Sports
The State of Kuminga and LeBron's Decision of All Decisions
In this episode of 'On the Ball,' Rick Buker delves into Jonathan Kaminga's recent contract with the Golden State Warriors and the implications for his role on the team. He also reflect...
The State of Kuminga and LeBron's Decision of All Decisions
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Welcome to On the Ball with Rick Buker.
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Here's your host.
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My son did a little Rick Buker.
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Rick Buker.
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This is On the Ball on the United Weekass Network and I am Rick Buker.
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You can see me on FS1 and hear me on Fox Sports Radio.
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Coming in May, you will be able to read me again in the form of my third book.
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Stay tuned for when you can pre-order your copy.
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I'm a lot of places, but there's only one place you can hear me talking about story angles and perspectives
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that you are not likely to find anywhere else, primarily but not exclusively involving the NBA.
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And that is here.
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Okay, it has been a while since I posted a new episode of On the Ball and I apologize for that.
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Obviously you've probably seen that it's not like I've been sloughing, but rather busy putting out other podcasts.
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A second one, Full Court Passport with co-host Boston Knockbar.
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If you haven't seen or heard it, check it out.
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Visually on nofilter.net or on YouTube on the United We Cast channel.
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And audio wherever you're getting on the ball.
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And let me know if Full Court Passport is not appearing in your usual podcast platforms or on your usual podcast platforms,
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and I will get it remedied.
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Now, there can always be hiccups starting a new show and proper distribution is sometimes one of them.
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That's why I ask.
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I'm also doing a third show.
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This one with co-host Brendan Haywood, former Tar Heel, champion with the Dallas Mavericks,
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color commentator on both college and NBA broadcast this season.
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Full Court Passport is all about international basketball.
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The foreign stars in the NBA, past and present, the Americans playing overseas,
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and the young up and coming foreign talent that you may one day see in the NBA.
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We hope to tell you all about the next Victor Women Yama or Nicola Yokic,
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well before they get their name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver,
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or in the case of a Yokic, the second round picks Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum.
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But on the ball is still going to be just me.
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Tackling topics or giving perspectives, as I say, that you're not likely to find anywhere else.
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And so I want to start with the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kaminga,
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finally signing the team friendly, trade friendly deal that the Warriors have had on the table for pretty much the entire summer.
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Yes, they sweetened it by a couple of million dollars for the first year.
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But that was, as I see it, a face saving gesture for the agent,
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who couldn't come back to his client and say that he didn't get anything out of the stalemate
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and all the uncertainty and anxiety that I'm sure it produced for Kaminga all summer long.
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Normally, these type of deals for a restrictive free agent don't take all summer.
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They get an offer sheet. The offer sheet is either matched or he's on his way to a new team.
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Something happens in order to push the envelope.
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None of that happened with Kaminga.
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And that's one thing that I hope fans understand.
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Yes, professional athletes make wads of money.
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And for NBA players, it is almost always guaranteed that they get all of it
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once they sign on the dotted line.
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But the stress of waiting to get that contract to sign.
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The number being the difference between being comfortable for the rest of their lives
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or securing the future of themselves and their children,
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and maybe their children's children, is the same as any of us waiting for a life-changing moment to happen.
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It doesn't change. If you were sitting there thinking I might have my life taking care of
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for the rest of my life financially, be secure for the rest of my life
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and you're waiting for that to happen.
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And you think it's going to happen. There's a good chance it's going to happen
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but you're not really a thousand percent sure.
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That can be some anxiety or it certainly can be anxiety producing.
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And while some of the media are painting this as some sort of massive win for Kaminga,
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the deal is essentially what the team wanted all along.
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It's only one year guaranteed with the team holding the option on the second year.
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And here's the heart of it with Kaminga and the Warriors.
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Two things can be true and in this case they are.
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Kaminga is a good talented player.
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By all sources that I have, he's also a good guy.
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And he can be a starter in this league, no question.
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But he is not a good fit and therefore not a starter on the Warriors.
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And his hope is to be paid like one.
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You could argue that even at $22 some million, he is being paid like one.
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Might be a supporting cast starter but a starter nonetheless.
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But in this case, with these Warriors, he is simply not ideally suited to be a supporting cast member
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around Steph Curry, Dremon Green and Jimmy Butler, or at least he hasn't demonstrated that ability to this point.
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Because it is hard for him to impact the game without the ball in his hands.
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Or again, I will say it has been.
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I want to leave the door open for the possibility.
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Remote as it might seem.
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And remote as the Warriors are indicating it is because of the contract that they offered him.
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It's hard to imagine that he is going to be there long term.
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His skill set is just not built for being a complimentary player, at least not in Golden State system.
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They need someone who is willing and able to get the ball from the other team via rebounds and steals,
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who can score with one touch without a dribble, and who is consistent and reliable.
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As in Steve Curry knows, what he is going to get from Kaminga, Knight in, and Knight out in limited minutes.
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And that's simply not what Jonathan has been to this point.
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He shoots less than 30% on 3s from the corners.
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He was 11th on the team in rebounds, and 18th in steals per 36 minutes.
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That's balancing out the fact that his minutes may not have not been all that healthy.
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But if he were playing 36 minutes, this is where he would rank.
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His efficiency, his productivity for the number of minutes that he gets is not good.
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Gary Payton, the second, is a more efficient rebounder than Kaminga.
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Brandon Pajemski is as good of a rebounder per 36 minutes as Kaminga.
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I just named two guards.
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Kaminga switches from one forward position to the other.
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He's 6'8", 210", 15 pounds, 3 inches taller than Pajemski, 6 inches taller than Payton.
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And has a great vertical.
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No reason why he can't be a better rebounder than he has been to this point.
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Now, the takeaways from the Warriors' first preseason game versus the Los Angeles Lakers.
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As far as Kaminga is concerned, one, Kerr and the Warriors are going to do everything they can to give him a chance to show what he can do.
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He came in off the bench and was the featured offensive player,
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sharing the floor with the likes of Pat Spencer, Gary Payton, the second, Buddy Heal and Alhorfer.
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And Kaminga delivered, had the starter kit of a triple double, 5 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds, and 15 minutes.
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The per 36 minutes would look very, very good if he were able to keep that up.
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And that last category might have been the most important.
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He was as active on the boards and chasing rebounds or tipping them out as I've ever seen him.
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The Warriors played through him, they got him in the ball, in the mid post, on the left side of the floor,
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and he did a nice job of attacking when there was space behind the defender and kicking it when there wasn't.
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He was decisive, and again, something that we hadn't always readily seen in the past.
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Kerr then had him play for a stretch with the starters.
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And while the collective showing was kind of clunky, saved only by Steph being in mid season form,
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getting the ball and launching deep threes in a nanosecond that hit nothing but net.
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The ball was barely in his hands.
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Defender still closing on him, and it's out of his hands gone and nothing but net, ripping the courts.
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I don't know if he can still reach peak Steph Curry in every facet of the game, but in that aspect, in that facet,
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he certainly is still capable.
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And that's one of the things, one of the many things that I will miss when he's no longer around.
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No one quite hits those kind of shots the way that he does.
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As I said, the warriors are trying to make this, clearly trying to make this work with Kaminga,
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trying to whether it's showcasing for a trade, and it is a very trade-friendly deal,
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but they're trying to make it work.
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They're trying to give him opportunity, both as either the mainstay in the second unit,
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or finding a way to contribute with the starters.
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But you know who else is trying to make it work?
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Kaminga is too.
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His role with the first unit is to use his length and athleticism to rebound and defend,
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and he did that against Lakers, again, about as well as I've seen him.
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Now granted, it's a preseason game.
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It's the first of the year for the warriors, excuse me,
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and the Lakers were not playing LeBron James, Lucodoncic or Austin Reeves.
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But that could have also been reason for Kaminga not to go hard,
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and show that he could be a worker bee.
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And that was not the case.
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He put the effort and the energy in to do the blue collar work.
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And I wish I could say with all that, that there is a scenario in which,
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if Dremon green falters, and his age was very much showing against the Lakers.
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He started at center, the warriors went small,
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Dremon started at center against Deandre Aiton,
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and went one for six, for two points, and three rebounds in 14 and a half minutes.
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But here's the problem with the idea that Kaminga could slide into that spot,
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that Dremon may have trouble holding on to,
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is that Kaminga simply doesn't have the chemistry or the skills to play with staff affected.
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Dremon still had five assists, I believe, in large part,
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because of his ability to find staff as staff is working off the ball.
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But Al Horford, the new acquisition of Late from the Boston Celtics,
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was the first big off the bench coming in from Moses Moody,
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and it will be interesting to see as we go forward, who has the bigger role.
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Horford or Kaminga.
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Now I believe the warriors, certainly owner Joe Laker,
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but the warriors I think collectively, would love for it to be Kaminga.
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But Horford's skill set is just a better fit.
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He's a three point threat, more so than Kaminga,
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and his passing is superior.
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Positionally, probably defense too.
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What Kaminga showed against the Lakers,
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could tilt the scales in the other direction when it comes to defensive impact.
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Both of them showed that they could block shots.
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Kaminga was, as I said, lively on the boards,
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in a way that Horford, I think, at this point,
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is more of a positional or phone booth rebounder.
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If it comes to his area, he's strong enough,
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and smart enough to be able to get it.
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Kaminga, because of his athleticism,
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should be able to rebound outside of his area.
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And it's not just a matter of how high you can jump,
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or how long you reach.
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It's a matter of anticipation,
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and being able to cover the floor.
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Again, Jonathan has the ability to do it.
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It's just, for one reason or another,
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sometimes it's instincts.
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Guys, don't have them.
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Some guys do.
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Doesn't come down to size when it comes to instincts.
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Your ability to be able to track the ball,
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be able to get a step in the right direction,
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anticipate where it's going.
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That is a huge bonus and benefit,
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and can be the difference maker for someone as a rebounder.
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The best rebounding guards have that ability.
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And while Kaminga is not a guard,
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for the position that he's playing,
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he's often going to be operating from somewhere
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other than directly underneath the basket.
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By the way, let's pour one out for Brony James.
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In this Lakers Warriors preseason game,
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only Dalton Kneck played more minutes for the Lakers,
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and Brony had, as many turnovers as points,
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five of each in 23 minutes.
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No one looked more out of their element,
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and I say that with no joy.
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It has to suck for the kid,
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because opponents are seizing on that fact
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at every opportunity,
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and just after coming off of a game
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against the Phoenix Suns,
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where in spite of what it looked like to most of us,
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J.J. Reddick praising Brony in terms of looking more comfortable,
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this game he did not look comfortable at all.
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And it has to suck for the kid,
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because opponents are seizing on the fact
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that he looks out of his element,
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and they are seizing on it at every opportunity.
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The Warriors trapped him a couple times as he crossed half-court,
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and they simply ripped the ball out of his hands.
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More than once, his teammates looked him off on opportunities
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to swing the ball to him for a three.
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Now, I consider this a pivotal year for him,
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to get on the floor and show that he has
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at least the potential to be an NBA player,
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because while he signed a three-year deal,
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the third year is a team option.
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And I'd say the clock is ticking on Dalton Knecht as well.
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All that talk about the rest of the league missing on him
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has quieted down considerably.
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This is where the Lakers are.
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They are, whether they will acknowledge it or not,
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they are in transition.
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They are in full transition,
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and the guys that are on the roster,
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particularly the young guys,
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are essentially trying out to see if they should be
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part of the Lakers squad that goes forward,
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built around Luka D'Age.
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When it comes to Dalton Knecht,
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I have not heard a whisper about them signing him
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to an extension at this point,
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and he is extension eligible.
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And unlike Ronnie, he's the first round pick.
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Normally, at this point,
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there's some conversation about whether the two sides
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plan to go forward.
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Dalton is a decent shooter,
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but he struggles to score anywhere,
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but from beyond the arc,
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and he remains a liability on defense.
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And he's 24 years old.
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Bronny is 21.
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At 24,
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I don't know, you certainly has got room to get better,
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but that generally happens with guys
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who have tremendous athletic ability
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and need to get their skills up to par.
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I don't want to close the door on Dalton getting better
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by any means,
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but all of this really depends on what happens
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with LeBron after this season.
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And we're going to get to the LeBron situation in a minute.
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The Lakers may be ready to move on
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from all the additions that they made
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that were meant to serve this James family business.
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That decision on those additions
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will be made after this season.
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If they're not already being made.
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The tap dancing has begun
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when it comes to the subject of LeBron James' future
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with the Lakers, by the way.
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There is no one who is more creative than GM Rob Polinca
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when it comes to talking
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as if he is in 100% in support of something
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or someone without actually committing himself
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to providing that support.
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Here's what he had to say on the subject
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of LeBron's future with the Lakers beyond this season.
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I think we've talked before.
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The first thing we want to do in terms of LeBron
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and his future is just give him absolute respect
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to choose his story with his family in terms of how many years
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he's going to continue to play.
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He's earned that right
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and he's the best one to talk about that
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in terms of how many years he'd like to play.
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But we were very intentional this summer
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in terms of the pieces we add with Luca and LeBron
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once LeBron opted in,
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making sure that they had the necessary pieces around them
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to be on a really competitive strong team.
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And we built into that and for that.
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In terms of the future, obviously, again,
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with what I started your question with.
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First things first would be for him to be able to make the decision
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he wants to in terms of how long he wants to play.
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We're going to continue to honor and respect that
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and let him speak into that.
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You kind of answered that.
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I just want to put a point out that though,
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if he was interested in extending beyond this year,
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are the Lakers interested in having LeBron James as part of the team?
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Yeah, I think I said before in a previous question,
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we would love if LeBron's story would be to retire as a Laker.
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Or that'd be a positive story.
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Okay, allow me to translate.
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When it comes time,
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the Lakers are going to ask LeBron,
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do you still want to play?
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And depending on what he says,
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they will say,
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this is what we're willing to do.
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It's your choice.
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You can do whatever you want.
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This is what we plan to do with you.
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This is what we're thinking with Bronnie, etc., etc.
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You get to choose what you want to do.
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There's a little bit different,
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there's a difference between having choices
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and being able to dictate things.
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For a very long time,
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LeBron James has always been able to dictate
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what he wants,
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when he wants it,
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how he wants it.
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That is not going to be the case
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with the Lakers going forward.
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He's going to be allowed to write his story,
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but the Lakers are the ones
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that are going to be providing the pen,
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and the color of the ink,
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and everything else,
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and the piece of paper,
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and how many sentences.
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There's going to be some control here
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over exactly what LeBron is going to get,
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and what he's been going to be able to do,
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and who he's going to be playing with,
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going forward.
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And that's going to be,
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that's going to be the difficulty here.
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And I'm sure that LeBron already senses
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that it's headed in that direction.
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And there's no reason for the Lakers to be direct now,
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because there's nothing to gain,
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and a whole lot to lose,
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by making it clear,
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that the tables,
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if they haven't turned,
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that the dynamic is different now.
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There's nothing to be gained
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from impressing upon him,
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that he's not as important as he once was.
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That serves no purpose,
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and would only piss him off,
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but pay attention to how Polinka phrased
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that second question about,
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would they be interested in keeping him?
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He said that,
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yeah, we would like it if LeBron's story was,
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that he retired a Laker.
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That would be a positive story.
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There are just much more forceful ways to say,
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if the Lakers were indeed interested,
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keeping LeBron and any cost going forward,
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saying exactly that,
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we're gonna do everything in our power
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to make sure that LeBron James retires as a Laker.
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This is a much more passive approach to it.
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Yeah, we hope that LeBron chooses
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to retire as a Laker.
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That's the translation,
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but it's really a choice
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that LeBron is going to have to make.
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And why would there be a choice?
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Well,
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because the terms and the conditions
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may not be exactly what LeBron would want going forward.
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So there is that question.
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Is the story going to end as nicely as everyone hopes?
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And again, it's the positive story.
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It's not about basketball.
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It's about how do we navigate this
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so that everybody walks away from it relatively happy?
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The problem with saying that they're gonna do everything
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in their power to make sure that LeBron retires
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as a Laker is that they've then,
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at some point, I'm gonna have to pony up to do that.
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Letting LeBron write his story
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with his family means they are going to present
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and presumably,
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Bronny with options contractually.
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And they can choose to exercise them or not.
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Now, LeBron, for his part,
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appears to be creating as much leverage as he possibly can
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to still have things his way.
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The Lakers held Donutschich out
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of the first two preseason games
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because he played for Slovenia and Eurobasket
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just a few weeks ago.
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But he was a full participant
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in the first team practices of training camp.
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And at least according to JJ Reddick,
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that Donutschich looked good, went hard,
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they just decided we need to be smart with him.
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Okay.
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LeBron, meanwhile, showed up for the first day of training camp
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with nerve irritation in a glute muscle.
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That was the report.
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And according to Reddick,
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he is on his own workout program.
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LeBron is.
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But is not doing anything with the team
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and there is no timetable yet for when he will.
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All of this in this scenario allows LeBron
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to sort of survey what's going on.
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And maybe it's the skeptic in me.
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But anytime I hear of an injury
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that I've never heard of ever before,
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it makes me a little suspicious
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when we don't get more detail in terms of how it happened,
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how severe it is, what it means.
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Like a lot of questions around this.
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A lot of gray area in terms of what the recovery is.
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And again, not to be a cynic,
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but this gives LeBron a tremendous amount of control.
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How injured is he really?
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Is the question.
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We don't know.
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All right.
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So this allows LeBron to survey what's going on.
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What the plan is for him.
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How he's playing, how he's feeling,
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and then dip in and out of availability,
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depending on what he wants to do.
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And I say all this because I've seen other players play
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this exact card.
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And so I know that LeBron is familiar with it.
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Have an injury, particularly when you're not sure
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exactly where you are with your team
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and whether you want to stay there or not.
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Jimmy Butler, great example.
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Was doing a lot of that.
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And Miami has done it for the last couple of years in Miami.
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I could go back to Sam Kassel,
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or never forget, George Carle saying,
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I just need Sam to tell me when he's going to be available
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and when he's not.
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And I just wish he would tell me in advance,
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rather than day of the game,
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whether I'm going to have him or not.
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So,
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Lakers in this case have no choice but to go along with it.
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And I don't have the audio of Reddick's press conference
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when he talked about LeBron's injury,
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but it's clear that the team is not charting LeBron's course.
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He is.
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And now we have LeBron's post announcing a second decision
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coming on Tuesday, October 7th.
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It's a clip,
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sought on social media.
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LeBron walks into a gym,
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sits cross from an older black man already seated,
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who is not identified,
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and who I did not recognize.
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I would have expected Mav Carter or Rich Paul,
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his agent to be sitting in that chair,
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and it wasn't either of them.
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Unless Mav has aged tremendously since I last saw him.
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And I don't think that's the case.
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The text on the social media post reads,
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the decision of all decisions,
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October 7th, 12 p.m. EST,
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and then it's followed by a salute emoji and a crown emoji.
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Now, as a businessman, it's brilliant.
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There will be 24 hours of speculation,
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and buzz, and talk show conversation.
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As he announced, this is his last year.
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Is it a promotion for Amazon's Prime Day,
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which he has promoted before?
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Is it a shoe drop?
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There's no real way of knowing,
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because LeBron has always liked creating an air of mystery
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around whatever he is doing,
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and he's not at all afraid to toy with his fans' emotions
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if it comes to that.
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Which is why,
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as savvy as it might be from a grab the spotlight,
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and get the hype train rolling perspective,
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anything short of it being an announcement,
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that this will be his last season,
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is going to come off as unfitting for a basketball icon.
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The decision of all decisions can't be an ad.
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That should be reserved for when he announces his retirement,
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and only for when he announces his retirement
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at this stage of his career.
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Not even going back to Cleveland,
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warrants the decision of all decisions.
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There's only one left that that fittingly applies to.
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Exiting Stage Right,
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the decision to do that,
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after all these years,
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that is the decision of all decisions.
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The uncertainty about what this is about,
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as much as LeBron fans aren't going to like this,
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illustrates the difference between LeBron and Michael Jordan,
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one of many.
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As successful as LeBron has been as a businessman,
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Michael Jordan has been far more successful despite,
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and I would argue because,
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he maintained a clear line of delineation
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between his business and basketball.
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Mike's authenticity and his credibility
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are what made the line be like Mike so powerful.
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It wasn't just about who he was as a basketball player,
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or what he accomplished on the court.
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It was about his aura, his presence.
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Mike wasn't a saint by any means,
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but he never professed to be.
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He never, ever tried to tell us he was something that he wasn't.
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When he returned from retirement the first time,
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he released a simple two-word announcement through his agent.
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The statement, I'm back.
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He didn't announce that he would be making an announcement in 24 hours.
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He just did it.
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His announced return from a second retirement
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was delayed by two weeks,
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but that was because it was originally scheduled for September 11, 2001,
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and we all know what happened that day.
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The day that's the day the world trade towers came down.
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Again, his message was simple.
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Made the announcement two weeks later,
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out of respect for the victims of that tragic event.
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And again, when he did come back,
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when he did make his announcement, his message was simple.
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I am returning as a player to the game I love.
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In all of it, there was never a question about what he meant.
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You never had to wonder where Jordan's head was at
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or why he was doing or saying something.
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Even when he announced his second retirement,
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he was honest, saying,
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I never say never, but 99.9%.
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As in, I'm 99.9% sure that this is it.
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I'm not coming back again.
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But he also said,
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desire is always going to be there.
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If the desire is not there,
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the love was never there.
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And it's desire, as in the desire to compete,
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which is why he acquiesced to then Wizard's owner,
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Abe Paulin, to unretire a second time
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to help the struggling franchise that he was helping run.
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He didn't come back in order to gain more accolades
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or any of that.
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And it should be noted that when he did come back,
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Jordan signed a two-year, $1 million deal
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and donated it all of it to the victims of 9-11.
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He made it clear it wasn't about the money
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and he backed that up with the contract that he signed.
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The Wizards for whatever they were,
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whatever Jordan was,
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they certainly got their money's worth
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and then some from him,
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both with the contract that he signed
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and the fact that he did not make a dime playing for them.
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He made it clear that this wasn't adding to his legacy
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or his bank account.
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It was playing to help the team that he had watched
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for a couple years from the executive suite.
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His actions and his words have always been in perfect alignment,
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whether you like them or not.
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It's why the Jordan brand has had such unrivaled lasting power.
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Now, LeBron almost seems to want us to question
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or wonder what he's doing or saying all the time,
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which is great for immediate bounce and marketing and attention.
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But I'm not so sure it's great for long-term brand integrity.
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And I will be shocked if his name and promotional power
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comes anywhere close to Jordan's once LeBron is no longer playing.
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For now, both he and the Lakers are in a tough spot.
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I don't care what the numbers or his sick of fans in the media say,
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he is no longer a superstar.
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He is now merely a star.
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His IQ and his size are still going to allow him
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to carve out a decent looking box score.
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And also his free reign to duty once when he's on the floor.
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I don't know if there's ever going to be a point where JJ Reddick says,
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pass the ball or we're not running that or that's not a good shot,
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whatever it may be.
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He still has that carte blanche.
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And I don't begrudge him that, not saying that he shouldn't.
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I would imagine he has that until the day that he does retire.
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But nonetheless, it is a benefit to somebody who is trying to produce
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and that you get to make all the decisions that are in your best interest.
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So I would fully expect that he's still going to post respectable, admirable,
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impressive even numbers.
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But they are not going to be impactful in the same way that they have been in the past.
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And certainly not at the level of a $52.5 million player
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or the kind of impact that Luca is going to need from his co-star.
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And Nor should any of this be expected from LeBron, saying that he's underwhelming
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or that he's underperforming.
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He's 40 years old.
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He will turn 41 at the end of December.
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It's remarkable that he still can do what he does.
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But he has to be incredibly clever to get his offensive numbers
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and he can't afford to expend energy on defense.
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He no longer gets to the free throw line with any consistency.
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And please don't be fooled by his second team all NBA selection last year.
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That was a byproduct of so many stars not playing the wreck
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was at 65 games to be eligible.
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And I would argue some nostalgia and throw in the obsession
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and fixation on offensive numbers telling the tale of a player's impact.
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Because if we add in defense,
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and I believe that if you're one of the top 10 players in the league,
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you've got to be a two-way player unless you're just extraordinary offensively.
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I mean, Shay Gilges Alexander without the defense level extraordinary.
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Anthony Edwards extraordinary offensively.
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And I would not say LeBron was equal to either one of those guys.
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Kevin Durant offensively.
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I could go down the list.
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Guys that are truly elite, elite offensively.
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And that's just not where LeBron is at this stage.
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He's amazing for 40 going on 41.
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And defensively, he looks very much like a 40 to 41 year old player.
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Steph Curry received the same recognition from any of the same reasons.
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And quite honestly, I have my questions about that he deserved it.
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I'm hard pressed to say either Steph or LeBron is among the top 10 players in the league at this point.
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And I'm sure that's going to tick off plenty of LeBron and Steph Curry fans,
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but so be it.
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All around impact on the game, ability to lead a team.
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You're top 10.
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I don't care who you have around you.
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Your team should be in playoff contention.
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Steph, without Jimmy Butler, was nowhere close to playoff contention.
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That's not where he is right now.
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And again, I don't fault him.
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He's giving you everything he possibly can.
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I would say LeBron is too.
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They're both giving you everything they possibly can at their advanced age.
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It doesn't mean I need to buy into the idea that they are the same as they ever were or give them a pass
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because they are doing everything they possibly can with what they have left.
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This is a cruel, brutal business when it comes to playing in the NBA.
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It's what can you do, not what you've done, and not how much you're giving of what you can do.
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It's what can you get done?
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And the proof is in the putting in terms of where these teams have been the last couple of years.
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They're simply not those players that they were for the better parts of their careers.
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They have moments.
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They have stretches where they still reach that level.
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But the variance between their best and their worst is much greater than it's ever been.
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And variance in performance is not an all NBA team trait.
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I just pray that this doesn't become a season long drama over whether or not LeBron is going to be available.
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And is this going to be his last season?
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The decision could go along.
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The second decision could go a long way toward clearing all that up.
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It wouldn't that be great.
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I guess that's why I'm hoping in some ways.
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Now that he's already put it out there and it's already advertised as the decision of all decisions.
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It is going to be that so that we can then move on and celebrate him for a year and do it the right way.
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Because the uncertainty, the season long drama over whether or not LeBron is going to be available.
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And what he's going to do beyond this year.
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The Lakers are not good enough to deal with that.
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And so maybe I'm not going to get my hopes up that this is going to go the right way for all concerned.
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Because there's nothing about how LeBron has gone about this past summer or how he's operated in the past or how I believe he still perceives himself telling us he's as good as he ever was.
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Which is simply delusional.
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It makes me doubt that he's going to accept any sort of diminishment in his role and status gracefully and that he's going to let us know right now.
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You know what? This is it.
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I hope that that's the case, but I can't count on it.
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He is still an important player to the Lakers and LeBron.
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That's a big reason why I hope that this is handled the right way.
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In a way that befits the legendary player that he is.
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But he's reality is he's just not as important as he once was as of right now in the big context of the Lakers and the LeBron.
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And that for him is surely going to be a tough pill to swallow no matter what the second decision proves to be.
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Alright, that does it for this episode of On the Ball on the United We Cast Network. Please rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
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In the next episode, I have no idea we're going to go in the next episode, but I will be filling the blanks, filling the gaps between my two other shows, full court passport and finding the seams.
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Before I go, by the way, please check out my sponsor, Mizzin and Maine, M-I-Z-Z-E-N-A-N-D-M-A-I-N dot com.
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Mizzin and Maine dot com, check them out.
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And that's it, that's all I've got for you.
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So, as always, until next time, thanks for listening.