It is. Yeah. The JR Sport Brief Show here with you, coast to coast, on the Infiniti Sports Network. I'm coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia. Many thanks to everybody tuned in all over North America.
I hope you have had a tremendous Wednesday. This is when the show gets started every weekday. At 6 p.m. Eastern 3 Pacific. I'm in Atlanta, Georgia.
Thank you to our producer in New York City, Ryan Botcher. We got a lot to get into on this hump day. Of course, it is Wednesday. I'm going to be sharing with you a new top six list as I do every Wednesday, two hours from now. You're gonna figure out why this is appropriate.
Yeah. But I'm going to tell you about the top six sports cities. That deserve better, like they can't catch a break Cleveland is in the line of fire again, unfortunately. We'll get into that.
Sophy Cunningham If somebody told me she's the second most popular WNBA player behind Caitlin Clark, well, She caused a little bit of a of a you know what storm by dissing Cleveland. And Detroit. We'll get into that.
Of course. Damia Lillard, now a free agent. How long is he going to be a free agent? And what the heck is next for the Milwaukee Bucks? Lance Allen is going to join us from CBS fifty eight in Milwaukee.
He'll be here in about twenty minutes. Jaron Jackson Jr. Right after I got off air last night, it's like boom The guy got a brand new contract, and now he also has a busted up toe. The strategically timed the announcement.
Okay, the New York Knicks have a new head coach. His name is. Mike Brown. How exciting for all of the New York Knicks and their fans.
So we'll get into that. There's so much goin' on as we head into the holiday, We got Holly O'Neill joining us. Who's Holly O'Neill?
Well, she's a big executive. over at Bank of America, and she's doing something pretty amazing next year in twenty twenty six.
So we'll have that chat with Holly O'Neill. Of course, we'll talk about a few things that took place this day in sports history. It is july second, The year is twenty twenty five. You can always listen to this show on the free Odyssey app. You can lock in on your local Infinity Sports Network affiliate.
If you got SiriusXM, it's channel three hundred seventy five. And if you have a smart speaker, Ask the speaker to play. The infinity Sports. Network. You can find me online at JR Sport Brief.
What a day, what a day, what a day Hey, Batra, I see things are pretty uh Busy in lower Manhattan. People are pouring uh baby oil on themselves in New York City. Was it on themselves? I thought they were throwing it at the courthouse. Ah, people were soaking themselves in baby oil, man.
Come on now. Uh Questionable, to say the least. You weren't there, were you? No. I'm going to try and actively avoid all baby oil sightings.
Okay. A good man.
Well, stay away from Puff Daddy. We don't know whenever he's going to see freedom, but he'll be seeing freedom sooner than later. A good job on avoiding. Of the baby oil. Things are pretty wild in New York City, all over the place.
I just told you the New York Knicks finally. have identified. A new head coach. We've heard it for the past several days that Mike Brown had a second meeting with the New York Knicks, and now it's not formally official. But he is going to be the Knicks next head coach.
He's like the fifteenth head coach that the New York Knicks have had. in the past twenty five years. Like that's ridiculous. They just had Tom Thibodeau they fired him after five years of success and growth. It's the most positive uh stretch they've had since the nineties.
And they rewarded Tom Thibodeau by firing him. Works the players too hard, He makes them sad. They need hugs and bottles, Pats on the back. He doesn't develop the bench, even though the guys on the bench pretty much stink. He works the starters too much.
Oh no And so they fired him. Because it was an expectation that the Knicks should have beat the Pacers and thus another coach would have gotten the job done. How about Jordan Clarkson? bringing him in as an offensive punch. you know, off the bench is probably more impactful than firing Tom Thibodeau.
Yabusale. He just came over from the Philadelphia 76ers. I remember him from Duncan or LeBron James last year at the Olympics. How about having him come off the bench? is probably more impactful Than firing Tom Thibodeau.
Regardless of what or who is on the Knicks roster, They do have a new head coach. Tom Thibodeau is still going to collect $40 million to not coach the Knicks. And Mike Brown. who got fired by the Kings in the middle of the season, now has another team. Mike Brown, he coached the Cavaliers twice.
He basically got fired before LeBron James became a free agent. Coached the Lakers. Yeah, that Disaster Lakers team where they had Dwight Howard and Kobe and Steve Nash. Yeah, he was there for that. He was a two time coach of the year.
He wanted a couple of seasons to go with the Kings, helped get them back to the playoffs for the first time in seventeen years in twenty twenty three. And he took the Cavs to the finals in two thousand seven. Yeah, that's when Lebron James was with the bums. And they got smashed by the San Antonio Spurs. And so Mike Brown has had some ups.
He's had some downs. And just what a disappointment y this is. This is nothing exciting. For the New York Knicks. I just gotta be honest.
You fired Tom Thibodeau to bring in Mike Brown. Whoop the freaking dude. This is what Shamps had to say on ESPN. Mike Brown is expected to be named the next New York Knicks head coach. And this comes after Mike Brown had his second formal interview with the Knicks this week, and this time with owner James Dolan on Tuesday.
And the job now will be his. Knicks president Leon Rose began this head coaching search about a month ago when they fired Tom Thibodeau. They requested permission and were denied by five current head coaches. And then they started their process of interviewing several available coaches. They went through multi-round stages and now Mike Brown is a four-time champion as an assistant coach.
I mean, he's coached a vast array of superstar talent across three decades as an NBA assistant and head coach. Ooh, sexy Four-time champion as an assistant coach. Who's sexy? He won three of those titles with the Golden State Warriors. Come on now.
He picked up one of those titles with the San Antonio Spurs. That's basically where he got his coaching start. Come on now. When we start talking about a guy winning a title as an assistant coach, I mean, what is it, side chick of the year? Like, well, what are we doing here?
He's not the head coach, and everybody knows the talent on the basketball court matters a whole hell of a lot more. Then the guy coaching them, Yeah. You need a coach to cultivate. the environment. You need a coach to come through and have a proper strategy.
But if I have to strategize with tin cans, tomato cans, and trash cans, there's a good chance that I'm getting canned. Like Mike Brown has now experienced, okay? We had DeAaron Fox, who ultimately left after Mike Brown was fired. He said, I ain't have nothing to do with any of this, ain't got nothing to do with me. And look.
If you don't have talent, You don't? When? And ironically, Mike Brown known as a defensive coach. He was able to take the Sacramento Kings and encourage them to push the basketball up and down the court. A good idea when you have DeAron Fox.
I wouldn't call that rocket science. But ironically, Before Mike Brown was shown the door by another dysfunctional owner in the NBA and Vivek Rena Dive, Mike Brown talked nothing about just this defense last year or the year before that with the Sacramento Kings. Listen to this. You don't win in the playoffs averaging 125 points a game and thinking that's how you're going to win. That's fool's goal.
You just look back at the teams in the past that were high scoring teams. Fun to watch. I enjoyed watching them during the regular season. But they were out after the first round. Yeah, well, look at that.
Who that sounds uh sounds like somebody I know.
Sounds like somebody I know who has a similar reputation in Tom Thibodeau. Defense, defense, defense. And then guess what? The New York Knicks didn't have the best defenders in the world at key positions last year, and they became more of an offensive team. What a shock You have to take a look and evaluate the talent that you have in front of you and what you can get out of them.
The New York Knicks, as they stand today, what what's different? They've added some nice pieces off the bench. Yabusele is nice. Jordan Clarkson is certainly nice. This is somebody who in the league can get you 20 points a game if need be.
One day he may disappear. Another day he may give you 30. He's going to have some moments. in Madison Square Garden, and that's exactly what the Knicks needed. They needed a little bit diversity, a little bit more diversity in the offense.
They needed a scoring punch, and guess where they needed it? The Knicks needed it off the bench. Tom Thibodeau doesn't score. He certainly could tell everybody who's in and out the game. He can do all of that.
But Landry Shamet is not a microwave like Jordan Clarkson. Miles McBride is not a proven scorer, My Clarkson is. The Knicks needed talent and they got a coach. You can consider this to be A lateral move. And I guess, like most coaches, it doesn't just stop there with defensing or defense helping to win games or championships.
This is not rocket science either. Mike Brown, before he got fired by the Sacramento Kings, before he was replaced by Doug Christie, who's uh I gotta mention this every now and then. His wife had him on that chain. Good for them. Anyway, Mike Brown says when it comes to basketball teams.
I need to see effort. If we're not playing well offensively, you hear that chatter, you know. But the diving on the ground for loose balls. freaking just taking a charge, going vertical, hitting somebody, you know. I don't really necessarily feel that in situations and that is bothersome.
Oh, he's talking about his King's team, that ultimately fired him. I don't know who's on the New York botcher. Is there anybody on the next that's going to hit somebody? Am I missing it? Uh uh PJ Tucker's gone, right?
Oh, does he play?
Well, he got like. Two minutes a game, maybe? Yet no. The answer is no. Carl Anthony Towns, he's not going to hit anybody, right?
Definitely not. Yeah. And making fun of this guy's voice, making fun of how he walks, how he talks, how he plays, how he screams. That's a fact. He's making fun of this guy all over the place.
Yeah, the Knicks don't have that quote-unquote enforcer. Damn it, let's be real. What enforcer is left in the NBA? There's none. Was that MMA fighter guy on the Pacers?
Tom Johnson. Yeah, James Giant he don't even play. All he can do is threaten to beat you up after the game, which is pretty cool. We're in a different place right now. The New York Knicks are just walking on the treadmill.
of life. You would think that they would get off the treadmill and graduate, I don't know, to a A sprint outside. You would think that they would speed up the treadmill, maybe they'd go uphill, maybe they'd increase the intensity. You know, they paused the treadmill, uh looked for a partner and came back with wi with somebody else who's the same. Like, if you're in the dating world, if you're looking for a partner, a spouse, a wife, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, why are you gonna leave one person?
Why you gonna leave her? In eight and come back with another one, I don't know, don't you want to look for a ten? The New York Knicks are out here just doing the same old Same old. And the last time I checked, Doing the same thing over and over and over again. and expecting a different result, is the definition.
of insanity. The New York Knicks from their owner pretty much down pretty much the owner. They're nuts. I highly doubt the president of the New York Knicks, Leon Rhodes, who's good friends with Tom Divideau. I highly doubt.
that he just woke up one day and wanted to fire. His friend. It came from the top. It came from the rich kid who's probably never picked up a ball in his life, but unfortunately. Throughout his life he's picked up some other things.
like a bad habit for music. Like rabbit ears. Like threatening New York City, you know, to because they threatened him and his liquor license. I I can go on. This is the guy who kicked the woman out of Radio City Music Hall and her kids.
because her law firm was embroiled in a legal Battle with Radio City, which also owns the next. Can you imagine facial recognition to kick people out of your venue? During Christmas Because she took her kids to see the Rockets. This is the guy who owns the Knicks. This is the guy making these decisions.
And so unfortunately for Mike Brown, I wish him nothing but the best. The New York Knicks are still going to be one of the teams that are looked upon as one of the best in the East next season, as they should. But if the Nicks don't get over the hump, Mike Brown is going to be next in line.
Next in line to get the boot. Jeff Van Gundy He quit And I'm not doing this. These guys are driving me nuts. I'm out of here. He went to T V, went to the Rockets, left.
Don Cheney got the boot. Lenny Wilkins, boot Larry Brown drove everybody crazy. Boot. Isaiah Thomas got fired, went upstairs, got in trouble. Mike D'Antoni coached the Knicks.
Mike Woodson coached the Knicks. Derek Fisher, you can thank Phil Jackson. He coached the Knicks. Kurt Rambus took over. Jeff Hornisek, oh my God, who remembers that?
David Fisdale. Tom Thibodeau Mike Brown. You would think that James Dolan has these photos on his wall at work. And they are probably just all covered in darts. Mike Brown is going to get paid handsomely.
Oh, he's goin' get some money. Good for him. I give him five years max, and that's probably stretching it. Realistically, probably three.
Okay. Depends on the talent. And let's just say the way the NBA goes right now, Mike Brown will likely get fired, and the New York Knicks will look for a new coach sooner than later. Congratulations, Mike Brown. Take that money.
Because eventually you will get paid. to not coach the Knicks. and do nothing. Not the worst thing in the world. It's the J.R.
Sportry Show here with you, coast to coast, on the Infinity Sports Network. We're going to get into Jaron Jackson Jr. and his foot injury. We're going to talk about why Cleveland and Detroit are being insulted again. Paul Feinbaum, no insult, some big words, some big praise for Arch Manning.
I'm going to give you a top six list of some sports cities that just deserve better. They've been beaten down. But on the other side of the break, I don't know what's going on with this city or this team. Are they on the up and up? Are they the same?
Is their star player leaving? I think he's staying, but will he might leave? We're going to have a chat with Lance Allen. He is the Sports Director for CBS fifty eight in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Yes, we're going to talk about the Bucks.
You're locked into the J.R. Sport Reef Show on the Infinity Sports Network. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief. It is the JR Sport Brief Show here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network. It's been a busy week in the NBA as the legal tampering period opened on Monday.
We've seen some wheeling. We've seen some dealing. I mean, about 30, 40 minutes ago, we just learned that DeAndre Ayton is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. We learned that Mike Brown is going to be the next head coach of the New York Knicks. But in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
People are trying to figure out what's next. For the Bucks, Miles Turner is in, Damian Lillard is out, Giannis is still around, Brooke Lopez is now in LA, and there's a lot going on in Milwaukee. Joining us right now to break it all down is someone who keeps up with the team very closely from CBS fifty eight. It is Lance Allen. Lance, I appreciate the time.
No problem, JR. Anytime. You did a really nice job of breaking down most of the moves, and that's not even all of the moves. It's insane.
Well, we've seen Pat Conitson get moved to clear cap space, and Bobby Port is sticking around. Has anything surprised you? I mean, even Damian Lillard being waived, was that a surprise on your part? It was. I'm rarely shocked at anything these days, JR, because I've been in this business for thirty three years, so kind of been there, done that, seen pretty much everything.
Getting Miles Turner was the first shockwave. And then waived Damian Lillard, which It makes sense because cap-wise, you have to do it in order to bring in Miles Turner. I know I'm kind of somewhat contradicting myself, but I think That's another shock. And so that was part of it. And then just the way the bucks are built.
And they're so tight up against the cap, is keeping Gary Trent Jr. and keeping Torian Prince and keeping Kevin Porter Jr. and just all the moves that they made, in addition to what you talked about, it's pretty amazing. Obviously, people have to go, Brooke Lopez, and things like that, and then they rescind the qualifying offer to Ryan Rollins. But overall, I think they're making the best of a bad situation.
Is the contract of Willard ideal? Basically, you're spreading out $22 million a year over five years and stretching it. That's not a good look. But you get a guy like Miles Turner who can instantly play and Lillard is going to be out. Most, if not all, of n next year and at 35 years old, you don't know what The future holds, it's actually a pretty good move for them because they're in a win-now situation.
Well, Lance, when you think about the Bucks as the the team is currently constructed, I know they brought on a Gary Harris Junior as well and just some guard depth. This is a this is a big team. Unconventional in a lot of cases, but Miles Turner is huge. Giannis is huge. Kyles Kuzma, I don't think people realize how big and tall that he is.
6'9, 6'10. Kevin Porter Jr., I assume he might be in the starting lineup. We all know Bobby Portis is big. This is a big team. What are your thoughts on the actual roster construction, knowing that it feels like we haven't seen these guys really play together or at least have a lead guard as a part of the squad outside of Giannis?
I forgot to mention Gary Harris Jr., and I just realized how many juniors there are on the team. That's another interesting dynamic in the lineup. And you're right. I think sometimes you have to sacrifice certain things, but when people look at their front, the front line, Basically, of Turner, Portis, and Giannis, that's pretty formidable to go up against.
Now, yes, do you have to have guys that can. Carry their weight in the back court and know if, ands, or buts about it. I think Kevin Porter Jr. is a guy that is going to have quietly a lot of focus on him. Everybody's going to look at Giannis and Miles Turner and the big splash plays, and Bobby Portis is kind of like your local hero, your local favorite.
But quietly, that is a big deal because you're essentially replacing Damian Lillard and you've got to hold up your end of the donkey.
So, yeah, I think you hit on something there where they definitely are strong in one area. Gary Harris Jr. adding to that and having a lot of flexibility and having a lot of strength in that area. Apparently, they feel like that will help them win in the East because clearly it hasn't been good enough the last few years. Lance Allen is joining us, CBS 58 Sports Director in Milwaukee.
Of course, the whole idea is to try to maximize what you get out of Giannis and what you have surrounding him. I mean, we move another year away from the championship. We have a lot of talent who helped him win that that are now gone. There's so many rumors about if he's going, if he's staying. I think at minimum, we'll see him through to next year.
What are your thoughts on the reality of Giannis ultimately saying, okay, it's time for me to go? I'm with you, JR. I thought it was just ludicrous, and I'm going to bite the hand that feeds me, just media craziness that, you know, just fanning the flames of Giannis always wants to know. You know what are the Bucks doing to win? And that's.
Any star, any player wants to know: like, are we committed? Are we all in? Whatever. But beyond that, just go look at like the TMZ video from a few years ago where they're following him and Mariah, his wife, you know, down the street in LA. And he literally wants to go running down the nearest alleyway and get away from him.
Like people in Milwaukee treat him with respect. He likes it here. He is a very loyal guy, likes it here. Yeah, does the team have to be competitive? Absolutely.
Does he want to have assurances that they're doing everything possible? Absolutely. But you look at a deal, you know, like, first of all, in order to trade a guy like that, it doesn't happen just overnight. It takes months, if not a long time, to figure out all the picks and the compensation or whatever. All things being equal.
He's here for now.
Now, does stuff get floated like that, you know, occasionally, and we see it where someone gets dealt a year, two years, three years down the road because the team is underachieving or not doing what they're supposed to do? Absolutely. And that's why you float that information out there is just to kind of maybe prepare possibly for the future. But all things being equal, I was always of the opinion he wasn't going anywhere this year. When you think about the team and obviously the goal, and he said this in the past, too.
Hey, I want to win championships. I want to be here in Milwaukee, but I want to win championships. When you think about the roster and its flexibility and how it's constructed, are you confident that they're going to even be close to that? Of course, they have the best player in the Eastern Conference. That's going to stand for a lot.
MVP candidate every year. But do you feel that they're moving or have that flexibility over the next couple of years? It's going to be close. And I tend to agree with you. I can hear the doubt in your voice, JR, is they have fallen short.
There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I'm not a pom-pom waiver for the team, even though I cover the team and I've been in Wisconsin my entire life. You know, they want a championship. You give them that. There have been seven different NBA champions last I checked in the last seven years.
So, no dynasties at this point, even though everyone wants to annotate, OKC is the next one. But That being said, they've had some spectacular Play off flame outs as well. And you are right in the sense that chemistry, it is a chemistry issue. It's just like going back to high school. You have to have, in addition to really good players, you have to have a very good chemistry with the players on that team.
You have to have good bench play, which at times they have not had good bench play. At times, they have not had good defensive play. And you have to have everything kind of go right. And they just have not had that the last few years. They've had some injuries as well.
But yeah, there have been a lot of upheaval. I mean, you look at Mike Budenholzer, you know, some thought he got fired a little early. Adrian Griffin came in, didn't even last a full season. You know, Doc Rivers has done okay, but you know, he's brought in for a reason, and that's to get them to the Eastern Conference finals for sure, and then probably the finals. And that hasn't happened.
So I think there are a lot of question marks that need to be thrown at this team. Lance, you you mentioned Doc Rivers. I was certainly going to ask you about him. In a lot of cases, and especially on social media, which we know is a can be a complete dumpster fire, he's the whipping boy. In seemingly a lot of spots that he ends up in.
What is the level of patience for Doc Rivers from both the fan base and the organization as it stands right now?
So there are some, because he went to Marquette. He's not from here. Obviously, he's from Illinois. He's from Chicago across the border. There are some who like Doc.
And Doc's, you know, obviously with being on TV and just being likable and whatever, people, there are some people who like Doc. But then there are other people who point out.
Some of the shortcomings, and some of the times, you know, regarding, you know, maybe you gotta include the Celtics championship that you want. You can't overlook it, you can't deny it. Can't just say, oh, yeah, he got lucky. No, he won a championship. And I always defer to that and say, hey, there is a reason why certain coaches get their team, you know, even if it's only one year, they get their team to play at that level.
That being said, he has also had some shortcomings in the playoffs and some shortcomings overall. And I think this is a prove it year. They did not want to have the whole, you know, the year of in salary cap basketball where they say, well, you got a gap year. And, well, when you've got Yannison is still kind of in his prime toward the end of his prime, you can't take a gap here. And clearly, for all the shortcomings of the Bucs and what they've done of late, The one thing I will give them, it's like a poker game, and they are putting all their chips in the table.
They traded away almost all their draft picks and things like that. They are definitely trying to win now. And that is the thing. If you want to win now, you're going to have some tough questions come your way.
So, yes, they need to be ready to win now. And that is a big question going into next year. Lance, as our chat comes to a conclusion, we've seen the development of so much in the city, the downtown, the arena, since Giannis has stepped onto the scene and elevated into a champion and an MVP. If he leaves, certainly that doesn't leave a void or put everything for naught. But isn't that kind of, it's just going to be depressing for everybody.
It's going to feel like we're stepping into the Bucs from, I don't know, pre-Cassell. Yeah, yeah. The 90s when they had Todd Day and Lee Mayberry, no offense to them, and they were winning like 20 games a year. Pre-big dog, yeah, correct, pre-big dog before they had the number one overall pick. No, you don't want to go back to that, and I would argue with you a little bit.
I think it would leave a void. Um, you know, you don't get a super, and that's why it's so cavalier to say, oh, yeah, trade Giannis, and you'll get a bunch of number one picks, and you know, maybe like an all-star caliber or close to an all-star caliber player, and this, you know, maybe a young piece that's going to blossom on the that's always a dangerous thing. And I know people will point to the Paul George trade because it's fresh and say, Well, yeah, OKC did it, yeah, but. Me, Giannis is a once-in-a-lifetime player. No offense to Paul George.
I think Giannis is one of those guys that's just. You know, you know, transcends the game. And so you need to be very careful if you're even delving into those waters. And you're right. I think that you don't want to go back to the 90s where it was so dark that they were giving tickets away.
And there was, you know, anytime Michael Jordan and the Bulls came to town, it was like a pseudo-Bulls home game because 75% of the place had Jordan jerseys or Bulls jerseys or whatever going on.
So you better be very careful because right now has been one of the best. Eraas of Bucks basketball, with the exception of when they won the title in 71 with Kareem and Oscar, and then 74 they finished runner-up, and then the 80s with Belly were very, very good. They just couldn't get past the Celtics and the Sixers. But you don't want to go backwards that far where you've got some good things going here and you just bury the franchise. thinks that that that might be a possibility, but we have to see how things play out first.
Hey, Lance, I appreciate the time and your insight, especially uh keeping and covering with the team. Uh please tell everybody where they can follow you and your work with CBS fifty eight. Absolutely. It's at Lance Allen on the X, as they say. And uh I'm on Instagram as well at Lance Alen22.
And CBS 58, I'm out there as well as the sports director, so follow me anytime. Thank you, Lance. Hopefully, you get a little bit of time off, less Giannis news, and a little bit of rest and relaxation for yourself, okay? Hey, Packers training camp's coming around soon, my friend.
So, in this state, anything the Packers do is huge.
So, it's only like about a two to three week respite, and then we're right back at it. Hey, enjoy it, Lance. Thank you so much for the time. We'll catch you down the line, okay? No problem.
Anytime JR. Absolutely. That Lance Allen covers all things, Bucks, all things, Sports, All Things, Wisconsin for CBS fifty eight. Yeah, it you think about the development, and I don't know if you've been to Milwaukee, maybe you're in California, like I ain't been up to Milwaukee. They've had a lot of development.
You know, and it's a great thing. Like, when you and I hate to bring Caitlin Clark, but like, that's an excellent example, an excellent indicator of when you have an attraction, people show up. That's just flat period what it is. It's an economic driver for the city. And Giannis has been that.
I mean, from the minute that he was drafted, of course, who knew what the expectations were? I don't think anybody looked at this dude and said, Oh my god, he's going to be an NBA champ, an MVP, but that's what he grew into, which makes him, his story, and his growth with the city so amazing. because he was virtually an unknown. when he got here to the NBA. And we see the standing that he's established in the league and um what it is right now.
And hopefully for the fans in Milwaukee, it can certainly go ahead and continue on. Thank you so much to Lance Allen for joining us. It's the JR Sport Re Show here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network. When we come back from break, we're going to talk about a couple of big men. One just signed with the Lakers.
His name is Aiton. And another guy, well, he just re-signed with the Grizzlies. And he's hurt already? No. Jaron Jackson Jr.
is hurt. We're going to talk about both of these issues on the other side of the break. If you want to call me, you can. Here's the number. You ready?
888-710-4ISN is the number. That's 888-710-4ISN. It's time for a newsflash with Rich Ackerman. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief. It is the JR Sport Brief Show here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network.
Thank you so much to Lance Allen for joining us from CBS 58 out in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as we took a look at everything that has gone on so far with the Milwaukee Bucks. And I gotta be honest, I'm I'm not all that that optimistic, okay? I mean, you can bring in a Miles Turner and you could resign Bobby Portis, but to not ha to not have a a dynamic shot getter on the team is something that they they lacked. And sure, it didn't work out with Damian Lillard and he's old and he blew out his Achilles. But I think not having that guy on the team Is going to be to their detriment.
We know Giannis is relentless. Giannis will go hard. Giannis doesn't have an embarrassment, Gene, about the free throws. He plays harder or just as hard as anybody. Great.
He's the best player in the Eastern Conference. But as an overall, That's why he wanted Damian Lullard.
somebody that could help him at the end of the games go out there and get shots. We are a long way off from Drew Holiday and Chris Middleton and Brooke Lopez. I'm not optimistic as to where the Milwaukee Bucks are going to go. And I think it's just a A ticking time bomb as it relates to Giannis and his tenure in Milwaukee. Let's see how it goes.
I'm not all that optimistic. The East certainly does have its openings, of course, given what took place with the Indiana Pacers and Halliburton going down.
So we will see what takes place. But I'm not feeling all that good. Speaking of big man, we know that Miles Turner is now a member of the Bucs. We know that Brooke Lopez is now a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. And as I told you, and as you also heard from Rich Ackerman right before we went to break, and I told you as well, DeAndre Ayton is the guy.
for the Los Angeles Lakers. It appears that he is signing a two year contract, pretty much a one and one. He'll be with the Lakers for at minimum this season with the ability to opt out next. And so he's basically getting sixteen million dollars this year. He's going to get sixteen million dollars the next year.
And DeAndre Ayton is going to take all seven foot tall, all seven feet of this guy, and he's going to rim run, they hope For this team.
Now, I just hope, and you would think being in Los Angeles, playing with Luca, playing with LeBron. Will light a little bit of a fire in his backside. To me, DeAndre Ayton is a little bit of a loafer. Matter of fact, he was selected in the same draft. as Luka Doncich, he was selected first overall.
Last season? 14 points, 10 rebounds. That's what you got out of DeAndre Ayton, and only 4. Forty Games. He's not going to go out there and shoot threes.
Don't expect that. He'll go out there and probably block a shot again, But the enthusiasm is is what you want. Hopefully he doesn't get caught hanging out in LA. Forget about the basketball And can actually contribute. The Lakers have been looking for a center, it's what they've needed.
And now they have one. You think about the Los Angeles Lakers and their starting lineup.
Okay, now now you have uh You got Aiton in the mix, so you have Luka Doncic. Of course Austin Reeves. You have LeBron James. Rui Hachimura. and DeAndre Ayton.
Now at this point I'm really wondering how long it's gonna take. Before we get one of these statements from Rich Paul about how LeBron James is happy with the moves, it feels like everything that takes place with the Los Angeles Lakers. We now have to get a statement. From uh LeBron's agent Rich Paul that basically puts the Los Angeles Lakers on notice.
Now, they they're still gonna have to pick up some depth, And some defense. You know, how much is Dalton Connect going to evolve? They were willing to already give him up last year. We know that he can put. The basket or the ball in the basket.
We saw that at Tennessee. Is he going to develop and evolve as a player? We saw Austin Reeves basically develop into damn near almost an all-star. The Lakers still need more size. They need more depth.
They need more scoring. I think their starting lineup can pretty much play with anybody. But they need to round out the team if they want to have some ultimate success. They could also use a scorer off the bench. And how they get this done?
Throughout the course of the season? That's going to be up to Rob Polenka. Maybe there'll be another sucker born, like the Dallas Mavericks, that he can go out there And take advantage of in due time. I guess DeAndre Aiden being a Laker is the best thing to happen to them, because if he ended up going to Indiana, The Lakers would have been royally Screwed.
Okay. This is a this is a good move for the Lakers. Uh pretty much the only move that they can make at this point in time. Bacher, what are your thoughts about the Lakers' roster now that they've added DeAndre Ayton? I still think it's not great.
You're relying way too much still. on a forty plus year old LeBron James. To be a high efficient scorer besides Luka Dantrich, and I don't trust their depth. Like Dalton Connect.
Okay, solid shoe, but Outside of that starting five, there's not much anything to really care for on that team. Absol absolutely it sounds like you agree with me, huh? A hundred percent. I just don't I don't see it and I I And I personally think that the Lakers want to get rid of LeBron, but they're kinda like Not gonna do it to appease the fans, to say the least. I don't know.
I mean, we hear a lot about that, right? They're looking to 2027. They can't wait for LeBron's contract to come off the books. And maybe that's the reality. Maybe it's the reality.
The Lakers know full well he's not going to end his career there. There's not going to be a farewell tour. There will be no merchandise. I would think from a business perspective, especially as this team, and maybe not, as they go through an ownership transition. that's going to take place and should be completed by the end of this year.
From the Bus family to the Walter, or Mark Walter, who owns Guggenheim Partners, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers. I mean, it just makes business sense. to have LeBron James in the fold. unless you are the Lakers and you're being real aggressive now. And you're saying, well, okay, screw LeBron.
Who's the next star that we can bring in? You know, maybe the Los Angeles Lakers are just like, all right, forget LeBron, when Giannis is ticked off. Hey, Yannis, how about you come play here? And be on a receiving end of passes from Luka Doncic. The Lakers are always going to get a star.
Maybe the Lakers don't look at the uh the idea of let's finish LeBron, let's have him in the last year, let's milk the farewell. They already have one of the biggest T V deals in all of sports. Maybe the Lakers do. And maybe they are ready to just say Bye to LeBron James. It just is becoming more and more clear.
But throughout this off season and and dating back to February with the trade deadline, that he may not finish out. with the Los Angeles Lakers.
So DeAndre Ayton, yeah, it's nice. But how and where they get help Well we we're gonna see. I mean, somebody's gonna have to get cut somewhere.
Somebody's gonna have to take a minimum contract. to pretty much join the Los Angeles Lakers. And and and make it work. You know somebody like Jordan Clarkson popping up on your team. Ideal.
You need some bench scoring, you need a punch. And the Lakers starting line up looks nice, looks real nice. But they're they're they're lacking. in some real depth.
So I'm sure DeAndre Ayton, if he can roll out of bed, and not on to the beach. He'll certainly work out for the Lakers given what his track record is. When he shows up to work, I know people in Portland are not happy when he refused to go to work. when they had that snowstorm. He doesn't have to worry about snow.
in LA. For now. For now, it's the JR Sport B show here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network. We're going to continue on. We have so much to get into as the show keeps on moving.
Speaking of cities. Everybody loves L A, right? That's what they say. I'm going to tell you about a couple of cities that just get beat up. All the damn time.
They can't catch a break. I'm talking about Cleveland, where LeBron is from, Akron, and I'm talking about Detroit. What athlete decided to take a crap on both of these cities at the same time? I'm going to tell you on the other side of the break, I did mention to you that we got a big man who well, he basically broke his foot in Jaron Jackson Junior. Yeah, the same guy who just signed a massive contract.
I got a top six list coming your way of sports cities that can't catch a break and deserve better. We got a lot to do so much more to do. You're locked in to the JR Sport Brief Show, coast to coast, on the Infinity Sports Network. Mm-hmm.
