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Julian Martinez: [00:00:12] Well, this is certainly not the news I was expecting. What about a month removed from the NBA season, head coach Ime Udoka of my Boston Celtics likely suspended for the year. This comes after a report that was put out that he had a consensual relationship with a staff member that broke Boston celtics code of conduct for their employees. Kyle, initial reaction? [00:00:35][22.3]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:00:35] Well, we don't have all the information, so that makes it difficult to figure out exactly what behavior Udoka conducted that would lead to the suspension. This is a Boston Celtics team rule thing. I don't know exactly what the NBA rule is when people sign contracts, especially people who are in the basketball operations side. And I don't know exactly the details of those rules, so I don't know exactly the information when it comes to like any code of conduct laws and rules and such, both in the NBA and the Celtics. We know that he's getting suspended for the year and we know that email doc is going to presumably still be the coach after the fact, which suggests that he broke an ethical line and not a line that was one that warranted the termination of his job. And I think it's an interesting position because there hasn't really been anything quite like this where we're talking about I mean, you could point to situations like in baseball with cheating scandals, but nothing like this that warrants a long term suspension. And so I think it'd be better to have more information around this case. And I don't want to do the speculation without knowing, because when you hear its story of sexual infidelity, all of a sudden men flock to that story and start going crazy about that idea. And I think that out of respect for whatever that situation is going to be, I don't want to do speculation. It's just we we know that whatever conduct he may Udoka engaged in is worthy of having it basically an unprecedented suspension because it's behavior that doesn't warrant a firing. But Warren, being away from the team for a year, it's a very unique situation, at least as far as I can remember. [00:02:17][101.4] Julian Martinez: [00:02:18] It's interesting just knowing or at least what the report says, that this was a consensual relationship happened in the workplace. And, you know, I've been in workplaces, too, where they make you signed the contract that you will not date such and such because, you know, it may create a conflict of interest down the line. And I guess when you consider that Emma is the head coach, you know, is a powerful person in that organization, you worry about that blurring the lines later. And I guess this is if you're the Celtics, your way of protecting yourself, just a case, who knows years later, I don't know the staffer. I don't know what their interests are or what their future is in the NBA. But what if they say, Ime was a person in a position of power and he took advantage of that, you know, for this relationship, consensual now. But who knows what that could turn into or morph into ten years down the line. So maybe this is the Celtics way of prematurely handling this. It's unprecedented, too, because usually you don't see an organization shooting itself in the foot in terms of the product they are able to put out on the field for the Celtics, you know, email doc first your head coach takes you to the NBA Finals and less than a year later, we're talking about this. That's insane to me. We talked a little bit about this last night. We talked about what could the suspension be, because we already knew that it was circulating in the rumor mill about a month, maybe some games a year, a year for a coach that was ascending and, you know, to if you're like the players. So let's talk about like a year later after he comes off the suspension or the players together, are they just going to embrace him with open arms or let's say the Celtics have a down year in that down year, they feel is because of email. Don't you think that kind of like puts an impediment on leadership from teammates? [00:03:59][101.3] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:04:00] Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. [00:04:01][1.3] Julian Martinez: [00:04:02] It just completely changes that locker room dynamic. We'll see if, like the Celtics even have a good season. You know, it's going to fall on the assistant coach. So we'll just put it out there that Joe Mizzola is going to be taking over for head coaching duties for the year. So that puts add to the rumor of Brad Stevens potentially coming down from the box and going down back to the hardwood. It looks like they're going to stick with assistant coach. And that's probably a smart move because you also don't want people thinking this flip flop relationship between who's the real head coach? Is Brad Stevens. Is that Emma? When you talk about a year later, there's a danger in that, too. What if the Celtics have a really good season? What if they do better than they did the previous year? Then you have this situation you talk about like when quarterbacks sometimes get hurt and they're back, that comes in and does a better job. Remember what Nick Foles did with that one year, you know, wins the Super Bowl and then that creates the awkward locker room dynamic with him and Carson Wentz. Now, that could happen, too. There's a whole can of worms that got opened with the suspension. Just surprises me, too. Again, this is a Celtics in House suspension. This is. In an NBA suspension. [00:05:07][64.7] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:05:08] Part of this is, and you mentioned it earlier, is the idea of him being in a leadership position. And therefore there is a power imbalance between whoever it is that he's having a relationship with because it's hard for anyone to be on the same level of leadership in a male dominated industry the way that Ime Doka is as head coach of the Boston Celtics, former NBA player for a decade. Like it's hard to that's a person in a position of power and we should expect that most of our organizations that are leaders are held to a higher standard than, say, the people who are employees, which is important to bring up, given the fact that now Robert Sarver is going to be pressured to sell his team despite the fact that he only got a year suspension and a fine. Well, let me ask you, do you think. [00:05:53][45.4] Julian Martinez: [00:05:53] There's any situation in which you could date down any work with the NBA locker room and, you know, just any workplace could just I don't know. You're the supervisor at a fast food restaurant. Can you date your subordinate? [00:06:07][13.9] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:06:08] I am willing to talk it out in a conversation with nuance and involving more women. Like hearing the perspective of women who are not in positions of power is important when talking about these conversations and how they feel about pressure from people who are in positions of power to have relationships. I think that's a conversation that's much more complex than this weird world of sports that he may doka finds himself in because we just don't have the information available. So I would say it's a guess. There's a lot. [00:06:38][29.7] Julian Martinez: [00:06:38] Of women also want to date successful men. And I would also say, like you talking about the head coach of the basketball team, that's a hell of a successful man right there. Sometimes you build yourself up to try and put yourself in a position where you're looked highly upon and well, that kind of means you can't do certain things because of it. [00:06:55][16.7] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:06:55] And that's a situation where. [00:06:56][1.2] Julian Martinez: [00:06:56] It's yeah, it's you can't date a subordinate or coworker, whatever. [00:07:00][3.9] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:07:00] You could say. That's the situation where it's morally reprehensible and also for whatever the reasons may be, because I also acknowledge this is pro sports. If he made a joke, it adds value. He will be retained the same way that the Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora because of the cheating scandal with the Astros and then hired him back a year later. Like, if you add value, you will get second chances and you will get to keep the position that you have. If Madoka was, for example, the general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves named Gersson Rosas, who was also fired for having an inappropriate relationship with someone within the workplace, Gersson Rosas was not as was not someone who was worth retaining because the Timberwolves didn't want him around in the first place. And, you know, he wasn't doing a great job running the team. So I understand that part of of sports and how it will let people come back as long as they have value. So I'm not going to say like we don't know exactly what ethical or reprehensible line. Again, we don't have all the information. More details could come out that do lead to Emma Udoka being fired. A lot of it is is public pressure. And the Boston Celtics are obviously operating under their own code of conduct, which hopefully protects people in in. [00:08:11][71.0] Julian Martinez: [00:08:12] Yeah. I mean, you know, in fairness, though, you know, again, this as far as we know, consensual relationship both parties were down how my parents met within the workplace. You know before the Internet most people met their significant other or spouse in the workplace. It's not a crazy idea. It's not a crazy suggestion that sometimes and specifically in this one. Okay. So she's a team staffer. That's all I know, right? You're traveling together, you're on the road together, you're talking with each other. Maybe you find out, oh, she likes the same movies I do. She likes to say music. I do. And one thing leads to another, and then suddenly it happens. You know, that can happen. That can happen very organically. I understand the Celtics want to protect their best interest because if again, years down the road, something shifts in their relationship and it becomes toxic, then you don't want to have that situation in your locker room, in your workplace. But tell you know, to play devil's advocate here, sometimes these relations morph in a more if he may put a ring on them, like what we'd be talking about in the same way. [00:09:12][59.4] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:09:12] In those cases, leaders are held to a higher standard than the rest of the employees. It's the fact that Ime Udoka is the head coach of the Boston Celtics is, I assume, the reason that he's being suspended because the stereotype of athletes cheating on spouses is something that's been played out over decades to the point where it's now a lazy stereotype like we know this exists in the NBA. Family Guy was making jokes about this like 13 years ago about infidelity in sports. Like that stereotype has been played out so much to this point that we don't know. [00:09:41][28.6] Julian Martinez: [00:09:41] I assume we know long either, too. Like, is this an open marriage? Is this like are they even married? I don't even think they're married. I think they have a kid together, but they could be on the outs, you know, stuff like that happens that exists. Like just talk about it for on a human level, not just who you may is or who the staffer is or the Boston Celtics. You know, just, you know, if this was happening at a Dairy Queen or something, I don't know. I mentioned Gary calling, but what do we questioning? As much if, like, we knew that, hey, these people just get along, you know, they're. [00:10:09][28.0] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:10:10] Oh, well, if it were. If it were not a high profile job, we just wouldn't give a shit. Like, that's the thing I've learned about people in society is that because this is a famous person being involved in this and a famous leader at that, because again, this is a position of power that you may Udoka has and has the ability to abuse that power. And therefore this is a standard. [00:10:31][20.7] Julian Martinez: [00:10:31] Necessarily abuse said power. [00:10:33][1.8] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:10:33] Yes. And that's why he's not being fired. It's just because this is, I assume, an immoral situation or an unethical situation for. [00:10:42][8.5] Julian Martinez: [00:10:42] Deltec. [00:10:42][0.0] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:10:43] In a position of power within the workplace. [00:10:44][1.5] Julian Martinez: [00:10:45] It's the Celtic protecting themselves. That's how I look at this. They just don't want this to morph into something worse, which given the political climate we live in today, you know, I understand they don't want to be involved in that. Years down the line, five years down the line, five months down the line, five days down the line. Stuff can like shift in terms of how people view one situation to another. So I understand why they're trying to, in theory, get ahead of this situation. Just sex or email sex or the team. It's going to suck for his leadership moving forward. How the Celtics view him moving forward, how guys who are developing in their careers Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, all these guys look at him moving forward. We'll see how that dynamic goes. It's a great opportunity. Certainly if you're Missoula, you know, hey, take the reins and run with it. We'll see. What has this situation morphs to like? You know, you mentioned possibility they still have an open door firing. I don't think that's going to get to that point. [00:11:37][51.9] Kyle Ledbetter: [00:11:38] Like, yeah, we just don't have all the information. We don't have all the. [00:11:41][3.1] Julian Martinez: [00:11:41] Year that's still developing too. It could very well turn into a couple months. There could be appeals process. There's a lot of things that could go on and this that may shift what the overall suspension and punishment or whatever it may be is. But overall, you know, whatever your thoughts are, you know, dropping below in the comments, kind of want to get some feedback how you're feeling about the situation where the Celtics in the right to make this move was he may in the wrong this that other anything in all how you're feeling I kind of want hear your thoughts leave it like on the video subscribe to the channel follow us on all our social media that you should talk sports. Kyle Ledbetter JuJu Talks Sports on Twitter. Stay safe, happy and healthy and we'll see you on the next one. [00:11:41][0.0] [676.4]
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Cavs Fan Reaction to Donovan Mitchell trade to Cleveland for Sexton, Markkanen & 5 Draft Pick9/1/2022 julian martinez: [00:00:12] Okay, guys. So the Donovan Mitchell drama has officially came to an end, but he will not be wearing a New York Knicks jersey as previously thought so. Knicks fans put away your fake custom made Donovan Mitchell jerseys. He is going to Cleveland, Ohio, so Woj. Tweeted out the details of the trade. So he is going to Cleveland in exchange for Lauri Markkanen Agbaji Collin Sexton and 3 1st round picks unprotected including two pick swaps. So trader Danny definitely went to work. My first question is going to be for my Ohio based colleague Andrew Hagenbaugh roots for the Cavs who cheers for the Cavs. What do you make of this trade? Are you happy? Are you thrilled? Do you think it's going to work out? I'm sure you have a lot of emotions going one way or the other. [00:01:01][48.4]
andrew hagenbaugh: [00:01:02] Yeah, no. When I saw the news I work. I was very thrilled to hear that the Cavs got Donovan Mitchell. They're just adding to this young core. And Koby Altman I think did a fantastic job of getting another All-Star into this team to pair with a bunch of youngsters like the likes of Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and obviously Isaac Okoro that's going to be your starting five and team that made the Play-In tournament with 35 like them barely a bench that was good things for the Cavs and J.B. Bickerstaff is loving life in Cleveland. I'm sure right now I'll talk about the defensive side of the ball when this happens. I mean, everybody on the floor that you have now very good defensively and very good offensively. So this is a team is going to bounce up and down the court. They're young and they're not going to tire easy. They're going to tire you out bouncing up and down the court and just making sure they you can't do anything. You can't stop them. You can't keep up with them. This is a team that's going to be young and they're going to be very dynamic. [00:02:01][58.8] julian martinez: [00:02:02] Okay, so Andrew Hohman, as the two Texas based residents who both root for the Boston Celtics, this trade happens on the backs of one Danny Ainge. Someone we know and love for his trades is wheeling and dealing for our organization. What do you make of what he's doing in Utah to this point between this Indigo Bear trade. [00:02:20][18.8] Andrew Hohman: [00:02:21] Is doing a similar thing to what he was doing in Boston. Stockpiling picks, stockpiling assets. That's a typical trade or Danny move. I mean, it led to this Celtics team that they have right now and they just went to the finals. I mean, you never know what can happen in Utah. It can always go either way when you're stockpiling picks you can make or miss picks. But he's given them a chance to really build something special there. It's fun to watch from the outside and doing the same thing you did for us. We'll see what happens. [00:02:56][34.7] julian martinez: [00:02:56] One thing that I kind of look at the Utah roster, though, now what's going on, Sexton coming in or Markkanen they're fine pieces and they're pieces that I think can at least provide wins for this roster is I kind of wonder if that ruins their opportunity to truly tank. One of the big things coming into next year's draft is everyone's excited for the big French prospect, the number one prospect coming in next year. The name escapes me, but just look up his highlights. Eight. The guy's a stud and I think he's highly coveted. I think San Antonio is right now on the front running for him because they really depleted that roster. One of the big problems that a lot of people had with the Danny Ainge regime in Boston was mostly because he was afraid to make the big trade. Now he has all these assets and no definitive stars left on the roster. He doesn't have a Brad Stevens who was a coach who was good enough to elevate the roster like last time, although he did hire someone from that Boston Celtics regime to kind of fill the role. So I wonder if he's going to have the same level of success because he's not going to have a draft pick as high to land a Jayson Tatum or a Jaylen Brown necessarily, because the fact that he hit on those two picks in particular was why the Boston Celtics have the roster they have today. If you don't land those two guys then we're looking at Danny Ainge is overall stockpiling as a complete failure as opposed to the win as it currently is with the Boston Celtics. Although we were hoping that it would result in a championship by now, it's still looking fairly better than it was. So now that you have Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland and you look at the top of the east, Andrew Higginbotham, how do you think this Cleveland Cavaliers team stacks up against the likes of Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Miami? Can they crack that top four? Because if they're really making this move just to get into the playoffs, then is that really a victory for this organization? [00:05:01][124.1] andrew hagenbaugh: [00:05:01] So I don't think it's going to happen this year that we're going to try to top four I. To give it another maybe a year or two, because obviously you gotta remember, this is still a very young, the youngest core in the league. The average age of the starting line up is about, what, 22 and a half years old? 23 years old. It's a very young team. I think this first year is a year to kind of just develop and get everybody working together, get all the pieces moving. And then I think once you start hitting next season, then you can start saying, okay, this casting could potentially be, you know, a top four, top three roster. So for me personally, I would see the Cavs as maybe like a five or six right now. [00:05:39][37.3] julian martinez: [00:05:39] Are they better than that? [00:05:40][0.7] andrew hagenbaugh: [00:05:40] They have. Yes, I would say they're better than the bulls right now. [00:05:43][2.9] julian martinez: [00:05:44] Are they better than Brooklyn? [00:05:44][1.0] andrew hagenbaugh: [00:05:45] Brooklyn's a toss up. I know they lost a couple of pieces, but I think they can compete with the likes of Brooklyn. [00:05:50][4.9] julian martinez: [00:05:51] What do you think about them versus Atlanta and think about other teams that are kind of like in that range. I'll I'll take the three, you got to remember, is over there now with Trey Young. So that team improved? [00:06:02][10.7] andrew hagenbaugh: [00:06:02] Yeah, they did. So I think the Cavs even like last season, we were almost about equal with L.A.. I think what Donovan Mitchell, again, just his prowess and his, you know, his game. I think he can help elevate a lot of these guys a little bit above. So I think for me personally, I think they could do better than Atlanta. [00:06:22][19.3] julian martinez: [00:06:22] What about you, Andrew Homan? Where do you think they rank in the Eastern Conference today? [00:06:26][3.8] Andrew Hohman: [00:06:27] I mean, I think you got to put them behind Miami, Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and maybe Brooklyn. They're they're probably right around rafters. Bulls, hawks range somewhere in there, kind of right where they were this last year, I think. [00:06:41][14.2] julian martinez: [00:06:42] So do you consider this a win, like if being that they're still in that second tier? [00:06:47][5.5] Andrew Hohman: [00:06:49] It gives them the opportunity to make another move at some point to give them another star player if they can get a second guy to play alongside Donovan Mitchell. You might be looking at a team that really compete in the East. [00:07:02][12.9] julian martinez: [00:07:02] Here today, I would say. They're a team that I always think has an opportunity to win a playoff series and that's a good spot to be in. If you told me the Cavs were able to win a playoff series. That's that's okay. Last year I thought if health permitting, they could have probably beaten that year's Brooklyn team. Unfortunately, they only have Jared Allen who's injured towards the end and they weren't able to get it done. They lost their edge defensively. I think if you're a fan like Drew here, you just have to be excited that you have organization that's willing to make a move to get better. It's why I didn't hit over the head the Chicago Bulls for making the moves they did last year. Because I think that any team that's committed to going out there and acquiring good players as a team that I can support, a team that I can say you're doing a good job at as an organization. And I'm surprised that this deal came together. Honestly, Cleveland just kind of came out of left field when it came to Donovan Mitchell. Obviously, again, we've been hearing the heat, we've been hearing the Knicks. And I'm sure if you're the Heat fans, you have to be kind of kicking Pat Riley a little bit. And I know you love Pat Riley, but you have to be kicking him a little bit for not being that aggressive to go out there and still Donovan Mitchell away. And if you're the Knicks, I mean, the Knicks just have a whole other issue. They just think RJ Barrett to this extension, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, they have a whole mess of issues currently on their roster and a lot of committed money to probably be worse than the Cleveland Cavaliers this year. Think about that. The Knicks are spending more money to be worse than this Cleveland team. So you got to love it from that point that they are improved. I still don't think that they're ready, like Andrew said, to compete with the big boys in the conference, to compete with the Celtics. We compete with the Milwaukee Bucks of the World, the Heat. They got a little bit closer to them in my mind. I think the Heat are due for a little bit of a regression, but I think this is a good move. I'm glad that we kind of least got one door close to the psyche of the last thing I will ask you, Andrew Higginbotham, what is your best pitch to the city of Cleveland, Ohio, for Donovan Mitchell? What are the things that he has to check out and do now that he's in town? [00:09:14][131.2] andrew hagenbaugh: [00:09:14] Well, obviously you have to go to the bases. You have to go to a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Obviously, that's the number one thing that everyone does when they go to Cleveland. You couldn't even venture south and go to the Pro Football Hall of Famer on occasion. I mean, all these places are about 40 minutes away from each other, 45 minutes away. So it's all a great vicinity, Akron, Cleveland. And, you know, we're all very close together. I mean, you can go to Lyman's, get yourself a corned beef sandwich. It's very good. I've got to get a corned beef sandwich. But there's there's so much there's so much to do. Downtown Playhouse Square has a lot of good plays that you can go and watch. So there's a lot to do and there's a lot to see. And I'm sure guys like especially Ricky Rubio, who's been here for a year now, I'm sure he's going to take them around the city and show them around. And I'm sure a lot of these guys are going to be like, hey, listen, we got to do this. Go here, go here. Obviously, you had the major sports team get the Guardians and the Browns right there so you can go to obviously good Team Bond and the Guardians of Browns games. But there's quite a bit to do around the city of Cleveland more than people think there is. [00:10:15][61.0] julian martinez: [00:10:16] Okay. We'll send that clip specifically to Donovan Mitchell tweet at him. And in fact, we're going to put you on top of any and all freeagent discussions for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Andrew Hang about. Thank you for being there. Spokesman But guys, it's not Busters. We want to know what you think of this trade in the comments section below. Do you think that the Cleveland Cavaliers did a send in the Eastern Conference to a team that could make some noise in the title picture? Maybe we miscalculated how good this trade makes them. What do you think Donovan Mitchell is going to do in his first year out there? What about Utah side of things? Do you think this is a win for Utah as well as they try and get better in a full on rebuild leave that will go in the comments we like on this video, Juju talks sports here. I'm joined by 1 to 2. Drew's to Drew's for you, Andrew Hohmann and Andrew Hagenbaugh. Make sure to support them. We got all our social media in the bio below. Stay safe, happy and healthy and we will see you next time. [00:10:16][0.0] [590.1]  Watch Here - https://youtu.be/j1ACIkfid-U Speaker 1: [00:00:12] got to say, I'm really glad that we didn't invest a lot of time into Kevin Durant topics over the last. Month and a half, two months, because this feels like a win. As we found out today that Kevin Durant is officially going to be staying with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2022 2023 season. Met with Josiah. Met what? Steve Nash. Met with the general manager, Sean Marks and it's official again, he will be a Brooklyn net this coming season. They agreed that he will agree to his four year contract that he signed last year. That's what I got out of it, that they agreed that, yes, this binding contract you signed, we will actually fulfill it. It's just the irony of this whole situation, something you actually put your signature on. Does it really mean anything in the NBA regardless? I mean, we refrained, but I should say we did technically record a video literally the day before. That didn't age well because Kevin Durant decided to change the news cycle here on a Tuesday. What do you think of this situation which I mentioned in this video? I got to say, I thought that he was going to be on their opening day roster. And I feel vindicated in saying that as he won't be signed and won't be a hit. [00:01:29][77.0]
Speaker 2: [00:01:30] You are correct. And let's just say like I know it's bad on that respect. And I released a podcast this morning talking about Kevin Durant. But here's the other part about this, is that the news that Kevin Durant was coming back broke at about 8:00 in the morning, West Coast time, which means in every major market along the West Coast of America, there were sports talk radio shows talking about yesterday's news of the Memphis Grizzlies getting involved and other possible destinations for a trade. So don't worry. Everyone got fooled by Kevin Durant. Some people even worse, because they were live on radio when this news came out. So everyone got fooled by it this one day because nobody saw this coming. [00:02:09][38.9] Speaker 1: [00:02:09] I saw Bill Simmons literally put out there on the ringer Twitter account. Thanks for all the content over the last two months. Thanks for all the meaningless content over the last year. Yeah. [00:02:18][9.2] Speaker 2: [00:02:19] Let's go. Meaningless sports content to fill the void. Because Kevin Durant wasn't willing to make it so ugly that he was going to hold out into training camp, which wasn't about to do. [00:02:29][9.5] Speaker 1: [00:02:29] It wasn't that. My point, though, that I saw came, it ran and it didn't look at a player that would actually sit out games. I didn't think he was of Ben Simmons character to actually miss meaningful games. I mean, sure, maybe he gets that I, I have a back spasm and maybe that's still on the table. I don't know. I just didn't see him doing that. I didn't see him making it that ugly other than maybe a cryptic social media post. Maybe, like I said, maybe going out like Sean Marks or Steve Nash in private or maybe we got another Twitter burner account. [00:03:03][33.9] Speaker 2: [00:03:04] Dude, you what part about Kevin Durant and social media screams cryptic to you. Kevin Durant just fights people in the comment section like that's just Kevin Durant's thing is lack of. [00:03:13][8.9] Speaker 1: [00:03:13] Subtlety after he got outed, I should say that was like outed with the Twitter account. [00:03:18][5.0] Speaker 2: [00:03:18] At what point that was like five years ago now, at what point do we kind of move past the burner account thing and be like, Kevin Durant's just an Internet troll now he puts his name on shit. Now. [00:03:26][8.0] Speaker 1: [00:03:28] I would not be surprised if you told me a few more burners develop throughout the course of the season, especially if things get a little wonky with the Brooklyn Nets season. If we see a bench pull up between him and Steve Nash, I still think all that stuff is kind of still on the table. [00:03:41][13.1] Speaker 2: [00:03:41] Oh yeah. No, Brooklyn can be had for a price. I think that that's very much in the past. [00:03:45][3.9] Speaker 1: [00:03:46] But just nothing like a trade can. It will develop over the course of the season. I'm saying that I just think that it could become just an ugly situation because I don't know. How do you like go back into a workplace after you said, I want this dude fired and just make it work? [00:04:01][14.9] Speaker 2: [00:04:01] I know. Probably not. Well, no. [00:04:03][1.8] Speaker 1: [00:04:03] I know we're talking about you have to be professionals. This happens, the news cycle comes and goes. But that was a very public report when it came out there for Steve Nash. [00:04:12][8.3] Speaker 2: [00:04:13] Of course. And you're only as good as your options. So I think some people who have other options at work, yeah, this is such a disrespect that they're not willing to come back to a situation depending on your options. You're willing to put up with more crap when you're in a work situation. And so, you know, Kevin Durant comes back, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving still have all the power within the organization. This was the case even before they requested a trade. I think the Kevin Durant trade came about because of the fact that Brooklyn wasn't willing to sign Kyrie Irving to a long term contract extension. And it felt like they were trying to reassert the power within the organization, the power that they gave all of to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and for a little bit James Harden, but specifically Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant had all the power. And I think that that was what played out where they they went through that process. It didn't succeed and they were going to go to another place for basketball reasons, not for power reasons, for basketball reasons. And none of the options Kevin Durant wanted actually worked out. [00:05:16][62.9] Speaker 1: [00:05:16] I'm seeing all these conspiracy. Theories today that the trade request was only to weaken their enemies, to have the Celtics publicly put out there that Jaylen Brown was on the table to have the Heat show their best package or the Sun showed their best package. Maybe that's how the Nets get back on top because OC coming back today, looking at the Nets, looking at their prospects for this upcoming season. Okay, so we got Kevin Durant. We have Kyrie Irving. And then of course, coming back to them. Maybe Ben Simmons, though, maybe you have a big three out there. So the Nets should be a playoff team. I just don't know how much of a better team they are than the team that got swept out of the first round last year. I don't know if they're championship caliber in the Eastern Conference based off so I saw last season. [00:06:02][45.4] Speaker 2: [00:06:03] I think that like from a basketball standpoint I don't know what's going to happen with Brooklyn because I don't know who's going to be there. I don't know who's going to be playing games once the playoff rolls around because it's just it's crazy. But like on paper, definitely better than the hawks regardless of upgrades. Definitely better than the Bulls, definitely better than Toronto, about as good as Philadelphia. Like those are just kind of the teams. The category they're in is like there are four really good teams still in the east. It's Milwaukee, I guess five, Milwaukee, Boston, Miami, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. And do you slot them in however you slot them in? I just have no idea who's going to show up for Brooklyn. I don't know what their work dynamics are going to look like and how they come back from this. [00:06:44][41.9] Speaker 1: [00:06:45] So I think I remember kind of how more or less the season broke down for them last year. I believe they had a one and three record against the Heat, their one and three record against the Celtics. And they had a one and three record against the Bucks, but they had a three and one record against the 76 or so. You're assertion that they are probably about as good as the 70 Sixers probably is. Right. You mentioned their big three matching up against Embiid and Harden this coming season, or maybe that's just stylistically a good matchup for them because the old phrase styles make fights. Maybe that's just one that they would wish if they were granted the postseason. They probably wish they would probably just knock out Boston in the first round. That might have made their life a little bit easier, albeit maybe the options are going against Milwaukee or well, at the time with Khris Middleton hurt, sometimes he could walk into matchups, so that's maybe their opportunity to rise above in the Eastern Conference. They're going to get pieces back from injury. Joe Harris is going to be back for them. So that's going to help them on the wing. As long as everyone stays healthy, they should be a better team. But that is a that is a big question mark for this Nets team. Right. We have a lot of players who traditionally throughout their career have not stayed healthy or stayed in one place or kept them mentally together throughout the course of a season. Looking at you. Kyrie Irving Well. [00:08:06][81.1] Speaker 2: [00:08:06] That's the point. I'm thinking it can't go much worse than last year, right? Like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons as not together like just as a total played 80 games between the three of them the entire season last year. So it can't get much worse than last year in terms of not being available like the vaccine mandates are lifted. So Kyrie Irving wins in the end after everything that happened, Kyrie Irving wins, except he doesn't get a new contract. [00:08:30][23.6] Speaker 1: [00:08:30] So now, man, I hear Monkey Pox is in the water these days. [00:08:33][2.6] Speaker 2: [00:08:34] Kyrie Irving wins in the end and Kevin Durant is going to come back. So it can't be much worse than last year. But that's the same thing I said when I was breaking it down. It's like they're in that group of five and I have no idea who's going to be available. I have no idea who's going to be playing. I have no idea what's going to happen with that team. It's just as long as they have those three pieces, they're a championship contender. That's a big. [00:08:57][22.9] Speaker 1: [00:08:57] Narrow chance of a. [00:08:58][0.8] Speaker 2: [00:08:58] Big ol if. [00:08:59][0.4] Speaker 1: [00:08:59] I won't go as far as a championship contender, but I can say that they can be in that group of second round. I would say that would be a solid floor to put them at. [00:09:07][8.0] Speaker 2: [00:09:08] Yeah, I could agree with you on that. [00:09:10][1.7] Speaker 1: [00:09:10] I agree with you there. I think part of the thing in the Miss evaluation and it's kind of like think of it in this way, it's kind of like college football, preseason rankings. Last year we had them as the championship favorite coming into the year and then they show that they were definitively not in that tier. So now we're trying to reevaluate them based on actually seeing the results of this team working together. Did they get dramatically better throughout the course of last year or the off season? It all is going to boil down to really Ben Simmons. What is Ben Simmons? After a year of not playing? That's going to be a big question mark for me because if is Ben Simmons from a few years ago, then that that could work. You said that could be a team that could elevate to a championship level the be it I've never seen Ben Simmons I don't have a reference point of him being in a championship level to being with the Philadelphia 70 Sixers. But he could but he can be part of that one, potentially. Oh, hey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm disrespecting the seven foot Rondo. [00:10:11][61.2] Speaker 2: [00:10:13] I meant the Sixers, man. The Sixers were a Kawhi bounce away from going to the final. The Sixers were the number one seed in the Eastern Conference in 2021. [00:10:22][8.9] Speaker 1: [00:10:23] And yet it's been the sixth 20 years since they've been to a conference finals. [00:10:27][3.9] Speaker 2: [00:10:28] Oh, no, you're correct on just the idea that they weren't close. It's just it's it's brutal on Philadelphia. But to your point. Yeah. No idea what's going to happen with Ben Simmons. No idea how many games Kyrie Irving is going to play because Kyrie Irving just didn't want to work last year, which is fine and it's all fun, it's all chaotic. And I have no reason to to evaluate that. A big three of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams is better than a big three of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons. It's just it's crazy to me that Brooklyn has all these moving pieces. And yet if they all play together, they're going to be so good. They're going to be so good and so fun. And you know, you said Ben Simmons is what it all comes down to. And, you know, that's saying a lot about the availability of Kyrie Irving. And like Kyrie Irving is going to be the person it all comes down to, which is crazy that they have all these moving pieces. And like I said, I have no idea what's going to happen to them next year. I'm going to need a like 50 game sample size to figure it out. But it's crazy to think about that they're going to come back together after all this. [00:11:32][64.1] Speaker 1: [00:11:32] What's that phrase that Aaron Rodgers used a couple of years ago? The Nets are a beautiful mystery. That's how I look at them coming into this year. Although on next to Beautiful, they're just a mystery to me. Anyway, guys, if you have an idea of what the Brooklyn Nets are going to be this year, go ahead and drop that below. In the comments, what did you think of this whole finessing by Kevin Durant withdrawing his trade request at the last minute? I'd like to hear your thoughts on that as well. Leave a light on this video. Hit that subscriber in from JuJu Talks Sports and Kyle Ledbetter. Stay safe, happy and healthy. We'll see you next time. [00:11:32][0.0] [661.7]  Watch Here - https://youtu.be/zp-p5CS5VNk Speaker 1: [00:00:12] All right. So I know how much of a fan of Giannis Antetokounmpo you are. I know that this is a guy that has inspired your podcast. I know this is a guy that you have on the cover art and you probably have tons of memorabilia lined up somewhere, someplace. But he made some news today on a Chicago radio station. Giannis Antetokounmpo said that he would always be open to the idea of maybe one day playing in Chicago. And it does make the mind ponder a little bit. Would Giannis Antetokounmpo fill right in any other jersey besides the Milwaukee Bucks? [00:00:45][32.3]
Speaker 2: [00:00:45] I would say yes, because I said as early as December of 2020, which was when he signed his five year supermax, that there was a 0% chance Giannis would return to the Bucks after his contract expired. So easily for me, I could see him playing somewhere else. In terms of that Giannis memorabilia that I have, my walls are not lined with his memorabilia, but I do own his basketball shoes, so I get really surprised. [00:01:08][23.2] Speaker 1: [00:01:09] You don't get bedsheets now. [00:01:10][1.5] Speaker 2: [00:01:11] No bed sheets I only own about forgers. So he's not a not a huge memorabilia guy but to the point about Giannis this is an August 15th type of basketball story. Giannis went on a Chicago TV show. They asked him whether he would ever be interested in going to the Bulls, which puts him in an awkward position. And so he had just the polite answer, which is I love Chicago, but right now I'm committed to the Milwaukee Bucks. He had just the most polite answer you can give, which. [00:01:40][29.2] Speaker 1: [00:01:41] I'm. [00:01:41][0.0] Speaker 2: [00:01:41] Not going to. Yeah, he just. He didn't want to make a story out of it. He gave the best answer he could to not add into a story so bad. [00:01:48][7.4] Speaker 1: [00:01:49] It's always a story. Any time a superstar of Giannis caliber speaks, it's a story. [00:01:53][4.1] Speaker 2: [00:01:54] So to that, I will say whoever was at the Chicago TV station credit to you for asking the question, because no matter what his answer he gave, it was going to be a news story. Yeah. Giannis is going to be a bucket next year. He might be a buck the year after. What's interesting is after that, just because Milwaukee can't really do much else anymore, they gave up all their draft picks to get Jrue Holiday. Him and Khris Middleton are combined. Andrew Holiday now just got a $40 million extension, so those three players make up like 106% of their cap space. There's not much else they can do other than flipping Jrue Holiday or flipping Khris Middleton for another player in a trade. [00:02:29][35.5] Speaker 1: [00:02:30] But hey man, I think that Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen, Giannis Big Three has a lot of potential for the NBA. Yeah. [00:02:36][6.1] Speaker 2: [00:02:37] Yeah. But but this team has already gone on like a year or two years longer than most core stay together in the NBA. Like if you count Jrue Holiday as being similar to Eric Bledsoe and that flip that they made like the core of Giannis Khris Middleton and then Bledsoe holiday has been together for four years now going on five. The same group of players rarely ever stay together that long. Even the Warriors have alternated pieces within the cast around them. And so I think it's interesting that the Bucks have stayed together as long as they have. That's just because the Honest wants to play with them this long. But I could absolutely see him leaving. I could have seen him leaving two years ago. So two years from now he could totally join another team. I just don't think it'll be Chicago. [00:03:20][43.0] Speaker 1: [00:03:21] Here's what I kind of think about Giannis. I feel as though he's in that Albert Polo's territory, where since he won his championship, there is nothing that a milwaukee fan can say against him and they'll embrace him regardless. So I think that he is in a lucky spot that a lot of superstars don't get to be in the good graces of fans to be able to just leave whenever you choose to leave. Hell, obviously LeBron didn't get that the first time he left Cleveland. Kevin Durant leaving OKC didn't get that. But Giannis is a made man there so he can move around as he wishes, do his bidding as he wishes. If he decides he wants to go play with Luka one day, he probably could. Maybe people might question if it was like a superstar team up and then we get into the whole super team. [00:04:02][41.1] Speaker 2: [00:04:02] That's my that's my pipe. [00:04:03][1.0] Speaker 1: [00:04:03] That's your that's your pipe dream. [00:04:04][1.1] Speaker 2: [00:04:05] Luka and Giannis, the two generational stars, the baby superstar and the current superstar playing together on the same team. That would be so great. [00:04:13][8.1] Speaker 1: [00:04:13] So he can leave Milwaukee whenever he wants. Obviously, he can't leave Milwaukee until 2025. The question is, will Milwaukee make it uncomfortable or a bad situation to the point where he'd want to leave because he me, at least here in my kind of like innocent mind, I look at Giannis and think of a genuine guy that loves the city of Milwaukee is really embrace that culture and made it his own. But maybe like he has his eyes set on selling his soul to Los Angeles. Maybe he does want to play in Chicago. Maybe he doesn't want to mix it up with Kanye down there. Or hell, head on to Miami, get with Pat Riley in the Heat and make that a combination. So I don't know what his kind of like intentions are, what motivates Giannis or what that next chapter of Giannis career could be. But whenever a superstar like this talks, it just makes you want to think about possibilities. So I would honestly be happy. He ended up in Chicago because I kind of want to see that brand, the Chicago Bulls brand succeed again. I think it's just one of those mascots, one of those iconic jerseys that when they're good, it feels like the NBA's good. That brief time in which Derrick Rose was winning a MVP over there, or when Jimmy Butler was there, something felt right about Chicago being in the playoffs, competing, the grittiness. Obviously, I go back to Michael Jordan in the nineties, which is great, but. [00:05:34][80.9] Speaker 2: [00:05:34] I thought you were going to say Michael Jordan during the segment because you and I both weren't born when Michael Jordan was playing. [00:05:40][5.3] Speaker 1: [00:05:40] Hey, but I watch Space Jam, man, and Space Jam was enough. I got the last dance. I don't care if it's propaganda for Jordan. Whatever. It's all the same to me. It was a fantastic documentary, and either way, it made me feel nostalgic about the city of Chicago, the brand of Chicago Bulls basketball, even though he mentioned in the documentary that prior to his arrival, Chicago Bulls basketball was horrid. But nonetheless, I think it's a superstar brand that lacks a superstar. And I actually have a lot more nostalgia for them than obviously the New York Knicks. So, hey, I would love to see Giannis in Chicago personally, if not, of course, my Boston Celtics. But that's that's again, the personal bias kind of like seeping in there. You talk about superstar combinations, players. It would be fun to see him with another popular one is obviously maybe latter career. Steph Curry Right part of the problem too with Milwaukee and fortunately with you to throw it out there and start to dig on in Milwaukee. But the only way Milwaukee's been able to acquire players is via the draft or through trades. Free agency has been kind of a problem. And in the same way that LeBron had to get out of Cleveland because Cleveland failed to be able to attract superstar talent via free agency, that may become the case for Milwaukee. It may become harder for them unless they can find willing trade partners to get pieces that could continue to build around whatever Giannis turns into. And based off the early practices I've seen, he's turning into a three point shooter. So maybe the league just needs help wanting for that. [00:07:08][87.5] Speaker 2: [00:07:09] Yeah, yeah. Milwaukee is in this interesting place where Giannis has already given them five years of his prime. Like, that's kind of remarkable that. [00:07:18][8.8] Speaker 1: [00:07:18] I want one more much. I do want them to have one more title. I don't hate Milwaukee even as a even as a Celtics fan. If I could see one more Giannis title in Milwaukee then okay, I'm content. Go do what you want to do, big man. Enjoy it. Live it up in the U.S., get your corn dogs or whatever other snacks that you love. Get your 50 PS, go to Chick-Fil-A and get your 50 piece. All right, guys. Well, hey, if Giannis was to leave the Milwaukee Bucks, where would you like to see him go? Would you like to see him play with Garoppolo in the games? Well, I want to know. We were like on this video from Juju Talks Sports in college. Better stay safe, happy and healthy. We'll see you next time. [00:07:18][0.0] [415.8] Talking Celtics with the Garden Report : Nets Sweep, Tatum's Development and Bucks Series Preview5/4/2022 Welcome in Slumpbusters! The Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals with an impressive sweep of the one time Vegas favorite Brooklyn Nets. Stellar defense from the Celtics helped keep the duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant at bay. Jayson Tatum took another leap as he lead both team in scoring for the playoff series. Tatum also defensively did a great job in neutralizing Kevin Durant from becoming a problem. Boston got a boost with the return of Robert Williams in game three, how will his presence improve the Celtics as they chase banner 18? Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford all had solid series how do they matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks? Does the Khris Middleton injury change the landscape of the series? What time of defense will Ime Udoka utilize to stop Giannis Antetokoumnpo? We welcome on John Zannis of the @CLNS Media Garden Report to help us talk all things Celtics in this segment! #Celtics #BostonCeltics #JaysonTatum Recorded: Wednesday, April 27, 2022 Host: Julian "Ju-Ju" Martinez Ig: @jujutalkssports | Twitter: @jujutalkssports Kyle Ledbetter Take It Easy Podcast Ig: @kyle.ledbetter619 | Twitter: @CSM_MemeInsta Featuring: John Zannis CLNS Media - The Garden Report Twitter: @john_zannis Twitter: clnsmedia Social Media: Ig: @slumpbusterpodcast | Twitter: @slumpbusterpod Website: https://www.theslumpbuster.com/
This is a segment from the Slumpbuster Podcast. Aundre Huynh comes on the show to talk the Lakers most recent addition to their big three in Los Angeles. The Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook in a trade from the Washington Wizards. In the deal, Los Angeles agreed to send Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma to Washington. Westbrook is a former league MVP but has often been chastised for his teams performances in the playoffs. Last season for the Wizards Westbrook averaged 22.2 pts in 36 minutes of play per game. This also marked the fourth time in his career that Westbrook has averaged a triple-double. Is Westbrook the missing pieces for Lebron James to receive his fifth NBA Championship or will he be the reason they fail? #RussellWestbrook #LebronJames #AnthonyDavis #LakeShow #Lakers #LosAngelesLakers #NBA #NBANews
The Eastern Conference got a lot more competitive because of what two teams did particularly. Coming off of their surprising bubble run to the NBA Finals in 2020, the Miami Heat were quickly dispatched of by the Bucks on their way to title. Pat Riley set his sights on the most sought after veteran on the market Kyle Lowry. Lowry will one day be enshrined in all-time Toronto sports legends but what talent will the veteran bring to South Beach? Not to be outdone, the Chicago Bulls made a flurry of moves to begin free agency. As part of convincing Zach Levine that Chicago is in his best interest long-term, the Bulls acquired Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball. Ball, Levine and Demar Derozan form a formidable team with Nikola Vucevic rounding out the four spot in their line-up. Does this make the Bulls legitimate threats in the East? #ChicagoBulls #DemarDerozan #LonzoBall #ZachLevine #Bulls #Heat #MiamiHeat #JimmyButler #KyleLowry
While many teams are trying to get younger and more dynamic, its clear the Los Angeles Lakers put more emphasis on experience. Following their trade for former MVP Russell Westbrook, the Lakers were very active in free agency. It started by bringing back Dwight Howard for his third tour with the team and the next big name was longtime banana boat companion Carmelo Anthony. It has long since been rumored that Anthony and Lebron have spoken about joining forces and it is finally coming together. The additions do make the Lakers the oldest collective team in NBA history but is the gamble worth it. To give his completely unbiased opinion, Lakers fan Kyle Ledbetter is here to give his take on the Lakers moves. #Lakers #Lakeshow #CarmeloAnthony #LebronJames #AnthonyDavis #LosAngelesLakers #RussellWestbrook #NBA #NBANews
This is a segment from the Slumpbuster Podcast. Chris Lebron from the Off the Ball Podcast & Off the Ball Network to discuss Chris Paul's future with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had an incredible start to the NBA Finals and then an incredible downfall. With CP3 expected to opt out of his current deal, can the Suns still compete in the Western Conference? Is there a chance that Paul will return to Phoenix or do the Lakers make more sense for the aging veteran? Enjoy the segment! #PhoenixSuns #DevinBooker #Suns #CP3 #ChrisPaul #NBA #NBANews
The NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday and two Western Conference teams looking to improve made a trade. Memphis and New Orleans stuck a deal that would see Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe go to Grizzlies in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas. In addition to the players, the teams will swap the 10th and 17th picks in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft. This draft may not shift the NBA landscape but it presents an opportunity for both clubs to place the right scheme fit around their young superstars Ja Morant and Zion Williamson. Kyle is here to recap the trade and what it means, enjoy! #Pelicans #Grizzlies #MemphisGrizzlies #NewOrleansPelicans #NBA #NBANews
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