May 30, 2025 • 32 mins
Doug explains why NCAA Tournament expansion is coming as soon as it possibly can. Doug breaks down why the Patriots need to cut Stefon Diggs immediately. FSR NBA Correspondent Marc Stein joins Doug to discuss the chances that the Knicks can get to the NBA Finals and looks ahead to what could be a wild offseason.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Doug Gottlieb
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday
three to five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Doug Gottlieb Show at
Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching f as R boom
Mad of America Doug Gottlieb Show, five Sports Radio. It's
(00:31):
a Friday, you ain't got nothing to do? Hey, just
listen in here to Fox Sports Radio. We're getting ready
for a weekend where we'll have a game Game six
in the Eastern Conference Finals. That's because the New York
Nickobakas took down the Indiana Pacers Tyrese Haliburton off of
(00:51):
one of the one of the greatest games we've ever
seen played.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Statistically to.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Just a guy, right, like literally just a guy like Yeah,
who's the guy who like people are arguing about being
a superstar, like that guy one with eight points in
eight shots.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
We'll get to that. We got a lot of interesting stuff.
Mark Dominic's gonna join us. We'll get you ready as
we got OTAs getting underway. This another strange tale on
the long and winding path of Zion Williamson. We'll get
to that next hour, but I want to start with this.
(01:38):
We talked about it some yesterday, but it does relate
to all sports. And you know, there's been a push
in the NBA for I don't know, seven eight years.
You know what we should do is have fewer games,
don't have back to backs, too much travel, quality of
the product's not great. We should have fewer games. Major
(02:01):
League Baseball used to have one fifty four. They have
won sixty two. There was there's been years which there's
been talking of. You know what we need to do
is have we've had the contraction fewer teams and we've
had the fewer games thing. And if you'll notice the NFL,
which is the healthiest, they're fighting on more games, but
(02:22):
they end up always getting them right. There was a
long fight over Game seventeen, but they got it, and
now there is a fight over game eighteen, but they're
gonna get it. Because the NFL makes money every time
they play a football game, and everybody likes to make money.
And there's a lot of reasons why NBA games, why
(02:45):
Major League baseball games won't be contracted. But for the
most part, there's just one reason. That reason is money.
And I do think that there are are people who
don't understand, even people in power, who don't understand exactly
(03:07):
what is valuable about your sport. The brilliance of the
NFL is not just increasing regular season games. They have
increased playoff games. Those are the most watched, those are
the most important, and those are the ones which you
can print money by just simply putting out there, which
they have.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Right.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
They want to negotiate ESPN a new deal. Wanto ESPN
to keep paying through the nose from undernet football. Hey
we'll throw in a wild card football game. It's a
game that you never had, we never had before. You
know you're going to get twenty five million people or
so watching. Again, the value is remarkable. So I bring
this to the NCAA tournament in college basketball, where everyone says,
(03:50):
you know, it's perfect. Why Expand then there's a story
out today where some people, some executive, some TV executs
think there's not that much value in it. That you're
talking about early first round games, not much more value. Yeah,
(04:11):
it doesn't doesn't do much, won't be much more money
made by the NCAA. So here's the response. The first
thing is, I need you to listen to me, really,
really carefully. I told you long time ago that Lebron
James wasn't leaving LA. I told you a matter of
fact before he signed in LA that of any of
the teams that he was considering, he will never play
(04:32):
in San Antonio because San Antonio back when Greg Popfitch
was the coach, and they'll still have this mantra.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It was get over yourself.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Lebron James is a great player, one of the all
time greatest players, not just in his sport, in any
sport to play. But there's one thing that he's not.
It's over himself. I told you it would not happen.
It's not even part of the consideration, Just like I.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Told you this year.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
I don't care what Rich Paul says. He wasn't considering
doing anything other than come back for the Lakers. The
only issue now is is how is Lebron James going
to hang around for Bronnie's rookie year? Make them draft Brownie,
not make him draft Brice. All right, but let's let's
not get a year out for me predicting and telling
you that he's going to stay. His last year with
(05:14):
the Lakers is going to be next year when they
draft Bryce James. They don't have both his sons with
him on the floor at the same time. And as
ridiculous as it is, I mean, you got to put
on a ninety five percent chance of it happening, right,
guy wants to be the perfect father. Can't be the
perfect father if you play favorites and only hang around
(05:35):
for Bronnie when you clearly can hang out for Bryce's
that's not playing favorites anyway. I told you lebron wasn't retiring.
I told you wasn't going to San Antonio. I told
you wasn't going anywhere else. I'm telling you now. Major
League Baseball and in the NBA are not contracting games
because all those sites, all those arenas, they have a
(05:55):
certain number of dates which are part of the least agreement.
Everybody makes money on it, and unless athletes and coaches
and and front office is going to take less money
from less profit, they're not going to ever contract the
games ever. And my guess is with the NCAAA they
(06:19):
will only do this if it opens up their TV
window for negotiating because you're because people are right, like,
there's there is some value to it. But if those
are first four games, what's really the value. The value
in the NCAA tournament is the sixty fourteen bracket. That's
what everybody bets on. It's everybody gambles on, everybody turns in.
(06:41):
That's where your grandma has just as good a shot
as you do of winning a set of stake knives.
And if you expand to seventy two seventy six, you
can still be cute and make those play in games.
But if you make those playing games, you're still only
going to get a couple of million viewers. And you're
talking about expanding from sixty eight to seventy two. Is
(07:01):
two more basketball games, that's it, two more basketball games
to seventy six, it's for more basketball games.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
So does that value sure? Is it untold millions of dollars?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:17):
So the prediction is is this Ryan Bersching or is
this Sam is this Isaac lowincron.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
One?
Speaker 1 (07:27):
There is zero chance they're not going to expand. Zero
And you're like, why would they expand? Why would they try?
Because they can make more money and right now no
matter what you think, everybody needs more money because now
you got to pay the players, and all the calculations
(07:52):
are screwed up because previously you plan for Hey, the
men's basketball takes this, football takes this.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Everybody else gets this. Coaches get this.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
This is what we do for scholarship, this is what
we do for now all a sidden you're talking from,
you know, a couple hundred thousand at our level, to
ten to twenty million at the highest level. That money
comes from. It all comes from one pot, basically, and
the only way to increase that pot is to find
(08:20):
valuable assets. And the only valuable asset the NCAA has
in basketball is the tournament. The problem is, unless it
triggers a completely new round of negotiations for their TV rights,
it just doesn't have that much value. And if they
do it despite the fact it doesn't have that much value,
(08:42):
and they only increase it by I don't know ten
they're making a billion a year, what it's a billion
dollar deal whatever, unless it increases at a huge rate
because they can open it up to open bidders, doesn't
have a lot of value.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
It just does not.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
And if that's the case, then you know that there
is desperation in the streets to get any possible last dollar.
That's when you're basically going to a pawnshop and just hey,
just give me what you can.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I'll take whatever you can give me. I just need
some money here.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
So either TV becomes a pawnshop for college basketball and
college sports because it's all kind of wrapped together, not
the not college football, or what I think is more likely,
is there some sort of sort of clause where they
can reopen negotiations if they get to more games and
that's the only way.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
They get them negotiations.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Either way, I get it. I love the sixty fourteen bracket.
I'm all for it, but I also understand that everything
costs more money, and the only way to make more
money is to sell the most valuable thing you have,
and that's the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gotleb Show podcast.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Be sure to catch us live every weekday three to
five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find
your local station for The Doug Gottlieb Show at Foxsports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every day on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR. I've got a lot
of thinking on the Stefan Diggs thing. And I know
he signed a three year deal. I know he's coming
(10:29):
off a knee injury. I know he's really talented, although
he's more towards the end not towards the beginning of
his career. So I'm not saying his career is over,
but I I'm telling you right now I would cut him.
I don't think it. I don't even think it's a question.
And you may say to yourself, hey, Doug, he wasn't
(10:51):
taking those drugs on the video. The drugs that are
in was it two sy that's what was called. Well,
the pink cocaine aren't necessarily cocaine. Ketamine can be. That's
plenty illegal. It's not even the point. Okay, it's not
even the point. The point is that he knew he
(11:14):
was being filmed, whether he knew he was going to
be sent out to the world or not, and he
quite obviously didn't care. The one thing he did care
about is why he gave the women the drugs that
they could take. He didn't even take it himself. I
don't care. You're Mike Vrabel, And though Vrabel is a
(11:37):
player's coach. That doesn't mean you're a pushover. And I
get you know, professional sports, there's lots that we don't know.
We don't know how many guys take recreational drugs.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
We don't.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
I think perception is worse than reality. Although maybe I'm wrong,
you know, maybe I'm too.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Much for prude. I truly do not know. But it
looks all awful.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Awful to have and brasionally hand out some drugs while
being filmed and not even going like, hey, don't fill that,
or wait till the camera's not rolling, and then you
do it again.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Doesn't make it right. It's just every layer of it.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
And then when you factor in, Okay, Steffan Diggs leaves
the bills, they get better. Steffan Diggs is added to Houston,
they get worse. Not all his fault because he got hurt.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I got it.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
But if there's one thing I've learned, and I already knew,
but I've learned, is chemistry is everything. And you could
sit there and go like, hey, that looks like a
little chemical kit, right, That's exactly what pink cocaine is.
It's a chemical creation where you put a little this
and a little that in.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
That's funny. It's really funny.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
I just I'd cut him, and I would really think
twice about it.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
Yes, Sam, I'll go back to this. I feel like
if Bill Belichick was still the coach he would have been,
he would have been gone after this. It's just a distraction.
And I don't know what this does if they do
get rid of Stefan Diggs. I mean he's thirty one.
What this would do to New England's depth at wide receiver.
I can't even think off the top of my head.
Who there are other options? Are? Like their tight end
(13:22):
didn't uh? Is is it Hunter Henry?
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (13:27):
So like they have a good tight end. But I
can't I think that they're going to keep him because
they don't have anybody else to throw the ball to.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Again, I've been there before, and as much as you say, like, hey,
how can we do that, you can't do anything if
you allow that to be part of your program. I
don't know if Bill Belichick would have I know we
all have an impression of Bill Belichick as his hardcore disciplinarian.
I mean he did have Aaron Hernandez on his team,
(13:57):
you know, like they only got rid of aeron nand
is because they had to.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
And it appears that in internet this was doing a
lot of stuff.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And that's where we don't know the inner workings of
teams and what really happens and what guys are really doing,
and they really get caught. And that that's why I'm
not being a mortalist about it. I'm not saying you
do drugs, you're off the team. I'd like it to
be that way, but I don't know enough, neither do
any of us. But but you're being filmed, girlfriends downstairs,
(14:26):
sleeping it off. You had three girls you're clearly hitting on.
You break out some some pink cocaine and you brazenally
make you know, don't hide it from any camera, and
you're having just a great time.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
I just buy it's.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Not even so much drugs starting. It's the filming thing.
It's it's the it's the creating of a distraction, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Right, It's it's both.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
It's the it's the womanizing the the drugs, but also
wrapped in with the camera and allowing it out to
the world.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
I just I could be dead wrong.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
And yeah, yeah, if he was, you know, twenty six
year old Stefan Diggs. Would you would be different? I'd
hope it wouldn't, but the reality is it would. He's
thirty one, and it's just a terrible look for a
guy coming off of an injury injured year, and coming
off of getting shipped away by you know, he's been
shipped away by three teams, and maybe now you're seeing why.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gotleb Show podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from three
to five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Doug Gotlip Show at
Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR. It's Doug Gotlieb
Show here on Fox Sports Radio. Let's welcome in, Mark Stein,
he joins us. He writes a substack called the Stein Line.
(15:56):
How would you explain how Tyrese Haliburton goes from one
it's the greatest performance to statisticate we've seen in the
NBA history in the playoffs to just a guy last night?
Speaker 5 (16:07):
Great question. Not sure that I have the answer. The
fact that we had a game like that in the
last round as well, it is pretty inexplicable given the stakes,
but I think I would also say that I strongly
expect a bounce back response in Game six. But you
(16:30):
know what I mean, It's gonna be really interesting because
the Pacers know they have to finish this thing off
at home and they can't risk giving the Knicks any
more life and hope. So it's gonna be really interesting
to see how they deal with the pressure now because
they went from up three to one. Everybody is writing
(16:53):
them into the NBA Finals and now I mean must
win game I guess technically it isn't, but I do
think psychologically it is.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Uh yeah, I think psychologically it definitely definitely is. That's
I'm completely on board with that mentality of it.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
It is the.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Gottlieb Show here on Fox Sports Radio. Okay, let's get
to the thunder. How are they viewed by the rest
of the league.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
I think during the season there was skepticism. Maybe I
was slow to believe it, but yeah, I think there
was a lot of not out loud but whispered skepticism
about how good this team really is. But there shouldn't
There shouldn't be, And the way they just emphatically beat
(17:45):
a very good Minnesota team that I think I've said
it with you every single week. We've done this throughout
the playoffs. I think outside of the Pacers, the Wolves
were probably the most underrated team in the league coming
into this postseason, and the Thunder just absolutely show them down.
Their defense is that good. It's you know, their starters
(18:06):
lay great defense, they bring in Caruso and Wallace, and
their reserve unit plays even better defense. I mean, they
they really made life uncomfortable for a Wolves team that
felt pretty good about itself going into that series. And
you know, okay, they didn't have a seventy win total
(18:29):
in the regular season, but they did everything else. And
the numbers tell you that nobody should beat the Thunder.
They should win it all, and they're going to be,
i think a decided favorite against whoever survives the East.
And the defense is just a huge part of it.
They just make life very, very uncomfortable for the opposition.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
You know what's interesting, Mark is that.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
We've talked about this this week, where you know, there's
a world war, it's going to be a lowly rated
New York It's gonna be a low rated NBA Finals
because there's no Steph because there's no Lebron, because there's
no Jiannis, because there's no a Joker, that there'll be
the perception that this is the least talented NBA Finals
in a long time. I look at this and I
(19:17):
think there's a world again. I'm not saying Shay is
Steph or Shay is Jordan, but these teams look like
those two teams, the first Warriors championship team and the
first Bulls Jordan Championship.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Team more so than anything else.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Right, and let me kind of I give you my
the hypothesies on it, and you feel free to pick
holes in it. Right, Shay has been improving every year.
Last year was in the MVP discussion. This year is
the MVP. Jalen Williams is his number, his sidekick, and
again kind of an underrated under radar, finally an all star.
And then you have a young burgeoning I don't know,
(19:55):
I don't think he's gonna be a superstar, but potential
star and a chet Holmgren, right, who still has a
lot of growth potential, and you know, and then they
went out and they got Caruso, and I think Caruso
won them the Denver series. Hartenstein obviously gives them a
big body inside so they can play chet over at
the four. And it looks like again, remember those the
(20:16):
first Bulls team that won it, right, Horace Grant was young,
Scottie Pitten was young Jordan. It couldn't you know, couldn't
win the big series, let alone the big game.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
And then they went out and.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Added Bill Cartwright, added a couple pieces and they go
on to win three titles.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
That that.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Warriors team.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Right, they add Andrea Guadala, but it's a different Andrea
Gadala than the twenty eight game when he's in Philadelphia right,
role playing Andrea Gudala. They got bench guys like Livingston
and the other bench guys are really the strength of
the team. And as much as we think now of
Clay as a bona fide Hall of Famer, at that
point in time, he was not. At that point time,
(20:53):
Draymond was not. So again, I don't want to say
this is a dynasty in the making, but there's a
world where it is.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Is there not?
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Well?
Speaker 5 (21:04):
I think the reason is because they're just so well
set up for the future. I mean, just Sam Presty
has done a masterful job putting this team together and
they just have so many options going forward, which recent
champions have not. As soon as the Celtics won it
last season, the talk started, then how on earth are
(21:26):
they going to be able to afford keeping this team together?
But we know because the thunder have this just closet
full of draft picks, that they can use those picks
to make trades or they can keep some of them.
And it's so crucial in this new NBA world we
live in with these luxury tax aprons to have players
(21:50):
come in who can make a difference, but on rookie
scale deals that are not being I mean, if you're
trying to have three high salary players, that's where you
run into trouble and you're gonna get into these second eight.
You're gonna get to the first apron in the second apron,
and you're gonna lose all the team building tools that
you need to put guys around them. That's what so
(22:14):
interesting about Okay, see, obviously they you know, Shaze up
for an extension and Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren and
you know they're gonna have to. You know, they already
did an extension with Caruso during the season I mean,
it would be expensive if you try to keep this
group together, just like it would be for any team.
But again, they have so many options going forward. And look,
(22:36):
I think you're right, people are going to talk about
market size and the stars that aren't in the Finals.
But like I think for for us, like if you
like basketball, you're gonna watch the Finals. Like I don't
need a quote Marquee star or a big market team
to make me want to watch the Finals. It's the
(22:57):
two best teams at the end of a law season.
But you know, I guess we're in the minority, and
that is it is gonna be, I think an incessant
and annoying subject line that's talked about throughout the Finals
coming up.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Okay, let's let's circle back to the Knicks and the Pacers.
A lot of talk about, you know, can Brunson be
the guy to lead a team? You know, can you
can you win with him and Karl Anthony Towns on
the floor at the same time. Obviously their defense called
in the question. I do think we're kind of missing
the point, right, Like this is the Knicks and they're
(23:33):
competing for for for an NBA Finals appearance, Like there's
massive growth that's taking place. What are your thoughts on
the compilation of talent and whether or not it's it's enough,
whether it's this year or in the near future.
Speaker 5 (23:49):
Well, look, we're gonna have to see the end results,
because if the Knicks lose this was a glorious opportunity
to get to the finals, that will have slipped away
from them. And how they respond to that is going
to be something. It's going to be a significant question.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Of the offseason.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
You know, they have tried to surround Brunson in towns
with wings who play defense and can mitigate the defensive
issues that you have. With those two as your stars,
Brunson has gotten better every single season. I saw him
up close for the first four years of his career,
(24:27):
and I definitely think he's proven he can be the
lead guy on a title team. But yes, you're going
to have to put the exact, precise right pieces around him,
and they're going to have to decide did they see
enough progress this season? And again if they don't get
out of this series, and now if they come back
and win this thing in seven, you know that potentially
(24:51):
changes the whole tender around this team too. So I
think we don't really have the answers there yet, but
you know, I don't think the Knicks have any doubts
about Brunson being the guy to build their team around.
He has proven to be so much better than even
(25:12):
they thought. And the willingness he showed to take a
contract lesser than he could have commanded to help them
with flexibility to build out the team. I mean, he's
beyond how good he is as a player. He's just
so valuable from the vibes perspective and just the way
(25:35):
people want to rally around him and play with him.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Like.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
So, look, the Knicks are in a great place even
if they lose this series. But there is going to
be huge, huge frustration because they took out Boston. Philly
never came close to being the factor that people anticipated.
Milwaukee was not the factor that people anticipated. The Heat
(26:01):
imploded after the Jimmy Butler trade. So the East has
been more for the taking than we anticipated. And if
the Knicks don't take it, no question they're going to
be there's going to be some reflection and hard questions
asked after this season.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
All Right, there's lots of talk that this is going
to be a tumultuous offseason. Start what Kevin Durant most
likely to be moved.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
It starts with Yannis. We have to know, we have
to see first what happens with the honest and there's
not clarity there yet. You have a lot of teams
around the league who are plotting to make trade offers
for him, and we don't have an indication yet. Is
Jannis going to ask out of Milwaukee what he does,
(26:47):
whether he pledges to stay there or asks them to
trade him. I think that kind of has to happen first. Yes,
there is the anticipation that Durant, one Whey or the
other is going to be made available and that he's
not going to stick around in Phoenix, But I think
we have to start with where things go with Yiannis.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
What do the Celtics do.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
I think they're going to explore the trade market and
see what they can do. Porzingis is the easiest one
to move because he's on an expiring deal. Drew Holliday
and look, I don't think they want to trade any
of these guys, but it's just the reality. I mean,
they had they won, had they won it all and
(27:33):
repeated as champions, you can then make the case, all right,
this is going to be highly uncomfortable, highly expensive, but
let's deal with it. Because we have a team that's
won two titles in a row. They not only didn't repeat,
but they've lost Tatum to this devastating injury that's going
to sideline him most likely for a year.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
I mean, you.
Speaker 5 (27:53):
Can't justify having this ridiculously high payroll. So it's going
to be it's it's not going to be easy. The
salary cap gymnastics involved are going to be really, really tough.
Brad Stevens has an unenviable job this summer trying to
figure it out. But what happens with porzingis what happens
with Drew Holiday. Those are really the two players I
think teams are looking at the most.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Okay, what about the Lakers, what do they.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
Look like next year?
Speaker 5 (28:20):
Well, assuming Lebron James comes back and he has a
player option worth more than fifty million, so the anticipation
is that he exercises that player option to stay. If
that happens, they don't have flexibility to do that much.
They will try again to find a trade for a
center because they know, I mean, we saw them, they
(28:44):
tried the deadline to get the center. They made the
trade for Charlotte's Mark Williams. They rescinded that trade, so
everyone knows they need a starting level center, a rim
running center, the kind of center that Luka Doncis has
always played alongside in Dallas and flourished alongside. Do they
have the draft or do they have the trade pieces
(29:05):
to make that kind of trade. They would obviously prefer
not to trade Austin Reeves, but you know that chatter
will emerge and circulate all summer, like will the Lakers
be willing to entertain offers for him? So it kind
of starts with Lebron in his decision because they don't
have financial flexibility to just go out and make dramatic moves.
(29:29):
They still have the exact same trade pieces that they
used in the theoretical Mark Williams deal. But is there
a center out there that they can get who really
moves the needle? That's not clear yet.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
I guess my thought on the on Lebron is, I mean,
obviously he's gonna resign.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
My thing is, we do realize Lebron's going to play
two more years his He quite obviously wants to be
the greatest at ever for his kids, and he doesn't
though he cares, he doesn't really care that he's going
He made them draft Bronnie. How can he make him
draft Ronnie and not make him draft Price? Right, how
can you play with one kid he's gonna do two
(30:14):
years in LA. It's gonna happen, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
I really don't know. I mean, with the theory you
lay out there, it's certainly there's you know, it's plausible,
But I don't know. I don't know what happens after
this season. I mean, the way he played, the level
he's playing at, you could certainly see him playing more
than one more year. But then again this season, you know,
(30:43):
does he want to go out after year twenty three
with an All Star Game in LA? I mean I
could see that too. It's hard to I can't pretend
to get in his head and know exactly what his
plan is. Is there anywhere else he could realistically go,
or is there somewhere else he wants to play? I
(31:04):
think only he knows. I mean, by all accounts, he's
been incredibly happy in LA. But I think at some
point the Lakers are going to want to move on
and make this fully a Luka doncic operation. So it's
not clear cut that you know, I think it's pretty
clear cut, pretty widely anticipated that he ops in for
(31:27):
this next season. What happens after this season, I can't
tell you right now at the end of May and
twenty twenty five, No.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
I can't either.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
I'm I'm I'm theorizing, and I'm fascinated to see what happens.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Last thing.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Again, you're not putting your bet money on, but if
you did put your bet money, will we have a
Game seven in New York.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
I picked the Pacers in six before the series, and
since my Western Conference pick was so bad, I'm gonna
fully back my Pacers and six prediction and see if
I get if I if I bat at least five
hundred in the Western in the conference finals, so good god,
I am, I am at. I am anticipating a strong
(32:11):
rebound from the Pacers.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
There there, you got it it. Stut Gottlieb Show Fox portrayer.
That's Mark Stein. Okay, go check out his substack called
the Steinlin.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
He's awesome. Mark, thanks so much for joining us. Have
a great weekend.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
You all right, that's some my guy, Mark Stein Fox
Sports Radio NBA correspondent, of course, author of the Steinlin,
which is a substack
Thanks for listening to the best of the Doug Gottlieb
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday
three to five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Doug Gottlieb Show at
Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching f as R boom
Mad of America Doug Gottlieb Show, five Sports Radio. It's
(00:31):
a Friday, you ain't got nothing to do? Hey, just
listen in here to Fox Sports Radio. We're getting ready
for a weekend where we'll have a game Game six
in the Eastern Conference Finals. That's because the New York
Nickobakas took down the Indiana Pacers Tyrese Haliburton off of
(00:51):
one of the one of the greatest games we've ever
seen played.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Statistically to.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Just a guy, right, like literally just a guy like Yeah,
who's the guy who like people are arguing about being
a superstar, like that guy one with eight points in
eight shots.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
We'll get to that. We got a lot of interesting stuff.
Mark Dominic's gonna join us. We'll get you ready as
we got OTAs getting underway. This another strange tale on
the long and winding path of Zion Williamson. We'll get
to that next hour, but I want to start with this.
(01:38):
We talked about it some yesterday, but it does relate
to all sports. And you know, there's been a push
in the NBA for I don't know, seven eight years.
You know what we should do is have fewer games,
don't have back to backs, too much travel, quality of
the product's not great. We should have fewer games. Major
(02:01):
League Baseball used to have one fifty four. They have
won sixty two. There was there's been years which there's
been talking of. You know what we need to do
is have we've had the contraction fewer teams and we've
had the fewer games thing. And if you'll notice the NFL,
which is the healthiest, they're fighting on more games, but
(02:22):
they end up always getting them right. There was a
long fight over Game seventeen, but they got it, and
now there is a fight over game eighteen, but they're
gonna get it. Because the NFL makes money every time
they play a football game, and everybody likes to make money.
And there's a lot of reasons why NBA games, why
(02:45):
Major League baseball games won't be contracted. But for the
most part, there's just one reason. That reason is money.
And I do think that there are are people who
don't understand, even people in power, who don't understand exactly
(03:07):
what is valuable about your sport. The brilliance of the
NFL is not just increasing regular season games. They have
increased playoff games. Those are the most watched, those are
the most important, and those are the ones which you
can print money by just simply putting out there, which
they have.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Right.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
They want to negotiate ESPN a new deal. Wanto ESPN
to keep paying through the nose from undernet football. Hey
we'll throw in a wild card football game. It's a
game that you never had, we never had before. You
know you're going to get twenty five million people or
so watching. Again, the value is remarkable. So I bring
this to the NCAA tournament in college basketball, where everyone says,
(03:50):
you know, it's perfect. Why Expand then there's a story
out today where some people, some executive, some TV executs
think there's not that much value in it. That you're
talking about early first round games, not much more value. Yeah,
(04:11):
it doesn't doesn't do much, won't be much more money
made by the NCAA. So here's the response. The first
thing is, I need you to listen to me, really,
really carefully. I told you long time ago that Lebron
James wasn't leaving LA. I told you a matter of
fact before he signed in LA that of any of
the teams that he was considering, he will never play
(04:32):
in San Antonio because San Antonio back when Greg Popfitch
was the coach, and they'll still have this mantra.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It was get over yourself.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Lebron James is a great player, one of the all
time greatest players, not just in his sport, in any
sport to play. But there's one thing that he's not.
It's over himself. I told you it would not happen.
It's not even part of the consideration, Just like I.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Told you this year.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
I don't care what Rich Paul says. He wasn't considering
doing anything other than come back for the Lakers. The
only issue now is is how is Lebron James going
to hang around for Bronnie's rookie year? Make them draft Brownie,
not make him draft Brice. All right, but let's let's
not get a year out for me predicting and telling
you that he's going to stay. His last year with
(05:14):
the Lakers is going to be next year when they
draft Bryce James. They don't have both his sons with
him on the floor at the same time. And as
ridiculous as it is, I mean, you got to put
on a ninety five percent chance of it happening, right,
guy wants to be the perfect father. Can't be the
perfect father if you play favorites and only hang around
(05:35):
for Bronnie when you clearly can hang out for Bryce's
that's not playing favorites anyway. I told you lebron wasn't retiring.
I told you wasn't going to San Antonio. I told
you wasn't going anywhere else. I'm telling you now. Major
League Baseball and in the NBA are not contracting games
because all those sites, all those arenas, they have a
(05:55):
certain number of dates which are part of the least agreement.
Everybody makes money on it, and unless athletes and coaches
and and front office is going to take less money
from less profit, they're not going to ever contract the
games ever. And my guess is with the NCAAA they
(06:19):
will only do this if it opens up their TV
window for negotiating because you're because people are right, like,
there's there is some value to it. But if those
are first four games, what's really the value. The value
in the NCAA tournament is the sixty fourteen bracket. That's
what everybody bets on. It's everybody gambles on, everybody turns in.
(06:41):
That's where your grandma has just as good a shot
as you do of winning a set of stake knives.
And if you expand to seventy two seventy six, you
can still be cute and make those play in games.
But if you make those playing games, you're still only
going to get a couple of million viewers. And you're
talking about expanding from sixty eight to seventy two. Is
(07:01):
two more basketball games, that's it, two more basketball games
to seventy six, it's for more basketball games.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
So does that value sure? Is it untold millions of dollars?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:17):
So the prediction is is this Ryan Bersching or is
this Sam is this Isaac lowincron.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
One?
Speaker 1 (07:27):
There is zero chance they're not going to expand. Zero
And you're like, why would they expand? Why would they try?
Because they can make more money and right now no
matter what you think, everybody needs more money because now
you got to pay the players, and all the calculations
(07:52):
are screwed up because previously you plan for Hey, the
men's basketball takes this, football takes this.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Everybody else gets this. Coaches get this.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
This is what we do for scholarship, this is what
we do for now all a sidden you're talking from,
you know, a couple hundred thousand at our level, to
ten to twenty million at the highest level. That money
comes from. It all comes from one pot, basically, and
the only way to increase that pot is to find
(08:20):
valuable assets. And the only valuable asset the NCAA has
in basketball is the tournament. The problem is, unless it
triggers a completely new round of negotiations for their TV rights,
it just doesn't have that much value. And if they
do it despite the fact it doesn't have that much value,
(08:42):
and they only increase it by I don't know ten
they're making a billion a year, what it's a billion
dollar deal whatever, unless it increases at a huge rate
because they can open it up to open bidders, doesn't
have a lot of value.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
It just does not.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
And if that's the case, then you know that there
is desperation in the streets to get any possible last dollar.
That's when you're basically going to a pawnshop and just hey,
just give me what you can.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I'll take whatever you can give me. I just need
some money here.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
So either TV becomes a pawnshop for college basketball and
college sports because it's all kind of wrapped together, not
the not college football, or what I think is more likely,
is there some sort of sort of clause where they
can reopen negotiations if they get to more games and
that's the only way.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
They get them negotiations.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Either way, I get it. I love the sixty fourteen bracket.
I'm all for it, but I also understand that everything
costs more money, and the only way to make more
money is to sell the most valuable thing you have,
and that's the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gotleb Show podcast.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Be sure to catch us live every weekday three to
five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find
your local station for The Doug Gottlieb Show at Foxsports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every day on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR. I've got a lot
of thinking on the Stefan Diggs thing. And I know
he signed a three year deal. I know he's coming
(10:29):
off a knee injury. I know he's really talented, although
he's more towards the end not towards the beginning of
his career. So I'm not saying his career is over,
but I I'm telling you right now I would cut him.
I don't think it. I don't even think it's a question.
And you may say to yourself, hey, Doug, he wasn't
(10:51):
taking those drugs on the video. The drugs that are
in was it two sy that's what was called. Well,
the pink cocaine aren't necessarily cocaine. Ketamine can be. That's
plenty illegal. It's not even the point. Okay, it's not
even the point. The point is that he knew he
(11:14):
was being filmed, whether he knew he was going to
be sent out to the world or not, and he
quite obviously didn't care. The one thing he did care
about is why he gave the women the drugs that
they could take. He didn't even take it himself. I
don't care. You're Mike Vrabel, And though Vrabel is a
(11:37):
player's coach. That doesn't mean you're a pushover. And I
get you know, professional sports, there's lots that we don't know.
We don't know how many guys take recreational drugs.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
We don't.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
I think perception is worse than reality. Although maybe I'm wrong,
you know, maybe I'm too.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Much for prude. I truly do not know. But it
looks all awful.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Awful to have and brasionally hand out some drugs while
being filmed and not even going like, hey, don't fill that,
or wait till the camera's not rolling, and then you
do it again.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Doesn't make it right. It's just every layer of it.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
And then when you factor in, Okay, Steffan Diggs leaves
the bills, they get better. Steffan Diggs is added to Houston,
they get worse. Not all his fault because he got hurt.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I got it.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
But if there's one thing I've learned, and I already knew,
but I've learned, is chemistry is everything. And you could
sit there and go like, hey, that looks like a
little chemical kit, right, That's exactly what pink cocaine is.
It's a chemical creation where you put a little this
and a little that in.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
That's funny. It's really funny.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
I just I'd cut him, and I would really think
twice about it.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
Yes, Sam, I'll go back to this. I feel like
if Bill Belichick was still the coach he would have been,
he would have been gone after this. It's just a distraction.
And I don't know what this does if they do
get rid of Stefan Diggs. I mean he's thirty one.
What this would do to New England's depth at wide receiver.
I can't even think off the top of my head.
Who there are other options? Are? Like their tight end
(13:22):
didn't uh? Is is it Hunter Henry?
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (13:27):
So like they have a good tight end. But I
can't I think that they're going to keep him because
they don't have anybody else to throw the ball to.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Again, I've been there before, and as much as you say, like, hey,
how can we do that, you can't do anything if
you allow that to be part of your program. I
don't know if Bill Belichick would have I know we
all have an impression of Bill Belichick as his hardcore disciplinarian.
I mean he did have Aaron Hernandez on his team,
(13:57):
you know, like they only got rid of aeron nand
is because they had to.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
And it appears that in internet this was doing a
lot of stuff.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And that's where we don't know the inner workings of
teams and what really happens and what guys are really doing,
and they really get caught. And that that's why I'm
not being a mortalist about it. I'm not saying you
do drugs, you're off the team. I'd like it to
be that way, but I don't know enough, neither do
any of us. But but you're being filmed, girlfriends downstairs,
(14:26):
sleeping it off. You had three girls you're clearly hitting on.
You break out some some pink cocaine and you brazenally
make you know, don't hide it from any camera, and
you're having just a great time.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
I just buy it's.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Not even so much drugs starting. It's the filming thing.
It's it's the it's the creating of a distraction, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Right, It's it's both.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
It's the it's the womanizing the the drugs, but also
wrapped in with the camera and allowing it out to
the world.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
I just I could be dead wrong.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
And yeah, yeah, if he was, you know, twenty six
year old Stefan Diggs. Would you would be different? I'd
hope it wouldn't, but the reality is it would. He's
thirty one, and it's just a terrible look for a
guy coming off of an injury injured year, and coming
off of getting shipped away by you know, he's been
shipped away by three teams, and maybe now you're seeing why.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gotleb Show podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from three
to five Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Doug Gotlip Show at
Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR. It's Doug Gotlieb
Show here on Fox Sports Radio. Let's welcome in, Mark Stein,
he joins us. He writes a substack called the Stein Line.
(15:56):
How would you explain how Tyrese Haliburton goes from one
it's the greatest performance to statisticate we've seen in the
NBA history in the playoffs to just a guy last night?
Speaker 5 (16:07):
Great question. Not sure that I have the answer. The
fact that we had a game like that in the
last round as well, it is pretty inexplicable given the stakes,
but I think I would also say that I strongly
expect a bounce back response in Game six. But you
(16:30):
know what I mean, It's gonna be really interesting because
the Pacers know they have to finish this thing off
at home and they can't risk giving the Knicks any
more life and hope. So it's gonna be really interesting
to see how they deal with the pressure now because
they went from up three to one. Everybody is writing
(16:53):
them into the NBA Finals and now I mean must
win game I guess technically it isn't, but I do
think psychologically it is.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Uh yeah, I think psychologically it definitely definitely is. That's
I'm completely on board with that mentality of it.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
It is the.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Gottlieb Show here on Fox Sports Radio. Okay, let's get
to the thunder. How are they viewed by the rest
of the league.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
I think during the season there was skepticism. Maybe I
was slow to believe it, but yeah, I think there
was a lot of not out loud but whispered skepticism
about how good this team really is. But there shouldn't
There shouldn't be, And the way they just emphatically beat
(17:45):
a very good Minnesota team that I think I've said
it with you every single week. We've done this throughout
the playoffs. I think outside of the Pacers, the Wolves
were probably the most underrated team in the league coming
into this postseason, and the Thunder just absolutely show them down.
Their defense is that good. It's you know, their starters
(18:06):
lay great defense, they bring in Caruso and Wallace, and
their reserve unit plays even better defense. I mean, they
they really made life uncomfortable for a Wolves team that
felt pretty good about itself going into that series. And
you know, okay, they didn't have a seventy win total
(18:29):
in the regular season, but they did everything else. And
the numbers tell you that nobody should beat the Thunder.
They should win it all, and they're going to be,
i think a decided favorite against whoever survives the East.
And the defense is just a huge part of it.
They just make life very, very uncomfortable for the opposition.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
You know what's interesting, Mark is that.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
We've talked about this this week, where you know, there's
a world war, it's going to be a lowly rated
New York It's gonna be a low rated NBA Finals
because there's no Steph because there's no Lebron, because there's
no Jiannis, because there's no a Joker, that there'll be
the perception that this is the least talented NBA Finals
in a long time. I look at this and I
(19:17):
think there's a world again. I'm not saying Shay is
Steph or Shay is Jordan, but these teams look like
those two teams, the first Warriors championship team and the
first Bulls Jordan Championship.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Team more so than anything else.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Right, and let me kind of I give you my
the hypothesies on it, and you feel free to pick
holes in it. Right, Shay has been improving every year.
Last year was in the MVP discussion. This year is
the MVP. Jalen Williams is his number, his sidekick, and
again kind of an underrated under radar, finally an all star.
And then you have a young burgeoning I don't know,
(19:55):
I don't think he's gonna be a superstar, but potential
star and a chet Holmgren, right, who still has a
lot of growth potential, and you know, and then they
went out and they got Caruso, and I think Caruso
won them the Denver series. Hartenstein obviously gives them a
big body inside so they can play chet over at
the four. And it looks like again, remember those the
(20:16):
first Bulls team that won it, right, Horace Grant was young,
Scottie Pitten was young Jordan. It couldn't you know, couldn't
win the big series, let alone the big game.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
And then they went out and.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Added Bill Cartwright, added a couple pieces and they go
on to win three titles.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
That that.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Warriors team.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Right, they add Andrea Guadala, but it's a different Andrea
Gadala than the twenty eight game when he's in Philadelphia right,
role playing Andrea Gudala. They got bench guys like Livingston
and the other bench guys are really the strength of
the team. And as much as we think now of
Clay as a bona fide Hall of Famer, at that
point in time, he was not. At that point time,
(20:53):
Draymond was not. So again, I don't want to say
this is a dynasty in the making, but there's a
world where it is.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Is there not?
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Well?
Speaker 5 (21:04):
I think the reason is because they're just so well
set up for the future. I mean, just Sam Presty
has done a masterful job putting this team together and
they just have so many options going forward, which recent
champions have not. As soon as the Celtics won it
last season, the talk started, then how on earth are
(21:26):
they going to be able to afford keeping this team together?
But we know because the thunder have this just closet
full of draft picks, that they can use those picks
to make trades or they can keep some of them.
And it's so crucial in this new NBA world we
live in with these luxury tax aprons to have players
(21:50):
come in who can make a difference, but on rookie
scale deals that are not being I mean, if you're
trying to have three high salary players, that's where you
run into trouble and you're gonna get into these second eight.
You're gonna get to the first apron in the second apron,
and you're gonna lose all the team building tools that
you need to put guys around them. That's what so
(22:14):
interesting about Okay, see, obviously they you know, Shaze up
for an extension and Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren and
you know they're gonna have to. You know, they already
did an extension with Caruso during the season I mean,
it would be expensive if you try to keep this
group together, just like it would be for any team.
But again, they have so many options going forward. And look,
(22:36):
I think you're right, people are going to talk about
market size and the stars that aren't in the Finals.
But like I think for for us, like if you
like basketball, you're gonna watch the Finals. Like I don't
need a quote Marquee star or a big market team
to make me want to watch the Finals. It's the
(22:57):
two best teams at the end of a law season.
But you know, I guess we're in the minority, and
that is it is gonna be, I think an incessant
and annoying subject line that's talked about throughout the Finals
coming up.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Okay, let's let's circle back to the Knicks and the Pacers.
A lot of talk about, you know, can Brunson be
the guy to lead a team? You know, can you
can you win with him and Karl Anthony Towns on
the floor at the same time. Obviously their defense called
in the question. I do think we're kind of missing
the point, right, Like this is the Knicks and they're
(23:33):
competing for for for an NBA Finals appearance, Like there's
massive growth that's taking place. What are your thoughts on
the compilation of talent and whether or not it's it's enough,
whether it's this year or in the near future.
Speaker 5 (23:49):
Well, look, we're gonna have to see the end results,
because if the Knicks lose this was a glorious opportunity
to get to the finals, that will have slipped away
from them. And how they respond to that is going
to be something. It's going to be a significant question.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Of the offseason.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
You know, they have tried to surround Brunson in towns
with wings who play defense and can mitigate the defensive
issues that you have. With those two as your stars,
Brunson has gotten better every single season. I saw him
up close for the first four years of his career,
(24:27):
and I definitely think he's proven he can be the
lead guy on a title team. But yes, you're going
to have to put the exact, precise right pieces around him,
and they're going to have to decide did they see
enough progress this season? And again if they don't get
out of this series, and now if they come back
and win this thing in seven, you know that potentially
(24:51):
changes the whole tender around this team too. So I
think we don't really have the answers there yet, but
you know, I don't think the Knicks have any doubts
about Brunson being the guy to build their team around.
He has proven to be so much better than even
(25:12):
they thought. And the willingness he showed to take a
contract lesser than he could have commanded to help them
with flexibility to build out the team. I mean, he's
beyond how good he is as a player. He's just
so valuable from the vibes perspective and just the way
(25:35):
people want to rally around him and play with him.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Like.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
So, look, the Knicks are in a great place even
if they lose this series. But there is going to
be huge, huge frustration because they took out Boston. Philly
never came close to being the factor that people anticipated.
Milwaukee was not the factor that people anticipated. The Heat
(26:01):
imploded after the Jimmy Butler trade. So the East has
been more for the taking than we anticipated. And if
the Knicks don't take it, no question they're going to
be there's going to be some reflection and hard questions
asked after this season.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
All Right, there's lots of talk that this is going
to be a tumultuous offseason. Start what Kevin Durant most
likely to be moved.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
It starts with Yannis. We have to know, we have
to see first what happens with the honest and there's
not clarity there yet. You have a lot of teams
around the league who are plotting to make trade offers
for him, and we don't have an indication yet. Is
Jannis going to ask out of Milwaukee what he does,
(26:47):
whether he pledges to stay there or asks them to
trade him. I think that kind of has to happen first. Yes,
there is the anticipation that Durant, one Whey or the
other is going to be made available and that he's
not going to stick around in Phoenix, But I think
we have to start with where things go with Yiannis.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
What do the Celtics do.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
I think they're going to explore the trade market and
see what they can do. Porzingis is the easiest one
to move because he's on an expiring deal. Drew Holliday
and look, I don't think they want to trade any
of these guys, but it's just the reality. I mean,
they had they won, had they won it all and
(27:33):
repeated as champions, you can then make the case, all right,
this is going to be highly uncomfortable, highly expensive, but
let's deal with it. Because we have a team that's
won two titles in a row. They not only didn't repeat,
but they've lost Tatum to this devastating injury that's going
to sideline him most likely for a year.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
I mean, you.
Speaker 5 (27:53):
Can't justify having this ridiculously high payroll. So it's going
to be it's it's not going to be easy. The
salary cap gymnastics involved are going to be really, really tough.
Brad Stevens has an unenviable job this summer trying to
figure it out. But what happens with porzingis what happens
with Drew Holiday. Those are really the two players I
think teams are looking at the most.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Okay, what about the Lakers, what do they.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
Look like next year?
Speaker 5 (28:20):
Well, assuming Lebron James comes back and he has a
player option worth more than fifty million, so the anticipation
is that he exercises that player option to stay. If
that happens, they don't have flexibility to do that much.
They will try again to find a trade for a
center because they know, I mean, we saw them, they
(28:44):
tried the deadline to get the center. They made the
trade for Charlotte's Mark Williams. They rescinded that trade, so
everyone knows they need a starting level center, a rim
running center, the kind of center that Luka Doncis has
always played alongside in Dallas and flourished alongside. Do they
have the draft or do they have the trade pieces
(29:05):
to make that kind of trade. They would obviously prefer
not to trade Austin Reeves, but you know that chatter
will emerge and circulate all summer, like will the Lakers
be willing to entertain offers for him? So it kind
of starts with Lebron in his decision because they don't
have financial flexibility to just go out and make dramatic moves.
(29:29):
They still have the exact same trade pieces that they
used in the theoretical Mark Williams deal. But is there
a center out there that they can get who really
moves the needle? That's not clear yet.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
I guess my thought on the on Lebron is, I mean,
obviously he's gonna resign.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
My thing is, we do realize Lebron's going to play
two more years his He quite obviously wants to be
the greatest at ever for his kids, and he doesn't
though he cares, he doesn't really care that he's going
He made them draft Bronnie. How can he make him
draft Ronnie and not make him draft Price? Right, how
can you play with one kid he's gonna do two
(30:14):
years in LA. It's gonna happen, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
I really don't know. I mean, with the theory you
lay out there, it's certainly there's you know, it's plausible,
But I don't know. I don't know what happens after
this season. I mean, the way he played, the level
he's playing at, you could certainly see him playing more
than one more year. But then again this season, you know,
(30:43):
does he want to go out after year twenty three
with an All Star Game in LA? I mean I
could see that too. It's hard to I can't pretend
to get in his head and know exactly what his
plan is. Is there anywhere else he could realistically go,
or is there somewhere else he wants to play? I
(31:04):
think only he knows. I mean, by all accounts, he's
been incredibly happy in LA. But I think at some
point the Lakers are going to want to move on
and make this fully a Luka doncic operation. So it's
not clear cut that you know, I think it's pretty
clear cut, pretty widely anticipated that he ops in for
(31:27):
this next season. What happens after this season, I can't
tell you right now at the end of May and
twenty twenty five, No.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
I can't either.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
I'm I'm I'm theorizing, and I'm fascinated to see what happens.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Last thing.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Again, you're not putting your bet money on, but if
you did put your bet money, will we have a
Game seven in New York.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
I picked the Pacers in six before the series, and
since my Western Conference pick was so bad, I'm gonna
fully back my Pacers and six prediction and see if
I get if I if I bat at least five
hundred in the Western in the conference finals, so good god,
I am, I am at. I am anticipating a strong
(32:11):
rebound from the Pacers.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
There there, you got it it. Stut Gottlieb Show Fox portrayer.
That's Mark Stein. Okay, go check out his substack called
the Steinlin.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
He's awesome. Mark, thanks so much for joining us. Have
a great weekend.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
You all right, that's some my guy, Mark Stein Fox
Sports Radio NBA correspondent, of course, author of the Steinlin,
which is a substack
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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