Club Shay Shay - Nightcap - Hour 1: Timberwolves beat the Warriors in G2 to even the series, & LeBron is still uncertain of his future!

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

Shannon Sharpe, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson & Caron Butler react to the Minnesota Timberwolves evening the series 1-1 with the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry isn’t rushing back on his return, & LeBron is still unsure of his future in the NBA and much more!01:45 - Introduction04:00 - Warriors v T-Wolves16:49 - Steph won’t rush return24:45 - Haliburton celebration42:38 - Lebron still undecided on future53:00 - Jayson Tatum shoulders blame(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)#Volume #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart podcast. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of 2B. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There's so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.

Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. He's more than capable. wherever you get your podcasts. He's more than capable. I'll live with anything Draymond get. If Draymond takes 10 threes, I'll live with that. I will. I'm not, I'm not overreacting to Draymond hitting one or two threes. I can't.

I'm not, uh, uh, uh, Caminga, Caminga, you know, he came in and played really well tonight. Uh, and you're probably going to see more of him. Um, you might see a little bit of Moody because they got to try to get production from somewhere. Uh, GP the second, he had an okay game, but he didn't get your rhythm. I think the thing is what they did a great job of is not letting anybody get rhythm. And if you see it every early clang, clang, clang, clang, clang.

Well, that's what I want to happen, because as Karan said, they're going back home. They're very familiar with this building. They're comfortable shooting in this building. And so, my attention one-on-one, look, I'm not sending help with Jimmy. Yeah. Y'all got it, Hamlet.

Yeah. Awesome. What are they gonna do on the defensive end of the floor? Like, we saw more zone defense from the Warriors in the series versus the Rockets. And Scott Green had a tough time because there was no real estate for him. So he was living with contested threes and long twos. So now I think that they have to muck up the game more on the defensive end of the floor. And they have one of the highest functioning brain speed guys with IQ on that more on the defensive end of the floor. And they have one of the highest functioning brain speed guys with IQ on that team on the

defensive end of the floor with Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. So if they can anchor it in on that end of the floor, maybe they can generate some points and create some conversion offense. But I just don't see them scoring enough, you know, with Steph not being available. Hey, listen, not only we don't see them scoring enough with Steph not being available. Hey, listen, not only the, you know, we don't see them scoring enough with Steph not being available, listen, the defensive pressure that the wolves put on the night, I mean, they recorded 10 steals, five blocks, they forced 17 goddamn turnovers and that's cause they were contesting everything and running all

over the place. Correct me if I'm wrong and let me know if my terminology is right, Karan. Without Steph on the floor, there's really not that much spacing. It's not. Yeah, I'm correct, right? 100%. See, I promise you I can coach an NBA, you see that?

Now I just noticed that tonight. Everything was, it seemed so cluttered and just out of whack and out of sort. Yeah, I'm not worried about anybody really hitting ungodly shots. Cause see, Steph can get his own shot. Because if you try to run Steph off the three, he'll sidestep or he'll put the ball on the floor

and get to his float game. So he's not like, that's not what Buddy, see Buddy is not gonna really put the ball on the floor and try to get to the rim. He'll try to, he'll pump up, fake you, and he still wants to shoot that three. Right. But with Steph in perpetual motion,

you have to pay attention. You can't, because now, Draymaw, hey, they'll put you in the dribble, the dribble handoff, and you think Draymaw's gonna hand the ball, you know, hand the ball off, and he'll turn and go and lay it up or dunk it. So there's so much action going on when Steph is in the game.

That's what made them so tough when they had Steph and Clay. And then you threw KD in the mix. So now what do you do? You got three guys that can shoot the lights out of the building. As Karan said, Draymond Guerin is a very high IQ guy. They can run pin dials, they can run flares. They can do anything they wanna do.

You're at their mercy. You just hope they have an off night shooting. Now, everybody ain't gonna have no off night shooting. And that's why they were in the high 60s all three years that KD was there. But when you put Steph into the mix, he's still the best shooter in the game. And he's very difficult to defend. And he takes so much of your focus, so much of your attention, and that guy's getting backdoor layups on you and getting easy, easy, easy twos. to defend and he takes so much of your focus, so much of your attention and not guys getting

back don't lay up so you can get an easy, easy, easy two. Steph Curry isn't sure how long it would take for him to recover from the grade one left hamstring strain because it's the first time he's ever had such an injury. Calling the situation a gut punch, Steph said he has to be careful and can't rush his comeback given the tricky nature of hamstring injuries. This is new from all that I'm hearing, learning how quickly you can get back. There's been some healing process. You can't accelerate it more than it's telling you.

So it'll be one after week after week, really reevaluating every day to understand when it's safe to just think about playing, let alone how much I can push it. Steph is out through at least game four and will be evaluated after that. Game five is eight days after he suffered the injury. Then there's a three day break between game five and game six if necessary, which Steph would have 12 total days to recover. It's a two week recovery.

It's a two week recovery. I told you exactly what it was when it happened based on what I saw. Listen, I'm not saying I'm a doctor, but you can tell. You can tell the fact that you're able to catch it early and not able to tear it or have it pull on you as much as it did. He was able to control it. So normally with that kind of grade one injury, especially a little twitch like that where it pulls real slightly, it's always two weeks. That first week is gonna be sore. That second week, you get that dry needling, you get that cupping, you do your cold tub and whatever else you need to do outside of that,

he'll be fine. He could even come back game four, but game five, he definitely gonna play. I think a lot of those medical terms go for everyday people. Like when you do a diagnosis and like, okay, yeah, you'd be back walking and functioning at a high level again, but to perform in the playoffs at this intensity, I just think that's a different climate.

Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Back into what I was expecting to be hampered. Mm hmm. I agree. Um, but I also think the thing is that what's different than when an I was expecting to be hampered. I agree. But I also think the thing is that what's different

than when an athlete gets injured versus normal people is that normal people have PT two to three times a week. A professional athlete getting PT five times a week. Around the clock. So they're having someone doing something with stealth around the clock. He's getting STEM, He's getting passive stretch. He's getting all the ultrasound.

He's getting a laser. He's getting all those things that normal people might get twice to three times a week. But they're not getting that extensive. They're not getting a laser. They're not getting, you know, they get some of the things, but athletes, that's why they heal so quickly. First of all, they're a little younger. And, but Steph said, look, I've never had this injury. And when I came back from those other things,

I was in my 20s, I was in my prime. I'm not there anymore. Now I'm 36, 37 years of age. So it's probably going to take me a little longer to overcome something like this, considering I don't have a GPS. So I don't know what it's like because I've never had this injury before.

And it's late in his career. So things don't know what it's like because I've never had this injury before. And it's late in his career. So things don't bounce back. Hey, when you were young, Karan, you might have something. One or two days, hey man, I'm good to go. Then all of a sudden as you started getting older, three to four days, five to six days. Now all of a sudden it's ten to fifteen days. I still got some shit that hurt over me right now. Hey, um, hey, um. Hey, what was that, what was that we used to do? Um, and you know, when you pull something, you hurt something.

Oh, DMSO? No, no, no, when they put, um, the, the, the, uh, you know, you do EKG and they pull on stuff. Oh yeah, you put the stem on it. You put the stem on it. Stem, oh, with the ice. That's the thing, I should call it stem? Yeah.

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He get that, I'm telling you. And you feel it pulsing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He get, I'm telling you, he ice that yeah, yeah, okay You feel it pulsing yeah, yeah, he get I'm telling you get that stem you get that that dry needling You know the sound he getting all those sounds man You gonna be good I'm he gonna be up guarantee if you want to especially in Quran and when it's time to come back game four game five Put some pressure put that up for that rap. What's it called? Not days bandage. What's it called a thing? Put that uh, put that wrap. What you call it? Not the Ace Bandage. What you call the thing? We got neoprene.

You put neoprene, some people put neoprene, some people gonna do Ace Bandage. But here's the thing with him stuff, Steph. Put that little pressure around the spot, probably gonna be ready to go, boy. But because he runs so much, Ocho. There you go. I mean his whole game is predicated. I know that's why you need that pressure. You need that pressure in that area though. But that's why he needs to make sure that thing's healthy

because he runs more than anybody else in the NBA. So he's not a guy that can just stand in the corner. That's not his game. His game is predicated on movement. Certain bursts and sudden stops and cuts. And you know when you got soft tissue injury, man, they don't like all that starting and stopping. It ain't nothing to play with.

I was watching the body language of the whole Warriors bench. I always look at the bench when I'm watching games and he didn't get up much on that bench. Oh, and that was, you know, another sign too, because when guys not jumping up and down in the midst of runs, like say it's going to 10-2 run or something like that, like he was clapping, he was engaged, he was out there he was engaged.

He was out there mentally, but he wasn't moving on that sideline. And that's one of those things like, oh yeah, he really nursing that thing. It's really sore. Yeah, 100%. Cause when you have a hammer injury, you ain't trying to do a whole lot of moving.

You slow, you dragging, cause they telling you, okay, try to walk as normal as you possibly can. Man, I'm dragging this leg. Man, that thing hurt. Try to walk in a normal motion. And Karat, I don't know if you had a sprained ankle, but Karat, I'm sure you had played in the NBA. Man, you know, walk normal.

Man, I'm walking like I'm a pirate. Man, I'm walking the whole foot. I ain't getting up on, yeah. I'm walking like I got a club foot. I ain't getting up on, yeah. I'm walking, I'm walking, like I got a club foot. I ain't getting up on no toe, no door flexion. It's tough, it's a lot easier said than done. And the people like, well, you gotta do this, people say that, that haven't gone through that.

So when you go through it, you know what it's like. Hey, hey, we counting on you. I don't know what for. I get back what I get back. I get back what I get back. You try to push through it, hey, hey, we counting on you. I don't know what for. Hey, I get back what I get back. I get back what I get back. You try to push through it, but you know, I mean, and you try to do some stuff at home and you see how it feel.

I mean, it feel pretty good after you get all that treatment. But after about five, 10 minutes when that, hey, all of a sudden that blood ain't in there, that thing ain't warmed up. Whew, I don't know. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to go this weekend. That's a different beast. ["Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"]

Tyrese Halliburton was warned over his Game 2 celebration. Halliburton expected to be fined for his dancing celebration. The big balls? Yeah. The big balls? That was dope. Game two winner, but received on-and-warning from the league office instead.

Halle, I've been waiting for that. I've been waiting for that, man. It's just the right-in-the-moment. It was the right-in-the-moment. Yeah, man, I've been waiting for like that. I'll take that fine, gladly. Halle Burton fully expected a fine because the celebration is similar

to the one he used, bleed. He had first brought to the league by Sam Cassell. Sam Cassell was the first one I actually saw that when he was in with Houston. Sam could long ago have drawn such feelings from the NBA. Others have done it. LeBron James, Eddie Howes, Drew Randall, Fred Van Fleet. More have been fine for the league

as described as an out-of-scene gesture. And that's, you know. It's not bad. It's not bad. And listen, all athletes that happen to be watching, and I'm sure this is going to replay over and over and over and probably go viral, which most of our stuff does. If you play at the highest level, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, whatever it may be, the one thing they love to do, they love to take what they think you value most. That's your money. How do we keep these people in line

that we pay millions of dollars to? We take their money. You know why they wanna take your money? Cause they think that's what you value most. Enjoy yourself, continue to have fun, celebrate. This is the entertainment business. Let me ask you a question. When he's doing that gesture, what is it?

Huh? When he's doing that gesture, yeah, what is that? It means I got cojones. I got cojones and I get a big shot. You know the kids watching, right? What? The kids watching? Yeah.

What? We talk about basketball. The kids are watching. I didn't have a problem with it personally, but I... Hey, man, forget all that. Hey, kids are watching Nightcap right now. Oh, they got it. What you talking about, man?

Let's go. But you said he didn't get fined? He did not get fined. Okay, I want my money because I got fined $15,000 for it. Yeah, a lot of guys have gotten fined for that. Yeah, okay, I want mine. I want mine back. I'll be waiting on my check in the mail. I think because Hannah said he's expecting a fine, they said, A lot of guys have gotten fired for that. Yeah, okay, I won't mind. I won't mind back. I'll be waiting on my check in the mail.

I think because Halle said he's expected to find this and now we not gonna give it to you, but don't do it again. I was expecting to find it too. I want reparations. I want my daddy records. Look, I understand that that celebration, cause it was, I mean Halle's had,

I mean look, he had the game winner against Milwaukee. Remember he had the game winning layup? Milwaukee had that big lead and they came all the way back and he had the game winning layup with like 0.6 seconds to go. And then, look, when Halle is aggressive, they hard to beat because they're a committee. They're not going to have anybody that has 30 or 40 points. They're going to have maybe one or two guys in the 20s and then they're going to have a bunch of teams. They're going to normally have 67 has 30 or 40 points. They're gonna have maybe one or two guys in the 20s, and then they're gonna have a bunch of teams.

They're gonna normally have 67 guys in double figures, Karan, so you know, you have two, maybe two guys with 20 to 23, and then you have 19, 18, 17, 16, two with 14, and then you get an eight and a six. That's how they, and that's how they, and Halle is the head of the snake, because he's looking to push tempo every chance he gets.

Either he'll take it out of the net, or they'll take it off the rim. But they're pushing tempo. And you've got to play like that. You've got to get back, because you celebrate like, oh, yeah. You hold that three up there like that, and then are laid up on the other end. And the coach looking at you like, bro, you got to get back.

All they're doing is looking to push. And they got young athletic guys that can get up and down. They can defend. They don't look, uh, Neesmith and Nimhart, they got Seahawkem. They got guys that, you know, that can, uh, you know, try to funnel you to Miles Turner, but their thing is predicated on offense.

They are predicated on offense, and they can go on a run at the blink of an eye. Pacing space, or they can play in the half court, which you touched on, and I think Halle has really just elevated to a whole nother level. I think he used that as a fuel when everyone said that he was an overrated or whatever. And you know, you play for the respect of your peers.

And when people see you in your net. That's what they think of you. There ain't no fan, because normally that ultra ultra like to say, man, that's the fans, they don't know what they're talking about. No one was the players that said that. I don't think that was real, Karan. Ain't no way in hell, man, that's the fans. They don't know what they're talking about. Those were the players that said that. I don't think that was real, Karan. Ain't no way in hell the goddamn,

the players voted that. They couldn't have been. Yeah, exactly. I really think it's some, I think they just put the title of, oh, the players voted, goddamn players, they sticked them by that man. That's why they don't put no players' name.

Because you'd be surprised. Karan, you know, you'd be surprised what players think of other players. Yeah, that's true. What we think of somebody Karan, you know, you'd be surprised what players think of other players. That's right. What we think of somebody being good, Ocho, we know, cause like, how he make the Pro Bowl? He's some good garbage. I mean, I'm sure y'all say the same thing about, man,

how this joker make the All-Star game? Right. But that's just the way it is. Perception is a person's reality. And some people think, look, because Halle is really not a scoring point guard. We like scoring point guards now. We like Steph and James Hard, and Shay and Luca. See, we like point guards that go get you 40, 50.

That's what we like, not Koran. We don't like the old school Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, uh, uh, uh, uh, John Stockton. We don't let no guy give you 15 and 10. Nah, give me 15 and 10. Nah, give me 35 and 10. How did y'all do the scouting thing in the NFL? Like per player or situation?

Well, what we did, okay, the offensive line coach would address the D line. So he'd say, okay, we say, okay, here's Reggie. Reggie likes to bull, he likes to hump. Well, he'll start you up and then use your momentum to club you. Here's a guy that's really good with his hands. Hey, he likes to pose.

He can turn, you know, he can turn speed, he can turn power to speed. He can bend the edges. Okay, now the tight ends would address the linebackers. The running back coach would address the inside linebackers, wide receivers. There are times, hey, this guy right here, we're gonna take advantage of him.

He likes to hold. This guy right here, he's nosy. He's gonna bite. We're not gonna do it early, but we're gonna do it late because in situations, T-Buck was what a notorious one. T-Buck had a philosophy. He gonna jump something, boy. You got more slams and stomps than you got go-routs. So I'm gonna take my chances. And you work, and you, hey, sometimes he gonna get you, sometimes you're gonna get him. But that's how we did it. We looked at, but there have been times, Karan, that guys have made the pro bowl

that I thought other guys were better. Well, you know, the fans and so forth and so on, cause it's, you know, fans get a vote, the coaches get a vote, and the players get a vote. But there have been times that I'm like, that ain't it. Especially when you watch it on film and you see it in person. What the hell are you doing here? Yeah. I don't know. I don't know, I don't know. Somebody, either you just had an out of,

like Carl said, an out of body experience, or there were other guys from trash that you was playing against. But one of the two. Yeah, Halliburton is one of those guys that I was getting to the point of, if you had to do a pregame edit or a scout on him, he can take up the whole pregame

edit because you think about him in a blitz coverage, he can make pretty much every pass out of it. You think about him in an open side pick and roll. He can sweep the defense. He can play against the drop coverage. He could play against his own coverage. Uh, he can get escape and reject. Uh, he can draw files.

So you gotta go over all those boxes that you gotta check. Coming off the pick and roll off a live dribble. And he got a pull-up game. He got a geezer. Even though it's a different looking shot, he's gonna make you come out that whole. Kelvyn Martin, he look like Kelvyn Martin? And it goes in and it's efficient.

And he's a, like he wants the moments. You see? Big moment. Yeah, like, you know, going around, coulda got fined. Right. But he can deserve that moment, you know what I mean? So, Wisconsin native, I salute him because, you know, I love all my Wisconsin natives and the brothers that's hoopin' at a high quip,

and he's just representin' well. He really is, he's talkin', hell, what, six-five, six-six? He's a big guard. There he is. He's a big guard, so he can see over coverage. He's not no six, five, six, six? He's a big guard. There he is. He's a big guard so he can see over coverage. He's not no six, one, six, two guard. He can see over a lot of that. And don't let him pop me in the arena. And don't let his pops me in an arena.

He putting on a show. And the thing is, you know what it is? I think in the system that they get up and down, I think the system that Indiana implements is perfect for him. Because he wants to get up and down, they play up and down style. It's kind of like Magic Johnson. Yeah, Magic could have been good in the half-court set

because he's 6'9". We had never seen anything like Magic because normally 6'9' guys, they were centers and power forward. We had never seen a 6'9' guard. So he could see over the defense. But once they adopted Showtime. And they was, Byron Scott and you had Jamal Wilkes

and you had Big Game James running the court, running the floor. It was over. It was over. We had never seen anything like it. Showtime. Yeah, so he could throw the ball the length of the court and then he could handle it.

Hey, he coming down, take that with you. So now, and so now with the space that these guys play with, guys that have speed and are unselfish, like a Halliburton is because I believe he's a, he's a, he's the essence of a point guard. A lot of these guys are point guards masquerading. They're actually two guards masquerading as a point. Jay Hard is a two guard. I don't care what y'all say.

Luke is a two guard. Shay is a two guard. They masquerading as points. Jason Kidd was a point. Magic. Pure point. Pure point. John Stock, the magic, those were pure point guards.

These guys today, the John Marans, the Russell Westbrooks, those guys were twos masquerading. Now John's more the John Marans, the Russell Westbrooks, those guys were twos masquerading. Now, John Marans, because John's on the smaller side, he's not as tall as, say, Luca and Shay. Shay's bigger than people think. I don't know why people thought Shay was like six, two, six, three, Shay's six, seven.

I thought he was six, three at best. Nah, hell nah. He got everything. Hold on, hold on. Hey, Karan, you unc surprised me the other night. We were talking about the Nuggets. He talk about goddamn Joker 6-11. Yeah, he is.

He legit. Man, I'm talking about, boy, you see his footwork, yo? And why, too? Hey, his footwork to be that big. He got that bag. What the hell? Yeah, he has no weakness in his offensive game. Yogi has no weakness in his offensive game. Yogi has no weakness in his offensive game.

He can get to the mid, he can step out, shoot the three, he can put the ball on the floor, he got touch around the rim with either hand, his float game is impeccable. Offensively, he has no weakness in his game. And I don't know how many guys, maybe Elijah Wan had the footwork like that and he was good around the basket,

but Elijah Wan didn't have three point. No big really shot the three like that. No big was really shooting the three until dirt came into the NBA. And so now you had these stretches. But Jokic, offensively, from the three point line all the way in, he got the mid. Hey, he can finish at the rim.

He ain't a ball to rim. He can finish at the rim. But he's got tremendous touch with either hand. For me, Karan, I don't know what you think, Karan, for me, look, Shea has earned the MVP this year. 100%. Yoke is just the best player in the NBA. I wouldn't argue that.

And to your point about the bigs, guys shooting from the perimeter, like Dirk did, DeMarcus Cousins is a guy that always gets that. But we just talked about that the other night. I said that last night. That was my comparison. He was a, that boy was a pro. He had a three year stretch where it wasn't winning basketball because it was still like

in transition. And, but man, I'd never seen nobody be able to guard him. No, you couldn't. Impossible. Before he had that Achilles injury and then he tore his knee, they couldn't stop Boogie. You got, hey, Karan, we was actually having a conversation and there was a real conversation. Anthony Davis or Boogie Cousins.

That was a real conversation. That wasn't no play play. That was legit. And a lot of people say wasn't no play play. That was legit. And a lot of people say, give me boogie. Yes. Yeah, you were nice. Hey, Karan, you just said something. You didn't want to challenge Unc when he said

the best player in the NBA was Joker. Now, do you agree with that or do you have somebody else in mind when it comes to the best player in the NBA right now? The best player in the NBA right now is- To you. The NDP of the league, who... To you? The NDP of the league and who's gonna be the NDP of the league? SGA. Oh okay. If I gave you a

draft right now I said okay I'm gonna give you one player. You take it? That's a different question. I give you one player. You get a draft one player to start a team with right now. I'm taking Bale. You taking who? Bale? Okay. We respect that. We respect that. We respect that. Speaking of, listen, Karan worked with the Heat and Karan don't even know what's about to happen. He's in a position where he's a part of the organization, right? So he doesn't even know about the conversation and the sit-down. That you've been playing behind the scenes. Yeah, that I had with Spolcher, Mickey Harrison, and goddamn Pat Riley.

So he don't even know the surprise that's coming, you know, this season. You got some force? You got some force? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got some. You know, I sat down with Pat. I'm telling Pat, listen, Pat, in order for us to go where we want to get to and to get back to our winning ways, you got to loosen the reins a little bit, baby. You got to loosen the reins a little bit. So Patty told me, listen, I'm gonna do what I can.

And we got, I got some surprises and some moves I'm trying to make in the off season. We trying to get Giannis and John Marant down here in Miami. And I know you can't say nothing cause it's condom,ive detrimental to the team. So you just listen to me. It's called tampering. No, that's tampering.

Yeah, it's called tampering. Okay, you know what? Let me stop. Let me stop. Let me stop. Let's go ahead and finish the show. My bad, my bad, Karan. My bad.

Karan, when I look at Shay, Shay got it all. Shay got a bag. He can shoot the three, that mid range. Bro, that snatch, the way he gets you going and just pull back, that's automatic. That damn near free throw. And it doesn't matter if it's 10 feet, 15 or 18.

He got, hey, he's perfected that shot. Unstoppable. He can get all the way to the cup. And the thing is now, he's in that thing, he's in that stretch like James Harden, where James Harden was getting to the free throw line 10, 11, 12 times a game. Plus, because he had most 20, 30, 40, 50 point games this season.

Mm-hmm. Hey, you know what? When I think about it, you know Karam and Uncle. You know who John remind me of? Who's that? Like, you know who I'm talking about? John Maret? Yeah, you know who he remind me of? What's that? Like, you know who I'm talking about? John Morant? Yeah, you know who he remind me of?

Don't say you. I mean, hold on now. I'm Tamaashe, SGA. Yeah, who SGA remind you of, Mojo? Me? I knew he was, don't say that. Me? Because you should have saw me in high school. We had the same moves, like identical.

Our movements, our mannerisms, our ability to stop and go. You know, it's unbelievable how much of me I seen him. What high school? No, you ain't, don't worry about it. He ain't got nothing. He ain't got no footage. He ain't got no footage. Oh yeah, well, hey listen, hey, Karan,

at Miami BC High, I scored 56 tonight. I'm in the, from my freshman to senior year, I was 50, 56, 12 and 10. Look at, look at that. Look at all, look at all. You're trying to look a serious face though. Hey, but I don't lie. I lie for you before I lie to you. This is what I do.

But see, that's the thing. You got to be serious because then if you weren't serious, what are you, a pathological liar? So you got to have some, you got to have some discernment like, oh man, that might be telling the truth. Yeah, every time I say something on here, right, people go back, Karam, people go back and look at it

and Google it or YouTube it. And say he lying. And it be right there. It be right there in your face. Because some of the stuff I say, some of the stuff I say, and some of the stuff I did in the past, it's not believable because people think I be playing, but then they go and do their homework and they be like, well, I be damned. This motherfucker was doing that shit. It's not believable because people think I be playing but then they go and do their homework and he like well

I'll be damn this mother believe because it's not true. No, it's true I mean you think about it think about some of the great players LeBron then average 56 Ant-Man didn't average 56 And David did Luca you take right a great career Right, right. What people don't realize Kareem was the greatest high school basketball player ever. Kareem lost one game in high school. He lost two games in college. So let that sink in. For eight years, he couldn't play his freshman year because freshmen couldn't play back then.

But Kareem's freshman team beat the varsity team that won the national championship. So for a seven-year period, Kareem lost three games in college and in high school. So he's the greatest high school and college basketball player ever. And he never average 56. Who told you that? His number.

The numbers say that. I mean, my numbers say I'm better than him, so I'm trying to figure out where you got your information from. Were you Gatorade player of the year in Florida? Huh? Were you Gatorade player of the year? I played in high school. Were you a Gatorade player of the year?

We had no Gatorade back then. They had Gatorade. They had Gatorade player of the year? I played in the high school. Were you a Gatorade player of the year? They been had Gatorade. But we had Czech soda. Okay, were you Czech soda player of the year? We couldn't afford Gatorade. Were you fair to a Czech soda player of the year? We had Czech soda. We couldn't afford Gatorade. I'm not gonna lie.

I'm asking, were you Czech soda player of the year? Yes, I was Czech soda player of the year? Yes, I was check soda player. We were looking for that right now Google it. I'm gonna have to ask you Donny's has him cuz he Hey, I dunked on UD when he was at Miami High. UD was scared of me out there on the court man They couldn't do nothing with me I'm telling you UD will tell you ask UD. I have a 56, 56, 12 and 10 in high school I can't tell you, ask you the, I have a 56, 56, 12, and 10 in high school. I'm telling you, I'm with that boy. Don't worry about it, Karan. We're going to get to this LeBron topic.

LeBron still isn't ready to make a decision about his NBA future one week after the Lakers lost. I haven't had a conversation with the family yet as far as me going forward or whatever the case may be. But we'll see what happens. LeBron has a $52.6 million player option for next season. Karan, do you think he'll pick it up? Does he opt out, take less money to try to get more help? What do you see LeBron doing? Yeah, I think that he's gonna do

whatever's best for the organization, because I think that they have a great collaboration over there, and they did go get Luca. And I think that he's in constant communication, just, just from an observation standpoint, with Wapalinka and everyone's on the same page. He's pretty much having his way, you know, with, you know, Bronnie being over there in the roster that he's been wanting to build out for the, ever since he's been in Los Angeles. And I think once you get Luka committed,

then you can go down that pecking order and check the other boxes. And if it is some space for flexibility and you might need him to opt out to take less or whatever for the better good of the team, then you do that. But I think the ball is in his court. Like, you know, LeBron, he's earned the right to do exactly what the hell he wanna do.

And I think they're gonna work with them in every capacity to make sure everything work and they don't check those boxes. Brian average 24 and a half points a game, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds per game in his 21st NBA season. I think, uh, Vince Carter had averaged the most points. I think he averaged like seven in his 21st season. Um, with the addition of Luca, I can see LeBron playing another two years, Karan.

Easy. I can see him actually playing with two of his sons on that roster. I wouldn't be surprised, you know, and a lot of people are like, oh, damn, I totally forgot about Bryce, you know, but that makes the most sense to me in the world. That he would wait to, you know, he only got one year probably that he's gonna do at the university where he's wait to, you know, he only got one year probably that he's gonna do at the university where he's going to Arizona or something.

Yeah, so he do a year there, he jumps ship, and now he on the Laker or in the league and playing against his dad and brother. I mean, some more history to be made this following season. And then obviously they have a realistic shot at competing for a title, being one of those top six or 17 teams again, going into the next season. So, and then you can ride into the sunset, however you feel like it. But LeBron is definitely capable of playing at least the way he's going now,

at least another two to three years at a high level, because I just don't, I don't know how significant the knee injury is, but he's never had injuries and he takes well good care of himself. So, and plus here, like he's just, I was ahead of everyone from a mental standpoint. I think, you know, them taking him off the ball, letting Luca be the primary ball handler, letting AR be the primary ball handler.

So that's less wear and tear to his body. So he can dive and cut. He's added a three point shot to his bag. So now he's about to be top five in the NBA in three-point shots. And that's how you stay a long time. Because when you have a particular time. Think about it. LeBron has gone like two to three different eras of basketball. Sure did. And he's evolved. The greatest treat to survival, the greatest key to survival is adaptability.

His ability to adapt to the type, because this is what LeBron was a get to the basket guy. He still can, but not nearly as efficient or not nearly as much as he once did. If you notice now LeBron shoot the three, he still can play with his back to the post. He's still a turn over that right shoulder and let the thing go. He still topped fast break points. Yes. And he led in fourth quarter scoring. Yeah, that's wild. And you're in year 22. That's crazy.

No, 20 22. Yeah, because he's a 20 either 20 21 21 time all-star Yeah, 21 time So you're you're right, but the question is karat here the question And building this team out, LeBron and Luca, they're similar, but Luca wants lob threats. LeBron wants spacing and three-point shooters. So how do you build a team? Because it seemed like Mark Williams

would have been a great, because I knew they were in trouble. They really didn't have a big. Because now you're only playing Jackson Hayes 10, 10, 15 minutes. Now you go Rui and LeBron, one's playing the four, the other's playing the five. You got no rim protection. You got no help side defense.

And really, Luca, first dribble that normally goes, they're going to get by Luca either the first or the second dribble. AR isn't much better. LeBron is a year 22, so we can't expect him to sit in the chair. So they really, I mean, Vanderbilt, when you got Vanderbilt, he's a good defender, but you're really playing four on five on the offense event. Fannie Smith, he can have some offense, but he's so inconsistent, so up and down. So how does Rob go about building this team to make everybody happy and best put this team in position to compete for a championship? Well I think that's the reason why he left Craig's dinner spot with all those sheets

of paper in that folder. You know what I mean? Like he's looking at every roster spot and looking at all the guys that's possibly available in the market and someone that you can add on that could be an asset to that organization. You're going to have to have a lob threat for Luca. And people say that a lob threat is gonna take away the real estate. It actually not because it'll put a lot of pressure

on the rim and that's gonna put the weak side guy always tagging and trying to take away the dunk. And that's gonna open up the two on one on the backside of the court. So that's exactly what they need. And then you talked about perimeter defense. I thought Hachimora did a great job, but there's exactly what they need. And then you talked about perimeter defense. I thought Hachimora did a great job, but there's always room for improvement. And, you know, and the

challenge for Luca going into, you know, the summer, which it seems to be very potent, is just, you know, working on his conditioning, working on being the best possible version of himself and trying to move the needle on the defensive end of the floor. So you're not responsible for so many advantage situations. And I think he's going to take that challenge. You know, he, you know, people hear the whispers, you know, as, as, as coaches, as, as a former player, uh, it's true for every joke. When people tell, tell you about, you know, some of the things you can do better on the defensive end of the floor, or you, you're not sharing the ball,

you turn over prone, whatever the case may be, you go to the, back to the lab and when you're working on your craft with your player development people in your pods, you like, all right, I got to sharpen the tools a little, a little differently going into the season. So I'm ready. So I think he's just going to be a lot better. And, uh, you know, I think the team is going to be a force to be reckoned with. I'm looking forward to seeing them next year.

Because I look at it, it seems like every year in the playoffs, Luke will wear down. It seems like at each game, game one he's fresh, and then game two he starts to move older and older. It's like he's aging, like he's Benjamin Button, but he's going the other way. Benjamin Button came down to a baby. It seemed like he was a baby going to an old ass man. Cause it seemed like after game one,

it's like game two, game three, they're like, damn, game four, he can barely walk. I thought they was gonna bring him out there in the wheelchair. I will say this too though, and a lot of people, you know, no lack of empathy for anyone, but it's like when trades happen, I don't know if y'all ever been traded in the middle of a season or stings.

No. It takes, especially in the way that he was, but it takes a toll on you like no other, and then the responsibility to immediately be at the forefront of everything, you're the headline in the story across the association and all of a sudden you got to perform at this optimum level with, you know, arguably the greatest player of this generation. And then all of a sudden it's just like the expectations is different. I, you know, I don't, I don't take that lightly because I see it from a different

lens being in the locker room and, you know, being an advocate for the players. So, uh, I, I, I do have empathy for them in, in that space too, because I was traded, you know, before and I had to go through that shit. So it's, it isn't easy and traded, you know, before, and I had to go through that shit. So it isn't easy and you know, players not robots. And there's a reason why it's, you know, mental spaces for, you know, players to kind of, you know, get through. Decompressing. Talk about it.

Yeah. 100%. Yeah, I totally get it because it's a situation. It's one thing to get traded if I request a trade. It's something entirely different when I'm thinking I'm gonna spend my entire career with one organization. He's a guy. He's a dirt guy. As long as he wants to stay in Dallas, he stays in Dallas. But I didn't want to get traded, and you traded me like two months before my 26th birthday? A five-time first team All-NBA selection. I just led a team to the NBA finals.

I've been a this many time All-Star. And you telling me what? Oh, it's a shot. Yeah. It's a shot. Definitely. ["Sugar Coat"] Jason Tatum showed up to blame for his struggles

over the first two games versus the Knicks. I take full ownership of the way I've played in this series and I can't sugarcoat anything. I need to be better. I expect to be a lot better. Guys work really hard on their game and their craft and prepare to be in those moments to hit open shots. And it just hasn't happened the last two games, but you can't lose your confidence either. Tatum Jumper has abandoned him thus far.

He's made just 12 or 42 shots. That's 29%. And he's frequently settled for three corners where he's shooting five or 20, 25%. He has taken only nine free throws in two games. And he has eight turnovers. See, the free throws telling me he's not being aggressive. It's telling me he's settling.

Yeah. Okay. Makes me feel a little bit down. Hey, he always say, you know, one of his idols, someone he admired and looked up to. Yeah. I'm assuming he would love the modelers game after him. That's Kobe.

That Jelly Bean Bryant. So the first thing for Tatum, where he got to go back and think, well, that starts up here. There's something that Kobe got that you can't be taught. It can't be coached. It's already in you. That mentality.

I mean, mamba mentality, whatever you want to call it. That ain't nothing but a dog. That's all it is. They just changed the name when it came to Kobe. That's already in you. So for when you're approached to the game of basketball in this series, it has to change. You got to go in there with that same mentality.

He's settling, Dolcho. Stop putting up the threes. there with that same mentality. He's settling though, Ocho. Grab it, stop putting up the threes. Put the ball in the flow, call for Iso, wait for the pick. I mean, do whatever you got to do to get yourself in rhythm to get the game going. You're supposed to be the face of the NBA, or one of those type of guys, but you're not playing like that guy.

Ocho, let me ask you a question. Why didn't you stop eating McDonald's? Because you had success doing what you do. So why should he stop shooting threes? He's had success, he's won a championship, he's about to be a four-time first team All-NBA selection, he's won two gold medals, so tell me why he should stop. Well I'm gonna tell you this one. I had a lot of tools in my tool bag, right? So if at any point that McDonald's wasn't working with me, I had a plan B and I had something else I can go to

just in case, you know what? I can't do this no more. So boy, I'm gonna reverse it in. Your whole thing was predicated on quickness. I'm gonna tell you why. I'm gonna tell you why this shit has changed. I'm gonna tell you why. Because right now you're down 0-2.

And what you do on the past two games ain't motherfucking, my bad, I'm sorry for the cursing. What you do, the last two games ain't working. So what what I'm gonna do I'm gonna go on the toolbox I know that I see I've seen him do it let me ask you question your game was predicated on quickness yeah yeah yeah did you play physical did you play through contact no that was okay I could you saw what I did to Ray Lewis. I could. I swear everybody saw that. That grand stage still on your back. I think I ran into Ray. I think I hit him.

So, Karan, so tell me, if this is you, Karan, you are who you are. You're an all star, you're an all NBA selection, you've been your champion, you won gold medals, and you're in a shooting slump like this, and it's come at the worst, at the most inopportune of times because it came when you're at home, you're down 0-2, and you're about to go on the road for the next two.

And there's a chance when you come back to Boston, you're gonna come back to clean out your locker. If this you, you're in this situation, what's your mental approach? What are you, what is Karan Butler saying to Karan Butler? I'm gonna leave an effort where there is no regrets. Like, an effort that I can live with, an effort that I ain't tossing to turning,

trying to sleep with. And I think that, you know, one of the things, before I get like diving to the mental aspect of it, I'm thinking about what is his health like certain, you know, because he did take the hit. Is he Nick? Does something is he Nick? Like from why is he settling? Uh, but you know, obviously when you're available, when you, you know, you take

whatever, you know, for your elements and you get out there on that platform, you know, all bets is off. So I think that he does got have to play extremely aggressive. I think he know who he is. You don't need no one to remind him. And he just has to be confident, you know, in the moment and, you know, take on the Jason Tatum mentality, you know, you, you, oh man, you know, then go out there and do what you got to do.

And you, the leader of that ball club. And I think that, you know, Brown is going to step up in a major way too. You know, he's the guy that usually answers the bill and takes a lot of pressure off Tatum in those moments. And I think they're going to do it by committee. They got a lot of guys that's battle tested. Holliday as well.

I think you're going to see a better version of him. You know, the defensive end of the floor, because the struggles is that Did they send in a lot of bodies at Brunson? he's a guy and he's been the guy on that floor for this series and Somehow some way one of the other faces of the league which is Jason Tatum and in Brown They're gonna have to step up and say hey, it's three guys on this floor You know what I mean?

And I think Kat is gonna have a little say in this series too once they go back to New York, but it's really gonna be on the shoulders of Brown and Tatum to take them and get them back in the series. Hey, I got a question, right? So you think about it, the Celtics was down 0-2, right? Yeah. The Celtics in both games had a 20-

24 lead. No, the Knicks had a 20-point deficit. They were down,-2, right? Yeah. The Celtics in both games had a 20- 24 lead. The Knicks had a 20-point deficit. They were down, down by 20 in both games and came back and won, right? Yeah. So the Celtics haven't been playing well. Hell, the Knicks haven't been playing well yet either. But just so happened towards the end of the game,

Jalen Brunson and collectively as a group, the Knicks found a way to win. The Knicks are playing exactly how they want to play though, Ocho. This is the way the Knicks plays. Exactly. This is a way to win. The Knicks are playing exactly how they want to play though, Ocho. This is the way the Knicks plays. Exactly. See, you thinking the Knicks supposed to have like 120, 125 points. That's not how they play. No, no, no.

That's not them. That's not them. They want to muck the game up. They want the game to be close in clutch situations. The last five triggers, just have a chance. That's all I want. Yeah. But then I have a question though.

So think about this. The fact that they haven't played well The sex haven't played well, right? They had a tune they had a 20-point lead in both games and still lost towards it. Now you're going to the garden, right? Yeah, so what let's say what happened if this time? The Knicks do play better basketball as opposed to what they going home Well, I told you to sell to me gonna go home anyway, I thought that you're sweet Well, I told you the Celtics weren't gonna go home anyway. I told you that.

Don't think it's gonna be a sweep? No, I'm saying. Ain't gonna be no sweep. Ain't gonna be no sweep. The thing is, the problem that I have, I really meet me of all the teams that play and there's some teams that don't have very good records. The Celtics are the team that I least like to watch play.

Cause all they do is chunk up threes. They chunk up threes. Now they got that 20 point lead by running plays, getting to the rim, finishing. Doing a lot of good stuff. And then all of a sudden, they's like, you know what? This is not who we are. We, I'd rather lose, I'd rather lose our way, jacking up threes than win by doing,

by running plays and getting to the basket. Uh, the first half Jason Tatum had two points. The second half, Jalen Brown had three points. Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown are combined two of 19 shooting in the fourth quarter. The Knicks have come back from 20 down twice. I'll score the Celtics by 22 points in the final quarter thus far. See that's that's your problem. Your two big guns, the guys that you're counting on are misfiring in the most important quarter of it all. That's the fourth quarter. And you see what happened? Jason Tatum got himself in a, got himself in a pickle.

Didn't know what to do. Got up in the air like, Oh, what, what? Oh, boom. And, and, and, and Mikael Bridges right there. Mikael Bridges plays sensational. He had zero points through the first three quarters and then he pops out with 14. 14. But the biggest difference in this ball game, Karan, was Kat.

Kat shot one three, one three pointer. He got his butt down on the block, he got it on the move, and he punished Al Horford. That's Kat. See, Carl Edson in the town shoot threes. Kat punishes people. They're two different guys. They're the same person, but they're two different guys.

He's so talented, man. He is, but see, remember last year when people said Kat, they ain't got nobody on the, Gaffer can't guard you, likely can't guard you, they don't have anybody that can guard you. Why are you settling? They're applauding you. They're bringing you cookies. They're bringing you gifts for shooting those threes. Get down on that block and punish them. Don't settle. And he settled.

What you think? Game three, you think the Celtics get this thing figured out or did it keep jacking up threes? Mad at the guard. I think it all depends on how the Knicks were a success. You know, do you go back and you, you know, still have that same urgency and not pretend like you playing with house money and you know, we're a success well and still have that same dog in that, that tenacity, because you have to understand that you're going to receive Boston's best like they, they gotta win this coming with the

everything and they don't throw everything at you in the first court for first half basically. And if you could sustain it, so be a game of runs. And if you can sustain it, if you keep that energy, uh, electric in that gym, in that arena, then you, you have a chance in the second half to, you know, make a game out of it. And if it comes down to a possession ball game, you know, you got Mr. Clutch, Mr. Fourth quarter on your side, and he's been the best player in this area this far. Uh, he can get you over to hunt, but I really do think that Brown and Tatum and also Holliday is gonna have a huge say so in this game

because Holliday has always been the guy that you can just put on the best offensive player and he can wipe them out and wash them out. And then him and White take turns on those. Take turns. But Brunson has been a little different. He beats you up offensively. He know how to.

He's so crafty. He's so tough to officiate. And you know, now he has a good feel of, you know, this control in this series. It's gonna be interesting to see what it's gonna be like going into game three. The problem that the Celtics have had is that they have a 20 point lead

and the Knicks don't feel that there is no lead safe that the Celtics have. So it doesn't matter if the Celtics jump out to 10, 15 or even 20, the Knicks says, hey, we've been here. The first two games, that was in their building. I know we can feed off the energy in our building and chase them down if necessary. But what happens if they can't build that 20 point lead?

See, the problem real with the Celtics is that most of the time this season, they were blowing teams out. So you know, those guys getting rest. Now all of a sudden the Knicks got them out there in deep water and they've had them out there for an extended period of time. See, everybody can swim to the shore.

If you jump out the middle, hey, if you jump out the boat in the middle of a lake, you can swim to shore cause you're not tired. But let me see, after the fifth time, after the sixth time I drive you back to the middle, can you make it back to shore? So that's how the Knicks, the Knicks say, you know what, let's get them in the fourth quarter again in clutch situation. The last five minutes of the ball game, it's a nip and tuck ball game.

It's a basket or two one way or another. Let's see if they still, still feel like those go in here. Because boy, they were, hey, there was some wide open threes in the first two games, in the last five minutes of the game, looked like me shooting, and me and Spice Adams was out there. Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Oh, Joe, me and Spice Adams was out there. Hey, JP and JT looked like me and Spice Adams. Brains drop.

Hey, that's a good one. Going to ball all over the top of the backboard. Shout out to Paul Pierce making good on his bet. He walked from Encino to Century City today in a robe. Did he really? No. I ain't buying that. No, no, I'm sure, I'm sure.

He probably drove all by the Bylaw, then he dropped him off, and Harry did catch him walking through the Central City. Listen, I love Paul, that's my dog, but you know how far Encino is? Hell yeah, I know how far it is. Listen, if anything, for content purposes, he started off walking, drive a little bit,

show another spot where I'm at, drive a little bit, show another spot where I'm at, drive a little bit, show another spot where I'm at. It may take Paul Pierce two days to walk from Incido to Citrus City. Man, you know how far that is? Yes, I know how far Incido is from Citrus City, hell yeah. Karrone, we're gonna get you out here on this one. What was your reaction when you found out

the Mavericks had traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis? Oh man, I didn't think it was real. I was actually, we was on a flight and we just got our wifi back on the plane and I saw it and I said, oh shit, like Sham said. I was like, oh, they trippin'. He got hacked or something in that shit.

The news broke that it was official. I actually reached out to a couple of folks in the Maverick's organization just to confirm it. Still ain't heard back from them. So yeah, man, it was real. It's crazy. Wow. It is.

Anything. Karan man, thanks for stopping by bro. We really appreciate it. We know you're busy tonight. Thank you for giving us some of your time, man. Stop back by anytime you like, bro. Congratulations. Good luck.

Hey, you're next in line to get one of them head coaching jobs, bro. Thank you, brother. I appreciate it. Hey, bring me with you now. Cause you know I know the game. Salute, dog do that. The longer you stay away from Ocho the longer you stay in the coach at the end of the day. I'm about to go check that shit too see if you haven't. Hey you two of me. Are you in Miami? Yeah I'm in Miami. Hey let's get a one-on-one tomorrow. Tell your ass up. Hey I give okay put some money

on it what you want to do? You know I got it. Where are you in? I come to you. What park near you? I'm out here at Southwest Ranchers. Man, I'm right around the corner in Davie, boy. What you trying to do? I'm trying to do whatever. Nothing here, trying to do nothing, but Karate. Yeah, okay, you see I got my ball right here too now. That's what I do. That's my ball from high school. Show them who gave you that ball. Show them who gave you that ball. Oh, oh, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, hey, hey, hey, oh, um... Hey, I got a... LeBron gave me this. He gave you that 50K ball?

Yeah, it is. I swear to God. Hey, it's a 50K ball. This is it, Karan. It's the real ball. It's the real ball. I promise you. I wouldn't lie to you. Hey, shut it. You gotta get him, man. He's crazy. Karan, man, thanks, man.

Get on out of here, man. Thank you, man. I appreciate you, man. You're welcome. Start back by any time. Yo. I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next.

In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of 2B. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There's so many stories out there and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.