00:00So, gentlemen, it is Friday and LeBron James has not made his decision.
00:03And it sounds to me, if you believe Rich Paul for his word earlier this morning, like he hasn't made
00:09a decision, like he's still kind of mulling over several different options.
00:14But I did find it interesting today that several members of the national media, including Brian Windhorst, alluded to Miami
00:23as being this fascinating, interesting story for LeBron James.
00:27That's something they hadn't been doing for a while.
00:29We've been hedging their bets.
00:31Yes.
00:32Yes.
00:33We've been doing it locally.
00:35Hawk and I spent about 15 minutes yesterday to start the show talking about why Miami is not only the
00:40best basketball fit, but also a great storyline for LeBron to come here and kind of maybe end his heat
00:47tenure in a much better way than he did in 2014 previously.
00:51And today, that's exactly what Brian Windhorst said on ESPN when he was on Get Up.
00:56And I've seen it from two or three other national writers as well, where they're like, hey, what about Miami?
01:01Why not?
01:01Why aren't we talking about Miami more?
01:03Interesting.
01:04It was probably the worst finish of all the stops that he's made, right?
01:12Yes.
01:13Yes.
01:14Yes.
01:14Um, ooh.
01:15LA wasn't a, it wasn't a contentious finish.
01:18It just petered out and they obviously were moving on to a team led by Luca.
01:23So it was kind of a natural end for LeBron.
01:28There was no acrimony.
01:31Although I guess the, the first, well, the first end in Cleveland was the worst finish, but he went back
01:36and corrected that already.
01:37And so the notion, what Brian Windhorst was trying to say today was essentially, Hey, if he's got one faulty
01:44finish that he needs to go back and mend Miami really fits that bill.
01:50Mended for who for Pat, for us.
01:54Yeah, maybe he'd fans.
01:56I just don't think he can.
01:58I think Cleveland is the obvious choice, but again, he could do both.
02:02In other words, if he's got two seasons left, three seasons left, he could mend finishes in Miami.
02:11It doesn't mean a championship just means a cordial finish and a proper goodbye with Pat Riley publicly and all
02:20that stuff.
02:20And then go on to Cleveland and finish.
02:24Yeah, no, no, no.
02:26I understand what you're saying.
02:27It just, I don't know what he has to prove with the Miami thing.
02:32I see what you're saying, but I don't get what you're saying.
02:35Like he doesn't have to prove anything to anybody.
02:37I don't think he has to prove anything anywhere though.
02:39I mean, he could literally walk away from the game, be done, have billions in the bank, go on and
02:43be the LeBron economy that he's going to be.
02:45Like he doesn't have to prove anything anywhere anymore.
02:49So whatever's going on is going on within himself.
02:52I would imagine.
02:54I promise school Cleveland boy.
02:58Let me do this for the kids.
02:59I think it's Cleveland.
03:01I thought Cuno had a very interesting take on this yesterday where he said the least interesting story is Cleveland.
03:08I hadn't thought of it that way.
03:10And sure, storybook ending gets to be in front of the hometown team.
03:16But he basically said, how is that interesting from like a story perspective?
03:20We've seen it already.
03:22Right.
03:23He likes the idea of him returning to Miami and trying to win another ring for the Miami Heat or
03:28going to Philly or going to Minnesota and being the first player to go to four different franchises and somehow
03:34find a way to win a ring in four different places as well as one of the leaders.
03:39Like, it was a good point.
03:41It was a very good point by Cuno.
03:43Yeah.
03:44But he's always been the Cleveland.
03:47When he went back to Cleveland, he was the Cleveland guy.
03:50Like, he likes that image of being the hometown hero.
03:54And that's what I think he wants to be, the hometown hero.
03:57And that's why I keep calling the bookends.
03:59Drafted, left, did his college years, won, went back and won, down 3-1 against Golden State.
04:05We know the story.
04:06Went to the Lakers, won.
04:07Now he goes back to Cleveland to finish it off.
04:09It just, it looks like a book.
04:12And it makes sense, too, in the fact that he could come out and say, the only reason I'm playing
04:19basketball still is because I love the game.
04:23And when I started playing basketball, it was nothing more than I loved the game.
04:29And I started in Akron.
04:31Yeah.
04:31And I played because I loved it.
04:33There was no money attached to it, you know, until I got to high school and all of a sudden
04:37he's on ESPN.
04:38But it's like, I just want to play the game that I love.
04:42And the way, the place that makes me happiest, just playing the game because I love it, is Cleveland.
04:50It's always been Cleveland.
04:52And I'll continue to play it in Cleveland until I can't play any longer.
04:57Savannah's from Cleveland.
04:58They met in high school.
05:00It's just, it makes too much sense to me.
05:04I say all that as well, like when I allude to Brian Windhorst.
05:07I also remember LeBron James on Pat McAfee calling Brian Windhorst a weirdo.
05:12So, like, I don't know if we should be.
05:15And by the way, I love Windy.
05:16Genuinely.
05:16Yeah.
05:17Why would he do that?
05:18I love Windy.
05:19Why would he do that?
05:21But maybe we can stop pretending like everything Brian Windhorst says is this like very well connected.
05:29So I don't think he's connected anymore to the LeBron camp at all.
05:32I think he used to be.
05:33I don't think he is anymore at all.
05:34I think he's just, he's engaging in conjecture the way everyone else is.
05:40I don't even think Max Kellerman knows.
05:44You don't think Rich Paul and Max Kellerman?
05:46Nope.
05:47They end their pod.
05:48I think Rich knows.
05:49I think Rich knows.
05:50Rich knows.
05:51Kellerman does not.
05:52I don't think.
05:53Like, I specifically go out of my way not to ask Crowder.
05:57I mean, I'll ask him, who'd you interview on the pivot and stuff, but I don't ask him for like
06:01inside info on stuff that they talk about or whatever.
06:04Like he's, he's got a life outside of the radio show and I try not to infringe on it.
06:10And I think that's probably Max Kellerman's take with Rich Paul.
06:14Like he may say to him, Hey, if you want to announce it on the pod, it would be good
06:18for the pod, but I'm not necessarily certain that Max Kellerman is part of the inner circle at this point.
06:23And, and I, I've, I've flexed with Rich Paul's phone number in my phone.
06:28You want to think that LeBron is calculated.
06:31Rich Paul is calculated.
06:33He knows exactly what the, the, the assignment is every single time he speaks.
06:39So just to your point, I don't think Kellerman knows, but I know Rich Paul knows.
06:45Send him a text Miami question mark.
06:48And just see, like, you want me to text him Miami question mark, Miami question.
06:53Kellerman.
06:53I have Max Kellerman's number.
06:54You want me to text that to Kellerman?
06:56Okay.
06:56Yeah.
06:57I know I'm not getting a response, but I'll do it.
07:01Who else want me to text that to?
07:03Rod Allen?
07:05Yeah.
07:05Text it to Rod Allen.
07:06Text it to Rod Allen.
07:08Max Kellerman.
07:13I feel so goofy doing this.
07:16I'm not really doing it.
07:23And I'll text it to Brian Scalabrini.
07:27I'm looking at my, my contact.
07:30What if I accidentally send it to Ray Allen?
07:37Send it to Ray Allen.
07:39Ray Allen lives at the, at the golf course here in Miami.
07:43He golfs at the Biltmore all the time.
07:45And I only know that because of his Instagram.
07:47Like I'm, I'm not revealing any secret information.
07:49He posted all the time.
07:51He's at the Biltmore golfing.
07:53So you ever look at something like the, the numbers that you have back to back in your book?
07:56I'm just looking through it right now.
07:58I have back to back Wally Amos and Jamal Anderson.
08:03Now, do you know who Wally Amos is?
08:05Do not know.
08:08Amos Amos, the cookies guy.
08:10He's dead now.
08:12Hmm.
08:13I think he's dead.
08:15And Jamal Anderson, you know, him, the dirty bird.
08:21Got Aaron Ross.
08:26Antonio Brian and Abe Elam.
08:31Spice Adams.
08:34Adrian Tootsies.
08:36That's the main.
08:38Yeah, I got a weird little, little list.
08:40I got.
08:40So do I, man.
08:41Yeah.
08:42Wally Amos has indeed passed away.
08:45Yeah.
08:452024.
08:46Rest in peace.
08:48I have a David Arbetter's number.
08:50I think he's the owner of Arbetter's hot dogs down in Miami.
08:53Text him.
08:54Man, I love Arbetter's.
08:55I've never had it.
08:56What?
08:57I've never had Arbetter's.
08:59You've never had Arbetter's?
09:00Isn't that crazy?
09:02Yeah.
09:02Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta.
09:05I've got Andre Dawson.
09:07It's his birthday.
09:08The Hawk.
09:09Is it?
09:10Yeah, it's Andre Dawson's birthday.
09:11Did I text him happy birthday?
09:14Andy King, Miami, question mark.
09:17I saw Andy the other day.
09:21Hawk, let's do an Arbetter's date.
09:24Let's go to Arbetter's.
09:25You have to have an Arbetter's hot dog.
09:27Genuinely.
09:29I get their chili dog.
09:30Their chili dog is great.
09:31They always do like, they have a Mendoza dog right now
09:34in honor of Fernando Mendoza.
09:36They always do very hyper-
09:38It's a legendary Miami spot, and that's the kind of spot that I love.
09:42And I went to UM for four years.
09:44I don't know why I've never been to Arbetter's, but yes, I'll go with you.
09:48I've been going there since I was a little kid,
09:51and it's the exact same place.
09:52Same seat, same everything.
09:54Nothing's changed from when I was a little kid.
09:56Love that place.
09:57Can I come in?
09:59No.
09:59No.
10:01Aiken Adele.
10:02Aiken's ready to come on, guys, whenever y'all need him.
10:05All right.
10:08Jimmy, you're back in.
10:09Aiken Adele.
10:11Yeah.
10:12Yeah.
10:12Yeah.
10:13Yeah.
10:15Yeah.
10:15Yeah.
10:15Yeah.
10:15Yeah.
10:15Yeah.
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