
About this episode
Get every episode summarized
Each time The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
Transcript ready
545 searchable segments. Every word is indexed and playable.
Full transcript
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz — The Big Suey: Phoenix's Roads. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
Close your eyes, exhale, fill your body, relax, and let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1800 contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1800Contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1800 contacts. Spring break isn't what it used to be. It's better. This spring, stay three nights and get a $50 best Western gift card. Life's a trip. Make the most of it at BestWestern. Visit BestWestern.com for complete terms and conditions. Welcome to the big, sweet, presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show? The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan Levitard podcast. I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging.
I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries, that if they're just there, that hasn't happened to you guys. I've done it. And now, here's the marching man to nowhere, that face, and the habitual liar. This episode of the Dan Levitard show is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings! The crown is yours. Thank you. Wow, I think you're so cute, huh? In your glasses. I do, I was already called cute today. All right, very good. Mike, what's coming up with Pablo today? Pablo's got a lot going on, yeah? So, Pablo, as you know, has made news around the world. He's over as a Kauai investigations. And today, live from MIT Sloan, which Pablo's got to be a rock star there. He's going to be doing a live edition of Pablo Tore Fines out. I've been told that this one is going to be a spicy meatball. So, is he going to reveal something in front of a live audience?
In front of a live audience. And he's going to reveal something in front of Amin and David Samson, before the first time. You're going to get a live reaction show today. At 5.30, it is streaming on the Levitard Show YouTube page. If you're watching us right now on YouTube, that is youtube.com slash at Levitard Show. And it's also streaming live on Pablo Tore Fines out YouTube. So, that'll be live. That'll be today. And since it's in front of a live MIT Sloan audience, I assume you're going to hear gasp. Yeah, you're going to hear people going. Thank you to the Academy. Is there anything more gutless than after this NBA season ends? Is when Adam Silver is then going to lay down whatever punishment on Kauai Leonard and the Clippers? That just coincidentally, the season's over. And now we could do the punishment. Another interesting layer to this edition of Pablo Tore Fines out is that it's all Adam Silver. It is also at MIT Sloan. Oh, that's awesome. I'm not ruining it.
That's awesome. That's a, that's a spicy meatball. Who make it a salad? And it's before Adam Silver speaks, yes? You should lay out for Trissa, Dave. I'm sorry, Dave. I'm going to write that one down. I'm sorry, Dave. I'm going to write that one down. I'm sorry, Dave. I didn't say now. Well, Tony's a little late there. He's all over the way. I'm a little late. I got to keep my eyes in two places. But I'm chameleon. No, you don't. You have to look forward. You don't get to turn around. Exactly right. I can't even look forward. Look at all the green Germans fault. Yep. Let's go ahead, Trissa. Trissa. To the football America free agency primer with JD Bunkis, Carmen. All right, Trissa, go ahead. I'm sorry. Anyway, has Adam Silver spoken that MIT yet? Is this a set up for Adam to have to respond? I think Adam has a morning. Important detail. A morning speaking engagement. And then one, I think later in the evening. So I do think Adam Silver is going to be hanging around. But trust me, this word's going to get back to him. I assure you that because this one, like I said,
it promises to be explosive. It feels like Pablo loves a good symposium. He does. I can verify that. Exynonymous, right? When you think of Pablo Torrey, I think of symposium. You have no idea. Like, I've been, I've had the pleasure of going to an MIT Sloan before. And they're actually like, if you like analytics, it's a little dorky. But it's fun, right? Right? And someone like Pablo, I guarantee you, he is a total rock star. Like, have you been to MIT Sloan? I haven't yet. I want to go. So MIT Sloan is basically like, oh my god, that's Bob Fulgeris. Don't look at him. Like, that's exactly what MIT Sloan. Oh my god, that's RC Buford. Jesus Christ. Why did I wear this shirt around RC Buford? So I think Pablo is definitely. Definitely. No, I'm done. Those are those clear frames. That sounds like a dork fest, right? Yeah. Terrible. Do you think that that's why? I don't know that I've ever been to a proper symposium. Jesus Christ. You can browse. Hashez, the sword of sports fan. He would go to a sports fan symposium to learn up on cap implications and such.
That's right. I would. Is that true? The symposium. Do you think that's why Pablo is comfortable abandoning his family? Happy sixth birthday to my daughter, Violet. What? That's a what? It's time, Amherstrow. I got to tell you, like, if you're a journalist and if you're breaking stories, especially serious stories and breaking news like Pablo is, you know, you got to, you got to have some guts, I suppose, you know. But to me, like, if he's going to, like, if he's going to say things either directed toward Adam Silver or in Adam Silver's, like, stratosphere, that being the NBA and Adam Silver is there. Yeah. Oh, that's, that takes some guts, if you ask me. My God, Keith Law. Keith Smith. So anyway, what time is that again today? 530, you said? 530 live on this YouTube page. So if you subscribe to either us or Pablo once you subscribe to both, you'll get an alert once that goes live and I promise you, this one's going to be very interesting.
You keep asking, how much more could he possibly have on this aspiration deal? He saved a pretty good nugget here for you guys and for the live audience over at MIT. Okay. All right. So, I think Brian had a symposium. Look, it's nose for a rat too. No, that's just Adam Silver. Come on. You like that one? I do like that one. I was a low-hanging fruit. He's a low-hanging fruit. No, I sometimes low-hanging fruit, delicious. Zazz doesn't know all of the other key people in analytics, Mike, to laugh at all of your deep cuts. He only knows the top of the top. Drew Anga was deep. It was. Is he still doing it? I'm not even sure Drew is still doing it. So last night, Trista. Last night was a big night in the NBA. All right. Well, we can get to the feature game, which is the spurs and pistons from last night. The spurs sweep the season series and it feels, uh, it feels like the spurs in one of the championship. We'll get back to that. But the, the Lakers lost to the nuggets last night. Did you see what
happened in this Laker game, Trista? Well, I saw that LeBron James injure his elbow. Oh my God, you got to, like, you got to be kidding me. So LeBron last night, nuggets, one, one, twenty to one, thirteen, uh, LeBron, it's 16 points, uh, eight assists. Like, you know, average kind of game. He was seven of 11 from the floor. So he was bad, you know, but LeBron last night, there's a play. It's, it's with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. It's a four point game. LeBron drives the basket, makes a difficult layup going up against Nikola Yokech and presumed, but proceeds to fall to the ground. And if you look at the replay, I don't think Yokech even touched him. All right. At, at, at most, their bodies grazed at most. And LeBron falls to the ground in a heap and is writhing in pain, shouting my elbow, my elbow. Did he just say my elbow or did he, was there any other
accident? He said F word, my elbow, my, uh, he's in, I mean, you would think he's gonna have to, he's gonna have to retire from the pain that is taking place right now. Mike, they show the replay this. He's got to retire. Mike, they show the replay this not only am I not sure that Yokech touched him, but he doesn't even know which elbow he hurt. First he's grabbing his right elbow. And then he's grabbing his left because he realizes when he grabs the right elbow, he's got the sleeve on. So like, that's a protective sleeve. And then he grabs the left one, which is sleeveless. All right. So it's exposed, but you see in the replay, his elbow never even touches the ground, matter of fact, so his arm lands on the leg of a cameraman. He never even hits the ground with his elbow and he can't get up. He cannot stand because everybody knows when you hurt your elbow, your legs don't work. I think he actually hurt himself. How often does he scream and rive out in pain?
You can't be serious. I mean, you're just not a serious person right now. Some are saying Nicole Yokech is a dirty player. Yeah, I saw it online. I just I don't know. Maybe you saw it online. Was it Marquee Morris? Hey, you keep your eyes forward. Sorry. Was it Lou do not look back at me? Did Lou do it say that? I mean, maybe it comes from because we've been so like involved in hockey over the last few years. And we know how tough these guys are. But how like Dave, how can anyone take series Lebron hurt? Let's say he hurt his elbow, which we all know he didn't, but let's say he hurt his elbow. Why can't he stand? What does that mean? He has to lie on the ground. It's because the climate now allows for this. It started with soccer and we all laughed at it for at least a couple of decades. And over the last, let's say, I don't know, decade. I guess since Tom Brady hurt his knee, NFL QBs now do this sort of thing where we all have to and now the fans are in on it too. When you're at a football game, the reaction from the home crowd now
requires when the quarterback gets hit and you can tell he didn't really get hit hard. All now the, the, the tens of thousands of home fans now have to pretend they're a part of the bit. Now we're like, oh, come on, let's throw the flag. That was clearly a late hit. And now it's reach basketball. It ain't good. It ain't good for anybody. I'm with you. Zaz clearly was faking it. But that's the world we live in. Zaz, I like, let's be honest. You, you're honest. You yourself cannot get your ass off of the floor if you're laying down without pushing your elbow down to the ground. Can you use your strength to get up on your own and stand without using an arm? Yes. But, but there's, I want to see it. There's then a point where his teammates come over to him to pick him up. Pull him up the elbow hurts when you pull it up. They're trying to pull him up from his right arm. The first, both arms got hurt. You just established that. He's like, oh, my, oh, I can't get up. What the heck in the way that he treats me about NBA guys,
when they wear the compression stuff. Yeah. But only on one leg. What gives there? Let's talk to the high end athletes in there. Tony, tell us about why does it, why do, why do you your fellow high end athletes sometimes wear a compression thing only on the one leg? Doesn't that throw them off a four letter word called swag, Dave? You got one. You don't need two. You got one. You fit your favorite one. You like that. You like the compression shorts. You like the ones that go all the way down. You like the the tights. Or do you like the mid ones to the calf? Or do you like the ones that are short? It's all of swag preference. You'd know that. Okay. I'll buy that. That's what I always have suspected. They didn't have no actual requirements. It does absolutely nothing. No athletic advantage. Zero, zero, nothing. All right. That's what I thought. They are such a tough watch, though, that Laker team. So Luca Donchitch, then yesterday he picked up his 15th technical foul, the season, which means the next technical foul, he will be suspended for a game. And then every other technical foul for the remainder of the game is another suspension. So Luca's going to miss some games over the rest of the way here. And people are upset at him. Dwayne waiting. I saw this on
ESPN to McMahon. Luca is hurting this team by not getting back on defense and complaining on the other member. That was a thing with us and Wade through the last. You're right. Yeah, that was always the D way. You're right. But at least D way, like once he was on the ball, was a pretty solid defender. Right. Right. Was great at blocking shots, was great at chasing screens. And ultimately when he was dialed in was a good defender. We're never going to get there with Luca. So on top of that, he's not showing effort and he's complaining about calls. But I do think it usually works for superstar like Luca to be doing that. That's part of the game. That's part of why they're so good. That's part of why they get the calls. They run the reps a whole game. Luca felt that he was being treated unfairly. I think so too. He believes you again, you are not a serious person. Luca believes he was being treated unfairly last night. Here he is trying to explain what happened with the technical foul. What was the feedback from referees during that play? Did they explain like why they teach you up in that moment? Yeah, just because I guess that's what he said. But I heard the other placing the exact same sentence and the indicator tag. And that's my problem. I was trying not to
talk at all. It's the first thing I said, no warning or nothing. But I heard the other placing the exact same thing and nothing. So it's just, I don't know what to say. Obviously you've just 15, but in previous seasons you've gotten 15 and not gotten the one game suspension that comes with 16. Guess what for you, do you need to happen just to avoid that or yeah, avoid it like you've done in previous seasons? Don't get another 10. Like you committing that you won't actually can't predict the future. No, I could predict the future. He will pick up more technical fouls. They have 20 games left in the season. He's going to wind up getting suspended. But like that explanation's rich to me because someone else said the exact same thing that I did and they didn't get a technical foul. So like, look at you want, do you want to be treated the same as everyone else? Because that'll be an interesting world. If you want to be treated the exact same as every player. That's basically what Jeremy was trying to say yesterday about me. He was like
trusting us to correct Dan. How come I don't get the correct Dan? She's Luca. What are you? I mean, I probably blew door it. No one gets the correct Dan. Lakers. Folks, listen up, quick break in the action. Are you counting down the days until payday? Instacash from MoneyLine can help you access up to $500 of your hard-earned pay early. There's no interest, no credit check, and no monthly fees. So you can manage those in-between expenses with less stress. Download the MoneyLine app and link your qualifying bank account to see what you qualify for. MoneyLine. Make money easy. Instacash is subject to terms and eligibility requirements. Expedited delivery requires a turbo fee. See MoneyLine.com. Dan Libertard. John, can you rate my Al Pacino from that billiard scene in Carlitos Way if I do it for you? I think it's pretty good. Yeah. Okay. Two gods. You think you're big time? Are you going to die? Big time! That is my infamous scale of one to ten. That's a that's a seven point six.
Solid. Good job, Dan. Good job, Dan. This is the Dan Libertard show with his two gods. I feel bad for Larry Bird catching strays. When Luke's name comes up and I'm surprised Mike Ryan somehow avoided doing it. Well, that's just the way superstars are. Sometimes they don't play defense. He keeps Larry Bird because he was a taller high scoring white guy. That's enough for people to just go like, yep, he's this generation's Larry Bird. Larry Bird was a fine defender. He wasn't, you know, he wasn't locked down, shut him down whenever he wanted to, but he wasn't Luke, who just doesn't, who straight up doesn't try. That's who, that's who, my shout out to this morning. Larry Bird. I don't think anyone ever compares Luke at a Larry Bird. I think they compare him a lot more to James Harden. I'd like to correct myself. I think I'm more of a kid. Younger people. Jeremy, I'm right, I'm right in that town. Jeremy, no. You
did not hold up the note. To you, yes. Yeah, but you could have held it up there. I said, specifically, I was going to go. Why are you talking like Zaz right now? Lemon-cented bathroom. Very influential. Watch that down too. So also last night, the San Antonio Spurs Trista, they beat the Detroit Pistons. They sweep the season series from Detroit. All right. So as you know, I hopped into the association this week and the games have been interesting. Now when you say hopped in, like, did you order the leak pack? No, like Dave, like Dave established last week that, you know, the NBA is a perfect sport to just hop in. I don't need to pay attention until after the Super Bowl. I jumped on a board and move and train. I know all the storylines. I know all the teams that are good. The players don't pay attention. Why would we? Exactly. So like the one team that I was really interested in watching this week was, you know, I got to see these Detroit Pistons that everybody tells me about bad week to watch the Pistons. I don't actually think they're good because I've just watched them. They're not good. They're not a good team. Bad team. Hornets way better.
Facts that yes. Exactly. You're right on schedule. Yes. I have been going up against these Pistons and Cade Cunningham all year, especially now we have a little controversy about the 65-game rule and MVP. We'll shake it. Can you get it? And we're just going to gift it to Cade because he's eligible and he's the best player on the team. He's had a good season. A good season. That's not an MVP season, but then take care of the 65-game rule and outlaw it. He's got one more game and then he's done. Adam Silver double. Adam Silver needs to step in here. He's got nothing. More than he even needs to step in on the aspiration stuff. How about the terrible? Where they are right now? With any of it? How about the terrible? Where he's at? This is a space where he needs to step in and say, you know what? You know what? 65 games? Not this year. We're going to change the rule. We're going to figure it out. But this year, look at these guys. Look who the MVP should be. Nikola Yokich for 40 games would be more valuable than what Cade is. And that's not even an knock on Cade. Look at what Nikola Yokich is doing. Look at what Shay Gildish Alexander is doing.
And these guys missed it for injuries, not because they were load managing, not because they were sitting out national TV games, but because they were hurt. It's crazy to me that this is a situation where he needs to intervene. I hate to play quiz show because I hate it when people quiz me. Do you know how many MVP winners have been below the 65 game threshold in a full season? Oh, wow. I like that question. I can think of one. I don't know the answer to it. Who is that? I wish I could think about it, but I feel attacked. That's the answer. It's only Bill Walton. So let's just let the voters decide. Jeremy, did you look this up before? Yeah, it's just something that I heard like within the last couple of weeks. By me, probably. Wow. Sund you could have been. Sund. He's an alley who blister. Good to have been. So last night, San Antonio beats Detroit. They take both games this season. San Antonio. That's good. That's good team. Good team. San Antonio's a good team. All right. Victor Wampanyama. Absolutely impossible.
I like him. He's good. You think he's good? I think he's good. He's tall. 38 points and 16 rebounds last night. San Antonio, as far as the Western conference goes, is too back in the lost column of Oklahoma City. So they're totally in play for number one overall. I got to tell you, if it's Oklahoma City and San Antonio and a Western conference final, and mind you, San Antonio beat him four out of five times this year. So maybe this isn't exactly a hot take. San Antonio, I think they're winning the whole thing this year, Tristan. Inject that Western conference finals in my veins. I need it. Right now, I need it the first round. I need the second round. Just let them play 16 games, and we'll just see how it shakes out, Zaz. Like, has that ever happened? Okay. So Wampanyama comes into the league with as much hype as anyone in the history league. Like when we're talking about number and overall picks of the most type, we're talking about Lebron. We're talking about Wampanyama. Zion. Zion. Yeah. It's up. Well, I know Zion was huge hype. Was you on the level, those guys? Yeah. After he broke
that shoe. All right. Anthony Bennett. So is there anybody else? Like, I mean, did magic have the type of hype? But we're going back to 1979. Yeah. Because Magic and Bird were a thing didn't back to college. Okay. So magic as well. And granted, magic won in his rookie year because he had a, he had a cockamany trade where he was drafted by a Laker team number one overall. That was already a championship contender. And so they ended up winning the championship. How did they do that, by the way? It was some trade that was made. Obviously not good foresight by the team that made the trade with them. But putting magic aside because it's not exactly the same scenario because the Lakers were really good when they drafted Magic Johnson in 79. Wampanyama, if they win the championship this year or make it next year, but whatever, this only is third year in the league. If they win the championship this year, it's going to be an unprecedented fulfillment of, I guess, what's the word I'm looking for as far as expectation or prophecy. Right. Prophecy. That makes it so much
more dramatic. All right. It's a, it's a fulfillment of a prophecy. Yeah. And you know what it does? You know that photo of Steph Curry shooting over Wampanyama? I think in retrospect, we're going to look back at that photo of that gold medal game between the US and France and put that one singular image of Steph shooting over Wembee and be like, that's one of the greatest sports photos of all time. Yeah. That's like Ali. Yeah. It doesn't even look like a real humorous step. God, Dave Trista. The thing that I was pushing back on this time. Technical. Jeremy. What do you mean? Honestly? Jeremy. No, I don't know what you do. We're going to fax it out. Yeah. That's keep talking about prophecy. Trista, you were saying. God. Did you see that block that led to the transition dunk from Wampanyama last night? I'm going to say yes, but so I think it was Kate tried to lob to and I say Stewart tried to get Wembee out of the way. The block was actually insane that he got that. And then he beat
everyone back down the floor and had a monstrous dunk. It's everywhere on threats. Yeah, come out where light. Yeah, yeah, where where. Well said. I think you guys are forgetting a very big piece of the Western Conference, which is a Denver Nuggets team that has a loaf of bread that is the MVP, what three of the last five seasons, who has better numbers. It should be any other MVP season he had previously. And he still has to say a little something in the Western. The idea that Wembee would have to go through potentially Yokech and then the thunder just to get to the finals. Like that, that part would be amazing, especially if somehow the seven seed like they end up as the two seed. If somehow the seven seed. I mean, the first round they'd have to go through Grayson Allen, but if as say the seven seed somehow ends up being like the warriors or something where he has to go through a legend off the top. Have to go through a push. James scheme. Playing against Steph, like it would be so, so cool to see that type of path for a guy like Wembee to ultimately fulfill the prophecy. Lebron, Lebron didn't win a championship to a seventh year,
and it wasn't with the team that drafted him. Number one overall for Wembee. Yama, if they would like, they're a championship contender right now. They could totally win the whole thing. If they win right now in his third year, he joins a team that was obviously dog shit. All right, like they earned that number and overall pick. They had several years. I think they missed a playoffs five or six years in a row. They were terrible. And in year three, with this guy who was hyped unlike almost any other player to win the championship in his third year, that's we've never seen anything like that. To, to push back on Jeremy, the heat believer, the doesn't want a team to tank. But you're also talking about Wembee. That was a massive, egregious tank. And then tank again, Steph Castle, rookie of the year, tank again, Dylan Harper. Boom, boom, boom contender. That's how it's done. You hear this? You hear in this, Jeremy? That that is how it's done. You trust a good front office to rebuild when you're in transition.
Yeah. And this one has like over and over again. And by the way, they're doing it again right now. They have Kalo Wear who was a first round pick who's who's setting records last night. They have the rookie in the NBA whose name starts with a K who leads all rookies who've played at least 30 games in three point field of goal percentage. That's Casperous Yakuchonis, not Khan Kinniple. He's shooting like 44% from three is a 19 year old boy guard. You can be serious. You cannot be serious. You cannot be serious. You're rebellious to say an intonial. Okay. You cannot. No, I'm not comparing it to San Antonio's, but it's a tonio longer. No, I'm just going to get to the final. I know that I could nipple that's a lot better. San Antonio made me a lot better. He should be in the three ball. In the three ball better. He shouldn't have said it was like seven. He shouldn't have three ball better. That's just a fact. I mean, your heap maga. You just refuse your mouth. You just refuse your mouth. You just refuse your mouth. You won't compete like that any corner. No, but I just won't say like, yeah, you know what? That other team probably had the right idea. I just want to understand. I genuinely want to understand because I have watched manufacturing was coming back at dinner. I have watched
this franchise for two decades here. Go from winning a championship to a few transient years where they were still right around the playoffs. The only season where they weren't was because somebody got hurt. They drafted a pretty terrible player number two overall. They then went back to the finals over. It would bucket getter, but not a good player. Then they went four straight years to the finals with a totally remade roster. Then they were somewhat mediocre, but they were living right around the playoffs. They could be that and then remade their roster and got back to the finals two out of five years. And now they're in another transient period where they're going to be a playoff team. You would rather be bad for a decade for the hope of being as good as the heat are now. No, I'd rather be bad. It just doesn't make any sense. I'd rather be bad for three years and play in for three. I'd rather be bad for a year than playing for this year when they've got no shot. I genuinely want to understand this. You'd rather be bad for this year. Hold on, you'd rather be bad for three years for the hopes of remaking your roster to be a championship contender. Yes. Then be at the edge of the playoffs with a chance to watch your team win on any given
night and still remake your roster to be a championship contender. Because for 20 years, that's what the heat have been doing. So both they have transient years, but those transient years are still competitive. So I don't really understand. So here's where you're both those teams, the team trying to lose in the Miami Heat, which on a given night, you pay your money to see a ticket and hey, they're not trying to lose. I actually see the superstars play and all that. Guess what? They both got the same amount of chance of winning the NBA title. Zip zero, stingy with the Nero. Wow. They're not winning. So I'd rather be the San Antonio Spurs with good ownership, a good for an office. I trust them to rebuild. And guess what? They did. We're talking about them as a potential champion. I'm not even say be bad for three years like San Antonio. I'm saying be bad just this year and be bad for an office and opportunity might light your wrist, but that's about it. Yeah. My eyes, but that's about it. Don Lebertard for weeks, months even during the regular season. I wondered, allowed what Kevin Stenland did. And then about three weeks ago,
it hit me. Stugats, he gives them one of these and he gives them one of those. This is the Don Lebertard show with his two gods. Trista, what happened with Russell Westbrook last night? Russell Westbrook is had enough. He has come for the media, Zez, and went on a complete diet tribe. Do they have the worst record in the league, Sacramento? They have the worst record in the league. And Russell Westbrook doesn't think that the criticism coming from the bloggers and the vloggers and the inside Sacramento Kings reporters and radio hosts, he decided to take to the podium and go directly out there. Well, how can, how can he, the criticism is unfair? He says, do you know me? Do you know who I am to say what my intention is? The, this was six minutes that we've cut down, Zez, that I feel like is electric content. And I want to get you guys thoughts in terms of like just the dynamic between Russ and reporters and what reporters can and
cannot say. Look, I'm a, I'm a ball off me coach type of guy. Look, normally I'll take full responsibility. That was on GQ. What the yo yo yo, I thought Dave was just doing the JZ thing that we were doing. No, that yo yo yo was fully on GQ. All right, let me hear, let me hear Russell Westbrook last night. Let's get some of this. You guys are quiet today, but you've got a lot of comments when it came to going on after the game, what we do, we should be doing, how we should be doing it. Yeah, but that's not all that you say. I've seen things you say, it's not just about our offense and our defense and what our record is. We've been the worst record for a long time now, but I don't like is that I've been to make a long time and I've been around a lot of different organizations, media, beat writers, and we have a lot of young guys on this team, a lot of guys that don't know what's happening or what's around whether it's from the coaching, from the players. You guys, the job is to talk about the game, aside from the game, not stir up a bunch of, I don't want to come here, because I don't even find the stuff a bunch of stuff that it's not accurate. You guys will make a false comments about our team and what we're doing here,
and I don't appreciate that. So my, my answer that you respect what we do and what we respect what you do. So it sounds like he's, by the way, they lost the pelicans last night. It sounds like he's saying that the media or some people have been maybe saying things are happening here in the locker room. This guy said this, according to anonymous source and all that, and so he's upset about that, but stop telling the media what their job is. Like, stop point of the figure. Your job is to do this. Now, stop telling other people what their job is. You don't, 99% of professional athletes have no idea what the media's job actually is. And I think the thing that kind of like trips me out is it is somebody's job that talks on a mic to speculate about what could be possibly going through your mind when you're doing the things that you're doing. You're not going to tell us Russell Westbrook. So all I can do is just postulate. Also, I've been around a lot of teams. Isn't the flex that you think it is. Right.
Correct. And we could have seen this coming. Russell Westbrook in March complaining at the press in Sacramento as if things aren't going great. I mean, it boggles the mind how this didn't work out. I mean, they're 14 and 50. Does he think it's unfair that the media is being negative surrounding his team? He even said that five minute clip. And I've been around Sacramento a long time. I've been on weekly for five years. Funny. We got it. We got it. This morning Trista says to me, she goes, did you see Russell Westbrook last? No way. So go like a Trista that clip was six minutes. It's not a time for that. I watched every second. And I know the members of those media that he's talking about specifically. Yes, Tony. That's the feeling that I had when I saw the skip bailess and his wife think about Iran where I was. Oh, you don't want to hear that. I don't know. My wife tells me six minutes is a really long time. Oh, that's why you're taking her. For me for the
last few years. Hey, did you see what Russell Westbrook did last night? The answer's been a firm no for like a good five years running. Yeah, I think the thing though that I was like intrigued about as he said that the media members, some of the media members in Sacramento were anticipating some huge year, some big year out of Sacramento. And I think that part is somewhat true. Like there's a little dilute of quality to being in a market that's been this bad for this long and had the beam team here. Yeah, that they've got the Rosen. They've got Zach Levine. They've got subonus. They've got Malik Munku. They couldn't ship off to try to get coming in. They're like, we should be better than 14 wins. Okay, so this isn't a hockey town anymore at least for this lull here as everybody gets healthy. But we'll be a hockey town again. But the last time I was paying the attention to the association, the light, the beam here, Sacramento had fixed it. They made all the right moves. And it finally came together. That's a good basketball town when that team is humming. And they looked like they were set. What what happened? A lot of things. I think like the defense was never good. Mike Brown had this, this team like humming offensively. And then he tried
to tweak a bunch of things and get them to be more of a defensive first team. Keegan Marie struck lightning in a bottle. And then he had a down year. I think there was some issues between Deer and Fox, maybe in subonus. So bonus didn't like Mike Brown. Mike Brown got fired after his extension. And so I think that has caused even more cultural chaos internally. And then you had to ship Deer and Fox for sack Levine. You know, I think what really is on the short list of reasons why the Sacramento rise fell so quickly is because it was Sacramento. And I am not denouncing Sacramento. They're surprisingly fun little town for a night or two. As we go into NFL free agency and the trade deadline with the NHL. And like we talked about earlier, one guy got traded the Buffalo and said, I don't want to go to Buffalo. I want to go to the West Coast. Somewhere warm. Where would you guys? I think that's a factor. And we get down on that like what's the problem?
Russell Westberg like maybe it doesn't want to be in Sacramento. Where would you go? Were you a free agent? Not for situa like, well, this team seems like it's a player away from winning the title for more human considerations. You can include the uniform and quality of the arena and all that. Where would you go? I start with you Trista. So this is based on like all the extracurriculars, not not necessarily. Hey, I think we have a good chance to win. I think that, you know, I think we should involve that you like ownership or or or or something along those lines. I don't think we should completely erase that. But I also don't think it just turns it into what team seems the closest to winning the title conversation. If you turn it into Mike Evans should go to Buffalo because man, if you give him the Josh Allen with DJ Moore, man, they're the best team in the AFC. I don't mean from that perspective. Just more in the in the global sense. Where would you want to go? What sports town would you want to reside in sports town is to
are you giving us football America leftovers? Yeah, that's right. That's exactly right. It's a fun conversation. That's that's exactly right. You got it, fella. All right, Trista, go ahead. Sorry, I didn't mean to jump on that. I think maybe LA for into it, dumb and the just the beautiful like weather and being on the west coast, the into it, west coast bias. Yeah, or Phoenix, great roads in Phoenix and a pretty decent arena. Great roads. What do you mean? Great roads. Very smooth roads. Always well kept. So you're you're like, I'm a free agent and what I'm really digging is Phoenix Road. You know about them good roads. You know about that Biden infrastructure bill. That's the reason at the introduction. If you've never seen the roads in Phoenix, they're incredible. It benefited Redstone. The asphalt. Tony, where are you landing? I'm not going
anywhere right here. I'm going right here. I'm going right here. I'm going to get a nice big house of high press and and gables by the sea. I'm going to drive my bike up down cold cutler. I'm going to get right here. Kiva skis. Beautiful right here. I don't need to go anywhere. It's Miami. Easily. It's Miami or L.A. Because the weather, the the lack of media. Not a lay. No, I. Okay. Media scrutiny is tough in L.A. though. Yeah. Well, I guess ideologically. I got Sadano there. Is he said Donald's going to say something bad about me? No one's afraid of what Sadano said. I would have taken care of the road roads in L.A. and in Miami. Like always really. But you know about that smog. I do. I know about it. Do you know about geckos in mosaic form on the freeway walls? Do you know how that impacts your state of mind? I mean, half those words you just said. I don't know what I mean. You know, but we don't have smog in L.A. How do you have a river? We don't have that and we don't have we don't have sweltering heat like you do in Miami either. Let me tell you something. If the Terminator can drive a 16 wheeler through it, it's not a river.
Touche. Also, that's where the the iconic race in Greece takes place. Also the L.A. River dried out. Mike Ryan is there with you consider legitimately because I I would and you can laugh if you want to, but it would be a consideration. What is the quality of the uniform where I would that that I will adore? Right. So I I would certainly prioritize that. But I think like what's more are we talking since this is a football America turd that we're reheating. We're talking about football here. No, let's do an NBA friend. Well, okay. It's too much to talk about the our most beloved sport. Go with NBA instead. I do think tradition market fan base that that would matter to me. Like, I know there are not a great model franchise right now, but it seems cool being a Dallas cowboy. And you're welcome. Like, if you're cut that way and you'd like to have in the media script now, like, I would America's team. I think it's cool. Like, I think it's cool being a Laker. I think
it's cool playing in Madison Square Garden. I think those would be really cool experiences. Like, you know, Josh Hart tremendous player. Josh Hart's probably like, I can't believe my luck. I've been other places. I could have been in New Orleans right now. But instead, I'm doing the same stuff, but I'm doing it here in Madison Square Garden. And I become a cult hero. I would kind of prioritize in the NHL. Like, I think I want to be a Maple Leaf. I think I want to be a Hab. I think that those legacy franchises and the way to those expectations and the fan bases around them are actually appealing. But I like the pressure, Jack. You could make right. I hear you. Like, for instance, if you were sent to New York, some percentage of people would say, put me on the metropolitan's because less pressure. If I'm on the yanks of I'm wearing those pins stripes, I better win or I'm going to get booted and all of that. Zazzleau, how say you? Where you headed? I would, I think it'd be New York. Yeah. New York. You guys are a bunch of trading. New York. This Miami show this week has been ridiculous. The first Charlotte Horn in praise as they play.
I would rather be a hornet than a heat. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to
More episodes
More from The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Dan Speaks on the Dianna Russini Situation + 2026 Suey Award Winners | Postgame...
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

The Nathan Fielder and Elizabeth Holmes Trailer | Hour 3
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Is Pablo Torre More Credible Than ESPN? | Hour 2
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Was College Football Week 1 a Bad Product? | Hour 1
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz