00:00Here's the thing.
00:00I don't even think it's just about fans.
00:02Like, I do think LeBron going into, you know, The Rock,
00:08the Quicken Loans Arena, whatever the hell we're going to call that thing,
00:12LeBron going into that building 41 times a year in the regular season
00:16and potentially another 14 times in the postseason,
00:19every time that guy is announced, there will be a standing ovation
00:24in a way there just wasn't in L.A., won't be in Miami,
00:28wouldn't be in Golden State, and sure as hell wouldn't be in Philadelphia as well.
00:31It goes beyond that, though.
00:33I do think LeBron didn't just not feel the love consistently from Lakers fans.
00:38I think he didn't feel love from the organization.
00:41And I think, you know, when you consider, hey, one of my childhood best friends
00:46is the assistant GM and maybe the GM of the Cavaliers,
00:51that might be the – oh, hey, I have a relationship and an appreciation
00:55forged with the leadership over there because I spent 11 years of my career there.
01:00Right.
01:01I just feel like none of those places in Miami, Mickey Arison and Pat Riley
01:07are going to love LeBron to a point.
01:09Mike Gansey and Josh Harris and all those guys, they're going to love LeBron to a point.
01:14Same thing with the guys in Golden State.
01:17And listen, I know – like, he's trying to thread a bunch of needles
01:21that I don't think he can thread all of them in one.
01:23I just don't think – like, if he comes to Cleveland,
01:27most fans won't care what the result is.
01:31And him winning a title here won't be expected,
01:33but it will be appreciated as much, if not more, in any of those spots.
01:37I don't know.
01:38We're still going to have expectations, though.
01:39Like, I see it differently than you do.
01:42If LeBron comes here, I still have all sorts of aspirations for this team.
01:46Like, it's not a – it's not as simple as you come here
01:48so the season just comes and goes.
01:50Well, this is fair to push back on.
01:52When I say there's no expectations, what I mean is, like, it's a relatively low bar to keep people happy.
02:00If you're in the Eastern Conference Finals again next year with LeBron
02:04and you happen to lose that series, I just don't think there's going to be a vitriol
02:09attached to losing that the way it will be if you go to Miami and you fall short of winning
02:13a championship.
02:14I think it becomes zero-sum wherever LeBron goes except Cleveland.
02:18Warriors, I don't think that – I think the Warriors fans know what this season they're signing up for is.
02:24But I think that's why we would give – at least I would personally.
02:26I'd give him some flack if he goes to Golden State because it doesn't check off some of the things
02:30McMenamin is talking about.
02:31It checks off that's retirement tour, that's hanging out with friends,
02:35but nobody's got championship title aspirations with Golden State right now.
02:38They'd be a hard out in the postseason is what they'd be.
02:41Not only do I think LeBron will feel the love in Cleveland more so than anywhere else,
02:47and it's not even close, by the way.
02:49Yeah.
02:49All those other places will love LeBron conditionally.
02:52Cleveland will love you unconditionally, right?
02:55But it's not just him, it's his son.
02:57I thought it was interesting.
02:58John Ireland talked about – he was home with Baskin and Phelps today
03:01and talked about Bronny's popularity in L.A.
03:03And I've never been able to properly explain it.
03:06I've asked Bronny about it.
03:07I've asked LeBron about it.
03:08He is – until we traded for Luka, he's now the third most popular player on our team.
03:13But before we had Luka, Bronny was the second most popular player on our team.
03:18He was – his reaction when he would walk into a building just to warm up,
03:22the social media generation grew up on this kid.
03:25They've known him since he was a freshman in high school.
03:28And so he has a gigantic following.
03:30I really like him.
03:31I just – he's super easy to root for.
03:33I think he's going to get an opportunity to do what he wants here.
03:36I think that if he wants to go to Cleveland to play with his dad, if that's where LeBron goes,
03:41the Lakers would facilitate that.
03:42So what I think is interesting about this is the idea that Bronny has his own popularity
03:47that is not attached to his father.
03:50And I – again, my love of Bronny is because I watched LeBron play, right?
03:56Right.
03:56When I was thinking about LeBron coming back and smiling like an idiot just because,
04:00you know, LeBron finishing his career here, I wasn't just smiling because of that.
04:05I was smiling thinking back to Bronny dunking in Cleveland and people going crazy here
04:10and cheering him.
04:12And I do think he would – I think Bronny would very much enjoy the local celebrity
04:18that he would have here in an even more intimate way than in Los Angeles.
04:21It's interesting, so John, in this interview, I mean, he kind of went down the path of if
04:25Bronny wants to stay in Los Angeles, it seems like the Lakers are going to open up their
04:28arms and say, okay, great, as if he's improved enough over the couple years.
04:32This is no longer a charity case, but his popularity is incredibly interesting to me.
04:37Like when you referenced the game that they came back and Bronny – Bronny got more applause
04:42than – I mean, just about as much applause as LeBron did that day.
04:45Like the people get excited for Bronny.
04:47The younger generation loves Bronny, and I don't know, I'm interested to see where
04:52people think he'd be in the popularity scale on this Cavs roster.
04:56I think he'd be the second most popular Cav.
04:59I don't think he's more popular than Donovan.
05:01In the pre-show, I said he's more popular than Evan, and I thought that was going to
05:05be the hot take.
05:06You think he'd be more – so it goes LeBron, Bronny, then Donovan?
05:09Yeah, he's the son of LeBron James.
05:11I still think – it's Donovan Mitchell.
05:12I still think Donovan's ahead of him.
05:14I don't mean this in a negative way towards Donovan.
05:17It's not that people don't love Donovan here.
05:19It's that this is – I mean, the kid was born right down the road.
05:23He was born when LeBron was a Cavalier.
05:25I think you saw the love.
05:27It's not – like, I do think there's – he's going to get a certain amount of love
05:30because of what John Ireland said and the social media stuff and the younger generation.
05:34The thing that Bronny will get here that he won't get anywhere else is he is also
05:38another kid from Akron.
05:40And I do think there's going to be a butt-ton of love thrown his way because he is the
05:46chosen one's chosen son, right?
05:49Yeah, and that's why I think Evan Mobley should be scared about his ranking there.
05:52I just don't think – I don't think Donovan's got to be worried about being the third most
05:57popular in this team.
05:58I mean, did you agree with Lima last week or the week before when Lima said that we're
06:02taking Donovan for granted?
06:05Uh, no, I – no, my stance on that is simple.
06:07I just don't think he's his beloved.
06:08I really don't.
06:09And so, like, if we're going in line in that, but I – I don't think –
06:12I think Bronny is beloved in this town.
06:13I don't think Bronny – I don't think Bronny's beloved at this point.
06:15No, I don't.
06:16I think he's –
06:16Why not?
06:17I just think beloved is another area.
06:19What other G League player have you seen get a standing ovation in that arena?
06:24Okay, but you're talking about a standing ovation as if this is – like, Nick Chubb
06:27area is beloved.
06:29There are certain players that are – Miles Garrett wasn't beloved in my opinion.
06:32I feel like beloved – by the way, I don't think he's beloved.
06:34I don't disagree with you.
06:35But love, in my opinion, is, like, above criticism.
06:38And, like, if somebody were to criticize him, like, even, like, radio host as a whole, just
06:44don't go after that guy.
06:45We don't go after J-Ram.
06:46We don't go after Nick Chubb.
06:47We don't go after Bronny.
06:49We will.
06:50I think we will.
06:51If he was actually expected to do anything, I don't think we're going after Bronny.
06:56I'd go after Bronny.
06:56If Bronny made – if Bronny made a bonehead move or a bonehead decision, or if Bronny got
07:01in trouble in some sort of way or did something that was – he was just showing to be a
07:05knucklehead,
07:05I'd go after him like crazy.
07:07Not me.
07:07That kid's from down the road.
07:08No.
07:09He's just another kid from Akron.
07:10Yeah, there's a lot of kids from Akron.
07:12That doesn't mean you're just above criticism just because you're from Akron.
07:15I'm right here, buddy.
07:16Yeah, I know.
07:17I know.
07:19You always talk about the Nick Wilson principle.
07:22It's because they're from Akron.
07:23Yeah.
07:23Uh-huh.
07:24One dollar bobbed me on this.
07:26I thought me saying he'd be above Evan Mobley was going to be the big hit.
07:29You'd think he'd be above Donovan Mitchell.
07:30It's crazy.
07:31John Ireland said he was just below Luka Doncic.
07:35No, I know.
07:36Luka's more popular than Donovan is.
07:37Yes, that's not the debate, though.
07:39Luka is able to be above Bronny because that's simple, that's easy.
07:43He's a top five player in the sport.
07:45If you're a top ten-ish player in the sport, you're still going to be better than – you're
07:49going to be more beloved and liked than Bronny.
07:52And I entered this with the idea I was going to have to go to bat for Bronny in this
07:55discussion,
07:56not the idea that I was going to have to somehow try to find a way to signal to you
08:01that Donovan
08:02would still be more popular than Bronny James.
08:04He's Simba.
08:04He's Simba for the love of God.
08:06He's Simba.
08:07Like, seriously.
08:08I understand what you're saying.
08:09Listen, I'm not saying people are going to, like, turn on Donovan because Bronny's here.
08:13Mac just rolled his eyes at you here.
08:15No, I think he's right.
08:16You think he's right?
08:17You think Bronny's the second most popular player on this cast team?
08:20You literally have photos of Bronny walking around as a toddler when the Cavs won the
08:24Eastern Conference Finals.
08:24Donovan just took us to the Conference Finals.
08:26And Bronny got there before Donovan did.
08:30Bronny will play a minute.
08:31A minute.
08:32I mean, what are we talking about?
08:34He'll play more than a minute.
08:35He's going to average a minute a game probably throughout the 82-game series.
08:39In Cleveland, he's going to play quite a bit.
08:41He's not going to play quite a bit.
08:42In Cleveland, he will play quite a bit.
08:45No, he won't stop it.
08:46Because the charge is right down the road.
08:48There we go.
08:48Okay, there we go.
08:49And I'll be honest with you.
08:50If I'm the charge, I pray to God LeBron comes back because LeBron is going to sell out where
08:55the hell they play now.
08:56Our order of popularity is going to be LeBron, a G League player, then Donovan Mitchell, then
09:02Evan Mobley.
09:02That's a disingenuous way of saying it.
09:04Oh, first time I've been disingenuous in this whole convo.
09:06Okay.
09:07Well, this convo.
09:09Yeah.
09:092-1-6-4-7-4.
09:10It's over here.
09:13Listen, I...
09:14Nope, can't do it.
09:15I know.
09:15Can't do it.
09:16Come on.
09:16What do you got?
09:16Nope.
09:17Not going to do it.
09:17What do you got?
09:18It's going to be Dirty Pool.
09:19I just go for it.
09:20I remember when Bronny was born.
09:21It was like a big deal.
09:23All right?
09:23And it was a big deal.
09:25Like if Zuri ever wants to suit up for the Cleveland WNBA team, it'll be a gigantic deal
09:29in this town.
09:30We're a very loyal town.
09:32We don't just love LeBron.
09:33We love LeBron's family.
09:34Dude, you should have gone into Acme in Akron when Gloria James would walk into Akron in
09:412008.
09:42It was like Elvis walked in the freaking building.
09:45My dad worked next to an Acme, and my dad would go in there when he saw Gloria's car
09:51because he wanted to watch the commotion because he thought it was the most fascinating thing.
09:55Not LeBron.
09:56Not anybody.
09:57It was his mom became like the local celebrity.
10:01And if Donovan Mitchell wasn't in that next door, your dad wouldn't have walked over?
10:04Well, yeah, but the difference is, I don't think Donovan's at one side of the mall.
10:10Bronny's at the other side of the mall.
10:12Who are more kids going to?
10:14Bronny.
10:15Not a chance.
10:15Not a chance.
10:16That's insane.
10:17Not a chance.
10:18Evan Mobley.
10:18Yes.
10:19Evan Mobley.
10:20Yes.
10:22Not Donovan.
10:23I don't think there's that big a gap between Evan and Donovan.
10:25Put a poll out there.
10:26I want to poll.
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