The Ringer NBA Show - Decoding the Leaks and Rumors Surrounding Kyrie Irving’s Future in Brooklyn | Real Ones

Episode Date: June 23, 2022

Logan and Raja discuss what the leaks and rumors surrounding Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets could mean for his future there. Then they look at the three teams that he would be most likely to end up on if he does leave the Nets and award their Real One of the Week. Hosts: Logan Murdock and Raja Bell Producer: Sasha Ashall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the host that brought you to Coding Westworld. And Westworld, the recapables. Comes the Ringer Prestige TV podcast on Westworld. I'm Joanna Robinson. I'm Danny Hyfitz. And I'm David Shoemaker. Welcome to Westworld Season 4 in the Prestige TV podcast feed, where we're going to break down every episode of Westworld season four.

Every Monday, the day after the show comes out on the prestige TV podcast feed. Wherever we get your podcast, but get them on Spotify. It's popping. Real ones. Logan Murdoch here. Roger, Buzz. there. Rajah, first real summer pod that we have drafts coming up. How you doing, man? I'm good, brother. I'm chilling, man. Let's see. Got kids in basketball camp. Got kids in regular

camp. And then I'm taking my two older boys to the Manning Passing Academy tomorrow morning. So, hey, we're just doing what we do. Manning Passing Academy. Are you going to be all right? Are you going to be good? Would you see Peyton Manning at the Manning Academy? Are you going to be all right? Listen, I keep it very buttoned up. Okay. I have an ability to stiffen up and act like I've been there before and I will continue to do that in the presence of greatness like that. Okay. All right. And okay. Who's your like, I know your guy that like, who's your one person that you're like, all that shit goes out the window. Like who's who I know you are really calm, cool and collected during normal when you see people like people don't phase you and stuff. But who's the one person that's like, oh shit.

Man, I mean, I don't know. I haven't really had that. I mean, MJ did that to me when I was when I was younger for sure. I would, you know, I think probably Tom Brady, I'd probably be a little, it would take me a minute. I'd be good. Those dudes are my age, so I ain't going to act crazy. You know what I mean? Usually it's somebody older, but Tom's one of those dudes that for at least a moment, I'd be like, oh, this goat shit. This is goat. I saw the game one of the finals this year. I was like, face to face with Magic Johnson. I didn't say anything, but I was like, oh, shit, that's Magic Johnson. Like, at that point, I had been watching, like winning time was over.

I'd watched a whole season of winning time. I had been, so which meant that I was watching a ton of Lakers docks. And I just had a lot of Magic Johnson in my life. I walk up and fuck this Magic Johnson. And I just was like kind of quiet because I felt like if I'd say anything, it'd be stupid. Yeah, magic. I, my Magic story, he came to work out with the Hawks when I was in training camp with the Hawks. Back in, it was probably like 99.

And he was in Atlanta. And, uh, he played with us. his team, no matter who he had on it, like won every game. And then he hung out with us afterwards, like in the locker room. And I don't know that I ever spoke to him either, Logan, but I was just kind of in awe of him for the next hour, just being in the presence. That, that aura is just different, bro. There's only a couple people with that aura.

For sure. For sure. And magic holds court in a way that the energy, right? Like he, he, everyone's kind of, it's like a magnet. So everyone's kind of drawn to it and he holds court and he's laughing. and having a good time, and that was pretty cool as a young fellow to watch. How many fouls did you get called on you by Magic Johnson? How many times did he call a foul on you that you barely even touched him?

Nah, man, Magic, no, uh-uh. There's code to that, bro. Like, you ain't calling no fouls, like, unless it's egregious, and I'm going to give you that foul, so you don't have to call a foul. I'm not fouling you. Okay, okay. I feel like you'd be fouling, though. I feel like you be hacking.

I feel like that's- there hacking. No, nobody's hacking, and we're playing D. Like, but, I mean, if you out there calling fouls over and over again in Summer League, then that says something about you, not me. Keeping with the theme of party fouls. Kyrie Irving has been in the news lately. Apparently, according to Shams, there has been an impasse between Kyrie Irving and management in terms of a contract.

There have been reports by one Stephen A. Smith that Kyrie has been running practices after practice. And basically, this all comes at the heels of Kyrie has a player option that he can pick up or decline. And I don't know if this is that the Nets want, don't, if these leaks are, the Nets don't want him on the team. And they want it. And all this is coming out before, you know, the option is there. and they want to make a deal for him. I don't know about all these rumors. I don't know what they mean.

There have been reports that Kevin Durant and Kyrie aren't as close as they once may have seemed. Who said that? ESPN's Nick Fidel, also front of the show. This is interesting, Raja, because it was funny because we both interacted with the Nets around the same time this season. We both saw them at a conversation with Kevin and Kyrie where, you know, there was a moment in Memphis where I asked Kyrie how long you want to play with Kevin and vice versa. They said they'd be playing forever together. They would be playing in LA Fitness one day. And maybe that might, and I don't know if that's going to be the case, but what do you see from, you know, all these, the rumors that are coming out, the leaks that are coming out.

What does that say about where the nets are right now? I have a few thoughts. First, I find really, really interesting the leaking of information coming out of places, that whole game that's played where these things that were happening throughout the season and no one got wind of them because no one wanted them to. Now they're everywhere. All at the same time, like not just one rumor, but there are four different things that people are writing about.

I also find the NBA star relationship very interesting in a way that, like, you know, you just said those guys were going to play together forever. And the NBA star relationship to me seems, it seems a lot more turbulent and fragile than just regular relationships. Like, these dudes are in love and then they're not. Like that. Yeah. It's really quick.

It's hot and cold. But that's, so that's got nothing to do with the nets and their situation. Their situation is a little dicey, though. Like it's, you know, for a team that came into the season, thinking they had the three, you know, three of the best offensive players in the league to be minus one of them for whatever reason. And now sitting there staring down the barrel of maybe being minus the second one. And then uncertainty being around what would come back for that.

I mean, it's a really interesting and precarious kind of situation for the Nets. Because, I mean, if I'm not mistaken, Kari can opt into this, right? Like, right? And so I have to imagine, I've said this before. And I'll say, I mean, this isn't a secret. Kyrie, when he is healthy and bought in, is as good and as skilled a basketball player as I've seen. You know, barring, you know, maybe MJ and LeBron, but I'm telling you, man, this kind of skill level and the shit that he can do with a ball is crazy. Having said that, you know, you have to worry, given recent history about buying.

an overall commitment for whatever reason, right? And you can have your feelings. I'm not even just talking about, you know, the vaccination and the non-vax. I'm past that. I'm just talking about generally being bought into what's being, what's being said there and what's trying to be accomplished. Like, you have to have reservations and concerns about that. And so as great as he is, I mean, it leaves you in a really sticky spot as an organization. First off, I want to get to the leaks first. What does it tell you, Rajah, when leaks come out around this time? Does it tell you that, that they've been waiting on this information to pop at just the right moment.

Is it too far gone when the leaks start coming out? What are these particular leaks telling you about a relationship between a star and an organization? Well, these leads, and I'm reading the tea leaves, I'm all right, in fairness. Like, I don't really know. But when these type of leaks start coming out and they're of the nature that they are,

it suggests that that relationship is on its last legs. That's just me reading these tea leaves, all right? Like, I could be completely wrong. I don't know. But that's what the type of leaks and the situations that they're describing in the leaks would suggest to me, right? Like, there's been a lot of frustration all season long between the two parties. There's been way more that's being leaked.

Do you understand what I'm saying? There's way more that's actually that has transpired than is being leaked. And so what we're getting is just a snippet of a relationship that is sour. So remember when I went down there, and I would love to hear your experiences on that. It just seemed like a very, just a tense time. I think I went there in late March or mid-March right before the playoff run. I was actually there when the mandate was lifted so Kyrie can play again. It was interesting, man.

Like it didn't, it seemed like a team that was really just centered around Kevin, just going to be frank, not a lot of talent otherwise. And if there was talent, it was, you know, older talent like a Blake Griffin, you know, Marcus Alder's guys that didn't play much. And then as the season goes on, it doesn't look like a team that is fortified for championship, right? Because there's a lot of people that kind of watch this team. And especially last season, they're like, well, you know, if they get all that. their guys back, they might have a shot at it. Nah, you could just tell, I don't know where the Nets go from here.

With Kyrie on the team or not, I don't know where they go. Do they trade Kyrie and get some pieces? I don't know what they do or if they don't do that and Kyrie comes back, there's going to be that, there's going to be that tension there all next season. And I don't

think that tension is conducive to winning a championship, Roger. I don't know where they go from here. I don't get paid enough to make those decisions. Sean Marks and company. Good luck with it. I do trust that. I do trust that they'll work something out.

They're not afraid, at least, to take a swing. Here's what I'd say to Kyrie coming back and you guys already being, when dealing with a personality like Kyrie, the lack of trust that's probably there already, probably from both sides. Like, I'm not just saying the Nets towards Kyrie. It's clear that for whatever reason, I don't think Kyrie really trusts the Nets.

I don't think he would, there's no reason he would trust. that's if they're leaking stuff like this. He probably doesn't. Well, at this point, but I mean, even before this point, right? Like, your action suggests that maybe, you know, there is a lack of trust on both sides. Maybe that's how trust works, ultimately, right? Like, you both can feel it.

And so therefore, no one really trusts the other one. But point being, some dudes, I think, could bury the hatchet and work in a way the following year that was, you know, healthy and you don't have to worry about it rearing its head. or any ramifications of what happened in the past that we could let bygones be bygones and let's, I don't know that I would put Kyrie in that category. So again, and I don't know, Kyrie's not the only one.

I'm just saying, there's got, you know, some, there are people that I'd be like, I don't know that, I don't know that you might say that we can bear. I think Kyrie is the biggest representation of what a star player is. Just, you know, like the peak of what that is. Look, I, I sat in a meeting. I've said this, I've told this story before, where.

you know, we had a big blowup as, as me, the player, the coach, and, and the organization then got involved, right? And I sat with the coach and the general manager of the Utah Jazz at the time. And so to me defending Kyrie a little bit, organizations are like this too, right? Like, they asked me if I was wanted to, was I going to demand a trade? And I told them, no, like, I'm not demanding a trade. Like, we had a blow up. I can get past it if you can get past it. But if you can't, you tell me right now, and I'll tell everyone, that I want to trade. And all of them do is look me right in the face and we're like, no, we're good.

And I said, okay, well, then I'm good. Like, we're good. And they clearly, in hindsight, weren't good. So, you know, it goes both ways. Well, it's funny because, like, it's funny because if you look at it from, look at it for both sides, right? Let's look at it from the net side. Nets are like, you know, prior to the season, this mandate goes in the key to NY where,

hey, you're a home performer, you need to get vaccinated. vaccinated to play in home arenas, right? Whatever you feel about that, that whatever you feel about that mandate, that's what the mandate was. And so, you know, Nets are like, hey, two of their team, you know, we got to get, y'all got get vaxed, right? He's the only one that doesn't get vaccinated, right? And then he misses games, makes the other superstar on the, on the team.

It's TBD on how Kevin feels at this point, but makes the other superstar James Harden, pissed enough to demand a trade. And, you know, if you, if you seen some games, at least have the illusion that he quit on his team, right? That's how pissed off he was and asked for a trade. And then, you know, you play 29 games. And I just did the calculations over his last three seasons. Kyrie has played 103 out of a possible 246 regular season games.

I'm not a percentage is on that, but that's not good. right and you come back and then you can only play road games and we put all these concessions for you and it's still not enough right and as you know the best availability best ability is availability that's the net side right so like i can see why they're at their woodson on the karee end of it i'm just going to make a case right i'm just going to make a case real quick kairi's end hey man like you all said I would be good you know I thought we held out hope that you know this mandate that I would

be exempt from it right we held out hope and then publicly you guys said you guys all have my back and you said we were good and you said all these things now you know after I've committed and I'm making a case here this is just the the Kyrie case

I said I'd be here and I'd said I'd be locked in I'm committed to this organization and then all of a sudden these leaks come out honestly I think the Nets case is just is a more compelling case if you're going to go to court. Yeah. Even as I speak it out. Even as I speak it out.

Like I tried. I tried. You want me to poke holes in the Kyrie case or you just, you figured it out as you were saying. No, it was a valiant effort on your part. I was trying. I said this when it happened.

And this was so politically polarizing that no one could see or hear what was being said because they were turning it into something else. all together, right? Every time you talked about his choice to either get the vaccine or not get the vaccine, take politics out of it, completely out of it, and boil it down to you have a choice that everyone else has, right? And everyone else says, whether they like it or not, they are going to do it because they have an obligation to each other and to this quest that they're on. And you singularly say, I'm not down with that. You have alienated yourself.

No one has done anything to you. You made that choice. So no matter what they're saying, what are they supposed to say? They have no recourse. They can't make you fucking play. Like they're not, you know,

they're trying to work it out. You're one of their star players. Like your talent oozes from the boars every time you step in the building. So they're trying to walk on eggshells. But the point is you put yourself in that position for everyone to be like, man,

bro, we're all in here trying to get it done. And so I like Kyrie. I think Kyrie is a good dude at the end of day. Great heart. But, you know, you fucked up with that one. In terms of ingratiating yourself to the team and to your teammates, in that regard, you fucked up. We can have the debate and we'll get into all of the rest. But in that, yeah, people are going to be looking at you sideways and you lost trust.

So I've done this before. I'll do it one more time. I juxtapose Kyrie's vaccine situation, and I'm not making, again, like, it is what it is. We're so far removed from that. But I, to your point about being a teammate, because that's what it comes down to the end of the day, right? It's just being a teammate. I juxtapose that with one Andrew Wiggins, who you remember at the beginning of the season said, like, yo, man, I'm not, or even end of the last season, y'all, I'm not really down on the vaccine. I'm not really doing it.

You know, and then meets with the team, and the team is like, br, you are a great. you're great for this organization. We're trying to win a championship. We need you. We need you, bro. Like, we need you. Go get that jab right quick. You never heard anything from Andrew Wiggins since, right?

He took the shot, even though he took it so he could play. What was he doing last week, Roger? What was he doing yesterday? I mean, doing something at a parade somewhere. He was celebrating down Marcus Street in San Francisco with all the rest of the homies who won a title. Yeah. All right, let me, let me, Logan, it's perfect. That's a perfect, you know, juxtaposition for, for, for, for Kyrie's choosing not to get it.

But let's, let's do this. Let's give Kyrie the benefit of the doubt because I do believe Kyrie to be an intelligent person with, with things going on in his world that, that might trend, like, be bigger than basketball for him, right? So let's say, you know, Kyrie's stance and what, what he was trying to do was make the world a better place in his capacity to do so. Let's just say that's his quest, right? Like, it's bigger than basketball for me. And I've seen him allude to things like that before, right?

I got no beef with it. Hey, bro. Like, everybody's got their own call and their own path. But even in that, as your employer who is trying to win NBA championships, you are not on the same path and track as we are. You're really talented, but your focus is elsewhere. Like, so I can give you, like, hey man, go do that.

No one's knocking you for that. But as it pertains to us and what we're trying to do, you're not present and you're not available. And for that, I got to worry about trusting you, right? Because these are finite windows. Logan, these things aren't open forever. And we chose to put priorities somewhere else this year. Whether I agree with them or not,

you chose to put priorities somewhere else. And that put us in a bad spot. New customers can get a no-sweigh. first bet up to $1,000. The NBA Finals may be over, but FanDul's Sportsbook is still here to help you make every moment more with all your favorite sports and teams, including NBA futures and draft

props. Right now, new customers can get a no sweat first bet up to $1,000. Just sign up, place your first bet, and Fandul will give you up to $1,000 back in free bets if you don't win. Head over to the Fandual app to check out all of their draft props, including individual player

positions, the first five overall picks, and you can parlay the top five players you think will be in the top 10 picks. Vandil is so great because there's great promotions every day. The app is safe and secure and you get paid fast. There's no better place to bet on NBA props and features in Vandul. America's number one sportsbook. Download the Fandul Sportsbook app and sign up using promo code ring your NBA to get started

with your no sweat first bet up to $1,000. 21 or older in Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, permitted parishes only. Michigan, New Jersey, Tennessee, West Virginia, or Wyoming. first online real money wager only. Refund issued as a non-wilderable free bets that expire 14 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook. Fanduel.com.

Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler or visit fanduel.com backslash RG, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois. 1-800 next step or text next step to 533342, Arizona. 18777-770, Louisiana. Tennessee redline, 1,8009-9-7-89, Tennessee, 1-800-2-2-470-7-0, Wyoming, or visit www.w.w.w.1-800 gambler.net, West Virginia. So let's go down the line.

There's some teams that are expected to be interested if Kyrie gets traded, or Kyrie wants our option to a trade. Those three teams. I'm going to go down a line, we'll just go down with our opinion and see what it is, see what's going on. So apparently the Clippers are reportedly

interested. That'd be a fun team to Kairi to go play with, right? That'd be cool. I don't know if they would win it. I don't know if they would win, but no? No, it would be entertainment. Look, Kyrie's talent, you drop him in any mix, right?

It would be very interesting, and it would certainly raise their talent level. Here's what I worry about with the clips. Oh, my bad. Stream of consciousness. They got one thing going for them. It's T. Liu, who's dealt with Kyrie before, and is as good a head coach as there is out there

and has a firm grasp while being a player's coach also understands how to keep people in line and kind of control them. And also did a really good job last year. You get T. Liu did a really good job last year. Great coach. It's a fantastic coach. Like that's not even debatable.

But what I kind of, what I worry about with Kyrie at times is not having the hand strong enough to control it. Can you dig what I'm saying? And I don't know that Kauai or Paul George as stars and leaders of that team would be able to kind of, for lack a better way to put it, control what Kyrie can be at times.

Yeah. You know? But I think T. Liu being there. T. Liu could. But I think you may have a good point because even throughout their tenure, like Kauai and PG's tenure, even from the first season there have been

whispers of like, or there's just been stuff that happens that just doesn't happen in a locker room with strong leadership, if that makes sense, right? just like teams talking out, just losing games, they're not supposed to, just a lot of stuff that if the clippers maybe had a higher profile in the league,

it probably would be a bigger story. But there have just been a lot of, a lot of, I don't know if, I don't know if, I think Hyru would butt heads. This is with them. I don't know. I don't know if it's a strong enough, a locker room for that to work.

I mean, that's, that's kind of where I'm at. But, you know, I would give them a shot because of TILU. That's not to take anything away from from Paul George and Kauai, but you have to have very, very strong culture and leadership. Yeah. Okay. When you're talking about doing what you're talking about doing. Yeah.

The New York Knicks. Yes. That'd be great. Just do it. Let's just do it. Let's just do it. I don't even know what the situation is. Let's just do it, though.

Let's go. Yes. Throw him in the garden and we're, yes, let's go. And I, yeah, yes. No, let's just do it. I don't like, I think we're on the same page here. I don't think it'll crash and burn. I don't think it'll work out.

But like, I would love to see it. Yeah, that's one I'd sign up for. I would go to games to go see that. I would just, yeah. Why did that just do that to me, right? Like, I was so prepared to be like, why do we get so giddy when that happened up? Yes.

Let's do it. Why do we get so giddy? I don't think that was, that wasn't, okay, all right. For no reason. Like, I have no great, like, basketball breakdown of why it's a yes. Like, no fit or lack thereof. I'm just telling you, you said the Nix and Kyrie. We're just messy and we want to just see, we just want to see some shit what happened.

That's what it was. We just got, we both got a little messy and we both got like, oh, shit, that's going to happen. Okay, so the Nix. I actually, you want me to get deeper into it? I think, first of all, he's a New York City kid. like at his core. I think that the Knicks and the stage that is Madison Square, perfect for an act and an entertainer like Kyrie.

Yes. And I think that all that comes along with being good and being a star and putting up huge performances in New York here, what I'm saying to you. Like I'm not saying championships. I'm saying performances as if you're on Broadway or something like that. I think the celebration of that, that is going to be

intoxicating in a way that would keep Kyrie at his best. Okay. I just, wouldn't it be hilarious? Like, because the Knicks were supposed to get Kyrie and Kevin. And it would just be hilarious if all the Knicks ended up with

was Kyrie at the end of the day after a season, like, would just happen. I just think that would be funny. That would be pretty funny. It would be very Knicks. And they would win, All those assets that they got, all the goodwill that they built up. They traded it for Kyrie and it probably just another 41 season at best.

I'm still signing up. Let's fucking do it. Leave pass every day. Like, yes, bro. I'm locked in to NBA today every day. I'm locked in. If Kyrie goes there. Oh, just the Knicks mystique, too.

Like, it would just be, oh, just be, let's make this happen, guys. All the basketball guys, let's make this straight happen. There's one more team, though, Raja. There's one more team that Choms put out there, which I think would honestly be just Biala be the best for all. If we went to the Lakers, you know, we just kind of alluded to that

with Jomey on there. She doesn't know this, but I want to bring, I want to bring Sasha Mac in. Sasha Mac, can you come in and let's let's talk, let's talk shop really quickly. Sasha Mac. Okay. Sasha Mac.

What, our resident Laker fan on here, right now. How would you feel if Kyrie and LeBron get reunited? I don't, yeah, I don't, I was a resident Lager fan right now on this, right

now on this episode. How would you feel if Kyrie gets traded and reunited with LeBron? Honestly, I'm kind of down. He'd be able to play every game. In L.A., he'd be able to play, right?

Yeah, yeah. He should be able to play. Yeah. Fuck it. why not? It can't be worse than Russell Westbro, can it? Like,

Hey, hey! Hey! No, it's a fit. It's a fit. It's a fit. I'm sure somewhere he could be great. He was great numbers-wise.

He always is, but like, it just didn't work out. The personality fit seemed bad too. Like, he was pissed off by the end of the season. He was like getting in, you know,

talking mad shit at every, like, press conference. It was like, okay, like, out. There was a personality issue and there was, you know, an on-court issue. We couldn't make it work. AD also didn't play for like 50% of the season. That's a different, we're talking about Kyrie missing 50% of the season and the E. Davis missed 50% of the season too.

I got to cool off with that, but I feel like I feel like you could have achieved one saying, yes, give me Kyrie without doing the other, which was slandering Russell Westbrook's name, which you know I will have none of. I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe Roger watched that much of, I don't think he's watched that much of Russell Westbrook this evening. I did. I don't think he really, I don't think he watched it. I know it wasn't a good truth.

I know it wasn't a good truth. We had to stop watching games. I know it was like, it was literally like a part of the season where it was like, yeah, okay, we're not watching games anymore. Like, this is, it's not going to be fun in the house. It's not going to be like a fun vibe. Like, it was like the vibes were awful. I'm not trying to denigrate him as a player.

I think that like there was, a horrible fit. I don't know what they were thinking. If anything, I'm talking about the front office. I'm like, what were you thinking? Like, what the fuck you train in Puzma? And like, what are you doing? Like, that was, and everybody had a bad reaction when the trade happened.

And then there was like the backlash to the backlash of like, I actually think that Russell Westbrook is going to be really good for the Lakers. Like, let me. We were there. You know, whatever. And then, yeah. And then I was like, oh, maybe this was starting to like this. And then, you know, the actual basketball happened.

And then that was a very disappointing season. I think that Lakers fans are looking for a, I think they're looking for Russell Westbrook to be gone, number one. But I also think they're looking for like big change. And I feel like we need, like we've been kind of using like, point guards like Dennis Schroeder and like been trying out different kinds of point guards

Rondo, Shruder Rondo is just washed, no offense, but then Shruder just didn't fit for whatever reason. He just didn't play well. And then Russell Westbrook and that didn't work either.

Like we're just running through point guards right now. I want to try one of the most talented point guards to ever play the game. Like how bad could it be? It's proven. You know why you're running through point guards? You know why you're running through point guards, right?

Why is that, Ra? It's because, like, LeBron is your point guard. So you don't need a point, you don't need a point guard. You need an off guard who guards point guards. That's what you need. But I agree that Kyrie. No, it is Kyrie. Kyrie is not a true point.

He doesn't play defense. No, but he handles, he handles, like, a point and stuff like that, but he's not like a table setting point guard. He's a score. That's what he does. So, like, and he's had his best, you know, years and overall success with, with LeBron. LeBron is the type of...

LeBron is a culture driver, right? Like, you get in and you either you get it, you get down with the way LeBron wants to do it and the way the team is going to run or you don't. And so he would be the type of person, and there are a few of them in the league, where I would say, going to be able to ultimately work.

Provided Kyrie, and from everything I've read, Kairi say, is kind of understanding of how good he had it when they were together and regrets the way it fell apart. Now, if he's still holding on and it's going to be bristling at every time LeBron tries to set culture, now we've got another problem. But if he's in buying mode, I think it's great.

What have you heard? Huh? What have you heard? You just said from what I've heard. Well, I've heard, or I've read articles where Kyrie alludes to like the regret of the way they left each other and not being ready to be led. you know what I mean? And kind of saying that the grass isn't always greener

for lack of, you know, that's me paraphrasing it. But like, I thought it was going to be something else and I wasn't ready at that point in my career for what LeBron's leadership was. And so if you've evolved and you've grown and you'll buy in, you know, I think he's a really good fit. I think it's great.

I think it would be sick. I think Sasha Mac is locked in. I think she's ready to go. She's ready for this straight to happen. I've been like Loki that would literally be one of the greatest player trades. Like I would take an amazing, like somebody who's on court product right now

is it's such a high level and it's so good, but has like some personality kind of issues to somebody who's on court product is not that good and has a fit problem personality-wise. Like Russ is unhappy. Yeah. He was super excited when he came to L.A. because he loves the Lakers, and that's awesome.

And we were all excited about that too because we thought, you know what? This is like his team. He's going to love it. And so he'll do what needs to be done. And I'm not smart enough basketball-wise to be able to say definitively what went wrong there. But clearly there was a disagreement between coaching LeBron

and front office and then Russ on like lifting. or something like that. Like he felt like he should be doing this. They felt like he should be doing that. And there was a disagreement. And so he got benched a couple of times. And like it just was contentious. Like it's it's time to let go of that dream of like getting Russell Westbroker ring in LA.

I don't think that it's going to have benching people, bro. Chill out, Frank. I know. It was like the season was done at that point already too. It was like, what point are you trying to prove? Roger. Well, you're going to see. Roger, I think, like, I don't, what, how many Laker games did you watch this season?

I refuse to believe that you watch all of them. Like six. Like six. Like six, exactly. And how did. Six to ten? Six to ten. You don't know that.

No, all jokes aside. You don't know the daily grind, Raja. You weren't outside. It was really hard to watch them play. We were grinding. It was really hard to watch. I even, the six to ten times I watched, I probably didn't. I had to turn it off.

So I'm not. I know. I know. Shit was tough. That shit was tough. Just saying. You know how that shit would have been like cured? Let Russ cook.

I'm joking. You got to relax. You got to relax. I'm not relianto. The Russell West's experience was kind of fun for like a game. Sit LeBron down. What are you doing? Let Russ cook.

I was, listen, I was locked all the way in on that. It was like an early season game against San Antonio. And Russ put the team on his back in overtime. And I was like, yeah yeah that was the last time that was the last we'll fool you bro we'll fool you yeah oh yeah and then he played against the warriors he had a good game late in the season I was like I mean by that it was too far gone it was too far gone at that point but right all right all right yeah so in summation I'm actually for it I can get a person like you're just like a weird

person you're just like a really weird guy like wouldn't be friends with you but like let's go I would say this again, for a personality like that, like LeBron's and his experience with dealing with that, like you're uniquely set up to be able to incorporate it, like get the most out of it and be successful with it. Like we've done it before. There's got to be love there. Yeah.

There's got to be love there. There just has to be. You don't go through something like that and there is it. They need another creator. Like they need a guy like LeBron as he transitions, right? and, you know, AD availability, I mean, I guess for Kyrie too, but like you need another creator, another person you could put the ball in their hands and have them create for themselves and others, and he fits, you know,

Kyrie's as good as anybody in that space. We'll just have to see what happens, man, because even when you talk about this, I think best case scenario for the Lakers with Kyrie, AD, and LeBronos, well, like 50 games. It's going to be honest. Damn. All right, bro. I think that's a good time.

Thank you so much, Sasha Mack. I think it's a great time for, this is a great time for a real one of the week. Just a great time to just go into that. I got to look for my real owner to week. Oh, God. I've been winging it. I've been winging it.

I've been winging it. All right, man. I'm running of the week. I didn't need any help at all with this one. It was ready to go. I'm going to go one Clay Thompson, who just like party hardy. he did like a Michael Jackson like toe thing during the parade.

He was locked in. He was like walking, slapping, slapping five with fans. He had his captain's hat on. He lost his one of his championships rings in the bay, I guess, on the way to the arena and didn't care. Like it was like, all right, whatever. A ring? Yes, bro.

No, a hat. No, we lost a championship ring too. He, his hat flew off his head when he was boating to the same, Francisco and then he dropped a championship ring during the parade like on the ground and everybody had to be like, oh shit and like try to find it. And then he also had one of just an incredible speech where he was just like, what are you? I mean, it's the same thing. You hear Clay Thompson do speeches all the time.

You're like, what are you kind of on about my guy? But he's just very so charming. Clay has like fully. And it's like, he's like doing the speech. He's like, just been such a great day, hugging old ladies. And then Steph and Dremond are obviously drunk as fuck and like can't stop. Sasha and Matt can attest to this. But like, Clay Thompson has fully bought into all the Bay Area propaganda.

He's like, I'm jumping into the water because it has healing properties. The Bay Area has the Baywater has healing properties now. You know, I just love going on the boat when I'm having a bad day. Like, dog. Just, just, I love it. Okay, he's like, I love going into the Golden Gate Bridge. I love, like, just chilling and just vibe in. Like, he's fully ingrained into Bay Area culture.

It's beautiful. So Clay Thompson wrote it a week. I don't know that I find that as beautiful as you do. I think you're a hater. You like going into rivers, freshwater rivers with, like, crocodiles and stuff. That's what you like to do? I don't do that over here on this side. I don't like the freshwater like that.

I rather this all order. But my real one of the week is tough. This is a tough one. I want to go Bob Myers and for putting this together and all of that. But I'm going to go with my 10-year-old son, Zen Bell. All right. I signed Zen up for his second season of tackle football three days ago, right? He's also in basketball camp all day.

And because of the way our family worked out, I don't have as much time working with Zen, like, athletically as I did with his older two brothers, right? So like boxes that are already checked, like for the other ones at this point in their lives, like we're still working on with Zen in terms of overall work ethic and work, you know, just all that kind of stuff, right? Like not in a bad way. It's just part of, you know, where he's at. But he came home yesterday. I got home from basketball practice. He just had got home from football practice.

And he said, dad, I, my coaches singled me out after practice. And I said, well, what happens then? You know, like what was the deal? And he said, well, they had said to the other kids that, you know, I, um, my coach's, you know, like, what was the deal? Like, it was my first night, and I was working harder than anybody else, and that I was setting a great example for the rest of the team. And as a dad, I was really fucking proud because that's what it's about, man. Like, I was really, really proud of my young Buck Zen Bell for setting an example

at his first football practice, even though he hadn't been there. And for that, he's my real one of the week. Fuck yeah, dude. Yep. Good job. Thanks, buddy. That has been another edition of real ones. Thanks for checking us out, man.

It's been great. We'll see you guys on Monday. But in the meantime, in between time, make sure you guys check out all of our ringer slate. That is group chat. That is Weekends with Waz. That is The Void with KOC. Oh, the Void!

That is the mismatch. We're going to keep the propaganda going. Black Girl Songbook with Who? Rosabell. Town legend, Miss Danielle Smith. And R2C2 with who? Rajapal. Malayo legend, the crestside clown, C.C.

Sabathia. Man, we in the house, man. See y'all all summer, man. Holla.