← The Ringer NBA Show
The Ringer NBA Show
Is Ace Playing His Cards Right? Plus, Raja’s Richter Scale for Recent Trades.
01:01:39
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- [00:00]
Logan Murdoch
What's poppin Real Ones. Logan Murdoch here. I have a great show for you. It's me and Raja. Today we go down memory lane and we have one of those vintage old school Real ones podcasts where we just shoot the shit. We talk about Ace Bailey and if he's has too much dip on his chip, if you will. And then we talk about how that manifests to the culture of the NBA. And then we play a little game we like to call Raj's Richter Scale. We talk about all of of the trades that went down over the last week and how much they really resonate from a league perspective. Right. And also we always talk about what's going on with the new apron era, quote unquote, and how that's kind of affecting deals and we've had a flurry of deals. You talk about the Kristaps Brzingis trade to Atlanta. You talk about the Drew Holiday trade that I'm still like about to Portland. We also talk about the Portland side of that trade. But there's going to be a lot more of these trades going on as people get their books in order as a lot of the contracts are grandfathered into this apron era. So it's going to be really fun and a lot of topsy turvy things happening and we get into all of that. So great show for you all the bleep.
- [01:12]
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- [01:41]
Logan Murdoch
This episode is brought to you by Indeed. Slow and steady doesn't always win the race. Like when Phil Jackson really needed a shot in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, he just gave the ball to Kobe and let him cook and that helped win the game. If you're looking to hire someone fast, use Indeed Indeed sponsored jobs. Get 45% more applications than non sponsored jobs. Speed up your hiring process right now with a $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.comringermba that's indeed.comringermba Terms and conditions apply. Hiring indeed is all you need. Bobbin leather Murdoch here, Raja Bell there. This is gonna be a draft. Ruins. We'll see how this goes. I you know, you Know how we.
- [02:24]
Raja Bell
Do you know how we.
- [02:25]
Logan Murdoch
It's. It's not. It's not. It's not necessarily our cup of tea for draft, but I think we're gonna get through it. I think we're gonna get through it.
- [02:31]
Raja Bell
Yeah. And our straight guys not here. So, like, like, you know, Howard. Howard. You would say Howard's probably a straight guy, right? Of the trio.
- [02:37]
Logan Murdoch
What? What?
- [02:38]
Raja Bell
Definitely. Yeah. Who knows?
- [02:42]
Logan Murdoch
You. We're gonna talk a little Ace Bailey, and then we're gonna play a game of Raj's Richter scale where I throw him some deals and we see how much it registers on the Roger Richter scale or. And if he gives a. Or not. How you been, buddy?
- [02:57]
Raja Bell
I'm good, man. I'm good. I'm good. We are. What are we doing? We're getting ready. We're getting ready to chase Ty to Atlanta this weekend. So we're. We're leaving tomorrow. We're fired up, bro. Summer's going well, man.
- [03:10]
Logan Murdoch
That's what's up. I'm so happy.
- [03:11]
Raja Bell
Yeah. How are you? How's the little one?
- [03:14]
Logan Murdoch
Solid. Let's talk about Ace Bailey, though. So this came across my desk over the last couple of days where Ace Bailey, Wing from Rutgers is. Seems to be feeling himself a little too much right now. Right? He at least going into the draft where he just refuses all workouts, including with Cliff's Sixers. They asked him about it during the. During the pre draft. The pre. Pre draft telecast, media availability, and he just played Fame, like, didn't really want to talk about it. And he dropped down to five to the Utah Jazz. And when he dropped down to the Jazz Jazz, he was like, I didn't even know if they wanted me, even though the Jazz asked him to work out for the team. So it seemed to be a little dip on this chip throughout this draft process. I don't know how much you've been following it, but this seems like your wheelhouse. And I wanted to talk about, like, what does this say about where we are? Because this isn't a new thing, guys trying to get to not working out for teams strategically and wanting to get to a certain team, but it seems like something without a necessary plan. So what did you think of the situation and what does it say about where we are right now with draft prospects?
- [04:40]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I didn't. I haven't really been like, dug into the draft, in fairness. I have been kind of following superficially. So I had heard that. That he wasn't working out. I heard reports that. That it was to, you Know, try to get him to a desired location, which was somewhere, you know, on the eastern seaboard. Look, it's your choice whether you work out for a team or not slipping. Especially when we use the term slipping to describe being drafted fifth overall. Right? Like, let's be real. Like, if you're saying we slip and we wound up at number five, we certainly have some choices in the matter. We have some leverage as a player. Like, we are. We're coveted, right? You can choose not to do what you do. You could choose not to go in and work out, but. And I don't necessarily hold that against anyone. Like, I'm a free will dude, and like, I try to tell my kids, like, you can choose to do what you want as long as it's legal, but then you're going to have to face the repercussions of that, like, or, you know, the ramifications of those decisions. And so, you know, there are probably teams in those top four picks that may or may not have drafted him had he come in and worked out and kind of done the usual, you know, let's check all the boxes in terms of, you know, having you in the building and having a meal with you and the interview process and all of that. But, like, you know, you don't. You don't have to. And, you know, I don't know. I haven't. I haven't seen any reports that say he's disappointed to be in Utah. You know, Utah. Utah is. It's. It's going to be a different place to live for, for a kid, you know, because it is a different culture in Utah. It's a great place to live. I loved it. My wife loved it. We visit. But, like, for a young kid especially, he's a baby. Like, my nephew played for. For Rutgers last year and was like, one of his close friends. So, like, he would be at my godson's basketball games and they'd go out to eat together and stuff with the family. My former college roommate. And so I know him through them, and he's a really good kid, but, like, super young. Like, and, And. And relatively not. Not just young in age, but relatively, like, inexperienced. Right. Like, he's been in. He's been in his basketball bubble. So, you know, Utah. Utah could. Could be an adjustment in and of itself, but in terms of being on the court, you know, I think. I think he's going to be fine. I think he's going to be a good fit. There's a lot of opportunity out there. You know, the Process itself. Logan is. Look, you saw, you saw Shador to some degree in the, in the NFL draft, right? Like you chose to do that. Like there's no law or rule that says you have to act a certain way, but if that comes back to bite you in any way, shape or form, like you don't get to turn around and ask why.
- [07:32]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, I mean, how much of this? Like, because you brought up a great point with Shador and that's been again, a comparison that Aus Bailey has gotten over the last few weeks. And it feels like between those two things, I think people forget that this is such a people business, especially the NBA. It's a very small, it may seem big to a lot of people, but it's a very small community within the professional ranks. And you don't really serve your well yourself well doing this. Right. Like it doesn't really help you. Right. And you spoke to his youth in a lot of different ways and he kind of alluded to the maturity part of this. If there is a player like that, how important is it for the players around or the people around him to be like, eh, I don't know. Right. Because, because if you, if you're doing this right, if you're making a decision like this, once you get in the building, it seems like there's going to have to be even more coaching than, I mean, coaches like to coach. Coaches don't necessarily like to mentor at this level all the time. You got to be really lucky for this to happen. You have to be. And then Utah's a really young team, so you're just going to be with other young dudes who are like minded who aren't necessarily going to put their arm around you. Right. So how important is it for him, whatever happened to figure out relatively fast based on the position that he's in right now? Because if you would have went to like the Sixers or something, it would have been more of a veteran core. Now he's, he's just kind of out on his own in a place he hasn't really been to before, trying to figure it out. And it doesn't bow. It doesn't seem like it would bode well for the attitude he has right now.
- [09:13]
Raja Bell
Yeah, that's interesting. Let's let me just go back to like not wanting to or coaches at that level not wanting to like mentor you and, and maybe develop the human being as much as they just want to focus on basketball. I think now in this, in this NBA, coaches have to be a lot more willing and Accommodating in that regard because guys are coming in so young. Like, these are babies. Like, even Cooper's a baby. You know, these are really young, bro. The decisions I was making at 18 years old. Come on, man.
- [09:43]
Logan Murdoch
What would you have done if you had cameras, buddy? If there were cameras?
- [09:45]
Raja Bell
I mean, who knows? Because I was, I was apt to just do dumb shit all the time. Like, I was like, you know, anything flashing in front of my squirrel, I was like, I couldn't stay focused on anything. So. So I think the coaches are a little better in that I think, you know, I've heard some people, you know, debate like, former, former pros kids. And, and you know, why some organizations are interested in former pros kids or why coaches might like former pros kids. And like, I've said this before when I sat in the front office with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The number one, the number, the, the, the number one thing that would give you a percentage chance, advantage as an infant of being a professional athlete coming right out of the womb was whether one of your parents was a professional athlete or not. Like, that's real, right? Like if you had two that were high level, you know, athletes, that gives you even more. Right. But let's, let's take that aside. Like, it's not really, it's. It's to your point, the people and the messages in some instances that they're getting are coming from a pro perspective. So when you ask how important is it for his camp to talk to him about, like, what this process looks like and what means what to people in these organizations, someone was missing. Like, the, the agent is, is, is just out there shopping you as this commodity and trying to do whatever they can to like. And you're, you're. He doesn't seem to be, in this instance, talking to you about, hey, man, like, you're a commodity right now, but as soon as someone drafts you, this is a relationship business. Like, there's gotta be a level of humility, there's gotta be a level of, of responsibility and understanding. And no, you might not want to do this, but we're going to sacrifice and do it because it's for the betterment of the team. And I trust that this coach and this organization is putting me in the right position to chase this championship. Like, there are things that go along with the process that if you don't have someone in your camp telling you it doesn't mean you won't be successful. It doesn't mean that you don't figure them out, but you have A head start. If you know these things, right? Like, you have. You have a head start. If, if you understand some of these things up front and then look again. This is a long. This is a long race. I think Ace Bailey will be fine. I actually think that. Utah, if you're talking about a younger player, while I said, like, it'll be an adjustment for him to live out in the Salt Lake area, it, it, it is a. It is a really sheltered type of environment out there. You're not going to get in a lot of trouble being out. You know, there's not a whole lot of stuff going on that you could find if you were predisposed to finding bullshit and being in it. You're not going to find that in a lot of places. So it is a. It can be a very good environment for him. It's just like, look, the reality is you don't see a lot of people that look like us. Like. So if you're used to that, that can be different. There are just some things that are different about it. But I think he'll be okay. Long way. To answer your question, Logan, is it becomes critical to have people around you if you're trying to achieve certain levels of success in athletics or in any field that can shed some light on what's important within those fields.
- [13:07]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, I think, I mean, to that point also, right. Like, you know, I'm seeing this in my backyard with Jonathan Kaminga, right? He just put out a piece with the athlete. He just got interviewed for a piece in the Athletic where he's talking about, you know, I want to be an All Star and I want to be all. I want to be all of these things and I want the bulk of the shots. And I was just taken aback because, I mean, yeah, I think he has the talent to be an All Star, but the way you be an All Star, and I'm going to bring this back to Ace Bailey, right, is you do all the things within the offense and do all the things within the confines of team success to where you stick out enough to be an All Star, especially if you have the ability, right? And when it comes to Ace Bailey, that's what it means, like with maturity, right? You see that. You see that in the ways that. Ways you can. You can affect winning and you see the ways that you. That's when the maturity comes in. I remember being at the finals where Coach Dagnall was talking about how J Dub did all the things that he was supposed to do coming off the bench at such a High level, that there was no reason why he shouldn't be, that he could keep him on the bench for that long of a period of time. Right. And J Dub is. Went from a guy off the bench now, where people didn't think he was going to be what he is right now, to being what he is right now, which is the second best player on a championship team who can be a 1B in my eyes, to a certain extent. Right. That's what I want to see out of Ace Bailey. And like, I think a lot of kids and I feel like I'm getting older, especially from the time that we first started this podcast. I'm starting to talk more and more like Raja and Howard. But I think, like, kids that are coming up right now and I think historically tend to just get caught up in the. You know, when you're young and like in your 20s, you get caught up in the. And a lot of which just doesn't matter, right? And some. Some players, and some people continue to stay within the bullshit, but that's why a lot of players aren't successful is because they just think about all the other stuff that doesn't even matter towards the game, like, just go work out. Does it really matter? And I know that there. There are players like that don't strategically. But you didn't do it, and it seemed like you didn't do it just because you thought she was feeling yourself, at least. Whatever the truth is, that's what it comes off as. And it seems like Ace Bailey is getting caught up in the bullshit way too early right now.
- [15:45]
Raja Bell
Process again, that can be fair. And I'm telling you through, through my best friend, I know this kid, right?
- [15:55]
Logan Murdoch
Like this.
- [15:55]
Raja Bell
This is someone whose children, like I'm godfather to and I spent years and decades, like, loving like a brother, like, so I trust his word. He's a good kid. Ace is a good kid. I would put this one in the category of probably getting poor advice about the process. I don't think that this was a kid just saying, I'm that dude. I'm not coming to workouts. I don't believe that. From what I know of the kid now, I could be wrong, but I think this would fall for me from the outside looking in into, like an agent or an agency or someone steering him and advising him on this process to try to get a desired end result. I do want to touch on the Kaminga thing because we've talked about him a few times and I was on record as saying, like, he's too Talented for Golden State not to find a way to use him. I stand on that. Just because they were throwing bodies out there that just did not have the same level of talent and stuff like that.
- [17:02]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah.
- [17:02]
Raja Bell
The only caveat that I remember saying, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I said this, was that if he was just standing in the way of Steph Curry doing what Steph Curry was supposed to do, if you are that disillusioned and you are, and you are like, this is my show, then I do support where he was. Because that's crazy. And from the comments that I saw, the ones you just referenced could have been that. Could have been where he's just that disillusioned. And, and I always cringe like, this is just me, dude. Like, I always cringe when I see young athletes, high school, college, pro, and it's me, me, me. I, I, I. Like, it's just, it's just such a turn off, you know what I mean? It's just such a turnoff. And especially, especially when it's not yours yet. You become Shade Gil or like the Joker or somebody like that. And you want to talk about, like, you know, me, because you're carrying the weight. It's yours.
- [18:05]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, yeah.
- [18:06]
Raja Bell
But you haven't done a thing yet. And it's the me, me, me, I, I, I, I want to have my own team, bro. Do you realize where you were? Do you realize where you were, bro? You were in one of the most fertile learning grounds for a basketball player in the planet or on the planet ever, because that is one of the best players ever. And you're sitting right there. You could learn from that dude every day. Like, you could soak that up, bank it, and then maybe turn into the dude that you want to be, the III me guy. And you can't even see that because of the I, I, I, me, me, me.
- [18:43]
Logan Murdoch
And it, that's the other thing. It's like, and that goes back to my thing when I was saying earlier of you want to, you saying, me, me, me, me. I want to be an All Star. But, like, there's been plenty of players that have been all stars on that team that have been deference to Steph Curry, right? Like, Draymond Green, great example of this. Klay Thompson, great example of this, right? But he wants to have his, he wants to be number one on the marquee no matter what, right? And that was always a clash throughout the season. It just was right throughout this season. Whereas in previous seasons and you know, the Staff would just be like. And there's people around him who kind of feel like minded, like you. Raja would just be like, yeah, you get your 18, 17 points. But we don't win when you do that, right? Like, we just don't like you. You'll get your 20 something points. Look off all these players. And we're losing, which is why we had to get Jimmy Butler. Right? Like if you stepped into that number two role in the role that you say you want, we, we. And I'm thinking on the warriors behav, we absolutely needed that. We absolutely wanted that. We would love for you to be an All Star here in Golden State, but it just never happened in that way because we've talked about this. Like, not all 20 point and 15 point and 18 point games are created equal. And it was always the little things that they wanted from him. And it was always, well, I want to be an All Star. And it's like, well, if we do, if you do these things, he'll be an All Star.
- [20:27]
Raja Bell
It's so. Well, listen, today's not. But I'm not. I don't mean to make it sound like the majority of kids get this wrong. They don't. But there's some that just don't understand the value of like development of. And you can wind up being what you want to be. It might be that you're just not ready to be that right now. And that might not even be from a skill set perspective. That might be from an understanding of the concepts from a general bbiq. Like for any number of reasons, you might physically be able to go out there on any given practice and dominate a practice, but there might still be something missing. And you know, what do we talk about? We talk about this all the time, or at least I do about young players coming into the NBA, young quarterbacks going into the NFL and where you get drafted to. And that's in that system that fit that developmental component being critical to your success. You go to instability as an organization used to losing, put stock in the wrong shit all the time. The success rate is a lot lower for players in that situation. You were on one of the best franchises of the last decade. Two decades. I mean, I don't, I don't know. But like, that's gold, bro. Not to mention the Steph component. I just, I just gave you, like, appreciate that, man. Appreciate that. Like, play the role that you need to play. You know, I always find it. I always love the stories of. And I'm sorry, I'm just, I'M just ranting, bro.
- [22:07]
Logan Murdoch
Let's fucking go, bro.
- [22:09]
Raja Bell
I like the guy who learns how to be everything in an organization. I like the guy who learns how to be the dude who gets people water. I. I like it. I like my young fella that, like, I like my superstar to. To have known what it feels like to be the 12th man on a roster. This isn't always the case. Like, some dudes just come in and they're great. Like, I like him to know what it feels like to be number eight on the bench, coming in, you know, for sporadic minutes, never really being able to get a flow, but still having to figure a way how to contribute to winning. Like, I like when he's in the starting lineup as a supporting cast member, and the ball's not yours yet, but you still got to produce and do all the things that contribute to winning. When you get to be the star, but you have an appreciation for everybody on our fucking roster, you know how to lead them. You know how to lead them because.
- [22:56]
Logan Murdoch
You'Ve been real, right?
- [22:58]
Raja Bell
And so running away from being, like, some of those things on your way to being the star is. It's just. It's a really myopic view of it, dog. Like, embrace that shit, man. Work your way up. Be the dude when you're supposed to.
- [23:09]
Logan Murdoch
Be the dude, you know? It's crazy, man. Like, I'm in my early 30s right now, and I got a lot of, like, people that ask me because I got it really young. I'm not going to lie. Like, I got to, you know, I got to the beat pretty young. That really changed my life. People were like, yo, man, how do I get to where. How do I get to where you are? How do I get to, you know, how do I get to this beat when I, you know, at this age, like, you did? And I'm like, well, y' all didn't see, like, you know, 17, 18, doing high school and, like, very unglamorous work, and then going to the assignment desk, you know, getting people coffee and shit, and, like, making sure that they're. Making sure that, like, the little things were done. Now, did I always do the little things in that stages? No, but that's kind of the point, right? Because you learn to mess up when you're young and you learn to do these things, and. And that's why, like, I. I got so much love for producers, bro, because I was that one. I was that once upon a time, you know? And you see how when you do get to this stage, you See how all of this thing mechanically works, right? Who you got to talk to when I need this for the podcast? Who you got to talk to when you need this for a live show? Like, how do you present it? Right? I know that because, like, I was one of the people behind the scenes helping present such things back in the day, right? And so, you know, it was funny, I saw. When I went to the finals and I saw Shay play, I was just thinking back, I was like, damn, man. This is the first time seeing Shay play at a stage even close to this since 2019, when I saw him play in the first round as a member of the Clippers when he was not a first option, when Lou Williams was getting the majority of the shots on that team. Not necessarily because Shay Gilgas was a not as good of a player is because, nah, Lou Williams was on the pecking order, bro. He, you know, he was Mr. Six Man. And Montrez held was getting a lot of looks on the offensive end, and Shea was figuring it out. And then he got traded. Had to start from the bottom in Oklahoma City. Had to figure out a way to win. You ask anybody on that Oklahoma City staff. And I did. I asked all the people I knew when I was in Oklahoma City, they all said, I was like, did you know that he was going to be a star? He was like. They were like, all of them, like, no, absolutely not. We just thought he was a good shoe in for the deal. We had to get, you know, we had to get something. And he was really talented at the time. And, you know, fuck it, we're, we're. We're. We're taking a flyer and he becomes an mvp. And then when I think about, like, the Ace Baileys or the Kamingas, and I want to tell them, like, bro, you could get everything that you want because you're that supremely talented. And in the league, it's not all about talent. You got to be. There's a difference between. What did I say? I had a bar that I was telling somebody the other day. It's a difference between being talented and good. Like everybody talented in the league, in order to be good, you have to be the little things. You have to, like, set that back screen, get that back cut, you know, and help the helper or maybe pass on a shot that you think is going to get you to an All Star and just pass it to the best shooter that's ever played the game that's on a certain position to get back. Right? That's what it is.
- [26:33]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I know. I agree with you. And if I'm being honest, like, I watched a lot of their games this year.
- [26:39]
Logan Murdoch
Who are we talking about?
- [26:40]
Raja Bell
Rutgers. So Ace Bailey? Ruckers. Sorry, apologize. Bad podcasting. But yes, I've watched a lot of Rutgers and Ace Bailey this year, shot selection is going to be critical for him, especially as a young player, because if I'm being honest, I told you, I think he's a great kid from everything I've. But I also watched him and I'd be like, dude, what is that?
- [26:57]
Logan Murdoch
I mean, Rutgers didn't even make the tournament.
- [26:59]
Raja Bell
No, no, no. They had him and Dylan, like, and it just didn't produce like that. Right? And. And you know, this is. This, this, this is. This kind of is my point though, right? Like, those two top five picks on the same college team with. With pieces around them couldn't figure out how to win enough to get into the NCAA tournament. And that's no slight at them. The point is they're young. Like, you're. You're in a lot of instances, even in college now when you're that young, you're not going to know how to win yet. Like, you're not going to know how to do all of those things yet. So, like, it's critical that you. That you trust the people around you and that those people have a sound understanding of how to get you to the place where you ultimately want to be, if you are talented, to make you good, to help you understand what it takes to be good, to preach the things that you just preached. Logan, it becomes really, really important, right? And for Ace, like, he got pushed around a little bit last year in the games I watched. Like, you what? At least for those who don't know, if it doesn't come across on this television screen, go sit close to an NBA game and see how physical that is. Like, he's got to work. He's got to get right to work on that body.
- [28:15]
Logan Murdoch
And, and grown men, bro, they don't. I don't even think that even like, like says what I'm trying to say, bro. Like, superhuman grown ass bit in. In the league, dog, that are not. That are not averaging 20 points a game. Talking about, like, people that are averaging like five and five, that will. That will give you an arm bar that'll change your life, bro.
- [28:33]
Raja Bell
That will stop that, that. That only job, like feed their families by coming out there and not letting you do what you want to do. So, so, like, but. But he'll. He'll be okay. I think He's a good kid. And Utah has, has a very sound structure, bro. They are well coached. Like they, they are, they're going to do it right. Like, they're not an organization that typically, you know, has a level of just, of inconsistency and, and, and, and a track record of, of just fucking things up. Right. Like there's a culture there when you go to Utah. There really is. I mean, I now full disclosure, I'm not like in their organization. I haven't been for a long time, but for whatever, whether I left there in a good way, bad way or what have you. When you went to Utah, there was a culture, you know, it was understood. And so I think, I think he's going to be fine, but going to have to have people and trust people and maybe, maybe I'd advise maybe, maybe when you get to Utah, listen to some of the people in the building that are around you every day and, and let the agent just work on the contract deals like, because if that was his idea to not go to the workouts, I. We're going to go in a different direction in terms of our decision making.
- [29:46]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, man. What. Before we get out of the segment, what's your advice for him? This, this like from now on, from ace Bailey, from June 26on.
- [30:01]
Raja Bell
Well, what's, what's. Just get to work, man. Get, get there, get to work. That, that has already happened. You know what I would have told him pro previous to that, prior to that is like, look, dog, like, whether you think it's, it's needed or not, whether you think you need to go to all these places, number one, this is going to be as much about the human being as it is about the player, right? And they don't, they don't, they don't. They can't get to know you via zoom and through a phone call. Like, they want to be with you, man. You see your body language, want to know how you look at them in the eye when you're talking. Want to see if you can carry conversation. Is this somebody that people want to be around? Like, can, can he drive culture here? Or is this just like, you know, there are things that they can't ascertain through, through, you know, distance. So that's one of the reasons why you should go. The other reason why you should go, because if you're that dude, we're showing up. Tell me where to be.
- [30:54]
Logan Murdoch
Every time, all the time, bro.
- [30:56]
Raja Bell
Tell me where to be. I ain't running from shit now. Might not be great. That Day, you ain't gonna draft me. But motherfucker, if I, if I play basketball or like I tell Dia, people say to me like, you know about Dia and shit like that. I'm like, listen, he'll be there because I asked him. And he's like, yo, where I need to be? And they're like, well, you know, tell me. I'm like, well, because that's what he does. So if there's ever a time where he's afraid to do it, we got a fucking problem.
- [31:23]
Logan Murdoch
Raja. Raja. I grew up a huge USC Trojans fan, so it goes against every bit of my being to fucking buy anything Longhorns related. That just got me so fucking pumped up. Got me so fucking.
- [31:41]
Raja Bell
Let's, let's leave D out of it. Like, I just use that because people are always like, you know, you know, it's a. Recruiting is a weird process, right? I want you to come to camp. If you're like, why does he keep going to camp? Why does he keep doing that? Why does he get. I'm like, because that's what he does. If, when, if he's saying that he wants to do that at X, Y and Z level, that's what you do. You pop out and show him, bro, like, I, if I can't get this done, then I'm not supposed to be at your school. So, like, Ace, if we can't go out and get this workout and show these people that we can jump over the rim and knock down a bunch of jump shots and, and run a, you know, down and back in this amount of time or whatever they're asking you to do, bro, you supposed to roll out of bed being able to do that.
- [32:23]
Logan Murdoch
And more importantly, if you're not the dude and you show up to workouts and you impress somebody, this goes back to my point of the league being really small. That's the difference between if you flame out somewhere and you go to overseas to, oh, we just going to give him another shot. Like, he's a good kid, we're going to bring him in for whatever, right? Like, I don't know, man, I'm getting old. But anyway, I think that's all it is.
- [32:47]
Raja Bell
It's all good. My recommendation to him would be, this is all in the past. All of what I just talked about is in the past. That would have been of advice. That would have been a bit of advice that I've given to you prior as you were going through the process, trying to determine whether or not or how you were going to, you know, conduct yourself now. That's all in the rear view, bro. Let's get to work. Put your head down. Put your head down and work. I mean, that's my favorite saying, dog. Put your head down and work. If you do that, you're going to be all right. If you're talented, if you're in a right situation, right? Which I think he is. If you got good people around you, which I think he will have, it is going to take care of itself. You will start to see the fruits of that labor. When? I don't know. But, but there. It's like a seed, dude. That thing sprouting roots under the soil. Like it's growing. When, when, when it's going to pop up above the soil. I don't know. But do that right now. Get to work.
- [33:40]
Logan Murdoch
Let's take a quick break and do this gimmicky ass segment.
- [33:48]
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- [34:49]
Cliff
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- [35:34]
Logan Murdoch
And we are back. I wanted to do the gimmicky. The gimmicky segment, but we're going to. We might get to it. But you were about to say something about vj, the Sixers pick, and you were saying it in the break, and Cliff said, no, fuck that. Say it during the segment.
- [35:54]
Raja Bell
Well, it's nothing, really. I was just gonna tell a little story. Like my. I. I used to coach at a local high school around here when the boys were really young. And I helped my man out, Kenny Kelly, over at Western High School. And so, like, in the summertime, we'd be in a gym and, you know, dudes would come through. Like, DIA was young. I think DIA was hopping in the runs at that point. He was probably like 14 or something like that. And. And. And you know, there. There be grown men coming through the hoop because Kenny had coached at, like, he had coached at another high school, Miramar High School, and also at. At a. At a junior college around here. So some of his former players would be coming through the hoop and one day he came in the gym with, like, I think it was his younger brother or maybe his cousin or something like that. And, you know, he was like, look, we're looking for a high school for him. He's straight out of the Bahamas, right? So. So we were like, oh, okay. Because, like, you're always looking for somebody to add to a high school team.
- [36:43]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, this.
- [36:45]
Raja Bell
This joker made like. I don't even think we were playing yet. It wasn't a move. But you know how you're, like, warming up and, like, people are coming through and they'll shoot a few and then you bounce them a ball and they do a layup and then they kick it back out to the next. This dude did something athletic and we were. We. Kenny and I looked at each other like, what the fuck was that? What was.
- [37:05]
Logan Murdoch
He's just a freak athlete. Just crazy.
- [37:07]
Raja Bell
Yeah. So it didn't work out. It didn't work out where he was able to play in the high school. So they took him, I think, to a prep or something like that. Because. Because I don't know, something with the transcripts coming from the Bahamas to. To. To the States and the disconnect, right? Like, he wasn't eligible to play in our high school, but we had seen him then, and I kind of lost track of it until. Until, like, I don't know, I Was watching the Bahamas in one of those tournaments and. And he was in the McDonald's game. And we were sitting around at dinner, I think, and Kenny said to me, man, you remember that kid? I was like, nah, dude. He was like, that's the same kid that was in our gym back then. And it blew me away, man, because we had seen him. I mean, he was probably 16 at the time, maybe 15. He had come through the gym, bro. Might have had him on our high school team. We missed out. Sixers got lucky, though. He gonna be a dog.
- [37:55]
Logan Murdoch
Cliff, how you feeling, buddy? Are you good? Does that make you feel better?
- [37:59]
E
Listen, man, I'm great. I sent y' all the video in the producer, Chad, me, you, Vic, and he said, man, we was off a generator for seven years. You don't see young boys like that in the NBA no more. That come in just already with that chip on his shoulder. A lot of these kids grew up in the AAU circuit. A lot of these kids, you know, grew up in, you know, rather good circumstances, which is great. Like, I'm not, you know, faultin anybody for having a good circumstance growing up, but you already know he coming from a place where it's like, look, man, I got. I gotta eat, or it's kill or be killed. You know what I'm saying?
- [38:29]
Logan Murdoch
We don't grind, we don't eat.
- [38:30]
E
Yeah. So I like that mentality, man. I hope he produces well for the Sixers. Already has a good jumper from what I've seen. As far as his form goes, I.
- [38:39]
Logan Murdoch
Feel like that he's gonna really be endearing himself to the city, Right. If he plays like that, he's gonna. Y' all love that shit.
- [38:46]
E
You love defense, right? Like the first Rajan, it was like the first thing Philly loves is defense, right? You love a great, great dog on defense who's going to go out there every night and put it all on the line. So I think Vijay's a guy that could do that if his offensive game picks up a little bit. Like, he still just looks like he just goes off of his athleticism. That's why he's so good. But if he develops like a mid range, he can come off some staggers, pin downs, whatever, and then turn around, just pop it. It's. It's scary, scary, scary hours.
- [39:12]
Raja Bell
Yeah, he's gonna be. He's gonna be just fine. And you didn't ask me, Logan. But my advice, Vijay, would be defend your tail off and just body people. Put him in the rim. Like, if you can do that year one for that fan base. You've bought yourself a lot of Runway to turn into the player that you can ultimately be. Like, keep the hard hat on my boy. Like, be Philly. And then just be patient and work, you know, in the dark to get to sharpen all the tools to ultimately turn it. Because he's got a lot of physical gifts, man. In a league full of freaks. He's a 1 percenter, man. He is crazy. Crazy.
- [39:55]
Logan Murdoch
Twitch, VJ. Just play that freeway. Play that beanie, bro. Put the lights just up, light enough in the gym to where you can see shit and just fucking run sprints and go to work, bro. That's all you. That's all you got to do. Okay, Time for Richter scale with Raja or Raja's Richter scale. I haven't really. Like, I. I just figured this out five minutes before the pot. I'm gonna give you a trade. You're gonna say how you feel about it? All right, we're gonna start off. We're gonna go to New Orleans, where the New Orleans Pelicans traded their 23rd overall pick, which turned into Georgia big man Asha newell, and their 2026 unprotected first round pick in exchange for the Hawks number 13 pick next. Last night. How do you feel? What is it? How does that register on the. On the Roger Richter scale, man?
- [40:48]
Raja Bell
It's hard to put a number. Can I just say dumb?
- [40:51]
Logan Murdoch
Sure.
- [40:51]
Raja Bell
Okay. Because I don't have a number. I mean, I don't know if that would be high on my Richter scale or if it's low. Like, what's the. Are good trades high or low?
- [40:59]
Logan Murdoch
It's your Richter scale, motherfucker. What's your Richter scale?
- [41:01]
Raja Bell
I'll just say dumb, then. I mean, that's like. I mean, you. I. I don't know, man. I'm not a trade. I'm not a trade. Like, analyst breakdown, taking inventory. But, like, what was that? 10 spots you. Was it 10 spots you moved up?
- [41:15]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah.
- [41:16]
Raja Bell
For an unprotected next year.
- [41:18]
Logan Murdoch
And you're trying to.
- [41:21]
Raja Bell
Yeah, dude.
- [41:21]
Logan Murdoch
No, you're t. You're definitely taking. And you're. You're going to want that pick as you're doing it, right?
- [41:27]
Raja Bell
Yeah. Come on, man.
- [41:28]
Logan Murdoch
It reminded me of like. Remember Ricky Williams? They. The. The Saints traded all that capital for Ricky Williams. This might be like the. The NBA equivalent of that.
- [41:38]
Raja Bell
Yeah. I don't know. I think they got Derrick Queen, right? I like their Queen. That's who they got, right? That's who they got. That's who they moved up to get like, is it. Am I right?
- [41:45]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, yeah.
- [41:45]
Raja Bell
I mean, I. I like their queen.
- [41:47]
Logan Murdoch
But like, you could have put some protections on. You didn't have to fucking do all that for the 13th picks, bro.
- [41:53]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I don't. I'm sorry. I don't know. I don't have a lot on that.
- [41:57]
Logan Murdoch
Okay. It's okay. On the Richter scale. That is dumb. Okay, fair. Let's go. Let's stay in New Orleans because, you know, this hits close to home. The New Orleans Pelicans are trading CJ McCollum, center Kelly Olenek, and a future second round pick to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Poole, Sadiq Bay, and the number 40th pick for the 2025 NBA draft.
- [42:24]
Raja Bell
So another second this year.
- [42:27]
Logan Murdoch
A future second round pick.
- [42:30]
Raja Bell
Oh, not the 2025 second round pick. A future future second round pick.
- [42:33]
Logan Murdoch
Now they got one back.
- [42:34]
Raja Bell
Oh, yeah, that one's hard. I don't know. Contractually, like, what do you. I don't. I don't. Just off the top, like, I don't know what that does to any type of financial situation for either team. I think the answer I would have to. That is like a very, very low register on a Richter scale for me. I'm a big CJ McCollum fan. I don't see that. Does that move the needle for anyone? I mean, outside of the scope of me breaking down, how that did, what it did to someone's cap or any kind of relief they got or anything like that like that, that's not a move that I think makes any.
- [43:04]
Logan Murdoch
Maybe they wanted to trade in expiring. Cause CJ's about to be an expiring. But you. But you took on Jordan Poole, who has on a. Has like a wild contract. Doesn't seem like that you have to. You have a plan necessarily, they're going to trade Zion next? I'm not really sure. This trade is obviously, like, again, low on the Richter scale, but, like, when you do the trade that you did on draft night, it just screams incompetence on everything else that you do. Right? And right now you're pairing Jordan Poole with Zion Williamson, and I just don't have much hope for New Orleans. Like, it just. It seems pretty bad.
- [43:40]
Raja Bell
This falls into the bucket. You said it. I say it a lot. What's. What's the plan, bro? Like, we didn't just. Okay, I'm in your. I'm in your passenger seat.
- [43:49]
Logan Murdoch
All right?
- [43:49]
Raja Bell
We're trying to get to. You're driving. You. You don't got no map. You don't got I. You ain't got no imap. Out no ways.
- [43:57]
Logan Murdoch
You got a flip phone.
- [43:58]
Raja Bell
Neither one of us been where we're going. How are we getting there? That's what I mean. That's why I don't know.
- [44:03]
Logan Murdoch
All right. Was that. So do we have a Richter scale score?
- [44:06]
Raja Bell
Yeah, very low. Like, I don't. One, two.
- [44:08]
Logan Murdoch
Okay. All right. This is like.
- [44:10]
Raja Bell
Okay, right, in terms of like the way I'm like. Let me, let me explain my one or two, right? Like Richter scale or like earthquakes or like shaking stuff. Like. So you're asking me, like, how much did that shake up the landscape of anything? Or like what that? Nothing.
- [44:25]
Logan Murdoch
The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets finalized a deal that sends Kristaps Porzingis and the second round pick to the Hawks, Terrence Mann and Atlantis, number 22 pick for 20, 25 to the Nets, George Niang. And a second rounder to the Celtics. 5. Five on the Richter scale, huh?
- [44:44]
Raja Bell
Yeah. Look, Chris Steps. If you're, if you're in the Eastern Conference this year, right, you're in the Eastern Conference, Boston's not going to be like, Boston's out the Pacers. I mean, look, without Halle, I mean, they'll still be a good team, but they're. They're not who they were. I mean, the east is. You're looking at the east if you're in it right now, Sam. Maybe. Yeah, so. So, like, you know, Kristaps is a nice piece. Kristaps is a nice piece. Like, you know what else they do? I mean, I don't know. I don't know what else the Hawks do, but like, Kristaps is one of those pieces. I think that like a lot of people would like to have that think that they have a shot, you know, to have some serious legs in the Eastern Conference.
- [45:26]
Logan Murdoch
Completely agree with you. I think that we haven't really been fans of the Hawks over the last few years, but I do think that like. Hey, man, I was thinking exactly what you were thinking in terms of the Eastern Conference. It's wide open. You could talk yourself into, hey, Trey Young, Christoph Sprzingis, if he's healthy, maybe we trust our medical staff, huh? Maybe we get to a five or six seated player ourselves out of the playing race, right? Like, who knows? I think the Atlanta Hawks are just somewhere in the middle still. Right? But they could make a run. This could be like a 20, 21 run maybe, right? Like, if you're just.
- [46:00]
Raja Bell
Yeah.
- [46:00]
Logan Murdoch
Who. Who is the bona fide team that's going Cliff Sixers, everything is on their table.
- [46:06]
Raja Bell
Everything is on the table in the Eastern Conference right now.
- [46:09]
Logan Murdoch
What are you doing right now? Like, if you're an Eastern Conference team, you just try and shit, you're just figured, let's, let's, let's. Do you feel like you're in the mix for stuff? Like, I don't know, Orlando is one of those teams that think that they can do something. I don't really like their roster, but who cares because they can get somewhere with that roster.
- [46:27]
Raja Bell
Yeah. Most of the time when you're saying, I don't like that roster, at least me, I'll speak for myself when I'm saying I don't like that roster, I don't like it. You know, relatively speaking. Right. And that would be compared to like a really good Bucks team with Giannis in the east, like playing well or the, the Celtics because they're just loaded and they got Tatum and Brown and. But when you, when, when you're saying like, yo, they're not there. We don't know what Joel Embiid is going to be and the Sixers are going to be. We like the Pacers are without the straw that stirs the drink. Like, those rosters start to look a lot better.
- [46:59]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, yeah. It's gonna be a lot of 40 something win teams in East. It's going to be okay. So I was, over the last week, I was, I got a stern talking to. Maybe not a stern talking to, but a lot of people in the comments were like, yo, you didn't talk about Portland, you didn't talk about the other side. Hey, I got you there. You thought I was going, you thought I was going to be messy. But we talked about the Drew Holiday trade in exchange for Anthony Simons and we talked about the Boston side of the deal, but we didn't talk about the Portland Trailblazer side of the deal. What I think about the Portland side of the deal.
- [47:39]
Raja Bell
Don't you dare.
- [47:40]
Logan Murdoch
I don't know what Portland's doing. Right. Like, on paper it seems like, oh, they're going to try to get a veteran presence for Scoot and the rest of the team and, you know, the other players that they have on the roster and like, see what they can do in the Western Conference because the Western Conference is, you know, equally wide open. I don't think that the Portland roster is good enough to be making these types of decisions or making these saying, hey, if we get a veteran in here, why not let's try to go make a run for it. I just don't think that they're there yet. And they had a nice end to the season, but, like, I don't know. They don't really have a dude there. I don't think that they can necessarily compete. Compete right now. And they look like a team that is just making any kind of deal without a plan and that they're about to get sold soon and it'll get kicked down the road with the new ownership group. There's not that much excitement in Portland right now. There just isn't.
- [48:37]
Raja Bell
You know, let me just be real, dude. Portland as a fan base and as a place to play, like, awesome, right? And every fan base feels like you're disrespecting, like, their team if you don't give them the same amount of attention as some other teams. I can respect that. Like, I used to love playing in Portland, man. That's a great building to play in. They got great fans. I'm with you on this one. Correct me if I'm wrong. Did I read a report where. Did Drew come out and say something about the trade? Did he. Did he do that or no?
- [49:06]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, apparently, like, he's pissed about it, which I get. And he might get traded to another team, right?
- [49:10]
Raja Bell
But, yeah, that's essentially what I had seen and what I'm. The point I'm making is they can be a great fan base. They can be excited, but they're not at the point where that makes a ton of sense in terms of chasing anything in the Western Conference, especially. And so, like, hey, you know, I. Sorry. Sorry, fans. Like, if someone gave you shit, Logan, I don't know. Quite frankly, I don't give a fuck. But. But, you know, that's it is what it is. Like, Drew. Drew's.
- [49:42]
Logan Murdoch
Yo, that's your response to every single thing that I bring to you, bro. Like, yo, Rob, man. Yeah, all that. I don't give a. Him.
- [49:50]
Raja Bell
Listen, if I'm a Care what all. I don't know. Don't get me started on the philosophy of, hey, if you. I can't even do it, man. I.
- [50:00]
Logan Murdoch
Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. Come on.
- [50:02]
Raja Bell
No, I mean. I mean, look, look, I mean, you can't internalize all of that, right? Like, if you know what I mean. Like, I'm sorry. I genuinely, like, I don't mean any disrespect to anyone. If we're not, you know, covering the things you want us to cover or you're not, you know, I really do apologize. There's only so much shit you can get to. Just like, you know, for the random fan that thinks you or I can sit here and watch every NBA game every night. You try to do it, motherfucker. It's impossible.
- [50:34]
Logan Murdoch
When you're going to every NBA game in your market to watch every single NBA game.
- [50:40]
Raja Bell
Yeah.
- [50:40]
Logan Murdoch
Out. It's hard.
- [50:42]
Raja Bell
Well, I already told you I ain't even about to try that, so don't even worry about it. But I guess generally speaking, like, you know, I respect Portland, the Trailblazers. It's not a viable like thought to think that Jrue Holiday gets you over the hump in the Western Conference right now is currently constituted like. Like that would be my opinion.
- [51:03]
Logan Murdoch
It just. But like it's just a nothing burger of a trade, right? Like if you're going to trade Anthony Simons, what are you doing? You're not. Are you going to get a haul back? Like can you just. It's. It's tough man. Before we get out of here, we don't get to do this often because you know, we have a three man panel and we usually do mailbag a lot. But let's do a real one of the week, you know, let's just, let's do it. You want to do one you didn't even expect to. So I can do mine first.
- [51:30]
Raja Bell
Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead.
- [51:32]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, I want to give it to one Sabrina Unescu. You know I was at the, the Liberty Valkyries game. It was her first game it playing in the Bay Area since they. Which is another game I went to since Oregon played Stanford in 2020, which was like right after Kobe's funeral. It was kind of like it was. She flew up from LA to Stanford to play in that game. Pretty emotional night. But she balled out and they ended up winning a game. But she, she had a neck issue yesterday and didn't shoot the ball particularly well but got like a timely steal and scored 11 in the fourth to help the Liberty win the game. And it was just like a really nice homecoming. She had like 50 people in this that she paid for in the stands and a whole bunch of other people that was in the stands to watch her play. You're not coming to the west coast anytime soon, but if you did, I would take you to a Valkyries game because they sell out every game and it is popping and it is very loud. So shout out to the Valks and shout out to Sabrina and shout out to everybody involved in a great night at Chase Center. So that's my ruin of the week.
- [52:40]
Raja Bell
No doubt. I tell my story about buying tickets. You just took me back to buying tickets. Like you get a certain amount of tickets for NBA games, right?
- [52:47]
Logan Murdoch
Tell me you're buying tickets.
- [52:48]
Raja Bell
01 finals. Magical playoff ride. I'm barely playing in them but like my family and friends are just so excited that I'm there that people are coming out to watch. You know, everybody wants to be there and I'm. I to some degree got lost in the like, hey, I need this amount of tickets or I need these. I got, I got seven people coming tonight. Like I got people coming. So we, we did that all the way through the playoffs. And then you know, the playoff bonuses are coming and they're heavy. Like those are hefty playoff bonuses. So I'm waiting to see if they.
- [53:16]
Logan Murdoch
Sit down on a house.
- [53:17]
Raja Bell
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But to see like I'm only there for a while so I don't know if they're going to give me a full share or if because I wasn't there long, I get a quarter or half or what have you. They were. Those dudes are so, so like just geez all the way around because they gave me a full share. But when I, when I got the check there was an item. There was an item line for, for tickets. I did not realize the total that I had rang up throughout the course of the playoffs for tickets. And that adds up pretty quick, especially in the final. So just suffice to say my bonus was not exactly what I thought I was going to get because the tickets, the tickets took a large.
- [53:56]
Logan Murdoch
I know. So fucked up is they'll tell you like when you ask for the tickets, but. Oh yeah, good, we got you. It's cool.
- [54:01]
Raja Bell
Just like that. Just like five.
- [54:03]
Logan Murdoch
You need five. You good? All right, cool. Come on.
- [54:05]
Raja Bell
Just like that.
- [54:06]
Logan Murdoch
And that's what it is. And then you. Yeah, and then. But you fortunately got a multi year deal right out of that, right? Didn't you get a. Yeah, I copped.
- [54:15]
Raja Bell
Another year on the end of the deal. So like it was cool. It was just a. It was, it just made me reflect on that. When you talked about having a bunch of people at games like you and.
- [54:24]
Logan Murdoch
Rolling in Doe at the time like I just wasn't.
- [54:29]
Raja Bell
Let's see real one of the week. Can I give a group real run of the week?
- [54:33]
Logan Murdoch
Buckets.
- [54:34]
Raja Bell
So look, so look, we talked on the last show like you know, Dia was blessed, my oldest to win the elite 11 competition out and it's an amazing experience. But he was blessed to win that. And then, you know, because of that, like, some of the. The new. The new, like, publications and their ranking services are coming out. And his goal had always been to be the number one quarterback in the country. Like, he had always wanted to do that. You know, we talk about, like, you know, that stuff's cool, but it's all meaningless and whatever, but still these kids want to try to be that, right? So, like, he had done it and. And today came out, the ESPN one came out and he was. He got bumped to the number one QB in the country. Right? So he's not going to be my real one. My real one are going to be all the people, his quarterback coaches, his trainers, the people who have poured into him since he was, like, in the third grade. Because as much as Cindy and. And I, you know, try to get him where he's supposed to be and try to help him and as much work as he does on his own, it takes a village. It really takes a lot of people sharing his vision and thinking that it's possible and supporting him and pushing him and kicking him in his ass when he needs to have a kick for that to be possible. And so for all of those people, I want to say thank you. And y' all are my real ones, man.
- [55:45]
Logan Murdoch
I just gotta say, bro, just to echo onto that, man, we started this pod in 2020, and Dia was a baby bro. Like, I think he was just starting. I don't even think he was in high school at the time. He might. That was five years ago. I don't think high school. He was just, like, playing football, right? Or maybe he was playing, like, I.
- [56:01]
Raja Bell
Don'T know, JV or something. Maybe at the time, I don't know.
- [56:04]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, but, like, to see him blossom into this has been dope. Like, I haven't met him yet, but, like, I'm just so proud of him, man. I'm so proud of what he's done. I'm so proud of Ty. So proud of your little one, you know, little. Your girl, the middle boy. I'm so proud of Zenbell. I'm just proud. You've done a great job with him, brother.
- [56:25]
Raja Bell
Well, thank you, man. They're good kids with the village, but.
- [56:28]
Logan Murdoch
Like, it's great to see them, like, block.
- [56:30]
Raja Bell
You'll see this. You'll see this though, right? Because I'll be saying the same thing to you, like, when, you know, as he grows and. And develops and you guys are trying to do your best, there's no manual for how to Be a parent. Like, you know what I mean? Like, you're just trying to figure it out. People are going to come into his life in whatever capacity or whatever field he chooses to try to, you know, chase. They're going to be people that mean more to him in that space than you can, because that'll be their area of expertise in, you know, probably. And, you know, those relationships that you watch him develop will be very rewarding for you to watch, and you will be so grateful and thankful for the people that help him get what he wants. Like, it's just. It's a really cool experience. And I mean it, like, thankful. Real Ones.
- [57:13]
Logan Murdoch
We love you guys. All the real ones, man. It's good to get back in the lab with you, buddy.
- [57:18]
Raja Bell
Yeah, baby.
- [57:19]
Logan Murdoch
Really dope, bro. Like, shout out to Howard. We love Howard. Real. Yeah. Yeah. It felt like we got back to, like, like, 20, 21 vibes. Yeah.
- [57:27]
Raja Bell
We were in the crates. We were in the crates. H back. We miss you, but we were in a craze today. We took it back.
- [57:31]
Logan Murdoch
We were in a crazy. Yeah, man, that was like.
- [57:33]
Raja Bell
That was like Bridgerton boy shit.
- [57:34]
Logan Murdoch
Like, that was like, dog, I, I, I love what we've, what we've built. I love everything. I love Real Ones. Real Ones is my favorite podcast. It is my favorite thing to do. I've grown to love it more than I ever thought I would, you know, because when you first get into it, you're like, when you first get into, you know, a job, like the Ringer, you're like, I just want to ascend. Ascend, descend. And then they're like, yo, once you do this podcast, and, like, to our point, or earlier, you're like, well, okay, I'll do this podcast, and then I'll just branch out. Just like, yo, man, this podcast has just been so great and just brought so many blessings to us, bro. You know what I mean? Within the NBA community, but just, like, also professionally and, like, the people that we've met doing this podcast, and it's just too, like, it's just us, you know?
- [58:19]
Raja Bell
Like, hey, man, I'm still blown away, Logan. I'm still blown away all over the West Coast. When we were out there last week, you know, and in a lot of circumstances now, I'm Diaz, dad. Like, unless we get around people that are, like, NBA heads and remember that I played a lot of times, I'm deoritized that the amount of people that came up to me and shook my hand and I was anticipating a, like, talk about my son and they'd be like, love listening. Like, bro, that's.
- [58:46]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, that's wild. Yeah, man, that's wild, bro. And it's, like, also crazy. Like, even. And I don't want to talk about it, obviously, but, like, even the that happened this week is like, yo, your voice matters this much. You know what I'm saying? Like, that shit's crazy. Yeah, crazy, crazy, crazy, bro. It's. It's wild how. How we've been able to grow this, bro. Anyways, hey, Katie, come on here, man.
- [59:08]
Raja Bell
Let me be the peacemaker, dog. We love. Come on, dog. Come on, man. Come on. Let me make some peace between my brothers here, man. Come on, now, bro.
- [59:17]
Logan Murdoch
I've known that dude since I was 18 years old, dog. It ain't. It ain't no thing. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't want to bring the pre. Pod. The other pod, like, onto the pod, but you know what I'm talking about, right? Right? Like, it just. This is just. It is what it is, you know? It just is what it is. That's all we'll say. That's it. All right. That's been another edition of the pod. I think we're doing one show next week. I haven't gotten the schedule yet, but I'm assuming just one. One this week, so we'll talk to you guys real soon. Ah, all the shits by.