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- [00:00]
Logan Murdoch
Foreign.
- [00:06]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Real ones. Logan Murdoch here, Raja Bale and Howard Beck in a minute. We go long on LeBron and then a little bit on Kawhi and then an epic rant from Howard Beck on John Moran. All that next Cliff, Victoria, Ben, play the theme music. What's poppin? Real ones. Logan Murdoch here, Roger Bell there. Howard motherfucking back in the cut, man. I don't even know where to start. Yes, I actually do know where to start. LeBron James is a free agent again. You know, it was building towards this, everybody. And you know, there were so many rumors throughout the season, will he be back in la? Will he be gone? We finally got a little bit of clarity. One is that he's not going to. He's going to play next season for the 2627 season, but it is not going to be with the Los Angeles Lakers. And there's rumors abound. We are going to try to make sense of those and we are also going to try to talk about his legacy. And then we have another trade, you know, that we're going to talk about later in the program. Kawhi Leonard is going back to Toronto. But first, let's stay in the west coast for now. LeBron James is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers. I want to start with Howard Beck here. Why didn't it ultimately work out with LeBron in the lake?
- [01:26]
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- [02:27]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
after eight seasons.
- [02:30]
Howard Beck
I mean it worked out for eight seasons and they won a championship and they were pretty good and they were relevant and he brought them back. So like before we talk about the ending and what went wrong Ish. I think we still need to at least acknowledge how, how much they these two parties needed each other. LeBron James needed the Lakers in 20, 2018 when he went there, and the Lakers badly, badly needed LeBron James in 2018 because it had been a long time since they had been good. Kobe had been retired. His last few years weren't so great. Like, LeBron made the Lakers, the Lakers again, let's not forget. So there's that. And then he brings Anthony Davis there and they win a championship where things went awry, sideways, some sort of direction that wasn't straight is that out of the blue, Nico Harrison gifted them Luka Doncic and nothing has been the same since. And like that's it. Like, if Luka Doncic never becomes available and he never should have been. I think LeBron James is still a Laker right now. I don't think that's a stretch. I don't think that's hyperbole. I don't think that's a crazy narrative of any sort. Of he became expendable. They be they found their new tent pole, their new foundational piece in Luca. And while they've played well together and while at times the Lakers have still been very dependent on LeBron, especially with Luca and Austin Reaves out in that first round Series A couple months back, but the fact is you cannot build cogently, coherently and, and, and sustainably around Luca, which you now have to do as long as LeBron is still present, taking up a lot of oxygen and on the books at a really high cap number. And I think we should have all seen that this was coming a year ago at this time when the Lakers did not offer an extension. LeBron ops into the last year of his deal makes him an expiring contract for the first time in forever. And like it was all telegraphed then, we were inevitably getting to this moment where LeBron James and the Lakers were going to have to look at each other and say, you know what? We had a great time. It's time to move on. The Lakers need to start building around Luca and LeBron needs to figure out where he best fits in this final stage. Whether that's a year or two or whatever it is, but they don't make sense together anymore. I think this is the most logical conclusion.
- [05:05]
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- [05:41]
Raja Bell
Yes. I thought LeBron was going to leave the Lakers.
- [05:44]
Roger Bell
There was.
- [05:45]
Raja Bell
I mean, I've come on before and talked about how well I think he transitioned, what a good soldier he was in terms of being able to kind of acclimate to new roles on the fly, both on the court and probably in the locker room, definitely within the organization. That doesn't mean he had to love any of that, though. And I never got the sense that he loved that. Everything that Howard said is true about the Lakers and what they need to do, but LeBron, LeBron had a choice. And, you know, it's, it's not unlike Jalen Brown, except it's completely different than Jalen Brown in that there's a level of respect that you think you should be shown or given. And if, and if that's, if that's not what you're feeling, you know, there are times when you, if you have the opportunity, you may move on. Now, where he winds up is going to be very, very interesting. Like, I, you know, I've heard a lot of, a lot of things. I'm assuming it's going to be about chasing championships, but is it going to be about championships and, and desirable city to live in? Is it going like, what. How he parses out, what that next step looks like for him and what's important and what the priority is, is going to be interesting. But I never got the sense that LeBron was happy about the way it is unfolded there in la. I thought he handled it gracefully. I thought he played phenomenally, even better in some spots than I thought he would trying to make that adjustment. But I never got the sense that he was really, really excited and happy to be doing it.
- [07:22]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Well, I mean, we'll get to the reporting part of it at some point as the reports come out. Right. But, like, my thing was, you know, going into this, this free agency for LeBron was, you know, the Lakers offer everything that you could theoretically want as a, even as a, you know, second on the call sheet or however you want to put him on the call sheet behind Luka Doncic and Austin reeves. He's still, LeBron James and being a Laker as you're on your way out has his advantages, right? And retiring as a Laker has a certain advantages. And I always thought that, you know, that had a big chance of winning out in this situation, right? You know, the new ownership and just say, hey, Brian, what do you want? We'll figure this out for one more year. Because you are a Laker for life in our, in our eyes, right? And that's also going by the old, the old guard, you know, the old guard in which Howard Beck is covered once upon a time. And I just thought of that, that could be the best option for him. Howard, how did, why wasn't that the way. Because throughout our history of watching the Lakers, you know, Kareem is getting a farewell, you know, Magic, Kobe, if you want one, and you feel like you are a Laker for life and you are institutionalized as one of those guys. You get that. Why, why couldn't LeBron and the Lakers just figure that part of it out in the end, right? And I know it's a weird set of circumstances, but why ultimately couldn't they just figure that part out?
- [08:51]
Howard Beck
I mean, not everybody got their like, happy, romantic send off. Like Shaq got traded to the Miami Heat and, you know, took years before he was like kind of welcomed back into the fold with the statue and everything else. So, like, it doesn't always go that way, I think. Yeah, this is from a, from a standpoint of just history and tradition and honoring your greats. This isn't the ideal send off. You're right. Logan, like, this should have been his last stop and again would have been if not for Luka. Because where they would have been instead was a team based around LeBron and probably still Anthony Davis with some okay role players. That was a first round out that wasn't going to go anywhere. And it would have been like the later Kobe years, right now, the later Kobe years. To be clear, Kobe had to overcome Achilles and all that other stuff, so he wasn't himself. He couldn't carry a team. LeBron still kind of can, right? He's still better than 90% of players in the NBA on his best nights, but 82 games is a lot to ask of him. But in a world where they don't get Luka, you've got a middling to maybe top 5ish, top 6ish playoff team and, and you ride LeBron until he retires and that's it. And maybe you hope somewhere along the way you find a guy to be his heir. But that's really hard. It almost never happens. So in the scenario that they do have, you now have to make hard choices that you would have never had to confront before. And so I don't think anybody wanted this. I don't think Jeanie Buss or Rob Pelinka or the new ownership for that matter. I don't think anybody would have wanted it to end this way, where it's like, we'll just shake hands and say it's been real, but our path and yours diverge now. But I think Everybody's a realist. LeBron's been in this league a long time. Rich Paul's been around this league a long time. These guys understand it. I'm sure. I'm sure they're not thrilled, but they got to understand it. Like, there's. It's. You just hit a fork in the road. It doesn't make sense for them to continue together. Even if LeBron were willing. Now, I should stop there. If LeBron were willing to take a fraction of what he's been making and was okay with that, in addition to being essentially a third wheel next to Luka and Austin Reaves, then maybe. But that's still. It's still a tough path for the Lakers to go down because what they really need to do is completely reimagine this roster around Luca now or around Luca and Austin Reeves. And that's super, super hard to do with LeBron still there, no matter what he's making, and especially if he's making a substantial amount. So I don't think there's any good answer here. And Will. Will, you know, drips and drabs of reporting will come out in the days and weeks ahead as to how they got to this exact conversation point. Like, what were the Lakers willing to do to keep him? Would he have been willing to go there? How much was he. You know, I think it's interesting the way this unfolded. It came from LeBron's camp that LeBron has decided to move on, not that the Lakers had decided to move on. I think there's probably a hell of a lot of nuance and gray area there that we don't know yet. And I think it's fully possible that this was actually the Lakers letting him signaling to. To LeBron's camp. Listen, we have to start re rebuilding around Luca right now. We're on the clock. This dude's in his prime. He's a top five player in the NBA.
- [12:12]
Raja Bell
We.
- [12:13]
Howard Beck
We have to do this. And. And you say it as respectfully as possible. And then LeBron and Rich Paul take the narrative and say, we've decided to move on. That's probably what happened.
- [12:23]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yes, I'm. How does that make you feel?
- [12:25]
Raja Bell
I mean, you guys would know better.
- [12:27]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
How does that dynamic make you feel?
- [12:29]
Raja Bell
No, I mean, I'm not tapped in like you guys are, man. I'm running around here with and I'm speculating Roger. Summer vibes. Yeah, but I heard, I heard that, like, he was unavailable to the Lakers for golfing reasons over the last week or so when they had the exclusivity of talking to him. I mean, that's the report that I heard. So, I mean, I don't know. It could, I mean, I certainly don't know in any way, shape or form, but as soon as I heard that, I was like, oh, that, yeah, that, that, that's not good.
- [13:00]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I mean, that's the interesting part of all this, though, Roger. Right. Because you were also like in the, in the 2014, wait and see, like, era of LeBron going to the Cavaliers. But it's like there's always two forms of LeBron and free agency. There's a very engaged LeBron in the off season. Like, I'm going to help out. And then like, there's also the hands off approach. Like, I, I'm not going to answer any calls. You could just go to my representation. Like, how did the. What is it like being on the two sides of that?
- [13:26]
Raja Bell
Oh, I've been on. I've seen that from every side. I. And before the 2014, I was caught in the whole, like, everyone's going to wait to see where LeBron goes. When was that? That was 2010. 2010. The decision was that when he went to Miami.
- [13:43]
Howard Beck
Yeah.
- [13:45]
Raja Bell
So, like, I mean, myself and probably a large part of the league that wasn't a superstar was just sitting around and free agency was not moving until that domino fell. So, you know, that was frustrating. I mean, that was, you know, I had some, some real anxiety that time around the block just because I wanted to know where I was going to go. I wanted to know what my, what my future was going to look like that year in the front office. I don't really remember that one clearly because I was kind of in. I was going to the Cavs that year when he was going to the Cavs. It was pretty quick. That one didn't strike me the same as, as being a player and basically having to wait until his domino of free agency fell and then the rest of us could kind of Shuffle around and, and, but at this point in his career, I don't imagine it is that for that many guys now, they're going to be some. I would imagine that if he can land with a really, really nice group, he'd be attractive to some probably fringe guys that would come in and kind of supplement in that way. But you know, my, my most interesting time around the block with LeBron as a free agent obviously was 2010.
- [14:55]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah, you brought up a great point though. Like the people circling the wagons for LeBron. Right. And I think it's like we're in this social media age in this new age that is very different from the other times that LeBron has been here, right? And I feel like his, his agents and his side of, of, of of the story is trying to put out feelers in the old fashioned way of like, hey, we're going to scour the league and see who gives us the best opportunity and the best market in the best, you know, everything, right? And it, I don't know what the landscape is going to be for LeBron right now, Howard, like, what is your, what is your gut telling you about what the landscape of like, who actually wants him? Now we are going to get into the teams that like, just, we think he could be cool, a cool fit for later on in this segment. But like, where's your gut telling you about the market of a LeBron James at this particular point?
- [15:43]
Howard Beck
Well, the market isn't, you know, like once upon a time the market was, are you important enough, cool enough, and in a good enough city or with emotional ties to even get LeBron's attention, right? So like in 2010, it's both LA teams, it's Chicago, big market. New York, big market. New Jersey, soon to be in Brooklyn, big market. Miami, glamour market. Those are the teams. And then Cleveland, of course, trying to keep him, like so. But the market for LeBron, when it comes to like what you can pay him, LeBron's not getting the max at this stage. He's, he's 41 and a half. Um, and I don't like, the only place he could get anywhere near his old salary was to stay in la. That's obviously off the table now. Um, he's worth over a billion. I think he'll be okay. But he is now having to weigh things like someone who has the taxpayer mid level versus the non taxpayer mid level versus the, you know, room exception versus, like, we're talking about a guy who's got, who's worth over a billion is now in theory, considering whether Miami versus Cleveland versus Golden State versus whoever can give him like 10 versus 12 million or what, it's almost like preposterous to even talk about. But the market in terms of teams that could use him, that he'd be
- [17:03]
Raja Bell
useful for every team in the NBA.
- [17:06]
Howard Beck
Every fucking team in the NBA. I was just saying that. So I'm hanging with friends out west right now, and they're not all like real key done in the NBA. And so I was trying to explain the landscape today, and I was like, listen, here's what I can tell you about LeBron James. At age 41 and a half, he's still better than 430 out of the 450 players in the NBA. And I'm still being a little conservative there, because that number's probably even higher than that. He is still an impact player. And that said, you know, he has to decide where he's going to be happy for his last. Whatever it's going to be. Year or two. That was always la for the last several years, for the last eight years, because his family liked it there, he liked it there. You know, he was able to get Bronnie on the Lakers. That was a thing that happened. Like, there were advantages to being in la. Now it's about what do I want my, my swan song to be? And is it the emotional, you know, return to Cleveland and the sentimental, sentimental ties there? Is it a. A reconciliation with Miami? And that's already been reported that, that they're open to it. And look, they just. They're getting Giannis. They got. They got giannis like Giannis. LeBron and. And Bam would be really interesting, right? LeBron with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden and Evan Mobley would be really interesting. LeBron and the Warrior scenario, that's the thing, too. Like, this is not. We know this is not necessarily sudden or leaving LeBron in the lurch because the. We've been hearing Warrior stuff for literally months and even some Cleveland stuff, and even a little bit less than that. Miami, like, the obvious teams have been kind of preparing for this for a while.
- [18:45]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah.
- [18:46]
Howard Beck
As a possibility now, whether there's anybody beyond those three teams. I think Sam Amick just reported Minnesota just before we started recording. So. And Minnesota, look, you know, Tim Connolly is not afraid of chasing anybody. Right. They may be the long shot in all this because LeBron has no ties there and it's cold.
- [19:06]
Raja Bell
But that's what I was saying, you know, I don't. I mean,
- [19:11]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
who says no, right?
- [19:13]
Raja Bell
Yeah, but that's A like though that's from. No, from being around him just a little bit. Like, that's why I said, what I said before is like they're gonna. That's a. I couldn't see him in a city like Minnesota. Do you know what I mean, Howard? Like, no disrespect to Minnesota, but that, that one would just be really weird for his career. Sorry.
- [19:32]
Howard Beck
Anyway, hasn't, no, no, hasn't been his M.O. right? Like, yeah, yeah, he was in Cleveland twice because he's from Akron and they first, you know, they got his draft rights initially in 2003 and then he went back there out of, you know, emotional and, and, and familial ties. Right. Like, but that's the only city like that smaller market, cold weather market that I could kind of see him in. Like, I don't see some scenario where suddenly he's going to like, not a cold weather city, but I don't see a scenario where he's suddenly going to like Charlotte to join, you know, Brandon Miller and Conquer Nipple. Right. Like, like, like there's a. I think we can cross out all the usual teams that we would normally cross out for a superstar of his caliber. And the thing is, even the ring chasing thing, normally you get to this stage of a, of a career for a superstar and they're in play, it's. Well go to the team no matter where they are that can get you the, give you the best chance to win a championship. He's got his rings. Like I'm sure he'd love to have. What would it be, a fifth. But like, I don't see him going to the Thunder or the spurs even if those teams wanted him. I don't. I, like, I know we talked about him going to the Knicks a thousand times, especially back in 20.
- [20:40]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Hey, you're messing up. No, no, no, no, no. You're messing up the segment, man. Stop doing the negative stuff. We're about to have some fun in a second. Howard, hold on, I got a question.
- [20:47]
Howard Beck
I don't have a rundown in front of me that tells me anything about you mentioning the Knicks.
- [20:50]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Hey man, we having fun. We're having a lot of fun.
- [20:53]
Raja Bell
Let's.
- [20:53]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
That's why, that's why we didn't do the rundown. That's why I give it to you because I wanted you to have some fun, man.
- [20:58]
Howard Beck
I didn't know what. I can't know what I'm spoiling.
- [21:00]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I hope that's a. I hope that's a beer in your hand. Right, right. Now, anyways, not trying to cover the
- [21:05]
Howard Beck
label so we don't violate our advertising concerns.
- [21:09]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Last question before we get to the teams that would. We would like to see LeBron on and like some fun scenarios, but I want to ask this one. A few years ago, I think that I made Raja almost blow a damn gasket when I said this. But I don't believe Even now that LeBron is leaving the Lakers as a top 20 beloved Laker at this point. I'm talking about beloved. I'm not even talking about best.
- [21:35]
Advertisement Voice
Right.
- [21:36]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
And I want to ask you, I want to put this question to the panel. Is he that. And what do we think that LA is ultimately going to remember him by? And then what are they going to remember him by? And what should they remember him by? Howard Beck first.
- [21:52]
Howard Beck
When you say 20, like, I mean, who's on this list? Like, Devin George and Norm Nixon? Like, how?
- [21:59]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I'm talking about. I'm talking about. Okay, okay, cool. What? Magic. Talking about Kareem. Talking about Will Chamberlain. Jerry West.
- [22:07]
Howard Beck
4.
- [22:08]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
That's 4. Okay. Jerry west and then Elgin Baylor.
- [22:12]
Advertisement Voice
5.
- [22:14]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Shaquille O'. Neal.
- [22:15]
Howard Beck
6.
- [22:17]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Michael. This is no particular order. This is just 20 people that I think would be more beloved over Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant. Michael. James Worthy. 8. Michael Cooper.
- [22:29]
Howard Beck
9.
- [22:30]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Byron Scott. Bob Maadoo.
- [22:33]
Howard Beck
10. Okay.
- [22:35]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Bob Madoo.
- [22:37]
Howard Beck
11.
- [22:38]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Pal Gasol.
- [22:40]
Raja Bell
Kurt Rambis.
- [22:41]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Kurt Rambis. Who else?
- [22:45]
Howard Beck
Roger Couldn't even say say it without laughing.
- [22:47]
Raja Bell
What the are we doing? What are we doing?
- [22:49]
Howard Beck
Robert or Derek Fisher?
- [22:51]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Robert Fisher. Now you're getting Robert. I'm cooking with Grease here. We're at 16 right now. Okay? We are at 16. And you're like, I don't know. George Mikin.
- [23:00]
Howard Beck
This.
- [23:01]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
George Michan.
- [23:02]
Howard Beck
Lamar Odom.
- [23:03]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Lamar Odomic. Sasha Vuic. Stop. Perhaps.
- [23:08]
Howard Beck
Stop, stop.
- [23:09]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Okay. But a legitimate list. I have him at 18, and there's two people that could be. That could be more below.
- [23:14]
Howard Beck
All right, I'm not gonna get into Mark Madison.
- [23:18]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I'm. I'm. I'm really.
- [23:19]
Howard Beck
I know you're saying beloved, not greatest.
- [23:21]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I'm saying beloved. I'm not saying greatest. Gail Goodrich. That's what I mean right there.
- [23:27]
Raja Bell
I don't know Laker history well enough to even participate. I don't know.
- [23:30]
Howard Beck
I will say, as a former Laker beat writer, there's some stretches in there, Logan. But I get what you're saying.
- [23:36]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Brad Turner, Kim Kawakami. Howard Beck,
- [23:41]
Howard Beck
Bill Plaske. James.
- [23:43]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
No, but I'm being serious. Okay, so. But the question that I Have, though, is that this is leading up to. Is how. How will LA remember LeBron in the era and how should they remember him?
- [23:57]
Howard Beck
I do think there was a lot of resistance when he first got there. Right. There was still a lot of LeBron vs. Kobe stuff, and the Kobe stands in particular were not all that welcoming. And I'll never forget one of those early records that LeBron got within his first couple years there, and they, like, stopped the game or whatever, and it didn't even seem like. Like the applause was that loud, right?
- [24:14]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Was it when he passed Michael Jordan for the. For the scoring, for the scoring record? I think that was what it was.
- [24:20]
Howard Beck
It might have been, yeah. But it was one of those. Those markers, one of those milestones, and it just seemed like a kind of a tepid response, and you could just feel like, damn, man, if that had been Kobe or even if that had been Shaq, if that had been Magic, whatever, it would have been much different. And because, like, the emotional ties to him were just different. He was already a made man before he got there. He had his three championships before he got there. He'd been in the league for a long time before he got there. Like, it's not the same as when it's your own guy or if he'd come to you needing that. That. The power of the Laker brand again. The laker brand needed LeBron as much or more than LeBron needed them at that time. But the fans don't have to care about that. The fans just care about, do we love you? Do we embrace you? And I think it took time. I think by the time this thing ends, which is now, I think Lakerdom kind of warmed up to him. I do think, like, he is embraced. I do think he is part of that. It's not the same tier as the guys who were either Kobe, who's homegrown, Magic, who's homegrown, or, you know, Kareem, who got there at a specific time and place. That.
- [25:23]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
That.
- [25:23]
Howard Beck
That. That resonated. And plus the partnership with Magic, like, these other guys occupy a different space. I agree with that, Logan, but I do think he'll be remembered as a guy who put the Lakers back on the map after they'd been years in the desert. Post Kobe or just post his. His. His. His final championship in. In 2010. Right?
- [25:45]
Advertisement Voice
It.
- [25:45]
Howard Beck
It had been a while. It's. And It's. And it's 10 years between titles. LeBron put them back on the map. LeBron got them another. Another banner. It sucks that they never got to really celebrate that one. Right. Because it happened during COVID So no home, you know, no home celebration for it. No parade. Even ring night, I can't remember. Ring night was probably real muted too, because we. We weren't putting everybody back in the buildings yet. It was still. So. But I listen. He'll still be remembered as an all time great Laker, but. Yeah, on a different tier than the other ones. Some of the other ones you mentioned. I think he's. I think he's comfortably ahead of Mark Madsen.
- [26:19]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
We'll. We'll see. Let's let the. Let's let the real ones decide in the comments. Raja. Well, how should they remember LeBron James?
- [26:25]
Raja Bell
Look, you any. I've said this before. This is what I will say to that question anytime you as a fan get to regularly, if you attend games or if you're watching every night, watch greatness. And, and, and we're talking about a select few. We're talking. I mean, that's a goat, right? When you get to witness that and it's running around in your jersey, championship or not, you should cherish the time that you got to witness it performing for your team. If you didn't, then shame on you. Right? Because that doesn't come around often. There you go.
- [27:02]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Good shit, man. That was really good. Let's have a quick break and we're gonna play a fun game that Howard might walk off the show for.
- [27:13]
Logan Murdoch
Yo, you know who would be Joe? Me. Back on real ones. You guys know why? I mean. LeBron.
- [27:23]
Raja Bell
LeBron.
- [27:24]
Logan Murdoch
LeBron, LeBron. What do I even say, man? You know, it's been a hell of a run, truly. I wanna. I can't get it say everything I wanna say because it's not my show, you know, it's Logan, Raja and hbz. But I'll always remember the good times. I'll always remember you coming down here when you didn't have to. No, we was in the mud back then. You remember those days, man? Timofey Mazda, Luau Dang. You know, we was like. I was. I was trying to give Kendall Marshall all star votes. You know what I mean? It was a brutal time, but you changed all of it for us. You know, I know that injury on Christmas Day against the warriors was tough, but came back, got AD. You made the run, man. That 2020 championship means a lot. I'll always remember you standing there, you know, after Kobe died and you were crying along with us. You know, you did it for Bean. And so that I can't I can't be mad at that. You know, hey, first in season tournament. That was us, you know, like, we did that. I say we as if I was on the team, but you know what I mean? So thank you. You took the Lakers from a shell of their former selves, you know, irrelevant, poorly run. Just a decrepit organization, to be frank, and brought them back to where they're supposed to be, you know, the high life factory, the. The pinnacle of basketball. That. That does. That does mean a lot. And anybody else who disagrees, I know people may be upset, Laker fans who didn't want them here and all that
- [29:18]
Roger Bell
stuff, but this episode is brought to you by Netflix. The T Mobile Home Run Derby is right around the corner. Might be one of the best showcases of pure power in all sports. Baseball's biggest sluggers, along with some legendary announcers. Pujols, Rizzo, Bonds, Sabathia, El Duncan. Yeah. Hunter Pence, Matt Faskirsian. A whole bunch of people. And it's the one night where you don't swing to make contact. You swing to make history. I'm interested to see what Bond says about this, actually. Anyway, it is all live from Citizens bank park in Philly. Watch the T Mobile Home run Derby live on Netflix. Monday, July 13th at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific.
- [30:00]
Howard Beck
So good, so good, so good.
- [30:03]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
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- [30:29]
Raja Bell
On July 10, Maui, you will board
- [30:32]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
my boat and restore the heart of Te Fiti.
- [30:34]
Howard Beck
And here we go.
- [30:36]
Raja Bell
The journey begins.
- [30:37]
Howard Beck
See her light up the night in the sea she calls me.
- [30:41]
Raja Bell
The ocean chose you.
- [30:44]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Let's go save the world.
- [30:45]
Howard Beck
I got your back.
- [30:46]
Advertisement Voice
Chosen one.
- [30:48]
Raja Bell
Disney's Moana Boat's neck.
- [30:50]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
His name is Heihei.
- [30:51]
Raja Bell
His name is Yum Yum when he
- [30:53]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
goes in my tum tum.
- [30:54]
Raja Bell
In theaters July 10th. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested.
- [30:57]
Logan Murdoch
Really? All I can say is thank you.
- [31:00]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Okay. Boom. I have a list of teams, some of which Howard is pooh poohed on. But it doesn't matter because it's about fit. And if we would love to see it, the first name on the agenda is the Golden State Warriors. Who I've said this all along. And me and Howard have talked about. I know me and Roger have talked about it, but I feel like the Golden State warriors were always the team in the weeds. They were always that other person. I was like, yo, if that relationship don't work out, I'm right here, baby. I'm right here for you. And now they're in prime position to be able to state their case to LeBron James. How. How would this fit? How would we like to see? What were the pros and the cons of this move? Howard Beck.
- [31:43]
Howard Beck
I mean, Logan already knows. I love the idea of LeBron and Steph playing together. They were awesome together on the Olympic team. They're friends. They, you know, they. They compare notes on their careers. They're at similar stages of their careers. Plus, listen, like the old rivals becoming allies, you know, Rocky and Apollo. Come on. This is awesome. We love this shit. It's a little weird, I will say. Longtime listener, honorary real. One friend of the show, my friend Joanne up in Portland, not happy about this possibility. This is. This has given her a lot of angst, which she doesn't need right now because the Giants, her baseball team, have already been giving her a lot of angst because the Giants are acting like idiots. Um, so, like, it's. It's. It's not perfect if you're a longtime Steph fan, longtime Warrior fan. The idea of LeBron, after all those battles in the finals, coming in, possibly overshadowing Steph in the final stages of their careers. Right? Because they're both on farewell tours of some sort now. We don't know when either of them is going to hang it up or if it's at the same time. And, like, they're going to kind of, like, they're going to have to share that much the same that Steph had to, like, share the spotlight with KD for. For a couple of years.
- [32:51]
Advertisement Voice
Right.
- [32:52]
Howard Beck
And warriors fans weren't always happy with that. I love it. I love it as a competitive thing, too, because I think they could actually make some noise if they're healthy in April, May, and potentially beyond. No one's going to want to see Steph, LeBron, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. I guarantee that. Will they be upright? We don't know, but if they are, nobody wants to see that. So, yeah, I love it. I understand Joanne and some of my other friends who are in Warriors. Dom may not like it so much
- [33:21]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
from a purely basketball standpoint. It will be weird in the case of. You would have to be basically playing with two teams, Right. Like, you'll Be playing first the Steph Draymond, LeBron led version. And then you're going to have to bring in Jimmy Butler into the fold. Say like around January, around All Star break. From a basketball standpoint, how do they fit in the first team and how do they include Jimmy back into the fold? Going in to assuming they're healthy.
- [33:46]
Raja Bell
Look, I, I don't mean any. I. Jimmy's a great player, so what I'm about to say doesn't discredit like anything that he's done, but I don't see him as a great fit there. I don't know that he is the player that he was when he was taking Miami to finals years ago.
- [34:02]
Advertisement Voice
And
- [34:05]
Raja Bell
if you have a lesser version of that, that's not really a shooter. You've got LeBron, Draymond, you know, Kristaps helps. Steph is going to be, you know, the thing that just orbits and just flies around the court. I love LeBron and Draymond in that. I kind of. I don't know how Jimmy fits into it. I would have to see it. I would actually like them to get a more shot. First two guard to play with with that group, you know, if that would make sense.
- [34:34]
Howard Beck
Like Klay Thompson.
- [34:35]
Raja Bell
So yeah, yeah, like Klay Thompson or you could give me a poor man's version, but like game that wants to do that, you know, the way Jimmy wants to. The way Jimmy needs to play. If we're being honest to like be the Jimmy Butler from Miami, it's a contradictory style to what like LeBron's going to do. They kind of made it work with just Steph, but like you're going to put it in there with LeBron and then you're going to. If you allow Jimmy to do Jimmy, then LeBron turns into what he was for the Lakers, which is, hey, man, get some rebounds. Run. Do you understand? Like, you're not using him to be it. They just. I don't see them clicking like that as a foursome, if that makes sense.
- [35:17]
Howard Beck
Can I push back slightly though, just. Or just theorize? Raja?
- [35:20]
Raja Bell
Sure.
- [35:21]
Howard Beck
So you've got Porzingis, a three point shooting center, so you've got the spacing there. Draymond's a non shooter, Jimmy's an on shooter. And that was already a problem for the warriors, right? Like they were trying to figure that out on the fly just for the last year or so before Jimmy got hurt. But I also think like, you know, and obviously Steve Kerr coaches this way. He likes a bunch of guys who are like really Intuitive with the ball in their hands. And you've got guys in Jimmy, Steph, LeBron, Draymond who are all like, elite in the way they read the game. I gotta think there's a way when you've got them there, you do have still two non shooters, and maybe you're gonna stagger lineups and everything else. And that's the great thing too, right? Whether it's Jimmy or LeBron, somebody's always running that offense, even when Steph's off the floor. I don't know a lot of intuitive, high IQ basketball players together. And with Steph and Porzingis as, as the main shooters out there, I don't know. Seems plausible. I mean, LeBron's a good shooter too.
- [36:19]
Raja Bell
Yeah, but that's not it. Look, again, if we're, if we're talking about LeBron just becoming a three point shooter, then I'm out.
- [36:26]
Howard Beck
Not just a three point shooter, like.
- [36:27]
Raja Bell
Right. No, I understand what you're saying, and I'm not. I'm plausible is what you said. Yeah, I could, I could see it. But, but look, you. You got Steph running around, right? And you got, you got Chris Stabs, right? Then you have three people that, that mostly want to operate, get like, well, Jimmy and, and LeBron are, are downhill kind of players. Although LeBron can shoot the ball, right? LeBron at his best is, is making plays as he's collapsed in defense. Now, he doesn't do it to the same degree, but like, he can still command a double. You have to throw the ball to Jimmy and yeah, they could play off of each other. I don't know if I'm explaining this well, so I'm not saying it won't work, but I don't see it being the type of clicking offense that it would be if you had something that wanted to just streamline it and be more complimentary to that threesome, if you will, in a shooting capacity.
- [37:23]
Howard Beck
Right.
- [37:24]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
From a basketball standpoint, though, just running, just watching the warriors offense, how much do. How can the warriors overcome the redundancy of Draymond and LeBron both on the court at the same time? Not saying that they can't do it. I'm really just asking because, you know, like, they basically functionally play the same role. LeBron's a way better version of what Draymond does offensively. So how do they kind of coexist in that offense for right now? Like, how do you see that happening in June, June 30?
- [37:54]
Raja Bell
Look, I think when one of them has the ball. And the other one is, is, is in some sort of action with Steph Curry. You have a problem like you, you have a problem as a defense. There, there are three super high IQ players and to some degree, Howard, that's what you're saying, right? You add Jimmy Butler to that and those actions are on both sides of the floor and you don't, it could be really problematic. So that, that's what I, you know, that's what I would say to you, Logan. Just, you know, I haven't done a lot of research on this and thought about it. You're asking me a question on the fly. But one of them is going to have the ball and the other one, I'm going to put in an action with Steph as much as possible and then we're going to see, you know, if, if that defense can get that right over and over again. And I've got at least two guys who've mastered it and LeBron is such a genius, I don't think it's going to be far behind before he masters it too. And that, and therein, you know, is going to be, you know, how we incorporate both of them with relatively similar, you know, kind of skill sets. In passing the ball and seeing the floor, you add a fourth to that and I, I, I, I don't, I want to go back, Howard. Like, I don't, I feel you. It would just be so dope if that fourth player and fifth player, the defenders that were guarding them had to be anchored to them. Because if they're anchored to them, then there's nothing you can do. When I'm telling you I'm playing these in a three man game all game when they're not anchored to them, you bring in that fourth defender and look, they're probably good enough to get over it, but it just introduces another defender to the mix.
- [39:22]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah, man on the court. I think best case scenario is the 22 warriors, where they go on that major run to start the season and they kind of coast the rest of the way through and then they get themselves ready for the postseason. That's the best case scenario for this type of team in this vaunted of a Western Conference. So we'll see what happens. Just from an all court perspective, off the court, it's going to be very interesting. I kind of took a peek at like warriors, you know, social media, and they just want to take anything they can get. At first I thought there was the, the premise was going to be, there's going to be like a Weird. You know, it's going to be a weird vibe rooting for LeBron after all these years, but, you know, it's late stage warriors dynasty, so they'll take anything they can get. So we'll see what happens on that end. I think that Steph will be. Obviously be amenable to this. That I think they will figure it out. I think it will be fun. The only thing is the health. Like, that is the big boogeyman in here. And the age from all of those guys. Jimmy Draymond, out of all these guys have been. Has been the healthiest guy. But you got to think about Steph's house, their age. It's going to be a real unction. It's going to be like when Raja hangs out with all of his former son's teammates except my basketball.
- [40:31]
Raja Bell
I'll see you brothers in Springfield.
- [40:34]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Straight like that. Okay. All right. I have another team. I think I'm going to throw a wild card out there. Let's go with the Nuggets. How do we see him in the mix with the Nuggets? What you think? I know you. I see you. I see a little perking up a little bit.
- [40:47]
Raja Bell
Oh, I. I like him. I like him with the. I mean, what are the Nuggets? What are we giving. Are we just incorporating him into the.
- [40:51]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
We're just incorporating them in the mix.
- [40:53]
Raja Bell
Oh, dude. Yeah. All day.
- [40:55]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
How does that work functionally?
- [40:57]
Logan Murdoch
Not. What.
- [40:59]
Raja Bell
What do you mean?
- [41:00]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Well, I'm asking you.
- [41:03]
Raja Bell
Look, LeBron played the four this year and stretches of the season and look pretty good doing it. It's not unlike Golden State. Like, they run a lot of. A lot of feel actions, you know what I mean? Like, where you just have to have a feel for one another. Jamal, Murray, Jokic, you know, if you watch them play, it's kind of like poetry at times, right? Like, they're just kind of. They're kind of feeling each other, and they've got experience in that. I. I think LeBron fits into something like that all the time. You know, I think there's. There's. There's a motor that he brings to a team when he can. When he can board the way he can and then be the break himself, you know what I mean? Like, he's on the rim as a defensive rebounder, and then he's. Two dribbles burst out. You guys are flying up the court, I think that. Which unlocks some other players on Denver's team, if you will. And in the half court, you're going to be Jokic, Murray, LeBron, and then everyone else is going to eat off of that. I like him. For, for Denver does that.
- [42:07]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
If he goes to Denver, Howard, just hypothetically, we're having fun. If he goes to Denver, does that basically solve all of their problems in terms of, like, what they have to do to retool and all of their concerns around retooling at this point, or you don't think there would be another move that they would have to do?
- [42:22]
Howard Beck
Yeah, I mean, our friends Mark Stein and Jake Fisher have been reporting that, you know, Jokic is hesitant once again to sign an extension. And it's not necessarily an indication that Jokic is upset and wants to leave, but just more of kind of like there's at least some part of that that's possibly kind of a. Let me see what you guys are doing here. Like, the Nuggets do need some sort of kind of like, reset. Not a tear down, but like. And everything seems to be on the table right now. Right. They're considering whether they move Aaron Gordon in a trade, even potentially Jamal Murray. Like, they're, they're, they're considering absolutely everything other than, you know, Jokic himself. Right. If we're in a scenario here where LeBron again, and it seems like we're pretty close to it, and you, you guys remember I brought this up months ago. If LeBron were willing to take whatever a team has available, a mid level exception, a taxpayer mid level exception, the minimum, whatever, he can go wherever he wants. So I don't know if there's a sign and trade possibility here with Denver or any of these other teams, but if it's just whatever they have available in an exception, and LeBron wants to go there without them giving up anything, and you're keeping Aaron Gordon. And listen, it's been hard to keep Aaron Gordon healthy is a big problem. You're resigning Peyton Watson still, hopefully, presumably in this scenario, you're keeping Jamal Murray. That's a badass team. Now, like, health matters, but, like, LeBron and Yokich are both fucking playmaking geniuses. You take the two of them, plus Jamal Murray, score, slash, playmaker, some defense with Gordon and Peyton Watson, like you're in business. Is that enough to knock out Oklahoma or San Antonio? I don't know, but I don't know that I want to bet against them either.
- [44:00]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
How would they fit, Roger? Like, between the San Antonio OKC hierarchy in the Western Conference would just be right planted at third.
- [44:09]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I mean, yeah, look, look, they were, they were a year ago. Not this year, but they were right there with okc. They were toe to toe. Nikola Jokic is a problem for anyone now. He didn't have a great. I don't have a great series against. Against Minnesota, but he's still a problem. So, like, yeah, if you added LeBron and they were able to stay healthy and retain their pieces, yes, I do think they are right there. I'd probably put them to start in a tier below those two teams. But if they were playing well, you know, I. If they were playing well and looked like they were hitting their stride and health was going to be factored in all year long, I'd give him as good a chance, you know, Like, I real talk, it's going to be again, like, Howard just. I never. I'm not. I'm not in the habit of counting other people's money. That's not. That's not what I do.
- [45:01]
Logan Murdoch
So.
- [45:02]
Raja Bell
But I would say this at this point, if I would like to see LeBron not worry about the money. Like, if you're going to keep playing now, I'm not. You know, whatever makes you happy, bro. The happiest. Whatever is important to you in terms of like winning or where you want to live or whatever that dynamic is. Chase that like that mid level ain't doing for you. Do you know.
- [45:28]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Do you know what I'm saying?
- [45:29]
Raja Bell
Like, I don't mean to at this point. It's just not real ego anything.
- [45:31]
Howard Beck
Yeah.
- [45:32]
Raja Bell
It would just be that. It would just be that.
- [45:34]
Howard Beck
Yeah. Where would it be the most fun or where would I have the chance to win the most and maybe maybe
- [45:39]
Raja Bell
get another finals, Whichever of those is the most important? I would really like it to be that for him.
- [45:45]
Howard Beck
Like, I would.
- [45:46]
Raja Bell
I wouldn't.
- [45:47]
Howard Beck
Yeah, that's a great fucking luxury. Like, how many players get that at the end of the career? It's like, you know what? I don't need the ring, but if I can chase it, I will. I don't need the money, but if it's there, cool. I'm just gonna go where it's gonna be the most enjoyable and hopefully win a little bit.
- [45:59]
Roger Bell
Right.
- [45:59]
Howard Beck
Like, that's a. That's a phenomenal luxury for a guy at his stage.
- [46:02]
Raja Bell
No doubt. He would. He would help Denver.
- [46:05]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Absolutely. Let's keep it messy, man. Let's go to the San Antonio Spurs.
- [46:09]
Howard Beck
Oh, man.
- [46:09]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
How did that. How does that fit? Roger, let's fucking go. Wimy and Braun right now.
- [46:14]
Howard Beck
Julian Champagne ain't giving up that spot. I'm sorry.
- [46:17]
Raja Bell
Yeah, you know what? You Know what's. You know what's weird about this? Because I just said he would help every team if I'm the Spurs now. I'm good. Yeah.
- [46:25]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Wow.
- [46:26]
Raja Bell
Wow.
- [46:26]
Howard Beck
You just told the goat. You just told the goat to take a hike.
- [46:29]
Raja Bell
Yeah, no, from the Spurs. I'm probably telling you I'm good. And only because. Could he help? Absolutely. But I just think there's so many people on a rapid ascension in terms of their development.
- [46:41]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah.
- [46:41]
Raja Bell
That. And it just got you, like, right on the precipice of winning a joby.
- [46:46]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Weirdly, like Houston.
- [46:46]
Raja Bell
I don't want to stunt that. Yeah, I don't want to stunt that at all. But it was kind of Houstonish, but like OD Houston. Like with real results.
- [46:54]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah, like. No. And also with like, real generational talent. Not like, you know, like great looking prospects.
- [47:00]
Raja Bell
Yeah, that sounds crazy, but I'd probably. I'd probably pass.
- [47:04]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Okay. Okay. It would be weird. Could you humor me, though? Like, how it would look, though? Like, come on, man. I would look.
- [47:13]
Howard Beck
Yeah.
- [47:14]
Raja Bell
I mean, how. I don't know how it would. It would look. I mean, listen, I. I keep. I keep saying this over again. He can play anywhere, dude. Like, it's just. He could play anywhere. It's just what you're going to ask of him, you know, as a player and.
- [47:26]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Okay.
- [47:27]
Raja Bell
How much of himself. And again, I think this factors in. Sorry, Howard. I think this factors in a lot. And this is what I was watching with the Lakers, you know, as. As much as it's about the money of it all and feeling like you're undervalued there, it's asking to give up parts of yourself that you don't feel like are completely gone yet to fit into certain situations that may not be appetizing for people. I don't mean to speak for him, but, like, I've seen that's a struggle
- [47:53]
Howard Beck
sometimes, but that's the part that I was. And that's why I looked like I was about to talk. Roger. Cause, like, I'm glad you're making this point because I just kind of wanted to note this part of it, which is at 41 and a half, I don't think LeBron is insisting on. On that old role at all. And I think one of the, the, the most, you know, notable things that happened this past season, more so even than when Luca first got there, was that LeBron did find a way to just kind of integrate himself as essentially a third option, sometimes second option, and then when necessary, could toggle into primary driver of the offense in the. In the role that we've always seen him for decades. He's capable of that, both I think, intellectually and emotionally and certainly intellectually, like, he knows how to do that. I think he also knows his body well enough to know that I can't be old me at 82 games. So playing on a team where you had, in this case, Stefan Castle, Dylan Harper, de' Aaron Fox, Wemby, and you, and it's not as much that's asked of you, but you know, you can maximize yourself as needed, and he can gauge that better than anybody. I think that's fine. And it's the same thing as I thought in the warrior scenario or some of these other. Other possibilities is that he will find a way to fit in. And I don't think he's going to be leading with his ego at this stage of his career or with his usage rate. I just don't think he needs that.
- [49:16]
Raja Bell
Yeah.
- [49:17]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
All right. Let's blow Howard's brain off of his fucking head.
- [49:21]
Raja Bell
You want to.
- [49:22]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Okay. Okay, hold on. Okay, go ahead. Okay. Let's spare him for like.
- [49:26]
Raja Bell
I would.
- [49:26]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I would.
- [49:27]
Raja Bell
I would agree with most of what you said, Howard. I don't think he's going to be leading. I know. No, no, no. I don't think you're leading with your ego. I don't think he is at this point. I'm not. I'm not saying that and. But I am saying that there's a fine line between, hey, come in here and chase this championship with us and have a palatable role for yourself, and, hey, come chase this championship with us and kind of stay out the way.
- [49:55]
Howard Beck
I don't. Yeah, I'm not suggesting that.
- [49:57]
Raja Bell
No, I'm not saying that you are. But like, I. When I look at San Antonio, I guess it was the point that I was trying to make, which is like, hey, Wemby is Wemby. We all talked about Dylan Harper and what, what he did in a playoffs as a rookie. Stefan Castle, I see less of a role there, if that makes sense. Like, because all of those dudes are just bursting at the seams to, like, figure out exactly who they are on this championship level team that is already championship level. And you might be asking him to give up too much of himself in
- [50:33]
Howard Beck
that scenario, or you're asking those guys who need the room to grow.
- [50:36]
Raja Bell
Can't do that much. Yeah. Can't do that.
- [50:38]
Howard Beck
Yeah, do that.
- [50:39]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Fair.
- [50:39]
Howard Beck
Yeah.
- [50:40]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
All right, let's fuck Howard up. The New York Knicks.
- [50:45]
Howard Beck
What are we doing? What Are we even doing. What are we even doing? Oh, that's it. That's the question.
- [50:55]
Raja Bell
Yeah.
- [50:59]
Howard Beck
I thought there was more setup coming there, Logan.
- [51:01]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
No, no.
- [51:05]
Howard Beck
It's funny, because in 2010, LeBron dropped all these hints. In that 2009, 10 season, he wore a Yankees cap. I think at one point, he was. He gave a quote about how, you know, summer 2010 is going to be really big one for Knicks fans. And he was doing all this cutesy stuff, acting as if. And there were a lot of people who thought it was a. It was a done deal. They thought he was. It was a lock to New York, and they were stunned when it ended up being Miami. They thought it was New York, and if it wasn't New York, it's because he was staying in Cleveland.
- [51:35]
Raja Bell
Well, you trying to say the Knicks fans don't want him? That's what you building up to? That's what you say, right?
- [51:40]
Howard Beck
No, I'm just.
- [51:40]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
No, that's what.
- [51:42]
Raja Bell
She's getting that, bro. That's what you're trying to say.
- [51:44]
Howard Beck
No.
- [51:44]
Raja Bell
All right, don't let me put words in your mouth.
- [51:45]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Go.
- [51:47]
Howard Beck
What I'm saying is it's kind of poetic and funny just at this stage, to consider, after spurning them all those years ago when he was in his prime, to come back at age 41 and a half.
- [51:59]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Y', all. What's up?
- [52:01]
Howard Beck
Hey, remember me?
- [52:02]
Roger Bell
Remember me?
- [52:03]
Howard Beck
I wore a Yankee cap a couple times. Remember me? You wanted me really badly, like, 16 freaking years ago.
- [52:11]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Now we got a title, and now you try to act brand new.
- [52:14]
Howard Beck
Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. Like, listen, if LeBron were in a position where he still needed the rings, if he. If he was. If he were ringless, then hopping on board with the defending champs might make some sense. Although it would still be kind of distasteful for a player of his caliber. But at this stage, like, he's got his rings. He doesn't need a ring chase. And joining the actual defending champs would be weird. Now, he does have ties, man. Like, Mike Brown coached him once upon a time in Cleveland. Worldwide west in the front office.
- [52:43]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yep.
- [52:45]
Howard Beck
Even more. Even a stronger tie there. All kinds of CAA ties and stuff from.
- [52:50]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
From Josh Hart, former teammate, you know?
- [52:53]
Howard Beck
You know, so, like, no, but.
- [52:57]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
No. Could it fit on court, though, Raja? Could it fit on court at least? It could fit anywhere. But could. Like, how would. Would it be weird? A weird fit? Do they have to get adjusted to him?
- [53:06]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I don't see. I mean, is he coming off the Bench.
- [53:12]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I guess so. I guess you would have to. No, no, you can't do that.
- [53:16]
Raja Bell
You're bringing Josh Hart.
- [53:17]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Josh Hart, scram.
- [53:19]
Howard Beck
Go to the bench.
- [53:20]
Raja Bell
Josh Hart, go to the bench. Yeah, I mean, I wasn't saying that to be funny either, but like, that. You just want a championship. Like, that's a hard. Again, you're going to ask me, does it work? Look, yeah, man, you plug LeBron in, you run four, you know, virtually six, eight and downs, and then Karl Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson anyway, so, yeah, it could work. Plugging him into that is. Is. Yes, it could work. I just. You're. The Knicks, as much as anybody to me, are built as this, like, real delicate chemistry, like, project, and they got the recipe exactly right. You know what I mean? And you. I don't. Don't touch that. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, I. I just don't think you. You mess with that. Interestingly, I hadn't. I hadn't really heard it, but like, I was just thinking in a weird way, you know, you said, like, you can't. You can't go to the Knicks. They just won the championship. It's going to be hard to go to the Spurs. Like, they just. Narrative wise, championship wise, you can't go to the Spurs. Could you go to OKC?
- [54:28]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
You could. Hey, listen, narrative wise, LeBron has blown all the narratives out of the water with leaving the Lakers at this point.
- [54:35]
Raja Bell
He could.
- [54:36]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
He's gravy, but. Yeah, he should.
- [54:37]
Raja Bell
No, but I mean, but I mean, it's like, like, even as a story, they had won a championship and have fallen off the pace slightly and, you know, it wouldn't be the same narrative. Oh, he just joined okc. It'd be like, yo, he went to OKC and got him back to the top of that.
- [54:55]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yo, LeBron. And Oklahoma City would be like Bigfoot, bro. Every time he gets out of his. He would attract a crowd. It would be crazy. It would be crazy. How big? How. How big. How long does it take to go around their downtown? Now, Howard, you've been there since.
- [55:09]
Howard Beck
No, do you remember, like, I. I think the last time we did this, I said that their downtown was like three blocks long. And I got, like, a very detailed reply. Anyways, I got the biggest hashtag will actually of all time.
- [55:22]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I got one more. I got one more team before we actually get serious. And I have serious, like, the serious teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Raja Bell, because we haven't gotten your take on LaMelo going there. How would he fit in Minnesota, you
- [55:37]
Howard Beck
missed a fun Lamelo conversation. I needed.
- [55:39]
Raja Bell
Are you guys killing Lamelo? You guys bashing Lamelo?
- [55:42]
Howard Beck
I had to play, I had to play the part of Raja Bell last week without.
- [55:45]
Raja Bell
You were a LaMelo defender.
- [55:47]
Howard Beck
Sort of Howard. So Logan is confirming he's not sort of. I had to be devil's advocate. I had to, like, I had to leave.
- [55:54]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I think it's not going to work at all. I think it's gonna be go terrible. I think it's gonna be awesome to watch. I'm gonna, I'm gonna make every LeBron will fix warriors game. But, but could LeBron fix the hubris? Raja.
- [56:05]
Raja Bell
Let me, let me. First of all, let's do this. Let me, Allow me to retroactively defend Lamelo. Yeah, I mean, does every player has their flaws? He has his flaws. Right? I, I, I have always said as it relates to Lamelo, we must acknowledge that, but we must acknowledge that he does shit with the basketball that very few people on the planet and even in a league full of freaks with the basketball can do with the basketball. So there's real talent oozing from those pours. There is a level of dysfunction that he was brought into the league recently. Charlotte has started to get it together.
- [56:40]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah.
- [56:42]
Raja Bell
Prior to recently, what was, was, why are we giving Charlotte this level of grace that, that would absolve them of playing any part in Lamelo's, like, dysfunction that he was dropped into as a young player? And I'm only saying that because I've seen players in, in really tough spots to be like, the best version of themselves, not be the best version of themselves. I've seen that same player, when taken out and extracted from that situation and put in something really stable with real guidelines and expectations and, and guardrails and accountability, be a completely different version of themselves. And I'm not saying that he is definitely going to do that, but I'm saying there's a possibility that he can. And I do think you have to acknowledge what he was dropped into as a baby in Charlotte for at least playing some part in who he was as a player, as it relates to, like, whether you're winning games and so on and so forth. LeBron, to the point that Howard made, is automatic organizational culture. It's at, it's like LeBron is like, just add water, here you go, culture. So if you're telling me you're going to a place with a, with a young aunt who's still developing his leadership chops and a Lamelo who, you know, super talented but clearly needs some guidance and some structure around him. And you said.
- [58:05]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
And a driver you could get.
- [58:06]
Raja Bell
You could get LeBron in. You throw a driver in there, you get LeBron and then make a lot of tunnels in Minnesota. Just live downtown, dog. You just walk.
- [58:14]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
I just said that, yo. Just live across the street. Do a. Do it. One of those tunnels and go to the arena, bro.
- [58:19]
Howard Beck
It's easy ways.
- [58:20]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Walk through the skyways. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [58:21]
Raja Bell
But. But no, I mean, like, I'm not even talking about on the court. I'm talking about what that would mean to a young duo like those two, who. Who both have real, real gifts. You know, I. I also think, you know, again, we talked about San Antonio. Like, San Antonio's got Wemby, but after Wemby, what's the next biggest thing that they were running out there in playoff games?
- [58:47]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Hopefully it's Dylan Harper next year.
- [58:49]
Roger Bell
Right?
- [58:49]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Like, that's the next.
- [58:50]
Raja Bell
Yeah, no, no, but I mean, just in terms of pure size, when we're talking about Minnesota, Minnesota got. Yeah, but he wasn't. We weren't playing with Wimby.
- [58:58]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Right, right.
- [58:58]
Raja Bell
He was coming in for Wimby. So they're. Both of those teams in the Finals were basically playing four guards.
- [59:03]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yep.
- [59:04]
Raja Bell
And a big. So in that world. Yeah. You could incorporate LeBron. You can bring you culture. He's going to bring you some stability. He actually would add value. Like, on the court, when you got. Do you still got big fella Rudy Gobert? Yeah, like, yes, yes. But if you told me he wasn't going to have the type of role on the court.
- [59:29]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Like, let's.
- [59:30]
Raja Bell
Let's say it was a similar situation to San Antonio on court, which it's not. But let's say those are apples to apples in terms of what you're going to ask him to do. He's way more valuable in Minnesota just because of the. The culture that needs to be kind of in place and would be helpful to some of that young stardom that they have.
- [59:48]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
That'd be. That I would want it. That's my league pass team. If he goes to Minnesota, that'd be awesome.
- [59:54]
Raja Bell
I will say this, though. Like, this is just a little sidebar. Having I watch him, like, I'm a fan like everybody else. I remember when I got the golf bug and it was something that I did all the time, and you just couldn't wait. Like, after you left and you worked on your chipping and you're putting after the round, and then you couldn't wait to be back out There tomorrow.
- [60:15]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah.
- [60:16]
Raja Bell
That's going to be interesting to see how he navigates that, because a couple of these places, you're not. You're only golfing on road trips. And he seems to really have a golf bug right now. It sounds crazy, but when you get it. No, it sounds crazy, but when basketball players get that golf bug, like it. It is. Yeah. Factor for it.
- [60:32]
Howard Beck
It'd just be good to see a guy of his caliber pick Minneapolis. Right. It doesn't happen, right?
- [60:38]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [60:39]
Howard Beck
It would be cool.
- [60:41]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Speaking of a place with a lot of golf courses, as Raja knows best, Miami. Now, what do you think? Let's get to it. Let's get serious. The Miami Heat fit Raja.
- [60:56]
Raja Bell
So I was on the side of going back to Cleveland. I've been on that forever. You go back and listen to a pod. I said it really early. I thought he should go back to Cleveland. Cleveland, having given it some thought, a lot of that had. Well, first of all, obviously, Giannis wasn't in Miami. Right. But I like the sentimentality of it. I like the swan song of it all. I kind of like the career arc. There's a part of me that thinks it may be too much. There's a part of me that thinks, like, emotionally, just, it may be too much for him, for the team. Like, that's a. You know, unless you live there and saw LeBron there in Cleveland, it's hard, it, it's hard to articulate just how electrifying that city is when they're good and LeBron was part of it.
- [61:43]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
You talking about Miami? You talking about in Miami?
- [61:45]
Raja Bell
No, I'm, I'm talking about Cleveland right now.
- [61:46]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Okay.
- [61:47]
Raja Bell
And so I'm saying now, as it relates to Miami, it might be my favorite destination for, like, I, I, I, I like Miami. Put it in with Giannis and Bamboo. You know, you, you didn't have a kind of a guy with the ball that's making plays out there on the perimeter and kind of facilitating in that way he's going to do that. You still have work to do on a roster, but it's probably my favorite destination for him. And you are big and you are physical, and you are, you're just going to basically be the antithesis of what I was talking about with, like, with San Antonio and the Knicks. You can kind of be like, maybe the Rockets or, or, or, okay, so we're big.
- [62:31]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah, yeah.
- [62:32]
Raja Bell
You better get big, Muffler, because we're big.
- [62:35]
Roger Bell
Yeah.
- [62:36]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
And they got a shot. They would have a shot in the Eastern Conference. Whereas if you talk about Golden State, they probably wouldn't. Another team, we would have a shot at Howard. Thoughts on Miami? I apologize.
- [62:46]
Howard Beck
No, I think it would be really cool. Like, that's the thing. Like, I, you know, I'm going to think in terms of storylines as much as I'm going to think in terms of basketball. Although I do want to see him on a relevant team. Right. And Cleveland, Miami, Golden State, I think all. Check all those boxes. Right? Fun story, you know, homecomings in two of those places. And I think all three of them are more than relevant if LeBron's there, and maybe even without LeBron, but especially with him. So I like. Yeah, LeBron, Giannis. Bam. The defense, the playmaking, the downhill attack.
- [63:20]
Raja Bell
Wiggins. Wiggins.
- [63:21]
Howard Beck
Is Wiggins in there? Like, can you find a couple of shooters? They just signed Tim Hardaway Jr. Or came to terms with him today. So, like, you, You. You need a few more of those.
- [63:29]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
And they're well coached, very well coached.
- [63:32]
Howard Beck
So, like, I, I think it'd be really cool. But I do think, like, if you're going to do a homecoming back to Cleveland to like, bookend the career has a lot more resonance than back to Miami. Like, it just doesn't feel the same. Right.
- [63:47]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
But also it's like one last washed run, though. You know what I mean? You know, one going for the Gipper. Right. I'm about to just go have a. Have a sick one in Miami for eight months.
- [63:57]
Howard Beck
If it would have. It'd be cool. I think it's. I think it's more interesting for him to go back to Cleveland. I'll leave it.
- [64:03]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Do you think that, like, Raj.
- [64:05]
Raja Bell
I would. I would agree with that. No, I would agree with that. I would agree. I would agree with that 100%. Like, look, Cleveland storyline is. I mean, that's. It's fantastic.
- [64:13]
Howard Beck
I.
- [64:16]
Raja Bell
And maybe I'm thinking too deep into.
- [64:21]
Logan Murdoch
Is just.
- [64:22]
Raja Bell
I mean, it's a spectacle like when I was in the best way possible. Like, it is. The city is on fire if they're good. And LeBron is a part of that. And what you can't quantify is, you know, he hasn't. LA is a different kind of town. It doesn't revolve around the Lakers like that. You know what I'm saying? It doesn't revolve around any real sports team in that way When. When. When the Cavs are playing and they're playing well. I mean, it's what the city is about that day, you know, as I remember it, when I was living there. And he's what, 10 years older than he was the last time he was there. You just, like, there's an emotional drain kind of that, that, that. That we don't account for as fans. That is. That is on players at times, and players learn how to manage it. They don't even think about it. It's just. It's just, you know, par for the course, right? You learn how to, like, manage your battery in that way. But there's part of me, if I am thinking a little bit about it too much, is wondering if, like, yo, 30, 40, 50 games into that, if you're like, yo, this is a lot. People are pulling at me in every which way. Like, the city. I don't know. I don't know. But I would agree with you, Howard. Like, that's a. It's a phenomenal story, right? Like, back in Cleveland chapter. We're going to end the book.
- [65:42]
Howard Beck
Also, he's. He's already reconciled with them, right? He came home like they hated him. When he left, they embraced him. When he returned, he won them a championship and all is forgiven forever. And when he leaves the second time for la, they're like, cool, man. Debt's been paid. We love you. We're going to cheer for you every time you come back. I don't think it's quite the same in Miami. Like, you won a couple championships. You left after four years. You spurned Pat Riley, the Godfather. How dare you. And you can come back and they'll. They'll cheer. It'll be fine. But I. It's just not the same as with, as. As Cleveland because the ties aren't as deep because he didn't already have the reconciliation and all the debt paying of winning a championship after the, after the spurning, like, it's just different.
- [66:24]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah, that's true. I, you know, I mean, you're in Miami. Would they welcome them back with open arms?
- [66:29]
Raja Bell
Oh, bro, our fans are. Listen, our. Our fans, if you're not good, they're not there. As soon as you're good, they're all there. So it. I mean, the sentimentality of it all, you know, they're not going to have the attachment that the general Cleveland area has to LeBron. He's not a. He's not a hometown like kid, but if he's running around in a HEAT jersey and they're good, all's forgiven.
- [66:56]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
So let's talk about real quick, the fit for Cleveland versus Miami. For him, though, let's talk about the uncle really quickly. Like, how does it compare and contrast for him? How would it be?
- [67:06]
Raja Bell
You know, there's more, I think there's, it's more of a ready made roster in Cleveland. Like it's easier to see him in Cleveland and what it would look like in Cleveland because you just don't know what Miami is going to look like at this point. Yeah, I like him. I look, I like him in Cleveland. That's why I said it early. I like, I like him in Cleveland. With Donovan and, and, and James Harden, you can move him around. You can, you can really move him all around the floor and do different things with him there. That would unlock different people. There's, there's room in Miami. Yeah, there's room too, but I don't even know how you want to play. Like, I don't even know what they're going to look like because of a roster. So that's that. I'm sorry, dude, that's probably not good potting. I don't know what they're going to look like. I can see him and tell you how I think he might fit in Cleveland and that would be. You put him in pick and roll a lot probably with James Harden at times. If you were taking one of those other bigs off the floor, you'd also have him with the ball in his hands and pick and roll. He's another guy that would ignite break. Like there are a lot of things with, with that you could do with him in Cleveland, moving him around the chessboard. Not that you couldn't in Miami, but they don't have the roster, so I don't know what that's going to look like.
- [68:22]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah. I'll just say this as an end of all the teams that are serious. I think the warriors in terms of like pre retirement would be amazing for him. I don't think that they're going to necessarily get to, you know, the heights that he would get in the Eastern Conference, but in terms of like vibes golf courses. We have very nice golf courses in the Bay Area. Raja. I'm not sure you have a lot, a lot Right. In San Francisco, down in Silicon Valley, all in the East Bay. It's really nice. You know, the good food, good. All of that stuff. Right. Like you can really just have like a real send off, a real Bay Area send off.
- [68:53]
Raja Bell
Right.
- [68:53]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
But I don't think they will ultimately have a ceiling. I think Cleveland and Miami, if he wants to like win and like actually be relevant come May and June, I think those are the, those are the choices you know, you guys are the experts, but I think that that for me, I think that that's where we're headed. Before we get out of here, just in pure NBA fashion and pure Clipper fashion, we're going to give them 10 minutes right after we talk about the Lakers and what their moves are. Kawhi Leonard has been traded to the Toronto Raptors. He is back to the six for Brandon Igram. Grady Dick. Two unprotected picks, one pick swap, two second round picks. Basically the Raptors, they backslided and the Clippers got picks in return. What are the thoughts on the, on the, on the transaction?
- [69:45]
Howard Beck
I mean, not quite the same, like sentimental, like, you know, swoon of a LeBron back to Cleveland. With all due respect to Toronto, a city I love, but. And I know dude brought them a championship, but dude was there for one season. Like not even a full 12 months,
- [70:03]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
but hey, man, but that's Toronto though. Like they didn't win a title before. That's how, that's how you become a legend.
- [70:09]
Howard Beck
He means absolutely the world to them. By the way, shout out to whoever on our ringer social channels posted the thing about quick Photoshop of Kawhi was I think the caption in a Toronto
- [70:20]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
uniform that was probably Jomi. Probably Jomi. Shout out Jomi.
- [70:22]
Howard Beck
That was great. But no, like it's. He means a lot to them, but based on like, you know, a one season cycle from seven years ago, that he's now putting up the kind of numbers and playing at a level that rivals his time back then, improbably, after all the injuries, after all the games missed is incredible. And he's joining a team with Scotty Barnes and a bunch of other very talented young dudes where in an Eastern Conference like we, we, we have to be careful here. We got through an entire season of saying the Eastern Conference is wide open and this team is the favorite. That team's the favorite. Detroit's got the best record. Boston without Tatum. Ooh, Boston with Tatum. All this other stuff. Sorry, not, not trying to trigger you Rajah with the Tatum stuff, but like, we, we don't, we don't want to say the Toronto Raptors are like one Kawhi away from unseating the defending champion Knicks. That's a little disrespectful, but I do think the margins are, are thin in the East. They were. That's why we said it was wide open in the first place. And you know, Kawhi with an up and coming Raptors team. If Kawhi stays healthy. I don't want to deal with them. So yeah, I'm not dismissive of that at all. And again, we're in the Last hours of June 30th here, the last hours of June. There's a lot of summer to go. Who knows what other moves may come behind this with Toronto because clearly this is an all in move. This is a short term. Yeah, we're going to extend him probably a couple of years because we have to. But you don't know how much more of Kawhi you're going to get, but you're getting the final stage of his career. And just as we talk about with LeBron or Steph or KD, these are guys who are still, when they're playing among the best in the NBA. Kawhi is right there too, and he's going to be surrounded by some really great young talent that can carry a lot of the load. And this is fascinating, man. Like, this is one, like, it's. I'm not saying we never saw it coming. There was always like a little bit of that kind of speculation. But this is not when you expect, especially when it was such a big deal for him to decide to spurn them. He's the first finals and only Finals MVP in history to win a championship and then say, I'm done, I'm going somewhere else. See ya.
- [72:38]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Been real, man. I mean, it's the most Kawhi move ever. I will say this though, just to add to your point about that one year though, you had to be there for that Toronto Raptors championship run to understand how important that was and to understand why Serrano was welcoming him back to with open arms. It was electric. Toronto. I don't think he's ever been the same since then. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. It was so much fun. It was, it was, it was, it was just, it was a sight to behold. Now on the basketball court, Roger, where does this put the Raptors right now?
- [73:10]
Raja Bell
I don't, I would just agree with Howard. I mean, I think over the course of the last few years, you know,
- [73:16]
Logan Murdoch
the,
- [73:19]
Raja Bell
the parody kind of like and the, the inability for, for the teams that we think are going to have this dynastic run for the inability for them to keep that going, you know, all lends itself to like, look, if you add Kawhi to a group that was already really good, they're young. At this stage in his career, all the points Howard just made, I think you're in the mix. I don't know that I have you, you know, as a top three team, but all you want to do now in the NBA is start the year saying, I'm in the mix. And over the last few years, I think it's. It's. It's borne out. Like, if you're in. You're in the mix, you and you got a puncher's chance. Anybody could come out of that, and that's where they are. You know, I. And, And. And so I don't. I don't. I don't know that I could put it better than Howard did.
- [74:07]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah. One last thing, man. And I. This is just something that I've been thinking about, this Jalen Duran situation. Detroit has me baffled. Right. I don't know if it's fumbling the bag necessarily, or. I know it's just getting leverage to go with the Pistons, but, like, as a former player, Raja. And then back, I want to hear your opinion. Like, the fact that this is taking. It's so hard to get done at this point, this contract, is that gonna have any ramifications? Because I think he. The Pistons have all the leverage in this. In this deal. He's supposed to talk to Duran's, supposed to discuss sign and trade scenarios with the Lakers and the. And the Kings. But if he does eventually get back to Detroit, like, what is the ramifications of this in that locker room and just how he feels after a contract dispute like this?
- [74:56]
Raja Bell
Yeah. I don't know that they're the same as, like, Jalen Brown when you're being dangled. He's. He's restricted, right?
- [75:03]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah.
- [75:03]
Raja Bell
Is that what his situation is? Yeah, that. That's a weird place to be, man. Like, I don't Do. Do you love it? No. Are there some residual feelings about it? Probably, but I think they're easier to get over because that's, you know, I don't.
- [75:20]
Logan Murdoch
I don't.
- [75:22]
Raja Bell
Still probably feels disrespectful to someone that. That considers themselves, like, part of your fabric and thinks that they've done a lot for you, but contractually, you're in a weird place there. So I don't. I don't think that there's a much of a hangover from that.
- [75:38]
Howard Beck
So it's clear there's a ton of interest for him out there. And it's. I'm sure the Pistons anticipated that. I think the difficulty here as just from a strategic point of view, from a front office, trying to figure out what the state of the game is if somebody out there is going to Max him out or even just go to where? Wherever the threshold is that the Pistons are uncomfortable. And I think they've already signaled we're going to match any offer. And that's the right thing, right? He's your guy. You drafted him. You developed him. Yeah. Struggled in the playoffs, but he's. He's had a. An incredible trajectory.
- [76:15]
Roger Bell
You.
- [76:15]
Advertisement Voice
You.
- [76:16]
Howard Beck
We always say this, and you hate to talk about players as assets, but you. You protect the asset. You keep the asset. If you don't think he's worth that, you figure it out later. You. You trade him later if that's what it takes, but you don't let him walk for nothing. You have to match. But by letting the market set his price, you then risk, one, paying him an amount you didn't want to, and two, having him possibly be a little bit hurt about the whole thing. Now, he'll. I'm. Sure he'll get over it. It'll be fine and shit, he may live up to that contract. You may be perfectly happy to have him at that number, but you kind of need to know through your own intel ahead of time, is somebody else out there going to max him? Because if we think someone's going to max him and we're just going to match it anyway, well, then we should just go out and make that the first offer to him right out the gate so that we don't have to go through all these machinations and hurt feelings. That's some second guessing, backseat bullshit by me. But I do think that's part of what, you know, your job is in the front office. You're. You need to anticipate this so that you're not in this position and then ending up paying him that anyway.
- [77:20]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
For sure. All right, sounds good. One thing that I just saw, Butler is going to be hosting the NBA cup championship game or more Vegas.
- [77:29]
Howard Beck
Not Jimmy Butler.
- [77:31]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Not Jimmy Butler. It's going to be at the Hinkle Field House in Indianapolis, Indiana. I will.
- [77:36]
Raja Bell
Cool place to play.
- [77:37]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah, it was. Have you been there? You played there? It was good.
- [77:39]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I played there in college. It's a cool place to play. Yeah. I don't know for an NBA cup game, but it's cool places.
- [77:44]
Howard Beck
Does it make any sense for an NBA game at all? What's, like, what's the capacity there? Yeah.
- [77:47]
Raja Bell
Yeah. Probably not.
- [77:48]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Yeah, they were just. Yeah, I don't. I haven't seen the capacity.
- [77:52]
Howard Beck
The NBA has overdosed on Vegas, so I'm happy to see them trying something else.
- [77:56]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Right?
- [77:57]
Howard Beck
Yeah. I don't know, I don't know about this. This whole, like, moving, you know, you know, whatever traveling circus now that the NBA Cup's going to be going to colleges, whatever. We got through this whole pot and we're not even going to talk about the John Morant trade. What a bummer. I was just ready to blast away.
- [78:16]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. All right. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
- [78:21]
Howard Beck
I hate this trade. I hate. I hate this trade. I hate it on every level. I hate it for Memphis because they finally had to cut ties with the guy who was the face of their franchise and excited their fan base and was electric, was awesome, was possibly the future of the league. I hate that it comes to this, even though it had to come to this. I hate the return they got, even though we all knew they weren't going to get shit for a return. I hate it much, much more for Portland because, no, they didn't give up anything to get him. That's not the point, people. They gave up nothing to get him. But now you're bringing in Ja Morant to a backcourt that already has Dame Lillard coming back off his Achilles and is a franchise legend. Drew Holiday. Oh, Scoot Henderson, top three overall pick who is supposed to be your point guard of the future. All these guys need the ball in their hands. And, oh, by the way, Danny Abdia just had a breakthrough season as your primary ball handler, playmaker, scorer, and now all these guys are supposed to be sharing the ball. By the way, Ja isn't what he was. Ja may never be that guy again. He's taken a beating. He doesn't finish at the rim as well as he used to. He can't shoot threes. He can't defend. What are you doing? Portland Trailblazers. That's it. I'm done. Raja can go, go, go.
- [79:21]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
- [79:24]
Raja Bell
I got t to make dog.
- [79:25]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Hey, hey.
- [79:26]
Howard Beck
Go make tacos.
- [79:27]
Host (possibly Logan Murdoch or Raja Bell)
Hey. Great disclaimer voice. That has been another edition of real ones. You know the vibes, you know what we doing it's all season summertime ah summertime season we gonna see you when we see you ah all the by must be 21 years and older and present in select states for Kansas, an affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 and older and present in D.C. kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem called 1-800- gambler or 1-800- myreset. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.orgchattinconenetic or visit mdgamblinghelp.org In Maryland, Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelpma.org or call 1-800-327-5050. For 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-87-7-HOPE NY or text HOPE NY in New York. For Louisiana, call 1-877-770-7867.