00:00We did get some news today, not the news we were expecting, but Donovan Mitchell signing a
00:03four-year contract extension with the Cavaliers. And it's funny how even this news was greeted
00:10with like three or four different, what's going on? Why is this happening? I think we were all,
00:16including Darrell Ryder, under the assumption that Donovan was going to wait the extra year
00:21to get the extra year and more money on the back end. That did not happen. And I think,
00:26I really do think it's as simple as I think Donovan saw what happened with Jalen Brown,
00:31how Jalen became expendable and how the money seems to be drying up with the new, not the new,
00:38with the, with the ridiculous aprons in the NBA. And he thought, I don't want to take my chances
00:45a year from now. I'll just go ahead and take the money that you do now so I can secure
00:49that.
00:49And then I'll worry about four years from now in four years. Well, it gets to look good for
00:52Cavs fans at the moment, right? Because you do, you basically throw away $80 million that you can
00:57recuperate later on in your career. But I think you're more right on this. The idea that this was
01:02a bet about him understanding that if he had a bad year, this upcoming season, market wasn't going
01:08to be great for him. Like his, his stock did take a hit this year. It did more people than
01:13not are now
01:13comfortable saying Donovan Mitchell is not a number one on a championship team. We didn't have those
01:17conversations three, four years prior. He's not getting any younger. He's already started. We
01:22have some advanced analytics that show he's not taking a massive step back, but he is not nearly
01:26as explosive as he once was. Like, this is him just accepting. This was the smart thing for him
01:30to do. Also, you know, it's funny because I think, I think, I think it's easy for guys like us
01:36to get
01:36cynical and be like, well, it's, you know, oh, you get to take that easy victory lap when really it's
01:40about you. I don't care about that. Uh, I would have, if, if I forced to choose between Donovan and
01:45Evan, I would have, I would have chosen to trade Donovan had I been able to get Jalen Brown for
01:52Donovan. I would have made that swap out. And I feel like you would have been a better position to
01:55win a championship. All that being said, the truth is this guy signed a second contract extension in
02:02Cleveland when everyone thought the first one wasn't going to happen. It's a good day to be a
02:06Cavs fan. Yeah. I mean, the commitment that Donovan is showing to this team and this organization,
02:10I guess the only thing that's matched it as far as loyalty is concerned is the one they've shown
02:14back to him. And so it's a weird thing because we've, we've made so much about like these fights
02:18between Donovan and the friend and whether or not he can actually be here and, and whether or not
02:22these in the long-term plans. And, and this is one area where they've tried telling us as many times
02:27they possibly can. He's not going anywhere. We're not trading them and it's working out that way.
02:32And here's the other thing. Um, I also think because the LeBron stuff is in the air, I think that
02:38LeBron
02:39stuff kind of neutralizes any critical thoughts we might have on the Donovan thing.
02:44Yeah. No, definitely. That's why it's so key that they did it right now. And this is the first day
02:48he could obviously, but yeah, no one's going to be critical of this because you're waiting for what
02:51happens on the other side of this. If LeBron had already decided a different team and we had this
02:56whole summer and it was just like, I guess they really are just running this whole thing back,
02:59man, Kobe really believes in this roster in a way that, that I wouldn't believe in it.
03:03It'd be a different tune. I think what's interesting is I just don't see any actual downside for
03:08Donovan, given the fiscal landscape of the NBA. And I do see a fair amount of potential downside
03:14for the Cavaliers. And, you know, Donovan's one of those guys that because he's not six foot seven,
03:21you know, six, seven, uh, because he's, you know, six, two, six, three ish. He does get by based off
03:26that explosive first step. He is going to be somebody that if he loses a half step there,
03:33it is going to be a problem for the Cavaliers. But again, that's probably two to three years from
03:37now. Cavs problem, not today's Cavs problem. Exactly right. And they're living in this two
03:42year window, essentially that they're putting all their eggs in this basket and they're going to
03:46try to see how it works out. I, I don't know. It's good news. I mean, there's, there's no other
03:49way to look at it, but good news, but it is interesting on the heels of LeBron, which by the
03:52way,
03:53it tells everyone, and I want everyone to stay as, as locked into today's show as you possibly
03:57can. There's no chance we're getting a LeBron rumor today or not a LeBron rumor, but a LeBron
04:01decision today. All right. Now you realize that Daryl already took a pounding on Twitter for saying
04:06Donovan's waiting for a 10 year extension. I prepared for this one. Oh, I know what he's doing.
04:10You are, you're tempting the NBA guys. No, you just, you can't upstage Donovan's day. Yes,
04:16you can. No, you can't. If you're LeBron, this is, this is Donovan's day. That's the worst way to be
04:20a
04:20teammate is to do it on your big $273 million four year extension day, uh, where you just get
04:27to be everyone patch on the back and tells you how great you are. It's like a birthday for these
04:31guys. These contract days, these are massive. You can't do that. If you're LeBron, there's
04:35etiquette, sir. You think there's etiquette that LeBron would not be adhering to if he did it in
04:39like the next hour. That's trash, trash, Panda, trash. Are you telling me that the Donovan who
04:46apparently wants to win a championship as bad as anything? I don't use alpha beta terms. What an
04:50alpha move that would be by LeBron though. Which is why I could see LeBron doing it. This really
04:54isn't your team, is it? Also, no, what's a trash move by LeBron if he did it today? Also, no,
04:59he'd be
04:59fine. LeBron, announce it as soon as possible. Save it for tomorrow. We'd like the announcement.
05:03Save it for tomorrow. Specifically from two to seven on any day you'd like to make it. I'd love it.
05:08I'm just here to be the wet blanket for today as far as people are concerned. He's not doing it
05:12today.
05:12I know exactly what you're doing. He's not. No, I'm not even playing this game. I'm not going to
05:15have three minutes later freezing cold take with the audio coming out. It's just not happening today.
05:19I think that's exactly what's going to happen. You don't, you don't take, this is Donovan's day.
05:22You just don't, you don't take over that. You think Donovan gives a rat's ass when LeBron
05:27announces that he's going to come back to Cleveland? I think if he did it today, it would be a
05:31little
05:31bit of like of all days. Of all days. I just, I just signed the $273 million deal. This is
05:39the day
05:40that you're going to do this. Listen, is it a captain Phillips? I'm the captain. I mean,
05:44it's, it's, it's announcing that you're, does Donovan care? No. It's like doing a gender reveal
05:48at a wedding. Like what are you, what are you doing? No, the two people are getting married
05:51right there. We don't care if it's a boy or a girl. Why are you trying to take away the
05:54attention?
05:55Actually, the reason why you do it there is because people do care if it's a boy or girl.
05:59No, no, no. Different couple, different couple, different scenario. No, no, no. I know.
06:02I know. Or even the engagements that happen at weddings too. You ever seen some of those videos?
06:06You're the worst type of person. If you pull off an engagement at somebody else's
06:09wedding, that is their day. That is their moment. That is their time. Just sit this
06:13one out. Nancy, you don't need it that bad. I get all the families in the room. You don't
06:17need it that bad. Here's a problem. Invite them over for pasta and hot dogs a week later.
06:21Here's a problem. You appreciate power moves too much for you to be saying all the things
06:26you're saying. I do, but what's overriding this is my appreciation for respect.
06:30Yeah. And my appreciation for respect that one man can have for another in this situation.
06:37Overall, I understand why people look at this and oh, what a commitment for Donovan. Listen,
06:42it is, but it's also, I think a bigger commitment from the Cavs side just because with the way
06:49the first apron, second aprons are working, you are, you're landlocked with Donovan and
06:54the trade kicker is going to complicate that if he even has something close to a down year
07:00for him, which is like even 90% of Donovan at 30 is going to be a concern around the
07:06NBA.
07:07Well, you heard Brad Stevens yesterday. Brad Stevens' whole press conference was based off
07:10the idea that we can't have two max players. It's too hard in the NBA the way this is going.
07:15I remember looking at it like a month ago. SGA at a certain point in the upcoming couple
07:20years is going to have a contract that pays him around a million dollars a game. That's where
07:24this is all headed. Is he only playing 25 games that year?
07:26No, based off of an 82 game schedule. Okay. Yeah. He gets paid for ones. He doesn't even
07:30play in Nick. What a, what a league we work in. Not my NBA. No, oddly enough Donovan, because
07:36Donovan typically he plays between like 53 to 71, 72. He's going to like top end for him
07:41actually will be a million a game and games he actually appears in, which has you thinking
07:45sometimes, you know, when you watch those are really like just bad, like sometimes it's
07:49like Cavs versus name any random NBA team that it seems like three people are in attendance
07:54and nobody is watching. They're making more than a million dollars plus on this game.
07:58Cause like just Donovan himself is costing you a million dollars, which is crazy. Yeah.
08:02Such, such insane money involved in all of this.
08:04Now here's the problem. When you said name a bad team, I instantly thought of like eight,
08:09like the bulls, uh, the Hornets. I default to the trailblazers. That's who I always end up
08:15defaulting to, but now that they got jaw, it might be a little bit different. I don't think
08:18so. I don't think so either. Yeah. Not after the way they did a Tiago splitter. Yeah.
08:22But you and I both big splitter guys splitter. Yeah. Splitter get off the pot. I said when
08:27they wouldn't pay it. Okay. That was nice. Come on now. We're back. The kid's back. We're
08:32having fun. Uh, now, uh, getting to the LeBron side of things. I know you, I know you think
08:38LeBron is not coming back today, today, just today. I was on a, uh, you better, you bet
08:44not with Costos. I don't get the Costos treatment. I was on with Chris Mack who was filling
08:48in and he asked me, give me percentage, give me your percentage. And I was like 60%. I
08:53am 60% certain that LeBron is coming back to Cleveland. And I'd say about 39% of the other
09:0040% is just normal self-doubt we have when it comes to will LeBron come back or not.
09:06Okay. But you did not always exist in this frame. Is that right? Yeah. Uh, and it's
09:10interesting how this is kind of, it's snowballed into and developed into this. I just have a hard
09:15time with all this because right now the people closest to LeBron aren't speaking. And so it's
09:21a lot of reporting, but reporting done by people that don't know and have no clue into how LeBron
09:25is thinking. So you have to guess what LeBron is going to do. And I just don't know that we
09:29have a way of even thinking that out. You know, Geltziler has lived off. I was right about LeBron
09:33in 2014 for 12 years now. Yeah. If we agree not to rage bait him like Lima, we got to
09:39get him
09:39on and see what he, cause he was, he's one of the guys that has said, I knew LeBron was
09:44coming
09:44back in 2014. We got to see where Geltziler's on this. I love Geltziler. I'd take him on
09:47at any point. That man just shoots. He does. He, I mean, there's, I mean, he just, he's
09:51a flamethrower that Geltziler. Uh, now this being said, I will tell you, I was so surprised,
09:56you know, being on a beach with again, for hormonal women, it was great. Um, and just kind
10:02of relax. You might, you might just stop doing the hormonal thing with this. You might get
10:05in real trouble doing that. There's a chance, but they're already hormonal. What more can
10:08they do to me? The answer is everything. Please pray for me. Um,
10:14but no, I mean, I was the funniest thing as I started thinking about it, as it appeared
10:18like Cleveland was the front runner, I just got happy. It's so funny. We've had, this
10:24was such a wonky year with how, you know, you finally get over the second round and then
10:28you get embarrassed in the Eastern conference finals. And then we had these wars and that
10:32wars and Donovan and Evan, we had all these big debates. And the second that I really allowed
10:37myself to think that LeBron could come back, all I could be was happy. Just the, the idea
10:44itself, knowing that, do I think it means they're going to win a championship next
10:48year? I don't, I wouldn't, I don't think they're going to be the favorites even in
10:52the East. I don't think they'd be the favorite. It'll be a toss up within like four different
10:55teams though. And so like, well, yeah, but I think my point was like, you know, there
10:59used to be a time where LeBron came back automatic. It just, you know, you, you get
11:03to pass, go, you're going to the NBA finals. I don't think that's the case now. I do
11:07think he makes them a lot better, but like, I just am happy. The idea that I've
11:10watched this guy play for 22 years in the NBA and the idea that we could be the
11:17backdrop for his swan song in the NBA, everything else just kind of melted away.
11:23Like the need to win a championship kind of, Hey, if that happens, it's great, but
11:27I don't need it. Like I, I need, and I didn't realize how much I need LeBron to
11:33come home and finish his story here more than I've needed anything else as a Cavs
11:37fan since they won the title in 2016. That's the dangerous part that LeBron's
11:41currently living in. If he, if he chooses anywhere that isn't the Cavs, he's played
11:46with your emotions. He's played with my emotions. He's played with the listeners
11:50out there emotions. Like if he goes anywhere that isn't the Cavs after this and
11:53the, uh, I mean, we're tracking him at golf galaxies in Fairlawn. We're just seeing
11:57what nightclubs he's going to over the weekend. The yoga class, a real page on
12:02Elaine Kiffin's book, huh? My goodness. But, but like, good for everyone. Like
12:06we're, we're, we're invested now and we're almost all living in this world of
12:10like, as if LeBron is already here to have that ripped away. I think LeBron's
12:14got to see that. I think he's got to see what those optics are. I think he's got
12:17to see, uh, it's not, it wouldn't be like hate, but there would be enough
12:21people that would have pure vitriol for the idea that LeBron teased us this
12:24summer. Yeah. I mean, I think right now when he comes back, there's gonna be 10% of
12:28people who are like, Oh, this again, I saw a listener of the station. I'm not going to
12:32put them on blast because it's, it's nobody's business who it is. They're
12:36like, he doesn't need to come back. He's not my King. And I was like, okay. We
12:40took calls yesterday from people being like, I don't want his ego around. Yeah.
12:43I said, that's dumb. Yeah. I also would say that is dumb. I, by the way, find me
12:48the humble NBA superstar. And, uh, I'll also find you a unicorn. They don't
12:53happen. All right. Donovan, Donovan, it seems like he's humble. And then he's
12:57like, he refers to himself as Mr. President. Yes. So, and again, that doesn't, I'm
13:01sorry. Also find me anybody that's successful that doesn't have a modicum
13:04of an ego, but, um, you know, like I think there's 10% right now that would
13:08just be like, eh, no, I don't want it. Bleep that guy. I think the LeBron
13:14haters in Cleveland would multiply to like half the town for a little bit. I
13:18don't know how long that is. I'm saying like half the town would just be bleep
13:21that guy. And it would be a real uncomfortable return to Cleveland. The
13:25first time he comes back in a Timberwolves uniform or God forbid a
13:29warrior's uniform. I think it'd be really bad for LeBron. Uh, I really
13:32do. I, and I, there's so many people that live by the idea that he won in
13:352016. So just who cares? You can't, you can do no wrong. I probably fall in
13:40that bucket of people. There's going to be enough people that the way that
13:42they've gotten themselves excited and they've envisioned this whole next
13:45year, not only LeBron coming here and doing his farewell tour, but also
13:48coming here and fixing what's wrong with this team and making it so we
13:51don't just run it back with the same core we had last year. That's a, that's a
13:55dangerous recipe that he's playing with. Here's the thing. If he goes to
13:58Miami, I'll be like, Giannis, bam. I get it. I'm not gonna be thrilled with
14:03it, but I get it. He has also been there previously. That's a different way to put
14:08a bow in his career. We know the relationship he's got with Giannis
14:10already. If he goes to Minnesota, I think Anthony Edwards somehow is one of the
14:14most underrated players in the NBA. I think he'll kill LaMelo. I think LeBron
14:18would savagely murder him at center court at the target center, but I at least
14:23get Anthony Edwards is the real deal. He'd also kill Rudy Gobert. Um, but I'm
14:28I, it'd be weird because I've never thought of him as a Timber, but it's
14:32weird. The only one that would actually really, truly infuriate me actually is
14:35the Warriors.
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