The Best of The Dan Patrick Show

Summary

The Dan Patrick Show – "Best Of" (June 5, 2026)

Host: Chris Mannix (guest host, filling in for Dan Patrick)
Major Guests: Brendan Haywood (NBA TV Analyst), Sam Amick (The Athletic Senior Writer)
Theme: A deep dive into the NBA Finals (Spurs vs. Knicks), player and coaching dynamics, notable NBA storylines, and some long view legacy/roster questions

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Episode Overview

This "Best Of" episode features Chris Mannix sitting in for Dan Patrick and leading the team through a fast-moving, insightful, and humor-laced discussion on current NBA Finals storylines. With input from A-list guests Brendan Haywood and Sam Amick, the episode touches on the pivotal moments of Game 1 between the Spurs and Knicks, strategy and player adjustments for Game 2, Victor Wembanyama’s growth and challenges, the Jalen Brunson legacy debate, fan/athlete boundaries, and the looming Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes. The tone is analytical but conversational, with Mannix and guests blending breakdowns, behind-the-scenes details, and playful banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening and Reunions

• Chris Mannix returns as host: Last hosted pre-pandemic; reflects on changes in his personal and professional life ([02:18]–[04:11])
  • “Lot of changes. I am mostly a Californian now... Got married… had a kid six months ago to the day. My son, six months old today. Big day for young Miles Mannix.” (Mannix, [04:11])

NBA Finals Deep Dive: Spurs vs. Knicks

Spurs' Game 1 Collapse

• San Antonio lost after blowing a big lead:
  • Led by 14 in the third quarter, lost composure, Knicks rallied back.
  • Mannix emphasizes Victor Wembanyama’s stat line looked good—but warns against reading it surface-level ([04:29]–[07:45]):
    • “Wembanyama stat line look great in game one. 26 points, 12 rebounds. But he was 6 of 21... He settled for way too many jump shots... At times during game one he was flat out outplayed by Carl Anthony Towns.” (Mannix, [04:29])
• De’Aaron Fox’s struggles:
  • Fox’s subpar play scrutinized (3/13 FG, 7 points, key turnovers/fouls)
  • Mannix urges: Fox’s leash must be short in Game 2; rookie Dylan Harper deserves more minutes if Fox underperforms ([07:45])

Tactical Adjustments and Fatigue

• Fatigue a factor:
  • Wembanyama’s inefficiency tied to tired legs—visible in body language early in Game 1 ([08:26])
  • “Within the first five or six minutes there were moments where Wembanyama was grabbing his knees. That’s not encouraging if you’re San Antonio.” (Dan Patrick, [08:26])

Knicks’ Game 1 Standouts

• Karl-Anthony Towns’ dominance acknowledged despite past trade rumors and media perceptions ([09:29])
  • “I don’t think the Knicks would trade Cat for Giannis straight up right now, the way he’s playing.” (Dan Patrick, [09:29])
• Jalen Brunson’s leadership & mental toughness:
  • Drawing comparisons to Chet Holmgren, suggesting mental aspect holds Holmgren back vs. Wembanyama ([10:02]–[11:37])
  • “Towns looks at Wembanyama and says, ‘I’m going right at you.’ Holmgren... looks like he saw a ghost.” (Dan Patrick, [10:03])

Defensive Matchups & Coaching Adjustments

• Spurs were less physical than in previous series:
  • Did not hound Jalen Brunson as aggressively as they did with OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ([13:10])
  • “You have got to fight through these screens, not let Jalen Brunson match up. Hunt as much as he wants to—that’s what he does as well as any guard in this league.” (Dan Patrick, [13:10])

Off-Court Narrative—Brunson and Referees

• Fallout from Game 1:
  • Jalen Brunson’s postgame complaints to referee Scott Foster investigated by NBA—unclear as yet if fan behavior crossed the line ([14:56])
  • “If you’re sitting courtside, you’re allowed to say certain things... but you can’t cross lines.” (Dan Patrick, [15:07])

Stakes for Game 2

• "Must-win(-ish)" for Spurs:
  • Down 0–2, especially after losing both at home, is nearly fatal for San Antonio in this series ([17:42])
  • “Winning four out of five with three of them coming in MSG, you are absolutely toast.” (Dan Patrick, [17:13])

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Brendan Haywood Segment ([21:52]–[36:43])

Player-Fan Boundaries

• Haywood describes unruly fan behavior:
  • Recounts incidents of fans mocking player injuries or personal situations ([22:26])
  • “Sports and comedy clubs are like the only two places where fans can get outright unruly.” (Haywood, [22:26])

Game Adjustments for Spurs

• Key Changes Needed:
  • Run the mid pick-and-roll more down the stretch, not just through Wembanyama ([23:57])
  • Limit Wemby’s three-point attempts; utilize his unique size in the paint more.
    • “At 7’4, you shouldn’t take nine threes because your superpower is that you’re 7’4.” (Haywood, [24:55])

Comparing Wembanyama and Dirk Nowitzki

• Wemby unique defensively and offensively:
  • “What makes Wemby that guy is, man, what he does defensively, and it’s only year three — we’ve never seen nobody like [him].” (Haywood, [26:03])

Guarding/Attacking Wembanyama

• “When you go into the lane, if you see him, … you gotta understand if you don’t get into his body, you’re driving to make the next pass ... this guy ain’t from around here. They call him an alien for a reason.” (Haywood, [27:42])

Spurs’ Dilemma: De’Aaron Fox’s Morale vs. Harper’s Momentum

• Should have let “the young dogs” Harper finish out Game 1 ([28:38])
• “If he’s struggling and you got a guy as talented as Harper and he’s playing well, sometimes you gotta roll with the young dogs and let them see if they’re ready to eat on the big stage.” (Haywood, [28:38])

Brunson’s Legacy, Dallas’ Mistake

• “If the Knicks win the championship, Jalen Brunson probably becomes the greatest New York Knick of all time. I don’t even think that’s hyperbole.” (Haywood, [30:41])
• Dallas, New York, and NBA underestimated Brunson’s skill and “mid-post bully ball” ([32:06])

The Chet Holmgren Debate

• Dismisses calls for Thunder to trade Holmgren after a bad series; advocates focused off-season skill work & patience with youth ([33:37])
  • “Anybody telling you that Chet shouldn’t be there—don’t know what they’re talking about.” (Haywood, [33:37])

Life at Seven Feet

• Haywood humorously discusses practical annoyances—door frames, car customization, stares from children.
  • “The challenges of being 7’ tall … always gotta watch out for doors…” ([35:26])

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Sam Amick Segment ([39:47]–[54:32])

Jalen Brunson’s Legacy — Greatest Knick?

• Amick underscores the passionate debate, noting the impact of NY’s history and fan base.
  • “Jalen is doing the type of stuff that sparks these debates.” (Amick, [40:02])

Inside the Spurs Camp

• Youthful, mature attitude—Wemby’s self-confidence evident after Game 1:
  • “He kind of wasted no time sliding in quite a few comments about your confidence. And, you know, 'I'm not worried in the slightest.’” (Amick, [41:20])

Spurs’ Tough Road Ahead

• Spurs’ need for others to step up—not just Wemby, but Fox, Champagnie, Harper, Johnson ([44:33])
• Roster construction: Knicks’ physical/bulky front line (“what you want to go at Wemby”) makes life hard for him in the paint ([42:54])

Wembanyama’s Stamina & Consistency

• Some puzzlement at how he tires out, considering his youth and lean frame ([45:22])
  • “Victor ... crashes out from a fatigue standpoint [and] is puzzling ... He's not lugging around 300 pounds...” (Amick, [45:22])

De’Aaron Fox — Spurs’ Long-Term Culture at Stake?

• Any benching for Fox has ripple effects, as he’s a high-paid, established player; difficult precedent for franchise culture ([46:36])
  • “The moment you open the door to the Dylan Harper era and you put de’Aaron on the bench ... there's gonna be a domino effect.” (Amick, [46:36])

Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Watch

• Amick: "Seems very likely" Giannis is traded before the draft ([48:29])
• Miami is the "loudest noise" but questions about roster aftermath.
• Boston could be a “pretty intriguing option”—Giannis is genuinely interested, but Celtics may be hesitant due to health, cost, chemistry concerns ([48:29]–[51:07])

Light Banter:

• Would Amick sell his Game 3 press pass for $100,000? “Journalistically, absolutely not ... I think about it.” ([52:26])
• Mannix takes a jab at dysfunction between the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings ([53:32])
• Amick finds more hope in Brooklyn, points to Sacramento’s pain of seeing their former coach/player in the Finals ([53:54])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’m like Thanos. You just … you always come back to me.” – Chris Mannix ([03:03])
• “If the Knicks win the championship, Jalen Brunson probably becomes the greatest New York Knick of all time. I don’t even think that’s hyperbole.” – Brendan Haywood ([30:41])
• “At 7’4, you shouldn’t take nine threes because your superpower is that you’re 7’4. You gotta make teams feel that you’re 7’4.” – Brendan Haywood ([24:55])
• “Anybody telling you Chet shouldn’t be there—don’t know what they’re talking about... are we going to overreact and trade a 24-year-old that’s a two-way player at 7’2 that’s able to dribble, shoot, make athletic plays at the rim?” – Brendan Haywood ([33:37])
• “Winning four out of five with three of them coming in MSG, you are absolutely toast.” – Dan Patrick ([17:13])
• “He crashes out from a fatigue standpoint … that doesn’t make sense. And that’s where, as transcendent great … talented as he is, the inconsistency part is got to be tricky for Mitch Johnson.” – Sam Amick ([45:22])

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Important Timestamps

• [02:18] — Mannix returns as host, sets up show’s NBA focus
• [04:11] — Mannix on life changes and parenting
• [04:29] — Spurs/Knicks, Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox analysis
• [08:26] — Fatigue and Spurs’ offensive collapse late in Game 1
• [13:10] — Defensive adjustments on Jalen Brunson, Spurs need physicality
• [15:07] — Aftermath of Brunson’s Game 1 complaints to officiating
• [21:52] — Brendan Haywood joins; fan/athlete etiquette, Spurs’ fixes against Knicks
• [24:55] — Haywood on Wemby’s strength and unique three-point restraint
• [26:03] — Comparing Wembanyama’s and Nowitzki’s uniqueness
• [28:38] — De’Aaron Fox’s leash/Harper minutes
• [30:41] — Brunson’s potential legacy
• [33:37] — Chet Holmgren should not be traded
• [39:47] — Sam Amick joins; Knicks legacy debate
• [41:20] — Spurs’ locker room mood, Wemby’s demeanor
• [44:33] — Spurs’ need for supporting cast
• [45:22] — Wembanyama’s puzzling fatigue
• [46:36] — Spurs’ Fox/Harper conundrum and franchise culture
• [48:29] — Giannis trade speculation, Miami and Boston as suitors

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Summary Table: Key Takeaways and Analysis

| Topic | Key Points / Guest Comments | Timestamp | |------------|----------------------------|------------| | Spurs Game 1 | Blown lead; Wemby stats misleading; Fox struggles | [04:29]–[08:15] | | Knicks | Towns’ performance lauded; Brunson's legacy discussed | [09:29], [30:41] | | Wembanyama | Needs more paint touches; fatigue visible | [08:26], [24:55] | | De’Aaron Fox | Underperforming, may lose crunch-time mins | [07:45], [28:38] | | Coaching | Spurs’ lack of defensive physicality questioned | [13:10] | | Fans | Haywood on unruly fan behavior, game etiquette | [22:26] | | Legacy Debates | Brunson as "greatest Knick"; Brunson undervalued | [30:41], [31:21] | | Holmgren | "Don’t overreact to one bad series." – Haywood | [33:37] | | Giannis Trade | Miami "loudest" suitor; Boston's risk aversion | [48:29]–[51:07] | | Misc | Being 7’ tall, press pass hypothetical, dysfunctional franchises | [35:26], [52:26], [53:32] |

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for basketball fans seeking in-depth Finals analysis, inside-the-league perspective, and entertaining banter about the top personalities shaping the NBA right now. Through frank, sometimes self-deprecating, and always fact-based conversation, the show spotlights not only on-court strategy and individual stars, but also the intangible narratives—mental toughness, legacy, and the sometimes absurd realities of pro sports culture.

Transcript

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[Dan Patrick]

Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio. Welcome to the program. Dan Patrick show. Chris Mannix filling in this Friday for dp. That's right, boys. I'm back. Good to see you guys. Been a minute. I was thinking about this before I came in. Had to have been at least six years before the pandemic when I was last sitting in this chair. Perloff, you're looking great back there.

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Thank you, Chris.

[Dan Patrick]

I like the beard. Seaton, you're doing something with your hair these days.

[Empower Ad Voice]

A little tan also.

[Dan Patrick]

Little tan. Little tan. A little bit darker. Good to see all you guys. Paul, he had a great talk with you.

[Chris Mannix]

Always good to catch up. Yeah. I'm checking my notes here. I got April of 19, the last time you were in the big chair.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. Wow. So, yeah, good. Almost seven years now.

[Sam Amick]

Wow.

[Dan Patrick]

Long time.

[Chris Mannix]

Been doing anything.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, you like you guys did, you know, you went your separate ways with other NBA people for a while, but, like, I'm like, thanos. You just. You always come back to me.

[Chris Mannix]

Omnipresent.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, omnipresent. Always back there. Great. Great to catch up with you. Paulie, my Vermont neighbor. We talked for a good five, six minutes, and then Fritzi came in and gave me one quick half hug, turned around and went away. It was, hey, how's life, Chris? I said, good. You turned around, you left. No, for my minimal kindness that we like to joke about.

[Brendan Haywood]

Yeah.

[Chris Mannix]

Paulie, he walked up to you, he hadn't seen you in seven years, and he goes, hey, how's life? And as he's saying the word life, he's turning back and turning his head to you and going back to his little coat.

[Sam Amick]

Very busy, very busy guy.

[Dan Patrick]

And I stepped out of the studio for a moment. He followed up with everything. Good. That was the follow up from Francine. Minimum kindness, minimum kindness, minimum interest. Dude, I give him credit for that. Like, didn't seem to have any interest in hearing about what was going on in my life. And I appreciate that. Yeah.

[Chris Mannix]

Paul, no, you've been a part of this show for a long, long time. You've been our NBA guy. Boxing, you've hosted at least seven or eight times, I think, over the years. But a lot of changes for you the past five years.

[Dan Patrick]

Lot of changes. I am mostly a Californian now. I live out in Los Angeles. Got married a couple of years ago and had a kid six months ago to the day. My son, six months old today. Big day for young Miles Mannix.

[Chris Mannix]

Miles mannix.

[Dan Patrick]

Miles Mannix, six months old. He's like £30. He's massive. He's got my height hopefully he's got my wife's athleticism. She's people that don't know former professional boxer and you know she's she's got the athleticism in the family. But excited to be back here with you guys. Looking forward to being here with you over the next three hours. Looking forward to Game two of the NBA Finals tonight. ABC spurs and knicks spurs down 0 down 1 game to none to the New York Knicks. Looking forward to Brought to you by Tire rack for over 40 years Tire rack has been helping customers find the right tires for how, what and where they drive ship fast and free. Backed by free road hazard protection with convenience delation options like mobile tire installation. Tirerack.com the way tire buying should be so in game one we saw the San Antonio spurs get punched in the mouth. They had the 14 point lead in the third quarter. They blew it. They rallied to take the one point lead in the fourth quarter and they blew it. Now we see what the spurs are made of in a series like this. Now we see if they can punch back. We'll see if Victor Wembanyama can punch back. Wembanyama stat line look great in game one. 26 points, 12 rebounds. But he was 6 of 21 from the floor. He settled for way too many jump shots in this game. He was part of a defense that allowed the knicks to score 50 points in the paint. How many times has a Victor Wembanyama led defense given up 50 points in the paint? At times during game one he was flat out outplayed by Carl Anthony Towns and I don't think he responded well physically to that matchup. That can't happen again. The spurs are not winning this series unless Victor Wembanyama is the best player on the floor. I don't think that's too hot to take. But they're not winning the series unless he's number one. He also can't do it without some help. And when I'm talking about help, I'm looking directly at de' Aaron Fox. I'm looking at the two time All Star, the former clutch player of the year who was flat out awful in game one. Three of 13 from the floor, seven points, three turnovers, five fouls. This was a guy that the spurs traded for to be the number two option on the team. He was brought in from Sacramento. He was expected to be the veteran presence, the guy alongside Wimpy. He has not been that for most of the postseason. Had a great Game seven against Oklahoma City. Helped Them get to the finals. But other than that he has not been consistent. Played 38 minutes in game one. He can't be playing that many minutes if he's this ineffective. Played 11 plus minutes in the fourth quarter. Can't be playing that many minutes if he's this ineffective. The guy that needs to be playing, the rookie, Dylan Harper. Dylan Harper needs to be getting those minutes. Harper played 28 minutes in the opener. If De' Aaron Fox gets off to the kind of start we saw him get off to in Game 2, those numbers needs to be flipped. I mean, it's strange to say, but the two time all star former clutch player of the year should not be playing over the 20 year old rookie. Not the way Fox is playing now. We know he's got the ankle injury that's obviously inhibited him during the postseason, but it's not time to trust the veteran in this situation. It's time to play the best players. And if de' Aaron Fox is not playing like that, then you can't play him. He's shooting 42% from the Fuller in the playoffs. He's shooting under 30, 30% from three. The leash on De' Aaron Fox needs to be really short going into this game too.

[Chris Mannix]

Yeah, Paulie, the second half of game one, I think the spurs had 21 points in the third, 19 in the fourth. Is it anything more than just being tired compared to the Knicks not being tired or was there flaws with their attack?

[Dan Patrick]

I think fatigue was a factor, especially for Wembanyama. Two for nine from three point range. That tells me that his legs weren't all the way there. Watching that first quarter, you know, within the first five or six minutes there were moments where Wembanyama was grabbing his knees. And that's not something that's encouraging if you're San Antonio, look, he's a unicorn. He's a unique player. The fact that he's 7 foot 4 and can pull up from 28ft, that is a valuable asset. But you also need him in the paint. You also need him drawing fouls on Karl Anthony Towns I think in the third quarter when he got out of the locker room. And what? Towns picked up three fouls in the first like five, six minutes of the third quarter. That's the guy we need to see for the first 24 minutes of this game. He's got to be more in the paint. I do think fatigue was a factor in this one and I'm not sure that gets much better with less than 48 hours of rest. But Wembanyama's got to be more in the paint. Yeah.

[Chris Mannix]

Brunson got all the coverage from Game 1. How good was Karl Anthony Towns? You cover the sport.

[Dan Patrick]

He was great. He was great. And Cat takes a lot of flack. I mean, it was like less than a year ago we were having a conversation about trading Cat for Giannis Tendokounmpo. You know, before the start of these playoffs, we were probably having the same conversation. Hell, down 2:1 against the Hawks. We're probably having that conversation, but here we are. And I don't think the Knicks would trade Cat for Giannis straight up right now, the way he's playing. Not right now. Not up one, zip. Yeah. Dylan, do you think Cat's performance looks

[Sam Amick]

even better in comparison to Chad's seven against Wendy?

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, Chat.

[Chris Mannix]

Catching strays early Chat.

[Dan Patrick]

My apologies, Chad. It's bad. It's bad because everybody's looking at it and saying, hey, that's the way Chet Holmgren needs to play now. There are, there are physical differences to the two, right? Like Cat's a grown man. Cat is a full fledged power forward slash center who is, is comfortable going to the basket. He's a 30 year old man. Chet Holmgren's in his early 20s. Chet Holmgren is still filling out his frame. He's probably, he's never going to be as big as Carl Towns, but he can get 10, 15 more pounds on that frame. But more than anything, like it's the mental part of it for Chet Holmgren, like Townes looks at at Wembanyama and says, I'm going right at you. Does not hesitate for a second chance. Jet Holmgren and looks at Wembanyama and looks like he saw a ghost.

[Chris Mannix]

Yeah, Paulie, I think you're right. The guy, a guy like Carl Anthony Towns, he actually thinks he's as good or better than Wemby, whether he is or not, but he believes it that way. And Holmgren felt like he was. He was done before the halftime. It felt like he was receding back and trying to stay out of the moment.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, Holmgren, I would compare it to a professional boxer that goes up against someone that kicked their butt in the amateur ranks a lot, where it's like you. And this matchup with Wembanyama has been dating back to international tournaments. Like they have a history there. And while Chet's teams have been successful in some of these tournaments, Wembanyama has been the better player. So I think Chet's got it in his head that he's just not on that level. Yeah, Marvin.

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And does Chet also think, man, this guy's better than me and he hates me?

[Dan Patrick]

I mean, it's true.

[Brendan Haywood]

He does not like me.

[Dan Patrick]

He does. He's not a fan like Wemb and Wemby. One of the things I love the most about Wemby is he walks the walk. And he also talks the talk like a lot of guys after playing. Certain players are playing at a certain level, they'll be humble about it. Jalen Brunson, after a great finish to Game 1, didn't say much after Game 2, when Wembanyama has a big game, he talks about it. When Wembanyama wants to win it, wants to win mvp, he's selling himself for it. He's out there trying to let the voters know that he belongs in that category. I think the stuff with Chet is as much mental as it is physical. I think he shrinks in that moment. And that is priority number one for Oklahoma City going into next year.

[Chris Mannix]

Yeah, Paulie, I got a couple fallout questions for you from game one. You don't think that Johnson, the coach of the spurs, benches dear and Fox, do you?

[Dan Patrick]

Benches?

[Chris Mannix]

Not benches. That's a wrong word. Does not start and maybe start.

[Dan Patrick]

No, he'll start him, but I think there's a very short lease. This is interesting because I think for these coaches, it is a chess match. Now, I thought Mike Brown got the better of Mitch Johnson in game one. I think he surprised him with some of these matchups. I mean, going into the series, I think the conventional wisdom, and I talked to a lot of former coaches, other coaches about this. The conventional wisdom was you play Wembanyama with OG Anunoby. He is the 6 foot 8, sturdy guy. Smaller players have had some level of success against Wembanyama.

[Brendan Haywood]

He.

[Dan Patrick]

Kat, doesn't have this great history as a defensive player. I think they were caught off guard by Kat getting the start on Wemby and then Mitchell Robinson getting some of the reps. They went big on Victor, Webman, Yamba, and now it's going to be on Mitch Johnson to make that adjustments. It's play calling. It's. It's design. It's everything. They also have to be more physical with Jalen Brunson. This was a big takeaway for me from the game. What was. What were some of the reasons that the spurs knocked off Oklahoma City? One of the biggest ones was how physical they were with Shay Gildis Alexander. They were picking him up almost full court. Steph Castle was getting minutes on him he was staying on him. You saw Carter Bryant get like 10 good minutes of hounding him. He would body slam him. In some of these games, like, they were physical with Shay, they were tough with Shay. We didn't see that same level of physicality or that same attention paid to Jaylen Brunson in this game. They didn't shift as often as I thought they should, their defenses towards him. They didn't bump him as much as they should. And the guards, they weren't fighting over screens to get through. Look, if you look, I. I saw some of the numbers for this. When Jaylen Brunson was lined up with Devon Vesel and when he was lined up with Carter Bryant or Julian Champagne, like he was getting off, he was getting his numbers. When he was lined up with Castle, when he was lined up with Harper, even when he was lined up with Fox, he wasn't as effective, he wasn't as efficient. This is. That comes down to getting over screens. You have got to fight through these screens, not let Jalen Brunson match up. Hunt as much as he wants to. That's what he does as well as any guard in this league. He hunts these matchups and when he gets them, he takes advantage of them. You can't let him do that. Yeah, Paulie.

[Chris Mannix]

Right after the game, Jalen Brunson went up to the referee, Scott Foster, and was complaining. We heard yesterday from Chris Haynes, he was complaining about something in the crowd or some people in the crowd. Any more fallout from the NBA or the Knicks about that?

[Dan Patrick]

You know, they're investigating is what I was told as of late last night. I have not been told yet exactly what was said. And I think that is the ball game here. Like, I think if you're sitting courtside, you're allowed to say certain things. You're allowed to call someone a flopper. You're allowed to heckle on a certain level. You're certainly not allowed to cross lines. You can't cross lines and use vulgarity. You can't bring up somebody's family. If you do that, you're out. Simple as that. So I don't know what happened there. It was interesting to see him going up to Scott Foster because in the moment I thought he was going after Scott Foster, like everybody thinks they're going to. Scott Foster is the most polarizing referee in the league.

[Chris Mannix]

For those that don't know why, it's mostly his.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, look, it's. He's very visible and his feud with Chris Paul has taken him to a different level. That has made him the face of kind of in the same way that, like Dick Bavetta was well known as a referee for people that were fans of the NBA in the 90s, early 2000s. Scott Foster has taken on that. There's also the association with Tim Donaghy from back in the day. He was a close friend of Donaghy and that kind of got the rock rolling down the mountain there and made people pay a lot more attention to Chris Paul.

[Chris Mannix]

Yeah, Paul, look at you being careful with the Scott.

[Dan Patrick]

There's no. I know there's no evidence to suggest that Scott Foster was involved in anything, but he's very polarizing. Do you.

[Chris Mannix]

What do you expect differently tonight from both sides? Not so much lineups or strategy, but execution, I guess.

[Dan Patrick]

I mean, points in the paint, that's big. I would expect, as I said, the spurs to everything to limit the points in the paint that the Knicks got. 50 is a big number and I would expect to see Victor Wembanyama spend more time in the paint. Like, you can't have him shooting nine threes. It's not an efficient way to, to go about this, but I expect them to be better. Look down two O is not an insurmountable deficit. We've seen the 20, 21 bucks do it. We saw the 2016 Cavs do it. The Miami Heat in oh six. They did it. But those teams had home court advantage. You know, when they, those team were going back to their home floor, they lost the first two games on the road. The spurs losing two games at home with three of the next, what, four games or five games at Madison Square Garden. You're not winning that series. You're not winning that series. Winning four out of the five with three of them coming in msg, you are absolutely toast. So if you're the spurs, the good news is you faced adversity before. Great. You were down 3, 2 to Oklahoma City. That's tough. It's tough to come back against Oklahoma.

[Chris Mannix]

So it's must win ish.

[Dan Patrick]

Must win ish. Yes. Must win ish. Look, I would call it must win full stop. Because I don't see them winning 4, 5 in the finals without home court advantage. But I expect them to play a lot better in this game tonight. All right, eight, seven, seven, three. DP shows the phone number. Email address [e-mail] Brendan Haywood, NBA TV analyst, former center, also a former teammate of Dirk Nowitzki. One of the last guys to revolutionize the game in that front court. He's going to join us this hour. Sam Amick, longtime writer down in San Antonio, was talk to Sam about the vibe within the Spurs. Also Giannis Tendokounmpo Clock's ticking the Milwaukee Bucks have put a pre draft clock on trading Giannis next three weeks. It'll be pretty big and I wonder if how these files have played out have influenced some of the teams that are out there eyeing Giannis Tendokounmpo for their future. Be sure to catch the live edition

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[Chris Mannix]

It feels good when the story ends with savings.

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[Chris Mannix]

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[Dan Patrick]

Brennan Haywood is an NBA TV analyst, former NBA center, NBA champion with the 2011 Dallas Mavericks. Also the creator of Tallest tales, where the NBA's best stories are told. You can find it on his personal Instagram page, wood_33, as well as at these tallest tales on YouTube. Brendan, we were talking a little bit earlier about Jalen Brunson getting upset at something that a courtside fan was saying for you. Were there rules on what fans could or couldn't say to you?

[Brendan Haywood]

I mean, I think that most players would always like there to be rules, but especially back when I played, those rules weren't really enforced. I would hear fans saying crazy stuff about people's families, about people's personal looks. I've had them joking guys on my team about their body weight, man. So it was I've seen guys making light of certain guys getting injured. So unfortunately, sports, sports and like comedy clubs are like the only two places where fans can get outright unruly. And everybody says, you know what, that's okay, that's okay.

[Dan Patrick]

What's the worst thing you ever heard a fan say to you or a teammate

[Brendan Haywood]

in Chicago? I remember when Kyrie Kyrie Irving got hurt and came out one of the games and one of the fans was cheering. He's like, yeah, yeah, don't go back in. And he was just cheering about the guy being injured. Like that set me off. Like, I ain't even that type of guy. And even I leaned over and said something to him like, listen, my man, you going too far. And then I had one of my friends, not one of my friends, I had a fan that kept yelling about a certain teammate's domestic situation that had happened early in his life that I thought was a little out of bounds too. I won't say the teammate's name, but I will just say that I thought that yelling that out consistently was a little bit, little bit, little bit out of line.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, game one of the finals. Spurs go down. Close game all the way to the end. Jalen Brunson takes over down the stretch. The biggest adjustment that you think San Antonio needs to make is what?

[Brendan Haywood]

All right. The biggest adjustment they need to make. They need to make a couple, Chris. They need to make a couple. First and foremost at the end of games, I think they're better off playing through the mid pick and roll than playing through Wimy because down the stretch of that game, Brunson knew exactly where he wanted to go. And Wemby looked like a 22 year old that was trying to figure it out in front of the world. And so Karl Anthony Towns did an incredible job guarding Wemby, but Carl still doesn't guard well in space. So I think unless Wemby's really, really like on fire, the mid pick and roll with either Harper, Fox or Castle, I think that would be their best move coming down the stretch of close ball games. Because now you pull Karl Anthony Towns off of Wemby's body, which allows Wimby to roll down the lane. That allows guys like Champagne to get activated on the weak side and you put more stress on that New York Knicks defense.

[Dan Patrick]

Do you think that Wembanyama spent too much time beyond the three point line in game one?

[Brendan Haywood]

Absolutely. Absolutely. And if you and I expect him to make the adjustment, we saw this before game one against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs. Women. Yama took nine threes. I think he went 09. And the very next game he got right back to the paint. And the rest was history. They won. You know, they would dominate throughout the rest of the series. And so I expect Wemby to correct his mistakes. Two for nine from three. That's not where he wants to be. Obviously at seven four, he has the ability to shoot the three point shot, but he's seven four. He has to understand the other team wants you to take 9, 10, 11 threes. Unless you're hot at. Unless you're going to go seven of nine, six, four, nine at seven four. You shouldn't take nine threes because your superpower is that you're 74. You got to make teams feel that you're 74. And that starts from 15ft on end in the paint.

[Dan Patrick]

You know, you played with Dirk Davitsky in Dallas, won a championship with Dirk. How would you compare the uniqueness of Victor Wembanyama to the uniqueness of Dirk?

[Brendan Haywood]

Um, it's different because Wemby is unique on both ends of the court. So for Dirk, Dirk was truly unique because a seven footer that could shoot the ball as well as he did in that time frame was considered unique. It's not like it is now. It's not like every team had all these stretch fours. And then Dirk was unique in. He developed a go to move that the rest of the league would try to copy and emulate. Still to this day, that one leg fade away jump shot at seven feet tall was unguardable. It's that it was almost similar. Not similar, but how Kareem Abdul Jabbar had the, had the sky hook at his height, that's unguardable. And so when you develop that type of thing, that makes you truly unique. So in that aspect, Dirk was unique. Similar to WEMBY. 7ft, unique skill set. But what makes Wemby that guy is man, Wendy, what he does defensively, and it's only year three, we've never seen nobody like, like he shuts down the lane. I have never seen so many guards run into the lane, see a player say, nah, I'm gonna go that way. And that's what he does.

[Dan Patrick]

A lot of coaches that I've talked to say to their teams in pregame meetings, when you go to the paint, don't expect to shoot. It's driving kick. That's why you're going to the basket. You're not looking to get a shot off because he's going to be there. I mean, his ability to not just contest the first shot, but go after the second one as well. His recovery is incredible. Like he's, he just goes to that, that second spot on the floor. I mean, does he, you know, what would you do? What would you tell your team if you were coaching a team going up against Victor Wembanyama how to attack him?

[Brendan Haywood]

Well, first and foremost, I agree with the other coaches. When you go into the lane, if you see him, you got to understand if you don't get into his body, you're driving to make the next pass. You know, you can't treat him like he's the average defender because he simply isn't. You know, that's why he's the defensive player of the year. So when you go into the lane, you're going in to draw his attention, but then you're making one to two passes to get the ball activated, but you just want to draw him to you. So that's what I would do is like, hey, listen, if you're. Now, I'm not telling you to not look at the rim, but when you go in there, understand this is not the average shot blocker. This guy ain't from around here. They call him an alien for a reason.

[Dan Patrick]

Talking to Brent Heywood, NBA TV analyst, former NBA center, NBA champion with the Dallas mavericks back in 2011. Wemby can't do it by himself. Brendan, you know that De' Aaron Fox did not play well in game one. How short a leash do you think that Mitch Johnson needs to have on Fox in game two?

[Brendan Haywood]

I don't think Mitch Johnson needs to have a short leash on dear Fox. I think he just has to read the, read the room. And that's one thing I think the Mitch made a mistake on in the fourth quarter. I didn't think it was a de' Aaron Fox game. I think it should have been a Harper game. I thought Harper was playing the best of anybody on that team. And I think sometimes you got to. You can't be so stuck in your ways that you're scared to adjust. I know they want to end games with de' Aaron Fox, but if he's struggling and you got a guy as talented as Harper and he's playing well, sometimes you got to roll with the young dogs and let them see if they're ready to eat on the big stage.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, 11 minutes in the fourth quarter was too many for De' Aaron Fox the way he was playing. And I'm not sure if it's injury related inconsistency, whatever it is. He's just not looking like the same guy we saw for most of the regular season, the all star, the clutch player. He hasn't looked like that same guy. Look, he. I thought he was okay defensively against Brunson and that's the big question, I think for, for San Antonio on that end of the floor. Like what do they have to do differently to prevent the kind of fourth quarter explosion that Jalen Brunson had?

[Brendan Haywood]

Well, when you look at Jalen Brunson, he didn't shoot the ball well from the field. So defensively their game plan was solid. I thought early in the game they tried to put Carter Bryant on him and he like, if you, I think it was like the second quarter, Jalen Brunson was kind of struggling and then Carter Bryant was on him and he, he reeled off like a quick three or four field goals. I think they need to stay away from that matchup. Young fellas not ready for that just yet. And then as far as the fourth quarter goes, I think they need to load up a little bit more. Like Brunson wants to ISO. They need to make that 15 foot mid range area look real cluttered, similar to what they did to Shay Gilgis Alexander. You don't want the most clutch player in the NBA having one on one situations with the game on the line because he proved he can beat you in a game on the road where he wasn't shooting the ball well. The last two minutes of the game he made all the plays that led the Knicks to the game one win.

[Dan Patrick]

If the Knicks win a championship, what does that do for Jalen Brunson's legacy?

[Brendan Haywood]

If the Knicks win the championship, Jalen Brunson probably becomes the greatest New York Knick of all time. I don't even think that's hyperbole.

[Dan Patrick]

You put him over Ewing, you'd put

[Brendan Haywood]

him over Ewing with a championship.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I know.

[Brendan Haywood]

I think about it like, I'm just saying if he has a championship, you look at all the all star appearances he's had, all the all NBA appearances we talking about he's the most clutch player multiple years in a row and then you give him a championship. He has to be the most, he has to be the best Knick of all time.

[Dan Patrick]

And this.

[Brendan Haywood]

And then when you win a championship for a team as storied as the New York Knicks, you know what that does. As far as, you know, the legacy aspect of your career and where you fall into with the hall of Fame.

[Dan Patrick]

What do you think that people missed about BRUNSON Back in 2022? I mean, it's amazing to think that as recently as four years ago, the Dallas Mavericks could have had Jalen Brunson on a four year, $55 million contract. He was ready to sign that deal before the 2122.

[Brendan Haywood]

Chris, what you doing, man?

[Dan Patrick]

I'M just saying, Chris, you, you, you,

[Brendan Haywood]

me and you got close in Dallas. Okay. You know, I'm still, you know, I'm still good with the Dallas fan base. Are you trying to turn the Dallas

[Dan Patrick]

fan base against me? No, not at all. Not at all. Brendan. I think that. I'm just wondering. It's not just Dallas and even New York, they paid him $100 million, which was viewed as an overpay at that point. What do you think people missed about him back in 2022 when he was a free agent?

[Brendan Haywood]

I don't think it's what they missed. I think it's. When you look at Jalen Brunson, he's so unassuming. You look at him, you're like, he's not the fastest, he's not the quickest. He doesn't look like overly muscular.

[Dan Patrick]

He.

[Brendan Haywood]

He doesn't jump out of the gym. And so when people see him, he's just not. Doesn't look like a great NBA athlete. But what they missed was the skill set, three level score, the ability to, not to. The ability to not play up or down. Like, if you ever watch Jalen Brunson, you can't tell if he's got 30 or if he's got three. He's here with it. I'm right here all the time. That's key. And then the thing that I think people really missed, even though he's only maybe what, six, two, he has the ability to post up in the low block in the mid post like he's 6, 8. And that is what they really miss. Because when the game slows down in the playoffs, most of your best players have to be able to score from the mid range. I know we love the three, I know we love the three ball. But you're not winning in a fourth quarter of a close game by ice only shooting, step back threes, all just traditionally in the NBA. You're winning because your best player is creating a problem for the mid post where he either scores a bucket or creates a shop for somebody else because he gets double or triple team from that area.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, we're still doing the autopsy on Oklahoma City, but all the attention is being paid to whether or not Chet Holmgren should be there next year. If you're the Oklahoma City Thunder and you're Sam Presti, are you running it back with Chet Holmgren?

[Brendan Haywood]

And listen, man, let me tell you one thing, man. Chris, I'm gonna give all your listeners, I'm give you this one for free. Anybody telling you that Chet shouldn't be there. Don't know what that they talking about. Let's not forget chet Holmgren is 24. He had a bad series. It's not like he forgot how to play basketball. I saw that he didn't take advantage of smaller players too. I saw that he looked scared of the moment too. But are we going to overreact and trade a 24 year old that's a two way player at 7ft 2 that's able to dribble, shoot, make athletic plays at the rim? Was all NBA, all defensive performer. He was second in defensive player of the year. And we want to trade that guy and overreact to one series. Anybody telling the Oklahoma City fan base that that's what they need to do is absolutely out of their mind. If I'm Sam Presti, this is what Brendan Haywood would do. I walk in there, I sit shut down, I show him all of his minutes. Where guys like Champagne, Keldin, Johnson, Devin Vassell were guarding him and he didn't go to the block. I'm gonna say now I'm gonna get on the phone with his trainer, Drew Handler. Drew, next year when this guy comes back, I need him to be able to post up in these type of situations. If Chet can take advantage of smaller players and still have the defensive acumen that he has, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be just fine. Saying that they should move off of Chet is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard in my life.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, we got a question from the room before we let you go. What do you got?

[Chris Mannix]

Guys, we've been talking about this because Brennan Heywood is a clean seven feet. We've seen him in person before. Chet Holmgrenz, seven feet, you had a great career, 13 years in the NBA, lots of dough, day to day. What is the negative about being seven feet tall?

[Brendan Haywood]

Well, why'd you have to say lots of dough, man? You ain't gotta talk about my money situation, man. That's a compliment. Hey, you gonna have my family members texting me, trying to get some bread, man.

[Chris Mannix]

Taxes, you know, you got hit by taxes.

[Brendan Haywood]

Yeah, exactly. The challenges of being 7ft tall, is that the question?

[Chris Mannix]

Day to day, clothing, walking to restaurants, stuff like that.

[Brendan Haywood]

I think day to day is just, first of all, you got the clothing aspect of it. Always, always gotta watch out for doors because you know if you, if you don't duck down, you will hit your head. You hit your head one or two times, you'll realize you don't want to do that anymore. Fitting into cars. Fitting into car. I have to get all of my cars. I have to get my cars custom. So I have to have my seat move back on every last one of my cars, even if it's an SUV because I can't fit in it from a leg room standpoint. Last but not least, I'll say the effect that my height has on children because when children see me, they, they are just like in awe. They're looking up like, like the other day I went to my, I went to my, my daughter's kindergarten graduation and there was a kid, he was tapping his, his mom, he's like, mom, look, it's a giant. Like that, that's just, that, that's just my life though. That, that's how that, that's my life and I'm used to it and I loved it.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, good to talk to you, Brendan. We appreciate your time.

[Brendan Haywood]

All right, man, thank you.

[Dan Patrick]

That's Brennan Haywood, NBA TV analyst, creator of Tallest tales. Over on at these on YouTube, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk

[Sam Amick]

lineup in the nation.

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Chris Mannix]

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[Dan Patrick]

Sam Amick, senior writer over at the Athletic. He is down in San Antonio. Sam, let me ask you this. Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks to the championship. Is Jalen Brunson the greatest Nick of all time?

[Sam Amick]

Mr. Mannix, good to see you. Is he the greatest Nick of all time? It's maybe, you know, I mean I was quick side story from playoff road here I was at a establishment last night with the lovely daughter of one Patrick Ewing. So Randy Ewing. So she might have something to say about this debate. You know that's a long list of great Knicks. I don't care to be honest with you where Jalen falls in that debate. I'd like the other debate better. Like the 6:2 and under thing is is wild. Chris Paul deserves to be on that list. But. But Jalen is doing the type of stuff that sparks these debates. Doing the type of stuff that, you know, not to have somebody catch astray. But I keep laughing about the Becky Hammond, like the whole commentary where Becky, you know, said so long ago that Jalen could not be the number one guy on a championship team. And she stood on that recently, which was kind of, you know, strange. He's just been incredible, man. He's fun to watch. And, you know, you know, I'm west coast based, so I don't see the Knicks as much. And buddy, to watch Jalen do what he did in the fourth quarter, it was fun. It was neat to see because it was like, oh, this dude is as advertised when it matters most.

[Dan Patrick]

What's been the vibe around the spurs the last couple of days?

[Sam Amick]

Fine. They're pretty for a young group. They're, they're pretty even keeled. They, you know, they're mature. You know, Wemby, I'm always really interested how he's going to handle his voice and his messaging. I did think it was interesting after game one that, you know, and you know, this like he kind of wasted no time sliding in quite a few comments about your confidence. And, you know, I'm not worried in the slightest. You know, just projecting the kind of way you would expect for a confident guy. They seem fine. I mean, you just hit the nail on the head when you talked about game two is the like, let's do a pulse check. If they lose game two, you know, they're going to be fine if they split this thing at home and, and not to put you, you know, give you a homework assignment. I did wonder because you detailed the teams that went down 02 when they were, you know, on the road. Have we had a champion who lost the first two at home? Do we know?

[Dan Patrick]

I forget what the 06 Heat did. I know they were another team that was down 02 when they came back to beat Dallas, but that's the only one that there haven't been that many that have come back from 02. It's only been a handful.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, because when you said this was must win, I was going to give you a hard time and say it was hyperbole. And then as you laid it out, it was like, ah, it's pretty important. So see what happens.

[Dan Patrick]

Sam, I'm fact based here on the show. Always, always fact based. I don't, I don't think it's ever happened. It didn't happen with Miami. I think they were, they lost the first two on the road and those other teams I mentioned lost on the road as well. So adjustment For San Antonio, what do you think is the biggest adjustment they're going to make going into game two?

[Sam Amick]

Well, it's the same thing they've battled throughout the playoffs, which is that as great as Wemby is, is part of this is youth and it's him trying to figure out the chess match. He's inconsistent. He, he has a roller coaster, you know, kind of element to his game. So they've got to, you already said this, they've got to get him inside more. Yes, it was super fun when he hit that 35 footer in the last round. Game one, okay, fine, but getting pushed out by Cat, getting pushed out by OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. The problem is I just don't know how, you know, doable. That is because this is literally the roster construction that you should want to have to go at Wemby. And going into the series, I wrote a whole piece where I talked to some front office folks about the domino effect of what Victor was doing. And the reality is, the irony is, is that like most of the people I talked to pointed to the Knicks roster construction as what you should want. A guy like cat, who's 7ft 240 pounds, you know, Mitch, big boy, a lot of heft, you know, he can bully Wemby and he's athletic enough to keep up with him. Same, you know, OG and what he brings. So getting Victor going first and foremost. Secondly, you know, the others in the west finals for the spurs, you know, dear Fox, Julian Champagne, Dylan Harper, all the way down the line. Kelvin Johnson had a fantastic finish to that series. You know, those guys have got to show up because, you know, yes, Vick was 621 and, and struggled a bit, but, but the other guys weren't, weren't helping him either.

[Dan Patrick]

Kelvin Johnson get like eight minutes in this, that game one, that was surprising. I thought. Sixth man of the year. I thought he'd be a natural guy to put on towns for stretches. That surprised me how little minutes he's got. We, you know, I thought that the fatigue, Sam was a little bit overblown coming into the series because I thought three days was a long time. And I thought, thought being at home was going to be enough for San Antonio to recharge the batteries and not make fatigue as big an issue as some were. But I'm watching that game one. I'm sitting there and I'm looking at Victor Wembanyama and kind of grabbing his knees in the first quarter. I'm looking at some of these other guys just not look like they had the same energy that they did early in that series in Oklahoma City. How big a factor do you think fatigue is going to be in this game, too, and potentially the rest of the series?

[Sam Amick]

It's significant, but I'm confused, you know, again, like, I was not around Victor that much all season long. So now, you know, this is. We've done this a long time. You get in the gym with these guys and you try to study them and learn how they're wired, how they operate. Victor and the way that he crashes out from a fatigue standpoint is puzzling because, yes, I understand he's 7 foot 4, but he's not lugging around 300 pounds, you know, but he absolutely does have these moments, and you just hit on it, like early in the game when he's clutching at the knees or, you know, looking for a blow. That doesn't make sense. And that's where, as transcendent great, you know, talented as he is, the inconsistency part is got to be tricky for Mitch Johnson, you know, from a rotation standpoint, because, you know, is that tied to not having as much of a break as the Knicks coming out of the West Finals? Like, that's a little hard to believe. Like, you said three days, so they got to fight through that. You didn't see any of that from the Knicks. And I don't really think that's necessarily because of, you know, that long stretch that they had to rest. But Wendy's great again, I keep kind of hitting the same point. He's great, but he comes and goes a bit.

[Dan Patrick]

How short a leash do you think de' Aaron Fox will be on tonight?

[Sam Amick]

Very curious to see it because there are bigger picture implications of that kind of a choice. I've been asked this a couple times, and my thing is the spurs, from a culture standpoint, are obviously incredibly savvy. And they know that the. The moment you open the door to the Dylan Harper era and you put de', Aaron, you know, on the bench, you know, because of the stakes of what's going on right now, like, there's gonna be a domino effect. And that's very tricky for them from a planning standpoint, because, yes, they have this historical backdrop where Bona Ginobili famously agrees to go to the bench with Gregg Popovich's, you know, kind of nudging, and the rest is history. He's a Hall of Famer. Marta Ginobili was not making $60 million a year, which is what De' Aaron is on track to make. And so the solution is not quite as easy. Even if de' Aaron at some point was willing to yield to the young fella in terms of a contract, roster construction, that's an issue. So. But you got a championship on the line, so, you know, would I be shocked to see it? You know, I'd be surprised. I don't know how short the leash is. Dylan didn't show out though. That's the other thing. He had a good first half, but four points in the second half, you know, he faded a bit. But the more pressure that he applies with his play and then with the Aaron, you know, if he keeps doing what, what he didn't get one, which was having a hard time, then, you know, we'll see what happens.

[Dan Patrick]

Talking to Sam Amex, senior NBA writer over at the Athletic in San Antonio for Game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight. Sam, we are right around three weeks away from, from the NBA draft, which is three weeks away from the self imposed deadline that the Milwaukee Bucks have to trade Giannis. Tendokounmpo. What have you been hearing over the last couple of days about Giannis and how likely do you think it is that Giannis is traded before the June draft?

[Sam Amick]

Seems very likely, admittedly. You know, that it's not often you have an owner, you know, publicly framing the timeline and that's what Jimmy Haslam did. You know, we just saw Jimmy Haslam do a blockbuster trade with Miles Garrett in the NFL, showing he's certainly ready to pull that trigger if he needs to. I do expect it to happen. Miami, as you know, is the loudest noise. You know, you continue to hear that. But what I tried to write the other day with my colleague Eric Naim, and it was interesting to get into is, yes, it appears, you know, everybody you talk to says Miami at the deadline had a deal that was closed, had a deal that they thought was going to happen. The Bucks ended up backing out. And so the noise is tied to Miami. But there's also some intel discussion, you know, kind of understanding that Giannis has questions about what that Miami roster would look like on the other side of a deal. You know, it reminds me of the Carmelo Anthony dilemma when he went from Denver to the Knicks. Like you don't want to got the roster, go to the place that you're excited to be to, you know, be in, and then have a hard time contending for a championship. And that is where, you know, we'll see what happens in these next few weeks, because in one of your backyards, I think the Celtics are a pretty intriguing option where, you know, in terms of being competitive, you know, if you do something with Boston, and this is what we had heard from Giannis's side, that the intrigue is real, you know, the respect for Joe Missoula, the, the way that he might see that roster. So do I think it changes things? I don't know yet, but, you know, I do think that's worth watching.

[Dan Patrick]

I could see why Giannis would want to play in Boston. I still struggle to see why Boston would give up the kind of assets it would need to give up to go and get Giannis. Not that they aren't considering it, but if I'm running the Celtics, I'm not trading Jalen Brown and a couple of draft picks for Yas Teddy Compo not in a reaction to a bad first round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Mostly because I don't trust Giannis's health, Sam. I don't trust that he's had multiple years of soft tissue injuries. And you're going to have to give this guy a multi year contract at the full max. Now you're talking about having two full max guys on your roster in Jason Tatum and, yes, Tendencampo, both of whom have dealt with significant injuries over the last couple of years. I know Jaylen Brown is not a perfect fit. I know the Celtics want to get more pressure on the rim. Brad Stevens talked about that. But to me, the risk is just too big to go all in on a player like Giannis at this stage.

[Sam Amick]

Well, and it's very sensitive, too. Like the Jalen Brown thing that you just hit on, it's like when, when the noise got loud a couple months ago regarding Jalen and how he saw the season and all the chatter about what he said on the live stream, that it was the most fun he'd ever had. And that was confusing because, you know, it just sent this message that he wanted his own team. As you know, the Celtics, you know, they went to great lengths to kind of massage that situation and get things back in a good place. And they're not the only team dealing with this one. Like Miami is, and this is Giannis related, Miami is, is loud with it right now. They don't care if everybody knows that they're chasing Giannis because they don't really care what Tyler Herro feels about getting traded. But, like, Boston's got to be sensitive. You know, the Knicks are unofficially out because of what they're doing, but you remember Carl Anthony Towns was not real thrilled to have his name attached to the Giannis discussion, you know, previously. Like, that is where I think we could see a wild card team come on strong, you know, and. And come out of the shadows, so to speak, because I think there's a lot of teams that are absolutely looking at this and interested here, but. But also have to pay attention to their own locker room dynamics.

[Dan Patrick]

If Somebody offered you $100,000 for your press pass for game three in New York, would you take it?

[Sam Amick]

I mean, journalistically? Absolutely not. I would never consider such a thing. I think about it.

[Dan Patrick]

I think about it.

[Sam Amick]

If you're a Knicks fan, I'm a capital J journalist. If there's. Yeah, but the spirit of your question, like, I mean, yeah, 100k, that's. I'm good with that. That's, you know, production value on TV these days is pretty, pretty high. I'll hang out with some buddies and watch this thing on a big old projector screen and. And, you know, laugh all the way to the bank.

[Dan Patrick]

And they transcribe all the quotes for you, Sam. It's all available.

[Sam Amick]

He's trying to get me fired now. What are you doing?

[Dan Patrick]

100,000 covering it for. You got kids? I got a kid now. It's like, you know, you gotta look out for number one there, Sam. Good.

[Sam Amick]

I am. Let me add on to this, man. I'm fired up to go to New York, man. Like, I'm a west coaster. So I don't know if I would take that money because, like, I don't. I don't see the Garden very often. I don't see the chaos, you know, I don't really know.

[Dan Patrick]

Sacramento guy in New York. There we go. This is what we. The Sacramento guy takes, by the way, to get your take quickly on a question that came up more dysfunctional, more irrelevant right now. The Brooklyn Nets or the Sacramento Kings?

[Sam Amick]

I mean, I'm. The Kings have things that they're trying to work on and to get out of the ditch. I don't know what Brooklyn's doing, so I actually probably go with Brooklyn.

[Dan Patrick]

I think at young players in Brooklyn, though, Sam, like, at least you've got like, some hope, like Sacramento. Who wants to be there right now. Like, who wants to be part of that team at the moment?

[Sam Amick]

It is. Listen, it is painful. I mean, as you know, you have Mike Brown, de' Aaron Fox in the finals. You have OG Anunoby, a guy that I've contest and contend that they should have traded for to take the Beam team to the next level. There's all kinds of 6 degrees of Sacramento pain in this NBA Finals right now.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, you gotta hate that. Sacramento watching their former head coach and their former star compete for a championship. One of them is going to win it at the end of the next couple of weeks. Great stuff, Sam. Good to catch up with you and I will see you in New York City. Try to, you know, keep it under control there. These late nights in New York, they don't close in New York City.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, we know about that. I met with you out there.

[Dan Patrick]

You got it.

[Sam Amick]

All right, buddy.

[Dan Patrick]

Good stuff.

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