- 12 hours ago
The latest news on the Warriors' reported pursuit of LeBron James:
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00:00Oh, yeah, here we go. What happens first?
00:03Clarity on LeBron.
00:05Or the United States moving on to the round of 16.
00:10Oh, I got to factor in the percentage chance that the U.S. actually wins today.
00:16Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
00:17Yep.
00:18What's more likely and when is it more likely?
00:21Ooh.
00:22I'll take the U.S.A.
00:24I think also.
00:25I'll take U.S.A.
00:26They've got to win and that should happen somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 o'clock tonight-ish.
00:32Yeah.
00:33Hopefully they don't have to go to PKs.
00:34Unless you get the extra 30 minutes of extra time and then PKs.
00:38I'm hoping for regulation sensation.
00:41But, yeah, I'll take that.
00:43I don't think we're going to get this today, but I could be wrong.
00:47I could be wrong.
00:48And I'm no different than all of us and all of you.
00:52We are all doing this every 10 minutes.
00:55You're like, you know what?
00:56I feel great about it.
00:57And then you're like, oh, crap.
00:59I think he's going to go to the Cavs.
01:01Coming home.
01:03Coming home.
01:03Tell the world.
01:04We're just all.
01:05It's right.
01:06It's back and forth and back and forth.
01:10I still think he's going to be on the Warriors.
01:12I sat here yesterday when we started the show like exactly 24 hours ago and I told you,
01:17I think he's going to be a Warrior, but I don't think it's going to happen today.
01:21Today being yesterday.
01:22Well, you were right about part of it.
01:23And now I'm sitting here today and I'm like, why isn't he a Warrior yet?
01:28Even though I didn't expect it to happen yet.
01:30And I can't help myself but freak it out because of what you mentioned during the crossover,
01:35which is the only thing standing between the Warriors and this kind of being last year's
01:42team again is LeBron's decision.
01:45Well, that's a big part of the discussion.
01:47That's really scary for me.
01:49And I would love to open that up to our audience.
01:53888-957-9570.
01:55Of course, Grandi in for dibs again today.
01:58And we'd love to hear from you.
02:00And I think that that is, you know, it was funny.
02:03An old boss of mine used to talk about like content creation and doing radio and everything.
02:09And he was like, the whole idea is balancing hope and fear.
02:13Okay, this is a great, great topic for what he was talking about.
02:18I actually thought he was a super mean, awful boss, but I did take that from him.
02:22That stuck with you all these years.
02:24The idea as you're talking to other people in any entertainment form, think about it like a movie.
02:31It is the balance between hope and fear.
02:34And the fear side of this is absolutely that for me.
02:39It's not even so much, what if LeBron is not a warrior?
02:43That's always been a huge part of it.
02:45In fact, it was only this week that we started to think realistically that he might become a warrior.
02:51I can wrap my head around LeBron not being a warrior.
02:54I don't know that I can wrap my head around the warrior offseason being Yaxo Lundeborg and that's it.
03:00That's it.
03:01You're just going to bring everybody back.
03:03You're going to have a press conference and say, we need more people who will play back-to-backs.
03:09We would like to get younger.
03:10We need to do things differently.
03:12We need to turn the ball over less.
03:14And the only thing you're going to do is bring in a rookie?
03:17And everybody else just comes back to us.
03:19Yeah, there'll be a small piece here or there.
03:21But yeah, nothing that you really think changes anything in a drastic way.
03:26Is there really even going to be a small move here or there?
03:28Maybe.
03:29Maybe, but not yet.
03:30Anthony Simons, but you have to wait for LeBron first.
03:35But yeah, do you remember how bad last year was?
03:38Last year was rough.
03:40It wasn't just like they were a below average basketball team.
03:43They won 37.
03:44It's not like they won 25 games.
03:46They were boring.
03:47And it was really, really difficult basketball to watch.
03:51Not just boring, like they would get blown out.
03:54But it was, one, they didn't have, you know, any stars playing when Jimmy was out and Steph
03:59was out.
04:00And those are obviously things that you hope are better this year.
04:02Jimmy's going to miss at least half the season.
04:04You hope Steph plays more games.
04:05But it was just like they didn't have anybody that could dribble the ball.
04:10They didn't have hardly anybody that could shoot.
04:12They had a hard time staying in front of ball handlers on the other side.
04:16Like it was just, what do they do well?
04:18We were getting to know players at the starting lineup.
04:20Yeah.
04:21Remember when we were like, wait, Nate who?
04:24Nate Williams?
04:25How do you pronounce?
04:27You're at seven?
04:27Is it Malavie?
04:29Malavie Leons?
04:30It's really fun to see LJ tonight.
04:32LJ Cryer?
04:33LJ Cryer.
04:33Do you remember when everyone thought Pat Spencer was the next big thing?
04:36Remember that week and a half?
04:38I'm that mother bleeper.
04:41Pat Spencer?
04:42Like the things that we got excited about last year were those level things.
04:46Oh, that's what happens.
04:47It was like, oh my God, I don't know anything about Nate Williams, but he's okay.
04:50That's what happens.
04:51Like that got us excited.
04:53That's what the second half of last year was.
04:55Well, when you lose all your good players and you lose your hope, yeah, that's what happens.
05:00And what I am terrified about as a Warriors fan is if LeBron, for whatever reason, doesn't decide to come
05:08here and he's a Cav, he's a Heat, he's a Nugget because suddenly they've been the trendy team because there
05:15was a report that they called Rich Paul about LeBron James' interest potentially in joining Nikola Jokic in Denver.
05:21If he doesn't join the Warriors, I am terrified as a Warrior fan that this coming season is going to
05:29be a repeat of what last year was.
05:30Agreed.
05:31And we have to avoid that by any means necessary because I don't know if I can handle that again.
05:36There's the fear.
05:37By the way, I'll tell you one thing you probably don't have to fear.
05:40What?
05:40Playing Belgium in the next round.
05:43It's early.
05:44It's not that early.
05:46Well, the 55th minute.
05:48Senegal has scored again.
05:49Senegal leads 2-0 over Belgium.
05:5255th minute.
05:53And yes, the winner of this match would be the United States' next opponent should they win later on tonight.
06:01We're going to sprinkle in some soccer because, come on, this is a big freaking deal.
06:06Just wait until Belgium subs on Lukaku.
06:08I think he's actually already on.
06:10Well, that's – I said this earlier and I don't mind saying it on the – I'm so – this
06:14is one of those – it's just this moment, just that part of the story.
06:17I'm very thankful that Dan Dibley is not here today.
06:20Where's the goo drop?
06:21Just because of Lukaku.
06:25Because he can't handle that.
06:29Romelu Lukaku, Belgium legend.
06:31I love him, but he can't handle that.
06:35Odigizuwa.
06:36He can handle Odigizuwa, but not a Lukaku.
06:39Okay?
06:40Okay.
06:40So anyway, if that's the fear part, here's the hope.
06:46Okay, give it to me.
06:47I need it.
06:48Is anybody else acting like they're going to get LeBron?
06:53Okay.
06:54Any other team, you mean?
06:55Any other team.
06:56I love – my favorite stories.
06:58Oh, did Denver Nuggets have called?
07:01Great.
07:02This guy –
07:03And then you refresh Kalshi and suddenly they've jumped way up.
07:06Stop it.
07:08Stop it.
07:09LeBron James, the captain of orchestrating his future.
07:15A man who once upon a time compiled a television show and a $1 million Boys and Girls Club donation
07:24to announce where he's going.
07:27You think he just left the Lakers and then went to the pool with his kids yesterday, called Rich Paul
07:36and said, yeah, find me a team.
07:39This is going to get a lot of play, I think.
07:42Yeah.
07:43A docu-series, final goodbye.
07:46I want all the attention possible.
07:49Let's do it in Colorado.
07:51Colorado, listen, I am just like everyone else ready to have fried egg on the face, but I do not
08:00buy that for one second.
08:03Detroit, Denver, wherever, USA, come on.
08:09There's no way.
08:11There's no way.
08:12If I'm doing a docu-series and I'm in the NBA and I have driven ratings in this league for
08:18two decades, who do I want by my side for my docu-series?
08:24How about the other guy who's driven ratings for the last two decades in the NBA?
08:29Like I just – and then go to their movements.
08:32Let's look at the teams and what they're doing.
08:37Who is acting like they're about to get LeBron?
08:43The Warriors.
08:44They're the only ones.
08:46But the Warriors have been acting like they've been trying to get a star player for a number of different
08:51trade deadlines, off-seasons.
08:54I think they've been prepared for it.
08:56I don't know that they've done any – they've made any movements.
08:59What – you know what I mean?
09:00What decisions have been made that were, in theory, readying yourself for the arrival of one of these stocks?
09:08I think it's maybe more so foregoing other smaller moves to keep things open for the potential big move.
09:14But that's maybe more of a macro view as opposed to a micro.
09:18This specific one thing that we're trying to do, it was we're not going to trade a couple first-round
09:23picks for this player because we want to trade all four for Giannis.
09:25Yes, potentially, eventually.
09:27And, of course, that didn't work out.
09:29The fear that I have also comes from not just this is LeBron's decision and the Warriors are kind of
09:33powerless from making this a situation different from last year.
09:38But the other thing that creeps back into my mind, and I know that you've tried to fire back on
09:43me on this in the past because we've had this same conversation in the past, is they have struck out
09:49time and time and time again.
09:50We're going for the big names, and it's hard for me to erase that doubt that creeps into my head
09:54because this has happened before.
09:56Maybe not quite as dire as this one feels to me, but it has happened before.
10:00And it could happen again.
10:02Yeah.
10:02It absolutely could happen again.
10:04I guess my question to you is what do you think is the most important thing to LeBron?
10:09Because we have all these conflicting reports.
10:11His agent was on a podcast with Max Kellerman, and we're talking about Rich Paul, his agent, talking about this.
10:16This is a happiness thing.
10:17He wants to go wherever he's happiest.
10:19OK, the question becomes, well, what makes him happy?
10:21We're all trying to go places where we're happy.
10:24But is he happy because of money?
10:26Is he happy because he goes on a good team that has a chance to win?
10:29Is he happy because he's close to family?
10:30Is he happy because he's back in his home state of Ohio?
10:33Is he happy because he is on the Warriors and has a teammate like Steph, and it makes his docu
10:40-series that much more, I don't know, interesting?
10:43Like, what is it that drives him right now?
10:45That's what I want to get to the bottom of.
10:47Well, and I don't know that we actually ever fully get to know that.
10:50I mean, we can start to figure it out once the puzzle pieces are all put together, and then we
10:56can work backwards.
10:58So that's kind of a guesswork answer, but I'll fire away.
11:02You know what I mean?
11:03Like, OK, is this financially motivated?
11:07I'd argue no, but does that mean money doesn't matter at all?
11:11Like, you don't think he's taking a minimum.
11:13I doubt it.
11:14And that's another thing in the Warriors' favor right now.
11:17Put that in the hope category.
11:18Their mid-level exception has become about as much money as he can get anywhere.
11:22Unless somebody just gets rid of a ton of money on their books.
11:25Which we don't see anybody doing right now.
11:28So that's number one.
11:30Do I think money is a piece of this?
11:31Sure.
11:33Do I think happiness is a piece of this?
11:35Yes, I look at all of these rumored places, and I think about the teammate thing.
11:40If LeBron, and he well knows this, if he actually thinks he's going to, whether it's contend for a title
11:46or just play meaningful basketball,
11:48do you think that he would surround himself with teammates where he has zero evidence of that style and how
11:57it works and play together all of those things?
12:01Even when somebody like Luka arrived, there was a period of time where they had to figure that out.
12:07And then he got hurt, and whatever.
12:10Off they go to the playoffs.
12:11But do I think that LeBron is just going to immediately go, yeah, Donovan Mitchell.
12:17That's exactly what we're doing, simply because it's my hometown.
12:21Do I think he'll go, yes, Giannis.
12:23Even though Giannis looks like kind of high maintenance at this hour, as is LeBron.
12:30Do I think it's going to be Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball?
12:34No.
12:34And he's just going to think that that's going to work.
12:38I think that he thinks, even though it's been small samples, I would bet on, well, I've played with that
12:45guy at the Olympics.
12:47These dudes are my friends.
12:50I've been coached by Steve Kerr at the Olympics.
12:51They've been coached by Steve Kerr, and they all kind of see themselves accurately while old as basketball savants.
13:01Wasn't his podcast with Steph Curry titled Perfect Basketball.
13:06Yeah.
13:07Ten minutes of perfect basketball or whatever it was.
13:09And then the last thing, which I think that, I don't even look at this as a criticism, but what
13:15makes somebody like LeBron tick going into his final year, for lack of a better word, attention?
13:21You think that's what he wants more than anything else?
13:23I don't think more than anything else, but I think that.
13:26That's a factor for him.
13:27Yeah.
13:27I mean, he's getting attention wherever he goes.
13:30Right, but it's going to be a lot less in Denver.
13:32You know what I mean?
13:33I mean, it's not like Jokic is not an interesting person to see LeBron with.
13:38For sure, but again, let's just look at the whole picture.
13:44Even the idea of Cleveland.
13:46Yeah, you could do that.
13:48But if you are thinking about this as a showman, and I think that he is a showman, I don't
13:55know.
13:55Where would you go?
13:56Where would you go?
13:57There's only one team he can join where they would be the damn show.
14:04I mean, Spurs and Thunder, in terms of attention, would take a backseat to the Golden State Warriors.
14:13Some of you may laugh at that, but not TV execs.
14:16Yeah, it depends.
14:17I mean, the definition of the attention that the Warriors would be getting is not dependent on a bunch of
14:24wins.
14:25Like, he could have a lot of attention by playing basketball into mid-June on the Spurs or OKC.
14:32Wouldn't get that in all likely.
14:34At least it's way less likely with the Warriors.
14:36But yeah, just being in that arena with Steph and with Draymond and with Steve Kerr,
14:40and the crazy, like, last dance nature of what it would all feel like and sound like,
14:45and that he wants a camera crew following him around for the whole season.
14:49Just think of all the stories that you get.
14:50Think of all the on-the-team playing, sitting next to Steph, playing games of cards, playing poker, whatever it
14:57is.
14:57Doesn't this sound like him?
14:58This is the only thing.
14:59It does kind of sound like him, but I don't know if that outweighs.
15:02Like, we heard from Shams today that he's interested in competing.
15:06For sure.
15:07Being on a good team.
15:08Right, but does LeBron and Steph think that being together, even at their age, doesn't mean competing?
15:13Remember now.
15:15No, but I would not be shocked if LeBron thought he has a better chance to compete, say, in Cleveland,
15:20or even in Miami.
15:21You and I are not high on Miami.
15:22Yeah, maybe, maybe, but...
15:24Then here.
15:25Gonna go do this with the camera crews with Pat Riley?
15:29Also, he's left Cleveland twice, and it's been bumpy.
15:33I know he won them a championship in 2016.
15:35How does he feel about Gilbert, the owner?
15:38And when he left Miami, things were not good with Pat Riley and Eric Spoelstra either.
15:42Right, I mean, listen, to me, I've told you, I think Cleveland is the only other one that makes sense
15:46to me, a little bit.
15:49But, that's what's governing my opinion right now.
15:54What sounds like LeBron?
15:56So that's why I push back when it's like, I don't think he knows where he's going right now.
16:00Does that sound like LeBron?
16:02That doesn't sound like LeBron to me.
16:03I don't know if it means...
16:05I know exactly where I'm going.
16:07I've been orchestrating this since January.
16:11And then what you just said.
16:13On the plane with Steph and Dre.
16:16Smoking cigars.
16:17With a camera crew.
16:19That sounds like LeBron to me.
16:22I don't know the guy.
16:23I could be wrong.
16:24That's what it sounds like to me.
16:25But let's play with this idea of hope and fear.
16:29Well, let's ask Nick Friedle, too.
16:31For sure.
16:31Nick Friedle joins us next.
16:33And then we want to get to a lot of your calls.
16:34888-957-9570.
16:38What gives you hope right now?
16:39And what gives you fear right now?
16:41With regard to this story, LeBron and the Dubs.
16:44Responsored by Crystal Geyser.
16:46Alpine Springwater.
16:48Friedle next.
16:49Willard and Dibbs.
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