Gil's Arena - Dame & Hali Are BACK, Giannis Embraces Heat Culture & D-Mitch Defends Harden's Legacy Part 1

Episode Date: October 8, 2026

Gilbert Arenas, Brendan Haywood, Dorrel Wright and Josiah Johnson bring you the best NBA show on the planet! This episode the couch discusses Dame and Haliburton first games back from injury, Giannis loving Heat culture + more!   Presented by Polymarket - the world's largest prediction market. Use code ARENA when you sign up for a $50 bonus with a qualifying deposit of $10. https://app.polymarket.us/S8ac/ARENA 18+ Only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss can occur. See http://polymarket.com/tos for more information. The Polymarket US App serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated exchange and clearing organization.    Follow Gil's Arena on socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gilsarena0/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GilsArena0 Threads - https://www.threads.com/@gilsarena0 Twitter/X - https://x.com/GilsArenaShow Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/gilsarenashow TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@gilsarena TimeStamps: 0:00 Cast intro + guest star Dorrel Wright4:26- Dame return from injury debut 20:22-Dame Realistic expectations 39:40 - Haliburton return from injury debut1:00:33 - Giannis loves Heat Culture   (Timestamps may vary based on ads)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Roll with us. Must be 19 years of age or older to play. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. Concerned about your gambling or that of someone close to you, visit connectsontario.ca. I'm Lacey Mosley, author, actor, stand-up comedian, creator, and host of Scam Goddess Podcast. The True Crime Comedy Podcasts all about robbery, fraud, and those who practice it. Each week I bring on an amazing guest. Ooh, I scammed them.

What? I can talk to you for a hour. You're a generational yapper. like me. That's why I had to make yapping a job. And now you can catch full episodes of my show on YouTube. Start listening to Scam Goddess on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Didn't catch the latest Roland Martin unfiltered podcast? Here's what you missed. There should not be a single law enforcement agency. It does not have body cameras. It's real. Black farmers have been under attack. This is just the latest example of them just slapping

DEI on anything. It's raw. And I'm sitting here going, they are playing y'all for fools. Catch Roland Martin's daily commentary on the Black Information Network. And download Roland Martin Unfiltered on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everybody, it's me, Debbie Kamaabelle. This season on my podcast who's with me, I speak with Bruce Lee's daughter, Brandon Lee's sister, and my friend, Shannon Lee.

Back to your initial point of stewarding my father's legacy and giving my energy to that. you're lending your life to stewarding somebody else's life. Listen to Who's With Me with with Debbie Chmell on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to Gills Arena, presented by Polly Market and Powered by Playmaker. Whoa, whoa! Lovely Thursday here in the arena, almost Friday. Almost get a day off.

We are so close. This is Gills Arena. I'm merely a host, Josiah Johnson, here with NBA legend, 2K Uncwood Badges, and Theater King, Gilbert Arenas. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What's up, Gil? Not much, man. You've been dressing real nice lately.

You know? Damn, mm. That new budget must have kicked in, man. On court. Got some images, you know. Gotta be a scholar. Man. We're joined by NBA Champion of the World

and creator of the Tallest Tails Network on YouTube, Brendan Haywood. Finally back in the arena. Yes, sir. We back like we never left. B. Wood, they've been asking for you, the Chast MacLamaran. Hey, man,

the streets need me for your boy back. You know what I'm saying? Your boy back. And making his return to the arena, we got an L.A. Hoops Legend, who went straight from high school to the pros,

won a chip with the Heat in 2006, played 11th season in the league. He's also the co-founder of the Ace members-only lifestyle brand. Derell Wright, welcome back to Gills. Arena. Thanks for having me, man.

We appreciate you came through some nice gear for us. Got the A's lifestyle brand. What's going on with that? Yeah, man. Myself and D. Way started a golf brand a couple of years ago, man. So we've been taking off the last couple of months. Just did the Ace Cup at Pebble Beach and just trying to get more kids in the inner city in the game, the black and brown community. And yeah, just trying to let those kids pick up a club like they pick up a basketball at the early age. Okay. I hear golf.

Tiger Woo. I like him. I thought you was going to say something else. that they pick up at early age. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. I mean, ball was good, too.

Well, we got a lot to get into. Here's what's cracking in the arena today. Dame Lillard and Tyrese Halliburton both made their return to the court after Achilles' injuries. What are realistic expectations for the All-Star Guards this season. Yannis says that heat culture is real, and it's almost like being alive. again, will the Greek freak become the next superstar to take his talent to South Beach

and raise a banner? And Donovan Mitchell continues to defend James Hardin's basketball legacy. How much pressure is on the Cavs back court to build on their Eastern Conference Finals run last season. Analytically, they should have been in the finals. Did not happen. We will discuss. Mostly fans back for our super chat.

Throw something in the offering plate and drop your questions. We'll pick something to answer at the end of the show. You guys have been doing a great job with these questions. We had like a 20 minute discussion on one of your super chat questions yesterday, so keep dropping them in and we'll keep getting to them. But first, I need to tell y'all about this new sports trading app I discovered. It's called Polymarket. It's the most exciting way to trade in sports, and it's a nationwide federally regulated prediction market. Polymarket is the best prediction market better than Kalshi, Draft Kings, and Fan Duel.

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You got to talk? You don't talk in the camera. You got to talk directly to Twitch. I'm going to talk directly to Twitch. Where are my Twitches? Where are my Twitches at? You're good. Twitch better have my money.

Twitch is better. Supporting the show. Make sure you subscribe. at Gills Arena Show, and we appreciate y'all for all the subs. All right, let's get right into it. Had a very legendary night of basketball last night, even though it is the preseason. Last time we saw Dame Lillard playing real hoops was April 27, 2025, in a playoff game with the Bucks when his season came to an unfortunate end with a torn Achilles

and what would ultimately be his last game with Milwaukee. 528 days later, Dame back on the floor for the first time in his old stomping grounds, taking on his hometown team in the 36-year-old 9th. Nine-time All-Star politely said F father time is Dame time. Let's take a look at the highlights if we can. Please, Paolo. Also, Jod's debut, too. We will discuss that as well. But Dane was out there looking like his old self,

albeit against a warrior squad, which did not include one regular starter. Dane finished with 15 points and 19 minutes of action. Five of 11 from the field, three for eight from distance. Dame also had two steals in the game. Yeah, yeah. There we go. That's that offense is it. That's what I was talking about right there.

Pinch-poach split action. Okay. John Morant also made his debut with the Blazers, finished with eight points on three of eight shooting. He also had five and six and nine of eight minutes. And Danny Obdia led the Blazers in scoring with 23 points. How old is he? Oh, so he is bigger than that.

I knew he was bigger than that six, eight bullshit they were saying. Denny Obdian? Yeah, he about like six-nine out of that. 23 points led the Blazers. I mean, for getting the Aved to two. From the shoes to the, yeah. Yeah, so he is 16. Yeah, all right.

You're going to be real. Blazers came out with their starting crew. This was their first preseason game going against the Warriors scrub squad. Did not look amazing in the first three quarters. Warriors were leading for a good portion of the game. Obviously, Blazers, it is a preseason. Don't matter. Those dudes are playing for bread.

Blazers are just planning to get conditioned. But Dane pulled up to NBA TVs, the association after the game. And when asked by host MJ Acosta, what his goals were for this season, offered this response? My ultimate goal is to, you know, come back off a major injury and be myself. I think one thing that I've learned through this process is that, you know, if you do it right and you time

and you don't, you know, skip through steps in that process and, you know, your mind is in the right place, you can get back to, you know, everything that you had before. And I feel like I've gotten back to everything I had before. You know, I feel explosive. going both directions. I feel like I can get any shot off from any range. And I felt that way tonight.

I just felt good moving around out there. So I would say my ultimate goal is obviously to help our team take it a step further than we did last year, get into the playoffs and try to improve on that, play a little bit further into the postseason. But ultimately for me, I just want to come back and go that regardless of the age, regardless of the injury. When you do this, you do it. And I'm one of those people that, you know, I really put work in.

I really take care of myself. I really love the game, but I'm going to do things the right way. So, you know, I'm going to come back and show that, you know, when you have those types of traits, able to come back and be who you are. And I don't expect to be anything different than who I've always been. An I-heart radio experience. Carly Pierce, live at the Opera House, October 16th.

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Whether it's a parley on Sunday or a straight bet on the big game, you get way more with Betway. Must be 19 plus on Taylor. Only. Play responsibly. Concerned about your gambling, visit connectsonterio.ca. I'm Lacey Mosley, author, actor, stand-up comedian, creator, and host of Scam Goddess Podcasts. The True Crime Comedy Podcasts all about robbery, fraud, and those who practice it. Each week I bring on incredible guests like Conan O'Brien, Iowa Debrie, Lamorne Morris, and Nicole Beyer. Ooh, I scammed them.

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Tell your parents to stop clicking on links, please. And now you can catch full episodes of my show on YouTube. If there's a scam, I'm here to protect you. And I'm also here to laugh with you. So if you like fun, if you like comedy and you like learning and protecting yourself from criminals, Start listening to Scam Goddess on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Didn't catch the latest Roland Martin unfiltered podcast? Here's what you missed.

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available on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. So we heard Dame right there, D.Rae, we're going to start with you. You got to play with Dame for a few seasons with the Blazers. Would a Dame show you in his first game back in nearly 18 months? Man, I got a funny story just a couple of months ago. I was down in San Diego with Dame for his birthday party celebrating with him. You know, you really don't get the real when you over text.

So as soon as I saw him, the first thing I asked him was how you feel. And like his eyes and how he looked at me, he was like, I'm back. And that was the attitude. That was a body language he had because if anybody know anything about Dame, he takes that, you know, the underdog mentality with him throughout his whole career. So he was like, I'm back, I'm doing everything. Just exactly what he said in that clip right there is what he said to me. He's like, dude, I can move.

You know, I'm getting more athletic. And then the jumper is always going to be there. So the things I saw was just the work ethic and just the will to find a way to be great. And that's kind of how he carries itself from, you know, as a kid. And I'm just happy to see my guy back out there on the court. Happy to see Dave back out there as well, B. Wood, watching Dame Lillard make his return to court, Portland against his hometown team. the Golden State Warriors

I wasn't really surprised because we saw him knocking down shots a lot of those shots were spot-up shots we just saw the man win the three-point competition last year so we know that he can still, just think about that he was hurt all year long, limped out there and won the three-point competition

so we understand that he can shoot the ball at a high level getting to that pinch post action like you're talking about, the screens and everything else I'm not surprised he knocked those shots down What I want to see is, what you're going to do when, like you said, he says he can get to them spots. Do your legs feel heavy? Do you have the same explosion both ways?

Do you have the same confidence to make those moves? You can probably speak to this because you were a high-level score that had to come back from an injury. How did you feel coming back from that? And what are you looking to see from Dane? Because I'm just looking to see, I know you're going to be able to shoot. He's going to be able to shoot until he's 60. I'm looking to see, how are you moving? These young dogs that are now, they're six, eight, six, nine.

wing defenders, how are you pulling away from these guys? That's what I'm looking for. But like I said, you went through this. How was it for you? I see, I think the difference between the Achilles and the knees is with Achilles, you can keep your speed. It just kind of like stops you from like jumping. Well, with him, he's a two-foot jumper.

So that he kind of gets away with it. When you have a knee injury, it takes away a little bit of. of everything, right? Speed, planting, all of, all of that. So I was scared to actually drive to the basket. So like if I see the lane, it's like, oh, this is about to be, and then I, then that thought like, oh, I can't jump. So now.

I used to could. Yeah, so now I gotta do the shit they do now. I gotta crab, like, like, slow, like, get back in front of me so I don't have to. Right? So the fact that you can see him still going and doing his layer package and watching Jason Tatum last year, watching when John Wall came back, watching Durant, these Achilles is built different than the ones we had.

Don't do. Right? They got some new shit out here. No, no, the surgery got to be different. Forget that. Let's switch to the football. Have you all seen George Kittle? I don't know if you got him.

George Kettle had Achilles surgery earlier this year and he's back balling right now. Just had like a huge touchdown. So like the Achilles, the Achilles injury isn't the death meal that it used to be. It used to be like, yeah, man, you got an Achilles. You're going to be slow. You ain't going to be able to jump. I don't know if these guys got to do peptides. I don't know if they got the residue.

The residue. I don't know they're putting the Paul George special down there. Whatever it is. All I know is the Achilles surgery ain't the same surgery that it used to be. These guys are coming back quick than them. I did that. The Paul George Special. The Residue.

You got the residue. That comes with some shit. The Paul George Special. The Paul George Special. George Bessner. He did come back. Y'all didn't how good Paul was playing last year.

The residue. It might cost you 25. It was money well spent. He back, ain't he? Oh, yes, he was. Oh, goodness. Now, he looked good. He looked good.

He looked like, it's all in confidence. When you start second guessing yourself, that's when you see that dip. No. Like that's really, like if he, as long as in his mind, he know he can do it, he's going to do it. Once you start thinking,

You can't do it. Yeah. Trust me, reality will kick in. Quit. By the time. Gil, you talked about this. We talked about this to pass on this couch. You're going to feel good that first game, that second game.

But now, like you mentioned, having to extend that out for a whole season, four games and seven days, back to backs, whatever may be. Now that's when that real mental. Yeah, because you get false. Like, when you're in practice, right, you're coming back from injury, you're in practice. You're playing against people you know. Yeah. You know this is the second or third. He can't do really much and nothing.

You know where to get your spots. You've been doing this for years. The difference is the other superstar on a court that you're going to be playing against, coming at you full speed and now you got to react in real time. Right. So there's no safeguarding when someone wants to twing twine. Right now you're moving body parts in ways you didn't prepare for. You thought you was prepared, but you wasn't prepared.

Now you get after the game and you know. I was not ready. Y'all told me. And then that's what ends up happening. Now you've got to sit out another two weeks. It's that fake, it's that fake practice that's not really putting you in it. It's like practice and then go to like the G. Like I wasn't opposed to Jason Tatum playing in the G league.

Go to the G league because you don't know them, they don't know you. So you get that first interaction and see what your body really is going to respond. instead of playing against other fucking superstar. The beauty of it for Dane, though, is because of how this team is now set up, he don't got to be old school Dame Lillard every single night. That's the thing. When you're a superstar coming back, you know, they normally like, hey man, you've been carrying the team, we need you to care.

Like, he can be like, yo, jaw, I need you to dictate offense tonight. Or maybe I just sit out this game just in general, let my legs heal up. Maybe I sit, you know what I'm saying? Like, my legs feel heavy. I might need to take a week and a half off. Denny Obvia, people sleeping. It was an all-star last year. Went to the free throw line more than SGA.

Okay, 6-9, pick and roll, deeming, get downhill. Dame can be like, listen, some nights I don't even need to force the action. I can be more in the corner. You can run an off-ball action for me, pin down things of that nature. Let Denny Obdia, let young fella go ahead and do what they do, let Jog go ahead and cook, and he can get his that way. So the beauty for Dame is they don't need him to be old-school. Dane like it was when it was Dame and CJ

because they got two other guys that are ball handlers on this ball club. Yeah, I agree with you guys so much because if you look at those highlights, it's kind of like some Steph Curry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Moving without the ball, coming off down screens, John Morant putting so much pressure on the pain in the rim is going to open the game from Aviya in

transition. He's one of the toughest guys in transition. I know Dame loves those transition three, so we're going to see a lot of those. So I think he could be like two or three different players throughout the season just because of the style and the personnel they have now. There you go.

So he can safeguard his, his, his Achilles, uh. Yeah. No, well, you got to come back and be the man every night. You know what I'm saying? When you got a team full of role players, we're like, hey, boss, we need you to get off. You know what I'm saying? 20 and enough. Hey, listen, we, when you came back, we're like, hey, man, we need O'Gil back.

What we do? What we doing, brother? My little jumpbook ain't going to take us so far, okay? I need 30. I need age of zero back. What's going on? Where the Habachi at? The knee ain't the same.

Dame ain't got them type problems. Dave, listen, Dave could be like, listen, I'm over here chilling because I have another all-star and Denny Obdi on the team. I have John Morant, who we understand when he's playing his best, he's all-star level. I got those two guys on the team. I can help them by just being in the corner.

You want to pick and roll to the strong side with Dame as the guy in the strong side. You know how much that helps the team? Who helped Denny Obdy at the top of the key? Bam, I'm in the pick-and-roll getting downhill. I don't beat my man. Dame's in the strong-side corner. That man is instructed.

to leave. Now, Deney, ah, ah, now they might not get no assist, but you know what it is. That's easy work. So he's going to be able to help this team in a lot of different ways, but then at the same time, oh, it's still Dame time. That jump has never left. That jumper is still crispy. Yeah, he might play it like that clay roll for a little bit. Yeah, he can be many different things on many different nights. He can be, like I said, he can be off the ball. He can be on a night where his legs are heavy. You got to be honest with yourself too. Hey, you got to go to Jai yo I ain't got it tonight take us home big fella

I bet I'm here if you need me but I ain't gonna be getting to it I feel like I got cement Nike's own okay you know this is this is the fourth game and seven nights my legs are heavy hey but I'm out here with you

and you just go to your god listen I need you to carry it I need it to be your knight and he can do that with this team because you got two legitimate ball handlers that are special with the rock don't forget like people forget what in this league they will forget and act like you can't play quick as hell Jai can still get down that paint

and so can Denny I'll do you and that's going to help Dane. And we're forgetting about Drew Holiday as well coming up. I don't know how much longer he's going to be there but I'm just saying I think Drew they hold them hot since a little bit with that. So I think Drew Holiday that addition coming off the bench

playing with that second unit just playing different roles for Dame so it's going to be interesting to see them this year. Wait, if Danny's all of 611. Who? Oh, I'd say 611? 610. Okay.

Any obvious? Yeah. Yeah. He's about 6, 9, 16. So he's bigger than the 4. Yeah, yeah. So they could play small ball with him at the 4. They could.

That's what, I mean, yeah, they got him at the 4 clinging at the front. You got clinging inside doing all the dirty work? No, no, the Camaro. Oh, you got Camaro? He's about 6-8-10, right? Yeah. Yeah, I'm saying him at the 3, but obviously you think of that that three-guard, small ball ball ball in? Three, four, like, like, he could.

So John Drew and Dame all on the court together. Denny's so versatile, he can be whatever you want him to be. Yeah. He can be your point. He can be your two. He can be your three or your four. It's like fucking Turquilu again, huh? Yeah.

But faster. You already know. He got in Turquil. Yeah. Okay. He gets too, like, no disrespect to Turculum. But I'm just saying, like, he gets to it a lot more aggressive as far as getting to the basket. Yeah, he's a hard.

He's an aggressive car. So he's the Genoblee. He shoots over nine free throws the game. When you think of the higher guys get to the free throw line the most, it's like Luca, Denny, and the SGA. It's them three. People be sleeping on them because they don't be watching Portland like that. That's what it is.

I didn't. And that was my job last year. I take my job serious. You know what I'm saying? How to watch a lot of NBA actions? I can talk about it. Seven, seventh in the west. So I'm saying, so this is the team that's worth watching now.

Obviously, you had John, you had Dame to this mix. You're going to watch, this is the problem. I'm on the East Coast watching the West Coast game. How are you not watching? How are you not watching the West Coast game? Listen, listen. What's up, brother? When your favorite players leave, you don't watch it.

I was just like the fans. I gave back my tickets. Come on, man. Dame left. My tickets, man. Here you go. Here you go. Just like all the LeBron fans getting tickets back.

Here you go. We over here. Philly. See, that's why you missed that on your fellow. Didn't he obvious like that. He is really like that. Gil, Bronfans are bicostal now. We're in L.A. and Philly. We still got a brown on the Lakers. I forgot. I got the biggest bronze fan. So you're a Philly fan now? You can still glaze my. I'm a LeBron fan. Did you buy the jersey? Did you buy the jersey? I did not. I don't. I stopped wearing

romance jerseys. His kids. He just bought them small. The many ones for the kids. He just buy many ones. The kids dictate what the motion is. What jersey do you want? What jersey do you want? I want Bronny. Okay. You sure you don't want a brown? No, I want Brony. They want Brani?

They want Brony? They want Brony? In the valley? Yeah. Here in this part of Los Angeles. I'm not trying to be funny because I don't disrespect Bronny like that. The Bronny jersey be selling like that?

He moved like $50 million, right? What? When he got drafted, he did $50 million. I had no idea. I had no idea. Yeah, he was the highest seller. Bronty? You sure?

The little one, not the big one? Number nine. Number nine. Number nine. Six upside down and nine now. Yeah, he's also He almost caught pause.

But in the valley, Brony's King here. The kids, the kids. Why? Because he was a nice guy. He was a nice kid. I have heard,

I've heard, like, everybody on the circuit said he comes with no ego and he don't carry himself like he's LeBron Jameson. They say he's the best kid. That's one that I heard.

Everybody on all the circuit When he was coming up, they said, but he's the best kid ever. Like, you know, you're going to celebrity school, like, you know, Sierra Kenyon, right where all celebrity kids is? Like, he was the fan favorite. Like, all those kids are going to see Brony just to get in the game.

And they got all superstars on the team. All super stars. We want to see Bronny. We hear to see Bronny's motion in high school. Yeah, he was up there with the best. Kardashians. Ain't that the Kardashians? Yeah, everybody.

Kids was there, man. You learned something new every day, broil. I learned something. I had no idea of Bronny was that big out here. Yeah. To Brony was over. The kids was Bronny, and then probably second was the Puffy's daughters, the twins. Now, the twins, everybody was like, they was, because they was there from middle school or elementary.

Was Puffy coming to the school? Okay, good. No, no, no. No take that. Yeah, the twins, everybody loved the twins. They was the coolest. They was the coolest effort. They even cheered.

They cheered for the school. Yeah. They're cheerleaders. Shout out to Eric. Just wanted to be normal. Okay. Let's get back to Dame, though. Dame turned 36 back in July.

but in his last full season in 2025, average 25.7 assists, five boards with the bucks. So D-Rae, when you look at Dame, coming back 36 Achilles injury, what are realistic expectations for Damien Lillard this season in his return from that Achilles' entry?

I like Dame somewhere around 20. You know, they got a lot of talent on that team. A lot of guys that could score the ball at a high level. I think the person that might sacrifice the shots will be John Moran out of all those guys. And I think he's going to be more of a facilitate. So I got Dame around 20 points just because I know the men that's going to be there,

the shots are going to be there just due to how they play in transition, those transition threes that I talked about, and then just those ISOs that he'd get from time to time. So I got Dame around 20 points. Okay. Dame with the 20 piece. All right, B-Will,

we look at Dame this season. Blazers legend, back at the crib. I'm going to go slightly under 20. I understand what Dorel saying, but I think that, you know, once you hand them keys over, them young boys don't want to get them keys back. So Denny Obdi was the man last year.

We talked about what Denny was doing, and last time Dame was there, you said he was averaging what? 24. 25. 25, 7. Yeah, so I would go slightly under because, you know, for this to work,

Dame's going to have to sacrifice. No doubt. They're all going to have to sacrifice, but Dame's going to have to let, because Josh's trying to reinvent and jumpstart his career, Denny Obie is coming off fresh off of an all-star appearance.

So Dane can't come back and be the same Dane and this all goes smoothly because he's the only guy that really, really can play off the ball like that. Jha can't play off the ball. Denny likes to have the ball. So Dane is going to have to be the one that's like, I'm going to sacrifice a little bit.

I think he's capable of getting 20 easy. But for this to work, I think he comes in, 17, 18, and then Denny still does what he does. And then John Morant takes a step in that between 17 to 20 range too because I just think that you don't want Jai off the ball because he's not a spot-up shooter

you don't want to run the pin down action for Jai you want all that to be Dane so because he's the most complete he's also the oldest he's already experienced all the stuff that these guys are trying to get then he's trying to get all that notoriety the Dame already has I think that he'll come in

slightly under 20 like 17 18 but it won't be a skill thing it'll be because he's sacrificing and he's smart and he's making sure the young dogs eat. But then he ain't giving him keys back. Just know that. He ain't trying to give them young boys.

Once you give the young boy the keys to the car, hey man, you can ride a shotgun. You know what I'm saying? You can get the auxiliary corps. But I can't let you get back in the driver's seat. I got you. You know, I see you doing some extensive research. What you're doing, man?

What's you over there checking the stats on? No, no, no, no. I was just, when you got someone who can get files into a game, it changes the way you have to play the game, right? So it's no different than, you know, me, Antoine, me, Antoine, Larry, where all Dame is going to do is let Danny get them into penalty and then use the penalty to gain points

without taking any shots, right? So when you're looking at how this game could be played, they can all average over 20. Especially since Sharper's not there. Right? These motherfuck is putting up some points. Everybody average double digits in this team. Right?

You got 10 people that average double digits. Even screwed at 14 the game last year. Yeah, yeah, he's going to go down. You know, we're going to get. He got to scoot, scoo, yeah, yeah. You go out. I'm just scooting the back. I love you, scooting.

What they brought y' eye in, scooooo. Oh, no. Yeah. No, dead ass, you just look like, when you look at it, you'd be like, yeah, we can shave a couple. Grinn is gone. So Danny can bump up to probably about 27. You have Dame at 2021 and Jaws at that 17 and 19.

They can actually, they can pull that off because they can put so many possessions into the game. Yeah, they're playing fast. They're going to get foul. Dame is going to get, Dame is going to get a lot of free throws without getting hit. Yeah. Because he's smart enough. He's the only one that plays different than that too. I agree.

Like I said, when Denny's getting down the hill, when he's getting downhill, he's in the corner. We know that's knock down. That's knock down. He's top, like any time in transition, just him running the court to a spot that's offense. Yeah. You know, and in today's game, they want to take the three out the game.

So, like, that dame is going to be able to do that. That's what makes him different than Denny. That's what makes him different than Jah. Denny and Jah are going to be trying to do the same thing. So you might actually have a point, man. Very rarely do I agree with you, man. Most of the time your points are rather wild. Okay.

There's a gentleman. Okay. But you might have a point. I might have, you might, job might be the one. to take the step down, man. Very rarely do I agree. And I don't want to be rude.

But Jock may be from a point standpoint, but should Jod's mentality be, I want to lead the league in assistance this season? Yes. I think that's the... He averaged eight last year with the Grizzies, but only 20 guys. That's going to be hard.

Yeah. Jod's trying to rehabilitate that image, brother. Yeah. Hey, listen, this man at one point, we thought he'd about be the face of the league. Hey, listen, you go to any AAU tournament, them kids are wearing the Joss. Them Jaws, you...

Hey, listen, he's trying to get back to that. He got the hottest shoe out there. I don't know, like I said, we got to see how it's going to work. I don't know if John's going to be cool just like, yeah, I'll be the third option. Like, you know, so it's going to have to be, the biggest thing is they're going to have to talk. That's where it gets lost. They're going to have to sit down, go to dinner on the road, like, listen, what do you see? This is how I think we should attack it. And they have to have real conversations. They got to be, that three-headed monster got to sit down and say, listen, this is how we're going to do it. This is how we're going to make it work. And whoever the

third guy is, the third guy in any big three is always the most important, because he has to sacrifice the most. He has to sacrifice the most. He gets less shots. He gets less All-Star games. He gets less all-NBA selections. But he has to be okay with that. And they got to sit down and talk about it and put that

out in the atmosphere. Because when you don't, and it just subtly goes, that's when you see guys, oh, he's trying to get to this and that. You can't let that. You got to take it head on and speak on it. This is how We're gonna do this as a unit. Us three right here, we're taking the city back.

We're taking it back over. Well, should that be dame? Because I've already got on the house. Yeah, now that you thought about, I just going to be Danny. You know? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's going to be doing what? Yeah, he's taking the back seat.

Did he obvious? Yeah. Man, you crazy hell. One, he's foreign. What that mean? What's black? We got to do it. We already see what the media is trying to do it.

We already against that. One, I get the ball first. Two, I usually get. give it to my running me is the shooting guard. We figured this shit out. Karan, you get it when we get it to you. I'm not doing it. I'm just saying, but you know how

tough juice. I don't know. I'm saying this. Think about it. No, think about it how he plays. He's going to put the ball on the ground, right? So when Danny gets it, he's going to put it down. So we know we're not going to get no assist from him. He creates sis or he creates his own shot. So we're going to work together to then

get him the ball. And that's how that works. So Dame John knows he's going to pass it to him a couple open times. If he don't shoot that directly and he puts it on and go get his bucket, John's going to mention it and say, all right, I'm going for

Dame, I'm going to get these assists. When I don't have anything, I'll give it to him because he's going to play his one-on-one game. Yeah, for sure. And that's usually how that happens. Denny Obdia is a 6-9 versatile forward at 25 years old, fresh off an all-star parents. He ain't taking the back seat. I just

told you. He ain't giving the keys back. He got to get the ball. He is a good rebounder, though. He's a good. He better get it on the glass. He got it off the glass. You told me get it off the glass. My man.

You know what I'm not. We have watched that time. It just comes out a lot. Get it off the glass. Security lock on the door. You know, you got a damn door. You know what I'm saying? Security lock on the door.

You can't just tell everybody to get it off the glass. And I'm just saying, Denny Obdia, he will. Hey, you know what? Denny Obdi is like, you know what, I will get it off the glass. I'll get it off the glass. I'll push it myself and then I'll get downhill. Denny Obdia is not going to be the ones. The Portland AAA's organization doesn't want Denny Obdi to be the one.

He's the guy. Listen, we understand what Jai was, but Jai got a little bit of the background stuff going on. Denny, clean record, younger, 25. He's taller than he. these guys gets to the free throw line fresh off and all-star appearance. This is Denny obvious team. I know we know the name John Morant more.

We know Dame Litter's name more. This is Denny obvious team. And I keep saying it. He had the keys last year. He ain't giving them back. Yeah. If I know Dame, though, he's going to be that guy to sit those guys down and have a real leadership conversation with them. And just everybody got to be

on the same page. We're really serious about winning because they got a team that can go deep. I don't know if they can win a championship, but they can you know, make some noise. So I think Denvi, one, will have to adjust to how people play him because I think they're going to probably

guard him like LeBron in transition and show him, build that wall, you know what I mean, and make him and force him to pass that basketball. So it will be a big adjustment for him, I think, coming into this year, too. Danny Alibu is playing for a contract, too, just to point that. Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah, exactly. So, yeah, let me go back again. Let me go back. Play for a contract. Oh, shit. Hey, man. Okay, so he going to average about 20-some shots a game, but sure. Sure.

Remember, he ain't got his bread yet. Everybody else has got their bread. You, woo, man. He got two years left on his four-year $55 million deal. I think that was a Denny. Signed out with the Wizards. Four-year, what? 55.

Boy, that's the best contract in the league, isn't it? It is. It is. Hey, man, he was 24 points a game last year, seven. assist get to the free throw line nine plus time? They didn't extend them. He couldn't have got an decision. No, but you could only do an extension off that certain amount of number, so he don't want the

extension. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you can't go from making like 11 or 12 to make it 40. You know what I said? It's off that number. Was it 12.5%? I forgot. Don't confuse me with the math. So unrestricted in 20-9. All I know is that you can't go from making what he's making $50 million, which is what

his skill set and his accolades say he should get. Also, he He still has two more years then. So his contract front-loaded. Yeah, so he could only see a 140% increase on it. So he's got to play that shit out. Yeah, he has to play it out. Yeah.

So let me go right back. Yeah. I try to say, he might have taken a back seat. We'll see you the next year when your contract's up. You see why you try to give Dame the keys, then. I'll be in this pocket like this. Give me this goddamn keys back, man. Who keys to these right here?

Whose keys to these, man? He's my keys, man. It's my team, man. It's my team. So last thing before we move on, D-Ride. You played two seasons in Portland. Yeah. With Dame, you were in the building for that game winner.

Oh, man. Over the Rockets in 2014 to get the Blazers passed the first round, fourth time in 14 years. I went back and watched the clip last night. But what does Dame Lillard mean to the Blazers City of Portland and just the culture of that Portland basketball? I believe he means everything. How he's embraced Portland, moving his whole family.

If you go to Portland, there's a lot of Lillard's out there, because his whole family has moved from Oakland to Portland. So, like, he's good everywhere he go. I know he's open businesses out there. He's done plenty of things in the community. The people love them. And anybody that played in Portland, we already know, it don't matter if they here or here, the fans are going to come out,

they're going to be loud, they're going to support. So when things are going well and somebody like Dame that shows so much loyalty to them, and kind of, you know, the reason why he went to Milwaukee because they were trying to, you know, lose games and get picked. So that town loves them. And, you know, just doing those things at a young, young age early in his career,

making big shots and kind of putting the team on his shoulders. when we needed them. So that place really loves them. I'm happy to ease back. For sure. And then for you, too, we've been talking a lot about Mike and Nory,

basically said it's going to be tough to put John Dame together in the starting back court and he don't care who starts, he cares who finishes. We got into it yesterday about it. We talked about a little bit over the course of the season,

but when you look at that, you think that that can work with the blades with John Dame together in that same back court. I think it has this challenges because you have two small guards that don't defend. So in today's NBA,

that that is problematic. The guys, the league is getting taller through the skill positions. You know, you're seeing so many guys now. Yeah, I'm, I'm sick. We're talking about Denny Obney. I'm talking about Denny Obney. I'm six, nine, six eight. I do what you do?

You know what I'm saying? This summer I was in Vegas, I seen AJ DeBance. I took a picture. I was like, this boy look at me in my eyes. Like, he's 610. Yeah, I'm 6'10, but I'm small forward. I'm a small forward. So when you have two smaller guards

and they don't defend, there will be challenges. And there will be times where Drew Holliday. they probably will be the best option to go along with to compliment one of the other guys. But I'll say this, I'm at least going to come out there the first four, five games out of respect for who Dame and Jha have been. Yes.

And let those two guys figure it out. I'm going to say, hey, man, listen, we're going to see what it does. But over the first four or five games, let's see what it looks like. And if it don't look good, then I can go to him and say, listen, guys, I gave it to you five games, man, your defense is nothing to stink or whatever. But you never know. They might do well. But I'm going to give these guys a certain amount.

of games to try to figure it out before I just try to make either Dame Lillard, who is, like you just said, Mr. Everything in Portland, make him come off the bench or Jai Morant? You could possibly lose Jai. Jai's trying to get everything back, and now you got him coming off the bench. So I'm going to take some time. If I'm

the head coach, I'm going to start both of these guys early on knowing that I can always make the adjustment. I agree. 1000%. And if it's the two, it's got to be John Moran. But I I agree with offense being your defense sometimes. You know what I mean? Somebody like John Morant.

He's putting pressure on the other guard. You know, a Brunson. I don't see that Brunson being able to stay in front of either one of those guys. So I feel like that offense can also, you know, eliminate and erase some of the stuff that you don't do well on defense. So I really want to see them do it. I wish that coach would have never came out and said that. I felt like that was kind of weird. Why would come out and say it?

And listen, hey. And my mom used to always tell me, hey, listen. everything you think you don't need to say. You know what I'm saying? Sometimes you just think it, let it go. But you didn't need to come out there and say that. Now they're all looking around like, so which one of us you think ain't going to start?

What you mean? What you mean? I ain't going to start. Oh, man. The who? The owls of that? Who? You started looking around.

He can't be talking about me. Yeah, man. Hit the ones. Hey, man, can you imagine T-Maran on the front row if Jion ain't starting? Oh, man, Tee going to be cutting up. Man, ain't got to worry about cheating. You know Nike's going to be on the front row? Yeah.

Nike going to be on the front row? Yeah, cut him. And we talk a lot about the starting aspect of it. What about the finishing aspect of it? But you guys talk about the mental, you know, some guys can't come off the bench. They got to be starters. But now five minutes left in the game,

this is the lineup we're rolling out in winning time. And one of them is not a part of that. How much more of a bigger issue with that way? That's why what the coach said makes zero sense. Oh, man, we can't start out with this lineup because they're too small and they can't defend, but we can finish with it? What sense does that make?

You want to bet, like, if we can't start with that lineup, but damn sure can't finish with it. If the problem is they are too small and they can't defend, I'm going to tell you guys the secret, they're going to be too small and can't defend the last five minutes of a ball game.

So either we're going to make these two guys work together or we're not. The biggest thing is what I think a coach's best attribute is trying to figure out ways to cover up for the weaknesses. It's not always, just, okay, you go sit down. It might just be like, you know what? When Dame was playing, when Dame and

CJ played together, they went out there and got big wings to try to cover up the fact that these guards, they're small that they don't defend. You got to go get some rim protection, whatever it is. You got to figure out ways to try to hide these guys. That's what a good coach does. You don't just say, nah, man, you ain't starting.

Because if you want them to finish, if this guy's good enough to finish, he's good enough to start. What are we doing? I agree. It's actually really a dumb statement when you really think about it. It was dumb from a timing stamp. I know.

I hate that. I'll be saying it. Y'all make sense. It was dumb from a timing standpoint. And then when you think about bigger picture, okay, they're too small to start together, but they're not too small to finish together? I don't know, man.

That seems a little wild to me. Yeah, it makes no sense. Well, that's why we have you. But it just ain't me. Okay. Yeah, nah, it ain't just you. Like I said, when you write, you're right. You just rarely write.

I'm always right. Sometimes it just takes time. It just takes time. It just takes a little time. There it is. There's the right right there. All right. All right.

All right. Also made his return to the court from an Achilles injury after missing nearly 16 months. Last time we saw Halley on the floor was game seven of the 2025 NBA finals. So Halley and the Pacers

opened their preseason at his alma mater, Iowa State, taking on the Y Amber Wolves. Hallie celebrated his return to basketball by buying every student section ticket in the arena. giving current students an opportunity to attend the game for free. And he proceeded to show fans that he's ready for this season.

So let's take a look at those highlights at the Halliband making his return. Good game too. This was a very interesting game. Howley looked good against the Wolves, who once again played all five of their starting five. One of the most electrifying starting fives in the league. Halliband finished with 7.6 assists, just one turnover in 16 minutes of action, appeared to be moving very well on the floor. I know you're not a Pacer's fan, but this is an interesting thing.

So Halley started the game wearing a number 22 jersey paying homage to his Iowa State number before switching back to number zero. And then on the... On the Timberwell side, they were also very impressive. Ant Man led the team with 19 points. Lamello Ball had 14-7 assist in four boards. Jada McDaniels had 16 points as well.

But this night, all about Tyrese Halliburton. Shout out to this. The league shot to the Timberwolves agreeing to play this game at Iowa State. What leg was it? It was his right one, I think right as well, yeah. Okay. It was his right one, right?

Let me double check. Don't be out here, stat boosts. Don't be out of here, stop boosts, don't be out of giving the wrong info to the people. No, we always want to be correct. Joe, which one was it, Joe? Right at Kidley's Tilly. Okay.

Okay. Let me show you something. Go back. This is what I look at. Okay. And this is what, if I'm playing him, this is what I'm playing for. Two on one. I'm gonna show y'all something.

This is my expertise. Okay. When I'm looking for a weakness in someone. And this is to tell Hallie to focus on this particular movement. Okay. What movement we're looking for? I'm gonna show you. Be what we have a very...

Get ready to pause it. If we can, is him coming off, I think, the next pick and roll. Watchers some. Never get enough. Highreys Halliburton Highland. and highlight. Okay, I think it's this. Pick him out right here. Yeah, right here. Right? Okay. Watch. He's gonna drag, he's gonna carefully drag his right foot.

Yeah, so now play it fast. Damn, how do you see that, man? That's what I'm supposed to be looking. That's what I'm looking. Now playing fat, now play it fast. A cripple guard can spot another crippled guard from a far. Now, go back, now go back and, now go back and watch it in real time. Okay. And this is those, these are the little things, we won't know we're doing, but I will catch it on tape, so watch.

So instead of him pushing off of it, so instead of him going and pushing off of it, he's safely sliding it. Safeguard it. Hey, man, we... You know who he is, man? Gilles, like, the smart guy in the hood that don't want nobody to know he's smart

that, like, Hodge his books in the pizza box. Because, like, that's an excellent point that I didn't see. Like, you don't be wanting people to know you really know your basketball. You want the hot tank? That was incredible, bro. Because I didn't catch that at all. I didn't catch that at all.

Like, that push off wasn't push off. Hey, hey, that push off didn't. That push off didn't. It just didn't get all the way there, did it? It's just like, when you normally push off, you see them guard. They plant that leg and they create that space. That thing was dragging, buddy. He figured out how to safeguard.

But those are the things that because we're practicing, we learn how to do certain things, but in a game in real time, and that's what that's all I'm looking for. That's why I said, what leg was it? Did you watch that clip before? No. You picked that up in real time. Real time. Wow. Boy, listen, hey man, you're on your way, boy. You better be the next little bro. That's a, no. You're on your way, boy. You're on your way, boy. You're going to get your own breakdown show. I swear to God, y'all. No, you remember the game where I, when I did a crossover and Jason Kitt poked it, boom, right?

And then I did it, somebody did it the other way and he didn't get it. I was like, damn. And then I realized one of his arms was like this. Right? Jason Kidd. Right? It didn't, so it's like, oh, he must have broke his arm once. Right?

It's like, it's not fully extended. One of his arm don't extend it? They're not extended. So I said, you know what? He got like the. No, no. not that far. It's just like,

he's just like, you got like the little lawn like buddy from three six months no, no, no, no, no,

no, you know, like, you know, like, yeah, with the little arm, yeah.

He had the towel in his hand was never wiping no sweat. Come on, then come on, man, you all remember that,

man, y'all, y'all, y'all can't tell you. No, no, no. We didn't know until the while.

J. Kidd get the little arm. So he just, it's just like he broke it and then it didn't get the full extension. When I noticed that I only crossed over Like buddy from scary movie with the little hand?

Made it by hand. Yeah, yeah, was that it? Nope. I didn't ever know that by Jay Kid. I played with Jay Kid, man. No, yeah, it was just like one, it's like it was broken. So when I did the crossover,

I only crossed over to that knowing he couldn't get that little inch wouldn't get there. That's crazy. So it just, you know. I didn't, man, that was actually incredible work right there. I did not see that in real time.

But those are the little things. That's the difference between returning to the court and returning to performance. When you do that step back, like I said, Gil just showed the clip in real time. A lot of those guards, when they plant that leg, they are creating so much space off that step back.

When you got to drag that leg, that's not the same step back. And those are the little things that, yeah, that's when you see a guy say, yeah, I was back, but I didn't feel like myself until year two. No doubt. Those are the little plays like that,

But usually you don't because we don't see it. And that's why I say for him, now that you know it, you can consciously like get the time. It's just a timing, just re-timing that. Get on the, like, what was it, a treadmill? A treadmill and just push off on it. Man, listen, man, that's probably the most important, most impressive film work I've ever seen from you, man.

Oh, yeah, we never watched film together. That's why. No, we did. No, in the game, but just me, like, when I'm watching. No, I'm saying, like, though, that was like, You never, like, jumped in the film room and gave us anything constructive. Half the time you're back there asleep. Like, I'm glad you woke up for this one.

That was some good stuff right there. That's high level. You're going to take the show over the top. I already watched the film. I don't need to watch it again with them. Just give me the ball. What kind of leadership of you? See, that's why we ain't win no games in D.C.

We did win games, though. You know what? We did have a winning record, though. When you think about it, we did. Our injury year that don't count. And then them three were, yeah, we didn't have no distance. We played y'all two years in a row. In Miami?

Yeah. No, only one year. Yeah, one year. No, y'all put us out to one year. Other than that, we kept, we could find us that big-haired guy in Cleveland with the head. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, we saw y'all once, and after that it was like, gone every year. That was 0-5.

Yeah. We was over here thinking like, you know, we might want that Cleveland team. But then we realized. No, what, never mind. Yeah. Where the bulls at? Yeah. Got swept by the heat and the conference semi?

Yeah, Shack didn't even play the last game. Last two. Last two? He didn't come to D.C. Dang it. He didn't come to C. Yeah, I don't need... I don't know.

But you know why we got swept, though, right? Because he disrespected D. Wade. You remember we were talking crazy about D. Wade? That's at the beginning of the season. No, no, no. You were talking crazy at the beginning of the season. He remembered at the end of the season. I tried to say sorry.

He didn't take your call. I remember that. Who'd you called Tav? No, no, no. No, I called him. He answered. He's like, uh-huh. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

All right. Hold on, hold on. So let's walk that back in real time, just so we had it. You were talking crazy about D-Wade to start the season. Oh, okay. It wasn't D-Way them, it wasn't him. It was the idea of we can just sit them in the zone like the USA team, right? Because they can't shoot.

That was what I said. So you said, you didn't have to guard D-Wade because he can't shoot. Yeah. And then after you said that before the playoffs. No, no, no, no, no. Before this season. Remember this is before the team. Yeah, you said it before the team.

season, but when we saw them in the playoffs, you tried to call and apologize? No, nigga, I called him when he came to D.C. Game 1 when we played him in regular season. Come on, man. Regular season, because you were talking shit. Y'all was talking shit like. Yeah, you remember what you said by D.A.? It looked like he cooking.

So you started looking like, uh, uh, oh. He got us in a couple days. So when they got the town, I called the hotel. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. Come on, bro. And then you remember. You remember. You can't talk big. You can't pop flying in a apologize?

Yes, I can. No, you can. When you see the numbers he was putting up coming to us, you see the tornado coming. You disrespected his jumper, and then you called his hotel room to apologize? Yes. I'm so, I'm so, I'm.

And then, did you see what he did? Oh, you forgot what he did out there. No, I didn't forget. I didn't forget. Larry Hughes got two quick files, and I don't know what coach thought, but I think he wanted to show me a lesson by putting me on Dway.

No, that was not a good move. And, yeah, he had like about 14 and two, three quick minutes. Yeah, opening up. And then, yeah, he had about, what, the 30-something that game. And I remember you said, well, Gil, he was right. He didn't shoot. He didn't have to shoot. You proved your point.

He didn't hit you with no three. He didn't hit you with a lot. He was in that motherfucker, picking, rolling, spinning, dunking. A lot of lateral movement. Hey, yo, Larry Hughes is like, yo. I felt so bad You're like You know

Next time you talk Talk shit about somebody Make sure you're the one Gardening Real shit Noted Noted It is noted

You know I ain't even got a word About my position like that You ain't learned your lesson Because you did the same thing to Kobe But that's a story for another day But that was after Yeah

That was after the fact I did my thing first I learned my lesson Did my thing first You did it You did it You did your thing. You did your thing.

Yeah. I don't think we beat Miami until I got to Orlando. Nah, man. Dee Wade had you circled on the calendar every game at the game. I don't think I, I don't think we, yeah, I don't think I'd be Miami in too. Yeah, we played you guys pretty well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that big ass suit on over there watching.

But I remember. Hey, man. It was, right. Brother, he was on the team. Don't disrespect the suit game. Don't, don't get, hey, listen, you got, you put them hours in to get, put that suit on. Mm-hmm. Back to Tyrese Halliburton.

Uh-huh. If we can. Be right, looking at Halley, first game, 472 days, would the Tyrese Halliburton show you back on the floor? I'm sorry about that. No, no, sorry, this is Gilzarin, is what we do. I thought he looked solid. Going back to what we talked about, Dame,

being that older superstar, you know, Holly being that younger superstar, they're going to need him to do a lot. We saw that the season before he got hurt. This is facilitating, getting guys open shots, putting pressure on the rim, things of that nature. he's going to have to make sure that leg is 100% because it could be one of those things where you're dragging it now and now you're missing two or three weeks because of, you know, inflammation or swelling. So you want to avoid that.

So I think he will have to continue to do the rehab and do to all the things to keep him on that court for that longevity because I know from injuring myself dragging my leg and guys like, are you okay? I'm looking at you. Like, yeah, I'm good. Like, that don't look good. Yeah, yeah. So when you pointed that out, I can, you know, I resonate with that because that happened to me. I guess we're so talented that we can alter our game without even doing we did it and be fine, but it's like, yo, hey, hold on it. Like, nobody usually points it out to us for us to go, oh, consciously and work on and it fix it, so it's normal.

It's just usually just the time is just off just a little bit. Like, he can just do just a movement for a week, a week and a half, and it'd be fixed by the time the season starts. But it's actually, actually consciously knowing that you're doing it. It's getting the confidence back. It's getting the confidence back. You know what I'm saying? Like you said, like, in your mind, you think you're moving one way,

but your competition's like, yo, I used to see you move. And you ain't moving the same. And so, like, that's for Hallie, like I said, like, if somebody clips this and shows it to him, he needs to start, like I said, working on, making sure that step back is a step back, not a slide step. That was the slide step. That was the chah, cha-cha, slide.

That was the Cupid Shuffle. Hey, we don't need the Cupid Shuffle. We need the step back jumping to create the space. You know what I'm saying? We don't need down, down, do that thing. Like, no, we don't need that. We need the step back because that's a difference type of shot. But I think that, like you said, look at the film,

understanding where I have to get better, what you have to do to get stronger, continue to work on that leg. But I think the underrated move they made was bringing the Zubak. I think Zubak is going to be huge for their pick and roll game. I like Zubak for Hally way more than I like Miles Turner. And I like Miles Turner, but Miles Turner wants to pop a lot more. Zoo wants to get in that lane and get dirty.

Zoo's going to get in there. And not only is he a live threat, he's one of the few big men in this league outside of the true bigs that can score it. When he catches it inside, he knows what to do with it. Like some of these bigs, when you put a smaller guy on them, they don't know what to do. But Zoo's like, no, I get to a righty jump hook, pump fake, step through. He got all the touch shots inside Can activate it throw it to the weak side So I think that Halley Zubak pick and roll

Is actually going to be really good for the Pacers And that's going to help Halliburton out at the beginning of the season So I bring you my next point Gil I know you're not a fan of the Pacers The Pacers were ass last season No Halley Trying to get a draft pick did not work out As a result of that Zoo trade

But last time Hallie played Pacers finished Fourth in the East went 12 and 4 In the first three rounds of the playoffs series wins over the Bucks, Cavs, and Knicks to advance to the finals for the first time in 25 years. Largely, same roster as that Eastern Conference Championship team, with the exceptions, obviously, of Miles Turner, Ben Matherin,

who were replaced by Aviza Zubach and Kelly Ubre. So, do you right we're going to start with you because I don't want to hear what Gil has to say? You don't? No, damn. I'm trying to figure out how far. I'm just saying the year they went to the finals, nobody was like, oh, we're rocking with this Pacer squad like that.

I was. Remember I had my pacer gear. Man, you switch your gear off every time a new team win, you put different gear on. The journey switch. Fair weather fan. Lendary moment. But are people sleeping on the Pacers this season? I wouldn't say sleeping. It's all up to Halliburton. You know, he's the head of the snake of his team. He's the, you know, the guy that's getting everybody there shots and making the game easy.

Seacum, he's still there. You know, he got to have a big year. Zootbox, I think, is definitely a big upgrade for Miles Turner. because him being more of a bruiser, he rebounds a ball much better, and he can facilitate. That east is kind of deep, so I don't see them being like,

you know, back to the Eastern Conference finals or to the finals. I could see them being competitive, but not getting over the hump. Yeah, the Pacers are a very, they're going to be a competitive team. You still got Pascal. You still got Halliburton.

We both like what Zubak brings to the table, walking double, double. But, but, the last time the Pacers were running, the finals, the East was a lot different. It was. The Knicks got a different swag now, the NBA champions. Philadelphia got a totally different roster.

We know that's one of the best rosters in the league. Can't argue with that. The Miami Heat were a playing team last time. You've seen them. Now they got Janus and Bam together. Wiggins, all the boys. Hey, listen, that's not, the Miami Heat are going to be a lot better. The last time they were on that run, the Detroit Pistons were some pups.

Not Detroit Pistons coming off a year where they're one of the best teams in the Eastern conference. That East is so much different now that I'm not sure of this version of the Pacers is going to be able to run back to the finals. I think that they caught lightning in a bottle. They had an incredible year, an incredible moment. They did it for the city. Everybody was rally behind them. Truthfully, man, listen, if Haley don't get hurt in that game, maybe they even win an NBA championship. But the fact of the matter is the East is so much different now. I can't see them today. If I had to predict, I wouldn't predict them to be one of the top. three teams in the Eastern Conference.

Now, I could be wrong. I've been wrong many times before. I'm just saying when I look at the Eastern Conference, it's a lot different, and I think the Pacers are going to be a really good team, like Dorel said, but I don't think they're going to be that championship level team or that team that's capable of winning a championship like they were two years ago. I mean, it's the same thing I said. They're going to be somewhere at the bottom for me. Damn, the bottom. I didn't say the bottom. Now, hold on now. Hold on.

No, I mean. What you mean the bottom? Like playing? or you mean like like like past the plane? Yeah, they could be like play in like seven, eight, ten. Yeah, I mean, you look at the Eastern Conference. Not even nine, but seven, eight or ten. Seven, eight or ten. Okay. Yeah, I mean, you got a lot of teams in the East.

Like you got, you got, you still got Miami, Philly, Detroit. Cleveland, Boston. Cleveland, Boston, Washington, Orlando. Atlanta ain't no walking apart. So like when I look at this Pacers team, I'm not telling you that they're going to be in the box. bottom, but playing is really in their realm of possibilities based on how good the Eastern conferences.

Atlanta was nothing last time the Pacers were running through. Like the Atlanta's a real team. They're a real team now. Okay. Well, we will see. 10. 10, I mean, that's... Joe, where you got, you're looking real...

Ten. Joe, like you... Joe, where you got a fish in the top, too? I just host, Brendan. Huh? Ten. No, but it's like when you really think about... But if one of those things that don't look amazing to me on paper, right, when you talk

about that stack, East of Commerce, but where the guy, like, how Halley back there running the offense. I just wouldn't be surprised. I can see it. You got them finishing in front of Orlando? That's what I'm saying. Now, if Apollo and Prons can stay healthy. And we don't even think Orlando's going to be one of the top three or four teams.

That's always one of those teams like, yo, if you guys can stay healthy, you definitely have an opportunity to be top five, top six in the east. But there's going to be so many moving parts with a lot of these teams. Everybody looks great on paper right now. Yeah. Who's actually going to really get to it in this 82? But you're trying to give it to a team that literally mentally went through losing all last year. And even with the losing, he's not there, but the other players were there.

And they wasn't even competitive. But they got Hallie and his... Like I'm talking, like, you're the second option. Now you're the first option with nobody around you. Nobody. And you don't bump up to 28, 30, 32? Like, that was your chance to be a superstar. That was your chance to be Jalen Brown.

Yep, exactly. No. Regular old you. Tells me, where's the growth in anyone? Did anyone grow last year? If you're not, that means you're still in that year waiting for your superstar. When I was, when I was gone, two motherfuckers made an All-Star team. True.

They're taking on the production. No one took the production on here. I agree. So it's like, eh. Yeah. You're out, you're outdated information. I felt like a franchise that was willing to take a gap year that season, you know, saw the prospects of a loaded draft. So let's get to it.

Obviously, lost that pick. But even still, like he said, even in a gap year, year. It seemed like Boston was going to have a gap year, but Jalen Brown was like, nope. He went here to Gil's point. I hate to say this, man. He's been actually right a couple time. But he's like, when you look at the Pacers, there wasn't these guys that you're like, oh, yeah, yeah, when they get this guy back, because these other two dogs are right here, it's just like everybody kind of stayed the same. The biggest thing is they stayed the same. The East got better. That's what it comes down to, Joe.

for me. I think the patients are a really good team if we're talking about two years ago. That east, not this east. This east is different. This east is going to be a gauntlet. Well, Brenda, speaking of the east, getting better. Let's shift over to South Beach. He'd have struggled for years to land a big-name superstar to continue the franchise's championship legacy. With some opting to duck what's become known as heat culture, the demanding, discipline-driven organizational ethos established by the franchise under Pat Riley, which prioritizes the physical condition, intense accountability, and team first self-fulness above individual startup. So Yannis... Wait, is that like some shit that's written in the wall or something?

I don't know, but we got derailed so we're going to hear all about heat. I need stories, bro. I need some stories about this heat culture, brother. That's heat culture. But Yannis hasn't even played a real game with the heat since his blockbuster trade back in June, but has quickly embraced the culture of his new team in an exclusive interview with the athletics,

Eric Name, who covered the Greek Creek when he was in Milwaukee. Yonis offered his thoughts on heat culture saying, it's real and I love every effing second of it. I'm not even going to lie. It gives me goosebumps. It's almost like being alive again. So we have our resident expert on all things heat culture where you started your career. Yes. You've been on this couch in years past talked about.

Strict standards that they held y'all too. But Dior, what are your thoughts on Yannis embracing heat culture and saying he loves every effing second of it? Yeah, I love it. You know, my brother got an opportunity to play with Yonis. know what type of, what type of player he is, what type of person he is, and the worker. If you're willing to work, Miami is the perfect place for you. I always recommend those places for guys that want to, you know, like a John Morant, they want their career to get back on track.

That's the perfect place for those type of guys. If you want to win and know every single day you got to put your heart on, that's the perfect place. So, Yon is me knowing what type of person he is, I feel like he's that type of guy, that he coached her guy. It's going to be difficult. He has a coach that's aspiring that's going to challenge him. and it's going to hold them accountable every single day. And also Pat Rowley as well.

You're going to have a lot of talks with Pat, you know, throughout the year, bring him in the office. So it's going to be interesting to see that team because now they have those pieces around Yonner. So when he's putting that pressure on the rim, he's finding Clay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins. And just the defense is part of that team as well. I'm excited to see. But it's going to be difficult. It's going to be some days that he don't want to go in there because the workload is too much.

Well, listen, man, I've heard about heat culture. With his coach, it wasn't nowhere like heat coach. I know that for sure. But I need some stories of what, because when we hear heat culture, I need you to give people like a story of like, this is what heat culture is, like whether it be you or somebody else you saw,

like this is something that we had to go through that ain't nobody else doing. Yeah, weight and body fat every week. You know, you come in there, you got a sign on the wall, on a whiteboard, weight and body fat. Guards got to be six in below. Six percent body fat?

Six percent. Queens got to be eight, the big's got to be 12. And then your weight got to be in this little range that, you know, they put you in that category. So just imagine, you know, one night you want to go out, hang out, eat some bullshit, you know, drink, and then you got weight and body fat the next day. You're going to be in that steam room. So I've seen plenty of guys in there trying to get those extra pounds off, get that body fat down because it was real.

And it was consequences to everything. You're going to get fine. They're going to find you in Miami. And then you're going to do pre-practors. You're going to be here before practice. Oh, what the hell is free? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pre-practice.

Hey, brother. Pre-practor. Hey, brother, what the hell is pre-practice? Wait, hold on, I ain't nothing experience now. What is pre-practice? So pre-practice happened when I went back to Miami. So when I first was there, if you wouldn't hitting those numbers, you had to work on the bike or the treadmill 45 minutes.

And then pre-practice came for, okay, we're going to run these things in practice. So all the guys that are not getting and understanding, I need you here 30 minutes before. We're going to run through all the stuff we're going to do in practice. And then that was pre-practice. So just imagine somebody telling you, you got pre-practice tomorrow. your ass here 45 minutes before.

Take them ready to go. I ain't never had no pre-practice. I didn't ever had no pre-practice. But just that alone tells you, and it kind of shows like that every organization is not built the same. No doubt. So there's advantages to being drafted

to a team that structure like that. A team that's like San Antonio, a team that's like, or Dallas. Right. Right. And then you got motherfuckers out there, the organization is losers, and so you're going to be a loser. No doubt. Like, I got drafted to the early Golden State.

Yeah, right. Where when you get there and you sit here and practice at 11 o'clock, you there at 10, and then motherfuckers coming there at 10.55, 1115, 1135. We already started practicing. You got Mookie Baylock coming in there, like, all right. That was my experience. He was coming at what time? 11.35 from golf right on the court. Like, you know, 11 o'clock practice?

Didn't even have a uniform on. Just put the shit, just put his basketball shoes on. Time out, time out. He had his golf equipment. He had his golf uniform on? Brother, he's coming in there. He had the golf polo? Yeah.

With the basketball shoes. Nah, you're lying. Put his shit down. You lie. You lie. Bro, put his shit on. And then subbing a nigga out. Like, just.

He subbed him with the golf shirt on? Get the hell out of here, man. Get the hell out of here. Did that? I never told you all. It was like, it was like, it was. Hey man, come on, man. Listen, it was so bad, listen, it was so bad that when they fired the coach and they

broke in Brian Winters, Brian Winters was like, you know what, no more practice. We're not having no more practice the rest of the year, just come to the games. So when I took Larry Hughes, when I didn't take Larry Hughes's a spot, Larry got hurt, I got the spot, right? He had to sit out a couple weeks. So there was no practice for the spot back. Right. So I'm averaging like 15,

rookie of the money and stuff. So when Larry is coming back, he just coming back as, you know, the backup. Back up two now. Because we're not having practice for him to whoop on me and get a spot back or work play.

So we just come into the games. Wow. That's great. That's how it was. Wow. That's the worst culture. That's anti-heat culture. That's the worst culture I've ever heard of in my life.

And then, you know, then we got muscle in the next year. Now, that was a whole 360. We had to do like, four sets of up and down tens. I would have lost my, I would have lost a starting position if, what's his name,

from Cincinnati, Logan. Oh, yeah. Steve Logan was in shape, there was no age of zero. Oh, he was mopping. Boy, he was mopping. He was mopping. He was cold.

Steve Logan was, in college, he was sneaky. Yeah, oh, he was sneaking. He knew out of him, like, I remember I'm a shooting guard trying to be the point. He was the point. So all the little pick and roll of the things he knew how to do. Oh, yeah, he was putting me through the, he over there throwing him.

He was like, yeah, boy. So we had, you had to do this to actually come to training camp. So, you know, him, Danny Fortson, they couldn't really, they couldn't do, they couldn't pass that drill to get the training camp. That was muscleless thing. Right? So then, you know, when I got to Washington, we had, we had what we had. But then when I got to Orlando, that was a whole different thing. Yeah.

They're doing blood tests. Yeah. Right. They're checking food allergies, right? You got to. And that's the difference. That's what people don't talk about enough. Everybody just goes out there and be like, oh, man, you win or you lose.

Now, how your organization sets stuff up, that matters. Matters. Hey, bro, D-Wade don't become D-Wade. No disrespect to D-Way. But if he's not in that heat system to start out, If he went to Charlotte. Exactly. Well, I live in Charlottes.

I know, no, no, okay, I might want the tickets to the game. New Orleans, who are the New Orleans. Hey, listen. So, but to your point, your culture matters, where you go matters, who you're, like, all right, everybody has to come in this way. Now you know you have to be that way. Then that discipline, listen, players, we will fight discipline, but discipline makes you better. Then that discipline takes you to another level and you start winning.

Your culture, like, though, if D.A. would have went to the way to the way, that Mookie Blaylock golf polo culture you were talking about, it wouldn't have been the same thing. He'd have been bringing guns to the locker room. Now, probably not that. If you was in there when I was in there, you had to defend yourself. Guns and lock, lock, it's still wild,

but we're going to let it ride. Just so you know what I went into. We're playing Denver Nuggets. Danny Fordson and George McLeod. George McLeod was an old-school gangster. Yeah, yeah, yeah. People forget about how gangster George McLeod was. They get into it, right?

Yeah. So they get kicked out of the game, right? So after the game, I'm walking. George McLeod, a young fella hit on the shoulder, boom, like over. Hit you? No, no, yeah, like, you know, like stop me. But to stop, my body wasn't ready for that kind of pressure. Yo, your fellow, tell Danny I'm outside.

I'm waiting for him. Let's finish this. All right, all right. Hey, Danny, Jerusalem, Claudey, he's outside. side, wait for you. This man said, oh yeah, I've been waiting for him, right? He put his socks down like that. The man had a razor blade, right? He had a razor blade. Danny Fordman played no game with a damn raised blade. Now imagine. I'm calling. I'm calling Cal. I swear to God.

He didn't play no NBA game with no razor blade. Two. Like it was, you know how like it's, like it's been in the whole game. So when he takes it off, you got a little spot right there. What was he fresh out? I don't know, brother. Did Danny do a bid or something? That is jail activity. Whatever it was, he was ready for it. He was ready for George. That's what I was, that's the NBA team I came on to. But to your point.

Cocaine out of the sock? Okay, I didn't know about the cocaine. Wow. It's a hell of a drug, you're not going to mention it. In the game! In the game! Please don't. Hey, brother.

You might want to pick that little silver bag up. Please don't mention whoever's name had the cocaine. We were just playing the blazers. We were just playing the blazers. We were just playing the blazers. That's it. But my point being at that moment of time

he probably needed it. I'm not touching it now. People got kids and everything. I'm not messing with that. But to your point, that's what we're talking about. Everybody thinks you walk into an organization. The average fan thinks it's the same. Man, if you walk into it as a young player

and you got all that structure like the heat and then you compare that to the no structure that you got, that's two totally different, that's two totally different beats. Even when I went from the Wizards to Dallas, that's a totally different structure. So, discipline and it's totally required. Man, all that grabbing the offensive rebound and shooting it every time I got it. He wouldn't pass the ball.

So if I got an offensive rebound, I don't care where. I'm getting it up. Man, Rick Carlisleau pulled me in that office so quick. He said, listen, man, don't you ever shoot that shot here again. your job is not to score. Your job is to get the offensive rebound and kick it out to dirt. I made the mistake of looking dirt off. That was why he was really pissed off.

He looked at the tape. He's like, I see you, and I know that you see him. You see that man in the corner? He said, that is over 20,000 points. Don't you ever look him off to take your raggedy-ass jump hook. Dang. Yeah. And the jump hook, it rimmed in and out.

It wasn't like it was a bad show. But it was to the point of that's not what we do here. No doubt. We're not wasting possessions for you to shoot your jump hook and get your shot off, boy, that ain't for you. Yeah. Like, that's a total, like, playing for Dallas was a different culture than playing for the Wizards.

And when we talk about whether it's your role players, your rookies, or even your star players, coming in with a different culture matters. No doubt. That OKC culture is different than a lot of cultures in the league. That San Antonio culture is a... Hey, San Antonio is always there, anything? Certain things are required.

So when you got those different cultures, they set the tone for what their players are and what they become. Yeah, structure is everything, man. I took that with me the rest of my career because I didn't know no better. And a lot of vets used to come in and be like, Youngfell, this ain't the real NBA.

And I never knew what those guys meant until I went on to next destinations. And I'm like, okay, now understand what those dudes meant. But I have to keep the same routine because I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be one, two years. Because you think about this, too. A lot of guys back in the day that left Miami, they were done after that.

Like, they didn't do, they didn't have, you know, years after that. It was like Miami. What do you mean back in the day? Oh, even, yeah, even in there. We see it now, guys that are bawling for the heat. You know what I'm saying? You'll look out there, they'll go to a different team. Yeah.

And they're not the same place. Hey, y'all see the way LeBron was looking at Gabe Vincent? Yeah. Hey, Braun, Brom gave him that look. But that wasn't the same Gabe Benson that we were seeing with the heat. It was different. You know what I'm saying? So we understand a lot of players, they leave the heat,

and they leave that culture, that structure, and they're not the same, and there's a reason for that. Let's talk about a player going to that culture. Yannis, 31 years old. We've talked about in the past superstars, not really rocking with that, especially once they put some time in the league. I'm not really trying to deal with all that.

You guys have compared playing for the heat to being in a prison with an ocean view. Damn. Prison? Prison, ocean view. To get ocean view. You get that. A guy like Janice who's wired differently, built differently, obviously just his whole story, how he came up,

how much he appreciates playing the league, spending his entire career in Milwaukee, and now being able to go to a destination like Miami, but saying I love every effing second of it. Okay, so no different than the KG, right? No different than any workhorse. Yeah. Remember, our workload is off of our environment.

So yeah, he might be the hardest worker in his franchise. When he gets there, that's a whole different beast. So no different than anyone else. When you get there, it's going to be a shell shop. When he thinks this is the day off because he usually get the day off, and they're like, no, no, no, no, we got to come in here, we got to do sprints, we got to do this, we got to do that. Those are going to, that's going to be different from him.

Yeah. Which is going to take him to a whole other level. Because you already have somebody who's an apex now, now you finally got an apex work ethic with an apex organization. So he's going to turn it to something different. I agree. Right, but he's going to get a shell shock, right?

Like he's loving it now, but this is, that's just training camp. I think he's going to love it all you. Yeah, no, he's going to love it all you. Because the thing is, now he's going to be like, yo, I'm pushing the tempo. Oh, snap. All these guys are keeping up with me

because they are top tier shape too. Exactly. You know what I'm saying? Sometimes you look at Milwaukee, he'd be pushing that tempo. Hey, y'all have been looking back. Mike Winnerner's, Rick Lopez, they passed the Frito line. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah. Chris, Chris Middlefield? Like, like, he's looking. Now he's going to get out. Everybody's running. Yeah, we got to get out and run. Everybody, yo, everybody's in shape. So I think that's going to be good for you.

Like I said, that's probably why Janus likes it because Janus never duck the grind. Yonis always wanted to work. And now he's like, oh, all you guys got to work just as hard as me? Yeah, we're going to have some good times. And we're going to defend? Janice, Bam, Wiggins, Davey on Mitchell, they about to win,

they're about to win, I'll say, 25 games this year alone off strictly defense. Yeah, I agree. Strictly defensive games where you say, dang, they made that team shoot, you know,

sub 30% from three. You know, they had one of those nights where they weren't scoring, but, you know, that team only got to 103. That team only got to 101. They're going to have a lot of those nights

because they got a lot of defense. A lot of defense. And they're going to be in tip-top shape. You got all the defenders in Miami Heat Culture, We talk about that. Is Drew Holiday, is Drew Hunter still on a contract?

With the Blazers. No, is he sitting on a contract? What is this contract? We've got two years left. Player option next time. This season, they got an option next. Trust me, he opted into that too. Yeah, he's signed up like four-year-135.

Yeah, they got to move him too, and he is the guard that they would be looking for that kind of. I don't know, man. But Davey, I'm Mitchell. No, he's a net guy. I think who, yeah, but I think who, yeah, but I think who, If Miami does make a move, the guard they got to bring and got to be a playmaker. Yeah, okay.

Like I said, I love Drew Holiday for them, but I would really love Carrie Irving. The next guy, the next move that Miami made. John Morant. John Morant, possibly, too. And there's talk that the Blazers could potentially move John as well. Yeah. I don't see, I personally don't see, I personally don't see him in Portland that long. Same.

Because from the business side of it, you are Nike. This is your top seller. And you're trying to get the market that matches shoe sales to even get him back to being who he was. We already got Shay. We cleaned them up, put him in the Nikes, had him cut his braids. We're going to work on this one, and we're going to get him into the top tier market. So it all makes sense again.

But the thing is, though, today it... It matters. Does it? She's an OKC. Yeah. Braun was selling shoes in Cleveland. Brown. I'm just...

But remember, She just got switched to Nike. Yeah. I'm just saying... A couple months ago. Before Josh's shoe was the shoe? Whose shoe was the kids wearing before that? Cairoes.

And Kyrie wasn't in a big market. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Look at the shoe that blew up. As soon as he landed in Boston and he started coming out with all of them. Who? Who? The Kyrie's.

Them Kyrie's, when he got the Boston, that shit blew out of the water. It was Boston when his shoes blew up. Yeah. When he was in the finals, it was like, okay, when he got the Boston, them colorways hit,

them, them, sponge bobs and all that. That was Boston? Yeah, that was Boston. Damn. You right again. Because, you know, because, you know.

I'm having a bad day. We don't, we don't fact check deal on this show. Yeah. You know, I like this, because of the shoes, I always thought about stuff like that.

And then when Elijah got his contract, you know what I? I wanted to see if it still matched the same shit. Yeah. Tier one, tier two. Like, oh, that shit still the same. Same shit. Still the same.

Like, damn. I just don't, I still, I don't think job would be a good fit in Miami though. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think job was still, even, like I said, whoever, because I want that, whoever that guard might, if Miami,

if Miami does bring in a guard, I want it to be somebody that can get to it as a three-level score. Yeah, I agree. Because that's what they don't have. I'm not sure if they have a guard that's a closer. And so I would love this. I would love Drew is great.

Drew Holiday. He'd be a great addition. But if I'm Pat Riley, if I'm going to make a move for a guard, it's going to be a Kyrie Irving style guard, a guy that's like, yeah, he's going to be brought in here to do what these other guys don't do. We got enough defense.

I need a guy that can go get it. Yeah. I like Drew Holiday just because of the fact that he played with Yonet. Yeah. So he kind of understands him and gets him. Yeah. You know, he's going to get that ball off the rim and take off sometimes. You know, as a point guard, you want that ball.

Yeah. He's going to take off. So I think somebody like a Drew Holiday just gets it. And he's not a bad spot-up shooter as well. No, very good. So I agree with both. I think a Drew Holiday, Kyrie Irvin, would be perfect for those dudes. So let's talk a little more heat culture.

So you were there with Pat Riley, won a chip with Pat when he took things over. Yeah. Said, all right, I got it. You know. And then ended that shift into air exposure. So what was that transition like from Pat Riley, Eric Spolstra, and what does Spow bring, what are the differences between those two?

I mean, things with Spow just changed right away. Because, you know, when you've got an assistant coach that becomes a head coach, it's not the same. You know, the relationship is a little bit different because he's a head man in charge. Assistant coaches are a little more, you know, laid back and loose. But once he became the head coach, you know, he was super intense and he was about winning. And he was going to do whatever it took for us to be prepared, the best prepared team, the best in shape team. the best in shape team, and then the team that's going out there and play as hard as we can. So I love my time with Spoh.

He challenged me every single day, and he made me understand how important practice was, you know, playing hard in practice and letting that translate in the game and showing up on time and doing the work. So I think Spow really got him a great team, probably one of the better teams since LeBron, where those guys are going to buy in to everything he says, and they're going to do what he wanted him to do and he's going to lead those guys to some success this year, in my opinion. You mentioned early on, like, you weren't playing. Yep.

So, like, for a guy that's not playing in heat culture. Great question. Like, I've had guys tell me that play for the heat. The workout before the game was so hard. Yes. That even though they didn't have to, even though they were on the end of the bench, they were praying they didn't get in

because they didn't have nothing left for. Oh, for sure. 1,000 percent. It was one and one. Like, I got to kind of experience that a little bit like my last year in Cleveland when I wasn't playing. And it was like you go through the hard court workout

and all of a sudden you sit there in the fourth quarter and your team up 15 and you'd be hoping the other team make a run? You don't want your team to lose. But you, I don't want you to make this lead 25. So I got to get out there. I ain't move these knees in about two hours

and I'm tired. Was that an experience like that for the heat as well? 1,000%. I feel like, and I say this to this, to this day, I probably worked the hardest that any heat player has ever worked because I was so young, they never drafted nobody at high school, so they felt like

I just had to work, work, work, work. To beat them. Exactly. So I was on the court, taped and ready to go at 8.30 every single morning. Practice wasn't until 10 o'clock. So me and Keith Atkins would work from like 8.30 to 9.30. And then I go downstairs and get a lift

in. And then I have to come back upstairs and do practice. And then Then as soon as I was done with practice, go back downstairs in the weight room and get some conditioning in. So I was working around the clock. Game day, I'm there five hours before the game. You know, so I'm not in a way of nobody's shooting or their routine. I get my workout in with Keith Atkins, and then I got to do eight units of work on the sideline. What the hell is eight units of work?

Eight units of eight units. Hold on. He's got it. We ain't never heard of it. We don't play double digits in the league. What the hell of eight units? Eight units are. With eight units, explain the units, brother.

It might be two fours. Down back? Yeah, down, one, two, three, four. How many units is that? That's two. Okay, okay. I'm about this. Then go to six, where we have four.

Then it go to eight. It was six. Yeah. And then we'll probably go from the hash. It was the hash to like the frithal line somewhere, slides back and forth. So you always did eight units of work. That sounds about like 32 to 40 units. Facts.

When I'm adding it up. That's a little bit more than eight units. So that was your eight units. You had to get eight units of work in of some type of cardio. Whether that was a treadmill, you start from Ford, work your way all the way up, come back down. Man, there's levels to this, man. Heat culture. It's real.

Listen, like I said, I played on championship level teams. I played with Dallas. I played in Cleveland where, like I said, the culture was good, but we ain't ever had no eight units. I was a van Gundy. Oh, you know a little bit. We didn't have eight units. We had a nigga on spoole of. Remember, I'm just coming from the Wizards.

So I'm coming from the Wizards. You know, we'll be in the hotel. So he did this. He got cardio in the hotel? No, no. So he wants, yes, he wants the second practice on game day because he don't want to get off the court. So you know how you have an hour, like you can either pick the 10 or 11th slot.

He wants the 11th slot so he can go as long as he wants to. So nobody's making them come off. Oh, no. So if he couldn't get the, he couldn't get the last one, and he wanted to get the first one, we had to go in the, in the, in the ballroom, in the ballroom, taped and ready. Why are you taped at the ballroom?

Taked and ready. He'll draw the fucking lines, right? And you better go hard. You got niggas cut through the line. No, you're going hard cutting through on carpet? Cut through it on carpet. You better tie your shit up, and you better bomb them. On carpet.

Come on, brother. Handline. You know how you cut through? Bewin, you're about a bumpo! No, like, just so y'all know how different that is, I've been through shoot-arounds and ballrooms, too, but guys normally have on flip-flip. No, no, no.

Because they walk, we walk, we're in a ballroom. It's through it. It's a real walk-tru. So there was no walk-through. There was none of, you were, it was practice. Nah, I ain't ever had no ballroom practice. When we played them? Yeah.

11 o'clock We didn't get out of that bitch To 3.30 Nah, man, y'all ain't had a 4th He's playing 3rd He's playing sport. They fired him Man, we was in that mug like

Yo, are we just gonna save it for the game? We sent it for the game? We got to the hotel Took her shower, nigger back on the bus. Go grabby. Yeah. It's like, you know, I'm looking at the white light.

That's what kind of capital are you? That's insane behavior. No, he was, he was, it was, I ain't going to lie. If I, if, if I came her at the beginning, I was like, okay, this is, this is cool. Because what they did have, you didn't have to do nothing, meaning breakfast was there, lunch was there, pregame, and dinner. So your job, you don't got to spend no money on nothing. Just show up. I buy my own lunch before I go through a four-hour shooting around.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It wasn't that shit we had when we finally got, this was top, this was top tier. I know, and listen, hey, brother, I know you're trying to get to the yam? Yeah, but guess what? I could buy my own yam. I don't want no shoot around from 11 to 3.30.

And it had the club upstairs, so you didn't even have to go to the club out there. They had one upstairs. I do like that. No, I was like, it was like so. So the practice thing didn't even like, really fade because, like, you didn't have to do nothing. You just show up, they're going to do whatever we're going to do, but that, that man right there.

And, oh, he was different, too, bipolar. Yeah, yeah, before practice, oh, hey, B, Wood, how you doing, man? Coolest motherfucker on the earth. That clock time go down, that bitch hit zero. That nigga don't know you, no. I ain't. I can't say I'm experienced. He's your enemy.

I can't say I've experienced that. I was like, yo, like, he was, he was, he was, he was rough. Stan was intense. I worked with Stan was intense. I worked with Stan Turner for a couple years. He was just a great guy, man. No, that's what I'm saying, no. I would have never known he was that type of coach.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, like, when I say the best, like the great, he's the great guy. When it came to the game or basketball, like, I've never seen nothing like it. Like, he goes from smiling and enjoying, like chopping it up, and that time, What demon came out of this man? That's a different type of culture. That's what we're talking about. And he'll let you know I got nowhere to go.

We could be here all day. All day. Until we get this shit right. Mine's something to do. It's 18.0. We up 180. Muffer scored two baskets. Time out.

You motherfuckers don't want to win. Get them the fuck out of here. Whoa. Me, I'm on a bitch. Good job. Good job. That's how I beat some time. Get them guys out of here.

Give me some room. An I-Heart Radio experience. Carly Pierce, live at the Opera House, October 16th. Win your way in to the exclusive IHeartRadio sound check party, an intimate pre-show performance and Q&A. And then stay for the full show. Harley Pierce, live in Toronto. Enter now for your chance to win at IHeartRadio.ca. Stream Carly's new album, Honest Woman. Available now.

Whether it's a parley on Sunday or a straight bet on the big game, you get way more with Betway. Must be 19 plus Ontario only. Play responsibly. Concerned about your gambling, visit connectsonterio.ca. I'm Lacey Mosley, author, actor, stand-up comedian, creator, and host of Scam Goddess Podcast. The True Crime Comedy Podcasts, all about robbery, fraud, and those who practice it. Each week I bring on incredible guests like Conan O'Brien, Iowa Debris, Lamorne Morris, and Nicole Byer. Ooh, I scammed them.

What? I can talk to you for an hour. You're a generational yapper like me. That's why I had to make yapping a job. And the scams run the gamut. I'm talking about scams from the 1800s all the way up to today. I also warn you and keep you safe against scammers. Call your grandparents.

Tell your parents to stop clicking on links, please. And now you can catch. full episodes of my show on YouTube. If there's a scam, I'm here to protect you, and I'm also here to laugh with you. So if you like fun, if you like comedy, and you like learning and protecting yourself from criminals,

start listening to Scam Goddess on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Didn't catch the latest Roland Martin unfiltered podcast? Here's what you missed. And the argument is, do you want to win? If you

don't win, you have No power. It's real. Those are the very people who I always say vote against their own economic interest, and they complain about the very thing they're receiving. It's raw. I knew that the issue of transgender athletes was not going well with a lot of black men. Roland Martin unfiltered.

I went off, I said, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Y'all going to scream at Chanel, but you don't want to see a black luxury company in the same vein. Catch Roland Martin's daily commentary on the Black Information Network. 12 seats, those are moving south. So if you Democrats, you don't wait to 2030, you better be hitting the ground going hard in the South now. And download Roland Martin unfiltered on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts. Or wherever you get your podcasts.

It's Dramos, and I want you to meet the disruptors who are setting today's trends and discover those who are building what's next. People like Sebastian Yatra. Life is on the other side of fear. Introducing Global Flow, a new podcast where I sit down with disruptors across music, entertainment, business, and tech to break down what they're building, get the blueprint to how they got there, all while trying to figure out what's coming next. They'll share their stories, including not just the winds that we all see,

but the moments they had to persevere through when everyone counted them out. People like the co-founder of Buddy's Coffee, Rachel, who quickly went from being a New York Times success story to facing eviction. being, you know, deemed a successful business by, like, you know, I mean, so New York Times, like, as, like, a Puerto Rican girl from New York who didn't finish college was like, I was like, holy crap, like, I'm finally doing something. Like, maybe this is all working out. And then that day when the landlord comes in, it's like, you like, you like,

it all over that idea and he stepped on me. Listen to global flow as a part of the Michael Tuja Polda podcast network, available on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. So one more thing on this Janus heat culture front. Janice also compared his brief time with the heat and how their off-season preparation differs from when he's with the Bucks with Bam Out of Bio and Davion,

Mitchell, organizing a mini camp for the team in Los Angeles in September. While Janice says, he would not change how he approached things in previous seasons, he did speak on the stark contrast, saying, no, I don't regret it because you've got to deal with the personnel the team has. Brooke Lopez, not showing up a month early.

Chris Mendleton, not showing up a month early. Drew Holiday, not showing up a month early. like we knew what the deal was we knew that the moment we came and we were on the same page and the moment we were out everybody was doing their own thing when we were there

we were there said they were on a similar time like family and kids y'all hear that that's yon is backing the truck up over Brooke Lopez and Chris Middleton so you can't do your old teammates like that he's dirty for that you can't do it

and listen yon is bogus for that but but we're on the same time they had kids they were no i understand that but you don't You didn't got to say that. These, they got kids to. The difference is, Yonis, you didn't know that exists. Bam, Bam is the star player there

and whoever was before him started this. You're coming to it, learning this, just like anywhere. We only know what we know. Yeah, for sure. So whoever was there before you that taught you that, if you wasn't there a month and early,

they wasn't there. So it goes off of you. What you set in stone is what it is. So that falls on you, not them. But why you got to say it, though? Yeah. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you can just be like, listen, man, heat culture is great.

We had a great experience with Davion and Bam, organizing early run. I'm enjoying this. No doubt. You ain't got to be like, if Brooke Lopez will never come to this. You ain't got to, like Chris Middleton would never do this. I know they're at home. When they're seeing this, they're at home, man, they're on their phone line. You didn't bite me.

They probably dropped the phone, too. God damn it, y'alless? No way. I know we don't win a championship. I know he ain't talking about me like this. Real talk. Like, it's just one of those ones where it's like, yo, dog, I understand everybody's not perfect.

And in this situation, you're honest, I know you glad to be in a different environment. But don't forget about your dogs. No, for sure. You want to ring with those guys. We don't know if you're going to win here. Yeah. You want to want to rank, amen, respect that, man.

I agree. You know what I'm saying? Like this, man, everything wasn't perfect in Dallas when we won. But guess what? you won't hear me talk bad about nobody from 2011 because that's special. No doubt. You know what I'm saying?

Like, nah, man, hey, listen. Yeah, this guy, yeah, this guy, yeah, there's certain things I'm taking with me to the grave because guess what? That's family over there. No doubt. We went on a championship level team. That bond don't go, though. That, we all see each other 10, 15 years after you've been retired.

Man, I saw Sean Marion like this summer. That's my God. Pick up from where you left off. That's your guy. That's your family. So in this situation, if I was telling y'all, I'd be like, listen, I'm happy for you. I'm glad that you love heat culture but bro, don't forget about your dogs

that you want with, man, don't put their name in anything like that. Don't make it look like Brooke Lopez and Middleton look like they lazy, man, or like they don't want it. You know what I'm saying? You can just leave that part out of it. And that's just something that he probably got to do. And I don't feel like as much of laziness, but they were going to do their own shit, I'm doing my own shit.

Well, not lazy. You make it just seem like, well, listen, I know these guys would never do that. So whether you think they're lazy or maybe not as engaged or maybe whatever it is, maybe they have more obligations, but it's still not a good look to mention them in that light. I get it.

If I mention anybody from 2011, the next couple of sentences afterwards are going to be all positive. I agree. Anybody off that Mavericks team that I mention, if I get to talking about J.J. Barreya, Sean Marion, Jason, Kidd, whoever,

it's all going to be positive. Tyson, Chandler, because, like, yo, that's, those are my guys. I'm not going to sit there and say something and then, oh yeah, but it could have been X, Y, and Z. I just think that Yonis didn't need to do that.

But it's also cited, too, like, all right, who want to spend their summer in Milwaukee? Shout out to Milwaukee, fine city. Again. Still pay the family. Who want to be in South Beach? Who want to be in L.A. It's still leadership. It goes on you, but you only know what you know because of what you've experienced.

Yeah. Right? So I don't expect Yonis to even think about let's hold a pre-training camp. I remember when I first got to Washington, right? I got there what? Right after I signed my deal, I called Larry, hey, can you come down early so we can try to, you know, get our little work in there because I don't know nobody here.

He was like, hell no. No, no, he actually came, so he ended up coming in September. You remember when we started making the playoffs, everybody was there early. Everybody started getting at it before that. Our whole team was there, like pretty much. By the time Labor Day got there, everybody was there when we were playing pickup. We was already playing pickup, but before that, that wasn't a thing.

Can we ask a bigger question, though? if you're yonness and you're saying oh yeah i know i know that blake griffin wouldn't come to that what does that say about your leadership hey listen i just seen all the lakers in slovenia yeah a fine country bro i'm just saying if lucan can get the lakers over across the waters how come you telling me you couldn't get them guys to come to milwaukee summer fest they say attitude reflects leadership but again just to protect

did he do that with the Dallas team though? Who? Luca. No, but he got with LeBron. And he saw that. And Braun's doing this, this bring us together type shit. And he now, okay, oh, that's what this tier does. Right?

So you can only learn from, like, we just learn some shit today. We don't even play no more. Eight units. Eight units. Eight units. I'm gonna tell you this. Pre-practice. If Tair tried that shit,

nigga, you better watch out. I'm not doing one unit for you, I mean, slides you need too many. Pre-practice? That hell, dog. Yeah, pre-practice. What the hell of the pre-practice? Maybe you'll get out of here.

I'm gonna be there at 6 o'clock, but I don't want to pre-practice for you. Hell, no. Shit.