After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 4

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That's BetterHelpHELP.com slash positive. I would suit up in my uniform and you're going out on patrol. What are we going to do tonight? Well, we're going to rob some drug dealers, and I know how to do it really well.

Listen to and follow The Set, an Odyssey Originals documentary podcast series available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your shows. I'm not a bad guy, man, but I love being that dirty. Do you have wimby fever? That is the question.

Are you wimby-fied? And no, it's not because of Britney Spears, not even remotely. It's wimby fever taking over Las Vegas. If you missed it, we got the scoop from San Antonio, a sports anchor who I'm thinking we might have to work into the regular rotation, considering that he stepped off a plane Thursday morning in Las Vegas and instantly had a message from, well, a lot of people, but from a friend of his who works for TMZ. Oh, I wonder what that could be about. You're covering the Spurs. Why are you hearing from a guy from TMZ?

Well, he will explain. We'll bring back part of that conversation just because it had some great insight into wimby fever and what it was like in Las Vegas. Again, without the Britney Spears encounter, it would have been a lot, but what it was like in Las Vegas over the past few days. Good morning to you. Happy Monday.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Glad to have you with us. Certainly can be a happy Monday, even in the summertime. We play hard on the weekends and then we can get through the week. But as I was talking to my kiddos in church on Sunday morning, they were all excited about the pool and the beach and the lakes and the summer activities that they're taking part in.

I was real happy for them just to have some joy because that's what summer is about. Have fun, have some joy, be out of your routine, take vacations, or in the case of the entire NBA community, show up in Las Vegas. Steph Curry maybe came right off the golf course because he was still wearing his bucket hat. And Chris Paul was there too, along with Jonathan Kaminga and Gary Payton, others from the Warriors who are watching their summer league game. Chris Paul speaking out for the first time since he was traded to Golden State. You'll hear from him a little bit later on. And then the other direction, Jordan Poole leaving Golden State and heading to Washington, also making his initial remarks about the trade that separated him and Draymond Green.

No, he did not talk about Draymond Green. So a little bit of basketball to mix in with the Major League Baseball All-Star break. Home Run Derby tonight, can't wait. I love it because it's such an outrageous show.

It really is a lot of fun. And I also appreciate the game itself because it features the matchups that we like the best, where they actually have to play offense and defense and they'll never get off the field. And so we've got the Home Run Derby tonight and then the All-Star game tomorrow with a red carpet show, which I'm sorry, I will not be watching. I don't watch red carpet shows for awards ceremonies.

I won't be watching them for this either. But the game itself will be a lot of fun and Ken Griffey Jr. as an ambassador for the city of Seattle. Also, I got this tweet from a Reds fan. Hey, I know it's the All-Star game in Seattle, but you can also say Cincinnati Reds legend Ken Griffey Jr. still the best red since Johnny Bench.

Although he says PS, let's see what Ellie De La Cruz does. Yeah, the Cincinnati Reds finish up their first half with a one game lead in the NL Central. This is after a wah wah wah wah wah game against the Brewers on Sunday. The two teams that combined one for 17 with runners in scoring position. I had to look it up because it was bad.

I know when I was watching it, it was bad. One run scored between these two. Maybe that's indicative of what the NL Central has been like for a good portion of the season. However, the Reds are above 500. And they're engaged in a lively race with the Brewers. But can you imagine how different it feels to be a red now versus say last year or the last five years?

Nothing better. People want to be at the field. People want to be here.

And it's like another quote we got going around is why not us? And it's just sticking on that and just keeps us fighting every single game. That's been lively as part of the Cincinnati Reds. People want to be at the ballpark. They've won seven of their last ten. And as I say, a game lead on the Brewers. They also have one of the best records in the National League. Now that the National League Central is still considered the ugly redheaded stepchild of the NL. But at least their record is respectable. And again, the two of them, Reds and Brewers, will engage in what could be a lively competition between now and the All-Star break and then on into the stretch run. The best record at the break though belongs to the Atlanta Braves. They did lose on Sunday to a Rays team that was desperate for a win finally. But how about this? A new franchise record for the Braves 26 games in a row with at least one home run.

Bombs away. Though they don't have the best run differential in baseball. I'm not going to tell you who does. They're actually two teams that have a better run differential than the Braves do, believe it or not. Clearly not the Yankees who just fired their hitting coach.

But if you can guess without looking, I'll be impressed. Braves do have a what feels like half their roster heading to Seattle for the All-Star break. And yeah, they're sitting on 60 wins. Most in baseball. Maybe, just maybe we'll see Max Fried back on a major league mound soon, which only makes them scarier. Along with Spencer Strider and Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder. But is there an MVP on that roster? That is the question. We've thrown it out there as part of the baseball All-Star break and we can continue it for the next couple of days. Who are the American League and National League MVPs at this point?

I know it's easy to say Otani. It is. But I'm nervous about the Angels. They've fallen below 500. They've got a ton of injuries. Mike Trout's not due back anytime soon. Anthony Rendon has taken some time off, needs the break. Otani is still dealing with the cracked fingernail and the blister, though he is hitting and hitting 32 home runs, which leads the majors at the break.

I get it. He's a two-way player who impacts the game in a bazillion different ways. And for the Angels, it's impossible to imagine where they'd be without him. But it's not supposed to be best player, necessarily. It's most valuable.

However, people define it and there are different ways to define it. Is there anyone else, maybe that's the question, that you would hold up next to Otani for American League MVP at that point? Or at this point? Or that point?

Or another point? And what about your NL MVPs? This happens sometimes when you have a really good team with multiple stars. And for instance, I'll say Matt Olsen and Ronald Acuna for the Braves. When you have multiple stars, they sometimes cannibalize each other when it comes to votes, meaning the voters can't decide who's more valuable, Olsen or Acuna. And they end up not necessarily splitting votes, but sometimes they work counterproductive to one another. It's not like one guy can say, hey, you know what?

I don't want it. Give all my votes to the other guy. But they both have played a major role in the Braves getting to 60 wins. So on Twitter after our CBS, on our Facebook page too, who would you tab as the MVPs at this point? And they're slightly past the midway mark.

So 85, 86, 87, even 89 games I saw for one team. Whether it's on Twitter or it's Facebook, we're glad to have you with us on this Monday morning. Certainly a lot of teams that couldn't wait to get to the All-Star break. And I love the spin that we got from so many teams on Sunday. Oh yeah, we have a win. We're definitely on the right track. Like the Cubs, they get a win over the Yankees on Sunday. They score a bunch of runs late, five runs in the seventh and the eighth. And even though I think there are just 500 in their last 10, it's not like they're making great strides or anything. They're below 500. But David Ross is like, oh yes, we're on the right track.

We finished up our road trip on a high note, which okay, yes, but I think there's a little bit of propaganda there, if you will. And the Yankees, they're not even going to try. They're not going to bother because their standard is, well, their standard is the Bronx Bombers, which they're not bombing a whole lot these days. But also their standard is winning so much that they're considered a World Series contender. It's World Series or a bust for the Yankees.

And that's not what's happening. Yes, a ton has to do with Aaron Judge being unavailable. Gosh, you know, earlier I was talking about Ken Griffey Jr. and the style of play and how he would go all out when he was playing the field. He would bang into walls. He would get injured playing outfield because he could not take it easy. He wouldn't give up on a ball or a play. Aaron Judge does that and he is a magnificent outfielder because of his size and his speed. You wouldn't expect that a guy could accelerate at his size, but he does.

And of course he's got length and reach and good depth perception. He's a great outfielder. But why is he on the IL right now? Because he was tracking a ball into the bullpen wall in LA at Dodger Stadium and he tore ligament in his toe. I'm not saying it's his fault, but it's unfortunate that because he was playing his position and playing it to the best of his ability, that's what happened. I don't know, are there some managers, general managers who would say to a man, don't sacrifice your body potentially and your season and our season by banging into a wall. Except he makes those catches routinely because of how tall he is and how high he can reach up. A lot of the balls that are maybe just over the wall for other outfielders are outs for Aaron Judge.

So it's hard. Where do you draw the line? How do you tell him, hey, yeah, don't, don't go after that. Can you avoid the wall?

When you get to the dirt and the warning track, can you just put on the brakes, please slam on the brakes because that's not his instinct, it's not his nature and he's really good at it. He's really good at making those catches and bringing balls back from over the wall. If he has the opportunity, he'll jump and he will bang into walls or bullpen walls routinely. So it sucks that that's why he's out. But the Yankees aren't even a 500 team without Aaron Judge. They've had injuries of their own too. But that lineup is a conundrum. Are they spending as much money as the Mets?

No. And have they dialed back on a lot of their spending? Have they tried to piece it together more, if that makes sense? Try to piece it together in a way that it's more scrap heat players as opposed to the highest profile free agents. They didn't do a ton this offseason other than re-sign Aaron Judge. But role players around him, they believe that they have a roster that can compete except some of the moves they've made lately just haven't panned out.

It happens to every team, it happens to every GM including Brian Cashman. But at this point without Aaron Judge, the Yanks are hitting 231. That's their team batting average. You know there are 30 teams in the majors. They're in the bottom three. Would you like to know the two teams that they're ahead of in terms of batting average? Oakland, who's not even trying to hit, and Detroit.

That's it. Yikes. But it gets worse when you take into account the Aaron Judge injury. They are dead last in the majors in batting average since Aaron Judge got hurt. That's worse than Oakland.

Oakland doesn't even have a major league team on the field. They're batting 218 in 31 games since Judge hit the IL or since he tore that ligament in his toe, which goes back to early June. They are still above 500 but not by much and in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, their fourth place. No one's crying for the Yankees.

No one. And the Rays are coming back to the pack. In fact, the Orioles right now are just two games back.

They're still very much alive in the wild card race. Pretty much every team is in that American League East. But this is not what the Yankees ordered or what the GM ordered. And so they fire their hitting coach, because it's definitely his fault, on Sunday before the break.

His name is Dylan Lawson. It's not the standings. It's the offense. So ultimately, I just believe that I just think our players are going to potentially, you know, if we can select the right person, we'll benefit from a change.

As simple as that. I agree that very often athletes or really even in a corporate setting, teams, work groups, they can benefit from a fresh voice and a change and a new infusion of wisdom, experience. And I understand that's what Brian Cashman is talking about. But ultimately, especially when it comes to pro sports, they can hear whatever a hitting coach will say to them. And maybe he can help them with minor adjustments, tweaks here and there. But it's not like he's going to go into the Yankees clubhouse and break down all their stances and their batting approaches.

Hey, don't miss the pitch clock. I mean, yes, they can make tweaks. They can make adjustments. And I do think coaches have a vital role. But ultimately, these guys are not, they're not babies. They've been in the majors quite a while for the majority of the Yankees lineup.

They've got to buck up, figure it out. And yes, Aaron Judge would help. But this is what it was at the end of last year.

It was so one-dimensional for the Yankees that if it wasn't Aaron Judge, it was no one in many cases. So the Yankees are a surprise. Probably not as big a surprise at the break as, say, the Mets with their otherworldly payroll, most expensive in baseball history, or the Padres. Neither one of those teams right now within striking distance. We'll see how these teams come out of the break.

I do love the idea of the sport being off for the better part of a week. I know the all-stars themselves don't get... I have the hiccups. I don't know why.

Why does it always happen in the five o'clock hour? Something's wrong. Something's wrong with me. You know, many things are wrong with me.

Anyway, I don't love... I mean, that's not what I said. I was saying I do love the break, almost the week off or five days. And I know they have to travel and the all-stars don't get nearly as much time off. But this is a good move by baseball a few years back to actually make it a break.

Same thing in the NBA. Oh my gosh, speaking of the NBA, have you heard about this new in-season tournament? They are hyping it up like nobody's business. It's comical how they're hyping it up to explain the details. Wait until you hear it coming up next. And then a little bit with Chris Paul, Jordan Poole, Victor Wemenyama, all these guys making the rounds in Vegas.

None as big as Wembe, though. Either literally or figuratively. Good morning to you. Happy Monday.

You got this. It's the some some summertime. We work for the weekends. After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. I think the best show for the fans is the win. So obviously, it's just Summer League. But yeah, I think they can see us developing. They could see us developing tonight, getting better. And so yeah, I think we gave them a good show.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Victor Wemenyama. Game two in a Spurs uniform on Sunday evening. 27 points, a dozen rebounds, three blocks, and a lot of buzz. So according to our Spurs insider, well Spurs reporter who was there, I was covering it for a local San Antonio TV station.

You'll hear from him after the break, after the update. It was like game seven of the NBA Finals. That's what he said. I asked him to describe the Vegas experience. And this is pre Britney Spears. Like game seven, or actually post Britney Spears, I guess. But it was a lot more than what you would typically get from a Summer League event. And yet it's become a bit of a convention there in Vegas, because everybody wants to go to Vegas. A lot of announcements made, like the brand new in season tournament, which I think is so gimmicky. However, wait till you hear the hype. Maybe it'll get you more excited.

It's After Hours, CBS Sports Radio. Victor Wemenyama actually is really thrilled to get back to basketball, because with the draft, and all the media responsibilities, and moving from France, trying to get settled in San Antonio, going right to Vegas, he admitted he was exhausted even, as he was making his debut on Friday. But already excited about the USA version of basketball. First of all, the court is more open. It's going fast, but it's less physical.

And I get fouled a lot, but not as much. Nothing to compare. And yes, and people are like, people are here, players are just flying, you know.

Out there it's more underground, pushing underground, big bucks outs. Here it's great athletes, the best in the world. More, way more talent.

And yeah, but I like this better though. He actually said he hates that he's barely played basketball in the last month because of everything that's going on. He just wants to get back to playing and lifting, he said. At 19 years old, he seems wise beyond his years. Of course, he's been on the spotlight for quite a while. So that's Victor Wemenyama.

And again, you'll hear more about the Wembley fever that struck Vegas and is about to go global. Chris Paul, he's at the other end of his career. 18 years in, just practiced with Steph Curry in Vegas for the first time in a long time. He says there weren't a lot of misses, which is fun. And also admits that he wasn't expecting to be traded to the Golden State Warriors.

It's wow, man. The way life happens and it does and you show up and you enjoy the ability to still play this game. What did we hear from Draymond Green last week on the volume about how Chris Paul could be not just a great addition to their backcourt and he really does take care of the basketball, right? So they've got a turnover problem a lot of the times. But he also, according to Dray, can be a great influence on some of the younger guys because that's what Chris Paul does. And he singled out specifically Jonathan Camingo, who, by the way, was in Vegas with Peyton and Steph Curry and CP3.

They were sitting courtside watching hoops. And also, Chris got pretty salty when he was asked about coming off the bench. Now, he ultimately answered the question, but he said he hasn't spoken to Steve Kurt all about his role. You know what he reminded me of? Do you remember when Carmelo Anthony got traded?

Was it Houston he got traded to? And people were asking him right away, like, how do you feel about coming off the bench? And he laughed it off. And actually, was it Paul George? No, wait a minute.

I know what you're talking about. Yeah, he was yelling at somebody who was sitting in the back of the press room and was like, yo, they say I gotta come off the bench. It was pretty funny. Or was it OKC? He went OKC, Houston. Didn't he go, like, two different places? He was in OKC. He was in Houston. And then he went to Portland. Yeah, but he was out for a while. But anyway, he was so indignant and tried to laugh it off over the idea that he'd be coming off the bench. I can understand why Chris Paul would get salty over that, considering he's never done it in his career. Jordan Poole went the opposite direction. He went from Golden State to Washington. And speaking for the first time about the trade and about the move, it doesn't sound like he has hard feelings over the move. And also, kind of stay in touch with the Splash Brothers.

Those are the two greatest shooters of all time, personally. And it's just things that you learn in practice, in the game, on the road, that you wouldn't be able to learn not being in the mix. And I'm thankful for that, grateful for that. You learn, you apply it to what you, your skill set, the things you want to be able to be good at. Also, build relationships where I can ask them. I can text Steph, I can call them and just have a conversation. So that doesn't leave, that doesn't go anywhere. If anything, I just know the plays that they run.

I can call them, I can reach out to them. We'll stay brothers, we'll stay brothers, but I also know the plays that they're going to use. One more, too, because it's been pretty widely reported and then speculated beyond that, that the Draymond Green incident going back to last preseason, so not quite a year ago, when Dre punched him in the face in practice, meaning Jordan, that that ruined the chemistry.

Maybe didn't ruin it, but certainly set it back. The chemistry and the trust. Steve Kerr has talked about it. You know, our Warriors insider last week talked about how this is why the Warriors made the move because they felt like they couldn't go into another season with both those guys on the roster and they were picking Dre over Jordan for obvious reasons.

So what about Jordan's perspective on that Draymond incident and last season? We're in Washington now, you know, playing with Kuz. Great duo. Being able to really flourish, you know, expand your game and help, like I said, a new team, lead an entire group of guys. It's a challenge that we're up for. You know, we got a new front office and there's a lot of people that's invested. Everybody is locked in, wants to be here, start something that we can have that can be special. In other words, he's not going to talk about it was really the gist that I got. Smart move, very smart move. Now straight ahead, a little bit more on Wembley Fever in Vegas, but also some star power I suppose was the idea on the NBA's new in-season tournament.

Just a tip, if you have to explain it and it's convoluted enough that it needs its own special hype video to explain it, maybe it's too much. Just maybe. Hey P, they said I got to come off the bench. So he gets introduced.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't Oklahoma City, right? Because he was joining Russ and Paul George. And so he gets introduced. It didn't turn out.

It didn't work. I mean, clearly he was out of there pretty quickly, but he sits down at the press conference and right away gets questions from reporters about coming off the bench. And that was his response. Who me?

I love how he handles it too. Hey P, they said I got to come off the bench. In other words, you must be bleeping kidding me. So funny. Who me? I got to come off the bench.

Hey P, they said I got to come off the bench. It's one of my favorite mellow moments. And as it turns out, it was egg on his face. I do like eggs though. I do like eggs. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Good morning to you.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. In the past month, I think basketball was in even 50% of my schedule. I can't stand it. I know it's a special moment in my life, but I'm glad it's over. Honestly, I just want to hope. I just want to work out, lift, because this is my life. Obviously, every first pick has to go through this.

But yeah, it just makes me better for the future. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The voice of one Victor Wembanyama. Let's hope he can sleep now, take a break. I did hear he did not go to the Saturday night party that was thrown by Michael Rubin in honor of the rookies at Summer League because he was tired. And right now, what he needs is sleep and apparently more basketball.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. We had a chance to catch up with Nate Ryan of KENS Channel 5 in San Antonio. And he was there in Vegas for three days. He got off a plane on Thursday morning and all hell had broken loose while he was in the air. And so just a little bit of this conversation with Nate about Wembe fever and also how exactly does one go about covering an incident that involves Victor Wembanyama and Britney Spears?

It was literally like there's no script for that. I mean, me and my photographer were on our plane from San Antonio to Las Vegas on Thursday morning. We were on the plane and just happened to be also on our same plane was RC Buford, who is the CEO of the Spurs and their communications director. They were also on our plane. I'm like, were they aware of everything that was going on when the plane was in the air?

Because none of us have service, obviously. And then the plane lands and then the communications director I see when we land that I'm like, he goes, Hey, Nate, how are you? I'm like, dude, how am I?

How are you? Your phone is probably blowing up off the hook, man. And like, I have a buddy who works at TMZ and we don't even really talk to each other a whole lot. He's a nice guy. But I knew that when I landed and I got service again and I saw a text from this guy being like, Hey, Nate, I've got something for you. I'm like, Oh my God, why does this guy, why does this guy have something for me? I'm like, he's a great dude. But if he's hit me up, like something is totally up. I just knew if my day went from, I had to throw out my playbook that I had for that day.

And it was just, it went completely by the wayside, but, uh, you just kind of, you know, go as by the facts as you would for, for anything, because we're there to cover basketball and victim. And he's 19 years old, but he's wise beyond his years. I mean, he talked to the guy, he's speaking in metaphors. He's very profound. He's got a great head on his shoulders for being 19 years, years old. And we think in the last three weeks, he moved countries, he's been herded around three different cities, New York city for the draft and then San Antonio, which is now his new home, you know, welcome. And now Las Vegas. And he's got cameras on him at all times.

He right now is what Britney Spears was when Britney Spears was 19 years old, honestly like, and probably Britney's knows the thing or two about it. So it's. It's crazy.

It's not something I would have expected to cover. That's all that's before we get to basketball. Why does he fit with the San Antonio Spurs, Nate? He fits with any team just given his skillset and with how tall he is. But with the San Antonio Spurs, especially because you look at the Spurs track record with international players, Tim Duncan was, you know, a guy from the Virgin, U S Virgin islands. And when you look at Tim Duncan, that's another thing, Tim Duncan, Duncan was the first ever number one pick to ever play in summer league. And he was relatively schooled in summer league when he played in 1997, he was dominated by Greg Oster tag at the Utah jazz in 1997.

He turned out pretty well. I mean, now his Jersey's in the rafters that, you know, the AT&T centers, he's in the hall of fame, but Tony Parker is a French player just for one reference. I mean, he's going into the hall of fame himself and Tony Parker, Victor women, Yama are very close and they've had a lot of conversations before even getting to San Antonio. There's pictures of women, Yama wearing Tony Parker's Jersey when he was a kid for his DIA was a French player who had a lot of great role minutes through Spurs championship seasons.

Uh, Patty Mills was from Australia. He came in, you know, he had no problem setting into this culture, all these players who were coming from elsewhere. They, you know, come to San Antonio, Duncan Parker, Manu Ginobili from Argentina, all those guys still live in San Antonio and it's totally by choice. They found a home here and, you know, they're still hanging around the facility. It's very much a melting pot of basketball here. And all those guys have been in Victor women, Yama's ear, just not from a pressure standpoint, but just, Hey man, welcome to San Antonio. It's an easy place where, you know, you to adapt from, you get your privacy, you're not going out.

Fans respect you in the, in the sort of sense of, you know, being in the public and it's, it's a great place to fit in from, you know, you're cool with all the assistance. There's continuity with the coaching staff. Greg Popovich is, you know, over the age of 70, just signed a five-year extension.

You know, he's not going anywhere. It's, it's very much a culture fit for, for Wimby. Obviously the five championships are, are the marking point for it. So what's the one big thing you learned coming out of Vegas, Nate? That Victor Wimber, Yama is not just a basketball star, but he's a, he's a guy who's going to, you know, move, you know, shape culture. He's a cultural influence. He's on and off the court. He is going to impact the way people buy clothes, way people travel, the way people watch the game. You know, he's got kind of the same aura that a LeBron James or that a, you know, Kevin Duran, but, but not even really Kevin Duran where it's like, cause Kevin Duran is he's played for a lot of different teams. I can very much see Victor Wimber, Yama, especially being with the team he is. I see Victor Wimber, Yama being with the Spurs for eight, 10 years, but also, you know, attracting fans from a whole new fear that at the NBA that never knew they could reach.

And he's got, because he's got the cameras on him at all times. And like his Jersey, I could tell you like he, his Jersey by far was the most populated out of anybody at the Thomas and Mack center in Las Vegas. I'd be walking around and I'd be like, Oh, where are you from?

And they're wearing a weapon. Yama Jersey. She's like, I'm from Boston. I'm from Hawaii.

I'm from California. And I would literally be like, are you a Spurs fan? And they'd be like, not really.

I just love wimby. Like, I just want to see what I mean. I'm like, all right.

Yeah, that's cool. You don't even need to be wearing a weapon. Yama Jersey. It's like, it's not even just being a Spurs fan. It's a fashion statement. Now he's got that kind of aura about him because Hey, you can't miss him with his size. So he, you know, how w the way he talks and the way he carries himself, he, you know, he's very, he doesn't shy away from big questions, but he's also not about, you know, he doesn't say things that, you know, people can sort of run with. I mean, the Britney Spears thing was just, that was, he didn't even recognize what was happening there.

It was just, he was, I guess the wrong place at the wrong time. I, but he, but the way he plays the game and just how, how different he is and how mature he is for his age, he's going to be somebody who, you know, he's got that LeBron James sort of effect where it transcends not only basketball, but culture as well. Just a portion of our conversation with Nate Ryan, who is back in San Antonio after a whirlwind few days in Vegas, covering the, I say it's the beginning of a firestorm around Victor Wemenyama.

Now here's the deal. Zion Williamson had the same hype. Zion Williamson had the same expectations. Zion was a superstar before he ever got on an NBA hard court. And he played his college ball in the US.

So completely different because people had a chance to see him in person when he was at Duke until he got hurt late in his freshman year. Once he got into the league because of injuries and, and the challenge of staying in shape while he's injured, his career has been derailed and that hype has fizzled so fast. It was like a sparkler at July 4th that doesn't sparkle or that just flames out so quickly that you think, what was the point of that? Or a dud, if you will, how often we hear the duds go off when they're part of a big fireworks show, you just hear this loud bang and it, that's it, it's over.

There was no, there was no actual substance to it. Well, that was Zion and it's, you know, it's part of pro sports is injuries. So Wemenyama will continue to be all the rage as long as he's healthy and he's out there on the court and I can't wait to see it.

And he'll get to play in an in-season tournament. What? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. Okay. This time the NBA has gone too far.

This is Richard Jefferson. All right, everybody, the NBA first ever in-season tournament is now official, but how does it work? Like this. First up is group play. All 30 teams will be split into six groups, three from the East, three from the West with a random draw based on last year's regular season records. Each team in a group plays each other one time, a total of four games, two at home, two on the road.

Now those games happen Tuesdays and Fridays in November, so set your calendar. Basically these regular season NBA games also count as tournament games. Now in each group, the team with the best group play record after those four games, they're moving on. The team with the next best record in each conference. Those two are the wildcards.

Always watch out for the wildcards. Now we get to the knockout round. Eight teams, single elimination, and you know what that means. Win and move on. Or lose.

And you're out. And the last four teams standing, guess what? You're headed to Vegas, baby. That's right. In Las Vegas, the semi-final battles will get us to the championship game on December 9th.

Two teams in a winner-take-all final to be named champion and be awarded the first ever NBA cup. Come on now. What? Are you serious? Richard Jefferson, I've lost all respect for you. What was that?

It was a hype video. Can you please retweet it from our show account after our CBS and please include two laughing so hard you're crying emojis. Here's my only question. Why? Come on now.

So you can be the first ever winner of the NBA cup and earn a trip to Vegas as if these guys can't and don't go to Vegas whenever they want? Why? Porque? Why? I don't understand.

No comprendo. What is the point of it is my question. Jay, why? Because initially the group games are actually regular season games. So what? We're going to pay more attention if they're part of some gimmicky in-season tournament? And then you're going to make these guys play more games in Vegas when what they really want to do is take a break? How does this factor in with load management also?

Are we going to see the summer league teams back in Vegas because the veterans don't want to play? I don't get any part of this. I don't understand it at all. The idea is confusing. The point of it is I don't realize, I don't know what's the incentive to win that. What does that mean? You had a good season if you win the play-in tournament?

I don't know. That's not the play-in tournament. That's the mid-season tournament. The play-in tournament is also stupid, but it at least has an end game. What's this? The end game is the final four go to Vegas?

These guys can go to Vegas whenever they want and they don't have to work while they're there. No. And if you have to hype it up and explain the rules, it's a problem.

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