Jason reacts to the latest news around LeBron James and where he will end up in free agency after deciding to leave Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. He explains why despite the recent buzz, the Cleveland Cavaliers are not the best option for Bron, why the Denver Nuggets with Nikola Jokic are rightfully picking up steam, and why joining Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors still makes sense. Then he reacts to the news that former Laker Rui Hachimura is signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. All right, welcome to him tonight. You're at
the volume heavy funday everybody, hope all if you guys
are having a great start to your week. On a
jampack show for you today, I'm going to dive into
(00:22):
a bunch of different storylines involving Lebron James's free agency.
There was a huge spike in enthusiasm that Lebron was
headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers over the weekend. I want
to talk a little bit about that and why have
all the destinations That's the one I'm least interested in,
But I want to dig specifically into why. I'm gonna
stop by a couple of different other teams. We'll talk
(00:45):
a little bit about Golden State, We'll talk a little
bit about Minnesota. But there's another team that has risen
to the surface for me as a team that I
think makes a ton of sense for Lebron, and I
want to dive into why and why I think it's
more realistic then people think. That will be at the
tail end of the show. You guys know the job
before we started. Subscribe to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channel
(01:05):
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And then, because we have so much Summer League content
coming out later in the week as we head to Vegas,
(01:25):
Jackson and I will both be in Vegas on Thursday,
especially on Thursday night, we'll be in the arena all night,
so you guys can come by and say hi. We're
going to be doing a variety of different content with
a bunch of different team specific people. We were going
to be hanging out with some likers people. We're going
to be hanging out with. Sam sfondi Ari from the
Warriors is going to come by. We're going to talk
about the Warriors offseason Atamara is my friend here in
(01:49):
Denver is going to meet us on the show for
a kind of a look around the rest of the league.
So we've got all sorts of stuff coming out coming
on the show later this week. So our mail bag
will be moved to Wednesday. So if you guys want
to get questions into the mailbag, drop them below this
video right mailbag colon, write your questions and we'll get
to them on Wednesday's show. All right, let's talk some basketball. So,
(02:11):
you know, I want to start with this report that
came from Mark Stein over the weekend. Mark Sein, you
know who I think is one of the best people
who reports on the NBA and the cummings and goings
behind the scenes. He said, quote, there is certainly a
growing belief among teams competing for James's signature that the
(02:32):
lure of the forty one year old playing out his
final chapter with a team that drafted him compared to
say early favorites Golden State, is looking more and more
like the scenario to beat. I actually got a kick
out over the weekend. Rick Buker had a little take
that was making the rounds where he said that essentially
something that I actually do believe, which is that Lebron
(02:54):
left Golden excuse me, left the Lakers to essentially save
face because the Lakers didn't want him. That's something I
truly do believe is the case. All the reporting that
I had heard behind the scenes is that the Lakers
didn't want him back. Now, I think that's stupid. I
would be infinitely more excited about this Lakers team just
strictly how good they can be as a basketball team
(03:15):
if it was the team from March plus Walker Kessler.
Like if they had just been like, all right, we're
doing the Walker Kessler deal and we're bringing back Lebron,
and we're bringing back Marcus Smart, and we're going to
take the team in March that was kicking everyone's ass,
and we're going to add a much much much better
center than DeAndre Aiden. Let's go get the job done.
All of us would feel infinitely better about the Lakers
(03:36):
this season if they were smart enough to do that.
They are not. They are dumb. They did not value
what Lebron James brought to that team. That is their loss.
I do genuinely believe the Lakers didn't want him, and
Lebron and Rich Paul tried to control the narrative and
drive home this point that they were leaving, rather than
the Lakers not wanting him. The Lakers are stupid for
(03:56):
not wanting him. But I do believe that that's the case.
That Lebron and Rich have tried to kind of change
the narrative to the fact that they were leaving rather
than they were not wanted back. But Rick did have
a funny bit at the end of the show where
he basically said he doesn't buy that all these teams
are wanting Lebron. I think you're insane if you think
these teams don't want Lebron. I think all these teams
(04:17):
want Lebron. I think literally twenty plus teams in the
NBA if have. First of all, according to Rich, they've
all called Rich. But I think twenty plus teams in
the NBA would take Lebron in a heartbeat on their
roster because he's one of the best basketball players in
the league. He can to help you in the short
term to compete for championships. Really that simple. And we
know for a fact that this particular group of teams Minnesota,
(04:43):
Golden State, Denver, Cleveland, Miami, that there's a good group
of teams that are in the mix as of right now.
So I want to talk about this piece involving Cleveland
because if they are the favorites, which they are, we've
seen them move to the favorites in the betting markets. Obviously,
this is the report that we're talking about from Mark Stein.
(05:04):
There's some obvious stuff that makes sense in terms of
the storybook element of him returning home, the idea of
them potentially filming a documentary this season, all that kind
of stuff. Right, strictly speaking, as a fan, this is
the outcome that I am least interested in, and it
has nothing to do with the calves in a vacuum.
It has nothing to do with Lebron going to Cleveland
(05:26):
or the storybook side of it. I think that would
be great. I mean, I like to me that of
all the different storylines involving him putting on a different
jersey than a Los Angeles Lakers jersey after he spent
eight seasons there, that I think is an upside for sure.
I think that people are so hung up on the story,
(05:47):
and there is this idea that what matters most is
the story, and I disagree because I'd argue what matters
most is what the basketball looks like. I don't think
anyone's necessarily gonna care what jersey Lebron is wearing as
much as what it looks like when he's wearing it. So,
(06:09):
for instance, does Lebron look happy in the games, does
Lebron look like he's having fun playing basketball with that
group of guys. Does Lebron's skill set mesh with that
group of guys. Let me just present to you a
very basic comparison. If Lebron is in a Calvs jersey,
(06:33):
but the team doesn't seem to particularly like each other,
the vibes are off, just like they were last year
with Kenny Atkinson and the team all year, and you
have Lebron standing in the corner a lot of like
kind of slumping his shoulders and weird passive aggressive stuff
while James Harden and Donovan Mitchell take bad shots or
(06:57):
while they lose guys on backdoor cut some offensive rebound
crashes and make constant mistakes on the defensive end while he,
you know, Lebron seems to not respect Kenny Atkinson and
the things that he's saying or telling the team to do.
If that's what's happening, but Lebron's in a Calves jersey,
(07:18):
no one's gonna go, oh, it's okay because Lebron was
in a Calves jersey. They're gonna be like, remember that
time Lebron went to Cleveland and he was miserable for
a year. Take the craziest example, and I still think
this is my favorite destination. We're not going to talk
about them as much today, but let's say he goes
(07:39):
to Golden State. The weirdest optics, right, Lebron James in
a Golden State Warriors jersey. There was a conversation going
around over the weekend, like what numbers he gonna wear?
Draymond Green wears number twenty three, Number six is retired
by the league. What number is Lebron James gonna wear?
So imagine Lebron in a Golden State jersey wearing a
(08:02):
weird number, playing on the same team as the greatest
rival in his career in Steph Curry. All sorts of
optical shit that looks ridiculous, But Lebron's having fun playing basketball.
When he's out there, He's got a big ass smile
on his face the whole time. And every time Steve
(08:25):
Kerr talks, he listens, and he has a deep, profound
respect for his co star in Steph Curry and for
Draymond Green as a defensive anchor. And every single time
you see him, he just looks like he's having the
time of his life. Because like the reality is is
all these teams, regardless of where Lebron goes, they're second
(08:46):
tier contender goes to Cleveland, second tier contender goes to
Golden State and they make a big trade for Anthony
Davis or Trey Murphy. Second tier contender goes to Minnesota.
Second tier contender goes to Denver. Second tier contender goes
to Miami. Second tier contender San Antonio. And Okay, so
here are the only two teams that are in that
tier and no one's made a deal this summer that's
made me think that they're in that tier. So yeah,
(09:09):
they're gonna be underdogs no matter what. And so if
he goes to Cleveland, he could lose in the Conference
finals finals. If he goes to Golden State, he could
lose in the conference semis Conference finals. Like, all of
these could end in losses. They're all more likely to
end in losses than in a win. But what does
it look like while he's doing it? And I would
argue that Lebron just and I'm just using Golden State
(09:31):
as an example here, I actually have another example that
I'm gonna provide in a moment for a team that
I actually think the fit makes a ton of sense.
But if Lebron is in a Golden State Jersey and
it optically looks weird, but he's having the time of
his life and they lose in the second round or
the third round, but they go out on their shields,
(09:52):
competing like crazy down in the trenches and they just
lose to a younger, better team and then Lebron retires,
I think that would be looked on more favorably than
Lebron being miserable in Cleveland. I think if we looked
back and we're like, remember that time that Lebron got
with Steph and they redid the twenty twenty four Olympic
(10:15):
team and they just had a blast. Yeah they lost,
he was thirty nine, he was forty two, but they
had a blast. I think that would be remembered more
fondly than the better story that involves Lebron standing around
watching Donovan Mitchell and James Harden take step back threes
and then get beat back door on the other end
of the floor. I just really really struggle with what
(10:38):
the Calves look like as a roster with Lebron. James added,
So what does it look like if the Calves make
a move that could somehow turn this into a situation
where it's more favorable for me. Couple of things. There's
this idea that Anthony Davis is the key to everything. So,
for instance, the Calves or excuse me, the Wizards make
(11:00):
deal for DeAndre Ayton over I think it was on Friday,
in the middle of the day. So you make a
deal for Aton, you in this deal pay two second
round picks, you pay for Aighton. And then Ayton was
on a very very discounted contract, making what about eight
million a year, So, like, say what you want about Aton.
Ayton had his ups and downs. Literally, the story of
(11:21):
the season with Aton was ups and downs. He was
great to start the year, miserable for a chunk in
the middle of the year. In that March run when
the Lakers were good, he was very good even in
the playoffs. He was awesome in the Houston Rocket series,
and then pretty bad in the Oklahoma City series. Right,
So it's very up and down. But I mean, you're
talking about a player for less than ten million a
(11:42):
year that, for stretches of the season played Great's that's
a lot to get so, like I think I think
the Wizards just viewed him as an asset in that
specific regard, clearly because they paid for him. Ayton is
a center that gives you the leeway to trade Anthony Davis,
because yes, you could theoretically run a three big rotation
(12:04):
with Anthony Davis and DeAndre and Alex Sar, but ultimately
that story ends with Anthony Davis getting traded at some point,
whether it's Jared Allen in a package from Cleveland or
it's an unprotected first from Golden State. Both of those
packages would beat what Washington originally paid for Anthony Davis. Now,
(12:26):
I prefer Anthony Davis for Golden State simply because of
the fact that they have a center rotation deep enough
to actually weather Anthony Davis being in and out of
the lineup, and specifically with that group, I think Anthony
Davis brings an element in that layered rim protection alongside Draymond,
as well as different looks with him at center without Draymond,
(12:49):
the chemistry with him and Lebron, there's a bunch of
different stuff with him in Golden State that I think
that that actually makes a lot of sense there. And
Golden State doesn't have a Jared Allen. Golden State doesn't
have like a rock solid starting center that already fills
that role. Anthony Davis gives you that rock solid starting
center when he's healthy that Golden State doesn't really have, right.
(13:12):
They have a bunch of guys who can play center.
Draymond Green of power forward center hybrid. Horford a center,
but an older center. Porzingis a center, but an older,
injury prone center. Like, they don't really have that role filled.
I don't actually like Jared Allen as Anthony Davis as
much for Cleveland. I just think Jared Allen's a really
good center, and so they're almost better off just kind
(13:34):
of running it as is in terms of the center rotation.
But what the biggest fear that I have for a
team like Cleveland is that they don't have just absolute
dogs on the perimeter. They don't have like the types
of physical two way talent at like the two three
spot that you need to compete at the highest levels
(13:56):
in the NBA. I think they'd be better off, for example,
if they had one of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden
with Lebron and Evan Mobley and Jared Allen or Lebron
and Evan Mobley, but you had some sort of wing talent, right,
So what is the trade out there that involves Jared
Allen going out? But that brings back the types of
(14:18):
wing talent that would make Cleveland more fascinating. So, for example,
if you had Lebron at the four and Evan Mobley
at the five, who could you get to play in
the two three spots that make sense as legitimate two
way talent there? And I kind of canvassed the league
and it was hard to find a team that made sense.
The one that came to mind to me was the Clippers.
(14:39):
Because the Clipper and the Cavs and the Clippers have
done business before. That's always something that is a sign
that their front offices get along, and so that tends
to lead to additional trades. We've seen that all around
the league when teams just kind of form a trading partnership,
even just even just the Lakers and Wizards, right, have
done multiple deals together in the last few years. Clippers
(15:00):
and the Cavs could get together and be like, hey,
you got this young back court. You got Darius Garland
and ben Ma Matherin and Keith Wogler, and you retained
you know, Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller and you got
Brandon Ingram coming back in the Kawhi Leonard trade. You
just kind of need a center, you guys. Brook Lopez
is your center. You guys need a center. But you
(15:21):
have this, excuse me, you have these other like kind
of two way players in your back court now you're
not using. So how about we swapped essentially like Jared
Allen and Nikwan Tomlin for Chris Dunn and throw in
like Darre Jones Jr. Right In a deal like that,
(15:46):
you include multiple two way perimeter players that go back
to Cleveland that give them those physical two way talent
wing options, but then you send out Jared Allen towards
the Clippers. That would be something where I actually like
that has team a little bit more in the sense
that I think the Calves are just devoid of what
you need on the perimeter in terms of super physical
(16:07):
two way talent to compete at the highest levels of
the playoffs, and I think that sending in that type
of piece alongside a Lebron team that also has backtball hander,
they could be a little bit more interesting. Still not
my favorite. I think at its core, it's the stars
in the way that they don't mesh that scare me
away from a Cleveland fit, But I would like them
(16:27):
more if they had a better balanced roster with more
two way talent on the perimeter. And that would be
just an example of a move that they could make.
You get a starting caliber three and d Guy and
Derek Jones junior that did that role for a finals team,
right and showed excellent perimeter defense on Anthony Edwards in
the conference finals. Right. I like the idea of going
(16:48):
that route, but Cleveland to me is by far my
least favorite option strictly because of that basketball fit. I
have similar feelings about Minnesota. Minnesota has this gaping hole
with starting four, and so you think, okay, Lebron slides
perfectly into that spot. But I similarly imagine between LaMelo Ball,
who can have questionable shot selection at times, Anthony Edwards,
(17:11):
who like literally has a joy for shooting over double
teams and like kind of brags about it, right, I
think there would just be a lot of possessions where
a bad shot goes up and Lebron kind of likes
sinks his shoulders and it has bad body language while
he's standing in the corner. And similarly, just throughout the
season with the generational gap between him and the talent
(17:32):
on that team. What it would be like on flights,
what it would be like on back to backs, and
in some of the more arduous parts of the NBA
regular season. I think that that would wear on Lebron.
And again, like when we talk about this, it's less
about what it would look like to see Lebron in
a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey and more about what it would
(17:52):
look like when he's actually wearing the jersey and how
much fun he's having and whether or not he's enjoying
the grind of the regular season. That's what scares me
off from teams like Cleveland in Minnesota. Today's show is
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(20:10):
brings me to what I think is an underrated destination
in this conversation, a team that I've been thinking a
lot about, and it started just honestly from getting a
lot of people asking me about it here in the
Denver area. As I've just been going about my business
in town. I've had people ask me like, what do
you think is Lebron coming to Denvers? Lebron coming to Denver.
And when Denver was originally pitched as a destination, I
(20:33):
was kind of off of it at first. I just
didn't see the fit alongside Aaron Gordon at first. And again,
I want to clarify that because I've thought more about it,
but all the people asking me about it have kind
of caused me to dwell on the idea a little
bit longer. And now that I think a lot about Denver,
and again, I still think Golden State's my favorite destination
(20:56):
for Lebron, But now that I've spent a good amount
of time thinking about Denver, it's coming around to me
as a destination that makes a ton of sense for Lebron.
First of all, I believe Lebron already owns a house
in the Denver area, if I'm not mistaken. In the
Cherry Hills area, the golf here is amazing. Yes, it
can close down periodically for short snowstorms in the winter,
but I've lived here for a year now and the
(21:17):
courses were open the vast majority of the time. Jokic
is the big Carrot. In my opinion, going back to
what we talked about earlier, the idea of the quality
of basketball one, you're pairing yourself with the player. We're
going to do our player rankings over the course of
the next several weeks after Summer League. But like jokicch
for me is still very much in consideration for the
top spot. We'll see. I don't think anybody has a
(21:39):
great claim, So there's a variety of different guys you
could put in that spot right now, and Jokic is
someone that's getting a lot of consideration. For me, is
still the best player in the world, but it's also
a beautiful basketball fit. I think Lebron would love playing
with Jokic for a variety of reasons. Jokic's ability to
invert spacing and pull bigs away from the basket to
open up driving lanes for Lebron to go to the rim.
(22:01):
The two man game partnership with him and Jokic could
be fantastic. Lebron working along the baseline as a cutter.
There's a there's like a half dozen very natural fits
with Lebron and Nicola Jokic that would make them have
fun playing basketball again. Like, yes, would it look weird
to see Lebron in a Denver Nuggets jersey? Sure, But
(22:22):
if the season involved Lebron with a big ass smile
on his face for most of the season in a
variety of highlights, because he's just having the time of
his life playing beautiful basketball with one of the smartest
and best passing bigs in the history of the sport,
I think that that would matter more in the way
that this stretch resonates with fans than it would than
what specific color jersey or jersey number he's wearing. Jokic
(22:46):
is the big carrot. This is where it gets interesting
as I started to dig around the fit. My first
thought when Denver was pitched as an option was like, well,
Aaron Gordon plays the power forward. But then I started
to think more about the Michael Porter Junior fit when
he was there. Michael Porter Junior is also a power forward,
so Denver kind of has experience with this two power
(23:09):
forward model. Now, Michael Porter Junior was a much better
catch and shoot player. That's a very very important piece
of context here. But two things. One, Aaron Gordon is
now a much better catch and shoot player than he
was when the Nuggets won the championship, and when the
Nuggets with Michael Porter Junior were in there kind of
(23:30):
prime there a couple of years ago. Gordon has become
a dead eye, knockdown, catch and shoot player. And secondly,
I do think Lebron will have a much better jump
shooting season next year. He typically does bounce back. Twenty
twenty three, he was the last time he had a
brutal jump shooting season. He got zero point nine points
per jump shot. That year twenty twenty four, he bounced
(23:51):
back and got one point one point one points per
jump shot, so a massive increase in his jump shooting
efficiency after his worst jump shooting season. He shot forty
four percent on catch and shoot threes that year. Now, similarly,
this last season with the Lakers, Lebron was at zero
point nine points per jump shot, so just as bad
as he was back in twenty twenty three, I similarly
(24:12):
expect a big bounce back from Lebron on the jump
shooting department. So between that and with Aaron Gordon being
a better jump shooter than he was, I think that
the Nuggets would be able to get away with a
two powerful wards lineup. Also, that was kind of what
made Denver tough to deal with, Like, I think Cam
Johnson was actually one of the rare bright spots of
that Minnesota series. And if you watch that series and
(24:33):
you watched how poorly Jamal Murray played and how poorly
Christian Brown played, and you know elements of the bench
and how much they struggled, I think I think that
Cam Johnson being a bright spot is something that he
deserves to be commended for. But there's no doubt that
the dynamic from playing Denver was very different than it
was when Michael Porter was there, because when MPJ was there,
Denver just used to be massive. It was six' ten
(24:55):
at the, three six' ten at, the four seven foot at,
the five and you had this like stacked, rim Protection
Like aaron Gordon And Michael porter junior would be making
blocks at the rim and cleaning up the defensive glass
at the rim because you just had these two six
to ten Guys behind jokic to just stack that rim
protection in a way that made them difficult to. Deal
(25:15):
with lebron would restore. That dynamic you would similarly have
it dynamic where it's like you have Seven foot yokic
showing at the level of screens with Six' ten aaron
gordon And Six,' nine lebron james big and, strong as
all hell just cleaning up. EVERYTHING on the backside i
think it would kind of restore the physically like we
(25:39):
pulverize you on the Front line dynamic that denver had
when they. Were a championship team the depth of talent
is actually kind of a fascinating part of. This discussion
as well So Assuming You lose tim hardaway junior obviously
because Now He's, with the miami heat you lose a,
shooter off the bench But, You, Still Have, jokic Lebron
Gordon murray assuming Cam Johnson, starts or christian. Brown it
(26:02):
doesn't matter but then off Your Bench. You'd have CHRISTIAN
brown and then i think you got to find A
Way to retain peyton, watson in this case other like
Get to Appeal to Lebron and jokic because jokic obviously
is a pending free agency next summer and you need
to pitch. Yourself AS a contender and i think a
depth in the forward. Spot is specifically Important when You've
got gordon and, lebron, at the four right that's a
(26:25):
pretty Good, Top, Seven, Though Jokic, Lebron Gordon. Murray johnson
brown watson that's, seven starting caliber players, seven starting caliber
players and specifically three. Starting caliber bigger forwards that gives
you the lee way You need to rest lebron if
he's got a, little nagging foot Thing Or to rest
(26:45):
aaron gordon if you're starting to feel some. Tightness in
his hamstring THAT is something that i think would be
beneficial to them over the course. Of the regular season
now everyone will point to how Bad, they looked against
minnesota and they, did look really bad but they Were
Physically overwhelmed and aaron gordon Was banged up after game
one and barely played the, rest Of The series and
(27:06):
peyton watson didn't play a. Minute in The, Series So,
adding Lebron Aaron gordon and peyton, watson to that group
that's a legit uptick in size and physicality. IN the
front court I imagine these like lebron led bench groups
where you Can Kind of Keep murray moore with jokic
with the starting Groups and just alongside jokis to. Run
(27:27):
two man game but then you can have these Bench,
Groups With, Like Lebron, Aaron Gordon peyton watson Christian Brown
and like julian, strawther at the point and you're just like,
switchy and you're big and you're athletic and you have.
Plenty of offensive skill that group can Space the floor
around lebron like you can run Inverted ball screens with
Lebron The handler and christian brown setting screens, and Slipping
(27:49):
Into space and julian strather is SLIPPING into space like
i just THE more and More, i Think about denver
as i've Talked about the as i've talked about the
list of items right there being like the List of
different things lebron should be looking for when he's talking.
About his next team we remove. Money from the Equation
(28:10):
According to what rich paul has. Led us to, believe, You,
get to like okay how much fun is it going?
TO be playing Basketball I lean Towards golden STATE and
Denver because I think jokich and steph are amazing. Two
man game partners and you're just talking about players that
play a brand of basketball that is a Ton of
fun that. Lebron will, mix in and, guys this stuff
(28:30):
matters like every one of you that's listening to the
show that plays basketball regularly knows the difference between when
you go up to go play pickup or with your
men's league guys that you play, with all the time
and you end up, on a good group whether it's
your men's league team or you're just playing pickup and,
they play fun basketball and you play for an hour
and a, half or two hours and then you're on
(28:52):
the way, home, AND you're like man i just had
a blast because, That was fun basketball versus when you
go up to play pickup and you end up with
a random group of guys and the talent doesn't really
mix and it's not fun and, you lose a lot
or you're just, even when you're winning you're not having
fun and you're driving, home and you're like that was
(29:12):
just that. Was not, fun basketball you know like, the
ball wasn't moving. There was no energy it, was, Just
not fun right like we all know what, that feeling
is like and like this is just that at The.
HIGHEST level for lebron i do Think That playing with
Nikola jokic, and that denver System Or playing In golden
State With steph and steve kerr System would lead to
(29:35):
lebron having a lot more fun than, he would have
Elsewhere but like specifically, denver on the court tons of.
Fun off the court that's a group of guys that
are closer to him in age than some of these
younger teams that have been pitched and in general would,
involve like an older more mature GROUP of Guys that
i think lebron would. Enjoy hanging out with you have the.
(29:58):
Travel piece of it It's easy To get, denver to
la NonStop the flights a. Little under two hours you
have the. STORYLINE piece of it i think you have
a chance to compete. For a, championship there and again
as far, AS the story goes i think it Matters
way more that lebron looks like he's having fun and
enjoying himself than it matters what, color jersey he's wearing,
what number he's wearing if he's playing, with the former
(30:19):
rival or. Any of, those things and Again no One
like lebron beat yokic. Once in The playoffs k beat lebron.
Twice in the playoffs jokic won a title in. One
of those seasons lebron won a title. One of Those
seasons lebron and steph faced off A bunch of TIMES
lebron won. Won steph one three they have a variety of,
history against each other but not IN a way that
(30:41):
i think. MATTERS at this point i think what matters
More than anything, is lebron enjoying himself being, reasonably close
to home enjoying the on court and, the off court
aspects and having a chance to. Compete for a championship
and that's what Has Me leaning Towards golden state AND
denver And why i think denver needs to be taken.
As a legitimate destination can he compete For? A, Title
in denver yes can he enjoy his partnership with. Their
(31:04):
co star yes will he have fun both on, and?
Off the court yes and is He Reasonably? Close to
LA yes And so i think denver is a team
that we need to take seriously. IN this specific conversation,
i JUST personally Like and i know I'M biased here
Because i LIVE in denver and i would get to
watch them, In person more, often But man Like watching
(31:25):
lebron and yokics play basketball seems like. A lot of
fun and THAT'S kind of where i keep landing when
we Have these Discussions about Miami. AND minnesota and cleveland
i just think like that's gonna, be clunky and weird
and it's not gonna be nearly as fun as it
could be if you were to go to play In
a place Like Denver. Or in golden state, so Those
are definitely as i've really marinated on this over the
(31:47):
course of the last week since, the news came out
those are the two teams that have risen to, The
Top for Me. Golden state and denver all we got a.
Little bit of news Riyachimura Signed With the los angeles
clippers for two years. AND twenty eight Million i obviously
covered ruie Very closely with the lakers over the course of,
The last few years so just To kind of give
clippers fans a brief rundown on, MY thoughts with him
(32:10):
i think this is a Pretty. FAIR deal for rui
i think in that like kind of mid tens in
the millions of dollars. Fourteen million per year he is
a one of the most reliable catch and shoot players
in the league if you can get him clean looks in.
The corner on skips so like imagine a Scenario Where
you have darius garland in a heavy. Pick And roll
(32:31):
attack keen woggler and a heavily a heavy. Pick and
roll attack the skip passes to The weak side when.
Rui's in the corner he's just. Absolutely Nails on those,
and I'm talking like if ruy gets a good look
at a, wide open corner three that thing has got
a better than fifty percent. Chance of going in he's
just one of the most reliable corner skip. Guys in,
the league from there he actually, is a very reliable.
(32:53):
Wonderable pull up guy he's not a guy that's gonna
drive closeouts. And make advanced reads he's not, gonna rip
close out draw multiple defenders and make a beautiful drop off,
pass to a cutter a beautiful swing pass to. The
next open man he's very much a on an. Island
spot up player but he's so efficient there that it
makes it worthwhile in the sense that because he's over
(33:16):
fifty percent on those like wide open corner skip threes
and just in general and ultra reliable catch and shoot
three point shooter above. The break. As well reliable there,
but because he's that and because he can catch rip
into a one dribble pull up, AND hit. THAT shot
i can't i don't have the numbers. In front of
you but he shot something crazy like sixty percent on
pull up twos off. The dribble last year he's so
(33:38):
good at those two shots that he's just one of
the more reliable spot up players. In the league now
everywhere else leaves a. Lot to be desired he, is
a big athlete right like the dude looks like he's.
Built like a truck but he's not. An overly physical
player he's not. A physical defensive player he's not a.
Good rebounder in general the same thing that makes it
(34:00):
so that he's not particularly reliable driving closeouts is the
same thing that makes him not, particularly reliable on defense
in the sense that he just doesn't read the game
super well as all the moving parts are. Going on
around him The same reason why i'll rip a close
out and miss the next read is what will cause
him to, sometimes lose a shooter or to, make a
bad rotation or to get lost in rotation when the
(34:23):
rest of the team. Is on a STRING he's just
it's i don't want to make it sound, like it's
all bad because, he will have stretches especially in specific
types of schemes where his, size is a factor where
he can, be Useful on defense And i'm sure ty
lou will find some ways to make him useful on that.
End of the floor the biggest thing with him is
against the really skilled teams that. Can space you out
(34:44):
he struggles with the specific dynamic of help, and recover
with shooters and he will lose shooters. Often in those
situations and then you find yourself wanting more from, Him
in his athleticism like you want him to be a
better rebounder than he is at his size, and strength
in transition like you'd think he'd just be dunking on
everybody and getting a lot of, easy buckets in transition
(35:06):
but he'll smoke transition layups and blow opportunities in transition
because there's just not quite as much burst there as
you'd as you'd hope for, the post Up stuff like
the lakers would occasionally Throw the ball to ruey if
he had like a small on a, switch and you
know quick deep duck in throw, the ball into him.
That sort of thing but it was one Of those
things that moore was something you'd see from time to
(35:27):
time in the regular season and was never something that
was Super reliable for the lakers, over the long term
he would on occasion rescue a possession because he's got,
some shot, making abilities so oh hand grenade thrown into
his lap with four seconds. On the shot clock he'll
occasionally hit a little step back fifteen foot or a
little turnaround jump shot. Over his right shoulder but that
was again something that kind, of came and went and
(35:48):
it was more of like a cherry on top that you.
Would get on occasion ruey is the definition of a,
specialist in my opinion in this league when you look at,
So take For, instance sondro mammkelos Villi the that the lakers.
Signed to replace him he is not as reliable as
like a standstill Three. Point shooter as ruy but he's.
A better defensive player, He's a better rebounder he's a
(36:10):
better read maker in the middle of the floor in
terms of, like once he beats once the, defense is
broken down he can make that next decision. At a
high level he has like more versatility. To, the Position
right so like ruey is a, specialist through and through
he is a. Weak side scoring forward if you leave him,
open on the skip the dude is going to pay
off a ton of those With made shots and with,
(36:32):
that being the case that's just a really nice piece
to have in the fold there because you Have Some
different like jordan miller does have, more on the ball
ability to kind of mix mix people, up off the
dribble and you have different archetypes of players that can.
Play on the wing ruey is really the only guy
you got in that front court rotation that's just like
a straight, up laser BEAM shooter and so i. LIKE
(36:53):
to pick up i. LIKE the price point i also
think it's. A very tradable contract i don't think you're
gonna Have any trouble moving. Rui at fourteen million for
any time, team that wants shooting you'll just find yourself
kind of wanting for more in some of the details
In the game from rui in terms of his readmaking
on both, ends of the floor and how physically he
competitive he, is against like. Bigger MORE physical teams but
(37:13):
i like to Pick. UP for The clippers i think.
RUI'S a good player i just didn't think he was
the kind of guy that you could afford to spend a.
Ton OF money on And i think the clippers got a,
good deal on Him and, good FOR rui too because
I was worried when i started to hear some of
the other, names Shout It out Like golden state And
minnesota And the lakers and cleveland and some Of. These names,
for ruy i'm like that sounds a lot like a
(37:35):
minimum contract to like some portion of. The MID level
exception so i thought that would Have, been unfair for
ruiy especially coming off of as good of a playoff
run as HE. Just Had in la So i'm happy
for ruey that he was able. To get, another, payday
all right guys it's all half. FOR today is always
i sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting us and. Supporting
the show again drop your mailbag questions underneath his video
(37:56):
and we will get to them In. Our mailbag on
wednesday and Then, we're headed to vegas, and don't be.
Shy Come say HI we'll jackson and i will. Be
there all weekend we hope to see you guys there
The volume. All right, welcome to him tonight. You're at
the volume heavy funday everybody, hope all if you guys
are having a great start to your week. On a
jampack show for you today, I'm going to dive into
(00:22):
a bunch of different storylines involving Lebron James's free agency.
There was a huge spike in enthusiasm that Lebron was
headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers over the weekend. I want
to talk a little bit about that and why have
all the destinations That's the one I'm least interested in,
But I want to dig specifically into why. I'm gonna
stop by a couple of different other teams. We'll talk
(00:45):
a little bit about Golden State, We'll talk a little
bit about Minnesota. But there's another team that has risen
to the surface for me as a team that I
think makes a ton of sense for Lebron, and I
want to dive into why and why I think it's
more realistic then people think. That will be at the
tail end of the show. You guys know the job
before we started. Subscribe to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channel
(01:05):
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sign up for post notifications. That helps us a lot.
And then, because we have so much Summer League content
coming out later in the week as we head to Vegas,
(01:25):
Jackson and I will both be in Vegas on Thursday,
especially on Thursday night, we'll be in the arena all night,
so you guys can come by and say hi. We're
going to be doing a variety of different content with
a bunch of different team specific people. We were going
to be hanging out with some likers people. We're going
to be hanging out with. Sam sfondi Ari from the
Warriors is going to come by. We're going to talk
about the Warriors offseason Atamara is my friend here in
(01:49):
Denver is going to meet us on the show for
a kind of a look around the rest of the league.
So we've got all sorts of stuff coming out coming
on the show later this week. So our mail bag
will be moved to Wednesday. So if you guys want
to get questions into the mailbag, drop them below this
video right mailbag colon, write your questions and we'll get
to them on Wednesday's show. All right, let's talk some basketball. So,
(02:11):
you know, I want to start with this report that
came from Mark Stein over the weekend. Mark Sein, you
know who I think is one of the best people
who reports on the NBA and the cummings and goings
behind the scenes. He said, quote, there is certainly a
growing belief among teams competing for James's signature that the
(02:32):
lure of the forty one year old playing out his
final chapter with a team that drafted him compared to
say early favorites Golden State, is looking more and more
like the scenario to beat. I actually got a kick
out over the weekend. Rick Buker had a little take
that was making the rounds where he said that essentially
something that I actually do believe, which is that Lebron
(02:54):
left Golden excuse me, left the Lakers to essentially save
face because the Lakers didn't want him. That's something I
truly do believe is the case. All the reporting that
I had heard behind the scenes is that the Lakers
didn't want him back. Now, I think that's stupid. I
would be infinitely more excited about this Lakers team just
strictly how good they can be as a basketball team
(03:15):
if it was the team from March plus Walker Kessler.
Like if they had just been like, all right, we're
doing the Walker Kessler deal and we're bringing back Lebron,
and we're bringing back Marcus Smart, and we're going to
take the team in March that was kicking everyone's ass,
and we're going to add a much much much better
center than DeAndre Aiden. Let's go get the job done.
All of us would feel infinitely better about the Lakers
(03:36):
this season if they were smart enough to do that.
They are not. They are dumb. They did not value
what Lebron James brought to that team. That is their loss.
I do genuinely believe the Lakers didn't want him, and
Lebron and Rich Paul tried to control the narrative and
drive home this point that they were leaving, rather than
the Lakers not wanting him. The Lakers are stupid for
(03:56):
not wanting him. But I do believe that that's the case.
That Lebron and Rich have tried to kind of change
the narrative to the fact that they were leaving rather
than they were not wanted back. But Rick did have
a funny bit at the end of the show where
he basically said he doesn't buy that all these teams
are wanting Lebron. I think you're insane if you think
these teams don't want Lebron. I think all these teams
(04:17):
want Lebron. I think literally twenty plus teams in the
NBA if have. First of all, according to Rich, they've
all called Rich. But I think twenty plus teams in
the NBA would take Lebron in a heartbeat on their
roster because he's one of the best basketball players in
the league. He can to help you in the short
term to compete for championships. Really that simple. And we
know for a fact that this particular group of teams Minnesota,
(04:43):
Golden State, Denver, Cleveland, Miami, that there's a good group
of teams that are in the mix as of right now.
So I want to talk about this piece involving Cleveland
because if they are the favorites, which they are, we've
seen them move to the favorites in the betting markets. Obviously,
this is the report that we're talking about from Mark Stein.
(05:04):
There's some obvious stuff that makes sense in terms of
the storybook element of him returning home, the idea of
them potentially filming a documentary this season, all that kind
of stuff. Right, strictly speaking, as a fan, this is
the outcome that I am least interested in, and it
has nothing to do with the calves in a vacuum.
It has nothing to do with Lebron going to Cleveland
(05:26):
or the storybook side of it. I think that would
be great. I mean, I like to me that of
all the different storylines involving him putting on a different
jersey than a Los Angeles Lakers jersey after he spent
eight seasons there, that I think is an upside for sure.
I think that people are so hung up on the story,
(05:47):
and there is this idea that what matters most is
the story, and I disagree because I'd argue what matters
most is what the basketball looks like. I don't think
anyone's necessarily gonna care what jersey Lebron is wearing as
much as what it looks like when he's wearing it. So,
(06:09):
for instance, does Lebron look happy in the games, does
Lebron look like he's having fun playing basketball with that
group of guys. Does Lebron's skill set mesh with that
group of guys. Let me just present to you a
very basic comparison. If Lebron is in a Calvs jersey,
(06:33):
but the team doesn't seem to particularly like each other,
the vibes are off, just like they were last year
with Kenny Atkinson and the team all year, and you
have Lebron standing in the corner a lot of like
kind of slumping his shoulders and weird passive aggressive stuff
while James Harden and Donovan Mitchell take bad shots or
(06:57):
while they lose guys on backdoor cut some offensive rebound
crashes and make constant mistakes on the defensive end while he,
you know, Lebron seems to not respect Kenny Atkinson and
the things that he's saying or telling the team to do.
If that's what's happening, but Lebron's in a Calves jersey,
(07:18):
no one's gonna go, oh, it's okay because Lebron was
in a Calves jersey. They're gonna be like, remember that
time Lebron went to Cleveland and he was miserable for
a year. Take the craziest example, and I still think
this is my favorite destination. We're not going to talk
about them as much today, but let's say he goes
(07:39):
to Golden State. The weirdest optics, right, Lebron James in
a Golden State Warriors jersey. There was a conversation going
around over the weekend, like what numbers he gonna wear?
Draymond Green wears number twenty three, Number six is retired
by the league. What number is Lebron James gonna wear?
So imagine Lebron in a Golden State jersey wearing a
(08:02):
weird number, playing on the same team as the greatest
rival in his career in Steph Curry. All sorts of
optical shit that looks ridiculous, But Lebron's having fun playing basketball.
When he's out there, He's got a big ass smile
on his face the whole time. And every time Steve
(08:25):
Kerr talks, he listens, and he has a deep, profound
respect for his co star in Steph Curry and for
Draymond Green as a defensive anchor. And every single time
you see him, he just looks like he's having the
time of his life. Because like the reality is is
all these teams, regardless of where Lebron goes, they're second
(08:46):
tier contender goes to Cleveland, second tier contender goes to
Golden State and they make a big trade for Anthony
Davis or Trey Murphy. Second tier contender goes to Minnesota.
Second tier contender goes to Denver. Second tier contender goes
to Miami. Second tier contender San Antonio. And Okay, so
here are the only two teams that are in that
tier and no one's made a deal this summer that's
made me think that they're in that tier. So yeah,
(09:09):
they're gonna be underdogs no matter what. And so if
he goes to Cleveland, he could lose in the Conference
finals finals. If he goes to Golden State, he could
lose in the conference semis Conference finals. Like, all of
these could end in losses. They're all more likely to
end in losses than in a win. But what does
it look like while he's doing it? And I would
argue that Lebron just and I'm just using Golden State
(09:31):
as an example here, I actually have another example that
I'm gonna provide in a moment for a team that
I actually think the fit makes a ton of sense.
But if Lebron is in a Golden State Jersey and
it optically looks weird, but he's having the time of
his life and they lose in the second round or
the third round, but they go out on their shields,
(09:52):
competing like crazy down in the trenches and they just
lose to a younger, better team and then Lebron retires,
I think that would be looked on more favorably than
Lebron being miserable in Cleveland. I think if we looked
back and we're like, remember that time that Lebron got
with Steph and they redid the twenty twenty four Olympic
(10:15):
team and they just had a blast. Yeah they lost,
he was thirty nine, he was forty two, but they
had a blast. I think that would be remembered more
fondly than the better story that involves Lebron standing around
watching Donovan Mitchell and James Harden take step back threes
and then get beat back door on the other end
of the floor. I just really really struggle with what
(10:38):
the Calves look like as a roster with Lebron. James added,
So what does it look like if the Calves make
a move that could somehow turn this into a situation
where it's more favorable for me. Couple of things. There's
this idea that Anthony Davis is the key to everything. So,
for instance, the Calves or excuse me, the Wizards make
(11:00):
deal for DeAndre Ayton over I think it was on Friday,
in the middle of the day. So you make a
deal for Aton, you in this deal pay two second
round picks, you pay for Aighton. And then Ayton was
on a very very discounted contract, making what about eight
million a year, So, like, say what you want about Aton.
Ayton had his ups and downs. Literally, the story of
(11:21):
the season with Aton was ups and downs. He was
great to start the year, miserable for a chunk in
the middle of the year. In that March run when
the Lakers were good, he was very good even in
the playoffs. He was awesome in the Houston Rocket series,
and then pretty bad in the Oklahoma City series. Right,
So it's very up and down. But I mean, you're
talking about a player for less than ten million a
(11:42):
year that, for stretches of the season played Great's that's
a lot to get so, like I think I think
the Wizards just viewed him as an asset in that
specific regard, clearly because they paid for him. Ayton is
a center that gives you the leeway to trade Anthony Davis,
because yes, you could theoretically run a three big rotation
(12:04):
with Anthony Davis and DeAndre and Alex Sar, but ultimately
that story ends with Anthony Davis getting traded at some point,
whether it's Jared Allen in a package from Cleveland or
it's an unprotected first from Golden State. Both of those
packages would beat what Washington originally paid for Anthony Davis. Now,
(12:26):
I prefer Anthony Davis for Golden State simply because of
the fact that they have a center rotation deep enough
to actually weather Anthony Davis being in and out of
the lineup, and specifically with that group, I think Anthony
Davis brings an element in that layered rim protection alongside Draymond,
as well as different looks with him at center without Draymond,
(12:49):
the chemistry with him and Lebron, there's a bunch of
different stuff with him in Golden State that I think
that that actually makes a lot of sense there. And
Golden State doesn't have a Jared Allen. Golden State doesn't
have like a rock solid starting center that already fills
that role. Anthony Davis gives you that rock solid starting
center when he's healthy that Golden State doesn't really have, right.
(13:12):
They have a bunch of guys who can play center.
Draymond Green of power forward center hybrid. Horford a center,
but an older center. Porzingis a center, but an older,
injury prone center. Like, they don't really have that role filled.
I don't actually like Jared Allen as Anthony Davis as
much for Cleveland. I just think Jared Allen's a really
good center, and so they're almost better off just kind
(13:34):
of running it as is in terms of the center rotation.
But what the biggest fear that I have for a
team like Cleveland is that they don't have just absolute
dogs on the perimeter. They don't have like the types
of physical two way talent at like the two three
spot that you need to compete at the highest levels
(13:56):
in the NBA. I think they'd be better off, for example,
if they had one of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden
with Lebron and Evan Mobley and Jared Allen or Lebron
and Evan Mobley, but you had some sort of wing talent, right,
So what is the trade out there that involves Jared
Allen going out? But that brings back the types of
(14:18):
wing talent that would make Cleveland more fascinating. So, for example,
if you had Lebron at the four and Evan Mobley
at the five, who could you get to play in
the two three spots that make sense as legitimate two
way talent there? And I kind of canvassed the league
and it was hard to find a team that made sense.
The one that came to mind to me was the Clippers.
(14:39):
Because the Clipper and the Cavs and the Clippers have
done business before. That's always something that is a sign
that their front offices get along, and so that tends
to lead to additional trades. We've seen that all around
the league when teams just kind of form a trading partnership,
even just even just the Lakers and Wizards, right, have
done multiple deals together in the last few years. Clippers
(15:00):
and the Cavs could get together and be like, hey,
you got this young back court. You got Darius Garland
and ben Ma Matherin and Keith Wogler, and you retained
you know, Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller and you got
Brandon Ingram coming back in the Kawhi Leonard trade. You
just kind of need a center, you guys. Brook Lopez
is your center. You guys need a center. But you
(15:21):
have this, excuse me, you have these other like kind
of two way players in your back court now you're
not using. So how about we swapped essentially like Jared
Allen and Nikwan Tomlin for Chris Dunn and throw in
like Darre Jones Jr. Right In a deal like that,
(15:46):
you include multiple two way perimeter players that go back
to Cleveland that give them those physical two way talent
wing options, but then you send out Jared Allen towards
the Clippers. That would be something where I actually like
that has team a little bit more in the sense
that I think the Calves are just devoid of what
you need on the perimeter in terms of super physical
(16:07):
two way talent to compete at the highest levels of
the playoffs, and I think that sending in that type
of piece alongside a Lebron team that also has backtball hander,
they could be a little bit more interesting. Still not
my favorite. I think at its core, it's the stars
in the way that they don't mesh that scare me
away from a Cleveland fit, But I would like them
(16:27):
more if they had a better balanced roster with more
two way talent on the perimeter. And that would be
just an example of a move that they could make.
You get a starting caliber three and d Guy and
Derek Jones junior that did that role for a finals team,
right and showed excellent perimeter defense on Anthony Edwards in
the conference finals. Right. I like the idea of going
(16:48):
that route, but Cleveland to me is by far my
least favorite option strictly because of that basketball fit. I
have similar feelings about Minnesota. Minnesota has this gaping hole
with starting four, and so you think, okay, Lebron slides
perfectly into that spot. But I similarly imagine between LaMelo Ball,
who can have questionable shot selection at times, Anthony Edwards,
(17:11):
who like literally has a joy for shooting over double
teams and like kind of brags about it, right, I
think there would just be a lot of possessions where
a bad shot goes up and Lebron kind of likes
sinks his shoulders and it has bad body language while
he's standing in the corner. And similarly, just throughout the
season with the generational gap between him and the talent
(17:32):
on that team. What it would be like on flights,
what it would be like on back to backs, and
in some of the more arduous parts of the NBA
regular season. I think that that would wear on Lebron.
And again, like when we talk about this, it's less
about what it would look like to see Lebron in
a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey and more about what it would
(17:52):
look like when he's actually wearing the jersey and how
much fun he's having and whether or not he's enjoying
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(20:10):
brings me to what I think is an underrated destination
in this conversation, a team that I've been thinking a
lot about, and it started just honestly from getting a
lot of people asking me about it here in the
Denver area. As I've just been going about my business
in town. I've had people ask me like, what do
you think is Lebron coming to Denvers? Lebron coming to Denver.
And when Denver was originally pitched as a destination, I
(20:33):
was kind of off of it at first. I just
didn't see the fit alongside Aaron Gordon at first. And again,
I want to clarify that because I've thought more about it,
but all the people asking me about it have kind
of caused me to dwell on the idea a little
bit longer. And now that I think a lot about Denver,
and again, I still think Golden State's my favorite destination
(20:56):
for Lebron, But now that I've spent a good amount
of time thinking about Denver, it's coming around to me
as a destination that makes a ton of sense for Lebron.
First of all, I believe Lebron already owns a house
in the Denver area, if I'm not mistaken. In the
Cherry Hills area, the golf here is amazing. Yes, it
can close down periodically for short snowstorms in the winter,
but I've lived here for a year now and the
(21:17):
courses were open the vast majority of the time. Jokic
is the big Carrot. In my opinion, going back to
what we talked about earlier, the idea of the quality
of basketball one, you're pairing yourself with the player. We're
going to do our player rankings over the course of
the next several weeks after Summer League. But like jokicch
for me is still very much in consideration for the
top spot. We'll see. I don't think anybody has a
(21:39):
great claim, So there's a variety of different guys you
could put in that spot right now, and Jokic is
someone that's getting a lot of consideration. For me, is
still the best player in the world, but it's also
a beautiful basketball fit. I think Lebron would love playing
with Jokic for a variety of reasons. Jokic's ability to
invert spacing and pull bigs away from the basket to
open up driving lanes for Lebron to go to the rim.
(22:01):
The two man game partnership with him and Jokic could
be fantastic. Lebron working along the baseline as a cutter.
There's a there's like a half dozen very natural fits
with Lebron and Nicola Jokic that would make them have
fun playing basketball again. Like, yes, would it look weird
to see Lebron in a Denver Nuggets jersey? Sure, But
(22:22):
if the season involved Lebron with a big ass smile
on his face for most of the season in a
variety of highlights, because he's just having the time of
his life playing beautiful basketball with one of the smartest
and best passing bigs in the history of the sport,
I think that that would matter more in the way
that this stretch resonates with fans than it would than
what specific color jersey or jersey number he's wearing. Jokic
(22:46):
is the big carrot. This is where it gets interesting
as I started to dig around the fit. My first
thought when Denver was pitched as an option was like, well,
Aaron Gordon plays the power forward. But then I started
to think more about the Michael Porter Junior fit when
he was there. Michael Porter Junior is also a power forward,
so Denver kind of has experience with this two power
(23:09):
forward model. Now, Michael Porter Junior was a much better
catch and shoot player. That's a very very important piece
of context here. But two things. One, Aaron Gordon is
now a much better catch and shoot player than he
was when the Nuggets won the championship, and when the
Nuggets with Michael Porter Junior were in there kind of
(23:30):
prime there a couple of years ago. Gordon has become
a dead eye, knockdown, catch and shoot player. And secondly,
I do think Lebron will have a much better jump
shooting season next year. He typically does bounce back. Twenty
twenty three, he was the last time he had a
brutal jump shooting season. He got zero point nine points
per jump shot. That year twenty twenty four, he bounced
(23:51):
back and got one point one point one points per
jump shot, so a massive increase in his jump shooting
efficiency after his worst jump shooting season. He shot forty
four percent on catch and shoot threes that year. Now, similarly,
this last season with the Lakers, Lebron was at zero
point nine points per jump shot, so just as bad
as he was back in twenty twenty three, I similarly
(24:12):
expect a big bounce back from Lebron on the jump
shooting department. So between that and with Aaron Gordon being
a better jump shooter than he was, I think that
the Nuggets would be able to get away with a
two powerful wards lineup. Also, that was kind of what
made Denver tough to deal with, Like, I think Cam
Johnson was actually one of the rare bright spots of
that Minnesota series. And if you watch that series and
(24:33):
you watched how poorly Jamal Murray played and how poorly
Christian Brown played, and you know elements of the bench
and how much they struggled, I think I think that
Cam Johnson being a bright spot is something that he
deserves to be commended for. But there's no doubt that
the dynamic from playing Denver was very different than it
was when Michael Porter was there, because when MPJ was there,
Denver just used to be massive. It was six' ten
(24:55):
at the, three six' ten at, the four seven foot at,
the five and you had this like stacked, rim Protection
Like aaron Gordon And Michael porter junior would be making
blocks at the rim and cleaning up the defensive glass
at the rim because you just had these two six
to ten Guys behind jokic to just stack that rim
protection in a way that made them difficult to. Deal
(25:15):
with lebron would restore. That dynamic you would similarly have
it dynamic where it's like you have Seven foot yokic
showing at the level of screens with Six' ten aaron
gordon And Six,' nine lebron james big and, strong as
all hell just cleaning up. EVERYTHING on the backside i
think it would kind of restore the physically like we
(25:39):
pulverize you on the Front line dynamic that denver had
when they. Were a championship team the depth of talent
is actually kind of a fascinating part of. This discussion
as well So Assuming You lose tim hardaway junior obviously
because Now He's, with the miami heat you lose a,
shooter off the bench But, You, Still Have, jokic Lebron
Gordon murray assuming Cam Johnson, starts or christian. Brown it
(26:02):
doesn't matter but then off Your Bench. You'd have CHRISTIAN
brown and then i think you got to find A
Way to retain peyton, watson in this case other like
Get to Appeal to Lebron and jokic because jokic obviously
is a pending free agency next summer and you need
to pitch. Yourself AS a contender and i think a
depth in the forward. Spot is specifically Important when You've
got gordon and, lebron, at the four right that's a
(26:25):
pretty Good, Top, Seven, Though Jokic, Lebron Gordon. Murray johnson
brown watson that's, seven starting caliber players, seven starting caliber
players and specifically three. Starting caliber bigger forwards that gives
you the lee way You need to rest lebron if
he's got a, little nagging foot Thing Or to rest
(26:45):
aaron gordon if you're starting to feel some. Tightness in
his hamstring THAT is something that i think would be
beneficial to them over the course. Of the regular season
now everyone will point to how Bad, they looked against
minnesota and they, did look really bad but they Were
Physically overwhelmed and aaron gordon Was banged up after game
one and barely played the, rest Of The series and
(27:06):
peyton watson didn't play a. Minute in The, Series So,
adding Lebron Aaron gordon and peyton, watson to that group
that's a legit uptick in size and physicality. IN the
front court I imagine these like lebron led bench groups
where you Can Kind of Keep murray moore with jokic
with the starting Groups and just alongside jokis to. Run
(27:27):
two man game but then you can have these Bench,
Groups With, Like Lebron, Aaron Gordon peyton watson Christian Brown
and like julian, strawther at the point and you're just like,
switchy and you're big and you're athletic and you have.
Plenty of offensive skill that group can Space the floor
around lebron like you can run Inverted ball screens with
Lebron The handler and christian brown setting screens, and Slipping
(27:49):
Into space and julian strather is SLIPPING into space like
i just THE more and More, i Think about denver
as i've Talked about the as i've talked about the
list of items right there being like the List of
different things lebron should be looking for when he's talking.
About his next team we remove. Money from the Equation
(28:10):
According to what rich paul has. Led us to, believe, You,
get to like okay how much fun is it going?
TO be playing Basketball I lean Towards golden STATE and
Denver because I think jokich and steph are amazing. Two
man game partners and you're just talking about players that
play a brand of basketball that is a Ton of
fun that. Lebron will, mix in and, guys this stuff
(28:30):
matters like every one of you that's listening to the
show that plays basketball regularly knows the difference between when
you go up to go play pickup or with your
men's league guys that you play, with all the time
and you end up, on a good group whether it's
your men's league team or you're just playing pickup and,
they play fun basketball and you play for an hour
and a, half or two hours and then you're on
(28:52):
the way, home, AND you're like man i just had
a blast because, That was fun basketball versus when you
go up to play pickup and you end up with
a random group of guys and the talent doesn't really
mix and it's not fun and, you lose a lot
or you're just, even when you're winning you're not having
fun and you're driving, home and you're like that was
(29:12):
just that. Was not, fun basketball you know like, the
ball wasn't moving. There was no energy it, was, Just
not fun right like we all know what, that feeling
is like and like this is just that at The.
HIGHEST level for lebron i do Think That playing with
Nikola jokic, and that denver System Or playing In golden
State With steph and steve kerr System would lead to
(29:35):
lebron having a lot more fun than, he would have
Elsewhere but like specifically, denver on the court tons of.
Fun off the court that's a group of guys that
are closer to him in age than some of these
younger teams that have been pitched and in general would,
involve like an older more mature GROUP of Guys that
i think lebron would. Enjoy hanging out with you have the.
(29:58):
Travel piece of it It's easy To get, denver to
la NonStop the flights a. Little under two hours you
have the. STORYLINE piece of it i think you have
a chance to compete. For a, championship there and again
as far, AS the story goes i think it Matters
way more that lebron looks like he's having fun and
enjoying himself than it matters what, color jersey he's wearing,
what number he's wearing if he's playing, with the former
(30:19):
rival or. Any of, those things and Again no One
like lebron beat yokic. Once in The playoffs k beat lebron.
Twice in the playoffs jokic won a title in. One
of those seasons lebron won a title. One of Those
seasons lebron and steph faced off A bunch of TIMES
lebron won. Won steph one three they have a variety of,
history against each other but not IN a way that
(30:41):
i think. MATTERS at this point i think what matters
More than anything, is lebron enjoying himself being, reasonably close
to home enjoying the on court and, the off court
aspects and having a chance to. Compete for a championship
and that's what Has Me leaning Towards golden state AND
denver And why i think denver needs to be taken.
As a legitimate destination can he compete For? A, Title
in denver yes can he enjoy his partnership with. Their
(31:04):
co star yes will he have fun both on, and?
Off the court yes and is He Reasonably? Close to
LA yes And so i think denver is a team
that we need to take seriously. IN this specific conversation,
i JUST personally Like and i know I'M biased here
Because i LIVE in denver and i would get to
watch them, In person more, often But man Like watching
(31:25):
lebron and yokics play basketball seems like. A lot of
fun and THAT'S kind of where i keep landing when
we Have these Discussions about Miami. AND minnesota and cleveland
i just think like that's gonna, be clunky and weird
and it's not gonna be nearly as fun as it
could be if you were to go to play In
a place Like Denver. Or in golden state, so Those
are definitely as i've really marinated on this over the
(31:47):
course of the last week since, the news came out
those are the two teams that have risen to, The
Top for Me. Golden state and denver all we got a.
Little bit of news Riyachimura Signed With the los angeles
clippers for two years. AND twenty eight Million i obviously
covered ruie Very closely with the lakers over the course of,
The last few years so just To kind of give
clippers fans a brief rundown on, MY thoughts with him
(32:10):
i think this is a Pretty. FAIR deal for rui
i think in that like kind of mid tens in
the millions of dollars. Fourteen million per year he is
a one of the most reliable catch and shoot players
in the league if you can get him clean looks in.
The corner on skips so like imagine a Scenario Where
you have darius garland in a heavy. Pick And roll
(32:31):
attack keen woggler and a heavily a heavy. Pick and
roll attack the skip passes to The weak side when.
Rui's in the corner he's just. Absolutely Nails on those,
and I'm talking like if ruy gets a good look
at a, wide open corner three that thing has got
a better than fifty percent. Chance of going in he's
just one of the most reliable corner skip. Guys in,
the league from there he actually, is a very reliable.
(32:53):
Wonderable pull up guy he's not a guy that's gonna
drive closeouts. And make advanced reads he's not, gonna rip
close out draw multiple defenders and make a beautiful drop off,
pass to a cutter a beautiful swing pass to. The
next open man he's very much a on an. Island
spot up player but he's so efficient there that it
makes it worthwhile in the sense that because he's over
(33:16):
fifty percent on those like wide open corner skip threes
and just in general and ultra reliable catch and shoot
three point shooter above. The break. As well reliable there,
but because he's that and because he can catch rip
into a one dribble pull up, AND hit. THAT shot
i can't i don't have the numbers. In front of
you but he shot something crazy like sixty percent on
pull up twos off. The dribble last year he's so
(33:38):
good at those two shots that he's just one of
the more reliable spot up players. In the league now
everywhere else leaves a. Lot to be desired he, is
a big athlete right like the dude looks like he's.
Built like a truck but he's not. An overly physical
player he's not. A physical defensive player he's not a.
Good rebounder in general the same thing that makes it
(34:00):
so that he's not particularly reliable driving closeouts is the
same thing that makes him not, particularly reliable on defense
in the sense that he just doesn't read the game
super well as all the moving parts are. Going on
around him The same reason why i'll rip a close
out and miss the next read is what will cause
him to, sometimes lose a shooter or to, make a
bad rotation or to get lost in rotation when the
(34:23):
rest of the team. Is on a STRING he's just
it's i don't want to make it sound, like it's
all bad because, he will have stretches especially in specific
types of schemes where his, size is a factor where
he can, be Useful on defense And i'm sure ty
lou will find some ways to make him useful on that.
End of the floor the biggest thing with him is
against the really skilled teams that. Can space you out
(34:44):
he struggles with the specific dynamic of help, and recover
with shooters and he will lose shooters. Often in those
situations and then you find yourself wanting more from, Him
in his athleticism like you want him to be a
better rebounder than he is at his size, and strength
in transition like you'd think he'd just be dunking on
everybody and getting a lot of, easy buckets in transition
(35:06):
but he'll smoke transition layups and blow opportunities in transition
because there's just not quite as much burst there as
you'd as you'd hope for, the post Up stuff like
the lakers would occasionally Throw the ball to ruey if
he had like a small on a, switch and you
know quick deep duck in throw, the ball into him.
That sort of thing but it was one Of those
things that moore was something you'd see from time to
(35:27):
time in the regular season and was never something that
was Super reliable for the lakers, over the long term
he would on occasion rescue a possession because he's got,
some shot, making abilities so oh hand grenade thrown into
his lap with four seconds. On the shot clock he'll
occasionally hit a little step back fifteen foot or a
little turnaround jump shot. Over his right shoulder but that
was again something that kind, of came and went and
(35:48):
it was more of like a cherry on top that you.
Would get on occasion ruey is the definition of a,
specialist in my opinion in this league when you look at,
So take For, instance sondro mammkelos Villi the that the lakers.
Signed to replace him he is not as reliable as
like a standstill Three. Point shooter as ruy but he's.
A better defensive player, He's a better rebounder he's a
(36:10):
better read maker in the middle of the floor in
terms of, like once he beats once the, defense is
broken down he can make that next decision. At a
high level he has like more versatility. To, the Position
right so like ruey is a, specialist through and through
he is a. Weak side scoring forward if you leave him,
open on the skip the dude is going to pay
off a ton of those With made shots and with,
(36:32):
that being the case that's just a really nice piece
to have in the fold there because you Have Some
different like jordan miller does have, more on the ball
ability to kind of mix mix people, up off the
dribble and you have different archetypes of players that can.
Play on the wing ruey is really the only guy
you got in that front court rotation that's just like
a straight, up laser BEAM shooter and so i. LIKE
(36:53):
to pick up i. LIKE the price point i also
think it's. A very tradable contract i don't think you're
gonna Have any trouble moving. Rui at fourteen million for
any time, team that wants shooting you'll just find yourself
kind of wanting for more in some of the details
In the game from rui in terms of his readmaking
on both, ends of the floor and how physically he
competitive he, is against like. Bigger MORE physical teams but
(37:13):
i like to Pick. UP for The clippers i think.
RUI'S a good player i just didn't think he was
the kind of guy that you could afford to spend a.
Ton OF money on And i think the clippers got a,
good deal on Him and, good FOR rui too because
I was worried when i started to hear some of
the other, names Shout It out Like golden state And
minnesota And the lakers and cleveland and some Of. These names,
for ruy i'm like that sounds a lot like a
(37:35):
minimum contract to like some portion of. The MID level
exception so i thought that would Have, been unfair for
ruiy especially coming off of as good of a playoff
run as HE. Just Had in la So i'm happy
for ruey that he was able. To get, another, payday
all right guys it's all half. FOR today is always
i sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting us and. Supporting
the show again drop your mailbag questions underneath his video
(37:56):
and we will get to them In. Our mailbag on
wednesday and Then, we're headed to vegas, and don't be.
Shy Come say HI we'll jackson and i will. Be
there all weekend we hope to see you guys there
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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