00:00I think people are protecting their feelings.
00:01That's the conclusion I've come to.
00:03People pay too much attention to Polymarket and Calci,
00:06and they're getting worried the Heat thing is real,
00:07and they're at a spot now where before you hurt me, LeBron,
00:12I'll make sure you know I don't even care that much.
00:16I mean, look, this is a difficult decision for LeBron.
00:20I think leaving the Lakers was a difficult decision for LeBron
00:24because if you talk about all the other things that would have tied him to Los Angeles,
00:28his family is there, he has built a house there,
00:32he has built an empire there basically,
00:34and the fact that he's willing to leave Los Angeles because of some basketball-related things
00:41and maybe a toxic relationship between him and the organization,
00:46that's not an easy decision,
00:48and now we're talking about where he's going to spend the last part of his career.
00:53That's a significant decision for LeBron,
00:55and I think he's trying to treat it with the care that he should,
00:59and the other thing is LeBron, whether it was in 2010, 2014, 2018,
01:05every time he has made this kind of life-changing decision,
01:09he's wanted to do it on his terms, he's wanted to do it on his timeline,
01:14and that's how he operates,
01:16and that's how one of the greatest players in NBA history is going to operate,
01:22and I don't think he can rush this decision,
01:25and we certainly can't rush this decision because it's really, really important to him,
01:30and it's going to play a big part of his career and his legacy,
01:34and I think he has earned the right to do it his way on his terms,
01:40as much as it's making Stephen North Royalton and Bill in North Olmstead
01:45and Ed in Bay Village and all these other Cavs fans unhappy in the moment.
01:50Chris, what do you think is the biggest feather in the cap for the Cavs in the pursuit of LeBron,
01:55and what do you think is the biggest downside for LeBron with the Cavs?
02:00Well, look, the feather in the cap is the obvious one.
02:04It's the storybook ending to an illustrious career,
02:09and Philadelphia doesn't offer that to the same level,
02:13and Golden State doesn't offer that to the same level,
02:15and Minnesota and Miami,
02:18this is the place where he would be appreciated, loved, celebrated
02:22the way that he deserves to be celebrated going out in the final stage of his career.
02:28So that is the feather in their cap.
02:30That is, it could end up being the ultimate trump card,
02:34because this isn't solely a basketball decision.
02:37This is a decision with his head and heart.
02:40This is about basketball and non-basketball.
02:43This is about striving for greatness and happiness.
02:47And Cleveland has the sentimental edge over any of these other places.
02:52And I've said this with you guys.
02:54I've said this on my podcast, the Wine and Goal Talk podcast.
02:56I've written this for Cleveland.com.
02:59I do not think this is the most seamless and best basketball fit.
03:03And if this was entirely a basketball decision, I don't know that the Cavs win it.
03:09But it's not entirely a basketball decision.
03:11So I think that is the sentimental edge that Cleveland has,
03:15that I think a lot of teams are going to have a hard time overcoming.
03:20The downside of it, if there is a downside of it,
03:23it's that it's not an ideal basketball fit.
03:26I think there would have to be a few subtractions from this roster or some reconfiguration of this roster.
03:34And I think it would require LeBron to kind of alter his game a little bit
03:40and change his style of play a little bit when you talk about what else is surrounding him on this
03:48roster.
03:48Now, that's not to say that LeBron won't pick Cleveland because of that.
03:52He is a chameleon.
03:53He can fit anywhere.
03:55He can make anything work, any play style work.
03:58That's what he's done throughout the course of his career.
04:01But I think it makes Cleveland a little bit more tricky from a basketball standpoint than some of these other
04:08spots.
04:08Who do you think are the subtractions or the most likely candidates for subtraction?
04:13I think part of it, guys, depends on how much LeBron wants
04:17and how much the Cavs are willing to give him financially.
04:21I know that it's been thrown out there by his agent, Rich Paul, kind of in passing,
04:25that, hey, LeBron could play on the minimum.
04:28I'll believe that when it actually happens.
04:30I would think that he would want more than that
04:33because he has spent two decades fighting for player empowerment,
04:36fighting for bigger salaries and fighting for players to get the kind of financial stability
04:44and security that their value dictates them getting.
04:49And LeBron is still an all-NBA player.
04:52LeBron is still an all-star.
04:53Those guys don't get paid the veterans minimum.
04:56They just don't.
04:57So I think he's going to want more than that.
05:00And because the Cavs can't offer more than that,
05:02I think the logical subtractions potentially would be Dennis Schroeder, Max Drews,
05:08and maybe possibly Jared Allen
05:10because the fit with LeBron James, Jared Allen, Evan Mobley,
05:15it's pretty clunky.
05:17It's a pretty congested court.
05:18It's pretty paint-driven.
05:20And over history, we have seen the evidence that this works.
05:25LeBron's surrounded by shooters.
05:27It's what Miami did.
05:28It's what Cleveland did.
05:30It's what the Lakers did.
05:31And the Cavs aren't built that kind of way.
05:34So maybe potentially Jared Allen,
05:36if the Cavs were to find the kind of deal that they would be willing to say yes to
05:42and one that they could look at and say,
05:44that makes us a better-fitting basketball team.
05:46Rich Paul made the case today that LeBron hasn't made up his mind.
05:50Do you believe that?
05:55I think he has an idea of where he wants to go
06:00and what he ultimately wants out of this decision.
06:03And I think he's waiting to see if something can sway him in a different kind of direction.
06:12All right.
06:13So with that, I'm interested because of the way you just answered that.
06:17But there's not been a single thing that I've heard in the last three or four weeks
06:22that has changed my thoughts on where LeBron is going.
06:25I think LeBron is coming home, and I think it's a matter of time.
06:28Is there anything you've heard in the last three to four weeks?
06:31And I'm talking about plausible theories,
06:33not necessarily what you're hearing from around the NBA community,
06:36but have you changed your thoughts on where LeBron will end in this entire process?
06:43I haven't, because I still think that Cleveland would be the best definition of happiness
06:48or the way that LeBron would best define happiness.
06:52In saying that, I have also said from the very beginning that there is no perfect option.
06:58There is no no-brainer option that is just like them and nobody else makes sense.
07:04Like there is a legitimate argument that Miami can make from a basketball and non-basketball standpoint.
07:10There is a legitimate argument that Philadelphia can make from a basketball and non-basketball standpoint.
07:16And the same thing when it comes to Golden State,
07:18although their basketball argument is a little bit flimsy,
07:21so that one becomes a little bit more difficult.
07:24I think all of these places have enough basketball-related appeal
07:28and non-basketball-related appeal that it makes it a real decision here.
07:33And it's just which one is going to end up checking the most boxes of what LeBron is looking for.
07:41Because they do make a compelling argument.
07:44It's just who has the best argument.
07:46And I think Cleveland's going to, by the end of this,
07:49I think it's going to make the best argument.
07:50Because it combines most of the things that he won't want for the final chapter of his career.
07:57What would be the thing that you're suggesting,
07:59like we're waiting on something to maybe sway LeBron in another direction?
08:02Is that just Anthony Davis related?
08:04What do you think that is?
08:06I think if Anthony Davis gets traded to Golden State,
08:08that that becomes pretty interesting.
08:10I think if Giannis gets on the phone and calls up LeBron
08:13and makes some kind of recruiting pitch and lets LeBron know how much he loves him,
08:18how much he wants to play for him, with him,
08:22I think that, you know, there are feelings involved in that.
08:26There are emotions involved in that.
08:28I think if Miami can sell him on a different kind of vision
08:33for what their roster is going to look like,
08:35you know, you don't want to read too much into this, guys,
08:37in terms of what Rich Paul is saying on a podcast.
08:41Because you understand that some of that is already built into this equation.
08:49Like, not that he's speaking for LeBron,
08:52but it's just like logical things that people have already kind of thought about.
08:58But I think the fact that Rich was talking about,
09:01hey, like, don't look at this roster on paper,
09:03because what it is right now may not be what it is in January
09:07or what it is in February.
09:09And I think the fact that, you know,
09:12it came out from LeBron himself on his own podcast,
09:15that he's not necessarily looking at this as one more year in the NBA.
09:21Year 24, and then that's it.
09:23That's retirement.
09:24It could be year 25.
09:25It could be year 26.
09:27You know, that speaks to him giving an organization like Miami,
09:33like Cleveland, like Philadelphia,
09:35although Philadelphia has, you know,
09:37problems in terms of what they can do from a roster construction standpoint
09:41because of what they've already committed to a number of their guys.
09:44But the point is,
09:46it gives those organizations a little bit of freedom
09:51to kind of build out their roster
09:53and make it better as we continue to go on here
09:57than it currently is right now.
10:00And it could be a situation where Miami doesn't look as appealing right now
10:08from a basketball standpoint because they don't have enough shooting
10:11or they don't have enough playmaking.
10:13But I'm going to put my faith in their front office
10:16that has built, you know,
10:19two champions in 40 years when I was in Miami
10:21and they're the same people there.
10:23So I'm going to put my trust in them
10:25or I'm going to put my trust in Kobe Bryant
10:26that he's going to make the necessary moves
10:29to make it a better basketball fit.
10:30It just felt like to me that was LeBron saying,
10:33this is not one and done.
10:35It was Rich Paul saying,
10:36this is not one and done.
10:38And we're going to give these teams a little bit of space
10:42to make other maneuvers.
10:44And we're going to trust that they could build a champion
10:48rather than me just joining a ready-made champion.
10:52Chris, Kaminga is the name if LeBron doesn't come to Cleveland.
10:56If Kaminga is the name,
10:58does that mean Jared Allen's going to have to go out
11:00to get Kaminga here?
11:02No, I don't think so.
11:03Everything that I have heard,
11:04and I talked about this on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast last week,
11:07and more people are starting to report it as well.
11:11The belief around the NBA is that Jonathan Kaminga wants a contract annual salary
11:18between $15 and $20 million.
11:20Now, you might laugh at that.
11:21You might say, what?
11:23He hasn't earned that.
11:24Nobody's going to give him that.
11:26And you may be right in that.
11:28But that's kind of the contract that he is looking for at this point in time.
11:34So if you look at the Cavs' roster,
11:36who fits those salary parameters,
11:38it's more Dennis Schroeder, Max Struess,
11:41than it is Jared Allen.
11:42So you could theoretically, if motivated enough,
11:46if LeBron doesn't come back to Cleveland,
11:49if he chooses somewhere else,
11:50you could theoretically pull off a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks
11:54involving either Max Struess or Dennis Schroeder
11:56and give Jonathan Kaminga that kind of salary.
12:00But, again, we're talking about an all-NBA player
12:04and one of the best players of all time
12:07who just single-handedly won a playoff series for his franchise
12:11just a couple of months ago against the Houston Rockets
12:14where he was clearly the best player in that series.
12:18And then Jonathan Kaminga, who just hasn't found his place in the NBA.
12:22Golden State gave up on him.
12:24It appears that Atlanta doesn't want to commit financially to him
12:27despite the fact that they just traded for him recently.
12:31So that is a huge gap in terms of impact,
12:36in terms of caliber of player.
12:38So, yeah, I think it makes sense that Jonathan Kaminga,
12:42based on everything that else is left in free agency,
12:46I think it makes sense that Jonathan Kaminga is the Cavs' plan B.
12:50But there is a distinct difference between plan A, LeBron James,
12:55and plan B, Jonathan Kaminga.
12:57It's not something that I think would make a tangible difference
13:01in the Cavs competing for a championship this coming year.
13:05I mean, Chris, I know this has got to be a devastating time for you.
13:08You just want to spend time with your family and your son.
13:12You want to get ready for football practice.
13:14Football practices are the big ones.
13:15And, of course, baseball is going on.
13:17And for you to be able to make this sacrifice.
13:21That's game 110 and 115 of the Major League Baseball season.
13:24And, of course, you talk about it all the time.
13:28That's exactly right.
13:29I mean, what else moves the needle in Cleveland Sports Talk Radio
13:33other than guards fall, baby?
13:35Chris, thank you for your sacrifice, buddy.
13:37Thanks, Chris.
13:38You got it.
13:39Anything I can do to help.
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