The LeBron Era Lakers has been a disappointment

Earnest ‘EJ’ Christian discusses seeing Fear Factory in concert, breaks down the NFC Playoff picture, Ja Morant vs. Kendrick Perkins, and the LeBron era Lakers.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
The Earnestly Speaking Podcast is a show that is founded
on free flowing conversation and may it times venture into
mature subjects. Listener discretion is advised. Yeah, earnestly speaking hard
cus it's kidding.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
How much shining in New York?

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Can my gammy carry?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
He so much more to storm my productive flood the
street Opinion Nation God Fama Ceo fit the late nineties,
gonna see me go my hustle on, no limitation, no
fag on me yourntouchables opinion Nations, Dad never went off season,
homemade and checked and numblice her dropping my old waite

(00:51):
supply your son the comfort earnestly speaking, My ego is
well faced, earnestly speaking to people that know's bread.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
See, I'm like Duram.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
More Earth Speaking Podcast.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Recording this on Thursday, eleven o'clock in the morning at
October thirtieth, twenty twenty five for the Friday show. Of course,
we'll be dropping on Halloween. How are you guys doing
my ears or ringing? I had a fantastic night last
night to getten in the second lots to talk about
on the show today. I want to break down the

(01:33):
current playoff picture in the NFC. Uh it is to
me defining. Now explain to you why we got another
feud in media John Morant though against Kenny Perkins, and
now hold back and forth, and then I'm gonna do
a little dissertation about the lebron Aar Lakers and why
I believe it has been a disappointment. First, of course,

(01:54):
all the podcasts on any podcast, catcher on a podcast, Spotify,
Stitcher Radio, Google podcast as you name it on But
did this saytch radio They're not visit anymore? I apologize,
not Stitcher Radio, Amazon Music. Okay, stop saying that, you
know what you know it is though with Stitcher, I've
you know, I had them before long and when I

(02:15):
when I heard I run off like the place to
find the shows, it just comes standard. I just say Stitcher,
but it doesn't exist anymore, so like I forget that.
Of course, the YouTube page at YouTube dot com, Force
Speaking podcast pod of course, and of course you get
the the clips of the show on TikTok as well
to at Earn Speak Pod. But last night I was saying,
I say, while ago, my ears are ringing because uh,

(02:37):
last night I went to a concert. I went to
see on my fair Bands in the World Fear Factory Live.
I actual went about myself. I actually have plans to
go friends, and then both my friends backed out last minute,
which is fine, I'm not mad about it, but they
backed out. But I went to myself and I and
I figure, I knew when I go, I'm gonna see
people I know anyway, and that happened. I saw a
couple of friends I haven't seen a long time, some
some former bandmates I haven't seen a long time in

(02:59):
years that ran into friends of mine, so so so
it wasn't big thing for me. I would have gone
to the show by myself regardless, So I'm not mad
about that at all. Uh, Frear Factories in my top
four fairite bands of all time. You know I always
told you my the top my top five, it's it's Metallica,
It's Queen. And then you have a like a mish
mash between Fear Factory and Seven Dust and the Mega

(03:20):
Death on my top five bands of all time. I
have seen this band probably, I've definitely since been more
than ten times, ten times more. Okay, this might be,
this might be thinking about it, and I could be wrong.
My twelve time seeing them live in concert. Okay, now
they've done a lot of lineup changes too also through
the years. That's something I'll probably do down the road.

(03:41):
I was thinking, my, I was thinking my think about
doing this actually on the Music Lounge of segment on
here one day is doing a whole break dissertation on
Fear Factory and the whole history because it is very,
very very complicated. Last night they played the entire d
Manufacturer album live in its entirety still Bring three anniversary album.
In fact, I'm worrying the hood from the show. I

(04:03):
got merched last night normally. Now normally i'd say normally
because because I do buy merchant. According to my rual
thumb with merch is this when I look for shirts
from bands I want to support, especially too meant I
love I looked for I looked for shirts out of
long sleeve. They had no long seat shirts, but I
had a hoodie. What I didn't know when I was
there is that, And look, you guys, don't I hate

(04:23):
spending money. I hate spending money, but sometimes there are
things that like, Okay, you see a good deal and
you want you want to you know, whatever they were
selling their merch last night for very cheap, because last
night was the last show of the tour. So this
hoodie and word right now, this is the d Manufacturing hoodie,

(04:44):
which I fucking love with. The record normally cost eighty dollars,
was was on sale for sixty, so I bought that,
and then then I go back to the booth, I
find out that all of the merch are on sale,
all the t shirts, so all the shirts that are
normally forty dollars were on sale for ten dollars. Because
they're going. I guess they're well, I guess that they're
going on the Hamburger's Ball Cruise. I think tomorrow. This

(05:07):
is the last show of the tour on land. They
dude a couple of shows on the on the on
the boat on this weekend, and then they're done until
they finished the album, and of course they said they'll
be torn again. But great show last night. They played
the Time You Had Name You Hadna Patrick album last
night in his entirety in order, which is cool because
as many times I've seen him live play in person,

(05:28):
I there's songs they've never done that. I was blown
away hearing them live, and I gotta tell you this
is the second time seeing them with the new singer,
Miles Sevestri a Milo how you pronounced. He is Italian,
great great kid though he is fantastic. Look, I love
Burton Bell, Burton Bell is to meet the Harton Sould
that band for years, and I'll never not love the
original lineup of Burton and Dino and christ and Chris

(05:51):
John and bass, and then of course Raymond on drums.
And of course when I got come back in two
thousand and four, Dino I left the band and they
brought it, moved Christian guitar, they brought Brian Stroud on bass,
and this and that and then the look. I swear
to God, sometime next year I will do a entire
music Lounge episode on the history of this band, because
it as great as they are and as much as

(06:11):
a big fan as I am, they are very very,
very complicated. So but last time was a great, great time,
ran on down for Laurnail. It was it was great.
Uh scusely I saw friends there and by the way,
as someone who's played in bands and man for many years,
you know, being in the Culture Room last night, which

(06:32):
a place where I have you know, attended so many shows,
but also have played shows being in the band, so
much history there. You know, Greg, the owner of the place,
has not changed. I said a text my my old
singer Drew last night saying you know, you know, with
a picture of him Drew of Greg India in the
sound booth, and I said, Dude, this motherfucker is not
age one bit, bro. He looks he looks the same
way now that he did twenty years ago when we

(06:53):
were doing shows in front of him. This is insane, bro.
So but yeah, last night was a great night, Like
I love to see. I take my kids also to
see the show, but again the cult rooms eight and
up it's a more condensed place to bar to all
this stuff, so it's not really conduced with children, but
they I did show my son, who went to school
was morning the some videos of the show, and my

(07:14):
younger stuff fresh loves the band too. So but yeah,
I had a great time. Got home late last night
at eleven o'clock. My ears are still ringing. I'm now
in the era where I think now to go to
medical show spaces too. At that venue, I have to
air flux because I've most CONTs. I've gone to the
last couple of years have been in stadiums or have
been in in the arenas, which is, yes, it's still loud,

(07:36):
but the noise is not as at it's when it
comes to my ears ringing, it's not as prevalent. I
stood on the side of the stage, very small venue,
on the side of the stage, right next to the speakers,
so fucking everything was like pounding in my ears, and
my time got out of there. I was like, holy shit,
I can't hear anything. Like I'm listening to the Dead
Eve Show on the way home, driving home in the car,

(07:58):
and I'm like, I'm barely hearing the podcast because I'm like,
oh my god, I can't hear anything. But yeah, last
night was a fantastic night. I look, I spent you know,
only eighty dollars on merch last night, which is which
is insane because like eight dollars on merch, you know,
that's pretty cheap to get two T shirts and a
and a and a and a hoodie. That's that would
have costed me one hundred and fifty dollars had I

(08:18):
had I went the other way, you know what I mean,
normal prices. So that's sad. Great night last night, I
love to see the boys play again, and said, this
is the band I've seen the most live. But yeah,
we had a we had a great, great I had
a great time last night. Of course. All right, let's
get some football talk here. The NMC picture, you know,
the the the player picture. Like we're still obviously still early.
We still we going to week nine this week, and

(08:40):
it's still a lot to be defined. But I feel
like right now the NMC playoff picture, right now, it's
pretty defined. Like I think we know who continue to
I think we know. I'm about ninety five percent sure
I know which team to live in the playoffs, like
I know, regardless of seating, regards of seating, we know

(09:01):
the Eagles are going there, they're going in the East.
We know it goes to seating that either the Packers
or the Lions will win, will win the North, and
another team win win the division when it will get
as a wild card. So that's three team f in there. Okay.
We know the Bucks are winning the South. They're running
away the right now as you speak. Okay, so that's
four teams. Okay. We know that any combination of the
Rams or the Seahawks are winning the division and the

(09:24):
other ones likely again the wall card, okay, that leads
one spot open, That leaves one spot open in the NFC.
Remember seventeen is getting the playoffs, okay, and that seventh
spot right now is a race between the Niners, the Cowboys,
the Bears, and I will still see the Commanders despite

(09:45):
you know, you know, their struggles and even you know what,
even though I doubt they'll get in because they stay,
in my opinion, they suck the Panthers, the four and four,
So this doesn't race. But the the picture is way
more defined than the AFC. You know right now, AMC.
It's a muh, it's a it's a mess because yes,

(10:05):
you know, the Colts are seven to one, they're gonna
get probably gonna get in, you know, and then you
have obviously, you know, the AFC East Bill's Patriots will
figure that out, you know, the AFC West Chiefs or
Broncos or Chargers. But it's messy, it's really messy. And
the schedules come up for those teams to also may
change things in a couple of weeks. So the NFC
picture is very defined right now, and it's very it's

(10:27):
actually very uh weird. To see that this early, especially
to that the picture be this defined this soon. You've
had to pick a team in the NFC now to
get that seventh spot, honestly, like, like you want to
see the Niners, because the Niners have have been you know,
Kyle Shanna, it's amazing and and you know, even those injuries,
but like I said, the Bears have the beer. Look

(10:47):
have the Beers? One? Last week? Is Baltimore? That's why
that game was like thatfinitely last week, you know, because
had they won that game is Boltimore last week, they
they would have definitely made a case themselves. But I
don't trust them. I don't trust them. I don't trust
Dallas defense. I trust that act, but I'll trust Dallas
defense to close the deal. Okay, who else I mentioned
the Commanders. They're now three and five. Now they'll get
Jade Daniels back this weekend. But it is a hole

(11:10):
too big. Maybe not so much, but we'll see. So
if I had to pick a team who I trust
to get into the playoffs, I'll trust Kyle Shannon the
Niners because even with all their injuries, they always find
the way to get the job done. And then look,
they should not be five and three right now. This
Doyne helps me five and three right now, the defect
of five and three right now with all the injuries. Oh,

(11:31):
by the way, Rock Party has that played. It's like
week two. We forget about that. They lost Fred Warner
in like early in the year and some of the
final ways to win games now granted, now they're struggling
a bit now. They lost to Houston last week, Big
Games the Giants' weekend. But I would still pick Kyle
Shanahan of the Niners, because I mean mac Jones. Other
than this, this past week, Mac Jones looked pretty decent.

(11:54):
So I'll trust the Diners in the culture to get
it done because I trust that coach, you know, all right.
Like few a feud here right now between John Morant
and Kendrick Perkins. The latest development in the discripement between
Perkins and and and Moran is uh has something to

(12:16):
do with about Morent's rise to stardom, so the lates exchange.
Creni Perkers claimed on a podcast called Out the mud Uh,
former NBA player and ESPN analyst Ken perk Stay that
he no longer has a good relationship with John Morant.
He then suggested that his that his public praise of
Moran and Memphis Grizzlies on ESPN was a major reason
why the team received a massive boost in national TV

(12:37):
games and attention. Perkins says, they recognized you because they
because of mean speak of hoighlyw you. It ain't no
coincidence that you went from having three games on ESPN
to fifty two. He also expressed frustrations from that Moran's
off court issue made me look bad. I agree the
off court stuff they look bad. Calm down, Perk. Morent
respotted on Twitter saying, you know, uh, you know, he said,

(13:02):
quote you the reason for notoriety, Perk. Come on, Doug,
you showed them why I ain't fuck with your kind.
But he said, why I own fw yo kind? Whatever.
Of course, the exchange the laces chapter long standing attention
between the two guys. Purkos has been a critic of
Moran's off court decisions, especially following the two incidents to
separate incidents where Moran flashy firearm on social media leading

(13:24):
to suspensions. Perkins was at one point one of morons
Moran's biggest advocates, even set at the twenty nineteen they
made draft were redone, Moran should have gone number one
overall over his zion on Williamson, Perkins claims that it
was his strong praise that accelerated the national tension on
Moran and the Grizzlies Purgos. Both recent comments confirmed that
their laceship has soured, mainly due to Moran's taking offense

(13:47):
to Perkins on air criticisms of his off court actions.
In essence, the recovery back and forth is over whether
or not con Perkins had a substantial role in John
Moran's drive to national prominence, with Moran publicly dismissing the idea.
Now I did Perk's influence help. I'm not gonna say no.

(14:10):
I'm gonna say no because Perk and now what you
like of love and hate on not. People don't like
his takes and he's a hot take artist and all
that stuff. It would certainly help a little bit. Like
I'm sort of exempt going going to him, say, hey,
what do you think of this kid about? But to
sit there and take full credit for Morant's get drafted

(14:30):
number two in twenty nineteen. Morant and it's a scent
to the top. That's bullshit, that sweet bullshit, like you
have way, you have a really warped sense of entitlement
and its warped sense of like reality. Crini of Perkins
about your influence on this, Like, I'm not gonna sit
there and say that so far that you have zero.
I'm sure that you've probably told you know exactly a

(14:54):
producers at ESPN, Hey pay attention to this kid. He's
pretty good. We may we went to watch this kime
going forward. Shortness happened. But to sit there and claim
that you're the reason why this and that and then
you're disappointed. Look, you can be disappointed about what he's
done off the court. I was too also by not
claiming to be to be his reason or his advocate
as to why I why he is who he is.

(15:15):
That's great bullshit. That's great bullshit. Like I just I
just think that's that's so I don't know. I almost
feel like this whole thing's made up in a sense,
because let's be real, feuds generate clicks and generate also,
you know, attention and Ken Perkins comments he's made in

(15:37):
the past has suggested that you wonder like if what
he's saying is actually he actually believes what he's saying
you know, so I think this is kind of on
a line for Perk Man. Honestly, I don't know. I
don't know why he would you can go this far
with this situation, but you know, look there's a lot
of crews one job for you know, and what he's

(15:57):
done or lack of you know. You know, John Morant
one point a couple of years ago, prior to all
these incidents, was looked at as the next pace of
the league, like we look at this guy as like, okay,
this could be the guy, you know, as we pick
it up Lebron and Curry and the k D whose
next step? Because before Jokis became the best player, I
mean probably was the best player at a time. But

(16:19):
because Nico Yokic was not someone that was you know,
came for the spotlight. He wasn't someone that goes on commercials,
there was still an opening for a star. John Morant
was the guy in waiting. And then with the all
all this stuff happened off the court, it hurt his stock, okay,
but to sit there and claim that you're the reason
why come on, stop Perk stop it, stop it, stop

(16:41):
it stop and stop it. That's that's that's way too
like you, you think to all of yourself at that point. Now,
so all right, last thing, we'll get out of here,
and you see the time of this episode today by
the Lakers and and Lebron Lakers. I just got this
book actually too. I'm gonna start this voice up this
book next last week or so, the book from Yern
what White's been called the Hollywood Ending the dreams and

(17:03):
drama of the Lebron Lakers era, and a lot of
stuff in that book. I had to upend buying this book.
But then I saw a quote last week. I initially
wanted to talk about this on the show last week
about the quote from what until a Russell Wilson, Russell
Westbrook rather and Lebron relationship, not realizing that it was
actual a whole book on this, And then when I
saw some of the excerpts from the book, like oh,

(17:24):
we got someone's in the show, but the book. I
actually end up buying the book on audibles. I had
a couple of credits to burn and I said, you
know what, fucking buying the book. So basically it focused
on the fraud dynamics within the organization and the tension
between the legacy of the Lakers and Lebron James modern
player empowerment in terms of the internal power struggles and drama.
The book details the success like infighting and power struggle

(17:45):
among the Bust siblings, especially in the wake of the
late Darry Buss's passing, which enough the organization without a
clear unified leadership for a period. You remember back in
the day twenty ten, I think twenty eleven was joy
Bus passed away. Jim Bust, his son is running a
team for at that point. But Laker fans back then
were not very happy with it with the product that point,
and they want him to sell the team or give

(18:07):
him to his sister Genie, which he ended up happening,
and that was that was a massive, like big deal
back then. You know, in terms of player prominent era
versus Lakes tradition, the core tension is the collision between
the NBA's most iconic tradition bound franchise and Lebron James,
the symbol of calls of the player priminerent era. The
two forces were at times too big to peacefully co

(18:27):
exists under one roof. Weisbo revealed that the Lakers organization
and gena Bus attorney formerly said a very strong letter
threading legal action and attempt to push back against the
books reporting also the book. The book explores how Lebron's
focus evolved over his time the Lakers, moving beyond just
basketball to encompass his business interests, the riose and his

(18:47):
talent agency just called sportrait course, and his political social voice,
all which all of which exerted influence within the Lakers walls.
Wisman characterizes the Lebron Lakers relationship as of mutual use,
where both parties leverage each other, leverage the other for
their own separate goals. You know, Lebron got four title,
Genie Buss, brought the franchise back from the abyss. That

(19:09):
didn't work. Now here's the things that I most mostly
interested in, of course, and then of course attention with
Russell Westbrook A maze revelation is a deep disconnect and
tension between Russell Westbrook and Lebron James during their twenty
twenty one twenty twenty two season. Westbrook portly reviewed James
as quote fake, becoming frustrated with what he perceived as disingenuous,

(19:34):
overly enthusiastic behavior a public behavior behavior rather for The
Sooner Star. A from The Sooner Star. This included reported
incidence where Westbrook felt James mischaracterized himself, like claiming a
favorite movie or book but then stumbling over key details
when pressed. A moment sided to illustrate the tension was
a team event with actor Will Smith where James and

(19:55):
Anthony Davis allegedly left the room and then returned to
the greet turned a greet Smith enthusiastically, a moment that
were poorly irritated the best Brook and was later compounded
by a teammate allegedly telling him that Lebron and David's
quote can do whatever they want a lot of trauma there.
And this is hard for me because I I love Lebron.

(20:18):
I've been one of Lebron's biggest advocates from day one.
When it came to Miami, I was I defended the
guy and this is that you know, the media was
hard on him. But I, as I've been saying recently
on the podcast, I am now seeing what everybody was
telling me for years, and maybe it was too blind
and didn't distinct are the past aggressive nature the you know,

(20:38):
just there's a there's a there's an onnauthentic or unauthentic.
There's authenticity I said too fast with Lebron James. There's
something that's about the guy. And now you see more
and more of that play out. Now. It's one thing
when fans who don't like him are saying it is

(20:59):
one where you hear like random say that. But then
when you're hearing former teammates and others, people close to
the team or around Lebron's circle, not in a circle
around the circle, here's whore's no stuff saying it. That's
when it gets a little okay. Maybe there's there's something
there there, like the whole thing with a book, Like

(21:19):
there were times where he'd be reading a book on
like like saying you go to like intermission and in
a game and before the game starts, he's in the
locker room reading a book. But then the books upside down,
you know, things like that. It's weird, Like sometimes I
think he's just trolling, but at the same time, it's like,
be yourself, bro, be yourself. My here's my assessment with
Lebron like your era, thoughrenything else I think it has.

(21:42):
I won't go so far as a call a failure
because if you win a championship, especially in today's era
where Parry's the thing, okay, you know, because we we're
not getting like dominant teams anymore like we used to.
You know, the last time we had was the Warriors. Okay.
We've had seven different NBA champions in the last seven years, okay,

(22:03):
including Lakers twenty twenty. But I can still say that
while I won't call it as a failure because when
you win a championship is not a failure, it has
certainly a been disappointment because the reality is that of
the I think eight years been here now, the eight
years have been been in LA Lebron has been the
best friend in basketball for probably about half of that. Okay.

(22:27):
Then you add Anthony Davis, who at the time, when healthy,
is a top five player in the league. Okay, You're
supposed to win at least two or three championships in
that era, okay, and that didn't happen. In fact, they've
missed the playoffs twice in that in that span, okay.
And then they've really underwhelmed through the year as well too.
There's been a lot of unwhelming moments for this team

(22:49):
as well that you know, like for example, let me
break down Lebron's win loss record. Okay, so his first
year did the team twenty two twenty nine, third, seven
forty five missed the playoffs very next year twenty nineteen,
twenty twenty COVID year the two nineteen won the finals. Okay,
that was the bubble. Twenty twenty, twenty twenty one forty
two to thirty lost in the first round. Twenty one,

(23:11):
twenty two, thirds, three and forty nine. That's the West
Front year. Missed the playoffs. Twenty two, twenty three, fourth
three thirty nine, lost the best grunt finals, all right,
twenty three, twenty four, forty one, thirty five lost in
the first round. Last year twenty twenty four, twenty five
fifty thirty two. That's that's the they lost in the
Uh was it first round? The lost last year? And
I think yeah, so again they it has been a letdown,

(23:36):
pull Lebron. Okay, and again, if we want us to
treat you like the best player in basketball, like the King,
and people want us to acknowledge miss the best playing
basketball even at age forty or one of you don't
get to you don't get past this for that. Okay,
you don't get past this four. Oh well, but this
is that No no, no, no no no no no
no no no, no no either you want us to

(23:57):
treat you like the top guy, because that comes with pressure,
and that's why I won't say failure, I'll say disappointment. Okay. Furthermore,
I'm convinced this is his last year in La Okay,
I don't even think the team wants to any warn
this point. They've they've run exhausted, everything went out of him.

(24:18):
The team isn't better with him, The team is no
closer to the championship with him on the court. You
have Luca now, okay, and Lucas. Luca's gonna be the
guy for the next ten years. Okay, you need to
start pivoting off and prioritizing that that angle. Okay, Lebron
being there takes away from the team. Okay. No, Look,
I know there are rumors that Lebron may ask for

(24:41):
trade or they could be traded this year. I doubt
that happens. I think the Lakers are gonna I'm gonna
ride this out, you know, because I don't think even
whether the trade or not, they're not gonna win a championship.
This year. The West is too good. You're not better
in Denver, you never been. Okay, see you neverur in Houston.
You're not better in the Clippers. You're not better than
At this point, I'm putting this person over you guys, now, okay,
so ride this out. Let him walk that simple. So look,

(25:06):
here's what I'm like, Lebron, whatever ring there he hit,
I think his days wing titles are over. As the
best player over Like he'll have to go to Cleveland
or go under the team that's in position. But then
you have the whole hold of hope. Then where between
goes to. They don't need a trip down their roster
to get him. But then what's the point you doing there?
I wouldn't do that at this point now it's forty

(25:27):
years old. And then also the baggage to come with it,
because Lebron James, he's still really good, but he's not
worth the baggage. He's just not. So like I said,
Lebron letter Airlakers disappointment for me personally, and that's that.
So that's it for me in this podcast, Melt he's
short of one though no I said, actually the time
is actually normal, So like Don Vader Dad this damn hoodie.

(25:49):
I love this hoodie anyway. Dated octob thirty first, twenty
twenty five. Happy helping you guys. I enjoy your time
with your family. I'll be taking my kidster of treating
trick or treating this this this weekend. Obviously. I am
on x at E J Christian seven of course uh
podcast all podcast catchers of course, the YouTube page at
pot on YouTube until next week. We'll be back when

(26:10):
more episodes of the podcast. Love you guys, stay up
and see you