- 15 hours ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00As we look around and try to figure out what LeBron James is going to do, we have been tapping
00:04into all kinds of voices from all across the NBA. We trust one man and there's no question about it
00:09and he is Danny Green, our Odyssey NBA insider, former Cavalier, who is brought to you by Hyundai.
00:15Discover what's next at your local Hyundai dealer, official partner of the FIFA World Cup
00:222026. Hi Danny, how are you? Hi Danny. Good, how you guys doing man? We're well. Good afternoon.
00:27Did you get invited to the big wedding? You're a big celebrity. Did you end up going to the
00:32Swift Kelsey wedding? I have not been invited. I'm not in those circles man. I'm not that big time.
00:41To me you are. Charles Barkley blew them off. He said he wasn't good. No, he didn't blow them off.
00:45He said he got invited and he didn't want to go. I just figured I'd throw that at you. I
00:49don't know
00:49why. Danny, when it comes to LeBron James, what are your thoughts on him and where do you think
00:54he's going to land? I mean, only he knows, right? I mean, for me it's something that a lot of
01:01people
01:02are looking for is Cleveland. Like I wouldn't mind seeing him, you know, finish and go back home
01:07and, you know, close as a chapter. If this is, everybody's assuming this is his last season
01:12and we've been assuming that for like the last five years now. So yeah, I mean, I would love to
01:17see him
01:18in Cleveland uniform, but I mean, there's a lot of places that make sense where he can be effective.
01:22You know, there's Golden State, there's Philly, there's Detroit, like there's a lot of other
01:26places in the running, people talking Miami. So he has options. It also depends on whether
01:32or not he cares to make a lot of money or not, or if he's going to take the minimum,
01:36which
01:37again, a lot of these things that this offseason have surprised me. And I feel like I've lived
01:42a lot of life. I'm like, oh, nothing can surprise me. But every year there's always something
01:45that surprises the hell out of me. So I'd be shocked to see if he lands somewhere else
01:50other than Cleveland. And if he did it for a minimum, Philadelphia seems to be gaining some
01:56momentum. Danny, you, you played in Philly. What do you think of LeBron dropping in with Tyrese Maxey
02:03and now Jalen Brown and Joel Embiid when he's able to be out on the floor? How does that fit?
02:09That would be a, I mean, it'd be interesting for Nick Nurse to figure that out, but good problems to
02:14have,
02:14right? I think he fits well. He's perfect. He's a, he's a four man now more so than a three.
02:20He's got young guys around him that can, you know, can defend, that can protect the room.
02:24Got guys that can, you know, create for him also. And he can also handle the ball. So it'd be
02:31a good
02:32fit. You know, I think he said he's LeBron James is a chameleon. The reason why he lasts in the
02:36league
02:36so long for 23 years, 24 years now coming up, it's because he's able to adapt and adjust.
02:42He's adaptable. So he did that in LA. He'll do it. And I think he'll fit great there as long
02:48as
02:48everybody there stays healthy and you're in the East. So you kind of always have a chance.
02:53He's not as explosive as he was who, who is when they're 41, as opposed to being 25.
02:58But, but as you said, being, you know, playing the power forward spot, more than a small forward
03:03spot in theory right now, it's the small forward spot in Cleveland. It's open. If he were to come to
03:09Cleveland, do you think he would play for, do you think Jared Allen would come off the bench?
03:14Do you think Jared would get traded? Evan Mobley coming off the bench, getting traded? How do you
03:18think that fit would work here?
03:20Yeah, I think he'd absolutely play the fourth spot. And then whoever is in that spot would come off
03:25the bench or slide down. I do think that there will be a move needed to be made a trade
03:31or so to
03:31create some cap space or also to create that type of playing time for you. You don't want to have
03:36those type of talented guys come off your bench or have to play limited minutes. So yeah,
03:42I'd imagine a move would have to be made and he would definitely start at the fourth spot.
03:46I don't see LeBron James come off the bench or anybody even though he's 41, about to be 42.
03:50Although I felt like it might have been a long shot just because we watched him. I thought San
03:54Antonio might have been a good spot for him, you knowing that organization as well as you do.
03:59I'm just curious your thoughts on what, it seems like the Spurs are out of it though,
04:03so or have decided not to be a part of it. Your thoughts on Spurs and LeBron and would that
04:08have
04:08been a good fit? I mean, again, I think LeBron fits a lot of places perfectly. Like they did
04:14just sign Tobias Harris. They have Harrison Barnes back there. So two really good vet and fours.
04:18But LeBron James, of course, is one of the best players in the league still, even at his age.
04:23So yeah, could he fit in San Antonio? Could he fit in OKC? Could he fit in New York?
04:28Of course, but do those teams need him? Like those teams feel like they're good where they're at
04:32right now. They're in contention. They don't want to ruin or mess that up. They want their young
04:35players to grow. They don't want to hinder that. So I understand. Even said Kawhi wasn't open to
04:40going back to San Antonio. And you know, he's younger than Bron, and they're like, he's been
04:44there. So even if for Kawhi, they're like, I don't know if we want to, you know, change this up
04:48that
04:49much to where our young guys, you know, we have to base some of the offense around these other guys
04:54that are new. So yeah, I just understand why San Antonio and OKC and New York are out of it.
05:01Those two, those three teams, top contenders, as it is, and as where they stand. So they brought
05:07back their rosters and they're just trying to get stronger with what they have. So it makes sense
05:11for me. But again, LeBron would be greatly, he'd be great at it anywhere and any team could use him.
05:17Danny, one more thought on the position for LeBron. If he's playing power forward,
05:20then they're going to need somebody to play the three. And if they trade Mobley or Allen to go
05:27get a three, then you're going to have to get another big man inside. That's a lot of changes.
05:32Do you think it ends up making a team that made the conference finals a better basketball team?
05:40I think so. I think you have LeBron James for sure. I mean, you forget you have Max Struess over
05:44there.
05:45You have, you know, Tyson, you have some guys that can shoot. So now like they can't play the three
05:49or you can move, I guess, Don and James at one and two. And you can have Struess or whoever
05:54at
05:54the three and LeBron at the four. So you would like more depth at that wing spot. So you want
05:58more athleticism, some youth and some, you know, defense. So you try to go get out and try to find
06:05your, I guess, DeAndre Hunter type replacement, you know? So yeah, I think that would help. But you
06:10have a lot of pieces as is, as it stands right now to still make that work. And if you
06:15wanted to
06:15and be crazy, put LeBron at the three and you have Evan and Jared at the four or five,
06:20then you got a really big team behind Donovan and James. So yeah. And that the only thing
06:25is, is defensively, are you going to have enough athleticism or youth to keep up? So, but yeah,
06:30there's a lot of good problems to have when you add that much talent to your roster.
06:35Odyssey NBA insider, Danny Green, insider calls are brought to you by Hyundai. Discover what's
06:40next at your local Hyundai dealer? Again, like their next generation EV, the iconic nine Hyundai,
06:46official partner of FIFA World Cup 2026. Danny, the Cavaliers roster is now missing. As of yesterday,
06:53Larry Nance Jr. is not on it anymore. He's sitting over to Indiana. Dean Wade is also not here.
06:57Keon Ellis, three guys that they've lost here during the free agency period. I just, when you
07:04see that they're taking guys off the roster and not replacing them immediately, I guess,
07:09is it, does it feel like it's, uh, to create more cap space or does it feel like that maybe
07:15when it
07:16comes to the bench, especially that they're, they're going in a different direction? I, what losing
07:21those three guys, what does that mean? I guess to you, I mean, when you sign Donovan to that big
07:26extension, um, not that it kicks in right away, but, uh, yeah, I think, you know, cap space is a
07:31lot
07:31of people's minds. That's part of it. And part of it is, you know, those guys were good. They're
07:36great players and they didn't get enough opportunity here. So like Larry Nance, as good
07:40as he is, didn't get a lot of opportunity. Um, Keon Ellis, I thought he'd get more opportunity.
07:44So it's like, let them be free and go elsewhere. And also, if you're trying to add a LeBron James
07:49or whoever else you're trying to get, um, you know, obviously those guys are great and great pieces
07:53to have, but you're still trying to develop, you know, Tyson, you're still, you know, Tomlin is there,
07:57you know, you brought back Thomas Bryant, but a lot of these guys are great pieces to
08:01have, especially for regular season, but you, you didn't really use them as much in
08:04the playoffs or down the stretch. So they didn't get a lot of opportunity. So you might also just
08:07let them, you know, be free and thrive in another place, another situation, while also creating
08:13some more space for you to bring in a LeBron James or whoever else you're trying to get.
08:18Danny, you mentioned some of the young guys on the roster with Tyson. They just drafted
08:22Malik Thomas, 19 year old guy. I'd be stunned if he plays any significant minutes here or plays
08:28more here than he actually would play in the G league, which is just fine.
08:31Cause he's 19 years old. All that said after, after the big domino falls with LeBron,
08:37do the Cavs need to go sign some veteran minimum guys and bring him in to fill out the roster
08:42and add a little more depth and experience to the team? Or do you like rolling with the
08:46young guys? Tomlin, one of those young guys as well.
08:49I think you got to mix it up. I think you have a mix of both. I like Tomlin. I
08:53mean, you have
08:53Thomas Bryant there. Who's also a vet. Um, you know, Tyson is still growing. You got
08:59a shooter there still like another vet, but good backup point guard, ball handler. So yeah,
09:04I think you get some one or maybe one or two older guys, maybe one more older guy is that
09:10and then, you know, get some younger guys in there too. It's a long season, a lot of injuries
09:14and you need healthy bodies and you have to get up and down and run. So, and I think that's
09:20why the league moved in that direction. So I don't think, I don't know if there's an analytic
09:23move or not, but you know, I don't think the league is wrong with going in the younger
09:27direction because, you know, with the long season and how much the pace is going up, there's
09:33more injuries happening and you need bodies available.
09:36Danny, did you see much drop off in LeBron last year at the age of 41?
09:40I thought he could have been, if he met the standard number of games, he could have been
09:45all NBA player. Um, obviously, naturally there's a drop off for anybody getting older, but the
09:50drop off for him is not huge or far in between, like, and it's still where he's very talented
09:55enough to be because he's so far ahead of everybody else and his IQ, his drop off is
10:01still an all NBA type of player. So it's, it's amazing to see.
10:05Why do you think LeBron has beat every odd, all the odds that you've ever seen in any player
10:10that I, that we've seen in the NBA. Why do you think that there's that, it's a wall?
10:14It almost feels like a wall that guys are even the greatest of players sometimes hit
10:20the wall and it's, it just changes. What is it? Because I I'm trying to, you know, is
10:25it because the younger, I'm going to get their ass kicked by father time. I mean, you get
10:31older, man, your body reacts differently. Like father time, they say he's undefeated for
10:35a reason. Not many people have been able to spar with him for that long. LeBron James is an
10:40anomaly, you know, so he's one of the very few to be able to do so. But yeah, it all
10:45depends on your body, how you take care of it, system, how much you played, how many
10:49years, you know, I did four years of college and then played 15 in the NBA. Those are miles
10:54in regards to how well you take care of your body. You can't avoid or change the miles on
10:59your car. You can try to reset the button on your car, but it's still got, you know, 80,000
11:04miles on it. Like that car eventually is going to break down. So that's just kind of what
11:07happens with the body. And no matter what, some people's minds are stronger, so it makes
11:11them last a little longer, but no matter how tough your mind is, your body is not going
11:14to react or do the things that you thought it could when it was younger.
11:17Is there something precision about him though? Like I remember when he first started, I don't
11:21remember him putting like even ice on his knees when he was a rookie, you know, and then
11:26all of a sudden quickly you saw him icing his knees every night, whether maybe they were
11:30sore or not. Is it what, how, how has he been able to do that?
11:34Yeah. He's got a great staff around him and his body, Mike Mancius is a great body guy.
11:39I've known him for some time too. He's excellent at his job. The reason why he's around for
11:43this long and he's kept them for, you know, this long. So him using Mike, also using resources
11:49and then do research and the new technology and the articles of, oh, this is actually better
11:53for your body. Ice is good for the knees, but it doesn't really reduce swelling. It just
11:57helps with pain. But, you know, moving water, being in a cold tub and then, you know,
12:02everybody was on the, the cloud sauna wave where they're like, oh, this is actually not
12:06as effective. You know, things change and grow every year. So you kind of just adapt. And
12:10he, again, not only is he adaptable, but his staff is as well. And they adapt to what his
12:14body needs and what new research has come out as best for the player.
12:19Danny, what do you think of the Jalen Brown trade? Boston getting rid of a guy who helped
12:23him win a title and obviously a terrific player and then going to Philly of all places.
12:28Yeah. I mean, I still can't wrap my head around it. It was kind of wild. Like, again,
12:34we all knew he was getting traded. And I said this every year. I'm like, oh, I've seen a
12:38lot. Nothing surprises me. But that was probably one of the biggest surprising trades of the
12:42summer for me in the history of the game behind Luka. So, yeah, I mean, again, I know he's
12:48going to be traded, but I didn't understand why he was traded there and for what he was
12:51traded for. But I guess people trying to make it make sense and put it into mathematical
12:56terms of, oh, we had to give him this amount of money and he's going to take up 70%
13:00of
13:00the cap and it's hard to fill in role players and that nature. But, yeah, I thought it was
13:06kind of crazy. But Philly's got a gift. You know, they revived a little bit. They're
13:11going to have a resurgence now. They got some pieces. They beat Boston last year and they
13:15were still pretty good. And even though they lost to New York in a sweep, that series is
13:19closer than what it seems besides like a few one or two games where New York just came
13:23out of the fire in the game four, I would say. But they put themselves in contention.
13:28Danny, before you talked about guys wanting to get more time, Jonathan Kaminga is probably
13:31one of those guys. Should Cavs fans have their eye on him and to see maybe, the Lakers seem
13:37like they're very interested too, but Kaminga and maybe the possibility of him coming to the
13:42Cavs, whether or not LeBron is here?
13:46Yes, they definitely should, especially if LeBron's not there. You're going to need that
13:50athletic wing that can defend. He's also capable of knocking down a shot, but slasher
13:56and durable body. He has things you can't teach. So I think that's definitely somebody to keep
14:02on the radar. So if you can't get LeBron James, you better get Jonathan Kaminga.
14:06Isn't the NBA offseason nutty, Danny?
14:09Yeah.
14:10It cracks me up.
14:11Year in and year out, it gets crazier and crazier.
14:14It does.
14:15What's it like to go through it?
14:17It's got to be awful.
14:19It depends on where you're at in your situation or in your life where you're in your role.
14:23If you're at the peak, it's still hectic. A lot of anxiety, a lot of butterflies, a lot
14:27of emotions, but at least you're getting phone calls and start off. There's times where you're
14:32not getting calls and start off. It's so stressful and frustrating, but a range of emotions are
14:37going through your mind and body during this time.
14:40You're working summer league stuff?
14:41I am. I'm out in Vegas right now about to get ready to do the Today Show.
14:45Oh, nice.
14:47Wow. All right.
14:49Have fun.
14:49Yep. NBA Today still happens and it's happening in Vegas today and tomorrow.
14:52That's outstanding. You do good work. Thanks, bud.
14:55Thank you, Danny. We appreciate you.
14:56Appreciate you guys, man.
14:57We'll talk to you soon.
14:58Good luck this summer.
14:59You too. Good luck with the NBA Today too as well.
15:02All right. Danny Green, Odyssey NBA Insider.
Comments