After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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That's 855-212-4CBS. So more on the U.S. Open coming up, more from baseball and diamond drama and a really incredible performance for Lance Lynn in a loss. The San Francisco Giants also super hot right now and the Dodgers, we haven't seen them look this inept in years. There's plenty to talk about including a major trade in the NBA in advance of the draft which happens on Thursday. So we'll also talk about that. But really the big news from the association dropped on Friday. Ja Morant earns a 25 game suspension to start next season because of, and this is the quote from the league, conduct detrimental to the league. So that was announced on Friday. Remember the Grizzlies had already suspended him.

That goes back to mid-May. Second video on social media that showed the All-Star waving a gun around and he'd been suspended eight games. He'd gone and he sat with Adam Silver and he looked the commissioner in the eye and then this happened literally on the heels of them getting bounced in the postseason. And so the commissioner had told us he was going to wait and he was going to make the announcement once the NBA finals were done. He came in, he fully owned it, was saying I made a terrible mistake, learned from the mistake. And so then to get the report and then to see online that in fact he was then live streaming a gun, certainly looks like a gun, a Glock, you know, in a kind of reckless manner.

Sure, you know, I was incredibly disappointed. So Adam Silver admitting that after the first time and the sit down with Ja, he believed him, he thought him to be some sincere, but then to see it again, he was shocked. That was the word that Adam Silver used. Right now we're pleased to welcome Rob Fisher from Memphis. So it's the offseason, but plenty of news, of course, in the draft is coming up. He is the Grizzlies TV sideline reporter as well as the host of their pre and post game shows.

And I know him to be a shoe connoisseur. So Rob, we always appreciate it when you can join the show. This is certainly a difficult challenge for the Grizzlies to navigate. What was your reaction when you heard the news to a 25 game suspension for Ja? My immediate reaction was, I'm glad it's over. You know, I think I had kind of come to grips with the fact, and I think everybody in Memphis really kind of came to grips with the fact that it would be substantial. You know, I think 16 games would be substantial and all the way up to where it ended at 25 and substantial. I think it was just a matter of, let's get it over, we can move on, we can move forward, Ja can move forward, the organization can move forward as far as their offseason and their planning is concerned, and now knowing how many games Ja is going to miss.

So I think it was a relief to just get it over with more than anything. But I'll tell you what, Amy, it's weird that, you know, normally when you have a circumstance like this where a player will be suspended for a large amount of games, you'd have backlash or uproar and people ticked off at the league and, oh, this is outrageous. But no one is saying that.

No one. I mean, it's just kind of a, it was expected. And I think the numbers that were thrown out there were, we landed right at it. And I think everyone's just kind of under the same umbrella of, you know, hopefully this is a lesson learned and hopefully he'll come back stronger and hopefully he'll get right mentally and, you know, we can move on from this when it's over.

So it was more relief than anything else, really. Ja has released another statement with an apology, and he seems sincere and seems as though he understands not just the consequences, but also that his mental health is still a challenge and he needs to address it. Why would people believe him this time?

Well, I think it's a very fair question. And, you know, the bottom line is, I think, I think Ja had to issue a statement, but I think even issuing that statement, everyone is under the same, you know, impression of your words don't matter anymore. It's now about your actions.

And because, you know, we heard very similar words after the incident in Denver, the commissioner heard very similar words. And then 10 weeks later, something happens. I think, though, when you take a step back from it and you look at, you know, what's happening with Ja Morant and his mental health, which we now as a society take a lot more serious than we have in the past. Ja has talked about having, you know, battles with mental health issues. So many people, you know, heard that Ja went and got help during that time when he was suspended. I don't think that help stopped after those eight days. I think it's something that continues. And something that frustrated me a lot was when Ja had another incident that everyone kept saying, oh, well, you know, I shouldn't have been fooled that he went and got help for eight days and he was supposed to be better.

Well, that's not fair. And I think anyone who's ever dealt with mental health issues, and I personally suffer from depression and bipolar suicidal depression, and so it's something I'm very close with, that the bottom line is Ja Morant is never going to be fixed. People who suffer with mental health issues, it's not like you go to a doctor for a couple of months and all of a sudden you're fixed. The decisions that Ja Morant is going to make for the rest of his life are part of this process.

You can talk to Ja Morant all you want about how his mental well-being needs to be different and what he needs to do for it to be different. But every time he comes up with a challenge in his life and has to make a decision, it's going to be something he's going to have to battle with. So this isn't something that's just gone in two weeks.

It's not something that's gone in two months. This is going to be something that he's going to have to deal with the rest of his life. And it's going to be about, are you going to make better decisions? Are you going to realize how to put yourself in position to make better decisions? And those are things that he's going to have to deal with. And is he making those bad decisions because of having reckless days dealing with mental health issues? Probably. So those are things he's going to have to deal with for a long time.

And I wouldn't say I'm close to Ja, but closer than most with the opportunity to get to be around him, around the team and on the bus and on the floor and after games. To me, he's not stupid. And I heard that a lot. He's not an idiot. I heard that a lot.

He's a very smart, intelligent, great IQ type of young man. And a lot of people who deal with mental issues, they are. They have those types of problems. And they have those other qualities. So I think there was a lot of unfair talk towards Ja Morant.

A lot of things that kind of struck a nerve with me. And the bottom line is, you know, we just hope that Ja gets better and Ja gets to a better mental place. And obviously that's where it starts, I think, with all Memphis fans and those in the organization. You're concerned about Ja the person more so than you are about Ja the basketball player, because we know when Ja the person is doing well, Ja the basketball player is elite. We're spending a few minutes with Rob Fisher, who joins us from Memphis. He's the Grizzlies sideline host, as well as pre and post game on Bally Sports. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Rob, I certainly appreciate you sharing your own personal perspective on what's happening with Ja, but also what he's facing as a lifelong struggle, not something that's fixed easily.

How much have you found that in the organization or with people who know him or work around him, that there is compassion and empathy for what he's dealing with? Well, I think that really turned quickly. I mean, immediately after the Denver situation. I mean, you get this video of Ja Morant in a strip club waving a gun.

It does not look good. And within two days, it was the head coach to the general manager to his teammates saying, we're here for him, we love him, and we want him to get to a better place. And it happened quickly. I mean, like I said, Ja's a really good young man. And from all indication, from everything I know, he's a really good father.

So when you see something like this, it's disappointing, and then you feel for him. And I think you're getting that from the organization, and you're getting that from his teammates for sure. And it's something that Ja's dealing with, and I think he's got all the support in the world. It's funny, I talked to the team mental health doctor. Grizzlies have a mental health doctor on staff. And I talked to her about reaching out and talking to Ja, and it's amazing how many people have done that.

How many former players, how many current players, just how many people look at him. And I hope he takes advantage of those people and their experiences that they've had. And hopefully that can help. I think it's more than just going up to Ja Morant and saying, hey Ja, don't wave a gun.

Don't go on Instagram with a gun. Well, no kidding. So I think it's much deeper than that. And when you're dealing with mental health issues, I tell people all the time, my worst days are days that I would view myself as being reckless. And I think we've seen a few reckless moments from Ja Morant, and hopefully he's got a lot better days ahead. But the main thing is he's got to want to do it because he certainly does have the support around him. Good.

I'm glad to hear that. What does the team need to see from him? What do people need to see from him to know that he's at least taking the right steps?

Live up to what your words are saying. Talk about being a role model for kids. You know, athletes aren't required to be role models. They're put in that position to have the opportunity to be role models.

But it is disappointing when you see, you know, just even that game in Denver, I won't forget it. That before the game, Ja's warming up and there are one hundred and fifty kids just screaming his name the whole time. Just screaming his name. He'd turn around and he'd wave to one and fifty of them would go insane. I mean, he's a rock star and these kids love him.

His shoes are selling out. And for him to finally admit, hey, you know, I've let these kids down. Well, you did.

You did. And because of the reckless acts that you've had, you've let kids down and he's got to be better. You know, he's always he's always shown an affection for children and given his shoes away and things like that.

And seeing them at games and signing his jersey for them and those things, you know, he's always got those amazing moments. And we see him with his daughter and what she means to him. You've got to fulfill that now because you're putting that obligation on yourself now and understanding that it is there and that opportunity is there. So now you've got to live it and you've got to do it. And, you know, you've got to stay off social media.

That's the first start. I think there are a lot of things to just I think John's embarrassed. I think John, when he came back after the Denver incident, was embarrassed in front of his teammates. And again, I'll go back to telling you, you know, reckless moments in your life. But when you deal with these things, you're embarrassed afterwards because you don't think of consequences.

You don't look at consequences. You just act and then you're embarrassed for yourself. And I'm sure he's embarrassed about what has transpired. I'm sure he's embarrassed that he's going to miss 25 games. So if anything is going to be a humbling experience or a learning experience, you would think we're at that point. And hopefully that's what he'll show is that he has learned and he has been humbled and he's willing to get help. And he's willing to talk to people and he's willing to listen and he's willing to admit that there's there's an issue here.

Now, I don't know all of those things and whether or not he's gone through those steps. But those are things that I think the organization is going to have to hear for for them to be satisfied with John going forward. Rob Fisher is with us from Memphis Grizzlies TV.

It's after hours on CBS Sports Radio. It's hard to talk about basketball when you know that he's going through those things and those challenges at the same time. That's what the Grizzlies do, right? They do have to figure out how to come off of this. I would say abrupt end to their playoff run the way that it wrapped up and certainly shy of expectations. So other than John, who won't be with the team for quite a while, what else are the Grizzlies focused on this offseason to try to pick up and move forward? Well, I think even with job being gone for 25 games, I don't think it changes what you do going forward.

The team has been pretty deep now. They'll be without Brandon Clark to start the season. He suffered a torn Achilles that same night in Denver.

Awful night in Denver. Brandon Clark suffered a torn Achilles. So he'll be out for the majority of the season, if not all of the season. So that hurts a little bit depth-wise. Now you're down two very heavily rotation guys with Ja and Brandon Clark. But you still have some depth. You still feel like you're pretty good.

Still feel like you could manage yourself through those 25 games. But you have a glaring hole right now and it's not at the point guard position. Your glaring hole is with Dylan Brooks, likely not being back with the team. So you have to make a move to get yourself a starting small forward. So you need to get a starting small forward. Now, one of the great Grizzlies assets is Tyus Jones. But with Ja Morant out, are you willing to give up a Tyus Jones? Well, now your plan has to include, all right, well, we need to replace him.

Well, that could have been your plan to begin with anyway. So I don't think it changes much of what the Grizzlies are going to do. I think what I'd like to see, the Grizzlies have three picks coming up in the draft on Thursday. I don't think the Grizzlies have room on their roster for three rookies because you have to consider the Grizzlies a contender at this point. And if they're a contender, that's about seven guys you have on your team that are in their first or second year that don't make much of an impact on the team.

There's not enough room for that. So maybe you make some moves to move some of your younger players or you make moves to move your draft picks to acquire other bodies. But I think obviously a starter at the three, whether or not if Tyus is going to be gone, you'd have to get a point guard as well. And then you just want to add depth to this team. You're going to have to do it cheap because you're going to be paying Desmond Bain, paying Jaron Jackson, you're paying Ja Morant.

So you're going to have to figure out other ways to get guys. So I think I expect the Grizzlies to be very active this season. GM Zach Kleiman even said that we think we went the wrong way with having too many young guys on the team last year. So that's why I think we're going to see a very active Grizzlies team on Thursday. Well, they miss Steven Adams, too, for a good portion of the end of the regular season, the playoffs. And he brings that veteran experience, not to mention as fiery as he is, he also seems to bring some stability when he's on the court. Rob, what would you say were the highlights of the season for the Grizzlies looking back? Because you don't want to throw the whole thing out as though it was a season that didn't matter because they ended up with the number two seed.

So where would you say were the positives? Well, I think we saw a lot of guys take steps, especially your young core. You know, I think Jod took steps forward. I think Jaron Jackson took a big leap forward. What he's done defensively, becoming the defensive player of the year, what he's done offensively, to add to that, was remarkable. He had an incredible season, and expect even more going forward from him. I mean, this is a guy who could be multi-all-star going forward because of the lack of bigs in basketball. And his skill set is just different than any one of that size.

Desmond Bain took a big leap forward again until he went down with an injury and then came back and kind of struggled with it. So the biggest thing is, I mean, this team continues to amaze when guys are down. I mean, they've played with their starting five. In the last two years, they've played 21 games with their starting five.

Come on! In the last two years, they've played 21 games with their starting five. That's it. So the depth of this team is very good. And as you see, teams that win championships, health is maybe one of the biggest things, if not the biggest thing, that a team needs to get all the way through to win a championship. And Grizzlies, even though finishing with the two seed the last two years, have had no health whatsoever.

So that's one of the huge things. And now you go into a season, you're already going to miss John Marant for 25. So your other guys, Jarron, Desmond, Steven, can they stay healthy?

Can they get you through those first 25? And then can everybody stay healthy the rest of the year? I mean, that's really what the Grizzlies are going to need.

And like I said, get yourself a small forward of another point guard and let's go. Before I let you go, Rob, what did you think of the Denver Nuggets run? Because they were the only team in the West that had a better record than the Grizzlies this season. Yeah, it was impressive.

And Joker is just so incredible. And every night they take the floor, most every night they take the floor, they have the best player on the floor. That showed in the postseason.

Yes. Their health showed in the postseason. And I think when you look at what the Phoenix Suns are doing right now, and with the possibility of getting Bradley Beal, what about the other five guys? You look at the Denver Nuggets, their eight were better than everybody else's eight.

Period. They were better and everybody contributed. And you got big buckets, big defensive plays. I mean, Aaron Gordon was incredible. Christian Brown was great. Bruce Brown was great.

KCP was fantastic. I mean, you can name Jeff Green, you can name the eight guys that play for Denver because they all did something. And it was impressive. They were the best team in the Western Conference all year. They were the best team in the playoffs. They were healthy and they got the best player. I mean, it was quite a run and no reason to think that it couldn't be a run for the Denver Nuggets because they'll be the favorite next year. They'll have the best player on the floor every night that they take the floor. They'll have the depth again. You know, it's a matter of whether or not they can stay healthy and if they can, why not the Denver Nuggets again?

They definitely will be the team to beat. We appreciate Rob talking about the Grizzlies and what they need, but also about Ja and where he is right now. So you can find him on Twitter at The Fish Nation. Love that. F.I.S.H. Nation. The Fish Nation. Rob Fisher, part of the Grizzlies TV family.

Sidelines pre and post during the season. Rob, you know, I appreciate you and especially your willingness to share your own experience. Thank you so much. Amy, always a pleasure.

Anytime. Rob faces his own mental health challenges and demons sometimes that he's very open about on his social media and because I know him personally, we've crossed paths when it comes to NBA and the Grizzlies being in New York City, which is where CBS Sports Radio headquarters are located. We've been able to have some significant conversations and I am proud of him that he shares it and wants other people to know what it's all about. He wants to peel back some of the confusion, maybe peel back some of the misconceptions about what it means to struggle with mental health. And it has been a struggle for him.

And even now I posted about this conversation on our Facebook page before the show and reading some of your comments as I'm talking to Rob and. It's it's good that more and more athletes, it's a positive that more and more athletes and entertainers and celebrities are willing to to open up about mental health challenges. Do I think that phrase and that that idea gets used as an excuse sometimes? Sure.

Only the individual and the people who know and love that individual can say for sure. Right. So, yes, of course, it gets abused and used as an excuse. But when we're talking about legitimate mental health struggles, people need to know they're not alone and they certainly need to know that they should get help. And more and more as it becomes. A topic that our society and our culture will deal with, a topic that we will talk about. It means that people will get help and there's no stigmatism or less of a stigmatism associated with it.

It's less taboo in polite circles, if you will. So I'm proud of Rob and he has some empathy for John. You can hear it on Twitter, a law radio, also on our Facebook page.

After hours with Amy Lawrence, I'll give you my reaction to the twenty five game suspension for John Morant, as well as give you some of the initial deets about the sun's latest move. It took CD rates 15 years to get this good. It will only take 15 seconds to find the best rates for you. Visit CD valet dot com to get the straight up rates all compiled in one place. CD valet.

The straight up rates. After hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. I'm aware, of course, of these reports on social media about whether the gun was, in fact, a gun. And so we haven't completely wrapped it up. Does that matter as commissioner if that's a toy gun?

You know, it's interesting. It's the very issue is for Josh, certainly in the first incident, was treating a gun as a toy. That's what we're talking about.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the Dan Patrick show, going back to what was another twist in John Morant's recent struggles, even after having served an eight game suspension at the end, not the end, with about, let's say, seven, eight games, maybe I'm spitballing to go in the regular season. He served an eight game suspension. He was away from the team for two weeks. He did admit that he was going through some counseling to try to process stress, to learn how to deal with stress in his life. He gave a very sincere apology then. And when he returned to the team, he talked about wanting to be a better leader. He talked about recognizing that he had a responsibility and the team, while it played fine without him, in fact, won a bunch of games without him, doesn't have an identity without him.

And I love the point that Rob Fisher just made. If you missed that conversation, he joined us from Memphis and it will be part of our podcast. We can, you know, I used to give you a web address for the podcast and then they changed it, turned into a nothingness. And so we can't actually give you the address anymore.

They never fix it. Who knows what's going on with our website. You can find the link on both our Twitter and our Facebook every weekday morning.

So that's the best way to do it. And last week, get this, this is how we know that it is in fact necessary to post the link and that people use it. We somehow did not include the link on a post on, I think it was Wednesday morning of last week. And we had multiple people say, where's the link?

So people do count on us posting the link on both Twitter and Facebook. I would encourage you to go and listen to Rob Fisher if you missed the conversation. But what he said is that Ja now has to live up to his words, right, because he apologized once and people took it as gospel. OK, he's sincere. He is sorry. He recognizes that he needs help. He's getting help.

But then this happens. And the commissioner certainly was embarrassed. I think the league was embarrassed. This is not the image that they want their superstars portraying. So all of that leads to a twenty five game suspension.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Before I give you my reaction to it and my opinion, I want you to hear from Ja because, again, Ja himself said he was taking it seriously. Ja himself indicated that he understood the magnitude of his choices and that he knew that he can't be a superstar in the league. He can't be making decisions that put not just him, but his team and the league in a bad light. Obviously, you know, I made mistakes in the past that, you know, caused a lot of negative attention, not only to me, but my family as well, you know, my team, you know, the organization.

I'm completely sorry for that. So, you know, my job now is, like I said, you know, be more responsible, more smarter and don't cause any of that. So that was going back to the first incident with waving a gun on live social media. But he also did issue another statement on Friday. I've had time to reflect. I realize how much hurt I've caused. And he goes on to apologize. And what was so striking and one of the reasons I thought he was sincere going back to the first suspension is that he seemed to be processing the fact that he has a lot to lose.

He seemed to really come to grips with this fact that he could have lost basketball altogether. Let's just say it's a different place than Denver, right? So Denver doesn't have any laws. Well, they couldn't tell specifically that it was him, right? And he wasn't going to be processed in Nashville either for waving the gun because there were no laws against having a gun in a vehicle. And so he essentially escapes facing charges in either case.

But had it been somewhere else, had it been a state where they have stricter gun policies and they could tell for sure that the video was him and that he had a gun, well, this could have gone a very different way. So he seemingly understood that going back to the first incident. I think I said that, you know, in the interview with Jaylen Rose, you know, now, you know, having that time where you realize what's at stake, what you got to lose.

And I said before that I realized that, you know, I say it again for you, for your answer. So the first incident was in March. He was suspended for eight games. And then the latest one happened just days after the Grizzlies bowed out of the playoffs. And now it results in a 25-game suspension.

And there is a very carefully worded statement, not just from Adam Silver, but from Ja himself. He is not allowed to participate in any league or team activities, nothing public, including preseason games. So he can't even be with the team for preseason games during his suspension. And he's losing 300 grand per game, roughly. 300 grand per game, which I didn't do the math.

I would have done the math, but I don't need to do the math. We're talking about $7.5 million that Ja stands to lose. Money is only part of this, but maybe that speaks to him. Maybe recognizing again how close he is coming to losing his entire career. And while there's been no explicitly stated three-strike policy, I can't imagine they're going to give him another opportunity. So yes, he's apologized to the league, to the team, to the people who've given him a chance, to the kids who look up to him.

I'm sorry for failing you as a role model. The question so often becomes, would an athlete who has mental health struggles, or maybe it's substance abuse, if you think about Josh Gordon in the NFL, the debate was whether or not Josh benefited from being in a team structure with people around him. Do you remember when he was with the Patriots? Bill Belichick and the Pats actually had someone that was assigned to be with him 24 hours a day. Now he managed to ditch his chaperone, and so ultimately if a person doesn't want to make those changes, well they're not going to.

They're going to find a way to get away from it. Josh Hamilton, another example from Major League Baseball, he just could not conquer his demons, no matter how much structure and support. I think it was the Rangers, but he was somewhere else. He was also with the Angels, maybe. He was in two different organizations, and he had multiple chances. And both those teams had people that were supposed to be with him, a sobriety partner, really a guide and a chaperone with him all the time.

And it didn't matter, it didn't work, because he was able to find ways and opportunities to get away from this person. And so with Ja and this 25-game suspension, he's away from the team and that structure. Is it the team's responsibility? Well, I think the team is going above and beyond. I wouldn't necessarily call it a responsibility, but to be fair and to be frank, do they not have an investment that they want to protect?

They do. He is an All-Star, he's the face of their franchise, he's one of the best young guards in the league. They want to rehab him, not just because they care about Ja, but because they want to protect their investment.

That's just, it's good business. And so of course they are personally tied to providing as much support for Ja as they possibly can. Ultimately, Ja needs to know, though. You cannot continue to burn or bite the hand that feeds you.

You cannot. And as much as the NBA and a lot of pro sports, really our society, is one of second chances and third chances. We know that people rehab and they come back and they get another opportunity, especially if they have a skill that can earn an employer a ton of money. The Grizzlies want Ja. They want a healthy Ja. And they're willing to go through this and give him everything that he needs if ultimately the result is a healthy, happy, productive Ja Morant. Remember, he just signed a five-year max contract. It actually doesn't start until the upcoming season for nearly $200 million. This is a fully guaranteed contract. NBA contracts are fully guaranteed other than something like this where he's suspended without pay. He's got endorsement deals with Nike, with Powerade. He's got shoes.

There's a lot that's invested in Ja Morant. And for good reason, he's earned it. But he needs to know that he is teetering precariously into a potential situation where the Grizzlies would have to part ways with him. They would have to.

They would have to trade him because it's not what they want in Memphis. He needs to, again, understand and I think come face to face with the realization that he has so much to lose. And I hope that scares him. I hope it scares him into getting the help he needs. I hope it scares him enough that he recognizes for him, for his family, he has got to make better choices. And again, that starts with taking care of him and his mental health. And so I believe the 25 games away will give him a taste of life without basketball, but it will also give him time where all he can do is focus on himself and his family. The support will be there. These NBA teams have plenty of money. They can support him.

Will you take advantage? And that remains to be seen. But I feel like the 25-game suspension is enough of an impact. It's enough time away from the league for him to really understand what he's got to lose.

Again. And I applaud the Grizzlies in the league for not giving up on him. He's very young still. It's clear he's got some extra challenges. He's worth it. Any human being is worth it, especially when we're talking about a league that has this much money. But he also needs to know this is not unlimited chances. He's not a cat with nine lives. And I'm not even sure that's true.

He's maybe got one more and that would be it. I'd love to hear your reaction on Twitter, A Law Radio. Also on our Facebook page, After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Right of the circle. Westbrook at the point between the circles. The Beal.

Left wing. Back up front. Westbrook for three off the rim. Now chase the rebound. Beal. Beal in the corner for three. Oh, and one.

And one. And Bradley Beal bounding his chest. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Dave Johnson on Wizards Radio. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I talked about the Wizards.

No, seriously, I cannot remember the last time I even uttered the name or the word wizard for that matter. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. They grabbed the spotlight on Sunday because they're in the final stages of putting together a three team. Wait, is it three team? No, three, a big, a new big three for second there. I was thinking it might be a three team.

It's a threesome. It's a big three there in Phoenix again if Bradley Beal ends up in Phoenix along with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Now I was really surprised because I thought Chris Paul was getting released by the Suns. But since he did not get released, he and Landry Shammet, several second round picks are on their way to the Washington Wizards.

Which is interesting, right? So, oh, this is why I thought it was a three team trade. Okay, so I'm looking to get the details again to be sure. I didn't think I was going crazy, but sometimes that does happen. Yes, one of the reasons why the deal could take a couple days to complete is because there's a chance it could expand to a three team trade. I'm not going nuts.

I'm not losing my mind. Yeah, so the idea is that Chris Paul wants to be with a contender. The Suns would like to do right by him. And so at this point, he's headed to Washington and potentially negotiates a buyout that makes him a free agent. But if they can find another team to be involved in it, well that could be a different story, right? Because then they could send him somewhere else, another team would get involved, more assets, so it's more complicated.

Okay, now I feel better. On the volume, Jason Timp, who's a host and a basketball analyst, he was talking about how this might work out when it comes to the Phoenix Suns. Every recent NBA champion's got highly paid, highly qualified role players down the roster. And the Suns team is not going to have that.

It's going to be a lot of veteran minimum contracts. Maybe if they're lucky, they can poach a really good forward on the mid-level exception to help them on the wing. But what that means is you're going to have a lot of guys on the team that aren't necessarily great at anything. And that's going to put a lot of pressure on guys like Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant to take on duties that go beyond their ball handling.

So if the question is, hey Jason, can this Big Four work? The answer is yes, as long as Kevin Durant plays like an all-defense player. As long as Bradley Beal and Devin Booker bring enough to the defensive table to make up for some of the inability to surround them with higher quality role players. It's going to be a lot of pressure on those guys to be great in those areas. That said, this is a very competitive group. Devin Booker in particular is very competitive.

Bradley Beal, I know a lot of people are down on him, but I've seen enough high leverage basketball from him, especially in playoff situations, to know that he's a gamer and he's going to fight in those situations. So I definitely think it can work. That's just going to be the delineation right there. If they try to play the same way they've been playing at all their previous destinations, it will fail.

If all three of them embrace the dirty work to another level, it will succeed. Bradley Beal this past season with the Wizards averaged better than 23 points and five and a half assists. So over the course of this past season, he only played 50 games. He has dealt with some injuries. But what Jason's talking about on the volume, and he actually was an undrafted player in 2015. He was a high level prospect, or maybe not a high level, he was a prospect coming out of college. But the point that he's making is that with not just Bradley Beal, who still owned $200 million on his contract, he's got a max deal.

So does Kevin Durant, so does Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton also has one. So the point that he's making is with that group, that core, they can't afford any other highly skilled role players. It's going to be a bunch of guys on minimum contracts, which isn't impossible. But because of the new CBA that they're trying to work out right now, because of how much money they'll have invested into these four players, the idea is, okay, we're all in. Like we were all in and we got Kevin Durant, now we're really all in. And we hope we don't run into the Denver Nuggets again in game six on our own court. Bradley Beal actually waived his no trade clause for this, so he's ready to get on the winning path again. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.