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00:00The disgraceful, awful, pathetic, embarrassing Mets
00:05fired their manager today.
00:08And of course, that's not the real problem.
00:11Chime Time starts right now.
00:21And that'll do it for Carlos Mendoza
00:24as the Mets fired their manager this morning.
00:27Midway through his third season at the helm,
00:30Joel Sherman, John Heyman,
00:32the best in the business from the New York Post,
00:34broke the story.
00:36And look, they had to make a change, right?
00:39Because the New York Mets are the most embarrassing team
00:42in the National League.
00:43They've been behind Boston,
00:44the second most embarrassing team
00:45in all of Major League Baseball.
00:47And they are just a complete and utter punchline and a joke.
00:51The Mets are at a season worst,
00:5513 games below 500.
00:57The New York Mets are mired in a six-game losing streak
01:02in which they've been outscored 54-22.
01:09The team committed 10 errors in their last three games,
01:15including six, six,
01:18and their 10-5 loss to the Cubs
01:20in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday.
01:24My goodness.
01:26John Heyman's going to join us in a little bit,
01:28and he'll get into the reasons why
01:31and how it all went down.
01:33But honestly,
01:35this whole thing is a joke,
01:37a complete and utter embarrassment.
01:39The New York Mets are in dead last in the National League East.
01:43They trail Miami.
01:45They trail Washington.
01:48$320 million roster.
01:51They're going to miss the playoffs again.
01:54Juan Soto is in year two as a Met,
01:57and he's not going to make the playoffs.
01:58I want you to just stare at this.
02:00I want you to just look at this.
02:02Look at the record for the Miami Marlins.
02:05Look at the record for the Washington Nationals.
02:09The Mets are 15 games out of first place.
02:14They trail the Philadelphia Phillies by 11.
02:18You remember when the Phillies were 9-19
02:20and the Philadelphia Phillies did the right thing,
02:23and the Philadelphia Phillies,
02:24at the end of the day,
02:26fired their manager, Rob Thompson,
02:28and brought in my guy, Don Mattingly.
02:30They've been 20 games over 500 since.
02:32The Mets, we'll be fine.
02:35Everything's going to be okay.
02:37Look at this.
02:38Look at this.
02:40This is what a real organization does.
02:43The Mets, they just go out and just bungle everything.
02:47I mean everything.
02:49And here's the deal, right?
02:51And the Mets, at the end of the day,
02:53have to make a change
02:54because they're playing in front of friends
02:56and family at Citi Field.
02:58The fans don't go to the games anymore,
03:00and I don't blame them.
03:01I feel terrible for the amazing Mets fans
03:03because they're so smart
03:05and they're so energetic
03:06and they're so passionate
03:07and the Mets are awful.
03:09And this team is clueless
03:11and this team is rudderless
03:13and they just have no fundies,
03:16no fundamentals.
03:17They can't pitch.
03:18They can't field.
03:19They can't hit.
03:21I mean it's just,
03:22their situational baseball is awful.
03:25And we've said this all year.
03:27And we said when they had that 12-game losing streak,
03:29it was over, right?
03:31No team in the history of baseball
03:32has ever made the playoffs
03:33when they've had a 12-game losing streak
03:35during the season.
03:36I mean, it's just been a clown show,
03:38a disaster.
03:40And when you lose six straight games
03:43and you get swept by the Cubs at home
03:46and you're getting booed,
03:48there are 10 people in the ballpark
03:49and they're all booing,
03:51I mean, that's,
03:52you have to fire the manager.
03:54You have to.
03:55But even though the team's fundamentally unsounds,
03:58and let's be clear about that,
04:00it's not really Carlos Mendoza's fault.
04:03This roster stinks.
04:05And I'm really allowed to say this
04:07because we've talked about it forever.
04:10And David Stearns is the real problem.
04:13I know it.
04:14You know it.
04:15I'm guessing Steve Cohen knows it.
04:18Every fan knows it.
04:19And I bet in his heart of hearts
04:21David Stearns knows this.
04:23Because David Stearns grew up
04:24as a diehard Mets fan.
04:25So he understands the accountability
04:27that comes with being an executive in New York.
04:30And as a fan, I'm sure, like everyone else,
04:33he's called for Mets general managers
04:35to be fired when they weren't doing their job.
04:37David Stearns, the kid in Queens,
04:39growing up would have called
04:41for David Stearns, the general manager,
04:43to be fired during the offseason.
04:45And these were all first guesses, right?
04:48I mean, you think about the back end
04:50of the rotation going into the season,
04:52amateur hour.
04:53The fact that David Stearns let my guy Pete Alonzo go,
04:58it's one of the dumbest, most irresponsible,
05:02disgraceful decisions I have ever seen
05:05by a team executive in the history of sports.
05:09Exaggeration?
05:10Hyperbole?
05:11Hell no.
05:12Think about Pete Alonzo.
05:13He is the Mets' all-time leading home run hitter.
05:16He was accountable, played every single game.
05:20He understood the pressure of dealing with New York.
05:24There's always that variable.
05:25You bring someone in from a different organization,
05:28can they handle New York?
05:30And let's be honest here,
05:32can they handle being a Met?
05:33Because that's a whole different level of scrutiny
05:36and oftentimes negativity.
05:38Let's just be crystal clear about that.
05:40You could debate it, you could debunk it,
05:41but it's true, and Pete Alonzo understood it
05:44and thrived.
05:46He was terrific when it mattered the most.
05:48He obviously loved the organization,
05:51and the fact that they just let him walk
05:54and replaced him with an injury-prone journeyman,
05:57didn't even offer Alonzo a contract.
05:59He should have been a Met for life.
06:02That was a disgrace, a complete and utter disgrace.
06:05They bring in Devin Williams to close.
06:07They don't make a real offer to Edwin Diaz
06:10and spare me that, well, he's injured with the Dodgers.
06:12Come on.
06:13I mean, Edwin Diaz was a rock.
06:16I mean, it made no sense.
06:17No Yankee fan on earth wanted Devin Williams back in the Bronx.
06:21David Stern said, that's my guy.
06:23I mean, it's crazy.
06:24The Mets broke Devin Williams with the Alonzo home run a few years ago.
06:28Just amateur hour.
06:30Then you think of what Sterns did
06:32with the entire Kyle Tucker situation
06:35with, obviously, Bo Bichette,
06:37where they thought they were going to be able to get Kyle Tucker.
06:41They didn't get Kyle Tucker,
06:42which sometimes you got to see the forest through the trees, right?
06:46We understand if a player really wants to be on your specific team,
06:50and clearly Tucker didn't want to be a member of the Mets,
06:53didn't want to play in New York, goes to L.A.
06:56By the way, Tucker's struggling in Los Angeles.
06:59You can even debate whether or not it was the right thing
07:01to go after Kyle Tucker.
07:02But you have to realize that they,
07:04at the end of the day, he wanted to go to the Dodgers.
07:06Everybody knew that.
07:07So they don't get Tucker, so they overreact.
07:09They take Bo Bichette, they steal him from Philadelphia,
07:13and they move him to third base.
07:15And I love Bo Bichette.
07:16Loved him in Toronto.
07:18Loved him as Dante's kid.
07:20And I thought, you know, okay, he can obviously hit,
07:23but the position change, in addition to obviously,
07:26you know, dealing with that aforementioned scrutiny,
07:29and Bo Bichette has grown up in clubhouses,
07:32been around baseball literally his entire life,
07:34and this was too much for him.
07:36So you just figured if in a good season,
07:39Bo Bichette, he'll be here, then he'll opt out.
07:41Even worse, he might opt in,
07:44and you're going to have that Bo Bichette contract on the books
07:46making 50 million bucks or whatever the hell it is forever.
07:49But it was a no-plan overreaction.
07:52How do you let Alonzo go?
07:55How do you mess around with Tucker?
07:56How do you overact and bring in Bichette?
07:59I mean, Luis Roberts?
08:01I mean, you know, well, he'd be better
08:03with Robert Downey Jr. in the outfield.
08:05I mean, what are we doing here?
08:07He can't stay healthy.
08:09His batting average has been in the toilet.
08:11It makes absolutely positively no sense.
08:15You know, everything in the clubhouse with Lindor and Nimmo,
08:19I mean, the whole thing is a disaster.
08:21Not to mention, and this is one, I'll tell you when I'm right,
08:24tell you when I'm wrong,
08:25but if you're David Cerns, you got a hit,
08:27you brought in Peralta.
08:29That's your guy from Milwaukee.
08:32That was your guy.
08:33And Peralta regressing just simply can't happen.
08:38How about Nolan McLean?
08:39He was supposed to be Cam Schlittler.
08:41He was supposed to be a stud.
08:42He was supposed to be in the mix for Cy Young.
08:44Supposed to be your ace.
08:44He's been terrible.
08:46It's just been a total mess.
08:49The team's been bad.
08:51The team's been dead on arrival.
08:53The New York Mets have become irrelevant.
08:57Absolutely irrelevant, which is the worst thing you could say.
09:00An unwatchable, unmitigated disaster.
09:04I mean, a tire fire of a baseball team.
09:07Like, you don't know whether to laugh or cry when you watch the Mets play.
09:11And, you know, can you imagine being Juan Soto?
09:14You leave the Yankees.
09:15You know, you go to the World Series.
09:17You sign with the Mets and now not going to make the playoffs again?
09:22So, if I'm Steve Cohen and you've spent all this money on your baseball team,
09:27I have to wonder aloud here if David Cerns is the right guy to lead the team.
09:31And I know when you fire a team president, team general manager,
09:35you know, and the Mets have had a lot of names that have circulated through that job
09:39over the last 20 years, you know, it obviously rocks everything.
09:43Like, I don't want to be, you know, the person wearing makeup on YouTube
09:46who starts firing general managers and presidents, you know, haphazardly.
09:50But, you know, at some point, you have to say,
09:53does David Cerns have any idea what the hell he's doing?
09:56Does he have any idea how to spend Stevie Cohen's money?
09:59Let's be clear about that.
10:01So, if the Mets don't show anything down the stretch of the season,
10:05and why would you think that they would?
10:07If you were going to fire Mendoza, you should have done it earlier in the year,
10:10like we mentioned earlier, with regards to when Philly did it,
10:13so you could have a jolt.
10:14Now, the ship sailed.
10:17There's no ship.
10:18There's no sailing.
10:19There's no future.
10:20Forget about, you know, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.
10:23You're trailing Washington and Miami.
10:25You're not even in their league.
10:27Normally, you fire a manager or a coach in any sport
10:30when you're ready to go on a winning streak.
10:32I mean, it's former Matt, and they never should have let him go.
10:35That's not David Cerns' problem, but I was ahead of the curve on that.
10:37I mean, Zach Wheeler's been Cy Young every single year.
10:40That was the only decision to bring him back as a Met.
10:43But I digress.
10:43But not really.
10:44Wheeler's on the mound tonight, and he's going to stick it to the Mets.
10:48So, you do it now at the phase of the Phillies.
10:51Phillies have won three straight games in the ninth inning.
10:53Bryce Harper's unbelievable.
10:54Schwarber's unbelievable.
10:55Wheeler's on the bump.
10:56And the Mets are going to get cooked and destroyed tonight and this weekend.
11:01And the beat goes on.
11:04It's a mess.
11:05They need to sell at the deadline.
11:06So, if you're a Mets fan, do you trust Stearns?
11:10Do you trust him to sell?
11:12Do you trust him to sell for the team for the future?
11:16Sell for his job?
11:18If the Mets actually play decently?
11:21And, you know, you've got a lot of bad teams competing for that wild card spot.
11:24Do you trust Stearns to do the right thing for the big picture of the organization?
11:29I mean, Steve Cohen is having a miserable, miserable couple years as an owner here, okay?
11:35I don't care what you're building around Citi Field.
11:38I don't care how many casinos you're going to build.
11:40You know, this is his baby.
11:41He's at all the Knicks games, sitting front row, wearing his Mets cap, and he can't even
11:48have this payroll team find a way to make the postseason.
11:51So, now you have to figure out what the hell you're going to do with Stearns, right?
11:55I mean, and then what's next for the manager?
11:57And to me, there is one name.
12:00It's Alex Cora.
12:01Alex Cora needs to be the next manager of the Mets.
12:06I think that Alex Cora needed to stay in Boston.
12:09That is an ownership fault.
12:11That is the fault of the general manager, Craig Breslow.
12:14You know, they just have punted on baseball.
12:16They don't care.
12:17They're clueless.
12:18They're rudderless.
12:19Alex Cora, winner, World Series champ, achiever, overachiever.
12:24He would be a rock star.
12:26I think Carlos Beltran eventually is going to be considered.
12:30Albert Pujols makes sense.
12:33That's what the New York Mets need as a replacement for Carlos Mendoza.
12:37Look, I said this on Shine Time earlier in the season, right?
12:42There was that period of time when the Mets were losing, and on that aforementioned 12-game
12:47losing streak, where Carlos Mendoza sounded like Art Howell, like he was completely out
12:54of answers.
12:55It was the old, we battled, Art Howell situation, right?
12:59He had nothing.
13:01He had no answers.
13:03He had no juice.
13:05He had no sizzle.
13:06And I like Mendoza.
13:08I think, in general, he's a good baseball guy, good manager.
13:12But, you know, Davey Johnson couldn't win with this team.
13:16Gil Hodges couldn't win with this team.
13:19Buck Showalter couldn't win with this team.
13:21Terry Collins couldn't win with this team.
13:24I mean, you look at it at the end of the day, this roster was putrid, pathetic, and I just
13:30feel bad for the Mets fans.
13:31So, Carlos Mendoza had to go.
13:33The team was playing its worst baseball of the season, and that's saying something, considering
13:39they're 34-47.
13:43Fourth worst record in Major League Baseball.
13:47Mendoza had to go.
13:48But everyone knows, he's not the main problem.
13:51The general manager has no idea what the hell he's doing.
13:56These are first guesses for years on how bad this roster configuration is.
14:02Mendoza, all right, he's done.
14:04Now, fire David Stearns next.
14:08Joining us right now on Shine Time to break down the flushing fiasco, our guy, he broke
14:15the story, the great John Heyman.
14:18John, you were all over this.
14:21Take us through the decision today for the New York Mets to fire their manager.
14:26Well, obviously, things are not working, and that is normally the next step, right?
14:30They got rid of the entire coaching staff basically at the end of last year.
14:34This year, now they are 34-47 halfway through the season, 94-loss pace, and the last few
14:42days were not great.
14:44You know, I don't blame the manager.
14:46I don't think they really blame the manager, but, you know, that's baseball.
14:52That's what happens when a team is playing this poorly.
14:56A team that has a very large payroll, second-highest payroll in baseball, that is what happens.
15:03Yeah, I don't think Carlos Mendoza deserved to be fired, but it can't be shocking to anybody
15:10that's watched this team and seen them underperform.
15:13Yeah, John, I think you nailed it, right?
15:15I mean, look, the record is what it is, and, you know, we could talk about errors or mental
15:20mistakes, but I don't blame Carlos Mendoza.
15:23I blame David Stearns, my words here, and I have gone through all the examples of things
15:28that I have disagreed with during the course of the offseason.
15:31So, do you blame Stearns when you look at it for the Mets and where they are right now?
15:37What are some of the moves in the offseason that you first guessed that when you talk to
15:42people around baseball, they said, what exactly are the Mets doing here?
15:46Who do you blame for this disaster and fiasco of a season?
15:53Well, this is obviously on David Stearns.
15:55I think everybody knows that.
15:57I'm sure that he knows that.
15:59You know, he's admitted that he made a lot of mistakes, so I don't think he's been dishonest
16:03about it.
16:04You know, I thought they would still pull together and have a good team this year after
16:08all that was said and done and signed.
16:11The ones that we didn't like were letting Diaz go.
16:15Now, that has not turned out to hurt them because Diaz has not pitched much for L.A.
16:20and the Mets bullpen is their one bright spot.
16:23Certainly letting Alonzo go, and that looks like a major mistake right now.
16:28The Nimmo for Semien deal looks like a mistake as well.
16:33And I think, you know, if you're really going to look at the batting average, it's low.
16:40It's really low.
16:41What were the moves that worked?
16:42Weaver's been brilliant.
16:43He's got 20 scoreless innings in a row.
16:46But then I think you mostly have to go back to the previous years for the good moves.
16:52Holmes on a three-year deal.
16:55Now he's got an opt-out.
16:56Unfortunately, that's not going to be good because he's likely going to opt out.
16:59And then the first year, certainly with Severino and Mania signings, they worked at the time.
17:05Now bringing back Mania, that does not look like it's worked.
17:08I mean, for the last two winters, I wouldn't say he's taken the color, but he has not done well
17:14at all.
17:15It's the GM that really makes up the team.
17:17That's why, at least in this case, the GM gets paid about eight times what the manager got.
17:23So it's a little unfair.
17:25I think David Stearns understands that.
17:27Yet we cannot be shocked that this is the result.
17:31So I'm with you on Alonzo, and that to me was just criminal, the way that they treated him.
17:36Number one in terms of homers and the history of the organization, could handle New York.
17:40Perfect compliment, my opinion, to Juan Soto.
17:43And we've been through all of it.
17:44Back end of the rotation, the Boba Shedd reaction on the heels of Tucker.
17:50You know, Devin Williams, all of it.
17:52So it begs a follow-up question, because we're on the same page in terms of who deserves the blame.
17:57Is David Stearns' job in jeopardy?
18:00It's always a big deal in sports when you fire your lead executive.
18:04And when you talk baseball, it's scouting, it's analytics, it's everything that goes in.
18:09Is Steve Cohen going to look at the payroll, the wind turtle, and say, we need a new president, a
18:15new general manager for the Mets?
18:17Well, he's not in immediate jeopardy.
18:19The interim manager is Andy Green, who is a Stearns guy.
18:22So that is a Stearns pick.
18:24I would say he probably will get closer oversight from Steve Cohen than he had previously.
18:33Certainly, you know, I think within the organization, people realize he isn't the savior that they thought he was when
18:41they hired him.
18:41We've got to remember, they went through four GMs and waited for this guy to be available.
18:46And he was looked upon by not only them, by us, too, as a potential savior, a New Yorker who
18:52had won consistently in a small market, not only a small market, but the smallest market in baseball.
18:58It looked like the obvious move at the time.
19:01So I think there will be very close scrutiny, not just from the outside, but from the inside as well.
19:06But I don't believe that he's in immediate jeopardy.
19:10I do think, you know, that's the way it goes.
19:13He got a five-year deal.
19:14He's making $10 million-plus per year.
19:17I don't think it's necessarily the money, though.
19:20It was the original analysis that he was the right guy and still some beliefs that he can turn it
19:27around and some hope.
19:29It's more hope than belief probably at this point.
19:31But I do not think he's in immediate jeopardy, no.
19:34How about oftentimes in sports, you know, you make a managerial change, you fire a coach, and you expect a
19:41jolt.
19:42Now, Zach Wheeler's on the Hill tonight.
19:44Phillies are piping hot.
19:45I don't think that this is going to be one where all of a sudden the Mets win tonight or
19:49play well.
19:51But, you know, we talked about this, John, earlier in the season when he joined us on Shine Time.
19:55You know, the Phillies fired Rob Thompson, and that was for a jolt.
19:58And they have just been remarkable under Don Mattingly.
20:02So, David Stern, Steve Cohen, with Andy Green now managing the team, do they look at this roster being one
20:10where there will be a jolt and they either make a run or fake making a run?
20:15Or is everyone realistic here where it's going to be, we need to sell come trade deadline?
20:22Well, I'm certainly realistic, and I think they are realistic as well.
20:26It's too late for the jolt.
20:27If you wanted the jolt, you needed to make the move when Cora was fired.
20:31I thought that was a bad move, and it turned out to be a bad one.
20:35You needed to make that move when the Phillies went to Mattingly.
20:38Of course, you didn't have Mattingly sitting on the bench, right?
20:40They have a very inexperienced coaching staff, which looks like another mistake at this point.
20:45Andy Green did look like the manager-in-waiting.
20:48Several teams, including the Orioles, had inquired about Andy Green.
20:52At the time, we were told he didn't want to manage.
20:55He's got a young family.
20:56Maybe that still holds true, and maybe he's just the interim.
20:59I don't know, but to expect a jolt from this roster, I don't see it.
21:03You could see it from the Phillies.
21:04They had Wheeler coming back.
21:06They have a better roster.
21:08They have superstars who are healthy in the middle of that roster.
21:11I mean, we have to face the fact that the Mets have been a little bit unlucky.
21:15Lidore and Soto have been guys who have been extremely healthy throughout their entire careers,
21:20and now, finally, for the first time in their career,
21:23they've had some injuries that have put them on the I.L. at different times.
21:27They've only played nine games together, and so they've been a little bit unlucky,
21:31but it's not mostly about luck.
21:33Obviously, they've made a lot of bad moves, a lot of moves that haven't worked,
21:37and I think if you want to sum it up with one thing,
21:41they didn't weigh in the reliability factor enough, right?
21:46Alonzo played every single game.
21:48He rolled over his Jeep and didn't miss a day at his spring training.
21:52He scheduled the birth of his first child at 1 a.m.
21:56right between games on a weekend.
21:58It was September 21st, and the Mets were in the heat of a pen.
22:01He hasn't missed one game.
22:03Nimmo rarely misses a game.
22:04They brought in guys with injury history, and they knew it.
22:07I mean, you know, they analyzed everything, and they understood that they had injury history.
22:12I mean, nobody more so than Robert.
22:14They treated him like a FabergƩ egg in spring training.
22:17He barely was playing for the first two weeks, right?
22:20He's out, and he played a couple innings, and he was playing a little bit in the outfield,
22:24so they understood that he is a very fragile guy.
22:28Polanco, almost to that degree, and he's been out as well.
22:31So, you know, they needed to really weigh the reliability factor.
22:36They brought in guys who were not that reliable in terms of their health.
22:40I realize how early this question is, but hey, it's why they pay me.
22:45Next manager of the Mets, are we talking Carlos Beltran, Alex Cora, Albert Pujols?
22:51Any other names we should be paying attention to, John?
22:55Well, it's got to be somebody, I think, with experience, certainly somebody with some gravitas.
23:00I mean, Alex Cora makes a lot of sense.
23:04You know, I'm not going to rule on Andy Green being kept, although he did say that he didn't want
23:09to manage
23:09when he was given that opportunity this winter.
23:14I doāhe does have experience, right?
23:16He managed the Padres for four seasons.
23:18But I think Alex Cora makes a lot of sense if you could get him.
23:22He didn't immediately jump in with the Phillies as he wanted to adhere to his family's wishes.
23:28He is getting married.
23:30I'm not sure how that will weigh into what he decides going forward.
23:34But I think Alex Cora does make a lot of sense for the Mets.
23:40You know, that would be the name that immediately comes to mind.
23:43But there are other guys out there who have got some experience, Michael Baldelli, Brandon Hyde.
23:48To me, it's got to be somebody who's got experience or gravitas.
23:52You know, obviously Pujols, he's got a little experience, and it was good experience in the WBC,
23:57although he didn't win, and he certainly got gravitas.
24:00So, you know, I'm glad that you threw him in the mix as well.
24:03But it's not going to be some newcomer.
24:05They're not going to take a chance on a neophyte.
24:07I mean, I think they're ready.
24:08The coaching staff is way too inexperienced to begin with.
24:12I like to bench coach like a Don Zimmer kind of bench coach who's really been around the block.
24:17I mean, it doesn't have to be around that many blocks maybe, but, I mean,
24:20to bring in a guy who's really inexperienced with a guy who's managing his first team,
24:25that made no sense either.
24:27Although, you know, in the list of mistakes, the player mistakes are nearly, of course,
24:32at the top more than the coaching.
24:35But to have the coaching purge and to get rid of guys who were experienced like Hefner
24:40and the others, and to bring in guys who really had no experience, that's a mistake as well.
24:45John, you're the best.
24:47Great job breaking this story with Joel Sherman, of course, for The Post.
24:50We'll keep reading to find out what's next, and we'll do this again real soon.
24:55Thanks, Adam.
24:57LaMelo Ball got traded from Charlotte to Minnesota yesterday, seemingly out of nowhere.
25:03A move which some believe makes them just a couple of roster tweaks away from being championship caliber.
25:12Minnesota Timberwolves.
25:13Y'all did the coldest move in the game.
25:15You went and got that, Melo.
25:16Yes.
25:16But here's the thing.
25:17Let me give you the recipe.
25:19You got to get the other two ball boys.
25:21You get the other two ball boys, it will be the most watched team ever in the NBA.
25:25Trust me when I tell you.
25:27You don't think I'm just talking?
25:28No, I'm not.
25:30Melo can't win it by itself.
25:31But I tell you, with his brothers, I guarantee y'all a championship.
25:37Oh, this guy's back.
25:39That, of course, LaVar Ball being LaVar Ball.
25:41How about the trade?
25:43My goodness, you could have knocked me over with a feather.
25:45The Timberwolves sent Nas Reid and a 20-33 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three
25:54second-round picks to the Hornets for LaMelo and Josh Green.
26:02So, if you take a breath for a second, after the shock and the awe, I think this is a
26:10really smart, good move for both teams.
26:14Now, I'm not going to get on Planet Delusional and say, I love it for everyone involved, or this is
26:19phenomenal for Charlotte, or unbelievable for Minnesota.
26:23But I like it.
26:24I like it for both teams.
26:25And I especially like it for Minnesota.
26:29Look, say what you want about LaMelo Ball.
26:31And there are two things, frankly, that need to be said that are not flattering.
26:35He obviously is an injury risk, and he has not been available throughout the course of his career in Charlotte.
26:42And he's a clown.
26:43Let's be crystal clear.
26:44He is a clown.
26:47But he's a hell of a player.
26:49And the Minnesota Timberwolves, as my guy, I love Mike Conley, but he's long in the tooth and on the
26:54back nine, and really, for all intents and purposes, done as a legit starting point guard in the NBA.
27:00They desperately needed a point guard.
27:02I think LaMelo Ball is going to be superb.
27:05Feel free to quote this back to me.
27:07I think LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, are going to form an elite backcourt, a phenomenal one-two punch.
27:16I think Ant is a terrific, tremendous player, one of the best players in the league.
27:21And I think he needed someone who can get him the ball, someone who could score, but someone who thrives
27:27dishing it and understanding that Anthony Edwards is the go-to guy.
27:33Historically, throughout the entire history of the Minnesota Timberwolves, they don't sign free agents.
27:39Free agents don't want to play in Minnesota.
27:41It's cold, and it's not a, you know, sexy market, and they have to make trades.
27:47They have to do this with Rudy Gobert.
27:48I defended that trade.
27:50I hated the trade that they made with Karl-Anthony Towns and Randall and DiVincenzo from a Minnesota perspective as
27:58a Knicks fan.
27:59I loved it and said, you're going to see Cat win a championship in New York.
28:03That happened a couple seasons later.
28:05And you can never win with Julius Randall.
28:08I give Tim Connolly, who I think is one of the best executives in the NBA, a lot of credit,
28:13because he made a bad trade, and he didn't stay with it because of stubbornness.
28:18Or I'll show you that I was right.
28:20They knew they couldn't win with Randall, so they dump his salary, attach a first-round pick for Brooklyn to
28:26take on Julius Randall, and it frees up the financial room so they can get someone like LaMelo Ball.
28:32And I think the goal is one that's realistic.
28:36And let's start here, right?
28:39First of all, the old team that we saw last year that lost in the playoffs to San Antonio, they
28:46would have been dead on arrival, having no shot to play in the Western Conference Finals.
28:52And I still think, in whatever order, it's OKC, San Antonio, draw a line going into the start of the
28:57league year in free agency, which is going to start in the NBA next week.
29:00But now, with LaMelo Ball, I firmly believe when you have Ball, you have Edwards, you have Gobert, you have
29:10McDaniel.
29:10I'm a big McDaniel fan.
29:11I know they don't have a legitimate power forward.
29:16You know, they're going to be a little thin.
29:18You need an enforcer.
29:19They lose Nas Reed, who's a terrific, you know, six-man-of-the-year kind of player and a fan
29:25favorite, you know, a guy who everybody loved, would do the dirty work.
29:29I'm a Nas Reed fan, make no mistake.
29:32But now I think the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to be in position to be a top-four seed.
29:39So right now, let's assume LeBron comes back.
29:42And again, we still have plenty of time, right?
29:44Let's see what happens next week.
29:45I think the Nuggets are a bit of a mess.
29:47If you have OKC and you have San Antonio, and then you have the Lakers and Minnesota, I don't think
29:54that's crazy.
29:55And look, Vegas agrees with me.
29:58So I think you could easily make the case, and I will make this case today because we don't know
30:04the configuration for the Lakers roster, that Vegas nailed this.
30:08This is how I would rank it for the top three.
30:11OKC is my number one in the West.
30:13Number two is San Antonio.
30:15Number three is LaMelo Ball.
30:18I will hit this home in a different way for you, right?
30:21You see this as a starting five.
30:24I think Ball is going to have a bigger impact on the Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA than Giannis Antetokounmpo
30:35will on the Miami Heat and the Eastern Conference.
30:39That's how significant I think this trade is.
30:42I think it is a really smart calculation by a smart organization.
30:47And for Charlotte, listen, I wanted the Hornets to make the playoffs last year for me, for you, for fun.
30:56Ball, con can nipple.
30:57I think Charlotte is a terrific basketball city.
31:01You know, obviously it's a hotbed in terms of Carolina for college basketball.
31:05NBA messed around with, you know, the Hornets, and then they moved to New Orleans, and they get another team.
31:11They were fun, but they didn't make the playoffs.
31:14So, I think they think that LaMelo, with his availability being in question and wanted a new contract, and he
31:21could be cartoonish and clownish, they're like, all right, this is con can nipples team.
31:25So, they make that move.
31:27They bring in Nas Reed, who's going to do a lot of the dirty work.
31:30They have Miller.
31:31I can wrap my brain around this from a Charlotte standpoint.
31:36And I think both teams are going to be closer to their next level for a goal.
31:42You know, whether it's, you know, Minnesota making the Western Conference Finals with a shot of getting to the NBA
31:48Finals.
31:48They couldn't do that with Julius Randle.
31:50Let's be crystal clear about that.
31:52And I think Charlotte's going to be closer to playoffs now.
31:55So, I think this is a good deal, solid deal, smart, calculated deal for everyone involved.
32:03And I really think there's a lot of upside here for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
32:09I give them a ton of credit.
32:11Is Kawhi Leonard the next NBA superstar to be traded?
32:15Chris Haynes says, yeah.
32:19If an extension is not worked out, if both sides, whenever they start talking, that's soon after the draft.
32:25If an extension is not worked out, then I expect the Clippers to look to move Kawhi.
32:32I don't expect that he will stay and play on an expiring deal.
32:37Maybe the most interesting part of this story is that it appears that the two of the most likely destinations
32:43for Kawhi,
32:44his two former teams, the Raptors and the Spurs, according to the great Jake Fisher with the Steinlein Substack.
32:54Those are the only two teams outside of the Clippers Kawhi would even consider signing an extension with.
33:02This leaves other rumored teams, such as the Pistons or the Heats, on the outside perhaps looking in.
33:10I was all ready today when I woke up this morning to make a case for Kawhi and the Pistons.
33:15Isaiah Joe goes to Detroit today.
33:18That was a Sham Sharania report.
33:19And while Isaiah Joe and Kawhi Leonard are on different levels, Joe is a very strong, excellent defensive player and
33:28a sharpshooter.
33:29And that means you don't have to take the risk if you're Detroit in dealing with Kawhi Leonard.
33:35It's interesting when it's the two teams in question here, the Spurs and the Raptors.
33:41Listen, if I'm the Raptors, I would do it in a heartbeat.
33:46And because the Raptors understand the deal with Kawhi, right?
33:50Kawhi Leonard is a knucklehead.
33:51The reason why load management exists is because of Kawhi.
33:55Because Kawhi Leonard, it worked.
33:57He forced his way out of San Antonio, Uncle Dennis.
34:00You know, he didn't like playing for Popovich, the medical staff situation, and I was completely on the side of
34:06the San Antonio Spurs there.
34:08So it's DeRozan for Kawhi.
34:10They win a championship.
34:12And basically in Toronto, they said, hey, you play when you want.
34:15You do what you want.
34:16Just be available to win a championship in the playoffs.
34:18And that's exactly what he did.
34:20And I begged Kawhi Leonard, stay.
34:24Why would you ever leave Toronto where you're a god?
34:28But Uncle Dennis said, you've got to go to the Clippers.
34:30Now you've got everything going on with the whole Pablo Torre, Adam Silver situation, Steve Ballmer.
34:36That could be a fly in the ointment here in a potential trade.
34:40The Raptors are like the forgotten team in the Eastern Conference.
34:43They had a terrific, tremendous year of overachievement this past year.
34:47But I don't take them seriously as a team that can do any kind of significant damage for next year.
34:55A motivated Kawhi would change the math on that.
34:58Absolutely change the equation.
35:00Now, would he be motivated?
35:03I don't know.
35:05They don't know.
35:06I mean, the Raptors literally had him on a championship, and they would have no idea.
35:10I think it's worth the risk.
35:11San Antonio, I do not think it's worth the risk.
35:14I think the San Antonio, and I favor today, I favor OKC over San Antonio.
35:20Look, the Spurs can easily win a championship next year, and no one's going to bat an eye.
35:26Kawhi Leonard was so great in San Antonio.
35:30You know, I think fans, some have forgiven him.
35:33Obviously, they have all these championships, you know, during the Popovich, Tim Duncan era.
35:37So, you know, at the end of the day, you know, you look at that era of glory and greatness
35:42with Parker and Ginobili.
35:44You know, maybe they've forgiven Kawhi Leonard.
35:46Kawhi was so great for the San Antonio Spurs.
35:50Why would you even want to mess around with the will he play, won't he play?
35:55You have the vibes with the Spurs.
35:58Granted, Wemby and his behavior and his nonsense and as a villain, you know, that kind of derailed it, but
36:04I'm not messing around.
36:06Spurs just had a great draft.
36:07We talked about that.
36:08I'm not gettingāif I'm the Spurs, I would never even entertain the thought.
36:14Raptors, that's different.
36:15If I'm Toronto looking for a little juice, a little upside, the fans still love Kawhi in Toronto.
36:23Great basketball city, great sports city, great city in general.
36:28That, to me, is the perfect fit for the team and for the player, Kawhi going back to the Toronto
36:34Raptors.
36:35Let's get into the Knicks.
36:37Seth Bondi has this report on Mitchell Robinson and his future that it's quote-unquote unlikely that he's going to
36:45be back with the Knicks next season.
36:47James Dolan said on Craig Carton's WFN radio show that he's unwilling to pay into the second apron, so obviouslyāand
36:57Steph reported thisārunning it back with the bench, not feasible.
37:02And you felt like this is where it was going, and then Steph, who's the best in the business, puts
37:09out that tweet and writes what he wrote in the New York Post today.
37:14And my heart sucks as a diehard Knicks fan.
37:17Now, it was always going to be a little bit tough to bring everyone back, and the starting five is
37:24all under contract, and Mitchell Robinson is the longest-tenured Knick, and I love him.
37:30And the most important offensive rebound in Knicks history, but it was always a little bit pie in the sky.
37:37They do have some backup bigs.
37:39I did want the Knicks to draft Harris Reid out of UConn in the first round.
37:45Instead, they kept trading back and back and back.
37:48I feel like Chris Berman talking about the Knicks draft.
37:51Back, back, back.
37:52I mean, that's the approach.
37:53But I get it.
37:54They get the guard from Germany.
37:55They get the Knickle from Vanderbilt, Tyler Knickle, who can shoot, by the way.
38:01And obviously, Leon Rose and this group, they have a really good ability to get second-round picks and develop
38:09them.
38:10Now, Mitchell Robinson, I think, and this is part of it, I think there's going to be a market for
38:15him.
38:15And frankly, I think the Brooklyn Nets make a lot of sense for Mitchell Robinson.
38:21I think he would be terrific playing for Brooklyn.
38:24I also think that Mitchell Robinson would be excellent with LeBron James and Austin Reeves and Luka Doncic and the
38:33Lakers.
38:34If Mitch has to leave the Knicks, listen, I would advise him go to Los Angeles.
38:40You know, obviously, you know, DeAndre Ayton, it's up for conversation and debate if they're going to bring him back.
38:46You know, DeAndre Ayton, his effort isn't always there, wasn't always reliable on defense or rebounding the basketball.
38:56Mitchell Robinson would bring that championship experience, that dog mentality.
39:00I also, I'm still holding out hope.
39:04Seriously.
39:05Unlikely to return.
39:06If Steph says that, I mean, obviously, you know, unlikely.
39:09It doesn't say he's gone.
39:11Unlikely.
39:12I do wonder if Mitchell Robinson would ever consider taking less to stay.
39:18He loves being a Knick.
39:19He loves New York.
39:21Sometimes at the end of the day, I mean, a contract is up.
39:26Player has to leave.
39:27The second apron stinks.
39:29No one likes it.
39:30Owners don't like it.
39:31You know, the players don't like it.
39:33The agents don't like it.
39:34The executives don't like it.
39:36But we will always have this in terms of the most important rebounds, offensive rebounds in the history of the
39:43Knicks.
39:44It'll always be a great memory.
39:46Here's hoping that he takes less to stay.
39:49I'm not naive.
39:50They have younger bigs that they like who will play behind Carl Anthony Towns.
39:55And listen, I'm still watching everything I could find on the Internet with regards to the Knicks.
40:01I'm still buzzing about the championship.
40:04I still can't stop thinking about it.
40:06So if Mitch leaves, if he signs with the Lakers or the Nets or someone else, I'll just celebrate by
40:12watching this.
40:13All the championship highlights.
40:15All the Mitchell Robinson highlights.
40:17Doug Luss singing, here's to you, Mitchell Robinson.
40:20All of it.
40:21That's how I will honor Mitchell Robinson if, in fact, this is it.
40:25Not a surprise by Steph's report that it's unlikely that Mitchell Robinson is going to return to the Knicks organization.
40:33But, man, I love Mitchell Robinson.
40:38If this is it, thank you, Mitch, and we'll miss you.
40:41Now on to the World Cup.
40:43Well, I got to tell you, I love what I saw from Team USA.
40:47Absolutely loved it.
40:49Forget about the fact that they lost to Turkey or Turkey-A or however we're going to pronounce that because
40:55it didn't matter, right?
40:56And I've heard it pronounced a thousand different ways, and I'm a broadcaster.
40:59I should care about how I pronounce things.
41:01But Turkey, Turk-E-A, I don't know.
41:06I don't care.
41:07And I also don't care about this final score, okay?
41:11Because the game didn't count, but the approach did.
41:15And I think that Pochettino absolutely nailed it in terms of starting nine different guys last night.
41:22Because it doesn't matter the result.
41:25All that matters is beating the pants off of Bosnia and taking care of business in the knockout round on
41:33Wednesday night.
41:34That's all that matters, and we are going to bash Bosnia-Herzegovina.
41:38We're going to just absolutely destroy Bosnia.
41:41And what I absolutely love was what transpired at the end of the day with Christian Pulisic.
41:48Because we've talked about this, right?
41:51I would have kept him in bubble wrap.
41:53I would not have played him.
41:55And, you know, you don't have to worry about, you know, Captain America and big spots.
41:59We know that Christian Pulisic, all that, the only issue was his calf and health.
42:04So, how about what we did last night?
42:07And I thought this was a rather big deal.
42:09He goes into the game in like the 58th minute.
42:12And the fact that you saw him able to look great.
42:16To get Pochettino all the credit in the world.
42:18And the fact that he almost scored a couple of goals.
42:20The fact that you come out of this where Pulisic is healthy.
42:25This is a jolt, literally physically and mentally.
42:29And this is one where it's results-oriented.
42:32Let's be clear.
42:32Where if, heaven forbid, something were to happen last night to Pulisic, we would be killing the manager for Team
42:38USA.
42:39I mean, let's be clear.
42:41But I'm not in the training room.
42:43I'm not, you know, part of the thought process.
42:46So, the fact that this was the plan and he played.
42:51Normally, I don't like when you have an injured quarterback and he's your backup quarterback.
42:54Because then if he has to play or if you have players coming off the bench in the NBA, but
42:58he's on minutes restriction because of health.
43:01That always bothers me.
43:02Either you're healthy or you're not.
43:03This situation was different.
43:06Clearly, Pulisic was pretty close to playing last Friday.
43:11But he did it, so he was on the verge of being 100% healthy.
43:17So, I think it was supremely important to make sure that he was out there, show himself, show the team,
43:26show the rest of the world that he was ready to rock and roll.
43:30Honestly, I just can't get enough.
43:33I was inspired going into this game.
43:36I don't give a jam about the final score.
43:39I can't wait until we knock the stuffing out of Bosnia.
43:46Bag it, Bosnia.
43:48Team USA.
43:49And let me just tell you right now, you're going to see Pulisic score a goal.
43:53I firmly believe that.
43:55I think this is going to have 3-1-4-1 Team USA next Wednesday, 8 Eastern on Fox.
44:03This is going to be an absolute destruction.
44:06I think the confidence that Team USA gained and playing nine guys who normally don't star, depth, talent, confidence, believability.
44:18And I love what Borchino said after.
44:19We're not in this to ultimately be a cute little story.
44:24We're in it to win it.
44:27We're going big.
44:29We're trying to win the World Cup.
44:31That's what you want to hear.
44:33I thought last night was such a great success and inspiring for Team USA.
44:40Honestly, I can't get enough.
44:43And the way that Portino handled this, I thought was just inspiring.
44:47I can't wait till we absolutely punked those losers from Bosnia.
44:55That's a show.
44:56If you missed any portion of the show, just do what I do.
45:00Rewatch the show over and over and over again.
45:04Man, I just love me.
45:06Go to the New York Post Sports YouTube page.
45:08California Post Sports YouTube page.
45:11Search Shine Time.
45:12We will see you Monday on Shine Time.
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