Best of the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon

Jason and Mike have the latest out of NBA free agency. Will the Magic & Mavericks finish in the Top 3 in their conferences this season? Of all the teams in the NFL the team whose strategy makes the least sense is the Dolphins. The Clippers paid James Harden how much?? Plus, a HOT take on LeBron James! 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
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(00:24):
Fox Sports Radio. Hello, Welcome inside, Happy Monday, Happy day
one of NBA Free Agency, The Jason Smith Show with
my best friend Mike Harmon YO. For over forty years,
tire Rack's been opening customers find the right tires for how,
what and where they drive, shipped fast and free, backed

(00:46):
by free road hazard protection with convenient installation options like
mobile tire installation tirerac dot com. He is the way
tire buying should be. Well so far, Look, you know
what's fun so far about NBA Free Agency? What's up?
But here's what's fun?

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Right?

Speaker 1 (01:00):
You're still guessing at your coaches a big well yeah,
well it's either gonna be me or down Staley according
to what it was in my timeline this weekend, or
doc rivers or you know what at this point, Hey man,
he's still out there. What did I tell you? I said,
Mike Brown should be the guy Night one, I said,
Mike Brown, what do we find out today he's the
first guy the Knicks are gonna talk to again or

(01:22):
repeat interview from Mike Brown. It's gonna wind up being
Mike Brown. I could have saved the Knicks heartache and
money and embarrassment. Don't call for permission. No one's gonna
get Just hire Mike Brown. I feel like, uh, what's
her name from?

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (01:35):
From deep when uh Anna Klemsky who just kept saying, Selena,
Tom James, you, Lourie, make Tom James your vice president.
No one listened to her. She kept saying Tom James,
just Tom James. And then like at the end of
the episode, she goes, you know who might be good?
I thought about this today is Tom James? And Anna
Clemsky like banged her eatiquainst the wall. I Ala said

(01:59):
Mike Brown. Mike Brown from the beginning, Mike Brown, betting
favored for two weeks, Mike Brown, two weeks, first guy
get sitting there, steriity in the face, Mike Brown. Mike
Brown betting odds told you all, you didn't need it,
make any backchannel calls or whatever. And if it's gambling out,
I've told you. And if it's Mike Brown, I'm fine
because he's Look, he's one hundred and eighty degrees from Tibbs.

(02:20):
He is a player's coach. He has coached in big markets,
he has coached big players, he has achieved, he has
been to NBA fin he has done things that Tibbs
hasn't done. And he's someone that with a different type
of attitude towards defense, which clearly they tuned Tibbs out.
And that was my big worry about Tibbs was always
at Okay, he's gonna get them so far and then they're

(02:41):
going to tune them out. Eventually that was gonna happen.
Probably that's what happened. Repeated, Yeah, you couldn't get Cat
to play defense. Obviously, he can only do so much
with Jalen Brunson, right, but with a different approach and
the offensive philosophy that Mike Brown has works with the
Knicks possibilities and their roster. Okay, okay, Mike Brett, go
get mom. Okay with it, Mike Brown, And now it
looks like he has been the fre look. We talked

(03:03):
to Mark Medina on Friday night and he said, listen,
we knew going to the weekend. Oh, everything I've heard
Mike Brown is the is the front runner for the
next job. Right, said that Friday night to us, and
He's like, yeah, No, that's everything I've heard. Mike Brown
is a front runner, super genius insider, Mark Madena and
here we are, Mike Brown. Yeah, as I said, the

(03:23):
Betty Gods had that for you long long ago. I said,
Mike one, Taylor Jenkins, we've been first. I have one question.
I gotta go back in Mike Brown's history. Did he
ever get a thirty plus million dollar parachute like Tom
Thibodeau did, because I don't know that he's matched that.
Maybe in each stop it's it's a cumulative effect. But

(03:46):
I think sometimes you work say no, he hates you, Right,
you have a good who hates me? Mike Brown? JJ Redick, No,
JJ Retic hates me Mike Brown. Mike Brown. How does
Mike Brown hate me? You cost him when he was
at college, You cost him? Remember his job? No, that's right, No,
you did, that's Mike. I'm not mistaken here. No, I know,
I know. I think it was a cause of effect.
I think it took a late it was latent, a

(04:08):
big win, and then after he talked to you, I
don't think he won a gain. But it's like you have,
you know, you spill something on your floor. You don't
see the thing, but it's seeped into the wood, and
now you got warped wood and eventually you got to
cut that all out. That's kind of what happened to
Mike Brown. Uh yeah, And and listen if you want
to say this, this is you know, this is you know,
the guy I really cast his job, that Mike Woodson

(04:30):
was the guy cost his job. Like that's the guy
I freely admit yea when he came on. Yeah, Indiana,
Yeah that was it. Yeah who else did we get? Yeah,
you got Matt Paynter. That hasn't cost him a job,
cost him the number one ranking though. So yeah, you've
got a hit list of coaches that I'm sure do
not like you very much. Uh so, look this is

(04:51):
so gay. Yeah, Look, this is gonna be a night
where we have news coming in every few minutes and
we have to look Sham Shams has promised a lot
of movement tonight, we've already we've seen a lot of movement.
Two big bold predictions after what we've seen so far.
But speaking of the Knicks, right looking for that depth.
Who's gonna come in play some minutes. Jordan Clarkson, who
tweeted six hours ago out always love right done. Jordan

(05:13):
Clarkson out. According to Shams, he will sign with the
Knicks after he clears free agency waivers. So there we go.
Like I said the end of last week, after what
happened in the East, the Knicks are not gonna go
crazy making additions that. You know, if this was a
year of hey, Boston was healthy going into next year
and they were gonna be back, but they're not. Right,
you're there already. They're already dismantling their team and Jason

(05:35):
Tatum's out for most, if not all, of the year.
Uh okay, don't have to worry about that. The Pacers
who were gonna be the team, Hey, we had a
tough time getting past them in the last two years. Now,
no Halliburton for likely this year. The Knicks are gonna
take the let's just supplement around what we have and
a new head coach, shake and then see what happens
like that's gonna be the I said the beginning. They're

(05:56):
gonna do something bold. Karl Anthony Towns is gone. But
the way the the offseason has gone in the East,
with two big powers now either reloading or hitting pause
for a majority of the season, the Knicks are gonna
walk into next year say we're the favorites in the conference.
I mean, clearly, who else is the fan? The Knicks
made it the furthest in the playoffs, and they're the healthiest, right,
so they're gonna be the favorites over Cleveland, be the

(06:17):
favorites over Boston, the favorites over Indiana. They're gonna go Okay,
we're not gonna look, we don't need to go crazy,
but we need a new head coach. We need more depth,
and that's what's gonna help us. That's what the Knicks
are gonna do. It's gonna be moves like this with Clarkson. Yeah,
as you said it right now. Okay, see Denver makes
a big move today. We'll get into that as the
show develops. Knicks are currently third at nine to one,

(06:39):
tied with Houston, making more moves, making more waves, taking
away viable options from the Lakers because of someone opting
in for the full freight. But we'll get into that
as we go. Then you have the Cleveland Cavaliers coming
in at plus nine fifty, followed by the Orlando Magic
and the resurgent, resplendent Los Angeles Clippers. So, uh, look

(07:04):
all this stuff today. This is what I love about
about today is that so far today has been owned
by the teams that we didn't spend a lot of
time talking about, kind of the mid major NBA teams,
right Houston, Oh, that's great you talked about you know,
it's great, Atlanta, you know, I mean, these are the
teams that are that are making ball. Okay, I get
the Clippers. It's nice. Hey, it's it's a first day.

(07:25):
And look, the biggest trade obviously was the Michael Porter
junior deal with with the Nuggets and the Nets. But
so far today, in the last couple of days, hey,
it's been the the mid major, the mid major NBA teams. Hey,
you know we're gonna be good too again. One day,
We're gonna we're gonna make trying to make some noise. Absolutely,
you know, you get out of the television, uh cycle
and and certainly you just watched what folks would have

(07:48):
considered a couple of mid majors play for the title.
That seems like a month ago. By the way, it's
been a week. Yeah, it's a long time ago. It's
like one did the big Yeah that was that was
a week. Add all the draft stuff, He's Bailey stuff,
the Cooper flag analysis, Lebron and his statement and whatever
talking tough, all of that stuff, and it just seems

(08:09):
like a lifetime ago. The parade that everybody made fun of.
There were a lot of people there, but it's almost
like it never happened. We didn't get any good soundbites.
Nobody went wild, nobody went Mark Madson or gave us
anything to jump off that. So it just seems distant
in the rear view, and we're already talking about the NFL.
But I do have two big bull predictions for you
coming off that we saw so far today. Okay, and

(08:30):
again we'll get to we'll get to some of the
big moves. But a couple of the teams that have
really owned well, you know today the last couple of
days in free agency, the Mavericks who went out today
and got D'Angelo Russell to kind of hold the fort
until Kyrie comes back. Right, great move. Two years, thirteen million.
He'll be someone who will start until Kyrie gets back,

(08:52):
then probably come off the bench and maybe he's a
great bench player for the rest of whatever whatever he
how he ends this year. And the Mavericks and the Magic. Right,
Magic made a big move today as well. Uh, these
are two teams I will tell you right now. They
will finish top three in each of their conferences next year.

(09:14):
The Mavericks. The Mavericks are deep, right, The Mavericks are deep.
They adding Cooper Flag, right, They're deep in in the
front court. This is a team that's ready to make
that leap ad Being healthy is always a thing, but
Cooper Flag coming in, Okay, I think you feel alright
with that. They're dynamic enough, they're deep enough. They kind
of look like a little bit like the Pacers. They're

(09:34):
going to be a top three team in the West,
and the Magic will be a top three team in
the East. Everything they have done like that, They've built
just like the just like the Rockets and the Thunder
had the last three years of Okay, we're out of
the spotlight. We got some really high draft picks, wait
a couple of years for them to succeed, and they are,
and getting Baine to come in, who's going to bring
them attitude in a three point threat like those two

(09:55):
teams have really been the ones say okay, we have
a pretty good base, even though you might not agree
with it, and we're kind of off the radar because
obviously the Mavericks have been just taking in the teeth
after the Luca trade, but they've gotten better and the
Magic have gotten better, and so you know who's gonna
be those teams next year? Like the Thunder, like the Rockets,
and suddenly, wait a minute, these teams are really good.
They're top three. Those are my two big teams to

(10:17):
finish top three in each of the in each conference.
You got the Mavericks in the West, and I know
it's Nico Harrison loves me. Now he love you. Gonna
come hat too, And he never hated me, Harris, never
hate me, never hated me. Come on. The only thing
we ever said was, hey, why are you taking Why
you have Michael Finley taking the beer out of Luca's
hand and lock it? They don't need that, and and
the Magic clearly are that team. That can leap up.

(10:39):
There are five hundred this year, and with the injuries
in the East, you're gonna see the Pacers come back
to Earth a little bit. You're gonna see the Celtics
come back a bit. So there's that opening there. Look,
the Hawks got better too, But how much am I
really believing in the Hawks? And what the so? But
those two teams they're the ones I like the most.
Celtics just picked up Luca Garz on a two year,

(10:59):
five point five million dollar deal, Gohawks and celebrate all
those big, ten big men you know that lumber around
a bit. But I'll give you the magic. I can
get on board that because you do have an Eastern
conference with replete with questions, because we still have that
that giant, dangling, dangling participle of all of this, of
the ifans and butts of Jannis and Tennakupo. Is he

(11:22):
gonna be a buck? Or is he eventually going to
relieve the spurs of one of those point guards and
some of the roster depth that they've got and come
back the other way. Right now, it doesn't seem like
a market, but you know, things change, the world changes.
My my daughter at her the place she she works at,
you know, as a as a caretaker. Made them watch

(11:46):
Draft Day the other day. Oh nice, So we lay
in a different world. Now. She's using that casually in conversations.
I kind of dig that, Sonny Weaver for the win,
I'm gonna go against the Maveriage. We like that move.
So that's why Nico would have loved us in the moment.
And I'm intrigued by them But it's also relying on
all of them somehow to stay healthy. And I don't

(12:07):
know that there's enough Kyrie Irving, you know, stage to
take around that though. The NBA now is about having
strategic injuries. About that, it's not about just staying healthy.
It's knowing that, Okay, there's going to be injuries, but
strategically they have to happen. Well, you missed two weeks.

(12:28):
Here is out for the first half of this season. Okay,
he comes back for the second half. He's going to
hit the playoffs, not running on empty like most guys
in their early to mid thirties do. Right, If Ad
gets hurt in the middle of the season and his
month or five weeks that he misses is in the middle, Okay,
it's great. It's about getting injured strategical like this is

(12:51):
how teams can do that. Like I said, I like
your your premise in theory. This is one of the
jacent strategic injuries. Just think about that. We should they're
gonna happen. You gotta hope they don't happen in the
middle of the NBA Finals, Claire, in the middle of
the second round of the playoffs, right, you got you
can't have these injuries happen when boy, we're right about

(13:12):
to do something really good. Why can't we have this?
Why couldn't this have happened like in the middle of January? Right,
So you're back in February, the All Star breaking Now
we're rolling injury roster depth is incredible, no question about it.
And that's not even putting a lot on Cooper Flag's plate.

Speaker 2 (13:28):
Right.

Speaker 1 (13:28):
So many that want to say he's gonna come and
take in the world by storm. I don't think he
has to, and I don't think he will. But that's
a whole other thing for another time. But the West
is that crowded, uh, and that it'll be a mess.
So I'm gonna take him out of the top three.
But I love THEO hates you, Nico, He's never gonna
he's not gonna call. Just so you know, this segment

(13:50):
will self destruct as soon as Yanna signs with the Lakers.
A uh, just hang on a second with Giannis, just
hang on a second. His post Okay, yeah, I know,
I see. I run right through it. Like he just
put a post on social media saying, yeah, like I've underachieved.
Why else would he be selling all this stuff if
he's moving. I don't think he's selling all that. I

(14:15):
think he's just showing you all the stuff that he
has won throughout his credit. I don't think I can
go on Players Trunk and find hey I can get
I'm getting defensive. See you can go for the MVP.
I'm gonna go for the lesser one. Sun Grow. He's
selling all this stuff so we can move to Los Angeles.

(14:37):
I've already been on half of it. Okay, good good,
good man good exit. How about a Fresca exit swollen
dome that Jasons show with Mike Harmon live from the
Fox Sports Radio studios. What else he's posting all the
stuff to listen, I come out, I gotta travel light,
I gotta go bag and I'm ready. Call me, Rob Polinka,
call me.

Speaker 3 (14:58):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (14:59):
We got more on the NBA coming up again. We're
probably gonna get breaking news like Jordan Clark's in the
Knicks all night. We'll get to some of the other
big moves. But oh, by the way, how about the
biggest trade today in the NFL? What does this mean
for the Stealers, the Dolphins and more? Yeah, that's coming
up next right here, Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radios.

(15:19):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 3 (15:29):
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Would mean a lot to have you join us on
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Speaker 1 (15:43):
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Speaker 3 (15:45):
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Speaker 1 (15:59):
Fox Sports, the Jason Smith Show with my best friend
Mike Harmon. Here. For over forty years, tire CK's been
helping customers find the right tires for how, what and
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tire ac dot com. He is the way tire buying
should be. Big trade going down in the NFL today

(16:25):
the Steelers and the Dolphins rearrange it make bold moves
trade which we thought was coming for a while because
we first heard. Look, the Dolphins didn't want to pay
John hu Smith money. He's a top four tight end
last year, but they for some reason, despite the fact
they don't have a tight end on the rotster they
can't catch a bass. I know we're gonna trade John

(16:45):
Hu Smith. Steelers were interested and then the story kind
of went away. It didn't look like it was gonna happen.
John Whu Smith would love to be back with Arthur
Smith's former OC. It worked, but okay, sometimes trades happen,
sometimes they don't until today where the deal got augmented
where all pros are now going back to make this
thing happen. Jalen Ramsey and John hus Smith's to the

(17:07):
Steelers in exchange for Mika Fitzpatrick and a pick swap,
which is a seventh and fifth round pick, so basically
you're getting a late round pick, Miga Fitzpatrick, Jalen Ramsey
and JOHNU. Smith. Okay, now this is this is where
I look at this and I go, okay, Yeah, the
Dolphins without saying the quiet part out loud, they are

(17:28):
tanking and rebuilding, right, because you want to look at
the definition of Okay, here's Ramsey and Fitzpatrick, right, both
all pro players. Ramsey's a cornerback, which is a much
more value position, but he is two and a half
years older than Micka Fitzpatrick. So okay, that's kind of
a wash, I would say. But now here's John H.
Smith is thrown in the deal, and it's a guy that, hey,

(17:50):
he's a really good tight end and he could wind
up being the number two option for the Steelers, so
fantasy wise, John Smith, but you know this is a move,
So okay, So now the Dolphins have traded away a
guy who would be their starting coin of the better
starting quarterbacks in the NFL. They got back in All
Pro safety. Okay, that's great, but now they lost a

(18:10):
tight end, and now they go to go after a
tight end. Now they can't get any because supposedly they're
engaged with other teams. I would call the Raiders for
Mike Mayer. There's other guys who could be available, other
tight ends who could be there. Cole Comet, I'm sure
would be available as well. So it's not like they
can't get somebody. But it's like, what are they really doing? Right?
They're shedding salary, right, they didn't want to pay John
hus Smith. So I look at the Dolphins and go, wow,

(18:32):
they have gone in a year from we could be
the next great power in the in the AFC two,
we are tanking for this season, because that's what's everything,
what this looks like. Right, they look like a team that, Okay,
we don't want to spend money and we want to
get younger. And how does this jibe with a team
that was young and fast, right, Like, all your best
position players are young, you could still augment this team

(18:55):
and still instead it feels like we're just dumping and
we are tanking on this season Yeah, it seem like
you be pushing to get back into the mix, trying
to recover from a down season for waddle get Tyreek
Hill who didn't get traded, right, a lot of rumors
about him and whether and that doesn't mean that it
still can't happen, right, it's still uh, several weeks before
we get to training camp. Uh. And we've certainly seen

(19:17):
guys go in season. But all of that to say,
you got most mostly a healthy season out of Tua.
Yet you're not pushing forward. And Mike McDaniel's a guy
offside it as being on the hot seat that the
you know, shiny new toy with the all the innovations
and everything he was gonna do to set the world
a blaze offensively have caught up. And now you're looking

(19:38):
at them chasing the new look Patriots, let alone the
other teams in the you know it just it just
doesn't tell them light Jets territory. Of course, Look, at
least I know the Jets have a plan, right, at
least I know they saw a plan. Right, Well, that's
the way, did you see a plan? It always just
happens like you see that justin fields stat that was

(19:59):
going around. Wait a second, you really don't think that's
planned the Jets. That just happens. They don't need to miss.
They just collect though you don't need the way that
could just happen. There's a game plant. Come on, man,
to miss the playoffs for twelve or thirteen years, you
think that got to be that did not? That just happens.
To the excellence of execution, just happens. At this point,
Justin Fields get this has led his team to an

(20:21):
own twenty two record when opponents have scored at least
twenty one points. Yeah, yeah, that's it. Well, I think
the more points you give a team the opposition, the
less wins you're gonna lead your team to. But yeah,
but look, but I know, but that's just twenty one.
That's what I know. But at least I know the
Jets plan is to Okay, we're gonna run the football
a lot. We're gonna Justin Fields, he's gonna throw it
a bit, right, but he's gonna run. He's gonna run

(20:41):
for a thousand yards. And the Jets are gonna try
this year. The Jets are gonna try to win Game six,
sixteen thirty, right, that's I get that that's the plan, right,
I can't. I don't love the plan, but at least
I get the plan, right. I understand it. I digested it.
I like that line. I may have thrown up in
my mouth a little bit, but it mostly stayed down.

(21:02):
I think it's Joe Versus the Volcano with Dan Hidayah
is in it. And he keeps in the very beginning
of the movie, he's on a phone call. He keeps saying,
I know we can get the job. Can he do
the job? I never said that. That's not what I said.
I know he can get the job. Can he do
the job? I didn't say that, I know we can
get that, he keeps saying. I'm like, I'm not saying
I like the plan, but I get the plan. I understand.

(21:24):
I don't like the plan. I don't know what the
Dolphins plan is. I don't know. They don't seem like
they have a blueprint except let's just do stuff every
couple of months because we're gonna be reactionary. Like that's
the Dolphins plan. Hey, after going going to the off
seat and McDaniel gets hired, Hey, his offensive system coming in,
We're gonna get really fast. We're gonna be fast everywhere

(21:46):
Tyreek Hill a chan. Watch Watch how good we are? Right? Watch?
How do we are? Wattle? We're gonna be really really good?
And then over a year it's oh, maybe it's not
that good. Maybe two is not the guy, maybe he's
not gonna be healthy. Okay, we have to do something
else because now we suddenly can't win. But now the
off season comes and what have they done. They've gotten

(22:07):
rid of every one of their captains from last year.
All four captains are gone, right, all four caps. So
now two is gonna be more of a leader. But wait,
I thought to be in the middle of last year.
You're worried about too. Is he gonna be healthier? But
now Tua is gonna be one of your leaders. Okay,
So if he's one of your leaders and you're young,
let's build for now because you can win now. No
no no, instead of winning, no no, we're gonna win
to try to build for the future. Okay, why are

(22:28):
you doing that? Why are you trading away two players
that would help you big time? Not to mina Fitzpatrick's
not gonna help. But he's a safety. Okay, he's a safety.
I'd love having all pro safeties. That's great. I'd love
having great safety, but I'd rather have an all pro
cornerback and an all pro tight end, right, but instead, no, okay,
so now we're we're gonna get rid of that. But wait, okay,
so which way are we going? Like I don't know.

(22:50):
The Dolphins. You must come to they must come to
work every day and go, okay, you know it's scrab
we're gonna we're gonna plan it that, We're gonna plan
things differently. Like I always said, McDaniel looks like one
of those young tech geniuses from from one of those
new companies that all of a sudden like comes out
with new with new plans and and and all sorts
of of creative slogans. And you know, you go to
the office and it's ping pong tables and and video

(23:12):
games and and everybody's on a scooter and nobody has windows,
nobody has a partitions up at their desk, a big
open floor plan, and there's someone making machiato's for free.
Like that's what I feel like. That that that's that's
that's uh, that's McDaniel. You're describing my late twenties and
early thirties before I left Yard. I feel like it's
like Google, right, Like that's a that was Silicon Valley,
that was the blueprint. But then they floor plan for everybody.

(23:34):
But they come in and go, hey, Crypto crashed, so
we got to change. We're we're gonna pivot right now,
We're gonna put but this is our third pivot in
the last month. Yeah, we're pivoting. Like I feel like
the Dolphins are on a perpetual pivot and I don't
know what they're and for this team to be run
this way, I'm like, they have a mass so much talent, right,
they seem to they seem to buy into McDaniel's philosophy, right,
they seem to buy what But then you get guys

(23:54):
like Raheem Moster who tweets out today how you know
how how you know John new Smith was treated by
the Dolphins because he felt he was treated the same
way on his way out, because you know, he's not
there anymore after having a couple of great years in
McDaniel's offense. I just I really, I mean, of all
the teams in the NFL, and this is saying something
of all the teams and even the Cowboys, I can

(24:14):
understand more. Again, I don't agree with it, but I
can understand it. The Dolphins of the team I understand
the absolute least, because I really I want to be
the answer guy. I want to be able to tell
you I got this, I got I got it, I
got I got it. But once in a great while,
there's that great white whale that escapes you that call
me Ishmiel, and all of a sudden, it's like the Dolphins.
I'm sorry, I just can't tell you what they're doing.

(24:35):
I don't know that they know. I don't they know
what their plan is. I wouldn't be surprised that a
completely different quarterback next year, hey two is not going
to work and he's hurt, and he's hurt again, I know,
and we're going a completely different direction. Like that's that's
why I see the Dolphins. So I can't if they
don't have a plan, I can't tell you what their
plan is. I know we can get the job. Can
he do that? If I can't tell you their plan,
I don't think they have a plan, So I can't

(24:56):
tell you what's gonna happen. No, it's the curiosity, right
of what do you value at this point, and have
you decided to take the keys away from McDaniel to
some degree because it was all about speed and efficiently
that's part of the raheem mostered appeal. Now he goes
and he's part of a crowded backfield with the Raiders,
and we'll see how that flows. You talk about Mayor

(25:17):
and him being the guy behind Bowers just a couple
of years removed from being a top pick would be
a nice cheap option and to bring in you know,
you mentioned Cole Comet. He's still in the middle of
a four year, fifty million dollar deal, so his per
annum is one one million less than what Johnny Smith
just signed the one year deal with the Steelers for. So,

(25:40):
you know, trying to figure out exactly where the gap
was in trying to retain him or whether they were
bothering it all to your point of whether you just
strip it down to studs and begin to build again.
But for Tua Tonguevai Looa, we've talked about him and
Trevor Lawrence and a number of the quarterbacks that we
want them for a couple of years. Are we convinced

(26:02):
they are the guy? Well, no, we're not. And by
any way, anyway, stretch up on they They've had a
couple of good games here and there and had glimpses
flashes as you call them, but consistently putting up numbers. Yeah,
the final stat line could look great, you know, the
touchdown to interception rate and whatever. There's plenty of ways

(26:22):
we've watched guys manipulate that for years, like did he
have a really good year? No, because they weren't a threat.
They weren't they were threats to win. It was a
nice box score reading for some of these guys, and
for this Miami squad again built on speed to try
to use that as an advantage against defenses that have

(26:43):
been built maybe for the old era of the NFL
in the AFC's guess what, they've all caught up. Yeah,
so that advantage of advantage is lost. But your ability
to pivot quickly is obviously important. But I don't know
that the this deal does it make you? This makes
you that much worse. I understand. Here's what we're gonna do.

(27:05):
We're gonna move it, but we're gonna go get another
tight end at some point somewhere that's not as good
as John hus Smith. I really I don't get it,
and and the part of it is and look like
I said, this is a league that has the Jets
and the Cowboys and the Raiders, and I can't understand
what the Dolphins are doing. Jason, it's so awkwill fake spike. Yes, yes,
going all the way best. I'm gone over it. It's

(27:26):
been a long time. He still out there. I've had
some time to get over that. He wakes up with,
I'm still I'm still with the fail Mary. I'm still
I'm still kind of with the fail Mary or something
I'm not on. Yeah, no, it was, but it was.
It was also the first one. Okay, you know what
the laugh on blankety. Oh by the way, do you

(27:46):
know who the defensive back was that that was on
that the only guy on the field that saw the fit.
That's why it was such a tough pass to compete
because he was on Aaron Glen was the dB on
him on that play, and he was the only guy
in the Jets defense that knew the play was coming.
He was just too far off and didn't get their help. Coach.
He was the only guy. So justin what he's saying

(28:07):
is they won't be fooled by that one. This year
he was the only sideration at the get you're not
being no no Mike on them every time they get
a team gets inside the ten yard like Eric Glenn
yelling out, what's a fake spike? What the fakes? Fag
just holding up a damn Marino fat head? Host coach
doing didn't mean back in nineteen ninety one. Come on,

(28:28):
it was thirty five years ago. Coach really getting a
lot of mileage out of that Marino fat head on
the sideline follies all the time, right, all the time
they showed it on the follies. Don't get caught with it.
Don't get caught How often has he used that as
the I didn't get fooled? But so one of his
interview process, why these people got like watch the fake spike,

(28:51):
like you know, people have the the Mandela effect of
the fake spike, like it was just a fixed bike
ever and Ingram is wide opening the end zone. But
he had to kind of bullet it into the side
because because Glenn was cla he knew what was going on,
the rest of the jets just stood around like him. Yeah, okay,
by the way, just think about this. They were fake
spiking and there was like thirty eight seconds left on
the clock like that. That seems so ridiculous now, but

(29:13):
it's all hiking with thirty eight surprise. You could get
six plays in thirty eight seconds in the NFL. If
he knew the play and he wasn't able to stop it,
You're not he was, hey, sound like he knew going
in Like he wasn't Tom Brady, he knew the plays
ahead of time. No, he could tell that it was
a fake spike and he stayed with the receiver. He
still was slow. Yeah, it was okay. See now he's
gonna drag. Can't play defense? You want on eleven in

(29:34):
the NFL, I want to go crush something out of Buffalo,
just to take down everybody has excuse making for the
hapless Jets. Yeah, you know they were cheating the bill
that guy did that Bills had all the plays too,
just you just don't know about it. The Bills had
all the players. Marv Levy was no question about it.
Had all the killed you with kindness and what was
going on behind such a nice guy. Even even that

(29:57):
NFL Films thing of Marv Levy where he goes, hey,
you over a fish jerk? Hey, you jerk, You're like
whoa and he turns fright his odd. I'm just kidding.
I went to college with the guy. I went to
college with him. Over over officious time out to find
out what's trending in the wide world of sports. Man
has been called the Marv Levy of Fox Sports Radio.
He's really nice. You should see what he says in

(30:17):
the hallways. It's Steve Disager. I thought, it's because I've
been to the finals four.

Speaker 4 (30:21):
Times, four straight years. Can we just accentuate the positive
here people. NBA free agent negotiations started tonight. Official signings
can't happen until Sunday. By the way, the Las Vegas
Summer League starts July tenth. The new salary cap in
the NBA is set at about one hundred and fifty
five million dollars per team. The minimum team salary is
about one hundred and forty mil. Utah is finalizing a

(30:43):
buy out of Jordan Clarkson. He's due to sign with
New York this week. Utah wave Johnny jusaing Denver traded
Michael Porter and a first rounder to the Nets for
Cam Johnson and the Nuggets signed Bruce Brown to the
veterans minimum. Milwaukee resigned Kevin Porter junior. Chicago resigned Trade Jones.
Detroit re signed Paul Reid and got Kris LeVert. Minnesota

(31:04):
re signed veteran Joe Ingles. Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams, who
just averaged twenty one points per game. We'll have wrist surgery.
The Memphis Grizzlies are giving Jaron Jackson a MAX extension
four years plus a player option, potentially where two hundred
and forty million dollars. The team first needs to clear
enough cap space for that deal. Memphis is resigning center
Santi Aldama and signing guard Ty Jerome. Dorian Finney Smith

(31:27):
leaves the Lakers for Houston and a four year contract.
The Lakers signed Jake Laavia from Sacramento and the Kings
are signing Dennis Shrewder Houston.

Speaker 1 (31:36):
The Lakers signed Jakelmatta the Raging Pole. Wow stop him, Okay,
he's raging.

Speaker 4 (31:42):
I'm not sure about okay, all right, anything else?

Speaker 1 (31:45):
I mean, little old, little old, but I didn't think
it'll be pretty good that would be a Lakers signing.

Speaker 4 (31:49):
He's currently ninety five years old, but he comes in
under the cap, so Hey he takes up space. Houston
is signing center Click Capella three years worth over twenty
million dollars guaranteed. Kevon Looney left Golden State for New Orleans.
Guardian Angelo Russell agreed to a deal with Dallas. The
Clippers are signing Brook Lopez and resigned Nicholas Patoom. Milwaukee

(32:11):
resign Torrean Prince. The Spurs gave center Luke Cornetta four
year contract. Boston is getting center Luca Garza and Nikiel
Alexander Walker goes to Atlanta four years sixty two million dollars,
while the Hawks get Luke canard As for Tias Jones,
the guard goes to Orlando. Center Mason Plumley to Charlotte.
The WNBA is off. The Steelers acquired All Pro defensive

(32:33):
back Jalen Ramsey from the Dolphins. In late night baseball,
the Orioles are tied at Texas three to three. In
the top of the ninth, there's a game on FS
one from Arizona. The Diamondbacks, who've lost four straight, are
leading the Giants one nothing. In the top of the fifth,
Kansas City tied one one at Seattle. Bottom of the fourth.
By the way, there were at least three team shutouts

(32:53):
on each of the last five days, the longest such
streak in Major league history. We've had two shutouts so far. Tonight,
Pittsburgh seven nothing over Saint Louis. Philadelphia beat the Padres
four nothing, winning pitcher Zach Wheeler eight and three win
eight innings with ten strikeouts, no walks. The Phillies first
in the NL East, now two games over the idol Mets,
who've lost three straight and lost thirteen of their last

(33:15):
sixteen games. The Pirates win was their fourth in a row,
beating at Saint Louis team that had only been two
and a half back at the idle Cubs.

Speaker 1 (33:23):
All of a sudden. Pittsburgh's not bad all of a sudden. Yeah,
Pittsburgh's pretty good. One weekend like that.

Speaker 4 (33:29):
It was I think since the nineteen thirty since they'd
beate an opponent all weekend by at.

Speaker 1 (33:34):
Least seven runs every game until that happened this week.

Speaker 4 (33:37):
I don't know who they were playing, but it did
happen with Potwbergh.

Speaker 1 (33:40):
I'll find it. I'll find it.

Speaker 4 (33:42):
Will take a lot of research. Boston beat the Cincinnati
thirteen to six Red Sox with seven runs in the
first Toronto beat the Yankees five four, and the A's
with two in the top of the ninth win at
Tampa Bay six to four. And by the way, happy
Max Schurzer day as he started in Toronto.

Speaker 1 (33:57):
Tonight back to you, Thank you, Steve, the Jason Smicher
with Mike and coming up next, we got the play
of the day and the one big move in the
NBA so far. I just can't understand how this guy
keeps getting paid. That's next, Jason to Mike Fox. Be
sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show

(34:18):
with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific,
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon. Yeah, time for the Play of the Day.
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(34:41):
mobile tire installation tirerack dot Com. He is the way
tire buying should be. But when you pitch this well
and you shut out another team you get to be
the play of the day.

Speaker 2 (34:53):
Wheels is ready to go, looks back at second swag
gonna miss.

Speaker 1 (34:57):
He got him.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
Not only does he have eight shut out hittings, but
he reaches double digits and strikeouts and doing so. Yeah,
that's a night time. The set offs of fireworks. What
a spectacular outing by Zach.

Speaker 1 (35:13):
That's a lot. How does that make you for you
don't know that that's cacular. I don't know that that's
a proportional Uh, fireworks for what we saw there. I
don't know. It wasn't a no hitter, It wasn't. I mean,
that's a lot of fireworks for you know. Okay, Yeah,
Zach Wheeler had a good spectacular Phillies TV on the call. Yes, yes,
I did hear tacular. Yeah, spectacular, spectacular. Yeah. But in

(35:35):
a day and age where we don't get many guys
pitching past the sixth, I think you get fireworks as
soon as you get one out in the seventh. Oh okay,
all right, you give him nine runs? All right, as
long as you're not Keith k Hernandez coming in to
pitch and you're the running joke here, Jason, you know
who could have used them this weekend, let me mass
met the Mets. Here's the thing. Here's the thing about

(35:57):
the Mets. Okay, going back to the world in twenty fifteen. Okay,
think about all the guys they had, right, all the
starting pitchers that were supposed to dominate baseball for the
next ten years. Matt Harvey, Jacob de Gram, Steven mattz Right,
Noah cinder Guard, Zach Wheeler. I believe there's any kind
of mocking you in an open about those. Those were

(36:20):
all the guy they were going to dominate baseball, right,
the Mets decided we're gonna keep every single one of
them way too long. But the one guy we're gonna
let go is Zach Wheeler eight and three, ten strikeouts
today in his eight innings of work. CRA's down. I mean,
wait two seven, he was spectacular. De Gram is having
a good year and finally he's back. But I mean,

(36:41):
the guy's not been healthy, he's been out for so long.
But no, no, the Mets stuck with all those other guys
that Matt Harvey was never good again. Steven match is
still you know, hanging on in in uh in baseball.
Cinder Guard just got signed by White All these other guys,
the one guy that say, if you had just kept him,
why didn't just keep him too? No, no, no, we
got to get rid of the okay, and he's had
the best career. He's now up to sixty three career wins. Yeah, no,

(37:05):
that's great, Phils, Yeah, that's great. That's great. That's good. Now,
as we are on day one of NBA free agency,
we'll have more an NBA free agency coming up in
about ten minutes when it comes to the biggest domino
in NBA free agency, But James Harden is staying a Clipper,
not going back for one year thirty five million, going

(37:25):
back to the Clippers now for two years and eighty
one million dollars. He has been in absolute basketball business genius. Right,
we say this about a lot of players has been.
He has found a way to get to the last
year of his contract and find a way to have
a good enough year where hey, I'm gonna now get
more money for the next two years. And he gets

(37:48):
it and he finds a way. Even though James Harden
did have a better year last year that I thought
he was going to have, right, he's no longer the
big dynamic thirty points score. He was, but he's still
someone who can be at the top of the of
the stats with assists. Right, he's we had a good
year last year. Didn't think he could have that kind
of year, but he has found a way. When it's
turned into a contract type yere, Hey, I'll give you

(38:08):
just enough for you to think that I'm great, and
here's two more years. He's better than Snell and you
know yeah, oh no, no, I'm not saying I'm not
saying he's no good. But what I'm saying is that
James Harden at this point in his career, is not
worth the money that you're paying him. What he is
taking up of your salary cap. He's not worth forty
one million dollars for you for this year, Lebron. James

(38:31):
is not worth fifty million dollars, right, just talking about
a third of the salary cap. You're not going anywhere
with James Harden. Okay, I know this because why he's
not taking a team anywhere since he was with the Rockets,
and the same thing that happened with the Rockets happens now,
except he's not quite as dominant the player. He's really
good in the regular season but in the playoff, what happens.

(38:52):
He gets tired at the end of games, he can't
give you what he normally gives you, and his team
goes out. You can't build around thirty five year old guys, right,
I mean, we've seen this. It's not the James Harden stinks.
It's not that he's terrible, but you have seen in
the NBA if you try to build around guys in
their mid thirties, you're not going to win. I don't
care if it's Kevin durant Oka, you're not gonna win
because they don't have anything left in the playoffs and

(39:14):
when the when the defense gets a little bit bigger,
a little more of an uptick, look what happens. Look
what happened hard in game seven, seven points. I mean,
come on, man, you can't have he had two really
good games in the first round series, three bad ones
and one okay game. You can't have that from a
guy you're paying forty one million dollars to. He's not
worth that money. What he takes up of your salary
cap Well, because it's funny because they while they make

(39:34):
that move, the Brook Lopez addition is actually pretty solid
for what they're going to pay him to pair up
with a Zubach. So you had your help there, So
I guess dollar cost averaging you win? Can I Can
I argue it that way? Not when one not when
one guy is taking up so much. No, no, no, I

(39:55):
know you're not. I just threw it up as word
as I wanted to see your brains. You you're still throwing.
We're still gonna build around Kawhi. We're still gonna Steve
Balmer is still no. I'm gonna do it for year
twelve in a row. We're gonna go through with Kawhi.
Is gonna be Kawhi and and Harden are gonna do
it o Kawhi and Paul George couldn't do like. I
know how it's gonna end for the Clippers. They'll win

(40:15):
forty five to fifty games. They'll lose in the first
round of the players. That's how it's gonna go. What's
the ancillary uh support staff look like? Because they played
well in stretches, right, but then you have to lean
on Harden at the end, and well we all saw
how that went. Exit ab out a Fresco exit swallow?
Do you congratulations? Keep getting paid I don't know how
he keeps getting paid. That wizard coming up next? What
is next for Lebron James now that he's returning to

(40:39):
the Lakers. In theory, Lucas couch eight seven seven night
and I'm hanging out or they're you know, just dieting together,
you know whatever. It is, just eating vegetables. Yeah, that's
all we're doing. Look how Lucas carrots hanging out together.
But I feel like, okay, snap, I get it that
you know, in the NBA world, this has been a

(41:01):
really really big day in NBA. Okay, free AME's first day.
But you said, don't sit here and tell me what
an unbelievable day it's gonna be. I'm like, okay, you're
you're talking about deals that don't have the cross entirely
cross country promotional. You're not talking about superstars that are changing,
but they are changing teams. We're talking about moves that
that teams have made that hey, this can vault them up.

(41:24):
That's really what it is. But i mean, come on,
Michael Porter Junior is the biggest name, you know. Don't
don't sit here tell me what an unbelievab day it's
gonna be. Okay, I get it, but I think you
know what the world of the NBA versus what it
is to everybody, that that's two different things, right. It's
it's kind of we're kind of not quite seeing what
we've been promised over and now it could change. Giannis
could go to the Knicks, you know, any minute now,

(41:45):
Jannis and Doc could wind up go to the Knicks
as a package deal. Ho don't we go together? Not
at all that could act. But so far, I'm like, okay,
this is this has been a day for the big
NBA fan who was watching what his team is doing
and seeing, hey, is this gonna make us better? Like
there's there's that kind of appeal, but the whole Hey,
you know, Kevin Durant, even though the guy's thirty seven

(42:06):
and I don't know what he's gonna have left, He
hasn't led a team. He's a guy getting paid a
lot of money for for what he's gonna take it
for the salary cap. He's always been that guy. But
he's a big name that everybody cares about. Like, Yeah,
I'm like, okay, you got if you're gonna tell me
a night's gonna be big, you gotta you gotta you
gotta give me some big names. You're gonna wind up
moving places. Not that Hey, this is happening. And oh,
by the way, the Knicks are getting Jordan Clarkson. No,

(42:27):
you know, I I love that move, and I'm like, okay,
I get it. I like that move. But okay, you
know this isn't KD. It's not Giannis, it's not it's
not Embiid, it's not any it's not anything else. It's okay, yeah,
not even the big marquee teams. It's not even the
Lakers or the Knicks, the sub It's okay. Well, we've
got the Hawks, make big moves Hawks and the magic

(42:49):
right in the Rockets. Sure, with their new front office
made a bit, made that big trade in the Brooklyn Nets.
I mean we we did technically land in New York
one of these, right, yeah, all it up. I mean,
he got a lot of money changing hands, and that's
all finding good. But for Shams, Chams Shams right now,

(43:12):
his whole thing is that he's got to uh, he's
p T. Barnum. He's got to go in there and
sell sell. Everybody else's been vanquished. Wendy's kind of been
neutered and all this ever since Lebron kind of you know,
sunned him with the you know, like we're best friends thing.
All that guy did was give you love and adoration

(43:33):
and headlines that were just glowing for years. Now, Shams
is that guy. Sharania is now the torch carrier for
Lebron James Enterprises and Rich Paul and Clutch Sports. I
get it, it's all there, but it's it's all on him,
and he's got to try to sell it as best
he can. The groundbreaking move might come through on this

(43:55):
next text message I got. Oh, no, it's someone asking
me to vote in a local election. Damn it. No,
I thought it was going to be the big one.
Hello and welcome to movie pote set. Now. Speaking of
guys taking up too much money from the salary cap
team salary cap, Lebron James over the weekend decided to
opt in to his fifty two million dollar option with

(44:17):
the Lakers for this year. Part of this announcement was
that he is also going to be watching to make
sure the Lakers make moves to stay competitive. He understands
the Lakers are going I know, I'm trying to do
this with a straight faith. It's very difficult. It's very difficult.
You know, I understand the Lakers. They was hand picked Towel,

(44:38):
he was handpicked that he understands the Lakers are going
in a direction where it's you know, behind Luca, that
they're building around him. But you know, I still want
to win and be competitive and all this stuff, and
I'm watching the Lakers to see like the threat of
him demanding a trade is actually going to happen. Okay,

(44:59):
let me tightly strip all the way. Here's what Lebron
is doing because this whole I'm watching the Lakers to
see what they do. It is what I call a loak,
which is a load of crap. This is a load
of crap and simply a spin by Lebron and Clutch
Sports to make it seem like Lebron is still controlling
the narrative with the Lakers.

Speaker 2 (45:19):
Right.

Speaker 1 (45:20):
He did for a long time, right did for a
long time. The zenith of Lebron's control was the Lakers say,
we can get Buddy Healed this guy. No, no, no, we
want Westbrook. I don't know, let's go get Westbrook. And
they're still up until but maybe now they's kind of
get out of it, but they were still up until
last year suffering from hey, we went out and got Westbrook. Right, Yes,

(45:41):
he used to be that guy. But when the Lakers
traded for Luca and now the team is being sold,
Lebron is being kept at shoulders length. And I told
you this is his last year with the Lakers, and
he's not gonna take less money. And again, now this
hamstrings the Lakers because Lebron, as good a player as
he is, is not worth thirty five to thirty seven

(46:01):
percent of the salary cap whatever it's gonna be. Unless
the Lakers saying, hey, we'll go over second Apron all
this fun like that's what he is. Like, he's a
really good player still, but is here he's not worth
campaign fifty two million dollars. But this is where the
Lakers are stuck with. They're stuck with each other for
this year. No one's trading for Lebron James with that
kind of salary, and that's not happening. But this will
be his last year in Los Angeles because the Lakers

(46:23):
will spend this year again. And I understand because it's
gonna be well, Luca and Lebron really only had a
couple of months. We want to get Luca in the
right place. And now Luca, every video you see of Luca,
he looks so skinny in his new short sleeve shirts
and everything else. Maybe now he's listening to the Lakers
and getting in shape. Okay, that's great, and we want
to give him a chance with Lebron to see what

(46:45):
they can do. And this is gonna be not a
free year, but a year to say, Okay, maybe we
catch lightning in a bottle and Lebron understands his basketball
mortality in La is going to be this year and
something big happens and they go fall and they surprise
a lot of people, and then maybe something changes. But
this is gonna be year or the Lakers are going
to say, Okay, what do we do over this year

(47:09):
and how do we build around Luca? What's the what
changes do we need to make next off season? Like
this offseason for the Lakers is going to be if
they can do one big thing, I'd be happy. If
they can do one big thing, I'd be happy. And
it doesn't need to be something un like Yiannis, but
if they can do one big thing and bring in
one big player, one big rim runner, one big, one

(47:29):
big player that can say, okay, this can allow us
to trade Austin Reeves if we need to whatever. If
they could do one thing, all right, that's great. But
other than that, this is gonna be a year where
it's where it's going to be. All right, how do
the next eighty two games and playoffs go? What do
we need? Behind Luca, We're gonna be have that fifty
million dollars worth. Good. Now you don't have worry about
Pandoran Phinney Smith because he opted out and now he's

(47:50):
gone to the rockets. So you're gonna have money. You're
gonna be flush with more cash next year. So that's
what's gonna happen. This is just Lebron wanting the optic
of I'm in control. Dude, you're not. You're not in control.
Don't tell me you're monitoring like the Lakers aren't tank.
You're not gonna suddenly suck that we're gonna get Cooper
flag again. We'll just call Nico for Cooper Flagg in

(48:10):
a couple of years, will tradehim.

Speaker 2 (48:11):
Do it.

Speaker 1 (48:11):
Let me be worried about like he's all he's doing
is trying to control the narrative that I'm still because
because that's been who his whole career has been about finals,
his impact on the game. But I am still the
biggest of the big dogs, right And I'm gonna try
to put this out to the Hey, I'm kind of
above the team, and I want to look and see
you're doing the right thing. If I'm Mark Walter, if

(48:34):
I'm ge but probably I'm gonna say what are you
gonna do? I'd get very public, I go, what are
you gonna do? What are you gonna do? You're gonna
opt what? What do you do? You can't you opt
it in? What are you gonna do? Sit out? What
do we go trade you? We can't trade you because
you said no, I'm gonna take fifty two million dollars
because I'm never gonna take less money. So I'm taking
fifty two million dollars. What are you gonna do? Lebron? Yeah? Again,
But what are you gonna do? That's what I would say,

(48:54):
very outline, very chesty, like I wanta fight, Hey, what
are you gonna do? What are you gonna? What do
you really? He's not gonna do anything. He's not gonna
do anything. He is here until the season ends and
the Lakers say thank you, and he's calling Cleveland saying, hey, guys,
you know I started here, I came back. We won
love to finish here. I think you guys need a
little bit of leadership, you know. I see you guys
got a lot of young, good young players. Maybe hey,

(49:16):
maybe I could finish it home. That's kind of what
I'd like to do. That's what this is all about,
Julie grit if he wants to play for no money.
I had the blessing that this statement, whatever this is
you want to call it and categorize it, came out
while I was on air doing the Fox Sports Sunday
Show and had a good laugh at it. And yeah,
it's Lebron trying to keep control when he doesn't have

(49:40):
it right. This is the ah, you broke up, Hey,
I broke up with her. Okay, it was all my idea.
It wasn't gonna work. You know, we couldn't. You couldn't
have this happen. You know, you don't want the stink
of it on you. Or it's the I'm gonna go
out on a hiking trail and you know that sign
that says, hey, be where the Mountain lion. But if
you do see one, look real big. Lebron's trying to

(50:01):
look real big here. The problem is that doesn't work
because everybody sees right through it of trying to own
the narrative that the Lakers, there's no way they can
trade you. Right, nobody's giving you fifty three million dollars
worth of assets, right if you wanted to go home
to Cleveland. Guess what to make it work? They give
up five guys like it's a burger and you know,

(50:24):
the the peanut oil fries and all of that stuff,
and go around contenders. Because that's the thing, right, still
wants to be on a contender. No contender can take
on that salary without gutting what they are and the
identity of who they are along the way. So that's one.
The other is, I'm sure he would have liked a
James Harden like deal, making sure he got every penny

(50:46):
along the way. Oh yeah, sure. You mentioned in passing
Finney Smith that guy really would have helped, right, And
I'm not a guy that's looking for any player to
really go in and give up a bunch of money. Now,
if you could stretch things out to where your perannum
makes you feel a whole, especially when you're forty two,
forty three, forty years forty four years old. To give

(51:08):
you some flexibility now, because I mentioned him before, Brook
Lopez might not be a world beater, but damnit, he
looked really good in the Laker uniform for fifteen to
twenty minutes a night. Whitney in terms of trying to
solve what you need as a big man. Instead he
goes to the Clippers at what nine million a year?
So we're talking on the periphery. Finney Smith's deal with

(51:29):
Houston was four for fifty three. They were fourteen and
six with him as a starter last year were the Lakers.
And you look at a guy defender pretty good from
outside about thirty six and change from three point range.
All of that to say is he's a guy that
could have continued to eat minutes. But if you're not
going to opt in, you know, with the negotiations, And

(51:52):
this is where Mark Walter and the new look Laker
front office in business dealings going forward is at a
hard reset for the year following kind of looks like it,
doesn't it when you wipe that fifty three million dollars
off the board and you say, all right, we're now
open for business because you can only do the when
we talk about the second apron, right, it really screws

(52:13):
you draft wise and asset wise if you do it
multiple times over a five year period. It's supposed to
be punitive to go into that space. So are you
gonna do it when Lebron's taking up fifty three million
dollars of cash space? No, you're not right. It would
just be bad business that hamstrings you down the road
to try to make him happy. So the all the

(52:34):
I'm watching you like he's de Niro and Meet the Foxers.
It's all bluster. So it's all it's all fun and
game and fugazy. But it helps him keep the narrative
and lets him sleep at night, whether he plays somewhere
else next year, whether his wife gets what she's wanted.
Screaming in the background, retire already, damn it? Yeh wait, wait, really,

(52:55):
where do you think you're It's like in the movie
where the the uh Uh, where the hero is running
and then running away and the bad guys chase them.
Going where you're gonna go, there's no way out, And
this is like Lebron is a running trying to find it.
Where you're gonna go, there's you gotta fight me in
the alley. There's no way out of this alley. You
gotta fight me. There's no way where you're gonna go,

(53:16):
where you're gonna go, there's no place to go. You're
not going anywhere. You're here, Okay, there's no influenza. It's
your last year. Enjoy it and then go back, and
then go back to playing in Cleveland. Go go back.
He could have had a lot more fun this offseason
if he'd opted out. See wants him at whatever rate
he was willing to play for. That would have been fun.
Theater