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- [00:01]
Dan Le Batard
This message is brought to you by Venmo. It's not easy being a football fan, especially in the postseason. Watching your favorite team botch a fourth and long, failing to get out of bounds on a two minute drive or fumbling the transfer on a simple handoff, that's hard. But transferring money with Venmo on DraftKings, that's easy. Football is hard. Paying with Venmo is easy. At your favorite brands all playoff long gambling problem, call 1-800-Gumbersler. New York call 8778 Hope NY or text Hope NY, Connecticut call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org 18/ plus in most states, restrictions apply terms draftkings.com he's doing it again. Dan who is?
- [00:38]
Zaslow
Jeremy. He's doing it again.
- [00:40]
Jeremy
He won't stop.
- [00:41]
Dan Le Batard
Oh my God. You're talking about how he won't shut up about how the Giannis stuff is all bigger than the Super Bowl.
- [00:47]
Zaslow
Yes, yes, yes. This is like three days in a row now. And I get it. Like the super bowl, okay, it's over a week away. I understand. And for that matter, the NBA trade deadlines, you know, little less than a week away. But like he's doing it again. He's trying to convince everybody that he literally just said talking about Giannis, this is the biggest story in sports. And then he adds the caveat there. You know, it was super bowl too. But you know, like he, like he's doing it again.
- [01:11]
Tony
In his defense, though, obviously the super.
- [01:13]
Jeremy
Bowl is still a week away.
- [01:14]
Tony
We've got next week to really gear up and get ready and get real excited about the Super Bowl. But right now, stands to reason Giannis is the biggest story in sports on today's Friday day.
- [01:24]
Jeremy
Very obviously the biggest story in sports today.
- [01:27]
Mike Ryan
Today I'm just happy everybody showed up for work.
- [01:29]
Tony
I was gonna be here no matter.
- [01:30]
Dan Le Batard
What the trade deadline, though, is. As Zaz just mentioned, it's also a week away, six days away. And you know, there are a number of big stories in sports. We're not covering Denny Hamlin correctly. And also Djokovic right now is brawling with sinner like this is this. If you like tennis right now, it's rare for sporting events to be happening while we're on the show, but Djokovic as an athlete has more titles, more majors than anybody. And when I say that, that's a staggering thing to say given that he played against two other. Djokovic is during his time, like Serena doesn't have as many majors as Djokovic and Serena was not playing against two other Serenas at the same time. What Djokovic is doing right now, do you think. Mike, do you. Do you think as we watch this, the fifth set of Djokovic and Sinner, do you think that Djokovic knows, like we know right now that Sinner's better than him?
- [02:33]
Inner Monologue Voice
Good job on the name.
- [02:35]
Dan Le Batard
Almost stumbled, but you got through. I don't think that's good for my inner monologue. You gotta understand the voice. You gotta understand it. I didn't understand what you were saying. Okay, we'll work on it.
- [02:45]
Jeremy
Workshopping sounds. So just so I can get this right, were deciding yesterday that 20 minutes of high Lucas talk is more interesting than Giannis and that today old Novak Djokovic and quote, we're not covering Denny Hamlin correctly is more interesting than the Yanis stuff. That's our. That's our barometer here.
- [03:06]
Dan Le Batard
Djokovic has done a lot more winning than Giannis, but fair enough. Fair point by you. Look at Djokovic right there. Look at that shot. Do you think that Djokovic knows Sinner is better than him?
- [03:18]
Zaslow
I think so.
- [03:19]
Dan Le Batard
You think so? Yeah. So then why wouldn't he think he's gonna lose? Here?
- [03:23]
Inner Monologue Voice
How's this one?
- [03:25]
Dan Le Batard
That. Well, I didn't hear.
- [03:27]
Inner Monologue Voice
It's gotta be different, man. Okay, what do you want from me?
- [03:31]
Dan Le Batard
But I. I did not understand my inner monologue.
- [03:35]
Inner Monologue Voice
Everyone else did. It's gotta sound different. It's confusing if it's my normal voice.
- [03:42]
Dan Le Batard
Right? But I still don't know what you said as my inner monologue. And it's gonna be hard to do the show if I don' own inner monologue.
- [03:52]
Inner Monologue Voice
How's this one?
- [03:55]
Dan Le Batard
I understand that you want to make it weak. You want to. But you made it sound like. I think weak is the way to go. I, I. That I understood. So I don't whisper, you guys. I. I got enough voices in my head. This one's tough. This is the Dan Levator show with the ST Podcast.
- [04:17]
Tony
By the way, I'm not a big hockey guy, obviously. I just found out that the Mammoths team.
- [04:22]
Mike Ryan
Just Mammoth.
- [04:24]
Tony
Okay, so the Mammoth are a team. Hockey is. Backjack is a banger. That one's better than all the other Backjack songs we have, and it's great.
- [04:31]
Zaslow
I agree.
- [04:32]
Dan Le Batard
Is hockey back, Jack, or is the season over? Stover. Like, is it back?
- [04:39]
Zaslow
I was. I was really over.
- [04:41]
Dan Le Batard
Over. We move on.
- [04:43]
Zaslow
I was really upset last night, Dan.
- [04:44]
Jeremy
I.
- [04:45]
Zaslow
For the first time this season. I mean, Mike you could say what I put in the hockey chat last night. Like, I think I wrote, panthers are effing terrible. And I don't ever speak like that. I was really allowing us to share that. I was really. Yeah, well, you know, this one kind.
- [04:59]
Mike Ryan
Of feels like it's being undone.
- [05:02]
Zaslow
I. It feels like we're getting close to the point where it's just too much to overcome. And it's going to be teams ahead.
- [05:09]
Dan Le Batard
Of them are not losing.
- [05:10]
Mike Ryan
Like, it's really hard. Yeah, it's really hard to make the playoffs in that sport again. This sport could totally do with more teams because everyone, right, like, half the.
- [05:20]
Zaslow
League makes the playoffs. So it's like, oh, it's very easy. No, it's really hard to make the playoffs in that league. Dan. The Panthers are eight points back of a playoff spot.
- [05:30]
Dan Le Batard
So when you say really hard, this brings me to another subject. And I'll tie Giannis in, even though I'm watching Djokovic and Sinner right now. And we rarely have this kind of sporting event going on during the show. So please keep me updated on this because I'm actually interested. Fading champions, dying champions, watching them fight desperately is always interesting to me. And I was just asking during the shadow show, do you think that Djokovic knows that Sinner is better than him? And I don't think that's a concession that Djokovic would make while still playing tennis. I don't think that you can win if you lack confidence that way. You almost always have to think you're able to win. But when it comes to the playoffs, making the playoffs being hard. I loved part of the conversation that we were having yesterday, and I don't remember even the specifics of what it's about, but the idea of when critiquing sports or franchises or anything, the acknowledgement somewhere in there that a certain thing is really hard to do offers some nuance that might balance perspective on things. And I bring it up as it relates to the Heat. Mike Ryan has checked out on the Miami Heat largely over the last few years of frustration, because his stance is what the Miami Hurricanes did this year, what the Panthers have done the last couple of years, the things that are incredibly hard to do. And so not unlike you saying the Panthers bleeping or terrible. Mike Ryan has been wandering around for several years now saying the Heat stink, but they don't actually stink. They won against Chicago yesterday. They've got three straight games against Chicago. But the perspective I wanted to add.
- [07:14]
Zaslow
To this, get excited for that.
- [07:16]
Dan Le Batard
Well, here's the thing, right? Where they've set the standard is interesting on where things are hard. Zaslow. Because no one here is going to get excited about that because of where they've set the standard. But when we talk about things being hard, the model franchise in this market, even with two time champion Panthers now no longer possibly being in the playoffs for 30 years, 30 has been the Miami Heat. I understand why you're frustrated with that. You want to take a guess when I talk about hard, how things are hard. You want to take a guess how many franchises in the last 330 years in basketball have done more winning than the Miami heat the last 30 years straight. Go ahead and take a guess. How many of them have done better than the Heat?
- [07:57]
Mike Ryan
Spurs, Warriors, Lakers.
- [07:59]
Dan Le Batard
Spurs and Lakers are it. And it's Lakers. Barely. It ain't Michael Jordan's Bulls. It ain't the warriors shirt. Hell isn't the Knicks. It's not. It's not the Celtics. The Miami Heat for three straight decades. Three straight. They never do what Sacramento does for a season or Atlanta's done for all of those 30 seasons. Never. They're always in it. And now we're talking Giannis. These things are hard. It's really hard to win like that when everyone else is trying to prevent you from winning like that. Everyone else cares the same way you do about making sure you don't win like that. So the Knicks would kill to have Jimmy Butler against the Nuggets in the finals, but they don't get it for 30 years. And so the perspective on what's great never gets to be as great if second place is always a loser and if third place on 30 years of winning in the league is the Miami Heat stink when they don't stink this year, they clearly don't stink.
- [08:58]
Mike Ryan
No, they're ordinary. But I think that this is the longest run under Pat Riley that the Miami Heat haven't had a chance. No, no. I think they were bad. The, the year that they got Beasley 19.
- [09:13]
Zaslow
They were kind of a nothing.
- [09:15]
Mike Ryan
Yeah. 15 to 19. Yeah. Yeah.
- [09:18]
Dan Le Batard
More. Morning. Morning. Getting sick affected a lot of people.
- [09:21]
Mike Ryan
Bosh Bosch getting sick because I remember dancing with an inflatable horse celebrating Goran Dragic and they were a game away from making it to the Eastern Conference finals and matching up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. So I think this is the most prolonged stretch on Pat Riley's watch that, that they've just been ordinary without a real shot at winning the title. And there have been some lean years. There have been number two overall Pick years. There was that time where they were, like, the five seed in a Bad east, and we were all wondering if we're wasting Dwyane Wade's prime. But you knew that you had that piece. Who's the guy that you build around right now? We've been talking ourselves into bam. I think we've maxed out that ceiling. So I think the issue here is, I understand that they're not a bad team, but in that sport, they're arguably the worst thing that you can be mediocre for an extended period, but you're.
- [10:09]
Dan Le Batard
Saying mediocre for an extended period of time. And I would say that's been the magic for 30 years. And they had Shaq like, well, the.
- [10:15]
Mike Ryan
Magic have a different standard. Pat, I'm telling you, this is the worst run of all.
- [10:20]
Dan Le Batard
Right? I understand that it's a different standard, but what I'm telling you about. These things are hard, okay, is that everyone wants what the Heat have had for the last 30 years, which is you almost always matter. Like the Timberwolves matter now. They haven't mattered for 30 years, and they haven't played. You said they haven't played in the finals in a long time. They were there three years ago. The Timberwolves have never been there. Like, they played. They had Kevin Garnett. They've never been there in third. Like, these things are really hard. But I don't feel like we do understand when we talk about it, because you say, well, it's a different st. Well, everyone's got the standard of they want to win the championship. And one franchise is clearly better than the Heat over the last 30 years, it's the spurs, and no one else is clearly better. Perhaps a little dab of a paper towel on the forehead. See, I didn't understand what my inner monologue was there. I didn't understand. Yeah, but you're next to him, and you hear the way he's saying it without the voice, like, Chris, do you not understand that you're hearing the way that he's saying that? I don't want to get bogged down.
- [11:30]
Jeremy
I have headphones on.
- [11:31]
Zaslow
But I think. I think part of the issue, or a major part of the issue over these last several years, the Heat fan sees all of these other teams that are out there making the moves. They're trying to take swings. And the Heat have never been committed to doing that these last years because they're waiting and they're waiting and they're waiting for the right moment, the exact right moment to actually Pounce. And that's why they've been a, you know, above average team, barely above average team. But now, like this, this right here. The Heat, by my counts, have only gone all in one time in the history of the franchise. In a trade, that's when you push all the chips to the center of the table and you say, take whatever you want. And that was with Shaq. All right? It's the only time they've ever done that.
- [12:16]
Dan Le Batard
That's actually not true. They didn't. They didn't add weight in that.
- [12:19]
Zaslow
It was, yes, correct.
- [12:20]
Dan Le Batard
It was correct, but it was all the chips.
- [12:22]
Zaslow
Except for keeping this one and here's everything else, but we're keeping this one piece. Tell us what you want. Yes, but that's going all in. All right, in this instance as well, they are going all in for Giannis. They're going to keep. Bam, right over here. Here's everything else. Tell us what you want. And like, if this is what they've been selling us with their flexibility and their maneuverability for the last few years, this is it, man. Like, make it happen now.
- [12:50]
Tony
To that point, I think he fans have been frustrated when big names have come in the market and everybody from, you know, across the street has been like, no, hold, hold. We're not yet. We're not doing it yet. But then when the Heat fan sees the trade for Terry Rosier, where a first round pick gets over there and then he gets indicted for gambling, and then all of a sudden that happens, you're like, wait a second. The one time we try and make a move that something weird happens. Now we don't have the asset. We need to maybe go make this massive asset happen.
- [13:15]
Zaslow
Like, exchange, like, can I add that whichever way you want to look at it, that the Heat obviously should not have done the Terry Rozier trade.
- [13:22]
Tony
They should have been told at least.
- [13:23]
Zaslow
Or Adam Silver should do the right thing and require the Heat to get their 27 first round pick back. If the Heat, if that trade either never happened or Adam Silver did the right thing, the Heat would be a lock to get Giannis. All right, let's be a lot.
- [13:38]
Dan Le Batard
Let's. Let's talk about this for a second because it's interesting. A lot of parts of this are interesting. The best options that Giannis would have and the Bucks would have, it would appear, are the warriors in the Heat, and the warriors is a better option. That's interesting for a number of reasons, including that the warriors have so much flexibility as a well run organization that has not won as much as the heat the last 30 years that they just traded for the Heat's best player and still have the assets available to have a better offer.
- [14:11]
Zaslow
Well, if I can have. Why do you say that about the Warriors? They've won four titles during that span.
- [14:14]
Dan Le Batard
Oh, but over the last 30 years. Okay, fine, we can say that. But by winning percentage.
- [14:19]
Zaslow
Oh, just like going back to 94. They were shitty for like 15 years.
- [14:22]
Dan Le Batard
Okay, you're right. Over the last 30 years, the better winning over the last 30 years, the warriors are under.500.
- [14:28]
Zaslow
Okay, yeah, you're right. You're right.
- [14:29]
Inner Monologue Voice
Give him a hard look. Make sure he never corrects you on the air again.
- [14:34]
Mike Ryan
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- [15:45]
Dan Le Batard
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- [16:16]
Tony
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- [16:50]
Dan Le Batard
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- [17:09]
Jeremy
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- [17:13]
Dan Le Batard
Dkng CO Audio Limited time offer. Don Levitard all these high paid analysts. I don't want to mention names. Tnt, espn, you know. Oh yeah, they. They are dead. They cannot. They're not going to make it, you know, even if they win in. If they lose in Miami. I need to calm you down. I need to calm down. That's right. They lose in Miami, they don't got a chance in Boston or they are going to have their ass. You know what? In Boston, one, you know, st. They were wrong. They were. Are they going to lose their job? No. Are they going to get a cutting page? No. What are they going to do?
- [17:49]
Zaslow
Keep predicting.
- [17:50]
Dan Le Batard
What is the obvious. They're going to say, oh, the Nuggets are going to win. Oh, Denver, the attitude. And you know what? The Heat are going to win it all. This is the Dan lebatar show with the stuff. The warriors traded for the Miami Heat's best player and still have more flexibility and assets because their offer can be better. And I believe that the only way that Giannis ends up in Miami, given that the warriors are playing for the win now of Steph's got a win right now, while the Heater playing for Riley got to win before it's all over, the best chance that he'd have is that Giannis doesn't want to do the Durant thing of. I'm going to go be coattails. I'm going to go be the number two. And I don't like what's going to happen to the warriors after Steph retires, where I'm going to end up being Milwaukee again. That's the best chance, I think, that he'd have. Giannis wanting to be here because it gets to be his.
- [18:56]
Zaslow
Why does Milwaukee care about that?
- [18:59]
Dan Le Batard
Because Giannis is going to tell them where it is that he wants to go. And they may or may not want to please Giannis here as part of the transaction. If they can get something close to what it is that the warriors would be offering at which. Which they can, they can get something close, but the warriors offer is better.
- [19:16]
Tony
I think there's an issue, too, with. With a bit of subtraction by addition, right? Where you have Giannis, you get him there. But it took so much. It took such a heaven and earth move to get all of your roster gutted, to get all your picks out of the way, where now you're looking around at the locker room and it's Steph and it's Giannis, and it's like, maybe Draymond's there, maybe he's not. And then all of a sudden, In a year, two, Steph's 37, he's turning 38 in March. We got two years left of Steph, three years maybe. And at that point, Giannis is looking around being like, this is Milwaukee West. I'm back in hell, and there's nothing I can do about it because there's no picks, there's no assets whatsoever. Like that to me, seems like a very tough place to be when you can go somewhere in the east and make the NBA Finals every single season.
- [19:55]
Jeremy
There's a combination of things here. I found it really interesting both that aspect of it, because there's been no indication thus far that the warriors are a preferred destination of Giannis. There's been reporting that the Heat are. There's been reporting that he has interest in playing with Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. We know about the Knicks. The warriors have been a piece of this without any guarantee that Giannis would extend. So their mammoth offer, which would include Pajemski and Moses Moody and Jonathan Kaminga and Jimmy Butler, and then four picks and three pick swaps, maybe that's not something that the warriors are fully willing to put out there, even with that Steph window. Maybe they see a hybrid version where, hey, they come get Andrew Wiggins or Anthony Davis, but even beyond that, I don't know that that offer that the warriors are putting out there for the Bucks is the best thing for the Bucks either where you say, oh, but they can acquire four first round picks in three swaps. Well, if all of a sudden it's Giannis and Steph and they're going to be the maybe the best team in the NBA competing for championships the next few years, that pick swap means nothing. Two of those first round picks are at the end of the first round and you're looking at the Heat picks being in the future and delivering you a good young core right now. You get wear and other supplementary pieces who are under 25 years old, probably in all. All star level guard. And Tyler herro, who's only 25. You don't need.
- [21:29]
Inner Monologue Voice
He's talking too much. You don't need to keep Denny Hamlin.
- [21:35]
Jeremy
All right, Denny Hamlin talk. Let's go.
- [21:37]
Dan Le Batard
Was that Mike, because that's what was going on in my head, or was that Mike like that? Did I. Did that come out on air? I thought that that. Did you say that or was that just.
- [21:45]
Inner Monologue Voice
Can Jeremy hear me?
- [21:47]
Jeremy
Jeremy, will you cry if we don't get Giannis? Only if Terry Rozier isn't allowed to be moved. And that's the thing.
- [21:53]
Zaslow
I already put this out there.
- [21:55]
Tony
Can you imagine, as I already imagine.
- [21:57]
Zaslow
That I already murdered Pablo Torre? I already laid down the gauntlet. Adam Silver, if the Heat make a trade for Giannis, if in theory they have a trade and an acquire, it involves Terry Rozier's contract, and then you come out and say that you're not allowed to trade Terry Rozier's contract. I already dared him.
- [22:16]
Tony
You did. You double dog dared him at the end.
- [22:18]
Zaslow
I double dare. I double double dare you, Adam Silver to cancel a trade for Giannis that involves terror. I double dare you, Dan.
- [22:27]
Tony
That would be the most unprecedented thing ever, right in sports where he.
- [22:30]
Zaslow
Him going against my double dare.
- [22:32]
Tony
That and a gambling. A gambling scandal where the team was not let. Under the. Under the. They didn't know what was going on.
- [22:40]
Dan Le Batard
Okay, Spit it out, Tone.
- [22:44]
Zaslow
Look how. Look how.
- [22:45]
Inner Monologue Voice
Even need me there.
- [22:46]
Mike Ryan
Look at him.
- [22:47]
Zaslow
He's. He lost all confidence.
- [22:49]
Mike Ryan
Yeah, that was unfortunate. It's okay, buddy. I think part of the Terry Rozier thing that we need to consider is.
- [22:58]
Dan Le Batard
Minor penalty, two minutes for leaking conference.
- [23:00]
Tony
You know what? It's fair. I'll take that one.
- [23:02]
Mike Ryan
It is.
- [23:03]
Tony
I was looking at Zaz and he was looking at me, and then I was looking at Dan and then I heard the inner monologue and I was.
- [23:06]
Mike Ryan
Like, oh, God, the inner monologue's tricky. Okay, I understand.
- [23:10]
Jeremy
Look, it's a.
- [23:11]
Mike Ryan
It's a whole new world out there. It's a new toy. I didn't get it.
- [23:13]
Jeremy
I dance here.
- [23:15]
Mike Ryan
I. I worry about the Terry Rozier thing because Adam Silver hasn't really given us much on the record about hypothetical. So this thing's gonna need to play out a little bit.
- [23:25]
Zaslow
Why would the commissioner, you know, make sure everybody's on anything?
- [23:28]
Mike Ryan
Yeah, I understand the Heat perspective on this. As someone that thinks it's wholly unfair, I share your frustration. But Adam Silver has got a hedge against there are going to be more Terry Roziers, and what I do right now is going to serve as precedent. And it's a lot trickier than it appears just from the Heat perspective, because you never know how this can be manipulated by other teams in the future.
- [23:55]
Zaslow
What did the precedent be? Let's make sure teams that know they have a player being investigated by the FBI discloses that information.
- [24:01]
Dan Le Batard
Wouldn't that be the President Zaslo? You're emotional about this, and I understand. Also, I need to tell everybody that the Zaslo double dare doesn't seem to mean anything. You double dared Baruby the other day like this double dare, triple dare, it doesn't mean anything. You're talking tough and it's just empty. But getting back to reading tea leaves and whatever it is that you love about the transaction action, if the Heat are going to get back in this game, why is Giannis's mom posting on social media photos of Giannis at the Miami Heats Arena? What. What is happening there on the tea leave front? I understand the point that Tony was trying to make before he started leaking confidence. I don't know if you guys saw the Philadelphia game yesterday against Sacramento, but Embiid is going for 40 or Maxi is going for 37 or the reverse of that. And they're winning by two against Sacramento because Paul Geor is fumes of himself and Edgecombe isn't the same thing he was at the beginning of the season. And all of a sudden, it takes what's left of Embiid and all of Maxey to win the King to beat the Kings by two. Because this shit's hard. Like, it's hard to beat all these teams and build a complete team. However, the Miami Heat have in their history. I'm going to say that given the condition that Shaq was in with the Heat, even though they won a championship with him, have had only two players as Good as Giannis ever. And whether he's hurt and whether you think he's old, that is a player that you have to get because the ones that you have are not good enough. And by your own standard, the highest of standards, Pat Riley, it's winning or misery by your own standard. This team is playing for championships and we know that this one's not good enough as is. They're going to play the Chicago's and the Atlantas and the Orlandos and that's where they're going to be. And that isn't good enough. Giannis alters that. It's a player you have to have even if you think he's injured, even if you think he's old. It's the kind of player you have to have. Because the Heat have only had two like that ever. And one of them is objecting on television. Okay. To Rudy Gobert wandering around saying, still again and again, if in 2013, if, if my team had gotten to the finals, we would have beaten the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade still not having it 12 years later. So Rudy is one of my teammates now and I could not come here and not bring him a gift. Ooh, ooh, what we got? I'm not sure that I brought Rudy a gift at the same time. Since we talking about championships.
- [26:37]
Mike Ryan
Bling bling.
- [26:37]
Dan Le Batard
Since we celebrate championships. Rudy was very famous to say that they could have beaten us in 2013 to, to win that championship. This is the championship ring from 2013. I just want Rudy to get a chance to touch it, hold it, you know what, Feel it, experience it. I appreciate that. Yeah, I appreciate that. Know what? Know why we didn't win?
- [26:55]
Zaslow
Uh huh.
- [26:55]
Dan Le Batard
They ain't had that jacket in my size, so, you know, I just, just leave it at that. You can't have everything.
- [27:01]
Tony
See, this was 06.
- [27:01]
Dan Le Batard
That was 13. We was doing this. You was still in diapers.
- [27:04]
Inner Monologue Voice
Oh, I wasn't.
- [27:05]
Dan Le Batard
I mean, pretty much. Oh, I wasn't. In the NBA terms. You were still in diapers, homeboy. Winning championships.
- [27:10]
Jeremy
Listen, you know you're bothered when you're Rudy Gay and you just kind of go there like, like, no, I didn't like live tv.
- [27:15]
Dan Le Batard
He's like, that's not true what you're saying.
- [27:18]
Inner Monologue Voice
I said Rudy Gobert. Hopefully no one noticed.
- [27:23]
Dan Le Batard
Was that Mike who did that or was that my actual inner monologue? I'm getting confused by this character of Mike's inner monologue, because I did. As soon as I saw Rudy Gay pop up. I was just asking myself Did I say go bear? I think I said go bear.
- [27:36]
Zaslow
I know this is a whole new world, new bit.
- [27:39]
Inner Monologue Voice
We're feeling it out. Stop reacting. Just let it sit.
- [27:44]
Dan Le Batard
All right, well, is that my inner monologue or is that. Now you. I. I'm confused.
- [27:50]
Inner Monologue Voice
I. I can't get through to you if I'm existing in your head already, Right? So hear me out. Just let the voice do its thing, right? It's supposed to speak for you, and if you speak after it loses all its steam.
- [28:06]
Jeremy
How does the voice feel about me continuing on about these packages? Because I've spoken to people around the bus.
- [28:11]
Inner Monologue Voice
Don't talk voice. The voice only exists for the listener. It speaks to their thoughts. Okay, now I react to the voice. Yeah. Let out all the speech.
- [28:22]
Jeremy
Thank you, voice.
- [28:23]
Dan Le Batard
Jeremy, go outside to the whiteboard and do all of your Kevin Spacey and seven writing in journals. Now, I know you're not gonna like.
- [28:35]
Jeremy
If you didn't call me Kevin Spacey.
- [28:36]
Dan Le Batard
Get out of here.
- [28:36]
Jeremy
Can we get smaller writing, though? It's too big.
- [28:39]
Inner Monologue Voice
In his defense, I could have pulled a different name.
- [28:42]
Dan Le Batard
It not. Not if I'm talking about somebody who writes Charlie Day.
- [28:46]
Inner Monologue Voice
What a word.
- [28:46]
Dan Le Batard
Stop reacting to the voice.
- [28:48]
Inner Monologue Voice
Stop reacting.
- [28:50]
Dan Le Batard
You want to hear Tony messing up?
- [28:51]
Tony
No, no. Come on. Let's make fun of Jeremy and a gambling. A gambling scandal where the team was not let. Under the. Under the. They didn't know what was going on.
- [29:01]
Dan Le Batard
Okay, spit it out, Tone.
- [29:03]
Zaslow
You sound so stupid.
- [29:04]
Tony
Oh, please. What I was trying to say was that they put the gambling scandal under the rug. I got stuck with. Under the rug there. That's where I got stuck. And then I was like, I can't put it under.
- [29:13]
Jeremy
Why are we sweeping this?
- [29:14]
Tony
I can't put it under the rug.
- [29:15]
Zaslow
They gotta.
- [29:15]
Tony
They gotta know. I don't know.
- [29:17]
Dan Le Batard
Don LeBatard. Teammates can't shoot from three. Now they're gonna see a different Jimmy now. He's just. Just playing nickel back in the locker room. And Stugats now play D and show threes as they chase the nets for the six seed. These five words in his head scream my way. Winning games. Y. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach. The Giannis thing is going to consume the next few days.
- [29:55]
Zaslow
So annoying, right?
- [29:56]
Dan Le Batard
I don't think it's annoying because it represents hope. It represents the Miami Heat trying to place the standard where it's been. The Miami Heat will have the pieces needed to acquire Giannis after the season. It is not during the season. They will be able to put together a better offer than the warriors when they have more picks after the season. It is being said that the Bucs want picks. They don't want the Heat's young players. The Heat have a cupboard of young players that are more desirable than the warriors cupboard of young players. But if you want picks, you want picks. And now it becomes a conversation about how interested are the Bucks in actually pleasing Giannis Antetokounmpo? Because I do believe that this would be a better place for Giannis than Golden State if he's thinking about the next five or six years instead of the next two. I also think we underestimate the ego of these people. If you think it doesn't matter at all that Giannis doesn't want to be seen as going over. I think he's given voice to this. I think he was one of the guys complaining when Durant did this. No, man, I'm not doing it that way. Where I go and Steph Curry's team is I'm the number two, and I don't get to be the reason we're winning. I'm just going to help Steph Curry. Curry cement his legacy. When I don't think that Giannis thinks that Steph Curry is appreciably better at basketball than he is. When I say this might be blasphemy, what I'm about to say now, but I kind of limped up with respect and bias to saying that Giannis was the third best player the Heat would ever have, and I walked past Shaq when I did it. But I'm not sure that Dwyane Wade is actually better than Giannis. Like, I'd have to go look at some of these numbers and see what it is that I'm looking at and do some analysis on it. But I'm not positive. As I say it. I did it respectfully, but I'm not positive. Just put it on the poll. Who's a better player, Dwyane Wade or Giannis Antetokounmpo? Just put that by a better basketball player. Who is forever a better basketball player, Giannis or Dwyane Wade? Because it's close, correct?
- [32:02]
Tony
No, it is tough, Dan.
- [32:04]
Jeremy
I don't like that we're putting up that poll. We might not like the results.
- [32:08]
Zaslow
All right, we put it up, though.
- [32:09]
Dan Le Batard
Though. You don't like it. I'm telling you that I limped up to it. Kind of scared and wouldn't even put Giannis beyond him. Beyond, beyond him. Even though I put him beyond Shaq.
- [32:19]
Zaslow
The answer is Wade. The answer's Wade.
- [32:22]
Inner Monologue Voice
You clean that up. You're doing great.
- [32:25]
Tony
What? Hold on.
- [32:27]
Jeremy
Why?
- [32:28]
Tony
Why is it Wade.
- [32:29]
Zaslow
If we're in the fourth quarter of a huge game and the game is tied, I'm even giving you how many minutes left. We're in the fourth quarter and the game is tied. You could either have Giannis on your team or Dwyane Wade. Who you picking?
- [32:39]
Mike Ryan
Ugh.
- [32:40]
Zaslow
Picking Wade, of course.
- [32:41]
Jeremy
Sweet.
- [32:42]
Tony
I don't know, Dwayne.
- [32:43]
Zaslow
I don't know.
- [32:45]
Tony
I think Giannis. Dude, Giannis can. He can impact both sides of the floor.
- [32:50]
Zaslow
It's only the best shot blocking guard in the history.
- [32:52]
Dan Le Batard
That's fine. That's shut Giannis down. Oh, come on.
- [32:55]
Tony
He was hurt the entire series.
- [32:56]
Jeremy
It doesn't matter.
- [32:57]
Zaslow
I. I just. There's no way I take Giannis overweighed in a tie game in the fourth quarter. I trust the team that has Dwyane Wade in that spot.
- [33:05]
Dan Le Batard
Fair enough. Whatever it is, it's splitting hairs because this kind of player, never available, and at this age, never available like this is still not old. You're gonna get five years of Giannis. Let's go out to Jeremy. Words I never thought I'd say. But I'm still reeling from both the struggle to say words, the getting of the Rudy Gay Rudy Gobert thing wrong.
- [33:31]
Tony
And yeah, when I heard the 2013 Grizzlies, I was like, wa. Wait a second. Rudy Gobert on the Grizzly Mike.
- [33:35]
Dan Le Batard
My inability also to have chemistry with my inner monologue is also frustrating me. So let's go out to Jeremy for a life raft.
- [33:44]
Jeremy
So there are several different teams that can get in on this, Dan. And several different teams that might want to. I'll go through those before we get to the comparison of that warriors package in the Heat. So the Knicks are a team that reportedly Giannis may be interested in going to shams. And Sam Amick of the Athletics pick reported that the Heat, the Knicks, the warriors and the Wolves are the main suitors. So let's look at the Knicks. Chris Haynes says they don't have enough because what are they going to exchange in this package? They have Carl Anthony Towns. Would the Bucks be interested in Towns? Probably not. They don't have any picks they can make. So let's eliminate the Knicks from this conversation. Unless they can maneuver to get several future picks by completely blowing up their roster.
- [34:27]
Tony
I think that's an important point. Right? Like, I think James Dolan. I think the entire front office is already kind of doing the math of all right, if we can get rid of an, an auxiliary piece here and try and get more picks, maybe there's something to be done.
- [34:40]
Zaslow
Isn't it amazing? By the way, if I could also add, the reason that the Knicks don't have any first round picks right now to trade for Giannis is because of Mikel Bridges.
- [34:49]
Tony
Five of them.
- [34:50]
Zaslow
That's a tough pill to swallow if you're a Knicks fan. Tough pill to swallow.
- [34:53]
Jeremy
And it would require more likely than not moving Bridges to potentially Portland, involving them as a third team because they have those future picks, Knicks of the Milwaukee Bucks that were part of that Damian Lillard trade, but moving on from the Knicks because it would require a ton of maneuvering. If you look at the Hawks, they actually have a very good package if they're interested and think they can extend Giannis and want to change their window because what they could offer is Jalen Johnson, who's a really, really good young player that they're presently building around and the New Orleans Pelicans first round pick so that the Bucks would be in a position where they have have essentially two top five to top ten picks this year with their own and New Orleans plus Jalen Johnson. You immediately accelerate the rebuild. That said, there's been no expression that the Hawks would be interested. So we eliminate them from the board. The Nets are reportedly a team that Chris Haynes said could take a big swing, but they don't have much to offer. They have Michael Porter Jr. Who maybe they can move for different salary to get other places. They have a ton of picks, but would Giannis be interested in playing there? They don't have enough to surround him. We eliminate the Nets, the Raptors. Now originally the Dallas Hoops Journal reported that the Raptors were a team that might be interested. We know that they're a team that has taken big swings on guys that weren't going to extend before. We saw it with Kawhi. They won a championship. But the reports have also been they won't move Brandon Ingram or Scotty Barnes in any trade moving forward because they've been playing really good basketball. They think they have an opportunity to compete. This is similar to the Detroit Pistons who have the ability to make this move but have really good young players that are playing well and they're at the top of the conference, think they can win now. So we eliminate the Raptors because they only have Emmanuel Quickley, maybe RJ Barrett, a couple of picks, but not really as much. The Timberwolves are similar to the Knicks. They don't have any tradable firsts, they would need to reroute Julius Randall or Nas reed, maybe Jaden McDaniels to Portland if they're interested in that. But it's going to take a similar amount of maneuvering. The difference being Giannis does seem interested in playing with Anthony Edwards in particular, and so the Timberwolves could be more willing to make things move forward. We can get to the warriors in the heat in just a moment.
- [37:04]
Dan Le Batard
I didn't hear anything he said. Djokovic is about to win this.
- [37:08]
Mike Ryan
Serving for the match.
- [37:11]
Dan Le Batard
This is crazy.
- [37:13]
Mike Ryan
Improbable.
- [37:13]
Tony
Yeah.
- [37:14]
Dan Le Batard
Sinner. Sinner looked. Look. I don't know body language. I'm generally not body language guy, but Sinner looked like he knows what's across from him, and I'm not used to seeing that at all. Like, he knows it's Djokovic. Maximum focus. Knowing that he just needs to get a couple of serves in in order to win this match. This is crazy. He's been hurt all match. He's been grabbing at his chest all match. Is he gonna knock this dude out?
- [37:40]
Mike Ryan
I won't believe it till I see it, but that's an incredible chapter in Djokovic's story.
- [37:46]
Dan Le Batard
I just registered fear on Sinner's face, and I don't think I'm making that up, because he knows what's across the net from him. Like, he knows who that is and what it means that he's got a serving advantage at this point in the match, and Djokovic has slowed everything down. Like, he's slowing it down, slowed his breathing down. He's been hurt all match. He's been grabbing at his chest all match.
- [38:08]
Mike Ryan
It's kind of crazy, the story arc of Djokovic. He had to, like, chip away at Nadal and Federer, and then he became top dog. Very clearly the best. And then the emergence of Alcaraz and one more.
- [38:23]
Dan Le Batard
He's.
- [38:23]
Mike Ryan
He is now at match point.
- [38:25]
Dan Le Batard
Double match point.
- [38:26]
Mike Ryan
Wow.
- [38:27]
Dan Le Batard
Oh, and he's going to the crowd.
- [38:30]
Mike Ryan
It's like a baby face turn, too, because everybody wants to see this happen. It's. It's weird that that the greatest of all time finds himself in this position. It's kind of like Tiger winning that Masters a little bit. Only Tiger was always super popular, and out of those three titans of the.
- [38:46]
Zaslow
Sport, it was awesome when that happened.
- [38:48]
Mike Ryan
Djokovic was always considered the heel of the group, but this is one of the rare occasions that Djokovic is going up against a guy that probably might have more heel juice than he does.
- [38:57]
Dan Le Batard
I never do the body language stuff. But Sinner looked like he realized the size of his predicament on his face because you got double match point here. And Djokovic has won more majors than anyone in the history of the sport.
- [39:13]
Mike Ryan
Just a couple of guys slack jawed watching tennis right now.
- [39:16]
Dan Le Batard
That's right.
- [39:16]
Mike Ryan
An incredible rally.
- [39:18]
Dan Le Batard
Great audio. Us watching the theater though. Alcaraz.
- [39:21]
Zaslow
Oh, all right.
- [39:24]
Dan Le Batard
Got a chance.
- [39:25]
Mike Ryan
Terrible.
- [39:25]
Dan Le Batard
Play by play by me. All right. Like Sinner.
- [39:28]
Zaslow
Alkaraz.
- [39:29]
Mike Ryan
That rally was 18 shots.
- [39:31]
Zaslow
You're like Bobin. He dribbles the ball. He dribbles the ball. He dribbles the ball. He dribbles the ball.
- [39:34]
Dan Le Batard
Your inner monologue sounded a lot like just you sound there. Terrible. Play by play by me. Okay, let's do something.
- [39:45]
Inner Monologue Voice
Tennis is tough.
- [39:47]
Dan Le Batard
Let's do something here that is very rare in an audio medium. Let's watch tennis silently, together.
- [39:55]
Mike Ryan
We're in an impromptu watch along here as match point number two is underway.
- [40:01]
Dan Le Batard
Gonna take another crack at this.
- [40:02]
Mike Ryan
Djokovic trying to complete an incredible story. A matchup against dinner.
- [40:09]
Inner Monologue Voice
There it goes. It's over.
- [40:10]
Dan Le Batard
No, it's not.
- [40:11]
Mike Ryan
Oh, incredible rally.
- [40:13]
Dan Le Batard
Sinner.
- [40:15]
Mike Ryan
We are at deuce.
- [40:16]
Dan Le Batard
Joker blew it.
- [40:17]
Mike Ryan
We're at deuce.
- [40:17]
Jeremy
He had his chance. He could have ended it. He had it.
- [40:20]
Zaslow
Deuce. Oh, my God.
- [40:23]
Jeremy
At tennis matches, do they all yell.
- [40:25]
Dan Le Batard
Dude, please remember how sports fans love the ooh sound. Any ooh sound.
- [40:30]
Jeremy
They love to cheer it.
- [40:32]
Dan Le Batard
Boo. I can't believe center won that point. After that serve.
- [40:36]
Mike Ryan
I can't.
- [40:37]
Tony
Caught him flat footed. Dano.
- [40:38]
Mike Ryan
Yes. He's center.
- [40:40]
Zaslow
Why'd he hit it to that side?
- [40:41]
Tony
Because he wasn't there.
- [40:43]
Mike Ryan
Great analysis. Actually hit it flat footed.
- [40:47]
Tony
Hit it where they. Tennis guy.
- [40:49]
Jeremy
You gotta be better than that joke.
- [40:50]
Zaslow
He should have hit it differently.
- [40:52]
Dan Le Batard
All right, let's. Let's go out to Jeremy for more Giannis Antetokounmpo talk.
- [40:56]
Jeremy
We're talking Yannick Sinner or Giannis Antetokounmpo. So the warriors, okay, the position that they're in, do they want to trade for Andrew Wiggins? That was a big conversation that was happening before. A Kaminga and a pick for Andrew Wiggins. But Anthony Slater of the Athletic, I believe he. He covers the Warriors. He says they're not interested in Wiggins right now. Now Brett Siegel says they might be interested in Anthony Davis, which is an interesting conversation here simply from that Jimmy Butler salary swap perspective. You get a year off of that. But the question that we have here is which package is better between the warriors and the Heat. So yes, while the warriors can offer four picks at the moment and three pick swaps along with that Butler salary, Kaminga. And if the Bucks are interested in Brandon Pajemski, what the reports were from Shams from the very beginning is that the Bucks want blue chip talent and they want a surplus of draft picks. What the warriors offer.
- [42:04]
Inner Monologue Voice
Old guys still got it.
- [42:06]
Dan Le Batard
Yeah.
- [42:09]
Zaslow
Let's go.
- [42:09]
Dan Le Batard
The Joker. Joker. Joker.
- [42:14]
Inner Monologue Voice
Joker.
- [42:15]
Dan Le Batard
Joker.
- [42:16]
Inner Monologue Voice
Joker. Joker. Joker.
- [42:22]
Dan Le Batard
Zazlo, you and I noticed at the same time that they were about seven seconds of us on the televisions in there and I felt.
- [42:28]
Tony
We got the live feed over here, Dan.
- [42:30]
Dan Le Batard
I felt so.
- [42:30]
Tony
Straight from the Aussies.
- [42:31]
Dan Le Batard
I felt so. I felt so alone.
- [42:33]
Jeremy
How people feel watching live streams.
- [42:35]
Dan Le Batard
I'm so lonely. Crazy. That's totally crazy. Djokovic was hurt all match and rallies. And the point I was making earlier, Zaslow of good stuff. Greatest champions ever to have more majors than anyone. When you played in Federer's age, when you played against two guys in Federer and Nadal on clay who are basically just as good as you. That's not something Serena Williams had to do. That's not something that Steffi Graf had to do. That's not something that Federer had to do until the end. He was winning his titles early.
- [43:21]
Mike Ryan
Look at the emotion, man. This is what it's all about.
- [43:23]
Dan Le Batard
It's just. Well, so here's the thing, Zasla. When we were talking earlier, do you think that Djokovic knows that sinner is better than he is? The mentality. Well, but you think he does? Yeah. Because why would Djokovic look at the emotion.
- [43:37]
Zaslow
Doesn't the emotion showing right now tell you that?
- [43:39]
Dan Le Batard
I mean, he's gotta be excited that he was. That he's hurt.
- [43:43]
Jeremy
Almost hurts like relief.
- [43:44]
Dan Le Batard
And he's able to overcome that. I don't. It's a good question. I don't know when I've told you before that the Van Gundys always say that the hardest thing to coach in sports is the aging superstar because they tend to lack self awareness. They always think they're going to overcome everything because they always have overcome everything.
- [44:03]
Mike Ryan
What an incredible storyline for the final. As well as is trying to complete the career Grand Slam. And Djokovic is trying to win a 25th Grand Slam title. Insane.
- [44:15]
Dan Le Batard
I gotta think he's gonna peter out. It'll be like the 49ers, right? This takes so much out of you to get to that. And now you're playing another. Another guy who's better than this.
- [44:24]
Mike Ryan
That's what I've been thinking. Now I know it happened in the wee hours, but Alcaraz and Zverev had an incredible all time match too, in which Alcaraz kept getting cramps and Zverev kept taking exception to all the injury timeouts that he had. In hardcore tennis, you make it to the final, your body's pretty beat up.
- [44:42]
Zaslow
Anyways, what's the history between Sinner and Djokovic like as far as playing before, like, you know. Does Sinner have a bunch of wins against him?
- [44:49]
Dan Le Batard
Well, yes. What's happened here is that Djokovic has obviously aged in a way that's not up for.
- [44:55]
Inner Monologue Voice
Give him daggers for putting you on the spot. Like that was not fair. I'm not a tennis against the clock.