July 15, 2025 • 51 mins
On this show: Dave Steinwedel and Payton Girod are back to talk:
How Payton is adjusting to Texas (1:12-2:25)
Bleacher Report National NBA Writer and Hardwood Knocks Podcast Host Dan Favale joins the show to discuss the Bucks, Knicks hiring Mike Brown, LeBron leaving, why free agency has been dull and more. (2:26-35:30)
Wall Street Journal National MLB Writer Jared Diamond joins the guys to talk what MLB All Star Week is like, Ohtani back to being a two way player, second half storylines, Cal Raliegh, MLB Trade Deadline and more. (35:31-END)
How Payton is adjusting to Texas (1:12-2:25)
Bleacher Report National NBA Writer and Hardwood Knocks Podcast Host Dan Favale joins the show to discuss the Bucks, Knicks hiring Mike Brown, LeBron leaving, why free agency has been dull and more. (2:26-35:30)
Wall Street Journal National MLB Writer Jared Diamond joins the guys to talk what MLB All Star Week is like, Ohtani back to being a two way player, second half storylines, Cal Raliegh, MLB Trade Deadline and more. (35:31-END)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This week's Opening Kickoff podcast is presented to you by
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(00:23):
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next event. Hello and welcome to this week's Opening Kickoff podcast.
(01:16):
We have a great show in store for you. It
is officially the All Star break for baseball, so we'll
dive into the All Star Game and some of the
baseball storylines heading into the second half.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
We'll get into football and all that stuff next week
as we get closer and closer to training camp.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I know that gets myself and my coast Peyton Drodd
this week very excited that football is almost back. Peyton,
how you feel about your Steelers right now?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I just I don't even want to talk about it.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
I saw enough people saying Aaron Rodgers shots trying to
hit people with his golf ball this weekend, and he.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Was a terrorist on the course. So I mean, I'm
getting used to it.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
I mean, they're gonna they're gonna go the you know,
the season of attacking him, and probably rightfully so from
fifty to seventy five to one hundred percent of it,
you know what I mean. But I'll have to live
with it. That's my quarterback. Got a defend him. So
but I'm here to talk basketball. Dan, that's right here
about basketball, That is right.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
We have our good friend from Bleacher Report, NBA writer
host of the Hardwood Knocks podcast, Dan Favali is back
with us.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
Dan.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
I know you've been busy, but I want to ask
this question because I just thought of it when I
was talking to Peyton here. Peyton last week moved from
Pennsylvania to Texas and he drove himself. He got pulled
over twice within an hour. My first question, Dan, would
you admit the second time you got pulled over that
you got pulled over earlier or would you just try
(02:48):
to act like that didn't happen.
Speaker 6 (02:50):
I mean, I guess it depends on what you got
pulled over for, like if it was a broken tail
lighter or like a breakway be like, look, I just
got ticketed for this. I'm on my way to get
it fixed, Like leave me the puck alone now.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
No, I wish, my god, I wish it was someone
like that. That sounds so much better.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
It was feeding Like the first time was five over,
which to this day I can't even imagine like the
time and effort it would take this, Like take someone
over for five over.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
The other one was twelve. I was been forty seven
to thirty five. I deserve that.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
I did deserve that, But I mean, yeah, I guess
anything ten over you could probably deserve. But there are
better things that they could be focusing on in my
second than someone driving twelve miles an hour over the Well.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Well, what I learned was going through Texas, you go
about seventy five, then you hit a know nothing town
for about two seconds, and then you keep going. And
I was in one of those towns with like forty
people and they probably didn't have much else going on.
So I, yeah, this lady golly, and she did not
care that my dog was like panting in the car
(03:54):
or anything.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
So she told me the story is.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
He goes, well, I'm just gonna let you know you're
getting ticket, and I said, kind of being an ass,
I was like, well, I already could have told you.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
I already got pulled it over an hour. So I
was like, ye, ain't really like she thought she would
get me, and I'm like I already knew it was coming.
So no love lost there.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So yeah, I broke up a royal record actually first
person uh set foot in Texas fastest speeding ticket of
all time. So that was my week in travel across America.
Speaker 6 (04:24):
Not very fun, but I made you turn your car
off though, with your dog panting in there. I forget
that people in that part of like the country, they
whenever I go to like the Midwest, they just they
tend to I don't want to paint with a broadbrush.
They just treat animals so differently than they do like
where I'm from, which is obviously the Northeast. Yeah, I
don't know.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
It was just yeah, not a great welcome. Not a
great welcome, I will say that.
Speaker 6 (04:47):
But you just made the biggest argument in favor of
Texas finally legalizing sports betting is they clearly need the
tax revenue if they're focusing on pulling people over. For
my mouth, what.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
I will say this moving here and then immediately almost
getting like weed in any type of thing like that band,
that was almost devastating and I was gonna be crushed
by that. So that's a that's another you know, my
own little personal problem. But luckily, luckily the governor stopped
that nonsense. The guy talked like it's sounded like a
Simpsons or like a family Guy commercial. He's like, they're
(05:21):
doing drugs, they're bad guys. And I was like, what's
that like? Moving to taxaup moving in just a terrible
place in the middle of the country. Now I can't drink, it,
can't have fun, getting speeding tickets the place and turn
into shittle before I even get here.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
But it's going well.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It's going great so.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Far, Ohka, probably about as good as the Milwaukee Bucks
off season is going.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Dan, what do you make of.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
What Milwaukee has tried to do this off season?
Speaker 6 (05:53):
I give them a pretty high mark for creativity. I mean,
they're twenty two and a half million dollars basically in
dead money on their books for the next half decades,
no joke. I don't think it's gonna end up working
out for them in the future. I don't think they
made themselves a contender by going from brook Lopez to
Miles Turner. But if it keeps Giannis there, they're just
(06:16):
kind of at the point where it's you don't know
your own draft picks for until twenty thirty one. You
don't control them anyway. If you every year, you keep
him there as a win, and so if this keeps
him there through next season, then you've bought yourself more
time and maybe next summer you can go out and
trade every first round pick. I think they'll have up
to three to trade next summer. Perhaps you get someone
else and you buy yourself another year. That's how it
(06:38):
works for the franchise. Icon and a lot of people
want to see him get traded. I think we all
know that they're kind of just delaying the inevitable because
he will eventually ask for a trade. But that's like
the entire point of what they're doing. These two just
prolong this era. And so I get it. There wasn't
anything really out after the Dame injury. Like I don't
know what else they were supposed to do, but it's
(06:58):
just like this isn't going to end well. This is
about like keeping Giannis in Milwaukee as much as possible.
The future is going to be bleak for that franchise though.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
I was gonna say, like we were debating this last week,
but like we were just kind of coming up with
I mean not even really like the best like you know,
money situation, like taking like Calf and all that out
of the equation, where do you think like the best
place and you can paint a perfect picture the best
place for him to go right now, like with the
current rosters, everyone kind of set in place.
Speaker 6 (07:31):
I mean, if it would be the Denver Nuggets as
you move in with Nicole jokicch and like that's that
they don't have the assets to get him, but like
that's the that's the pairing Giannis and Jokic just makes
so much sense together that it's it's almost hilarious how
much sense they make. So from just looking at a
pure basketball fit, no assets, no rumors, no likelihood of
it happening, I think Denver would very clearly be the
(07:52):
best basketball fit now in terms of like one if
they were actually to get involved and have the assets,
all the usual suspects will be mentioned, but like, I'm
just looking at Detroit's roster, him and Cave, like that
might be the like if they were to throw everything
that's not Kave on the table like that, that might
be the one. Like he would have to want to
stay there obviously, but that makes a lot of sense too.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Wow that you just said, Yogic yas on the same team,
And I think like the West just kind of shipped
themselves listening to that, like slightly, like just even though
it can't happen, they're like, oh my god, wait, I.
Speaker 6 (08:29):
Guarantee you Nuggets fans, not all of them, but I
guarantee you Nuggets fans will find a way to complain
about that. Oh well, they'll say like, oh, like uh,
Josh Kronkey said the second Apron like, we can't go
into it, and they're like, we got Cam Johnson where
ben Jonas Vala, Like, no, we can't. We can't give
up Peyton Watson. He might be like the two hundredth
best player in the NBA or something.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
So which fan base just because you brought up Denver?
Which fan base annoys you the most?
Speaker 6 (08:59):
So I want to couch this by saying I really
don't like painting generalizations, and a lot of it will
have to do with the things I say. So I
think that people will this doesn't this isn't just me
or the Hardwoo Knocks podcast. They are going to complain
about you more than they're going to compliment you, and
so like that could kind of change on any given day.
(09:19):
But I will say, like Houston Rockets fans have been
pretty brutal for what I feel are like reasonable differences
of opinion. So not all of them again, but like
Houston Rockets fans do not like me, and I could
like almost pretty much guarantee you Knicks fans despise me.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
I see the Knicks.
Speaker 6 (09:37):
I was raised a Knicks fan and I still have
like that fandom in me. But there I think I
probably talk about them at bunch Like again, that's just
gonna draw the criticisms, but I won't even say annoying.
But in terms of I had have ranked the fan
bases that like me the least. I think Houston and
the Knicks are like right up there.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
I gotta say what I think about I did mention
that Mike Brown man.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Peyton.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
I think we're losing Peyton a little bit here.
Speaker 6 (10:13):
Yeah, he broke up for me and now he's frozen
for me as well.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah, okay, well we can sort of hear you. We
just see a very nice image of you right now.
On the zoom call. I think he was asking about
Mike Brown and all the criticisms Dan that Mike Brown
and really the Knicks organization took for the hiring process.
(10:38):
What did you make of that entire situation?
Speaker 6 (10:43):
That is one of the situations where Nicks fans probably
had every right to be angry with me at my
initial take, where I just thought it was ridiculous that
they were letting out they were getting rejected by all
of those currently employed head coaches or at least their teams.
I still think that was hilarious, But you're never going
to necessarily know who the next guy is, So I
understand them doing their due diligence and asking about whoever.
(11:05):
I totally get that. I think that giving the options
out there, I believe Mike Brown was probably the right higher,
especially with when you look at their offseason signings with Yabu,
Sally Jordan Clarkson. They are trying to lean all the
way into offense, and there is like that's where this
team can actually improve the most. I know they were
fifth in offense last year, but they were fourteenth, but
(11:27):
like from January first onward basically, and Mike Brown, after
spending time with the Warriors and then we saw him
as head coach of the Kings, he will do some
more complex and creative things with the offense. And I
think that that's a pretty big deal.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Now.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
I understand anyone who sits there and says you're going
from Tom Thibodau to Mike Brown. I don't agree with
the oh it's TIBs two point zero, but I can
get why people would be skeptical of is this really
gonna bump our margin of error up or make us
that much better? And we kind of have to wait
and see. But I do think that they sent a
clear message that they believe this is a championship contender
(12:04):
and that Tibbs was their biggest problem. I don't actually
believe that. That doesn't mean that I don't think Mike
Brown's not a better fit. I think offensively he is
a better fit. But we're just gonna have to wait
and see how it pans out. So I think it
was a reasonable higher. We'll see who ends up being
their associate head coach. I know they're now getting rejected
on that front, but it's a real tough situation because
(12:25):
if you're getting rid of a coach that did push
you through this era that ends with you making the
Eastern Conference finals. I understand it was like kind of
like the last move for them to make when you
look at their assets, or the last easy move for
them to make. But you can also make the case
that Mike Brown is not going to be enough of
an upgrade over Tibbs, and it's again, we just have
to wait and see. So I think, again, relative to
(12:46):
who is out there, a reasonable higher relative to what
like if you wanted to make a coaching upgrade in general,
is Mike Brown going to be enough of a bump?
I honestly do not know.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
I think we got Peyton back for good.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Now, well I think am I good?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
In my issue?
Speaker 5 (13:02):
You are, damn it.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I didn't get to ask him the question and get
to see and reaction to Mike Brown being back, But
I said it. I said, Mike Brown always needs a job.
That's what I tried to say. I said it to
you last time you're on it. So it's like, you know,
Doc Rivers, he'll get a job after he gets fired,
pretty sure of it.
Speaker 6 (13:22):
The difference with Mike Brown's like super young though too,
and he's been in the NBA feels like for fifty
years and I think he's only fifty five years old
or something like that. And I will say the thing
about him is just that like he has issues, Like
I've seen a lot of the Knicks be like, yeah,
we're finally like we're going to see someone tap into
the depths of our rotation. I was like, Kings fans
were complaining that he was running a top heavy rotation
(13:44):
when he got fired. So don't like guarantee that he's
just going to be a master of depth. But he
has been like ever since he you know, like kind
of a calv stance the Lakers stints like he was
with the Warriors, like he cut his teeth as an assistant,
and you've seen like palpable changes how he manages the team.
And he came in the league and he was viewed
as a defensive specialist. I'm not saying he still does
(14:05):
not a coach defense, but like now he's viewed as
this really offensive minded coach and so he has evolved,
whereas I feel like Doc Rivers it probably hasn't evolved
too much or he always feels like this his stick,
it feels like it's better served to that. I don't
know what year it was, but that Clippers team that
had no stars like the aughts of the Neilo Gallinari,
(14:26):
Tobias Harris, like they were your best players. What a
name fringe all star that like during that time. So
that's what he seems best suited for. I think we've
seen Mike Brown again as an assistant with the Warriors,
and then you know he had Fox and Sabonis and Sacramento.
I think that he's I think he's shown he could
evolve more than Doc Rivers. But you're right, like it's
(14:48):
he's one of those guys that seems like he's always
gonna have a job, But I do think him being
willing to be an assistant probably has a lot to
do with that too.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Yeah, I'd say that's probably fair.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
God, Dave, Well, I want to ask about the Lebron situation,
because this this feels like the soap opera that never
wants to end, sort of like Days of Our Lives,
where you're just like, holy shit, this is still going on.
Do you put any stock into the rumblings that maybe
Lebron isn't going to be on this Laker team by
(15:21):
the start of the season.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (15:24):
I mean the whole thing about him opting in, and
I said this at the time before we knew for sure,
is that people were framing it as, oh, he's trying
to like put pressure on the Lakers to make the
team better. And if he was going to do that,
he would have opted out and been a free agent,
but he didn't because there was no money out there
and the Lakers probably weren't willing to sign him to
(15:46):
a multi year deal and or let him keep his
no trade class. Then we get reporting from Amona Shelburn
and Brian win Horse of ESPN that that's pretty much
what happened, So you either released that statement and opt
in to try and save face, or you're genuinely on
with being with the Lakers. And so I think that
I wouldn't guarantee that he gets traded, but I would
imagine that if they don't make another move that seriously
(16:08):
improves the roster, maybe he doesn't want to move because
his family's there, his son's on the team. I the
what is it. Bryce James is going to the University
of Phoenix, so he might not be around. So like,
I honestly don't think Lebron wants to be there. If
the Lakers roster is as it stands right now, that
would be my guess. Whether he's willing to try and
(16:30):
force the Lakers to trade him somewhere or maybe they
even said they're not gonna trade him because they like
the idea of his expiring contract and don't want to
take money back. So I don't want to predict that
he's gonna get moved, but I would say, like if
Jannie gets moved before Lebron does, like I would predict
that Lebron gets moved before next season before I even
think about like predicting Yannis moves that that that's I
(16:53):
think the best way for me to kind of, you know,
portray that situation.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
But like if you if you look at it and
like this nightpe just me being like, you know, just
a fan of basketball.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
If you're trying to win and years old as Lebron
is and he is still producing, which I'm not gonna
like downplay like its product. It's incredible what he's doing.
Taking fifty four million dollars seems like you're kind of
being an asshole if you're trying to win a basketball
that like basketball games with the building in team. Obviously,
I'm not saying you're gonna like playing for like the
league minimum and then signing people with that, Like I'm
(17:26):
not saying you're gonna sign like superstars, but there are
definitely guys out there that could probably help with that
money or distribution of it, right.
Speaker 6 (17:34):
I just you know, I go back and forth on
whether it seemed because this CBA was it's in the name,
it's collectively bargained, so like you've created this environment where
I know, play people pointed out the players aren't actually
being hurt financially by this, that teams didn't generally spend
into the second apron territory to begin with. But what
you've done is given teams more excuses not to spend.
(17:58):
We've seen it in Denver, We've seen it in with
the Clippers, and they're like, they're these are situations. We're
talking about contenders, like they've rebounded nicely, not even necessarily
criticizing everything they've done. But I don't like putting the
onus on players to take less, like he was like,
it's yet. But you're also right that it's his prerogative
to opt in for that salary. And I do think
(18:18):
we might reach a point where we might see big
time players taking less because they either want to keep
a corp together or to make sure you could bring
other talent in. I think the issue here is is
that Lebron offered to take a pay cut last year
at least that was sort of like a larger one
than the oldenly did, and they were promising him like
Yonis valanciunis very good player, but not worth Lebron taking
(18:41):
a massive pay cut for it. Could have been the
same story this summer, because it doesn't sound like they
want to make like they let Doryan Finny Smith walk
for two guaranteed years. Now, maybe he wanted to leave
that badly, but that also says something about the Lakers thinking, so,
you're right, like the salary gets so large if you're not,
he's the promise, he's still worth that money, Like this
is not like a zach Lavine situation, and again zach
(19:02):
Lvine is still on that deal. I'm never gonna lampoon
a player for taking money that's available to them, but
I do think we are approaching just with the constraints
or the way the teams are framing the second apron,
I'll say, is like it's taboo to go into, and
I think we can get it to a point where
it's like, oh, we can't go into the first apron
or all these teams that want to pay the tax.
I really do think that it's put And this is
(19:25):
to some extent, again the players' union's fault, like at
least the optics of it. But there is going to
be that perception that why aren't these guys taking less
to win a title? I think in this case, that'd
be a really fair question to ask someone like Lebron
if you could point to anything the Lakers have done
that suggests they would have been willing to use those
resources to go out and actually build a contender, but
(19:47):
the way that they've kind of cut him out of
the inner circle, didn't tell him the sale was coming.
They only told Luca. I get you're shifting to Luca's window,
but like, Lebron is still clearly your second best player
and he's still an All NBA player. So it's a
really tough situation. But I don't think that the Lakers
have like, you know, if you had to pick like
a villain in all this, like, yeah, I'd like to
(20:07):
not be kidnapped by Lebron James for one offseason. But
it does feel like the Lakers are just I don't
really understand their vision because Luca's younger, but he's not
like young young what was he twenty six then? Like
he's a superstar now, So like you can't, I don't.
It's just just a bizarre situation.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It's La.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
It sounds like an LA Lakers Yeast season right, like
just it's all the spectacle of all the glam everything about.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
It, and it's you know what if they're the team
that can say we're just gonna prioritize flexibility because we
know someone's gonna come here like they are the team
that can say that and end up being right because
guess what, that's how they got Lebron.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, that's a very point.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Well, I want to ask, because you mentioned this, and
I've been trying to think in my head, what move
could the Lakers make that would make Lebron want to stay?
Because I feel like, is it It can't be Dame
Lillard or Bradley Beal, which I feel like that's what
the Lakers are gonna do, is one of those guys.
So it's like, what exactly are the Lakers gonna be
(21:11):
able to throw at Lebron to say, hey, we're making
an effort here.
Speaker 6 (21:15):
Well, you can't because you let Dorian unless do again.
And I don't know for sure, but unless Dory and
Pinney Smith said I'm not playing here, it's only I
want to go back to Texas. But like, you let
your only two way wing on the entire fucking roster
leave for nothing on a contract that guess what fit
your twenty twenty seven cap space plans because it was
(21:37):
only two guaranteed years. If you're saying it's about twenty
twenty six cap space, all right, I guess sure. So
no matter what they do now, it's they still Yeah,
you gave yourself more flexibility to go out and sign
DeAndre Ayton and j Colerave. Okay, cool, like great, Like
I just I don't think there's anything they could do,
and I don't even know that they needed. I'm not
even saying they should have came out, but the first
(21:58):
round pick that tells what will be traded on the
able swaps trade everybody to make something reckless. But they've
kind of shown that they're not serious about going all
in right now, which fine, but that they're also not
willing to pay Lebron like a multi year deal in
the process or treat him like a cornerstone during that process.
And so look, they drafted his son, Bronni last year,
(22:19):
like they've done a lot of things for him. They
don't toetically owe him anything. But like the vision here
to me is just it's bizarre. And so I get
why Lebron is doing what he's doing, but I don't
think there's anything they can reasonably do to say, hey, no, like,
look we're trying right now. Because if that was the case,
like I guess you could sit here and make the
argument that having Jake la Ravia and DeAndre Ayton is
(22:39):
better than having Dorian Finney Smith. But like, I don't
even think it needed to be an either or situation there, Like,
there's probably other moves that you could have set up
to position yourself to use the full non tax payermid
level without giving up Dorian Phinney Smith.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
I mean, all right, well, let's have fun here. Where
do we want to see Lebron go?
Speaker 6 (23:01):
Well, so I came up with trades. Everyone hated them,
but they are just.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
This.
Speaker 6 (23:06):
There are a few teams that make too much sense.
The one that's staring everyone in the face is just
Karl Anthony Towns for Lebron, just straight up it works
the Knicks, honestly, I wonder like they might appreciate the
flexibility of Lebron having an expiring contract versus owing CAT
one hundred and seventy plus million over the next three years.
Now that eats into the Lakers cap space plans, and
karnct Towns isn't a lot threat next to Luca, so
(23:29):
there's a hole there. But like, if Lebron really wants
to win a title and he's talked about chasing a ghost.
If he won a title in New York, that thing
would probably count not as much as his Cleveland ring,
but like it would probably because that's the equival of
like five rings, but that one in New York would
count as at least two. So that's the one and
the other one too, is just the Nuggets. Let's bring
(23:50):
up like trade Jamal Murray and Salary to go get
like Peyton Watson and Deron Holmes trade that for Lebron,
Lebron and Jokic's basketball, and like if Lebron doesn't want
to go to Denver, I guess in terms of like
a from a geographer perspective, maybe, but if you care
about basketball, contending Lebron and Jokic is insane.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Dude, that guy went back to Cleveland. This guy shouldn't
care about Giogar.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
He went.
Speaker 6 (24:18):
He's from Cleveland, so he goes.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Yeah, he goes back there all the time.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
I'm sure is La mans and I'm sure he loves
going back down.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
I'm giving him a hard time, but I get you.
Speaker 6 (24:27):
Yeah, then people will mention the Spurs. I just don't
know if like if you have the Aaron Fox and
Wenby and Lebron, You're really good, but you're still trying
to develop Dylan Harper, Harper and Steph Castle. It just
gets a little weird. So it would probably be like
smarter for him to go to. You know, if we
had to pick maybe a third team, who was the
third team that I threw out there? It wasn't Milwaukee,
(24:49):
was it. I already forgot the third team, the Warriors.
The Warriors would be kind of fun, but it's like
he'd just.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Be playing for sas. He'd just be like, I want
to play.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
With se Well.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Could you imagine him and Jimmy Butler on the S team?
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Just like, shit, I don't.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
I think that's the problem though, is you can't game
it that like, if you're getting Lebron, you either have
to trade Jimmy Butler or Draymond De Green. And I
think if push comes to shove, they're gonna be the
team they would trade Jimmy Butler over Dream and then
I don't like the team as much. I probably like Lebron.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Jimmy but Ramon doesn't get them. They're like they're like, hey,
we got we got them, we got Lebron. Sweet, what
do we what do we give up. You you're going
to LA. You don't get to play with them. He'd
be like.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
No, no, he cry, He'd have a panic attack.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
He put everyone on the way out.
Speaker 6 (25:37):
The actual, so I remembered what it was the actual.
I think it would be funny and I don't really
know what to make of that team, but like Dallas,
if they just said, hey, Lakers, here's your twenty twenty
nine first round pickback and then the salaries you need
to get there, like it's you're not trading Flag, you
don't trade Kyrie, don't trade a d You probably need
to trade Gafford. When I gamed it out, was Gafford, PJ. Washington,
(26:01):
Augie Marshall, and then Dwight Powell might have been in there.
Klay Thompson was in there. So it's like you have
to end up trading five players, but like you end
up with, oh, we have Lebron Cooper, Flag, Anthony Davis,
and then Kyrie at some point coming back next year.
I don't know what to make of that team, but
I think that would be my favorite. I'd like to
see him in Denver. I just want to see Yoki
(26:21):
play with all these guys apparently, but yeah, I think
Dallas would be objectively like the most fun slash funniest
one because it's you talk about divergent timelines as oh
we got lebron Kye and here's this generational teenager and
Cooper Flag, but imagine Cooper Flag learning under Labron Hell.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah, yeah, I'm not gonna lie that.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
That one sounds way better. That sounds actually like the
most fun out of all those.
Speaker 6 (26:47):
It is, but it's like what your your depth afterwards?
Like you still have Derek Lively and Caleb Martin, so
like that gets a little it could get a little dicey,
but yeah, we can play that far.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
We got to just think on the surface for the right.
Speaker 6 (27:00):
And it's like, I know Anthony Davis doesn't want to
play center, but like Dan, when you have Derek Lively
and Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford is expendable. Klay Thompson, you
lose shooting. But it's like that's a contract they probably
wouldn't love anyway.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
PJ.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
Washington's about to get paid again. Like that's probably PJ. Washington,
Naji Marshall or like the toughest assets to give up
in that deal. And I think if it means getting Lebron.
You could talk yourself into it if you're Dallah.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
It'd be so funny if they when they where did
they make was the rumor they made this seal the
Luke and deal out of coffee shop or something was
that like the joke or something like it just got
it over a cup of coffee.
Speaker 6 (27:34):
They figured out some swanky like more like smoothie place.
Maybe they get ossy eyeballs. Let's go with that.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
We should start we should just start a rumor that
we saw Niko, Harrison and Plank at the same place again.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
We should just get back out and just be like
they're up to it again. They're doing it again.
Speaker 6 (27:52):
Look, Lebron seem upset that they traded a D two
when he made that comment after the playoffs, so it's like,
now you're reunited. That would just be one of the
funny his trades I think of all time. If he
ends up in Dallas, which he won't, but it would
be it would be hysterical.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
No, but we've convinced ourselves that that's what we want
to have happened.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
We got, we got Mike Brown back in the NBA.
We can we can will this this podcast something.
Speaker 6 (28:15):
Isn't I feel like if you are actually a look
at the basketball fit of what's left over after the trade,
I really do feel like it's Denver or New York
that would be like, hey, Lebron, if you want to
win a title, like, go there. I don't know what
the other like Boston like okay, okay, see sure, but
they're not gonna trade for him. So it's like trying
to keep the semi realistic. But like if you can
(28:36):
get to the Knicks without them trading o gn and
Obi and Michale Bridges, which you can if you trade towns.
I know, people be like, what about the center spot,
and it's like you can, like Chris Bouchet's is floating
around out there, you can maybe get him on the
Maybe Al Horford decides to go to New York on
the minimum if they have Lebron James there, so it
sounds like he's going to Golden State. But I think
those are like the two teams where if I'm Lebron
and I really want to win a title, like I'd
(28:58):
say I'll go to the Knicks or the Nugget, it's Lakers,
go figure out how to make it work. And then
if they don't, we'll get even more kind of fun
rumors behind that. They're like, no, the Lakers won't trade them,
they're just gonna will Lebron report the camp, Like, let's
open up a new layer to that awkward dynamic right now.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Well, hey, we talked about at the beginning that free
agency hasn't provided anything.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
So leave it to Lebron.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
To say, you know what, I've got this guys, let
me keep the NBA in the spotlight, thank you.
Speaker 6 (29:24):
That's the other thing too, Man, I'm about to go
on a rant here, but yeah, this has been framed
as like, oh, no, people need to pay attention to
the games now because there's not all these transactions, mfers,
what games right now? We're in the summer. This is
summer league, Like, this is the time where you should
be rooting for transactions or being happy to talk about them.
(29:44):
I get look, as someone who's written about responded to
read a bunch of trade drivel when it doesn't isn't
timely enough. Yeah, it's annoying. This isn't one of those
times like the NBA build its off season as an event.
They completely newtered free agency. Like when you look at
the way extensions work and now stars just request trades. Yes,
root for chaos. It's the off season. It's the off season.
(30:07):
Don't say, oh you need now. They have to watch
the games? What games? What games?
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Hi?
Speaker 4 (30:14):
I'm with you. I used to love NBA Street. The
summer used to just be so fun because like any
day you could be like Lebron might go somewhere.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
I remember where I was literally coming out of a.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
Dentist's office looking at the Lebron I'm going back to
Cleveland thing And I looked at it for like five
minutes like did that get Dennis?
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Give me? Like laughing gas? Am I fucked up? Right now?
Like is this real?
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Like I'll never forget that. And I called my mom
like I don't think I should drive should Like what's
wrong with you? I'm like, I think Lebron went back
to Cleveland that I fake? You know, yeah, Like this
is like Deep Bakes before Deep Takes. I was like,
who poses for like a magazine article that isn't really real?
Speaker 3 (30:51):
And does this like come on Lebron?
Speaker 6 (30:53):
Right And there's like a level of tedium that was
where it's like, okay, Lebron held it that year. I
think he held his hotses till July tenth. It's like that,
but like there was also it was something this is
probably my old man yells at clouds moment where it's
I've sort of missed, like we're all glued to our
computer screens or phones at like two in the morning,
trying to see how this meeting at a steakhouse or
(31:14):
a sushi bar and in La went with these free
Like the whole idea of these pomp, the pomp and
circumstance behind these free agency pisions so stupid. The logistics
of it are so dumb, but like it was cool
and it was like at a time where it's a
dead period, the finals are over, like the draft is over,
like this is this is when the movement should actually
(31:34):
be happening, rather than not speculating about trades from opening
night of the NBA season and now it seems like
you know, people, if you want more and look, I
think however, you root for the NBA, want to make
it clear, root for it if it's not toxic, if
you're not being an a hole about it, like just
if you love the x's and o's, if you love
the pageantry, if you just like falling casually. There's there's
(31:54):
no wrong answer here. But we're also at a point
where it's like, look at all the stars that have
been traded recently. So Kevin Durant was moved in the
off season, but that basically happened during the season because
he shot down the Warriors trade. So that's all you
speculated about. But just look at Doncic, Darn Fox, Kevin
Durant when he was shipped to the Suns, O g Annobi,
Pascal Siakam. All these trades are now happening in the
(32:15):
middle of the season, which again you have a trade deadline.
So that's fine, but like, if you want people to
not focus on trades and fruit and like players switching teams,
we should have more of it happening than in the
off season and maybe also make a rule like you
can't make trades during the NBA Finals or something like,
because that was just trying to wrap your head around
everything that was happening, Like these transactions was just like, well,
(32:38):
don't we have like the freaking Kevin Durant on the
day of Game seven, Like I'll never forgive this whoever
was involved in that trade. I'm not blaming Kevin Durant specifically,
but he's also involved sons. Kevin Durant his representation, I
loathed you in them. I wanted to focus on Game
seven and it becomes like Kevin Durant Trade Day again
for the ninth time.
Speaker 4 (33:00):
I think everyone we should just start, like doing an annual,
like someone who whoever the top gregging is, how do
we want to come up with those rankings? That person
should have to do a Lebron's Decision live interview at
the Boys and Girls Club at wherever they are and
in the city that they're gonna leave. They should have
to do that.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
But the problem is, I don't know if it's I mean,
it's a feature, not a bug relative to how it's
set up, but it now it just made your extension
eligible so quickly, basically depending on the deal, its every
two years, that it just makes more sense for you
to extend and if you want out, you just ask
for it later because you have that cachet as a
and like. But you could point to Damian Lillard as
a great situation, a great example where it's had he
(33:42):
not signed that extension, which by the way, just as
it began, he got waived, so like he never even
start playing on that extension. But like, had he not
signed it, he might have actually had the leverage because
he wasn't under contract for so long to have forced
his way to Miami where he wanted to go. And
so I'm wondering if that starts to seep in with
certain players, and I think Luca and Jokic to bring
it back to current events, Doncic is gonna be eligible
(34:05):
for an extension. I think in August, Jokic already turned
his down under the guys, and it's probably true that
he just wants to sign a longer extension next summer.
Like those might be two case studies to look and
be like, no, they're kind of keeping pressure on the
organization if Luca doesn't sign one, especially maybe you want
to keep pressure on the other. Like guess because if
you're Jokic, you could rupture your achilles right now, the
(34:25):
Nuggets will still max you out. So I'm wishing for
that to happen. So I'm just wondering if we start
to see those level of names like reach free agency
just because they can, and it keeps pressure on the
maybe they won't even leave just something to track as
someone who's kind of hoping that we can shift some
of the in season player movement, which actually impacts us
focusing on the games back to the offseason.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Well, it is always a pleasure when we get to
have you on, Dan, take some time, get some R
and R, enjoy the offseason, and we'll talk to you
again soon.
Speaker 6 (34:58):
You guys as well, thank you so much for having
me as always.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Take care up next.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Jared Diamond in a Wall Street Journal joining us from
the MLB All Star Week festivities. Welcome back to the
Opening Kickoff Podcast. I'm Dave Steinwittel, and it is All
Star Week for Major League Baseball and kind enough to
give us some time. I know he's very busy man
down there, but national Baseball writer for the Wall Street
(35:23):
Journal Jared Diamond, Jared, you just wrapped up interviews. What
is All Star Week like for people that have never
been there?
Speaker 5 (35:32):
Oh, it's great.
Speaker 7 (35:33):
It's sort of the ultimate celebration of baseball, right.
Speaker 5 (35:37):
It's all the best.
Speaker 7 (35:39):
Players all gathering in one place. And what's amazing about.
Speaker 5 (35:43):
It is everyone's in a good mood.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Right.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
It almost doesn't matter how your season.
Speaker 7 (35:49):
Is going up to that point, the team season, what's
been happening. You get here and for two or three days,
everyone's happy. Everyone is sort of genuinely some honored to
have been chosen to come, thrill to be there, and
everyone here to sort of wants to celebrate the game
because you know, it's been every handing into All Star
(36:12):
weekend also a week rather there's always amazing story lines
to celebrate.
Speaker 5 (36:17):
It has been an amazing start to this season. So look,
if you love baseball, it's kind of no better place
to be. To be in a city where everyone is
thinking about baseball for three days is not as good
as it gets.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
So all the storylines at the All Star Game right now?
Which one is your absolute favorite?
Speaker 5 (36:36):
Oh god, my absolute favorite story?
Speaker 7 (36:39):
Look at least based on what I saw at the
media day just now.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
So for those who don't know the way this works,
the media day is that.
Speaker 7 (36:49):
The players from the National League spend forty five minutes
with reporters than the players from the American League spent
forty five minutes with reporters. Every player is there, they
all sit behind a table, and as a reporter you.
Speaker 5 (37:00):
Just walk around and talk to all of.
Speaker 7 (37:03):
Them and there's never an opportunity to get ninety minutes
with all the.
Speaker 5 (37:07):
Best players in baseball like there is here.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
It's really incredible for what I do. Cal Rawley was
certainly generating a lot of attention, understandably, so, I mean,
he's what thirty eight homers at the All Star rate,
hits at the point where you're wondering, if he hit sixties,
he hit sixty five, how many home runs this guy
going to hit? Of Course, as always, Sho Aotwani remains
(37:31):
a huge attraction.
Speaker 5 (37:32):
His return to pitching has been it's really amazing.
Speaker 7 (37:36):
He obviously is still working his way back to being
a full blown starting pitcher, but then he's has thrown,
he's been completely dominant, and to see.
Speaker 5 (37:46):
That two way sensation kind of getting back to full
force is a real thrill. And of course you have
the hometown hero here, Ronald L.
Speaker 7 (37:55):
Kunya, a guy that just came back from his second
major surgery as his career returned and has been as
good as ever. Always a throwers, it's always going to
have a good, local, local, hometown hero to celebrate at
this thing, and he certainly qualifies.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
A couple of things you brought up I want to
talk about.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
I'll start with Otani because There's been some debate among
the baseball people whether how the Dodgers should use Otani
in the second half and going into the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
Where do you stand on it?
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Do you think he should be built back up as
a full time starter going into the playoffs.
Speaker 7 (38:35):
I very much believe that you have to give this
one more chance.
Speaker 5 (38:39):
I know the risks. I know this is the guy
that's blown out his elbow twice while trying to do
the two way thing. I say this for two reasons.
Speaker 7 (38:49):
One is sort of practical, is that the Dodgers they promised.
Speaker 5 (38:52):
Them they would give him the chaps. Right when the
Dodgers signed him, it was with the sort of at
least a handshake agreement that hey, we are signing him
to be a two way player.
Speaker 7 (39:04):
And I'm sure the Dodgers feel like they at least
owe him that much and that much respect to say,
all right, this is that we know you want to do.
You've shown that you can do it right the years
with Anaheim, and he did do both. It was really
unlike anything baseball has ever seen. So I'm sure they
feel like we owe it to this guy to give
(39:25):
him this opportunity. But also, look, the risks, understanding the risks.
If he is a true two way player, starting and hitting,
he is the most valuable baseball player ever to step
onto a field. Like, it's not even a controversial statement, right,
You have your best pitcher and best hitter in one guy.
Speaker 5 (39:47):
I mean, there's the value of that is sort of unfathomable.
Speaker 7 (39:52):
Right, So if you can make it.
Speaker 5 (39:54):
Work, you've unlocked this unbelievable chief coache. So you got
to give it a shot. If he gets hurt again,
he's not getting hit another one.
Speaker 7 (40:01):
This is it, right, This is really sort of the
last hurrah to become a full time.
Speaker 5 (40:06):
Starter and hitter. If it doesn't work, they're gonna have
to figure out something else moving forward.
Speaker 7 (40:11):
But the upside is just it's too it's just too easy.
Speaker 5 (40:15):
To dream on to just give up on it. He
obviously isn't.
Speaker 7 (40:19):
Pitching great, and the limited innings he's struggled at the plate.
Interestingly enough, since he returned to pitching. Maybe that shouldn't
be too much of a surprise, but he has shown
he could do it for two seasons with the Angels.
He was death star for reoperational and I understand why
the Dodgers are going to give it.
Speaker 5 (40:38):
One more shot.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I would agree.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
I think you got to ride the horse that you
signed for and see what happens. I want to bring
up Kal Rawley because one he's not on a big
market team with the Mariners, and two he's doing something
that we have seen done before, but not from a
guy at that position a long time. Does it feel
(41:02):
like cal Rowly if he sustains this in the second half,
Jared is the easy MVP candidate.
Speaker 7 (41:09):
It's so funny because if you had sort of asked
this question three weeks.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
Ago or a month ago, it would.
Speaker 7 (41:17):
Have been laughable to suggests anyone besides Aaron Judge believing
being the conversation for RMVP.
Speaker 5 (41:24):
I still believe if the season ended today, Aaron Judge
would be the MVP. I still think Aaron Judge is
the favorite to win MVP for a variety of reasons.
Speaker 7 (41:31):
One is on the better team, but also Judge, in
addition of those home.
Speaker 5 (41:37):
Runs, has been a more complete offensive.
Speaker 7 (41:39):
Claire right, Aaron Judges dotting averagesposed to one hundred points.
Speaker 5 (41:43):
Higher than cal Rally, So I would still vote for
Aaron Judge for MVP.
Speaker 7 (41:48):
We'll see what happens over the next two and a
half months. Of course, that could change that set.
Speaker 5 (41:54):
What Cal really is doing is remarkable, and.
Speaker 7 (41:57):
I'm not sure people are sort of appreciate it enough.
Just something I thought a lot about and talked about
a lot last year when Aaron Judge was making his
run for sixty homers against I think he ended up
well fifty eight last year, whatever he had.
Speaker 5 (42:15):
Those of us who sort of came up, who were
sort of.
Speaker 7 (42:18):
Raised in baseball in the nineties and two thousands don't
fully appreciate what sixty home runs mean, right, because we
saw it quite a few times from three different players
in a short span.
Speaker 5 (42:32):
McGuire so Sun bombs. We all now know that none
of those players were doing it cleanly, but.
Speaker 7 (42:40):
They did it, and it's sort of I don't want
to say devalued, but I think desensitized people to what
that number is. Right.
Speaker 5 (42:47):
In the history of baseball before nineteen ninety eight, there.
Speaker 7 (42:50):
Are only been two seasons where a guy hit sixty
homers Babe Ruth Roger.
Speaker 5 (42:54):
Mas that was it. Suddenly we have a guy in
Cal Rowling, who we are assuming he's clean, right, there's
no reason to think he's not.
Speaker 7 (43:04):
It's a much different time in baseball than it was
twenty years ago.
Speaker 5 (43:08):
When Barry Bond saying seventy three and he is a
chance hit sixty five homes, right, I think we kind
of go like, yeah, I mean, that's a lot, but
we've seen it. It kind of happened, right, not like this.
So I do think it should be appreciated the same
as Baron Judge when he hit sixty two a few
years ago.
Speaker 7 (43:27):
Aaron Judge, he's an outside chance of getting sixty this
year he has another he has.
Speaker 5 (43:32):
A really good.
Speaker 7 (43:33):
Second half, right, And never in baseball history as a
clean player hit sixty homers twice.
Speaker 5 (43:40):
In a career, and Aaron Judge could do it. So
I just think in.
Speaker 7 (43:43):
General we should not lose sight of what that sixty
home run mark means.
Speaker 5 (43:48):
And what cal Rawley is doing is.
Speaker 7 (43:50):
Like it's extraordinary because it's Cal Rowley, right, Like, no
one knew this guy outside of Seattle or three months ago,
and now you're like, he's gonna hit sixty five homers.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
It's remarkable.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
I do want to ask, now that you're down at
the All Star Game, boy, there's a lot of buzz
about Jacob MISERASKI the Burwers, young phenom pitcher only five
stars getting named as an All Star. Now again, it
gets lost in this conversation in the fact that he's
an injury replacement. Guys that have pitched leading up to
the All Star Game that are not available. He's a replacement.
(44:26):
What do people make that are there in Atlanta about
the fact that Jacob Miserawski is an All Star.
Speaker 7 (44:33):
A lot of people are mad about it, right, Like
a lot of people are angry about it, especially players,
some players, right, And I understand it.
Speaker 5 (44:41):
I understand the anger to some extent. Right.
Speaker 7 (44:45):
It sort of comes down to what is the All
Star Game and what is its purpose?
Speaker 2 (44:51):
Right?
Speaker 7 (44:51):
I don't mean to get all philosophical here, but in
a way, this is a little bit of a philosophical question, right,
So speak of Miserawski is there in part because no
one else will do it, right. A lot of pitchers
turned it down, And that's an important point. But even that,
aside taking Viziowski is there because in the eyes of
Major League Baseball, he is who fans will want to
(45:13):
watch because if there's one hundred and two miles an hour,
because he's got he had like the most unbelievable start
to a career that any players ever had in baseball
history or whatever. And if the goal of this game
is to bring people to it and to attract fans
and entertain fans or serve as a suitcase of rateness
(45:35):
on a baseball field, Yeah, as a fan of the game,
I would much rather watch Jakob Misserowski pitch it inning
tomorrow night than Christopher Sanchez. I don't mean that as
a criticis of Christopher Sanchez, but.
Speaker 5 (45:49):
It's just true. Right If, however, you sort of view.
Speaker 7 (45:53):
The officer game as it's not about that, it's really
about the players and honoring them and.
Speaker 5 (45:58):
Making sure that players have recognized they're achievements.
Speaker 7 (46:01):
Yeah, of course there's players more deserving than Miserewski who've
accomplished more. I personally fall more on the side of
this should be or fan to at entertainment first and foremost.
Speaker 5 (46:15):
I feel bad, I guess to some extent for guys that.
Speaker 7 (46:19):
Sort of lost out a spot for someone like Mizerowski,
And I do think like there's a limit to this,
right he only touched five games, Like I understand, we
were having the same conversation to extent last season when
Paul stein started the game, right, oh, it's only made
nine starts, ten starts, whatever it was.
Speaker 5 (46:36):
And I was saying the same things. He deserves it,
and it's good for the game to Paul Skimes starting it.
Misreski is only doing five games.
Speaker 7 (46:44):
I don't think this is necessarily an ideal situation. I
don't mean kind of want this every year, but this
is an unusual case, a special guy who I really
do think it will be good for baseball to see
him on this grand stage.
Speaker 5 (46:58):
So I'm kind of you know, I understand it. It
doesn't bother me like it bothers some people.
Speaker 7 (47:03):
I feel somewhat sorry for players who don't get to
be here that maybe lost their thought to him, but
you know, their consolation prizes, whatever millions of dollars they're making,
So I think it's okay.
Speaker 2 (47:15):
I like that answer.
Speaker 1 (47:17):
I want to ask before I let you go here
about the second half of the season, and particularly let's
start with the trade deadline. It sort of feels like
this is going to be an underwhelming trade deadline. What
do you make of what we potentially will see in
the coming weeks.
Speaker 7 (47:33):
In almost all likelihood that the histor trade has already happened,
Raphael Devers to San Francisco.
Speaker 5 (47:39):
Be very surprising if there's a trade.
Speaker 7 (47:42):
As impactful as that one, and for better or worse,
this is just sort of what happens when you have
expanded posts, right. Like, the reason the trade deadline over
the last few years has been a little underwhelming is
because there are a lot of buyers and not a
lot of sellers, right because every one thinks they're still
in it because there's three wildcards, so every team kind
(48:04):
of is.
Speaker 5 (48:05):
In it, right, Like, there are very.
Speaker 7 (48:06):
Few teams that you could look at right now and
say like they're done. Yeah, like Colorado obviously, like Chicago
White like that.
Speaker 5 (48:13):
They're a handful, but not many. Right, There's so many teams.
Speaker 7 (48:16):
That're in that sort of four or five six games
out of the wildcard, which is something like close enough
or maybe you could dream on it making a run. Right,
So that's what I guess Hurts and Airports to trade deadline.
Speaker 5 (48:28):
Maybe there'll be a surprise. There's some guys out there.
Speaker 7 (48:31):
Sandy Alkintara is you know, is he someone that will
generate interest?
Speaker 5 (48:35):
They'll be moves.
Speaker 7 (48:36):
But yeah, I agree, it's not looking like it's going
to be super action packed, but sort of the the
alter the thing we get is more teams sort of
going forward and trying to win. I think that's always
sort of the balance Baseball's any sports sort of trying to.
Speaker 5 (48:53):
Sort of do that high wire act. And this is
where baseball sort of landed.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
Who would be Who would be the team.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
That we're not talking about as selling? That is the
one that everybody's gonna watch? Is it the Orioles, because
I know that as an oriole fan. There have been
some seems like they're getting ready to sell, but there
have been some mixed messages. Is there any other team
that we're not talking about that maybe we should keep
an eye on in the second half as potentially selling.
Speaker 7 (49:23):
The problem with Baltimore, I just don't really know what
they're gonna sell, right, Like, they're not like built to sell,
They don't have like vettering contracts that you trade away.
Speaker 5 (49:32):
They're not trading any of their young.
Speaker 7 (49:33):
Guys, right, I mean, the Ools aren't trading and any
of this.
Speaker 5 (49:37):
Group of young players that they've brought up.
Speaker 7 (49:39):
You know, I guess I guess the bigger question for
me with selling is actually Arizona, Right, Arizona to.
Speaker 5 (49:45):
Me is sort of the wild card and office.
Speaker 7 (49:48):
The Diamondbacks blew out their payroll this year to really
make a run at the postseason, try to make another
run after going to the World Series a couple of
years ago. Beside Corbyn Burns, they I think they have
the highest payroll in history of their friend Chiys and
things have not gone well sorban burn spot is elbow.
The team has not pitched nearly as well as they expected.
Speaker 5 (50:09):
Is haven't been as good as they had hoped. Right,
there's three games under five hundred.
Speaker 7 (50:12):
There are eleven games out of first and they're what
five and a half games.
Speaker 5 (50:18):
Out of a wildcard?
Speaker 7 (50:19):
Is that still in striking distance? Yeah, but you're five
and a half games out. You're in a really tough
division in which you're currently in fourth place.
Speaker 5 (50:29):
You have a lot of teams to hop over. And
the difference that.
Speaker 7 (50:31):
Diamondbacks do have players to trade, someone like a ju
Hanneous Suarez or Merrill Kelly or Zach Gallen maybe or
you know, they have more sort of veteran contracts to
trade where they want to sort of shed payroll and
sort of admit defeat. Maybe I think they are the
one I would look on more more than Baltimore.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
Okay, Jared, I know you are very busy man. Thank
you for taking some time here with us on the show.
Speaker 2 (51:01):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (51:02):
Happy to do it anytime, all right.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
Jared Diamond and Wall Street Journal. We have more opening
kickoff after this
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next event. Hello and welcome to this week's Opening Kickoff podcast.
(01:16):
We have a great show in store for you. It
is officially the All Star break for baseball, so we'll
dive into the All Star Game and some of the
baseball storylines heading into the second half.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
We'll get into football and all that stuff next week
as we get closer and closer to training camp.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I know that gets myself and my coast Peyton Drodd
this week very excited that football is almost back. Peyton,
how you feel about your Steelers right now?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I just I don't even want to talk about it.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
I saw enough people saying Aaron Rodgers shots trying to
hit people with his golf ball this weekend, and he.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Was a terrorist on the course. So I mean, I'm
getting used to it.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
I mean, they're gonna they're gonna go the you know,
the season of attacking him, and probably rightfully so from
fifty to seventy five to one hundred percent of it,
you know what I mean. But I'll have to live
with it. That's my quarterback. Got a defend him. So
but I'm here to talk basketball. Dan, that's right here
about basketball, That is right.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
We have our good friend from Bleacher Report, NBA writer
host of the Hardwood Knocks podcast, Dan Favali is back
with us.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
Dan.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
I know you've been busy, but I want to ask
this question because I just thought of it when I
was talking to Peyton here. Peyton last week moved from
Pennsylvania to Texas and he drove himself. He got pulled
over twice within an hour. My first question, Dan, would
you admit the second time you got pulled over that
you got pulled over earlier or would you just try
(02:48):
to act like that didn't happen.
Speaker 6 (02:50):
I mean, I guess it depends on what you got
pulled over for, like if it was a broken tail
lighter or like a breakway be like, look, I just
got ticketed for this. I'm on my way to get
it fixed, Like leave me the puck alone now.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
No, I wish, my god, I wish it was someone
like that. That sounds so much better.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
It was feeding Like the first time was five over,
which to this day I can't even imagine like the
time and effort it would take this, Like take someone
over for five over.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
The other one was twelve. I was been forty seven
to thirty five. I deserve that.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
I did deserve that, But I mean, yeah, I guess
anything ten over you could probably deserve. But there are
better things that they could be focusing on in my
second than someone driving twelve miles an hour over the Well.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Well, what I learned was going through Texas, you go
about seventy five, then you hit a know nothing town
for about two seconds, and then you keep going. And
I was in one of those towns with like forty
people and they probably didn't have much else going on.
So I, yeah, this lady golly, and she did not
care that my dog was like panting in the car
(03:54):
or anything.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
So she told me the story is.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
He goes, well, I'm just gonna let you know you're
getting ticket, and I said, kind of being an ass,
I was like, well, I already could have told you.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
I already got pulled it over an hour. So I
was like, ye, ain't really like she thought she would
get me, and I'm like I already knew it was coming.
So no love lost there.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So yeah, I broke up a royal record actually first
person uh set foot in Texas fastest speeding ticket of
all time. So that was my week in travel across America.
Speaker 6 (04:24):
Not very fun, but I made you turn your car
off though, with your dog panting in there. I forget
that people in that part of like the country, they
whenever I go to like the Midwest, they just they
tend to I don't want to paint with a broadbrush.
They just treat animals so differently than they do like
where I'm from, which is obviously the Northeast. Yeah, I
don't know.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
It was just yeah, not a great welcome. Not a
great welcome, I will say that.
Speaker 6 (04:47):
But you just made the biggest argument in favor of
Texas finally legalizing sports betting is they clearly need the
tax revenue if they're focusing on pulling people over. For
my mouth, what.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
I will say this moving here and then immediately almost
getting like weed in any type of thing like that band,
that was almost devastating and I was gonna be crushed
by that. So that's a that's another you know, my
own little personal problem. But luckily, luckily the governor stopped
that nonsense. The guy talked like it's sounded like a
Simpsons or like a family Guy commercial. He's like, they're
(05:21):
doing drugs, they're bad guys. And I was like, what's
that like? Moving to taxaup moving in just a terrible
place in the middle of the country. Now I can't drink, it,
can't have fun, getting speeding tickets the place and turn
into shittle before I even get here.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
But it's going well.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It's going great so.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Far, Ohka, probably about as good as the Milwaukee Bucks
off season is going.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Dan, what do you make of.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
What Milwaukee has tried to do this off season?
Speaker 6 (05:53):
I give them a pretty high mark for creativity. I mean,
they're twenty two and a half million dollars basically in
dead money on their books for the next half decades,
no joke. I don't think it's gonna end up working
out for them in the future. I don't think they
made themselves a contender by going from brook Lopez to
Miles Turner. But if it keeps Giannis there, they're just
(06:16):
kind of at the point where it's you don't know
your own draft picks for until twenty thirty one. You
don't control them anyway. If you every year, you keep
him there as a win, and so if this keeps
him there through next season, then you've bought yourself more
time and maybe next summer you can go out and
trade every first round pick. I think they'll have up
to three to trade next summer. Perhaps you get someone
else and you buy yourself another year. That's how it
(06:38):
works for the franchise. Icon and a lot of people
want to see him get traded. I think we all
know that they're kind of just delaying the inevitable because
he will eventually ask for a trade. But that's like
the entire point of what they're doing. These two just
prolong this era. And so I get it. There wasn't
anything really out after the Dame injury. Like I don't
know what else they were supposed to do, but it's
(06:58):
just like this isn't going to end well. This is
about like keeping Giannis in Milwaukee as much as possible.
The future is going to be bleak for that franchise though.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
I was gonna say, like we were debating this last week,
but like we were just kind of coming up with
I mean not even really like the best like you know,
money situation, like taking like Calf and all that out
of the equation, where do you think like the best
place and you can paint a perfect picture the best
place for him to go right now, like with the
current rosters, everyone kind of set in place.
Speaker 6 (07:31):
I mean, if it would be the Denver Nuggets as
you move in with Nicole jokicch and like that's that
they don't have the assets to get him, but like
that's the that's the pairing Giannis and Jokic just makes
so much sense together that it's it's almost hilarious how
much sense they make. So from just looking at a
pure basketball fit, no assets, no rumors, no likelihood of
it happening, I think Denver would very clearly be the
(07:52):
best basketball fit now in terms of like one if
they were actually to get involved and have the assets,
all the usual suspects will be mentioned, but like, I'm
just looking at Detroit's roster, him and Cave, like that
might be the like if they were to throw everything
that's not Kave on the table like that, that might
be the one. Like he would have to want to
stay there obviously, but that makes a lot of sense too.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Wow that you just said, Yogic yas on the same team,
And I think like the West just kind of shipped
themselves listening to that, like slightly, like just even though
it can't happen, they're like, oh my god, wait, I.
Speaker 6 (08:29):
Guarantee you Nuggets fans, not all of them, but I
guarantee you Nuggets fans will find a way to complain
about that. Oh well, they'll say like, oh, like uh,
Josh Kronkey said the second Apron like, we can't go
into it, and they're like, we got Cam Johnson where
ben Jonas Vala, Like, no, we can't. We can't give
up Peyton Watson. He might be like the two hundredth
best player in the NBA or something.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
So which fan base just because you brought up Denver?
Which fan base annoys you the most?
Speaker 6 (08:59):
So I want to couch this by saying I really
don't like painting generalizations, and a lot of it will
have to do with the things I say. So I
think that people will this doesn't this isn't just me
or the Hardwoo Knocks podcast. They are going to complain
about you more than they're going to compliment you, and
so like that could kind of change on any given day.
(09:19):
But I will say, like Houston Rockets fans have been
pretty brutal for what I feel are like reasonable differences
of opinion. So not all of them again, but like
Houston Rockets fans do not like me, and I could
like almost pretty much guarantee you Knicks fans despise me.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
I see the Knicks.
Speaker 6 (09:37):
I was raised a Knicks fan and I still have
like that fandom in me. But there I think I
probably talk about them at bunch Like again, that's just
gonna draw the criticisms, but I won't even say annoying.
But in terms of I had have ranked the fan
bases that like me the least. I think Houston and
the Knicks are like right up there.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
I gotta say what I think about I did mention
that Mike Brown man.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Peyton.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
I think we're losing Peyton a little bit here.
Speaker 6 (10:13):
Yeah, he broke up for me and now he's frozen
for me as well.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah, okay, well we can sort of hear you. We
just see a very nice image of you right now.
On the zoom call. I think he was asking about
Mike Brown and all the criticisms Dan that Mike Brown
and really the Knicks organization took for the hiring process.
(10:38):
What did you make of that entire situation?
Speaker 6 (10:43):
That is one of the situations where Nicks fans probably
had every right to be angry with me at my
initial take, where I just thought it was ridiculous that
they were letting out they were getting rejected by all
of those currently employed head coaches or at least their teams.
I still think that was hilarious, But you're never going
to necessarily know who the next guy is, So I
understand them doing their due diligence and asking about whoever.
(11:05):
I totally get that. I think that giving the options
out there, I believe Mike Brown was probably the right higher,
especially with when you look at their offseason signings with Yabu,
Sally Jordan Clarkson. They are trying to lean all the
way into offense, and there is like that's where this
team can actually improve the most. I know they were
fifth in offense last year, but they were fourteenth, but
(11:27):
like from January first onward basically, and Mike Brown, after
spending time with the Warriors and then we saw him
as head coach of the Kings, he will do some
more complex and creative things with the offense. And I
think that that's a pretty big deal.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Now.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
I understand anyone who sits there and says you're going
from Tom Thibodau to Mike Brown. I don't agree with
the oh it's TIBs two point zero, but I can
get why people would be skeptical of is this really
gonna bump our margin of error up or make us
that much better? And we kind of have to wait
and see. But I do think that they sent a
clear message that they believe this is a championship contender
(12:04):
and that Tibbs was their biggest problem. I don't actually
believe that. That doesn't mean that I don't think Mike
Brown's not a better fit. I think offensively he is
a better fit. But we're just gonna have to wait
and see how it pans out. So I think it
was a reasonable higher. We'll see who ends up being
their associate head coach. I know they're now getting rejected
on that front, but it's a real tough situation because
(12:25):
if you're getting rid of a coach that did push
you through this era that ends with you making the
Eastern Conference finals. I understand it was like kind of
like the last move for them to make when you
look at their assets, or the last easy move for
them to make. But you can also make the case
that Mike Brown is not going to be enough of
an upgrade over Tibbs, and it's again, we just have
to wait and see. So I think, again, relative to
(12:46):
who is out there, a reasonable higher relative to what
like if you wanted to make a coaching upgrade in general,
is Mike Brown going to be enough of a bump?
I honestly do not know.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
I think we got Peyton back for good.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Now, well I think am I good?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
In my issue?
Speaker 5 (13:02):
You are, damn it.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I didn't get to ask him the question and get
to see and reaction to Mike Brown being back, But
I said it. I said, Mike Brown always needs a job.
That's what I tried to say. I said it to
you last time you're on it. So it's like, you know,
Doc Rivers, he'll get a job after he gets fired,
pretty sure of it.
Speaker 6 (13:22):
The difference with Mike Brown's like super young though too,
and he's been in the NBA feels like for fifty
years and I think he's only fifty five years old
or something like that. And I will say the thing
about him is just that like he has issues, Like
I've seen a lot of the Knicks be like, yeah,
we're finally like we're going to see someone tap into
the depths of our rotation. I was like, Kings fans
were complaining that he was running a top heavy rotation
(13:44):
when he got fired. So don't like guarantee that he's
just going to be a master of depth. But he
has been like ever since he you know, like kind
of a calv stance the Lakers stints like he was
with the Warriors, like he cut his teeth as an assistant,
and you've seen like palpable changes how he manages the team.
And he came in the league and he was viewed
as a defensive specialist. I'm not saying he still does
(14:05):
not a coach defense, but like now he's viewed as
this really offensive minded coach and so he has evolved,
whereas I feel like Doc Rivers it probably hasn't evolved
too much or he always feels like this his stick,
it feels like it's better served to that. I don't
know what year it was, but that Clippers team that
had no stars like the aughts of the Neilo Gallinari,
(14:26):
Tobias Harris, like they were your best players. What a
name fringe all star that like during that time. So
that's what he seems best suited for. I think we've
seen Mike Brown again as an assistant with the Warriors,
and then you know he had Fox and Sabonis and Sacramento.
I think that he's I think he's shown he could
evolve more than Doc Rivers. But you're right, like it's
(14:48):
he's one of those guys that seems like he's always
gonna have a job, But I do think him being
willing to be an assistant probably has a lot to
do with that too.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Yeah, I'd say that's probably fair.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
God, Dave, Well, I want to ask about the Lebron situation,
because this this feels like the soap opera that never
wants to end, sort of like Days of Our Lives,
where you're just like, holy shit, this is still going on.
Do you put any stock into the rumblings that maybe
Lebron isn't going to be on this Laker team by
(15:21):
the start of the season.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (15:24):
I mean the whole thing about him opting in, and
I said this at the time before we knew for sure,
is that people were framing it as, oh, he's trying
to like put pressure on the Lakers to make the
team better. And if he was going to do that,
he would have opted out and been a free agent,
but he didn't because there was no money out there
and the Lakers probably weren't willing to sign him to
(15:46):
a multi year deal and or let him keep his
no trade class. Then we get reporting from Amona Shelburn
and Brian win Horse of ESPN that that's pretty much
what happened, So you either released that statement and opt
in to try and save face, or you're genuinely on
with being with the Lakers. And so I think that
I wouldn't guarantee that he gets traded, but I would
imagine that if they don't make another move that seriously
(16:08):
improves the roster, maybe he doesn't want to move because
his family's there, his son's on the team. I the
what is it. Bryce James is going to the University
of Phoenix, so he might not be around. So like,
I honestly don't think Lebron wants to be there. If
the Lakers roster is as it stands right now, that
would be my guess. Whether he's willing to try and
(16:30):
force the Lakers to trade him somewhere or maybe they
even said they're not gonna trade him because they like
the idea of his expiring contract and don't want to
take money back. So I don't want to predict that
he's gonna get moved, but I would say, like if
Jannie gets moved before Lebron does, like I would predict
that Lebron gets moved before next season before I even
think about like predicting Yannis moves that that that's I
(16:53):
think the best way for me to kind of, you know,
portray that situation.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
But like if you if you look at it and
like this nightpe just me being like, you know, just
a fan of basketball.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
If you're trying to win and years old as Lebron
is and he is still producing, which I'm not gonna
like downplay like its product. It's incredible what he's doing.
Taking fifty four million dollars seems like you're kind of
being an asshole if you're trying to win a basketball
that like basketball games with the building in team. Obviously,
I'm not saying you're gonna like playing for like the
league minimum and then signing people with that, Like I'm
(17:26):
not saying you're gonna sign like superstars, but there are
definitely guys out there that could probably help with that
money or distribution of it, right.
Speaker 6 (17:34):
I just you know, I go back and forth on
whether it seemed because this CBA was it's in the name,
it's collectively bargained, so like you've created this environment where
I know, play people pointed out the players aren't actually
being hurt financially by this, that teams didn't generally spend
into the second apron territory to begin with. But what
you've done is given teams more excuses not to spend.
(17:58):
We've seen it in Denver, We've seen it in with
the Clippers, and they're like, they're these are situations. We're
talking about contenders, like they've rebounded nicely, not even necessarily
criticizing everything they've done. But I don't like putting the
onus on players to take less, like he was like,
it's yet. But you're also right that it's his prerogative
to opt in for that salary. And I do think
(18:18):
we might reach a point where we might see big
time players taking less because they either want to keep
a corp together or to make sure you could bring
other talent in. I think the issue here is is
that Lebron offered to take a pay cut last year
at least that was sort of like a larger one
than the oldenly did, and they were promising him like
Yonis valanciunis very good player, but not worth Lebron taking
(18:41):
a massive pay cut for it. Could have been the
same story this summer, because it doesn't sound like they
want to make like they let Doryan Finny Smith walk
for two guaranteed years. Now, maybe he wanted to leave
that badly, but that also says something about the Lakers thinking, so,
you're right, like the salary gets so large if you're not,
he's the promise, he's still worth that money, Like this
is not like a zach Lavine situation, and again zach
(19:02):
Lvine is still on that deal. I'm never gonna lampoon
a player for taking money that's available to them, but
I do think we are approaching just with the constraints
or the way the teams are framing the second apron,
I'll say, is like it's taboo to go into, and
I think we can get it to a point where
it's like, oh, we can't go into the first apron
or all these teams that want to pay the tax.
I really do think that it's put And this is
(19:25):
to some extent, again the players' union's fault, like at
least the optics of it. But there is going to
be that perception that why aren't these guys taking less
to win a title? I think in this case, that'd
be a really fair question to ask someone like Lebron
if you could point to anything the Lakers have done
that suggests they would have been willing to use those
resources to go out and actually build a contender, but
(19:47):
the way that they've kind of cut him out of
the inner circle, didn't tell him the sale was coming.
They only told Luca. I get you're shifting to Luca's window,
but like, Lebron is still clearly your second best player
and he's still an All NBA player. So it's a
really tough situation. But I don't think that the Lakers
have like, you know, if you had to pick like
a villain in all this, like, yeah, I'd like to
(20:07):
not be kidnapped by Lebron James for one offseason. But
it does feel like the Lakers are just I don't
really understand their vision because Luca's younger, but he's not
like young young what was he twenty six then? Like
he's a superstar now, So like you can't, I don't.
It's just just a bizarre situation.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It's La.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
It sounds like an LA Lakers Yeast season right, like
just it's all the spectacle of all the glam everything about.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
It, and it's you know what if they're the team
that can say we're just gonna prioritize flexibility because we
know someone's gonna come here like they are the team
that can say that and end up being right because
guess what, that's how they got Lebron.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, that's a very point.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Well, I want to ask, because you mentioned this, and
I've been trying to think in my head, what move
could the Lakers make that would make Lebron want to stay?
Because I feel like, is it It can't be Dame
Lillard or Bradley Beal, which I feel like that's what
the Lakers are gonna do, is one of those guys.
So it's like, what exactly are the Lakers gonna be
(21:11):
able to throw at Lebron to say, hey, we're making
an effort here.
Speaker 6 (21:15):
Well, you can't because you let Dorian unless do again.
And I don't know for sure, but unless Dory and
Pinney Smith said I'm not playing here, it's only I
want to go back to Texas. But like, you let
your only two way wing on the entire fucking roster
leave for nothing on a contract that guess what fit
your twenty twenty seven cap space plans because it was
(21:37):
only two guaranteed years. If you're saying it's about twenty
twenty six cap space, all right, I guess sure. So
no matter what they do now, it's they still Yeah,
you gave yourself more flexibility to go out and sign
DeAndre Ayton and j Colerave. Okay, cool, like great, Like
I just I don't think there's anything they could do,
and I don't even know that they needed. I'm not
even saying they should have came out, but the first
(21:58):
round pick that tells what will be traded on the
able swaps trade everybody to make something reckless. But they've
kind of shown that they're not serious about going all
in right now, which fine, but that they're also not
willing to pay Lebron like a multi year deal in
the process or treat him like a cornerstone during that process.
And so look, they drafted his son, Bronni last year,
(22:19):
like they've done a lot of things for him. They
don't toetically owe him anything. But like the vision here
to me is just it's bizarre. And so I get
why Lebron is doing what he's doing, but I don't
think there's anything they can reasonably do to say, hey, no, like,
look we're trying right now. Because if that was the case,
like I guess you could sit here and make the
argument that having Jake la Ravia and DeAndre Ayton is
(22:39):
better than having Dorian Finney Smith. But like, I don't
even think it needed to be an either or situation there, Like,
there's probably other moves that you could have set up
to position yourself to use the full non tax payermid
level without giving up Dorian Phinney Smith.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
I mean, all right, well, let's have fun here. Where
do we want to see Lebron go?
Speaker 6 (23:01):
Well, so I came up with trades. Everyone hated them,
but they are just.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
This.
Speaker 6 (23:06):
There are a few teams that make too much sense.
The one that's staring everyone in the face is just
Karl Anthony Towns for Lebron, just straight up it works
the Knicks, honestly, I wonder like they might appreciate the
flexibility of Lebron having an expiring contract versus owing CAT
one hundred and seventy plus million over the next three years.
Now that eats into the Lakers cap space plans, and
karnct Towns isn't a lot threat next to Luca, so
(23:29):
there's a hole there. But like, if Lebron really wants
to win a title and he's talked about chasing a ghost.
If he won a title in New York, that thing
would probably count not as much as his Cleveland ring,
but like it would probably because that's the equival of
like five rings, but that one in New York would
count as at least two. So that's the one and
the other one too, is just the Nuggets. Let's bring
(23:50):
up like trade Jamal Murray and Salary to go get
like Peyton Watson and Deron Holmes trade that for Lebron,
Lebron and Jokic's basketball, and like if Lebron doesn't want
to go to Denver, I guess in terms of like
a from a geographer perspective, maybe, but if you care
about basketball, contending Lebron and Jokic is insane.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Dude, that guy went back to Cleveland. This guy shouldn't
care about Giogar.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
He went.
Speaker 6 (24:18):
He's from Cleveland, so he goes.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Yeah, he goes back there all the time.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
I'm sure is La mans and I'm sure he loves
going back down.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
I'm giving him a hard time, but I get you.
Speaker 6 (24:27):
Yeah, then people will mention the Spurs. I just don't
know if like if you have the Aaron Fox and
Wenby and Lebron, You're really good, but you're still trying
to develop Dylan Harper, Harper and Steph Castle. It just
gets a little weird. So it would probably be like
smarter for him to go to. You know, if we
had to pick maybe a third team, who was the
third team that I threw out there? It wasn't Milwaukee,
(24:49):
was it. I already forgot the third team, the Warriors.
The Warriors would be kind of fun, but it's like
he'd just.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Be playing for sas. He'd just be like, I want
to play.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
With se Well.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Could you imagine him and Jimmy Butler on the S team?
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Just like, shit, I don't.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
I think that's the problem though, is you can't game
it that like, if you're getting Lebron, you either have
to trade Jimmy Butler or Draymond De Green. And I
think if push comes to shove, they're gonna be the
team they would trade Jimmy Butler over Dream and then
I don't like the team as much. I probably like Lebron.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Jimmy but Ramon doesn't get them. They're like they're like, hey,
we got we got them, we got Lebron. Sweet, what
do we what do we give up. You you're going
to LA. You don't get to play with them. He'd
be like.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
No, no, he cry, He'd have a panic attack.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
He put everyone on the way out.
Speaker 6 (25:37):
The actual, so I remembered what it was the actual.
I think it would be funny and I don't really
know what to make of that team, but like Dallas,
if they just said, hey, Lakers, here's your twenty twenty
nine first round pickback and then the salaries you need
to get there, like it's you're not trading Flag, you
don't trade Kyrie, don't trade a d You probably need
to trade Gafford. When I gamed it out, was Gafford, PJ. Washington,
(26:01):
Augie Marshall, and then Dwight Powell might have been in there.
Klay Thompson was in there. So it's like you have
to end up trading five players, but like you end
up with, oh, we have Lebron Cooper, Flag, Anthony Davis,
and then Kyrie at some point coming back next year.
I don't know what to make of that team, but
I think that would be my favorite. I'd like to
see him in Denver. I just want to see Yoki
(26:21):
play with all these guys apparently, but yeah, I think
Dallas would be objectively like the most fun slash funniest
one because it's you talk about divergent timelines as oh
we got lebron Kye and here's this generational teenager and
Cooper Flag, but imagine Cooper Flag learning under Labron Hell.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah, yeah, I'm not gonna lie that.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
That one sounds way better. That sounds actually like the
most fun out of all those.
Speaker 6 (26:47):
It is, but it's like what your your depth afterwards?
Like you still have Derek Lively and Caleb Martin, so
like that gets a little it could get a little dicey,
but yeah, we can play that far.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
We got to just think on the surface for the right.
Speaker 6 (27:00):
And it's like, I know Anthony Davis doesn't want to
play center, but like Dan, when you have Derek Lively
and Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford is expendable. Klay Thompson, you
lose shooting. But it's like that's a contract they probably
wouldn't love anyway.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
PJ.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
Washington's about to get paid again. Like that's probably PJ. Washington,
Naji Marshall or like the toughest assets to give up
in that deal. And I think if it means getting Lebron.
You could talk yourself into it if you're Dallah.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
It'd be so funny if they when they where did
they make was the rumor they made this seal the
Luke and deal out of coffee shop or something was
that like the joke or something like it just got
it over a cup of coffee.
Speaker 6 (27:34):
They figured out some swanky like more like smoothie place.
Maybe they get ossy eyeballs. Let's go with that.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
We should start we should just start a rumor that
we saw Niko, Harrison and Plank at the same place again.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
We should just get back out and just be like
they're up to it again. They're doing it again.
Speaker 6 (27:52):
Look, Lebron seem upset that they traded a D two
when he made that comment after the playoffs, so it's like,
now you're reunited. That would just be one of the
funny his trades I think of all time. If he
ends up in Dallas, which he won't, but it would
be it would be hysterical.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
No, but we've convinced ourselves that that's what we want
to have happened.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
We got, we got Mike Brown back in the NBA.
We can we can will this this podcast something.
Speaker 6 (28:15):
Isn't I feel like if you are actually a look
at the basketball fit of what's left over after the trade,
I really do feel like it's Denver or New York
that would be like, hey, Lebron, if you want to
win a title, like, go there. I don't know what
the other like Boston like okay, okay, see sure, but
they're not gonna trade for him. So it's like trying
to keep the semi realistic. But like if you can
(28:36):
get to the Knicks without them trading o gn and
Obi and Michale Bridges, which you can if you trade towns.
I know, people be like, what about the center spot,
and it's like you can, like Chris Bouchet's is floating
around out there, you can maybe get him on the
Maybe Al Horford decides to go to New York on
the minimum if they have Lebron James there, so it
sounds like he's going to Golden State. But I think
those are like the two teams where if I'm Lebron
and I really want to win a title, like I'd
(28:58):
say I'll go to the Knicks or the Nugget, it's Lakers,
go figure out how to make it work. And then
if they don't, we'll get even more kind of fun
rumors behind that. They're like, no, the Lakers won't trade them,
they're just gonna will Lebron report the camp, Like, let's
open up a new layer to that awkward dynamic right now.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Well, hey, we talked about at the beginning that free
agency hasn't provided anything.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
So leave it to Lebron.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
To say, you know what, I've got this guys, let
me keep the NBA in the spotlight, thank you.
Speaker 6 (29:24):
That's the other thing too, Man, I'm about to go
on a rant here, but yeah, this has been framed
as like, oh, no, people need to pay attention to
the games now because there's not all these transactions, mfers,
what games right now? We're in the summer. This is
summer league, Like, this is the time where you should
be rooting for transactions or being happy to talk about them.
(29:44):
I get look, as someone who's written about responded to
read a bunch of trade drivel when it doesn't isn't
timely enough. Yeah, it's annoying. This isn't one of those
times like the NBA build its off season as an event.
They completely newtered free agency. Like when you look at
the way extensions work and now stars just request trades. Yes,
root for chaos. It's the off season. It's the off season.
(30:07):
Don't say, oh you need now. They have to watch
the games? What games? What games?
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Hi?
Speaker 4 (30:14):
I'm with you. I used to love NBA Street. The
summer used to just be so fun because like any
day you could be like Lebron might go somewhere.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
I remember where I was literally coming out of a.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
Dentist's office looking at the Lebron I'm going back to
Cleveland thing And I looked at it for like five
minutes like did that get Dennis?
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Give me? Like laughing gas? Am I fucked up? Right now?
Like is this real?
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Like I'll never forget that. And I called my mom
like I don't think I should drive should Like what's
wrong with you? I'm like, I think Lebron went back
to Cleveland that I fake? You know, yeah, Like this
is like Deep Bakes before Deep Takes. I was like,
who poses for like a magazine article that isn't really real?
Speaker 3 (30:51):
And does this like come on Lebron?
Speaker 6 (30:53):
Right And there's like a level of tedium that was
where it's like, okay, Lebron held it that year. I
think he held his hotses till July tenth. It's like that,
but like there was also it was something this is
probably my old man yells at clouds moment where it's
I've sort of missed, like we're all glued to our
computer screens or phones at like two in the morning,
trying to see how this meeting at a steakhouse or
(31:14):
a sushi bar and in La went with these free
Like the whole idea of these pomp, the pomp and
circumstance behind these free agency pisions so stupid. The logistics
of it are so dumb, but like it was cool
and it was like at a time where it's a
dead period, the finals are over, like the draft is over,
like this is this is when the movement should actually
(31:34):
be happening, rather than not speculating about trades from opening
night of the NBA season and now it seems like
you know, people, if you want more and look, I
think however, you root for the NBA, want to make
it clear, root for it if it's not toxic, if
you're not being an a hole about it, like just
if you love the x's and o's, if you love
the pageantry, if you just like falling casually. There's there's
(31:54):
no wrong answer here. But we're also at a point
where it's like, look at all the stars that have
been traded recently. So Kevin Durant was moved in the
off season, but that basically happened during the season because
he shot down the Warriors trade. So that's all you
speculated about. But just look at Doncic, Darn Fox, Kevin
Durant when he was shipped to the Suns, O g Annobi,
Pascal Siakam. All these trades are now happening in the
(32:15):
middle of the season, which again you have a trade deadline.
So that's fine, but like, if you want people to
not focus on trades and fruit and like players switching teams,
we should have more of it happening than in the
off season and maybe also make a rule like you
can't make trades during the NBA Finals or something like,
because that was just trying to wrap your head around
everything that was happening, Like these transactions was just like, well,
(32:38):
don't we have like the freaking Kevin Durant on the
day of Game seven, Like I'll never forgive this whoever
was involved in that trade. I'm not blaming Kevin Durant specifically,
but he's also involved sons. Kevin Durant his representation, I
loathed you in them. I wanted to focus on Game
seven and it becomes like Kevin Durant Trade Day again
for the ninth time.
Speaker 4 (33:00):
I think everyone we should just start, like doing an annual,
like someone who whoever the top gregging is, how do
we want to come up with those rankings? That person
should have to do a Lebron's Decision live interview at
the Boys and Girls Club at wherever they are and
in the city that they're gonna leave. They should have
to do that.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
But the problem is, I don't know if it's I mean,
it's a feature, not a bug relative to how it's
set up, but it now it just made your extension
eligible so quickly, basically depending on the deal, its every
two years, that it just makes more sense for you
to extend and if you want out, you just ask
for it later because you have that cachet as a
and like. But you could point to Damian Lillard as
a great situation, a great example where it's had he
(33:42):
not signed that extension, which by the way, just as
it began, he got waived, so like he never even
start playing on that extension. But like, had he not
signed it, he might have actually had the leverage because
he wasn't under contract for so long to have forced
his way to Miami where he wanted to go. And
so I'm wondering if that starts to seep in with
certain players, and I think Luca and Jokic to bring
it back to current events, Doncic is gonna be eligible
(34:05):
for an extension. I think in August, Jokic already turned
his down under the guys, and it's probably true that
he just wants to sign a longer extension next summer.
Like those might be two case studies to look and
be like, no, they're kind of keeping pressure on the
organization if Luca doesn't sign one, especially maybe you want
to keep pressure on the other. Like guess because if
you're Jokic, you could rupture your achilles right now, the
(34:25):
Nuggets will still max you out. So I'm wishing for
that to happen. So I'm just wondering if we start
to see those level of names like reach free agency
just because they can, and it keeps pressure on the
maybe they won't even leave just something to track as
someone who's kind of hoping that we can shift some
of the in season player movement, which actually impacts us
focusing on the games back to the offseason.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Well, it is always a pleasure when we get to
have you on, Dan, take some time, get some R
and R, enjoy the offseason, and we'll talk to you
again soon.
Speaker 6 (34:58):
You guys as well, thank you so much for having
me as always.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Take care up next.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Jared Diamond in a Wall Street Journal joining us from
the MLB All Star Week festivities. Welcome back to the
Opening Kickoff Podcast. I'm Dave Steinwittel, and it is All
Star Week for Major League Baseball and kind enough to
give us some time. I know he's very busy man
down there, but national Baseball writer for the Wall Street
(35:23):
Journal Jared Diamond, Jared, you just wrapped up interviews. What
is All Star Week like for people that have never
been there?
Speaker 5 (35:32):
Oh, it's great.
Speaker 7 (35:33):
It's sort of the ultimate celebration of baseball, right.
Speaker 5 (35:37):
It's all the best.
Speaker 7 (35:39):
Players all gathering in one place. And what's amazing about.
Speaker 5 (35:43):
It is everyone's in a good mood.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Right.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
It almost doesn't matter how your season.
Speaker 7 (35:49):
Is going up to that point, the team season, what's
been happening. You get here and for two or three days,
everyone's happy. Everyone is sort of genuinely some honored to
have been chosen to come, thrill to be there, and
everyone here to sort of wants to celebrate the game
because you know, it's been every handing into All Star
(36:12):
weekend also a week rather there's always amazing story lines
to celebrate.
Speaker 5 (36:17):
It has been an amazing start to this season. So look,
if you love baseball, it's kind of no better place
to be. To be in a city where everyone is
thinking about baseball for three days is not as good
as it gets.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
So all the storylines at the All Star Game right now?
Which one is your absolute favorite?
Speaker 5 (36:36):
Oh god, my absolute favorite story?
Speaker 7 (36:39):
Look at least based on what I saw at the
media day just now.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
So for those who don't know the way this works,
the media day is that.
Speaker 7 (36:49):
The players from the National League spend forty five minutes
with reporters than the players from the American League spent
forty five minutes with reporters. Every player is there, they
all sit behind a table, and as a reporter you.
Speaker 5 (37:00):
Just walk around and talk to all of.
Speaker 7 (37:03):
Them and there's never an opportunity to get ninety minutes
with all the.
Speaker 5 (37:07):
Best players in baseball like there is here.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
It's really incredible for what I do. Cal Rawley was
certainly generating a lot of attention, understandably, so, I mean,
he's what thirty eight homers at the All Star rate,
hits at the point where you're wondering, if he hit sixties,
he hit sixty five, how many home runs this guy
going to hit? Of Course, as always, Sho Aotwani remains
(37:31):
a huge attraction.
Speaker 5 (37:32):
His return to pitching has been it's really amazing.
Speaker 7 (37:36):
He obviously is still working his way back to being
a full blown starting pitcher, but then he's has thrown,
he's been completely dominant, and to see.
Speaker 5 (37:46):
That two way sensation kind of getting back to full
force is a real thrill. And of course you have
the hometown hero here, Ronald L.
Speaker 7 (37:55):
Kunya, a guy that just came back from his second
major surgery as his career returned and has been as
good as ever. Always a throwers, it's always going to
have a good, local, local, hometown hero to celebrate at
this thing, and he certainly qualifies.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
A couple of things you brought up I want to
talk about.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
I'll start with Otani because There's been some debate among
the baseball people whether how the Dodgers should use Otani
in the second half and going into the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
Where do you stand on it?
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Do you think he should be built back up as
a full time starter going into the playoffs.
Speaker 7 (38:35):
I very much believe that you have to give this
one more chance.
Speaker 5 (38:39):
I know the risks. I know this is the guy
that's blown out his elbow twice while trying to do
the two way thing. I say this for two reasons.
Speaker 7 (38:49):
One is sort of practical, is that the Dodgers they promised.
Speaker 5 (38:52):
Them they would give him the chaps. Right when the
Dodgers signed him, it was with the sort of at
least a handshake agreement that hey, we are signing him
to be a two way player.
Speaker 7 (39:04):
And I'm sure the Dodgers feel like they at least
owe him that much and that much respect to say,
all right, this is that we know you want to do.
You've shown that you can do it right the years
with Anaheim, and he did do both. It was really
unlike anything baseball has ever seen. So I'm sure they
feel like we owe it to this guy to give
(39:25):
him this opportunity. But also, look, the risks, understanding the risks.
If he is a true two way player, starting and hitting,
he is the most valuable baseball player ever to step
onto a field. Like, it's not even a controversial statement, right,
You have your best pitcher and best hitter in one guy.
Speaker 5 (39:47):
I mean, there's the value of that is sort of unfathomable.
Speaker 7 (39:52):
Right, So if you can make it.
Speaker 5 (39:54):
Work, you've unlocked this unbelievable chief coache. So you got
to give it a shot. If he gets hurt again,
he's not getting hit another one.
Speaker 7 (40:01):
This is it, right, This is really sort of the
last hurrah to become a full time.
Speaker 5 (40:06):
Starter and hitter. If it doesn't work, they're gonna have
to figure out something else moving forward.
Speaker 7 (40:11):
But the upside is just it's too it's just too easy.
Speaker 5 (40:15):
To dream on to just give up on it. He
obviously isn't.
Speaker 7 (40:19):
Pitching great, and the limited innings he's struggled at the plate.
Interestingly enough, since he returned to pitching. Maybe that shouldn't
be too much of a surprise, but he has shown
he could do it for two seasons with the Angels.
He was death star for reoperational and I understand why
the Dodgers are going to give it.
Speaker 5 (40:38):
One more shot.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I would agree.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
I think you got to ride the horse that you
signed for and see what happens. I want to bring
up Kal Rawley because one he's not on a big
market team with the Mariners, and two he's doing something
that we have seen done before, but not from a
guy at that position a long time. Does it feel
(41:02):
like cal Rowly if he sustains this in the second half,
Jared is the easy MVP candidate.
Speaker 7 (41:09):
It's so funny because if you had sort of asked
this question three weeks.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
Ago or a month ago, it would.
Speaker 7 (41:17):
Have been laughable to suggests anyone besides Aaron Judge believing
being the conversation for RMVP.
Speaker 5 (41:24):
I still believe if the season ended today, Aaron Judge
would be the MVP. I still think Aaron Judge is
the favorite to win MVP for a variety of reasons.
Speaker 7 (41:31):
One is on the better team, but also Judge, in
addition of those home.
Speaker 5 (41:37):
Runs, has been a more complete offensive.
Speaker 7 (41:39):
Claire right, Aaron Judges dotting averagesposed to one hundred points.
Speaker 5 (41:43):
Higher than cal Rally, So I would still vote for
Aaron Judge for MVP.
Speaker 7 (41:48):
We'll see what happens over the next two and a
half months. Of course, that could change that set.
Speaker 5 (41:54):
What Cal really is doing is remarkable, and.
Speaker 7 (41:57):
I'm not sure people are sort of appreciate it enough.
Just something I thought a lot about and talked about
a lot last year when Aaron Judge was making his
run for sixty homers against I think he ended up
well fifty eight last year, whatever he had.
Speaker 5 (42:15):
Those of us who sort of came up, who were
sort of.
Speaker 7 (42:18):
Raised in baseball in the nineties and two thousands don't
fully appreciate what sixty home runs mean, right, because we
saw it quite a few times from three different players
in a short span.
Speaker 5 (42:32):
McGuire so Sun bombs. We all now know that none
of those players were doing it cleanly, but.
Speaker 7 (42:40):
They did it, and it's sort of I don't want
to say devalued, but I think desensitized people to what
that number is. Right.
Speaker 5 (42:47):
In the history of baseball before nineteen ninety eight, there.
Speaker 7 (42:50):
Are only been two seasons where a guy hit sixty
homers Babe Ruth Roger.
Speaker 5 (42:54):
Mas that was it. Suddenly we have a guy in
Cal Rowling, who we are assuming he's clean, right, there's
no reason to think he's not.
Speaker 7 (43:04):
It's a much different time in baseball than it was
twenty years ago.
Speaker 5 (43:08):
When Barry Bond saying seventy three and he is a
chance hit sixty five homes, right, I think we kind
of go like, yeah, I mean, that's a lot, but
we've seen it. It kind of happened, right, not like this.
So I do think it should be appreciated the same
as Baron Judge when he hit sixty two a few
years ago.
Speaker 7 (43:27):
Aaron Judge, he's an outside chance of getting sixty this
year he has another he has.
Speaker 5 (43:32):
A really good.
Speaker 7 (43:33):
Second half, right, And never in baseball history as a
clean player hit sixty homers twice.
Speaker 5 (43:40):
In a career, and Aaron Judge could do it. So
I just think in.
Speaker 7 (43:43):
General we should not lose sight of what that sixty
home run mark means.
Speaker 5 (43:48):
And what cal Rawley is doing is.
Speaker 7 (43:50):
Like it's extraordinary because it's Cal Rowley, right, Like, no
one knew this guy outside of Seattle or three months ago,
and now you're like, he's gonna hit sixty five homers.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
It's remarkable.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
I do want to ask, now that you're down at
the All Star Game, boy, there's a lot of buzz
about Jacob MISERASKI the Burwers, young phenom pitcher only five
stars getting named as an All Star. Now again, it
gets lost in this conversation in the fact that he's
an injury replacement. Guys that have pitched leading up to
the All Star Game that are not available. He's a replacement.
(44:26):
What do people make that are there in Atlanta about
the fact that Jacob Miserawski is an All Star.
Speaker 7 (44:33):
A lot of people are mad about it, right, Like
a lot of people are angry about it, especially players,
some players, right, And I understand it.
Speaker 5 (44:41):
I understand the anger to some extent. Right.
Speaker 7 (44:45):
It sort of comes down to what is the All
Star Game and what is its purpose?
Speaker 2 (44:51):
Right?
Speaker 7 (44:51):
I don't mean to get all philosophical here, but in
a way, this is a little bit of a philosophical question, right,
So speak of Miserawski is there in part because no
one else will do it, right. A lot of pitchers
turned it down, And that's an important point. But even that,
aside taking Viziowski is there because in the eyes of
Major League Baseball, he is who fans will want to
(45:13):
watch because if there's one hundred and two miles an hour,
because he's got he had like the most unbelievable start
to a career that any players ever had in baseball
history or whatever. And if the goal of this game
is to bring people to it and to attract fans
and entertain fans or serve as a suitcase of rateness
(45:35):
on a baseball field, Yeah, as a fan of the game,
I would much rather watch Jakob Misserowski pitch it inning
tomorrow night than Christopher Sanchez. I don't mean that as
a criticis of Christopher Sanchez, but.
Speaker 5 (45:49):
It's just true. Right If, however, you sort of view.
Speaker 7 (45:53):
The officer game as it's not about that, it's really
about the players and honoring them and.
Speaker 5 (45:58):
Making sure that players have recognized they're achievements.
Speaker 7 (46:01):
Yeah, of course there's players more deserving than Miserewski who've
accomplished more. I personally fall more on the side of
this should be or fan to at entertainment first and foremost.
Speaker 5 (46:15):
I feel bad, I guess to some extent for guys that.
Speaker 7 (46:19):
Sort of lost out a spot for someone like Mizerowski,
And I do think like there's a limit to this,
right he only touched five games, Like I understand, we
were having the same conversation to extent last season when
Paul stein started the game, right, oh, it's only made
nine starts, ten starts, whatever it was.
Speaker 5 (46:36):
And I was saying the same things. He deserves it,
and it's good for the game to Paul Skimes starting it.
Misreski is only doing five games.
Speaker 7 (46:44):
I don't think this is necessarily an ideal situation. I
don't mean kind of want this every year, but this
is an unusual case, a special guy who I really
do think it will be good for baseball to see
him on this grand stage.
Speaker 5 (46:58):
So I'm kind of you know, I understand it. It
doesn't bother me like it bothers some people.
Speaker 7 (47:03):
I feel somewhat sorry for players who don't get to
be here that maybe lost their thought to him, but
you know, their consolation prizes, whatever millions of dollars they're making,
So I think it's okay.
Speaker 2 (47:15):
I like that answer.
Speaker 1 (47:17):
I want to ask before I let you go here
about the second half of the season, and particularly let's
start with the trade deadline. It sort of feels like
this is going to be an underwhelming trade deadline. What
do you make of what we potentially will see in
the coming weeks.
Speaker 7 (47:33):
In almost all likelihood that the histor trade has already happened,
Raphael Devers to San Francisco.
Speaker 5 (47:39):
Be very surprising if there's a trade.
Speaker 7 (47:42):
As impactful as that one, and for better or worse,
this is just sort of what happens when you have
expanded posts, right. Like, the reason the trade deadline over
the last few years has been a little underwhelming is
because there are a lot of buyers and not a
lot of sellers, right because every one thinks they're still
in it because there's three wildcards, so every team kind
(48:04):
of is.
Speaker 5 (48:05):
In it, right, Like, there are very.
Speaker 7 (48:06):
Few teams that you could look at right now and
say like they're done. Yeah, like Colorado obviously, like Chicago
White like that.
Speaker 5 (48:13):
They're a handful, but not many. Right, There's so many teams.
Speaker 7 (48:16):
That're in that sort of four or five six games
out of the wildcard, which is something like close enough
or maybe you could dream on it making a run. Right,
So that's what I guess Hurts and Airports to trade deadline.
Speaker 5 (48:28):
Maybe there'll be a surprise. There's some guys out there.
Speaker 7 (48:31):
Sandy Alkintara is you know, is he someone that will
generate interest?
Speaker 5 (48:35):
They'll be moves.
Speaker 7 (48:36):
But yeah, I agree, it's not looking like it's going
to be super action packed, but sort of the the
alter the thing we get is more teams sort of
going forward and trying to win. I think that's always
sort of the balance Baseball's any sports sort of trying to.
Speaker 5 (48:53):
Sort of do that high wire act. And this is
where baseball sort of landed.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
Who would be Who would be the team.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
That we're not talking about as selling? That is the
one that everybody's gonna watch? Is it the Orioles, because
I know that as an oriole fan. There have been
some seems like they're getting ready to sell, but there
have been some mixed messages. Is there any other team
that we're not talking about that maybe we should keep
an eye on in the second half as potentially selling.
Speaker 7 (49:23):
The problem with Baltimore, I just don't really know what
they're gonna sell, right, Like, they're not like built to sell,
They don't have like vettering contracts that you trade away.
Speaker 5 (49:32):
They're not trading any of their young.
Speaker 7 (49:33):
Guys, right, I mean, the Ools aren't trading and any
of this.
Speaker 5 (49:37):
Group of young players that they've brought up.
Speaker 7 (49:39):
You know, I guess I guess the bigger question for
me with selling is actually Arizona, Right, Arizona to.
Speaker 5 (49:45):
Me is sort of the wild card and office.
Speaker 7 (49:48):
The Diamondbacks blew out their payroll this year to really
make a run at the postseason, try to make another
run after going to the World Series a couple of
years ago. Beside Corbyn Burns, they I think they have
the highest payroll in history of their friend Chiys and
things have not gone well sorban burn spot is elbow.
The team has not pitched nearly as well as they expected.
Speaker 5 (50:09):
Is haven't been as good as they had hoped. Right,
there's three games under five hundred.
Speaker 7 (50:12):
There are eleven games out of first and they're what
five and a half games.
Speaker 5 (50:18):
Out of a wildcard?
Speaker 7 (50:19):
Is that still in striking distance? Yeah, but you're five
and a half games out. You're in a really tough
division in which you're currently in fourth place.
Speaker 5 (50:29):
You have a lot of teams to hop over. And
the difference that.
Speaker 7 (50:31):
Diamondbacks do have players to trade, someone like a ju
Hanneous Suarez or Merrill Kelly or Zach Gallen maybe or
you know, they have more sort of veteran contracts to
trade where they want to sort of shed payroll and
sort of admit defeat. Maybe I think they are the
one I would look on more more than Baltimore.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
Okay, Jared, I know you are very busy man. Thank
you for taking some time here with us on the show.
Speaker 2 (51:01):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (51:02):
Happy to do it anytime, all right.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
Jared Diamond and Wall Street Journal. We have more opening
kickoff after this
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