00:00we head out to the wise heart right we make it right call Kyle Wright hotline
00:04Bobby Marks of ESPN joining us now Bobby welcome to the show
00:08hey guys how we doing very good now I know I know you're a very respected member of the
00:13basketball community and so I might be putting you in a position here I kind of liked Wemby
00:19getting his backup bigs to kind of goon it up last night I dare I say is it okay to
00:24say that
00:25I miss the goon in the in in this current modern NBA yeah I mean it's it's funny because those
00:31that's probably the only time those two are going to get on the court in a game like that last
00:35night
00:35and and Mason winds up you know Lee winds up nailing them with a flagrant one they basically retro
00:41which basically doesn't mean much here but uh but yeah I mean I think certainly uh I thought you
00:47know Oklahoma City kind of had its way a little bit last night and um and he kind of sent
00:51sent
00:52the word to the end of the bench to his two veterans to kind of mix it up a little
00:55bit
00:56all right with this we will bring into the Cavaliers here uh and set aside my love for goons
01:02um is this summer for the Cavaliers about choosing between Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley
01:08it's a good question I think uh you know I think at the end of the day I would be
01:13surprised if
01:14Mitchell doesn't sign an extension so that means is this is Mobley the odd man out you have to move
01:19Mobley to basically change the um the dynamics of uh of the roster here I think I think the answer
01:28to that is probably going to be determined on what happens with Harden as far as what the
01:32flexibility you have from a from a trade standpoint with uh I would expect that James number to come
01:37down significantly lower than 42 million dollars I don't know what it is but I would think you'd want
01:42to get under the second apron and then it gives you the flexibility um to do a deal here I
01:46think
01:47listen the Donovan number is as massive you guys know it's I think it's four for 277 I want to
01:54say
01:54and if he plays it out it could get up to like 350 that's a lot of money uh that's
01:59a lot of money
01:59for a player that will be you know 33 34 at the tail end of uh end of that here
02:04so I don't know if
02:05you if you have to you know if you have to choose but I do think I think you have
02:09to have the
02:10flexibility when an option presents itself whether it be in a trade that you have to have um you know
02:16be in a position to do that well so which do you think is more likely they trade Donovan trade
02:21Mobley or run it back I think we're running back I think that's you know but listen I think running
02:28back of course is probably the easier way I think that's you know you could say you could probably
02:34say hey we got past um you know got one round further we you know we we made a trade
02:40at the
02:41deadline let's see what happens in a full year um you know and then on the counter is let's look
02:47at
02:47what happens in games three and four at home what happened at the end of game one to think that
02:52maybe
02:52you can probably should probably change the at the parts of the roster I think I think you know
02:56changing the parts of the roster becomes a little bit more harder as far as where they are financially
03:02here but I think if you had if I had a choice of the three I would probably lean more
03:06that to
03:07you know to most of this group you know back for next year so I I'm a problem solver Bobby
03:13so when
03:14I see Boston's got this problem of of Tatum and Brown on their hands I think to myself I want
03:19to
03:19help right that's that's that's just who I am it's very kind of you or so what do you think
03:24would be
03:24more enticing for Boston if we were just trying to do a one for one or one in pieces for
03:30one
03:30uh Donovan for Jalen Brown or Evan Mobley for Jalen Brown oh that's a good one um
03:39Mobley for Brown I mean that's it that's a that's an that's an interesting one here I think it's
03:45you know if you ask me like just like I know there's we've got all these complicated rules
03:50the cap and the apron I would probably if you if I had to pick between Jalen Brown and Donovan
03:55Mitchell
03:56I'd pick Jalen Brown probably 10 out of 10 um so that's kind of you know just from how I'm
04:02looking
04:02at it here but I don't know if that option is going to be there I don't know if you
04:06know certainly
04:06Boston's going to split up those two I think we'll hear a lot about Giannis of course in the next
04:11uh
04:11probably couple weeks here I think does Cleveland want to kind of dip their toe in the deep end as
04:17far as with that it requires some creativity here that certainly would probably cost you Mobley in a
04:22deal and it probably would certainly change the dynamics of your roster how realistic is the
04:27Giannis conversation like from we think we're very close as a you know Cavs fans watching this
04:32but you got the national perspective are we are we really in the hunt there or is it more uh
04:37kind of
04:38a reach and we're just not acknowledging that I think like I think if you split it up amongst all
04:43the different things you have and whether it be draft picks and young players and guy win now players
04:48here I think you know draft picks I think you're kind of behind you know behind the line as far
04:53as
04:54some of the other teams based on what you can only trade to first the the uh second to last
04:58pick in
04:58the draft first round and then a future first in 31 or 32 I think the one the one player
05:04would be
05:05you know certainly Mobley um and it's the matter of if you're Milwaukee do we like Evan Mobley or do
05:09we
05:09want to flip him somewhere else and maybe that turns into two or three players here or maybe more
05:13draft picks here but I do think they have something that's more that's appealing that a lot of teams
05:18you know don't have they have a guy a big who is a defensive player of the year that's under
05:23contract for the foreseeable future here if they figure they can build around him then that's the
05:28guy you know from a from a foundational piece or as I said can you can you move him from
05:33for
05:33something else Bobby I'm so torn on the honest thing because he is without a doubt one of the 10
05:38best players in the NBA he is fun to watch which we like fun here in Cleveland and I know
05:44that in the
05:45in the immediate he does make you better if we just if we're just talking Giannis for Evan Mobley
05:50but he's 31 the calf injury scare the you know what out of me and I just I'm trying to
05:56figure out
05:57how Giannis Donovan and James Harden fit together and it doesn't feel like anybody else is talking
06:03about those complications do you see the kind of the upside versus the downside with Giannis and the
06:08potential marriage with the calves yeah I mean I think listen I think there's there's I think
06:13there's certainly risk I think there's risk when it comes to the style play is there enough spacing
06:17with those with those three players I think there's certainly risk from a contractual standpoint I
06:24mean it's the guy that as you said you know coming off you know missed a bunch of games this
06:29year I
06:29think he was in this in his career with that with the calf you know it's the same kind of
06:34you know
06:34scenario with you know with like you know with Donovan you're going to pay you know 75 you know 75
06:40million dollars to um you know to a player that uh as he as he ages that contract doesn't look
06:46look
06:47look that's great I think we've seen that a lot we've seen that when guys you know get in their
06:5230s and you got to pay them 35 of the salary cap it becomes awfully challenging as far as how
06:58you how
06:58you build a roster if you were trying to build this team into a title contender which it seems like
07:03they're obviously trying to do especially with the commitment to Donovan how would you go about doing
07:07it oh my goodness can I have some what San Antonio has I mean I think it's hard you listen
07:15I think
07:15there's a lot of different ways to do it I think in this league you better have depth and you
07:20better
07:21have good depth um to withstand some type of you know injuries or give you some some variable so I
07:27think that's I think that's the most important thing as far as when you get when you get into these
07:31playoffs here is you know um you know the depth perspective I thought listen I thought the roster
07:37as was going into that um you know probably into the Indiana series I know Darius got hurt in the
07:43Miami series last year I thought that was kind of a you know hey if you're going to build a
07:47roster
07:47that's probably the way to go and then Darius gets hurt and then we all know what happens um from
07:52there
07:52and everything like that but I do think I think for me I would probably want Donovan at the at
07:57the
07:57point more with the ball in his hands um how does that impact Harden put piece shooters around him
08:02I think that's that was that would probably be how I would want to build the roster around around him
08:08Bobby Jared Allen is a name we haven't mentioned yet uh I've seen you know kind of ideas that maybe
08:15he could be part of what goes to LA if if there's a deal to be had for LeBron what
08:20what market could
08:21Jared have and do you think that the postseason helped his value considering we saw two game sevens
08:27from Jared that were as good a postseason basketball we've ever seen him play I I see yeah I think
08:33he's certainly has helped himself more than probably what what happened last year he's going into
08:38year one of this extension he's got 28 million dollars he's got three years left I think it's a
08:43I think it's a pretty good contract in that sense here I think market uh centers are hard
08:47to come by I think guys that can protect the rim a lob threat that you know post president I
08:53think
08:54um are valuable in this league here so I think if if that's the direction you want to go and
08:59you
08:59want to use him to kind of you know um you know get other pieces or we'll see what happens
09:04in LA with
09:05you know with LeBron which is kind of complicated because you basically can't do a sign and trade and
09:11remain over the first apron in that regards um you know if I was LeBron I'd say wait a minute
09:16why
09:17don't why don't I just go there for the minimum and just they can keep everyone right that'd be the
09:22perfect world yeah we agree we'd like that yeah we're not going to do that uh that's that's the
09:27he's made 600 I think he's made 600 million dollars in his career I think he's at this point in
09:33his
09:33career where like it's not going to be about the money I at least I don't think so here I
09:38mean if
09:38it was about the money then he can stay in Los Angeles or he can go to Brooklyn or he
09:42can go to
09:42Chicago I just think he's done so much player empowerment and so much about making what your worth
09:47is attached to your your financials and I just I'd be surprised by that but maybe you end up being
09:52right so where do we look with LeBron then uh outside of if he just wants to take a a
09:56low low pay cut in
09:57order to come here what is the realistic venture there yeah I mean I think for Cleveland or for
10:03elsewhere for Cleveland I I think it becomes awfully difficult to do a sign trade for him I I really
10:10do
10:10just because where you are you're a little bit and I and that's where I think a lot of it
10:14has to do
10:14with where Harden's number comes in at I think if if if you slice 13 14 million dollars off James
10:21Harden's number and you basically give him a year two to his deal um then that gives you a little
10:26bit
10:26more flexibility to kind of operate um you know under the under the first apron uh and and everything
10:32to be able to you know you can't acquire a player in a sign trade and remain remain over the
10:35first apron Bobby I think it's fair to say that despite continuing to try and jostle this roster
10:43around the their four best players you still you're still a little wonkily built right and and one of
10:49the things that I think is fair to say is in a in a wing league you you still don't
10:54have that wing we
10:55could look at and go that's the guy that's that's the the Jalen Brown stopper whatever I know this is
11:01a complicated question because it might involve moving one of those four best players is there a
11:06wing around the NBA that might be available whether it's in free agency trade whatever that you think
11:11now if the Cavs got that guy it would make this roster maybe more complete or at least better
11:16around the the better players they have yeah I mean I think I think certainly if you want to look
11:21at
11:22like New Orleans I think you know whether it be you know Herb Jones or you know Trey Murphy you
11:28know
11:28guys like that as far as you know big you know big wings and stuff like that that would probably
11:32be
11:32you know more ideal I think it's you know it's funny that the wing discussion it's like you know I've
11:37been
11:37out of the league since 2015 and that was the discussion 11 years ago 12 years ago we sit in
11:45a conference room be like anyway how do we get a 6-8 wing to kind of defend and make
11:49shots and
11:50everything like that and that's the continual continual trend that uh that we're seeing here
11:55and stuff like that but yeah I mean I think that as I said the two guys and the two
11:58guys in New
11:59Orleans I would either player would be would be perfect as far as what they what they need to
12:03try to accomplish do you find it peculiar then that Kobe Altman has built this whole entire thing
12:08and is just like I say ignored but is basically ignored that position I don't know if he's ignored
12:14it I just think it's difficult to to come by you know I think that's the most uh you know
12:19I thought
12:19listen I thought you know I thought Jalen Tyson's minutes during the regular season were pretty good
12:23you know and then he really didn't become a factor much in the uh you know in in the playoffs
12:28here
12:28certainly after they traded um they traded DeAndre Hunter here so I think you've you know
12:33they tried to address it at the deadline I guess it was you know a year and a half ago
12:36with the
12:36Hunter trade and he gets moved for Schroeder and Ellis and then uh and then you're still kind of
12:41having a you know you it's basically by it's by committee right it's you know as we saw in in
12:46the
12:46playoffs here Bobby great stuff as always man really do appreciate you I know uh we are we're
12:53licking our chops trying to get this team back to where we hope we can be yeah you know it's
12:57funny
12:58and I and I've said this and I've talked to you know exactly you know you never say one
13:01cost you the series but one game cost you the series what happened game one the last nine minutes
13:07cost you the series and that's the reality of it here and I I don't want to say laid down
13:11in games
13:12three or four but I think what happened there was awfully defilating and these guys you know did not
13:17did not respond to that would it be wrong of the Cavs then the front office to convince themselves that
13:22they were way closer than maybe what a sweep would tell you
13:27I don't know if they're no I don't know I mean I you guys saw New York games three and
13:31four
13:33I mean I think there was a different game four I think there was a different I don't I don't
13:38think
13:38that you know if you play New York in 10 games maybe you beat them twice potentially you know if
13:44we're coming off that game one there here so I don't know if you if you talk yourself into that
13:48I
13:48think that kind of gets you into trouble here Bobby we appreciate you buddy thank you so much for
13:52your time we'll catch up on down the line you got it take care
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