Hour 2: They Really Made a Show About Our Crazy Team
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A couple people who aren't here at the moment. One is Amin Elhassan. He got mad at me and left. No, wait. That was another thing. You're going to get an emoji text in five minutes, I'm betting. No, but Jeremy's not here. Jeremy was here yesterday. I was here yesterday for a second, and the only person I kind of close-talked was

Was Jeremy. And then Jeremy calls in sick today. So either I got him sick or I'm probably on the verge of something. But he's not here today, but he did. A lot of people at the parade have to be sick, right? Well, that's what Jeremy said. Yes. Standing in water for six hours. Probably not the best. Even in the cool poncho he had on. It's still, you know, probably going to get him sick. But, you know, Jeremy being Jeremy still sick.

Bringing in content. And he was interviewing. Was he interviewing him? Yes, he was interviewing. The Heat rookie? The Heat rookie. Kahlil Ware. Is that his name? Yeah, Kahlil Ware. And, you know, they got to talking rookie stuff. And Jeremy asked him a question about his Mount Rushmore. Who is on your NBA Mount Rushmore? So who are the four best players of all time? Okay, I'm going to put Wilt. Wilt. Got to put Kobe. Uh-huh.

I would say MJ. Would say MJ. I would say MJ, but I heard that some of his stats was false. Oh, you saw the Tom Havister report about the defensive player of the year. All right, so we're taking MJ off the Mount Rushmore for you. I will, Kobe. You know what? I'm going to put Ant in there. You're putting Anthony Edwards on there already. All right, we got Anthony Edwards, and who's your fourth? For my fourth, I'm going to say Bam. Bam.

I'm going to say damn. Did the Heat regret their pick after hearing that clip? There are certain things that you hear a young player say. I'm legitimately serious here, Chris. It makes me wonder about the rest of his career because there's a couple of things. It's a couple of things. Wilt's right off the bat.

When you go wilt on the all-timer, that's the first one that comes to mind. It starts at maybe you're nuanced. Maybe you get, oh, no, this guy definitely going to go with numbers. And then he goes, got to go Kobe. That's when he starts turning left and you're just like, hey, I mean. And you just start saying, do you have to go Kobe? Okay, maybe this guy just respects skill, ability. And then we get to the Tom Haverstow part of all this, which is amazing. First of all, he said, I hurt.

that some of his stats were. He didn't listen. He didn't read or anything about Tom's stats. He probably saw one of those big voices. Did you know that some of Michael Jordan's stats were inflated? And then they'll just start saying what Tom Haberstroh said on one of those reads. Hold on. It's like, what if I told you that the greatest player of all time had some big stats? Why do they have to talk like that? Focus. That guy's good, though. No, his voice is good. So that's number one.

But to drop Michael Jordan from, as he said, he would put him on there, but because some of his steals were inflated. The steal stats were inflated is enough to take him off entirely, even though he didn't have two ready to go after that.

He had to really think about it. Okay, but you're burying the lead, which is that LeBron James, not on his Mount Rushmore of best NBA players. I thought the lead would be maybe Jimmy Butler over, should have gone over Bam because, you know, you got to work that locker room properly. I'm going to tell you exactly how the thought process went. So first is... He's Jordan's son, by the way. He says Wilt because, like, he wants to appear to be nuanced. Right. Right? Right. Then he says Kobe...

And the reason why is because he wants to say Jordan, but he found out that Jordan's stuff might be fake. And he's like, I don't know how much of it is fake. I don't know. I didn't do the deep diving, but we've discovered that some of it is fake. Maybe a lot of it was fake. I don't trust it anymore. By the way, a lot of Will's stuff was fake too. But...

But, you know, so now that you know that Jordan's home. To that point of me really quick, we have a lot of video from a lot of times pre, you know. Yeah. And we don't have a Wilt Chamberlain 100-point game video. No, we don't. Questionable. Makes you think. Makes you think, absolutely. So now he says, like, Jordan is, what's the next closest thing to Jordan?

Kobe. I mean, it makes sense. 100 points, 81 points, right? Those are the top two. So now the third name, he's like, okay,

I am like 19 or whatever I am. So it's like, who is the most amazing basketball player I've watched? A 19-year-old letting Tom Haberstroh take Michael Jordan off your Mount Rushmore. But that's how it works. It's absolutely 2024. That's how it works. It works as like you, like it sounds pretty reputable and it is. Tom Haberstroh's stuff was reputable. Now Tom didn't.

Erase all of Jordan's career. It was literally about one season. It was one award in his rookie season. Well, it's not a rookie season. It was like his third year. But the point being. You're right. Point being is that it's like, okay, I see how this has shaken your confidence in picking this guy that you never saw that you weren't even alive for, right? So then you look at like even Kobe, he wasn't really alive for most of that.

2016 was Kobe's last year. This kid is 19. Now that means he would have been 11, 10. And so it's like, okay, these are still like the things of a child. So who have I watched? But he's got to go Kobe. Who have I watched? Anthony Edwards. And he looks amazing. Kind of looks like Jordan. Yep. Without the fake stats.

And then he realizes, I've gotten the three. Oh, shit. I just said a current player. That's not a teammate of mine. I need to pander. I need to pander hard. Not Jimmy. For my employer. Well, you know, go with the guy who's around. No, you go with the guy. And this is pretty telling. You go with the guy who the organization is telling you they're building around. They're building around Bam's timeline. Exactly. Not that other guy. Now, I would have thought he was going to say Dwayne Wade.

Over Anthony Edwards, maybe? The guy who's actually had a career? Yeah, but no, he didn't think of pandering until the end. That's why. That Bam was a pander pick. Imagine a world where it's like pretty consensus that right now Bam Adebayo is one of the four best basketball players of all time when Dan had a list from Stan Van Gundy not too long ago that had him as the 13th best center in the NBA.

What a time. That was not Stan. Sorry. I'm sorry. I got confused. Detective Tony's on it. He hasn't figured out yet who's Mr. Rose. Sorry, Billy. I don't want to get you in trouble any further. I'm still working on the 1962 video because we have a lot of video from the 60s, including 1962 NBA Finals, Game 7 Lakers versus Celtics, but yet no 100-point game. And then in 1969, we have that video of the moon. Is that real? We saw Kennedy a couple years later. Well, a couple years earlier.

Earlier, I'm saying later after the 100-point game. Why don't you stop thinking? Billy, that's exactly what you'd want me to do. Yeah. Which is why I'm not going to. Someone's got to get to the bottom of it. Got a little bit more insight into how the JJ Redick thing is going to happen. Did you see he built his staff a little bit? No. His assistants? Who's he got on the list? Two. Some names I recognize. Absolutely recognize. When I saw the names, I was like, you know what?

I judged too soon on the J.J. Redick hire. Okay. Luke Walton? No. That would be amazing if Luke came back one more time. Scotty Brooks? Scotty Brooks, yeah. The most important hire in the entire organization, Nate McMillan.

Wow, he went not one, but two. Okay, so I like to call these guys the Miller Lite Crew. Hey, crisp. The Miller Lite Crew are the guys that were head coaches before.

And now what they do is they sit in the coach's meeting and they say, I wouldn't do that if I were you. And as they crack open a Miller Lite, like, I wouldn't do that if I were you. You need that. Every first-time coach needs a guy like that. How do I get that job? Do I have to be a former NBA player? I'm going to work so hard just to become an NBA player just to get that job. That sounds amazing. I think, Jessica, the key is there's one of these in every profession, by the way. Every profession has a guy.

or a girl, right? The idea here is that you've done this thing, whatever this thing is, and now you're like a sage veteran. And so they bring you in for sage veteran advice, but typically that just comes out as, I wouldn't do that if I were you.

Do we have one of those? Is it Stu? It's got to be Stu, right? Oh, come on. I think it's Greg Cody. No, he's the guy that comes in. What was the character that Stu was that comes in after the fact and said, you shouldn't have done that? That's Stu Gatz.

Right? He doesn't have the foresight to say you shouldn't do that. He comes in after the fact and says, yeah, you shouldn't have done that, obviously. You shouldn't have done that. You should have eaten that pepper. Exactly. I shouldn't have eaten that pepper. I wouldn't eat that pepper if I were you. Six days later. So to have two of those guys is pretty impressive. Now, what if I told you, Izzy, that's not the biggest Laker name to come out? What if I told you that wasn't the biggest Laker name to come out? Wait, what if I told you that that wasn't the biggest news to happen to the Lakers?

Ballsy. Bronny's contract has come out. That's going to be exciting. Y'all ready for this? Bronny's contract. We know it's multi-year, right? We knew it was guaranteed. It's four years.

$7.9 million. For a second round draft pick. And that's not one of those two-way deals. Nope. That is a one-way deal. The NBA way. A one-way to a very rough summer league is what that's going to be. Hold on. There's going to be so many people looking to get Bronny. So this is what I'm looking up right now. The rookie scale contracts of the NBA. So Bronny basically makes $1.15 his first year, $1.95 his second year, $2.29, $2.99.

his third year, and 2-4-8, his fourth year, which is a team option. So at least... Wow, I can't believe they got that. Now listen to this. The number 30 pick in the draft makes $2.1 million.

So that's the last pick in the last pick in the first round makes a total of two, four, six, seven, six, six, eight, six, nine million dollars through three years. Bronny is making seven point nine through four years. By the way, this is why I already pre feel bad for him.

He also has taken a pay cut from his NIL. I want to let everybody know that too. Unless you think they're like, oh, they're just giving him money. He could have been making more. Stayed in college.

I feel like this is due to the second round pick exception is the contract. So this is a new thing in the new CBA that allows you to pay your second round picks. But it just feels very comfortable. I kind of know how the internet is going to treat this. It's kind of predictable. They're just going to be looking for him to fail. I'm curious how other NBA players... There's been a lot of brawny defenders out there. Really? Wow, did you watch the draft, Chris? No.

ESPN spent an entire segment unanimously. What's so wrong with it? What's so wrong with it? I don't know why so many people say something wrong. That's not how the internet works, though. There's a lot of Ronnie defenders on the internet. Can we all agree it's going to be split at least? I mean, geez, it's going to be rough. It's going to be very nasty from a lot of people. I agree with you, and that's why I'm kind of like, oh, God, it's going to be rough. How are the G League guys, if he gets into game, how are they going to treat him?

The G League guys that he plays with or plays against? Both. The ones he plays against, it's open season. They are going to dog him. 100%. It's going to feel like high school all over again. Oh, that's LeBron's son? Like, is it going to be so much? Let's go. Are we going to hear from LeBron on this? Like, back off a little? Is it going to be that? Wait, you've got people in the summer league learning just now that that's LeBron's son? Wait a second. Who number nine? That's LeBron's son? Oh, I got him.

Summer League is going to be interesting. Do you think that Bronny's going to wear James Jr. on his jersey the way he did in college? It said when he held it up. It said James Jr.? Yeah, James Jr., number nine. I would have gone James. I'm old man. The NBA has to love this, right? They love this. This is amazing. Every second of it. Does LeBron go James Sr.? Like Marcus Morris Sr.? You can sell more jerseys. This is the first time I will allow a senior. Like everyone else? Nah.

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Don Levitard. It's a three. The crowd goes into a delusion. Winning in the playoffs, not an illusion. It's a heat check. He's on fire. Stugatz. Carry us, Jalen Brunson. Pumps up clutch, that's why we won.

New York knows you are the best. Not the joke no more. This is the Dan Levatard Show with the Stugats. We're joined now by Matt Barnes. He's a co-host of All the Smoke with Steven Jackson. He also is an NBA champion, a longtime NBA vet.

And, Matt, you are the father of twin boys who are pretty good basketball players. Saw them out in Section 7 out in Phoenix, putting up highlights. So I got to start here with the Bronny James news. His contract came out. It's four years guaranteed, $7.9 million. And...

I guess, how do you think Bronny is going to be received by opponents? First of all, in Summer League that starts in about a week. It's going to be tough sledding for a while. But I think the overall situation is incredible. You know, as you mentioned, a father with sons, I would have given anything to be able to play on the same court in the NBA with my son. So, yeah.

I don't care what anyone says about how he got there and what's going on. I love the fact that he's there and he's getting an opportunity to play with his dad. But I think at this point now it's on him. You know what I mean? He's got the contract. He's got the security. He's got some money to go with it. And now it's about him and his game and what can he do when he's out there to produce. But I know he's been working all summer,

With Chris Johnson, who's the same trainer that trains my twins. And I think if Bronny sticks to what he's been doing this summer, I think he's going to have an opportunity to continue to develop each year. And I'm, you know, around year three, year four. I think he's going to be a very solid contributor to whether the Lakers or, you know, wherever else he may be. Matt, what is it with basketball playing twins these days? You got your twins, Eddie House's twins, Carlos Boozer's twins, the Thompson twins. I mean, what's going on?

uh we were all around the same time drinking the same alcohol smoking something must have happened

But, Matt, my question was how do you think he's going to be received by opponents? I think it's going to be tough sledding. I think obviously there's going to be fans that wrap their arms around him and embrace him. But we all know being in this game, whether it be media or the actual sport, the hate is always louder than the love. So I think there's going to be a lot of people who are going to be taking shots and disrespecting him and his game and his family and everything.

Unfortunately, you know, that comes with the territory these days. But I think he'll do a great job, as his dad does, of blocking this out and understanding, hey, I've got an amazing opportunity.

You know, my dad is the one that kind of put me in this position. But now it's on me to improve. And I think he has the work ethic of his father and, you know, obviously a high IQ. So it's going to be tough for a little while, really, until he gets out there and proves himself. Have your sons experienced that? If so, how early and how did you walk them through that experience of like guys going, oh, that's Matt Barnes' sons? Oh, we're going to go at them and I'm going to make a name for myself by showing up the NBA players' kids?

That's why I know it's going to be tough because I wasn't even in the same stratosphere as LeBron and my kids started getting it at eight years old when I retired and started coming to them. Parents cussing at him, kids going at him extra hard just because I was their father. And I think it made them the tough kids and mentally strong kids they are today. You know, we've been facing that and I'm sure Bronny's been facing it, you know, as long as he's been playing basketball, you know, obviously NBA dads. And this is a plug because we have a hoop dads coming out that we just, uh,

you know, did a deal for. But, you know, being the sons of NBA athletes isn't easy. I mean, obviously it comes with a lot of luxuries, but it comes with a lot of, you know, disrespect and jealousy and hate. So, you know, my kids started facing the eight or nine. And, you know, again, I think it's tough in them up to this point. And, you know, that's why now when they're on the big stage, they don't they don't shy away from anything and they're ready for everything because they've had parents and kids alike cussing and disrespecting them since they were eight, nine years old.

Matt, I'm curious what you thought about the moves made in Philly, particularly with Paul George, because most people, it's almost like the Celtics, you weren't going to pick them until you saw them do it because of what the Celtics probably, you know, close game situations. With this team, it's health, especially for Joel Embiid. And now I guess you could throw Paul George in that situation. But if all you're saying is, hey, they got to get lucky with health on Joel Embiid one time, isn't this kind of top of the East, like disgusting team? This is definitely a team right up there with the Celtics.

When you look at him being and what he's been able to do the last, you know, over his career, but really probably the last three years, the way he's been playing and putting up MVP numbers and really dragging this team as far as they got, you know, on one leg. My biggest thing with him is obviously just like you guys said, has always been health with Embiid. And can he play enough games during the season to, you know, whatever, register or qualify to to to receive awards, but also still have something in the tank?

to get his thing through the playoffs. Obviously, Paul George, really happy for Paul to be able to still get that kind of money. But a unique skill set, they can do it on both sides of the ball, and someone that's definitely going to take pressure off of Embiid. And then obviously the emergence of Maxie,

We can't overlook what he's been able to accomplish in his growth over the last handful of years and put himself as one of the top young up-and-coming point guards in this game. So on paper, everything looks good on paper, and we have to see how it works on the court. But I think overall the biggest thing for them is going to be able to maintain health amongst their two stars or two out of their three stars, Embiid and George. And if they're able to do that,

You know, you put them right up there with the Bostons. But, you know, obviously Boston got it over the hump this year. You know, they've got that experience. They've been to the finals a couple times and they finally won it. So, I mean, again, on paper, things always look good. But until you actually get there in the playoffs, in those Eastern finals and get over that hump to the finals and actually battle in the finals, you have no clue what it's like.

Speaking of looking good on paper, the Knicks were really excited to get Mikael Bridges, but in the process they've also lost Isaiah Hartenstein. How much do you think is that going to hurt them, or do you think they're just overall better because Bridges fits in with the rest of the guys? I think Bridges is a good fit for that team. You know, Thibodeau runs guys to the ground, and Bridges has always been someone who's played high minutes offensively.

You know, anytime you can reunite four guys that played in college together, that's amazing. And it was a great story last year. But, you know, as you guys mentioned, losing Hardenstein. And although his numbers didn't blow you off the page, I think he was eight points, seven rebounds or eight points, eight rebounds. His presence, his energy, the little things he did.

He was a great glue guy for that unit. And, you know, with Robinson and his injuries and knee injuries and his inability to really stay healthy, Hardenstein was a critical part to that run, his toughness and, you know, all the other attributes he brought to that team. So although you definitely gained materialism

Michelle McHale Bridges, who's, you know, anywhere from an 18 to 25 point a game score. You lose. You lost a big part of your defensive and really team identity because that's what Hardenstein embodied.

Matt, were you at UCLA at the same time as Baron Davis? Yeah. Okay, so what was that like, someone you played college with, and then years later, now you're all grown up, you're adults, you're making money, and you play together again? I mean, I owe it a lot to Baron Davis, to be honest with you. My career was, you know, blown in the wind. You know, obviously getting a chance to play with him at UCLA, but then I was in Sacramento in between deals, you know, was Clippers,

chose not to go back to the Clippers because I wanted to play for Sacramento with my big homie C Webb and then I'm in the Webb trade that sends him to Philly don't get a chance to play for almost two years so now I'm at the end of year four like no real resume nothing really going on no teams are calling and

I'm at home in Sacramento and Baron calls me one day and he's down in the Bay and he's just like, hey, we're going to play pickup at the facility if you want to pull up. And I drove an hour and a half down to the Bay Area, went out there, played really well, didn't know that Don Nelson was up in his office watching. And that's really how I earned myself an invite to training camp and then a spot on that team. So yeah,

I owe a lot to Baron, but getting a chance to play with him again in the pros, that run we had that particular year and all the injuries he was facing, that was probably the best Baron Davis I've seen despite the injuries. And maybe in my life, that run he had going into the playoffs and in the playoffs was

where every single night, no matter who we played, and that was with Dirk as MVP, Barron was the best player on the court every single night. So getting a chance to play with him again was special, and I couldn't imagine being able to add a Jerron Rush with us or a Jerome Moise or a Dad Zurek or Earl Watson, guys that also play with the UCLA because, you know, that college chemistry is different than the pros. Yeah.

That real homeboy, you know, real tight friendship. And to be able to carry that into the NBA, it would have been special. So I know there's some great chemistry going on over there in New York. But again, you know, obviously to lose Hardenstein is a tough knock. But, you know, Randall will be back. We'll see what he's going to do, what they're going to do with Randall and if they can activate him.

You know, the Knicks are going to be a very strong contender again. I totally see what you're saying there. And I get that. And I don't remember who it was last year during the playoffs that said at some point the Knicks are going to get back to irrelevancy pretty soon for another 15 years or so. But isn't it because I watched those Villanova teams? Never once did I say, man, keep those guys together. They're winning an NBA championship, right? Like, isn't it possible that a few years from now the Knicks are going to be like, man, we really just put together this college team and thought that was going to win a championship?

I mean, they could be riding on momentum and high hopes. You know, obviously, you know, Brunson's ability, I think, has shocked a lot of people, but now it's expected. He's put himself up in the upper echelon of this game. I don't know what's going on with my background. Forgive me, guys. That looks great, actually. I love it. You look like a saint. He's incredible.

But sometimes when you play with great players, that brings the best out of you. And this is no knock on hard and deep and chins up. But those guys played a lot better than we had seen them play up to this point in their career. You know what I mean? And that I think that had a lot to do with Brunson and being in the flow and being comfortable and confident. So, again, you bring Michelle McHale Bridges over. And like you said, Izzy, I mean, this is not a team you would have saw in college. Like, man, if you get these four on the same team in the NBA, they're going to win a championship.

But, you know, you get these four now with the way they're playing, the confidence they're playing with, the system they're playing in. They're getting a ton of minutes and you add some pieces around them, whether that's going to be Julius Randle or you trade Julius Randle to get some other quality pieces. I mean, those four guys can play some basketball. But as far as, you know, just those four guys getting them over the hump into the championship, no.

that may be a taller task than I think they're ready for. But you never know. I mean, again, everyone doubted Jalen Brunson and what he's been able to do now. So I don't really doubt him as an individual. I just think they're going to need to add some more pieces to those four guys. How surprised were you that Klay actually left? I think we all expected it, but it still felt like a surprise when he left. It's hard, man, because getting a chance to know Klay over the years and then playing with him and knowing how –

much basketball means to him and how much he loves this game and the kind of work he puts in. He's always kind of been the unsung hero. It's been overshadowed for those teams. Steph is the greatest shooter of all time, but Klay's right there. Draymond was a huge defensive part of that team that held everyone together, but Klay was doing the thing on the defensive end, taking all the pressure off of Steph before Klay got hurt guarding all the best players.

you insert KD, the one guy that takes the biggest sacrifice is Klay. So I think Klay has kind of always been the unsung hero of that team. One of the greatest shooters of all time, could be arguably the best catch and shoot shooter we've ever seen. But unfortunately, injuries have played a big role towards the end of his career, which obviously not having him be the same player he was

It's tough. The whole thing last year was, is this team going to stick it out and ride it to the wheels fall off, or are they going to have to make a move? They've decided to make a move. You always hate to see someone like Klay go. Again, an integral piece of those four championships, one of the greatest shoes of all time, first about Hall of Famer.

But it happens. And to be able to go to Dallas, I think, is a great situation. We all kind of thought, hey, if he leaves, he's going to go to the Lakers back home where he's going to play. But I think he was still thinking basketball. And to me, the better fit is Dallas. You've got two incredible guys with the ball in their hand and they need spacing. And now that's going to open up the floor more with Klay. And it also takes the pressure of being the second scorer because I think, you know, with all due respect, as good as he still shoots,

I think he's more of a third scorer now, but still someone can give you 18 to 20 points a game. So I know he's going to have a huge chip on his shoulder and ready to be a big part of what Dallas has, you know, hopes to accomplish next year. But on the flip side,

Dunleavy's had a tough run up to this point, man. Dunleavy has had a tough run. I mean, for him to make the trade with Poole to get CP, to a year later waive CP, to lose Klay. I know Warrior fans out here are wondering, like, what the hell is going on? You know, we miss Bob. We want Bob back. But Bob got out. Bob did the—like, this is the thing everyone's like, oh, man, like, Mike Dunleavy's not as good. I'm like, why do you think Bob left?

He saw all this coming. It was on the horizon. He saw what was coming. He didn't like it. From what I heard...

He didn't like his hands on as the owners were, you know, doing the basketball things when, you know, that was what was Bob's job. So Bob definitely kind of saw the writing on the wall and got out at the right time. And, you know, obviously Dunleavy, a former teammate of mine, great basketball mind, kind of got into a tough situation. But since he's been there, you know, no matter whose fault it is, he is the guy that's making those that, you know, are allegedly making those decisions now. So, again, to start off with the CP3 trade to lose pool to only waive CP the next year and lose clay, you know,

Right now, it's not looking good on Dunleavy's resume. So it'll be interesting to see if they pull any moves off. You're hearing marketing, you know, a few, Levine and other guys like that. So it'll be interesting to see what the Warriors are able to do come free agency or, you know, before free agency is up. Yeah, real quick, Matt, on that note, what are you intrigued by? What type of player would you be intrigued by seeing next to Steph Curry now that, you know, Klay's not his sidekick anymore?

It would be, it's interesting. You know, I really like Laurie marketing. I think he's a big stretch for that has improved his game year by year, a double, double machine that can score. So obviously, you know, you add some size, you know, with them and, and someone that could still shoot and make plays. But, you know, Steph is getting older, you know? So my question is like, who is going to be the guy that's going to be able to take some pressure, some scoring pressure off of Steph. And,

And, you know, I think that's the same focus and lens that Golden State is looking at now, too. They were hoping it was going to be Paul George. That didn't happen. So, you know, you look at, you know, the DeMar DeRozans, the Zach Levines, the Laurie Marketing. You've got to have someone that can put the ball in the basket because right now, if I'm not mistaken, Steph will be 36 next year or he may be already 36. So he's still great and still has more in the tank, but he definitely is going to need some help on that scoring side of the ball.

Howdy, listeners. It's Mike Ryan, and I've told you for quite a while about GameTime, my number one destination for the secondary ticket marketplace. No one does it like GameTime. There are often times where I'm using GameTime, and I'm like, man, this experience cannot get any better. And then, boom, GameTime now has a new feature called GameTime Picks that makes getting tickets to see your favorite teams play even easier. GameTime filters out the fluff to only show you the incredible deals on great seats for your team so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. Go

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Don Levitard. And he was doing all kinds of wild stuff. When he threw the ball off the glass to himself and yammed it, I was like, wow, that's crazy. You're on perks. Stugatz. You know what I mean? Allegedly. Allegedly. Allegedly. Allegedly. Allegedly. This is the Don Levitard Show with the Stugatz. All right, Matt. We done spent enough time talking about serious topics, real stuff happening. I want to talk about Clip.

I want to talk about Clip because it's the greatest comedy on TV. Oh, man. Unintentional comedy. Man. And, like, for those that don't know, they made a TV show about kind of Donald Sterling owning the Clippers, having to sell the Clippers because of the tapes of him saying all types of wild racist shit. And so they cast the show very interestingly. I would say...

My man Al Bundy playing Donald Sterling is doing a great job. Cleopatra Coleman doing V. Stiviano is doing a great job. Right. But then I think the budget ran. And then obviously Lawrence Fishburne. Fishburne as Doc. But then the budget ran out. And they said, we got to get the rest of these players. I got this roster in here. So Matt, before you talk about the show overall,

How did you feel about the casting call for your character, for the guy who plays you?

Sharunas is cool. I know Sharunas. You know, we look somewhat alike, I guess, if you're going to say. I think they got me closest to right over any other player. You know, we're pretty much the same height, same complexion, very similar in that aspect. But you look at the other casting, and it's not even that they don't look alike or they act or, you know, they didn't act well. It was just look nothing like. I mean, you look at Blake's guy like, holy shit. Yeah.

You make DeAndre this weirdo that likes lizards and he's nothing like that. Real philosophical, deep guy. He's nothing like that.

You look at Jamal and I laugh. You look at CP and I'm just like, damn, like they could have did a little better. But but I think to your point, I mean, I thought they they cast the main people great. I think Ed O'Neill was great for Sterling. Lawrence Fishburne for Doc, the lady that played V and even the lady who played Shelley Sterling. Yeah, those did a great job and a great job casting. But the show overall, like you said, it's been funny to me, you know, to to relive something that was, you know, a little overshadowed.

10 years old. It was entertaining. Just how out of touch. I think the funniest part is how out of touch Sterling was with life. Like he really thought that people fucked with him, loved him. He was a sweetheart. And although I didn't have any any run ins or any issues with them, he was just very disconnected to reality. Yeah.

But overall, I mean, it was entertaining, you know, I mean, the, the, the, the back and forth of what was said in, in big meetings and, and on a day to day, they didn't hit the mark on that. But again, I think, you know, I can actually consulted on this project early on when I first started reading the first couple of scripts, I'm like, and I think it was just them trying to, obviously, you know, you got to sensationalize things and, and, and make it, you know, fun, I guess. But yeah,

Again, I just think overall it was an entertaining look, which was a very serious situation at the time. Yeah.

You know, we didn't really know what we were getting into at the time. We, you know, being and I was one of the main voices during that time on what we should and shouldn't do along with the rest of the team. But, you know, I was one of the leaders in that locker room. And when you look back now, you know, we all I'm sure we all if any of the guys saw it, we should have sat out. But at the time, it was too much unknown. We didn't know. We set out one game. Do we set out two games? Do we set out the whole series?

and keep in mind we felt like we had a team that could win a championship that year we won the league during that time and this is right before golden state's rise to you know the start of their dynasty when we were the last team to beat them before they went on their dynasty run so we knew our window was closing because we had a young very talented golden state team behind us so

I think there was too much unknown for us to really, really make a huge statement. And again, it was such a spur of the moment. It wasn't like we had time to think about it. This is in between games. This shit happens. You know what I mean? So it's just like we came together. We thought of a little BS plan. We knocked it out because at the end of the day, as one thing they portrayed, we were never playing for Mr. Sterling. You know, we were playing for everyone in that locker room and our family and our fans.

I have so many follow-up questions, but going off of what you just said, what in the last 10 years has made you change your mind about "We should have sat out"? Just getting kind of grasping the magnitude, I think, of the event and things that have come since then that have been big, that people have kind of had some time to react and think and really have a well thought out plan.

Again, this happens in between games. You know what I mean? Like we really don't. We have two days to make a decision that's going to be, you know, that's going to be remembered for the rest of our lives. So I just think understanding the magnitude of what's gone on, what's gone on since. And still, I really don't know what would happen, though, if we would have sat out. I mean, do we forfeit those games? You know what I mean? Do we do this? Golden State sit out. Is it a win for Golden State? Like I said, there was two. And you got to think Sterling wasn't banned until we got to the second round.

So we sit out all those games and just say, forget the season and let Golden State go on and play OKC. So, again, I just think the uncertainty kind of left us puzzled and we had to make a really quick decision.

So the lizard thing was completely made up because that was one of those details that I'm like, surely this is based in reality. Why would they just add a lizard? They kept going back to it. Like they kept having him over and over again. Stroking the lizard. The lizard, the braids. Like me and DJ were like literally laughing. I was like, was I high the whole time? Like, man, I didn't have braids at all. You know what I mean? So they had the braids and the lizard. They just made DJ weird. And DJ was probably one of the coolest guys.

down to earth, laughing, joking. Obviously, you guys caught a glimpse of such a serious time, but that team had so much fun, like so much fun. And it was weird because we would have so much fun, but still had chemistry issues, which is crazy because we would all get along, mess around, have a good time.

kids' birthday parties, hang out on and off the court, but we still had chemistry issues. But DJ in particular, I think they portrayed him probably the worst because it was nothing like who he was. Oh, I'll tell you who the worst was physically. Like,

Yeah, it has to be. I'll tell you why Blake was the worst. Not only because he don't look like Blake, but also he doesn't act like Blake. Like, I thought for sure if you're going to cast someone to be Blake, he's got to have that kind of funny asshole quality. Gearsmatic. Yeah, this dude wasn't funny at all. He was just kind of whiny. And I'm like, that's not really Blake.

Yeah, I think obviously, Blake, they met, I think they missed the ball on the on those two the most that made CP really, really, really serious. But yeah, I would agree. I mean, Blake, if you don't know Blake, I mean, on the outside looking in, people might think that's how Blake really was stiff, uptight, you know, no personality, but Blake is a comedic guy.

He's hilarious. He talks shit in the locker room. You go back and forth with them. He's a great energy guy. And yeah, I would agree with his character. They definitely missed the ball too. But that's the, I think they got the stereotype of Blake's character, right? Because if you don't know Blake, you might think he's really stiff like that dude was. Okay. Other than casting, what was the thing that they got the most wrong about the story and what was maybe something that they nailed about it?

Again, I think it's really hard to try to put, you know, now that I'm in this space, try to put, you know, try to get the car from each to each location, like where they were trying to get to each important part of the story. And in that, I think they just had to make up a ton of dialogue. So I just think the dialogue was was.

dialogue wasn't it. I mean, we didn't talk like that. We didn't have those type of conversations. I think Doc was like the main consultant, so I don't really know how much input he really had. And again, this is not to shit on anyone who made the show, because I think it's hard trying to figure out exactly what was going on, what was said in those moments, and how do we get the story to each and hit each point. So

I would probably say just the dialogue and the way we talked to each other was probably the biggest misconception. And then one thing they got right, I think, you know, the way Doc shielded our team and was able to, you know, allow us to focus on basketball as good as he could. And then I think my favorite part was just watching Ed O'Neill play Donald Sterling and how burnt out he was. That's my favorite part, too. I like the show.

Yeah, I had a good time too. I watched it. I watched it. I enjoyed it. I fired up and smoked and just sat back and just laughed. Like, yo, they really made a show about our crazy team. Man, it's got to be weird to watch someone tell your life story or part of your life on TV with different characters. But Matt Barnes, the show is All the Smoke. You can catch it wherever you get podcasts or right here on the DraftKings Network. Thanks a lot, Matt. Appreciate you. Thanks for having me, guys. Have a good one.

My favorite part by far is Alvin because when I said Alvin Gentry a picture of the dude that plays Alvin, I said spitting image. Either him or Steph Curry who's played by Dak Prescott. Right there. Steph's got to be so mad. Come on, man.

Howdy, listeners. It's Mike Ryan, and I've told you for quite a while about GameTime, my number one destination for the secondary ticket marketplace. No one does it like GameTime. There are often times where I'm using GameTime, and I'm like, man, this experience cannot get any better. And then, boom, GameTime now has a new feature called GameTime Picks that makes getting tickets to see your favorite teams play even easier. GameTime filters out the fluff to only show you the incredible deals on great seats for your team so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. Go

Go ahead and try it out for yourself. Pick an upcoming game on the app, browse through it on GameTime Picks, and you want to talk about great deals. GameTime always brings it, whether it's their all-in pricing, seat views, the lowest price guarantee, or their ticket coverage. They make this experience special.

so easy. And for my money, it's the best ticket marketplace app out there. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code DAN for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account. Redeem code DAN for $20 off. Download GameTime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest price. Guaranteed.

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