00:01Hey, we need to get LeBron, man.
00:03No, we need LeBron.
00:04LeBron.
00:04No, we got him.
00:05Okay, that's good.
00:07Put that on Twitter.
00:08Okay, I got you.
00:11That's Steve Kerr talking to fans from the Golden State Warriors.
00:15More on that in just a moment.
00:16See, I thought you told us about that post,
00:20and I thought you were talking about a different post that we got last night.
00:24You must have not been tagged.
00:26No, you were the first person tagged in it.
00:28But there was a screenshot of, it says, an enrollment list.
00:34And at the very bottom is LeBron's daughter's name.
00:40And it says the Baldwin School.
00:43And the Baldwin School is an all-girls school, which, obviously, it's his daughter.
00:48It's a female, but there's, like, boys' names in it.
00:50And then it says L. James.
00:54It says parents.
00:54I mean, it's just absolutely ridiculous.
00:56It's absolutely ridiculous.
00:58And, of course, we're getting tagged in it going, does this mean something?
01:01Like, no, it doesn't mean anything.
01:03This is.
01:04It does it?
01:04We are in the era of bad AI.
01:07We're in the era of bad Photoshop.
01:10And we're in the era of anonymous posting.
01:14And so when they don't care and we're having fun, well, you're going to have that.
01:18And so it's gotten to the point now because when you see things like that, the reason I bring that
01:24up is, like, I got to tell you, I'm starting to run out of care, man.
01:28Guys, we've broke this down each and every way we possibly could.
01:32Each and every way we possibly could.
01:34But the only thing that some was written yesterday on our one topic that we had when we send out
01:40the email blast, which you can sign up for email blasts, get all the audio you missed, 92.3thefan.com,
01:45the free Odyssey app.
01:46You sign up, put your email in there, boom, you get it.
01:47And it's only, like, once a day.
01:49It's not like other websites of athletes and athletics and sports where it's just, like, nonstop inundated thing.
01:57You get, like, one a day and that's it.
01:59And if you like what you hear, you can click on it.
02:01If you don't, just delete and move on.
02:02It's fine.
02:03I have ours, FAN, and 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, just in case.
02:08So I'm just unpaid testimonial, even though technically it is a paid testimonial.
02:14So one of the things that was written was, does LeBron need the Cavs more than they need LeBron?
02:18And I go, we didn't actually say that.
02:20But we had somebody filling in yesterday who had put that in there.
02:23And I go, I don't think we said that.
02:25I don't think that that was a conversation.
02:28I had said we got to think about, I think LeBron needs to think about what would happen if he
02:32doesn't win a championship in any one of these places.
02:34But I just, I reached a point yesterday where it's like, we've done it to death.
02:40It's been two and a half weeks.
02:43We've done this for the better part of a month now.
02:46And there does reach a point of diminishing returns where it's like, you can drag something on too long.
02:52Can you not?
02:54And I get it's like, it's the one big thing.
02:57But damn it, guys, I got to tell you, this is not 2014 when, if you get him, we're punching
03:05our ticket to the finals.
03:07It's, I think it's more of the story to finish his career as opposed to a championship.
03:14Yes, we have a better chance to win a championship.
03:16But I don't think it makes us the odds on favorite in the East.
03:20I really don't.
03:21And so what's the point of me hanging on every, I have not been in tune with this any bit.
03:26The way I was in 2014.
03:29It's not a knock.
03:30It's just the truth.
03:31He's 41.
03:33It's probably the last season.
03:35This is probably to put a period on it.
03:37Buddy, if you want to come back, come back.
03:39If you don't, fine.
03:40We'll see you in another 10 years when we do the 20-year reunion.
03:43Like, what else is there to say?
03:45What is left, Anthony?
03:46You can tell my frustration.
03:48See, I'm not getting frustrated at all.
03:49I'm enjoying it.
03:50It's been fun.
03:51I'm really not anymore.
03:52Because I feel like 2014 was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
03:58And for this, like, the Cavs are already good.
04:00That time, we needed him.
04:02We had to beg him.
04:04This time around, we're just trying to upgrade on Dean Wade and then have a nice send-off for LeBron.
04:08And I always kind of knew in the back of my mind it was not going to be something that
04:13he wasn't going to.
04:14He was always going to drag this out.
04:16So maybe that's part of it is that I kind of signed up for the ride.
04:20And I've been kind of just having fun.
04:23I'm ready to get off the ride.
04:24But see, here's why.
04:25Like, it's been fun to talk about this.
04:27Like, every day I get a text, a call.
04:30And none of us are like, our lives don't depend on it.
04:332014, I kind of felt like that.
04:34I was a single guy.
04:35I didn't have a family.
04:36I had a family in my life.
04:38It was like that.
04:38That was the biggest deal in Cleveland sports.
04:41And turns out, that was the right amount of investment because it led to a championship.
04:47So it was paid off.
04:48So it wasn't like I felt like we wasted our time on it then.
04:52This time around, it's just kind of fun because, look, I know, the Cavs are probably not going to win
04:56the championship.
04:57With or without LeBron, that's kind of how it's set up.
04:59Maybe we will.
05:00Maybe we got a good shot at it anyway because, you know, we were one of the final four teams
05:03last year.
05:04You never know what's going to happen in the NBA.
05:05We've had eight champions in eight years.
05:07So I don't think our lives are as dependent on it, our sporting lives, as it was last time around.
05:12No, I think you're right about that to a certain degree.
05:14But I'm just telling you, Tone, man, I'm looking at it now.
05:16It's just like, you know, Axel was one year old, and I had one on the way.
05:20And I was much more engrossed.
05:23I wanted the prime.
05:25I wanted a chance at a championship.
05:26I wanted to break the drought, the whole thing.
05:29I broke the drought.
05:31And I'm not like, I still love sports.
05:33I still love the Cavs.
05:34I'm still reading the news and doing all the things.
05:37But I just, I don't feel the same type of zest for it anymore.
05:41And the whole thing of it is, is like, man, I got my championship.
05:44If you really want to decide to go somewhere else, fine, go somewhere else.
05:48I'm not encouraging him to go somewhere else.
05:50I'm not trying to be like a weirdo and say, nah, you don't like it, to hell with you.
05:54No, that's not my thing at all.
05:55I'm not saying to hell with him.
05:57If he wants to go somewhere else, fine, go right on ahead.
06:00I don't think I'm going to be mad.
06:01I'll be disappointed to some degree, but it's not going to be like I'm falling all over myself
06:05and you're going to have to help pick me up off the floor.
06:08I've just said there's everything there is to say.
06:11I'm out of things to say that are new about this situation.
06:15Which is why people think it's going to happen today anyway, right?
06:17I would sure as hell hope so, because I'm out of it, man.
06:20I mean, there's nothing here anymore that we haven't already done.
06:25Yeah, I understand.
06:26So let's go.
06:27I understand that, but I have definitely noticed people online who are like, oh, I'm over it.
06:31Well, either you don't like him to begin with or you're not a basketball fan to begin with.
06:36And you don't like that this is stealing the spotlight from, you know, anything else that's
06:42going on in town or whatever.
06:44And fine, that's fine.
06:45Then maybe basketball is not your thing.
06:48Whatever.
06:48I've always liked all three sports.
06:50But that's not true for me.
06:51I think the other part is other people are saying that because they don't want to be
06:55hurt.
06:56And deep down inside, they know they're going to be hurt again.
06:58I swear to God, I've wondered what it would be like if he picked another team.
07:01And on my kids and on me, I'm telling you right now, as of right now, I do not feel,
07:06I'm not talking myself into it.
07:07I didn't feel like I'd be hurt before, and I don't feel like I'll be hurt now.
07:10I really don't.
07:11You don't think we would have been robbed, especially if he goes out west?
07:15If he goes out to Golden State, and it's his last year of NBA basketball, after this
07:21journey that we've been on, for the better part of, what, 23 years in the NBA, and four
07:28years at Akron, four years at St. V's, you don't think him playing on the West Coast and
07:34you going to bed before he tips off 90% of his games, you don't feel like you would have
07:39been robbed a little bit of something special?
07:43Because I will be.
07:44I will feel that way.
07:45As honest as I can possibly say, no.
07:49I totally disagree.
07:50I'll see the game that he comes back here for.
07:53Yeah, just like you're going to take your son to go see Big Boy.
07:56Okay, I didn't say I'd go to the game.
07:58I said I'd watch the damn thing.
08:00I haven't been to an actual Cavs game in years, but I watch them all.
08:03Ken, how was that final LeBron game in Cleveland?
08:05How amazing was that?
08:06The outpouring of support, the emotion, the video tributes that played the entire game,
08:11everybody coming in, LeBron, shaky hands, kissing babies.
08:15I just couldn't figure out a way to get there out of the traffic.
08:18I don't know.
08:20I've never seen the big boy in my whole life.
08:23I've never seen the steam train like a post.
08:27First off, kids, you're like four.
08:29Okay.
08:31I just wanted to see LeBron James my whole life.
08:34Yeah, there's plenty of opportunities on Peacock and Prime and all those other things to see him.
08:40I'm telling you, I love the Cavs, and I'm a LeBron fan.
08:44I've just reached my point here, Tone.
08:46I'm not mad at him.
08:47It sounds like a defense mechanism that you right now are building up because you know you'd be very sad.
08:57Do people agree with me?
08:58216-474-0092, is he taking too long to make his decision?
09:03I think that you'll get multiple reasons why.
09:06And yes, I do think there's people who didn't like him and don't like the NBA to begin with.
09:09I think you're right about that, Anthony.
09:11But still, I like him, and I like the NBA.
09:15I defend the game.
09:17I don't like the calls we take about it being weak and all that other stuff.
09:21I'm right there with you in lockstep about the league, Tone.
09:24I worry about the next person who's going to carry the torch,
09:27which I actually spoke to a bunch of children at CSU yesterday about that.
09:31And I'll talk more about that because there was one interesting thing.
09:33I almost got into a bait with a high school kid about it, and I thought it was fun.
09:37But I don't hate him.
09:39I like the NBA.
09:41I think he's a great story.
09:44I think it's a better story for him to come and put a period on his career here in Cleveland,
09:48yes.
09:49But I just don't feel this end-all, be-all, oh, my God, he has to come here.
09:55We're not going to win a championship.
09:56And when are we ever going to win a championship?
09:58I won my championship.
10:00And I hope he comes back.
10:02It would give us a better chance to win one.
10:04And the storybook ending.
10:05And it would be a great storybook ending.
10:07That would be great.
10:09But I'm searching.
10:11I'm looking in me as deeply as I can.
10:15And I got to tell you, Anthony, I'm not feeling the way I felt at all in 2014.
10:21Wait, 2014 when he came back?
10:23That's right.
10:23Axl wasn't even born yet, so I didn't even have kids then.
10:25So I was really engrossed in it.
10:26So that's even different because I'm thinking about 2016 because Axl was a year old.
10:30And then Eli was on his way.
10:32That's right.
10:32So I don't feel the same way I do.
10:35I just don't.
10:37And I wish I could tell you I did.
10:39I wish I could tell you I feel differently about this.
10:42Actually, I don't.
10:42I don't wish I could tell you I feel.
10:44Because I feel I'd be going through a lot more emotions.
10:46I think I'd actually be angry.
10:47I think I might actually turn on him if I was that angry about it.
10:50Because I would go, you're taking too long.
10:51You're playing with our emotions.
10:53You're doing it again.
10:53I will feel bad for the people who are calling in and saying that they were hurt by his decision.
11:00Because I'm sure there will be some people who are hurt by his decision if he doesn't pick here.
11:04I'll be hurt.
11:04If he does pick here.
11:05See, and I will feel bad for you because you talked yourself into it again.
11:09Oh, thank you, Kenny.
11:09But I'm not going to do it.
11:10I'm just not going to do it.
11:12It's been two and a half weeks.
11:13You are not the same type of player you used to be.
11:16I love him.
11:17I love what he's done for us.
11:19I have fond memories.
11:21And I encourage statue building.
11:23And I encourage his jersey being retired.
11:25And all the other accolades that can come with it.
11:27Guys, I really, really do.
11:28But I'm just not beholden to his talent the way I was before.
11:32I still got a good team.
11:33And if we get him, our chances of winning a championship do go up.
11:37But it's not like what it was in 2014.
11:39It's just, it's not.
11:40And anybody who's telling themselves that is either setting themselves up for a great big heartbreak.
11:46Or they're really desperate for something that really isn't the truth.
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