00:00I feel like LeBron and Steph are not being maniacal right now which is why I think they
00:05might join each other is if they were maniacal they would be like this is all about winning a
00:12ring and it's not it does not appear to be that Steph has said it's not LeBron wouldn't even be
00:18entertaining the teams he's entertaining if it was only about winning a ring he would only be
00:22deciding between San Antonio and Oklahoma City but he's not so I do think that some level of
00:29satisfaction joy how do we want it to feel on our way out is setting in that separates them
00:36on some level I think from some of the other greats who sort of feel like they retired as loners
00:46and just no matter how many times they won it was like now we have to do it again next
00:53year or else
00:54it's a failure you know I mean Brady and Jordan got to the end and they were like hey where's
01:00where's my family right you know there's that it's a lot it's I don't that that's just my view of
01:08it I
01:09don't want to make it I don't know those guys but that I do think there's a sweet spot and
01:14they might
01:14be on the other side of it Tiger Woods is a great example another one where you know he was
01:19maniacal
01:20about you know training with the Navy SEALs and getting his body to be the strongest and be the
01:24best and all phases of the game and he was and yet even when he then got married and started
01:30to
01:30have a family he started dining at the Waffle House and everything kind of went awry so the balance it's
01:37very rare it's very rare to find that balance and that's why you look at Steph and it's like
01:44he might be the goat in so many ways the most balanced right because balanced of them all he's
01:49a husband and a father and a humanitarian and also maniacal about his craft right right I mean
01:55like doesn't Joe Montana still sound a little pissed like how old is he oh 65 something like
02:03that yep probably 65 and he's still pissed and there's still a little of that chip you know
02:10got that chip on the old shoulder dude I don't know like we may have let it go by now
02:14depends on
02:15things all went pretty well for you yeah and for Steve but yeah you know Steve is an example and
02:21I
02:22again I don't want Steve Young we're talking about yeah I don't want these guys to feel like I'm saying
02:26they're not tremendous competitors because they too they they've got that dog in them for sure
02:31but doesn't Steve today look a little more comfortable in his own skin than Joe I think so
02:39and I've spent more time with Steve so it's easier for me to say that I've only seen Joe
02:43five or six or seven times and you know Joe cool and it's different when you see him in public
02:48or
02:48in private but Steve Young is every bit of a relaxed guy that you would think he was when you
02:55talked to
02:55him on the radio yeah I mean I don't you know yeah I'm same I don't know Joe and maybe
03:01the part of
03:02this is also just their personalities Joe is much more understated than Steve Steve is a much more
03:07just kind of comfortable conversation or whatever so maybe that's it too but yeah Joe won four and
03:14Steve won one and Steve seems fine with that and LeBron has won his four and he's at a spot
03:21now where
03:22it's either I'm gonna go hog wild to chase number five or I'm gonna maybe go somewhere that is closer
03:29to my kids and their LA home and you know just turn things down a little bit on the intensity
03:34meter I
03:35don't know which way he's gonna go because I don't know LeBron well enough to know Warriors
03:39inching toward being the favorite on Kelsey love to see it Cleveland 36 Warriors 31 okay it was 39 and
03:4830 when we started the show and it was much I mean Golden State was like the fourth choice as
03:54of last
03:55week at this time I think so and I think you said this last week the longer it goes the
03:59more you like
04:00the Warriors chances I do and I'm kind of with you on that because if you if it was going
04:04to be
04:04Cleveland that's an easy one and I think the other destinations are a little bit trickier
04:10well try this on for size Shams on Pat McAfee today strikes the exact same chord and for the first
04:18time
04:19today um this hit me in a little bit of a different way listen to this here we go ladies
04:24and gentlemen it's
04:24the latest on LeBron LeBron's got a string of events he's got Fanatics Fest today he's got some
04:30CNBC stuff he's got Time 100 he's got multiple different podcasts tapings and all this stuff I
04:37don't know if I'm holding my breath for an announcement this week but I think as we get
04:40into next week I do think this process is getting closer and closer to the end here LeBron James has
04:46all
04:46the information that he needs to make a decision all the GMs the the owners the president they've all
04:51made their pitch through Rich Paul's agent interestingly enough LeBron has had multiple
04:56different owners and GMs about three three to five that have sent voice memos to him via Rich Paul
05:02so they'll send it to Rich Paul and then he'll send it to LeBron James and so we're looking at
05:07a group of
05:07teams the Cavs the Heat the Warriors the Sixers and the Timberwolves but my feel when I talk to teams
05:15around the league when I really dig a little bit more on this situation the focus is really on the
05:21top contending teams for this being the Cavaliers the Heat and the 76ers and so now it's just up to
05:30LeBron James to make a decision and we're now July 16th we're 16 days into free agency a little over
05:3716 days after he let the Lakers know that he is bouncing that he's going to leave the organization
05:42after eight years and we're all waiting for a decision for what would be a 24th historic campaign
05:48for LeBron James whole minute 21 seconds not one mention of the Golden State Warriors right and he
05:54has all the information he thinks the decision is close and all the rest of it and so yeah he
06:00either
06:00is on the money and we're all chasing after our tale about this or it's just a misdirection you know
06:08the old uh it's kind of like when you know Shanahan and his offense we're gonna we're gonna send
06:12McCaffrey in motion this way and then we're gonna go ahead and shift youth check up on the line and
06:16here comes Debo in the short motion and the jet sweeper we're gonna fake it to Debo and then
06:20McCaffrey it's an end around and now he's gonna throw it and Juwan's open it's like what the hell
06:25just throw it to Juwan do our thing why does Shams have that information why why is he being told
06:31to go out and say it's between Philadelphia Cleveland and Miami three teams that to my knowledge all have
06:40the ability to just sign LeBron right as do the Warriors they do they do so why would somebody be
06:47sent out to the Pat McAfee show to say that it's Philadelphia Cleveland and Miami meanwhile the Warriors
06:56fire up the Kalshi board right and that's just investors who are trading on the idea right but
07:02why what's motivating them why would Shams be saying this while we repeat it and by the way he
07:09tucks in don't expect anything next week either well I thought he said that the decision he expects
07:15the decision to come soon uh yeah I guess that's relative to find soon right he said he doesn't
07:20think it's happening this week but maybe next week maybe yeah I just I can't help but look at for
07:27me
07:27the most simple thing and you know when you cook and when you're done cooking you look in the pan
07:31and
07:31you see what's left in the pan and that's the essence of the dish basically you serve everything
07:36out of the dish and you look and whatever your sauce was that's what's left in the dish and so
07:40for me
07:41it all comes down to that all these teams they could have just signed him so what would LeBron be
07:48possibly waiting for either a move by one of these teams or okay on a documentary or what what if
07:55Shams is a cog in the wheel of negotiation
08:02I mean so the Warriors are going to hear that report and pick up the phone and call Washington
08:06and say four first round picks Shams doesn't think we're in it the Warriors are very well aware of
08:10where they are LeBron is aware of where he is and the Wizards are aware of this that and the
08:14other
08:14everyone's aware I'm sure of where they are exactly so but in the art of negotiation is that not
08:22a tool just kind of get somebody to act because again like what race are you running
08:30there's Cleveland Miami and Philly well they're right there they're in Cleveland Miami and Philly
08:35you can just call them we've got phones we've got voice memos just sign what are you waiting for
08:43who are you trying to motivate with your words that's kind of what I'm getting at are you trying
08:49to motivate Cleveland Miami and Philadelphia how so they're that's those are cooked I mean if
08:55they're the three that Shams is hearing are in the mix then maybe LeBron's waiting for them to make
09:00a move to his liking I think that they've already made their moves Miami has acquired Giannis
09:06and the Philadelphia 76ers have acquired Jalen Brown and the Cleveland Cavaliers have I don't know
09:14they play in Cleveland well Harden turned down his options exactly whatever he's gonna make
09:19eventually Draymond Green turned down his you know and and McAfee pressed him on it okay what about
09:26the Warriors the issue I think when LeBron James when you look at that team with the Warriors is
09:30is that team if he's there is that team good enough and I think that's the big question happiness is
09:36the
09:36word of the day in terms of LeBron James but what encapsulates happiness it's a bunch of things it's
09:40being on a team that has a chance to compete it's giving yourself an opportunity to win and win big
09:45and that's why a lot of the focus has been around teams that are positioned right now if you add
09:50a
09:50LeBron James to the Cavaliers that's a hole at three position that they need you add into the Sixers
09:55he slides right in the starting line that's a contender Cavs contender he a complete contender the
10:00moment he gets there so you know the Warriors would need a little bit of work still and the big
10:04thing
10:04with the Warriors was packaging LeBron James with another star player and that's when you would get
10:09LeBron James's attention that's the idea and that's when the Warriors went into free agency
10:14can we start a big four Steph Draymond LeBron and Anthony Davis we know the relationship between AD
10:20and LeBron goes goes deep and so are you able to get that done and so far we're 16 days
10:26into July
10:26there's been no real traction in any trade conversations the Warriors have on AD or any
10:31other star which then leads me to believe that they are behind and they are to my knowledge behind
10:36other teams such as a Miami a Cleveland a Philadelphia and and the Sixers literally
10:41got on the map the moment they got Jalen Brown they were not even in the picture such as goes
10:45to show
10:46you make moves you can get LeBron James's attention especially in this free agency
10:50Paul Schmidt oh I mean sorry sorry
10:55Philadelphia is in the picture because they got Jalen Brown sure
10:59they are if LeBron wants to go to the best team that is possibly in the mix that would be
11:04Philadelphia
11:04why wouldn't all the teams be in the mix he said he would sign for the minimum right or the
11:09McMinn thank you if he wants to go to the best constructed team with the best chance to win I
11:13think that's Philadelphia I think it's San Antonio if I do think that it's Philadelphia and San Antonio
11:17I don't believe is in the mix for LeBron James Andy come off the bench be a nice little seventh
11:24man for San Antonio but for me the bigger point is if Philadelphia made that move to make it so
11:31LeBron
11:32could come join a winner well then if that's what LeBron was about he joins Philadelphia nine days ago
11:38correct you know what you're waiting for you got Jalen Brown and Edgecombe and Maxie and Embiid and me
11:43I don't buy I'm there I don't buy any of this stuff at all
