00:00We're still on LeBron watch.
00:02Bron watch, the final decision, whatever you people want to call it.
00:05We're all still waiting around to see where LeBron is going to call home next.
00:09So let's head on over to the West Coast and talk to our California Post Lakers beat reporter,
00:15Kobe Price, to get his thoughts on where he thinks the king could end up next.
00:20Kobe, appreciate you hopping on with this, my man.
00:23Let's talk about the hot story in this whole LeBron watch thing that's going on.
00:27The Miami Heat posted a link to a scheduled live stream titled LeBron James introductory press conference for July 27th
00:38on this YouTube channel.
00:39Then they took it down and said it was a mistake.
00:42Do you think this was actually a mistake or is it a lock that LeBron is going back to the
00:48305?
00:50Well, appreciate you having me on.
00:51First off, I do not think it's a lock that LeBron's going back to Miami.
00:55Now, I also will say that does not mean he cannot or he will not go to Miami.
00:59I just don't believe that that mistake, mishap, whatever you want to call it, that flub has anything to do
01:06with LeBron's actual decision.
01:08Look, the reality is, and, you know, we can emphasize or empathize with this as people who work in the
01:13business or around these teams.
01:15These teams have things lined up beforehand just in case, you know, LeBron does choose them or any marquee free
01:23agent chooses their team.
01:25These things, you know, people have stories prepared.
01:27People have YouTube videos prepared.
01:29Like, these things are in place just in case.
01:32And I think this honestly also illustrates just how in the dark most teams are because, yes, it was, you
01:40know, scheduled for July 27th, if my math serves me correct, if I'm good enough for the calendar.
01:45You're right.
01:46That's Monday.
01:47There's no guarantee LeBron's making his decision by Monday, and even if he does make a decision by Monday, there's
01:53going to be an introductory press conference for him within the matter of, you know, six days within it being
01:58released, five days from today.
02:00That also just doesn't pass a smell test just in terms of the actual details of the video.
02:05So, not to say he cannot go to Miami or he will not go to Miami, but I do believe
02:09it was an honest mistake.
02:10And now, I've also seen on the internet since this morning that he had been posting, you know, YouTube director
02:16jobs.
02:17So, I also do worry about, you know, the people who were, you know, in charge of that, what happened
02:22with them because that is a pretty significant mistake.
02:25But something that I do believe is a mistake nonetheless.
02:28All right.
02:28Maybe not a fireable offense, but at least a slap on the wrist because I've scheduled a tweet.
02:33I've even scheduled an Uber, but never an introductory press conference for one of the biggest names in basketball right
02:42now.
02:42So, all right.
02:44Definitely don't have to call HR after this one when it comes to that.
02:48All right.
02:48Let's talk about three of the teams that everyone keeps talking about that could be a possible finalist for LeBron.
02:56Cleveland, Miami, Philly.
02:57You've watched this man play over the years out throughout the course of L.A.
03:02You saw him last year.
03:03So, with where his on-court game is at, at 41 years of age, and, of course, his off-the
03:11-court life, which one of those three teams makes the most sense?
03:17Makes the most sense?
03:20Probably Cleveland for the combination of it.
03:24I mean, look, I know Cleveland's, the basketball fit can be kind of wonky just in terms of already having,
03:29you know, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, but they have a very clear, very clear need for a
03:37player like LeBron.
03:38You know, someone who can create opportunities for James Harden, for his Donovan Mitchell.
03:42You know, the other thing about LeBron is, you know, even at this advanced stage in his career, you know,
03:46entering an unprecedented 24th NBA season, he's a Swiss Army knife.
03:50We saw it with the Lakers last season when he was in a third option role, he couldn't do it
03:54all, especially offensively.
03:56So, any team, from the on-court standpoint, there will be a fit, and LeBron will adjust and adapt to
04:01whatever ecosystem he's in.
04:04Now, the off-court part of it, now, you know, the three teams you mentioned, Miami, Philly, and Cleveland, at
04:10least in terms of proximity, again, if my geography is correct, Cleveland is the closest to L.A.
04:16And I know that he's from Akron, Ohio, 40, you know, 35, 40 minutes outside of Cleveland, but Cleveland is
04:23still, quote-unquote, the closest to L.A., even if it's not that close to L.A.
04:26There's also the matter of that's, you know, his hometown, or he grew up, you know, in Akron, Ohio, not
04:33too far away from Cleveland.
04:34So, there's also the comfort of, you know, he knows the organization, he knows the area, off-court, I know
04:40the family part of it has been a significant, you know, a significant part of the decision-making process.
04:47But there seems to be a little bit more, again, familiarity and just opportunity to bridge that aspect of it
04:55in Cleveland, as opposed to Philly, which is a completely brand-new environment, hasn't played there, hasn't lived there.
05:01And then even Miami, yes, he, you know, he obviously played there for four years, but not the same familiarity,
05:07even though, obviously, the same president and same coach as when he played, last played there 12 years ago.
05:12So, Cleveland still feels like, at least to me, the place that makes the most sense amongst those three, but
05:16Miami's sneaky because, I mean, they could use, I mean, if you look at their roster, they need a lot
05:22more than what they have, but it's also like, throwing LeBron in there, it's like, oh, okay, that roster makes
05:27a lot of sense.
05:29Some other reports that are out there right now surrounding LeBron's weight or lock-up decision is holding up, one,
05:38the NBA scheduled to be released,
05:40and two, where guys like Draymond, James Harden, and Jonathan Kominga signed, LeBron's right-hand man and business partner, Rich
05:48Paul, said that his decision won't be rushed.
05:52So, one, what do you think is the actual hold-up, and two, and what do you think that, what
05:59do you think of the fact that everything in the NBA is on pause until the decision?
06:06Well, first off, we've been talking about this.
06:08We've been calling it the decision, obviously, that came in 2010.
06:11We may as well just call this the indecision until an actual choice is made.
06:15That's where I'm kind of feeling right now, especially if it goes on the rest of this week going into
06:19next week.
06:19I think the indecision is where we should be, you know, where we should be navigating to, where we should,
06:24you know, adjust to.
06:25But for LeBron, I mean, this says a lot about him.
06:27Again, unprecedented, entering 24th season in the NBA, and he's still the face of the league.
06:33Yes, other moves have been made, you know, again, Giannis is traded to the Heat, Jalen Brown traded to the
06:3776ers.
06:38Two teams interested in LeBron, by the way.
06:41However, the league is mostly just on how it's described to me by multiple sources over the last couple weeks.
06:47It's in a holding pattern.
06:49There are a lot of players who have, you know, a lot of marquee players, James Harden, Draymond Green, down
06:54the line, who, DeMar DeRozan, another one.
06:57Everyone's just kind of waiting to see what does LeBron do.
07:00Of the teams who are in the running for LeBron, you know, we talked about 76ers, the Heat, the Cavaliers,
07:06throw Golden State in there as well.
07:08You know, these teams are, they have roster spots, so they have options to fill those spots.
07:13They're holding off on any other potential moves before LeBron makes the decision because even if they're, you know, regardless
07:20of how they feel, these teams don't know.
07:22These teams don't know.
07:22And that kind of illustrates that these teams don't know because LeBron, from my understanding, does not truly know where
07:29he's going to play his 24th NBA season, which I know can be hard to believe.
07:33But just based on my understanding, he does not know fully where he's going to go, or he has not
07:39made that decision for himself yet, so that he can't inform, you know, others about it yet.
07:44Which, again, it may be hard to believe, but even when we talk about this, you asked me about, you
07:49know, the best fit, the fact that there's not a clear, oh, he should definitely go to Miami, or he
07:53should definitely go to Cleveland, or he should definitely go to whatever team.
07:56I think that's part of what could be, you know, what makes this, again, go back to the indecision.
08:02That's part of it, just because there are so many factors, and at least to me, there's not a clear
08:06-cut number one option.
08:08That's going to be a Netflix special, talking about LeBron's offseason, the indecision.
08:13Indecision.
08:14Streaming, streaming, streaming July 27th.
08:17There we go, we'll leak that information out there right now.
08:20Hey, Kobe, appreciate you hopping on with this, my man.
08:23No, appreciate you.
