Nightcap Hour 1: Ant Man LEADS TWolves PAST Nuggets + Knicks END Spurs WINNING STREAK + Cavs BEAT Nets in James Harden RETURN + Byron Scott tells LEBRON to GTFO of LA

20:25Chad Johnson:Redfin has over 2 ,200 agents with local expertise. And Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win, not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home. So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning. That's redfin.com. Every Lenovo is built to let them go. Let them work and rework. Let them animate a dinosaur. No, a toaster. No, a hamster in a jetpack. Fun. Let them put golden wings on a dog. Good boy. Let them color correct anywhere and everywhere.

21:07Chad Johnson:Let them make. Powered by Intel Core Ultra Processors, Lenovo gives creatives everything they need. Lenovo.com. Let creatives create. Lenovo. Lenovo. This podcast is sponsored by Nurture Life. Hey, it's Danielle Fishel from Podmeats World. And as a mom to two growing boys, I know how chaotic mealtime can get. No matter how confident I am with what I'm serving them, my kids will always find a way to call the meal gross or stinky or yuck. It's true. They can be wildly picky about new foods. And with my busy schedule, I don't have the time to become America's next top chef. And so that's why I love Nurture Life.

21:50Chad Johnson:It's a meal delivery service that actually caters to kids, ideal for ages eight months to eight years, fully cooked and ready to serve in just one minute. It's the problem solver I've been praying for. It's the top meal delivery service for babies, toddlers, and kids, and everything is designed by registered dietitians, so you can sleep safe knowing your kids are getting the protein, veggies, and nutrients they need, while still eating favorites like mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, and so much more. Plus, it's allergy-friendly, which we know is clutch. And when it comes to options, Nurture Life has you covered.

22:25Chad Johnson:There's more than 50 nutritious meals and snacks on their menu, from soft finger foods for babies and toddlers to balanced kids meals for when they get older. Nurture Life does the cooking, they deliver it straight to your door, and then you might even have time to eat something for yourself. So now is the time to head to nurturelife.com slash POD and use code POD for 50 % off your first order, plus free shipping. That's right, 50 % off plus free shipping. Once again, that's nurturelife.com slash POD, and make sure you use promo code POD. Even if you aren't a parent with young kids, you might have parent friends who struggle with mealtime.

23:04Chad Johnson:Make sure to share our code POD with them. Remember, put your little ones first with healthy meals from Nurture Life. That website one more time is nurturelife.com slash POD pod. We're lost. It feels like we're going round in circles. I'm gonna ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds. Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road. Nah, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out. How is there signal out here? T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular are coming together, so the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city, saving a boatload with benefits.

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24:14Chad Johnson:Exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See T-Mobile.com for details. Coming out the east and coming out the west, playing in the finals. Who would you have to this point right now? unless some team just comes out of nowhere and does some extraordinary, you know, the last 20 games and shocks everybody?

24:29Shannon Sharpe:I think OKC would really love somebody to knock off San Antonio. So they don't have to deal with that. Yeah, they don't have to deal with Wimbledon and those guys. That's the team that causes OKC the most problem. Me, personally, I think it's probably going to be San Antonio and OKC in the Western Conference Finals, but you never know because Ant-Man has been there and done that before. So he knows how to rise to the occasion. The Nuggets have won a championship before. I just think the Rockets, I'm surprised the Rockets did not get a point guard. Chris Paul was there, and maybe they didn't want to deal with Chris Paul, and I don't know what that issue is.

25:09But they need a point guard, and they don't have a point guard.

25:13Shannon Sharpe:And I think that's the biggest thing. That's the biggest hindrance to them. Phoenix, okay, book is out. Dylan Brooks has a broken hand. how soon can those guys get back? Do I think even with those guys back, they can contend in the West? I do not. I do not think they have enough firepower to contend. The Lakers don't play good enough defense to contend. We saw last night Austin Reed get blown by Aiton. I just don't know. I just don't know about him. I just don't know. Really, all things being equal, I mean, look, I think there's four teams seriously that could end up in the Western Conference Finals.

25:49Shannon Sharpe:That's Denver, Minnesota, San Antonio, and OKC. Those are my teams that I think can make it to the Western Conference Final with realistically, realistically.

26:00Chad Johnson:Right.

26:05Shannon Sharpe:You make me put some money into something that matters to me, and if it's my money, it matters. Yeah. I'd probably pick OKC. I'd probably pick OKC.

26:14Chad Johnson:So double back again and win a championship? Yeah. Yep.

26:23Shannon Sharpe:The Knicks snapped the Spurs 11-game winning streak with a blowout, 114-89. Mikael Bridges had 25. Jalen Brunson had 24. The Spurs couldn't overcome 22 turnovers that led to 24 points, and they were out-rebounded 54-41, something that they're not because of Wimby. Wimby played well, but they went on a run. I think the Knicks went on a run, outscored them 22-0, and they could never get back in the game after that. They never could. But they played, look, you got Mikael Bridges and Alvarado. He comes in the game and he's a smart plug. And you knew he would be that type of guy that the Knicks crowd would love because he plays with a lot of energy.

27:08Shannon Sharpe:They like that. A lot of hustle, a lot of grit. He's going to make a big shot. He's going to get you a couple of turnovers. He's going to get the crowd energized. I'm not surprised that the Nick on base love him as much as they love him. I'm trying to pull up this. No, I don't want this game.

27:33Shannon Sharpe:Scores here.

27:38Shannon Sharpe:Where is it at? Oh, here it is. Yeah. Champagny, three points. Wemby was 25 and 13. But they shot terrible from the three. Nine of 34, 24, 20, what's that, 26%, 42 % from the floor. And the mere fact that they only had 89 points, less you know. But OG had 12. Cat had 12. Josh Hart almost had a triple-double. He had 10. Mikael Bridges had 25. Brunson had 24.

28:17Shannon Sharpe:Diwari had 14. But they got overall contributions. And look. From everybody? Yes, they did. And you know the Knicks want to play. They got Mikel Bridges, who's a wing defender. They got Josh Hart, who can defend. They got OG can defend. Mitchell Robinson comes in. He can bang, and he can defend. But they do a great job. They do a great job of creating chaos and turning turnovers into points. and that was really the difference in the ball game. They just kept turning the Spurs over. The Spurs couldn't protect the ball and they're going to have to do a better job of that. Look, they had won 11 games, had been playing really, really well and to play at the level, I don't think they were going to go undefeated heading into the postseason.

28:58Shannon Sharpe:But I think the coach is pleased with the way they played thus far. But today was just one of those games, a nationally televised game. It's an early game. They don't normally play that early, Ocho. But give those guys credit. it. The Knicks played an unbelievable game today and they got the win in blowout fashion.

29:15Chad Johnson:The Knicks needed this too, huh? They needed this. They haven't been playing too well, especially as a group collectively. The way they play today is how they can play it. They can find some type of balance. Not too high, not too low, but find an even-keeled way to play collectively as a group the way they did today. They can make some hay and make some noise similar to what they did last year. I know I've been watching Stephen there. He's been upset with the Knicks the past few games and what they've displayed out there as far as the product is on the court. But I mean, shockingly to me, you know, knowing that the Spurs were playing the Knicks, I thought obviously the Spurs would run away with this game and the Knicks look completely different, you know, a completely different team, you know, watching them play today.

29:59Shannon Sharpe:Well, they swore on Wimby. Wimby has seven turnovers by himself of those 22. You can't turn the ball over like that because now you create, you get run outs, things of that nature. And like I said, the Knicks can cause you that type of problem if you turn the ball over because they got really good defenders. OG can defend at a high level. We know Mikael Bridges can. We know Josh Hart can. So they got guys that can clamp the ball and keep the ball in front of them. And so, and Mitchell Robinson comes in, obviously Cat is seven foot and he'll block a shot here or there, but that's not what Cat is known for.

30:32Shannon Sharpe:He's known for being a perimeter big that can shoot the ball extremely well. We know Brunson is Brunson. He's going to get you buckets. He's going to make clutch shots. He's as clutch as any player that we have in this league, so we know what he represents. When they play defense like this, they force you into turnovers, and they make you shoot 26 % from the three. You're not going to beat them. They made 17 threes. You made nine. So now they're plus 24 from the three-point line. So if somebody's plus 24 from the three-point line and they force you into 22 turnovers, this is probably what's going to be the outcome of the game.

31:11Shannon Sharpe:You're probably going to get blown out. It's really that simple. And so give the Knicks credit. I mean, I'm sure Stephen A is happy about this. Happy but not satisfied. Right. Because he knows they've got an uphill struggle because Boston has played well. Boston is playing extremely well. Toronto's putting that thing together. Toronto's better than people think. I watched them the other night. You know, Scotty Barnes and B.I. Those guys are playing. R.J. Barrett, they got some scores over there. They're playing really well. Yaka Portal, they're better than you think. Now, do I think they can beat the Knicks in the seven?

31:53Shannon Sharpe:Nah, I don't. I don't think, you know, when it's all said and done, is probably going to be Boston and probably the Knicks. Looking at how everything is kind of like shaping up Ocho, look like it's going to be Boston and the Knicks. If I had to bet anything, I like Philly, but I just don't know if – Embiid. Embiid's going to be healthy enough. Tyrese Max is going to be Tyrese Max. Edgecombe is going to do Edgecombe things. They probably – I don't know if and when PG is coming back, But if I had, if you're like, okay, Shannon, who do you think is going to be in the Eastern Conference Finals? I'd probably say Boston and the Knicks.

32:35Shannon Sharpe:And that's an old rivalry. When it happened last year, I don't know if we'll ever get those 80s rivalries like it once was. But we'll see. The Knicks play well today, and they needed this ball game. They definitely needed this ball game more than the Spurs. The Spurs needed it to try to keep place with OKC. because the thing is, all things being equal, I think they probably need the home court more than OKC because the type of ball that OKC play, it does travel. They got a lot of wings. They got five, six guys that can defend at an elite level. Shea, you already know, pencil Shea in for 30. He just penciled him in for 30.

33:12Shannon Sharpe:Automatically. You know he's going to get there, yeah. And so now you get a couple of those other guys that come along with him. You get Chet, you get J-Dub, you get Wallace, you get some of those other guys, Isaiah Joe, you get some of those other, and Carusho. He always shows up in big games. He's going to make the right play. He's going to create chaos. He's going to create turnovers. He's going to knock down a big three. He's going to get a big, big steal. He knows what these moments mean. Having played on that Lakers championship team and before that, and last year, he was a big reason why they won the championship last year.

33:42Shannon Sharpe:Some guys just understand the moment and they can rise to the occasion in said moment. And Caruso is definitely one of those guys. So the Spurs, look, 11 straight games, Ocho, to get back in this thing. And they're the team that gives OKC the most trouble. But you never know in a seven-game series, you never know an injury here or injury there and it completely flips the series.

34:04Chad Johnson:Yeah.

34:07Shannon Sharpe:The Cavs showed their toughness today when they beat the Nets 106-102. James Harden.

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36:23Chad Johnson:Let them put golden wings on a dog. Good boy. Let them color correct anywhere and everywhere. Let them make. Powered by Intel Core Ultra Processors, Lenovo gives creatives everything they need. Lenovo.com. Let creatives create. Lenovo. Lenovo. This podcast is sponsored by Nurture Life. Hey, it's Danielle Fishel from Podmeats World. And as a mom to two growing boys, I know how chaotic mealtime can get. No matter how confident I am with what I'm serving them, my kids will always find a way to call the meal gross or stinky or yuck. It's true. They can be wildly picky about new foods. And with my busy schedule, I don't have the time to become America's next top chef.

37:09Chad Johnson:And so that's why I love Nurture Life. It's a meal delivery service that actually caters to kids, ideal for ages eight months to eight years, fully cooked and ready to serve in just one minute. It's the problem solver I've been praying for. It's the top meal delivery service for babies, toddlers, and kids, and everything is designed by registered dietitians. So you can sleep safe knowing your kids are getting the protein, veggies, and nutrients they need while still eating favorites like mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, and so much more. Plus, it's allergy-friendly, which we know is clutch.

37:44Chad Johnson:And when it comes to options, Nurture Life has you covered. There's more than 50 nutritious meals and snacks on their menu, from soft finger foods for babies and toddlers to balanced kids' meals for when they get older. Nurture Life does the cooking, they deliver it straight to your door, and then you might even have time to eat something for yourself. So now is the time to head to nurturelife.com slash pod and use code pod for 50 % off your first order plus free shipping. That's right. 50 % off plus free shipping. Once again, that's nurturelife.com slash pod and make sure you use promo code pod.

38:22Chad Johnson:Even if you aren't a parent with young kids, you might have parent friends who struggle with mealtime. Make sure to share our code pod with them. Remember, put your little ones first with healthy meals from nurture life. That website, one more time, is nurturelife.com slash P-O-D pod.

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39:39Shannon Sharpe:...22 points in his return in the lineup with a broken thumb. Keon Ellis also played with a fractured finger today and still was able to put up five blocks and three steals. The Cavs got a defensive menace at the trade deadline from the Sacramento Kings. Uh, yeah, look. The thing is that I think it's on his non-shooting hand. James is a lefty, and I think it's his right thumb. Right, yeah. He played well today in return. I think he had 22 dying in seven, something like that. The bigs played okay. I thought Evan Mobley played well. You look at this graph, I don't know if you guys can see it, but Detroit, 45-14, the one seed currently.

40:26Shannon Sharpe:Boston, 40-20, the two seed. The Knicks are 39-22, the three seed. The Cavs are 38-24, the four seed. Toronto, 35-25, the five seed. So if the season ended today, Cleveland would face Toronto. The Knicks would face the 76ers. Boston would face the Magic. And Detroit, well, would play whoever wins out of the 7-10 matchup. but look it's close uh obviously it's not as you know um what is three and six three and six it's it's a bigger separation than what it is in the western conference because it's only two games separating three from six in the western conference and it's about six games uh separating five and a half separating uh three to six in the eastern conference uh but detroit detroit's look it's looked well all year.

41:22Shannon Sharpe:They played really well. They got an all-NBA selection and Cade Cunningham, I think Duren's going to be an all-NBA selection also. He might make the all-defensive team. Hell, Cade might make the all-defensive team because he's that good. The problem they're going to have is that Duren is going to damn near get a max contract five years over$200 million. And it's kind of like football, Ochoa. It's better to sign these guys early than late because in basketball, they don't give discounts. And teams don't even ask them. In baseball, they don't give them no discounts. Ain't nobody with Darren Judge and say, hey, Judge, check this out, man.

42:00Shannon Sharpe:We trying to put a team around you. Can you cut it? No. The players association won't let you do it. Shohei ain't cut no deal. The only deal that he cut is that he said, you know what? I'm nice. I'm nice like boss. Give me$2 million a year and then the other$68 million. So he's only costing them$2 million a year. That's why they're able to just stack players on top of players. You get a Brady Freeman, you get a Betts, the guy that just signed for$60 million a year. You get those kind of guys because you get guys taking deferred compensation. Now, they'll do that, but it still keeps the market up here.

42:34Right.

42:36Shannon Sharpe:But it's going to be very, very interesting. The NBA has kind of been quiet this year, Ocho. In terms of what? Well, Steph has been out. Because you can see the shift coming.

42:48Chad Johnson:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

42:49Shannon Sharpe:The shift is coming. The young guard is coming. The old coming out with the – Steph is going to move on. Katie is going to move on. You know, and so things are going to be different. Right. Things are going to be different. The league is transitioning away from those guys, and that's okay. The league is in great hands. It moved on from Dr. J, Larry, and Magic. Yeah. It moved on from Jordan. and it moved on from Kobe and all those Shaq and all those guys, the league will be fine. The league will continue to prosper. Yeah. It'll be fine. I'm trying to – hold on. I'm trying to look up these stats right quick.

43:26Chad Johnson:I think – I mean, the NBA, obviously, the new guard that is coming in, they have a lot of excitement. Obviously, players that can put butts in the seats that a lot of fans, regardless of what team you support, you look forward to watching them. Obviously, Ant-Man, you got Wimby. I'm not sure if you would put Zion in that due to the inconsistency of actually being healthy and actually playing.

43:47Shannon Sharpe:You know, Jha could have been in there.

43:50Chad Johnson:Cade, Cade. Yes. Obviously in that conversation, Jha, I'm not sure what's going on with Jha. You got Wimby.

43:56Shannon Sharpe:You got SGA. You got Ant-Man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. You know, you got Yoke. Obviously, we mentioned we got Brunson. JB, JT is out. Right. the young guy I mean there are a lot of uh under 30 under 30 guys that's gonna you know the league is gonna that's gonna have to carry the league like those old guard like Magic and Bird and Doc and and and Jordan and then Kobe and Shaq and here come LeBron and KD and Steph and all those guys Harden um it's gonna you know gonna move on also but those guys you know go ahead you know what's

44:31Chad Johnson:funny is obviously with the new guard coming in and all the great names you just named who the hell is the face of the NBA now? Once the old guard moves on, who's the face?

44:41Shannon Sharpe:They don't have one. And they want Ant-Man, but Ant-Man said, no, let Wimby do it. Ant-Man want to be Ant-Man. Ant-Man want to go, you know, Ant-Man don't, because there's pressure that comes along with that. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you have your image and everything, and where you're going, how you conduct yourself and things like that. And they said, no, that ain't me, I ain't finna hold y 'all. I ain't really trying to, you know. When I'm in Atlanta, y 'all see that The collab that's going on with Magic City and the Hawks, I'm trying to be down there. I'm trying to get on them lemon-pepper wings.

45:13Shannon Sharpe:Hey, the collab is March 16th. We going, right?

45:17Chad Johnson:You and Joe going. Okay, okay, okay. Me and Joe, we'll tell you about it. Yeah, we'll tell you about it.

45:24Shannon Sharpe:I might hit Madge up and say, Madge, let me get one of them hoodies. Yeah. They got a letter hall Magic City collab hoodie. I might take a look at that. But right now, Ocho, I don't think they got a face of the league. And, you know, obviously all things being equal, who they want to be the face of the league, that's not what he wants to be. And, you know, you want somebody to embrace that. Guys used to embrace, you know, Magic and Bird and Kobe and Jordan, LeBron and Steph. They embraced it.

46:01Chad Johnson:Mm-hmm.

46:03Shannon Sharpe:and there are guys that are willing to embrace it, but the NBA is like, nah, we don't kind of want y 'all to be the face. We want him to be the face. Right, right, right, right. But I think eventually it might have to because it's becoming such an international game and some of your best players are international. If you probably had to take a pick, your top five players in the NBA, maybe top seven are all international players. So it might be your face of your league. It might have to be. someone that's not even from here yeah yeah because if you look at if you look at i mean if you look at baseball it's one of two players it's aaron judge or shohei and if you take a poll they're probably going to say 90 to say shohei yeah yeah but the mlb ocho has always had that they've always had dominican they've always had cuban players they've always always had players from those countries.

46:57Shannon Sharpe:Central America. That have dominated and been the face. And so now, and the Asian-born players where it'd be Nomo or Hideki Matsui, Ichiro. Yeah, they've also some Korean players. So they've always had that. Basically, this shift that happened, yeah, there were a few foreign-born players. Like I said, I think I read somewhere it might have been nine players that was in the NBA in 92.

47:23Chad Johnson:Right.

47:24Shannon Sharpe:And now you might have every team that play in the Olympics might have three, four guys. Look at Canadians. Damn near the Canadians' whole team is in the NBA. The Slovenian team have players in the NBA. The Serbian team, Jokic team, Greece. So it's a lot more. So now you might not have a choice but to have a Shea or a Giannis or one of those guys, a Yoke as the face. It is what it is. It is what it is. Right now, Cade is coming. I think he's a couple. I mean, Ant-Man, but it's Ant-Man that has the charisma. He has the personality. Yeah. He has the shoes. He's perfect. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He is.

48:08Shannon Sharpe:He is. He has a game to match. But Ocho. Yeah. You have to want someone to want it. He has to want to be it.

48:17Chad Johnson:Yeah.

48:17Shannon Sharpe:You can't force it on him.

48:18Chad Johnson:It comes with too much, Unc. It comes with too much pressure. You have to conduct yourself a certain way. not only on the court as an example but even off the court. If you know Ant personally that ain't happening. That definitely ain't happening.

48:33Shannon Sharpe:You look at the quarterbacks. You look at them that's been the face of the league. You look at be it Marino or Elway or Montana or Brady or Manning or Mahomes. You see Josh Allen the way they kind of lead to that. Josh Allen like man I want to be the face. baby, we've been doing this thing. We've been dating for like six months. You want to get married? You know what I'm saying? You want to get married, Ocho? You see the quarterback, they don't be wasting no time, Ocho. Quick. Quick. We will see. I think

49:12Shannon Sharpe:there's some American players that's getting better. Like I said, Cade Cunningham is getting unbelievable. We got Ant-Man. We got JT. We got JB. JT would gladly, gladly accept that role. The problem that he's having is that he's getting pushed from a teammate.

49:27Chad Johnson:Right.

49:28Shannon Sharpe:It's hard to be, hold on, how are you the face of the league and you're not even the best player on your own team?

49:32Chad Johnson:Ooh, that's something someone's saying. That's my point. Right, right. And so, you know, normally with the guys

49:40Shannon Sharpe:the face of the NBA, you got to be the best player on your team. Yeah. It's going to be very interesting in the next. I think, look, we do all this talking all we want to. Until 23 for the Lakers League, he's still it. You think so? Still? He's still it. He's still it. Right. You look at his social media, you look at his engagement, you look at who moves the needle, it ain't no question. No question.

50:10Chad Johnson:Understandable.

50:15Shannon Sharpe:Former Laker Byron Scott wants LeBron James off the team. Scott said, I think he should be his last year here. he don't have to go home but you got to get the hell out of here Ocho are you surprised to see Byron Scott publicly calling for LeBron's departure

50:29Chad Johnson:that wasn't AI? Byron Scott really said that?

50:34Shannon Sharpe:you heard me on? Byron Scott really said that publicly? that's what he said yeah he's on his podcast

50:41Chad Johnson:that's crazy and obviously maybe I doubt that Byron Scott would really feel that way or maybe he actually does because LeBron is not the same LeBron of old but saying that he needs to leave L.A. and Luka just be the only person there that is somewhat consistently outside of Austin Reeves makes no damn sense. So why is LeBron being the one that's being called out from Byron Scott when all the other issues that even Ray Charles can see that they have going on with the Lakers right now?

51:10Shannon Sharpe:I don't know. I think the thing is, and I don't know when this started happening that guys from an organization great guys from an organization would all of a sudden call out guys that's currently within the organization and maybe this is a Kobe thing LeBron was never really accepted even though he really revitalized the Lakers organization I don't care what anybody says and I think the fans understand they know that they know what the what what the Lakers were Kobe last three years and when Kobe left they know what the Lakers were I don't know what what is this right what what are we talking about if lebron doesn't come the lakers are not selling for a billion dollars right you're not you're not going to be able to get luca because you don't get ad ad is not coming to la it's just i i don't i don't know what lebron did to piss so many great players off yeah oh he no he didn't no he didn't i get it oh cho and a lot of times we we talk about this on the show all the time, Mocho.

52:16Shannon Sharpe:These guys currently in the NFL get privileges in things we didn't get. But I don't begrudge them because we got things in the 90s and 2000s that guys in the 70s and 80s didn't get. And they got things in the 70s and 80s that guys in the 50s and 60s didn't get. It's this thing called evolution. The game grows, the game evolves, and people get more things. It's okay. But this notion that LeBron James is the only one that's ever had power within an organization. Do y 'all realize that a man won a championship and Magic had a falling out and he says, it's either him or me. And Dr. Buzz fired the coach that won an NBA title.

52:57Chad Johnson:Yeah.

52:59Shannon Sharpe:That happened. Landberg did the same thing. It happens. But for some reason, anything that goes wrong, that is the reason why. That's what free agency was meant to do. So you need to tell me you want free agency and then want guys to stay. If that was the case, what was free agency for? What was free agency for, Ocho, if guys are not going to move around?

53:21Chad Johnson:Yeah.

53:22Shannon Sharpe:I get it. Team will trade a player like it's nothing. Don't perform in what they do. Even if you do perform, if they think they can get better, they'll move you. But now players say, you know what? I think it's going about as far as it can.

53:36Chad Johnson:Yeah, I can't carry no move. Yeah.

53:39Shannon Sharpe:But LeBron, there have been a lot of guys that's moved, but nobody has caught the criticism. And LeBron James has never asked for a trade. Every time LeBron James has moved, Ocho, he's played his contract out. He played his contract out in Cleveland. He went to Miami. He played that four years out. He went back to Cleveland. He played that four years out, and he headed to L.A. I just don't get it. I don't know. I've never heard so many great players. championship winning players take shots at LeBron.

54:15Chad Johnson:And I don't know why. It comes with the territory. He sits at the top of the mountain. He's the great one. He's the chosen one. He's the one with the moniker, the king. So what do they do? Regardless of his accomplishments, regardless of his accolades, you know? I mean, people, they argue the Jordan LeBron debate. We're talking about the greatest basketball player of all time. So what happens when you're the greatest at what you do? Regardless of what you've done, even those that have played your sport, They're going to have something to say, whether it's good or bad, because what you've done is not enough to them.

54:47Chad Johnson:Despite what we may think on the outside, despite what you may think and understanding how great LeBron is and what he's done for organizations to date. Again, he moves the needle. So what's one way to move the needle on a platform? We want eyes and viewers to listen. You talk about the one all the way at the top.

55:05Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, but I think LeBron is smart enough to know Ocho. He knows there was nothing he could do to topple Kobe. just because I'm trying to achieve something that doesn't mean I'm trying to take his statue down why can't we both be great I think he understands that in Miami it's Wade County he understood that do I believe in Dwayne Wade knows that LeBron is a better player yes but if you might ask Miami Heat fans they'll say D-Wade so he knew no matter what he did he could not win enough championships to overcome Kobe, Magic, Kareem, and Shaq. That wasn't going to happen. And I don't think he was that naive to say, man, you know what?

55:52Shannon Sharpe:And I don't think he went in with that mindset. He didn't go with that mindset. Kobe came there as a 17-year-old kid and left as a fully grown, married father of three, four kids. Rest his soul, and Gigi. That's what he did there. and that's okay same thing with magic magic came there and never left magic was a 20 year old now mostly the other great play i mean obviously uh uh shack uh spent four spent four years if i'm not mistaken in orlando kareem spent i think six years in in milwaukee but you know you look at James Worthy, you look at Jerry West and Elgin Baylor those guys you know spent their careers there but I just don't know what LeBron did to piss off so many people a lot of them Ocho I believe I can like Travis Kelsey without constantly taking shots at Gronk constantly taking shots at Gates or Gonzalez.

57:06Shannon Sharpe:I believe I can do that. But it's almost like I wonder if he was anywhere else other than the Lakers. And I love B Scott. I used to see B Scott all the time in the gym. We used to see the equinox. And I used to see B Scott all the time. We always talk hoop, and he was a great guy. But I wonder if LeBron wasn't on the Lakers, would he still feel it's time for LeBron to leave?

57:31Chad Johnson:No, absolutely not. because his love for the Lakers, it'd be different because it's not on my team. It's not a team that I was a part of. You didn't do a whole lot talking about the Lakers

57:39Shannon Sharpe:when Kobe hit Kobe last years. Did you hear anything about the Lakers?

57:43Chad Johnson:You know damn well nobody would dare say that, huh?

57:46Shannon Sharpe:No, but I ain't talking about talking about Kobe to leave, but he wasn't even mentioning the Lakers. The Lakers ain't have no chance. Ain't nobody talking about Lakers and a chance to contend for a title. Nobody mentioned that. And then when Kobe left, ain't nobody mentioned the Lakers and contending for a title. Right. The mere fact that you even think it's possible for a team with a 41-year-old to get to the championship lets you know just how great this man is. Tell me the time in history. Another 40-something-year-old has played, and you know what?

58:18Chad Johnson:They have a chance to get to the championship,

58:19Shannon Sharpe:or they have a chance to contend for a title.

58:22Chad Johnson:Outside of time, leaving New England to goddamn NBA. Okay. Not Jordan, not Kobe. No. his longevity yes but look

58:35Shannon Sharpe:he got his reason for whatever it is I don't know I don't know so I don't want to get into speculating there was something to say I don't know and I know B Scott love his Lakers and if you played in this organization most especially he spent most of his years there yeah but B Scott you know now you know that there was a transition that when Kobe won the championship in nine and ten, they didn't come close. They didn't come close and nobody said a thing. Ain't nobody said. So 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. So eight years, nine years, they ain't come close.

59:20Chad Johnson:Yeah.

59:24Shannon Sharpe:And y 'all had COVID. So you had COVID 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 15, 15.

59:32Chad Johnson:Hey, but they had nothing to go with him, though. It was the main course with no side.

59:37Shannon Sharpe:Why would you need nothing? Because when LeBron didn't have nothing to go with him, y 'all would say if he was great, he would win. That's what y 'all did with LeBron now. They did this with LeBron. You never did that with anybody else. Yeah. You didn't do that. Like, you see what you said? You see what you said? They done got you convinced of that.

59:54Chad Johnson:Oh, no. I'm just being honest. I'm just being honest. I mean, Kobe's the main dish. There was no size to go with it. There wasn't no dessert. So the chance of winning was slim to none.

1:00:04Shannon Sharpe:I thought you were so great. That's what you do. You don't need nobody. Who needed teammates? That's what y 'all tell me. Because every time I turn around, he couldn't win a championship without D-Wade. He couldn't win a championship without Kyrie. He couldn't win a championship without Anthony Davis. And you just told me Kobe ain't have nobody to go with him. Last I checked, Shaq's in the Hall of Fame. Last I checked, Pau Gasol is in the Hall of Fame. Last I checked, Scottie Pippen is in the Hall of Fame. Dennis Rodman is in the Hall of Fame. So in other words, what you're trying to tell me is that no matter how great you are, you need a teammate or two.

1:00:40Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, absolutely. Oh, okay. I'm just checking. I'm just, you know, just clarification.

1:00:44Chad Johnson:You got to have a two-headed monster. If you got three, it'd make it that much easier if you got three. Yes. But thinking you're going to get it done. but one man, you got four, you know, just four partners out there

1:00:55Shannon Sharpe:just going through the motion. It's not happening. Duncan. It's definitely not happening. Duncan had Manu, had Manu and Tony Parker. And then the last one, he had Kawhi.

1:01:04Chad Johnson:Mm-hmm. Hey, boy, Kawhi was crazy at what the Spurs were.

1:01:09Shannon Sharpe:Oh, after Timmy left? What? After Timmy left, yeah.

1:01:14Chad Johnson:My goodness.

1:01:15Shannon Sharpe:He knew he had to take on more of a role. He had to take on, you know, he was perfectly tip, playing the backseat, you know. hey, let Manu, let TP, let Timmy, pop the knob, bro, it's time for you. He's like, okay. I give you 25, 26 a night and lock it down on the other end. But I'm surprised. I think the thing that's surprising is that people say, look, people might feel a certain way and might say things in private, Ocho, that never get public air. but to say this publicly i'm a little surprised you know what and you know we don't know us also

1:01:55Chad Johnson:what there might be things that go on behind closed doors there might be things that are said that going behind closed doors that we don't know about that also makes byron scott say something like this publicly that has nothing to do with with anything that we know okay here scott also

1:02:11Shannon Sharpe:seemed to take issue with lebron saying today's game is harder to play than in the 80s and 90s The game is different. I want people and our fans to understand that playing 82 games in the 80s and 90s is not the same as playing 82 games in the 2020s. It's just not. The way we play, the level of pace, the level of speed in which we play is a different game now. It's a totally different game. It is. It is.

1:02:37Shannon Sharpe:When B. Scott played in the 80s and the 90s, they might have had two guys per team that can shoot the three. yeah now on a on a 12-man roster they got 10 guys that can shoot the three and you have to guard them all bless you everybody is a viable option there was no such thing as no stretch five no stretch four right they have that now the pace is increased bless you yeah thank you the pace has increased and you have to guard multiple for the most part again it's evolution guys are more skilled the guys are skilled

1:03:18Chad Johnson:yeah much better you ain't have no Kevin Durant

1:03:21Shannon Sharpe:you ain't have no damn Wimby's you didn't have that you damn sure ain't have no stealth courage listen

1:03:33Shannon Sharpe:it's okay it's okay It's a different game now. The NBA is different. The NFL is different. It is. I mean, the game has become, the guys are doing, Ocho, guys are doing more exotic coverages now than when you and I played. That's okay. It's okay to say that. That's not to diminish our error. That's not to enhance their error. It's just facts. You know more. the scouting departments have gotten better you think scouting now you think when they started scouting players with Cleveland Browns when they first started the thing is that Paul Brown reported that Paul Brown the reason why they timed the 40 Ocho because that's how far the punt went so how fast could somebody get down there to get him the ball normally hung up there by 4.5 seconds right 4.5 seconds you can run like that because you're running pretty good so then the Dallas Cowboys and Gil Brandt took it a step further because Ocho you know they used to draft players and never work them out they just look at the scouting fans look at them in college well you know you can't play son come on we're going to draft you first we're going to draft you the second round we're going to draft you the 15th round the 17th round then the Cowboys take it a step further Gil Brandt takes stram they're actually brain player they put them through everything hence a combine a combine style workout right so you think so you think the way they started scouting players in the 60s is the same way they scout players now no absolutely they got these scouts on the road every day on weekend ocho every week they find somewhere looking at players yeah they didn't do that in the 60s as a matter of fact they didn't even have a combine they just drafted a guy based on what his college numbers were, how he looked at college, and they drafted him.

1:05:34Shannon Sharpe:So things change, people, and it's okay. It is okay. That doesn't mean, that doesn't take away anything from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and so forth and on. It's just, that's just the way it is. It is. It happens.

1:05:51Shannon Sharpe:Technology changes, Ocho. Look at the cleats. Look at the helmets. Look at the basketball shoe. Look at the way they train horses. That ain't changed. I don't know why people can't see that evolution. It's going to happen with your blessing or without it.

1:06:09Chad Johnson:Or not, yeah. Or they don't care. One or the other. They complain about it anyway. Everything gets better over time.

1:06:19Shannon Sharpe:Tonight, LeBron moved into fifth place on the Lakers all-time assist list, surpassing Michael Cooper. Magic is one. Kobe is two. Jerry West is three. Storm and Norman Nixon is four. LeBron is five. Koop is six. Kareem is seven. Elgin Baylor is eight. Excuse me. This is LeBron's eighth season with the Lakers. Obviously, we know Kobe spent 20 years there. Magic, I think, from 79. I think Magic played about 12 years. Koop played. We know Kareem played, I think, 13, 14 years there.

1:07:02And I saw LeBron is the second Laker to make 1 ,000 threes,

1:07:10Shannon Sharpe:only behind Kobe. And obviously, you would know Kobe played 20 seasons with that organization and was great. And LeBron is already second. Obviously, they shoot more threes now than they did back when Kobe got into the league. Ocho, how do you think LeBron would be remembered? as a Laker? You think he gets his jersey retired? You think he gets a statue out front?

1:07:37Chad Johnson:You know what? I don't think he gets a statue out front, but I think he gets his jersey retired. I mean, what he was able to do once he came to the Lakers and helping that franchise obviously win a ring, a ring that a lot of people put an asterisk behind because it was a bubble ring or whatever it may be. Because LeBron won it.

1:07:55Shannon Sharpe:If somebody else won it, they wouldn't put no bubble behind it. They wouldn't put no asterisk behind it.

1:07:58Chad Johnson:Yeah, I understand what you're saying. But people have to understand and take whatever hate they may have for LeBron and understand what he was able to do during his time, during his tenure with the Lakers, with what he had to work with. Outside of that, I mean, being one of the greatest, arguably, the greatest, the one or two basketball players to ever play this game, I think he should be acknowledged in such a fashion, in such a way, based on that alone, whether he gets the statue or not. but retiring a 23 jersey for the Lakers, it would only be right. And not to do so, it'd be ridiculous. It'd be damn egregious.

1:08:35Shannon Sharpe:I mean, imagine, Ocho. Just think about this. I want you to picture this. Tom Brady is one of the three greatest high school football players ever. Yes. He goes to college, and he's one of the three greatest college football players ever. and the next big thing and he comes to the NFL and even as a great high school player and a great collegiate player he's even better in the NFL. Well that's what LeBron James was. Yes. He was one of the three great high school players ever. And whatever you may have thought he could have been he superseded that. He exceeded it completely. He's exponentially. Nobody thought this man would be a four-time league MVP.

1:09:27Shannon Sharpe:Go to 10 NBA finals, win four of them, four finals MVPs, with two three all-star game MVPs. He's the all-time leading scorer. He's the fourth leading assistor. He's a top 30 rebounder. He's a top 15 or 10 assists guy. I mean, a steals guy. Nobody thought that. whatever you thought LeBron James could be based on what he was in high school and they've been a lot of great high school players right LeBron is Ocho and his name hadn't come up on any crime blotter he hadn't been a source of tableau and speculation he's been squeaky squeaky clean

1:10:08Chad Johnson:yeah most definitely most definitely

1:10:10Shannon Sharpe:and still people find fault well he flops all great players hunt calls they do Just like every time the quarterback gets hit, what does he do, Ocho? Look to the rep. You ain't going to throw no flag?

1:10:24Chad Johnson:Yeah, something.

1:10:25Shannon Sharpe:I just saw that man hit me. I know we playing football, but he wasn't supposed to hit me. He wasn't supposed to hit me, hit me. You know, he's supposed to lay me down. You know, I ain't got no pillow. Hey, you got to go to the sideline and get him a pillow so he can throw me on the pillow.

1:10:38Chad Johnson:People always complain. It just depends on who's doing the flopping. It always depends on who's doing the hunting. Then they turn a blind eye. Depends on who it is.

1:10:46Shannon Sharpe:That's all it is. true I agree with you though I don't think he gets a statue but I do think I think they based on what he's done you know the all star games I think so he's been the 8th all star he's been what

1:11:03Shannon Sharpe:he's been he's gonna be he was a 7 time all NBA selection so if you cut his career up in 7s or if you cut it up in 8s he's a hall of fame player every eight every eight he's a Hall of Famer

1:11:22Chad Johnson:that's crazy and

1:11:26Shannon Sharpe:I know they're gonna miss him when he's gone

1:11:29Chad Johnson:let them tell it the game will continue to go on it won't be anything like that we won't see anything like this for a very long time if ever

1:11:39Shannon Sharpe:again no no no a guy that played this long and played that great this long. Yeah.

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