August 18, 2022 • 43 mins
Jason and Mike react to the Lakers agreeing to a two year, 98 million dollar contract extension with LeBron James, Aaron Rodgers is being passive aggressive with his receiving core, and Ric Bucher - NBA Analysts and Insider joins the guys!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with my Carmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two a m.
Eastern seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream
us live every night on the I Heart Radio app
by searching FSC. This is the best of The Jason
(00:23):
Smith Show with Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio. Greetings
and welcome inside. Happy Wednesday, The Jason Smith Show with
my returning bass friend Mike Harmon. Hobo who has all
his baseball cards sorted for the year. He is all
(00:44):
set to go. And that is one big summer spring
cleaning duty. That is now all from Mike Harmon. We
can spend the next four hours talking about Brett Batty
and when you're gonna get the next Brett Batty card?
And now are you gonna get a Brett Batty card
with a piece of uniform on it? We get a
piece of the ball hit for his first major League
home run. When we'll let Brett Batty card be coming
(01:05):
in the mail. Well, I would tell you this Brett
Beatty already has some cards out there and certainly flying
off the shelves. I'm sure there will be at TOPS
now with all the information on the exit velocity and
maybe a picture of his mom celebrating with like she
was at a Dio concert. Yeah, how fired his family?
(01:25):
They were so excited when he hit that home run.
Oh that was that was the next level stuff right there.
And they kept the camera. Mom since Zach Wilson's hurt.
I mean, there there's a new sheriff in town. Hey
we got we got a new mom that we could
get the camera. Yeah, how about Brett? Yeah, great, do it.
Let's just do it. Do it. Get the whole family
in there. You never know who's gonna take off, will
do something adorable. Just get just get the whole family
(01:47):
in the shot. We'll figure it out later. All right.
Let's see a autograph TOPS pro debut sold for forty
five bucks earlier tonight. What was that before his home run?
Or was that and I don't know the actual time,
I'm gonna guess afterwards. Uh, and people started firing them
up on the eBay as fast as they could. Uh.
(02:08):
Twenty nineteen are some of his earliest cards. There's a
leaf autographed purple rookie card graded a BGS nine point
five on a ten point scale, numbered out of fifteen
went Bucks. Look over the top of it, it says
the talent Brett Baty, one of the Mets top prospects,
making his debut. Tonight's got a big home run as
(02:29):
the Mets lead the Braves, right, and are you sad
you can't play it yet? Uh? Yeah, I know right.
I'm like, it doesn't matter. We'll get in trouble now. No, no,
let's just play it. Let's just play the home run.
Let's play it. Let's play it. Let's play the run.
Uh no, look, really, I may have to adjust, you know.
Aaron Judge I said was gonna win a L m
v P. Brett Batty might win m VP for both leagues.
(02:49):
Now he might may be so that he might win
n L and a L m v P. It could
be both of them. Well, it's a good one. Anthony
Tacomo on Twitter covers the squad. According to stat cast
at the line drive that he hit was the hardest
hit ball by a Mets left handed hitter against the
lefty in six years. Six years, and Ross porters that
the last time a left handed batter hit a ball
(03:11):
that fast off a left handed picture on a night
game in the middle of the week and when the
Mets were playing on the road on the East Coach,
I gotta go back to two thousand and sixteen, the
last time that happened. Hardest hit ball by a Mets
left handed hitter in any context. Since I was doing
my best not to laugh and let you get that out,
well done, I'm sure you missed me. And look, if
(03:32):
I was able to sort all the cards in two days,
I would have been on whatever. It would take a
couple of energy drinks and all that kind of fun stuff.
So no, the sorting not quite that well. I did
spend several hours with an oral surgeon yesterday. He's not
completely No, I don't no, no, no, I I got
a scan in my head. They're stealing your money. You
(03:55):
need a loaner tooth man. They got it. If you're
supposed to get that on Monday or Tuesday, and then
we gotta worry about surgery. This is not good. That's costly,
time cut, time consuming. And with the scan they did,
they put me in this machine right, put your chin here,
and this thing's gonna buzz around and give you this
three D scan. It's all cool and and it was fantastic.
My head barely fit in the damn thing. Dog Well,
(04:17):
swollen dome, that's your nickname. You're swollen? Do they gotta
tell you? The office attendant where a little h freaked
out going. I don't, I don't know what's gonna fit. Well,
let's see if it spins around. What size is your head? Twelve?
I don't know. I'm just trying to figure it out,
you know. You know the thing is they'll give you
that loan or tooth. They'll say Monday or Tuesday. Then
(04:37):
it's gonna be Wednesday or Thursday. Then it's gonna be
next Monday, and pretty soon you're paying all kinds of
I mean, I could have had a replacement tooth in
your mouth with super glue for free, and I would
have charge of the four would have been to buy
the glue. And I just said, did find already? I
did fight as I was going through a box of stuff,
(04:58):
a giant oversized bottle of gorilla glue, and I laughed
very heartily. It might have been the best laughed I've
had in a couple of months since this thing happened. Eventually,
the only way the best way you're gonna eat food
is you're gonna have to wear like the fake vampire
teeth to be able to Well, he did tell me
(05:22):
I was probably gonna be on a liquid diet for
at least a month or two. So anybody that's got
any uh nutrition shakes and whatever else that they like
smoothie recipes that won't cost me forty bucks. I love you,
tie shirt, but I can't do that. I got no
one like that. Blah blah blah. But you're a vampire. Yeah,
he's eating food. He's ready for for Halloween. No, well,
(05:48):
just go to Costco. They got all the Halloween stuff
out right now. You can get whatever you want. I
was I was gonna say to halloweens are already up
all over the damn play. Sure I can get some, Yeah,
but I don't think they'll be the fangs and those
are hard enough, because the last thing you want people
doing is putting those in their mouths and actually going
out and doing some damage. Oh look, I'm not I'm
not saying do it. You're gonna have to get I'm
(06:09):
not saying do it with one of those plasts where
you're gonna have to get like you know, the special
really good ones that they can you can put in
your mouth and like, well we know some Hollywood special
effects people. Yeah, but I mean how cool would that beatle?
Like you get those vampire fings and like those are
your permanent teeth, Like that would be really cool. That
would be so cool, man, I mean, I really you
would be who that would be something people. I would
never be allowed on a sideliner in the stands of
(06:31):
any of my children's efforts again play this week? Nope,
but you can start. Would the best Marvel character introduction ever? Hey, listen,
Harmon actually wants more money than Wesley Snipes. Oh well,
I will stick with Wesley Snipes. Then hey, Wesley's caught
(06:53):
up and he didn't a bunch of guys bail them out.
I don't have Maybe I might like twitter and out
about a fresca. Mike gets swollen down the Jason Smith's
with Mike Harman Live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
We could talk about how complicated other banks make it
to redeem credit card rewards, or we could talk about
how with Discovery you can redeem your rewards for cash
(07:15):
and any amount at any time. I mean, talk about
amazing learn more discovered dot com slash redeemed rewards terms
they do applot Well. Today was a big day in
the NBA. The Lakers are now married to Lebron James
for another couple of years. Allegedly. No, it actually happened. Uh.
They agreed on two year nineties seven million dollar contract
(07:37):
extension that includes a player option for the four five season. Uh.
There's a fifteen percent trade kicker in itself. Lebron gets
traded at some point, he gets more money. He is
now the highest earning player in NBA history, with over
five thirty million dollars in career guaranteed money, surpassing Kevin Durant. Now,
(07:58):
I've told you if the Lakers can't make the team better,
let Lebron James go right. Let let him go because
you're not getting better and you can clear the decks
and start over next year. But I will tell you
exactly why the Lakers did this, Why they decided to
say we're gonna keep because they could have done it
really easy, could have done it right after as soon
as he was eligible. No, Lebron is our future. Yes,
(08:20):
we're gonna do this. We're getting Lebron James is our guy.
They can done the first day and said, okay, here's
the max. Here's what you're getting. Two years, ninety seven
point one million. It's the most he could get. He
can only extend for two years. We could have had
that done as soon as the clock hurt midnight hit midnight,
and it would have been we love you, I love you,
we're together, we're gonna figure this thing out. But instead
it takes a while. And why did it take a while,
(08:41):
And why did the Lakers do this? Not for the
reasons you think, because the team right now is a
mess and they're gonna be a mess. If Lebron James left,
the Lakers would be more of a mess. Their front
office has been terrible for a decade a decade, but
with Lebron James, you kind of keep that under the
(09:04):
radar a little bit. We still talk about the Lakers
front office and oh, who is Genie Buss listening to
and who's calling the shots? And how much does Rich
Paul have to do with it? How much does Adele
have to do with it? Is she making decisions? Is
Linda Rambis the one pulling all the strings. Yes, but
it's kind of a sub story. Lebron James is story
a without Lebron that gets exposed and it's back to
(09:27):
oh boy, here are the Lakers without without stars and
and maybe without a big future, and we can't have that.
L A would be barren. They would stink without a superstar.
But if they stink with a superstar and Lebron James, okay,
Lebron deflects it and they stay in relevant franchise. At
least now they have the image of respect and a
potential contender. We're always gonna say, well, you can't gown
(09:50):
out the any team with Lebron James, whether their Lakers
are contender or not. Lebron can be blamed if they
don't win the push poll and who's in control of
your organization? Where without him, it's all on the Lakers.
They realized their brand without Lebron James right now is
in the toilet because outside of the one year they
(10:11):
won the championship, and they did win the title, but
it was in the bubble and it didn't really resonate
as much for whatever reason. Doesn't matter. They still won
the title, but outside of that year. The last decade
plus for the Lakers has been awful. I mean, we
would talk about the Lakers like like we did the Knicks.
You know, if they didn't win that title in with
Lebron and a d it would be that bad. The
(10:31):
Lakers looked at the future and said, Okay, what would
it look like for us the next two years without
Lebron James. Oh boy, if we can't get anybody to
come in and we can't remake this team on the
fly Boy, it would it would look really barren. It
would look like the team did in the mid nineties,
but it was van excellent. Ever, I don't know about that.
So they stayed in business with Lebron James because this
(10:55):
is better for them the next two years. It buys
them more relevance, it buys them respect, and it takes
the the spotlight away from the mismanagement of the Lakers
the past ten plus years. Well, either that or it
gives you a couple of spotlights put right on it,
because now now you're trying to figure out what other
moves you can make. Or is it all just the
wishing and hoping that not only do these guys stay healthy,
(11:19):
but they also give you more than sixty games in
a regular season. Right, what we're talking about Lebron James
and Anthony Davis at this stage, whatever happens with Russell
Westbrook at this point, Kyrie Irving comes in. What that's
neither here nor there. What's funny is in in this
extension you also get a laundry list of all the
(11:40):
rules regarding trades, extensions and everything else. Uh, that the
NBA has in its collective Bargaining agreement, which is really
fun reading unless it's not right when you start getting
into the All right, he's gonna be thirty eight, but
when the deal expires, he can only sign a two
year extension because amp beyond thirty eight years old? What
(12:02):
the hell is that like? But that was the magic
number they bargain that. But but it goes back to
the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement that we've been talking about
all this time, is that you don't do it in
terms of how it's going to benefit the few. I e.
(12:23):
All the talk we've had about Deshaun Watson, it's what
benefit do the rest of the guys get off it?
So I'd be curious, uh, in terms of you know,
what the give was to make thirty eight that magic number.
But you talk about cap space because you do have
some more contracts coming off the books after this next season,
so that offers you some opportunity. He can't be traded
(12:46):
during this year because the raises over five. There's another
obscure rules, like when we talk about would be trades
for Kyrie Irving, there's a bunch of rules that preclude
teams from including guys like Zion Williamson uh in them.
So they're not even non starters. As much as they're
great theoretical talking points, they can't be actualized. So here
(13:07):
you've got the Lakers. At least they've given us some entertainment, right,
even if you were to say, all right, it's a
Mickey Mouse Championship and doesn't count. And right there, that's
being by the blog exactly I said. In a theoretical
world where you take that off the table, they've at
least been entertaining in spurts, haven't they. Right, Kobe was entertaining.
(13:28):
One of the finest moments of our show was celebrating
and watching people bounce up and down the hallways, tripping
and almost killing themselves against the glass because they were
excited about the next made three point shot, because they've
had big stars. The Lakers have happened that just don't
have a big star. Look what happens to you turn
into the Knicks. But it's well but but you know,
(13:48):
all we did was laugh at the Knicks. They haven't
had any big moments come on. At least the Lakers
had a couple of guys that could obscure uh. The failures,
mediocrity and poor player of those around them kept gasses
and seats uh and kept us talking about which is
which is good? Right? Because in the end, it's an
entertainment business. The championships are a nice side effective it all.
(14:12):
So for Genie Buston company, it's how do I keep
people entertained? If Lebron leaves, are we any better off? No?
And for Lebron and also you know, some of the
cat and mouse game about getting a deal done comes
back to some of the dates as well as the
dollars and cents as the way the way they're distributed,
(14:32):
because you don't have to worry about the trade unless
they go back and redo some of the Money's be
sure to catch live editions of the Jason Smith Show
with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific.
Maybe we didn't ask for this training camp story. Maybe
we didn't want this training camp story. But we're getting it,
(14:55):
and we're getting it now because it's a drama. If
you remember, uh, couple of days ago, Aaron Rodgers was
very upset with the young Packers wide receivers who had
a lot of drops during practice a day ago? Well,
who was it? Was it one of your top four guy?
Was it Alan Lazard? No? Wasn't him? What was it? Uh?
Was it Sammy Watkis No, No, wasn't it? Was it
(15:16):
Randall cop No? Wasn't him? Was it Romeo Dubs? No?
Wasn't him? Okay, then, who the hell are you upset at?
Guys who are already even gonna make the roster? This
is Aaron Rodgers talking to just hear himself talk. Well,
it became a thing. Hey, Rogers was upset and he
wanted to make sure that everybody knows it. Hey, we
gotta clean things up and catch the balls I throw
to you. This is him from yesterday. The young guys,
(15:37):
you know, they gotta especially young receivers, We've gotta be
way more consistent. You know a lot of a lot
of drops, a lot of bad round decisions, running wrong route. Okay,
so we gotta we gotta get better in that area.
It's coming up, man, it's coming up. It really is.
We're gonna play our best guys. Yeah, when a season starts, um,
and whoever those guys are, those guys are gonna get
(15:58):
the rips. It's the guy as I trust the most,
and the guys that's coaches to have trust the most.
And a lot of it is just it was this
simple responsibility in the offense way before you know, body
positioning and movement and throw and all that stuff. It's
are you doing in the right spot at the right time,
you know, are you run the right route? Alright? So
basically I I really don't know who he's upset at
(16:21):
because he's got his top four guys and Christian Watson
will be the fifth guy. Okay, so maybe there's one
other guy who's gonna make if they take six wide receivers.
So Aaron Rodgers mad at people who apparently aren't even
gonna make the team, right, this is Rogers just wanted
to hear himself talk. But you thought this was over
a day ago. Oh no, at eight five am today,
(16:44):
the wide receivers were instructed to reports to the quarterback
meeting room. Yes, when they arrived, all three quarterbacks plus
key members of the offensive coaching staff also. Brett Farve
was there. Lynn Dicky was there, Vince Lombardi was there,
every reformer Packer Luminary was there. To make sure the
young receivers who likely will not make the team know
(17:05):
that you have to catch the ball. Aaron Rodgers did
not call the meeting, but he spoke extensively during it.
According to all the participants, he was giving the players advice.
He catch the ball when I throw it, you catch it? Okay,
got it? Aaron, thanks much when you signed this ball
from my brother great. I appreciate that. So now here
is this story two days later. Now, I don't know,
(17:26):
Mike and you got you gotta you got you gotta
talk me down off this. I don't know if Rogers
just irks me all the time now, but like this
whole storyline irks me. I'm just I'm just irked by it.
It's very irksome. I I just used the words of
the words in the English language. I don't know if
just everything he says that when he does just comes
(17:48):
out that it's that that that like, And it rubs
me the wrong way because we've listened to him for
two years talk about how awful things were with Green Bay,
so awful, I'm re upping for the rest of my
career and I'm getting fifty million dollars or it's so
so awful that when when he talks about something now,
it just irks me and and and and I'm irked
by it, and I'm like, why, why is this such
(18:08):
a big deal? Because you're mad at wide receivers that
you're not gonna even know their names in a week
when they get cut, and so what is this really
all about? Right? He loves hearing himself talk. He loves
the fact that I had the news cycle for two years.
And when you know, we go a week and people
haven't said my name in the national media. I should
say something. I should say something and make sure because
(18:30):
why are you calling this out to reporters. These guys
know they have to catch the football. If they don't
catch the football, they're not making the team. I think
they know this. This is how you mean if I
don't catch, if I can't make the team. So if
I have like ten drops, that's bad. Oh, I get like,
I don't know if I'm just irked by it and
I want to say, okay, Aaron, you want to tell
(18:50):
them to catch the ball. Let's go back to the
playoff game. Let's go back to the playoff game against
the forty nine. Is when you were terrible, and after
the game was over, when it was time to talk
about blame, you said the offense was bad. The defense
and special teams are great, but the offense was bad.
Not I was bad. This is what leaders say. I
was bad after a loss. It's I it's the first
(19:10):
lesson you learned when you know you're gonna be someone
that talks the media before and after games. I was bad.
This is my fault. I did not do what we
need to do to win this game. I couldn't put
a bleep in touchdown on the board at home in
the snow against the forty niners who ran on the
field before the game throwing flakes up in the air
going good snow. I've never seen it before. Yeah, this
is on me. No, no no, no, it was the offense's fault.
(19:32):
So I don't know you tell me, am I just irked?
Or am I? Or or do I see this the
right way? Well, I think Aaron Rodgers over the last
two plus years has drifted into Patriots Belichick Brady territory
for you, which it's so invades the balance in your
(19:53):
soul that anything is noise and draws a huge react. Right,
it's the acid reflux of that third big Mac late
at night. It's the well, that's nothing wrong with that.
I mean, that's something three big Max late at night.
If I could do that, I'm a happy guy. Well,
but your body may may protest a little bit, is
(20:16):
the point I'm trying to make. But the field of
bile rising from your guilty past, as Roger Waters so
eloquently wrote and saying for Pink Floyd. But the the
idea I think here for for Rogers, you can go
one of two ways with it. Yes, it's barking, or
it's the passive aggressiveness of hey, you see what you
get me here? Even the veterans. I gotta talk up
(20:39):
Alan Lazard. Really, this is where we're at in this process.
And Watson and Dobbs and and there's guys that have
made some plays and the expectations are and you gotta
Mari Rodgers right, second year guy, Uh, you have expectations
of them jumping into a big role right away otherwise
like you got Sam E. Watkins. Okay, maybe you got
(21:02):
the aforementioned Lazard and you got Randall cop that's your
veteran core. How you feeling. I think there might be
a little bit of of just venting some of those
frustrations and being upset that the one cheap target that
he had such timing with that he never need even
needed to look in his general direction before unleashing the
ball isn't there anymore. So part of it is I've
(21:25):
actually gotta work a little harder in this camp, damn it.
So it's a lot on my communication, my timing, and
the extra work to get these guys up to speed.
So I think part of it is you're just tired
of Aaron Rodgers and determined that e E now vexes
you to no ends. I'm not vexed, I said, I
not vexed. That's a different word. I'm trying to add
(21:46):
another another word to the night show because you already
said irk nine times. Yeah, Well that's the word. That's
the word. If that's the word of the day. That's
the word of it. Okay, that's why he irks you.
So which is your help? Bet on making that Brady
versus Belichick in the steel cage at WrestleMania here in
Los Angeles next to April happened, and I think you
(22:07):
would like to suddenly have Oh by god, they added
Aaron Rodgers to the match, that that could be the case.
But here you got a guy venting and giving his
frustration against a squad and calling out the young guys
for hey man, I'm not a run in the mill quarterback.
Yeah it's this isn't Sam donald slinging the ball and
I made him run of the mill. I'm Aaron Bleep
(22:30):
and Rogers. And when I go to throw, it's it's
all about timing. It's all about the excellence of execution.
And you better damn well beyond the spot. So you
could do that behind closed doors all you want. I
think there's something to be said for him getting in
front of the microphone. And it's not some nebulous talk.
It's not uh just where yet? Oh you know, it's
(22:54):
a work in progress. Whatever. No, he's saying, we're not happy,
we're not. I'm not. I'm not thrilled with where we're at,
and these guys need to bust their ass. So if
it's helping la Fleur coach a little bit and one
less tearing down to those guys he's got to do,
I think he puts them closer to being on the
same page in a weird, convoluted kind of way. Hey, look,
(23:15):
Peter le Fleur was a really good coach. You know,
he quit, but he went back for the end and
everything turned out. Okay, he wasn't for Lance Armstrong. How
well did that age if it wasn't for a Lance
arms Strong getting him back on. But I'm sure you
have a good reason to walk away anyway, nice beeting you, Peter,
take it anything. Uh, this is this is deeper than
(23:38):
just here's Aaron Rodgers upset about guys dropping passes. How
many other quarterbacks in camp, no matter who you are.
I can't say Brady because he's not there, but whether
it's Russell Wilson or Lamar Jackson or any other superstar,
any other star quarterback, how many of them go to
the press and say, oh, the eyes that may not
(24:01):
make the roster or dropping passes? How many do that. Nobody.
Nobody does that because there's no reason to. This is
not the entire If the entire offense was awful and
they were out of sink, and then starting receivers were bad,
then I get it. Then I get Hey, guys, I
gotta I gotta grab you guys by the scruff of
the neck for a minute. Let you know that the
season's coming up soon. We got two more games and
(24:23):
I'm not gonna play in any of them, So you
guys gotta make sure it's good that I understand. But
now it's like, oh, I'm upset because I threw some
passes and the and the young wide receivers who again
who may not even make the team, are the ones
dropping the ball. So I have to go and and
and and talk them out and say this, why do it?
There's no there's other than one more theory other than
(24:44):
to hear yourself talk, which is what Aaron Rodgers loves
more than anything. I'm the mysterious, I'm irreverent. I'm I
want people to talk about other than that. I don't
see the reason for this. I don't see the win
for right now. Everybody got to show up in a
meeting and sit here and go, Yes, catch the ball, Yes,
run the routes. Yes, I think I know this. I
want to stick in the NFL. I'm not some seventh
(25:06):
grade kid that Hey, I'm just stepping on the field
for the first time and I don't know which way
to go. Yeah, I get I gotta do this. This
is what the coaches say. But now here's Aaron Rodgers
getting involved because it's been a week or two since
he said something, and we've paid attention to what he says,
and now this is a two day story. No, I
get it. But it's like I go to the doctor
and he says, yeah, you've probably had a little more
(25:27):
sugar the last couple of months than you should have, huh,
And I go, yeah, just like the three months before that,
in the six months before that. You know what you
should do, but you don't. You know, you should walk
that fourth mile on the treadmill or out out and
about on the strand here in southern California, but you
don't because you know what you'd rather go do. Watch
(25:49):
another episode of Law and Order, or watch the White
Sox and the Astros getting after it, right, you'd rather
do that or talk to you as I'm blessed to
do right here across the vast airwaves of thought sports radio.
But for Aaron Rodgers, let me let me give you
this one. Maybe it's also the opportunity for everybody to
take their victory lapse. Because remember I was on the
(26:10):
Vikings a long time ago, you know, in the post
zimmer era and whatever that's gotten overweighted. I've decided to
jump back over to the Packers. So this is a
machiavellian work by Aaron Rodgers to get everybody off. Wow,
there's trouble, and then at the end he's just NodD, natchegun. Yep,
there we are back to the playoffs. Baby, oh boy.
(26:33):
Now I'm jumping back over. Now this is much more exciting.
I dig this way more. This is much more fun.
I like this, far more entertaining than the coach and
Kirk Cousins getting along or maybe not really, but better
than he did with Mike Zimmer uh and everybody suddenly
jumping on board the Vikings bandwagon. All the logic still
still still fits. But now I'm I'm thinking about it,
(26:55):
and it's like I'm gonna go back to the other side. Okay. So,
so as a Bears guy. It's really the dark side
for me. Then make this for me. What percentage of
you think this story do you think is because I'm irked?
And what percentage is because hey, I'm I'm right on
with Aaron Rodgers and what's going on here? Give me
give me a percentage. Oh, I think you're closer on
the right. I think it's seventy. Oh, I'm okay, alright,
(27:19):
that's fine, alright, I'm seventy percent No, no, no, no, no, no,
it's it's still irked, but you haven't hit the the
Patriots level irked yet. And that's the that's my measure
for it in terms of percentages. But I like, really
gone over the top. Yea, then then it's next level.
I'm bigger that those legit. I'm good with that. I'll
(27:42):
give you a seventy thirty splitter that it really is
a lot of noise, sound and fury signifying nothing in
the See, I'm going all literary. I got everything going
on today. Well, I had a couple of days where
I didn't talk a lot. Now I know, I know,
I gus prodden along in my mouth. It hurt, So
I get that tool out of there. Be sure to
(28:02):
catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific. Che
If you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in
the sports game, What's good? This is national champion and
former pro bowler Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a
little bit about my new series kJ Live. J Live
(28:23):
is the only show featuring me going one on one
with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get
the real And when I say real, I mean that real.
I got legendary Hall of famers, elite coaches, in the
top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all
things hoops culture that you will not find anywhere. To
(28:44):
make your next move your best move and tap in
with me from kJ live wherever you get your podcast
from big big news in the NBA today, the Lakers
bringing back Lebron James for least the next two years
two years nineties seven million dollars on his contract extension.
(29:06):
This news first broken by On the Ball Squared podcast
host Matt Buker, so joining us now on the hotline.
We couldn't get Matt because Matt is just really busy,
So we're getting his dad, Rick Buker, Fox Sports one
NBA insider to join us to talk about Matt's big
breaking story. Rick, A good evening. Good evening. However, you
do know that in the same way that Joe Manson
(29:27):
got the pen that Joe Biden signed uh the the
act with that fat bucker apparently has the pen that
Lebron James signed the million dollar cension contract with. Of course,
of course he's got the pen. He's gonna your house
is gonna be taken over, just gonna be all kinds
of memorabilia. Here's where the pen goes, Here's where this goes. Yeah,
(29:51):
pretty much, pretty much. All right, So your initial reaction,
two years ninety seven millions got a trade, kick are involved,
He's got an option for the third year, so we
can move around, potentially play with brawny. Well, what do
you make out of this? He took the bag that
was available, and it's I can't fault him at all.
(30:13):
He's earned it. And but in terms of like where
the Lakers go and are they going to compete for titles?
I mean it quite honestly my first reaction, and it
continues to be the same. It hasn't changed after having
thought about it. It's kind of like when we saw Kobe.
Kobe took the contract that was available to him, took
(30:33):
the extension that was available to him, but it really
kind of locked up where the Lakers were now from
a from a a business standpoint, makes all the sense
in the world. Lebron is still going to be a draw,
especially with him on the verge of passing Karema Abdul
Jabar for the all time scoring uh mark, But it
(30:55):
doesn't really facilitate them competing for title. And honestly, I
don't know that there was anything that he could have
done different. Even if you took less, there's not a
guarantee that they could build a team that was going
to win titles. I get where everybody thinks, look, you've
got Lebron. Lebron has always played for titles. I've been
(31:17):
a couple of years and three out of the last
four have not been successful. So I just look, and
it's not even with Lebron. It has more to do
with the team around him. I just don't see how
they're going to build a championship team. Regardless of what
the length of the extension is. The Lebron size. Yeah,
at some point you kind of get to on both sides. Rick,
(31:39):
it seems you recognize who you are looking in the
mirror better with him there from a business perspective. But
if he leaves, now you've got nothing, You've got no
box office draw and you've got nothing to help you win.
Right and now the interest there's a trade kicker in there,
But my understanding is there's not a no trade clause.
(32:02):
And not that I think that Lebron is looking to
go anywhere or that the Lakers are looking to trade him,
but you'd rather have him as an asset and under
contract in case things really go south, then to not
have him. So I get, I get that it was done.
I just I just hope that Lakers fans don't look
(32:23):
at this is well we it extends the runway of
our chances of winning another championship. I really don't think
it affects that in any way whatsoever, unless it is
slightly diminishing that just because the size of the contract. Well, look,
James Harden proved he was a better teammate this offseason
(32:44):
by taking less money so they could go. Yeah, I
need to see exactly where that goes. There's, as you
guys are aware, like, there's some investigating going on with
the Philadelphia seventy, and some of it involves James Harden
and my understanding of what might have been promised uh
(33:08):
in in the negotiations, and so we'll see where that goes.
I don't want to I don't want to throw aspersions
out there that uh that that don't have any foundation,
but the league is looking into that. And one of
the reasons that I've been told is because there's some
question is to are there any other additional promises that
(33:30):
have been made that allowed James to take a lesser
contract Rick when it comes to the Lakers here and
and Lebron takes this and now, as you said, his
future with the trade kicker, I see it this way.
Lebron's attitude is all right, I've now made it easier
(33:51):
for me to go play my last year with Brawny
wherever it winds up happening. And there's really unless Brawny
turns into a top ten prospect, which then everything's out
the window because someone's gonna take Brawny early. But if
Brawnie's like uh Lo Angelo Ball, where he's like an
end of the first round, early second round prospect. This
is how it's gonna end for Lebron James. The Cavaliers
(34:14):
will get Brawny, Lebron will go back and play his
final year in Cleveland. That's gonna be it that that
That's how this is unless Brawnie turns into a great prospect,
that's how this is gonna wind up ending for Lebron.
That's an interesting when why wouldn't they do it with
the Lakers? Because the Lakers if he winds up being late,
Where does Lebron want to end and they're gonna be
(34:35):
drafted too early? Does he? Does he really know? And
they have no picks? Never mind? Does he really you know?
He's an Acron guy through and through, he's an Ohio guy.
Does he really want his last year to be with
the Lakers? Or is he gonna say, you know what,
for one year, I'm gonna travel with my somenwhere we're
gonna We're gonna do it in Cleveland. It's where I
started my career, It's where I'm gonna end my career.
(34:56):
I just see that as the button on his career
rather than just I'm gonn to play my last year
with the Lakers, like he'll do the next two years,
but then he's gonna wind up going back to Cleveland.
I'm not convinced that Lebron feels that sort of attachment
to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and I don't know that Brownie
does either. For Brownie is is as much an l
(35:19):
A kid as he would be a Cleveland kid. So
that's where I would hope. And this is what I
thought from the very beginning. And and this is just me,
and this is me as a dad, like, let Brownie
become Ronnie whatever he's going to be, Let him be
that um, guide him, support him. But I hope this
(35:45):
isn't to your point, Like I hope this isn't about Lebron.
I hope this is about where Brownie wants to play.
Where does he want to start his career and bron
and and Lebron says, wherever you want to go, I'll
find a way to be there. Like that, That'll be
what I orchestrate, is that I'm going to find a
(36:07):
way to get to the place where you decide to go. Now,
I would also fully expect that the Lakers, uh if
given the opportunity, And again I don't as of right now.
I know a lot of there's a lot of hype
around Brownie, and he's certainly improved over the the last year.
(36:29):
But I to your point, I still have the people
that I talked to still haven't projected as late first round,
early second round. That's that's that's going to be. The
Lakers can find a way to get him. If that's
ultimately where he is, well, then box office continues, because
(36:51):
even if Lebron's diminished, you're still going to be a draw,
right And wouldn't you want to see that? I think
that would be you know, look again, you're not playing
for championships, but that would be a fascinating thing to watch. Um,
I don't know how long it would be fascinating, And
I like would what? Who? Who else are you going
(37:12):
to have on that roster? I mean, it sounds good
and it sounds like home, you know, home spun and
and all of that. If I'm a guy in the
end trying to make my bones in the NBA and
I'm trying to get somewhere, I don't know if I
want to be part of that show. But again, we're
(37:36):
not anywhere close to that. Who knows I could be
I could be off on that, um, but it does
from a Lakers, uh you know, entertainment standpoint, that to me,
that would be fascinating to watch the last year those
two guys played together, Rick, if I can't just from
the kind of the cut to the chase of it.
When we look at the league overall, how many teams
(37:59):
are really every year on the white board saying all right,
this is our best shot to win versus all right,
we're gonna be okay, how do we maximize box office? Right?
I gotta imagine there's more teams on the back end
of that. Oh hell yeah. I mean that's that's the
dirty little secret when it comes to the NBA is
that there are in any given year, there are four
(38:22):
or five, maybe six teams that are genuinely looking to
win it all. And I don't know that necessarily are
looking to win it all the entire season. I think
some of them start out, hey, you know where we
got a shot. Let's see where we go. Uh, you know,
we get the February marchs, do we need to spend
a little extra? Do we have a shot, And then
the decision is made and the rest are just trying
(38:44):
to be competitive and or or to your point, just
be entertaining, make it worth their fans wild to come
out and watch them play, and still be fiscally responsible.
And I think what's changed a little bit is that
you see fewer teams willing to go all in on
(39:10):
a on a given year. That now there's more of
a let's just be competitive, uh and stay competitive and
never really fall off the rails, and who knows what's
going to happen. You know, we we could we could
have a year like the Toronto Raptors where we suddenly
have a Kawhi Leonard fall in our lap. We've built
(39:32):
a great culture and we can go win a championship,
or the Golden State Warriors and coming back around and
you have turned D'Angelo Russell into and Andrew Wiggins, and
you get a Jordan Pool and you cultivate these guys
and suddenly you can sneak up and and and win
a title. Even with the Boston with the Boston Celtics
(39:52):
put together the last over the last year or two,
I just believe that there are more teams that are
trying to be consistently competitive. Then we're gonna swing for
the fences and we're gonna go all in on a
given year because the fall off if you don't get
it is pretty steep. Is this surprising you, Rick? Because
(40:13):
you know when when you you you play the Kevin
Durant situation along with what you just talked about that
his market really the only star player we've heard that
the team is willing to give up from a Jalen Brown,
that that maybe, hey, if you're the Nets, you have
to think of maybe it's a different trade you gotta
do with Kevin Durant because you're not gonna get Hey,
we want two star players and two rotational guys at
(40:35):
three first round picks. That ain't happening. Yeah, look it's
it again. The Rudy Gobert thing has put them up
against it and now that they're looking at we gotta
do this thing over. And we had such high expectations.
I mean, I would not want to be in Shawn
Mark's shoes by any stretch, because they went from everybody
(41:00):
thinking that they were going to be title contenders to now,
how do we salvage this operation and how do we
get more for Kevin Durant than then the Utah Jazz
got Rudy Gobert like I say that, you like, like,
why should that be so hard? But it is and
and we'll see. I mean, I'm not going to discount
(41:22):
the possibility that they can still find a way to
get to all Star Wish players in a draft picker
two out of the equation. Um, it's again, they just
need to find that team that decides we want to
go for we we want to win that ring. Like
we're on the precipice and and we think k D
(41:46):
can get us over the top, we'll go ahead and
push that button and try to make it happen. Well,
we at least though he's not retiring any clarity about
anything else, but we know that I will say that
this that I feel. I feel sorry. I feel badly
for my friend mark Stein because all he basically did
(42:07):
was quote a uh AN executive, a GM somebody who
gave the opinion that he thought that KAD would retire
before he returned to the net, And now mark Stein
has to wear it. I feel bad for him because
it's like, if you had a GM tell you that,
(42:28):
would you not share that with the world. And yet
now it looks like Mark was saying that Kad was
going to retire, and that's not what he was saying. Now,
maybe that's maybe that's a writer having, you know, feeling
sorry for another writer, but it I also don't understand this,
Like k D, why would you come out and say that,
(42:50):
because if you're trying to get out of Brooklyn, like,
isn't that your leverage off the table? Yeah? Yeah, I
mean maybe not retire, but I'm not gonna play and
wit and if you're not gonna play, I don't know it. Um.
I think maybe the motivation for Katie and and and
(43:13):
dismissing that was because it sounds a little bit too
much like Ben Simmons. But Ben Simmons is one of
the reasons that he wants to get out of Brooklyn,
so maybe maybe maybe it all does make sense. He's
on Twitter at Rick Buker, that is at Rick Buker
hosted the On the Ball podcast Fox Sports one NBA
insider Rick is always buddy, appreciated, my friend. We will
(43:34):
talk to you next week and if if the Knicks
wind up trading for Katie, we'll call you right back.
Shuffle boarding Naples, Yo, See your buddy, have fun. See you, Rick,
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with my Carmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two a m.
Eastern seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream
us live every night on the I Heart Radio app
by searching FSC. This is the best of The Jason
(00:23):
Smith Show with Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio. Greetings
and welcome inside. Happy Wednesday, The Jason Smith Show with
my returning bass friend Mike Harmon. Hobo who has all
his baseball cards sorted for the year. He is all
(00:44):
set to go. And that is one big summer spring
cleaning duty. That is now all from Mike Harmon. We
can spend the next four hours talking about Brett Batty
and when you're gonna get the next Brett Batty card?
And now are you gonna get a Brett Batty card
with a piece of uniform on it? We get a
piece of the ball hit for his first major League
home run. When we'll let Brett Batty card be coming
(01:05):
in the mail. Well, I would tell you this Brett
Beatty already has some cards out there and certainly flying
off the shelves. I'm sure there will be at TOPS
now with all the information on the exit velocity and
maybe a picture of his mom celebrating with like she
was at a Dio concert. Yeah, how fired his family?
(01:25):
They were so excited when he hit that home run.
Oh that was that was the next level stuff right there.
And they kept the camera. Mom since Zach Wilson's hurt.
I mean, there there's a new sheriff in town. Hey
we got we got a new mom that we could
get the camera. Yeah, how about Brett? Yeah, great, do it.
Let's just do it. Do it. Get the whole family
in there. You never know who's gonna take off, will
do something adorable. Just get just get the whole family
(01:47):
in the shot. We'll figure it out later. All right.
Let's see a autograph TOPS pro debut sold for forty
five bucks earlier tonight. What was that before his home run?
Or was that and I don't know the actual time,
I'm gonna guess afterwards. Uh, and people started firing them
up on the eBay as fast as they could. Uh.
(02:08):
Twenty nineteen are some of his earliest cards. There's a
leaf autographed purple rookie card graded a BGS nine point
five on a ten point scale, numbered out of fifteen
went Bucks. Look over the top of it, it says
the talent Brett Baty, one of the Mets top prospects,
making his debut. Tonight's got a big home run as
(02:29):
the Mets lead the Braves, right, and are you sad
you can't play it yet? Uh? Yeah, I know right.
I'm like, it doesn't matter. We'll get in trouble now. No, no,
let's just play it. Let's just play the home run.
Let's play it. Let's play it. Let's play the run.
Uh no, look, really, I may have to adjust, you know.
Aaron Judge I said was gonna win a L m
v P. Brett Batty might win m VP for both leagues.
(02:49):
Now he might may be so that he might win
n L and a L m v P. It could
be both of them. Well, it's a good one. Anthony
Tacomo on Twitter covers the squad. According to stat cast
at the line drive that he hit was the hardest
hit ball by a Mets left handed hitter against the
lefty in six years. Six years, and Ross porters that
the last time a left handed batter hit a ball
(03:11):
that fast off a left handed picture on a night
game in the middle of the week and when the
Mets were playing on the road on the East Coach,
I gotta go back to two thousand and sixteen, the
last time that happened. Hardest hit ball by a Mets
left handed hitter in any context. Since I was doing
my best not to laugh and let you get that out,
well done, I'm sure you missed me. And look, if
(03:32):
I was able to sort all the cards in two days,
I would have been on whatever. It would take a
couple of energy drinks and all that kind of fun stuff.
So no, the sorting not quite that well. I did
spend several hours with an oral surgeon yesterday. He's not
completely No, I don't no, no, no, I I got
a scan in my head. They're stealing your money. You
(03:55):
need a loaner tooth man. They got it. If you're
supposed to get that on Monday or Tuesday, and then
we gotta worry about surgery. This is not good. That's costly,
time cut, time consuming. And with the scan they did,
they put me in this machine right, put your chin here,
and this thing's gonna buzz around and give you this
three D scan. It's all cool and and it was fantastic.
My head barely fit in the damn thing. Dog Well,
(04:17):
swollen dome, that's your nickname. You're swollen? Do they gotta
tell you? The office attendant where a little h freaked
out going. I don't, I don't know what's gonna fit. Well,
let's see if it spins around. What size is your head? Twelve?
I don't know. I'm just trying to figure it out,
you know. You know the thing is they'll give you
that loan or tooth. They'll say Monday or Tuesday. Then
(04:37):
it's gonna be Wednesday or Thursday. Then it's gonna be
next Monday, and pretty soon you're paying all kinds of
I mean, I could have had a replacement tooth in
your mouth with super glue for free, and I would
have charge of the four would have been to buy
the glue. And I just said, did find already? I
did fight as I was going through a box of stuff,
(04:58):
a giant oversized bottle of gorilla glue, and I laughed
very heartily. It might have been the best laughed I've
had in a couple of months since this thing happened. Eventually,
the only way the best way you're gonna eat food
is you're gonna have to wear like the fake vampire
teeth to be able to Well, he did tell me
(05:22):
I was probably gonna be on a liquid diet for
at least a month or two. So anybody that's got
any uh nutrition shakes and whatever else that they like
smoothie recipes that won't cost me forty bucks. I love you,
tie shirt, but I can't do that. I got no
one like that. Blah blah blah. But you're a vampire. Yeah,
he's eating food. He's ready for for Halloween. No, well,
(05:48):
just go to Costco. They got all the Halloween stuff
out right now. You can get whatever you want. I
was I was gonna say to halloweens are already up
all over the damn play. Sure I can get some, Yeah,
but I don't think they'll be the fangs and those
are hard enough, because the last thing you want people
doing is putting those in their mouths and actually going
out and doing some damage. Oh look, I'm not I'm
not saying do it. You're gonna have to get I'm
(06:09):
not saying do it with one of those plasts where
you're gonna have to get like you know, the special
really good ones that they can you can put in
your mouth and like, well we know some Hollywood special
effects people. Yeah, but I mean how cool would that beatle?
Like you get those vampire fings and like those are
your permanent teeth, Like that would be really cool. That
would be so cool, man, I mean, I really you
would be who that would be something people. I would
never be allowed on a sideliner in the stands of
(06:31):
any of my children's efforts again play this week? Nope,
but you can start. Would the best Marvel character introduction ever? Hey, listen,
Harmon actually wants more money than Wesley Snipes. Oh well,
I will stick with Wesley Snipes. Then hey, Wesley's caught
(06:53):
up and he didn't a bunch of guys bail them out.
I don't have Maybe I might like twitter and out
about a fresca. Mike gets swollen down the Jason Smith's
with Mike Harman Live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
We could talk about how complicated other banks make it
to redeem credit card rewards, or we could talk about
how with Discovery you can redeem your rewards for cash
(07:15):
and any amount at any time. I mean, talk about
amazing learn more discovered dot com slash redeemed rewards terms
they do applot Well. Today was a big day in
the NBA. The Lakers are now married to Lebron James
for another couple of years. Allegedly. No, it actually happened. Uh.
They agreed on two year nineties seven million dollar contract
(07:37):
extension that includes a player option for the four five season. Uh.
There's a fifteen percent trade kicker in itself. Lebron gets
traded at some point, he gets more money. He is
now the highest earning player in NBA history, with over
five thirty million dollars in career guaranteed money, surpassing Kevin Durant. Now,
(07:58):
I've told you if the Lakers can't make the team better,
let Lebron James go right. Let let him go because
you're not getting better and you can clear the decks
and start over next year. But I will tell you
exactly why the Lakers did this, Why they decided to
say we're gonna keep because they could have done it
really easy, could have done it right after as soon
as he was eligible. No, Lebron is our future. Yes,
(08:20):
we're gonna do this. We're getting Lebron James is our guy.
They can done the first day and said, okay, here's
the max. Here's what you're getting. Two years, ninety seven
point one million. It's the most he could get. He
can only extend for two years. We could have had
that done as soon as the clock hurt midnight hit midnight,
and it would have been we love you, I love you,
we're together, we're gonna figure this thing out. But instead
it takes a while. And why did it take a while,
(08:41):
And why did the Lakers do this? Not for the
reasons you think, because the team right now is a
mess and they're gonna be a mess. If Lebron James left,
the Lakers would be more of a mess. Their front
office has been terrible for a decade a decade, but
with Lebron James, you kind of keep that under the
(09:04):
radar a little bit. We still talk about the Lakers
front office and oh, who is Genie Buss listening to
and who's calling the shots? And how much does Rich
Paul have to do with it? How much does Adele
have to do with it? Is she making decisions? Is
Linda Rambis the one pulling all the strings. Yes, but
it's kind of a sub story. Lebron James is story
a without Lebron that gets exposed and it's back to
(09:27):
oh boy, here are the Lakers without without stars and
and maybe without a big future, and we can't have that.
L A would be barren. They would stink without a superstar.
But if they stink with a superstar and Lebron James, okay,
Lebron deflects it and they stay in relevant franchise. At
least now they have the image of respect and a
potential contender. We're always gonna say, well, you can't gown
(09:50):
out the any team with Lebron James, whether their Lakers
are contender or not. Lebron can be blamed if they
don't win the push poll and who's in control of
your organization? Where without him, it's all on the Lakers.
They realized their brand without Lebron James right now is
in the toilet because outside of the one year they
(10:11):
won the championship, and they did win the title, but
it was in the bubble and it didn't really resonate
as much for whatever reason. Doesn't matter. They still won
the title, but outside of that year. The last decade
plus for the Lakers has been awful. I mean, we
would talk about the Lakers like like we did the Knicks.
You know, if they didn't win that title in with
Lebron and a d it would be that bad. The
(10:31):
Lakers looked at the future and said, Okay, what would
it look like for us the next two years without
Lebron James. Oh boy, if we can't get anybody to
come in and we can't remake this team on the
fly Boy, it would it would look really barren. It
would look like the team did in the mid nineties,
but it was van excellent. Ever, I don't know about that.
So they stayed in business with Lebron James because this
(10:55):
is better for them the next two years. It buys
them more relevance, it buys them respect, and it takes
the the spotlight away from the mismanagement of the Lakers
the past ten plus years. Well, either that or it
gives you a couple of spotlights put right on it,
because now now you're trying to figure out what other
moves you can make. Or is it all just the
wishing and hoping that not only do these guys stay healthy,
(11:19):
but they also give you more than sixty games in
a regular season. Right, what we're talking about Lebron James
and Anthony Davis at this stage, whatever happens with Russell
Westbrook at this point, Kyrie Irving comes in. What that's
neither here nor there. What's funny is in in this
extension you also get a laundry list of all the
(11:40):
rules regarding trades, extensions and everything else. Uh, that the
NBA has in its collective Bargaining agreement, which is really
fun reading unless it's not right when you start getting
into the All right, he's gonna be thirty eight, but
when the deal expires, he can only sign a two
year extension because amp beyond thirty eight years old? What
(12:02):
the hell is that like? But that was the magic
number they bargain that. But but it goes back to
the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement that we've been talking about
all this time, is that you don't do it in
terms of how it's going to benefit the few. I e.
(12:23):
All the talk we've had about Deshaun Watson, it's what
benefit do the rest of the guys get off it?
So I'd be curious, uh, in terms of you know,
what the give was to make thirty eight that magic number.
But you talk about cap space because you do have
some more contracts coming off the books after this next season,
so that offers you some opportunity. He can't be traded
(12:46):
during this year because the raises over five. There's another
obscure rules, like when we talk about would be trades
for Kyrie Irving, there's a bunch of rules that preclude
teams from including guys like Zion Williamson uh in them.
So they're not even non starters. As much as they're
great theoretical talking points, they can't be actualized. So here
(13:07):
you've got the Lakers. At least they've given us some entertainment, right,
even if you were to say, all right, it's a
Mickey Mouse Championship and doesn't count. And right there, that's
being by the blog exactly I said. In a theoretical
world where you take that off the table, they've at
least been entertaining in spurts, haven't they. Right, Kobe was entertaining.
(13:28):
One of the finest moments of our show was celebrating
and watching people bounce up and down the hallways, tripping
and almost killing themselves against the glass because they were
excited about the next made three point shot, because they've
had big stars. The Lakers have happened that just don't
have a big star. Look what happens to you turn
into the Knicks. But it's well but but you know,
(13:48):
all we did was laugh at the Knicks. They haven't
had any big moments come on. At least the Lakers
had a couple of guys that could obscure uh. The failures,
mediocrity and poor player of those around them kept gasses
and seats uh and kept us talking about which is
which is good? Right? Because in the end, it's an
entertainment business. The championships are a nice side effective it all.
(14:12):
So for Genie Buston company, it's how do I keep
people entertained? If Lebron leaves, are we any better off? No?
And for Lebron and also you know, some of the
cat and mouse game about getting a deal done comes
back to some of the dates as well as the
dollars and cents as the way the way they're distributed,
(14:32):
because you don't have to worry about the trade unless
they go back and redo some of the Money's be
sure to catch live editions of the Jason Smith Show
with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific.
Maybe we didn't ask for this training camp story. Maybe
we didn't want this training camp story. But we're getting it,
(14:55):
and we're getting it now because it's a drama. If
you remember, uh, couple of days ago, Aaron Rodgers was
very upset with the young Packers wide receivers who had
a lot of drops during practice a day ago? Well,
who was it? Was it one of your top four guy?
Was it Alan Lazard? No? Wasn't him? What was it? Uh?
Was it Sammy Watkis No, No, wasn't it? Was it
(15:16):
Randall cop No? Wasn't him? Was it Romeo Dubs? No?
Wasn't him? Okay, then, who the hell are you upset at?
Guys who are already even gonna make the roster? This
is Aaron Rodgers talking to just hear himself talk. Well,
it became a thing. Hey, Rogers was upset and he
wanted to make sure that everybody knows it. Hey, we
gotta clean things up and catch the balls I throw
to you. This is him from yesterday. The young guys,
(15:37):
you know, they gotta especially young receivers, We've gotta be
way more consistent. You know a lot of a lot
of drops, a lot of bad round decisions, running wrong route. Okay,
so we gotta we gotta get better in that area.
It's coming up, man, it's coming up. It really is.
We're gonna play our best guys. Yeah, when a season starts, um,
and whoever those guys are, those guys are gonna get
(15:58):
the rips. It's the guy as I trust the most,
and the guys that's coaches to have trust the most.
And a lot of it is just it was this
simple responsibility in the offense way before you know, body
positioning and movement and throw and all that stuff. It's
are you doing in the right spot at the right time,
you know, are you run the right route? Alright? So
basically I I really don't know who he's upset at
(16:21):
because he's got his top four guys and Christian Watson
will be the fifth guy. Okay, so maybe there's one
other guy who's gonna make if they take six wide receivers.
So Aaron Rodgers mad at people who apparently aren't even
gonna make the team, right, this is Rogers just wanted
to hear himself talk. But you thought this was over
a day ago. Oh no, at eight five am today,
(16:44):
the wide receivers were instructed to reports to the quarterback
meeting room. Yes, when they arrived, all three quarterbacks plus
key members of the offensive coaching staff also. Brett Farve
was there. Lynn Dicky was there, Vince Lombardi was there,
every reformer Packer Luminary was there. To make sure the
young receivers who likely will not make the team know
(17:05):
that you have to catch the ball. Aaron Rodgers did
not call the meeting, but he spoke extensively during it.
According to all the participants, he was giving the players advice.
He catch the ball when I throw it, you catch it? Okay,
got it? Aaron, thanks much when you signed this ball
from my brother great. I appreciate that. So now here
is this story two days later. Now, I don't know,
(17:26):
Mike and you got you gotta you got you gotta
talk me down off this. I don't know if Rogers
just irks me all the time now, but like this
whole storyline irks me. I'm just I'm just irked by it.
It's very irksome. I I just used the words of
the words in the English language. I don't know if
just everything he says that when he does just comes
(17:48):
out that it's that that that like, And it rubs
me the wrong way because we've listened to him for
two years talk about how awful things were with Green Bay,
so awful, I'm re upping for the rest of my
career and I'm getting fifty million dollars or it's so
so awful that when when he talks about something now,
it just irks me and and and and I'm irked
by it, and I'm like, why, why is this such
(18:08):
a big deal? Because you're mad at wide receivers that
you're not gonna even know their names in a week
when they get cut, and so what is this really
all about? Right? He loves hearing himself talk. He loves
the fact that I had the news cycle for two years.
And when you know, we go a week and people
haven't said my name in the national media. I should
say something. I should say something and make sure because
(18:30):
why are you calling this out to reporters. These guys
know they have to catch the football. If they don't
catch the football, they're not making the team. I think
they know this. This is how you mean if I
don't catch, if I can't make the team. So if
I have like ten drops, that's bad. Oh, I get like,
I don't know if I'm just irked by it and
I want to say, okay, Aaron, you want to tell
(18:50):
them to catch the ball. Let's go back to the
playoff game. Let's go back to the playoff game against
the forty nine. Is when you were terrible, and after
the game was over, when it was time to talk
about blame, you said the offense was bad. The defense
and special teams are great, but the offense was bad.
Not I was bad. This is what leaders say. I
was bad after a loss. It's I it's the first
(19:10):
lesson you learned when you know you're gonna be someone
that talks the media before and after games. I was bad.
This is my fault. I did not do what we
need to do to win this game. I couldn't put
a bleep in touchdown on the board at home in
the snow against the forty niners who ran on the
field before the game throwing flakes up in the air
going good snow. I've never seen it before. Yeah, this
is on me. No, no no, no, it was the offense's fault.
(19:32):
So I don't know you tell me, am I just irked?
Or am I? Or or do I see this the
right way? Well, I think Aaron Rodgers over the last
two plus years has drifted into Patriots Belichick Brady territory
for you, which it's so invades the balance in your
(19:53):
soul that anything is noise and draws a huge react. Right,
it's the acid reflux of that third big Mac late
at night. It's the well, that's nothing wrong with that.
I mean, that's something three big Max late at night.
If I could do that, I'm a happy guy. Well,
but your body may may protest a little bit, is
(20:16):
the point I'm trying to make. But the field of
bile rising from your guilty past, as Roger Waters so
eloquently wrote and saying for Pink Floyd. But the the
idea I think here for for Rogers, you can go
one of two ways with it. Yes, it's barking, or
it's the passive aggressiveness of hey, you see what you
get me here? Even the veterans. I gotta talk up
(20:39):
Alan Lazard. Really, this is where we're at in this process.
And Watson and Dobbs and and there's guys that have
made some plays and the expectations are and you gotta
Mari Rodgers right, second year guy, Uh, you have expectations
of them jumping into a big role right away otherwise
like you got Sam E. Watkins. Okay, maybe you got
(21:02):
the aforementioned Lazard and you got Randall cop that's your
veteran core. How you feeling. I think there might be
a little bit of of just venting some of those
frustrations and being upset that the one cheap target that
he had such timing with that he never need even
needed to look in his general direction before unleashing the
ball isn't there anymore. So part of it is I've
(21:25):
actually gotta work a little harder in this camp, damn it.
So it's a lot on my communication, my timing, and
the extra work to get these guys up to speed.
So I think part of it is you're just tired
of Aaron Rodgers and determined that e E now vexes
you to no ends. I'm not vexed, I said, I
not vexed. That's a different word. I'm trying to add
(21:46):
another another word to the night show because you already
said irk nine times. Yeah, Well that's the word. That's
the word. If that's the word of the day. That's
the word of it. Okay, that's why he irks you.
So which is your help? Bet on making that Brady
versus Belichick in the steel cage at WrestleMania here in
Los Angeles next to April happened, and I think you
(22:07):
would like to suddenly have Oh by god, they added
Aaron Rodgers to the match, that that could be the case.
But here you got a guy venting and giving his
frustration against a squad and calling out the young guys
for hey man, I'm not a run in the mill quarterback.
Yeah it's this isn't Sam donald slinging the ball and
I made him run of the mill. I'm Aaron Bleep
(22:30):
and Rogers. And when I go to throw, it's it's
all about timing. It's all about the excellence of execution.
And you better damn well beyond the spot. So you
could do that behind closed doors all you want. I
think there's something to be said for him getting in
front of the microphone. And it's not some nebulous talk.
It's not uh just where yet? Oh you know, it's
(22:54):
a work in progress. Whatever. No, he's saying, we're not happy,
we're not. I'm not. I'm not thrilled with where we're at,
and these guys need to bust their ass. So if
it's helping la Fleur coach a little bit and one
less tearing down to those guys he's got to do,
I think he puts them closer to being on the
same page in a weird, convoluted kind of way. Hey, look,
(23:15):
Peter le Fleur was a really good coach. You know,
he quit, but he went back for the end and
everything turned out. Okay, he wasn't for Lance Armstrong. How
well did that age if it wasn't for a Lance
arms Strong getting him back on. But I'm sure you
have a good reason to walk away anyway, nice beeting you, Peter,
take it anything. Uh, this is this is deeper than
(23:38):
just here's Aaron Rodgers upset about guys dropping passes. How
many other quarterbacks in camp, no matter who you are.
I can't say Brady because he's not there, but whether
it's Russell Wilson or Lamar Jackson or any other superstar,
any other star quarterback, how many of them go to
the press and say, oh, the eyes that may not
(24:01):
make the roster or dropping passes? How many do that. Nobody.
Nobody does that because there's no reason to. This is
not the entire If the entire offense was awful and
they were out of sink, and then starting receivers were bad,
then I get it. Then I get Hey, guys, I
gotta I gotta grab you guys by the scruff of
the neck for a minute. Let you know that the
season's coming up soon. We got two more games and
(24:23):
I'm not gonna play in any of them, So you
guys gotta make sure it's good that I understand. But
now it's like, oh, I'm upset because I threw some
passes and the and the young wide receivers who again
who may not even make the team, are the ones
dropping the ball. So I have to go and and
and and talk them out and say this, why do it?
There's no there's other than one more theory other than
(24:44):
to hear yourself talk, which is what Aaron Rodgers loves
more than anything. I'm the mysterious, I'm irreverent. I'm I
want people to talk about other than that. I don't
see the reason for this. I don't see the win
for right now. Everybody got to show up in a
meeting and sit here and go, Yes, catch the ball, Yes,
run the routes. Yes, I think I know this. I
want to stick in the NFL. I'm not some seventh
(25:06):
grade kid that Hey, I'm just stepping on the field
for the first time and I don't know which way
to go. Yeah, I get I gotta do this. This
is what the coaches say. But now here's Aaron Rodgers
getting involved because it's been a week or two since
he said something, and we've paid attention to what he says,
and now this is a two day story. No, I
get it. But it's like I go to the doctor
and he says, yeah, you've probably had a little more
(25:27):
sugar the last couple of months than you should have, huh,
And I go, yeah, just like the three months before that,
in the six months before that. You know what you
should do, but you don't. You know, you should walk
that fourth mile on the treadmill or out out and
about on the strand here in southern California, but you
don't because you know what you'd rather go do. Watch
(25:49):
another episode of Law and Order, or watch the White
Sox and the Astros getting after it, right, you'd rather
do that or talk to you as I'm blessed to
do right here across the vast airwaves of thought sports radio.
But for Aaron Rodgers, let me let me give you
this one. Maybe it's also the opportunity for everybody to
take their victory lapse. Because remember I was on the
(26:10):
Vikings a long time ago, you know, in the post
zimmer era and whatever that's gotten overweighted. I've decided to
jump back over to the Packers. So this is a
machiavellian work by Aaron Rodgers to get everybody off. Wow,
there's trouble, and then at the end he's just NodD, natchegun. Yep,
there we are back to the playoffs. Baby, oh boy.
(26:33):
Now I'm jumping back over. Now this is much more exciting.
I dig this way more. This is much more fun.
I like this, far more entertaining than the coach and
Kirk Cousins getting along or maybe not really, but better
than he did with Mike Zimmer uh and everybody suddenly
jumping on board the Vikings bandwagon. All the logic still
still still fits. But now I'm I'm thinking about it,
(26:55):
and it's like I'm gonna go back to the other side. Okay. So,
so as a Bears guy. It's really the dark side
for me. Then make this for me. What percentage of
you think this story do you think is because I'm irked?
And what percentage is because hey, I'm I'm right on
with Aaron Rodgers and what's going on here? Give me
give me a percentage. Oh, I think you're closer on
the right. I think it's seventy. Oh, I'm okay, alright,
(27:19):
that's fine, alright, I'm seventy percent No, no, no, no, no, no,
it's it's still irked, but you haven't hit the the
Patriots level irked yet. And that's the that's my measure
for it in terms of percentages. But I like, really
gone over the top. Yea, then then it's next level.
I'm bigger that those legit. I'm good with that. I'll
(27:42):
give you a seventy thirty splitter that it really is
a lot of noise, sound and fury signifying nothing in
the See, I'm going all literary. I got everything going
on today. Well, I had a couple of days where
I didn't talk a lot. Now I know, I know,
I gus prodden along in my mouth. It hurt, So
I get that tool out of there. Be sure to
(28:02):
catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific. Che
If you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in
the sports game, What's good? This is national champion and
former pro bowler Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a
little bit about my new series kJ Live. J Live
(28:23):
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the real And when I say real, I mean that real.
I got legendary Hall of famers, elite coaches, in the
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(28:44):
make your next move your best move and tap in
with me from kJ live wherever you get your podcast
from big big news in the NBA today, the Lakers
bringing back Lebron James for least the next two years
two years nineties seven million dollars on his contract extension.
(29:06):
This news first broken by On the Ball Squared podcast
host Matt Buker, so joining us now on the hotline.
We couldn't get Matt because Matt is just really busy,
So we're getting his dad, Rick Buker, Fox Sports one
NBA insider to join us to talk about Matt's big
breaking story. Rick, A good evening. Good evening. However, you
do know that in the same way that Joe Manson
(29:27):
got the pen that Joe Biden signed uh the the
act with that fat bucker apparently has the pen that
Lebron James signed the million dollar cension contract with. Of course,
of course he's got the pen. He's gonna your house
is gonna be taken over, just gonna be all kinds
of memorabilia. Here's where the pen goes, Here's where this goes. Yeah,
(29:51):
pretty much, pretty much. All right, So your initial reaction,
two years ninety seven millions got a trade, kick are involved,
He's got an option for the third year, so we
can move around, potentially play with brawny. Well, what do
you make out of this? He took the bag that
was available, and it's I can't fault him at all.
(30:13):
He's earned it. And but in terms of like where
the Lakers go and are they going to compete for titles?
I mean it quite honestly my first reaction, and it
continues to be the same. It hasn't changed after having
thought about it. It's kind of like when we saw Kobe.
Kobe took the contract that was available to him, took
(30:33):
the extension that was available to him, but it really
kind of locked up where the Lakers were now from
a from a a business standpoint, makes all the sense
in the world. Lebron is still going to be a draw,
especially with him on the verge of passing Karema Abdul
Jabar for the all time scoring uh mark, But it
(30:55):
doesn't really facilitate them competing for title. And honestly, I
don't know that there was anything that he could have
done different. Even if you took less, there's not a
guarantee that they could build a team that was going
to win titles. I get where everybody thinks, look, you've
got Lebron. Lebron has always played for titles. I've been
(31:17):
a couple of years and three out of the last
four have not been successful. So I just look, and
it's not even with Lebron. It has more to do
with the team around him. I just don't see how
they're going to build a championship team. Regardless of what
the length of the extension is. The Lebron size. Yeah,
at some point you kind of get to on both sides. Rick,
(31:39):
it seems you recognize who you are looking in the
mirror better with him there from a business perspective. But
if he leaves, now you've got nothing, You've got no
box office draw and you've got nothing to help you win.
Right and now the interest there's a trade kicker in there,
But my understanding is there's not a no trade clause.
(32:02):
And not that I think that Lebron is looking to
go anywhere or that the Lakers are looking to trade him,
but you'd rather have him as an asset and under
contract in case things really go south, then to not
have him. So I get, I get that it was done.
I just I just hope that Lakers fans don't look
(32:23):
at this is well we it extends the runway of
our chances of winning another championship. I really don't think
it affects that in any way whatsoever, unless it is
slightly diminishing that just because the size of the contract. Well, look,
James Harden proved he was a better teammate this offseason
(32:44):
by taking less money so they could go. Yeah, I
need to see exactly where that goes. There's, as you
guys are aware, like, there's some investigating going on with
the Philadelphia seventy, and some of it involves James Harden
and my understanding of what might have been promised uh
(33:08):
in in the negotiations, and so we'll see where that goes.
I don't want to I don't want to throw aspersions
out there that uh that that don't have any foundation,
but the league is looking into that. And one of
the reasons that I've been told is because there's some
question is to are there any other additional promises that
(33:30):
have been made that allowed James to take a lesser
contract Rick when it comes to the Lakers here and
and Lebron takes this and now, as you said, his
future with the trade kicker, I see it this way.
Lebron's attitude is all right, I've now made it easier
(33:51):
for me to go play my last year with Brawny
wherever it winds up happening. And there's really unless Brawny
turns into a top ten prospect, which then everything's out
the window because someone's gonna take Brawny early. But if
Brawnie's like uh Lo Angelo Ball, where he's like an
end of the first round, early second round prospect. This
is how it's gonna end for Lebron James. The Cavaliers
(34:14):
will get Brawny, Lebron will go back and play his
final year in Cleveland. That's gonna be it that that
That's how this is unless Brawnie turns into a great prospect,
that's how this is gonna wind up ending for Lebron.
That's an interesting when why wouldn't they do it with
the Lakers? Because the Lakers if he winds up being late,
Where does Lebron want to end and they're gonna be
(34:35):
drafted too early? Does he? Does he really know? And
they have no picks? Never mind? Does he really you know?
He's an Acron guy through and through, he's an Ohio guy.
Does he really want his last year to be with
the Lakers? Or is he gonna say, you know what,
for one year, I'm gonna travel with my somenwhere we're
gonna We're gonna do it in Cleveland. It's where I
started my career, It's where I'm gonna end my career.
(34:56):
I just see that as the button on his career
rather than just I'm gonn to play my last year
with the Lakers, like he'll do the next two years,
but then he's gonna wind up going back to Cleveland.
I'm not convinced that Lebron feels that sort of attachment
to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and I don't know that Brownie
does either. For Brownie is is as much an l
(35:19):
A kid as he would be a Cleveland kid. So
that's where I would hope. And this is what I
thought from the very beginning. And and this is just me,
and this is me as a dad, like, let Brownie
become Ronnie whatever he's going to be, Let him be
that um, guide him, support him. But I hope this
(35:45):
isn't to your point, Like I hope this isn't about Lebron.
I hope this is about where Brownie wants to play.
Where does he want to start his career and bron
and and Lebron says, wherever you want to go, I'll
find a way to be there. Like that, That'll be
what I orchestrate, is that I'm going to find a
(36:07):
way to get to the place where you decide to go. Now,
I would also fully expect that the Lakers, uh if
given the opportunity, And again I don't as of right now.
I know a lot of there's a lot of hype
around Brownie, and he's certainly improved over the the last year.
(36:29):
But I to your point, I still have the people
that I talked to still haven't projected as late first round,
early second round. That's that's that's going to be. The
Lakers can find a way to get him. If that's
ultimately where he is, well, then box office continues, because
(36:51):
even if Lebron's diminished, you're still going to be a draw,
right And wouldn't you want to see that? I think
that would be you know, look again, you're not playing
for championships, but that would be a fascinating thing to watch. Um,
I don't know how long it would be fascinating, And
I like would what? Who? Who else are you going
(37:12):
to have on that roster? I mean, it sounds good
and it sounds like home, you know, home spun and
and all of that. If I'm a guy in the
end trying to make my bones in the NBA and
I'm trying to get somewhere, I don't know if I
want to be part of that show. But again, we're
(37:36):
not anywhere close to that. Who knows I could be
I could be off on that, um, but it does
from a Lakers, uh you know, entertainment standpoint, that to me,
that would be fascinating to watch the last year those
two guys played together, Rick, if I can't just from
the kind of the cut to the chase of it.
When we look at the league overall, how many teams
(37:59):
are really every year on the white board saying all right,
this is our best shot to win versus all right,
we're gonna be okay, how do we maximize box office? Right?
I gotta imagine there's more teams on the back end
of that. Oh hell yeah. I mean that's that's the
dirty little secret when it comes to the NBA is
that there are in any given year, there are four
(38:22):
or five, maybe six teams that are genuinely looking to
win it all. And I don't know that necessarily are
looking to win it all the entire season. I think
some of them start out, hey, you know where we
got a shot. Let's see where we go. Uh, you know,
we get the February marchs, do we need to spend
a little extra? Do we have a shot, And then
the decision is made and the rest are just trying
(38:44):
to be competitive and or or to your point, just
be entertaining, make it worth their fans wild to come
out and watch them play, and still be fiscally responsible.
And I think what's changed a little bit is that
you see fewer teams willing to go all in on
(39:10):
a on a given year. That now there's more of
a let's just be competitive, uh and stay competitive and
never really fall off the rails, and who knows what's
going to happen. You know, we we could we could
have a year like the Toronto Raptors where we suddenly
have a Kawhi Leonard fall in our lap. We've built
(39:32):
a great culture and we can go win a championship,
or the Golden State Warriors and coming back around and
you have turned D'Angelo Russell into and Andrew Wiggins, and
you get a Jordan Pool and you cultivate these guys
and suddenly you can sneak up and and and win
a title. Even with the Boston with the Boston Celtics
(39:52):
put together the last over the last year or two,
I just believe that there are more teams that are
trying to be consistently competitive. Then we're gonna swing for
the fences and we're gonna go all in on a
given year because the fall off if you don't get
it is pretty steep. Is this surprising you, Rick? Because
(40:13):
you know when when you you you play the Kevin
Durant situation along with what you just talked about that
his market really the only star player we've heard that
the team is willing to give up from a Jalen Brown,
that that maybe, hey, if you're the Nets, you have
to think of maybe it's a different trade you gotta
do with Kevin Durant because you're not gonna get Hey,
we want two star players and two rotational guys at
(40:35):
three first round picks. That ain't happening. Yeah, look it's
it again. The Rudy Gobert thing has put them up
against it and now that they're looking at we gotta
do this thing over. And we had such high expectations.
I mean, I would not want to be in Shawn
Mark's shoes by any stretch, because they went from everybody
(41:00):
thinking that they were going to be title contenders to now,
how do we salvage this operation and how do we
get more for Kevin Durant than then the Utah Jazz
got Rudy Gobert like I say that, you like, like,
why should that be so hard? But it is and
and we'll see. I mean, I'm not going to discount
(41:22):
the possibility that they can still find a way to
get to all Star Wish players in a draft picker
two out of the equation. Um, it's again, they just
need to find that team that decides we want to
go for we we want to win that ring. Like
we're on the precipice and and we think k D
(41:46):
can get us over the top, we'll go ahead and
push that button and try to make it happen. Well,
we at least though he's not retiring any clarity about
anything else, but we know that I will say that
this that I feel. I feel sorry. I feel badly
for my friend mark Stein because all he basically did
(42:07):
was quote a uh AN executive, a GM somebody who
gave the opinion that he thought that KAD would retire
before he returned to the net, And now mark Stein
has to wear it. I feel bad for him because
it's like, if you had a GM tell you that,
(42:28):
would you not share that with the world. And yet
now it looks like Mark was saying that Kad was
going to retire, and that's not what he was saying. Now,
maybe that's maybe that's a writer having, you know, feeling
sorry for another writer, but it I also don't understand this,
Like k D, why would you come out and say that,
(42:50):
because if you're trying to get out of Brooklyn, like,
isn't that your leverage off the table? Yeah? Yeah, I
mean maybe not retire, but I'm not gonna play and
wit and if you're not gonna play, I don't know it. Um.
I think maybe the motivation for Katie and and and
(43:13):
dismissing that was because it sounds a little bit too
much like Ben Simmons. But Ben Simmons is one of
the reasons that he wants to get out of Brooklyn,
so maybe maybe maybe it all does make sense. He's
on Twitter at Rick Buker, that is at Rick Buker
hosted the On the Ball podcast Fox Sports one NBA
insider Rick is always buddy, appreciated, my friend. We will
(43:34):
talk to you next week and if if the Knicks
wind up trading for Katie, we'll call you right back.
Shuffle boarding Naples, Yo, See your buddy, have fun. See you, Rick,
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