Transcription
I'd my piece so as we all know by now, MBA great LeBron James decided to take his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers, or really to the Los Angeles area, because he has a lot of ulterior motives that he wants to be able to capitalize on. That's his business.
Well, of course, he decided that he's going to sit down with the LA media and answer their questions in regards to what he thinks his impact is going to be on the very young Laker squad. So, of course, he's gonna talk about it. No one in chimed in. Patient 2014 that has such great talent, but also an iconic franchise. And in addition to that, what was it like having Magic right down the street from you an hour before he was supposed to meet with you to talk about becoming a Laker?
Now, before LeBron James answers this question, I hope that you guys pay very close attention to the reporter's question. He stated, "So, what is it going to be like for you to be here on the team with all this great talent?" The Los Angeles media is already letting LeBron James know, "We're not going to let you skate here. We're not going to let you make excuses about how you don't have enough help." We already know that you have a lot of young talent on this team. This team won 35 games last year with a bevy of players that were either rookies or were under 23, 22 years of age, with a very young coach, and with their top draft D, that being Mr. Alonzo Ball, missing a good amount of time. The Lakers could have threatened for a playoff position had Lonzo Ball not been hurt and had he actually had a jump shot.
So, LeBron James, you're here now. You're supposed to be the best player on the planet. You're supposed to be better than Michael Jordan. You're supposed to be better than Kobe Bryant, according to the media and according to certain forces or factions outside of the LA area. We expect you to lead this team on a pretty good playoff run because the question is not in the minds of the LA media whether or not this team is going to make the playoffs. The question is going to be, will LeBron James be able to elevate the play of the young players? And they're gonna hold his feet to the fire on that.
"Oh man, I think the excitement on the game for me in general, no matter what uniform I'm in, I'm just always humbled I'm able to play this game at this level."
"Oh man, please, one thing you're not is humble. Just, just speak the real. You came out here so that you could make sure you could maximize your earning potential and Hollyweird. You have to meet up with many of your Kabbalistic overlords, these Jewish media executives and Jewish movie executives in the Hollywood area. That's all this is really about from this level, allegedly."
I think we all know and it can speak for itself that this franchise has been a historical franchise in this league for years. You don't even have to talk about the years they won championships. Talk about the players this can't do. This franchise's worn this uniform. So that's an excitement and it's alright. And then it's just always something for me. Anytime I get an opportunity to be a part of something special enough. I believe the conversation I had with Magic that night was it was a special night.
"So, yeah, I bet it was. Between you two guys, you guys are taught at top Saturnians in the sports world. So God knows what happened that night. Some [ __ ] probably drank a wolf's blood howling at the moon is some [ __ ] allegedly."
"LeBron, welcome to Los Angeles. I want to know how it feels. I know you've been with two teams before, Cleveland obviously. We all think of you probably most with the Miami experience. You did very well there. What is it?"
Well, he did very well there. He did exceptionally there. But but once again, this is a lot of what LeBron James is going to get playing with the LA Lakers. He's gonna get a lot of reporters talking down to him because he's so used to being venerated all across the NBA with many of these other media outlets and also, of course, television on ESPN and Fox Sports One, etc. He has a lot of plants there. He has a lot of fanboys in the media. This is really going to be a rude awakening for LeBron James because once again, he came to a franchise that has what, 16 titles? And I'm sure that if you ask just about every Laker fan, they believe that every great player that played for the Lakers is at the very least as good as LeBron James. I guarantee you, you can find a guy 75 years old who will tell you that Elgin Baylor and Jerry West are better than her better than LeBron James. When I'm talking about Magic and Kobe and Kareem and Shaq, those guys, this is like to move to another place. I know you live here very much of the season, so it's not like a brand new experience. But what is it like to just change the location where you're going to be competing and represent another city?
"I mean, what is always challenging when you move? No matter if you do it as a profession or if you don't know your dad less than days, which I did a lot. So no more from place to place is something that uh I've been accustomed where the stress is growing up, you know, and beyond that, you already knew that you were gonna come out to the LA Lakers from about two years ago. That's why your school was ready by this summer because from the time that the conception of the school was was conjured by yourself, your team, Nike, etc., you already knew that the final game plan or the final point on the game plan was for you to end up with the LA Lakers. You knew that already. That's the only conclusion that anybody with common sense could come to or any type of discernment can come to when you see what happened with that school, the so-called LeBron James school out there in Akron, Ohio. I mean, really, who exactly is enough to think that it's a coincidence that LeBron James is free agencies and what he decides to leave Cleveland that all of a sudden he has this school that is prepared and finished for all of the quote unquote at-risk youth in the Akron area to make him look good on his way out? This is all corporate branding. That's all this has ever been."
You know, it's more challenging for your family, your friends, take the leap, take the change, as well as a comfortable position for the method at the beginning, uncomfortable for me as well. Just, oh man, please, you guys had to splat it out from two or three years ago. Just knock it off. Just, you know, learn those streets, learning new routes, learning new, you know, new people, being around a different environment, you know. So it's always a learning experience when you ever have to change locations. So, you know, it's an adjustment that, you know, myself and my family, my friends will all adjust to and we'd be fine because we have each other.
"Hey LeBron, Kirk Sanibel from ABC 7. Curious as a management to the NBA Finals eight consecutive years. The last time you weren't in the finals is when this franchise was in the finals. What your expectations is a man who's measured by championships?"
"Well, my expectation, uh, you know, it's try to get better every single day."
"Well, you know what, LeBron? That's not going to fly in LA. Your expectations better be the winning championship. Now, what will Kobe Bryant have stated here? He would have said, 'My expectation is to win a championship.' That's what they want to hear. That's what they're accustomed to. And LA, dude, they gonna break you down, man. I can already see it. I can already see LeBron James going out in the second round and knowing him, the Lakers would probably have like a three games to two lead on a team like Oklahoma City or the Rockets and then lose the series in seven. And he'll expect some type of generosity or some type of compassion for the LA media, and they're gonna slam him. They're gonna say, 'LeBron, you up three games to two, you had Game six in LA and you scored 32 points, had ten assists and 11 rebounds, but you passed up the last shot. Why'd you do that, LeBron?' So he's not used to that because he was not getting that in Cleveland for the last four years, but he's gonna get that here in LA."
"I'll expect nothing. You work for what you want and you can't expect anything."
"I think I saw sorry, sir. That's not gonna fly. Of course, you have to work for what you want. But they want you to say, 'I expect to be extremely competitive.' You know, at the very, at the very worst, at the very least, you should be saying, you know, right now, I'm pretty much the commander of a very young team, but I expect us to work hard, be competitive, and to challenge whoever we face throughout the season and in the playoffs. And I expect to win.' That's what they want you to say. They'll probably let you slide from that expectation of a championship for this season. That's assuming that you're unable to acquire Anthony Davis. But if and when you acquire Anthony Davis, they are going to automatically expect you to win a championship."
"It's all part of the process. You know, we don't know. So I know known as, you know, what to expect it in in the Rose. So I do have news for you. They didn't sign you to a four-year deal because of the unknown. They signed you because of expectations."
"Anything off of that? No. What I know I can bring to the table was, you know, being committed to, you know, having excellence, you know, every single day mindset standpoint from, you know, how prepared to go out and play. So, you know, everything else, take care of yourself."
"Lauren Jones, Le Sentinel. LeMond, obviously, the definition of success for a successful season would be a championship. But are there any other month you see that?"
"That's why she brought it up. She stated point-blank, 'The definition of a successful season here is a championship.' LeBron James, they're markers are indicators that you have for this season being successful."
"I don't believe that. I don't believe the only thing a success you marking the seasons where a champion."
"Hey, you guys pay attention to this. This interaction, once again, LeBron James and the LA media are gonna be butting heads because what? How could you say that you the best play of all time and your expectation is not to win a championship at the end of the season? Like it's a big joke to me that they put this guy's name in there with a Michael Jordan. And look, I've always stated, I think that LeBron James brings more to the table than a Kobe Bryant. But mentally, in regards to that attack mentality, we all know that LeBron James is nowhere close to Kobe. We know that already. But in regards to who brings more to the table, it's gonna be LeBron. But Kobe had the LA Laker mindset, and LeBron is gonna learn very, very soon that the expectations in LA are not gonna be that you just said around town. You're always at the movie studio. You win 52 games and then go out in the second round because that's what this team is going to do this year. The Lakers are gonna win about 50, 51 games. They're probably gonna go out in the second round to a team like Houston or maybe even the the Warriors. Say, for example, if the Lakers get to the fourth seed, they will be facing the Warriors in the second round. And he's gonna sit there at the dais, he's gonna say, 'I think we had a great seat.' And all the media members in LA are going to scrutinize every move that he made out there on the basketball floor. He's gonna get it. He's gonna get extremely exasperated. He's gonna say, 'What are you guys talking about? We didn't have expectations to win a championship this year.' They're gonna say, 'Wait a minute, LeBron, you had the opportunity to win Game five here. You had the opportunity to win Game six here and you came up short.' That's all they're going to evaluate. The LA Lakers are the New York Yankees of basketball. They expect chips. But that doesn't mean you're not successful. They go, 'This guy's already looking for consolation prize.' But supposedly he's up there with Michael Jordan. Losses and things of that nature, which you can control is how you prepare every day. How we prepare every day to try to get better every day."
[Music]
"Let me say this, LeBron James, you better hope that Anthony Davis does not get traded to the Lakers because if you guys get Anthony Davis, the expectations for your team are going to ratchet up exponentially. And if you come short, they are not going to give you a pass. They are not going to let that [ __ ] slide at all."
"Club coming together, obviously, they have some returning guys, but as far as the ball club, we're all new to each other. So, you know, we have to, you know, take our bumps and bruises. We have to, there's gonna be good times, it'll be bad times, you know, and that's what happens with a team that's new. But if we continue to work the process and we continue to, you know, sacrifice one another and put in a commitment in the time to being great, then, you know, everything else will fall into place."
"As I say before, hey LeBron, between break-ins to come down at these young guys knowing their games from previous year's plans and five and five here talking to coaching staff, have you gotten a sense yet of the way that you want to approach the games and how you guys might play with with the patient? Just the direction of the team?"
"Well, my game does not change, no matter go up alongside."
"Now, I hope that you guys just heard that LeBron James said, 'My game does not change, no matter who I play alongside.' I had so many LeBron James stupor fans who tried to harass me and got upset when I said that the only place in the LeBron James system, that's all he can play and he cannot play in a real system. So you guys who think that he's not gonna have any issues with Luke Walton, Luke Walton is gonna have to learn how to coach the LeBron James system, or he's gonna be out of there. LeBron could put on that act and conduct himself as if he's willing to be amenable to Luke Walton. No, he is not. He just stated it. His game does not change. Now, what type of player tells you that his game does not change, no matter who he's playing with or playing alongside? Kevin Durant had to change his game. That's how you know LeBron James could not play with the Golden State Warriors. They would have to change that whole scheme around him. Steph Curry will end up wind up becoming Kyle Korver. That's what LeBron James does. The only person who was able to make LeBron James come form was Pat Riley. And that's why he had his most successful run during his time period with Pat Riley."
"Did not believe my can't can fit with anybody. I'm a team first guy."
"Wait a minute, LeBron James, you just said that your game does not change. So when you say that you think that you can fill with anybody and you're a team first guy, what you mean is that we should all get along as long as you listen to me. In other words, my system is the best. Isn't for everybody? And if you don't like it, you can be traded or you can be fired. You know, they're watching these guys from the outside looking in. The level of pace that they play with, I'm excited about. I love getting up and down or running, they're things of that nature. So come on, man. You love getting up and down and running as long as it's on offense. On defense, you don't like to run. But you know, I think God, you know, Luke and a coaching staff will let us know what they were like for us to, how we can be great. And no [ __ ] please stop, LeBron James. Knock it off. Luke and the coaches staff, you're gonna go speak to Luke and you're gonna tell him what you need him to do. And that's the bottom line of that. And if he doesn't listen, you gonna go to Magic Johnson. And if Magic does not have the clout to get rid of Luke Walton, you gonna go to Jeannie Buss. That's how that's gonna go. Because of Jeannie Buss will not listen to you. If you come to this light, Luke Walton, you're gonna try to force a trade or you'll have a mental breakdown like you did last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers before they made that big trade."
"Two questions. One, can you drill down to the moment you decided to make this move and that you wanted to be a Laker? And then, and then what was that like kind of as you as you kind of took in what that would mean? And then to so much talk about what you can do for the young guys in curious what you think the young core that has been in place for a couple years will do for you, um, a team?"
"And it's answer the first question. I have a team that we all come together. We've done this before. We mark out all the pros and the cons. And do nothing in a day or so. It's kinda up to, you know, myself and my family. So, you know, we kind of made a decision that this was our next, uh, our next journey."
"My son."
"Okay, LeBron James, so you're telling me that you and your team said, 'We're gonna go to LA.' But if Bronny or Bryce said no, we don't want to go to LA, that you would not be there?"
"Knock it off, brother. This is our next step. And so how does it make the decision to come here? Truly excited, you know, about this opportunity. And then I'm always in a learning process. No matter, you know, where I'm at in my career, I'm always at a point where I want to learn and then get things from, you know, teammates and coaches, the things that nature. So I'm looking forward to seeing, you know, what we all can bring to the table and how we can all bounce ideas about things off one another in order to together to better our games."
"Well, I think that you'll be willing to learn and speak with Rondo until Rondo figures out who you really are. And then Rondo will turn on you. Rondo has shown that he has no problem going back and forth with superstars. He went back and forth with Ray Allen, he went back and forth with Paul Pierce, with KG, he went back and forth with Dirk Nowitzki, he went back and forth with with Anthony Davis if he needs to. But with Dwyane Wade, and I believe that Rajon Rondo is gonna end never going back and forth with LeBron James. Not necessarily in a rancorous or the cantankerous manner, but just to let him know that like [ __ ] I know the game too. And no, you're not correct on this. You're not correct here. We're gonna do it this way. And here's why. And I think that I think that it's going to lead to some back and forth between LeBron James and Rajon Rondo. So that will certainly be something for us all to watch out for on the floor and also, you know, mentally as well."
"Yeah, Brock will clash. Kelly times. How much your decision was based on the Lakers and how much of the business opportunities that Los Angeles and how do you balance those two?"
"My decision was based solely on my family and the Lakers."
"Yeah, okay."
"LeBron James, I'm a basketball player. Up, wait a minute. So why are you running around with the Nike t-shirt that says 'More Than An Athlete'? Which one is it? Are you a basketball player? Are you more than an athlete? Don't tell me that you're some type of role model because what a role model has to be is someone who's in the household every day. And that's the importance of Charles Barkley's commercial way back in the day. He was trying to establish that all I am is a basketball player. You pay me because I can do something that very few people in the world can do. LeBron James is trying to cast himself as a role model now. In regards to a lot of his over conduct, the brother has never gotten into any type of legal trouble that we know of. He's been able to pretty much keep his nose clean in regards to stories not getting exposed about him. But a real role model is what's in the household. That's why I always tried to accentuate to many of you brothers that you are as important as LeBron James is when it comes to your household. I don't care whether you live by yourself or whether you have five kids and two wives and all the other stuff. You're the one who has to lead the household. Of course, you confer with everybody in the household, but you have to be the head. And that's the point of understanding that athletes are not role models. You have to be able to create that partition there between an entertainer and a leader. Athletes are not leaders. I play ball. That's what I do. That's what I live by. And when I do it at the level I'll do it at, everything else take care of yourself."
"So, you know, as far as my business, they'll stay. So when you do it at the level that you do it, everything take care of itself. In other words, you come in second. That's what you're saying, right?"
"LeBron James, those things, if I take care of yourself way before I ever came out here. So to be a part of the Lakers franchise, right? But come on, bro, let let's be for real. Yes, you can initiate low television shows and movies from Cleveland or from Akron or wherever you would live in. But now you can make far better connections now that you're in the LA area. Those are the facts. That's why you were on Jimmy Iovine's shot. That's why you went out to dinner with Al Pacino or Leonardo DiCaprio. You could not do that in Cleveland. So you can run all you want. Yes, Pino athletic or you've obviously accomplished a lot in a curve and through a lot of different scenarios at the same time. Joining this team brings a lot of attention. What if anything at this stage your career creates pressure for you or constitutes pressure?"
"I say that again, what if anything at this stage of your career creates pressure for you? Brings about pressure?"
"Well, we'll see about that. LeBron James, down the stretch of this season, that the Lakers are not performing up to snuff. I promise you, the LA media will bring pressure upon you that you have not seen. I promise you that. When they try to run your locker and they're asking you, LeBron James, why the Lakers 31 and 31 and you have no answers? I guarantee there's gonna be some pressure there."
"Raaah, you're too far back. Sure. Hi Marcela Cohash from TV Global Brazil. People to thinks about what this Golden State Warriors scene can be in the league at this moment because they keep adding pieces to the team and sometimes it looks unfair. But you have a young core here with you and some talented players as well. Do you think that this Los Angeles Lakers can't beat the other states in the Western Conference?"
"We got a long way to go to get the Golden State. They could pick up where they left off starting with training camp. If they start today or whenever they start, we're picking up from scratch. So we have a long way to go. Beyond that, they actually run a real system. That's the real reason why there's so much of a distance between the Lakers and Golden State because the fact of the matter is that if you're as great a player as they alleged you to be, that being the greatest player ever, there should never be a long way from you and another team, never. Especially if you have the chance to play with the team for the entire season and you have a good amount of talent on your team. The fact of the matter is that LeBron is the best player in the NBA today, but he's not the best player ever. And the difference between him and the second and third best players in the NBA who happen to both play on the same team, that being Golden State, is very slim. Because the difference between the impact offensively of LeBron James and the impact offensively of a healthy Steph Curry is pretty infinitesimal. It's it's almost indistinguishable because of the impact that a healthy Steph Curry will bring to the table. In regards to Kevin Durant, has an all-around player, Kevin Durant is going to bring more to the table offensively and defensively even than LeBron. But I have to give LeBron the edge because he has an alpha personality. Kevin Durant does not. And certain people might say, well, what do you mean that LeBron has an alpha personality? Meaning what? He's willing to take the lead. KD is not willing to take the lead. Cady's the greatest second banana in NBA history. He's the greatest second banana and be history. I would have to give him a slight nod over over Scottie Pippen, over over Kevin McHale and put him on the same level of Kobe with Shaq on the Lakers and with Kareem on the Showtime Lakers. Right now, KD is right there with those guys in regards to being the greatest second banana in the history of the NBA. Certain people might get upset with me. Well, how could you say that KD is right there with Kobe? Well, I'll say this, to me, Kobe put the differentiation between himself and KD when he won the two championships by himself. That's why I would have Kobe over KD. And of course, Kareem's best time period was in the 70s. But when you look at what Kevin Durant has been able to do on the Golden State Warriors the last two seasons, he's the greatest second banana in NBA history in my view. When you have a player bringing you 26 to 28 points a game, 55% shooting, five assists, price six or seven rebounds, great defense, and then get to the playoffs and he's even better, he's right there with anybody in regards to impact and proficiency as a second banana."
"We can't work. Why we're going to say this? Don't go and city is go and state another champions and they've been together for a few years now. So, you know, we put that to the side. We can only focus on what we can do to get better every day as the Lakers franchise. And, you know, hopefully someday we can put ourself in a position where we compete for a championship. It's going say to stop for the last few years."
"Well, LeBron James, you're gonna be 34 this year. You say someday. That someday better be next season. That's what that's something they'd better be."
"Josh, Josh Peter with us a day right here, Brock. Between the the movie project, the TV project, the documentary, the HBO show, how do you juggle off the court stuff and all the court stuff and keep it from becoming a distraction potentially? In other words, what that reporter is asking the LeBron James is, are you aware that should you or your team start to struggle this season, we're going to blame it on a lot of these ancillary aspects of what you're doing? That's what he's telling him."
"And run about, wait, apparently not long enough. Bigger your answer. I did. But repay you to be honest. I didn't get an opportunity to see it. Sunday is usually for the most part, family day. Month me and my kids and football. So I didn't come out Vettori to see you. So I can't even a speck."
"LaVon, okay. Now the reporter asked LeBron James what he thought about Tiger Woods' mom winning the winning the golf tournament. And LeBron James stated that he didn't see it. Which is a surprise because Tiger Woods as a Nike asset like him. So one would think that he would have stated something along the lines of, 'I want to congratulate Tiger' or at least put on an act or show over here."
"Young, you've been very good at kind of getting the strengths of your players and adapting to them and getting the best out of your teammates. So I don't how you see all these pieces fitting. There's a lot of multiple ball handlers, versatile players. How do you see that? How do you vision this video?"
"That's definitely exciting for sure. You know, when you see how many multiple ball, how many guys I can do multiple things, you know, pass, shoot, rebound, put the ball on the court, you know, get out. So, you know, it's gonna be a, you know, fun to see how I can implement myself into that and we can all, once again, the Lakers 135 games with relative neophytes last year. They have a lot of talent on that team. Had they been in the Eastern Conference, they would have challenged for a playoff spot because going from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference, you can add a guarantee five to maybe even eight more wins. So they could have been anywhere from a 42, 43 win team last year with the same exact team. So, you know, to say that LeBron James should be able to get them to 50 wins, I don't think that's that big of an expectation. Yeah, we can all implement each other and get the best out of each other. So tomorrow's gonna be a, you know, the start ups like the first day of school, you know, for me, you know, you know, you know, what to expect each other at the same time, you don't know what to expect. You know, me and my first time here, part of this franchise in this system as well. So I look forward to seeing, you know, what we all can bring to the table and how we can all bounce ideas about things off one another in order to together to better our games."
"Well, I think that you'll be willing to learn and speak with Rondo until Rondo figures out who you really are. And then Rondo will turn on you. Rondo has shown that he has no problem going back and forth with superstars. He went back and forth with Ray Allen, he went back and forth with Paul Pierce, with KG, he went back and forth with Dirk Nowitzki, he went back and forth with with Anthony Davis if he needs to. But with Dwyane Wade, and I believe that Rajon Rondo is gonna end never going back and forth with LeBron James. Not necessarily in a rancorous or the cantankerous manner, but just to let him know that like [ __ ] I know the game too. And no, you're not correct on this. You're not correct here. We're gonna do it this way. And here's why. And I think that I think that it's going to lead to some back and forth between LeBron James and Rajon Rondo. So that will certainly be something for us all to watch out for on the floor and also, you know, mentally as well."
"Yeah, Rondo is in my career and since I've competed against them over the years, has always been one of the most cerebral players, smartest players that I have ever competed against. And one of the most competitive guys I've ever competed against. You know, everything that's going on a floor, you know, everything that you're doing, you know, everything the team is doing, you know, all the strengths and the weaknesses. And sometimes you kind of see yourself when you see yourself and so on or not poles inside. That's where you like things like someday it'd be crazy if you ever teamed up, you able to join forces with that type of cerebral, you know, mentality where you know exactly what's going on the floor at the possession. So it's gonna be it's gonna be a really cool, you know, moment when I step out of for Rondo, just knowing."
"Well, that's what you think. But, you know, like they say, sometimes people are too much alike, they repel one another. We'll find out the things that he's seeing, he know things that I see. What else? I never ever have to say anything. It's not many others in this league that can that can actually think prepare what our minds before we were step on the floor in an actual game."
"Well, that's the difference between 80s and 90s basketball and this basketball today. Yes, you guys, you might run a little bit faster due to performance-enhancing drugs and things of that nature, allegedly, allegedly. But the players back in the 80s and 90s, they were far more cerebral. Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bird, those players were far more cerebral. Kim Elisha want far more cerebral than today's players. John Stockton, really not much of a comparison. Now, a LeBron James, a Rajon Rondo, they might feel like they're special today because there are far fewer cerebral players today than they were back then. But that's the main difference."
"Well, that might be the biggest surprise of the day so far. The brevity of that press conference. That was under 13 minutes total. We thought we were gonna be here for 45 minutes, maybe an hour, listening to LeBron James. I wasn't surprised that the press conference was that short because the LA media, they've been there, done that. They don't have that many questions to ask LeBron James in regards to what he's bringing to the table because they're not that mesmerized by him. Once again, they've had a bevy of players that are on his level. That's the bottom line of that. They've had Magic Johnson, Kareem, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaq, Kobe, Jay West, Elgin Baylor. Like these, they've been there, done that. That was short and sweet and off he goes wearing Laker yellow. Back here in studio, David Griffin right there. The whole favors. Isiah Thomas, Grant Hill, go to the former king general manager here. What you think? We didn't give us a lot. What did you think?"
"Well, it was interesting. They really didn't touch on the things that I think are the most fascinating about the team. You know, somebody asked, I think they're saving that for down the line. David Griffin, somebody asked about the multiple and rice. They didn't talk about the fit of the rest of the pieces. In other words, David Griffin is saying, with all those guys who are going to be handling the ball, how are they gonna fit in with LeBron? We all know that LeBron James left the ball in his hands all the time and he does not like to play off the ball. That's what David Griffin is saying. This, they didn't talk about the stylistic approach of having two alphas and Rondo and LeBron together. I.E. David Griffin understands, just like myself, that LeBron James and Rajon Rondo are going to clash. That's the part of this that I think will be fascinating. So if anything, he was sort of led off the hook in a pretty easy fashion. I think without hitting him on a lot of the things that are more intriguing things about that team and in particular, which of the young kids is going to rise to the occasion and to the challenge of playing with LeBron because that's an altogether different kind of pressure that his presence brings to bear on others. You know, they asked him what induces pressure in you now, right? And he said nothing. But well, those kids are about to experience pressure like they've never experienced before, right? And beyond that, that's look, that's just LeBron James trying to act as if he's this cold-blooded assassin or he has nerves of steel. And we all know that that truly is not the case. Even though I will give him credit over the last two seasons or so, he's become far more colder in those pressurized situations. So I do have to give him credit for that. But for him to state that he has no pressure on himself, of course he does. If you believe that you're the best player in the world and that of greatest player ever, there's pressure on you every day to perform at your optimum."
"Who's going look at the Lakers lineup and they have Lonzo Ball, Rajon Rondo at the point, at the shooting guard, which is pretty much their weakness. They have Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart, even though Josh Hart is an underrated pure shooter. They have Lance Stephenson as the third person on the depth chart at shooting guard, but I'm sure he'll also see some time at three and four. Brandon Ingram, who is a player on the come-up, who can also handle the rock. Of course, you have LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma behind him. They have to nutjob Michael Beasley, then they have the legends of Elle McGee. So this team is gonna be very interesting. They're gonna be a great watch this year. Who's going to step up and be the one that assumes the really the mantle of being the floor spacing play terminator, right, to go with all that play creation they put together?"
"There was anything for this press conference, as short as it was, it was LeBron dismissing questions. He was asked about the press requests. He said nothing. Asked about juggling his on and off court interests and he asked the report, 'How long have you been following me?' instead of actually answering the question."
"Oh, they're gonna let him get away with that for now. For now, right now, they given LeBron James just enough rope to hang himself. They won't allow him to play on his arrogant, proud act. 'I'm LeBron James, don't you know who I am?' All that [ __ ] because he's still think that he's in Cleveland as this as this season transpires and they're not as successful as the the Laker media expects them to be with him because in the back of their minds, they're gonna be comparing him to Kobe Bryant. And if he's not playing on the level of Kobe, say circa 2009, and the team was not playing up to snuff, they're going to start attacking him even more in regards to him, in regards to his off the court activities."
"The press conference, I would say, we're so do you critiquing first? Welcome, forget my plan. And also from a media standpoint, you know, that that's the LA media market. Is used to seeing stars and superstars. Absolutely right. So LeBron has been in Cleveland and Miami, right? And in those two franchises, they don't have Kareem, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaq, Kobe. They don't, they don't have all that up on the wall, right? So that press conference in LA, let it let me know right away that LeBron James now, it's not the biggest fish. Where he was the big fish in Miami. He was the big fish in Cleveland. But in Los Angeles, there's a star on every corner. Absolutely. Absolutely, sir. And I've been saying this for the longest time. And that's how you know that LeBron James is gonna be in for. He, he just don't understand that right now because he's so used to get his ass kissed. In LA, they've seen bigger and better. And he thinks he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. You don't find out though. That media is not, you know, impressed or infatuated by by fame or stardom. So it was kind of like, you know, hey, what you doing tomorrow? Are you gonna do this? Oh, he's good on 13 minutes. I, I'm not, um, I gotta go. Where's in Miami or Cleveland? It's a, it's a one hour breast hump, right? Right. Well, that's the appeal for a lot of NBA stars from lots of different teams about living in LA. They're not necessarily gonna be stopped every time they go walking down the street. But still, always a huge media market. You also had a lot of national media there as well. I'm just surprised this thing wrapped up as quickly as it did. Did you get anything out of that?"
"I'm not sure why you so surprised. I mean, LeBron James going on 34 years old, the international media very know who LeBron James is. And quiet is kept, they don't really expect him to defeat the Golden State Warriors. So it's like, okay, you're here now. You're kind of more of a sideshow than the main attraction. And that's why I've stated a while ago that if LeBron James retires, the engage was not gonna miss him like that. People act like he's gonna be missed. The NBA was able to get over like Bird, Magic Johnson retire, and they they move past Michael Jordan retire. And Kobe Bryant just retired a few years ago. Shaq retired. Allen Iverson, all the biggest stars, they retired. LeBron James is going to retire soon as well. And he's not going to be missed. I'm telling you, he's not going to be missed. People are gonna act like the NBA is not gonna keep moving forward. They're gonna be generating new stars over and over and over again. And I give LeBron credit in regards to his ability to adapt to this current style of basketball play. But this style of basketball play does not suit him in regards to winning championships because he does not move the ball quite enough and he does not play well enough off the basketball. So when they face a team who plays that style to the optimal degree, he's gonna lose. So no, he's no longer viewed as being the main attraction. He's more of a sideshow now."
"Oh, yeah. We personal time. There's an expectation that there's a star with the Lakers. And so, you know, I think that speaks to some of the questions in sort of the movement vibe there. But I find it interesting, just this is the first time that, you know, in a long time for LeBron James where it hasn't really been pressure. And I know pressure has been brought up. But, you know, the pressure of being a Finals champion, right? You know, I think everyone looks around. That's why he went there."
"Grant Hill, you guys are finally starting to figure it out. Seemed like for a while, the only two people who were saying this for myself is Skip Bayless. Now you finally starting to get it. LeBron knows that by going to LA, not only will it afford him a certain lifestyle that he wants, it will allow him to get closer to many of the business deals or the business factions that he wants to develop relationships with. And also buys him some time. He can take a year off, looks around and surveys the landscaping. You know, understands that the Golden State and Houston are at the top. In LA, as great as LeBron is, there's a, there's a chance to be a playoff team. But I don't think anybody's looking at Russ team. No expectation. You're just not. No quality team. And so it just seemed like it was more relaxed. And maybe it's LA, it was the weather. LeBron feels that maybe he feels like, you know what? I don't have to come in here and bring the championship like he did. That is his press conference. I clean one, two years ago."
"Well, that it goes with my interpretation of the move altogether, which was that he went to LA for on four-year deal. He hasn't been doing that recently. I felt like this year was a transitional year for him and for that team as well. And and by signing a four-year deal, he basically announced that. But look, this is a longer-term thing. It was part lifestyle, part business, despite. And that's what you have to ask yourself if if you're trying to figure out why LeBron James is with the Lakers. And you think that it's just about basketball. He went back to Cleveland, which is his, which is in his home state. And for the most part, he was signing year-to-year deals. For the most part, every year basically had an option. With LA, he he signed a four-year deal. So he's telling you that from the outset, these are he's always had it plotted for him to end his career with the Lakers. Just like whatever he's saying, part, okay, this is gonna take a little while. And we're not necessarily gonna be contenders this season. Yeah, he made he made the decision at a 34-year-old man with wife and kids would make. When you just expanded on all those three or four things, those are the things that he took in into consideration. Now, when he was 25, when he was 26, or 29, right? It's all about the championship. It's about the championship now. You know, where's Bronny gonna go to school? You know, I was my family don't fit in, right? In other words, I said Thomas, what you're saying is that LeBron James knows that his championship winning days are over. As I told you brothers already, the NBA is gonna try to put him in the position where he has a very good chance to win a championship, at least one season during his tenure in LA. But other than that, it's gonna be up to him. They're gonna try to get him Anthony Davis. They may try to get him one more star player. But the rest is all up to LeBron James. Now, if they're able to get to the finals and face a Boston, of course, we have that LA Boston rivalry. The NBA would love that, especially maybe like in LeBron's third season. There's something along those lines. I'm not even quite sure if they're gonna be ready to go to the finals next year, but maybe in this third season, if they can get Anthony Davis and get one more star, they can build up Boston. Who knows? But what Isaiah Thomas is basically saying here is that LeBron James did not go to LA to win any more championships. He knows that that portion of his career is pretty much settled. He cannot catch Jordan. He's three and six in the finals. He did not want to stay in Cleveland and become three and seven, three and eight. Going to LA, build up your business empire, have fun, play. But all the floor bodies out there in LA and you know, perform your Kabbalistic rituals with your know with your Jewish media executive bosses, your overlords, and let the chips fall where they may. Where are we gonna live? What's my afterlife? Because now you're looking at you're looking at the downside. Absolutely. You're not climbing the hill of trying to get to the top. You're coming down the hill now. And you know, you getting the clap, you're gonna get to parade, you're gonna get, you know, the farewell to and all that, you know. But you starting to see that now. So at 34, 35, you're starting to make different kind of decisions. And I think that's what this decision was all about. And here's what it's about. After life. But while I'm still playing awesome. And in his case, you know, where can I be the most effective closer for my production company in meeting with with media entities? That's that's a real deal for everyone. Thank you, sir."
"Boy, I do think to your point about the length of contract. Rob Boink and Magic Johnson did a very, very good job of selling him on, 'Look, it's going to take us a while, but this is our view, and it starts with surrounding you with playmakers.' So, yeah, but come on, David Griffin, they pretty much would have had to have had no plan for him to not come play with the Lakers. Let's be for real. As the last person just stated, he wanted to be out in LA. He desperately needed to be out in LA. And they would have had to have had the worst game plan in the history of game plans from the now sign there. So your ride to the playoffs can be easier. We don't want you to carry as heaven heavy a burden. And he obviously bought into giving them time. So it'll be fascinating to see how they grow and evolve from here because it is an odd fit if you just look at the here and now. It's an odd fit. And LeBron is smart enough to know that. And to Isaiah's point, he understands what this is really all about. It's not about championship or bust at this time. That's what I get to hear on training camp tip-off bending. But that's basically it under LeBron James press conference. We'll see how his season goes. But I do expect a lot of excitement because I think that there's gonna be a lot of verbal balling back and forth between LeBron James and the LA media. So peace."