Kyrie Irving's RETURN, PG's Boston Debut & Jaylen Brown's Expectations Have The Arena HOT! Part 1

0:00 Welcome back to Gil's Arena, presented by Polymark and empowered by Playmaker.

0:03 Whoa, whoa!

0:09 NBA season, just a little over a week away. We're going to get turned up here in the arena. We got a lot of great things discussed on the show today. This is Gil's Arena. I'm merely your host, Josiah Johnson. I'm here with NBA legend, 2K Unc, with badges, and Theater King, Gilbert Arenas.

0:28 What's up, Gil? Thank you, champ. Who? Lakers' champ. Lakers of who? 2027. Of what? 20 what? They're not even going to win the Pacifica. So you're telling me there's a chance. Hey, man, this is where he's supposed to be delusional, man. Y'all ain't real fans, man. Y'all ain't coming to the season with hope. Time is up. Champs!

0:50 Time is up, Gil. Lucas' team now. Let's see if he's held to the same standard. Champs! But joining us on the show today, we.

0:56 Got four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection DeMarcus Cousins back in the building. And making his return to the arena, we got NBA champion of the world. And when he's not here, you can catch him on his Shump Street podcast. Iman Shumpert back up here with us.

1:16 Keep it up, man. What's going on? What'd you show you, man? Nothing, yeah, yeah. We all good. All right. We rocking. You good? We rocking, yeah. No, I'm just saying. We're super good. This is like it's been a rough couple weeks for us. We're super good. Yeah, we're super good. Okay, good. We're on the couch. That's it.

1:35 That's the arena.

1:38 I don't know. I'm behind him. That's totally different. That's a totally different conversation. I ain't laughing that off. We gonna laugh basketball. I love basketball. I ain't love that shit. We can talk basketball though. We'll discuss. Or y'all will. Whatever it is. We got a lot of things to get into. Here's what's cracking in the arena today. Kyrie made his return to the floor after more than 19 months with a nine-time All-Star and Cooper flag lead the Mavs out of the West's basement and back into the mix.

2:11 Jason Tatum and Paul George made their preseason debut with the Celtics. Will Boston's new dynamic duo replicate the success they had last season without Jalen Brown? And speaking of Jalen Brown, he says the Celtics are like his ex-girlfriend now. Will the All-NBA win get the last laugh? You see him on the floor. He was working out on one side of the floor. Taylor was working out on the other side of the floor. They have video of them both working out. but they did not acknowledge each other.

2:35 It was only 10 seconds long, so we don't know what happened. We did not see the video of them dapping up. That's neither here nor there. We will talk about it. But mostly fans, back for our super chat. Throw something in the offering plate and drop your questions. We'll pick some to answer at the end of the show.

2:48 We appreciate all the love and support that you guys have been giving us. But hey, I need to tell you all about this new sports trading app I discovered. It's called Polymarket.

2:56 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 Couchy, 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. But Polymarket lets you trade games like you would a stock. Buying in is 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.

3:25 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.

3:38 Download the Polymarket app and use code ARENA.

3:41 And when you deposit just $ 10, you'll unlock $ 25 in bonus funds. That's code ARENA to get $ 25 in bonus funds when you deposit just $ 10 on Polymarket. And shout out to all my Twitchers out there. Everybody supporting the show on Twitch. Gil's Arena everywhere you want to be. If you're watching this on Twitch, make sure you sub to our channel at Gil's Arena Show.

3:59 And we appreciate y'all as always. Did that happen or is that just put together? What? That shirt. Were they all in the same building?

4:11 You never know with the old, in the 80s they actually had fun together.

4:14 I got that shirt too. I don't know.

4:16 It might be AI, it might not be. I like to imagine it happening. It's real to me like wrestling. It's a lot of niggas for one photo.

4:26 Why they in Caesars? We're going to be going to see Mike Tyson, buddy. Never mind.

4:32 Prince and Prince and Michael didn't like each other, so they would have been in the same.

4:37 All right. That was dumb. God is good.

4:43 We're going to start this show on the gridiron with the out of pocket moment that went down during the Niners Seahawks game in Seattle Sunday. Trayvon Diggs, former all pro cornerback with the Cowboys trying to make his way back into the league. Diggs was on the Seahawks practice squad to start this season, called up for this game.

4:58 During the action, he was chirping at Niners receiver Mike Evans, who's played against Diggs three times prior to this meeting. Evans took the opportunity to do some trolling. Let's take a look at the video, Paolo, if you don't mind. So as the two were jawing at each other, Evans turned Diggs around so he could read his nameplate to figure out who he was.

5:19 Two hands.

5:20 Obviously, Diggs didn't take kindly to that. Hit him in the helmet. But after the game, Evans broke down. What happened in that moment?

5:29 I didn't know that was him at first because I played against him a few times. And we always been cool. You know, he was a good player. And I didn't honestly didn't know it was him because in.

5:38 The helmet, it's hard to tell sometimes. And we were just we were talking trash.

5:43 And I think I, like, pushed him, and then I was like, who are you? And I looked to make sure.

5:48 I was like, oh, it's Diggs. And then he, like, he mushed me. That should have been a penalty. All right.

5:57 So, Gil, we'll start with you. You've been known to do some trolling, known to have been out of pocket, multiple cages. Is Mike Evans out of pocket for trolling Trayvon Diggs like that?

6:07 Who's better? Mike Evans, currently. Okay, so now I didn't know. No problem. It fits then.

6:16 Usually the better player do it to the lesser of the two, so you kind of have that advantage.

6:25 You shouldn't do it the other way around. But you think it was intentional? Hell yeah. Hell yeah. I mean, if you have to guard a certain person and that's your matchup... He turned them with two hands.

6:38 But you've been in a game where you ain't know somebody.

6:43 There's somebody checking in that you really don't know. Rookies. Yeah, they usually rooks.

6:48 But I'm saying, what if he thought that was a rookie?

6:50 That's what I'm saying.

6:51 He said that he just got pulled up off the practice team. He didn't know who his number was. He's like, bro, I don't know who 16 is.

6:57 That is.

6:58 Well, he's like, it's.

6:59 A practice team. Two-time Pro Bowler, former All-Pro. But that's if he's on the scouting report. Was he on the scouting report in that game? I'm not sure.

7:08 They said he got pulled up off the practice squad.

7:10 So he's had a rough go since leaving the Cowboys.

7:13 So they probably don't have his jersey number burnt into their head.

7:18 And my bogeys. He got visors on. I mean, that makes sense. Right.

7:21 I'm trying to give the benefit of the doubt. I didn't think it was. I just, you know, when you see the.

7:26 Yeah, the two-headed turtle. Yeah, the two-headed turtle. He's kind of a little boy. Yeah, a little boy. He's shifting his shoulders. My issue with this, though. It's the fucking door.

7:35 We can't do that to the Roll Tide members. I'm Roll Tide. Shout out to Diggs.

7:40 Oh, here you go. Yeah, we came to the top of the line. Bro, come on. Here you go. Gotta show a little more respect than that.

7:46 But with Mike, man, he kind of inspired me to grow my shit back out a little bit, you know?

7:52 I ain't gonna lie, he got some confidence, though.

7:54 That's some real confidence, you know? He kind of inspired me. It's time to go home. It's time to go home. Just a little front. Just a little front. Either go home or go to Turkey. Pulling over the ceiling, man. It's all good. Yeah. I mean, grow it back. Grow it back? Yeah, grow it.

8:07 Come on, come on.

8:07 We ain't going to laugh. There you go. We ain't going to laugh. It's cool.

8:11 Mike was bald.

8:12 If I was bald, I would tell, as soon as somebody would say something, I'd be like, Mike was bald.

8:17 Tim Hardaway was bald. Like, I love you. You see what I'm saying? What about all the greats? Hey, Mike, come on to the other side, bro. It's time. Yeah, come on, brother. That interview was funny, too. But yeah, come on. It's time to let it go. Come on, sit it down on the couch, brother.

8:34 So one would imagine, obviously, Trayvon Diggs' new team obviously hasn't got a lot of action this NFL season.

8:40 But two-time Pro Bowler, former All-Pro. Led the NFL in interceptions. Oh, yeah. Played for the Cowboys, America's team. Went to Alabama. If you got a helmet on, ain't number 16. Number 16. Not an ideal number.

8:55 What number does he usually wear, though?

8:57 He was number seven with the Cowboys. You see what I'm saying? That seven look different. That seven. You ain't spinning seven. I wouldn't spin seven, buddy.

9:08 You feel me, though?

9:10 Like, when Bella was wearing seven, you wasn't.

9:11 Just going to run up on her.

9:13 You ain't going to run up on a cool coach.

9:15 That double zero, you let me hear it.

9:18 That seven on the court different than that seven on the field, though. That blazer.

9:22 Yeah, for real, though.

9:24 Like, if somebody wore a number 16 in our league, though, for real. Besides James. I think James got that off. James Johnson. Shout out to James Johnson. I believe he did.

9:31 That was a good song. Pajerox 16. Pajerox 16, okay. Pau Gasol did rock 16.

9:36 Yeah, Pau Gasol was 16. I thought he was one of them Euro-type numbers.

9:42 What was that? Euro-type numbers? Yeah, he was 16. Pau did work 16.

9:46 Euro 16.

9:47 The legend Bob Lanier, Pajerox, like you mentioned.

9:49 But you see what I'm saying?

9:51 You ain't going to see random 16s.

9:53 Unless they're a quarterback.

9:55 I'm saying even if I was making a team late without played for Brooklyn, give me tears, Shreddy.

10:04 Don't give me 16s.

10:06 I mean, if you'd have had 19, they'd have probably spit it out.

10:11 Like, what's this?

10:14 Hey, I'd have been hurt. I'd have been hurt.

10:16 Somebody in me with that, Shreddy, like, who is this?

10:19 Hey, not digs it right though. You gotta get them.

10:21 Yeah, you gotta get one. And that's why the ref didn't take him. .

10:27 He was a nasty nine, man. It was a nasty nine.

10:47 It was a nasty nine.

10:49 It was a nasty nine. I did work in that nine in Sacramento, man. I did work.

10:57 You won nine too? Yeah, I got traded to Houston. I think they gave me number one. Stuck up that number one. And I won one in college. I love that one. Boy, I stuck that one up. I wanted one in college.

11:09 Ooh, that one. I stuck it up, though. I'm mad. You did? Oh, you stuck it there? Yeah, yeah. I was in Houston. I stuck mine up, too, in Orlando. Ooh, it's nasty.

11:18 I wanted it because of Penny. I was like, yeah, I didn't do you. No, this shit ain't. I did so bad.

11:24 Oh, man, this T-Mac. I did so bad. This T-Mac can pee his ass on me, bro. Josh, you have a magic jersey at the crib. I took all my powers away, dog. Real talk. I don't know what.

11:34 Happened to Houston, dog. My knees was swelling up. Jersey was nasty. It was a nasty time.

11:41 People don't understand the importance of a good number.

11:43 Yeah, yeah.

11:44 When you go to camp, you're like 157. I should have got the 16, bro. I don't think I ever have.

11:51 You got whatever you want it. No, I wouldn't say that. I mean, I rocked number four in Denver. That was different for me. Number four? Yeah.

11:58 I ain't never have a nasty number, but four was probably the most off for me.

12:03 Which jersey did you stink up? Shit. Every one after.

12:10 Every one after I left.

12:15 But everybody got that one jersey. They're like, man, bro, don't eat. As a matter of fact, in Houston, I stunk it up. My Houston jersey is stinky. Houston was nasty. Stinky.

12:25 And low-key, low-key, low-key, in the playoffs, I tried to wash it. I tried to wash it. But it was so sticked up. It was just bad, bro. The rhythm was off. My minutes was off. My weight was going up and down. My knees hurt. It was just bad. Let's finish this situation for it.

12:44 My game is out of pocket. But I want to know for you guys. Let's take it back to the court. So Sean, we'll start with you. What's the most disrespectful thing an opposing player did to you in the game?

12:52 Hmm. Deep thought to it. Yeah.

13:07 Oh, I think it was Bellinelli. Is it Bellinelli got the boxing gloves on his.

13:15 Arm, right? I believe he got it. Marco Bellinelli?

13:18 Yeah, check that for me. I believe it's Bellinelli. Marco Bellinelli. He got boxing gloves on his.

13:24 Yes. It's on his arms, right? Let me double check. I believe he does. Yes, he does. Marco Bellinelli does have boxing clubs. He played for the Kings. We was playing them. He played for the Spurs.

13:34 And you know how I am. I get under people's skin. I want to do all that. I want to put my elbow in your ribs. I want to do it. Whatever you want to say after that, I'm going to say it too.

13:43 Let's fuck it. Get a tech. Swing on me. Do it.

13:47 He waited for a free throw. And we made the free throw. It was dead silent in the building. And he's like, you see this motherfucker? Like, you see this?

13:57 It pointed at his tattoo.

13:58 And my rookie ass, I'm like, what? I looked dead at it, like boxing him.

14:03 I'm like, what, you can fight? He's like, yeah, bitch. It took off. It took off.

14:10 And I had to chase my eye to myself.

14:12 Oh!

14:12 Oh!

14:12 Cold. It was so cold. I couldn't do nothing about it. I had no response ready. It was cold. That was the coldest shit. Marco? Marco. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That was my team, man. I don't know. That whole shit.

14:26 That whole shit. Like, how D-Lo be doing that Ice in the Bay and shit. Like, that's how he did it. Like, you see this? Like, you know how I throw these bitches. Like, I ain't going to talk about it with you. Like, you want to do this? Like, that's how he did it.

14:39 And then the free throw went in and that nigga took off down the court. I say, what you trying to box? You know, it's loud and shit because it's quiet. You trying to box?

14:48 Yeah, bitch.

14:50 It took off and I had to chase him because he finna get a three up. You know, you can shoot. Can't let this nigga get open. Did he make it after he took off? No, no. That would have been the ultimate. No, no, no. Complete denial. Oh, okay. Boxing one? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Next three plays was me and him. It was me and him. Shout out to dude, though. He cool. He cool.

15:10 But it takes it like that, though. It was dead quiet. It was more embarrassing than disrespectful. Marco Bellinelli.

15:18 Real talk.

15:19 You won.

15:19 Yeah, you outsmarted me that time. That was good. I leaned into that whole setup, man.

15:26 He showed me the boxing gloves, and I was interested enough to look.

15:31 Marco Bellinelli, if you're watching this, make sure to like and subscribe. I appreciate it. All right, Marco. Do your work.

15:37 Let's shift over to you, Boogie. What's the most disrespectful thing an opposing player did to you in a game?

15:45 In a game?

15:46 I mean, I wouldn't necessarily call it disrespect, but it goes back to my Tim Duncan story, just to.

15:52 Get cooked in silence. Real talk.

15:55 I'm talking shit to him and he's not responding to me at all.

15:59 Like, he don't respect you. Well, in the moment, he did not. I'm sure. And deservingly so. That's the feeling. Yeah, it was... Arguing with yourself.

16:09 And getting cooked at the same time, I think that's ultimate level of disrespect.

16:14 Maybe I'm talking to myself out here.

16:17 Yeah, and I was giving him my best shit. Motherfucker this, you bitches.

16:21 And he just, you know. Right off the glass. End of the game. Good game, big fella. Tim. Fly high, Otter.

16:34 Nah, but it was more so that. Just getting cooked in silence. Not really getting a response. I mean, we all know who Tim Duncan is. One of the goats in this shit. So, I'm good on it. I'm good with that disrespect. What is that like?

16:48 What's that?

16:48 Just period. I know how it is for us as guards. When I got to play Colt. You know what I'm saying? Playing against Braun and everything. But it's like, the bigs, sometimes it's just like, I was just happy I got the curse at KG and shit.

17:02 Like, I didn't get to battle these niggas.

17:04 Like.

17:05 Y'all talk more than us. Yeah, they get away with more. It's a battle down there for sure.

17:13 But what's the feeling of like, you know how we talk about all the time, we be like, bigs ain't nice. Y'all ain't supposed to be out here jolly ranching nice. But y'all be like, when you had them battles, what's that like seeing a big? Do y'all even feel like as bigs y'all need to get into it with people?

17:31 Because it's like, man, I got into it with my offseason. Now I see them offseason, we bigs. Like, you know, we big guys.

17:37 Easy to find.

17:38 We got to, you know what I mean?

17:39 We got to kind of do what we said. Or do y'all just be like, man, we keeping it hoop. I'm tired.

17:45 Yeah, I mean, for the most part, I mean, through my own personal career, I ain't never really had no off-season running.

17:52 No, yeah, no bullshit. It was more so the guards. Yeah. Yeah, you got to check some temperatures in the offseason. Yeah, you know I'm bigger than you.

18:01 But, nah, Biggs, not really. I mean, I guess you can kind of say it's left on the floor. But, I mean, I think it's different.

18:08 What about working out? Like, do y'all go work out with Biggs? That's the rules, right?

18:13 See, I was going to say, Biggs got like some, they got some whole other shit.

18:17 The guards be working out together. No, no, Mike and Drills together. No, Mike and Drills. Do Biggs do Mike and Drills anymore? Shit, I do. You do? Yeah, I do.

18:25 I mean, if I'm teaching my son, I'm telling him to start out. He's starting to work out.

18:30 Yeah, that's how I did it.

18:31 As a big, one of the best things you can have is just being able to finish around the rim with both hands.

18:36 So you can't do that. Your job is going to be really, really hard. But as far as the.

18:40 Matchups and shit, I think it was different when I came in because, one, it was still two bigs on the floor, two bigs, one shooter, point guard, defender, that type of shit. Yeah.

18:51 In that early stage of my career, it was a fucking battle. It didn't matter who it was. It was rough.

18:56 Collison Twins, Tim Duncan, KG, Pert.

19:00 It didn't matter. It was going to be a battle. It was going to be hella physical.

19:07 As far as the trash talking, I would say it's almost kind of pointless because it's.

19:12 Easy for a big turnaround, bow your ass. It's easy to throw elbows, get the cheap shot. It's easy in the post. So if you running your mouth down there, you could easily get popped. You know what I'm saying?

19:25 That might be why it's not as much trash talk between bigs.

19:29 Y'all got a little integrity in them. Ain't no integrity. It's just you going to get that shit checked. And it's super discreet. Yeah, it's discreet with it. So you're going to get your shit checked. But I don't know.

19:43 I guess because ain't nobody there to break that shit up. Ain't really no point in going fast.

19:47 If y'all start fighting, I swear to God, I ain't do it.

19:51 The biggest guys on the.

19:52 Floor, my man.

19:54 I ain't going to let nobody jump you. Anybody run up, we got them. Y'all figure that out. I mean, now it's not... I wouldn't say.

20:05 The game is the same.

20:06 Even when I was on my way out the league, it wasn't quite the same as far as how the bigs entered.

20:10 I miss that big. Big battles, dog. It wasn't a lot of the post-battles no more. It was more perimeter-oriented. Hey, buddy-ass from OKC, Darra. Oh, the young boy? That's named Dara, right? Yeah. Who? The big. Adaya, Amara, something like that. The one they got from Michigan? Yeah. That motherfucker good.

20:33 That motherfucker rim run. Every time, how these psycho niggas used to do it. It's like, bro, that's a point guard dream. He got an old school game to him. Oh, bro, he finna make them defenders have to tag for a quick second.

20:46 Your shooter's finna be wide open.

20:48 Mm-hmm.

20:48 You finna be looking up, boy, shaping ass so much. Motherfucking fun with his big guitar. Like, bring his ass in here and run.

20:55 Just run, nigga. Big Moose. They call him Big Moose. And he just running the whole game. I'm like, boy, I love him. Run to the rim. Spin and get big.

21:04 Ask for it for a second and a half.

21:05 Get out. Post moves, up and unders. You have to. Started preseason 15 for 15. Out there doing work. Hasn't missed a shot. So, good, let's shift over to you before we move on.

21:17 What's the most disrespectful thing an opposing player did to you during the game?

21:24 Outside the game, during the game? I was just getting started. Starting.

21:33 Because, you know, I've been sitting a while. And we were in Seattle. And Gary Payton. Now, you know the glove is the glove, right?

21:44 Sure.

21:44 Now, imagine he get into the glove stance and then hit that little Oakland side.

21:49 Yeah, yeah.

21:52 Listen, listen. He get to doing that shit.

21:56 I don't know.

21:57 I don't know what it was, but he was getting busy on me. Oh, yeah, he took the first, like, five, seven, eight shots.

22:07 Oh, he was going at it. He ended up having 17 in the first quarter. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was seven for 10.

22:13 This was the first time in my life that I was glad I got subbed out.

22:17 Because he was like, he just doing it. Oh, he in a pose? Spin, you can't do nothing about this. I even switched. Back then, we didn't even switch. It was the one five pickle.

22:26 Switch!

22:28 Coach was like, no, no, no, nigga, I'd rather grab the big, come on. He posted up the big, he bringing the big down, spinning on them, doing that fast, it was that fast spin. It wasn't like, he was just like, doing a little rocker spin.

22:40 It was the Johnson Phillips shit, where they still moving forward, but they turning back, opening those doors.

22:45 So Coach said to me, I was like, ooh, thank you. I was happy to be subbed. It was the first time, and the only time I was happy to be subbed, out of game. Halftime come, He was like, yeah, man, you lucky I ain't one of those A.I.

23:00 Type of niggas. I'd have had 50 on you at the half. That's G. That's G for sure. Yeah. So A.I. going to try to have 50 on.

23:17 You?

23:17 You trying to say that?

23:19 You talking about when that horn, you know how you use a horn hit?

23:23 You don't even look back. Nigga, that horn hit out.

23:27 Me here i come boy when you're talking about someone just going at.

23:34 You yeah oh yeah i don't think i've ever been chased i ain't never i and i've been on the court when some people done got chased where it's like you looking for that matchup yeah i don't think i could deal with that that's a different mental battle like when everybody know.

23:49 Like no yeah Him. Him. I want him. Like, when they get that, their.

23:55 Ball screen comes, gotta switch it. I don't think I could be that guy that's sitting there, like, not confident in my ability to get a stop.

24:03 Like, that.

24:05 because I've seen players that get picked on like that especially like at the end of the game it's like I know you want that sub bro we need you to shoot the three you still gotta stay here but I can't I can't help you yeah like where he taking he taking you to the middle too so it's Like, what you want to, it's no rotation.

24:25 It's no rotation. It's the real island, bro. It's the Cayman, whatever island you want to be on. That's what it is, brother. Turks and Caicos, bro. Turks and Caicos. All quality islands. It's Turks. Get that summer.

24:37 I ain't going to foul out. I ain't know what to do. Like, it was, like, you know what I mean? Like, because I'm trying to, like, like, it was all lays. You want to shoot no jump? He was coming in, and then he'd get ready to post, and then as soon as I get ready to hit that, he'd just spin off of it.

24:54 Like, oh, shit, what was that? Okay, all right. Then I fake it, and then he'd just go middle.

24:59 He missed a shot and missed a shot, got the rebound, put it back up. He gave you that old school leg.

25:04 That's how I felt when this whole switch defense shit came.

25:07 Into play, man. We started putting the bigs on the guards.

25:11 Yeah. Oh, man.

25:12 That's just the fucking worst of it. The guards can't guard a guard. What the fuck make you think I can.

25:17 Guard a guard? Real talk.

25:18 But y'all really ain't the guard of guards.

25:20 Y'all really just supposed to make them use an extra dribble. Mm-hmm. I mean, when it's Steph, Dame... Just don't let him shoot. Make him count by two. Like y'all do, right? You taller. You taller.

25:33 Man, I'm slow.

25:34 And they'll go. And I'm slower.

25:36 That's all we need you to do. Make him come this way. Make him come in here and not shoot. I can't have him count by three. No, you were saying how you never... Like been chased like that before?

25:44 Yeah.

25:45 Once that new era came in and it's like every possession is let's get the big on the guard and we're going to drag them out.

25:51 It's like, bro, I hate basketball. Like, what the fuck is it? Why am I guarding the best perimeter player? Every time.

25:59 Every time.

25:59 Every possession? Real talk. And then y'all looking at me like, man, you got to get a stop. What?

26:05 Speaking of a guard that's hard to guard, let's talk a little bit about Kyrie Irving.

26:10 He's back. Kyrie back. He's back.

26:12 Hasn't played in the NBA games and suffered an ACL injury back in March of 2025. For the first time in 586 days, Ky made his return to the floor in his preseason debut with the Mavs. They took on the Rockets in their second of back-to-back meetings as a part of the China games in Macau. And Ky, show why he's still that guy. Let's take a look at the highlights. If we can, please, Paolo, if you don't mind.

26:33 So Kyrie all smiles as he's introduced during starting line. You see how hype Cooper flagged. He finally got some help. They might get 27 wins this season. Started the game off from the jump. The nine-time All-Star did his thing. Dusty May called his number on the opening possession. Hit Jabari Smith with a reverse layup. God, doing it all over the floor. Good assist, good pass. So he played 22 minutes. Finished with 17 points. On 6 of 13 shooting.

27:04 Including 2 for 6 from 3. Highlights so good it cut out. The internet said 9. YouTube said no thank you.

27:13 Can't mess up Kyrie's highlights like that.

27:18 Kyrie played 22 minutes, finished with 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting. Was 2 for 6 from 3. Also had 3 assists, 2 rebounds. Mavs got the win against a Rocket squad that was without KD, Shangoon, and Fred VanVleet. So after the game, Kyrie had this to say about returning to the court?

27:35 Sure, a lot of emotions probably leading into it. I'm grateful that Dusty called the first play for me.

27:42 Had my mind made up.

27:44 Just to attack and, you know, watching film on the last preseason game we played. You know, just kind of adjusting to their physicality. I saw Jabari switch. Men started on me. So just trying to take advantage of the matchup as.

27:58 Much as I can.

27:59 And I saw that baseline open up a little bit and, Just felt good to get that out the way. I was kind of imagining how it was going to go, dreaming about how it was going to go, and just glad that I got that out the way. Just incredibly grateful for my teammates as well and their support. Just seeing them rise up off the bench to celebrate me as well, that always feels good. God is truly the greatest, so just being able to perform at a high level, that felt amazing. Just humbled myself, but also just being aggressive and trying to look like myself again.

28:29 So, Shum, we'll start with you. Former teammate. Went on a trip together. But what are your first impressions of Kyrie and his return to the court?

28:37 Just healthy.

28:40 Most times you see a guy come back from those type of injuries and you can just sort of see how they'll cater to whatever that is.

28:48 Go against the grain.

28:50 If a guy did his Achilles, you'll see him not press as hard when he steps back.

28:55 Yeah, yeah.

28:56 The guy that does his ACL, sometimes they don't want to jump off just that foot.

29:01 You know what I mean?

29:02 They don't want to have contact while they're dribbling because they want everything to be stable again. To see him accept contact, drive through it, go through the baseline, and then two-foot stop into a tough finish, it just lets me know he trusts his body, so he trusts whatever works. That's what I'm most happy about. I think when Kyrie's healthy, we ain't got to worry about dudes.

29:23 You know what I'm saying?

29:24 I know everybody had the media swirl over the COVID shot, which panned out to be better now because now everybody trying to.

29:30 Figure out what is in this COVID shot that we all took.

29:33 But yeah, Kyrie, we've never had an issue with Kyrie's game. It's always, is he healthy? And, you know what I'm saying, what was said about the earth being flat and shit. You know what I'm saying? You know, even though I've never seen it curved. I'm just saying, we all on flat land.

29:52 So, flat earth?

29:53 Huh?

29:54 Flat Earth, believe me.

29:55 I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I take the flights and they.

29:58 Do be looking flat. It looks flat to me. It looks flat to me. It looks flat. I ain't saying we could... Pause. Pause. Where's the curvature? Yeah, that's all I'm saying. I know y'all keep having this same.

30:12 Y'all got the same picture of Earth from space.

30:16 It's been the same picture my whole life.

30:19 I really believe it was flat.

30:23 Until I realized.

30:26 If I can see the sun and it's flat, a lot of people in China can't see it.

30:34 Can't see the sun? Yeah. Why is it dark over there then?

30:38 Where they at? What part of the flat, motherfucker, part of the flat? What part of this low and flat shit they can't see that sun? We should all be on the daylight. That's all I was saying. I was like, wait.

30:51 Then they might be at the bottom. I get that. Be at the bottom. Am I upside down right now?

30:57 Fuck.

30:58 The dark side of the sun. That's about the most sense anybody ever made of it.

31:03 That's the most simplest and easiest argument.

31:08 That makes sense. They're actually a day ahead of us, too. Now you're messing up this argument. I'm just saying. Now I can't agree. Now it's back to flat land. The sun is already over there. Just flat.

31:19 Like the buffalo.

31:23 Storming on this side of the flat.

31:26 Shorty, that's what I'm saying.

31:29 Dot, dot, dot it. We can dot, dot, dot all day, but that's actually pretty good. You're right.

31:33 Because it is dark one place and it's light the other place, so that should make the most sense.

31:37 Shout out to Kyrie.

31:38 Analytics say whatever, and then the eyeball test say another thing.

31:42 But I'm into playing.

31:44 He said, I'm here. Real talk, bro. Like, come on, man. When we sit a cup down on the floor, You know what I'm saying?

31:53 Like, what part do it occur? You know what I'm saying? That's all I'm saying. Like, I just never... All right, whatever. Where we at, Joe? Yeah, where we at? Shout out to Pythagoras. So, y'all niggas is tripping. Angry. But, Boogie, let's shift over to you.

32:14 Watching Kyrie back on the floor 19 months after ACL. Obviously, sat out all the last season trying to get back right, taking his time. had very mixed emotions about being back on the floor. We heard what he had to say, but what were your first impressions of Kyrie being back on the court?

32:28 Well, one, he looked happy, he looked healthy.

32:31 Obviously, he had a really good rehab, 19 months. For anybody that's never done a rehab, shit, six months is hard. A year is hard. 19 months is incredibly hard. So, you know, shout out to him for being able to be mentally tough through that process. You could see the joy, you could see You can see the happiness being back on the floor. That's what we all do this shit for.

32:58 Like Sean said, a healthy Kyrie is not much to even talk about. We know what this guy brings to the game. We know what he brings to the team. I'm ready to see him get to that midseason form. Even as good as he looks now, you just know he's still not at his best form yet. I know that's exciting for him. I know that's exciting for his teammates.

33:19 I'm going to go out on a limb. I know it's exciting for those those teams that's looking for that piece to be a championship caliber team.

33:26 So other teams watching Kyrie saying, Oh, we got benefit from this.

33:30 You got the Toronto's out there. Look, you got the Houston Rockets out there. And the East just turned. Yeah. Shit.

33:35 Even, even though Orlando magic should have, you know, some eyes. So it's a few teams in need of, you know, that type of a player that could, you know, take their team to the, to that next level. So, uh, I'm just glad to have him back on the floor. It's exciting for basketball fans. It's exciting for the league.

33:52 The league is better when Kyrie is hooping.

33:56 Y'all, this dude is an apology. Like Sean said, he was right. He was right. All the hate that he took for that damn shot, he was right. He took it too. He was right. You can't say too much about it. You can't say too much about it, but he was right for sure. He sat quietly, sat out. And now we get to see him taking shots back on the court. Wow. With the hanging in-ring. Shout out to the hanging in-ring. Kyle, we see you with. You know you in a good play. You got the even all over. That's inside, bro. McGillish of W. Kyrie back on the court for the first time, 586 days, Mavs debut.

34:35 Played 22 minutes, 17 points. Looking like old Kyle. So before he got injured, I remember.

34:48 He had the 11, 11 p.m.

34:53 Steak cook-off. Exactly at 11? 11, yeah. So grills turned on at 11, 11? Or were they already heated? 11, 11. You had to cook your steak.

35:03 But before that, he had steak night, right?

35:08 Up in the Malibu, he had steak night. But you had to cook the steak at 11, 11. Some spiritual stuff.

35:14 So he's very into the spiritual, keeping his energy clean.

35:18 And I can see why.

35:19 When you're talking about somebody who's a purist at what they do, like talking to them and we're sizing each other up on that basketball, like he has the outside with the green. And he's like, so if I had the ball like this, because I was like, man, look, listen, I could have shit out you, though.

35:37 He was like, how? I said, wait a minute, how? easy work.

35:43 And he was like, but if you had to guard me, what are you going to do? Like, if I had the ball like this, what's your stance?

35:49 Right? And then I said, I go like this. He said, then I do that and go this way. Right?

35:52 And I'm getting shook just on the shadow box.

35:56 Right?

35:56 So we're sitting there just having a conversation and he loves basketball so much.

36:05 Like he, like it's all he watches.

36:09 When you say someone is a student of something, he's really a student of what he does. And I think people look at, like, I'm going to cleanse the gym, and they look at that as awkward behavior, and he's really like, I'm purifying this mother because I'm about to get the, what I'm about to do on the court. Yeah, what I'm about to do on this court. And it's just amazing just.

36:37 Watching the movement. Of how he is.

36:40 We can go down and say who the best guards are.

36:46 In his league. I don't know. Him, Steph, Shea's getting there.

36:53 But when you're talking about just pure basketball talent, just a gifted motherfucker, he's a gifted dude.

36:59 He's the most skilled guard ever. When you're talking about skills, he's perfected all of it. Post-game. All of it. Just all of it. Movement. Post-game at 5'11, it's crazy. Whatever. To me, like.

37:11 He's 6'6.

37:13 That's why when him and KD joined forces in New York, that's why everybody was so scared.

37:19 Because it was like the same person.

37:21 One's a guard and one's a three. It's like... They... Three masters at their craft. But it's like... Oh, J.H. in there, too?

37:29 But I don't think... I don't think James is.

37:32 As pure as... As a pure.

37:35 Not all around, but when you're talking about pure perfecting something, like, I'm perfecting, ba-ba-ba-ba-boom.

37:41 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Perfecting that, yes.

37:44 But I'm saying, if that was, because James was in a point guard form when he was there. His job was kind of how it was in L.A., where they were like, make it all make sense.

37:53 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where it was no longer. It wasn't James.

37:56 If you had Kyrie, kind of, you have to make James and.

38:01 It kind of could have went a different way, I feel like.

38:03 But I think because James was left with that responsibility, we didn't get the purest vibe from him. But it's like those two are always in their purest form. They can't turn it off.

38:14 Injury or not. Yeah. Always in rhythm. Jab, step.

38:18 You go this way. I go this way. I shot fake.

38:21 You bid on it. You gave me room. I got to step back. I got to spin. I got post.

38:26 I got right hand. I got left. When Kyrie do this shit with his left hand, I'd be like, game.

38:31 I'll be in the game looking at him like, boy, you just....

38:38 He looking at me like I done said something to him and I'm just.

38:40 You know what I'm saying?

38:42 He ain't answer me. Oh, boy. Did you just go in the middle of that? Here?

38:49 Off the glass?

38:52 I'm looking like, why you... I'm like trying to... On the court though, we running back. Did he switch on the field side like.

39:01 He did. I seen it too. It was crazy.

39:05 We all sitting there like, did he just... And Kyrie just be blank face. Run back like D-Rose used to do. Do some crazy shit and then run back with regular eyes.

39:17 Regular eyes. Bro, nothing.

39:19 Anybody else would have been.

39:21 You know what I'm saying?

39:23 They could have been swagging it out checking they shoes give me something for.

39:28 The cameras they just.

39:32 Like bro you tired you tired out of that come on man shout out to Kyrie man my boy back healthy dog it's going to be a scary time for the league like you said league is better and we were talking about this before the show this is probably one of the most exciting seasons just across the board guys are back healthy You got a lot of beef right now.

39:50 We've been missing a little bit of that. But you got a lot of beef going on. A lot of people got game circles, some double circles, as Jalen Brown said. But you got Kyrie with a lot to prove, I feel like, coming.

40:01 Back to Tennessee. Caleb Wilson shooting it well.

40:03 You know?

40:07 I like it.

40:08 You know what I'm saying?

40:10 A.J.

40:10 DeBonse out here doing it. DeBonse out here. No, I mean, this is a good time.

40:13 Darius and A-Cup.

40:14 You know what I'm saying? Nick's got everybody in their bag now.

40:20 Nick's definitely turned it up. Yeah. Oh, yeah, they turned it up. There you go. Yeah, you got to put your roster together a little different.

40:26 Yeah.

40:27 I like that. Got to take a pay cut, apparently. Fan base got to get.

40:30 Y'all got to get y'all shit together, too.

40:32 Here you go. No, I'm just saying. I'm just saying. Here you go. Preseason.

40:38 He's poking something he can't deal with, man.

40:40 He can't do that. I'm just.

40:42 You're asking the fans to do that. They take it up a notch.

40:44 All I'm saying is... We ain't ready for it. We ain't ready for it. Nix was out there winning the game and winning the fights on the street. Here you go. That's what I'm saying. Here you go.

40:53 You didn't want to be an opposing fan.

40:56 in Madison Square Garden.

40:57 Shit, they even whoop the ass on the road sometimes, too, depending on the numbers.

41:01 Please don't start this, Gil. All I'm saying. I'm just saying. All I'm saying. Where I'm playing Philly now. If everybody decides. I don't want this to start happening, though. No. Niggas working on their game, work on your fandom. Work on your fandom. Keep the fandom. Let's keep the fandom discipline.

41:17 Work on your fandom is all I'm saying. Be a football fan.

41:20 Y'all not winning points for fighting for your team, please don't be whooping fans.

41:24 But you can be more supportive. But no.

41:26 I mean, we saw the Knicks take over the Sixers arena in the playoffs.

41:30 It felt like a home game. Oh, you want this too? No, I'm just saying.

41:34 No.

41:35 I don't want.

41:35 Niggas going into Chicago with that. No, that's the only place you ain't going to go with it. That's what I'm saying. I don't want people going to D.C. and Philly with this. I don't want this to continue, Joe. But the home fans should be the home fans. It's supposed to be brutal. Honestly, honestly.

41:52 Did y'all ever think about what would have happened if they just started whooping ass in Texas?

41:58 You want to know why we ain't think about that? Because they ain't whooping shit.

42:01 They shooting. They got guns going. In the arena? No, outside. Oh, I'm not out there. I'm saying. Oh, yeah. I'm talking about the fans, though.

42:09 I'm just saying, if it happened in other states, in Texas, people are carrying.

42:14 You know what I'm saying? It just get crazy. That's why I'm just like, please. Just make it RIP shirts. Just be passionate. Just enjoy the game. Be passionate. Like, we don't need to wait until the playoffs. Oh, you want to fight.

42:26 Like, you ain't got to wait until the playoffs to get real. Like, what I'm saying is, what the fuck is home court advantage if you ain't using it, if.

42:36 You out there on casual mode? I feel it. You know what I mean? Like, then. We like the safety of our players in our league. Like, I remember, what was it? Boston? Dude behind. Y'all probably wasn't in the league. You was probably there. Oh, yeah.

42:51 When the dude in Boston who used to, like, sit behind. And by the third quarter, he was done. And, oh, yeah, he got real reckless.

42:58 Sat right behind the basket?

43:00 Behind the bench. It was like, oh, got real reckless. There was one guy in Boston I remember.

43:06 It was the guy. It wasn't the black guy. You know what I'm talking about? It was the white dudes that used to be right there when you going into that tunnel. Yeah.

43:16 They used to get under my skin a little bit.

43:18 But it helped my focus, but they had me rattled a couple of times where it was like I wasn't playing good enough to walk past them.

43:25 Y'all want to hear they shit?

43:26 They can say some shit, it just trigger you. Like you want to jump up and fight them, but it's like it's working. That's the home court.

43:33 Advantage, though.

43:34 How cognizant are you guys of fans and what they're saying to you? I know you got to play it off. Depending on how good you're playing.

43:39 I always say that. Hey, if you hearing them, that means you playing like some shit. You playing like some shit. And you searching for inspiration. It don't matter what they saying, you playing like some shit.

43:48 You trying to get inspiration though. You want the Reggie Miller, Spike Lee joint. You want that to happen.

43:53 But if it's going your way, it's like you don't even care about the person who's guarding you.

43:59 It's that one dude. Yeah.

44:02 He getting it because of you.

44:04 Yeah.

44:04 Every shot, you just like it.

44:06 And you making it worse for him. Yeah, you making it worse for him.

44:08 I'm keeping the same energy. Good night, bad night, same energy. You on 1,000?

44:15 On 1,000, bro. Oh, we know. Yeah, same energy. How long did it take you to get to 1,000? Are you showing up to the arena on 1,000? I'm showing up on 1,000. Okay, that's beautiful.

44:25 That's the one you got to worry about.

44:28 To the jump ball, hey, man, fuck out of here.

44:31 Hey, I ain't going to lie, I learned from the best.

44:34 I mean, shit, coming in rookie year, I remember going against Boston, right? KG, Perk, all of them.

44:40 You remember that guy. That was my first game, too. Junkball, you know, you go out there, what's up, man? Perk, KG.

44:48 We not even junkball yet. We line up, elbow off the rip. KG, elbow, what's up, bitch-ass nigga? I'm like, okay, yeah, I like this.

44:58 I'm going to put that on my game. Yeah, I'm on your ass tonight, boy. Off rip, yeah. So... Yeah, like I said, I'm showing up on the dial.

45:08 Yeah.

45:08 Good or bad.

45:09 KG hit me with the, I smell pussy, Lord. I smell it.

45:14 Yeah.

45:16 It took me a second to realize. Who you talking to?

45:18 Straight up. Ah, Mellow Heat. Mellow Heat talking about. Who he talking about? That's why when I got that nut, that's why I screamed.

45:28 I don't need a bitch ass nigga.

45:30 They like, yeah, tank.

45:31 Ray Allen going to go switch these, my nigga.

45:35 He ain't going to miss. He's all draws.

45:37 I feel like you got to have that energy, though, because if it's based off your game, I mean, that's going to always be kind of up and down.

45:48 It depends.

45:48 I do it for breaking spirit. I don't start that way every game. It's just certain games just mean more.

45:56 That I got to do it.

45:58 Like, we can get out there and it's just the cameras is just getting me too.

46:01 I got too much energy.

46:03 I got to do something now.

46:04 So I'm going to say something extra.

46:05 But it's like some games I really just be locked in on the game.

46:09 Like I ain't not turnt.

46:11 But it's like I'm not bothering nobody else.

46:14 I'm like he probably turnt. I'm turnt.

46:16 If I elbow him, we fighting. Like we wired right now. You know what I'm saying?

46:20 I only got turnt in the bad games.

46:24 You can't.

46:25 Like the good games, yeah, you already did.

46:27 Right?

46:27 You all ready. If I'm playing against another high level, I'm already there. Yeah. When you're playing against somebody who don't supposed to be in.

46:34 The league, I always say the same shit.

46:36 I got it from when I heard Larry Bird used to do it. What?

46:40 When y'all getting ready to jump off, all right, y'all fellas, let's go treat them like some hoes. We're going to get a little ass, and then we're going to get out of here. Right?

46:48 And then there's going to be all of us, oh, hell no. That's what I need right there. I need the whole hell, dog. Larry Bird was talking like that? Yeah. Oh, Larry Bird.

46:56 You know how you say about Larry Bird?

46:59 It's like, bro, I'm so mad I didn't get none of that. Yeah. This nigga was talking crazy.

47:05 They say he was taking the league by storm talking shit to the... he showed up on a thousand but they say he's showing up on some oh you the big scary black fuck you like yeah fuck you.

47:19 Had a strap on the court and did not strap up off the court that is Larry Bird in a nutshell he got kids everywhere.

47:27 He was going crazy he was doing this thing it just you know how many the wording no no.

47:32 No there's a reason Gil wording.

47:33 No we're not going to do that many about 45 no I'm just kidding.

47:39 Oh, he got like a couple of... And I ain't seen too many birds running around. You should know about some birds. Is that his? I'm just messing with you. That don't make sense. I'm lying. You're going to start rapping the whole time. We're going to find Larry. We're going to show Larry here. If you tell me Larry got five kids, we're going to find the shooter. Just one over there that can shoot. Guaranteed, one of them can put it in the hoop.

48:10 Well, let's bring this back to Kyrie for a second. So, Sean, you played with Kyrie for almost three seasons with the Cavs. I went on a trip with him in 2016. Got to see firsthand how he approaches his craft. So, what makes Kyrie so special as a hooper? He really takes, like, there's certain.

48:28 Players that you can tell they want to do something. They're trying to get to this. They're trying to get to that. I don't know what Kyrie's trying to get to. He's just taking whatever you give him. Like he'll just kind of throw an investigative dribble out there to see what you do.

48:45 If you reach, he knows what to do.

48:47 Sometimes I don't think he knows what he's going to do, but all you have to do is reach and then his body kind of drills it and knows what to do after that.

48:56 So I say for.

48:58 Me, when I watch him, I'm like, he is the definition of take what the defense gives you.

49:06 Like, coaches used.

49:07 To say that to me all the time.

49:09 He's a counter puncher. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Real talk. He is waiting for you to make the mistakes. Everything's reactive. It's so crazy because the better players lead the dance. You know what I'm saying?

49:24 Yeah.

49:25 Kinda. You don't feel like you led the dance?

49:29 So we was at Mama's gym and I said, when someone's in front of you, what are you looking at?

49:36 Oh, that's where he got it. I said, feet? He's like, yes, feet.

49:40 So, watching the feet, you can dictate where you want them to move. So, it's like Mayweather, right? Where it's a counter style, but you're dictating the foot movement.

49:54 Yeah, you're putting them where you want them.

50:03 He'll go, you overstep, he spins back.

50:05 Well, you know, I'm outside his shoulder. He has to do this.

50:08 Yeah, so instead of, you know, like old school tell you to watch the wrists, I was taught to watch the feet. And there was things that he was doing that was so advanced. And I'm like, yo, what do you watch when you're coming at somebody? Because I'm watching his feet, right? How far back is he on his heels? Like, is he pigeon-toed? Is he duck-walker? Like, he's watching all of that. Yeah. Knowing, like, where the movement's supposed to be.

50:31 So he's like, and we're mixed, right?

50:33 Right.

50:33 Like, if you ever think about it, anyone mixtape guy, they're throwing it between your legs anytime they want because they're shifting your hips.

50:41 Right? So, all right, put it here.

50:42 No, they're just playing bad. He has to step like this. Like, I have to step with my foot, throw it between the legs. Once I throw it between the legs, he has to drop this foot.

50:51 Right? He has to drop this foot. I'm going to dribble one more time. He has to turn his hip to try to run and chase me. And when he does that, snatch him back.

50:59 Right?

50:59 And that's how he plays. He's understanding body movement. I'm saying I've played.

51:03 Against some of the and one guys they tried to shit.

51:06 It don't work not on you I read Dead run up on you and try to shit.

51:10 Uh-huh But I've never dealt with nobody like that.

51:18 Like Kyrie? Yeah.

51:19 I've cut D-Rose's move off and D-Rose backed up like, okay, let me rethink this.

51:25 This nigga might be able to move a little bit. Let me rethink this. I'm going to come at a different point of attack.

51:31 Kyrie is one of the only people I've ran up on and we done did that.

51:34 Where I'm like, you did that. I cut it off. I swung. You've moved it. I swung again. He crossed. Chopped. it's like you ain't gonna.

51:42 Stop damn like we finna I'm finna foul you at this point bro more moves coming up yeah like you gotta you gotta spin out after that and another Hezzy I'm like bro you just gonna keep going like I've never had to keep my core locked for as long like you have to stay in a stance the whole time with him I can't most guys most even the advanced guys in the league like when it when it goes to making moves most guys got three to four moves at most.

52:13 And it's like, I'm going to work hard to stop these three to four. Like you're saying with Kai, after those three to four, it might be six to seven more moves after that.

52:21 You may invent a move. Just for reaching, you just invented something that he wasn't ready for. And that's what makes him so hard to guard. Because like I said, we're all, it's a rhythm to the game. We all know that. Like, you know when the guy going to get to the move. You know when he about to raise.

52:36 So, Like I said, it's three to four moves to where you know you got to go.

52:41 Straight up. Once that rhythm is kind of broken and it's like, all right, here goes six, seven, seven, eight, nine, ten. Yeah, I'm nervous. Now I'm scared. I ain't going to lie. As a defender, I'm like, this is where you fall. Yeah, it gets ugly.

52:54 This is where a mistake happens.

52:55 It's crazy. I'm no longer in a solid defensive position.

52:59 It's crazy because he always keeps, like– Perfect to decent spacing on his foot placement. Like I've never seen someone whose foot placement is always, it's always in position to keep countering.

53:17 Yeah.

53:17 It's like he, you know what I mean? Like if you do a move and you get.

53:20 Caught right here, there's only, if I get caught like this, I can only spin.

53:25 You know what I mean? Right? So he always here so he can come back, come back. He can come back, come back. You know what he told me?

53:30 What?

53:31 When he messed his turf, when the turf's okay. That's where that came from. Oh. He used to play above the rim, too. So, Kai used to, like, I want to go dunk this. Yeah.

53:41 Like, he said he had to give that part up. He was like, I had to reinvent.

53:45 So, I had to, like, figure out ways how to do it. So, I just kind of went back to being a kid and finding, like, places on the glass that I could play off.

53:54 The turf talk happened in college, right? Yeah, that's when he missed the time at the– But that's what he's saying.

53:59 That's what he's saying, like, for him– He didn't have that no more where he could just blow by me and then rely on athleticism to just poke it.

54:08 So he like, I bet. Now I'm finna get by you. You know how crazy that shit sound?

54:13 That's what I said.

54:14 Like, damn, why y'all ain't leave this shit alone? This motherfucker was in college talking about, I don't have... The same, what is it? Explosion. Yeah, figure that out. He was the one and done.

54:24 To hear a young dude say, I don't have that type of explosion.

54:27 Yeah, that's what was crazy.

54:29 He hasn't even reached his potential as far as athleticism.

54:32 Remember, we saw him out of high school, served a pizza. Yeah, banging shit, yeah. Boom, like... Just like everybody else. I just never knew that. I never heard that part. That's crazy.

54:42 Him and John Wall, it was like, why do y'all dunk with y'all left hand?

54:45 Like, y'all both right-handed. Why do y'all keep dunking with y'all left? But both of them used to do that shit all the time. Where I was like, he could dunk with his right hand, left hand. That shit was weird as hell.

54:55 You take away the athleticism for him to go up, and then all this shit come out.

54:59 Where it's like, I didn't even know you had that. He's like, shit, I did. I did, but I didn't rely on it because... I could go party.

55:06 His attention to detail is fucking crazy.

55:08 It's like he was saying, a real student. Watch it.

55:12 Go to one play, and when I'm watching plays, I'll ask myself, why did you go this way? Because it doesn't make, it won't make sense. I think it's his first layup. Look how he opens up. Instead of just going with the left hand reverse, watch. Right, just like something like that, right? And it's like, But it's like you were saying. Did he open up in order to use.

55:38 Both sides of the rim? Yeah, yeah. So he opens up to use. It's the preparation.

55:40 If you do that. If you over jump this way, he could have just easily just put it in the inside of it.

55:47 On that same side. Yeah, on the same side.

55:50 And those are the things that I just be like.

55:53 Because he's, like you said though, now we get there. You going right there, right? You like, I beat you. If you stopped all that, I beat you.

56:03 Left hand.

56:04 Me, I'm going over there like, nigga, all I have to do is get this foot right here before I can see you. I'm reverse dunking. Do whatever the fuck you got to do. If my foot get here first, it's over. That's what I'm thinking.

56:16 Kyrie like, I know I beat you, but you know, you probably could jump two foot, one foot.

56:25 And you taller than me. So your dumb ass going to do it. And he going to take you there. He going to jump up. Or he just going to slowly do it.

56:33 I don't know how he does that, by the way. He get by you quick and then his gather piece. It's like how the Euro players do it. It just messes up your timing for your good jump. Your good jump messed up. Now you got that little reluctant kind of jump that he get you with. But they're able to quick you. But when he do.

56:53 That, you're right.

56:54 I think for him.

56:56 Because I've actually seen Kyrie miss a regular ass layup. Like, I've seen him miss, like, a regular shit where he'll just be like, bro. And it'd be like, I kind of know why you did this. Like, you never kind of do a traditional layup.

57:09 The last time you practiced a regular layup. Yeah, like, you literally. Or he probably thought, okay, this guy's about to jump, so let me come here. Or was he open? Oh, he's not jumping. It wasn't, like, open, but it wasn't. It was like he was saying. It was like an easy decision. All of us would have just been like, you're too late. Lay him.

57:26 But he was just like, you going to give me an actual regular layup?

57:30 It was too easy. Yeah, for sure.

57:32 But I've seen him miss a regular one because he'd be so. That's more comfortable, if that makes sense. I don't want to speak for him, but when I watch it, it looks like when he do that on the baseline, I know that's a layup.

57:45 Like, it just seems like you'll see, like, he's jumping. He's not worried about this guy. Like, this guy's right here. He could just put his hand out here and block it, right? But he's looking, okay, I got his hands down, his feet down, so he ain't active.

57:57 And then he'll just go. Like, he looks at shit like that. Yeah, real talk, though.

58:01 And he'll bet, like you said, he'll bet on... you're going to swing with your right hand. Because that's the traditional thing to do. And when you do that, I'm going to go.

58:11 Inside spin and that bitch is going to hit and flick to the other side.

58:16 Like, that shit be.

58:17 And this is what people don't understand. The difference between these levels is just the detail.

58:26 For sure.

58:27 And you don't realize the elite elite, unless you're sitting there watching film with them, They're very detailed. They're looking at little micro things. That's why I said if you want to be a great offensive player, a great offensive player, you want to work out with the best defensive players.

58:47 You work out with a Kawhi. You work out with these guys because if someone stopped you that year, you need to see why. Right. And what you looking at? Oh, trust me.

58:59 Because someone who don't give a fuck and he know he a defensive player, he'll tell you, oh, yeah, when you getting ready to shoot, you pat the ball a couple times.

59:07 Right? When you start hearing like, wait, what do you mean I pat the ball?

59:09 Like, yeah, when you getting ready to shoot, you got a little twitch because we all do something that we don't know we're doing.

59:15 I swear to you. That's what I said about the rhythm. I used to do that for Bron and Kyrie. They used to ask me all type of shit. What you see?

59:22 Bro, I'm like, you do that. Like, you're going to turn your feet. I'm like, Kyrie, you're going to stop. You're going behind your back this year. Last year, you was under your leg. This year, you stop.

59:31 It's behind the back. Like, they be.

59:33 Looking like, nigga, I'm like, clearly you drilled.

59:36 It 10,000 times.

59:38 Nigga, like, I see you do it over and over. Like, as a defender, I have to do that.

59:41 Like, I have to know that, okay, this year Gil has added a two-hand– I mean, a two-dribble right-hand pull-up that he's going to get to to start the game.

59:52 Like, we're going to start the game like this.

59:54 He's going to rip so that it's going to be like, get your hands off me or it's a foul. And then he's going to go two dribbles. He's going to shoot this to start the game no matter what.

1:00:02 The fuck I do.

1:00:03 Like, it's like, but I can see, okay, this is drill. This is what they're looking for.

1:00:07 To open up what? I don't know yet.

1:00:11 Just to open up something.

1:00:12 Straight up. But that's all he's doing.

1:00:14 It ain't no way you finna rip.

1:00:16 Dribble to the goddamn baseline and shoot a fall away unless you're setting me up for the counterpunch. I know that's coming, but it's like a lot of players don't do that no more. Who says somebody just had a quote saying that they're in the day and age of.

1:00:33 Oh, it was Cole. It was Cole. He said him and Phil.

1:00:36 Got mad that they were seeing the game turn into just a quick decision style game. When he was like, we was putting players in certain places to make the court look exactly like we wanted it so I could get exactly the shot.

1:00:53 That's why he was like.

1:00:54 Assistant turnover was different back then because it's like, we not investigating.

1:01:01 Gil's going one-on-one for the rest of this quarter. Does anybody have a fucking problem?

1:01:07 He got 15 straight on this nigga.

1:01:10 Until they take him out, we're going to go iso.

1:01:14 And the game starts shifting to other shit.

1:01:16 Yeah, it became positionless. Positionless basketball. That is used. It's used a lot.

1:01:24 And it comes from, I don't know who created it, but obviously they never played basketball because positionally means everyone can play the position.

1:01:34 I've never seen Steph Curry play center. He's guarded plenty of bigs. I've never seen him in the post playing center. Oh, no, no, no, never. Yeah, no.

1:01:45 I've never set a ball screen, though. Yeah, guards do ball screens. All it is is big man. It's just big man can.

1:01:52 Do guard shit. That's what position limit. He can do shit that I can do. He can bring it up. He can pass.

1:01:58 Oh, you're saying the guards need to be left out of that shit?

1:02:01 I can't do none of this shit he do. It's him doing.

1:02:03 This shit, and y'all want to call it position. This nigga's multi-talented. I mean, Wimby is not positionless. He just can do the shit that I can do. I can't do the.

1:02:15 Shit he can do. He's like, but he's a center. That's all it is. He's a center.

1:02:20 It's just big man can do small shit.

1:02:22 That's all it is. Well, speaking of big man. I can't guard that nigga. He can guard me, baby. That's right. That's good, man.

1:02:29 That's good, man.

1:02:31 It's like, yeah, OK, DeMarcus is going to guard a little, play a little.

1:02:33 OK.

1:02:33 I ain't going to lie to him. Now you can guard DeMarcus. I was going one through four. No, no, that's you. You. I got one through two. You're going one through four. Oh, yeah. I was going through folks. You wasn't a foe. I played foe, bro. Yeah, that's what a nigga double foe.

1:02:51 You played foe because y'all decided to go Twin Towers for a little bit.

1:02:55 Neither one of y'all. That was 5-5. Double nickel, goddamn. What did y'all do? Y'all big ass out there.

1:03:02 Neither one of y'all foe.

1:03:06 Let's keep this thing moving. Kyrie back on the floor. Should make life easier for Cooper Flagg. looking to build off his impressive Rookie of the Year campaign where he made history while joining Michael Jordan as the only rookie to lead their team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals in a season. Flagg says he's gained more than 20 pounds and grown an inch since last season. Now 6'10 without shoes. Game has grown on the court as well.

1:03:30 Uber Flagg said he's 6'10 without shoes. Without shoes. Oh, so he's a 7-footer?

1:03:35 Damn near. This is what he said, yo. I don't know.

1:03:39 He said, like, whatever he's doing for his body, he probably just grew a little bit.

1:03:43 I'm glad he said that. I'm glad he said his actual height without shoes so people understand why they're so tall in game. Because unless he's wearing Chucks to make him 6'11, all basketball shoes is two inches, two and a half. So he's all of seven foot as an NBA player.

1:04:03 Right. Jesus Christ.

1:04:05 But his game has grown on the court as well, and his arsenal is on full display this weekend in Macau. Let's take a look at some Cooper Flagg highlights if we can.

1:04:14 Downhill.

1:04:14 So Flagg did his thing in the Mavs preseason opener Friday. He had 19 points on 7 of 14 shooting, along with six boards and three times. Flagg out here doing his thing with fellow dookie Kyrie Irving.

1:04:31 I'm sorry. Give me that. I'm sorry, that was nice as hell.

1:04:35 Okay, by the way, he's showing some flashes of some offense that I do really appreciate, whatever they did this offseason with him.

1:04:45 Man, he look good, bro. Shoot up, Coop. Stop. Ooh. Ooh, a little drop action. My little dude right there. Throw that thing right at that back, Coop. That's how I mean get.

1:04:57 Ooh.

1:04:59 First game against the Rockets starting unit. Projected starting unit.

1:05:02 So second game flag followed that up with 14.7 assists. Four rebounds with Kyrie by his side on Sunday. Only three for 10 from the field, but with seven for eight from the line. Making plays like that. See that regular layup he did?

1:05:17 He made it, though. Who do I cool? Catch high, shoot high? Hey, he the real deal. Catch high, shoot high? He the real deal. I ain't gonna lie, niggas like that is dangerous. Yeah. Throw you that bitch, they catch you and just let it go?

1:05:32 He damn near like a mixture of like KD, Braun, and Giannis all in one player.

1:05:38 Why you looking at me crazy? Why you looking at me crazy? Did you just hear who you just put together? Hell yeah, I just said that.

1:05:46 Hell yeah.

1:05:47 He's just He's a mixture, bro. He's putting it on the floor. He has the ability to do the things that those guys do. I didn't say he was as good as any of them. I'm just saying, you said three.

1:05:58 You put three of them together to create him.

1:06:00 He's also a 6'11, 7' big, getting downhill, Giannis. He's also able to pass, shoot, dribble, playmate, Bron. He's also the tallest wing. He's a tall wing. He's a tall wing scorer that's able to put the ball on the floor. and get to Spice and shoot over his defenders.

1:06:20 Kevin Durant. So like I said, he's a mixture of all three.

1:06:23 Why you can't just say a three-level scorer? Like, why did you have to combine?

1:06:27 Because I want to give him a little more credit. Okay, bro. He was like, okay, he got that.

1:06:32 Yeah, but the way he just put it in my head. Pause.

1:06:35 When you named three people, you were like, oh, shit, that motherfucker. You hear me? I'm like, bro. I'm going to tell you this. After I break it down, was I wrong? No. No. Oh, no, you wasn't wrong. Almost. You wasn't wrong, though. You wasn't right either. You wasn't wrong. I see what you did there. I see what you did there. I can't run away from the fact. You wasn't wrong, but you could have named some other people.

1:06:58 That was crazy.

1:06:59 They're like, man, he, Bron, Giannis, and KD put together.

1:07:04 Hey, man, I see it. Whoa. I see it. I see it, bro. Bron, KD, and Giannis put together look a little different. I ain't going to lie. He's just white. That's why it's hard to see it. No, no, no. Honestly, you could have compared three white boys that... It ain't no white boys doing that. Yes, it is. Not like that.

1:07:22 Not doing everything like that. Besides Coop. I'll give you.

1:07:29 Give me Tony Coo Coach.

1:07:31 Cut it out. What? Doing all that? Have you seen Cody Kukoc play? You forgot who the sixth man of the year was? That don't get no fuck out of that. You do.

1:07:39 That was seven foot, left-handed, behind the back, through the legs, step it back, all that.

1:07:44 Find the three-point line, put that bitch in your eye.

1:07:47 I'm going to tell you why you're crying.

1:07:49 My soul and my plan shut.

1:07:52 And my plan.

1:07:53 Listen, they really believe when they seen Kukoc play, In his form tell me remember they broke up the dynasty.

1:08:01 Cuz they believe was given the team to him right there How'd that play out? Yeah?

1:08:06 Yeah, it didn't it didn't pay it out cuz.

1:08:10 They only white boy seen doing that. It's cool.

1:08:14 No We're talking Americans, yeah, okay, boom Tony that's not a man Larry American.

1:08:24 Oh Yeah, you gotta give me Larry. You done threw Braun out there. Why we can't bring Larry out here? Getting on that rim like that? What? Larry was cold as fuck. Nah, I gave you Kukoc to get on the rim. American Caucasian. Yeah, he's American, sweaty. I'm waiting to hear the rest. No, no, no. Because I gotta give you somebody now that can shoot. American. Germanic. Chris Mullins.

1:08:55 The fatherland. Okay. Nah, he's not Chris Mullins. But you're showing.

1:09:00 somebody that can shoot and get they shot off, that's white.

1:09:03 I'm just giving you white men. I said doing everything. Get the fuck out of here. He can hoop. Eddie want to dunk contest. Dunk his shit. You saying dunk his shit. My response is because I feel like they can't hoop. My response is they're.

1:09:19 Not Cooper Flagg.

1:09:20 And Cooper Flag ain't Giannis, Bron, and KD, but that's who you pulled up.

1:09:25 He's a compliment.

1:09:25 I'm pulling up guys that do the skills that you send.

1:09:28 They don't have all three. You're giving me, you named Chris Mullins, all he can.

1:09:32 Do is shoot it.

1:09:33 He could get it off the dribble. He absolutely can, but he's not doing what Cooper Flag is doing.

1:09:37 Because he ain't never had to do it. Probably because he couldn't. I mean, this is evolution. Probably because he could. The chat saying Kelly Trapuka. Kelly who? Kelly Trapuka, old school legend. We'd have been a great team. You know the bad part about it is someone got fired. By what? To enhance his skill.

1:10:04 And I don't think people, they're underestimating Jason Kidd's ability to to see generational game-changing type of players and enhance them with something that they will need to take over the game. Real talk.

1:10:22 When he did it to Giannis, they didn't understand what it is.

1:10:26 Now we see, oh, shit, Giannis has a point guard with the point guard ability coming downhill. He's unguardable as a foreman, right? Because you're just sitting in the paint waiting for him, and he's coming down.

1:10:37 Oh!

1:10:38 Ah!

1:10:39 I can do it both ways. Real talk. Right?

1:10:42 Now, when he did it to Cooper Flagg, every reporter bashed him. Every reporter bashed him. And I said, if I'm going to lose this year.

1:10:51 You're going to lose anyway.

1:10:52 I'm going to enhance him with an ability. Fuck being the three man. You can be the three with point guard skills. If I'm saying be our point guard and you think that is passing... versus just bringing the ball up, being comfortable with the ball in your hand as the best player, making the decisions. If I got to say you're a three, nigga, just go get the ball.

1:11:16 If that helps you, if that helps you cope with it, okay, cool.

1:11:21 But what I'm going to do is give you the ball so you can learn how to dribble, make plays. I need you to be Magic Johnson. But also feel what it's like when people don't space the floor.

1:11:31 Yes, all of it.

1:11:32 When your two and your three is standing right here, and now you as the point guard have no room. It's like now you understand to get the fuck out the point guard way. Give him a target. Give him a pitch ahead, a relay pass. Give him that pass up the sideline. Make shit happen that helps. But it's like he now gets to see what most wings do.

1:11:51 Never get an opportunity to see. There's so many wings that, like, I used to always feel like, Mello, I'm like, this man need to.

1:11:59 Play point guard just one day. That's what was.

1:12:01 Mello?

1:12:02 When I was in New York, that's how I felt. Because I'm like, he can't see the game how I see it. But Mello was the first scorer that I had ever dealt with that'll tell you, dare to your face.

1:12:12 I'm not trying to, fam.

1:12:15 Why do you want me to? Like, you don't want me on the wing, dude? Like, you don't want this shit? Like, you don't want this 35, nigga? You don't want this 40? You don't want it? Like, why do you want me.

1:12:27 To pass to myself? Like, understand what that, I don't care. Give me that. I ain't even asking for a good pass. Bella told me that. He said, I ain't even asking for a good pass, though. Just give me the ball. Just give it to me. And move. And move. Please.

1:12:41 Begging you, Shep.

1:12:42 Make a good cut, too. Make it a good cut, just in case I throw it to you. Right. You know what I'm saying? But move. I got it. Like, and Coop now.

1:12:52 Gets to be, he now understands both sides of that, and I just feel like that calms your game so much. It'll be so much easier for a point guard to be like, no, get out.

1:13:02 He won't take offense. You know what I'm saying? Especially if that guard is Kyrie Irving. Just the idea.

1:13:09 Just think about all the small forwards that had an advantage over everybody.

1:13:13 Magic. People just believe Magic was a point guard that came into the game.

1:13:18 He was a small forward. came in the game as a shooting guard, just to be the guard, was so great at just delivering it, you're going to be our point. But we're going to have two guards that's going to be the one and the two on defense. And they're going to get in the wing.

1:13:33 And do that. Then you have LeBron, Ben Simmons, You still had Lamar Odom, right?

1:13:41 So those guys, Turkoglu, you had the big guy that can make all the decisions, which enhances. It's the Euro style. Think about the Euro right now is small forwards with the ability to play point guard.

1:13:55 But you're right.

1:13:56 We have never actually had a big point guard besides Sean Livingston.

1:14:02 Like a real one was Penny, Sean Livingston.

1:14:05 But I mean a real one in the event where you say, I know he's 6'9. The two-guard is 6'8. The three-man is 6'10. Like, he just a big point guard. Like, he's guarding your point guard. This ain't he offset and matched up. This ain't that. We don't have a defensive specialist in to balance out the lineup.

1:14:26 Like, he's really a point guard. Just Penny. Just Penny, right? 6'7.

1:14:30 That's crazy.

1:14:33 Kade.

1:14:35 Yeah. Kade, Russ. Kade, Russ. Russ was always– Luka this year.

1:14:40 But I'm saying that's not– Luka doesn't guard no points.

1:14:42 I feel like the point guards got bigger. Don't get me wrong.

1:14:44 No, what I'm saying is Luka this year because Austin is the actual two, and then their three– But you said they guarded the point guards.

1:14:49 But their three is the actual three. Lamello's 6'7, too. Yeah. Lamello.

1:14:55 But, I mean, like 6'7-6'10, like usually those guys are, like you said, they're a traditional three.

1:15:00 Yeah. Yeah. And we're kind of fucking the game over. Yeah. You know what I mean?

1:15:05 But it's like, I don't think we've ever had the traditional point guard in a 6'10 guy and then actually put a true two and three and had him actually guarding the point guard.

1:15:16 Yeah, like Pippen in the triangle was guard.

1:15:20 And Michael Jordan was a forward. Ron Harper? In the offense. In the triangle. In the triangle. Ron Harper? 6'6. Oh, yeah, he was 6'6. 6'6.

1:15:29 I mean, that was the first. People didn't look at that. Like, if you go back to Phil Jackson, all Phil Jackson guards were 6'4 and above. That's what he liked. That's why I wouldn't play with Paul. He would enjoy it. He liked the big point guards. Yeah, he liked the big point guards because they can play too. So if you look at him, they're just corner guys. Pippen was the point. He was the point forward. But he played in the offense.

1:15:56 He's technically a shooting guard.

1:15:58 Michael Jordan's a small forward in the corner, and he's coming up.

1:16:02 Where was Kukoc? Power forward. Oh, okay. But he was coming off the bench. Oh, okay. I was just, you know. But if you look at it, the triangle off there. Scotty, MJ, and Kukoc let the team assist.

1:16:13 Like the triangle is a two-guard front right up front. Oh, we ran it in New York.

1:16:19 And then if you look where Michael Jordan and Kobe was, they're.

1:16:22 Coming from the– And Mike would dive into that forward spot and post up right away.

1:16:28 For sure. Damn. You might watch some tape, boy. Shit, when you have the ability, everybody, you got to watch the tape all the time. Man, what?

1:16:39 So, quick, before we move on, what kind of dynamic playmaking duo could Cooper Flagg and Kyrie become in Dallas for as long as Kyrie's there? I know you guys think that Kyrie may not stay there for long, but you got the Duke Brotherhood together. Looks like they are working in unison with each other.

1:16:54 I mean.

1:16:56 I don't know. Man, Kyrie's a showstopper, man. Business is always business to me. And I know Dallas, you lost a lot with Luka. Now you got a showstopper. I'm sure you got two of them who's going to be bringing crowds in.

1:17:15 I'm going to use Kyrie.

1:17:17 I need Kyrie as long as he's willing.

1:17:20 To be here, teach him something. Because Kyrie's a student. And anybody who's willing to learn how to play the game the right way and understand how to, like, enhance it, he is the perfect guy that's going to be detailed with you. I'm going to keep him around as long as he wants to be here.

1:17:38 Right? And I know he's going to want to, you know, keep his legacy moving forward. But I'm going to try to hold on to him as long as possible to help Coop. Like, with just understanding this game.

1:17:50 Yeah.

1:17:51 And you talk about that legacy. We talk about the Mavs. Kyrie got hurt. Mavs still broke bread. Obviously, you know, like they've seemed supportive of him. And I think they would give him the option if he wants to move on.

1:18:00 I can see. I can see.

1:18:01 They were supportive before that. But now, let's build something together. So you talk about basketball legacy. You could turn this franchise around from a 12 seed in the West, get Cooper Flagg to that superstar level, and turn this franchise around.

1:18:15 Who they be? Not to me. Who they be? They got Gafford very lively. Gafford.

1:18:21 They got motherfuckers that's just going to win.

1:18:23 I got some good players. Santi Aldama. They got Zachary Udishashe. They got Max. They got the Sergio DeLaro. Two guys like that, I just, they need a big.

1:18:32 That's why I didn't want to get rid of Anthony Davis so early.

1:18:35 I said once everybody got hurt. But he's not the right big, though.

1:18:38 But I'm saying once everybody got hurt, I was like, ooh, shit, this is a, let Cooper go through this year.

1:18:45 A.D.

1:18:45 Comes back healthy.

1:18:46 Kyrie comes back healthy.

1:18:48 P.J. 's Washington's still there. If I had Claire not got rid of him, stay, he's there.

1:18:53 Now I got... Find a shooter. Now I got that whole big-ass lineup. Like... They got a ton of fours on them, Ross.

1:18:59 If it was me, I would have kept it together, too, and I would have.

1:19:02 Just one year. I need one healthy year to see what I have. What you call... I just... When I look at them....

1:19:12 At the end of the game, the indecision comes because they don't have a big.

1:19:17 You get what I'm saying? On defense or offense? Offense. Oh, no, no, no.

1:19:22 End of the game. That number 11, that 1-1?

1:19:26 Yeah. Give it to him. Get the hell out of the way.

1:19:29 He'll figure out the big, the little, the small.

1:19:32 Y'all just said that you wanted to develop Coop. You can't do that. To develop Coop, he has to shoot these shots. He has to be in these positions. Oh, no, no. That's coming later. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We ain't going to take it. We ain't going to lose.

1:19:46 We ain't going to lose.

1:19:47 We ain't going to lose. We ain't going to lose. We ain't going to lose. We ain't going to lose. We ain't going to lose. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Sit right there. Yuka Hoop, too. Yuka Hoop, I like your game. We're going to draw up something for you to find, Kyrie. Real talk. Real talk.

1:20:12 But, I mean, it seems like they can work together. Put Flag in those positions throughout the season. But you got Kyrie, who you know can close game shop. You know better than anybody.

1:20:19 Yeah. When it's winning time. Oh, yeah. Now, Coop gets to watch that and see. I just think they need a big.

1:20:25 If they had a big, I wouldn't even be selling them to, like, entertain the trade.

1:20:30 But it's like, I get it. Huh? He doesn't. Who? Gafford. Oh, yeah. He plays his position right. No, he's a good big. He plays his position right.

1:20:40 You need a big that has a demand for the ball.

1:20:44 No, you don't. Yes, you do. Not in today's game. Cool. No, you don't. Derek Lively's status is still uncertain. But? But?

1:20:52 How many teams got a big that they can get a ball to? It's probably four.

1:21:00 Philly. San Antonio.

1:21:01 Denver.

1:21:01 Who else? Who else? See, how you going to name all my answers? See what's wild about him?

1:21:14 He's going to ask me who and then take off anybody that's available.

1:21:20 You want to play that?

1:21:21 No, 82 and 0 got you fucked up.

1:21:23 This 82 and 0 shit got you fucked up.

1:21:26 Yeah, that's him.

1:21:27 82 and 0 game. He want to play that game where he get to decide who I can pull from.

1:21:33 This era, this team. You can't say that.

1:21:36 You know what I'm saying?

1:21:38 He ain't done took all the bigs. But yeah, you can give.

1:21:44 Him any of them. Get him any of them. Get him bam.

1:21:49 Get him one person that demands it.

1:21:51 You're naming a handful of bigs. But I'm saying these are bigs. That's six bigs at most that you could throw the ball to.

1:21:56 There's only eight playoff spots. You know what I'm saying?

1:22:00 Like, you know what I mean? How many NBA teams is it since we're going to get tech?

1:22:03 That's what I'm saying.

1:22:04 It's only eight playoff spots.

1:22:06 What Josh said, they only try.

1:22:08 To be good in the West. Fine in the West. You got to be fine in the West. That's all it is. This summer, hey, we need to work on your post. Well, them six I just named ain't going to the map. You said you would put them in the post. This summer? Oh, next summer. Yeah, coming into the next summer. Very forward. Put him in the post. Yeah, it's time. Put him in the post because if he is seven foot on the court, I'm going to be able to score from him. I'm going to have you, whoever.

1:22:35 Guards you, you get to play the inside-outside game with him.

1:22:37 I have to every night. Right? So if Wimby got you, play on the outside. Right? If they put a smaller guy on you, let's go to the post. And just fuck it, everybody. Just... Real talk. Offset it. Offset.

1:22:49 We will see how the Mavs fare, but good to have Kyrie back. Shout out to everybody watching the chat. Almost 21,000 people in the chat on this glorious Monday.

1:22:57 If you have not done.

1:22:58 So already, chat, go ahead and hit that like button and that subscribe button. Let's try to get these likes up, get these numbers up to start this week. NBA season officially tips off next week. Let's get the numbers rolling so we can roll right into the season.

1:23:09 Zach, you're right. Zach Lee. Zach Lee. Don't even. Don't even. Yeah, I'm hating it. Don't say his name, man. No, Sergio DeLara, I'm telling you. DeLaria. That's from the Hawks, right? What? Rizashe from the Hawks, but Sergio DeLaria from Spain. Don't say his name ever. Don't. You know what's funny about that, though?

1:23:26 Why would I say that?

1:23:26 These conversations about, you know, are the Euros better than the Americans?

1:23:31 They don't never mention him. You know why? They never mention him.

1:23:34 It was too busy bashing Bronny for nepotism that they forgot there was a number one pick that they never even mentioned.

1:23:42 Who, Zachary E. Sachet?

1:23:43 Yeah, you remember, he got drafted.

1:23:46 Number one?

1:23:47 He's been asked ever since, so there's no point of even mentioning him now. You didn't want to mention him when he got drafted, when the pressure was on, the number one pick. Y'all went straight to the 55th.

1:23:57 Mr.

1:23:58 55th, y'all went all the way down there for a nigga who don't make the team, wasn't going to play much. You killed him, and there was a whole number one pick.

1:24:07 Just... Chillin' and relaxin'. Gil, I don't think Research A's ass, I think he's aspiring to get better. Hey, that's how you look at it. Cut. He's still putting to work and got a new situation here with Doug. Where he at? He's with the Mavs. I know he a grown-up, man. He's with the Mavs. He a grown-up.

1:24:23 That's the thing. He's with another number one pick. So he gets to hide again.

1:24:28 Man, talking about a grown-up. That is unbelievable, Joe.

1:24:32 All right, well, let's... So, dang, that was the quickest trade of a number one pick ever.

1:24:37 In the history of number one picks. How long was he in Atlanta? Two years?

1:24:41 His rookie deal ain't up. I'm just saying. Average 10-4 last season. Go 67 games. 46% from the field. 37% from three.

1:24:54 I'm not going.

1:24:55 You say you average 10-4? 9.6.

1:24:59 Round up. Round up. 9.6. Round up. It's closer to 10 than it is to 9. He just got drafted last year. 24-25 season. He said the athleticism over here was not like France. The old country. He's figuring it out. I thought they had it figured out over there, man.

1:25:18 Yeah, I don't know why that argument be coming up.

1:25:21 They never mention him. It's only Wimby. No, they got their standout. Everybody going to have their standout guy.

1:25:29 The countries?

1:25:30 Yeah, they never mention the number one pick, though. He was the number one pick. They don't talk about him.

1:25:35 Because they got Wimby. Who do you mean? If you put him and Wimby together, you still have a very good draft class. No, but I'm saying you got to win me as the number one pick, too. You think you're on the national team?

1:25:47 Hell no. Hell no, he wasn't on the national team. He's the number one, but he has to be on the national team. On the 2020? On this one? What's the kid's name? Zach? Exactly who you said. Sorry, whatever it is. I don't know how to say his last name. Also from France. Yeah. No, he's not on that national. Stop.

1:26:06 He wasn't. Stop. He played with the national team. When did he play with the national team? I think FIBA qualifiers, I believe, in 2025. I said nothing. I said nothing. Oh, my God. He was on the FIBA team? According to the internet, yeah. You know I don't watch. He's like his arm done. Zachary, he's not sharing.

1:26:29 But speaking of. We hope Research A figures things out. Speaking of figuring things out, you ever have those weeks where you're doing the same stuff you always do, same work schedules, same workouts, same routine, but somehow everything feels harder? You wake up tired. The gym feels heavy. Your energy is off. And you're sitting there like, why do I feel like I'm moving through mud right now? That's the type of stuff men don't always talk about, but a lot of guys start feeling it as they get older.

1:26:52 That's where Mars Man comes in. Shout out to Marsman. Marsman is designed to support.

1:26:58 Healthy testosterone levels, energy, focus, strength, and stamina. No synthetics, no needles, just a daily supplement designed to help your body optimize what it already has. And it's not like that quick coffee buzz where you feel good for a second and crash later. Mars Men is designed for more consistent, natural energy and drive throughout the day. It's made in the U.S., third-party tested, and now available at GNC nationwide. Plus, they have a 90-day money-back guarantee, so there's no risk trying it. And for a limited time, our listeners can get a bottle or can get 50% off for life.

1:27:29 Plus free shipping and three free gifts at mengotomars.com. That's mengotomars.com for 50% off and three free gifts when you check out. After you purchase, they'll ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them Gil's Arena sent you. Shout out to Mars Men. You guys had some Mars Men last week. Hurry up and buy.

1:27:49 You had some Mars Men last week.

1:27:52 I took one before the show.

1:27:53 I know you did. I can tell. Your testosterone did look boosted. We at that age now. You got to get the Mark, man. Man, go to Mark.

1:28:00 You still got 2% body fat.

1:28:05 Sometimes you need a boost. All right. Shout out to Mark, man. Man, go to Mark.com.