- 2 days ago
The Sports Junkies react to AJ Dybantsa’s introductory press conference.
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00:00Cakes, you're a DeBonsa guy.
00:02Some people weren't DeBonsa guys, but I believe they may have been won over by his presser yesterday.
00:07How could you not be a DeBonsa guy?
00:08How could you not be in love with that guy who's going to be the face of the franchise heading
00:12forward?
00:12Even if you were a DP guy pre-draft, you've got to kind of flip it, and now you've got
00:19to be 100% behind him.
00:20I totally agree.
00:21Because he's here.
00:21He's your guy.
00:23He's the cornerstone of the franchise.
00:26And he should be fantastic on the court.
00:31Unbelievable physical traits, physical attributes, whether it's his jumping ability, speed, all those sort of things.
00:39Great scorer, but we're getting to know his personality a little bit more.
00:44And yesterday, he talked kind of about the whirlwind that he had been in kind of during the last 48
00:50hours from the NBA draft all the way to meeting with the fans.
00:55It's been great.
00:56Yeah, I had a wild 48 hours.
00:59I mean, I got calls from teammates on draft night.
01:02I got in yesterday.
01:03I got in yesterday.
01:04I met the whole staff.
01:05I went to the war room.
01:06It was great.
01:07I went to Capital One.
01:08There was like, I don't know how many people, like 150 people just saying my name.
01:12I met the mascot.
01:13It was ridiculous.
01:14But, I mean, I'm just excited to meet everybody.
01:16I'm excited to meet the fan base.
01:18So, later today at the debut, it should be great.
01:22You got to meet G-Wiz.
01:24You think G-Wiz broke his character and spoke to DeBonta?
01:27DeBonta spoke really fast to him.
01:29And then G-Wiz said nothing.
01:30He genuinely seemed to enjoy and embrace all of the interactions.
01:36Yes.
01:36You know what I mean?
01:37Went out of his way to shake hands and say hi.
01:40He gets it.
01:41He's a people person.
01:42He knows how it works.
01:43You actually couldn't draw up, like, a better guy to build around.
01:50Just in terms of G-Wiz.
01:51Forget about the talent, which is otherworldly.
01:53Plus, he knows he's a star.
01:55Like, he knows this is part of the deal.
01:57He's been a star since, like, 8th grade.
01:58But I think what it is, Cakes, is it's a real testament to his parents.
02:03Oh, of course.
02:04How they raised him.
02:05Great upbringing.
02:06Great support system.
02:06Like, you're not going to worry about, nothing horrible is going to happen.
02:12And the parents are dialed in.
02:13He's super respectful of parents.
02:15Super respectful of his teachers.
02:18Of people.
02:18He's already got an organization where, forgive me for not remembering, but one of the parents,
02:24I think, is from Jamaica.
02:24One is from the Congo.
02:26Yeah.
02:26And, you know, he's already got scholarship situations set up where he's going to send,
02:30like, 20 kids, and then he's going to do it.
02:31And, like, you could tell it means something to him.
02:34He did a big presser at his elementary school back in Brockton, Massachusetts.
02:37Like, he understands and respects his roots and where he came from.
02:42No, he's a really grounded person.
02:44And I have to say, it's even, like, Will Dawkins made a point of saying, you know, it's very
02:49important for us.
02:50We don't just say it.
02:51Like, giving back to the community and being bigger than just basketball.
02:56And, like, it's not a chore for us to do.
02:58I'll be honest.
02:59Anytime I do any community service, it's a chore.
03:01I am not, I'm not, I'm a lesser person than A.J. DeMonte.
03:05I mean, it's not even close.
03:07What are the chances any of us, I know the answer to this already, what are the chances
03:10any of us had a foundation in our name when we were 19 years old?
03:14I know the answer.
03:15It's zero.
03:16Why would you even ask that question?
03:17He genuinely likes giving back.
03:21I believe Will Dawkins and everybody, they groom these kids, or they pick the right kids
03:26that like it.
03:26But I loathe every time I have to do something.
03:32You chastised me because I am the swim team announcer on Wednesday nights.
03:36I can't believe you do that.
03:37And it lasted four hours the other night, and he just grilled me.
03:40He was like, why would you say yes to that?
03:41He can't say no.
03:42I'm volunteering.
03:43He can't say no.
03:44You're just a better person than me.
03:45I'm not a good person, I guess.
03:46I try to be a nice person, but I can't be doing all that.
03:49It's three times a year.
03:50It sucks when I'm doing it, but literally it's three times a summer.
03:53So you're kind of doing it for your daughter.
03:55Well, when they do these swim meets, if your daughter wasn't involved, you're not going
04:00out there to do it.
04:01When they do these swim meets, there's like 30 volunteers.
04:04I mean, they've got the grill going, the snack bar going, they've got judges and officials.
04:13I don't even know.
04:13It's a huge thing.
04:14So they're constantly looking for volunteers.
04:16I can read names.
04:18That's all I do.
04:19In lane one, John Oville.
04:21In lane two, Jason Bishop.
04:23Volunteerism.
04:24That's all I do.
04:24Not one of my strong suits.
04:26I'm kind of with you, EB.
04:28But you've done a speech here and there.
04:30You gave a graduation speech.
04:31I've never done that.
04:32Did you see me in a rush to do another one?
04:34No, but you did one.
04:35I did.
04:35Sure.
04:36I think that, honestly, don't take this the wrong way.
04:39I think it's a little, you guys like the ADs are doing it.
04:41Because I would never have done that.
04:43I just feel bad saying no.
04:44And you know what?
04:45My mom used to urge me to do more of it.
04:47So in the back of my mind, it's my mom saying I should do more volunteerism.
04:50That's the last thing I would want is ADs for that.
04:53Well, why else would a person do that?
04:56I don't know.
04:57You feel obligated.
04:59I went to Salisbury and spoke in front of a bunch of people.
05:02I didn't want the ADs.
05:02Let me tell you what I'm elite at.
05:04That's the last thing I want.
05:04I'm elite at saying no and finding a delicate way to do it.
05:08Or just lying.
05:10I don't doubt that.
05:12I'm doing one.
05:14I don't even remember the guy's name.
05:15I just saw it yesterday as a reminder.
05:18And it's all the way in October.
05:19It's on my phone.
05:21But I'm doing some sort of something at Georgetown Law School.
05:25Okay.
05:25October 30th.
05:26Well, you have fun with that.
05:27Right before Halloween.
05:28You know, they hit you up.
05:29Okay.
05:30You say yes.
05:32More often than not, when people hit you up,
05:35it's, sure, go ahead.
05:37You can auction off sitting in with the junkies.
05:39The greater point is,
05:40AJ DeBonsa seems very gracious with all of it.
05:43Like it's not a problem.
05:44It doesn't faze him.
05:45I don't know if Peterson would come across,
05:47not that Peterson's not a good kid.
05:48I'm sure he's a great kid.
05:49I don't know if he would come across as positive
05:51to the media and fans as DeBonsa has been.
05:54Yeah, because he's a little more muted.
05:56Yeah, he's a little bit more.
05:56He's a little less enthusiastic.
05:58You know, he's just, but I think he's just a killer.
06:01Maybe a little more introverted.
06:02A little more introverted, exactly.
06:03And DeBonsa's just out there.
06:04Yes.
06:05I didn't see if he had a presser in Utah.
06:08Right.
06:09I saw that he had a picture.
06:10I'm sure he did.
06:10He had a picture he had a new tattoo.
06:12He actually, I don't know if it was in Utah,
06:13but certainly after the draft,
06:15he was interviewed at the presser and everything.
06:17And he's, he's, he sounds excited to be in Utah.
06:20But DeBonsa, he's going to be beloved by fans,
06:23especially if he delivers on the court.
06:25And one of the positive things that we talked about was when he was asked a question,
06:31which he had said he had never heard,
06:33which was compare yourself to an NBA player who's not in the NBA.
06:39And he compared himself to the legendary Len Bias.
06:44Christy Winner Scott asked him about, asked him about this.
06:47Cause there are still some skeptics who are like, oh, he's just pandering.
06:50But here's what he said to Christy Winner Scott.
06:53Yeah.
06:54Now he, he got to his middie and I take huge prize and get into my middie.
06:58I think it's a great shot for me.
06:59I've seen getting into the NBA.
07:00There's a lot of footers now.
07:02There's a lot of shot blockers now.
07:03So to be able to get to that middie and just raise up at six, nine,
07:05I think it's very helpful for me.
07:07So I started watching this film like probably a couple months ago,
07:10just pulled up on TikTok and I just seen him.
07:12I was like, I don't know who this is.
07:13They said he was going to be better than Michael Jordan.
07:15I don't know.
07:15But I started watching this film and I could see him get into his middie a lot.
07:19Getting to his middie, mid range jumper.
07:22I mean, I think he nailed it.
07:23I think he nailed it.
07:24Now I think, you know how he loved that he, he, he, uh, he picked out Len bias.
07:30He didn't really know who Len was.
07:32He acknowledged.
07:33He said, I didn't even know who this guy was.
07:34He would watch video on it.
07:35So I don't think he was pandering to the DMV, which is great.
07:39Yeah.
07:40Just like, yeah, I saw this guy.
07:41They said he was supposed to be the next Michael Jordan.
07:42Let me check him out.
07:43And I go, wow.
07:44It kind of reminds me of me.
07:45And I also don't expect most 19 year olds to know who Len bias is.
07:49Unless you grew up like with your parents being massive Terps fans.
07:52Yeah.
07:52I'm not holding it against him at all.
07:53Yeah.
07:54Yeah.
07:54Uh, but, and I actually think it just shows how high his IQ is.
07:58I'm telling you, I watched that entire presser and I was blown away from start to finish.
08:03Um, they just, they, they nailed it.
08:06I was lobbying for Peterson.
08:07Was that presser open to the public?
08:09They nailed it.
08:09Yeah.
08:10Yeah.
08:10Cause I was driving home yesterday.
08:12I saw a bunch of kids wearing, you know, SAR jerseys and just wizards jerseys walking
08:15through the wharf.
08:16Cause that's where it was.
08:17Right.
08:17Yeah.
08:18Yeah.
08:18So the, the man, he's, he's hit it.
08:21And he's wearing number four, his Jersey number three plus one, three plus one.
08:26Makes you think of Chris Webber.
08:28When you see it, Moses Malone, also one Jameson, Antoine Jameson, it's a pretty big names for
08:33this franchise of Warren Ford.
08:35He's the, the latest in that line.
08:38I think he's going to be easily the fan favorite because the way that he dunks with the ferocity,
08:45he's so athletic.
08:46Well, I'm telling you, dude, they, they, they're going to have quite a few fan favorites.
08:50The fans love Trey Young.
08:52Now, DeBonce is the up and coming star.
08:54The one's going to be here for a decade, but they still love Trey and Trey is a, he's an
08:58electric player.
08:59He brings an excitement to the court.
09:01He's flashy.
09:02He has great passes.
09:03When they, when they do those pick and rolls and the oops and all that, I mean, it's going
09:08to be, they're going to be fun to watch.
09:09They're going to be fun to watch.
09:10It's logo threes too.
09:12Yeah.
09:12Who knows what kind of success they're going to have, but they're going to be fun to watch.
09:16I think they're going to be pretty successful.
09:18I hope they are.
09:19Yeah.
09:19If they're healthy, it's almost borderline sky's the limit.
09:22Like they're, they, if they're healthy, who knows what's going to happen?
09:27I don't know.
09:28I mean, I don't think they're going to win 65 games, but I mean, 65 games.
09:31Well, think about it.
09:32If Anthony Davis is healthy, gives you 60 plus games, Trey Young gives you 65 games.
09:37You assume AJ will play, you know, the whole time.
09:40Let's start with low 40s.
09:42Let's start there.
09:43I'm just saying, if those guys stay healthy the whole time, I mean, that's a, they could
09:47beat anybody.
09:48But they haven't played together yet.
09:50Let's just see how that works out.
09:51That might take a few weeks.
09:53I'm a little more skeptical than you.
09:54I certainly think that in the Eastern Conference, they can get into the playoffs.
09:59Yeah.
10:00I don't know about some of these guys in meaningful games.
10:04You know, I, I, I think Sarr is going to be a good player.
10:07I think he's Sean George is going to be a good player and all these guys, but they played
10:11so many games.
10:12It just didn't matter.
10:12And so many blowouts that you can get numbers.
10:15I mean, there's so many guys that get numbers in the league.
10:17But I don't think Kyle Kuzma, you're describing Kyle Kuzma.
10:20I don't think that's who they are.
10:22I don't think so.
10:23I don't know.
10:24I think, yeah.
10:25I don't know.
10:26I, I mean, I, I don't think that Alex Sarr, like a lot of people are like, oh, he took
10:30the, he took a big step last year.
10:32I agree.
10:33He did.
10:34But I don't necessarily think that he's going to improve on that next year.
10:38Like, do you think all of a sudden he's going to score 20 points a game?
10:40I think his points per game would probably go down.
10:42I don't know.
10:43I think he could make that leap.
10:44I think Dick could.
10:45I don't know.
10:46I don't know.
10:46Because there's so many good players.
10:47I don't know.
10:48I'm going to bet that his points per game.
10:50The game are going to come down.
10:51But that doesn't necessarily mean he's not better.
10:52I think they could be the Charlotte Hornets of this year.
10:56Because the Charlotte Hornets two years ago, I believe they had 18, 19 wins.
11:01I mean, they were pretty low.
11:02They were pretty low in the, in the standings.
11:05And they had 44 this year.
11:06That's a huge jump.
11:07Yeah.
11:08I think that's where the Wizards can be next year.
11:11Go from 17 to about 42, 43, 44.
11:14Love that improvement.
11:14Maybe more.
11:15Maybe more.
11:15Hornets were a playing team.
11:17I think they were a playing team this year.
11:19Yeah, this year.
11:20They were the nine seed.
11:22But that's what 44, look, 44 wins, that's a huge jump from two years ago.
11:26That only got them a nine seed.
11:28Yeah.
11:28That was a play in turn.
11:29Yeah.
11:29That wasn't officially in the playoffs yet.
11:31That's how hard it is to jump to that spot.
11:33I know, but did they have a, did they have a Anthony Davis-like talent?
11:37Like, if Anthony Davis is healthy.
11:39You mean they had Ball?
11:41They had Brandon Miller?
11:42Yeah, but he's not Anthony Davis.
11:43No, they don't have a proven guy.
11:45Anthony Davis is all NBA.
11:46First team guy.
11:47They had the second best rookie.
11:48Yeah, but I'm just telling you, Anthony Davis, if he's healthy.
11:53Yeah, I agree.
11:53He's an elite talent.
11:55Yeah, he's next level.
11:56And I think that a lot of people are starting to turn the corner on Trey.
12:00Like, it's the Trey.
12:00But Anthony Davis, I'll say this, before he was the Lakers, played on a bunch of losing teams.
12:04Okay, but I think he's got good talent now.
12:06When he was in New Orleans, he lost a lot of games.
12:08Yeah, I went to one of those when they played the Wizards.
12:13But Trey, it's gotten to the point where the Trey hatred is, it's now, it's boomeranging back,
12:18and people are starting to defend him.
12:20You know, and they're saying, this guy's, you know, he went from maybe overrated to underrated.
12:25That he's better than people think.
12:28He's not a bum.
12:29I know, I might have even called him a bum.
12:30He's not a bum.
12:31No, I think he's a very dynamic player.
12:34He's a very dynamic player.
12:35And they're going to be able to compensate for some of his shortcomings.
12:39It's a very well thought out, put together team.
12:43And I think, we're going to talk about it later, that if they do re-sign Anthony Davis
12:49or give him some sort of extra year or do something to appease him,
12:52and the whole fan base is going to go nuts, I still trust them.
12:55They know what they're doing.
12:57Because he's that good of a talent.
12:59It doesn't mean that they may not.
13:02I trust them.
13:03Their process is great.
13:05We love Will, Winger, all these people are great.
13:08Yeah, I know.
13:08But that doesn't mean they're infallible.
13:10They can make mistakes.
13:10No, it doesn't mean they're infallible.
13:12No, of course, they will make mistakes.
13:13Whatever they, if they decide to keep Anthony Davis, and they know this, they're rolling the dice.
13:18Sure, for sure, if he gets hurt.
13:20And he has a history of getting hurt.
13:22There's no doubt.
13:23But there's a reason why they're willing to roll the dice with him, because he's so good when healthy.
13:28Right, he'll give him 25 and 12 every night, if that's the case.
13:31It also reminds me, they also got him for next to nothing for a player like that.
13:35Yeah, but they're still paying him $60 million a year.
13:37I know.
13:38And they might agree to pay him $60 million a year for a couple more years.
13:42But personnel-wise.
13:43I can already see it now.
13:45If they extend him for a year or something, or they come up with some weird thing, everyone's going to
13:50be outraged.
13:52Everyone's going to be outraged.
13:52There will be no one that supports the move.
13:55I think there are a lot of fans that support the move.
13:58I think that there are a lot of skeptics.
14:00Just because he doesn't play.
14:02And that's been the case for years.
14:05I understand it, but I do think that they also understand.
14:09They're not dumb.
14:09They know exactly what they're dealing with.
14:11They know how many games he plays.
14:13They just, they have a faith, I guess.
14:16They have a faith.
14:17Well, they're willing to roll the dice.
14:18They didn't give up much personnel for it.
14:20Yeah, but in other words, I know.
14:23They didn't trade the number one pick for Anthony Davis.
14:26I'm telling you, it seems like they're going to double down.
14:29I think they're going to double down on it.
14:31Yeah.
14:32But I think there's a backup plan, too.
14:34It's not just one plan.
14:36Oh, no.
14:36Of course.
14:37If it bombs, so get rid of the plans.
14:38Of course.
14:39It might actually be the number one plan, which is what I always thought.
14:42Ultimately, he's an asset that they're going to move.
14:45Well, all these guys are assets to potentially move.
14:48I don't think he's going to retire a wizard.
14:49I just want to see him at least for a few weeks or months.
14:52No, you're going to see that.
14:54That's what I want to see.
14:55I'm almost willing to bet a significant amount.
14:57For October to January.
14:59I want to see him in uniform playing in games.
15:01I'm taking him with baby steps here.
15:03Yeah.
15:03I think he could get traded next week.
15:05I mean, I don't know.
15:07He might play with the Wizards, but he also could be traded next week.
15:10You would have to blow him away.
15:12He could get traded about as much as they were going to trade that first pick.
15:16The same likelihood.
15:19If I'm the Wizards, I'm calling the Celtics.
15:22Celtics want to move Jalen Brown?
15:24Let's talk.
15:25I'd be willing to listen if you're going to deal with Jalen Brown.
15:28I don't know if they'd want to take Anthony Davis, who's been first team All-NBA for a
15:33guy that just finished second team All-NBA and was an MVP last year who doesn't miss
15:37games.
15:38I don't think that they would roll that dice, but I would make the call.
15:40I don't think they're going to do that.
15:42Yeah.
15:42Again, it would have to be a deal like that.
15:43It would have to be a deal like that.
15:471-800-636-1067 is the number.
15:50Remember, we will talk more about the Washington Nationals at 9 o'clock.
15:53Insider Chelsea Jaynes is going to join us.
15:55We'll talk about what they can do, if anything, about their horrific bullpen.
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