Jason is joined by Sam Esfandiari of the ’Light Years’ podcast to react to the latest rumors involving LeBron James potentially joining the Golden State Warriors, Anthony Davis for Jimmy Butler trade talks, Yaxel Lendeborg's upside after his impressive NBA Summer League, how the Warriors can build a roster around Steph Curry, and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. All right, we'll goo to hoops tonight. You're
at the volume.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
We are at the Serious XM studios at the Win
in Las Vegas, and we have a very special guest today,
my good friend Sam is fondi Ari, my go to
guy for all things Warriors.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Sam.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Earlier today we heard from Rich Paul that the Lebron
saga is fun for the fans as it drags out.
And I'm in the content space and it was fun
for like a week or two.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
I'm no longer having fun. I'm ready to know what's
going to happen.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
So, as our representative of the Warriors fan base for
hoops tonight, how are you feeling about this whole saga?
How are Warriors fans feeling? Where are you at with
the Lebron James thing?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
So, if I was to rank the possible scenarios, One,
you acquire the players you actually want to acquire.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Two you have hope.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
That you're gonna acquire the players you want to acquire.
Three you don't get them, and you're in the sunken
place and everything is miserable. So the way I'm looking
at it, given that the Warriors have, you know, kind
of strikeed out more often than not, like the last
four years. Like I know, they got Jimmy, but outside
of Jimmy, it's been a lot of that's too many picks.
(01:28):
Oh they don't want to trade them here. Oh, we
can't afford them the XYZ. I'm looking at it through
the lens of Look, we haven't heard no yet. So
as long as I haven't heard a no, I'm in
an okay place. I can't speak for everyone, but I
can't speak for me.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
You know, It's interesting because I would argue the Warriors
probably need Lebron more than all of these other teams
in the sense that like Cleveland was a conference finalist, Wiggans, Bam, Giannis,
Davion Mitchell, it's a pretty strong foundation in Miami. Regardless
of what happens, Minnesota's gonna be fine. I mean, obviously
they need a power forward, but Denver's going to be fine.
(02:06):
Golden State's in this weird predicament where if they pull
off something and we're gonna talk about Anthony Davis in
a minute, but if they pull off something involving Lebron
plus another player, it's the difference between them as currently constructed,
and we're gonna get into the Ross. So there's exciting things.
They acts looks great in his first couple of Summer
League games, but they're looking at being a playing team
if they don't pull something like this off. But at
the same time, I also don't necessarily think they have
(02:28):
another great option in the sense that other than like
making an all in trade around just Steph versus making
an all in trade around Steph and Lebron. There's a
lot at stake here, do you guys feel that?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Yes, I'm one hundred percent on the same page as you.
Hear like, when you're describing those teams, you're leaving out
kind of the obvious point, which is the Warriors have
the potential to be a incredibly depressing story for the
end of Steph's career. Look, if you told me three
years ago they were going to try to acquire Lebron,
(03:02):
I would say, I'm good, there's got to be a
different route to go. It's actually not a disrespect thing.
I just think like the rivalry is cool and let's
keep it separate that sort of thing. Then the Olympics
happened in twenty twenty four, which I think everyone will
agree was awesome. It was fun to watch, and then
(03:23):
you have kind of the reality of where we're out
with the Warriors, which is Jimian Butler got injured, the
roster is subpar, they don't really have a lot of options,
and STEP's thirty eight years old. He'll be thirty nine
next season. So when I look at it through all
those lens, even taking like the romanticism of how fun
it would be for the two of them to play together,
you're just not going to get an opportunity to add
(03:46):
an All Star caliber player. And let's be clear, Lebron
is still an All Star caliber player. I could argue
he's better, but at worst, he's an All Star caliber player.
You do not get the opportunity to add a player
of that caliber for the mid level of exception or below.
Like we're seeing this around the league. The Celtics just
traded Jalen Brown, not because he was bad, but because
(04:08):
he's too expensive. Yeah, and we're seeing more and more
of that around the league, where it's about value, it's
about your ability to you know, control contracts and maneuver. Dude, Lebron,
I don't care that Lebron's forty one. Lebron willing to
take between three and fifteen million a year is like
a god sent team building wide, team building wise, Sorry,
(04:33):
you gotta go for it. And then just to take
it back to my first point, bro, if he says
no and they do nothing, and we go into next
season with this idea that Jimmy's going to be back
sometime in January, who knows what that looks like. Thirty
seven year old off an acl tear with the roster
of Okay players asking Stephan Curry at his age to
(04:58):
average thirty to keep them in games. Like, I just
he's gonna get hurt. I don't want to see his
career end like that. Like I don't know that adding
Lebron and let's just say Anthony Davis makes them a contender.
I do know it puts them in the mix and
makes the end of his career far less depressing than
the opposite.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And it puts them within striking distance, especially if they
have the tools to make another deal, to potentially be
in a situation in February where they feel comfortable making
that kind of move. I want to zoom in on
like the fan piece of this first second el because
like you and I met on Twitter, we met being
fans of our teams, of our players. You are a
(05:40):
staunch defender of Steph Curry, and I have been known
as a person who got into the sport of basketball
literally because.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Of Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I'm a huge Lebron James fan, and I don't want
to play fan police. I hate telling people how to
be fans, and if there are people that get a
sick feeling in their I'll make got the idea of
Lebron and Steph playing together. I'm not going to tell
them they're wrong. But like as the years have gone by,
I've just grown to love and appreciate and respect Steph
(06:10):
so much to the point where he's literally become my
second favorite player behind Lebron. And I know that you
have a great deal of respect for Lebron as well.
The idea of Lebron and Steph playing together was quite
literally never a negative feeling for me at all. It
was immediately like this is awesome, Like I just think
these are the two greatest competitors of our era. Both
of them are completely stamped. They have four championships each.
(06:32):
They don't have anything else to prove at this point.
It's just their basketball games fit fantastically. Well, I think
the two of them just want to win together. I
just I only experienced like positive feelings about the two
of them playing together. Did you have any hesitancy at
all about the partnership at this point?
Speaker 3 (06:49):
No, Like being honest with you, would I've had hesitancy
two years ago, four years ago the answer would be different, Yes,
of course. But I'm like looking at through a real lens,
which the Olympics, honestly was a big thing for me.
Watching the two them together, it made me. It made
it easier for me to reframe this as just like, look, dude,
(07:10):
if they play together at the end of their career,
it does not change anything that's happened before. You need
to stop looking at it through the nineties lens, and
you stop giving credence to like I'm not going to
name players or ex players, like, oh, it's not the
way we.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Used to do things.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, you know, back in the day, you didn't have
twenty five year careers. It's hard to stay one place
for twenty five years. So the way I look at
it is this would be fun for the end of
their career, And that really only came to me through
the lens of they're old man.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah, they's been a long time.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
You know, Like, I don't know if you feel this way.
I don't know how much you're into the World Cup
right now, but you're watching the World Cup, you see
like rinaldo you see Messi? These guys are past their prime.
Messi is still more capable than maybe Ronaldo's at this point.
They've moved how many clubs, they are at different stages,
and there's a certain level of who cares about the narrative,
(08:03):
who cares about the rivalry? This is their last tournament
they're gonna play at this point, so let's just appreciate
it because they're two of the best who've ever done it,
and it's it's gonna be fun and you're gonna enjoy it.
You're gonna enjoy it far more than the other side,
where they're like proudly retire versus play with each other.
And then we're sitting here with what ifs, which ironically
(08:25):
is kind of how people look at Michael Jordan's career
in certain ways, and like, I love Jordan, I'm a
Jordan guy, but like a lot of mystique is tied
to the fact that he retired before he wanted to,
And there's a lot of what happened if he kept going,
what happened if this happened. So I've evolved on this view.
I don't I don't have the right word for it
is change whatever. I'm into it because look, man, the
(08:48):
alternative of them retiring or like having this crappy team
where they win thirty one games like that sucks.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Fun with it?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah, I think to me, the point you're making about
the World Cup is the interesting one to me because
essentially I just am enjoying watching these guys.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
That's the key.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And like, I like watching Steph play in that play
in game, watching Lebron get to be the primary ball
handler for a playoff series again, like the fact that
I was watching like a big, huge Game six on
the road in Houston. Lebron's gonna be the primary ball
handler in the year twenty twenty six. Like you don't
think that was fun for me as a fan to watch?
And I actually think they're in this unique situation where
(09:25):
they kind of need each other in the sense that
Steph is stuck in this situation.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
We're going to talk about the Warriors in a.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Minute, he's stuck in this situation where the team's just
flat out not good enough. And then with Lebron, as
you look at the options, I'm not excited about the
idea of watching him play the Ruey Hatcher Mura role
for Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. I'm not excited about
him doing that for Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. I'm
not excited about him in this weird, janky spacing situation
(09:54):
with Jiannison. Bam Like, this specific situation that Go and
State presents is an opportunity for both of them to
increase their chances of competing for a title, but also
to play in a style that reminds us of why
both of them were great.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, they get to do it their way, And I
think that's that's actually a great point too, because look
like this is true of Lebron, but this gonna be
true of Stephan a year or two. Steph can chase
a title as like a shooter off the bench for
five more years of you, he can. He could play
the Ray Allen in the Miami Heat role if he
wants to. But is that satisfying to me as a fan? No? Like,
(10:37):
only in so much as like he's my favorite player
and he means something to Warrior fans. But what you
really want to see is them have the ability to
compete with the best in a role that you know
it's suited for them. And so I agree with you
that way, Like if you look at the basketball situations,
there are situations that are easier for Lebron. I don't
(10:59):
think there's any other, say, situation that allows him to
play the role he wants to play while also not
demanding him to play the role of hero and savior
twenty four to seven, which like physically is probably not
realistic for a guy in his age range, probably for
either of them, Yeah, exactly, And like that's that's kind
(11:21):
of the fun of it, which is like they're the
protagonists of the team, they're the necessary engine of the team.
But the way that the Warriors play also allows them to,
I don't want to say take games off, but like
kind of play in the flow a little more, whereas
like in Minnesota to your point, and you know, I'm
just gonna use the Amn example. It's gonna be ant LaMelo,
(11:42):
and it's it's kind of gonna be a different version
of what you saw last year. With uh Luca and
Austin Reeves and him having to be like the gap filler,
playing like a super charge Seawn Mariyan role, like with
a little more upside.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, it's I'd include Philly in this list too, where
it's like I think there's I think there are basketball
situations for every player that where they become almost a
force multiplier versus something where there's a diminishing return. And
I think, like, do I think Lebron can fill gaps
and do all these little things to help a basketball team. Yes,
but I think you could do that anywhere. Like rebounding, defending,
(12:17):
making plays off of advantage like that exists in every
single basketball situation. You're gonna have an opportunity where you're
attacking a close out or you're playing on a four
on three like that exists everywhere. Golden State has the
unique situation of actually having an offense built around having
bigger players that have the basketball for their split cuts
and for their five out action where they're operating with
the dribble handoffs out at the elbow extended. And so
(12:40):
that's a specific situation where with all the off ball
movement whirling around, it takes advantage of Lebron being a
threat to score and pass out of those spots on
the floor. And we literally saw France get beat Steph
hit the shots. But it was a two man game.
It was Stephan Lebron attacking Gershon Yabuseli with inverted screens
and regulars greens with the two of them and just
(13:01):
getting open shot after open shot because you have this
incredible shooter and this incredible power forward that you can't
switch the action with. And I think there's a lot
naturally fitting there.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Now.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I want to I want to quick describe what I
think is going on here, and then I want you
to tell me if you think it's a fair characterization
from your perspective. I think Lebron knows deep down the
basketball situation he wants. He knows what playing in Philly
(13:32):
will look like. He knows what playing in Cleveland will
look like. He knows a playing in Miami will look
like Denver, Golden State, so on and so forth, And
I think he knows deep down.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
I mean, he said it.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I mean on the day of the Lakers report, his
podcast released a clip talking about how playing with the
TSA was like the most fun he's had in years
playing basketball, So I think deep down he knows playing
with Golden State would be a blast. I think, and
you and I've talked about this in the last few days.
I think that Lebron is waiting for one of these
teams to make a move to bolster whatever he thinks
(14:05):
that situation is. Golden State did make a move for Jimmy,
and it's worth mentioning that they put a first round
pick on the table to get Jimmy Butler. That is
worth mentioning and at least giving them some credit for.
But there have been multiple opportunities over the past.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
After he burnt the house down.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
After he burnt the house down, after it went very
far south. Over the course of the years, there have
been lots of opportunities, Like they missed on ogn Andobi
Ognoby led his team to a championship, didn't lead, but
was a key factor in the championship. Team they passed
on Pascal Siakam literally was one win away from a
championship and might have gotten Finals MVP depending on how
(14:39):
the rest of that Game seven would have gone if
Indiana won. And I'd even argue like the last year
and a half, like not making a move on like
a Trey Murphy not making a move that's a bigger
splash yer move. Do you think that one of the
potential hang ups here is potentially Lebron's concern that Golden
State has this incredible control over their draft future, But
(15:01):
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Speaker 3 (17:12):
Potentially. I mean, I think there's a trust factor with
Steph and Draymond, but those guys haven't been able to
push the front office to move things in a different direction. Now,
if you listen to the Warriors talk and there's always
kind of like read in between the lines, my general
impression has been that those two players have also been
(17:35):
aligned with the front office more often than not doing
the whole Oh, we'd rather make the bigger swing for
a Giannis like and maybe they're being upsold by the
front office. Ye, maybe that's the thing, but like the
reality is, like it's not like those guys have got
into like a pissing match at the front office and
like walked out the door. So you can't like say
they're not culpable in some capacity. But yeah, I think
(17:56):
that's part of it. I do. I think taking back
to your Ridge, no point. Look, if Lebron's signing for
less than the max, this isn't about cap space. Yeah,
so why hasn't he signed yet.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
I don't buy.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Rich Paul saying he's going through a process and he
knows what he wants to do. This is the most
calculated player of all time. I think they're waiting for something,
and it could be like the most obvious thing would
be like waiting for a trade to prove that the
roster they're going to matches their expectations, because you're dealing
with parties they haven't worked with in the future in
(18:31):
the past, Like, no matter how much he likes as
Steph and A Draymond, he hasn't worked with the Lakes.
He doesn't work in Mike Dunleavy the way. Maybe he
worked with pat Riley or dang, who is it Dave
Griffin in the past in those stops right, Like, so
maybe it's that, or maybe it's something else, I'm not sure,
but like, I agree with your initial point, which is
(18:54):
this is being dragged out for a reason, and the
reasons not money, because we know it's not money. He's
not like, he's not waiting for someone to clear cap space.
He's waiting for someone to do something and we're just
waiting to see what it is.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Yeah, and that's where I think unless he's literally just
playing with us in the sense that he's dragging this
out for fun, to make a story. And by the way,
as against possible, it's possible that that's at least part
of it. Sure, but I I so, let's say, for instance,
that he is thinking, okay, Golden State, but if they
(19:27):
get a guy like Anthony Davis, how would you feel
about the risk for the Warriors in potentially making an
Anthony Davis deal but not being one hundred percent sure
that Lebron's gonna come, Because I would argue if Lebron
was like, hey, because we talked about this in the
last couple days, if Lebron's like, I'm going to Golden
(19:48):
State deep down, like deep down he's like, that's where
I want to play, then he should know that they
probably need a d and another move because this is
a team that's a little thin on wing depth, that
especially at the show in the three spot. And so
with that being the case, Lebron has to know that
they probably need to make a second trade, and if
they do, the last thing they need to do is
(20:08):
get raked over the calls by Washington for Anthony Davis.
So then you go, okay, well, why doesn't Lebron approach
Golden State privately and go, let's I'm coming to you guys.
I'd want a D. You guys want a D. We're
gonna do this, but we need to pull the line
a little bit with Washington to get a better deal.
(20:29):
If that was the case, though, he would have agreed.
So if there is risk in going after a guy
like Anthony Davis, how would you feel as a Warriors
fan if you made a deal for AD and Lebron
didn't end up coming to the team.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Me personally, which does not speak for every Warriors fan,
I'd be okay with it, assuming the price is not,
you know, so prohibitive that like you're ft for like
five years. I think this sucks to say. I mean
the honest with you. I was on an island saying
they should trade for Jimmy Butler when the vast majority
(21:06):
of people were opposed to it because the fit wasn't
there and he's old x YZ and like to be fair,
the old thing kind of played out.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
You knew when he was healthy, he did, and it worked.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
When he was healthy. By the way, putting all that aside,
I have very little faith that the version of Jimmy
Butler we're gonna see when he returns from an ACL
tear in January or February. And I think it's more.
I know the Warriors are posturing that he's attacking his
rehab well, and I have no reason to believe otherwise.
(21:36):
He's always been maniacal with physical training. Older players take
longer red they do. Average player takes twelve months to
come back from ACL. He tore his ACL on January twentieth.
I would be thrilled if we saw him before the
All Star break, and I would be thrilled if he
(21:57):
looked anywhere like Jimmy Butler at a point next year.
I think it's unrealistic. I think the most likely scenario
is he comes back, he's minutes restricted. He's a smart
player because he's always gonna.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Be a smart part.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Yeah, but there's that lack of like star level pop
on a game to game basis that he used to
be capable of because he's thirty seven years old off
an ACL tear. So from that perspective, I'm like, I
don't know what you have to lose. I know it
sucks because he fit in the culture and oh he's great,
He's like he's awesome, Like I like him, But it's
(22:30):
just like, if you want to be serious about putting
a team around Stephen Curry that has a punter shot,
you got to move off him and to take it
home to your final point. I think Anthony Davis is
being undervalued right now, mostly because the last year has
sucked for him. He was playing really good basketball before
(22:51):
Luka Donci trade gets traded Dallas. At least part of
the reason he didn't play post trade deadline is because
the backlash and like they ended up in a deep
tank and players get rested in their tanking. I know
he had like an abductor strain, but like, look, if
they had a chance to make a run, he's playing,
you know, So I think that's part of it. And
(23:13):
then everything fell out on the other side of it.
I mean, Nico Harrison got fired, they traded him, he
goes to the Wizards. The Wizards didn't just rest him.
By the way, people are gonna say he was injured.
Trey Young played five games. I don't care what anyone says.
They were deep in the tank of we want to
get the topic, and to their credit, it worked out
(23:34):
for them. So I think he's being a little undervalued
here because the situation he's been in has been as
much of a factor of him not being on the
floor as his health, which, like to be fair, has
been dubious. And so when you take that all into it,
if you believe he's not completely cooked physically, that's a
(23:56):
very good player and a player that, no matter where
you land in terms of the final compensation, would help
them like they would be a playoff team with Anthony
Davis and Stephan Curry and some semblance of depth.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
I think I think one of the most underdiscussed parts
of that specific decision is what happened at the end
of last year. Steph works his butt off all year
to try to carry the team. Jimmy gets hurt, He's
pushing it even harder, ends up taxing his knee to
the point where he has to take time off. When
(24:32):
he comes back, he straight up says like, this is
something I'm going to have to deal with now with
his knee. And so I would argue above and beyond
anything involving how you feel about Anthony Davis as a
player having a salary slot that large occupied by a
player who is going to miss two thirds of the season,
especially as a star shot creator, which is going to
(24:55):
foist more usage and responsibility on to Steph, which then
lead to the balky knee continuing to become a problem
Like that, that to me is it's deeper than just, oh,
we gotta survive Jimmy being out for the next uh
two two three months two thirds of the season. We
(25:15):
gotta we have to find a way to get Steph
because say Lebron comes, you gotta find a way to
get Steph to April for any of this to make
any sense. And so to me, with Anthony Davis, it
just makes your basketball team better in the stretch from
October too, whenever Jimmy would have come back and give
you a better chance of surviving with Steph. And to
your point, there's no guarantee that Jimmy will be ready
(25:36):
by the All Star break. There's no guarantee you won't
have a setback. There's no guarantee he'll be ready for
the role that they need him to fill. And it
is unfortunate as it is. And I get it because
he's such a good fit for the team and when
they were healthy, they were legitimately scary when when that
team was all put together. But it's just it's an
unfortunate casualty of the situation. Jimmy, you can't play for
the most of the part this year. As much as
(25:58):
we would love to just be loyal to you and
you stay here, it has these trickle down effects that
could hurt the team. And I do think Anthony Davis
is a very good basketball player. Like again, I've been
through this roller coaster with him rooting for the Lakers.
When he would be healthy and in rhythm, he was
an absolute monster, and then he would get hurt, and
then he'd be out for a little while, and then
he would come back, and when he would come back,
he'd be out of a rhythm for a little while. But
(26:18):
like even when he was at a rhythm and out
of shape and a little overweight, He's just so good
at so many little things that just raise your floor
as a basketball team. And I would take it a
step further to say, in a Western Conference with San
Antonio and Oka, see, Anthony Davis is like the archetype
of player that gives you a fighting chance in those
types of series if you can really protect the rim
(26:41):
and if you can actually have enough offensive skill at
the five spot to make Wemby think twice before he
leaves the paint, before he decides to stay in the
paint for one reason or another. I think it's a
talent play. And again, irrespective of Lebron, you're kind of
operating in a space where how often do you get
to add a player with that type of upside without
mortgaging your entire future, And you should be able to
(27:02):
in theory, if you hold the line getting Anthony Davis,
it's somewhat of a discount.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
I agree with you there. I think the other thing
with Anthony Davis is he's held to the standard of
Tim Duncan and Wemby because when he came out of
the draft, he was painted as the next Garnett, the
next Tim Duncan, the franchise big who's gonna win five
to six titles. To his credit, he's been excellent. I
(27:27):
mean he's been All Star every year he has been healthy.
They did win a title with him. I mean he's
been great. Like the biggest criticism you can give of
him is he has not been the best player in
the world. He's just been like the eighth best player
in the world. Right, But the reality is, to your point,
like his bad seasons, he's still giving you twenty four
to twenty five points per game. And when you look
(27:47):
at the Warriors, single biggest issue, and they have a
lot of issues, but the single biggest issue is if
you're asking Steph to give you a thirty and be
twenty sixteen Steph in terms of usage, three guys chasing
him at all times. I don't think his body's gonna
hold up. I don't think it will in any capacity.
(28:08):
And that's where it's like the Jimmy injury sucks, But
you have to find an alternative because if you don't,
this whole we're going to fight to hold it together
until he's back. I think Steph's I think Steph's gonna
get hurt again. I think he is. Whereas in your scenario,
where you get Nanthony Davison. You know, Lebron comes on
(28:29):
like a Vetri minimum. Now it's the scenario of nobody
has to be Superman. Everyone can give you thirty ish
minutes average twenty ish one night to Steph Knight, one
night's a d night, and all of a sudden, everyone's
a little healthier that way. So I think that's what
they need to do. I don't think they're getting that
(28:50):
scoring boost from internal development. As much as I loved
yet the XL so far, as much as I'm a
fan of POD's gee, like the guys they have like
those are not guys who score effortlessly. Anti Davis scores.
Anti davis bad games are twenty Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Yeah, he's a great play finisher and offensive rebounder in
a way that he kind of just finds his way
to eighteen twenty four points even on nights where he's
not involved in the offense. I mean, one of the
biggest critiques of Anthony Davis with the Lakers, and it's
more of a critique of the Lakers, was that he
wasn't involved enough, and it came down to several different reasons.
Some of it was a D's fault, and again, like,
I'm glad you mentioned this because if you start to
(29:28):
compare Addianis or Victim Wimanyama or you're gonna disappointed.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
You're gonna be frustrated.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
And I thought even Laker fans when they would try
to put Ad in that tier, I'm like, hey, listen,
like this is not a conversation you really want to
get into. But again, you're talking about a guy who
is still in the NBA is a top twenty player
and when he's healthy, probably closer to top fifteen, top twelve.
I'd say the exact same thing about Lebron, and if
you could theoretically get both while still having enough draft
(29:55):
compensation left to make an additional move, You're talking about
an interesting team there. And I like betting on Ad
because you mentioned this earlier and it's the truth, Like
we have to at least account for the fact that
it's been a rough year for him. Okay, Like you're
you are sent out in a trade that is universally
panned as certainly the most shocking trade in NBA history
(30:16):
and one of the worst trades.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Do you remember where they were, by the way on
that trade? One time I was on a ski trip.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I was at dinner.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
I had a couple of beers and next thing, you know,
I'm like, I like can't even focus. I'm looking at
the TV and there's shams on TV.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
It was my dad's seventieth birthday. So we had a
nice night. I had a couple of class of wine.
I get home, I put my son down. I fall
asleep on the couch at nine, like an old man.
I wake up and my phone has five hundred texts
oh thirty minutes later, So like, I have this very
vivid memory of it, but you're right, it's like the
most shocking thing ever. Like I wake up and I'm like,
(30:52):
why are people texting me?
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Guard?
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Like what is this?
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Dude? It was?
Speaker 2 (30:56):
It was unbelievable, and like so then he goes out
and he immediately is on a team that has no
shot to compete, and then he gets traded to the
Washington Wizards. So like, imagine going from playing in La
one of the meccas of basketball in the world with
Lebron James, and you're like, and everything.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Is championship or bus by the way. Yeah, the other
part of it, like the expectations are like we're competing,
and then he gets set somewhere where it's like, it'd
be great if you just rested.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Yeah, and now I know Trey Young makes things a
little bit more interesting in Washington, but now you're just
playing on a young, rebuilding team. And so I do
think like, if you were to get a D to
the Warriors, there's a version of that story where you
get a h I'm going to prove everybody wrong about
me kind of season, and he's just in that age
(31:48):
two in his early thirties where it's like there's there's
enough juice in there for like one or two epic
flashback Anthony Davis seasons, and that that's to me where
I like the And it's hard to find a team
that makes sense for ad. It's hard at his salary
and with his injury history, and like given the fact
that you know Washington's gonna want at least one first
(32:09):
round draft pick back, like, there's a lot that goes
into that. Let's talk a little bit about the roster though,
irrespective of anything with Lebron and a D. How are
you feeling about the rest of the Warriors roster? How
do you feel about yax Celendenburg, How did you feel
about losing quintin posts like where are you at with
the rest of what the Warriors have to offer?
Speaker 3 (32:27):
I mean, they've built the perfect roster for Ad and Lebron.
Like the fun thing about their roster is they've done
a good job the last four years. Sorry for you,
that is wrong last couple of years of acquiring these young,
energetic players who help you win in the margins, but
none of them are gonna be guys you really build
(32:49):
an offense around. Now, maybe the Accel's better than that.
I don't want to put a ceiling on him right now,
but like, let's just go through the lists. Like Pajemski
is objectively a good player. Most teams can use him.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
I under like him because he plays hard. I think
he'll I think he'll take two or three shots a
game that drive him insane. Sure, but I think he's
gonna like how much he like scraps.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
You know, he's gonna actually annoy Lebron. It's the same
thing that annoys Draymond and Jimmy. It's the two or
three shots he doesn't take where he gets pass the
ball and he's thinking instead of just putting it up.
Because like Lebron's maybe the best driving kick passer of
all time. He's certainly one of the best like point
forwards of all time. Kicks it to the guy in
a corner. They get fed up when they kick it
(33:29):
to someone passes in rhythm, hit the shot, and they
think about it too much. And odds that's was his
biggest weakness, Like you could literally define his good and
bad games by in his own head versus letting it
rip so putting him aside. He's a good player though overall.
Gi Santos good player, scraps, competes. Sometimes the offense is there,
(33:49):
sometimes it's not, but he's always gonna get rebounds. I
was gonna defend doing these little things will Richard. He
may be a good player, he may not. Same concept
Yaxcel better version of Gis Santos, All the guys they've acquired,
the young players, they are hyper valuable multi skill role players,
and they make sense and I like them all, And
(34:11):
maybe Pods and Yaxceel Lindburg have higher upside than that.
I would argue against it because usually guys who are
like foundational pieces let you know it immediately offensively. I
think it's more likely they're gonna be really good glue guys.
I think that's all useful if you acquire the main
guys to go with them, you know, so that they're
kind of in this weird situation where they've built this
(34:32):
perfect roster for Steph and a true second third option,
but they don't have the true second third option.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, there's a lot of slotting issues that the Warriors
have had with the injuries to Steph and Jimmy. That Like,
if you watch pods and he's running twenty five pick
and rolls in a game, it's gonna come with some
frustrating shots. It's gonna come with some side eyes from
Christaps Porzingis, It's gonna come with some of those kinds
of things. But if he's in a situation where he
(35:05):
is allowed to function as a glue guy, that's where
the stuff that he's great at. Like, he's an amazing
rebounder for a guard, He's a very good connective passer.
He's a guy that like is very good at making
the reads that naturally manifest in Golden State's offense when
when they're in the flow. And to your point, if
you get a Lebron, if you get an Anthony Davis.
It slots everyone properly. I think an underrated part of
this roster, specifically for a Lebron AD discussion, is front
(35:29):
court depth. Like if if Lebron needs to take a
night off, Jackson and Ghi Santos are both like guys
who can start in a pinch at a power forward
spot in the NBA. If AD has to take a
night off, like Chrisops porzingis if he happens to be healthy,
can Al Horford can play like you can. There's even
It's like, Okay Horford and a d are both out
tonight and Christops is sick. Okay Draymond at the five,
(35:51):
Lebron at the four, Yacks at the three, like we're
big still, you know, like they they're They're set up
specifically to handle front court depth related issues in the
regular season like that as someone are rooted for the
Lakers for years, like a team built around a younger
version of Lebron and Ad. When one of them got hurt,
it was a huge problem. It was a huge problem
(36:12):
because they didn't have any forwards other than Lebron. That
was why they made the Ruie trade to begin with,
is they didn't have any forwards and their backup centers
were bad, and so they had no like if that
was the discussion for years was like what if Lebron
and Ad are healthy and it's like Golden State has
the flexibility in their front court. The flip side of that, though,
is and I do like pods. Like you said, you
(36:33):
and I were talking a little bit over the last
couple days about the Anthony Mountain. We really liked Anthony Mountain.
I think I think he's just another one of those
like glue guys who does everything really well in the
role player spot as a guard. And once again, there
were times last year where even in the playing games
where I thought he was a little overtaxed as a
ball handler and he's like driving into traffic and throwing
(36:53):
up stuff that doesn't have much chance of going in.
But it's like that's not gonna be anything he has
to do when the team is healthy in this in
this theoretical universe.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
I do think that's the next piece of this though.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Where I think if if you get Ad and Lebron
and you find yourself in January February and the team
looks good, I think there's a secondary deal here that
has to be done for some sort of like higher
level two three, either a multiple piece kind of depth
move or like oh we like a Trey Murphy, like
we did think this guy could be like in our
(37:24):
closing five kind of move. I do think that that
is the one weak point of this roster is like
like rotate, playoff, rotation level two three, like swing players.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Yeah, you're betting on Melton being more of the player
was pre injury, another year removed from his injury. Maybe
Pods takes a step, maybe Gi Santos or yes, I'll
take a step. But if they don't, then clearly you
need a swing player, like you said, like the point
of attack defender, the hyper athletic three and d Wan.
(37:59):
The players having the right now are I don't want
to call them gambles, but they're young players coming into
Maybe they come into it, maybe they don't. We don't know.
I still think you're in a good spot if you're
actually able to acquire an Anthony Davison, a Lebron and
you build the expendables or whatever the hell you want
to call them, I think you're in a good spot
to win enough games from October to January with those
(38:24):
young players to then make an informed decision in January
that's worth you know, you know, Pods, he's fine, it's
just not going to be good enough in the playoffs,
and let's move him for you know, a KCP type
or a Caruso type, or whoever's available who's like ready
(38:45):
to play that role in the playoffs, or like Melton
who he talked about. I actually think Melton can be
that player because he was that player before his injury.
But there's always a chance that it just never comes
full back. You never know, Like I think the reason
he shot thirty percent from three last year is because
Stephan Jimmy got hurt and he had to play first
option basketball and he's not that guy. I think it's
(39:05):
highly likely in the construct we're talking about, he'll probably
shoot thirty eight thirty nine percent and be that three
and D guard everyone wants.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Well, maybe he isn't.
Speaker 3 (39:13):
Maybe he isn't. Maybe you got to readdress that. The
point is if they were actually able to make these
things happen and they get Lebron for again, I keep
coming back to this, if he's willing to sign for
a Vetri minimum or a mid level exception, like you
just don't add talent like that at any age at
that price.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
That's why story in the NBA, it's impossible.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
Yeah, and then you know, hopefully you get Anthony Davis
without giving up all your draft capital, you have the ability,
to your point in January, to add that final piece
if it doesn't happen internally. And I think that's what's
really exciting about They have the you know, everyone's favorite,
what they have the optionality.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
Well, and that's why the Melton thing I think was big.
Then being able to retain him because I actually do
think he's a legitimate placeholder, Like he's a guy that
is like a a real like can give you the
facsimile of a starting level two way two guard. And
then to your point, if you get to January and
his body's feeling great and he's doing awesome and he's
filling the role and he's like he's like KCP was
on the twenty twenty Lakers and he's just a great fit,
(40:15):
then then we're great. But then also if you find
yourself in a position where you're like, I like him,
but I wish he was our seventh man in our
playoff rotation, you can make that type of move before
we get out of here. What has been your first
impression of Yoxall, Lindenborg, He's awesome, He's fun.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
He's a fun personality, by the way, Like one of
the more underrated things is getting young guys who have personality,
who like bring it a little bit that way, Like
he has no filter when he talks. Yeah, it's hilarious
in that standpoint, But the other part of it, getting
back to the basketball point, I think people are underrating
his upside. Everyone knows he's twenty three. Everyone points out
(40:54):
the older college story. What they often lead out of
it is he didn't play aaschoo basketab he's late to
the game. I think there's more to unlock there. And
when you're talking about a guy who has not just
positional size plus positional size six' ten seven to four,
WINGSPAN i mean he's built like he's built like somewhere
in between og And ob And. LEBRON i can compare
(41:16):
him To lebron, physically but like he's a big wing
and he reads the game at an incredibly high. LEVEL
i think people are sleeping on the upside there because
typically guys who see the floor well and have plus physical,
measurements like they only get. Better you, know the shot
looks amazing right. Now coming into the, draft the number
one weakness that people would point out about him was the.
(41:38):
Shot maybe he's a, Shooter maybe he could become a.
Shoot why can't he become a better ball. Handler he's
already a good. Ballhandler he's a fun, player he's an interesting. Player,
honestly this draft in general has been. Great these are
fun young players to.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Watch i'm so glad you brought up this point about the,
ceiling BECAUSE i think people get hung up on the
age piece of. It BUT i really do think that
that it's more, about like how long have you been playing,
basketball and more, importantly how long have you been playing
basketball under a structure that's actually helping you.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Get better every?
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Day because LIKE i didn't play high school basketball, either
and the time in my life WHEN i improved most
as a basketball player was from twenty five to, thirty
BECAUSE i hit a phase that most players hit younger
in their. Life and it's like it didn't matter BECAUSE
i was done playing at that, point SO i just
became unnecessarily good for men's leagues and stuff like. That
but like the point is is LIKE I i the
(42:26):
dramatic improvement in myself as a basketball player took place
after the how Old yaxel is right now and again
and the other thing, Too Like yacks actually came up
Through Arizona western and one of my juco coaches who
was coaching at a different school at the time In,
utah but then he was originally From yuma and he
went back To Arizona western to coach Their Carter. Row
(42:48):
him AND i were working together quite a bit around
the draft because LIKE nba people were hitting him up
and asking about yax and he was, like love the,
dude hard, worker just a guy you wanted to have
in the locker. Room he had him back when he
was raw and like nowhere near as good as he is.
Now and like ALL i had heard From carter was
like he's just a dude that just keeps getting better
because he's always putting in the. Work and so if
he's on a similar trajectory where he didn't play in
(43:11):
high school and he's kind of like developmentally where many
sixteen seventeen year olds, are and he's going to continue
to im comparing him to like a kid who's been
playing since he's, seven you know WHAT i. Mean if
he's still on that, trajectory there's no reason in the
world why he can't continue to get. Better and there's
like key factors that you're always looking at, there what
does the touch look? Like, well WHEN i looked into
the stuff With, yax he was great shooting when he
(43:32):
was open and some of the drop offs came in
off the dribble and in movement shooting. Situations that tells
me that he's got the. Touch but he just has
to improve some of the fluidity and some of the
stuff that comes with tons and tons of, reps the
feel for the game. Stuff AND i think this is
an underrated part of that position because when you start
to dig into some of the other fours like coming
Uh Ru Hachi, Mura John, conns like when you start
(43:54):
to dig into some of those, guys like one of
the big separators for that position is like you are
you just a good catch and shoot, guy or like
can you play in the flow and can you play
with other good basketball players and make the? Reads And
i've seen this in all the summer league. Games Yah
yats just makes every simple easy read when he's when
he's got the ball in his. Hands he just plays,
easy breezy flow, basketball AND i think that just fits
(44:15):
wonderfully with What Golden state likes to. Do and then
you'll see flash he plays like that transition play where
he goes And jackhammer's the. Dog he had that spin
move yesterday was, Disgusting like that was a nasty move
like he. Has there's clearly flashes of upside in there as.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Well and then like just the last, point which is
all that's, true he's doing it in like an IDEAL
nba body because that's like the real. Stepar LIKE i
could say everything you said about pods late to the,
game innate, feel, touch all those, things but he's fighting
the fact that he's six,' four he doesn't have the quickest.
First step everything is a lot easier and harder to
(44:52):
find when you're talking about a guy six nine sixty
ten with a seven to. Four wingspan, so like even
if he isn't the most, explosive athlete you can make
up for a lot of your deficiencies in terms of
like lightning first step when you're, six ten just six
seven to, Four wingspan like a lot Of his michigan
highlights were him kind of allowing guys to get his
(45:14):
hip because he knew he could just block him, from
behind because he knew, he could because he knew he could,
do it and a lot, of that and you listen
to him talk, about it he knew it the whole,
time too which lets you know he has feel. For
it he understands, the game because ultimately what matters is
did you stop the? Play right there's not one specific
perfect way to, do it but he had a feel
for he wants, to play So like i'm, With you
(45:34):
and the LAST point i want to say on him
is he's a. Perfect warrior because the trade out would
Define Most by Draymond, And stephan curry is being overlooked
in their Case. Size steph you know Everyone new steph,
could shoot but it's like how good can he? Really
Be in, draymond's, case oh, he know he's how to
play basketball well the position as. You play In the,
(45:55):
xcel's case it's kind of the, same, concept, like okay he,
can play he's, Twenty three like how good are you
really going? To BE so i think from, that standpoint
it's easy to root, for HIM and i think he's
got a higher upset because they know what to do
with players like that far more than they knew what
to do With a Jonathan Kumingher.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
AT james, I like i Last thing i'll say about
it IS just i think some of the concerns, with
him like the, ball handling and there was a couple
sloppy reps in some Of The summer. League, games again
especially If the warriors are able to pull off Something
With lebron James And, ANTHONY davis i don't think he's
going to have a ton of ball handling, responsibility early
so he can develop that. In time the switching piece,
(46:35):
of it like candy guard, Quick cards like he picks
up a couple of Fouls Against ryan nemhard Yesterday When
red nemmar just a hard right handed drives and he
just kind of, Fouls him, and LIKE all i can
think about, is LIKE if i had to have a
defender that has some deficiencies and certain types, OF switches
i want him In A draymond green lead defense where
he can scram him out, of switches he can captain
from the, back line give him pointers in, The, game,
(46:58):
like hey he just beat you, with, this dude try to.
Next time like that kind. Of STUFF like I just
i Think the warriors have the infrastructure to take the
most ADVANTAGE, of yax both in the short.
Speaker 1 (47:06):
Term but in the long term.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
AS well i agree they do better with players who
have kind, of feel but they got to work through
some skill stuff and some of like the fine points
than taking like a raw ball of clay where they
have all the athletic tools but. No feel and that's
been proven over the.
Speaker 1 (47:22):
Last, decade, yeah no.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
Totally agree last thing before we get out, of here
how like it just just briefly define where you're feeling
in terms of optimism On the.
Speaker 1 (47:31):
LEBRON front i want.
Speaker 3 (47:33):
TO believe i really. Bit there it's like it's it's like,
we believe we want, to believe probably more optimistic than
the current. Public consensus our public Consensus is Cleveland. Or,
miami yeah and my thought on, it is if, you
want if you want to Go, to cleveland he will
do it by the end of. This weekend and he hasn't,
(47:54):
so far so. We'll see it could. Still happen But
maybe i'm holding. That hope maybe. IT'S cope i, don't
know BUT like i feel better about IT than i
did a couple of. Days Ago and i'm gonna ride.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
With them kopium is the drug OF the nba offseason
for every for every. Fan BASE AND i I Thought
golden state made the most sense from. The beginning AND
what i keep coming back to too is like if
it was as simple as he's, going home he would have.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
Committed already LIKE SO I i i my heart Still says.
Speaker 2 (48:22):
GOLDEN stated I actually i have a little group chat
with some of my friends at the volume and they
we made each other make our final prediction TODAY and
i Did Say golden state was my. FINAL prediction i
was the only one Who Said. Golden state but. It
island everyone Else. Said cleveland there Was, no, Miami guys.
MIAMI there, i did Manam punch lebron Out of. Cleveland
(48:43):
today that's the other good QUESTION that i. Have there, But,
anyways sam thank you so much for taking the time
to come. BY today i really, appreciate, you man appreciate you.
Man anytime that is all we have, for, today guys
is always a sincerely appreciate you for supporting us and supporting.
Speaker 1 (48:55):
The show we will see you. Next time
The volume. All right, we'll goo to hoops tonight. You're
at the volume.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
We are at the Serious XM studios at the Win
in Las Vegas, and we have a very special guest today,
my good friend Sam is fondi Ari, my go to
guy for all things Warriors.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Sam.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Earlier today we heard from Rich Paul that the Lebron
saga is fun for the fans as it drags out.
And I'm in the content space and it was fun
for like a week or two.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
I'm no longer having fun. I'm ready to know what's
going to happen.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
So, as our representative of the Warriors fan base for
hoops tonight, how are you feeling about this whole saga?
How are Warriors fans feeling? Where are you at with
the Lebron James thing?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
So, if I was to rank the possible scenarios, One,
you acquire the players you actually want to acquire.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Two you have hope.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
That you're gonna acquire the players you want to acquire.
Three you don't get them, and you're in the sunken
place and everything is miserable. So the way I'm looking
at it, given that the Warriors have, you know, kind
of strikeed out more often than not, like the last
four years. Like I know, they got Jimmy, but outside
of Jimmy, it's been a lot of that's too many picks.
(01:28):
Oh they don't want to trade them here. Oh, we
can't afford them the XYZ. I'm looking at it through
the lens of Look, we haven't heard no yet. So
as long as I haven't heard a no, I'm in
an okay place. I can't speak for everyone, but I
can't speak for me.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
You know, It's interesting because I would argue the Warriors
probably need Lebron more than all of these other teams
in the sense that like Cleveland was a conference finalist, Wiggans, Bam, Giannis,
Davion Mitchell, it's a pretty strong foundation in Miami. Regardless
of what happens, Minnesota's gonna be fine. I mean, obviously
they need a power forward, but Denver's going to be fine.
(02:06):
Golden State's in this weird predicament where if they pull
off something and we're gonna talk about Anthony Davis in
a minute, but if they pull off something involving Lebron
plus another player, it's the difference between them as currently constructed,
and we're gonna get into the Ross. So there's exciting things.
They acts looks great in his first couple of Summer
League games, but they're looking at being a playing team
if they don't pull something like this off. But at
the same time, I also don't necessarily think they have
(02:28):
another great option in the sense that other than like
making an all in trade around just Steph versus making
an all in trade around Steph and Lebron. There's a
lot at stake here, do you guys feel that?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Yes, I'm one hundred percent on the same page as you.
Hear like, when you're describing those teams, you're leaving out
kind of the obvious point, which is the Warriors have
the potential to be a incredibly depressing story for the
end of Steph's career. Look, if you told me three
years ago they were going to try to acquire Lebron,
(03:02):
I would say, I'm good, there's got to be a
different route to go. It's actually not a disrespect thing.
I just think like the rivalry is cool and let's
keep it separate that sort of thing. Then the Olympics
happened in twenty twenty four, which I think everyone will
agree was awesome. It was fun to watch, and then
(03:23):
you have kind of the reality of where we're out
with the Warriors, which is Jimian Butler got injured, the
roster is subpar, they don't really have a lot of options,
and STEP's thirty eight years old. He'll be thirty nine
next season. So when I look at it through all
those lens, even taking like the romanticism of how fun
it would be for the two of them to play together,
you're just not going to get an opportunity to add
(03:46):
an All Star caliber player. And let's be clear, Lebron
is still an All Star caliber player. I could argue
he's better, but at worst, he's an All Star caliber player.
You do not get the opportunity to add a player
of that caliber for the mid level of exception or below.
Like we're seeing this around the league. The Celtics just
traded Jalen Brown, not because he was bad, but because
(04:08):
he's too expensive. Yeah, and we're seeing more and more
of that around the league, where it's about value, it's
about your ability to you know, control contracts and maneuver. Dude, Lebron,
I don't care that Lebron's forty one. Lebron willing to
take between three and fifteen million a year is like
a god sent team building wide, team building wise, Sorry,
(04:33):
you gotta go for it. And then just to take
it back to my first point, bro, if he says
no and they do nothing, and we go into next
season with this idea that Jimmy's going to be back
sometime in January, who knows what that looks like. Thirty
seven year old off an acl tear with the roster
of Okay players asking Stephan Curry at his age to
(04:58):
average thirty to keep them in games. Like, I just
he's gonna get hurt. I don't want to see his
career end like that. Like I don't know that adding
Lebron and let's just say Anthony Davis makes them a contender.
I do know it puts them in the mix and
makes the end of his career far less depressing than
the opposite.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And it puts them within striking distance, especially if they
have the tools to make another deal, to potentially be
in a situation in February where they feel comfortable making
that kind of move. I want to zoom in on
like the fan piece of this first second el because
like you and I met on Twitter, we met being
fans of our teams, of our players. You are a
(05:40):
staunch defender of Steph Curry, and I have been known
as a person who got into the sport of basketball
literally because.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Of Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I'm a huge Lebron James fan, and I don't want
to play fan police. I hate telling people how to
be fans, and if there are people that get a
sick feeling in their I'll make got the idea of
Lebron and Steph playing together. I'm not going to tell
them they're wrong. But like as the years have gone by,
I've just grown to love and appreciate and respect Steph
(06:10):
so much to the point where he's literally become my
second favorite player behind Lebron. And I know that you
have a great deal of respect for Lebron as well.
The idea of Lebron and Steph playing together was quite
literally never a negative feeling for me at all. It
was immediately like this is awesome, Like I just think
these are the two greatest competitors of our era. Both
of them are completely stamped. They have four championships each.
(06:32):
They don't have anything else to prove at this point.
It's just their basketball games fit fantastically. Well, I think
the two of them just want to win together. I
just I only experienced like positive feelings about the two
of them playing together. Did you have any hesitancy at
all about the partnership at this point?
Speaker 3 (06:49):
No, Like being honest with you, would I've had hesitancy
two years ago, four years ago the answer would be different, Yes,
of course. But I'm like looking at through a real lens,
which the Olympics, honestly was a big thing for me.
Watching the two them together, it made me. It made
it easier for me to reframe this as just like, look, dude,
(07:10):
if they play together at the end of their career,
it does not change anything that's happened before. You need
to stop looking at it through the nineties lens, and
you stop giving credence to like I'm not going to
name players or ex players, like, oh, it's not the
way we.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Used to do things.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, you know, back in the day, you didn't have
twenty five year careers. It's hard to stay one place
for twenty five years. So the way I look at
it is this would be fun for the end of
their career, And that really only came to me through
the lens of they're old man.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah, they's been a long time.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
You know, Like, I don't know if you feel this way.
I don't know how much you're into the World Cup
right now, but you're watching the World Cup, you see
like rinaldo you see Messi? These guys are past their prime.
Messi is still more capable than maybe Ronaldo's at this point.
They've moved how many clubs, they are at different stages,
and there's a certain level of who cares about the narrative,
(08:03):
who cares about the rivalry? This is their last tournament
they're gonna play at this point, so let's just appreciate
it because they're two of the best who've ever done it,
and it's it's gonna be fun and you're gonna enjoy it.
You're gonna enjoy it far more than the other side,
where they're like proudly retire versus play with each other.
And then we're sitting here with what ifs, which ironically
(08:25):
is kind of how people look at Michael Jordan's career
in certain ways, and like, I love Jordan, I'm a
Jordan guy, but like a lot of mystique is tied
to the fact that he retired before he wanted to,
And there's a lot of what happened if he kept going,
what happened if this happened. So I've evolved on this view.
I don't I don't have the right word for it
is change whatever. I'm into it because look, man, the
(08:48):
alternative of them retiring or like having this crappy team
where they win thirty one games like that sucks.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Fun with it?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah, I think to me, the point you're making about
the World Cup is the interesting one to me because
essentially I just am enjoying watching these guys.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
That's the key.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And like, I like watching Steph play in that play
in game, watching Lebron get to be the primary ball
handler for a playoff series again, like the fact that
I was watching like a big, huge Game six on
the road in Houston. Lebron's gonna be the primary ball
handler in the year twenty twenty six. Like you don't
think that was fun for me as a fan to watch?
And I actually think they're in this unique situation where
(09:25):
they kind of need each other in the sense that
Steph is stuck in this situation.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
We're going to talk about the Warriors in a.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Minute, he's stuck in this situation where the team's just
flat out not good enough. And then with Lebron, as
you look at the options, I'm not excited about the
idea of watching him play the Ruey Hatcher Mura role
for Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. I'm not excited about
him doing that for Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. I'm
not excited about him in this weird, janky spacing situation
(09:54):
with Jiannison. Bam Like, this specific situation that Go and
State presents is an opportunity for both of them to
increase their chances of competing for a title, but also
to play in a style that reminds us of why
both of them were great.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, they get to do it their way, And I
think that's that's actually a great point too, because look
like this is true of Lebron, but this gonna be
true of Stephan a year or two. Steph can chase
a title as like a shooter off the bench for
five more years of you, he can. He could play
the Ray Allen in the Miami Heat role if he
wants to. But is that satisfying to me as a fan? No? Like,
(10:37):
only in so much as like he's my favorite player
and he means something to Warrior fans. But what you
really want to see is them have the ability to
compete with the best in a role that you know
it's suited for them. And so I agree with you
that way, Like if you look at the basketball situations,
there are situations that are easier for Lebron. I don't
(10:59):
think there's any other, say, situation that allows him to
play the role he wants to play while also not
demanding him to play the role of hero and savior
twenty four to seven, which like physically is probably not
realistic for a guy in his age range, probably for
either of them, Yeah, exactly, And like that's that's kind
(11:21):
of the fun of it, which is like they're the
protagonists of the team, they're the necessary engine of the team.
But the way that the Warriors play also allows them to,
I don't want to say take games off, but like
kind of play in the flow a little more, whereas
like in Minnesota to your point, and you know, I'm
just gonna use the Amn example. It's gonna be ant LaMelo,
(11:42):
and it's it's kind of gonna be a different version
of what you saw last year. With uh Luca and
Austin Reeves and him having to be like the gap filler,
playing like a super charge Seawn Mariyan role, like with
a little more upside.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, it's I'd include Philly in this list too, where
it's like I think there's I think there are basketball
situations for every player that where they become almost a
force multiplier versus something where there's a diminishing return. And
I think, like, do I think Lebron can fill gaps
and do all these little things to help a basketball team. Yes,
but I think you could do that anywhere. Like rebounding, defending,
(12:17):
making plays off of advantage like that exists in every
single basketball situation. You're gonna have an opportunity where you're
attacking a close out or you're playing on a four
on three like that exists everywhere. Golden State has the
unique situation of actually having an offense built around having
bigger players that have the basketball for their split cuts
and for their five out action where they're operating with
the dribble handoffs out at the elbow extended. And so
(12:40):
that's a specific situation where with all the off ball
movement whirling around, it takes advantage of Lebron being a
threat to score and pass out of those spots on
the floor. And we literally saw France get beat Steph
hit the shots. But it was a two man game.
It was Stephan Lebron attacking Gershon Yabuseli with inverted screens
and regulars greens with the two of them and just
(13:01):
getting open shot after open shot because you have this
incredible shooter and this incredible power forward that you can't
switch the action with. And I think there's a lot
naturally fitting there.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Now.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I want to I want to quick describe what I
think is going on here, and then I want you
to tell me if you think it's a fair characterization
from your perspective. I think Lebron knows deep down the
basketball situation he wants. He knows what playing in Philly
(13:32):
will look like. He knows what playing in Cleveland will
look like. He knows a playing in Miami will look
like Denver, Golden State, so on and so forth, And
I think he knows deep down.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
I mean, he said it.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I mean on the day of the Lakers report, his
podcast released a clip talking about how playing with the
TSA was like the most fun he's had in years
playing basketball, So I think deep down he knows playing
with Golden State would be a blast. I think, and
you and I've talked about this in the last few days.
I think that Lebron is waiting for one of these
teams to make a move to bolster whatever he thinks
(14:05):
that situation is. Golden State did make a move for Jimmy,
and it's worth mentioning that they put a first round
pick on the table to get Jimmy Butler. That is
worth mentioning and at least giving them some credit for.
But there have been multiple opportunities over the past.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
After he burnt the house down.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
After he burnt the house down, after it went very
far south. Over the course of the years, there have
been lots of opportunities, Like they missed on ogn Andobi
Ognoby led his team to a championship, didn't lead, but
was a key factor in the championship. Team they passed
on Pascal Siakam literally was one win away from a
championship and might have gotten Finals MVP depending on how
(14:39):
the rest of that Game seven would have gone if
Indiana won. And I'd even argue like the last year
and a half, like not making a move on like
a Trey Murphy not making a move that's a bigger
splash yer move. Do you think that one of the
potential hang ups here is potentially Lebron's concern that Golden
State has this incredible control over their draft future, But
(15:01):
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Speaker 3 (17:12):
Potentially. I mean, I think there's a trust factor with
Steph and Draymond, but those guys haven't been able to
push the front office to move things in a different direction. Now,
if you listen to the Warriors talk and there's always
kind of like read in between the lines, my general
impression has been that those two players have also been
(17:35):
aligned with the front office more often than not doing
the whole Oh, we'd rather make the bigger swing for
a Giannis like and maybe they're being upsold by the
front office. Ye, maybe that's the thing, but like the
reality is, like it's not like those guys have got
into like a pissing match at the front office and
like walked out the door. So you can't like say
they're not culpable in some capacity. But yeah, I think
(17:56):
that's part of it. I do. I think taking back
to your Ridge, no point. Look, if Lebron's signing for
less than the max, this isn't about cap space. Yeah,
so why hasn't he signed yet.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
I don't buy.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Rich Paul saying he's going through a process and he
knows what he wants to do. This is the most
calculated player of all time. I think they're waiting for something,
and it could be like the most obvious thing would
be like waiting for a trade to prove that the
roster they're going to matches their expectations, because you're dealing
with parties they haven't worked with in the future in
(18:31):
the past, Like, no matter how much he likes as
Steph and A Draymond, he hasn't worked with the Lakes.
He doesn't work in Mike Dunleavy the way. Maybe he
worked with pat Riley or dang, who is it Dave
Griffin in the past in those stops right, Like, so
maybe it's that, or maybe it's something else, I'm not sure,
but like, I agree with your initial point, which is
(18:54):
this is being dragged out for a reason, and the
reasons not money, because we know it's not money. He's
not like, he's not waiting for someone to clear cap space.
He's waiting for someone to do something and we're just
waiting to see what it is.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Yeah, and that's where I think unless he's literally just
playing with us in the sense that he's dragging this
out for fun, to make a story. And by the way,
as against possible, it's possible that that's at least part
of it. Sure, but I I so, let's say, for instance,
that he is thinking, okay, Golden State, but if they
(19:27):
get a guy like Anthony Davis, how would you feel
about the risk for the Warriors in potentially making an
Anthony Davis deal but not being one hundred percent sure
that Lebron's gonna come, Because I would argue if Lebron
was like, hey, because we talked about this in the
last couple days, if Lebron's like, I'm going to Golden
(19:48):
State deep down, like deep down he's like, that's where
I want to play, then he should know that they
probably need a d and another move because this is
a team that's a little thin on wing depth, that
especially at the show in the three spot. And so
with that being the case, Lebron has to know that
they probably need to make a second trade, and if
they do, the last thing they need to do is
(20:08):
get raked over the calls by Washington for Anthony Davis.
So then you go, okay, well, why doesn't Lebron approach
Golden State privately and go, let's I'm coming to you guys.
I'd want a D. You guys want a D. We're
gonna do this, but we need to pull the line
a little bit with Washington to get a better deal.
(20:29):
If that was the case, though, he would have agreed.
So if there is risk in going after a guy
like Anthony Davis, how would you feel as a Warriors
fan if you made a deal for AD and Lebron
didn't end up coming to the team.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Me personally, which does not speak for every Warriors fan,
I'd be okay with it, assuming the price is not,
you know, so prohibitive that like you're ft for like
five years. I think this sucks to say. I mean
the honest with you. I was on an island saying
they should trade for Jimmy Butler when the vast majority
(21:06):
of people were opposed to it because the fit wasn't
there and he's old x YZ and like to be fair,
the old thing kind of played out.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
You knew when he was healthy, he did, and it worked.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
When he was healthy. By the way, putting all that aside,
I have very little faith that the version of Jimmy
Butler we're gonna see when he returns from an ACL
tear in January or February. And I think it's more.
I know the Warriors are posturing that he's attacking his
rehab well, and I have no reason to believe otherwise.
(21:36):
He's always been maniacal with physical training. Older players take
longer red they do. Average player takes twelve months to
come back from ACL. He tore his ACL on January twentieth.
I would be thrilled if we saw him before the
All Star break, and I would be thrilled if he
(21:57):
looked anywhere like Jimmy Butler at a point next year.
I think it's unrealistic. I think the most likely scenario
is he comes back, he's minutes restricted. He's a smart
player because he's always gonna.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Be a smart part.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Yeah, but there's that lack of like star level pop
on a game to game basis that he used to
be capable of because he's thirty seven years old off
an ACL tear. So from that perspective, I'm like, I
don't know what you have to lose. I know it
sucks because he fit in the culture and oh he's great,
He's like he's awesome, Like I like him, But it's
(22:30):
just like, if you want to be serious about putting
a team around Stephen Curry that has a punter shot,
you got to move off him and to take it
home to your final point. I think Anthony Davis is
being undervalued right now, mostly because the last year has
sucked for him. He was playing really good basketball before
(22:51):
Luka Donci trade gets traded Dallas. At least part of
the reason he didn't play post trade deadline is because
the backlash and like they ended up in a deep
tank and players get rested in their tanking. I know
he had like an abductor strain, but like, look, if
they had a chance to make a run, he's playing,
you know, So I think that's part of it. And
(23:13):
then everything fell out on the other side of it.
I mean, Nico Harrison got fired, they traded him, he
goes to the Wizards. The Wizards didn't just rest him.
By the way, people are gonna say he was injured.
Trey Young played five games. I don't care what anyone says.
They were deep in the tank of we want to
get the topic, and to their credit, it worked out
(23:34):
for them. So I think he's being a little undervalued
here because the situation he's been in has been as
much of a factor of him not being on the
floor as his health, which, like to be fair, has
been dubious. And so when you take that all into it,
if you believe he's not completely cooked physically, that's a
(23:56):
very good player and a player that, no matter where
you land in terms of the final compensation, would help
them like they would be a playoff team with Anthony
Davis and Stephan Curry and some semblance of depth.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
I think I think one of the most underdiscussed parts
of that specific decision is what happened at the end
of last year. Steph works his butt off all year
to try to carry the team. Jimmy gets hurt, He's
pushing it even harder, ends up taxing his knee to
the point where he has to take time off. When
(24:32):
he comes back, he straight up says like, this is
something I'm going to have to deal with now with
his knee. And so I would argue above and beyond
anything involving how you feel about Anthony Davis as a
player having a salary slot that large occupied by a
player who is going to miss two thirds of the season,
especially as a star shot creator, which is going to
(24:55):
foist more usage and responsibility on to Steph, which then
lead to the balky knee continuing to become a problem
Like that, that to me is it's deeper than just, oh,
we gotta survive Jimmy being out for the next uh
two two three months two thirds of the season. We
(25:15):
gotta we have to find a way to get Steph
because say Lebron comes, you gotta find a way to
get Steph to April for any of this to make
any sense. And so to me, with Anthony Davis, it
just makes your basketball team better in the stretch from
October too, whenever Jimmy would have come back and give
you a better chance of surviving with Steph. And to
your point, there's no guarantee that Jimmy will be ready
(25:36):
by the All Star break. There's no guarantee you won't
have a setback. There's no guarantee he'll be ready for
the role that they need him to fill. And it
is unfortunate as it is. And I get it because
he's such a good fit for the team and when
they were healthy, they were legitimately scary when when that
team was all put together. But it's just it's an
unfortunate casualty of the situation. Jimmy, you can't play for
the most of the part this year. As much as
(25:58):
we would love to just be loyal to you and
you stay here, it has these trickle down effects that
could hurt the team. And I do think Anthony Davis
is a very good basketball player. Like again, I've been
through this roller coaster with him rooting for the Lakers.
When he would be healthy and in rhythm, he was
an absolute monster, and then he would get hurt, and
then he'd be out for a little while, and then
he would come back, and when he would come back,
he'd be out of a rhythm for a little while. But
(26:18):
like even when he was at a rhythm and out
of shape and a little overweight, He's just so good
at so many little things that just raise your floor
as a basketball team. And I would take it a
step further to say, in a Western Conference with San
Antonio and Oka, see, Anthony Davis is like the archetype
of player that gives you a fighting chance in those
types of series if you can really protect the rim
(26:41):
and if you can actually have enough offensive skill at
the five spot to make Wemby think twice before he
leaves the paint, before he decides to stay in the
paint for one reason or another. I think it's a
talent play. And again, irrespective of Lebron, you're kind of
operating in a space where how often do you get
to add a player with that type of upside without
mortgaging your entire future, And you should be able to
(27:02):
in theory, if you hold the line getting Anthony Davis,
it's somewhat of a discount.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
I agree with you there. I think the other thing
with Anthony Davis is he's held to the standard of
Tim Duncan and Wemby because when he came out of
the draft, he was painted as the next Garnett, the
next Tim Duncan, the franchise big who's gonna win five
to six titles. To his credit, he's been excellent. I
(27:27):
mean he's been All Star every year he has been healthy.
They did win a title with him. I mean he's
been great. Like the biggest criticism you can give of
him is he has not been the best player in
the world. He's just been like the eighth best player
in the world. Right, But the reality is, to your point,
like his bad seasons, he's still giving you twenty four
to twenty five points per game. And when you look
(27:47):
at the Warriors, single biggest issue, and they have a
lot of issues, but the single biggest issue is if
you're asking Steph to give you a thirty and be
twenty sixteen Steph in terms of usage, three guys chasing
him at all times. I don't think his body's gonna
hold up. I don't think it will in any capacity.
(28:08):
And that's where it's like the Jimmy injury sucks, But
you have to find an alternative because if you don't,
this whole we're going to fight to hold it together
until he's back. I think Steph's I think Steph's gonna
get hurt again. I think he is. Whereas in your scenario,
where you get Nanthony Davison. You know, Lebron comes on
(28:29):
like a Vetri minimum. Now it's the scenario of nobody
has to be Superman. Everyone can give you thirty ish
minutes average twenty ish one night to Steph Knight, one
night's a d night, and all of a sudden, everyone's
a little healthier that way. So I think that's what
they need to do. I don't think they're getting that
(28:50):
scoring boost from internal development. As much as I loved
yet the XL so far, as much as I'm a
fan of POD's gee, like the guys they have like
those are not guys who score effortlessly. Anti Davis scores.
Anti davis bad games are twenty Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Yeah, he's a great play finisher and offensive rebounder in
a way that he kind of just finds his way
to eighteen twenty four points even on nights where he's
not involved in the offense. I mean, one of the
biggest critiques of Anthony Davis with the Lakers, and it's
more of a critique of the Lakers, was that he
wasn't involved enough, and it came down to several different reasons.
Some of it was a D's fault, and again, like,
I'm glad you mentioned this because if you start to
(29:28):
compare Addianis or Victim Wimanyama or you're gonna disappointed.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
You're gonna be frustrated.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
And I thought even Laker fans when they would try
to put Ad in that tier, I'm like, hey, listen,
like this is not a conversation you really want to
get into. But again, you're talking about a guy who
is still in the NBA is a top twenty player
and when he's healthy, probably closer to top fifteen, top twelve.
I'd say the exact same thing about Lebron, and if
you could theoretically get both while still having enough draft
(29:55):
compensation left to make an additional move, You're talking about
an interesting team there. And I like betting on Ad
because you mentioned this earlier and it's the truth, Like
we have to at least account for the fact that
it's been a rough year for him. Okay, Like you're
you are sent out in a trade that is universally
panned as certainly the most shocking trade in NBA history
(30:16):
and one of the worst trades.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Do you remember where they were, by the way on
that trade? One time I was on a ski trip.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I was at dinner.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
I had a couple of beers and next thing, you know,
I'm like, I like can't even focus. I'm looking at
the TV and there's shams on TV.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
It was my dad's seventieth birthday. So we had a
nice night. I had a couple of class of wine.
I get home, I put my son down. I fall
asleep on the couch at nine, like an old man.
I wake up and my phone has five hundred texts
oh thirty minutes later, So like, I have this very
vivid memory of it, but you're right, it's like the
most shocking thing ever. Like I wake up and I'm like,
(30:52):
why are people texting me?
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Guard?
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Like what is this?
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Dude? It was?
Speaker 2 (30:56):
It was unbelievable, and like so then he goes out
and he immediately is on a team that has no
shot to compete, and then he gets traded to the
Washington Wizards. So like, imagine going from playing in La
one of the meccas of basketball in the world with
Lebron James, and you're like, and everything.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Is championship or bus by the way. Yeah, the other
part of it, like the expectations are like we're competing,
and then he gets set somewhere where it's like, it'd
be great if you just rested.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Yeah, and now I know Trey Young makes things a
little bit more interesting in Washington, but now you're just
playing on a young, rebuilding team. And so I do
think like, if you were to get a D to
the Warriors, there's a version of that story where you
get a h I'm going to prove everybody wrong about
me kind of season, and he's just in that age
(31:48):
two in his early thirties where it's like there's there's
enough juice in there for like one or two epic
flashback Anthony Davis seasons, and that that's to me where
I like the And it's hard to find a team
that makes sense for ad. It's hard at his salary
and with his injury history, and like given the fact
that you know Washington's gonna want at least one first
(32:09):
round draft pick back, like, there's a lot that goes
into that. Let's talk a little bit about the roster though,
irrespective of anything with Lebron and a D. How are
you feeling about the rest of the Warriors roster? How
do you feel about yax Celendenburg, How did you feel
about losing quintin posts like where are you at with
the rest of what the Warriors have to offer?
Speaker 3 (32:27):
I mean, they've built the perfect roster for Ad and Lebron.
Like the fun thing about their roster is they've done
a good job the last four years. Sorry for you,
that is wrong last couple of years of acquiring these young,
energetic players who help you win in the margins, but
none of them are gonna be guys you really build
(32:49):
an offense around. Now, maybe the Accel's better than that.
I don't want to put a ceiling on him right now,
but like, let's just go through the lists. Like Pajemski
is objectively a good player. Most teams can use him.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
I under like him because he plays hard. I think
he'll I think he'll take two or three shots a
game that drive him insane. Sure, but I think he's
gonna like how much he like scraps.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
You know, he's gonna actually annoy Lebron. It's the same
thing that annoys Draymond and Jimmy. It's the two or
three shots he doesn't take where he gets pass the
ball and he's thinking instead of just putting it up.
Because like Lebron's maybe the best driving kick passer of
all time. He's certainly one of the best like point
forwards of all time. Kicks it to the guy in
a corner. They get fed up when they kick it
(33:29):
to someone passes in rhythm, hit the shot, and they
think about it too much. And odds that's was his
biggest weakness, Like you could literally define his good and
bad games by in his own head versus letting it
rip so putting him aside. He's a good player though overall.
Gi Santos good player, scraps, competes. Sometimes the offense is there,
(33:49):
sometimes it's not, but he's always gonna get rebounds. I
was gonna defend doing these little things will Richard. He
may be a good player, he may not. Same concept
Yaxcel better version of Gis Santos, All the guys they've acquired,
the young players, they are hyper valuable multi skill role players,
and they make sense and I like them all, And
(34:11):
maybe Pods and Yaxceel Lindburg have higher upside than that.
I would argue against it because usually guys who are
like foundational pieces let you know it immediately offensively. I
think it's more likely they're gonna be really good glue guys.
I think that's all useful if you acquire the main
guys to go with them, you know, so that they're
kind of in this weird situation where they've built this
(34:32):
perfect roster for Steph and a true second third option,
but they don't have the true second third option.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, there's a lot of slotting issues that the Warriors
have had with the injuries to Steph and Jimmy. That Like,
if you watch pods and he's running twenty five pick
and rolls in a game, it's gonna come with some
frustrating shots. It's gonna come with some side eyes from
Christaps Porzingis, It's gonna come with some of those kinds
of things. But if he's in a situation where he
(35:05):
is allowed to function as a glue guy, that's where
the stuff that he's great at. Like, he's an amazing
rebounder for a guard, He's a very good connective passer.
He's a guy that like is very good at making
the reads that naturally manifest in Golden State's offense when
when they're in the flow. And to your point, if
you get a Lebron, if you get an Anthony Davis.
It slots everyone properly. I think an underrated part of
this roster, specifically for a Lebron AD discussion, is front
(35:29):
court depth. Like if if Lebron needs to take a
night off, Jackson and Ghi Santos are both like guys
who can start in a pinch at a power forward
spot in the NBA. If AD has to take a
night off, like Chrisops porzingis if he happens to be healthy,
can Al Horford can play like you can. There's even
It's like, Okay Horford and a d are both out
tonight and Christops is sick. Okay Draymond at the five,
(35:51):
Lebron at the four, Yacks at the three, like we're
big still, you know, like they they're They're set up
specifically to handle front court depth related issues in the
regular season like that as someone are rooted for the
Lakers for years, like a team built around a younger
version of Lebron and Ad. When one of them got hurt,
it was a huge problem. It was a huge problem
(36:12):
because they didn't have any forwards other than Lebron. That
was why they made the Ruie trade to begin with,
is they didn't have any forwards and their backup centers
were bad, and so they had no like if that
was the discussion for years was like what if Lebron
and Ad are healthy and it's like Golden State has
the flexibility in their front court. The flip side of that, though,
is and I do like pods. Like you said, you
(36:33):
and I were talking a little bit over the last
couple days about the Anthony Mountain. We really liked Anthony Mountain.
I think I think he's just another one of those
like glue guys who does everything really well in the
role player spot as a guard. And once again, there
were times last year where even in the playing games
where I thought he was a little overtaxed as a
ball handler and he's like driving into traffic and throwing
(36:53):
up stuff that doesn't have much chance of going in.
But it's like that's not gonna be anything he has
to do when the team is healthy in this in
this theoretical universe.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
I do think that's the next piece of this though.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Where I think if if you get Ad and Lebron
and you find yourself in January February and the team
looks good, I think there's a secondary deal here that
has to be done for some sort of like higher
level two three, either a multiple piece kind of depth
move or like oh we like a Trey Murphy, like
we did think this guy could be like in our
(37:24):
closing five kind of move. I do think that that
is the one weak point of this roster is like
like rotate, playoff, rotation level two three, like swing players.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Yeah, you're betting on Melton being more of the player
was pre injury, another year removed from his injury. Maybe
Pods takes a step, maybe Gi Santos or yes, I'll
take a step. But if they don't, then clearly you
need a swing player, like you said, like the point
of attack defender, the hyper athletic three and d Wan.
(37:59):
The players having the right now are I don't want
to call them gambles, but they're young players coming into
Maybe they come into it, maybe they don't. We don't know.
I still think you're in a good spot if you're
actually able to acquire an Anthony Davison, a Lebron and
you build the expendables or whatever the hell you want
to call them, I think you're in a good spot
to win enough games from October to January with those
(38:24):
young players to then make an informed decision in January
that's worth you know, you know, Pods, he's fine, it's
just not going to be good enough in the playoffs,
and let's move him for you know, a KCP type
or a Caruso type, or whoever's available who's like ready
(38:45):
to play that role in the playoffs, or like Melton
who he talked about. I actually think Melton can be
that player because he was that player before his injury.
But there's always a chance that it just never comes
full back. You never know, Like I think the reason
he shot thirty percent from three last year is because
Stephan Jimmy got hurt and he had to play first
option basketball and he's not that guy. I think it's
(39:05):
highly likely in the construct we're talking about, he'll probably
shoot thirty eight thirty nine percent and be that three
and D guard everyone wants.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Well, maybe he isn't.
Speaker 3 (39:13):
Maybe he isn't. Maybe you got to readdress that. The
point is if they were actually able to make these
things happen and they get Lebron for again, I keep
coming back to this, if he's willing to sign for
a Vetri minimum or a mid level exception, like you
just don't add talent like that at any age at
that price.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
That's why story in the NBA, it's impossible.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
Yeah, and then you know, hopefully you get Anthony Davis
without giving up all your draft capital, you have the ability,
to your point in January, to add that final piece
if it doesn't happen internally. And I think that's what's
really exciting about They have the you know, everyone's favorite,
what they have the optionality.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
Well, and that's why the Melton thing I think was big.
Then being able to retain him because I actually do
think he's a legitimate placeholder, Like he's a guy that
is like a a real like can give you the
facsimile of a starting level two way two guard. And
then to your point, if you get to January and
his body's feeling great and he's doing awesome and he's
filling the role and he's like he's like KCP was
on the twenty twenty Lakers and he's just a great fit,
(40:15):
then then we're great. But then also if you find
yourself in a position where you're like, I like him,
but I wish he was our seventh man in our
playoff rotation, you can make that type of move before
we get out of here. What has been your first
impression of Yoxall, Lindenborg, He's awesome, He's fun.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
He's a fun personality, by the way, Like one of
the more underrated things is getting young guys who have personality,
who like bring it a little bit that way, Like
he has no filter when he talks. Yeah, it's hilarious
in that standpoint, But the other part of it, getting
back to the basketball point, I think people are underrating
his upside. Everyone knows he's twenty three. Everyone points out
(40:54):
the older college story. What they often lead out of
it is he didn't play aaschoo basketab he's late to
the game. I think there's more to unlock there. And
when you're talking about a guy who has not just
positional size plus positional size six' ten seven to four,
WINGSPAN i mean he's built like he's built like somewhere
in between og And ob And. LEBRON i can compare
(41:16):
him To lebron, physically but like he's a big wing
and he reads the game at an incredibly high. LEVEL
i think people are sleeping on the upside there because
typically guys who see the floor well and have plus physical,
measurements like they only get. Better you, know the shot
looks amazing right. Now coming into the, draft the number
one weakness that people would point out about him was the.
(41:38):
Shot maybe he's a, Shooter maybe he could become a.
Shoot why can't he become a better ball. Handler he's
already a good. Ballhandler he's a fun, player he's an interesting. Player,
honestly this draft in general has been. Great these are
fun young players to.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Watch i'm so glad you brought up this point about the,
ceiling BECAUSE i think people get hung up on the
age piece of. It BUT i really do think that
that it's more, about like how long have you been playing,
basketball and more, importantly how long have you been playing
basketball under a structure that's actually helping you.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Get better every?
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Day because LIKE i didn't play high school basketball, either
and the time in my life WHEN i improved most
as a basketball player was from twenty five to, thirty
BECAUSE i hit a phase that most players hit younger
in their. Life and it's like it didn't matter BECAUSE
i was done playing at that, point SO i just
became unnecessarily good for men's leagues and stuff like. That
but like the point is is LIKE I i the
(42:26):
dramatic improvement in myself as a basketball player took place
after the how Old yaxel is right now and again
and the other thing, Too Like yacks actually came up
Through Arizona western and one of my juco coaches who
was coaching at a different school at the time In,
utah but then he was originally From yuma and he
went back To Arizona western to coach Their Carter. Row
(42:48):
him AND i were working together quite a bit around
the draft because LIKE nba people were hitting him up
and asking about yax and he was, like love the,
dude hard, worker just a guy you wanted to have
in the locker. Room he had him back when he
was raw and like nowhere near as good as he is.
Now and like ALL i had heard From carter was
like he's just a dude that just keeps getting better
because he's always putting in the. Work and so if
he's on a similar trajectory where he didn't play in
(43:11):
high school and he's kind of like developmentally where many
sixteen seventeen year olds, are and he's going to continue
to im comparing him to like a kid who's been
playing since he's, seven you know WHAT i. Mean if
he's still on that, trajectory there's no reason in the
world why he can't continue to get. Better and there's
like key factors that you're always looking at, there what
does the touch look? Like, well WHEN i looked into
the stuff With, yax he was great shooting when he
(43:32):
was open and some of the drop offs came in
off the dribble and in movement shooting. Situations that tells
me that he's got the. Touch but he just has
to improve some of the fluidity and some of the
stuff that comes with tons and tons of, reps the
feel for the game. Stuff AND i think this is
an underrated part of that position because when you start
to dig into some of the other fours like coming
Uh Ru Hachi, Mura John, conns like when you start
(43:54):
to dig into some of those, guys like one of
the big separators for that position is like you are
you just a good catch and shoot, guy or like
can you play in the flow and can you play
with other good basketball players and make the? Reads And
i've seen this in all the summer league. Games Yah
yats just makes every simple easy read when he's when
he's got the ball in his. Hands he just plays,
easy breezy flow, basketball AND i think that just fits
(44:15):
wonderfully with What Golden state likes to. Do and then
you'll see flash he plays like that transition play where
he goes And jackhammer's the. Dog he had that spin
move yesterday was, Disgusting like that was a nasty move
like he. Has there's clearly flashes of upside in there as.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Well and then like just the last, point which is
all that's, true he's doing it in like an IDEAL
nba body because that's like the real. Stepar LIKE i
could say everything you said about pods late to the,
game innate, feel, touch all those, things but he's fighting
the fact that he's six,' four he doesn't have the quickest.
First step everything is a lot easier and harder to
(44:52):
find when you're talking about a guy six nine sixty
ten with a seven to. Four wingspan, so like even
if he isn't the most, explosive athlete you can make
up for a lot of your deficiencies in terms of
like lightning first step when you're, six ten just six
seven to, Four wingspan like a lot Of his michigan
highlights were him kind of allowing guys to get his
(45:14):
hip because he knew he could just block him, from
behind because he knew, he could because he knew he could,
do it and a lot, of that and you listen
to him talk, about it he knew it the whole,
time too which lets you know he has feel. For
it he understands, the game because ultimately what matters is
did you stop the? Play right there's not one specific
perfect way to, do it but he had a feel
for he wants, to play So like i'm, With you
(45:34):
and the LAST point i want to say on him
is he's a. Perfect warrior because the trade out would
Define Most by Draymond, And stephan curry is being overlooked
in their Case. Size steph you know Everyone new steph,
could shoot but it's like how good can he? Really
Be in, draymond's, case oh, he know he's how to
play basketball well the position as. You play In the,
(45:55):
xcel's case it's kind of the, same, concept, like okay he,
can play he's, Twenty three like how good are you
really going? To BE so i think from, that standpoint
it's easy to root, for HIM and i think he's
got a higher upset because they know what to do
with players like that far more than they knew what
to do With a Jonathan Kumingher.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
AT james, I like i Last thing i'll say about
it IS just i think some of the concerns, with
him like the, ball handling and there was a couple
sloppy reps in some Of The summer. League, games again
especially If the warriors are able to pull off Something
With lebron James And, ANTHONY davis i don't think he's
going to have a ton of ball handling, responsibility early
so he can develop that. In time the switching piece,
(46:35):
of it like candy guard, Quick cards like he picks
up a couple of Fouls Against ryan nemhard Yesterday When
red nemmar just a hard right handed drives and he
just kind of, Fouls him, and LIKE all i can
think about, is LIKE if i had to have a
defender that has some deficiencies and certain types, OF switches
i want him In A draymond green lead defense where
he can scram him out, of switches he can captain
from the, back line give him pointers in, The, game,
(46:58):
like hey he just beat you, with, this dude try to.
Next time like that kind. Of STUFF like I just
i Think the warriors have the infrastructure to take the
most ADVANTAGE, of yax both in the short.
Speaker 1 (47:06):
Term but in the long term.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
AS well i agree they do better with players who
have kind, of feel but they got to work through
some skill stuff and some of like the fine points
than taking like a raw ball of clay where they
have all the athletic tools but. No feel and that's
been proven over the.
Speaker 1 (47:22):
Last, decade, yeah no.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
Totally agree last thing before we get out, of here
how like it just just briefly define where you're feeling
in terms of optimism On the.
Speaker 1 (47:31):
LEBRON front i want.
Speaker 3 (47:33):
TO believe i really. Bit there it's like it's it's like,
we believe we want, to believe probably more optimistic than
the current. Public consensus our public Consensus is Cleveland. Or,
miami yeah and my thought on, it is if, you
want if you want to Go, to cleveland he will
do it by the end of. This weekend and he hasn't,
(47:54):
so far so. We'll see it could. Still happen But
maybe i'm holding. That hope maybe. IT'S cope i, don't
know BUT like i feel better about IT than i
did a couple of. Days Ago and i'm gonna ride.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
With them kopium is the drug OF the nba offseason
for every for every. Fan BASE AND i I Thought
golden state made the most sense from. The beginning AND
what i keep coming back to too is like if
it was as simple as he's, going home he would have.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
Committed already LIKE SO I i i my heart Still says.
Speaker 2 (48:22):
GOLDEN stated I actually i have a little group chat
with some of my friends at the volume and they
we made each other make our final prediction TODAY and
i Did Say golden state was my. FINAL prediction i
was the only one Who Said. Golden state but. It
island everyone Else. Said cleveland there Was, no, Miami guys.
MIAMI there, i did Manam punch lebron Out of. Cleveland
(48:43):
today that's the other good QUESTION that i. Have there, But,
anyways sam thank you so much for taking the time
to come. BY today i really, appreciate, you man appreciate you.
Man anytime that is all we have, for, today guys
is always a sincerely appreciate you for supporting us and supporting.
Speaker 1 (48:55):
The show we will see you. Next time
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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