Nick Wright reacts to Kyrie Irving's ACL tear and the "disaster" situation the Dallas Mavericks find themselves in post-Luka Doncic trade. Later, Nick addresses Shaquille O'Neal saying Steph Curry belongs in the G.O.A.T. conversation and explains why the Warriors star has no place in the debate. Later, Nick breaks down how Michael Jordan has continued to haunt LeBron James and the superstars of the NBA for over twenty years. #Volume #Herd
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Best of the Week for What's Right
with Nick Right the best takes and moments from this
week on the show. Enjoy for Kyrie, Obviously, you feel
sick for him. I think Kyrie has handled the last
couple of years about as well as any player could have.
(00:21):
And I've been so impressed by him, and as far
as on a dime, remaking his leader reputation and maturity
reputation and kind of sage wisdom and all of that,
I've never seen him like it. Like him going from
(00:45):
a guy who's like, well, great player, but you're gonna
have to deal with a bunch of other stuff to
a guy where the other stuff is a huge part
of his greatness. And it seemingly happened on the trade
to the Maps, and so you give him massive credit.
(01:07):
You feel sick for him. I also he's a pending
free agent. How this impacts the contract he will or
won't get For a guy who turns thirty three in
a few weeks. Maybe it's craven to talk about that immediately,
but you think about that, and it concerns you. And
(01:28):
the other thing you think about is this, since they
traded Lukadncic he was playing way too many minutes because
they didn't have another ball handler. And this is a
and they left themselves with one creator, one ball handler.
(01:50):
And now I mean the minutes he has played since
the start of February. Let's go there, right, Luca was
traded on what February first, Okay, so perfect since the
Luca trade forty two, forty forty two, forty four, forty
(02:15):
thirty seven, thirty two in a blowout, forty thirty eight
thirty eight, and then last night, I it was now
he was playing big minutes prior to that as well,
actually since Luca's injury, he was playing big minutes. But
(02:36):
Luca was coming back, and Luca would have obviously would
have been back, you know, well earlier than that.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
And the maps the topic right now.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, we do it right now, like we might as
well just get to it the because we have the
breaking news on it, and so I I don't there's
a lot of pieces to this demon's that are inextricably
tied to the Luca trade.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And yeah, with the not having the extra ball handler,
but even the guy that they traded for was hurt
since he got there, he played in what a half
of a game, and I think with Nico Collins, with
Anthony Davis being a known hurt player, that's something that
you have to take into account and like you're seeing
that firsthand, and I just it was it was obviously
(03:31):
a bad decision. It was like it was Anthony Davis
getting hurt or Luca donc Is just completely flaming out
and being a hinentrance to your team.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Well so that so there were a million reasons the
Luca trade made no sense, uh, even if all of
your skepticism was correct about him. One was you were
worried about his body, and so you trade for a
guy who's six years older and Anthony Davis who has
real worries about his body. Another one was you actually
(04:02):
already had depth at center. What you didn't have depth
that was shot creator. You trade a shot creator for
the best shot creator arguably in basketball, and Luca for
another big Another reason it was risky was your window
with Luca was a decade. You then go Nico Harrison.
(04:24):
You said, Nico Collins the receiver for the Texans, but
I knew him. It the You then go on TV
and say your windows three to four years, Well, this
year is done now done, and next year's in jeopardy,
(04:45):
like are you and also are you going to re
sign Kyrie Irving? Do you still have to? If you don't,
what are you doing? There was a lot of, you know,
kind of back burner rumors, demons that this could be
a Kevin Durant destination next year, that Katie get back
(05:09):
with Kyrie. You have Anthony Davis. From basketball standpoint, it
would fit great. Okay, Well, now that's massively in question, Like,
I don't know, you tear your acl in March if
you're Kyrie, do you just miss all of next year?
(05:29):
And shout out to Kyrie for shooting those free throws?
You know, he obviously is as big of a Kobe
fan as any active player. Kobe famous famously shot his
free throws after he tore his achilles. You really really
hope that Kyrie's career doesn't follow that same trajectory as
(05:55):
far as Kobe was just never the same guy after
that torn achilles. But I also think Kobe Kobe was
thirty four when he tore his achilles. Kyrie is thirty
two about to be thirty three. Was was Kobe? I'm
looking up when so Kobe tore his Achilles in April
(06:20):
of thirteen. Kobe was born in August of Uh. Yes,
we was thirty four August seventy eight. So I I
just will the MAVs make There's so many tentacles to
this and I'm reacting in real time. Will the MAVs
(06:43):
make the play in they're three and a half clear
of Phoenix. Phoenix would be a at this point a
more interesting team, uh because of the Kadim Booker factor,
even though that seems to just be ready for the
season to end. But now that whoever gets that ten
(07:06):
seed is dead on arrival, the MAVs have no who
on the MAVs can create a shot, honest to god,
Like last night after Kyrie went down, it's Dante Exum
you you know who you also? I mean Kai Jones.
Shout out to Kai Jones, by the way, who had
(07:29):
some real personal demons and issues or action demons is
too strong. I don't know that he he had a
It seemed like he might have had a drug problem,
you know, and seems to have gotten himself clean and
is you know, resuming his NBA career. So you root
for young people like that, Like that was going down
(07:51):
the wrong track. He ended up playing big minutes yesterday,
right they signed him. He goes nine to ten from
the field. But I mean Clayton Thompson signs there thinking
I can catch and shoot. Well, who's who you're catching
it from?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Now?
Speaker 1 (08:08):
This isn't I think, you know what. I think I
did a bad job in my initial reaction to this.
This is a.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Again like the Luca ad trade.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
No, the Kyrie injury some in the last ten minutes,
because this is just an unmitigated disaster of historic proportions.
And you can say the injury is just bad luck,
(08:45):
but that's only if you think that if Kyrie's workload
was different, if his responsibility was different, if his ability
to rest games, if need be was different, He's still
would have torn his ACL. I don't think that. And
the MAVs, who are the defending Western Conference champions, decided
(09:08):
without the player forcing them or even asking them to, decided,
I am going to blow this entire thing up and
take a risk that's unprecedented in NBA history. And within
(09:34):
a month of the trade, the piece you traded for
who was injured when you made the trade got hurt again.
And the guard in this league that maybe at this point,
honestly has more responsibility to his team than any other
(09:57):
guard in the league because of how the rosters construct
did post Luca. You use him in a potentially reckless
manner and his historically shaky knees get one of them
gives out on him, and now you're just cooked. And
(10:20):
you're a team that does not have your own draft
pick for twenty seven through thirty. So that's the other
like they MAVs future draft picks. I talked about this
the other day, so I kind of know it already.
But here's what it is, outgoing draft picks. In twenty
(10:47):
twenty seven, it goes to Charlotte. In twenty twenty eight,
Okse can swap with them. In twenty twenty nine, it
goes to Houston or Phoenix. In twenty thirty, I think
(11:08):
the Spurs can swap with them. But twenty seven, twenty eight,
twenty nine, and thirty you do not have your own pick,
and two of those years, yeah you will have someone's pick.
(11:31):
But okay, in twenty seven it just goes to Charlotte.
In twenty eight, Oka Se can swap with you. In
twenty nine, Houston can swap with you, and in thirty.
The Spurs can swap with you, so if you bottom out,
it doesn't do you any good. I I don't know.
(11:53):
The only reason Demonse. I think Nico Harrison survives this
is because Patrick Dumont, the owner, came out and did
his own press conference where he was like, two thumbs
up to the trade. You gotta be a grinder like
Shaquille O'Neill and Larry Bird were never drank, never party
and just all ball and and I'm yeah, of course,
(12:23):
and I am just sick for Kyrie man. This sucks
and it's it's a lot of money. And I know
nobody cares about the money part of this with pro athletes,
but Kyrie had cost himself a lot of money the
previous few years and left money on the table, and
(12:45):
then because of his own excellent play and the desperation
of the MAVs post, Luca was in a spot where
he was going to get that macal and now I
don't know what it means for him. This is devastating.
(13:06):
Oh god, so oh hold on, So that's interesting. So
that's probably what he'll do. Well, I don't know. I mean,
he has a player option, but I don't know that
(13:27):
I so he could pick up the player option for
forty four million, but I think it's more likely he
opts out and still gets a new deal. I just
don't think it will be a four year max like
so it's if it were a career ending injury, which
it's not, then you just opt into your player option.
I don't think that's what's gonna happen. But I'm just
(13:49):
devastating for Kyrie. I'm not listening, and I'm devastating for
MAVs fans. Thirty days and your entire basketball world is
just you went from having one of the brightest futures
of any team in the league too its as dark
as it gets, and all of a sudden, Anthony Davis
is back on the Pelicans.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
And they're raising the prices in the stadium for particular.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Well, that's another thing I saw that story. It's just
a tone deaf timing of the announcement. I don't understand
that piece of it at all. But just joining us,
Kyrie irving torn acl that was the fear last night.
I am amazed by the way quick sidebar. I am
(14:32):
constantly amazed at how accurate those sports medicine folks on
Twitter are by watching the video of something and saying
what injury the guy suffered. I think those guys that
(14:53):
I follow on Twitter bat like eight hundred. I think
four out five they nail just by watching one video.
And it's listen. I do know know nothing about science
or medicine, but it's always impressive to me.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
So Shack said that Steph deserves to be in the
goat conversation.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Do you think that's a right take to have?
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Sadly no, So let's talk best point guard ever. We've
done this before. I'll do it again just quickly. Here.
Magic Johnson, I believe this in my bones, is the
greatest point guard in NBA history. And Magic Johnson. It's
(15:53):
not only that as a rookie one Finals MVP, now
we should of Kareem should have won it, but had
one of the single greatest finals games ever playing center
at just being utterly dominant to win a championship as
a rookie right after winning a championship in college. If
(16:16):
people don't know what I'm talking about, the Kareem was
out so magic jump center as a rookie against Doctor
J and the Sixers and dropped forty two, fifteen and
seven to win a championship in the finals. That almost
gets talked about too much. And what doesn't get talked
about enough, in my opinion, is this demanse. In year three,
(16:41):
Magic Johnson was second team All NBA, and then after
that he played nine more seasons before the HIV diagnosis
and was first team All NBA all nine seasons. Those
nine seasons after year three, his MVP finishes were third, second,
(17:05):
hold on sorry, third, third, second, third, first, third, first, first, second,
So again years four to twelve for Magic nine consecutive
first team All NBA's nine consecutive top three MVP finishes,
three league MVPs, went to nine finals, won five championships.
(17:31):
He's the greatest point guard ever. With that said, every
time I'm putting together my all time starting five steps
the better option at point guard than Magic. So I
know that sounds weird, but whenever it's like, Okay, create
(17:51):
the greatest team you can possibly create, I'm like, all right,
So the two the only two locks, even with respect
to Kareem, the only two locks are Michael and Lebron.
Those guys are the locks. And now we're figuring out
the rest of the squad, and so I go all right,
(18:13):
so Lebron's there, he can bring the ball up. You know,
Michael couldn't shoot a three to save his life, so
I probably need some more shooting defensively. I'm going to
be a monster anyway, so I'll put Steph in in
place of Magic. So that's where the best point guard conversation.
You know, gets off to a rough start, or not
(18:36):
a rough start, but it gets complicated. This episode of
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But as far as best PLA player of all time,
(20:02):
there's a I mean, I just told you. Magic has
nine first Team All NBAS. The guys who are actually
in the discussion for greatest player of all time, Lebron, Michael,
and Kareem they have as far as first team All
NBAS thirteen for Lebron, ten for Kareem, ten for Michael.
(20:27):
Some people throw Kobe in there. I don't think that's legit,
but that's fine. He has eleven. Steph has four, so
he doesn't have the the great season after great season
after great season all these other guys did. Here's the
other thing that he doesn't have. And again I'm not
(20:47):
tearing him down, but this if everyone who is actually
in the goat debate, which I think is only three people,
but other people might want to expand it to a
couple others. And even if you expand it to them,
if you include Magic, if you include Wilt or Russell,
(21:11):
like pick whomever, they all had an extended period where
they were unequivocally, undeniably the best player in the league.
Steph doesn't have one. Steph doesn't have one season. Now
(21:34):
that's again it's like, well, that's his whole career is
during Lebron's career. I get it. But that so you
just so you can't be in the goat conversation when
and you can be like, what about the Yearie won
unanimous MVP. Yeah, he was going to be considered the
best player in the league, and then the finals happened,
and so like, there has just not been so a spot.
(22:00):
I'm not tearing him down. You guys know how highly
I think of him as a player.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
He is greatest shooter, arguably.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
The greatest shooter ever. He might be the greatest ball
handler ever. He's one of the greatest teammates ever.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
But he is offball players.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
I know that's not like exactly the best, the best,
probably probably one of the best off ball players.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
In NBA history, I imagine.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Maybe maybe the maybe the best. Yes, no, all those
things really matter. I find to me, Uh, nobody wants
to have this debate. But an interesting one is him
versus Duncan. Like it is, it's hard to do, Like
(22:49):
putting up Steph's career versus Duncan, and Steph's career versus Kobe,
and Steph's versus Shack are all really interesting because those
are four so different players, just you know, so such
(23:11):
drastically different players, different styles, different career arcs like those
to me are real debates. But Steph versus Lebron, Michael
and Kream are not wh she is not and that's fine,
Like that's not a It was also weird timing to
(23:33):
have this discussion, Like Steph was having a down year
and the Warriors were twenty five and twenty five and
they traded for Jimmy and they're you know, on the uptick,
and Steph is playing some of his best basketball of
the year. But this isn't like some magical Steph Curry season.
He's not. He has no shot of being first team
(23:54):
All NBA this year. He is. I remember when they
traded for Jimmy he had as many games with fifteen
or fewer points as he had thirty plus points. Like,
he's averaging the fewest points he's averaged in a season
since his first MVP is so in a decade, and
(24:16):
he's averaging below forty from three for just the second
time of his career. So again, I'm not he's all.
All that's true, While it's also true is he's having
the greatest old little guy season ever. So all those
(24:36):
things can be true at the same time. But goat
conversation now we're now we're getting a little cuckoo. Where
we have to start today is with what Lebron James said,
(25:00):
what was said about what he said, and how we
got here. So first a level set of what happened.
Anthony Edwards was asked about being face of the league
and he was like, I don't really have an interest
in it, I just want a ball. Lebron was then
(25:20):
asked about that as the face of the league, and
Lebron said, yeah, I don't blame him. Why would you
want to be when all the people who talk about
our league and it seemed like he was about to
say former players, but and media, but instead it was
just a catch all, just shit on the players. And
(25:45):
then as Bomani Jones would say, hit dog gone holler.
And then all the guys who Lebron was talking about
doth protested too much. So the first one was stephen A,
(26:06):
who did a five minute rant in response to Lebron
that and I'm not I am not exaggerating when I
say this. In the first ninety seconds of stephen A
responding to Lebron saying that the biggest voices in the
(26:27):
media just go after you repeatedly, particularly if you're the
face of the league. In the first ninety seconds of
a response to that, stephen A blamed Lebron James for
the following the downfall of the Slam Dunk Contest, the
lockout in twenty eleven, and the Chris Paul Laker trade
(26:50):
being mixed. He put it all Lebron's feet, all of it.
He's like ruin the dunk contest because you wouldn't participate,
and then said the decision was what led to the
owners locking the players out and changing the collective bargaining agreement,
(27:10):
and then threw the CP three trade in h as
kind of a little dessert after a delicious entree and
didn't really, to my ear, address any of what Lebron
actually said. And then and I couldn't believe this. And
let me say this as well. I have a really
(27:31):
good relationship with Steven A. I actually texted with him
this morning. But he is so I don't want people
to think that this is there's like media beef. But
he knows this. We both have strong opinions. We disagree.
I disagree with a lot of what he says. He's
a big boy, grown man. He understands none of that's personal.
(27:53):
And so I'm not I'm not trying to start something.
This guy's a friend of mine. I just think he's
out of his mind on some of this stuff. And
then on his podcast and this I won't put on him.
And you know, appreciate those producers of that podcast because
they put us on their you know, friendly relationships. But
and Demon's ay, this will blow your mind again. In
(28:18):
addressing Lebron, James saying that if you're the face of
the league, you get extra criticism, get shit on. When
Steven A brought that up on his podcast, you know
what video played alongside it, like the soundless what we
(28:38):
call b roll highlights. Hand to god, it was Bronnie's
bad minutes against the Sixers. That's true. Go look, go
watch so like again, I don't think that's stephen A's call,
but it doesn't exactly dispel the narrative that, well, yeah,
you there might be a little, a little unfairness here,
(29:03):
and so that was his part of it. Bill Simmons,
who is as loud and as respected and as important
of an NBA voice as there is, who is an unabashed, obvious,
diehard Celtic fan who has never really been what you'd
(29:23):
call a Lebron guy, and Lebron's never been a Simmons guy.
Simmons sent out the following tweets. Celts Cavs is a
wonderful NBA game between two excellent teams that's included some
terrific individual performances. This next game will be splendid too.
(29:45):
We're so lucky to be able to watch great players
like Luka Ancic, Lebron James and James Harden battling it
out tonight, just basically making fun. It's being like, this
is ridiculous. Oh, everyone's got to be so positive. And
then Bill went on a long history lesson on his
pod this week where he was like, this is how
(30:06):
it's always been, and then explained how we went after
guys who either hadn't won or until they won, or
very specific postseason failures in the moment, which is not
at all what Lebron's talking about. Lebron was talking about
(30:29):
the general conversation surrounding the league being constantly negative. And
you know who totally agrees with Lebron that that's a problem,
Bill Simmons. You know how I know that because on
December thirty first, Bill Simmons did an NBA pod with
(30:52):
the great Kirk Goldsbery that is titled The All Positive
NBA Show with Kurk Goldsbury that he says at the beginning,
he's doing because the conversation surrounding the league has gotten
too negative. So for some of these guys, even when
Lebron says something they agree with, because it's Lebron saying it,
(31:14):
they can't agree with it. And then Wilbond on the
Greatest Sports TV Show that's ever existed. Pardon the interruption.
Did you know did what he always does, which is
whether it is while he's on the broadcast, when Lebron
(31:37):
happens to past Magic Johnson for career assists, or when
he's addressing Lebron's comments. Can't help himself but make it clear,
no matter how great these guys are, they're not quite
as great as the guys that happen to be playing
(31:57):
during my personal heyday covering league. It's crazy how that
works out. And we're yet to see what the Chuckster's
going to say, but we'll find out here very soon,
and my guess is it'll be more of the same.
So now that I've set the table on what happened,
oh yeah, and then Lebron responded with tweets, it would
(32:23):
appear this first tweet as a response to stephen A,
where I wrote, exactly made my point. But anyways, happy
this convo has started. It ain't about face of the game,
and it ain't about one person or one show. It's
about the culture of basketball. The most beautiful game in
the world. Our game has never been better. Incredible young
stars from all over the world and some older ones too,
(32:45):
laughing emojis. Steph Curry should be all we're talking about today.
This after he scored fifty six. Let's discuss how great, okay,
seeing the cav have been this season in two complete
different styles of breakdown why and how they have been.
Of course, if players don't perform, when I need to
discuss that too and break that down. Even that can
be discussed in a way, and this is the important
(33:06):
piece of it. Even that can be discussed in a
way that's not to bring finality to that player's game,
but to leave room to see how that player responds,
and let's watch the journey of that player. This ain't
about me either. This is where I disagree with Lebron,
and I'll get to that in a second. This ain't
about me either. At this point, I don't really care
(33:26):
what's said about me. It's always something. This is about
the impact the negativity is having on our beautiful game
and our fans. I know I speak for a lot
of the players. More importantly, a hell of a lot
of great fans that truly love and celebrate this sport
around the world. Hashtag mind the game than a cloud emoji,
a brain emoji, and of course a crown emoji, because
what would a Lebron tweet be without the crown emoji?
(33:47):
All right? He then went on with my pal Scott
Van Pelt made a similar point after the Laker game,
and now everyone's caught up. So to me, the question
should be, is Lebron right that the coverage of the league,
particularly for the super duper stars face of the league
(34:09):
caliber guys too negative? And if he's right, how did
we get here? So I do think he is correct,
and I do think I have been a part of
the problem at times. I'll explain how in a moment,
(34:31):
and I think so where I disagree with him, where
he says this isn't about him, it actually is almost
entirely about him and one other person, because so much
about how we currently cover the league has to do
(34:53):
with how we covered Lebron James, because how he was
covered has impacted how every other superstar, true super duperstar
is covered. So this is a point I used to
make about Prime Klay Thompson. The better example right now
(35:13):
might be like Devin Booker, where I think those guys
who are in the Jalen Brown Devin Booker tier of
players like ten to twenty if you were ranking them,
(35:33):
might be in the actual sweet spot because they get
the same max contract as the superstar as the super duperstars.
But it is not a daily legacy referendum. When they
(35:53):
play great in big spots, they're lauded. When they play
poorly in big spots, it we usually look to instead
the best player on their team, and why didn't he
do more? And that's I think what ants comments are
referring to. While he wants to be this player on
(36:14):
the team, obviously he sees man heavy is the head
that wears the crown, and so that the reason I
say this is about Lebron and one other person is
the Lebron of it all? Is this? How many times
have you been watching sports TV and heard a version
(36:39):
of this? Sometimes by me? That's why I'll say, hand up,
I'm part of it. Well, after a guy misses a
big shot, or plays poorly in a big spot, or
doesn't carry his team far enough or whatever it is,
how many times have you heard this, Well, if we're
(36:59):
leb Yron, we'd be killing him. Well if Lebron did that,
and so the way Lebron was covered set a template
to where it's how then Durant and Steph and Embiide
(37:21):
and Giannis and Jokic, those MVP guys, Well, fair's fair
did it to Lebron? So then we get to this
question why did we cover Lebron that way? And that
then gets to the other person in this story, the
(37:43):
only name in all of NBA history bigger than Lebron's,
and that's Michael Jordan. Because so much of our basketball,
and at this point it's not just basketball, it's overall
(38:06):
sports commentary has been twisted is probably too strong of
a word, but adjusted, tweaked, manicured to serve the legend
of Michael Jordan. You hell. You saw it in some
(38:29):
of the reaction to the Super Bowl and Mahomes getting
a loss in the biggest game. It's like, oh boy,
we all know those super Bowl losses count different than
divisional round losses. That's a Michael Jordan argument. And when
you look back at how we have covered this league
(38:53):
for forty years, there's only one guy, one guy who
at EA each and every turn, has benefited from it,
and it's Michael. Let's go back to how we talk
about the nineteen eighties as a decade. Who was the
(39:14):
face of the League in the nineteen eighties. Oh, there
wasn't a face. It was two guys. We've turned two
guys into one person, bird Magic. So why why was
it not magic and bird or bird and magic separately. Well,
in part is it because when we turn bird Magic
(39:35):
into one person and don't give Larry Bird his kind
of individual standing. Folks right now, big enough NBA fans
to care about this, to be watching this pod to
or to be watching this clip, probably don't know that
Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, their team's played in six
(39:59):
playoff games against each other, and Larry Bird was six
and up, not in series in games disease, you know,
bird magic in the eighties. What we have totally erased
one person's legacy from the If you ask die hard
(40:19):
NBA fans, give me your top twenty five, twenty five
players of all time, the vast majority are going to
have every single guy that was the best player on
multiple championships with one glaring omission, and it'll be the
same omission Isaiah Thomas. Why because part of part he
(40:46):
is just he has been turned into a bit player
in the story of Michael Jordan. We've partially erased a
Keeam's legend while his championships came, you know, when Michael
wasn't playing. Even though one of those championships came in
a year Michael Jordan got MVP votes. We've glossed over
(41:08):
when people talk about Shaquille O'Neill. Shaquille O'Neill, does anyone
have you ever heard someone make this point about his greatness?
At twenty three years old, he outplayed he was the
best player on the court in a playoff series with
(41:31):
Michael Jordan and beat him. No, we just pretend it
didn't happen. And then the pia stay resistance of all
that is the guy who was his wingman for the
whole thing, Scotty. We we act like he was a
(41:52):
just a nineties run our test and that included in
Michael's die. So why am I explaining that in relation
to this, Because it's not only that the guy that
today's face of the league or the potential faces of
the league have to deal with a constant teardown of
(42:18):
what they have or haven't accomplished. It's that the last,
the previous guy, the all time face of the league,
got the exact opposite treatment. And it is again if
you really look at it. We did. There's so much
of how we consume today's NBA that is colored by
(42:44):
how we have discussed and talked about these two players,
Michael Jordan and Lebron James. When it comes to Michael,
we elevate lesser players like Reggie Miller, who was a
nice player. He was eighteen three and three for his career.
He made zero first or second All team NBAS That's
(43:08):
who he was into a guy with almost legendary status.
Why he had that great one series against Michael. You
hear more about Craig Elo who Jordan hit the shotover
than Sidney Moncrief, who beat him in the playoffs, was
(43:31):
one of the best defensive players ever. Why we talk
about the nineties Knicks who had one All Star on
their entire team for a decade like this legendary opponent.
Why to build up the legend of the face of
the league? Juxtaposed that to how Lebron when he was
(43:59):
rolling through the East the way Michael was in the nineties.
We didn't build up the sixty win Hawks, or the
Paul George Pacers or the DeRozan Lowry Raptors into something
bigger than they were No, we went the opposite. That's
(44:22):
the Yeah, yes, you made eight straight finals, but in
that conference against those teams. What is it again, It's
it's not that it's always been this way. It's not
that it slowly became like this. It's that it did
a one to eighty. There are just certain things that,
(44:44):
again in service of one guy at the expense of
the other. We've just decided, like someone in some bible,
some sports bible somewhere decided coincidentally right or around the
time that this guy Lebron was lapping the field in
(45:09):
every category. Actually, you know what, longevity is not a
factor in any of this. It's just you know what.
And when it comes to how great a player is,
how long he was great, nobody cares about that since
when that was that was literally never a part of
(45:29):
any logical sports discussion until again, so much of how
we talk about today's league has to do with these
two players. And then we get to the media piece
of it, because one bill talked about this. Yes, Michael
(45:53):
was criticized until he won, and then once he won,
he was deified to a level an athlete in this
country has never been deified. And so the guys, this
current generation, not this generation, the old guys of this
(46:17):
generation Lebron Katie, those guys who watched that growing up thought, man,
I'm gonna get that same treatment once I win and
I'm great and I'm the face of the league, universal
(46:38):
praise and adoration. And then the guys who gave that
to Michael, like Wilbond, now say we're not on your payroll?
Were you on Michaels because that's what he got people.
It's all projection. People. People say to me and Shannon that, uh,
(47:06):
you guys, they make up in their minds this tight
relationship with Lebron that we must have while denying the
reality of the pretend relationship that you're acting like that
we have with Lebron a moderate Shad actually had with Michael,
(47:29):
my main man, Michael Jordan, the sideline reporter for the finals,
was his dear friend and golf buddy. We we then
act like people are being honest arbiters of this skip.
(47:54):
God love him. Built a huge portion of his career
on a singular take, which was this guy will never
be Michael Jordan, and nothing that he can do can
ever change my mind on it. He could never move
(48:14):
off that it was the only through line other than
his Cowboys fandom for his TV career. And in Woje,
who at a point in time was not only a
great reporter the best columnist in the in basketball media,
(48:40):
got iced out by Lebron's camp and just eviscerated him
for years and years and years. Simmons, who crushed Lebron's
family during back when he was doing running diaries about
(49:03):
the draft, and then Lebron never had a real relationship
with him, and then Lebron annihilated Simmons. Celtics has always
been a begrudging appreciator of what he has or hasn't done.
And then there's like, there's other guys who's so much
(49:28):
of their career is tied into Michael, whether it's Wilbon
or why does Barkley get a pass for not winning
while he ran into Michael Jordan. All of this so
you have a whole media machine, and then folks have
(49:53):
the audacity, the absolute audacity to act like it's shocking
that that it's shocking that Lebron might occasionally push back
or might say, you guys changed the rules mid game
(50:14):
and this isn't how you've treated guys previously, and so
that's what they're talking about, and I think it's reasonable.
I don't know if there's a fix for it. I thing,
maybe the fix for it is for when Lebron retires,
(50:37):
this whole thing resets, but honestly, maybe not
Welcome to the Best of the Week for What's Right
with Nick Right the best takes and moments from this
week on the show. Enjoy for Kyrie, Obviously, you feel
sick for him. I think Kyrie has handled the last
couple of years about as well as any player could have.
(00:21):
And I've been so impressed by him, and as far
as on a dime, remaking his leader reputation and maturity
reputation and kind of sage wisdom and all of that,
I've never seen him like it. Like him going from
(00:45):
a guy who's like, well, great player, but you're gonna
have to deal with a bunch of other stuff to
a guy where the other stuff is a huge part
of his greatness. And it seemingly happened on the trade
to the Maps, and so you give him massive credit.
(01:07):
You feel sick for him. I also he's a pending
free agent. How this impacts the contract he will or
won't get For a guy who turns thirty three in
a few weeks. Maybe it's craven to talk about that immediately,
but you think about that, and it concerns you. And
(01:28):
the other thing you think about is this, since they
traded Lukadncic he was playing way too many minutes because
they didn't have another ball handler. And this is a
and they left themselves with one creator, one ball handler.
(01:50):
And now I mean the minutes he has played since
the start of February. Let's go there, right, Luca was
traded on what February first, Okay, so perfect since the
Luca trade forty two, forty forty two, forty four, forty
(02:15):
thirty seven, thirty two in a blowout, forty thirty eight
thirty eight, and then last night, I it was now
he was playing big minutes prior to that as well,
actually since Luca's injury, he was playing big minutes. But
(02:36):
Luca was coming back, and Luca would have obviously would
have been back, you know, well earlier than that.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
And the maps the topic right now.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, we do it right now, like we might as
well just get to it the because we have the
breaking news on it, and so I I don't there's
a lot of pieces to this demon's that are inextricably
tied to the Luca trade.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And yeah, with the not having the extra ball handler,
but even the guy that they traded for was hurt
since he got there, he played in what a half
of a game, and I think with Nico Collins, with
Anthony Davis being a known hurt player, that's something that
you have to take into account and like you're seeing
that firsthand, and I just it was it was obviously
(03:31):
a bad decision. It was like it was Anthony Davis
getting hurt or Luca donc Is just completely flaming out
and being a hinentrance to your team.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Well so that so there were a million reasons the
Luca trade made no sense, uh, even if all of
your skepticism was correct about him. One was you were
worried about his body, and so you trade for a
guy who's six years older and Anthony Davis who has
real worries about his body. Another one was you actually
(04:02):
already had depth at center. What you didn't have depth
that was shot creator. You trade a shot creator for
the best shot creator arguably in basketball, and Luca for
another big Another reason it was risky was your window
with Luca was a decade. You then go Nico Harrison.
(04:24):
You said, Nico Collins the receiver for the Texans, but
I knew him. It the You then go on TV
and say your windows three to four years, Well, this
year is done now done, and next year's in jeopardy,
(04:45):
like are you and also are you going to re
sign Kyrie Irving? Do you still have to? If you don't,
what are you doing? There was a lot of, you know,
kind of back burner rumors, demons that this could be
a Kevin Durant destination next year, that Katie get back
(05:09):
with Kyrie. You have Anthony Davis. From basketball standpoint, it
would fit great. Okay, Well, now that's massively in question, Like,
I don't know, you tear your acl in March if
you're Kyrie, do you just miss all of next year?
(05:29):
And shout out to Kyrie for shooting those free throws?
You know, he obviously is as big of a Kobe
fan as any active player. Kobe famous famously shot his
free throws after he tore his achilles. You really really
hope that Kyrie's career doesn't follow that same trajectory as
(05:55):
far as Kobe was just never the same guy after
that torn achilles. But I also think Kobe Kobe was
thirty four when he tore his achilles. Kyrie is thirty
two about to be thirty three. Was was Kobe? I'm
looking up when so Kobe tore his Achilles in April
(06:20):
of thirteen. Kobe was born in August of Uh. Yes,
we was thirty four August seventy eight. So I I
just will the MAVs make There's so many tentacles to
this and I'm reacting in real time. Will the MAVs
(06:43):
make the play in they're three and a half clear
of Phoenix. Phoenix would be a at this point a
more interesting team, uh because of the Kadim Booker factor,
even though that seems to just be ready for the
season to end. But now that whoever gets that ten
(07:06):
seed is dead on arrival, the MAVs have no who
on the MAVs can create a shot, honest to god,
Like last night after Kyrie went down, it's Dante Exum
you you know who you also? I mean Kai Jones.
Shout out to Kai Jones, by the way, who had
(07:29):
some real personal demons and issues or action demons is
too strong. I don't know that he he had a
It seemed like he might have had a drug problem,
you know, and seems to have gotten himself clean and
is you know, resuming his NBA career. So you root
for young people like that, Like that was going down
(07:51):
the wrong track. He ended up playing big minutes yesterday,
right they signed him. He goes nine to ten from
the field. But I mean Clayton Thompson signs there thinking
I can catch and shoot. Well, who's who you're catching
it from?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Now?
Speaker 1 (08:08):
This isn't I think, you know what. I think I
did a bad job in my initial reaction to this.
This is a.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Again like the Luca ad trade.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
No, the Kyrie injury some in the last ten minutes,
because this is just an unmitigated disaster of historic proportions.
And you can say the injury is just bad luck,
(08:45):
but that's only if you think that if Kyrie's workload
was different, if his responsibility was different, if his ability
to rest games, if need be was different, He's still
would have torn his ACL. I don't think that. And
the MAVs, who are the defending Western Conference champions, decided
(09:08):
without the player forcing them or even asking them to, decided,
I am going to blow this entire thing up and
take a risk that's unprecedented in NBA history. And within
(09:34):
a month of the trade, the piece you traded for
who was injured when you made the trade got hurt again.
And the guard in this league that maybe at this point,
honestly has more responsibility to his team than any other
(09:57):
guard in the league because of how the rosters construct
did post Luca. You use him in a potentially reckless
manner and his historically shaky knees get one of them
gives out on him, and now you're just cooked. And
(10:20):
you're a team that does not have your own draft
pick for twenty seven through thirty. So that's the other
like they MAVs future draft picks. I talked about this
the other day, so I kind of know it already.
But here's what it is, outgoing draft picks. In twenty
(10:47):
twenty seven, it goes to Charlotte. In twenty twenty eight,
Okse can swap with them. In twenty twenty nine, it
goes to Houston or Phoenix. In twenty thirty, I think
(11:08):
the Spurs can swap with them. But twenty seven, twenty eight,
twenty nine, and thirty you do not have your own pick,
and two of those years, yeah you will have someone's pick.
(11:31):
But okay, in twenty seven it just goes to Charlotte.
In twenty eight, Oka Se can swap with you. In
twenty nine, Houston can swap with you, and in thirty.
The Spurs can swap with you, so if you bottom out,
it doesn't do you any good. I I don't know.
(11:53):
The only reason Demonse. I think Nico Harrison survives this
is because Patrick Dumont, the owner, came out and did
his own press conference where he was like, two thumbs
up to the trade. You gotta be a grinder like
Shaquille O'Neill and Larry Bird were never drank, never party
and just all ball and and I'm yeah, of course,
(12:23):
and I am just sick for Kyrie man. This sucks
and it's it's a lot of money. And I know
nobody cares about the money part of this with pro athletes,
but Kyrie had cost himself a lot of money the
previous few years and left money on the table, and
(12:45):
then because of his own excellent play and the desperation
of the MAVs post, Luca was in a spot where
he was going to get that macal and now I
don't know what it means for him. This is devastating.
(13:06):
Oh god, so oh hold on, So that's interesting. So
that's probably what he'll do. Well, I don't know. I mean,
he has a player option, but I don't know that
(13:27):
I so he could pick up the player option for
forty four million, but I think it's more likely he
opts out and still gets a new deal. I just
don't think it will be a four year max like
so it's if it were a career ending injury, which
it's not, then you just opt into your player option.
I don't think that's what's gonna happen. But I'm just
(13:49):
devastating for Kyrie. I'm not listening, and I'm devastating for
MAVs fans. Thirty days and your entire basketball world is
just you went from having one of the brightest futures
of any team in the league too its as dark
as it gets, and all of a sudden, Anthony Davis
is back on the Pelicans.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
And they're raising the prices in the stadium for particular.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Well, that's another thing I saw that story. It's just
a tone deaf timing of the announcement. I don't understand
that piece of it at all. But just joining us,
Kyrie irving torn acl that was the fear last night.
I am amazed by the way quick sidebar. I am
(14:32):
constantly amazed at how accurate those sports medicine folks on
Twitter are by watching the video of something and saying
what injury the guy suffered. I think those guys that
(14:53):
I follow on Twitter bat like eight hundred. I think
four out five they nail just by watching one video.
And it's listen. I do know know nothing about science
or medicine, but it's always impressive to me.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
So Shack said that Steph deserves to be in the
goat conversation.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Do you think that's a right take to have?
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Sadly no, So let's talk best point guard ever. We've
done this before. I'll do it again just quickly. Here.
Magic Johnson, I believe this in my bones, is the
greatest point guard in NBA history. And Magic Johnson. It's
(15:53):
not only that as a rookie one Finals MVP, now
we should of Kareem should have won it, but had
one of the single greatest finals games ever playing center
at just being utterly dominant to win a championship as
a rookie right after winning a championship in college. If
(16:16):
people don't know what I'm talking about, the Kareem was
out so magic jump center as a rookie against Doctor
J and the Sixers and dropped forty two, fifteen and
seven to win a championship in the finals. That almost
gets talked about too much. And what doesn't get talked
about enough, in my opinion, is this demanse. In year three,
(16:41):
Magic Johnson was second team All NBA, and then after
that he played nine more seasons before the HIV diagnosis
and was first team All NBA all nine seasons. Those
nine seasons after year three, his MVP finishes were third, second,
(17:05):
hold on sorry, third, third, second, third, first, third, first, first, second,
So again years four to twelve for Magic nine consecutive
first team All NBA's nine consecutive top three MVP finishes,
three league MVPs, went to nine finals, won five championships.
(17:31):
He's the greatest point guard ever. With that said, every
time I'm putting together my all time starting five steps
the better option at point guard than Magic. So I
know that sounds weird, but whenever it's like, Okay, create
(17:51):
the greatest team you can possibly create, I'm like, all right,
So the two the only two locks, even with respect
to Kareem, the only two locks are Michael and Lebron.
Those guys are the locks. And now we're figuring out
the rest of the squad, and so I go all right,
(18:13):
so Lebron's there, he can bring the ball up. You know,
Michael couldn't shoot a three to save his life, so
I probably need some more shooting defensively. I'm going to
be a monster anyway, so I'll put Steph in in
place of Magic. So that's where the best point guard conversation.
You know, gets off to a rough start, or not
(18:36):
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But as far as best PLA player of all time,
(20:02):
there's a I mean, I just told you. Magic has
nine first Team All NBAS. The guys who are actually
in the discussion for greatest player of all time, Lebron, Michael,
and Kareem they have as far as first team All
NBAS thirteen for Lebron, ten for Kareem, ten for Michael.
(20:27):
Some people throw Kobe in there. I don't think that's legit,
but that's fine. He has eleven. Steph has four, so
he doesn't have the the great season after great season
after great season all these other guys did. Here's the
other thing that he doesn't have. And again I'm not
(20:47):
tearing him down, but this if everyone who is actually
in the goat debate, which I think is only three people,
but other people might want to expand it to a
couple others. And even if you expand it to them,
if you include Magic, if you include Wilt or Russell,
(21:11):
like pick whomever, they all had an extended period where
they were unequivocally, undeniably the best player in the league.
Steph doesn't have one. Steph doesn't have one season. Now
(21:34):
that's again it's like, well, that's his whole career is
during Lebron's career. I get it. But that so you
just so you can't be in the goat conversation when
and you can be like, what about the Yearie won
unanimous MVP. Yeah, he was going to be considered the
best player in the league, and then the finals happened,
and so like, there has just not been so a spot.
(22:00):
I'm not tearing him down. You guys know how highly
I think of him as a player.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
He is greatest shooter, arguably.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
The greatest shooter ever. He might be the greatest ball
handler ever. He's one of the greatest teammates ever.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
But he is offball players.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
I know that's not like exactly the best, the best,
probably probably one of the best off ball players.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
In NBA history, I imagine.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Maybe maybe the maybe the best. Yes, no, all those
things really matter. I find to me, Uh, nobody wants
to have this debate. But an interesting one is him
versus Duncan. Like it is, it's hard to do, Like
(22:49):
putting up Steph's career versus Duncan, and Steph's career versus Kobe,
and Steph's versus Shack are all really interesting because those
are four so different players, just you know, so such
(23:11):
drastically different players, different styles, different career arcs like those
to me are real debates. But Steph versus Lebron, Michael
and Kream are not wh she is not and that's fine,
Like that's not a It was also weird timing to
(23:33):
have this discussion, Like Steph was having a down year
and the Warriors were twenty five and twenty five and
they traded for Jimmy and they're you know, on the uptick,
and Steph is playing some of his best basketball of
the year. But this isn't like some magical Steph Curry season.
He's not. He has no shot of being first team
(23:54):
All NBA this year. He is. I remember when they
traded for Jimmy he had as many games with fifteen
or fewer points as he had thirty plus points. Like,
he's averaging the fewest points he's averaged in a season
since his first MVP is so in a decade, and
(24:16):
he's averaging below forty from three for just the second
time of his career. So again, I'm not he's all.
All that's true, While it's also true is he's having
the greatest old little guy season ever. So all those
(24:36):
things can be true at the same time. But goat
conversation now we're now we're getting a little cuckoo. Where
we have to start today is with what Lebron James said,
(25:00):
what was said about what he said, and how we
got here. So first a level set of what happened.
Anthony Edwards was asked about being face of the league
and he was like, I don't really have an interest
in it, I just want a ball. Lebron was then
(25:20):
asked about that as the face of the league, and
Lebron said, yeah, I don't blame him. Why would you
want to be when all the people who talk about
our league and it seemed like he was about to
say former players, but and media, but instead it was
just a catch all, just shit on the players. And
(25:45):
then as Bomani Jones would say, hit dog gone holler.
And then all the guys who Lebron was talking about
doth protested too much. So the first one was stephen A,
(26:06):
who did a five minute rant in response to Lebron
that and I'm not I am not exaggerating when I
say this. In the first ninety seconds of stephen A
responding to Lebron saying that the biggest voices in the
(26:27):
media just go after you repeatedly, particularly if you're the
face of the league. In the first ninety seconds of
a response to that, stephen A blamed Lebron James for
the following the downfall of the Slam Dunk Contest, the
lockout in twenty eleven, and the Chris Paul Laker trade
(26:50):
being mixed. He put it all Lebron's feet, all of it.
He's like ruin the dunk contest because you wouldn't participate,
and then said the decision was what led to the
owners locking the players out and changing the collective bargaining agreement,
(27:10):
and then threw the CP three trade in h as
kind of a little dessert after a delicious entree and
didn't really, to my ear, address any of what Lebron
actually said. And then and I couldn't believe this. And
let me say this as well. I have a really
(27:31):
good relationship with Steven A. I actually texted with him
this morning. But he is so I don't want people
to think that this is there's like media beef. But
he knows this. We both have strong opinions. We disagree.
I disagree with a lot of what he says. He's
a big boy, grown man. He understands none of that's personal.
(27:53):
And so I'm not I'm not trying to start something.
This guy's a friend of mine. I just think he's
out of his mind on some of this stuff. And
then on his podcast and this I won't put on him.
And you know, appreciate those producers of that podcast because
they put us on their you know, friendly relationships. But
and Demon's ay, this will blow your mind again. In
(28:18):
addressing Lebron, James saying that if you're the face of
the league, you get extra criticism, get shit on. When
Steven A brought that up on his podcast, you know
what video played alongside it, like the soundless what we
(28:38):
call b roll highlights. Hand to god, it was Bronnie's
bad minutes against the Sixers. That's true. Go look, go
watch so like again, I don't think that's stephen A's call,
but it doesn't exactly dispel the narrative that, well, yeah,
you there might be a little, a little unfairness here,
(29:03):
and so that was his part of it. Bill Simmons,
who is as loud and as respected and as important
of an NBA voice as there is, who is an unabashed, obvious,
diehard Celtic fan who has never really been what you'd
(29:23):
call a Lebron guy, and Lebron's never been a Simmons guy.
Simmons sent out the following tweets. Celts Cavs is a
wonderful NBA game between two excellent teams that's included some
terrific individual performances. This next game will be splendid too.
(29:45):
We're so lucky to be able to watch great players
like Luka Ancic, Lebron James and James Harden battling it
out tonight, just basically making fun. It's being like, this
is ridiculous. Oh, everyone's got to be so positive. And
then Bill went on a long history lesson on his
pod this week where he was like, this is how
(30:06):
it's always been, and then explained how we went after
guys who either hadn't won or until they won, or
very specific postseason failures in the moment, which is not
at all what Lebron's talking about. Lebron was talking about
(30:29):
the general conversation surrounding the league being constantly negative. And
you know who totally agrees with Lebron that that's a problem,
Bill Simmons. You know how I know that because on
December thirty first, Bill Simmons did an NBA pod with
(30:52):
the great Kirk Goldsbery that is titled The All Positive
NBA Show with Kurk Goldsbury that he says at the beginning,
he's doing because the conversation surrounding the league has gotten
too negative. So for some of these guys, even when
Lebron says something they agree with, because it's Lebron saying it,
(31:14):
they can't agree with it. And then Wilbond on the
Greatest Sports TV Show that's ever existed. Pardon the interruption.
Did you know did what he always does, which is
whether it is while he's on the broadcast, when Lebron
(31:37):
happens to past Magic Johnson for career assists, or when
he's addressing Lebron's comments. Can't help himself but make it clear,
no matter how great these guys are, they're not quite
as great as the guys that happen to be playing
(31:57):
during my personal heyday covering league. It's crazy how that
works out. And we're yet to see what the Chuckster's
going to say, but we'll find out here very soon,
and my guess is it'll be more of the same.
So now that I've set the table on what happened,
oh yeah, and then Lebron responded with tweets, it would
(32:23):
appear this first tweet as a response to stephen A,
where I wrote, exactly made my point. But anyways, happy
this convo has started. It ain't about face of the game,
and it ain't about one person or one show. It's
about the culture of basketball. The most beautiful game in
the world. Our game has never been better. Incredible young
stars from all over the world and some older ones too,
(32:45):
laughing emojis. Steph Curry should be all we're talking about today.
This after he scored fifty six. Let's discuss how great, okay,
seeing the cav have been this season in two complete
different styles of breakdown why and how they have been.
Of course, if players don't perform, when I need to
discuss that too and break that down. Even that can
be discussed in a way, and this is the important
(33:06):
piece of it. Even that can be discussed in a
way that's not to bring finality to that player's game,
but to leave room to see how that player responds,
and let's watch the journey of that player. This ain't
about me either. This is where I disagree with Lebron,
and I'll get to that in a second. This ain't
about me either. At this point, I don't really care
(33:26):
what's said about me. It's always something. This is about
the impact the negativity is having on our beautiful game
and our fans. I know I speak for a lot
of the players. More importantly, a hell of a lot
of great fans that truly love and celebrate this sport
around the world. Hashtag mind the game than a cloud emoji,
a brain emoji, and of course a crown emoji, because
what would a Lebron tweet be without the crown emoji?
(33:47):
All right? He then went on with my pal Scott
Van Pelt made a similar point after the Laker game,
and now everyone's caught up. So to me, the question
should be, is Lebron right that the coverage of the league,
particularly for the super duper stars face of the league
(34:09):
caliber guys too negative? And if he's right, how did
we get here? So I do think he is correct,
and I do think I have been a part of
the problem at times. I'll explain how in a moment,
(34:31):
and I think so where I disagree with him, where
he says this isn't about him, it actually is almost
entirely about him and one other person, because so much
about how we currently cover the league has to do
(34:53):
with how we covered Lebron James, because how he was
covered has impacted how every other superstar, true super duperstar
is covered. So this is a point I used to
make about Prime Klay Thompson. The better example right now
(35:13):
might be like Devin Booker, where I think those guys
who are in the Jalen Brown Devin Booker tier of
players like ten to twenty if you were ranking them,
(35:33):
might be in the actual sweet spot because they get
the same max contract as the superstar as the super duperstars.
But it is not a daily legacy referendum. When they
(35:53):
play great in big spots, they're lauded. When they play
poorly in big spots, it we usually look to instead
the best player on their team, and why didn't he
do more? And that's I think what ants comments are
referring to. While he wants to be this player on
(36:14):
the team, obviously he sees man heavy is the head
that wears the crown, and so that the reason I
say this is about Lebron and one other person is
the Lebron of it all? Is this? How many times
have you been watching sports TV and heard a version
(36:39):
of this? Sometimes by me? That's why I'll say, hand up,
I'm part of it. Well, after a guy misses a
big shot, or plays poorly in a big spot, or
doesn't carry his team far enough or whatever it is,
how many times have you heard this, Well, if we're
(36:59):
leb Yron, we'd be killing him. Well if Lebron did that,
and so the way Lebron was covered set a template
to where it's how then Durant and Steph and Embiide
(37:21):
and Giannis and Jokic, those MVP guys, Well, fair's fair
did it to Lebron? So then we get to this
question why did we cover Lebron that way? And that
then gets to the other person in this story, the
(37:43):
only name in all of NBA history bigger than Lebron's,
and that's Michael Jordan. Because so much of our basketball,
and at this point it's not just basketball, it's overall
(38:06):
sports commentary has been twisted is probably too strong of
a word, but adjusted, tweaked, manicured to serve the legend
of Michael Jordan. You hell. You saw it in some
(38:29):
of the reaction to the Super Bowl and Mahomes getting
a loss in the biggest game. It's like, oh boy,
we all know those super Bowl losses count different than
divisional round losses. That's a Michael Jordan argument. And when
you look back at how we have covered this league
(38:53):
for forty years, there's only one guy, one guy who
at EA each and every turn, has benefited from it,
and it's Michael. Let's go back to how we talk
about the nineteen eighties as a decade. Who was the
(39:14):
face of the League in the nineteen eighties. Oh, there
wasn't a face. It was two guys. We've turned two
guys into one person, bird Magic. So why why was
it not magic and bird or bird and magic separately. Well,
in part is it because when we turn bird Magic
(39:35):
into one person and don't give Larry Bird his kind
of individual standing. Folks right now, big enough NBA fans
to care about this, to be watching this pod to
or to be watching this clip, probably don't know that
Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, their team's played in six
(39:59):
playoff games against each other, and Larry Bird was six
and up, not in series in games disease, you know,
bird magic in the eighties. What we have totally erased
one person's legacy from the If you ask die hard
(40:19):
NBA fans, give me your top twenty five, twenty five
players of all time, the vast majority are going to
have every single guy that was the best player on
multiple championships with one glaring omission, and it'll be the
same omission Isaiah Thomas. Why because part of part he
(40:46):
is just he has been turned into a bit player
in the story of Michael Jordan. We've partially erased a
Keeam's legend while his championships came, you know, when Michael
wasn't playing. Even though one of those championships came in
a year Michael Jordan got MVP votes. We've glossed over
(41:08):
when people talk about Shaquille O'Neill. Shaquille O'Neill, does anyone
have you ever heard someone make this point about his greatness?
At twenty three years old, he outplayed he was the
best player on the court in a playoff series with
(41:31):
Michael Jordan and beat him. No, we just pretend it
didn't happen. And then the pia stay resistance of all
that is the guy who was his wingman for the
whole thing, Scotty. We we act like he was a
(41:52):
just a nineties run our test and that included in
Michael's die. So why am I explaining that in relation
to this, Because it's not only that the guy that
today's face of the league or the potential faces of
the league have to deal with a constant teardown of
(42:18):
what they have or haven't accomplished. It's that the last,
the previous guy, the all time face of the league,
got the exact opposite treatment. And it is again if
you really look at it. We did. There's so much
of how we consume today's NBA that is colored by
(42:44):
how we have discussed and talked about these two players,
Michael Jordan and Lebron James. When it comes to Michael,
we elevate lesser players like Reggie Miller, who was a
nice player. He was eighteen three and three for his career.
He made zero first or second All team NBAS That's
(43:08):
who he was into a guy with almost legendary status.
Why he had that great one series against Michael. You
hear more about Craig Elo who Jordan hit the shotover
than Sidney Moncrief, who beat him in the playoffs, was
(43:31):
one of the best defensive players ever. Why we talk
about the nineties Knicks who had one All Star on
their entire team for a decade like this legendary opponent.
Why to build up the legend of the face of
the league? Juxtaposed that to how Lebron when he was
(43:59):
rolling through the East the way Michael was in the nineties.
We didn't build up the sixty win Hawks, or the
Paul George Pacers or the DeRozan Lowry Raptors into something
bigger than they were No, we went the opposite. That's
(44:22):
the Yeah, yes, you made eight straight finals, but in
that conference against those teams. What is it again, It's
it's not that it's always been this way. It's not
that it slowly became like this. It's that it did
a one to eighty. There are just certain things that,
(44:44):
again in service of one guy at the expense of
the other. We've just decided, like someone in some bible,
some sports bible somewhere decided coincidentally right or around the
time that this guy Lebron was lapping the field in
(45:09):
every category. Actually, you know what, longevity is not a
factor in any of this. It's just you know what.
And when it comes to how great a player is,
how long he was great, nobody cares about that since
when that was that was literally never a part of
(45:29):
any logical sports discussion until again, so much of how
we talk about today's league has to do with these
two players. And then we get to the media piece
of it, because one bill talked about this. Yes, Michael
(45:53):
was criticized until he won, and then once he won,
he was deified to a level an athlete in this
country has never been deified. And so the guys, this
current generation, not this generation, the old guys of this
(46:17):
generation Lebron Katie, those guys who watched that growing up thought, man,
I'm gonna get that same treatment once I win and
I'm great and I'm the face of the league, universal
(46:38):
praise and adoration. And then the guys who gave that
to Michael, like Wilbond, now say we're not on your payroll?
Were you on Michaels because that's what he got people.
It's all projection. People. People say to me and Shannon that, uh,
(47:06):
you guys, they make up in their minds this tight
relationship with Lebron that we must have while denying the
reality of the pretend relationship that you're acting like that
we have with Lebron a moderate Shad actually had with Michael,
(47:29):
my main man, Michael Jordan, the sideline reporter for the finals,
was his dear friend and golf buddy. We we then
act like people are being honest arbiters of this skip.
(47:54):
God love him. Built a huge portion of his career
on a singular take, which was this guy will never
be Michael Jordan, and nothing that he can do can
ever change my mind on it. He could never move
(48:14):
off that it was the only through line other than
his Cowboys fandom for his TV career. And in Woje,
who at a point in time was not only a
great reporter the best columnist in the in basketball media,
(48:40):
got iced out by Lebron's camp and just eviscerated him
for years and years and years. Simmons, who crushed Lebron's
family during back when he was doing running diaries about
(49:03):
the draft, and then Lebron never had a real relationship
with him, and then Lebron annihilated Simmons. Celtics has always
been a begrudging appreciator of what he has or hasn't done.
And then there's like, there's other guys who's so much
(49:28):
of their career is tied into Michael, whether it's Wilbon
or why does Barkley get a pass for not winning
while he ran into Michael Jordan. All of this so
you have a whole media machine, and then folks have
(49:53):
the audacity, the absolute audacity to act like it's shocking
that that it's shocking that Lebron might occasionally push back
or might say, you guys changed the rules mid game
(50:14):
and this isn't how you've treated guys previously, and so
that's what they're talking about, and I think it's reasonable.
I don't know if there's a fix for it. I thing,
maybe the fix for it is for when Lebron retires,
(50:37):
this whole thing resets, but honestly, maybe not
Host
Nick Wright
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