- 1 day ago
Zach Gelb fills in for Marc Hochman alongside Channing Crowder and Alejandro Solana to break down the latest NBA rumor mill. With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo anchoring South Florida, is a LeBron James return to South Beach suddenly realistic? The guys debate whether LeBron is ring-chasing, looking for a retirement tour, or if Pat Riley would even want him back.
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00:00Welcome back in. Hockman, Crowder, and Solana. Day of celebration because the Heat are back to
00:05being relevant as they did acquire right at midnight last night Giannis Antetokounmpo.
00:11So big news right there. Obviously, we've been talking about it all day. Ira Winderman going
00:15to join us coming up at about 525 today. Some other names are starting to come on out because
00:21we've discussed this. Hey, it's great that the Heat have Giannis, the Heat have Bam,
00:26but who else could they go out there and could they acquire? And when you get into that
00:31conversation, Clay Thompson and Chris Middleton are two names that are getting thrown out there
00:38by Ethan J. Skolnick. You just had Bobby Marks on the ESPN draft coverage saying Anthony Simons is
00:44a name to watch. I think keep an eye on one name, Anthony Simons. He's a free agent out there.
00:49If
00:49he's basically willing to go for the vet minimum and play out the year to restore his value, he'd
00:54fit in perfectly with that team. And then this name, we brought it up earlier. And I think we
00:59should get back into this conversation on could you sell this person to do so? But according to
01:06Chris Broussard, right, which it's just an opinion. This is not this is not a report. It's just an
01:13opinion. He was on FS1 earlier. If I were Miami, I would definitely go after LeBron. I would try to
01:19pitch him. Hey, you went back to Cleveland, got your ring there. Come back here, get us a ring.
01:23It would have a lot of value, even though Giannis would be the best player on the team.
01:28LeBron would be going back there and be the quarterback, which is what they need. It's
01:32intriguing. Oh, I would love it. But do they have LeBron money? They have to Norman. They'll
01:39get Norman's money off the books. They had to get Wiggins money off the books to to bring LeBron
01:43in. LeBron's not taking $6 million to play basketball. No, but what? Like a mid-level
01:48exception salon is like 15, 16 million. Like it would be a massive, massive cut for LeBron.
01:54But I think the way that it would go is the reporting out in L.A., which is fascinating,
01:59is that if the Lakers are going to go to LeBron and basically say, we want you to take less.
02:06He wants a full explanation on why he would have to take less and what they're going to do with
02:11that
02:11money from the Lakers, which I think is fair at this stage of his career. But if he doesn't like
02:16that
02:16answer and he doesn't like the reasoning and LeBron could be sensitive, if he gets sensitive
02:22to how the Lakers worded, he could say, F them, I'm done. And then maybe he tries to kick the
02:28tires
02:28on Cleveland. Cleveland could maybe say, yeah, we're not that interested. Then if it's not Cleveland
02:33and if it's not going back to Los Angeles, because he has a feud with Los Angeles, and I do
02:37think he'll
02:38go back to Los Angeles, but then where is he going? And now Miami at least becomes interesting again
02:44with Giannis and Bam, and there would be a need for LeBron.
02:47There's a lot of layers to this because I think the Cleveland story to me makes all the sense in
02:53the world for the retirement tour. Which he claims he doesn't want.
02:59Right. Right. Okay. But what are we expecting LeBron to do? Because I know what most people are
03:08expecting, which is LeBron's going to play one more season and hang it up. And I'm watching LeBron
03:13James last year, and I'm saying this guy's got more basketball left in the tank than just one
03:18season retiring. And I get it, Gelb. You can make the argument that LeBron doesn't need to prove
03:25anything else. His legacy is cemented and all that may be true. But if LeBron wants to play
03:32one more season, have one final hurrah and say goodbye, and he'll take less money because of it
03:38to go back to Cleveland, then that makes sense. But if he does it, and he still thinks he can
03:44play
03:44two or three more seasons, not as a number one, but go and try to win titles on a contending
03:50team,
03:51then I could see him taking a little bit of a pay cut to go be on a contender. And
03:58that puts him in a
03:59position to win a title. I think Golden State is a very interesting place for him because he can go
04:06team up with Steph Curry and they can try to go win one more together. But I don't think LeBron
04:11is
04:12thinking in his mind, yeah, I've got one more year and it's just going to be a retirement tour
04:16and I'll just do it wherever. Like, I don't think that's going to be the case.
04:20Channing, real quickly, let me just ask you this because you're the former player perspective.
04:25LeBron, the biggest difference with LeBron in Los Angeles from the rest of his career,
04:29he's been consistently injured. So the worst thing would be is there's a big injury
04:35this year for LeBron. And it's like, who wants to go out that way? How much is because like
04:41Solana makes a fair point. He could play for another two, three years. There's no doubt about
04:45it. But how much is that maybe way into the thinking of a LeBron? Hey, I've suffered a lot
04:51of injuries in LA. I don't want to test it much more than than this upcoming season.
04:56No, I think I think you start you start feeling it more like LeBron from 13 to now after games.
05:03games. He's more he's sore. He has to do more rehab. He has to get in the cold tub more
05:08when
05:08you start getting old and LeBron is playing. He takes care of his body. You know, the whole
05:12million dollars a year thing that we heard. He takes care of his body. Crazy. Father time
05:17is undefeated. He doesn't feel right now like he felt 10 years ago after games or after back
05:23to backs and all that stuff. But the thing with LeBron to what Solano said, I don't think
05:27LeBron is ring chasing. He never did. He came down here because they put it together
05:33at the Olympics with him and Bosh and Wade wanted to come and try to play together and
05:37see what they can do. Him going back to Cleveland the second time. There's no way that was a
05:42ring chase. He went out and came down three, but three to one to beat Golden State Warriors
05:46and win one. And then going to LA wasn't a ring chase. I think LeBron wants to do what he
05:52wants to do. And that's why I disagree with you, Gelby. I think he's going to be in Cleveland
05:56next year because it's what brought up the boy. I'm the guy from, I'm the guy from Akron.
06:01I think he wants to end his career at home because that's why he went back to Cleveland
06:05the second time. I think his preference would be to go back to LA. I just don't know if that
06:11messaging is going to be good enough for him to go to LA where he probably would entertain
06:16going back to Cleveland then if it's not LA. But the idea that LeBron wasn't ring chasing,
06:22he went to Miami, he was ring chasing. He went back to Cleveland, he was ring chasing.
06:26Going to LA, he was not ring chasing. Who goes to Cleveland to ring chase, Gelby?
06:29Because he knew he could go, he knew they could flip Wiggins for love and they had Kyrie there.
06:34And that was viewed as a super team and he would have won multiple championships there.
06:38Ironically, if he didn't come back from down three, one up against the Warriors. And the next
06:42thing you know, Draymond Green had to go beg Kevin Durant to come save his ass.
06:47And I saw too watching the Lakers this year when Luka was healthy and what's that little
06:54white dude's name? When everybody was healthy, LeBron had no problem passing the ball off
07:00with four minutes left. He has no problem being a two or three.
07:04Now, I don't think it's likely he comes to Miami, but here's why I think it's definitely
07:08intriguing. Because we were talking about this with Danny Green when I was filling in.
07:11And it was like, ah, no one's even considering him going back to Miami. Now with the team
07:16that they have in Giannis and Bam, there's a direct need for LeBron where you're not the
07:21best player, but there's a need for you. You go to LA and stay in LA, people be like,
07:26ah, like just start with the Luka Doncic era full time with Reeves, assuming that he's
07:30back. You go back to Cleveland. Oh, geez. There's a lot of hands in that cookie jar.
07:34And they're going to have to unload a younger player or two in order to just bring back
07:38LeBron. There's now a direct need for LeBron in Miami. And that's the first time this off
07:44season. I'm not thinking this is likely, but we could seriously start to entertain the possibility
07:49of LeBron James maybe coming back to South Beach, especially because I really don't think
07:54in Crowder. It's not that he's necessarily ring chasing, but if he's going to continue to
07:59play, in my opinion, he wants to play somewhere where he has a chance to win. Yeah. I'm not
08:05saying he's going to go to Oklahoma city. I'm not saying he's going to go to San Antonio
08:08and just choose the best spots that are, that, that he could just jump on for another ring.
08:14Like that, that's not what I mean by ring chasing, but if he goes to golden state, I
08:18can make the argument that Steph Curry and LeBron James, you fill out that roster, they
08:23move Jimmy Butler. I'm not saying that they'd be the favorites. I just think I can make the
08:28argument where that's a quality fit for him. And it's a team that with those two could
08:34contend. I think Cleveland, he could probably convince himself that he could be the difference
08:41maker. He could be the difference maker. They could use him. And obviously, I mean,
08:45they can contend there as well. Right. They were in the Eastern conference final this past
08:49season. Like to me, they got swept. Right. And they did get swept. We, we all know Nick's
08:54fan. No, no. I was just, I was just providing that because you said that, that Mitchell and
09:00company were going to win in five games or less, but I really, I, I really don't think
09:06this is my gut feeling. I don't think LeBron wants to play just one more season. I could
09:12be wrong. I have no idea, but I don't think so. I think LeBron wants to play two or three
09:19more seasons and he's not ready for the, let me go have one more season in Cleveland to say
09:25divide of my entire Cavs fan base. I think he wants to sign a one year deal with a player
09:31option somewhere that can put them in a position to try to win again, where he doesn't have
09:36to be the number one or the number two. He could be LeBron James and be one of the best
09:42players on any given night, but not have to carry the load. And Gelb, the Lakers situation
09:46to me is fascinating because Austin Reeves is going to get paid. And if you're, if you're
09:54tying up that amount of money that you're paying Luca and then that amount of money
09:59to Austin Reeves, that's your one. And that's your two. And I don't think the Lakers are
10:03in a position where they're going to be winning and competing in that loaded Western conference
10:08with that as your one. And as your number two and LeBron's not the difference maker. We
10:13know because we have ample evidence, but I don't know what he's thinking right now, but
10:19to Crowder's point, it was a shame that Luca and Reeves both got hurt because that team
10:25at the end of the season was starting to get fun. And not that I think they would have
10:29gone to, to the NBA finals, or maybe it would have been a few years ago where they got to
10:33the Western conference finals and they got swept, uh, by the Denver nuggets, uh, which
10:37did happen. But there was at least a level of, of them being appealing and then maybe being
10:43a team that was getting hot at the right time. That could have been the third best team in
10:46the, in the West. That's fair. That's fair. But you're, you're, you're going to give Austin
10:50Reeves the amount of money that I'm seeing he's going to get on the open market. I mean,
10:55we're, we're talking about a, a lucrative contract for Austin Reeves and you're tying
11:00up a lot of money into Luca and Austin Reeves. And I don't know. I don't, I don't know if
11:03that duo is good enough to put you over the top in the Western conference. So to me, LeBron
11:09has to, has to allow that to factor into his decision of whether or not, if he's doing what
11:16I think he's going to do, which is at least play two more seasons. Um, if that's where
11:20he wants to be, how old is his youngest son? Bronny? No, Bronny. He already got Bronny
11:26a job. He didn't deserve. He just, he just, he just played. Well, he didn't play, but he
11:30was on that Arizona team this year, freshman. So he's about to be a sophomore. So he wants
11:35to go play another play. He plays another year in college and then he goes to the NBA and
11:39plays with dad and daddy can get him a job wherever he's at. And I think that'll be cool.
11:43I love the Bronny story. I don't think he's a NBA player, but I'd like, it's cool that
11:48LeBron is so good at basketball that he can get his son's jobs at the highest level. I
11:52think he'll stay around long enough to play with Bryce.
11:56You know, what's funny about that? I remember Bryce a few years ago was on a stream and someone
12:01asked him that he was, he was, he was getting into his Jalen Brown back. He was on a stream
12:06and, uh, Bryce, someone asked him, can you ever envision playing with your dad? And he said
12:10something along the lines of now he's too old for that. That's not going to happen, but
12:14it's not that far away. It is not that far away. You know, we'll be back in Miami in my
12:19estimation this year. I think this is setting up for Gabe Vincent to come on back cheap one
12:25year deal. Gabe, come on home. Yeah. Coming back to Miami. Yeah. A lot of love Gabe until
12:32he hated him until they got rid of him. He was the champion when he's here and they get
12:36rid of him. Screw that a-hole. I never hated Gabe when he left. I mean,
12:40he just, let's be honest when, when he wasn't, uh, when he wasn't wearing a heat
12:44jersey, he wasn't exactly the same type of player, but Oh three, uh, 2023 Gabe.
12:50Yeah. Do that some sauce. Do that some sauce. Tell the world that I'm coming home.
12:57Gabe Vincent back at the Casillas center. I'm the LeBron to Miami.
13:01Anything's interesting because I do, I do not believe that like, um, we were talking
13:08about earlier. I don't think that he wants to come back under the thumb of Pat
13:11Riley. I just, I just don't think he wants to be the heat. He wants to be in
13:16that. He believes in heat culture. He got two rings of heat culture. I don't think
13:20LeBron wants to come back. Cause I think he ran every other organization he played
13:24for other than Miami. So I have a, I'll give you a little insight on this.
13:28LeBron's agent. When he first got to the league was Leon Rose. LeBron basically then
13:34screwed Leon by rewarding his friends and making them basically agents. So they learned
13:40everything from Leon, like right, that whole path that did transpire supposedly last year
13:45or two years ago, like whatever bad blood was out there, whatever way it went about
13:50Leon, who's now the president of the Knicks and LeBron, I guess flushed it under, uh, under
13:56the bridge, that water. And there was some speculation. Maybe LeBron could go to the Knicks.
14:00So if Leon and LeBron could do that and, and right, Solana didn't like Pat and LeBron.
14:06There's been some rumors that they've already kind of done that, or they've talked a little
14:10bit. Like maybe it's not that far fetched. We're sure LeBron and Pat didn't see eye to
14:15eye at the end, but maybe they realized not that they need one another, but them going LeBron
14:23going back to Miami would be good for Pat. And it would also be good for LeBron.
14:27Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it just makes, again, it all comes down to what LeBron's
14:32thinking. Maybe he, maybe, you know, this, uh, this, uh, the hangover crew of, uh, of the,
14:39the 2016 Cavs celebration that they all hung out. Maybe he kind of just decided like, yeah,
14:44I, I, I'm going to play one more year and I'm going to hang it up. And well, then, you
14:48know,
14:48it's pretty simple to me. Like he'll go to Cleveland. He'll take 17 million. He'll have
14:52his one last dance and it is what it is. But if not, then gel, like, I don't think we
14:58should
14:58write off the Miami heat. I genuinely don't know. And getting Giannis now makes it like
15:02I would have had no appetite for this last week. I would have said, Oh, I think it's
15:06pointless. And why would LeBron? You asked me what's the storyline I would most like to
15:11see LeBron back to the Lakers, LeBron to Cleveland, LeBron to the heat. I would rank them LeBron going
15:16back to Cleveland one. If I'm taking the bias out of it and just being objective,
15:20then LeBron now to the heat too. And then LeBron going back to Lakers, which team, which team.
15:25And I know it's hard to do this because the Miami, we don't know the roster. We don't know. Right.
15:29But which team is better by adding LeBron James? Like if you add LeBron to the Cleveland Cavaliers,
15:38or if you add Miami or LeBron to the Miami heat with Bam and Giannis onto the Kumpo,
15:43I don't even think it's a question. There's more of a need for the heat. I think the team
15:48that's better right now would be still Cleveland. Yeah. Cause they got two, I know that the two
15:52bigs aren't our two bigs, but they have, they got hella five bigs in Cleveland already. Right.
15:57And they'd have to get rid of one to probably get LeBron. But, but the biggest, the biggest
16:03mismatch or nightmare for Miami when facing Cleveland was always Mobley and Allen. And I mean,
16:10you just added Giannis onto the Kumpo to Bam at a bio. I think you're giving the front court
16:15advantage to the Miami heat there. Are you not? Yeah. And who knows what's going to happen with
16:19James Harden now too. Yeah. There's going to be names though, man. He needs to retire tomorrow
16:26to fill out the heat roster. Like people are a little bit concerned with the shooting
16:31situation. There are going to be so many names that I'm not saying are going to be lining up to
16:37come to Miami, but I think that the heat are going to be able to add you, you talk about
16:42clay. I think people would line up to come to my aunt. Like if you're telling, like you don't
16:47always, and Channing would know this as a former player, people say they want to win and that's
16:52fine to say you want to win, but do you really, really want to win? Because, and like, there's
16:58always priorities, money, location, personal life, and then winning. Like you could talk the heat
17:05into being a winner next year, whether they are or not. And then you look at the personal
17:09life and location. Those are things that are definitely desirable compared to some of these
17:13other destinations. Yeah. Especially veterans. I've been around the league and spent, spent
17:19December in Minnesota and Milwaukee. No, I think I'll go down here and get a 70 degree winner
17:25instead of this 17 degrees with a, with a snowstorm coming. It does. It plays into it, especially
17:30you start having kids and all that stuff. Girl being New York. I go to New York all the
17:35time. January, man, I don't want to go to New York, man. It's cold. Why do you think I'm
17:40doing shows here? I'm trying to get out of here. No state income tax. Sign me up too.
17:46If I take a pay cut, no state income tax. Sign me up. I stay at the Marriott at the
17:52EWR
17:53all week. Don't even leave the room. See, that's, that's how I know you're one six. I'm
17:57a bitch. You're staying in Newark. Jeez. I like to stay in Weehawken. I don't like it.
18:03I don't like a crazy day. I like it. My people don't do well in Newark. We get beat up.
18:08Like a, like a good old Benny Hanna's trip and back to the hotel. That's my favorite.
18:19All righty. We got a stock market report. We got to get to headlines. Uh, Alejandro Solana
18:25take it away. Uh, yeah, I was just going to ask really quickly and go. Maybe we can circle back
18:30to this later in the week or maybe later in the show, but does Giannis immediately become the face
18:34of Miami sports? Like does, does that man? Is that the caliber of player that do I consider messy?
18:44Yeah. The thing with messy is it's not even close. He's the face of the MLS. He's the face of
18:51sport
18:52everywhere outside of the United States. But the thing is that in, in the United States, nobody cares
18:59about the MLS, unfortunately, to the degree that they care about the other sports. So I'm going to
19:04say no, but really messy is the face of Miami sports, but I'm going to say no for the sake
19:09of this
19:09discussion. And the Panthers have the best collection of players, but it's still hockey
19:15as much as I love hockey. Marlins. No, the Canes are going to be fun this year with Tony and
19:22Mensa,
19:22but that's college. Yeah. Right now. If you ask me right now, are they the best team? No. They're
19:28the best chance with a championship. No, but who's the most recognizable player. If I'm not putting
19:34messy in the fold and we're not doing soccer, it would be honest. A hundred percent. It's
19:41BAM's team though, right? Well, BAM is weight. BAM is LeBron.
19:51It's Giannis' team, Solana. I love BAM too. And what Bobby Portis is Bosh? I don't know. He never
19:58closed his eyes though. I can't wait to watch a game. Did Hook make that song? That was like,
20:03I remember hearing this as a kid when they got Bosh, Bosh, Bosh, Bosh, Bosh, Bosh, Bosh, Bosh,
20:09Bosh, Bosh, Bosh with the shot song. You're impressed that I know about that. Was that
20:12Hawk doing? That was Hawk. That was Hawk. If you ain't getting Bosh, get the bleep out
20:18the club. It was either, it was either Bosh or it was Zach Krantz, but I'm pretty sure
20:23it was Hawk. You mean it was either Hawk or Zach Krantz? Is that what you meant? You said
20:29it was either Bosh or Krantz. I don't think they made the song for Krantz. Cause I remember,
20:34I remember there being one on the Joe Rose show too, when, when Zach was producing for
20:39it, but I'm pretty sure that was Hawk. So pretty sure.
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