Bron's 76ers Looking ELITE, AJ Dybantsa's Wizards Debut & NY'S CONTRACT CRISIS Sets The Arena Off! Part1

0:00 Welcome back to Gil's Arena, presented by Poly Market and powered by Playmaker. Very festive and special day here. It's going to be turnt up. You do not want to miss this show. Make sure you stick around for the entire episode. This is Gil's Arena, and I'm merely a host, Josiah Johnson. I'm here with NBA legend 2K Unc, with badges, and Theater King Gilbert Arenas. Yeah! And the authentic A.J. DeBonsa.

0:29 The authentic A.J. DeBose.

0:30 Hey, is this a real jersey?

0:33 It's authentically signed. Is that real? Say it again. Authentically signed. That's what that is. We're joined by NBA champion in the world and creator of the tallest tails network on YouTube, Brendan Haywood.

0:46 Yes, sir. I like my intro from this side. My beige brother, man. You be happy feeling good.

0:53 You call me your beige brother this morning, last night. It all gets comfortable. I appreciate you. progress, ladies and gentlemen. And we got a special guest making his first appearance in the arena. McDonald's All-American and College All-American out of Indiana went on to be a lottery pick who played 11 seasons in the league. Now he's doing big things in the finance world. Jared Jeffries. And I won The Price is Right. You did? I saw that episode. I won The Price is Right.

1:21 I saw that episode.

1:22 I did. Rest in peace, Bob Barker. The legend. Drew Carey? Who's hosting it? It was Drew Carey. It was Drew. It was Drew. I'm going to price this right. I feel out of my element right now.

1:32 What is that? You're shipping right home. This is the Wizards reunion.

1:35 This is the Wizards reunion show. You see the decoration? Shout out to our amazing crew. Shout out Chris and Melly, everybody else. Yep, thank y'all. We got the Wizards. Balloons in the building. It's nice. God bless America. I'm in America.

1:46 Real festive in here, man.

1:47 Real festive. Like, I never really, like, ever been a Wizards reunion show.

1:51 It's like, it's, this is weird. Why?

1:53 That's what I thought.

1:54 Why is it weird?

1:55 Why? Because it's like, you know, like MJ had like Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman. Yeah. That wasn't these two. No. The other two is this. It's the little two.

2:06 We were the little two.

2:06 It was the little two. Without us, it wasn't going to happen because none of y'all could play defense. These two?

2:11 I know, I know.

2:12 But you never really seen like Michael Jordan hanging with like Bill... Was it Bill Walton? No, no. Bill Billington. Bill Winnington. Yeah, because, you see, we don't even know his name. No, no.

2:23 That's fair because I'm not Bill Winnington and you're not Michael Jordan. So, there it.

2:29 Is. Very fair.

2:30 Very fair.

2:31 Bill Winnington used to get to it. My favorite Canadian.

2:35 Yeah, man, you know what I'm saying?

2:37 Will Purdue, Bill, yeah. I mean, you're more of like... Bill Cartwright. You're kind of like in the... like Jeff Hornacek kind of range a little bit. So like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Cause he's the third. Oh, okay. So it was the first and the second. Oh, okay. Okay.

2:56 The four and the five.

2:57 Bam. Thank you for pulling up to our wizards theme day. We'll have some wizard conversation in this day. As a result, got a lot of things to discuss. Here's what's cracking in the arena today. The Sixers, Big Four, plus one more, made their preseason debut Thursday night. Will the paper champs live up to the hype or is the process in for a rude awakening? We're going to talk about Joel Embiid's knees, too.

3:20 Oof.

3:22 You may need to take a break. Huh? After winning back-to-back MVPs, SGA says he's the best player in the league. But will the Thunder retake their spot as the best team in the West? And number one pick, A.J. DeBonsa and the New Look Wizards were impressive in their preseason debut. Will Washington be the biggest surprise in the league this season.

3:42 And y'all, appreciate y'all. Mostly fans back for our super chat. Throw some in the offering plate and drop your questions. You guys have been doing a great job asking very engaging and entertaining questions, so please keep that going. We'll pick some at the end of the show to answer. But I need to tell y'all about this new sports trading app I discovered. It's called PolyMarket. It's the most exciting way to trade in sports, and it's a nationwide, federally regulated prediction market. PolyMarket is the best prediction market, better than Calshi, DraftKings, and FanDuel. In the past, if you wanted a position on a game, you'd put your money in and get locked in until the very end.

4:14 But Polymarket lets you trade games like you would a stock, buying in and selling out entirely on your terms. When your team drops to 20 cents, you buy the dip. And when they jump to 40 cents, you sell, lock in your gains, and double your money without waiting for the final whistle. And it isn't just sports. You can trade on culture, news, and current events. Plus, they have a squads feature where you can talk and trade with your friends. Any trade a member places drops right into the chat as a card, and anyone can hit buy to take that same pick in one tap. Ditch the old limitations and trade on your terms. Download the Polymarket app and use code ARENA. And when you deposit just $ 10, you'll unlock $ 25 in bonus funds. That's code ARENA to

4:48 get $ 25 in bonus funds when you deposit just $ 10 on Polymarket. And shout out to everybody on Twitch. We're growing, thriving, building on Twitch. Throw something to offer and play it on Twitch too if you don't mind. Where my Twitch is at? If you're watching on Twitch, make sure you subscribe to the AtGillsArena show channel and appreciate y'all for all the subs. All right, let's get right to it.

5:08 That was impressive. Thank you, dude. That was great. Let's see if you're going to mess that up. You do.

5:12 Hey, Joe, can you do me a favor?

5:14 No.

5:14 Can you pull the clip of A.J. DeBanster back up?

5:16 The Wizards.

5:17 Can I see the Wizards jersey? Hey, Gil, why don't your DeBanster jersey look like that one?

5:22 Because that's the old jersey. Oh, that's the home jersey. That's the old A jersey.

5:27 Nah, man, but like the material and everything.

5:29 Now, we can't see. Listen, listen, listen. Hold on.

5:32 Zoom in on Gil's Wizards jersey, though.

5:34 Wait. Where did you get this wizard jersey from? Did they spell it wrong? He got it off Etsy. Did they spell it wrong? It says Washington.

5:41 No, that's like the.

5:42 No, just the four is a little bit off center.

5:45 No, that's not a real jersey, though, is it?

5:47 No, it's the real autograph.

5:49 See, listen, when he got drafted, I was so happy, I just went to the net, first person.

5:53 To have it. I wasn't waiting for the official. That's what it is, too. It says Washington, and that one says Wizard.

5:59 Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Because this is Roe. Your joint says Washington. It's supposed to say Wizard.

6:04 No, the home says Wizards. The road says Washington. You know it's fake because it don't have the Nike.

6:10 You ain't got no tag or nothing on it.

6:12 The Nike. But I don't fuck with Nike anyway, so it don't even matter.

6:14 But it look faker than Monopoly money. It look real online. Where did you get that from? Like the hood barbershop? From the dude selling pit bull puppies in the back?

6:22 I got it from... Rashawn McCann's closet. Oh, here we go.

6:27 There we go.

6:28 You like that, huh?

6:30 You like that?

6:31 That'll stop you.

6:33 That'll stop him right there.

6:38 All I got to do is throw a shot at somebody else. Get the show started, Joe. It's called Ricochet. Get the show started, Joe.

6:45 Ladies and gentlemen, if you did not know, it is Wizards Day here in the arena.

6:48 It's like an old school fight.

6:49 Hit my hand. No. It's going to be turned up in here. You may even see a blicky, but we'll keep this thing moving. Sixers Big Four plus one more made their preseason debut in Brooklyn Thursday night against the Nets as LeBron officially commenced year 24, donning his Sixers jersey on the court for the very first time. Sixers starting unit wasn't perfect by any means, but did give the basketball world a small sample of what they can expect this season. Let's take a look at the highlights if we can, please, Paolo. So, Bron got things started with his traditional chalk toss. Shout out to LeBron rocking the ball head. Then got to work on the court, fitting in nicely with his new squad while playing the

7:30 point forward role, handling the ball and controlling the offense like he used to do prior to last season. Bron finished with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action. All five of his dimes came in the first quarter. Only attempted one shot in the game, but was eight for eight from the line, and the Sixers were a plus 10 in his minutes. Tyrese Maxey looked good in his preseason debut, finishing with 14 points on five of eight shooting in just under 19 minutes.

7:57 Jaylen Brown led the team with 18 points in 24 minutes. He was five for nine from the field, seven for seven from the line, while Vijay Edgecombe had 11 points and five boards in 23 minutes. Joel Embiid struggled just a little bit in this one. Process play, 24 minutes. He had six points, three boards, three assists, and a game-high eight turnovers. He was also the only sixer starter to not score in double figures in this game. But let's take a look at what this squad looks like.

8:25 Our first sampling, it is the preseason. Going up against a gritty Brooklyn Nets squad. Are they? No. I mean, you got to be gritty with that lineup. Gritty, shitty.

8:39 More like the second one.

8:40 But look good. We had a great coach, though. Jordy can coach. Jordy Fernandez, shout out to Jordy. He coached me in Cleveland my last year. He's a good coach.

8:49 Really good assistant.

8:50 This was Bron's first bucket in his Sixers. What's the over-under you think five games LeBron in double digits this year? MJ's last year had six games under double digits. MJ was 39. Bron is a little bit older. That's very different. That's very different. I totally agree. And he played all 82 games. MJ played all 82. He had six games under double digits. Me and my boy talked about it.

9:17 I think LeBron is going to have eight games this year. Eight games under? Under double digits this year. Did have a double-digit streak. Snapped last season against the Raptors. Passed to Rui Hachimura. I think we were all praying he was going to miss it. But Japanese Jordan? That'd be a lot more than eight. A lot more than eight?

9:31 Single-digit games? Wow, you think a lot more than eight?

9:34 I think he's too smart not to have double digits a lot of nights. He knows how to find his. LeBron knows how to get his in transition, cut. He's just such a smart basketball player, but then there's going to be some nights because they are so loaded where the ball's not going to find him. At the end of the day, he's going to get double digits. He won't go up.

9:50 He don't need to. He's going to find the ball. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? He don't need to. There's no streak he needs to uphold. That's it, yeah. So, like, some of those games at the end where they were keeping him in just for the streak. Yeah. And success for him this year, anything short of the finals, is going to be seen as, like, a step back with that roster, like you said, on paper, what it looks like. So...

10:14 I can see himself saving himself for like a later playoff run and not trying to find, you know, 10 for any reason. That's a good point. Artie, the highest scoring player in preseason history in year 24. So afterwards, LeBron had this to say about his new squad's first preseason game together. LeBron, how did it feel to just kind of get out there with the team this summer?

10:34 Yeah, we're just trying to build on what we've been doing in training camp. You know, so it did feel good to get, you know, pretty much everyone that was active tonight, you know, get out there and get some runs.

10:43 I guess you were able to finally get some room with Jalen, Joe, in a real-life game.

10:48 After playing against each other in training camp, did you.

10:51 Feel good facing them?

10:52 Yeah, I mean, it's a sample, obviously a small sample size. We're still trying to learn each other on the floor. We're still trying to put each other in a position to be successful and complement each other the best way we can out on the floor. But it's going to take some time. But tonight was a good sample size for us to build. So, Brendan, we're going to start with you.

11:11 What are your first impressions of the Sixers' Big Four plus one more in their first preseason game together?

11:17 I like the way they moved the ball. The ball moved around good. Everybody got a chance to touch it. When I'm looking at this team, I'm really not watching them on the offensive end like that. They have so many good players, so many guys that are diverse in their skill set. They're going to be able to score.

11:33 The only question is going to be, what is the pecking order late? When you have so many guys that can score the best team in this league, they know exactly what plays they're running and who's getting the ball last four or five minutes of close ball games. That's one thing Philly's going to be trying to figure out.

11:47 Is it Maxie? Is it going to be Jalen Brown? Is Embiid cooking in the low post? Like, is it going to be Braun? Those are the things that I'm looking at. And the other side of the ball, I'm going to be looking at what's going to happen from a defensive standpoint. Because from the four or five, they don't have a defensive identity in the frontcourt. at the 4-5 position. They have nobody that can switch. Bron's not going to be switching on tough people at this age. Embiid, you saw his knees last night. You know, all of us up here got a bad knee. I got a bad left knee. Which one is you?

12:20 Left and right.

12:20 Left and right.

12:21 My right knee, buddy.

12:22 It's your right?

12:23 Okay.

12:23 So we all got bad knees up here. Embiid fits in with us. When I watch him move, he not moving well laterally. He has no burst, so he's not going to give you that rim protection. So when I look at Philly... I know they're going to be able to score. I know they're going to be a good regular season team. End of game continuity and what they're going to get from their front court from a defensive standpoint, that's where I'm at with them.

12:47 So let's shift over to this side. Jared, taking a look at this. Sixers, big four, plus one more. Just the preseason, but their first time as a starting unit all together on the court. What were your first impressions of the crew? I think that There's always a maturation process. Very few teams have made big moves like this and win in the first year. The Celtics are probably one of the few examples, the Detroit Pistons back in the day.

13:07 So how fast can they come together and how willing are their younger players to take that role? Because LeBron is such a dominant personality. I saw BJ Esco most of the summer workout. Kid's an absolute superstar. Is he going to take a year or two back to just be Avery Bradley? You know, I mean like like is he gonna be happy in that role because he's exactly like because I You know, he sees the dollar signs.

13:33 He sees what the top one or two get. Like, I went through that when I played with Gil. I felt like I should have got the ball a whole lot more.

13:41 We all should have got the ball. We all should have got the ball. He didn't pass to nobody.

13:43 So, I can tell you that it doesn't make sense. I mean, you did touch it. I will say this. I will say this. Once or twice a game, you would feel bad for me, and you would say, all right, drop. And you wouldn't do that. I'd be like, thanks, Gil. Once or twice. I mean, taking the ball out of bounds is touching it. But is Vijay going to be happy as the fifth guy when he sees himself as a top three pick and as a superstar in the future? Maxie, because of his skill set, will be there. Jalen Brown was an MVP candidate. So he naturally falls in that fifth spot. Is he going to accept that? And if he doesn't accept that defensively, they take a big step back.

14:22 And I think they're going to struggle this year. Do you think he's going to accept being the fifth option? We're talking like who's the fourth option on this team? Everybody kind of just assumed that Vijay Edgecombe was going to be that fifth option. But if I'm Vijay, I came into the league dropping 34 pieces on the Celtics and balling out in the playoffs. I don't know. I might say I'm cool with that. Because what's going to happen is other teams might value you and they might do whatever, but you're going to look around at your peers and they're going to start making all-star appearances. They're going to start getting endorsement deals that you're missing out on because you're supposed to be a team first guy.

14:51 I think that'd be hard for me in his role.

14:54 It's the same thing when we talked about the San Antonio Spurs a couple weeks ago. Dylan Harper's in a role where everybody knows he can play. He got to watch all his counterparts get the love. He got to watch Cooper flag. He got to watch all these other guys get the love, even though he's on a winning team.

15:08 And that's very hard to do because when you are guided, you're like, yo, If I had this opportunity, I could do that. But now they're acting like I'm not one of them. In my own draft class, they're acting like I'm not him. And BJ deserves to be up there. But in this pack and order, like you said, some nights, not only is he not going to be fourth, he might be fifth. And that's tough for a young player that's trying to carve out his niche in this league because the average fan wants everybody to, the average fan wants to believe that every player is like, I want to do whatever it takes to win no matter what.

15:39 When you're a young player in this league, Unpopular opinion, unpopular take. Most young players want to establish themselves first. They won't say it. It won't be accepted. They'll tell you it's not the right thing. But if somebody tells you you can be established early on in your first three years as a guy that's going to be a max player and an all-star, or you can win a championship...

15:59 Most guys will be like, man, let me be a match player.

16:03 You know what I'm saying? Like, especially a person.

16:05 Most guys.

16:06 There's honesty right here.

16:08 That's bullshit that we've.

16:09 Been spitting for the last couple of years. Honesty.

16:11 Who's been telling you different?

16:13 Come on, it's about the team.

16:14 Why did I walk into that? Why did I walk into that?

16:17 It's just odd to enter that honor.

16:21 First three years of the championship or becoming a Max player?

16:24 Max player.

16:25 Easy work. We've always said this. Do you want to be Joe Johnson or Manu Ginobili? I would be Joe Johnson every single day and I would go buy myself a championship ring. I'll get diamonds all in and everything. And they'd be like, look at this. What is that?

16:38 I want an NBA championship.

16:38 You know what?

16:39 Nobody knows.

16:40 The average person on the street doesn't know. Joe Johnson made 300. Manu made 150. A championship ring is not making up $ 150 million. It's just not making that much up. Jerry, we've had this conversation extensively. Gil, obviously, on that wavelength has received a lot of criticism. From broke people on the internet.

16:56 Wow, from broke people? That's the weird one, right?

16:58 Like, broke motherfuckers want to take the 300 million? It's about winning. Yeah. It's also, too, it's impossible to win. Like, don't get it twisted. OKC's had the best record in the league the last four years. It has one title. So all of this team first, team first, what if you don't win? Is that team going to compensate you? Like, hey, we didn't win this year. Here's another $ 25 million. My bad.

17:18 What if you do win? We still want you to take a discount.

17:21 The Clippers will. The Clippers will.

17:24 What'd you say?

17:25 You said, will the team compensate you? The Clippers will.

17:27 What? They won't? I'm not touching that. I think they will. I've been in front offices.

17:30 Plant some trees?

17:31 I've been in front offices. Tell him. I've been in front offices. I spent 10 years in front offices. I will say this. The conversation is always, should they take less? Should we ask them to take less? I've always advocated for the player. Absolutely not. I said, I think it's disrespectful. If somebody qualifies for the Supermax, that kid deserves that.

17:50 And I said, why wouldn't you do it? Because as a front office, as an organization, I get that we serve an owner, but it's also the greater good of the former player. All these guys deserve it. These guys are multiple billionaires that the values of franchises is skyrocketing. And we get no piece of that. So why am I giving a discount to a multiple billionaire?

18:10 And can I ask a question?

18:11 I'm about to cry.

18:12 But listen, can we ask a real question too? All the time they say, hey, man, we want the players to give back money for the team. Do the owners ever give back to the fan base? I ain't never seen an owner be like, listen, Carl Anthony Towns right now, the Knicks want him to take a pay cut. Dolan's not going to be like, well, you know what? Since Carl took $ 70 million less, season tickets are going on sale, said nobody ever. Skybox is at a discounted. Popcorn is no longer going to be $ 10. It's $ 3.

18:44 50.

18:44 Like, no. Parking, no. Everything stays the same, except the billionaires have convinced people that the millionaires should take a pay cut. But more importantly, that pay cut is never, ever passed on to the fan base. As a player, your job is to be worth this much. It's up to my GM to figure out how to make that fit around the cap. And then when we're talking about the cap, we're literally talking about cap penalties for the billionaires.

19:10 So the billionaires are saying, oh, no, I don't.

19:11 Want the penalty.

19:12 I don't want the penalty. I don't want the penalty, so I'm going to pass the buck to you. How about you take $ 70 million less?

19:17 But it's the whole thing is... they're policing themselves. Because the players have never walked in with a gun and been like, give me this money. The players sit back. One player did. I didn't know.

19:29 I had a nice little conversation. But you didn't walk in with a gun.

19:36 But like I said, and then the owners have come in now with these rules that are limiting themselves because they can't control their own spending. Because there's always an outlier. There's always an owner that's willing to spend Why wouldn't you have that? Like, baseball about to go through it and put a cap in to police themselves. The players, they're fine. Everything is trending the right direction. But there's one or two owners that are willing to spend and the other owners get mad and they collude against them.

19:59 And that's not right.

20:00 And then the thing is this also, when we talk now, you're in the financial sector, so you can really speak to this. When we talk about guys taking 40, 50 million dollars less. Do you know, like, you see 50. As a financial guy, you don't see 50. You're like, oh, well, if this player doesn't need that 50, that 50 over time is like what? We're talking about maybe, what, 150?

20:19 Yeah, it doubles every six, seven years.

20:22 Okay, so when you have a player now, you say, I want you to take 50 less like Wimby did for the Spurs. Wimby's not going to need that 50. That 50 that's just sitting there over 10 years, now we're talking about he really took 150 less. Man, if y'all don't get the hell out of here with this nonsense, players should not be taking less money for these billionaires.

20:41 It's ridiculous, but get the fan base to buy into it.

20:45 I've said this for 310 years.

20:49 Now you got a smarter cast.

20:52 I said we take I said.

20:56 The media has convinced fans to look at the players instead of the owner. So you're technically having the players take pay cuts for the billionaire because the billionaire doesn't want to take a pay cut.

21:09 Remember, I used to talk to Abe Poland. So he told me all the bullshit. Yeah. Because remember, with him, they bought their.

21:17 You was Abe's guy. You was like Abe's son.

21:19 Yeah, that's what I said. He bought the franchise for a million dollars. So he said, all this plus to me, so I don't care what goes on.

21:25 So he's telling me how everyone thinks, what's going on. So when you hear him talking, you'd be like, God damn. This is how it really, really is.

21:38 He said, this is a business.

21:39 He said, there's only a few of us who actually love basketball. He's the one who told me the reason that y'all got y'all own rooms is.

21:47 Because of Wes Unseld. He said, I'm looking at my superstar sleeping.

21:51 In the hallways because he had the roommate with somebody who was married.

21:55 Sleeping in the hallways? Yeah, so he had Wes Unseld.

21:57 Wes Unseld, as a rookie, had a roommate.

21:59 You used to have to double up. They had to double up. What?

22:01 So one used to bring his wife on the road and put the little tie on it. That means my wife is here, right? So he had to sleep in the hallways. He said when he found that out, he said he won rookie of the year and MVP. He said, when I heard that, hell no.

22:17 Wow, I did not know West Coast had to sleep on the floor in the hallway.

22:19 The sock on the door, Brennan, as you may recall back in the day.

22:21 Oh, yeah, I remember that from college, but I didn't know they were doing that in the NBA.

22:25 So basically, literally, the dog was back. So pre-1998. Before Clayton Barton took over the league, the owners, you could make, they colluded yet again. You'd make $ 5 million about the max, and then MJ was like, I want $ 30 million. Michael Jordan, so here's $ 30 million. Then the rookie scale contract, guys were getting $ 70 million to $ 80 million. So now they're panicking.

22:44 When the owners open their books up and they saw these numbers, look where contracts have gone. You've gone from a max player making $ 10 million to, in our lifetime, we're going to see somebody make $ 100 million. I can't wait to watch it. So we've seen a 10x in one generation of basketball. The same thing is going to happen in college. Once this whole NIL thing shakes down and NCAA opens up their books and they see that every single year these TV deals, national and regional, are going to be just short of like, probably $ 30 to $ 40 billion, these players are going to make so much money in college, and they deserve it. You can't tell me when you walk out in the Dean Dome, when you go out in Arizona, that you were going to

23:23 make $ 800 a month. That's not right. Same thing in the NBA. When you open up these books and you see how much these owners are making, because we take no part in the appreciation of these teams. So you're talking about billions of dollars that, as players, current and retired, we see no piece of that, and that's wrong. But the fans is going to always be on the owner's side because they don't see him. Yeah. There's no face to that owner. Correct.

23:46 Owners have also, they've mastered manipulation of the media. So they get these takes out there. They get the fans to believe that, man, if you really want to win... you should take $ 50 to $ 60 to $ 70 million less. That qualifies you as a winner. Well, these owners are businessmen. They ain't never took $ 50 million less in no business deal.

24:06 And that's the trick. That's the trick.

24:09 You could be the number one business, bro. No, no, no.

24:11 The number one rated business on better business.

24:14 Who does that tax?

24:15 The owner.

24:16 The owner. And what are they saying? We don't want to go in the second apron. So? Take a pay cut. Take a pay cut. Look at how many.

24:27 Don't take no pay cut, baby. Get every last dollar.

24:30 Look at what that second apron has done to the players. The players, I don't know. I still, to this day, don't know how this happened. The old president, Michelle stepped down. They brought in the new lady that came out. I can't think of her name right now. She came in ahead of the Players Association. She negotiated this CBA and was fired within four months. Sound like a plant. Sounds like... Like, how does that happen? So now... Easy. So now the majority of NBA teams are only going to carry 14.

25:00 So now you automatically are losing 30 jobs. Because most teams that are near that, that are above the tax in the apron, that minimum contract still costs you around $ 10 million. So they're not going to do it. So we've lost that. You've almost totally got rid of the mid-level type players. So either you're on a minimum or you're $ 20 million plus. And that's what happened. Like, it's just...

25:21 That shouldn't be the case. This CBA has set the players back and has put the owners in a spot, like you said, they're not going to touch it. The penalty is too severe. It's always, it's, I remember when they were arguing, this was a 2004, what was that like a 2004 or 5? We had a couple. We had a couple of them. No, it was the, not the 2010 one, the one where. The 99 or what? No, no, no, 2004.

25:45 Four or five. We didn't really go into a lockout. It was like the summer. We didn't miss any guys. It was the one we gave up.

25:50 We gave up 7% of the BRI.

25:52 And we gave up the one and dones.

25:55 We gave up the one and dones.

25:56 One and dones, yeah.

26:00 When they go into negotiation, when there's a lockout, the lockout has nothing to do with the players.

26:06 That's why it's called a lockout. It's not a strike. A strike means the players say, we're not working. A lockout means you can't come in the facility.

26:15 But that's the owners not wanting to negotiate.

26:19 They don't want to split their revenue up so they say, well, hey, you two broke motherfuckers. Y'all get it from the players because we're not giving up our presence.

26:26 I'm the Lakers. I'm not giving you my TV deal. I'll tell you the wilder part. When they do that, all the staff goes on furlough. So you're talking about people that have honest hard work and people that have real jobs that need that. Then they come to the players while we're on a lockout and they say, hey, we're putting together a pool for the furloughed workers. What about that billionaire sitting up there? He's locked them out.

26:50 Why wouldn't he pay them a full salary? That's, like I said, don't get the whole thing twisted, man. It's a dirty game, baby.

26:57 It's a dirty game.

26:59 Bill, was it Clippers? Clippers, New York, Miami, Blakers. Are those the richest people? I mean, back then it was Paul Allen. Yeah.

27:13 They are not part of the lockout. They do not give a fuck about when Michael Jordan was in Charlotte. They don't give a fuck about the owner in Indiana. It's the rich versus the poor.

27:22 Yeah. Right? So they're sitting there like, what else y'all want? Yeah.

27:28 Like, so when you're saying, yo, fight for us, they're like, nah, we're good. We don't want a lockout. We don't want no cap.

27:34 We don't want a cap.

27:35 I get to spend my money the way I want to spend my money.

27:37 Correct. Don't tell me. It's just like a shoe. I know the shoes are $ 200, but if I want to spend $ 400 on them, how are you going to tell me not to spend my own money? Right. Now, the one who got it for $ 200, he wants it for $ 200. Yeah.

27:50 They're putting all the prices up, so they're the ones who's complaining.

27:53 That's how it's always been. Yeah. We're going to talk a lot more about that later in this show because there's been some recent developments out of New York and the Knicks that we're going to get to in a second. But Gil, I want to get your take first on this Sixers squad, preseason debut. I know you're not a LeBron Glazer anymore. There's still LeBron-y on the Lakers that you are available to glaze. But looking at this Sixers starting unit, play their first preseason game together, what were your first impressions of that crew? They're going to be very dangerous.

28:23 Because what LeBron did was he only took one shot and had 10 points. The reason is because there was a penalty so fast. You have a team that's going to be soaking up fouls. You have a very aggressive group of guys who's driving the ball. And I don't know if a lot of teams, like this is going to be one of those teams where they're going to be sending a lot of tape in to the referees.

28:53 because the referees are going to try to hold their whistle as much as possible, or they're going to foul out most teams. You're talking about in a preseason game, they had 39 free throws. Because B gets fouled when he's in full. Max is going to get fouled because of his speed. Jalen Brown plays rough. He's going to get fouled. LeBron's going to get fouled. Then you have Vijay athleticism. Him driving. So you're going to have a team that's going to be putting everybody in a penalty.

29:22 So they're going to try to hold the whistle as much as possible if they can. So they're going to put so much pressure that I don't even care about the defense at this point. Because you're not even going to be able to stay on the court. They're going to attack everybody. Wimby's going to stay in foul trouble.

29:37 You don't care about whose defense?

29:38 Fuck no.

29:38 You don't care about whose defense?

29:40 Philly's defense is stop us On your defense.

29:44 But guess what?

29:45 39 free throws. You know how many people, like this is not even.

29:48 You said Wimby going to be in foul trouble. Why?

29:50 The next shot. Why? Hold on, hold on, hold on.

29:53 If Wimby is going up against Philly, why he going to be in foul trouble?

29:56 Why? Because he has to protect the basket.

29:57 Have you seen how those guys look at Wimby when he's in the middle of the lane? They run in here, they say grand opening, grand closing, and they go right back out the lane.

30:04 You think Vijay gives a fuck about Wimby? Or you think he's going to try to dunk on Wimby?

30:09 You think VJ is making an impact on the rim with Wimby in there? You must not have watched this young fella. He has been dominating the paint since the first time he stepped foot in the lane. He's been, Wimby has been one of the biggest defensive forces the league has ever seen.

30:24 Since the game.

30:24 From the moment he said, rookie year, first foot in the lane, I'm here, I'm changing how we do business in this paint.

30:32 I have four, five, four rim runners who says, hey, if we get two fouls on him quick.

30:39 He's out the game.

30:40 How many games?

30:41 First ten plays of the game, drive.

30:43 How many times has Wimby fouled out? He don't foul out a lot, do he?

30:47 No, but he gets in foul trouble because he doesn't know how. He does pick up silly fouls. He picks up silly, silly, silly fouls. When he gets tired. When he gets tired, he picks up silly fouls.

30:57 He's going to get in foul trouble from a team that actually knows.

31:01 These are guys who know. This ain't Caruso driving.

31:04 These are high-flying guys who generate fouls.

31:08 This is what they do.

31:10 You're talking about 39 free throws in a preseason game and nobody played that.

31:16 Who was the defensive player of the year last year? I'd be shocked if Philly was able to put it together and make a finals run this year. Because Ariel Trainor's Achilles is massive. They have no backup big right now. Joel's only going to be able to give you a couple games. So now they have no bigs. So now With no bigs, you're going to have to see– you're going to have to see Cat. You're going to have to see Giannis and Bam. No rim protection. And even if you get past them in the finals, you're going to have to see– let's say they do see the Spurs.

31:49 I just don't see them having the legs for that deep.

31:51 Of a run.

31:51 Listen, for the fact that you're saying you don't care about their defense, when you look at the history of the game, you normally need a top 15 defense unless you were like the Lakers with like Shaq and Colby or maybe that Denver team.

32:01 Well, the– Golden State because their office was so dominant.

32:06 Golden State had a top-five offense.

32:08 Deep they did they did but because you had to come against a set defense every single time their defense wasn't that good is because they scored it's just a high clip I'm just saying this.

32:16 Randall for five or Julius Randall four files in just 22 minutes.

32:22 Wagner, five fouls in 18 minutes. Ellis, four fouls in 21 minutes.

32:28 Who the hell is Ellis?

32:30 It don't matter. I'm not shooting a jump shot. I'm coming to the basket.

32:34 You got to remember, this is a generation that plays five out. This team has guys who are all playing mid-range game and basket game. So it's a very, like you grab the best free throw grabbers. It's like just now adding Shea on the team. You got a bunch of guys who actually are trying to get to the free throw line. Like look what just Shea does at the free throw line.

33:01 Just one of him.

33:02 He does that. Now you have a bunch of guys who wants to do that. I don't know how you keep, you're not even, there's no team built to keep all of them out of the ring.

33:09 I'm not even saying that.

33:10 When we can't do this by himself. Okay, maybe. Wimby's only fouled out three times in 181.

33:14 Well, what I'm saying is, can you say that again?

33:17 Three times in 181. That doesn't mean he can't do more, Brendan, but.

33:20 He's fouled out three times.

33:21 When he played against Joel Embiid, what happened? When he played against Max, he got 70-piece.

33:25 Man, I was young, Wimby. No matter, he French.

33:28 So he played against just these guys.

33:30 Now these same two guys Got a Jaden Brown who wants to go to the free throw line. Got a VJ who's trying to get to the free throw line in the rim. And you got a LeBron James. So these guys are not going to settle and shoot a whole bunch of jump shots.

33:41 I'm not telling you that they're going to settle.

33:43 We're attacking the same person. You know what happens when a bunch of people kept attacking.

33:48 God damn. Can y'all keep these and that's what's going to be Wimby. He's going to jump. He's going to pass off. They're going to be sitting there trying to dunk on this guy the whole time.

33:55 When I was saying that, I was just only talking about your defense. But in all seriousness, the first thing you said was the Philadelphia defense is not going to matter. I'm trying to tell you I don't believe that's going to be the case because the same way you're talking about people are going to be running to the rim.

34:14 What are they going to do when Philly starts trying to have these problems? Who's going to stop them at the rim?

34:19 So let's talk about that, Brendan. Sixers look solid offensively at times in this game, despite their 21 turnovers. Defensively, definitely some areas from improvement.

34:27 Joe, play my clip, Joe.

34:28 Like this play right here. Woke me out of my slumber to see this one. Hey, man. Yegor Diomen called LeBron's slip driving past him, then bodying up.

34:38 Hey, man, those guys look real old on that front line.

34:41 Thank you. So you talk about defense, the importance of defense winning championships. Sixers were in the bottom half of the league on that side of the ball last season, ranking 17th in defensive rating. But Brendan, what issues do you see with the Sixers squad defensively that need to be addressed sooner than later?

34:55 That play right there is why I'm worried about the Sixers. Gil, they're going to get to the free throw line.

35:00 You're right.

35:01 They're going to score the ball. You're right. But when it comes down to winning a championship and that game slows down, what is their half-court defense? You just seen Yegor Dimon, I hope I said his name right, just blow up.

35:14 Yegor Diomen.

35:15 Yegor Diomen?

35:16 That's what the internet says.

35:17 Okay, I'll take that.

35:18 We call him Demon.

35:18 We'll just call him Yegor. He looked like a demon on that play. And what I'm saying is, you see how easily he blew by LeBron? And then once that happens, there was nobody in the front court. And then they just lost the key member of that front court with an Achilles injury. What's Buddy's name?

35:33 Ariel. Ariel Hockport.

35:34 So now you're looking at this front line. There's nobody that's going to block shots. There's nobody setting hard screens. When you get past their first line of defense, because I understand Jalen Brown can defend. I understand that Vijay can defend, but once you break down that first line of defense, people are going to be running to the rim and laying it up like this because Embiid can't cover the paint no more. He only has one pick and roll coverage. They're going to run a drop and they're going to attack him. Can you imagine him playing the Knicks? Jalen Brunson comes off the pick and roll, Embiid's in a drop, cat pops, and then they're going to cut hard on the baseline. You know what that means?

36:10 Somebody's going to have to rotate over there, but your four and five don't move that well defensively. That's going to be problematic. That's going to be problematic.

36:18 They're going to have a hard time on defense. That's a given. If they can be efficient enough on offense, get to the free throw line, they can have a top 15 defense.

36:26 I didn't bring you in here to agree with Gil. I don't get you on this show. Agree with me. No, listen, they're going to struggle.

36:37 But if they get a chance to get to the line, slow the game down, they're going to have a chance to be a decent defensive team just by having two good defenders in Vijay and Jalen Brown.

36:47 I'm not telling you that they're not. Listen, I believe that Philly's going to be a really good team. But if you're asking me what the problem is, the problem is I know that your 4-5 can't give multiple efforts. I know your 4-5s can't switch. When you look at teams that win championships, they normally have these guys that can do the dirty work. You got to have somebody at the four or five like a Draymond Green that's switching screens, getting active. You got to have somebody that can go out there, move them feet, do what they got to do, protect the paint, make things hard, give you multiple actions in the pick and roll. Like, hey, I need a big that can run a drop, that can run a switch, that can trap. You got to

37:23 be able to do different things. Look at a guy like. Wasn't probably the most celebrated, but what Mitchell Robinson brought to the Knicks last year. You need somebody like that. And that's what I'm waiting to see. Philly doesn't have that. And I think when they get into late April, early May.

37:40 They'll find it, though. They'll find it. Where?

37:41 They ain't selling that in stores.

37:43 No, no, no.

37:44 Can't pick it up at Target.

37:45 With Ariel being out, I think they carry 14. They'll get an injury exception. and they'll be able to go pick up another big.

37:52 Another big that's a high-quality playoff level.

37:54 It doesn't really have to be high quality. He's got to be able to play the middle of the year, January, February. when you can sit Embiid and rest him before the All-Star break and buy him a month off, he's got to be serviceable. Yeah, but what happens?

38:07 We're talking about them winning. What happens when that service... We're not talking about a serviceable big. Embiid's going to want to play his 20, 20, his 25, 30 minutes, and the other team is like, you know what they do in the playoffs? Ha-ha, you, you, you come.

38:19 Out in the middle of the court. It was the same thing last year. You saw what Embiid did off one leg. Like, he was dominant. Did you see the second round of the playoffs? Yeah, but... But what I'm saying is their whole year is predicated on can he get to the playoffs healthy enough and can they manage that knee throughout the playoffs. If they can do that, they can make it work.

38:37 Did you see the lob pass that he caught last night? Or the lack thereof?

38:41 Huh? Huh?

38:42 Y'all talking about his knee. It's the preseason. Did you see the lob?

38:46 He got to play his way into it.

38:47 He look like me out there trying to get out. Are you serious? Gil, did you see the log?

38:54 That's the only thing.

38:55 No, no, did you see the log?

38:56 Yeah.

38:56 Did you like it?

38:57 And it misled.

38:57 Did you like it?

38:58 He got to play. Did you like it? Listen, but you can't ask him to be in great shape now. It's got to be a show. Well, he lost a lot of weight.

39:05 I'm asking him to.

39:05 The problem is he's done.

39:07 I've said this a.

39:08 Long time ago.

39:09 No, no, it's over.

39:09 It's over. Can you manage it enough? It's over. I'm not trying to manage shit. Just run him to the ground? Because at the end of the day. Fair. The knee is the knee.

39:18 No matter what you're doing, unless you're putting steroids in it and they're not drug testing that man where he can.

39:23 Last, that knee is done. This is preseason. You lost all that.

39:27 Weight, and this is how you look. Remember, I said it. I said, man, he look like he limping still. I said that at the beginning.

39:33 And they was like, oh, no, it's just preseason. It looks like it.

39:37 He's the fifth option because he's not even going to be available like that.

39:40 Good call. Right? Bron is going to be the fourth option. Right? He's going to conserve energy. So you're going to go off the people who have legs. Yeah. Just like Carl Anthony. The reason Carl Anthony numbers was that bad in the finals, because he was in foul trouble. You had to sit in the first half. They got him in foul trouble.

40:02 He comes back in. They get him in third. They got to sit his ass down. They come in, get him in fourth.

40:05 They got to sit his ass down.

40:06 That's why Mitchell Robinson looks so good. He's playing. Yeah. He's playing. When he just gets aggressive, those guards get aggressive, foul trouble. Sit your ass down. Sit your ass down. Sit your ass down.

40:16 If I'm Philly, that's all I'm doing. Y'all are going to, I'm going to attack that bitch so much.

40:22 You don't even have enough good, you don't have enough good players. You're talking about.

40:27 You don't have enough good players on the court to affect me offensively. If Shea has to go out and you have to bring in your second option, cool.

40:35 You think I'm worried about your second option? You need to be worried about J-Dub. Yeah, yeah, you do. He's going to be in foul trouble because he plays the game.

40:40 So everybody's going to be in foul trouble except for the Sixers. There's only foul trouble on.

40:44 One end of the court. Was I ever in foul trouble?

40:46 Huh? Was I ever in foul trouble? They take more pride in their defense.

40:49 Than you do. Was I? James Harden does? Luka does? Luka does?

40:53 I'm going to get fouls being offensively aggressive.

40:57 My fouls came from offensive. But you have to be so efficient. Go to Nikola's best years. Nikola was so efficient. it made him an average defender. When his offensive efficiency dips a little bit, he becomes a negative defender. And that's where any team has to get that's older. All their older players have to be efficient enough that they can be in a good spot to just be average defenders.

41:22 Don't be negative.

41:22 I just believe, like, when you look at the Philadelphia 76ers, I think they're going to be a really good team. But if we're talking about being a championship, where I see the problem being 4-5 defensively, LeBron and Embiid at the 4-5, I don't see a defensive presence, and I think that will catch up with them.

41:39 What championship team do you feel is going to threaten the 4-5? That has to go through my 1, 2, and 3.

41:46 What do you mean? Every team, because every team runs pick and roll in the middle of the court. Every team runs pick and roll in the middle. Let's just say a team like... Okay, see, Shea comes off a pick and roll.

41:57 Okay.

41:57 Boom, he gets Embiid on him. Ah, yeah. Now he's dancing, having a good time. So now, because it's a switch... You said Embiid? Yeah, he's going to either switch or he's going to run a drop.

42:07 Yeah, don't even worry about it, man. So who's going to be your five? It's going to be the— The uh. The uh. The white kid. The uh. Dean Wade?

42:15 Dean Wade?

42:15 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't stop. Yeah, he's the— No, they're just going to— All pick and rolls, they're going to drop. They're going to send their guard over the top. They're going to contain, and they're going to force the bigs to shoot. They're going to let Joe with a slow closeout. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Who do you have winning the East? So let's go back to all that. I got the Knicks. The Knicks?

42:32 Yeah, I got the Knicks.

42:32 Not even close. Not even close. We're going to talk about that later.

42:36 You're going to find out.

42:39 Did you actually watch the game yesterday?

42:40 Yes.

42:42 Who do you have winning the East? Philly. You got Philly winning it all, right? I have Philly....

42:51 I watch LeBron's, like usually LeBron's like jipper, jipper, jipper.

42:55 And I think that knee, he looking at that nigga knee right there. I think he's wishing he sent his doctors there first.

43:02 And he realized that Joel Embiid ain't going to make it. And he's like, God damn it, I wish I would have.

43:09 I wish I would have went somewhere else.

43:11 I think they're going to make, I think, I'm going to say it right now, Philadelphia will make a, But midseason trade is pretty big.

43:24 But who are they training to get that big? I don't think they can.

43:26 I don't think they can.

43:26 I don't think they can. Because they're right up against the second apron. I don't think they're going to be able to.

43:29 We just talked about how these owners don't want to go over that second apron.

43:33 The only asset that they have. It's Vijay.

43:36 They better not trade him. They better not. They better not.

43:39 That knee is preseason.

43:41 I know. I've seen it. He got the same knee that I got.

43:44 I'm like, preseason?

43:46 Hey, man, listen.

43:47 That's what it look like at preseason?

43:48 When you're watching B right now, he's limping.

43:50 Slowly. He's limping.

43:51 He's not explosive.

43:52 Slowly?

43:53 The fuck you been doing for the last... You done had six months to be slowly.

43:57 Listen, man, listen. He has the retread tire and it's getting real thin. Every mile he goes, that's one mile less.

44:07 But that's the problem. The problem is you rested so much that now when you try to turn it over.

44:17 It ain't going to be there. It's weaker.

44:20 Like you should have been doing a lot of strength work this whole time.

44:25 I think the strength work is there, like we know it. It's not the running, it's the stopping. It's not the jumping, it's the landing. Like, when you go to jump.

44:33 That's a bar right there. Say that again. Say that again. That's a bar. Say that again.

44:37 I did agree. I did agree.

44:38 No, let me tell you something.

44:39 You know that. If you watch a dude running, and when they got to do line drills, they go to chopping their feet, or they make the loop. I'm going to make the loop, but they don't have to cut. Because that thing, you can't... Or you go off your left leg every single time because that right knee, you watch him. He will not plant off that.

44:54 The stopping is key because, honestly, when you were coming back from your knee injury, I told our trainer, Drew, I was like, Gil might be in trouble. Because what made you super special was you used to change directions at top speed and you never slowed down. And so being a big guard, 6'3, and then when you came back, it wasn't, like you said, it wasn't super noticeable. It was just, instead of being, huh, huh.

45:16 He was like, huh.

45:18 That ah-ah. That ah-ah needs a guy on the weak side like myself.

45:21 Like, I can catch up to this.

45:23 I can block that.

45:24 You can catch up to the ah-ah.

45:26 The ah-ah needs you to catch up to it.

45:28 Same thing. Darren Williams was the same way. When Darren Williams was kind of going like that, Darren Williams would cover so much ground. Man, he would cover like six feet. And when he started having the injuries out of picking up, he was covering three feet. And I was like, the end is near. The end is near.

45:45 That's why when you look at Embiid, he's chopping the steps. When you look at him, they're throwing simple lob plays. And he's trying to figure out, does he want to jump? Listen, Embiid being what he's been in this league is also going to be a problem. He's been so cold for so long. The hardest player to coach in this league is an aging superstar. Because their mind tells them, I'm still cold. Their body is like, nah, you can't do it like you used to. And it's hard to coach that.

46:12 I will say this, though. I don't think Embiid has played 400 games yet, which is a wild stat. I think he's like at 390. Missed a lot of games, yeah. Check Joe. I don't think he's hit 400 games yet. I think it's like his 10th year. He missed his first two years. He might have never been right. Yeah. Like this, we might be telling ourselves like the glimpses that we got for it. He's at 490, 490.

46:36 But the thing is simply this, whether we think Embiid is going to be there, whether we think the knee is not right. We're not doctors. We don't know. We're just giving you what our athlete eyes see. But him moving like this in the preseason is slightly problematic. Last year, he didn't get a dunk. until sometime late in December.

46:55 January, I believe, was the first.

46:56 January. That is problematic for somebody seven feet tall. And so when you add it all up, yeah, it's not all about dunks. It's not all about lobs. But when you look at it, what that basically says is, hey... The athlete that I used to be that used to dominate the paint is no longer there. And when you look at Philly, if they're trying to beat a team like Detroit or if they're trying to beat a Toronto or an Orlando or a team like the New York Knicks, a team like Miami, you get matched up against Miami and Giannis is running down the lane. You don't have nobody on the backside of that defense that puts any fear in anybody's heart because your frontline defense is 42-year-old LeBron.

47:36 LeBron's not supposed to be a defensive player at this age. And the second guy from a defensive standpoint is Embiid, and he physically is not a knock. He just physically isn't that. He isn't the imposing defender that he used to be. That is going to catch up to Philly. You don't think it is, but don't worry. I'm going to be here all year long, and guess what? When we doing these shows in May, I'm going to be like, yo, Josiah, my beige sensation, my beige brother, pull up my old clips.

48:00 I prefer beige sensation, Brendan, if you're asking.

48:03 Beige sensation? Whatever it is.

48:06 I got Philly and Miami. Okay. Last question on these Sixers for you guys. Do you expect the Sixers squad, we can call them a super team on paper right now, right? They are a super team. Super team on paper. You expect them to sprint out the gates to start this season? Or is it going to take a little while for this team to gel? I think about Brown's first season in Miami. I think they started 9-8. 8-8. They were 500. 8-8, they got their ninth against us. And then they went on 22 runs. 8-8, 9-8. But we ended up going on a nice stretch there, finished like, what, 58-24, whatever it was for the season. So you expect us, because the Sixers' schedule to start is.

48:38 You got the Knicks, you got the Cavs, Bucks, Pistons, Pacers, Knicks, Hornets, Bulls, Pistons. It could be... I don't know what everyone's looking at. Usually a team has three guys who can go and two duds.

48:55 The three guards right now actually do their thing. These three guards can say they're the three guards.

49:02 Hold on, hold on.

49:03 So, basically, you're trying to say, like, when you were on the Wizards, you were part of the three guys that could go. And we were the duds? We were the two duds?

49:11 No, no. Yo, that's crazy. Yo, that's crazy.

49:13 I'm talking about today. That's crazy talk.

49:15 I'm talking about today's game.

49:16 Oh, okay, okay, okay.

49:18 Today's game.

49:19 Got my eye on you.

49:10 So I got two I got three guys in my front court that can.

49:14 Average 20 so LeBron and Joel Embiid can slow Bob LeBron is gonna play Joel Embiid, I'm just saying, whatever you get from him, you get from him. But I have four dudes who's going to go, who's going to play hard. LeBron, if he needs to take his time, but what we do know is he's going to manipulate the defense. He's going to be throwing backdoor. He's going to be, like, you're still going to try to double him.

49:55 From there, my three guards are playing regular basketball. So I don't think they're going to be coming off slow.

50:02 In your first 25 games... with a team like this, you need to be around 15 to 10. Not bad. If you can get to that point, now you can manipulate the season.

50:14 I think, like I said, I agree with Jared. I believe at the beginning of the year as they try to figure it out, as they try to stagger in B's minutes or some games where maybe LeBron don't play as much or whatever it is, And there's going to be growing pains. There's going to be growing pains because they're trying to figure out this guy's not trying to be too aggressive. This guy's trying to figure out where he's supposed to get the ball. They will be growing pains, but they will be there. At the end of the day in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to be a major part of how the basketball story is told this year.

50:43 They're going to be.

50:44 There in the end, but don't be surprised, like Jared said, if they start out 15-10.

50:48 But it's also going to be interesting this year in the East for the first time in recent history that you can't tank basketball. because there's no benefit to tanking for draft picks, and this is a weaker draft this year. So last year when you could chalk up a win at Memphis, a win in Washington, Milwaukee, all these teams, Utah, you could chalk up seven teams that were trying to fight for that last year's draft. All that's gone now.

51:14 So everyone's, the only real... They still suck, though. No, no, no. It don't matter what they do, they still suck. They might.

51:20 In the Eastern Conference?

51:20 It's about four ass teams left for... No, no, no.

51:22 In the Eastern Conference, it's... Hey, listen.

51:24 You got a lot.

51:25 Once again, we're not talking about our teams that are going to win a championship. We're talking about On a soft Tuesday, you run up against Orlando and all these young guns feeling good. That's a tough game for a team that's trying to.

51:35 Figure it out. For an older team.

51:37 Yeah, we're not like the Atlanta Hawks a couple years ago used to be doormats. That was a playoff team last year. You got your fake Wizards jersey on, the Wizards are going to be a way better team than they were last year. Like, it's just one of those things where a lot of these teams that were funny money, now they got real players. They've had real development. And so, like you said, the East as a whole, whether it's through trades or young players getting better, it's not the same old East. And that could also contribute to Philadelphia getting off to maybe like a 15-10 start.

52:05 15-10 is not a bad start.

52:07 That's not a bad start.

52:08 They're not going to just run through the East. If they start off 10-15, the opposite way, they're in big trouble. Well, let's talk about one of these teams that's going to be on the rise this season in the East. Wizards looking to go from mildew to barbecue. It is Wizards Day here in Gills Arena. Yes, sir! That's why we got the Balloon Festa. Only in America. Only. Wizards looking to go from mildew to barbecue this season with some big additions to their roster. So after winning just 17 games last year, they've now got a four-time All-Star in Trey Young, NBA champion and future Hall of Famer in Anthony Davis, and arguably the most exciting young prospect in the league, Number one overall pick, A.J. DeBonsa. Washington's version

52:46 of a big three pulled up to MSG Thursday night to take on the Knicks. Made a statement against the defending champs who are dealing with some shit of their own. But let's take a look at the highlights if we can, please. So Wizards got to work early with a variety of buckets. Doing their thing.

53:05 That's a big start.

53:06 Look at that crew. Got to work early. Doing their thing. Against this Knicks crew. See right here.

53:16 Josh Hart starts things for us.

53:17 Trey Young, no. Getting to it. Ice Trey back at MSG. Uh-huh. Easy work. Yeah. He still got it, don't he? Early three-point lead for the Knicks.

53:22 Here in the first quarter.

53:41 Coming up on seven minutes, George.

53:43 Throwing that lob up to Aiden and connects. So, A.D. playing for a contract. Trey doing his thing. Probably on West. Davis up the wizard, 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting and 17 minutes of action along with seven rebounds and a block. Ice Trey continued to work the guard. He had 15 points, 4 of 6. Going three for six from deep. Number one pick showed flash of what we can expect this season. A.J. DeBonsa had 11 points.

54:11 four steals, game high in 23 minutes. AJ was attacking the rim like it insulted his family, holding his own against the defending champs. And the Wizards got the win in hostile territory. Doing their thing.

54:27 One leg, one leg!

54:28 One leg try. Yeah.

54:33 Sharing is caring. Former sixth man of the year.

54:44 Look how easy he's pushing OG all around the court. Who?

54:49 Little ass boy. Like you said, guys, Wizards no longer tanking. Like Bub Carrington said, they have the shackles off. Hey, man. Come on, man. Got the shackles off. Did they find a Wizards yet for that?

55:00 No.

55:00 They said he young. His name is Bub. We're not going to find him. But the trio of A.J. Trey and A.D. could be a dynamic, dynamic, big three this season. But Jerry, when you look at this Wizards trio, what's your first impressions of the Trae Young AD and A.J. DeBonsa Wizards trio? I think Joe Mazzulla's a maniac, but he had a great soundbite the other day. Everything's great before your first road trip, your first game. I think this team's a prime example. They've lost 60 games in a row. 60 games, three years in a row. It's impossible to do that and be good in a year.

55:31 It just doesn't happen. Your culture's messed up, your identity. You don't know how to win as a team, as a city, as an organization. So they need a year or two together to turn this thing around. It just doesn't happen overnight. You Washington Wizards turn coach.

55:48 How dare you bite the hand that feeds you? This is Wizards Day.

55:52 I love the Wizards.

55:54 You had the most fun on the Wizards. How dare you disrespect where we came from? The city of D.C. won't have you back. I love D.C.

56:03 But you have to understand you don't lose 60 games three years in a row, and then just turn the corner. It's not how it happens.

56:12 But hold on. It normally doesn't happen because normally when you lose 60 games and you get the number one pick, he's on a team that reflects the fact that you lost 60 games.

56:22 A.J.

56:23 Is coming onto a team with two guys that are all-star level players. So you got A.J. the banster. who just led college basketball in scoring, which is a phenomenal feat because college basketball is so much older now. So leading college basketball in scoring now at 18 years old is insane. He's coming into the league. He's a legit 6'10.

56:44 He look at me dead in my eyeballs on the wing. Did you see how easily he was shifting OG all around that court? We didn't even see the little bump fade when he got him in the lane.

56:52 Get off me, little boy.

56:53 Like, he can score right away.

56:54 Correct.

56:56 Trey can score right away. We know that AD can still play. Saar didn't even play. This lineup is so big. When you got Keyshawn George, 6'8, AJ the Bantz to 6'9, 6'10, AD, 6'11. Saar looked like he about 7'1, 7'2. DeAndre Ayton coming off the bench. This isn't your average team that lost 60 games. And that's why I think this Wizards team is going to be a lot better this year. I'm not saying they're going to win a championship.

57:23 No, no, no.

57:23 But I think that when we're talking about this team, we can.

57:25 Look at a team that... You think they're a playoff team or a play-in team?

57:28 I think they can be a playoff. I think they're a play-in team for sure. I think they can be a playoff team depending on how quickly they can gel because they have– when you have Trey, you need to have long, athletic guys around him that can make up for defense, and they have that in bunches.

57:46 Yeah, there was a team that they lost 60-60 and then 48 games, and then they went to the championship the next year. OKC? No, San Antonio Spurs.

57:58 San Antonio Spurs.

58:00 Because, you know, what happens is. Was it three years in a row? Yeah. Two. So they lost six.

58:07 So it was 22-60, 22-60, 34-48, and then championship. Because you got to remember, number one pick, number two pick, right? They start adding up, right? They start adding up, and then they become a team. Like I said, but you just mentioned two years. I'm saying three years in a row they lost 60. It's never been done where a team has turned it around that quickly.

58:31 We looked that up. What do you mean by turned around? When I say turned around, what he's saying, in a short window to a championship caliber team.

58:40 Well, we just said playoff.

58:41 But you're still missing something. The niggas who lost 60 games each year, they won't. They're not playing.

58:49 No. Trae Young wasn't there. Andy Davis wasn't there.

58:52 AJ wasn't there. I didn't say anything about players.

58:55 I said as an organization.

58:57 No, what I'm saying is it don't matter. Trae Young wasn't part of that losing.

59:02 Andy Davis wasn't part of that losing.

59:03 So we got a winner and a winner. And then AJ is a winner. So those three are the ones that's coming in here. and they're setting the tone. Them losing motherfuckers, they got to watch from the back. That's the difference.

59:17 I just think, do you think that, and you're comparing to the Spurs, do you think AJ is or can be a Tim Duncan type?

59:28 What do you mean Tim Duncan? I know what you're saying.

59:31 Because Tim Duncan, everybody talks about what you just said. The Spurs did it in that window. They lost-lost. They get Tim Duncan. They go do it. Tim Duncan also created the whole culture. The whole NBA was like, we've got to be like San Antonio, San Antonio, San Antonio. Tim Duncan left and missed the playoffs five years in a row. That Spurs culture and doing that, Tim Duncan was the culture. Tim Duncan is the best power forward of all time. So what you're saying, if you're comparing turning it around of A.J. being that caliber of player, which I think he can be. I think he's that good of a player. I agree.

1:00:02 Because I called college basketball last year. I actually had a chance to call one of A.J.

1:00:05 's games.

1:00:07 First of all, BYU has a phenomenal facility. Yeah, I was surprised by how great their facility was. I'm talking to their assistant coaches about A.J. And they're like, the way this kid works. Like, we don't have to ever push him.

1:00:19 He's working.

1:00:21 They felt like he was too unselfish to start the year out. Because he didn't want to come in and just make it the AJ show. And they were like, listen, these guys follow your lead. So he's a kid that just says, okay, he knows how to do it. He knows how to work. He's a phenomenal kid. But then at the same time, Look at them clips. He is 6'10, on the wing, pushing one of the better defenders in this league, OG Ananobi. He was pushing him all around the court. He has every offensive move in his repertoire at 18, 19 years old. He got the bump fades, the step-throughs, everything he can do just as good left, he can do it right. When I look at him, I'm like, yo, I'm seeing shades of what I saw the first time I got to really, really play against

1:01:07 young Kevin Durant. When I played against young Kevin Durant.

1:01:09 But think about how good KD is and was. It took him five years to turn that around. But hold on. So what I'm saying is your expectations for AJ, is it LeBron, Tim Duncan, Victor, Shaq? Where he took it, where he got there, and within two years, they're off to the races? Or is he that Kevin Durant... D-Wade, that next tier player.

1:01:34 I think making that a blanket statement without looking at the players around him would be kind of negligent. Think about it. When KD first got there, it was KD and Jeff Green trying to figure it out. They traded Ray Allen. He didn't have these two all-stars. So we have A.J. DeBanston with Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis is still one of the coldest bigs in this league.

1:01:56 He's good.

1:01:57 We saw Trae Young. Trae Young is a Hall of Fame point guard. 20 and 10 every night. First name 20, last name 10 when it comes to getting assists, okay?

1:02:06 With a chip on his shoulder after his unceremonious exit from the Hawks. Yeah.

1:02:11 So when I look at A.J., he's not going to be asked to do everything Kevin Durant was asked to do. He's going to have better players around him. But when it's time, He can go out there and give anybody in this league buckets right now. I like this Wizards team. Once again, we're not talking championship, but I think they can be a playoff, play-in team for sure.

1:02:33 It's like Magic Johnson's career and it's like Tim Duncan's career.

1:02:37 Yeah. A.J. got drafted to a team that actually has players. Yeah.

1:02:42 So you're looking at the record and not realizing there's two Hall of Famers on the team that was told to sit down.

1:02:48 Boy, you've been making some good points lately, boy. I said it again. He was drafted to a team with what?

1:02:53 That two Hall of Famers on him.

1:02:54 Man, boy, you've been cooking the last two days, man.

1:02:57 Talk about Tim Duncan. People don't realize. Tim Duncan went to a team that had.

1:03:02 David Robinson. They won 55 games, 62 games, 59 games. Everyone got hurt. Yeah.

1:03:12 They get the number one pick, which is Tim Duncan, in the position that they needed.

1:03:18 Power forward. Now, everybody comes back healthy.

1:03:22 Then Spurs wins their first year, 56 games.

1:03:25 Yeah. And then they win the championship. Yeah. That's. That's this situation. You're coming to a... So Tim wanted a second year. Yeah, he wanted a second year. The lockout year.

1:03:33 This was a really weird year for the NBA draft because the number one and the number two pick are both walking on the teams that have all-star... Think about Darren Peterson in Utah. He's got Laurie Markkinen, Jaron Jackson Jr., all-star level players that are on the squad. They got Georgia. They have good teams. The first two picks normally walk onto a squad that's trash. Normally, when you're the number one pick, your team was awful, and you walk out there, and you got to carry these guys, and hopefully by year two or three, you draft a couple of more guys, and it works out. Normally, when you're the number one or number two pick, you don't have two all-star level players already on your team. So that's why I think

1:04:18 teams like Utah and the Wizards, they can make a jump that the average team that's been in their losing circumstance can't make.

1:04:27 Maybe. But it's going to have to go against all the intel about the way that Trey Young left Atlanta. So now you're banking that what he has been, what he has done, everything that we've heard, everything that talked about the selfishness, everything that was in Atlanta is going to go away in Washington. I mean, listen. When you say selfish, can you explain that? Yeah.

1:04:53 Some guys are a little different.

1:04:56 No, no, like explain. I mean, just like the individuality that he wanted. Like, you know, showing up late and stuff. The lack of professionalism. Like, eventually that catches up with you, especially with young players and the culture that you're trying to build around an organization. It does.

1:05:11 When did he get drafted, then? I'll just say this. Sometimes it does, but it doesn't. Because at the end of the day, right, we play with Gil. Sometime.

1:05:20 No, no.

1:05:21 I'll give you an example. This is a true story. He knows this is true. Gil is the most superstitious player that I've ever played with.

1:05:29 Facts.

1:05:30 Do you remember that time that he was accidentally late to shoot around and he gave Tony Parker 40 points in three quarters?

1:05:37 Yes. He was late. Yes.

1:05:40 From that moment on. So Joe, we had a late shoot around that day and he was late to the shoot around and he scored 40 points.

1:05:48 In three quarters.

1:05:50 From that moment on, every time we had a late shoot around, Gil would show up late on purpose. He would literally be circling around the building and then he would wait for like a minute on the clock and then run in because he was that superstitious. I didn't give a goddamn... what he was doing. You know why?

1:06:06 Because when he had two healthy knees at 7 o'clock on the dot, he was going to be in.

1:06:10 His drop top, cruising the D.C. streets, getting buckets. I was not worried. I don't care if Gil was late to shoot around because he going to be on time for them games. He going to get me buckets.

1:06:20 That's one of those things I think The media makes this narrative, oh, yeah, this guy was late, so the guys on the team. Now, we don't like guys that are supposed to be guys that carry the team that don't show up at 7 o'clock. If you're going to go out all night, show up at 7. That's why people are like, yeah, James Harden go out all night.

1:06:35 He show up at 7. He show up at 7. If you're going to be a, hey, I don't care if you're not an 11 o'clock guy. Can you be a 7 p.m.

1:06:41 Guy? But there's a diminishing return on that is my point, is that you deal with it, you deal with it as long as that player is giving you that all-star level in the direction of your team. Atlanta got tired of it. Because he wasn't able to carry them to the places that they thought that it should go. So, there's a diminishing return. So, at some point, whenever your play starts doing that, the league has a very good instinctual way of moving you out of that primary role and bringing on it.

1:07:08 Trey's only 28, bro. I agree with you. He's still in the middle of his athletic prime. I agree with you. I think that it's going to work out just fine.

1:07:16 You know the funny part of it? That story? Yeah.

1:07:19 So, we all knew You going to be late.

1:07:22 I was going to be late. How did I get injured?

1:07:24 Because Eddie Jordan benched you that day.

1:07:26 Knew I was going to be late.

1:07:27 He knew you was going to be late.

1:07:28 So he was, because the shit that happened in Charlotte. The diminishing return started.

1:07:32 So he knew I was going to be late because that's what I've been doing for the last three years.

1:07:37 Right? We have the back, when.

1:07:39 We have a back-to-back, and that back-to-back is coming home, we have that late shoot around, I'm going to show up late.

1:07:45 Antonio Danz is going to do the what's-his-name. That was the first time I've ever said, you know what? I don't like the way the energy was. Let me just be there early on the court. So I was there before the time, but he thought I was going to be late. He brought me off the bench. I got hurt. But anyway.

1:08:00 I wish he would have went home. You know Gil was this close to not being injured?

1:08:05 Yeah. I was going to go home.

1:08:09 He was this close because Eddie Jordan was going to have Gil come off the bench. And so when Gil heard that, he saw his name wasn't on the board. Gil, Eddie Jordan was like, okay, starting Antonio Daniels. Gil yells out, hell no, and walks to the shower. And so, like, Eddie Jordan, don't bat an eye. He's doing the scouting report.

1:08:29 We walk out on the court. We looking back like, is he playing? Like, he's coming out the shower with his towel on. We're running on to the court. Gil gets dressed and is going to his car.

1:08:39 Who came? Was it Karan?

1:08:40 Karan came and got you out the garage. If Karan doesn't go get Gil out the garage, he doesn't... Matter of fact, maybe he gets suspended, but he doesn't hurt his knee that game because he was on his way home. You were this close, man.

1:08:51 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

1:08:52 You should have just left.

1:08:53 I know. You should have left. I always thought about this.

1:08:56 Motherfucking Karan.

1:08:58 Talk some sense into me.

1:08:59 Hey, look at you trying to be a good teammate. You should have just been an asshole.

1:09:02 Get out of here. I was like, oh, man, I'm not doing that shit. But look, Trae Young, what Trae Young was in Atlanta, I can't fault him for being selfish on a team that was sorry as fuck.

1:09:17 His best player that he's ever played with is Anthony Davis in preseason. That's the best player he's ever played. Whatever AD did in preseason, AJ did, that's the best talent he's ever had. He's been taking mediocre teams to the playoffs.

1:09:34 I don't give a fuck what he was doing in the locker room because there's nobody on his caliber to even question anything. He ain't never had a second all-star with him. And if they did make it, it wasn't because of their performance.

1:09:48 It's because they won multiple games because of ice trick.

1:09:52 And we know that. Totally agree. We know there's a diminishing return, like I've been saying. As soon as Jalen Johnson became... His arc was going like this, they got Trey out of there. As soon as we get a nigga that can play basketball, you want to get me out of here? But I'm saying, that's the nature of the NBA. You look at all these teams, these guys that don't fit the narrative of a true team leader or whatever, they go on. They want that. They want...

1:10:22 They want Dame Lillard. They don't want Trae Young.

1:10:24 We're in a different era. We're now figuring out. These type of trades would have never happened 10 years ago. Now, because we have new ownership groups, they're younger, if they don't necessarily.

1:10:37 Luka got traded.

1:10:38 If they don't necessarily like you, Max players could act however they wanted to in the early 2000s. Now, if your team doesn't necessarily like you, they will ship you out. But that does not mean that you still can't affect the game a certain way. And I think that Trey Young, from an offensive standpoint... He's one of those special guys.

1:10:54 He can go get 35. He can go get 15 assists. Listen, he has probably one of the best floaters in the game. And just when I watch the Wizards, what's going to be really hard for defense is the guard. When he gets in the lane, that big's not going to know if Trey's shooting a float or throwing a lob. That's hell.

1:11:09 When I'm running a drop... And you're coming at me, and I look at Trey, I don't know if, and he has so many lob threats. You could throw it to Sar, you could throw it to AD, you could throw it to DeAndre Ayton off the bench. This Wizards team is a tall, talented team. All Trey has to do is play his role, which he's going to do flawlessly, and then you mix in AJ. I really like this Wizards team.

1:11:33 So, yeah, Trey made those comments on Michael Porter Jr. 's podcast a short while ago. So I don't know if I've ever had a teammate That can draw a double team. That's what is the most frustrating, but now the most exciting part about being with this wizard squad. You're talking about a guy who's led the league in assists, like you said, 20 and 10. I mean, just, I mean, listen.

1:11:52 The excitement of playing with somebody like AJ. He's getting assists. He's leading the league in assists from teammates that did what? Who were they? So when you're talking about somebody that finally has talent around him.

1:12:04 Like, guys that you can't double me no more. You can't even think about doubling me more. I have Hall of Fame top 75 guy right there.

1:12:13 He's on a mission. He's trying to win an MVP. You can't pay attention to me no more. Right?

1:12:19 I got AJ, right, who's one-on-one with me. You can't pay attention to me anymore.

1:12:24 I'm about to whoop y'all ass.

1:12:26 Alex Sarr got a lot better last year, too. Alex Sarr got a lot better. So now you have a guy.

1:12:33 Who has, one, you can't say in front of him, shoots the ball so well, has vision, can get foul. Like, he has the most freedom that he's ever... He's about to have that bitch... He gonna be in this bitch's chili than a motherfucker.

1:12:46 That's what I'm saying. Like, and you're saying, like, you know, you're asking... Listen, you're asking questions like, is he gonna... Get along with this person or that. Listen, we've all played with guys that are a little bit different. You know what I'm saying? Some guys, they work out. Some guys, they don't. I think he's going to work out. Some guys, they got different personalities. We've played with guys that have had, like, who's somebody you played with that had a different personality?

1:13:08 Gil? Me? Me?

1:13:11 Y'all have Michael Jordan.

1:13:13 No, no.

1:13:14 Michael Jordan.

1:13:17 Hey, ho.

1:13:18 We know Michael Jordan slandered. I'm just saying, get off the glass. This is a little less. I'm just saying, we've all.

1:13:25 Played with guys that are a little bit different. Maybe, like I said, you said Gil. Juan Dixon. Juan Dixon. Juan Dixon was like that.

1:13:32 The whole Wizards.

1:13:33 No, I'm just saying, Juan Dixon was a different style.

1:13:36 99% of NBA guys were different. Speaking of Juan, hold on.

1:13:38 Were you on the team when Juan was buying Gil draws?

1:13:44 When he bought those draws. You remember, because I used to wear... Gil, you let another man buy you a draw? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait, what happened?

1:13:53 Hold on.

1:13:53 I wasn't around for this one. Yes, you was. Yeah, listen, dog.

1:13:56 I'm about to block it out. You weren't on the team when Juan bought Gil some draws. Yes, he was.

1:14:01 Dog. For Christmas?

1:14:02 No.

1:14:03 You remember I used to wear boxers? In the game. Okay, I do remember this.

1:14:08 Gil used to wear boxers.

1:14:09 I do remember this.

1:14:09 And Juan was like, yeah, man, you know, the ladies like when you wear the tighty-whities or.

1:14:15 The boxer briefs. The boxer briefs, yeah.

1:14:17 And so I was looking one day, and he came in there, and Juan had, like, some drawers just for Gil. And he was like, yeah, man, take these, man. This is what you need to wear. I was like, first of all, how did he know your size? I had so many questions.

1:14:27 The item. Yeah. He said, you bought a large, right?

1:14:31 I was like, how do you know your size, man? Hey, listen, man. Hey, listen. At the end of the day, Gil got it. Hey, Juan bought the draws. Gil accepted the draws.

1:14:40 Hey, listen.

1:14:41 Hey, I had that old episode of Martin. Josiah, what does GTD stand for, Josiah? Got the draws.

1:14:46 Got the draws.

1:14:47 He got the draws. He got the drawers.

1:14:50 What does GTD stand for? Got the drawers.

1:14:53 He got the drawers. Another man bought him drawers. He took the drawers. He got the drawers.

1:14:57 We learned something new about you every single day here in California. You know how Juan was like really fashion forward. Yeah. So baggy stuff, he was like, so he always looked like, you need to tighten up your pants a little bit.

1:15:09 So he wanted to see you in the tight drawers? No, I just got the boxers on.

1:15:12 He was like, yeah, the boxers. Nobody does boxers anymore. He was signing them. He was like, boxer briefs, man. That's the thing. That's what the thing is. Yeah, I do remember that, bro. Mary, you were peeing.

1:15:24 You remember when he came in?

1:15:25 No, I remember it.

1:15:26 He had, like, different, like, colors and everything.

1:15:28 He got colorways.

1:15:29 I was like, oh, yeah, we're getting from North Shore. He's like, no, no, I'm going to the mall today. I'll just get you some.

1:15:33 Large, right? I was like.

1:15:35 Hold on. He signed you up?

1:15:36 Hold on.

1:15:37 He signed you up?

1:15:37 Large, large, large, large.

1:15:43 Josiah, what does GTD stand.

1:15:45 For, Josiah? Don't play into this.

1:15:48 Josiah, what does GTD stand for, Josiah?

1:15:51 Brendan, it's a Friday. I'm here to host and get back to my family.

1:15:54 No, no, what I'm saying is he got the draws.

1:15:55 He got the draws.

1:15:56 He got the draws.

1:15:57 Won both the draws. Gil got the draws.

1:16:00 Now, fans, we're just going to let you know, you can't say I was a loser.

1:16:05 Because of my behavior. This is just the three.

1:16:11 This is just three of us.

1:16:13 Now imagine the rest of the fucking crew.

1:16:15 I didn't take the draws. Don't blame it on me. You got the draws. Got the draws.

1:16:20 We wasn't serious for shit. Not at all. We talking about some bullshit that went on. When we beat the Bulls, I come out, and I was like, I was excited, but I thought it was whatever. When Eddie Jordan had the cigar, I was like, we're done in the second round, man. It's going to be.

1:16:39 You don't remember that?

1:16:40 Yeah. He was smoking a cigar. He was red armband. We won the championship. I was like, uh-oh. Oh, man. Just for a first-round win? Yeah. I said, God, dog. We got swept. You wasn't there. You don't remember the fight when he came out in the robe?

1:16:55 Yeah.

1:16:57 Who came on the road? Eddie Jordan.

1:16:58 Eddie Jordan, the fight. You got the call, right? They got the call when he got in the fight?

1:17:03 Yeah. Who, me? Yeah, no, he came on the call. I got in the fight.

1:17:07 He came on the white robe. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

1:17:10 What's going on in here? Y'all better stop all this stuff. I called because as soon as it happened drew called me drew that they fought again.

1:17:16 I was like stops when I called you for the update Actually, I was there.

1:17:19 For the first two because the one time I I called you and I said, hey, man, you better get ready because I warned you. He was in there lifting real hard.

1:17:45 Y'all know he be watching the show?

1:17:47 No, no. Who? Who?

1:17:50 Say his name.

1:17:50 I don't know. All right, let's shift back to contemporary Wizards conversation. You got to remember, back down memory lane. But looking at A.J. Devonson, we talked about this a little bit. A.J. Devonson in the perfect situation to become a superstar. We're playing alongside Trey. and A.D. hinder his growth.

1:18:07 I saw times in the game last night, he's out here looking for the rock. A.D. 's like, no, I'm getting to it right now. Trey's like, no, I'm getting to it right now. Now, one thing I do know is we've had A.D. in the Lakers, so A.J., the fourth quarter's going to be yours. No shade.

1:18:24 That sounds like shade. Sounds like a.

1:18:27 Lot of shade.

1:18:28 Some guys are just first three-quarter guys, and then you need a fourth-quarter guy. But I think this is going to help him to understand winning at the next level, preparation, right? So you have guys that actually understand how to win. If you take those two guys off, you are putting him in a situation where they already accepted losing. The NBA that they got accustomed to is this, right?

1:18:55 Where winning really don't matter. We lose in a locker room. We celebrate, still turning music up type shit, right? These two guys have been on the winning side of the NBA. So he gets to understand what winning is early. And he's going to be really, really effective.

1:19:12 Like, he's going to average 16 to 18 as a rookie.

1:19:17 Easy.

1:19:18 Like, do I think he's going to lead all rookies in scoring? No, because he has two guys that can go get to it.

1:19:25 No.

1:19:25 But do I think they're going to hinder A.J.? I don't think that Trey or A.D. are going to hinder him at all. Like, that first year, you might look at somebody like, let's say, Cam Boozer or Caleb Wilson. I'm just looking at guys that have.

1:19:37 Caleb Wilson to lead– He'll lead rookies in scoring, just because of the team situation.

1:19:42 Yeah, I'm just looking at guys that have.

1:19:43 He's going to shoot 18 times a game.

1:19:47 Yeah, I'm looking at guys that have the ultimate green light. Team's not going to be very good. But on AJ, I believe this team's going to be very good, at least playoff level. And then they're going to have two all-star guys. So I don't believe they're going to hinder him. He's just not going to be able to come out here and shoot every shot that he wants, like the traditional number one pick does. But don't get it twisted.

1:20:06 He can score on the ball, off the ball. He can pin downs. He has low post work, mid post work. Like I said, go back and look at that preseason game and watch how easily that he was shifting O.G. Onanobi around. That is a rookie shifting around a vet with ease.

1:20:25 We talked about it. The way that they've structured this team, if this thing gets off to any kind of a bumpy start for A.J., they trade AD. Yep. If it gets even bumped, they can't trade Trey for two years, but he'll fade away because they'll push him to the side slowly. So, AJ won't be hindered by this. If they don't, this thing, this team is built to make the playoffs and as soon as, just like when LeBron got drafted, as soon as Darius Miles and Ricky Davis hindered LeBron's growth at all, they were out.

1:20:57 You know what I do if I'm the Wizards coaching staff? I sit down with. My guys, I sit down with AJ, I sit down with Trey, and I figure out what the best eight to ten plays are that these guys can run together. whether that's pin downs, whether that's pick and rolls. And we make– I'm just saying we make sure that coming out of timeouts, a lot of times we can run those actions.

1:21:21 Just so you know, the NBA doesn't have plays no more. I'm not– I know what you're saying, but everything is pass and cut.

1:21:28 No, I understand it's pass and cut, but I want a pass and cut with a purpose of that guy passing to that guy and you setting the screen and you– it's like I understand it's a pass and cut league, But at the end of the day, it might be like, listen, I want you to pass the ball to A.J. Trey, you come set the screen on A.J. A.J., you come off, and now you guys figure out your reads. If they switch it, you go here, you go here. It's kind of like how when Jamal and Joker run a pick-and-roll, they understand the actions off of it. They only run it a mid-pick-and-roll or a side-pick-and-roll. They're just understanding the actions off of it.

1:22:00 Yeah.

1:22:00 So when I say eight to ten plays, okay, maybe not eight to ten plays. Eight to ten different reads off of similar actions.

1:22:06 Who's their spacers for their shooters?

1:22:08 Trey Johnson.

1:22:09 Trey Johnson.

1:22:09 Trey Johnson.

1:22:10 He can shoot it. Yeah, he can shoot it for real. He can shoot the leather off of it. He can really shoot it.

1:22:14 You know, AD's a stretch four.

1:22:17 Sard. Sard. They all can. The 35 can all shoot the ball. They can all shoot the ball. Yeah. It'll just small guards make me terribly nervous like in playoff runs. But they're a long enough, athletic enough team. And that's the beauty of A.J. Small guards, I understand Jalen Brunson just won, but it's very hard for small guards to win a championship. And that's why, moving forward for the Wizards, they're going to be able to have a guy from 15 feet on in at 6'9, 6'10, that can create a problem off the jab step and everything, and that's A.J.

1:22:50 DeBanster. When the Wizards become the best version of themselves, it's going to be the A.J. DeBanster show.

1:22:55 Correct.

1:22:55 That might not be this year, but it is coming. And when it's coming, the league needs to be on notice.

1:22:59 But it seems like he's going to be able to benefit because he's not going to be the focal point of any defense. I mean, you've got enough guys on that court where he's going to be able to still get his sneakily, like different from a Cooper flag or other guys in those situations where we know it's a Cooper flag show. We're sending everything at you. A.J.

1:23:12 's going to be able to cook right away.

1:23:13 And you've got Trey who loves throwing lobs, loves diming up, I'm just, you know, I'm excited about this squad. But let's keep this thing moving. Stay in the Eastern Conference. You excited about this squad? The Wizards. I'm watching every team on League Pass. I mean, it's a lot of good teams in the league. There's only like four ass teams.

1:23:30 And I may even watch those games if I'm bored, just depending on how I feel. Who you got? Milwaukee? Milwaukee, the Bulls, Chicago. Then Sacramento. No, I swear to God I said last week. I don't know if you was with me when I said the Wiz was about to be nice and shit. I never doubted it. We interviewed AJ a few months ago, just seeing where his head was at. I know you usually don't give your opinion, but okay. I normally dry hate on you, but... Nonetheless, we're about to move on. Before we do, everybody shout out to everybody in the chat that's pulled up on this Friday show. If you appreciate us doing these shows on Friday, which you should traditionally be our day off, go hit that like button. Make sure you subscribe to

1:24:07 the channel. We appreciate you, all the love and all the support.