Takes

LeBron James is the face of the NBA until the day he retires

As long as LeBron's in the league, LeBron is not only the face of the league, but definitely has a weighted opinion on basketball... LeBron is the face of the league until he is no longer in the league.

It is hypocritical for LeBron James to complain about playing on Christmas after doing it for 20 years

LeBron's been playing on Christmas for 20 years. Like, what are you talking about? Now, you're upset? I should [mention] though... Christmas Day [games] are ruined now because they don't play defense in the league.

The NBA Cup means nothing to me

I'm excited to watch the game. I just don't care who the NBA cup means nothing to me. ... There's no way you'll be able to be like, oh yeah, 2025. That was the year the Spurs won the NBA cup.

The future of the NBA is in Victor Wembanyama and Sam Presti's hands

I would say the future of basketball's in [Wembanyama] and Sam Presti's hands. ... The Thunder are also in Dodger land. They are in Dodger land. ... Which is insane 'cause they're doing it with a cat.

LeBron James is officially in his stat-padding era

My Cool Throne is LeBron because congratulations to LeBron. He kept his streak alive of scoring 10 games, which is a totally made up streak... Can we just admit that LeBron's in his stat padding time, like it's fine. It's fine.

If LeBron James wins a title in Cleveland this year, it doesn't count

If he does go to the Cavs and the Cavs win in an East that is beyond depleted this year, we need to just already say this. That doesn't count. The Pacers are out of it, the Bucks are probably out of it. Coward move if he wins a title with the Cavs.

The evidence of Malik Beasley gambling on his own games is absurdly obvious

The videos that came out after the investigation came out were very bad to say the least. I don't know if it's one of those things where if you could do this for any player... but the videos that came out were absurdly obvious that he was probably gambling on games.

WNBA players being petty toward Caitlin Clark is actually good for sports

Of course they don't like her. She's better than them and she's more popular. Like of course they're petty about it. I think that's good for sports... Kaylyn Clark will have a longer career, better career, make more money. She's gonna win in the long run. It doesn't have to be like a World War II every single time there's a slight on Kaitlyn Clark.

LeBron James is a scumbag for opting into a $52 million contract instead of taking a team-friendly deal

[LeBron] opted in for $52 million. He's a billionaire. He might even be a piece of shit... he does not need, he's not even good enough for 52 million a year. He could have signed for 30... they could use the 20 million to actually make their team better. But he doesn't care about that because he's a selfish piece of shit.

The Phoenix Suns are returning to a state of institutional chaos under new ownership

Matt Ishbia bought the team. And guess what, they're back in it [chaos] because there's a lawsuit now out that sun, CEO Josh Bartelstein might have had an inappropriate relationship with Sophie Cunningham who played on the Phoenix Mercury. ... The suns are just back in it.

Doc Rivers has won three games in a playoff series many times and doesn't get enough credit for it

When he [Doc Rivers] loses the three-one leads, he's won three games. That should be worth something. Like if you get up 28 to three against the Patriots of the Super Bowl, that should be worth something.

Caitlin Clark is paid what she is worth right now because she hasn't won a championship

I think that she's paid what she's worth right now. She gotta win the big one. ... She's never won a college national championship. Never won a WNBA national championship. ... Talk to me when she's got a chip. When she gets that ring.

Dwight Howard isn't actually good at basketball anymore

Stephen A. Smith was making the case for Dwight Howard today coming back... I'm in support of that just because it would be very funny, but I don't think he's very good at basketball. [He's] one of those guys that looks in shape, but he probably doesn't have any of the skills that he once had.

Jimmy Butler is an absolute locker room cancer

I mean he's old and he's proven himself time and time again to just be an absolute locker room cancer can't even win.

The Warriors should have just resigned Klay Thompson and stayed old together

I don't even think like, this is why this revisionist history just fucking should have just resigned Klay and just gotten like, you have to pick a lane. Like just maybe just get old together. And just be like, all right. It was fun, but everyone got to stay together... if you know you're not gonna win again, just go nostalgia.

I love the NBA Cup courts and the point differential incentive

I am a full NBA cup guy... The courts I love. I like something different. I also love the fact, and this is probably because I like to gamble on overs that teams are playing for point differential. That makes it fun.

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest should be replaced by a Layup Contest

I think they should do a layup contest instead of slam dunk contest. [Ja Morant's 360 layup] was sick... I thought to myself like, with enough practice I could possibly do that. Also not true. But it still made me think.

The Celtics are attacking the next title rather than defending the old one

Joe Mazzulla, Celtics coach, was doing an interview and they asked him about how he feels about defending the title and he basically just took down the term forever. He said the phrase 'defending a title' is a very passive-aggressive term. If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don't defend—they're the most aggressive and they attack the most. So we're attacking the title.

The 2024 USA Basketball team would smoke the 1992 Dream Team

Modern game. More shooting. Like if it was if you literally just took them in a time machine and dropped them in 2024. The 2024 team would smoke them.

Lauri Markkanen is not worth $200 million

They just gave Lauri Markkanen a five year, 200 plus million dollar contract... He's not worth that much money. I'd pay him 35 [million].

Bronny James is not currently a professional-level basketball player.

The way that he said, 'I don't think Bronny's a pro' isn't that bad for [Jalen Brown] because it's also not wrong. He's not a pro. Which is probably an accurate [statement].

LeBron James only brought Bronny into the NBA to bolster his GOAT case against Michael Jordan

Some people could argue that LeBron, when he realized that he wasn't going to win six titles and match MJ, he's like, 'what else can I try to get that will, they'll say in my GOAT conversation' and having Bronny—playing with Bronny—will be there. MJ's son never played in the league.

Jayson Tatum has no aura

Jayson Tatum has no aura. I have no aura. Perfect. Exa—great. Find it. That's, I have no aura... If you see it, you can tell, you can use, you don't have to know the definition... [Tatum] has no aura.

JJ Redick used his podcast with LeBron James as a 4-month job interview for the Lakers

He used podcasting... it's a stepping stone job... LeBron, you can have conversations with people and be like, I think this guy would be a good coach... just say what it was. Yeah. We decided, we realized that podcasting is the greatest loophole ever. And we did a podcast about the philosophies of basketball... I was essentially interviewing him for the job and then we hired him.

Draymond Green is 'going out sad' and only complaining because his career is ending

I think Draymond Green knows it's over and he's going out really sad, just complaining. He's made $177 million... for him to say that the fines are the big problem... I think there might be a small part of him when he goes to bed at night, he's like, did I call Steph like a couple rings? And it's over. He's grasping at whatever he can to try to keep it going.

Bronny James is in a terrible spot and I feel bad for him

My Hot Seat is Bronny James... I feel bad for him. Like I, I he's he's in a terrible spot. I agree. He's in a terrible spot. He is at the combine this week. People are debating whether he should even be at the combine.

Bronny James would not be drafted or at the combine if his name wasn't Bronny James

I do agree with you because it's just a simple question. Would Bronny James be at the combine and be drafted if his name wasn't Bronny James? The answer's no.

Miami Heat culture is in absolute shambles

Heat culture absolute shambles. Pat Riley did a press conference... asked about Jimmy Butler trolling when he wasn't playing and he said, if you're not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut.

Russell Westbrook looks foolish for arguing with a fan in a balloon hat

Never get in a fight with someone who has nothing to lose. Yeah. That guy has zero to lose in life. He's a diehard Hornets fan in a balloon hat... Russell Westbrook looks like a much bigger fool than the balloon hat guy.

Steph Curry belongs in the NBA GOAT conversation (or at least the 'Go-cart')

I put Steph Curry up there. He's in the Go-cart. I'm putting Steph Curry in the GOAT conversation right now.

We should celebrate Ja Morant's finger-gun celebrations as progress because at least he isn't using actual guns

I would rather Ja Morant be waving his fingers around in the shape of guns than actual guns. Right. This we should be celebrating that as progress.

The NBA In-Season Tournament should have one traveling banner instead of permanent ones

There should just be one banner. And the team that wins it should get to have it in their arena for the remainder of that year into next year where they have to give it up and another team then gets to possess that banner because you can't have every NBA team eventually having an in season tournament banners.

Any NBA team that loses 20 games in a row should fire and cut everyone in the organization

20 losses in a row is insane... If you get over 15 in a row, it's fire everyone. You can't do 20 in a row. No. You have to fire everyone. I don't know if you can legally fire everyone, but like I'm saying, cut everyone, fire everyone, do everything. 20 in a row. That's bad.

Zion Williamson is not an NBA superstar

Is Zion Williamson to be a superstar? No. No. I don't think he's played enough games to be a superstar. Superstars play. He was a college superstar. I absolutely agree with that.

LeBron James being left off the NBA executive poll for clutch shooters is a personal insult

Which player would you want taking a shot with the game on the line? Number one was Steph Curry... LeBron James wasn't there. LeBron getting left off that list, that seems personal. He's gonna have to use that. He's gonna go to Zero Dark 30.

The 'World Champion' debate is dumb because all the world's best players are in the NBA

This is the dumbest debate ever, especially when you consider all the best players in the world playing the NBA. ... This is one of those cases where a guy's trying to say something deep and then he says it... and when it comes out of his mouth, he's like, yeah, take that guys.

It's more fun to root for the worst team in the NBA than a middling team

There's something about being a fan for the worst team in the NBA that is like even more, it's more fun than being a middling team because you have like a couple young guys that that's all you care about is them playing well. ... Being in the no man's land of like making the play-in and stuff sucks.

The NBA MVP award and the discussion surrounding it are overrated compared to winning a title.

I also have a take: the MVP is just way overrated besides the team... in terms of a league-wide discussion, I just don't care who wins the MVP. I don't care who wins the title. Can you remember every MVP? ... Maybe MVPs aren't overrated, but the discussion about them is overrated because I feel like we spend a shit lot of time talking about an MVP that most people at the end of the day, then the playoffs starts, it's like, 'Yeah, this is what we're playing for.'

I'm correcting my take: MVPs aren't overrated, but the discussion about them is overrated.

So here, all correct. Correcting my own take. Maybe MVPs aren't overrated, but the discussion about them is overrated because I feel like we spend a shit a lot of time talking about an MVP that most people like at the end of the day, then the playoff starts. It's like, yeah, this is what we're playing for.

Russell Westbrook's shot selection is only getting worse because of the criticism

You know, that old drill tweet like keeps screaming at me. It only makes my opinions worse. Yeah. That's what's happening with Russell Westbrooks jump shot. Yeah. Everyone's telling you, everyone's booing you and trying to get you to stop shooting... it's actually just making Westbrook shoot the ball more often.

Draymond Green glorified assaulting his teammate in his TNT mini-doc

He managed to turn him almost killing one of his teammates in a disgusting move... and then has a show on TNT where he like made it, he like glorified it. Basically he glorified himself assaulting his teammate and looking so like immature, childish and just bad.

Ben Simmons should stop shooting because every miss becomes a viral mockery

I now am starting to understand why Ben Simmons just doesn't shoot because he, he can't shoot. And every time he does shoot it becomes a viral moment... why would I shoot when I know that it's not gonna go in and people are gonna roast [me]?

Losing a preseason game to an NBL team is bad for Chris Paul's legacy

The sun's lost their first games. Good for us. They lost an NBL team, an Australian league team... How did Chris Paul do though legacy wise? [Hank:] I mean, that's bad for your legacy. [Big Cat:] I'm gonna count that as another 3-1 lead blown.

If you never missed a 3-point shot, you would easily make an NBA roster regardless of your defense

If you made every three point shot you ever took, do you think that they would put you on an NBA team? Easily. Yes, absolutely. Million percent. I'd be the best player of all time. You'd get just torched on defense, but you have three points every time you shoot it.

LeBron James is a coach killer who has gotten six coaches fired

LeBron has been freed of another coach... LeBron has gotten six coaches fired in his career... I don't know why we don't talk about LeBron James as a coach killer more because Frank Vogel got overall raw deal.

Chet Holmgren should inherit the 'Slim Reaper' nickname since Kevin Durant has forfeited it

I think that Kevin Durant has forfeited the nickname, the Slim Reaper. I feel like [Chet Holmgren] is a Slim Reaper. Yeah. We're looking at Slim Reaper here... I feel like we need to repurpose the Slim Reaper nickname and give to Chet Holmgren.

Zion Williamson is a better player when he is fat

I'm going to say something controversial. I think that Zion Williamson is a better player when he's fat. I want him to get fat. Well, in fact, well he D he doesn't play right now. He's a better players to get fatter. Yeah. He just needs to get so fat that they roll them out there.

Ja Morant has become the most likable young player in the NBA

I also think that Ja Morant has become maybe the most likable player, the most likable youngster in the NBA.

The NBA season doesn't officially start until Christmas Day

NBA season to me, I've been watching, I watched the Bulls, but I haven't watched pretty much any other NBA. It starts on Christmas day. That's when NBA season starts.

LeBron James got off easy with a one-game suspension for punching Isaiah Stewart

LeBron James basically owns the NBA, which we already knew, but the fact that he got suspended one game for assault is fucking ridiculous... He looked him dead in the eye and then punched him in the face. ... if it was reversed... the other guy would be suspended for like seven, eight games.