. I think that the NBA is in a situation where they have a league that is doing incredibly well right now financially, and it's only kind of a result of the product that they're putting on the floor. And I think they have this unique opportunity to address these problems while the TV money is skyrocketing. And we all acknowledge that the TV money is not skyrocketing because the product is so much better than it was before. It's skyrocketing because the ecosystem has prioritized. Because, I mean, TiVo existed, and then everything's on demand. Everything's a streamer. And sports, as we all know, sports, is hugely valuable. And I think that it's possible that the league and its players believe that they're in better position than they actually are.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah.

[Chris Cote]

And I think that's. You have an opportunity, and rather than accepting that right now oil prices are high so you're raking in the cash, you need to acknowledge that, like, hey, we're headed in a bad direction. Let's address these issues and get ready for being out there in a world where possibly sports won't be overvalued.

[Amin Elhassan]

I've talked about this a lot about. I don't think we're headed in the right direction for several reasons. Tanking isn't one of them, though, but, like, of the way our game is perceived and the way we let our game be perceived by people propagated by the ones that we entrust to sell our game. Right. The biggest, noisiest, most incorrect, oftentimes people are the ones who seem to be working for broadcast partners of the league. And I'm like, the NFL doesn't allow this. They don't let, like, what happened with LeBron and Stephen A. Just go out of control and do what it does. There's a conversation that happens at a high level there where it's like, hey, man, we're doing a thing here. We protect the shield above all. And so. But to that point, I often get into this mental kind of exercise of, I know it's wrong, I know it's bad for the game, I know this isn't ultimately in best service of the game, but if the economics of live programming trumps everything else and the numbers keep going up as a result, how can I, like, where do I have a leg to stand to make an argument that people are going to hear and understand?

[Chris Cote]

I mean, I think this is the problem in, like, just about every business is that the problem starts small. The issue is something small, and you don't address it until it metastasizes into something that'll hurt you because you have some level of protection. Like, that's what leadership is, being able to make this decision now or be able to address this now. And I think part of the problem when you talk about your game is the unwillingness to accept you. And it's not just you, but people in basketball seem to be so defensive of the game and want to protect the game and not acknowledge the fact that there are are issues and the issues need to be addressed. So when I bring up tanking, maybe the way that I characterize it isn't perfect. But rather than you acknowledge, like, yeah, there Is some things wrong with this? You say your response and people like your response is, no, everyone's wrong. You just don't understand it, which is not true. It's just a perception thing.

[Amin Elhassan]

But that's.

[Chris Cote]

No, it's not true.

[Amin Elhassan]

That, that. That's my point. First of all, it's perfection. Perfection, Perfection. You'll listen to it later.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, I didn't hear you. I didn't hear you. You misspoke. Sorry.

[Amin Elhassan]

No, that was you, not me, sir.

[Charlie]

You said Perthic and he brought it back.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, okay.

[Amin Elhassan]

Typically, that's what I'm doing. If I. If you're like, why is he pronouncing like that? It's like, yeah, it's because you did it. Right. But it's not about perfection, right? It's not about it being 100% accurate in every case. Of course, there are times where it's like, yeah, they're tanking. That's not cool. Right? But what I'm saying is, in the grand scheme of the problems that face our league, this is a small one. This is a very small one that does not deserve the attention that we give it. Because ultimately, what are we talking about? Do we really give a shit that Charlotte versus Washington was a lightly watched game? And by the way, if they played all their guys, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. You know why? Cuz they're bad either way. And so the reality is, the real things that we have an issue with are people who are, again I say it, the people entrusted to sell our game are doing the opposite. Whether it's, there's too many threes, whether it's, our generation is so much better than your generation. Whether it's like, hey, he's a dumbass who's talking about my son and like, hey, man, your son's garbage. Like all of that stuff, that's the stuff that does not help our sport. I think it's really telling that the biggest thing in football is a football game. And the biggest thing in basketball is who got traded, who signed where, you found out who got drafted six minutes before the pick was announced. Why is that so important? Why do we give a shit about shit that we would have discovered anyway?

[Jeremy]

Well, a huge part of it is. Exactly. You're talking about when you are disincentivizing the games being important, the games become less important. I mean, I mean, this is the organizations right now, this is the problem that the NBA has to face is that if teams can't sell success, they're selling hope, which is incentivizing for fans to want the worst draft pick to want tanking. And Silver is in a really interesting position. They have the $76.5 billion TV deal. He has to find solutions that don't feel like gimmicks, period. Full stop. It's the thing that Goodell has done the best of, which is being a steward of the game as a product without making it feel ultra gimmicky. And there's not.

[Chris Cote]

It's.

[Jeremy]

It's not an easy solution. If we all came up with it, they would just put it in.

[Dan Le Batard]

Bama de Bios shooting 41% from three over his last 30 games. Guys care about the product on the court. It's cool to see guys who had slow starts to the season, even in a season that could have been a season where they gave up, actually try to get better and improve and try to win games down the stretch, even when their team lost 10 in a row. That's a good thing for the sport. Bama to Bio. Good thing for the sport.

[Amin Elhassan]

We are sending mixed signals because on the one hand we're like, we should be talking about the product. And then he thought the product. Shut up, Jeremy. So I don't know what I want.

[Roy]

Well, that's just because it's Jeremy.

[Chris Cote]

Yep. And it's. Yeah. I mean.

[Roy]

Chris, tell us about the Heat game last night. I want to hear your take on it.

[Charlie]

It was so good.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah. Nice. That's brilliant insight.

[Jeremy]

I got a question. Do you think there was a shiver sent down Dan's spine when Amin mentioned Stephen A. Smith in. In this studio, on this show with these co hosts talking about that topic with that guy in that league.

[Amin Elhassan]

It's 6:30 in the morning on the west coast where Dan is.

[Jeremy]

He's been up since.

[Charlie]

He's been texting for two hours, I think.

[Amin Elhassan]

I think he went back to bed and he was in a deep slumber. Probably the best slumber he's had the entire trip. Valerie's next to him. Everyone's feeling great. And then I said those words and he just shot up in the middle of the bed. And Valerie's like, what's wrong, honey? He's like, they're talking about Stephen a. Smith and LeBron coming to steal all the economies, like throwing away in that Gatorade commercial.

[Chris Cote]

Cold sweat.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah.

[Chris Cote]

At some point, Charlie, I don't know if I'm putting you out there on something you don't want out there or not, but you'll forgive me. But Charlie has a game that he plays when we. When listening to the Dan Lebatard show, it's called dango. And I think that he has to. At some point, you got to let everybody in on Dan Go.

[Jeremy]

So I'll be making boards. Oh, you guys can keep them also. Pass them out tomorrow, like, bingo.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

And you can keep them in once. It'll be our little impact on the show for the next couple weeks.

[Amin Elhassan]

Nice.

[Jeremy]

There'll be all of the danisms, the Dan sayings, the slam Dan.

[Charlie]

We've been playing that for a year back here, but for years back.

[Jeremy]

At some point over the next couple weeks, you'll get a dango. It could be economies. It could be. But Stugatz, I don't know if that infrastructure. And once you get a dango, yell it out, explain what it was.

[Chris Cote]

That's gangster. That was one of my favorites.

[Dan Le Batard]

Some gangster shit.

[Amin Elhassan]

That one doesn't. That one doesn't come as often as it used to. There was a time when everything was gangster shit. Anytime Dominique is on. Anytime Dominique is on, because it's always Dominique thought, like, these guys are titans of industry. And then he walks in and he realizes these guys are just morons. And that's the gangster shit.

[Chris Cote]

I'm like, okay, they are morons. I just think they average.

[Jeremy]

Can I ask one question? What's ht?

[Charlie]

That is Dan often, after a segment, will just lay on the floor, which we, for years would be like, maybe he's sleepy. I don't know. And then we had. Did we have his trainer on?

[Roy]

We learned he said the name of the person who, like, is doing the whole diet thing. And I went on their website and there's like a whole section called Horizontal Time. And it's trademarked.

[Charlie]

So we just deduced. We actually. I don't think we've actually talked to Dan about.

[Amin Elhassan]

No.

[Roy]

We're revealing this on airfield.

[Charlie]

We just know now that when he's doing that, that's. That's him being like, I need some HT and some horizontal time. I don't think he calls it ht. I call it ht.

[Amin Elhassan]

I would think of horizontal time as something completely different.

[Chris Cote]

If somebody told me, you try to have a little ht, little horizontal time, I'd say, I'm married.

[Amin Elhassan]

Right.

[Chris Cote]

Is that the right voice?

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, I would think that it would be your wife. That was something your wife would say with the kids around. Don't want to be too crude, but like, hey, guys, like Dominique, can we get some HT tonight?

[Roy]

No, it's apparently like a digestion thing.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, well, the kids know. I mean, we ain't hiding it. They know how they got here. Like, hey, yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

Are you like, is it with the house? How's the house layout? Master bedroom versus children's bedrooms?

[Chris Cote]

Oh, so it's. This is. It's on one side. My bedroom's on one side. There's a hallway.

[Amin Elhassan]

Got it.

[Chris Cote]

All the kids on the other side.

[Charlie]

Long hallway, though.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah. There you go.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, yeah, the hallway.

[Amin Elhassan]

Is there a red light?

[Chris Cote]

I mean, it's not that long, but it gets the job done.

[Amin Elhassan]

You get a red light bulb on, like you put on in the hallway, that light's on, you know, TLC over here. I'm just saying, don't come wandering around. Actually, it was from a Seagal movie, right? The light in the hallway was red. I'm like, why? Well, we're not gonna do that here.

[Chris Cote]

I would like to find out, though, what you would do because. And maybe I'm beating this dead horse. But if you are saying that the problem is the way that the game is presented, how do you address that as an issue other than make changes to the game? If it's about not the way the game's being presented, the way the game is being discussed. And how do you disentangle the fact that what. I believe the reason why these transactions are so much more important in your game, as you call it, than my game. In football, like football, there are only 17 games. Maybe they're going to 18 games. The games matter so damn much. And that's why we care about the games. I think that the games in basketball have been devalued by the league and its players because there's so many games. There's the load management thing, there's the tanking thing that all these off season things become, or these transaction things become greatly important. Right?

[Amin Elhassan]

But I think, I mean, it's not like we added games. It's not like we, like, all of a sudden people are like, hey, you know what? I think I'm going to be bad for Tim Duncan or bad for LeBron James or bad for, like, this has all existed, right? Like, so that what's happening isn't the game has changed. And it's what's happening is the way we talk about the game. And that circles back again. Like, what's my responsibility in all of this? In me being someone who worked at ESPN supposedly supposed to be someone selling the game? And I'm talking about, yeah, that's a bad move by the front office. They should have done. Chicago should have traded Pau Gasol and traded all these guys and gotten picks because their season's going nowhere. And I know from an analysis standpoint I was right, especially when I look at what happened to the Bulls afterwards. But the reality is, man, like, if I converted however many minds into thinking like that, I've actively hurt the game. Some things aren't meant to be told, I guess.

[Chris Cote]

Right. And I think that, that the issue I would say exists is the environment around. So you're right. A lot of these things are not new, but the environment around it has changed. And like with the 24 hour SP and now with all the YouTube, there's so much to fill if the games are not as consequential as we want them to be. Like, if one basketball game is only equivalent to a fraction of a football game, obviously we're not going to spend the whole day talking about a fraction of a football game. But we have to fill that space with some sort of conversation. And if only, if we go back to the 90s, only so, so many teams were interesting. And that's all you needed because there was only so many networks, only so much to talk about. Now we got to fill up all these networks, all these fan bases, all these YouTube podcasts and all that. That's for every little market. And the game has not evolved in a way that allows 82 games for 30 teams to matter. And so rather than do that, you know what, it's on my list of topics today. Where might Kevin Durant go next year? Because like, that's interesting to me. Because you know what's not interesting right now? The Suns. They don't care about the 11th place Suns.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know what is interesting? And speaking of transactions, since joining the Miami Heat, in 24 games, Davion Mitchell is shooting 47% from three.

[Chris Cote]

And I think this also to speak to the media stuff of it is like the ringification of it all is like I, and this is, I'm guilty of this also. I have a hard time appreciating a team that's just good or a team that's just. I like to watch. Like I. When you tell me about the Heat doing this, like they got a damn chance.

[Jeremy]

This is a, this is a great blind spot that I'm glad you realized because this is like the Donovan Mitchell conversation we talked about, which is like the very good players, the all NBA players that it's either are you good enough to be a 1A on a championship team or you're not interested.

[Chris Cote]

You got to explain this. You're Doing callbacks to our show that no one knows our show.

[Jeremy]

We've argued about whether or not Donovan Mitchell's good for now, like three years. It's because when the Knicks didn't trade for Donovan Mitchell, there was the, the ESPN news cycle being like, New York dodged a bullet. They have more space now. They want to give all their picks. And it's like, now it's like a 65 win team. And he's done this on multiple organizations, but because there's a perception that he can't be the one on the championship team, he's not interesting to a lot of fans.

[Charlie]

As a casual basketball fan, I still think the Celtics are better. Just, I'm just, I look at the Cavs and I'm just like, nah, Celtics, right?

[Chris Cote]

But even if the Celtics are better, I think that Charlie's calling me out in this point and saying, but, but the Cavs are good and fun to watch. And I, every time the Cavs come up in our conversations, me and Charlie, I'm like, yeah, man, exactly. I hit him with that 1920s mobster.

[Jeremy]

Sound that you just hit the line. Can't just be, are you as good as LeBron or Curry? And that's my point.

[Amin Elhassan]

So let me ask you this question. Why do you think in football you guys don't have this phenomenon, which is, man, if Joe Montana played today, he would have had 17 million touchdowns and 800 receiving yards. Whatever. Like, or vice versa, man, if Patrick Mahomes played back in the 70s, man, he would have had like 17 million yards or whatever. Why, why don't y'all ever have those stupid ass conversations that seem to have our sport by a chokehold because CTE.

[Chris Cote]

Assures that they don't even remember that they play?

[Amin Elhassan]

That's a good point.

[Roy]

I feel like football has plenty of stupid debates.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, we do have plenty of stupid debates. I'm just joking.

[Amin Elhassan]

What is the stupid debate that y'all have?

[Roy]

I mean, all of them.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

No, but like.

[Jeremy]

Cause Josh Allen versus Lamar Jackson. But it's been going on for years.

[Chris Cote]

He's talking about the cross generation debt debate. Yeah. What?

[Amin Elhassan]

There it is. Dango. Across generations. But no, but that's my point. It's like you can have a Josh Allen versus Lamar Jackson. You know how you settle it when Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson play against each other?

[Charlie]

That's how they settle in it.

[Amin Elhassan]

By when.

[Hannah]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Hey friends, it's Jerrabear here and I'm here to tell you all about Boost Mobile, which is now a legit nationwide 5G network. So I must take a break from the jokes here for a second and put on my serious voice because I would never, ever joke about a 5G network that has invested billions building 5G towers across the country. Not even once. Not even if Mr. Boost Mobile himself asked me to. There is nothing funny about it. Boost Mobile is now a legit nationwide 5G network and also provides coverage across 99% of America. Seriously? Visit boostmobile.com or your nearest Boost Mobile store location to learn more. The Boost Mobile network, together with our roaming partners, covers 99% of the US population. 5G speeds not available in all areas.