The 2026 Realys Awards | Real Ones

Summary

The Ringer NBA Show — The 2026 Realys Awards | Real Ones

Podcast: The Ringer NBA Show
Episode: The 2026 Realys Awards | Real Ones
Hosts: Logan Murdock, Raja Bell, Howard Beck
Date: July 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

The “Real Ones” crew – Logan Murdock, Raja Bell, and Howard Beck – deliver their annual tongue-in-cheek NBA awards for the 2025-26 season. With their signature banter, digressions, and deep basketball insight, they discuss the biggest storylines, best (and worst) moments, who won and lost the year, and hand out their own unique awards. The episode features playful ribbing, debate, and memorable quotes, all while breaking down the incredible highs and head-scratching lows of another wild NBA campaign.

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Key Discussion Points and Awards

1. OG of the Year

Main Topic: LeBron James’ Ongoing Dominance

• Howard Beck:

  • Immediate joke about OG Anunoby before giving LeBron his due as the OG of the year.
  • “It’s obviously LeBron. Greatest age 41 season ever...still a top 20 player, still hugely relevant and so commanding of the league and our attentions...” (03:19)

• Logan Murdock:

  • Echoes that as long as LeBron plays, he’ll win this award for sheer relevance and impact on the league.
  • Discusses “The Summer of LeBron,” media obsession, and how LeBron himself enjoys the drama and attention:
    • “He loves this. He loves all of this. That’s why he went on Fanatics fest and just basically was teasing everybody...” (05:00)
  • Also highlights the “LeBusiness” side and how even NBA schedule-making is on pause for LeBron’s decision:
    • “Wherever LeBron plays, that team automatically is going to be on a bunch of marquee nights.” (08:16)

• Raja Bell:

  • Defends LeBron’s timeline and right to control his future, pushing back against media and league frustration.
    • “LeBron James has the right to make his decision whenever he wants, go wherever he wants for whatever reasons he wants to go there for.” (05:00)
  • Shouts out Kawhi Leonard as an honorable mention:
    • “He was 27.9 a game...what he did was fantastic and showed signs of superstardom.” (10:35)

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2. Newcomer of the Year

Breakout Rookies and Their Future

• Raja Bell:

  • Picks Cooper Flagg for showing superstar flashes and quick adaptation to NBA speed.
    • “I saw glimpses of things that...I didn’t know if he’d get to that and if he did when he’d get to that type of understanding and ability on an NBA court.” (11:31)

• Logan Murdock:

  • Goes with Dylan Harper for his fearless Finals performance.
    • “It showed, like, how much he needs to grow and how successful he could be...It was just such a treat to be able to see him show no fear.” (15:34)

• Howard Beck:

  • Names Dylan Harper as well, emphasizing his mature play on the NBA Finals stage.
    • “He’s the only one who was on that stage...the last thing we saw from Dylan Harper was looking like a 10 year vet playing in the NBA Finals. Absolutely fearless.” (17:08)

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3. Worst Trade of the Year

Which Moves Will Age Poorly?

• Logan Murdock:

  • The Boston Celtics trading Jaylen Brown.
    • “When you have a Jason Tatum on the roster, you have to compete for titles at all times...I thought this was a catastrophic move.” (18:24)

• Howard Beck:

  • The Portland Trail Blazers trading for Ja Morant, criticizing the fit and ownership’s meddling.
    • “It’s not that they gave up too much. It’s that they did this at all. Also...this was the owner...not the front office. Ja is ball dominant, a poor defender, a poor shooter...averaged 47 games a year.” (19:51)
  • Contextualizes Ja’s move as Nike-motivated and notes the sneaker business’s influence.
    • “His team right now isn’t the Blazers. It is Nike at this particular point. The Blazers are just the uniform.” (23:41)

• Raja Bell:

  • Agrees with Logan on Boston’s move, especially since it strengthened a conference rival.
    • “They were so close...Boston, with those two in hand, you can do cool things. And now, in my estimation… the Sixers are one of the favorites.” (24:31)

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4. Crash Out of the Year

Biggest Meltdown/Controversy

• Logan Murdock:

  • Draymond Green's multiple blow-ups (“cavalcade of Draymond crash-outs”).
  • “We might name the award after him when it’s all said and done.” (25:36)

• Howard Beck:

  • Jalen Brown & the Twitch incident that contributed to his trade, suggesting it was a pivotal moment.
    • “He goes on Twitch, says the refs are out to get him, Embiid’s a flopper...my favorite year was losing in the first round… This is why he got traded.” (27:21)

• Raja Bell:

  • Flips the perspective, blaming Celtics’ front office thin skin for trading Brown.
    • “I would argue that the crash out in this scenario is the fucking Boston Celtics and Brad Stevens.” (28:55)

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5. Moment of the Year

Most Unforgettable Scene

• Howard Beck:

  • Bam Adebayo’s absurd 83-point game vs. a tanking Wizards, symbolizing the seven deadly sins of modern NBA (“sloth – Wizards, gluttony – Bam, pride & greed – Bam…”)
    • “In a year when tanking absolutely was just destroying the NBA’s credibility… wrath, all the sins, were encompassed in one stupid meaningless game.” (32:13)

• Raja Bell & Logan Murdock:

  • OG Anunoby’s tip-in in Game 4 of the Finals, capping a historic Knicks comeback.
    • “There are not a lot of moments in NBA...where I could tell you where I was and what I was doing when it happened. And that one — that struck me.” (35:41, also 33:57 for Logan)

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6. Who Won the Year?

Biggest Winners On and Off the Court

• Logan Murdock:

  • Jalen Brunson, new face of the league, Knicks championship hero.
    • “This is his world and we are all living in Jalen Brunson’s world.” (36:49)

• Raja Bell:

  • Knicks as a team/organization, also recognizing Karl-Anthony Towns and Knicks fans.
    • “The winners, as it relates to the Knicks...the city, the fan base, all of them.” (37:23)

• Howard Beck:

  • Zooms out: “New York won. The Knicks won. Mayor Momdani won. Everybody swept up in this.”
    • “When you win the first championship in 53 years, like, everybody is enshrined forever.” (38:01)

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7. Who Lost the Year?

League/People Taking the Biggest L

• Howard Beck:

  • Adam Silver, for tanking crisis, gambling scandals, CBA drama, and general league turmoil.
    • “Worst tanking season we’ve ever seen...union wants to rip up the CBA...the slam dunk contest was a dud...fractured media landscape...there’s just a lot.” (39:51)

• Logan Murdock:

  • Agrees: “Everything is just tumbling down all at once. Yeah, he lost the year.” (41:20)

• Raja Bell:

  • Backs Beck’s choice after considering some underperforming players.

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8. Raja Bell Memorial Defender Award

Best Defensive Player…Raja Bell Style

• Raja Bell:
  • Stresses the value of a perimeter defender, but picks Victor Wembanyama for his fear factor and historic all-around defense.
    • “When you get into the paint, don’t finish… that’s a special level of defensive prowess.” (43:14)

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9. Real One of the Year

The Epitome of Keeping It Real

• Howard Beck:

  • Victor Wembanyama — for showing the range of superstar growth, from tranquility to chippiness to resilience.
    • “He showed dominance, resilience, intelligence, curiosity, and eventually his edge… The thing that separates stars from superstars…is a care factor and a competitive drive.” (46:39, 48:56)

• Raja Bell:

  • Jaylen Brown — for being unapologetically himself on and off the court, elevating a depleted Celtics team even as drama swirled.
    • “He gets up there, he tells you exactly how he feels, which we think is real. Whether people like it or not, it is, in fact, real.” (50:03)

• Logan Murdock:

  • Ben Stiller — the honorary “Real One of the Year,” for sharing the magic championship moment with the pod crew.
    • “You just hung with your homies… we’re all going to remember where we were when the Knicks won the title.” (51:26)
  • Shout outs to all the behind-the-scenes contributors as well.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On LeBron’s free agency drama:

  • Raja Bell: “LeBron James has the right to make his decision whenever he wants...everyone else can kick rocks.” (05:00)

• On Dylan Harper’s Finals run:

  • Howard Beck: “He looked like a 10 year vet playing in the NBA Finals. Absolutely fearless.” (17:08)
  • Logan Murdock: “He needs to stay off TikTok...don’t repost slander about your teammate in the middle of the NBA Finals.” (15:34)

• On Boston’s Jaylen Brown trade reaction:

  • Raja Bell: “Boston, with those two in hand...you can do cool things...and now, in my estimation, the Sixers are one of the favorites.” (24:31)

• On OG Anunoby’s Finals tip-in:

  • Raja Bell: “There are not a lot of moments in NBA...where I could tell you where I was and what I was doing when it happened. And that one — that struck me.” (35:41)
  • Logan Murdock: “There were Knicks fans everywhere...it felt like we were all living in New York right now, all simultaneously.” (35:03)

• On Wemby’s defense:

  • Raja Bell: “He just strikes fear…that’s a special level of, like, defensive prowess.” (43:14)

• On Knicks' championship run:

  • Howard Beck: “When you win the first championship in 53 years, like, everybody is enshrined forever.” (38:01)

• Closing camaraderie:

  • Logan Murdock: “We were all there together as people. One day we might hang out together in general, but that was a dope moment.” (51:26)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|----------------------------------------| | 03:01 | OG of the Year discussion | | 11:31 | Newcomer of the Year | | 18:24 | Worst Trade of the Year | | 25:36 | Crash Out of the Year | | 32:13 | Moment of the Year | | 36:49 | Who Won the Year | | 39:51 | Who Lost the Year | | 43:14 | Raja Bell Defender Award | | 46:39 | Real One of the Year |

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Final Thoughts

This Real Ones episode was vintage Ringer—irreverent, insightful, and rich with both basketball nerdery and cultural context. The hosts melded serious analysis with genuine camaraderie and plenty of inside jokes. From OG LeBron and the Knicks’ redemption to the controversies plaguing Adam Silver, “The Realys” capture not only the sport’s evolving landscape but also the pulse of its fandom.

Transcript

[Raja Bell]

Foreign.

[Logan Murdock]

What's poppin? Real ones. It's that time of year, ladies and gentlemen. It is the award show of all basketball award shows. It is the season finale. It is real ones, really. I got Howard Beck there, I got Raja Bell there, my Virgo brother in Christ. And we are here to give out awards. And we're also going to try not to say any dated LeBron things because he might even just. He might even just make his decision right now. I don't know. And I hope that he figures it out at some point. But for now, we are going to get to the categories. First of all, how are you guys doing? How are you guys doing? Raja, I haven't seen you in a while. Just like a quick catch up. How you doing?

[Raja Bell]

I'm doing really well, man. I've been. It's my first time home in about a month. I was traveling with Ty like this, this youth basketball high school is a pretty rigorous, like June and July. Like it's pretty non stop June, early July. So we're home and I'm excited to be home for a little while. Dude, my back, my back is not better for the traveling that I've been doing. Like, I had a really serious. A couple massages trying to get this out. Not that anyone cares, but like at 50, yeah, it was a struggle to sleep in all those different hotel beds, for sure.

[Logan Murdock]

Okay, speaking of OG problems, let's get to the first category. Okay.

[Raja Bell]

That wasn't really. That wasn't really a way to open

[Howard Beck]

the show, was it?

[Raja Bell]

You asked.

[Logan Murdock]

No, it wasn't. It wasn't.

[Raja Bell]

I'm sorry, I haven't potted in a while, but.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah, it's just always great when Raja sounds older than me for a few minutes.

[Logan Murdock]

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[Raja Bell]

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[Logan Murdock]

Ask your doctor about tremphya today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or true dot com. Let's start it off. Gonna switch it and go to this one. First OG of the Year. Howard, you were the OG of the podcast. Who was your OG of the year?

[Howard Beck]

I mean, I feel like this is almost like a trick question or a setup. Like, it almost has to be OG and a Nobi, doesn't it?

[Logan Murdock]

Oh. Oh, you went that way. Okay. All right, all right. That wasn't actually the prompt, but I get where you're going.

[Howard Beck]

I know. Uh, no, it's LeBron.

[Logan Murdock]

Yeah, it's.

[Howard Beck]

It's obviously LeBron. Greatest age 41 season ever. After being the greatest age 40 season, the greatest age 39 season, the age 38 season average, 23, 7 and 8. In that first round victory over the Rockets with Luka out and Reeves mostly out, still a top 20 player, still hugely relevant and still so commanding of the league and our attentions that, yes, as we record this, we are still all waiting on him, and he's still the biggest.

[Logan Murdock]

This could end up being a LeBron James emergency episode, right? It could end up. For all we know. Right?

[Howard Beck]

For all we know.

[Logan Murdock]

No doubt. Mine was also LeBron James, because I. I mean, I think. And as long as he plays, he's gonna get this award, right? Just because of all the oxygen he brings, all of the. His game. You had any thoughts real quick, Roger, on The Summer of LeBron, we. How are you feeling? Just even as a spectator, does it like, we have our feelings, but I feel like the media feelings are kind of selfish because we got vacations to go on and stuff, and we're kind of annoyed by this. But. But you as a former player and also just as a. As a. As a person that is a spectator, what have you been feeling about the LeBron summer?

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, I mean, look, I'm. I'm locked in like everybody else. I'm really. I'm really interested to figure out where he's going to go, but I don't. I don't have any. I heard.

[Logan Murdock]

I heard.

[Raja Bell]

I had to drive to Augusta. Like, I got back from Vegas. Didn't realize Peach Jam was the next week, and I couldn't find a rental car up there, so I had to drive from here to Augusta. It was like nine hours and a

[Howard Beck]

lot of our problems.

[Raja Bell]

I know, dude, but, like, I could not get a car. I heard people. I didn't know that was a thing with the media. They were bitching and complaining about the decision, and they went as far as to say this person, that LeBron not making a decision was going to cause people in front offices that usually have allocated this time for their vacation. So it was. It was not respectful to them. Man, fuck that. Like, what? LeBron James has the right to make his decision whenever he wants, go wherever he wants for whatever reasons he wants to go there for. And so that's my feeling on it. Like, everyone else can kick rocks. Like, this dude is going to tell you where he wants to go when he wants to tell you, and he's earned the right to do that. So I don't really have any problem with it at all. I'm just interested to know where it's going to be. I think that's going to be fascinating, but the rest of it, completely up to him, and I got no problem with that.

[Logan Murdock]

It's a very fascinating time for him. Right, Because I think that on one hand, he does have the right to make all the decisions that he wants and the timing that he wants and quite frankly, from a content standpoint is helping all of us out. Right? We always have something to talk about and people want to hear it, even if it's actually nothing, Even if it's a nothing burger of an update. People just want to talk about LeBron. And you know who else wants to talk about LeBron? LeBron does. He loves this. He loves all of this. That's why he went on Fanatics fest and just basically was teasing everybody and like, huh, maybe I'll make one, maybe I won't. Maybe he loves this attention. It's probably the last time he's going to get this much attention, right? There's that part of it, right? But there's also the business of LeBron. So, like, wherever he goes, you're not just getting LeBron James, the basketball player who's been very effective. You're getting the business of him.

[Raja Bell]

You're getting.

[Logan Murdock]

All eyes are going to be on him. And even, like Adam Silver saying, like, hey, we, We. We have to. We. We need you to make a decision because it affects our business. Right? It's just been fascinating to see all these things. The Ringer has been a big beneficiary of this with the whiteboard and everything that has gone on with that. It has been a very busy, busy summer at Ringer headquarters. I am tired of it, but hey, it ain't my life. And also, it's really helping out the pot numbers. So shout out to LeBron for doing that.

[Raja Bell]

I guess I do, I do want to just, I want to say if I, if I could, like, it's a little different than the time I told you he was kind of holding up the, the whole league. Like, I forget what year that was, but I was part of the, the contingent of players that couldn't move until he figured out this one's a little different in that, like I, I'm. And correct me if I'm wrong, like he's told people, like, go about their business. What he's going to be asking for in terms of the finances of it all shouldn't really dramatically affect a club's ability to be under an apron or whatever. So, like, you know, like, you're just. I think that fundamentally is different for me.

[Howard Beck]

The one thing he actually is holding up that does matter and is worth discussing, and I think it's. What Adam Silver was alluding to was the schedule. Right. Because the schedule is usually made, it's being formulated at this time of year to be released sometime in early August. And it's a complicated undertaking in the best of times with 30 teams and all the arenas and availabilities and everything. Like, it's, it's complicated. It's complicated out of respect for some people I know in those offices.

[Logan Murdock]

Yeah.

[Howard Beck]

Like, that's, that is tough because wherever LeBron plays, that team automatically is going to be on a bunch of marquee nights.

[Logan Murdock]

Yeah.

[Howard Beck]

And so I'm sure that they have contingencies upon contingencies right now, depending on whether he's going to Cleveland, Golden State, Miami and all that. But, like, that's a real thing.

[Logan Murdock]

And I think it's different. Even adding to that schedule thing right now, it's different. Like if he goes to Golden State, that's like a vastly different TV schedule than say if he goes back to Cleveland or Miami. Right. Like, you're probably going to have more TV games and two more high profile games if he goes to Golden State, then if he were to go to another team, and so they have to recalibrate that. And also there's one thing to do, the schedule, but there's also the venues, Right. And making sure that those venues are free at that given time. It's just, it's so complicated in general. But I think, I think, I think Rossa doesn't have to care about this. Listen, he doesn't give a fuck. He doesn't care. He doesn't give a shit.

[Raja Bell]

I want to know if the League was. Was like when LeBron loses a CO star because of a freak injury in a playoff run. Like, Kevin Love gets his shoulder separated. Like, the league's not sitting around trying to figure out how to make it right by LeBron,

[Logan Murdock]

right?

[Raja Bell]

Like, so, like, that's all. That's my point. I mean, I get it.

[Logan Murdock]

When the setting is set, though. That's what I'm pointing by.

[Raja Bell]

That's you've got your job to do, and that's why you make what you make. LeBron has his job to do, and that's why he gets paid the way he gets paid. And so, like, I. I have some sympathy, but at the end of the day, my point is like. Like, LeBron can't be worried about that shit. Like, LeBron, you do what you got to do.

[Logan Murdock]

I think the one other thing, and I do want to get to the rest of the categories, but what I will say this, the biggest thing that I have seen and the biggest difference that I've seen from all the other decisions is the lack of Le. That LeBron has and the lack of levers that I think he sees. And I think he's waiting out in more ways than he would in previous seasons. Because if this was 10 years ago, LeBron says, I'm coming to your team. You do this for me. It's getting done, right? Like, you want to trade Andrew Wiggins. Goodbye. Like, we're going to get Kevin Love up in here, right? You want to make. But, like, I think that they are. Him and his team are trying tactics that have historically worked for them, but are very dated. And I. And I don't think that that is. I think that is another wrinkle in all of this, and that's that.

[Raja Bell]

We'll.

[Logan Murdock]

We'll see. That's. That's all I will say on that. Any other thoughts on OG LeBron? Before we get to the next category,

[Raja Bell]

I would like to. You couldn't ask me who my OG was? I didn't have. I mean, I would. I would just throw.

[Logan Murdock]

Who is your OG of the year? I apologize, Roger.

[Raja Bell]

No, it's okay. But LeBron certainly, like, he was always going to. But I give a shout out to Kawhi, who had a fantastic year. I mean, he was 27.9 a game. I think was the highest of his career. What do you play, 65 games or something like that? Like, what did that do? What did that do for you?

[Logan Murdock]

Like, did you think, like, I could go in the park and go average 35 against these kids? Did that do something to you did

[Raja Bell]

that was like, oh, they do nothing for me. But just like those dudes are remarkable, man the way they take care of their body and LeBron especially. But yeah, they're no, I don't even go out and shoot around anymore. Logan. So no, that did nothing for me thinking I could.

[Logan Murdock]

Hey man.

[Raja Bell]

But I did want to give a shout out to Kawhi and if the

[Logan Murdock]

NBA is keeps up, he might not even. That might be the last time you see Kawhi right now. The way that they're. The investigations are going.

[Raja Bell]

We'll see.

[Logan Murdock]

We'll see how that goes. Next one in reverse. Who is your newcomer of the year? Raja Bell?

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, I mean there were. I'm going to go with Cooper Flag. I think it's the easy maybe call it lazy but. And the reason I'm going to do it is because I just saw things out of him as the season unfolded and as the ball became more and more familiar with him in a playmaking capacity and the NBA size speed he calibrated to it. I saw glimpses of things that quite frankly, I've said this before on the pod. I didn't know if he'd get to that and if he did when he'd get to that type of understanding and ability on an NBA court. And so I think that's super exciting for. For him, for Maz fans and. And he was. And he was great, albeit in, you know, maybe not in a winning as. As winning a capacity as maybe some others. But I think that largely had to do with the team he was on. But I thought he was fantastic and showed signs of. Of superstardom. So I think he's newcomer of the year.

[Logan Murdock]

How does. Go ahead, Howard, you got some thoughts?

[Howard Beck]

No, I, I was waiting to see if you want to throw out yours before I came in.

[Logan Murdock]

Well, I just want to have a quick Cooper Flag conversation because he was one. He was going to be one of my newcomers of the year, but I went more on vibes. He absolutely was deserving. But who did I want to talk about more? We will get to that in a second. But I'm excited about Cooper Flag and what he has going. I hope the like the Mavericks still are in a, in a. In a weird place right now just because, you know the Kyrie element and that's a trade to be had. But everything that I like been hearing is like, like Kyrie doesn't want to go to like the Minnesota thing. Kyrie didn't. They went up. His people went up to him and Asked his opinion, he said he didn't want to go to Minnesota. Right. And they got to figure that out, right? Like what is he going to be? What role is Kyrie going to have going forward for Cooper Flag? I think that's like the biggest question right? There is a team out, there's some maneuvering at the Mavericks can do and probably should do to build around Cooper Flag. I've said this in the past, just trade everybody and build around him. And I think that that's what the new NBA, you know, suggests that you should do in order to build a contender. But the Mavericks need to just do it, right, Howard, or is there. Do you. What do you. How do they build around Cooper Flag at this point? Because they clearly have their guy.

[Howard Beck]

I think the biggest difficulty for them is that they are still kind of caught between the, the, the Luca Anthony Davis era and, or excuse me, the Luca era, which turned to Anthony Davis and also Luca, which turned. Which, which required Kyrie, which required PJ Washington, which required all these other veterans. And now you still have most of those guys and they flipped Anthony Davis out. You still have Kyrie and you. So you're, you're straddling timelines. You don't. You have not done anything really to build around Cooper Flag yet would be the faster way of getting there. And so Kyrie could have. Have a lot of value because the one difficulty, one of the difficulties for them last year was like the balls and Cooper Flags hands so much. Do you really want him to be your, your point guard, point forward, point, whatever? Kyrie can take a lot of that pressure on it off of him, can set him up. I think that'll be good for him short term, but that's not your long term vision. Right. And so I, I do think there still should be or could be a temptation to trade Kyrie for players who are more on Cooper Flag's timeline. You don't need to be in the playoffs yet. You don't need to rush this. He's just going into his second season, figure out how best to build around him. Kyrie may be the conduit to that ultimately, but he hasn't played in. By the time he plays, it's going to have been like 19 months since his last game. We don't even know what Kyrie is at this stage in his mid-30s, so we'll see.

[Raja Bell]

He look good this summer. I'll be, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't on an NBA floor. I got to see him at the top 100 a little bit. He worked out for the campers and stuff like that. My son got to play defense on him a couple of times. Like he, not that my son's defense is NBA defense, but like, he was moving and he, you know, he looked good. The workout was pretty impressive. So for what it's worth, reporter Raj

[Logan Murdock]

Gez, our intrepid reporter out in these AAU streets. All right. I'm gonna go with Dylan Harper just because he was my favorite newcomer this season. Right? Like, I just, I, I can't wait to see what he evolves into for a rookie to be able to play at that level, no matter like what it showed, the Finals I think were twofold. It showed, like, how much he needs to grow and how successful he could be. Right? Like, he, the spurs are begging for somebody to run that offense. Can't be wimby in this particular case. And I think that he has a lot of room to grow, but it was just such a treat to be able to see him show no fear. I'm going to go to the cup every time. I'm going to give us, this team a spark in the way that I need to do. And I thought that that was, I thought that was really impressive for a newcomer to go on that stage. Now he needs to stay off of TikTok and stay off of shit. Or at least don't repost slander about your, your, your teammate in the middle of the NBA Finals. This is it. You know, it's a rookie, a very rookie mistake. But overall, I love what I saw, Raja. I loved what I saw.

[Raja Bell]

He was great. He was great. He was a candidate for me too. Like, I, I fearless dude, like standing in the face of, of, of a situation like that and handling himself the way he did, I thought was remarkable. I thought, I thought Coop had just a little bit more on his shoulders throughout the course of the year. He was asked to carry and do more for a franchise, but. And I think he did it for longer stretches if that. If I will. But yeah, Dylan Harper was phenomenal and I almost went with him too. So I'm not mad at you for that.

[Logan Murdock]

Howard Beck.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah, that's Dylan Harper. I thought that was going to be a hot take, but Logan beat me to it. So listen, we had a phenomenal rookie of the year race with Cooper Flag and Con canipple. Vijay Edgecomb was fantastic. And this is an absolutely incredible and may eventually be historic rookie class, right? We will, I think, be talking about this draft for a long time to come. It's early yet, but the signs are super good for all these guys. But yeah, it's not to be the prisoner of the moment or recency bias, but like Dylan Harper, it's the impression he left. But also he's the only one who was on that stage, right. Like Cooper flag doesn't make the playoffs. Con doesn't make the playoffs. BJ Edge comes, you know, out in the second round. He didn't have the greatest series against the Knicks, but the last thing we saw from Dylan Harper was looking like a 10 year vet playing in the NBA finals. Absolutely fearless. And it's not just his explosiveness and his, and his ability around the cup, but like his, his defensive tenacity and his ability to guard Jalen Brunson, all of it. And it just, I'm just so impressed. And yeah, one of the last people I saw leaving the arena on the night of the championship was bumping into Ron Harper, Dylan's dad saying like basically just watch out. There's, there's. Wait till he has a summer to keep working on stuff like wait till you see what next season. So I can't wait to see what we're going to see from Dylan Harper next season.

[Logan Murdock]

Let's get messy. Let's get messy. Worst trade of the year. Now this can go whenever you want. And I basically said what trade is going to age the worst? I'm going to start it off. It's not that much of a controversial take, I don't believe but I'm going to go with the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown. I'm going to go with that being the worst. I, I get it. I get the salaries, I get the optionality, I get all of that. But there's also a human element of this, right? Boston loved that dude. They were a championship contender. I think going into next season with Jaylen Brown on the roster. I think currently constructed, they are not. And when you have a, when you have a Jason Tatum on the, on the roster, you have to compete for titles at all time. And there is no such times for rebuilds or retweaks and maybe retweaks, but not rebuilds. And I think that there is an element of rebuilding right now in Boston and you put that on top of the fact that we don't know what type of Tatum we're going to get next season. And I thought this was a catastrophic move towards title tops hopes of this era and I don't like it. So my worst trade is the Boston Celtics trading Jalen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, anybody.

[Howard Beck]

I can see that. It's on the list. It was on my longer list. Washington acquiring Trey Young and Anthony Davis, both those deals on my list of deals that may not age well.

[Logan Murdock]

Well, Anthony Davis might get traded to the warriors at some point. So if that happens, that is the wor. That is literally the worst trade of the summer.

[Howard Beck]

Not. Not all that high. On the Suns acquiring Miles Bridges. Um, I think, like, the Giannis trade could age badly on both sides, potentially. Like, there's. There's a lot of questions there. The Lakers acquiring Walker Kessler at the steep price that they paid, both in terms of his salary and the trade package. So I think there's a lot of options here, but I'm going with the Portland Trailblazers acquiring Ja Morant. I'm sorry this. This trade is going to be such a disaster for them. I would like to believe there's upside both for Ja Morant and for the Blazers in acquiring him. I just don't see it. And this is not about what they gave up. Usually we evaluate a trade and like, what they gave up. Yeah, they gave up nothing. Jeremy Grant, Chris Murray, that part's fine. It's not that they gave up too much. It's that they did this at all. Also, I think there are strong indications that this was the owner who I think is fast establishing himself as one of the worst and most meddling in the league, that this was him and not the front office. It's just that John Morant's a bad fit. Right. Like, you still have Scoot Henderson, who you're trying to develop into your star player and your point guard. You have Dame, who is in his twilight, but coming off the Achilles and now ready to pick up where he left off, he hopes. And he's a legend there. And you need to give him all the oxygen in the world, too. You've got Jrue Holiday still there. You've got Denny Avdia, who had just this huge breakthrough season and is a ball handler and an offensive initiator. How are all these pieces fitting together? And then on top of that, Ja is ball dominant, a poor defender, a poor shooter. He's too small. And there are some character concerns, to say the least. He can't stay healthy. He's averaged 47 games a year for his entire career. He's played 79 games over the last three years combined, and he's probably never going to be an All Star again. It's been three years. I don't. I don't see that he's going to. To recapture that, especially given some of the erosion in terms of his finishing ability. Just because you got him for free doesn't mean it's a good deal. And there's an opportunity cost and a fit cost and all kinds of other things. So to me, that's more catastrophic in a lot of ways than the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown. Like, yes, he's beloved. Yes, you won a championship with him, but you had salary concerns and you had clearly other concerns. So I could at least see the thought process in the Jaylen Brown deal. Even if I don't fully agree with it. I don't see the thought process or the. Any soundness in the thought process in, in the jaw trade.

[Logan Murdock]

Yeah, I think this was also. Don't. All the things you said, too. I think I just want to give a little bit more context as well. I mean, I, I would say don't underestimate the Nike influence on this. Right. They got shoes to sell, and one of the things that they were pushing behind the scenes was like, let's get Ja close to us and, and let all of his people around. At least that's, that's, that's what they're saying after the trade. Right. But let's get Jock close to us. Let's get him in our building. Let's make sure we at least rehabilitate whatever image that we have of him. And let's sell some sneakers. There's also that element as well.

[Raja Bell]

Make no mistake. Like, I just. You asked me how I was doing to start the pot, and I was telling you I've been on the road. A, A large portion of that was at Nike events when we were in Vegas. I was taken aback. Like, one of it was a very, very cool. They had a prime time court. It was black with like that lime green that, that you see around your face on this screen right now. The, the listener or the watcher can't see it, but it was this lime green and it was the John Morant court.

[Logan Murdock]

Yeah.

[Raja Bell]

And it was, it was, it was all John Moran brand branding. I guess they're releasing the job 4. And like, I got no beef with that. But that did say something to me because, like, that's Nike's grassroots basketball. It was all Ja.

[Logan Murdock]

His team right now isn't the Blazers. It is Nike at this particular point. It's not. It's. The Blazers are going to be the uniform that he wears during the regular season. But like, Ja, he sells so many sneakers to them kids, you know, and like, people love those so, like, that is the. Of more. More importance, at least in JAWS world, I would say, than the regular season. And whatever. Whatever. Whatever that happens going forward, if you're

[Howard Beck]

the GM coach and all the other players in the Blazers, that. That's the thing that matters is the basketball fit. So, yay, sneakers. Yay sales.

[Logan Murdock]

But, um, no, but I'm saying that to illustrate more of, like, the. What we're dealing with here, right? Like, that is. That's what we're dealing with, and I think that's something that we should keep a lookout on during this season. Right. Is this that element of, like, what's. What's going on there? Who is your. What's your worst trade, Roger?

[Raja Bell]

I. All of the ones Howard said came into, you know, came into focus when I was trying to figure that out. And. And. And I think ultimately where I got was where you were, Logan. And the reason why I'll just piggyback off of it is because of how close. How close they were. Boston, with the two of those guys in hand, playing. Well, you already have proof of concept there, you know, if you put some semblance of a roster around them, that you can do pretty cool things. And where you wound up sending him, which is, like, right across the street in conference, like, in division. And now they, in my estimation and a lot of people's estimation, are now one of the favorites, you know, in an Eastern Conference. And so I think for all of those reasons, I went with the Boston trade in, trade in Jaylen Brown.

[Logan Murdock]

It's gonna be a great season, but damn. Damn. Yeah, maybe. Maybe Roger might even go to a Sixers game this year. We'll see. We'll see. We will see. Outside chance.

[Howard Beck]

None of it means getting on another plane or running another car.

[Logan Murdock]

Oh, man.

[Raja Bell]

I'm gonna take my man Ben up on a trip before I go to Philly, bro.

[Logan Murdock]

Straight like that. Straight like that. All right, all right, all right. Let's go to the next category. Crash out of the year. I. I think we're. I think we're all on the same page here, but we'll see. I'm gonna go with Draymond Green, right? We talk about the regular season game where he basically, you know, yelled at his coach, quit on the team, went to the locker room. But then there's just been a cavalcade of, like, Draymond Crash House. We probably. We might name the. The award after him when it's all said and done.

[Raja Bell]

But, yeah, I think it's probably just. It's his award until he basically, you know, in essence says he doesn't want it. Right. Like, we just come in assuming, and

[Logan Murdock]

then when he retires, we're just gonna put podcast crash out of the year. That's just gonna be his award that we have.

[Raja Bell]

He's still gonna have wait, because, no, he's be like, I, I, I don't say this in any negative way. Like, he's beefing with him. And Charles got into a little beef, right? Him and Charles Barkley got into him. And, you know, this one was more

[Logan Murdock]

serious because I feel like Charles, it's just sparring, bro. Like, they're just making sure they're in shape still. But, like, that Udonis Draymond beef was serious, bro. That was, that was where I was. Like, I don't know if I want to be in the same room when they're in the, in this, in the building, right? Like, I don't. I don't know. But Draymond, then what? I don't even know.

[Raja Bell]

Like, I don't. There were some, like, who was, who was crashing out, like, the, the, the, the. Charlotte. Was it Charlotte.

[Howard Beck]

Was it Detroit?

[Raja Bell]

Detroit? Detroit? Yeah.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah.

[Raja Bell]

Was it. And Musa. Was it Musa. Like, there was Jalen Duran, Amen Thompson. He gets kind of wild sometimes. Like, he has some issues. Like, But I think Draymond, I went a different direction.

[Howard Beck]

Oh, listen, guys, there are different brands of crash outs, and I don't know, is it possible to have a crash out on a twitch stream? Because I think it got somebody fucking traded. So Jalen Brown is my crash out of the year. The twitch stream probably got him trade. We could talk about the contract and Brad Stevens can say optionality 17 times and talk about two players making 70% of the cap.

[Logan Murdock]

Howard, he bought Jalen Brown's jersey for his kids. Okay, whatever. He did that.

[Howard Beck]

Whatever. They traded him for a guy making the same amount. So we can't talk about optionality in the salary cap at 70%. I get it. He's going to. Paul George expires a year sooner or. Da, da, da, da, Whatever. They got some picks in the deal, but, like, it's very clear to me, at least, that there is a combination of factors here that the salary and cap issues and apron issues are some part of this optionality, whatever is part of it. But if he never goes on fucking twitch and says the refs are out to get him and Joel Embiid, my new teammate, is a flopper who's disgracing the game.

[Logan Murdock]

Okay, and I'm just saying, okay, and

[Howard Beck]

on top of it, saying that this was my favorite year of basketball when they lost in the second round or second round. First round. First one. First round.

[Logan Murdock]

Yo, I'm gonna just say this, though, real quick. Before you go. Before you go.

[Howard Beck]

This is why he got traded. No, but I'm gonna say this about him.

[Logan Murdock]

I get it. But front office are getting so soft right now, bro. Because in the 80s and the 90s, bro, it was so much worse than that. He hasn't gotten in trouble. He hasn't done shit, bro.

[Raja Bell]

I would argue that the crash out in this scenario is the fucking Boston

[Logan Murdock]

Celtics and Brad Stevens. Oh, y kick.

[Raja Bell]

That's what I would argue.

[Howard Beck]

So nominate Brad Stevens for the award. So nominate Brad Stevens, bro.

[Logan Murdock]

Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant. He's not Kobe Bryant. I'm not going to say that. But Kobe Bryant over a summer was like, ship this out. That was this podcast that existed then.

[Howard Beck]

Podcast had existed then.

[Logan Murdock]

But no, but we're talking about people that got traded because of that, right? He. Kobe demanded a trade. Said, this motherfucker sucks. We should have traded for him by name in a. Yes, in a. In a Newport News parking lot. Newport.

[Raja Bell]

Newport Beach.

[Howard Beck]

Newport News is on the other.

[Logan Murdock]

Oh, yeah, you're right. Parking lot. And was like, yo, fuck him. And then Rich Kupchak was like, all right, it's Tuesday. Okay, that's fine. And Kobe got in real trouble before he was back. And Jaylen Brown just went on a Twitch stream and said something that was, like, kind of controversial. Kind of, right? Like, okay, people have said much more,

[Howard Beck]

but it was indicative.

[Raja Bell]

Controversial, bro to man.

[Logan Murdock]

All that, man.

[Raja Bell]

I've had some of the most fun basketball. I didn't win a championship in those years. Like, do you know what I mean? Like, I. Not that I won that many championships, but the point is, it's possible. It's possible.

[Logan Murdock]

Said that and was, like, not a great message.

[Howard Beck]

He said, didn't go over well.

[Logan Murdock]

Out of here, man.

[Raja Bell]

I hear you, Howard. I think it's soft. I'm. I thought I changed mine. Did I give Crash out Like, I. That's Brad.

[Logan Murdock]

Steven Celtics.

[Raja Bell]

If this. If this shit's. If it gets printed anywhere, if our awards go up in print anywhere, make that money.

[Howard Beck]

Let the record reflect this is the first time I actually, like, provoked Raja not into just a rant, but an actually, like, changing up an award decision.

[Logan Murdock]

This is fantastic.

[Raja Bell]

I'm Chang. I love it.

[Logan Murdock]

I love it.

[Raja Bell]

Out of the box, outside the box.

[Logan Murdock]

Sorry, man. What the. Bro, like, dog.

[Raja Bell]

How dare you say you had fun and we didn't win, like, bro. And you won a lot.

[Logan Murdock]

They won a lot, man. You won a lot. You won a lot. Here's another thing. Jaylen Brown didn't ask to be traded. Even after all of that, he was like, cool. I'm still. I'm all right. Tatum's coming back. Boom. We're gonna figure this out. He. He still was like that towards the end of it, even as he said all that stuff. He said, man.

[Raja Bell]

Oh, boy.

[Logan Murdock]

Hey, man. What? Hey. What? No, hold on.

[Raja Bell]

What did it.

[Logan Murdock]

No, we got it. Hold on, because I gotta give a shout out, and then we'll go to the next one. Roger, you OG OG Real ones. No.

[Raja Bell]

Yeah.

[Logan Murdock]

What did. What did Coach Carter say? Get your feelings out this. Get your feelings out the, man. Boston. Get your feelings out the. Because now you just regressed, and now you ain't a championship contender no more because you had your feelings in this. Anyways, moving on. Moment of the year. Howard, you alluded to it. What is the moment of the year?

[Howard Beck]

I mean, it's obviously ho G Anunobi's tip in, but I was also trying not to go to the well too often on either A, OG Anunoby jokes and references or B, Nick's things. So I zagged a little bit here.

[Logan Murdock]

Okay.

[Howard Beck]

It's March 10th, a night in which the Washington Wizards played the Miami Heat, and bam, out of bio, dropped 83 points.

[Logan Murdock]

That has to be on the record.

[Howard Beck]

Yes, it's the moment of the year because it had it all in a year when tanking absolutely was just destroying the NBA's credibility and forced them to completely revamp the lottery rules again in the most radical way they ever have. We had a tanking team letting a guy just score at will, and a star player seizing the spotlight. I was trying to like. So I don't know when this hit me. It seems to me like they were covering, like, all the seven deadly sins here, right? We had sloth. That's the Wizards. We had gluttony. That's Bam. Pride, also bam. Greed, Bam. Lust for points. Bam. Envy, wrath. Other coaches, other coaches, media people, wrath. Like the seven deadly sins were all encompassed in one stupid, meaningless game in March that also involved tanking and all the ramifications of that. That is the NBA in a nutshell. We had drama, controversy, everything. All the things we love about the NBA. There's my moment of the year.

[Logan Murdock]

That's some fucking. That's some podcasting right there. I like fucking podcasts. Well done. You should be a writer or Something also adding to that the most NBA thing ever. Hate just. He just got hated on for fucking two weeks by other players. Just everybody just hating on him. Yeah, the hate overshadowed the record. I don't even think that, like, we're gonna. We're always gonna think about. You know, and I'm thinking for myself. There was the other day, I was like, seeing Kobe's 81, I was like, oh, shit, that this record is broken. I forgot, you know, it wasn't a record, though, a scoring feat. I'm sorry. This feat got topped anyways, Roger, moment of the year.

[Raja Bell]

Yeah. No, I mean, I haven't been to the New York well or the OG well. So for me, it was that tipping game. Four down 19. Was it? I mean, I remember that was at down 29. Sorry.

[Logan Murdock]

Like,

[Raja Bell]

I was at. That was the day I had watched Kyrie work out. I was at the MBPA top 100, and I was in my hotel room, and my wife's huge Knicks fan, and I hadn't been sitting at home the whole time. I was kind of catching it at a bar as I ate. And then I got back to the room and she was out. And I'm like, hey, I just hang on for a second. Like, do you know what I mean? It was just one of those. I think if they lose that game, everything changes. And 29 is an incredible feat to overcome at any point in the season, let alone in the finals. And then the tip was just incredible. I mean, it was just an incredible tip. And for. For all those reasons, I mean.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah.

[Raja Bell]

And I haven't done Knicks yet. For me. I racked my brain last night. I really was trying to find a moment. I love what you just did, Howard, but I think It's.

[Howard Beck]

It's.

[Raja Bell]

It's OG's tip. In came four.

[Logan Murdock]

Yeah. My thing is this, man. And I'm right there with Shiraj. It's the. That's the moment that's going to define the season. And I'm not mad at Nick Overload, bro, because that really speaks to how much of a phenomenon this run was. Right? Like, it was everywhere. There were Knicks fans everywhere. New York is on fire right now. Like, I feel like everybody right now with the. With the World cup, with Knicks winning it all, with Zurom, Mom, Donnie with the HOV shows. I feel like we're just all living in New York right now, all simultaneously. It's been great, you know, but that. That was awesome. The Knicks run was awesome. The OG tipping was awesome. That is also my moment of the Year. Let's keep on moving on down the ledger.

[Raja Bell]

Can I just say one thing? And I'm not going to take up a lot of time, but the re. Like, one of the reasons, as I just thought about it, was because, like, there are not a lot of moments in NBA, like, any point in NBA regular season or playoffs where I could tell you where I was and what I was doing when it happened. And that one, that struck me because I just.

[Logan Murdock]

We have that. Me and Howard have that with game one, bro, in Stockholm. Like, we remember where we were during that Knicks finals run. I remember. Like, I'll never forget that as long as we live. One day we'll have a. We'll have an NBA Lord, just about that night in general. Maybe one day, maybe we'll have a deep dive onto that. Anyways, I'm going to start this next category. Who won the year? Just going to keep it. Nick's Jalen Brunson. Like, he is the man right now. He is the absolute man. King of kings. At this particular moment, no one, like, saw this coming. Absolutely. At all. And that's the best part about this. And he can do no wrong. This is his world. And we are all living in Jalen Brunson's world. Like, how long is that going to last? A very long time in New York, but in the NBA at large, I don't know. But right now, he won the year. It is his world. Howard, Beck, Raja Bell, or whoever wants to talk, go Rush.

[Raja Bell]

All right. Yeah, I would just. I mean, I think it's the Knicks, but I think. And Jalen sure spearheads that. But I mean, I think Carl Anthony, like, Towns like that was, you know, redemption to some degree. Mike Brown, Brown, the Knicks fans in general who have been waiting for this forever, like, the winners in. In. As it relates to the Knicks themselves, you could pick just about anybody and. And. And that's a win. So, yeah, I would agree with you, but I would just. I would extend that out to some. Some other people in a whole fan base and the city and I think for all.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah, I actually typed the words New York. So I did. I expanded it out all the way myself. There were like three or four categories where I thought the Knicks could have been an answer for this exercise today. And so I was trying to, like, spread it around a little bit or not overload, but this one was the one must for me. And yeah, it's Brunson and it's Mike Brown and it's Carl Anthony Townes, and it's even Mikhail Bridges on a smaller scale. It's an obi on some level, too.

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, dude.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah. And it.

[Logan Murdock]

Landry Sammit, baby.

[Howard Beck]

Landry Sham. Yeah. Hell yes.

[Logan Murdock]

These guys are all celebrities for life, bro. Just doing this alone. Like, what this has done for them is crazy.

[Howard Beck]

It's. I mean, when you win the first championship in 53 years, like, everybody is enshrined forever, right?

[Logan Murdock]

You know, the parade, shout out Monica McNutt the homie. You know, I mean, we out here

[Howard Beck]

killing it, but, like, think about everybody who swept up into this, right? Like, Taylor Swift even was part of this at one point in a finals game, but our guy, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, Mariska Hargitay, like, on and on and on. All the celebrities who were just, you know, a fixture as part of the. Of the NBA Finals match. Oh. I mean, New Yorkers won. New York won. The Knicks won. Mayor Momdani won. Like, it. It just.

[Logan Murdock]

I can't wait, bro. I cannot wait to go back to New York, bro. I don't know when I'm going back, but I cannot wait because I know forever. It's just going to be. Oh, man, it's awesome.

[Howard Beck]

Nixon. Nixon 5 is just like a thing now that just gets inserted into every conversation randomly. I. The most hilarious Instagram.

[Logan Murdock]

I'll see you guys later. Obnoxious New Yorkers are going to be so obnoxious. You guys already are. No, no, not they. Because you are New Yorker, too, Howard. New Yorker.

[Howard Beck]

I'm not walking around saying, Nixon 5. I'm not wearing the T shirt.

[Logan Murdock]

I'm saying you're not, but you are agnostic. Like a New Yorker. Just in the. You've turned. You're not west coast anymore. You don't rock with us. You don't. You don't rock with us anymore. But we're not. It's going to be so obnoxious. Everything we hear. It doesn't matter if they go win 20 games next year or the year after that or the year. It's going to be always.

[Howard Beck]

It won't matter.

[Logan Murdock]

It will not matter. All right, who lost the year, Howard? It was hard. I'm gonna kind of. I'm gonna. I don't know. I don't know.

[Howard Beck]

There's. There's a lot of directions to go here. I briefly considered picking on James Harden again. I very, very seriously considered Tom Dundon, the Blazers new owner who just keeps stepping in it over and over and over again. And I hate to go here. I hate to do this, but it's just true. It's Adam Silver.

[Logan Murdock]

Yes. Yep. Yes.

[Howard Beck]

Yes. Worst tanking season we've ever seen. Forcing again this radical rehaul overhaul of the lottery. We'll see how that ends up panning out if it has unanticipated consequences, as most things often do in the NBA. We've got the aspiration thing still going on. It now has put a trade on hold that should have never happened. We've got the gambling arrests that are not too far in the distant past and gambling just, still just looming over the league and all the issues that go with that. You get Adam Silver almost defending Tom Dundon's cheapness and his very questionable stewardship in this first few months on the job as the Blazers owner. Adam should be standing up for Portland more. That is a great, historic NBA market. And there's at least murmurings of whether Dundon's going to. Angling them to try to move them because he's. The. The negotiations with the city of Portland on a new arena are breaking down. The union now wants to rip up the CBA because of the second apron. So you now have like a brewing fight coming there. Even, even the little things. Right. The slam dunk contest was a complete dud. All Star. The all Star game itself was better, but the dunk contest was trash. You've got the fractured media landscape with all the new streaming partners that's causing a lot of fan discontent. There's, there's just a lot.

[Logan Murdock]

The gambling

[Howard Beck]

mentioned that too. Yeah. So, yeah, I think it's Adam Silver.

[Logan Murdock]

Yeah. It has to be Adam Silver, man. And we didn't even talk about how this, this, this investigation now can have one. Kawhi can have real ramifications for next season. Right. Like one of your top guys, you just undercutted a whole great story about him going in Serrano and now that's going to linger. And we don't know if this is even going to get resolved. Doubt. Right. And it's just, it's, it's wild because, like his first few years, he went through real controversies and actually came out really well on it. Right. I'm thinking about the Donald Sterling situation. I'm thinking about the logistical nightmare of like, putting together a bubble in the. And saving your, you know, your league during the pandemic. Those are really hard things. And dealing with all the things that came with that. And now it's just like everything is just tumbling down all at once. Yeah. He lost a year.

[Howard Beck]

Yeah.

[Logan Murdock]

Roger, you got any thoughts?

[Raja Bell]

No, I'm okay with that because I was struggling with that one. And I had a few players, but I don't think any of them. I had some players that took some steps back, and I don't know that they're coming back to what they were, and I was going to use one of them, but I'd rather not. I like what Howard did.

[Logan Murdock]

All right, now it's your time, Raja. This is your award, baby. I know you talked long and hard about this one in particular. All right. I'm like, what's the Raja Bell Memorial defender? Ward, which player exemplified all the qualities of a Raja Bell defender?

[Howard Beck]

The memorial is if Raj is dead, by the way.

[Raja Bell]

No, I'll change. This was tough for me. It's all right.

[Howard Beck]

I'll make the same joke next year.

[Raja Bell]

It's. I don't know, man.

[Logan Murdock]

We're pouring out looking for Roger.

[Raja Bell]

You poured out for my back. It's fine.

[Logan Murdock]

The.

[Raja Bell]

I ultimately probably still don't know where I land on. On that. Like, there's so many great defenders.

[Logan Murdock]

Last year was Lou Dort, I think I believe.

[Raja Bell]

Was it or was.

[Logan Murdock]

Was Lou Do.

[Raja Bell]

There's so many really good defenders. I typically like to give it to a wing slash, guard, defender, because at least in my day, it was harder for us to get. Get. Like, it was harder for us to get acknowledged for that. Like, they weren't using the analytics as much. You know what I mean? So if we weren't coming up with steals or. And. Or rebounds or, you know, like, it was. It was hard to quantify what we were doing out there. But ultimately, as I went through all the names, I was kind of trying to pick one of them to give it to. I had to go with. With Wemby. And the reason. The reason I went with Wemby, he fills all the boxes in terms of your stats and your advanced analytics and all of that shit. But this is really what stuck out to me is, like, when you're coming into a game and you're game planning either for a great offensive player or a great defensive player, anybody knows that's tasked with facing one or the other. Like, if you're a great scorer and you got to face a great defender or vice versa, you come into that game and you're like, oh, this one's different. All right, I gotta. This one. This one. This assignment is different. Like, you go through 70 NBA games a year where you're like, yo, this shit's fine. We're gonna roll out there like, this is normal. This is what I do. And then there are 12 of them where you Get a dude where you're like, all right, I gotta study that. I gotta study that sheet. Like, I gotta figure out what I'm doing with this cat tonight. I gotta be locked in, and I gotta execute this. Because if I don't, I can get lit up. And if I do, like I've told you, lights out, Howard. Like, I could still get lit up. No pun intended. But the point is, I think what he does to you as a game plan is he just strikes fear. Like, he strikes real fear. And when you watch him in a game, I've talked about the looming of Wemby, and you can see dudes playing, and they're not doing what they normally do as it relates to getting in the paint, finishing around the rim, shooting midis. And that fucker's not even in the picture. He's not even in the paint. But they're looking for him to try to figure out where he is. And that's a special level of defending. So as much as I want to get him to a guard or a wing, he makes some incredible physical plays. But I think why I settled on him was for all the fear that he strikes in people's heart before they even get out there. You can tell they've looked at a game plan. And the game plan is, when you get in that paint, don't finish, spray it out. And I think that's. That's a special level of, like, defensive prowess.

[Logan Murdock]

And it was just crazy throughout the playoffs to see that. Like, I think Oklahoma City was like. And then after. After Oklahoma City, kind of like Shay started going at him and going at him towards the end of that series. But then you've seen Brunson and you've seen everybody just show no fear of Wimby, and it was like they were knocking the bully out. It was very fascinating to see that dynamic. And I wonder how that also carries over the fear factor carries over to next season now that he's. He's lost. And as we've gotten more used to that. Right? So we'll see. All right, it is time for why we're all here. The biggest award that we can give on hero ones. Real One of the Year. Howard, who's your real One of the Year?

[Howard Beck]

So you guys know, when we do Real Win of the Week, I always like to go with somebody who's always, like, in the true spirit of the war, keeping it real. Right.

[Logan Murdock]

Even if it goes wrong.

[Howard Beck]

Even if it goes wrong. And it does. Occasionally these things happen. This is a great segue because my Real one of the year is Victor Wembanyama. He showed us everything in the course of a season and post season, right? His dominance, his resilience, his intelligence, his curiosity, and then eventually his edge and his ability to actually maybe be a little bit of a villain, maybe, you know, a little. A little chippy. Like, it's just so interesting because we start with the off season story of, like, oh, he studied with the Shaolin Monks. And, like, you just, you know, what does that convey, right? That, like, oh, he's, you know, mentally at peace. And he's a. Very. Obviously, he is very thoughtful and very intellectual, but it does. It conveys other things. Like just like this. This kind of tranquility. He waited on Minnesota and ice. We got all these other thoughtful quotes from him along the way. So, like, keeping it real both on the court and verbally. There's the things he said, the things he shared, and then the season ends with all the chippiness and the elbows to a neck and a head smushing and all the kind of aspects of him we hadn't seen, right? But that's keeping it real, too. It is the full range. And I don't mind that. Like, I know that there are some moments there that were. They don't put him in a flattering light and that some people really started to turn on him a little bit. But I just think that's all about all part of growing up as a young superstar in the NBA. And it showed me that he's ready for it and he's going to be a great superstar because you have to have a little bit of all of that. You got to be a dick sometimes. You got to be chippy sometimes. I'm not saying anything justifies, like, hurting somebody, but, like, getting a little over the line because you're so competitive or intense in the moment, and it causes you to do something that's a little bit out of character and you get tossed around. Like, I just think that's all part of growth. And I also think it's part of being a great competitor. And it's. You never. The talent is never enough in this league, as Raja will attest, that the thing that we can see that separates the stars from the superstars or the rotation guys from the starters is

[Raja Bell]

a

[Howard Beck]

care factor and an intensity and a competitive drive, and that it matters. I think what we saw more than anything from Wemby over the course of the playoffs is this shit fucking matters. Dude wants to win. He wants to win at the highest level, and he Just got one of the youngest teams in history to the fucking NBA Finals at a very young age for him, himself as well. And. And they were in every single game. Like, there's an alternate universe where they win that series, right? Like, the last two minutes of every game decided it. They ran out of steam. He ran out of. They didn't have the composure to do it. But, man, you can't lose a finals and come. Come off any more impressive than that group did. So Wemby's my. My real one of the year.

[Logan Murdock]

God damn it, Howard. You did it again. You did it again. A phenomenal podcasting, and also the way you presented it is like, damn, I feel like a schmuck for, like, the stuff that I'm about to say. Jesus, that was great. That was awesome.

[Howard Beck]

I am sitting here at Fordham, so I'm. I'm feeling just. I'm. I'm. I'm just immersed in just intellectual thought here.

[Logan Murdock]

So who is your real one of the year? Roger Bell?

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, I. I like to take the easy route and say, you know, Jalen Brunson for all the. For all the reasons that we've already covered with the Knicks, but I'm going to zag to Howard's zig there, and I'm going to go with Jaylen Brown for a lot of the reasons that Howard just articulated for Wemby. He gets up there, he tells you exactly how he feels, which we think is real. Whether people think it's an actual good look or not, it is, in fact real and true to who he is as a player. He's never wavered off of the. Off of his stances and what he stands for, both in the community and on the court. You had his sidekick go down with an Achilles injury. All you did was strip the team around him to save bread, and he lifted that team pretty. I don't want to say individually, because that's unfair to everybody who did that, but as the star, as the number one, he lifted that team to heights that I don't think anybody here at least gave them credit for, for or gave them a chance to be able to do this year, at least in the regular season, and he did all of that. And, you know, for being real and for keeping it real, you got. You got traded to. To. To Philly. And I would just say this to Jaylen Brown. Probably better for you, dog. Yeah, like, because they were feeling that way about you behind closed doors. Probably better for you, player. Like, so real one, Jalen Brown.

[Logan Murdock]

Another. Another one. Another master class Well, I love working with these. I'm gonna go with just somebody close to home, man. It's who's. Who's kind of like become like extended family of the pot. I'm gonna go with Ben Stiller, two time winner, right? Like, like, you know, I don't think he realized how much that moment at the end of the Knicks championship really meant for us in this pod, right? Like, there's a lot of going on. You know, we wanted to include you, but you know, you've been Steeler, right? And then you come and share that moment with us that's minted, that cannot be recreated. And you just hung with your homies, man, and we really appreciate that and so been cool, man. So, Ben Stiller, that was really dope of you. That was a dope moment for all of us that we're probably all going to remember where we were. Think about where we were when the Knicks won the title, bro. Like me and Howard and you know, and in spirit, Raja, we were all in that sweaty ass room that Howard was in and Ben were in. We were all there together as people. One day we might hang out together in general, but like, that was a dope moment. That was really cool. So Ben Stiller, two time Real one of the year. And also real one of the year, man. Victoria. I say this every time. Victoria, Cliff, Ben Cruz, Conor Nevins, everybody that holds it down for us and helps us out and get this pod to be what it is. All the people behind the scenes, Keith from Social, Jomi fucking Joe. Yo, I was at. I went to Jomi's birthday.

[Raja Bell]

I seen the flicks. I seen the flicks. I ain't getting a invite. Joe me. That's what. That's a bull.

[Logan Murdock]

Okay, to be fair, to be fair, I want to fucking honor.

[Raja Bell]

Listen, bro, know, humor me.

[Logan Murdock]

To be fair, I'm that.

[Raja Bell]

Humor me. Send me the invite. Let me.

[Logan Murdock]

Would you. Would you have gone? To be fair, could you have made it to Carson?

[Raja Bell]

No, I don't mean exactly. Right. We knew.

[Logan Murdock]

We knew. But you know what? He saw Roger saw myself. He saw Joby, he saw the vibes. He saw Rachel. Lindsay saw Van. It was kind of. It was kind of fake. Illuminati Hollywood there too, at a random park in Carson. But shout out to Jeremy. Shout out to everybody, man. Shout out to the ringer. Love it. It's been a blast. Can't wait to see you guys very, very soon. And that has been this, the last episode of the 2627 season of Real Ones. We will see you guys very soon. We got some real cool projects that we're working on. We are going to be doing like the POD in this type of way until like the season. But we got some like cool stuff coming just to hold you guys over for the summer. We got some light. We're gonna go come in and out and peek and say hello to you guys over the summer and we will come back in full in the fall so all the shits. Bye.

[Raja Bell]

But you might have to fix 26, 27.

[Howard Beck]

I was just gonna let it go.

[Logan Murdock]

You were?

[Raja Bell]

Yeah, you were rolling so like I didn't want to like hop in.

[Logan Murdock]

Yo man, this for the 2526 season man. I'm sorry, my bad. Roll the credits through right here. Just roll the credits. Just roll the credits. We'll see you guys of the 26, 27 know what the fuck time it is by.