The Right Time with Bomani Jones - Tyler "DragonflyJonez" on Kyrie Irving's Injury, the Dallas Mavericks, and Legit West Contenders | 3.5

Episode Date: March 5, 2025

On today’s episode, Tyler "DragonflyJonez" of the Jenkins & Jonez Podcast joins Bomani Jones to discuss the latest around the NBA. The show begins with the news of Kyrie Irving tearing his ACL (4:15) and why the current vibe with the Mavericks players must be extremely bad. (16:25) Bo and Tyler debate who are the real contenders in the Western Conference and if fans want a LeBron vs Steph playoff series? (20:06) Later in the show they play a game of guessing what certain NBA players earned in their careers (35:54) and they breakdown the future for the Philadelphia 76ers after the latest Joel Embiid injury. (40:43) . . . Subscribe to The Right Time with Bomani Jones on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok for all the best moments from the show. Download Full Podcast Here: Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/6N7fDvgNz2EPDIOm49aj7M?si=FCb5EzTyTYuIy9-fWs4rQA&nd=1&utm_source=hoobe&utm_medium=social Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-right-time-with-bomani-jones/id982639043?utm_source=hoobe&utm_medium=social Follow The Right Time with Bomani Jones on Social Media:  http://lnk.to/therighttime Subscribe to Supercast for Ad-Free Episodes: https://righttime.supercast.com/ Support the Show: They Swoosh, You Save: when any player scores 50 or more points in a game during the 24/25 NBA regular season, DashPass members save 50% on an order, up to $10 off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the right time, a wave original. My name is Beaumani Jones. Thanks for listening wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for watching us on YouTube. Subscribe, like, rate us, review us, give us five stars. He only gives us four stars I'm inclined to believe you are a hater. Also, check us out in partnership with Supercast. We have got an ad-free version of the right time.

$5 a month plus bonus content. Check that out with Supercast. But right now is that time of week where we have a guest join us. One half of the illustrious Jenkins and Jones, Dragonfly Jones, knows what's going on. Hey, man. Good to be back, man. Always a pleasure to hop on with you, my boy. Man, y'all out here living that free agent life. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, our contract with the volume ran up, you know, for the Jenkins and Jones podcast. Nothing but great things to say about the volume, man. But yeah, the DMs are open for business. So if you want

to all that me, you know, if anyone wants to get some negotiations going, hit your boy up, Dragonfly Jones on Twitter. Yeah, but see, you living it in an interesting way because, you know, you got your own life already. You, this is more like fun employment. you know what I'm saying like you ain't got the job but you still got checks exactly this is for sure a supplemental stream of income for me because you know I I do have an actual real job that I work remotely even before it came away bro this is my 10th year doing this I'm never going back to the office but yeah this is this is for sure a supplemental thing but but beyond the money bro it's just something that you know I really enjoyed doing because I'm doing it with my friends you know I'm

proud of what me and my boys have built you know what I mean and we want to continue that so man I miss going to the office bro like and now granted my office was different magic johnson used to pull up every now and then you know what i'm saying it's different did i ever show you the picture of my office for game theory season one like those that that was different it was just going in and like doing fun stuff i'd be forgetting to y'all's jobs be whack yeah like i was like the house all the time like i worked i worked from home 20 years ago so it was like way before it was the wave and i was like no it's cool to go and see people but i've been at like radio stations and shit like that You know what I'm saying?

Yeah. Yeah. We for sure had some different experiences. I've had two office jobs in my professional life where I was the only black person in there. And that is no fun. Like, do you remember when some former Onion employees, you know, went on Twitter and we're talking about how things are like racist and discriminatory there at the Onion? And they said, there's only, this is a crazy enough like, there's only 27 black employees

there. I said, 27, that's a family reunion. I've never worked in any corporate environment where I had 26 other black coworkers. 27 out of how many? 27, that's a Negro League roster plus a couple of emergency call-ups. Right?

That is a spring football. You know a suit up right there. But yeah, yeah, just different experiences. Like you had a cool job where you worked with diverse groups of people. My jobs were not cool and I was the only fly in the milk there, bro. Yeah. Yeah. Now, granted, when I worked in the race,

radio station. It was me and the late gray Ted saw you rest in peace. We was the we was the blackness at the office when I worked because Shannon was a part time at the radio station. You know what I'm saying? When I was in working with the folks in Canada, I guess I wasn't in the office, but I had my man to Kang, Sasha was pulling up, you know, but now in Miami I was the only black person in my particular wing of things. Like Roy worked on the radio show, but then at the same time, we was just up in there for a hour. You know what I'm saying? Like it was. It was, wasn't that thing. Yeah, y'all, y'all be, y'all be working under different circumstances, I have to recall. Yeah, yeah. Different worlds, bro. I go to work and you be sitting at the desk,

and you accidentally, Stephen A, be mad, and you can hear him on the radio through the walls. You know how loud, you got to be talking to go through the walls of something that's designed for you to make radio? Yeah, his voice cares for sure. Oh, that's what a frauduous. Oh, that's what I'm right. Hey, man, every now and then, every now and then something would happen and that man had to take it to that place to let y'all know he was serious. Yeah. You know, speaking, speaking of serious, bro.

We were taping this on Tuesday, just so people know we have just gotten the word that Kyrie Irving has been diagnosed with a torn ACL. And you think they got the root in Slovenia? Because it's starting

to feel like Luca put their root on on Dallas, on the Mavericks, on Niko, everybody keep getting hurt. I mean, I don't really think there's anything else to just say, everybody keeps getting hurt. Nico go fall down to steps next week.

It for sure feels like he like unlocked some type of curse or something because you trade for, you trade your franchise player for AD because you think that front court, you know, play is going to be what carries you to the championship. And then your whole front court gets injured. And now Kyle Rie gets injured and he's out for the season. And it's like, dog, bro, It's just since the Luca trade, nothing has been going right for that franchise.

They might as well not even roll Anthony Davis out there, bro. Like, what are we doing here? What are we trying to prove? Let that man, give that man some PTO and let him finish getting this stuff from Los Angeles and finish that move, dog. Hold on. Did you realize also that Kyrie's got the player option for next year? So it was time to make a decision about giving Kyrie more money? I did not know that.

And then that happened? If you're Kyrie, why do you go back there? So the answer to that question, I think, is the same reason. that he went there in the first place. The schmone's. Yeah, the schmoneys and, look, Kyrie been on his P's and Q's the last couple of years, right? He's still out here saying the things he need to say.

He's just a little slicker about it. You know what I'm saying? Right? Like, he'd be out there with that scarf from time to time. He wear it around like a necklace. I ain't seeing him into onk earrings every now and then, but he's putting off of the homies over there in the east. You know what I'm saying?

like he's doing his things, but he's being smooth about it. His demeanor and all of that has been completely different, okay? Like at that point where people like, a lot of y'all need to apologize to Kyrie. No, no, no. Cairo realize he needed to apologize to a lot of people. That's why he acting a lot better than he used to. However, I would not assume that this Kyrie is a forever, Kyrie. I don't know what the particular set of circumstances are that have created it,

such that Kyrie is being this version of Kyrie. that we have seen, but I would not invest tens of millions of dollars on this. And that would be even if he had two good legs. And as of right now, he actually, he may not have any. Because Kyrie has never been a dude that's been, he ain't Lou Gehrig. He ain't Cal Ripkin. He ain't A.C. Green, right? So why would Kyrie go back?

Because I think Nico would take him back. I don't think right now, how stressed, like, how stressed would you be if he was Nico? Nico be looking like he cooler when they showed him to him at the game. brother, I would be on edge all the time. Yeah. I was so taken aback by how that man was just posted up on the court during, you know, warmups with Luke out there. Like, bro, you called that man fat and took like $40 million from him.

And you were just posted up like really comfortably. That is just so wild. But yeah, I mean, I guess, you know, to your point, it basically, I mean, it seems like we're just in a weird Niko regime where if you're his guy, he's going to take care of you. If you're not, he's shipping you out, which isn't the case with a lot of genes. But he just has bizarre reasoning for who his guys are. You know what I mean? So let me think about the best way.

I want to make sure that I say this in the correct way. Just so everybody understands, when I say I want to figure out how to say this in the correct way, what that typically means is I had something I was going to say, and then I kind of forgot what the thing was that I was going to say, and then I was going to come back around and sort it, but it still hasn't gotten there. Oh, okay. Let's think about this from the Niko standpoint. I think it was reasonable for all of us to assume that when he let Luca go,

that unless Luca was really, really, really the fattest and the laziest, that this would give him a little kickstart into Keister, and he would get out here and he would, you know, get on his P's and Q's, right? Great example of this. Every time somebody traded Shat. Yeah. year one, little bit better than year two, right? Or even extend that out to Phil Jackson shows up with the Lakers,

which was in effect like Shaq got traded, right? He'd give it to you that year one. First year of Miami, give it to you, but then it just kind of slowed down. He couldn't do it like he did. But when he first got to Phoenix, it's a very similar sort of thing. He going to get that. But the team that pushed that got rid of him or the team that moved off of him, they were never going to get that version of him.

because they didn't have the ability to offer the kick in the ass that he got really like that, right? Luke and LeBron out here, a combination that I did not think was going to work, and they just out here playing mind-milled. You know what I'm saying? It's like, hey, we're smarter than everybody else that's out here. Plus, I'm Luca and I'm LeBron. They out here doing the damn thing, right? Do you know who plays center for the Mavericks?

Because I don't, and I don't know if that person is taller than me. He taller than you, but I don't know if he taller than me. Yeah, I have no idea who their second string center is behind Lobby. I ain't go lie to you. Behind who? Lively. Lively's out. Oh,

Lively. Okay. Dude, I thought you said some name from another country. It sounded like you said like Lavely. I don't know. I was like, damn,

they wouldn't have got one of them Don Nelson players. I don't know what I thought you had said, but I was very confused. So Daniel Gafford is not playing, right? Because he's hurt. I'm sorry. Oh, I assumed my, and this is my fault,

I assumed that Lively was also. hurt. And looking at this dim chart, it doesn't look like he's playing. Okay. Oh, yeah. It's, it sounds like Dwight Powell came back. He's Dwight Powell. Um, look, he's taller than me. Yeah. Yeah. It's just, I don't know. I just don't know Nico's reason. I don't know how he looked at that team that went on that finals run and thought this ain't going to do it. I'm just, it's, it's, it's the most bizarre move in NBA history, bro. I see, I don't, it is unprecedented. I still don't find it as bizarre as other people find it, right? I think there are a couple of questions.

There are a couple of vagaries out there. One of them is, I am very curious what Lucas Medicals actually look like, right? Like, what do they know? Because, and that's been written in some of the stories like San Amick and his story that he wrote when the Mavericks went to L.A. That was a point that he made in there is that the Mavericks think that his body is going to fall apart, basically. And everybody's so mad about the trade, they skip those things.

They're like, oh, man, you're just going to get it. rid of him for being lazy? Right? Good to be white. Like, he's lazy, so we got rid of him. Anyway, I wonder if the medicals are bad. That part, I think, would probably answer some of this, too. It is very clear, Lukajic just simply offends everything that Nico thinks is important about playing basketball. And we ain't hearing no leaking out of the Mavericks about people on their side who think that, you know, who are upset about the fact that they made this move for whatever They've all stood together. But something happened on Monday that makes me think more than ever that at the very least,

the tone deafness of this is a top down situation. Because with everything that has happened with the Maver's, and they just traded away their most beloved player, I compared that to when the Hawks traded Dominique Wilkins. But if I'm not mistaken, when the Hawks traded Dominique, Dominique was 34. Yeah. Luca was 25, right? They jacked up the price on season tickets. And then Kyrie got hurt, by the way.

But yes, the Mavericks raised ticket costs and they cited, quote, investments in the team. That's what it says. Season tickets will go up by an average of 8.61% next season and the increases due to, quote, an ongoing, ongoing investments in the team and fan engagement. What the fuck does that mean, Kobe Bryant? Yeah, they just ain't want to get looked at those 350 ends, though. That's what it's really looking like, you know, whatever you bowed it down to. But do you realize, at least to me, and I imagine that they had this plan to do this the whole way.

But after these people started showing up and doing all this other stuff, hey, man, you had to fall back on this season ticket thing. And this is not, that's not a Nico Harrison decision, I don't think. That sounds like that's made by another side of the building. And this is the thing that I was going to say. Now I finally remember what it was. So the Mavericks at some point they had put out, I can't remember if it was leaked or they said it directly, but that Nico had been receiving death threats.

And the police locally said that they had no evidence of these death threats. And so the already angry dorks of the internet, and guys, you know who you are. I'm not saying that is a bad thing about you, but y'all know who you are. Okay. They then felt that they had been slandered as though they, you know, how dare you think that we would issue these death threats if there were no death threats?

Brother, I once had somebody called my parents' house because I said that Eli Manning was not a Hall of Famer. I don't know why you were acting like it is so out of the realm of possibility that literally the maddest sports fans I have ever seen. might just might in the year of our Lord 2025 have wished death upon Nico. Yeah. And my questioning is, is what is their definition of legitimate death threats in 2025, right? Because if you're just building it down to either a phone call or a mailed package, like, okay, maybe he didn't receive that. But look on the, do a search of his name on the internet. You know what I'm saying?

Like, it's 2025. We communicate through the internet, bro. And I'm sure there are literally hundreds of death threats for Nika if you just hit a Twitter search, bro. And I'll say this. Like, bro, I wouldn't need to get a letter, you know, to be a little taken aback. If I got a death threat on my Twitter, Mitch is like, yeah, I'm going to find out where you live and I'm going to kill you. Like, if I see that, I'm like, okay, hold on. Who is this?

You know what I mean? Like, like, bro, like, you know, there's a level of concern that isn't there because it was a mail to me and they legitimately know my address. But it's still something that I'll take you aback of it, bro. Hey, man. Let me tell you this by death. I ain't worried that much about a death threat, right? Like you and you say, and you go to radio, we know you front. That's how I feel about the death threat.

I'm worried about the person that just wants to kill me. He's no need to talk about it, hasn't brought it up with his friends, hasn't rounded up some posse. No, he's just going to kill me and he ain't about the jibber jabber. That's the guy that I worry about. Yeah, yeah. The folks who are legitimately not leaving any. types of, you know, paperwork or digital footprint, they can get back to them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, come on, come on, man. Like, the death threat, those people, they just want attention, right? That's all that's coming down to. They want somebody to look at me. I'm worried about somebody that just wants the satisfaction and know what I'm dead. You know, buddy that show up at the funeral with the sunglasses all like that African dude. Luckily, I don't have those problems. I don't think I've had a lot of vile shit sets me on the internet, but I don't think I've

somebody might want to kill you. They just don't know you night. you and me be having similar ops, but I don't think any of them want to kill us. I mean, like you said, a lot of them just want recognition, bro. Like, there's been a lot of arguments I've gotten into and then, you know, the kind of temperature changes. Not even trying to sound like I'm checking people, but as soon as you give them a reply, it's like things get a bit more courteous on their end, you know?

Yes, that's fair. Now, that is, that I figure that out too. Every now I did if you were like, sometimes you got to be a jerk about it, but sometimes if you just say something to them, they'd be like, damn, I really am. I'm acting ridiculous right now. Yes. Yeah, man. But tell me this, what you think is like to be on the Mavericks?

Because look, they're going to have that game when the Lakers come and play for Dallas and they're going to be booing the home team and rooting for the road team. And I got to say, if I play for the Mavericks, that's the day that I fall out of love, I'd of love with you fans. Yeah. I mean, I think if you're a Mavericks fan, you're in a pretty good spot where I think that the fans are probably never going to say, you know, this is your fault because they know that it's a shit show that

that has you there right now. Like, I don't think the expectations are high. Like, they're dealing with a fan base that is sympathetic to them and not expecting much. Like, how often does that happen? Ooh, boo, ooh, except, like, the only way that their anger for, like, they're mad at Nico,

but you can't really boo Nico. They're going to boo them. I mean, I have seen some diehard mass fans who legitimately think this trade made them a better team, which isn't absurd. but I don't know, man. I think most fans realize that Nico throughout any chance they have of being a serious contender with that trade.

I would hope so. I would hope the Dallas fans aren't that, though. See, I don't agree with that. I think they had a chance to be very good in an interesting way this season. Like, I do believe that they could have done that. But then, Anthony, then, like, I don't know what we can say about the trade

in terms of this year now that, like, everybody broke down. Now, you could make the fair argument that when you get, Anthony Davis, a breakdown is in the cards, right? Like, this is on the table. You should have thought about that. Okay, cool. I can see that.

But no, I could see how you could say, I mean, I didn't think they were a contender with Luca as it stood. And I could see an argument for how he made them a better team right now. The issue was that Luca 25. Yeah. I can for sure see the boo birds coming down on Anthony Davis. I think he's going to be on the receiving end of a lot of misdirected anger, perhaps, maybe because he can't stay healthy or whenever he has a poor game out there.

But I don't know. I just feel like you have to be delusional to think that the Mavericks are still in the hunt for another run like they had last season. I truly believe you have to be delusional. And I don't think – I think a lot of fans are delusioned. I don't think most fans are, though. Well, hold on. Did you think that they was gearing up for a run at the start of the playoffs last year? Because I sure didn't.

No, no. And that's the thing about the West. It all kind of breaks down to what that bracket looks like. What is the path that's ahead of you, right? Because, you know, yeah, yeah, they ran up against teams that just – you know, they were, killing in the back corner, they went up against, you know, quite a, you know, a couple of front court heavy teams like Minnesota who couldn't do anything with them. But yeah, yeah, that's how the West breaks down, bro, is who's in front of you. You know what I mean? Like, like, we know

the East is just a showdown between eventually the Cavs and then the Celtics. With the West, there's no talent what that Western Conference Finals are going to look like. I think they decided the plan was we're going to put together a squad old condors. And we've got Gaffert, lively and Anthony Davis, right? We are just going to have the longest arm set of dudes and we're going dare you guys to make some shots and the Kyrie can initiate offense and get us buckets. And then we still got PJ Washington at 610 to get out here and get some stuff done. And then everybody got hurt. Every single person got hurt.

Like maybe the way they appease some of these fans is by having a drawing. And if they call out your seat number that's on your ticket, you get to play for the Mavericks. Hey, these contender windows close quick, bro. I mean, there was a time where, you know, we thought, you know, Janus was about to go on a run. Nope. There was a time where we were, where I remember after seeing the Nuggets win the championship, I was like, that was a very easy playoff run that they had. And now shit is looking really hard for them.

Like, it's going to be a bit of an uphill battle if they get another ring. And now, I mean, you can just, I think you can scratch the madzoful list of contenders, of legitimate contenders who can make a run at the finals. They're cooked, bro. Well, let me ask you this. How many people in the West do you think are legitimate contenders? Because I was, I have no answer. I feel like I can't tell who is a legitimate contender, which kind of means everybody's a legitimate

contend. Right, right. Like I said, it's probably all going to come down to what that bracket looks like, you know, to the seeding. But I'm sold on OKC. I think OKC is legit. The Lakers, bro, listen, I'm not even doing a shift here because I've always been in the firm belief. I haven't gotten off this ship that there's about five or six guys in the league.

If you get the right pieces around them, they can lead you to a championship. And I always, I still had Brown on that list. even at 40 years old, I still thought he was one of those guys. If you get the right pieces around him, he can lead your team to a championship. And I'll be damned if Luke ain't a right piece. You know, they have looked so incredible since that trade, bro. And what hops out to me, it's a couple things to hop out to me. One is off ball, Braun, and two is the way the defense has leveled up, right?

And it wasn't like some overnight shit. We saw the seas there where we saw, you know, all five of those guys being locked in and committed to defense. And credit goes to JJ for getting buying on that. but bro, trading Anthony Davis, a top five defender in the league for Luca? A traffic cone and your defense gets better? Yo, that's why I have so many questions. I have not paid close enough attention to them, nor do I think I have the proper eye to understand exactly whatever it is that they are doing.

But JJ apparently is a magician to have pulled this off. I will throw this out here about the Lakers, though. they made that trade at the deadline. And otherwise, it's largely the same team, right? Switch out Luca for Anthony Davis. The Lakers are the number two, right now number two in the West as of this recording. But of the 10 teams that would make the play, you know, playoffs or play in, if the season ends today, the only one with a worse point differential than the Lakers is the Mavericks.

that's a shocking thing for me to see. Like by points scored and points allowed in total, it's like they're eking by all the way through. But when I've watched them since this trade, they don't look like that. I've also watched them play against a lot of bums, but I don't think the Mavericks, I mean, not the Mavericks, the Nuggets are Bums, for example,

and they went out there and put a hurt on them that people to say and may have started the blueprint for what it is that you do against that team. Like, I don't know what they're going to be, but they are, they are easily to me the most interesting team in the NBA. Yeah. Yeah. And I think a big question of who makes it out the West boils down to, you know,

even though this Nuggets team is nowhere near as strong as that championship Nuggets team, a lot of that boils down to can you get past Denver? Can you get past Yokch? Can you slow Yokch down? And it feels like, like, you know, that was the blueprint that the Lakers were working with when they had AD. Okay, we need to slow Yokish down. But they shifted.

Philosophies might have shifted since they had Luka, because the way that Luka was hunting Yokish and they, game. It might be like, why do we need to slow a yokish down when we can explore this weakness? Get them out there on the perimeter, have Luca dance on them. Right? And that might be the key here, bro. I can see that. Although I will make the note that once

the playoffs come, whatever JJ's doing on defense is fine. But what you just described doing the yokage is what they about to do to Luca. Because that was exactly what the Charlotte Hornets did. And they said

Luca all five. I tell you five. But coming up next, I will tell you though, what team it is, I think, the one that I would be most worried about seeing if I had to see them in the West. Shout out to DashPass and their members only deal for the 24, 25 NBA season. They swoosh, you save. When any player scores 50 or more points in a game, DashPass members say 50% on an order up to $10 off. Sign up for dash pass and save more all year round with zero dollar delivery fees and reduce service fees on eligible orders plus exclusive perks like this one. Use the promo code NBA 50 the day after the 50 point game during the 24, 25 NBA regular season from noon to midnight.

Valid for Das pass members only from noon to midnight the day after any player scores 50 points or more in a single game during the 2425 regular season. That's right. And as a reminder, the offer is live noon to midnight the day after the game, and that is exclusive to dash pass members only 50% off one order up to $10 off. Offer valid from 9A and Pacific Time through 1159 PM Pacific time after a 50 point performance in any game during the NBA season on orders placed at participating merchant locations. Valid only in the United States, maximum value of discount is $10. Discount applies to subtotal only, does not apply to fees, taxes, gratuity, not available

pickup, limit one person, not valid for the purchase of alcohol, fees, taxes, and gratuities still apply, must have an active dash pass account. Use promo code MBA 50 to redeem. See further details and conditions at the link in the bio. All right, we are back here with Dragonfly Jones. And I said the team in the West that I would not like, I'd want to see the least. I think that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I think they're more of the watch out or I don't think you want to play them, whichever one of them phrases that you use. And that is they gave Steph Curry another killer. Like another jump on my bat guy.

They got two of those, two of those with receipts that I'm not sure any other team has a guy who has two of them with the same receipts. And that includes, like, I think Jimmy Butler as that guy in the playoffs actually has more receipts than Luca does. I have a firm Jimmy Butler rule where I do not evaluate Jimmy Butler during the regular season because there's been times where it looks like he's regressed and all that. And my whole thing is, bro, he might look like he's regressed on the regular season. Come play all time.

He's going to look like 97 MJ out there, right? Like locked in Jimmy is a whole different beast. And he is locked in with Golden State. And bro, I heard the conversation you had with David Alder, where you like, this is perhaps the best guy he's played with since KD. And I agree there. Like, of course, the chemistry with Clay unlocked that team on a whole different level. But in a vacuum, Jimmy is a way better player just individually than Clay. And yeah, man, I mean, 2002, you know, the championship that the Warriors won, that was a bit of a sneak job.

I didn't have them beat in the Celtics. I was the total sneak job. Whoever won it was going to be sneaky, but that was a total sneak job. Yeah. Yeah. So, look, look, we've seen, we've seen Steph win championships with less. You know what I mean? and bro, like I said, bro, playoff Jimmy.

He's a different dude, man. Look, I think regular season Jimmy is actually wildly underrated. Like, the advanced staff profile on regular season Jimmy is kind of bananas. The issue with regular season Jimmy is, I'm not saying he Kauai Leonard, but he is not Mr. perfect attendance when it comes down to that. Like that part, I recognize, but they can win non-Stef minutes now. And Steph now is locked in and apparently has had done. with some injury stuff this year that seems to be doing a whole lot better.

They're going to be interesting. And it will be, there is a chance at some point. And we're going to have to see because the bottom of the, like the bottom of the top of the West, like where everybody ends up. There is a world in which right now you can get Lakers Warriors in the second round, right? Because right now Denver and the Warriors are 3-6. I would not be shocked to see the Warriors beat Denver. And none of us would be shocked to see the Lakers beat whoever the team is in the play-in.

which by the way, no, it can't. But there's a small chance that it could be the Mavericks. Tiny, tiny chance that they can get a playoff series against the Mavericks in the first round. But the league needs to get out of LeBron and stuff. They need to move on to the future. We will all take Lakers Warriors as a series if they give it to us. I've been saying we need to move on for like four years. I will be right there.

I'll be, I'll be. I've been stuck in the 90s cats. Yeah, we'll be that. Yeah, it's, bro, I legitimately think it is the best robbery the NBA scene since Magic and Bird. And I feel like KD got in the way of that a little bit. You know what I mean? About kind of tilting the scales.

But, but yeah, I'm always down for Bron and Steph playoff series. Like, that was my big takeaway from the Olympics, watching those two. It was like, bro, give me all the basketball you can with these guys, with Bronz, Steph and KD. And if we get a playoff series out of that, hell yeah, I'm all the way for that. Like, I mean, the whole thing is like,

what new rivalries are we pushing here? What youngens are beefing with each other? Well, you know what I mean? What youngers are in each other's way? I think Chet and Wimby, I think that is going to be the robbery of the future right there. I'm very much looking forward to that. But other than that, like, what else do we have? Well, Chet and Wimby hate each other.

Legitimately hate each other. And they're going to be in each other's way come a lot of post seasons here too. So it's going to be incredible. Well, what I love about them legitimately hating each other is y'all don't even be around each other that much. He from France. Like, how is there this level of animosity between you two? Yeah. Yeah. It's incredible. It is legitimate beef between them. It feels like it's seven foot three unicorn beef between these guys. But it's, it's perfect, bro. Like I, like I said, you know, they're going to be in each other's way come a lot of post seasons. We got the Olympics in

2028 in Los Angeles where we can possibly see that matchup again there too. So yeah, the NBA needs to for sure get behind that. Hey man. 2028 gold medal game, U.S. versus France. I can't wait. Well, that's the first time where I'm like, boys, we are in trouble. Did you feed the court of gold documentary series? And did you see the hard end they did where Wimby was like, you know, I don't ever want

to feel this way again. And they just went to black. Like, bro, like, I'll give them credit for. that. I feel like the NBA knows they've got something really special with Wemby, and I feel like he's going to... Oh, no, that was exactly what that was. That's foreshadowing. That right there was a huge bet

on the part of the filmmakers on what Victor Wemba is going to be in 2020. I think I for sure think Francis getting back to that gold medal in 2020. Oh, yeah, yeah. What did you think of the quarter of gold? If you aren't familiar, a quarter of gold, it's on Netflix. It's a look at

the 2024 for basketball, men's basketball in the Olympics in Paris. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I'll say this. I came away with a newfound respect for Serbia and their work-life balance. Like, those are some dudes who are going to go out there and go super hard on the court. And, bro, this is the most animated I've ever seen Yokish, like that locker room footage

when he was getting on his guy's ass about how they needed to think KD. But, bro, like, they went out there. They gave it. they're all, wasn't good enough for a gold. And they just said, okay, well, we're just going to be drunk the rest of the time we're here. You know what I mean? And winter browns. Yeah, yeah.

Like, you know, so, yeah, I got a lot of respect for Serbia there. I'm going to tell you a player who I gained an enormous amount of respect for there, too, Nick Baton. That was my number one. Nick Baton means something different when he's speaking French. Yeah, yeah. He's, like, he is a ruthless competitor. And the thing about Nick Baton is he's been a bit of a punchline. You know, like, have you seen that freestyle with a Blue Bucks clan where he was like, you know,

Staveu, crypto arena, fourth floor, floor seats I got my tool in, fourth quarter asking why to Batum in. Like, that's got a bit of a runny joke with him. Also, that Yonah's story where he said an assistant was talking to him during warm us and told him watch Baton. He said, if you play hard enough, perhaps you can be that one day. And Yana said, if that's as good as I can be, I'm going back to Greece. Like, Baton's been the butt of jokes. you know, some really good jokes too. But yes, this documentary, bro, like he is a, I saw that and I was like,

this is an assistant coach when he retires. He's going to be on somebody's benching his suit, bro. Hey, man, let me tell you something. You just become a different person when you don't get to speak your own language. That's what I feel like it really comes down to, right? Powell Gasol, for example, international play Powell Gasol look like an entirely different person, not necessarily a different player, but a different person.

but a different person than NBA, Paul Gasol, who was just a bit delicate. The way that he seemed to go about his business. Not when he over there playing with the rest of them as Spaniards. No, sir. Phil Jackson had to punch that man in his chest during a playoff game. I will never, during the Father's Day massacre when Dallas blew them out by like 40, he punched that man dead in his chest on national television.

Like, bro, man up. What is going on here? But, yeah, yeah. It's been a lot of times since we saw a team that it's over. boys quite like that game was. Because that's when Andrew Bynum threw J.J. Bray out the sky, right? Right, right.

Right. Seven foot one, Andrew Bynum taking his anger out on 5'8 J.J. Borea because Dallas was cooking them that bad, bro. Hey, bad. Nobody has wanted to stop playing basketball more than Andrew Bynum in that period of the Andrew Bidum Chronicles. Bro, those 60 years when he was wearing like the perm, he was wearing the Ike Turner. Oh, man.

And after that, when he had a catch him a man, games with like a blonde die job drinking a brew out of a paper bag. Actually, no, no, let us not forget the best Andrew Bidem story. And I think he was in Cleveland when this happened. And there are a bunch of kids who have no idea who Andrew Bynum is. Andrew Bynum could have been like a top 10, 15 player in the NBA as a center. But it was very clear that he didn't enjoy playing basketball. For all the kids who don't know who Andrew Bynum is, we were saying he needs to step up so Kobe can get rings. Like that's who. that guy was. Yes. Yes. Right. Andrew Bynum was playing for the calves. And he apparently he had just

had enough of everything. And he had decided that he was going to shoot whenever he got the ball in practice. So he gets the ball by the basket. Okay, that's fine. Andrew Bidom, who's like seven foot one. Andrew Bottom gets the ball at 15 and shoots. Eh, not really his game, but maybe that happens. Andrew Bidham gets the ball top of the key, he's putting it up. Andrew Bidam gets the ball behind half court. He's putting it up. He just put up the ball every time that he touched it and they had to toss him out of practice. And I don't think he played for the calves again.

Andrew Bidom also gave a quote once where there were discussions about whether or not he would be traded. And he was ultimately traded to go get Dwight Howard to the Sixers for whom he never played a game. But they asked him about getting traded. Andrew Bidom said, and I quote, there's a banking. every city. Phenomenal quote. Phenomenal. Also, do you remember when Blake Griffin just bodied Palisal and dunked on him?

And Andrew Bynum laughed on the court. And in front of the, he turned around so the camera could see him and laughed at his teammate getting dunked on. Never quite seen anything like that. He's a trailblazer. He made second team all NBA. Yeah, he was phenomenal, bro. When he had like a two-year stretch where he was like, bro, this is the best front

court in the league when you got older him at that, you know, coming off the bench and then you got Bynum and Gassal out there. This is the best front court in the league. And then he just cashed out and was like, I don't care anymore. And I mean, I can see how getting all that money after you've gotten some rings. It's just like, okay, what am I really doing this for? Hold on. Let me look it up. How much money you think Andrew Bidom came in the league in 2005? He left in 2014. How much money you think Andrew Bidom made in the NBA? I'd say 170, 170 million. Oh, no, no, he only played nine years.

This is, this is a little back in the day. He made $72 million. Okay. See, that's how crazy the NBA is. You said, oh, that's it about a man who made one all-star team and made $72 million. Yeah, in seven years, that's crazy. So he was only making about $11,000. old year, that's a bygone error.

And like I said, he was a crucial piece on the championship team and wasn't breaking the bank. What of my favorite things to do with the NBA is have somebody throw out a name and then we just guess how much money you think that person made or has made? I'll throw one out here right now for you. How much money do you think Brandon Ingram has made? Did he get a max? That's the question here.

I don't think he did. Ricky, Ricky contracts are still a little, a little skimpy. They only, they only get about, what, 40 million for those.

Well, that's now. That's now. You got to remember. Oh, yeah, yeah. And he came in 2014? 2016.

2016. 110. At the end of this season, we'll have made $182 million. Dog, I'm still, like,

I'm old enough to remember when, when Juan Howard was the first $100 million man to Miami, then that deal got revoked, right? Like, I remember how wild it was when Ben Baker got $100 million. You know what I mean? And it's just, yeah, that's wild. 180 for Brandon Ancerman and what nine seasons?

DeAngelo Russell. DeAngelo Russell. How much money do you think? DeAngelo Russell. One time all-stared DeAngelo Russell. How much money do you think DeAngel Russell? By the end of this year, he would have made. I'm going to use some frames of references here.

I know DeAngelo came out in that 2015 draft with Kat and Rosengis. right. Okay, so kind of along, basically on the same timeline with Brandon Ingram. And Brandon Ingram had 180 bill. Okay, so I'm going to go 132 for DiAngelo. By the end of this season, DeAngelo Russell will have made $176 million. That's crazy. This money is crazy, bro. We're not even talking about the good dudes. Like the NBA

Yeah, yeah, Andrew Bidam, I don't feel like doing this anymore. I've already made $72 million. Okay, okay, okay, okay. You ain't ready for this. You ain't ready for this. And I know you're going to know this dude got one good contract, but still.

Tim O'Fay Mosgov. I remember during that first, um, the first cap bump 2016 season. He got a ridiculous season. Yes, he got a good deal then. Yeah. Um,

I'll say 140. No, no, 82. 82, that's it. See, that's what I'm saying. I remember the overall about this contract and I guess I'm still in my like 2025 mind. It was like a four year, 50, it was like a three year 50 something,

like 45 million dollar deal. Like that's what that was. It wasn't that crazy. People were in. But that's the kind of money that Timofeah Mosgov is making in the NBA. I'd be damned if I want to them kind of, if I make the kind of money that them cats is making, it ain't no way in the world.

I run to my knee into a goddamn nub if I got $120 million already. What are you? How much money has Joelle Embed made? Because I'm going to guess that Joel Embedde I'm going to say that he has made $275 million. If Angham made $108 and he came in 2014.

Actually, no, I'm going to say he's at $300. Sheesh. He came in 2014 that year with Wiggins. when Brown went back to Cleveland and got Wiggins out of there for Kevin Love. And you said 320? I'm going to go with 300. 300. I feel like we're playing the price is right right here.

That's right. That's right. I'm going to go with 285. Oh, wow. You're closer. 266. But don't you worry. Don't you worry.

Don't you worry. There's another couple hundred million left to be paid on that deal. I mean, how do we feel about this, bro? The process, I think, with the, with the news about the meniscus surgery and Bied has to go, that we officially buried that and put the tombstone up on it. Where are we at with that? My belief has been that the process, even though people will tell you the process stopped whenever Hinky was out of there, die, da, die, and everything else, right?

Okay, cool. But the process did what they wanted it to do, which was it got them, Joelle and B, plus two other, like, super high picks. It just turned out the other two. were Ben Simmons and Mark Hill Fult. But they were making the bet that you tank and you get those best players and that's the best strategy for team building. Meanwhile, the Warriors became the best team on earth and they did not do that.

They became the best team on earth. And I mean, they had Bogot yet. He was the number one pick. But really, it was Steph Curry and Harrison Barnes who were number seven picks that were like the high level guys on that. That strategy that they tried was wildly problematic. Nobody's been able to make it work sense in part because they've tried to dissuade the benefits of tanking with the way they changed the lottery and everything else.

They have not gotten out of the second round. That is crazy. Given some of the teams they've had, some of the talent they had, and look, some of the decisions they made, they decided to keep Dubai's Harris over Jimmy Butler. That was a really bad decision. I don't know what exactly happened with Ben Simmons, but, hey, that's on your watch, right? You took Markell Fultz. Yeah.

Okay. M.B is the one thing you got right, and you couldn't stay healthy. Yeah. And Embed at his at his peak was phenomenal, phenomenal. Top three player in the NBA. Yeah, yeah. And that's what honestly kind of pissed me off a bit about Embed because like the thing that was most impressive to me watching him during Kansas in his early years was this dude is so fluid. Seven foot two guys do not move like this, right? And then he just throws all that away to turn into a nutcase when he's driving in the lane and fishing for foul.

And I hate that, bro. Like you're so much better than that. I really feel like a lot of times plays have to lean on that. But Embed is just so much better than the foul bait that he does. And that's what frustrates me about it. He's been as good as reasonably expected and a little disappointing. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you got an MVP out of the guy.

Like you said, there were times where he was like a top three guy in the league. But I don't know, man. But here's my question. How much differently do we talk about him and all of it if Ben Simmons just takes that layup? Against the Hawks in game, so. That man let trade. That man let trade. No, trade six foot one, tray under the cup deterred you six foot ten?

Trade a barge. Trade a barge. An objectively defrable defender. Yeah. Terrible. Like there are numbers that say he is flat out, hands down, the worst defender in the league. And you were six foot ten and you had that man under the cup and you pass it up. I just, I don't know, bro.

I feel like that. legitimately broke that dude and I'm not like a super psycho analysis armchair dude but he was just legitimately never the same after that and it's just wild to me. I mean, when's the last time you watched Ben Simmons play a game of basketball? Not voluntarily. I do not tune in for Benson and there was his rookie season. I was so high on that kid bro.

I was super high on him and dog, it's just wild. I just one event can just kind of shift your whole trajectory. I will say this by the way, every time I feel like I'm becoming an old man I love here you talk about these kids out here playing basketball. You good for that one. That's where you generally do a good job of keeping up the youthful exterior. That's when you, that's when you lose it right there. Hey, like I told you, like going back to the Lakers, like, I mean, you want to hear me go Hoosiers on you. I got some shit for you there. Like, like when I was talking about their defense and how they traded out like, like, you know,

AD for Luke and became a better defensive team. Like that just confirms my whole perspective that defense is about effort and want to. If you got five guys out there who, who want to. Like, and the whole thing is guys like AD who are incredible defenders, their value is you're putting him on a court where there's not five guys who want to lock in and play defense. There might be one, there might be two, but that's where AD thrives. But like I said, this Lakers team has committed to playing great team defense, everybody

doing their part. And I think that's the leap they took in defense. Well, I'm going to say this last thing before we get out of here because you just mentioned it and you thought about who's just rest in peace, the Gene Hackman. Yes, no, Gene Hackman. And it was a real to America situation. Gene Hackman died. All these white people start talking about Hickory, Indiana.

I started talking about Hoosiers. And I'm like, hey, man, this is, now we're going to honor this man, I thought. Why we, like, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why don't we highlight some of his best works? Because now I want to argue with y'all about Hoosiers. And I just don't feel like this is the right time for that. Yeah, Hoosiers, huge. I mean, there's, there's, I feel like, you know, the film snob say like, Hoosiers is the best basketball movie.

Oh, hell no. And I'm like, no, bro. Like, like, I would, I, lokey, not even joking, I might take sixth man over Hoosiers. White Men Can't Jump is a much more interesting movie than Hoosiers is. Yeah, above the rim. That gets my vote too. Real too America's vote, right? Hoosiers don't inspire us.

Like, there's nothing like being a black person watching Hoosiers for the first time and going through that dry-ass movie only to get to the end and realize, oh, snap. my bad, I didn't realize I was the bad guy. Bro, that scene where he had them pull out the tape measure and measure the rims. Yeah, they're 10 feet here, just like back on. Oh, my God. But they had them play against the blackest team in the world. It looked like they was playing against some avatars.

Was that the movie with them cats in, with the blue blacks in it? Yeah. Like how the Mab social team blacked out, Luca, on that clip. Yes, yes. That's what I'm saying, man. But yeah, rest in peace to Gene Hackman. You know what I'm saying? Do better by that man than who's. That is Dragonfly Jones. Check out Jenkins and Jones. They're free agents right now, but you can still check out what they have done and keep an eye on where they going. My brother, I appreciate you. Appreciate you having me. We're always good chopping up with you. Yes, sir. And ladies and gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us here on the right time. We do this three times a week. Sean, you handles everything behind the scenes. Thank you, sir. Remember, follow the right time. Subscribe, like, rate. us, review us, give us five stars, you only give us four stars. I'm inclined to believe you are a hater. What's out to you guys in a couple of days? Take it easy.