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00:00Don Levy thought Chris Stops was going to play.
00:02TK Show, Mike Don Levy.
00:04Yeah, we were optimistic.
00:05I mean, you never know until you get a player in your hands.
00:07I mean, he was out.
00:07He missed a bunch of time with the Achilles injury.
00:09You know, so that was a part of it, too.
00:10And he hadn't played any games for a while up until that point.
00:13But from a medical findings standpoint, looking at it, we felt good with that piece of the puzzle.
00:19And, you know, again, he came out of the break.
00:21I felt like we gave him some time there from the trade to the break to get right,
00:26have our medical group evaluated, make sure it was good to go.
00:28You don't want to mess around with those things.
00:30And then played that one game, and then he's had this illness thing since.
00:34So, yeah, I mean, that's kind of the way I view it.
00:36Certainly wish he was there playing now for us, thinking he could really help.
00:39But, you know, this is where we're at right now.
00:41Okay.
00:42This is where we're at right now.
00:43This is where we're at.
00:44He's had that illness thing.
00:45And then what about Steph potentially missing the rest of the year?
00:49Look, there's a chance of anything.
00:50That would be very surprising to me.
00:52It would be very, very surprising.
00:53But, you know, I'm not going to rule anything out.
00:57I'm not a doctor, and things can go a certain way.
00:59So I don't want the headline to be, Steph may be done for the year, because I'm not ruling it
01:03out.
01:04But just because he's not playing right now, I just have to acknowledge that, yeah, sure, I'm sure there's a
01:08chance.
01:09But we don't expect that.
01:10Did you ever think of keeping Kaminga past the deadline?
01:13Well, I think you guys know, I mean, it's been put out there about, you know, trade demand.
01:18And I think any time a player wants that, I want to try to accommodate.
01:22You know, you want people that want to be here.
01:23And for that reason, we felt it was the right time to move on.
01:27I think JK is happy about it.
01:28We're in the right spot for it.
01:29It was just kind of the right thing to do at the time.
01:32Yeah, interesting.
01:33And do we have the answer about demand?
01:36Did we cut that?
01:37Because Tim...
01:38You're talking about the original one?
01:39No, Tim actually followed up in the TK show about demand.
01:43And he even asked, he said to Mike, he's like, yeah, maybe your most famous quote as a GM,
01:48you probably don't want it to be.
01:49You talked about demand.
01:51I think it's this next one from Don, maybe.
01:53No, I mean, I think it was about what I thought it would be.
01:56As it was throughout the course of his tenure.
01:59You know, we were never really actively looking to move JK.
02:01But, you know, when the request was made, you know, you try a little bit harder.
02:06You know, I felt good about accommodating that,
02:08particularly for us to get a player of Chris Sob's ability back.
02:11So it made sense.
02:13We did it.
02:13And here we are.
02:15Yeah.
02:15And that was his answer following what, you know, Tim said demand.
02:18And Mike actually started with, yeah, you know, when he said demand and, you know,
02:23at the time, I don't know if the demand was lesser or greater,
02:26but it seems like there was a bigger demand for JK than maybe Mike Dunleavy
02:33mentioned when he had the famous quote about demand.
02:36Was there?
02:36I don't know, but based on his answer right there,
02:39it seems like there was more of a demand for JK than the way he made it seem like six
02:45weeks ago.
02:45I think the demand that he's talking about is the demand that JK and Aaron Turner made.
02:51Right.
02:51Not demand on the market.
02:54I think the question that Tim asked was about, you know, was there a higher demand for JK?
03:00Like, how high was the demand?
03:02I mean, here it is again.
03:05No, I mean, I think it was about what I thought it would be.
03:07As it was throughout the course of his tenure.
03:10You know, we were never really actively looking to move JK.
03:12But, you know, when the request was made, you know, you try a little bit harder.
03:17You know, I felt good about accommodating that,
03:20particularly for us to get a player of Kristoff's ability back.
03:23So it made sense.
03:24We did it.
03:24And here we are.
03:25Yeah.
03:26You want to know what I argue with is this last sentence.
03:30It made sense.
03:31So we did it.
03:32No, it didn't.
03:33It makes sense if he plays.
03:35Yeah, but he hasn't played.
03:37Right.
03:37And that was predictable.
03:38That was the favorite.
03:40If you were on Kalshi with Giannis, when this thing went down,
03:45Kristoff's over-under for games with 27 remaining was not 25.
03:51No, even if you put it at 18.
03:53Yeah, it was probably like 11.
03:54Yeah.
03:55Yeah.
03:55And so far we've gotten part of one.
03:58He counts for one.
03:59Yeah, he started in the second quarter and played 17 minutes.
04:04Like, he actually played a JK game.
04:06Yeah.
04:07He got JK's minutes.
04:09And JK was, quote, unquote, held down for five years.
04:13Yeah.
04:13So, like, I don't know, man.
04:15He also talked in the piece about, and Timmy asked him about whether or not they felt good
04:21about the medicals that they got back from Atlanta.
04:24And, you know, you have that one, too?
04:26Sure do.
04:26Not at all.
04:26I think it's really, really complicated.
04:28This is a unique situation.
04:30I would say from our end, I feel good about, from the information that we had, I feel good
04:34about our evaluation of what that was on the medical side.
04:38And for that reason, that's why we made the trade.
04:41So looking back on it at the time makes perfect sense, good with it.
04:45And frankly, you know, we're still good with it, given the information that we had.
04:49But as far as what was disclosed or what we knew, what we didn't know, whether it's officially,
04:54unofficially, like, that's really hard to get into and probably something I can't comment
04:58on.
04:58Yeah.
04:59And by the way, after what happened with Steve Kerr last Friday, that will never be discussed
05:04by anybody publicly ever again.
05:05And that's probably the right thing.
05:07And that's fine.
05:07And the proof will be in the pudding or in the playing, in this case, or the not playing.
05:12And he's on the trip.
05:13That's good news, which indicates to me that he's feeling better than he did last time they
05:17went out on the trip, but he won't play tomorrow.
05:20So I just think that everyone's really sensitive, as they should be.
05:23This is a human being we're talking about.
05:25Sure.
05:26I was just interested by that piece where, you know, the medical information they got was
05:31basically enough to where they still went ahead and did the deal.
05:35And now general illness, mystery illness.
05:38And is this a different thing than what he's had?
05:40We'll never know.
05:41But it just leads me to wonder.
05:43I'm having maybe a harder time than you are taking these words at face value.
05:50What you can really interpret is we knew he probably wouldn't play a lot and we just
05:55want the salary slot.
05:56Didn't mean to rhyme, but it worked out.
05:58And that's a good thing.
06:00I don't know if that's what they wanted.
06:02I mean, honestly, now this is where you got to work backwards.
06:08If you wanted the salary slot, we already had that last year.
06:13Let him go.
06:15You didn't need to sign him.
06:17The whole reason that you went through this incredibly arduous, painful, all summer long
06:23contract negotiation is that you refuse to give him up for nothing.
06:27And then in the end, you got him for somebody who can't play.
06:31And now you're telling us that you're still really comfortable with that.
06:35And maybe you are.
06:36And maybe I'm wrong.
06:38And maybe Kristaps is about to go on a heater and play for the Warriors again next year for
06:44$15 million.
06:45Let's just say I have my doubts.
06:47Yeah.
06:48I have my doubts.
06:49Everyone should have their doubts.
06:51And that's kind of what I was hoping for when he was getting ready to play that first game.
06:56Because if he balls out and he's healthy and he plays incredibly well, he's going to make
07:00$25 million.
07:01He's a unicorn.
07:02If he doesn't play basketball at all other than 17 minutes, he may not get even a penny.
07:07Yeah, he may not play at all.
07:08And I don't know if he needs it, wants it, is healthy enough to do it.
07:12But one other thing Dunleavy said, and you probably have this cut too, because the guys
07:17did a great job of cutting this thing all the way up.
07:20But the urgency of getting him out there with Steph this year to at least have a look at
07:25how that might present itself.
07:27I mean, we definitely need him out there.
07:29We want to see him out there.
07:31Same thing for Steph too, right?
07:32We need him to get back as well.
07:33So the clock is ticking in general.
07:35We're approaching the last quarter of the season here.
07:38The race is on.
07:39And the sooner we get these guys back, the better.
07:41And the play-in tournament to them is a worthwhile goal.
07:46I think we look at that differently than middle of the season, back to back.
07:49Like this is a competitive thing.
07:51This gets us into the tournament.
07:52So we're going to do everything possible to get all of our guys back ready for if it's
07:56a play-in game or a second play-in game, whatever it may be.
07:58We've been there before.
07:59We've done this play-in tournament.
08:00We know how it works.
08:01It's like an NCAA feel, right?
08:03It's do or die.
08:04And we have a great group that we've won some.
08:06We haven't won some.
08:07But we'll do everything we can to get everybody back for it.
08:09All right.
08:10So, look, it's one thing if you want a blue sky this year, because I think even the most
08:14angry Warrior fan can see where things have kind of fallen not your way.
08:18Jimmy Butler tears his ACL.
08:20Steph's now got the knee.
08:21And if you want to buy that they at least thought that Kristaps was going to play and then got
08:26sick again and that was unforeseen on some level, okay, like your good players are all
08:31down.
08:31And so there's some bad luck that's involved in that.
08:37I think by listening to this thing kind of as a whole, and I'll play one more for you,
08:42the thing that would concern Warrior fans right now based on what I know about where their
08:49heads are collectively at, Mike is telling you that next year is the same.
08:57We're not changing anything.
08:59Listen to, is Draymond going to be on the team next year?
09:03For me, it's hard to picture this team without Steph, without Draymond, without Steve.
09:09So I don't really picture those things, but, you know, kind of to the point of the answer
09:13about Steph being back this year, like if we're operating in absolutes, like it's impossible
09:17for me to guarantee anything.
09:19But we want Draymond here.
09:21We want him to finish his career here, just like we do Steph.
09:24So I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be back, but, you know, I mean, we got to finish
09:29this season.
09:29I'm so much more focused on these last 20 games than I am.
09:33Okay.
09:33What are we, what are we doing this summer?
09:34I mean, yes, there's additions they can make.
09:37Maybe there's some money to spend.
09:38And maybe there's a major trade coming.
09:40I don't know.
09:41But Mike Dunley was asked, Steve Kerr next year.
09:44I don't see why not.
09:45Draymond Green next year.
09:46I don't see why not.
09:47Can't see us without him.
09:49And he actually went on in a Draymond Green follow-up question.
09:51You probably have this too, because you've got it all.
09:54But he was very praiseworthy of Draymond.
09:57And, you know, last year, first team all defense.
09:59And this year, he's playing it near that level.
10:01And, you know, when he's not with Jimmy and Steph, his offense really, really struggles.
10:05But boy, that defense on Kawhi the other night.
10:08Yeah, it's a big picture.
10:09The fact that 14 years in, he's 35, 35 years old.
10:14Where he's at right now is incredible.
10:16Even where he was three, four years ago, I'm not sure many people predicted he'd be playing
10:21at this level, particularly on the defensive end and giving what he gives to our team.
10:25I think there's no question it's been a challenge for him without Jimmy, without Steph, and looking
10:30around and not, I mean, just a lack of familiarity with guys who've been here a long time.
10:34He's battled, you know, as recently as last night, you know, guarding Kawhi, take it on
10:38that challenge.
10:39Like, the fact that he's still able to do that is incredible.
10:42But yeah, he's in a tough spot right now.
10:44And offensively, you know, when he's out there with Steph, those guys have been so good for
10:48so many years.
10:49Like, we're a good offensive team when those two are together on the court.
10:52Whether or not it's tougher.
10:53I acknowledge that for Draymond.
10:55But all in all, I mean, he's done a phenomenal job.
10:58I don't know what, I guess you'd say the word aging, you know, as his career goes on.
11:02He's adjusted really well.
11:04And he's been a great leader for us this year.
11:05And, you know, his defense is still, I mean, he's the first team all-NBA defender last season.
11:10He's certainly near that level this year.
11:12Look, I'm not about to come on here and obliterate Draymond.
11:15I don't think there's any point in that.
11:17I don't even think that that's real.
11:18I appreciate everything Draymond has been, and I do think it is overly simplistic to
11:25just look at now and go, Draymond's not good anymore.
11:29I don't like his offense.
11:31The Warriors are worse with him than they are without him.
11:34There are scenarios where that's true.
11:36And I think that's what you're hearing Mike say.
11:38Like, we can acknowledge that he's in a tough spot when the other stars on the team are out.
11:43And, yes, the majority of what he brings to the table now is on the defensive end,
11:49which is not where most of us fans really spend time watching.
11:53We go to the box score, and the box score doesn't tell you when you got a stop on Victor
11:59Wembenyama
11:59or Kawhi Leonard.
12:01It doesn't do that.
12:02So I'm going to acknowledge all of those things, but I'm at the same time going to say this.
12:08What you're hearing him say, and you've heard Steve Kerr say so many times,
12:14is sort of a microcosm.
12:16It's a symptom of what the big thing is over the last few years.
12:22And it is that the Warriors have leaned, in my opinion, too far in to the both on-and-off
12:33-court
12:34basketball and emotional importance of Draymond Green.
12:40And I get it.
12:42Like, that might sound ridiculous.
12:43He's vital.
12:44I am on that ship of, like, they don't probably win a lot of those titles without him.
12:50I think he was that important.
12:52But once that importance was established, the Warriors potentially became blind to when that wasn't true anymore.
13:02I don't know if it's blindness as much as it is, like, muscle memory and history.
13:06Because when it's been so good, you've won the titles.
13:09And so if you are, you know, Steve Kerr and Mike Dunleavy, who was, you know, the assistant GM before
13:15he got the main gig,
13:16they've been around this and Draymond a part of it, and they've won championships.
13:20And so it's hard to look at Draymond's game and think, well, that's over.
13:25I mean, he's washed.
13:26He's not washed.
13:27And his answer is what Steve Kerr has said to us.
13:29And I bet he repeats it here in a half an hour when he joins us.
13:32And I believe it to be true.
13:34When Draymond's with Steph and Jimmy, offensively, he's at his best.
13:38And without him, you watch him again tomorrow night, Draymond Green will give up the ball,
13:42and he'll run to a spot on the three-point line and just wait.
13:45And that's not what you want Draymond to be.
13:47He's not a three and D guy.
13:49He's a lot of D, not a lot of three.
13:51And with Steph, they run that high pick and roll, and, you know, teams trap it,
13:56and then they dump it over the pocket pass to Draymond.
13:58Now it's four on three, and the basketball IQ is flowing.
14:02But without Steph, he doesn't get to play that role.
14:04Yeah, yeah, but he's also, it's also gotten loose.
14:08You know what I mean?
14:08He called himself earlier this year a great passer.
14:12And he has been a great passer in his career.
14:16And are some of his passes not as good this year because of who's receiving them?
14:22Being in the wrong spot or the timing is off?
14:25I'll buy that to a degree, but I'm also going to buy that, like, a lot of it is on
14:30you.
14:31Like, a lot of your passes are just getting knocked away by the defense constantly.
14:38The turnovers, they can't all be everyone else's fault.
14:42I just don't believe in that.
14:43No, I don't either.
14:44And it's just, it's interesting when you hear Mike talking about Draymond like that because he also talked about, you
14:51know,
14:51when you had Jimmy this year, and you probably have this cut too because whoever, whoever cut this podcast, the
14:57TK show up, phenomenal job.
14:59I tried to give Grandy credit off air, and he's like, no, I didn't do it.
15:03But he did say, you know, this year we started really slowly, and maybe it was the road schedule.
15:09And then, you know, once things got settled down and we had all those home games in January, I really,
15:13I thought we started to play really well.
15:15And, you know, they were starting to roll, and next thing you know, Jimmy gets hurt, and then Steph is
15:20out.
15:20And so we're kind of left with what we have now.
15:24I don't see that one.
15:25Mike Dunleavy.
15:26Yeah.
15:27It was interesting because he was.
15:29Whoever cut this really screwed up on that one.
15:32He was definitely selling the listener, in this case me, because I listened to it on Bart, selling me on
15:38what last year they sold us on.
15:40Hey, when we got Jimmy, we finished the year 24-8.
15:43We hummed, and he even said that today.
15:45He's like, you know, we were, Steph had the hamstring, and if, you know, if not, we would be, and
15:50we were one of the final four teams in the West.
15:52And, you know, he definitely is still trying to hitch his wagon to that, and they probably believe that.
15:58Yeah, but I think I've heard that sound clip one too many times to where it becomes almost like a
16:05politician out there with, like, one of their platform ideas.
16:10The whole, like, from the moment that Jimmy joined the team to when Jimmy got hurt, they had the fourth
16:15most wins in the NBA.
16:18Like, it's not wrong.
16:20That's a stat.
16:21But that's, and it's an interesting stat.
16:24I just think I've heard it one too many times.
16:27So now, you know, when some.
16:29That's a stat.
16:30Look it up.
16:30You know when, no, I don't need to look it up.
16:32I know it's true, but, you know, you know when suddenly you feel like someone's selling you something?
16:38You know what I mean?
16:38No doubt.
16:39You know when people used to invite you over for dinner, and then you're just like, oh, that's great.
16:43We'll get together, have some dinner and some wine, and then all of a sudden they pull out like an
16:47easel.
16:47Oh, my God.
16:48And they're like, so, I'm so glad you guys could come over tonight.
16:51Oh, my God.
16:52We wanted to discuss an opportunity with you, and the night changes.
16:56And I'm like, oh, God, Bob down the street's got a pyramid scheme, honey.
17:00Let's get the hell out of here before dessert even gets served.
17:03Oh, my God.
17:04I'm flashing back right now so many times.
17:06This has happened to you.
17:07My friend, Johnetta, she was having a party.
17:11So, my buddy and I, the aforementioned Kenny Flamer, one of my best friends, we go and get a handle
17:15of vodka because it's a party.
17:17Yeah.
17:17We bebop and burst on in.
17:19Oh, I don't see any table full of food and beverage.
17:23There's no music playing.
17:24Come on in.
17:25It's a candle party.
17:26Oh.
17:27Yeah.
17:28So, vodka, candles?
17:31Oh, yeah.
17:31We're going to show you all these candles.
17:33And if you sell candles, too, you can make up to, you know, $75 a day selling candles.
17:38A candle pyramid scheme.
17:40I'm with you.
17:41First job interview I ever had.
17:43My mom was so excited.
17:46Oh, my God.
17:47My little boy has a job interview.
17:51And it probably took me down there.
17:53Maybe I drove myself.
17:54I don't remember how old I was.
17:56Whatever.
17:57And I went down there, and I walked right in, and I think it's a job interview.
18:01Like, there'll be one, two, maybe three people, and you.
18:05And I walked in, and there were one, two, three people up front talking to a room full of about
18:1056 people.
18:11Wow.
18:12All right.
18:13Here's the little box that we're going to give you that you can go out there and sell.
18:18And if you sell it, and you're just like, oh, God, where is the exit?
18:24But I was like, oh, am I going to disappoint my mom?
18:27You can't.
18:28Yeah.
18:29So that's.
18:30Did you ever go out and try to sell?
18:32No.
18:33Oh, God, no.
18:34I got the hell out of there.
18:35I was thinking that you and I have that in common.
18:37We would be terrible door-to-door salespeople.
18:40I did it.
18:40Oh, did you?
18:41Yeah.
18:41You probably don't remember the old gas station booklets where, you know, hey, if you buy this booklet,
18:47and then you get, like, on your fifth thing you use, you get a free oil change.
18:52You know, you get a 20% off the ball-bearing repack and this and that and this and that.
18:57How long have you been alive?
18:59A long time.
19:00Good Lord.
19:02No, but all of the, even the idea of going door-to-door.
19:05Forget door-to-door.
19:06I couldn't go door and knock on someone's door in 2026 if I don't know them.
19:12Are you kidding?
19:14Like, that's grounds to get your, I mean, hell, you get assaulted for that now.
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