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The JR Sport Brief Show on the Infinity Sports Network. I'm coming to you live from Atlanta. Georgia. Thank you to everybody who's tuned in, who's locked in all over North America. I don't care if you're on the West Coast, the East Coast.
You could be in New York with our producer, Ryan Botcher. You could be in Canada. What's up, Canada? Anywhere you might be, Thank you for being here. This show gets started every weekday at 6 p.m.
Eastern. Three Pacific. You can always tune in on the free Odyssey app. your local Infinity Sports Network affiliate. If you got SiriusXM, it's channel 375.
And if you have a smart speaker, ask the speaker. to play the Infiniti Sports network. And we've talked about a lot Major League Baseball All-Star Break is coming next week. Talked about the All-Star Reserves. Guys who didn't make it.
Thank you so much to our guest, Rowan Kavner, for joining us in the last hour from Fox Sports. We talk some basketball. We've had some news. Like Bradley Beal, pretty much getting ready to get bought out. With the Phoenix Suns.
He will be a free agent eventually. We had a big three-team trade taking place today in the NBA. Clippers, well I don't know how big of a deal it is. They got John Collins, okay? Norman Powell goes to the Miami Heat.
And the Utah Jazz Well, they're just like we're gonna run our young players into the ground. Or at least let them play and make mistakes, a whole lot of them. That's called tanking people. That's called uh tanking. Anyway, hey, you want to be a part of the show?
You can. 888-710-4ISN is the number. That's 888-710-4. 4ISN. In a few minutes, I'm going to tell you why Andrew Reese was so angry.
And then I'm also going to tell you about an announcement that was just made by the New York Knicks. And then we're going to be drawn by my main man. Chris Miles from NBA TV, he will be here with us. In about It's 20 minutes. That's going to be fun.
I haven't spoken to Chris. He works right down the block. He lives here just like me. I haven't seen Chris. uh in a minute.
Need to have a sit-down with Mr. A Chris. Miles. Anyway. You want to be a part of the show?
You can call up too. Here it is: 888-710-4ISN. That's eight eight eight seven ten. four. Aye.
S. N I told you about the New York Knicks. Announcement They have made it Official. The New York Knicks have officially hired Mike Brown as their new head coach. Whooped he freaking do.
The New York Knicks. have told everybody. that they have found their latest Victim. I mean, that's basically what Mike Brown is. He's a victim.
Because eventually the New York Knicks are gonna fire him the same damn way. that they fired, Tom Sibita. I want you to listen to this statement. The New York Knicks, they really speak to the media, the press. The GM doesn't talk.
Dolan hardly talks, doesn't say anything. Leon Rose says this. After a thorough and extensive search process, We are pleased to announce Mike Brown as the head coach of the New York Knicks. Mike has coached on the biggest stages in our sport and brings championship pedigree to our organization. His experience leading the bench during the NBA Finals, winning four titles as an assistant coach, and his ability to grow and develop players will all help us as we aim to bring a championship to New York.
For our fans. Wow. his ability to grow and develop players. That's a shot to Tom Thibodeau. Yeah, by the way, one of the reasons that And I get it, it's the Kings, even though he helped the Kings have success.
One of the reasons that he was fired. is because of his issues in helping to develop the Sacramento Kings. And so the New York Knicks have brought him on to replace Tom Thibodeau. James Dolan. Even shorter message.
I would like to welcome Mike Brown to the New York Knicks and Knicks organization. Leon and our staff ran a thorough and thoughtful process. that led our organization to Mike, and I'm pleased to see him on the sideline for us next season. Ah, just all a load of you. No.
What?
Okay? Thorough A thorough and thoughtful process. They basically fired Tom Thibodeau just because they just wanted to get rid of the dude. After five years of success Five years of the Knicks being in the best position ever, they fire him. And then they had no plan after that.
There was none. How thorough was it for the New York Knicks to reach out to like every team under the sun? And just be rejected because they wanted to take somebody else's head coach? How thoughtful is that? These are the things that you look at with the New York Knicks and you just scratch your head and go, oh, how dumb are they?
Well, now you can see it. I know one thing that we won't see. Probably Leon Rose speaking to the media when Mike Brown is introduced. We will definitely not see James Dolan. we have to settle for these stupid little uh you know, paragraphs that they they put out.
The nicks are gonna nick. It Mike Brown is is gonna be cooked. It's only going to be a matter of time before he gets ripped to shreds. And everybody's going to be ready to move on from him. And it's just It's like if there's a silver lining anywhere.
It's it's for Mike Brown. And it's the fact that he will be the one, Who ultimately uh gets paid. whether he is coaching the New York Necks? or whether they fire him. Really stinks.
Speaking of big money, somebody just got some. Paulo Boncaro. Five years, $287 million extension. That could be his max. He just signed that.
And so Orlando Magic look like a good team. A good team on the rise of New York next, God knows what they're going to do. Can't wait to see what uh Mike Brown's Coaching roster looks like. What his assistants gonna look like, you know, is uh Brick Brunson's sticking around, Jalen Brunson's dad. They gotta keep him around at minimum, right, Botcher?
I think it I think there was a small report saying he is staying around, which I don't get it. It's a different head coach. You want to have a different assistant staff, but I guess anything that pleased Jalen Brunson. Yeah, you gotta gotta keep the star player happy.
Well, I I think as we can tell, the New York Knicks do things in a uh Well, unconventional way. Would you call it unconventional or stupid? I would say Dysfunctional. Yeah, there you go. That's a good way.
And do you think a reporter will ask Mike Brown a question tomorrow, or will the Knicks ask him questions? I think they'll get one in, and then it'll be like the last question where they're like, oh, one more. They'll ask the question and then he'll storm off. I'm trying to recall. When Tom Thibodeau had his introductory press conference with the New York Knicks, If I remember correctly, was it he got hired in the pandemic, I think.
I don't think he spoke to the media. And even when they brought in Jalen Brunson, they signed him. There were no questions from the media. Like, they basically had him up on the stage, you know, responding and answering. It was like an interview setting.
Like how bad do you have to hate the media and be afraid of the media?
So not even Let them answer. Questions. It's just This Yeah, dysfunctional is the word, for lack of a better term. Good luck to Mike Brown as he gets ready to coach the New York Knicks. He knows what he's signing up for.
You're not dumb. This is gonna be interesting. Hopefully he's not stressed out. Not too much here. Anyway, speaking of stressed out, I did tell you, and we'll talk to Chris Miles.
about everything in about you join us probably about ten minutes We'll talk about this situation with Paula Boncaro and Bradley Beale. We'll talk about the New York Knicks and their new head coach, some of the young guys that we can expect to see. Out at Summer League.
So, Chris Miles is going to join us from NBA TV. He'll be here in about 10 minutes. But before we do that, I did tell you that Angel Reese, she's not happy. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It has nothing to do.
with Caitlin Clark. It has nothing to do with anything online related. She's upset with the officiating. in the WNBA. Angel Reese.
thinks the officiating in the WNBA Sucks. Minnesota just beat her team, the Chicago Sky, 90 to 75.
Now ancient Reese has been picking it up. I believe last week she was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week. And in the loss, she had 16 points. seventeen rebounds, six assists, And a block, and she has certainly improved since she's been in the league, still trying to get that field goal percentage higher. And she was seven of 16 from the field.
But she was upset. that her team only took eight free throws. compared to Minnesota seventeen. And there were some points in time where she was getting grabbed by the waist. The rest didn't see it.
They didn't call it. And so afterwards, she called out the refs and she dropped a few expletives in here as well. Listen to this. Yeah, I think we fought really hard. It's tough when you talk to officials and I ask them, hey, we only shot two free throws.
We've only been to the free throw line twice up into the fourth quarter, and she tells me it's not her job.
So. I know, it's frustrating because I know how hard we're battling inside. And I think that we came down and fought as hard as we could with what we had. And I just want, I just know that we continue to grow on this. And I think this is a leaping step for us.
And obviously, we know we can compete with the best, but that has to be fixed. And I don't give a damn if I get fired because that's and I am tired of this because I've been nice and I've been humble with it, but I am tired of. It seems like she was having a a conversation with herself. While she was, she was like, How much of this do I want? And then she, at the end, she's just like, Listen, I'm just gonna let it loose.
I'm gonna let it fly.
Now, let me sit here and tell you something. I am not sitting around watching enough WNBA games. to have an opinion on whether or not the officiating really sucks. Because the games that I like to watch for the WNBA Have Caitlin Clark in it.
Okay, maybe I'm missing out on some of the other talents, but. I like to sit down and watch Caitlin Clark. And unfortunately, she's been hurting out. with that groin issue. But one thing I can tell you, The games that I have seen.
Were the ones where Caitlin Clark is getting knocked around and and and beat up? Yeah, there definitely is an issue in the refereeing and the consistency of the calls.
Now, we know refs are human. They're gonna stink. They're gonna mess up. They're gonna miss calls. It happens with every league.
It happens at male, female, NFL, WNBA, you name it. The refs are going to stink. They're going to miss calls. But maybe in the WNBA why are things worse? I don't know.
Like, isn't there a pecking order as to how you have officials who go out there? Les be real an' less be honest. How many of the officials are basically being trained to potentially go on So the NBA, I think that could be a problem. That could be an issue. How many of these officials are are there for the long run?
And typically, if you want the best of the best, they're going to advance to the NBA. Maybe that's part of the problem. But people have been complaining about officiating. Forever Is this nothing new? This is not some brand new thing that's just now happening with Angel Reese.
basketball is is difficult to officiate. And the women in the WNBA for the most part, they they're playing below the rim. These games are ridiculously physical. I don't think people realize how physical These WNBA games are. Because you are below the rim.
There's a lot of jockeying, there's a lot of moving around. There's less quote unquote airspace because the majority of the plays are taking place. on the ground. And so I think even in that space, you are going to have refs missing grabs and pulls and You know, why Caitlin Clark can't get some of these calls when she's getting a hellbeat out of her, I don't know. And then Angel Reese would stand a good chance of complaining as well.
Because a lot of times she's just under the basket. And so the last person who's getting any type of love. It's the person who's doing the dirty work. Grabbing offensive boards and rebounds, getting pulled and pushed. In a lot of cases, that's the nature of the game.
Bacha, why do you think so many women Have been complained, and she's not the first person. Who's had an issue with the refs publicly over the last several weeks? You nailed it. I think the physicality is something that. the refs in the WNBA don't know really what to do with.
Because if they start calling everything like it's supposed to be, There's going to be a ton of fouls and that's going to slow down the pace of the game.
So I think they're being lenient with it. Yeah. Not admitting that they can improve the refing. It's just. You have to find a balance, and I don't know if they can right now because the physicality, like you said, is there.
Yeah, I mean well the one thing that they can do And that's the thing. It's an adjustment period if they ever want to do it. They can do it in the middle of the season. I would not advise it. But we've seen the NBA do this, where, hey, there are certain calls and certain plays.
that we really want to emphasize. We want to cut down on this. All the teams, everybody gets a memo. The referees who are all graded, by the way. They all get the edict, hey, this is what we don't want, this is what we want to slow down.
And the the players ultimately adjust. I don't think the WNBA players are going to be any different. Maybe it's gonna take An adjustment maybe for next season to say. This is what we want to emphasize, because to your point, Botcher, man. Nobody wants to sit down.
Basketball should be free-flowing. Yeah, you're going to have fouls. Yeah, people are going to go to the free throw line. But nobody wants to see just a bunch of dudes standing around in a gym. At the free throw line, people want to see action.
And so Maybe there needs to be an acknowledgment of Yeah, we are going to call less files. Or maybe, hey, we're going to toughen up on this, but not to slow the game down.
So. We'll see what happens. Angel Reese will find out what her fine is going to be. as it stands right now. No announcement, but yeah, there's a fine coming.
I think she can pay it with all these uh Cocoa Puffs deals and food and everything else she's selling. I think she can afford to find.
So, the JR Sport Reeshow here with you, coast to coast, on the Infinity Sports Network. We're going to take a break. When we come back on the other side, we're going to have a chat with Chris Miles. NBA TV host. Get his thoughts on what we can expect for upcoming Summer League games with guys like Ace Bailey, Cooper Flag.
We'll talk about the three-team trade that we saw take place today between the Clippers, the Heat, and the Jazz. Talk about Paulo Boncaro and his new deal. There's a lot going on in the league. Bradley Beale. Looks like he's going to be a free agent.
We got Damian Lillard, who's eligible to sign a contract.
So we'll have that chat with Chris Miles on the other side of the break. You're locked into the JR Sport Brief Show on the Infinity Sports Network. Looking to earn a business degree that fits your busy life? UNC Greensboro's Bryan School of Business and Economics offers flexible, fully online programs with courses as short as seven weeks. Get the same high quality education as you would on campus, with the convenience and affordability of online learning.
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You're listening to the JR Sport Brief. It is the JR Sport Brief Show here with you coast to coast. on the Infiniti Sports Network. There's so much going on in the NBA. Every day is like a new trade, a new signing, a new guy who doesn't want to play or stay in a place.
We just got a guy who got a new contract. We got a team like the Knicks who just signed. their new coach or next victim to talk about everything going on. In the NBA is someone who knows the league very closely. You can catch him on NBA TV as host.
Shout out to my main man joining us right now, Chris Miles. Chris, how are you, man? I like how you were like, maybe their next victim. That's a good one, man. That's somebody that knows what's going on in this world.
Hey, well, Chris, I think that's the reality of things, man.
Well, what are your thoughts on the New York Knicks now officially hiring Mike Brown? You know, I look at his last stop in Sacramento. And I think about where that team was and what he had him doing offensively, and how he was able to incorporate both DeAren Fox and Tyrese Halliburton. I look at the Kings now that they don't have either one of those two guys, you know, having the best offensive rating in the NBA his last season when he won coach of the year. And I'm like, okay, maybe this ball could move with the Knicks.
He also had a looser rotation than Tom Thibodeau. As we know, that was the biggest knock on him.
So I look at those two things, and I'm like, maybe we'll see other guys, maybe we'll see. You know, balanced minutes and all of those things that people were opining for with the Knicks. And, you know, maybe he's a good hire, but I just thought Jason Kidd was the reason they were moving on from Tom Thibodeau, and obviously he didn't come to New York. Yeah, it seemed like the New York Knicks started just kind of shooting their shots all over the place and seeing On where it was going to land. Let's see what happens now.
With Mike Brown. Chris Miles is joining us here from NBA TV. When you think about another team in the East, we learned today that Paula Boncaro has signed his rookie extension because of all his accolades already at 22. He's eligible for making almost $287 million over the next five years. The Orlando Magic have now added Desmond Bain.
Do you see them taking another step this upcoming season?
Well, I thought this year was the year they were supposed to, right? But Jalen Suggs, Paulo Van Carroll, and Franz Wagner only played six games together.
So we talked to those guys a lot during the season. And at first, it was Paulo Van Carroll. Then he was hurt at the end of October. I believe it was an oblique injury. And it was like a weird amount of time.
I'm like, man, when is he coming back? Then it was Wagner, who was playing at an all-star level, and then Suggs with the knee injury, who really like carried the offense at times. I was like, I didn't know he had that much of an offensive game.
So I think they got their core four. The question is: Can Anthony Black take a leap, right? Apollo Bancaro started to look like a guy who is, you know, arguing for one of the top. Five to six spots in the Eastern Conference. This is the year they got to do it.
They need to be a top-four seed in the East. And guys are finally getting paid, whether you look at Bain's contract, Bancaro's contract, Bogner coming up.
So it is their time now to really show and prove that. And when you think about showing and proving earlier today, we also learned about this three-team trade. I feel like everything is. Coming through in little drips and drabs. The Clippers are adding John Collins, who's on an expiring deal.
The Jazz are freeing up space to see guys like Ace Bailey run around. And the Miami Heat had 22 points a game and Norman Powell. What is your take on this for specifically the Clippers and the Heat?
Well I look at their starting five now and I'm like, hmm. That's way more interesting in the east, right? You got Tyler Hero. Norman Powell. Andrew Wiggins, Bam Autabio, and Khalil Ware had a really good rookie season.
The nuance with him, I had, you know, in studio, some of the guys pointed out some of his rookie mistakes in the playoffs and or in the, you know, the play-in, and that's why he was kind of like benched later half of games. But I think if he could kind of understand defensive assignments more, he could really be a force in the Eastern Conference. And Davion Mitchell looked good for them.
So I'm like, well. I don't look at them as a championship caliber team, but man, I didn't look at the Pacers as being that. And they were in game seven of the NBA finals.
So every time the Heat had made it to the finals, I'm like, really? That's not the team I had coming out of the East.
So I look at them five, six, seven deep now, and I'm like, man, that changes how I view them as a team. I mean, Norman Powell. Should have been an all-star in the West last year. In the Eastern Conference, he most likely will be an all-star. When you think about the Clippers, I feel like they add veterans and older guys, and now they've added Brooke Lopez, Harden's not getting younger, and the same thing.
You can take a look with obviously Kawhi and Leonard. I feel like they're just filling seats in the arena at this point. Do you see them really being a competitive team out west?
Well, I mean, they were pretty good this year, right? But to me, moving on from Norman Powell tells me that Kawhi Leonard is healthier than he was the past couple of years. Because Norman Powell. Truly took a leap forward with Kawhi out. And when Kawhi came back, he took that step back again.
And Norman Powell's at that age and that stage in his career. He's like, Look, I'm trying to get another contract. That'll be my last contract, most likely. I can't be taking a step back. And I think Miami is going to give it an opportunity to showcase his skills more and to maybe get another contract.
Um Like you said, John Collins is an expiring deal, but I think he had a good season in Utah last year. Obviously, that's lost in the sauce with how bad that team was. But I think playing Uh, with James Harden being a lob threat, getting up and down the floor, I think it could be a really good season for him, and maybe he does find a home with the Clippers. And if not, they now have flexibility going forward. I mean, they signed James Harden to a two-year $84 million extension.
Don't forget that part: $42 million a year for a guy who will be approaching 40 years old. Like, that surprised me a little bit. Um, so I think they're trying to like win now, and I think John Collins. Fills that other forward spot where they kind of went with a mismatch of guys, whether it was Derek Jones, Nick Petum.
Now you put John Collins in there, you're like, yeah, that's a starting four. Yeah, we know he can go out there and fly up and down the court. Chris Miles is joining us courtesy of NBA Television. When you think about some of these other teams out west, obviously the Rockets have now added Durant. What's the deal with Jonas Valentunis?
Obviously, he has interest in going back and playing in Greece. He's under contract to the Denver Nuggets right now. Is there any leverage point that he has outside of just being a jerk? You know, it's so weird because I think, like, I look at his career, I'm like, why didn't you do this when the Wizards signed you? Like, why would you do it with a team that went to game seven in the Western Conference playoffs against the eventual champs?
And if Aaron Gordon doesn't have that hamstring injury, they probably are the champs, right? Yeah, so you turned out a spot to essentially be one of the favorites to win a ring with you on the team. What do you like? I don't understand that, and most guys are trying to hang on to an NBA career and trying to get long-term contracts. I'm like, hold on, everyone is going to watch you, and you'll have an opportunity to sign like.
Another NBA contract after this year, playing behind Nikola Jokic. I'm shocked that that's the decision he's making. And I think it's not the best decision. Damn it, maybe he doesn't like America. Chris, maybe he's sick of being here, maybe, right?
That doesn't know. I mean, everybody likes money, right? And these players, like, this is your career. Like, man, I mean, play one year in Denver, win a championship potentially, and then go bank out somewhere else. Because, you know, they're bringing Biggs back.
They're bringing Big Sexy back, man. I mean, you look around the league, even the Thunder, like, oh, we won a championship because we went to Isaiah Hardenstein, who plays big inside, right? And Alex Crusoe actually defends Biggs well inside. Like, I just think. there's money to be made for bigs around this league and he just tossed it out.
Chris, we know that there's money to be made for everybody. I mean, we know that Bradley Beale is in the process of probably working out a buyout with the Suns. He didn't want to leave in the middle of the season.
Now he's willing to play ball. Where do you think he ultimately will play ball next season? What what team would be a good fit? You know what's uh ironic and I don't know how they can do it with the cap and that sort of thing. But before the Norman Powell deal, I was like, oh, Miami.
But Miami backed away from that deal from him when he was available before. Mm-hmm. I think the Milwaukee Bucks. Wow. Um Giannis is on his last leg there.
To me, if the Bucks can financially maneuver that, I'm like, Bradley Beal wants to go out and score. It's different if it's Giannis, Miles Turner, and a rejuvenated Bradley Beal. Right. Than what they have now. Like, do I think they win a championship?
No. Do I like that team as being more competitive than the East? Absolutely. Like, I think Bradley Beal has always been a guy who should be like your second to third best player. And in that situation, it puts him in a spot where he gets to shoot enough, he gets to kind of be the man in spots, but that's Giannis' team, right?
And there's not too many guys. See, in Phoenix, the problem was it was Katie, Booker. Than him, right? I mean, that was too much for him. But I think Milwaukee is probably the best.
overall situation for him. I don't see him wanting to move there. And that's another thing to him. He's made enough money. He's about to get $110 million thrown at him, right?
Like, he might not want to move to Milwaukee.
Now, let's see where he ends up. As we start to wrap things up, Chris, we know what Bradley Beal is, we know what he does. And we're getting ready to watch a whole bunch of rookies over the weekend. We obviously saw Edgecombe. We saw Bailey out there.
We're going to see Cooper flag. Maybe he only plays one game. What are you looking forward to the most here as we really get into the meat of Summer League?
Well, you have to understand this particular group of kids, I call their games for the league. There's the EYBL Scholastic, it's called the Stars of Tomorrow Today, right?
So I've watched him for a few years now, and I've been telling people about VJ Edgecombe, and they're like, Chris, you sound like a crazy person. I don't feel like I do now. I've told people like Cooper Flag is very talented. I'm not sure he's the best player in this draft or next year's draft. There are a couple of guys that I think could end up being better basketball players.
And I've been trying to tell people about Vijay Hcomb for a few years. I do think that he has that capability of being a better NBA player than Cooper Flat. That's one part. The second part is a guy that's kind of flown under the radar because he was injured last season, Nikola Topich. Yes.
This kid, he's exactly what the Thunder missed. Like the Thunder had two flaws in the NBA Finals. They couldn't get enough assist. They couldn't move the ball well. And here you are, just you've got this guy coming in.
And he's played two summer league games, including one tonight. And I'm like, he looks like he doesn't belong. He looks like he's too good to be there. He's an excellent passer. He makes great decisions.
He's looking to pass first. And I'm like, can you make a way to get him on the court?
So I'm excited for people to see more of Trey Johnson for the Wizards, more of Nicola Topich for the Thunder, and certainly more of Vijay Anchcomb because what you saw, there's 28 points and 10 rebounds in his Summer League debut. That's just a harbinger. Like, that's what the kid can do.
Well, we know that the Philadelphia 76ers, they are a stacked team if everybody is actually healthy. How is this going to affect how he fits in when we know who's going to get the ball in Philly? There's a big pecking order there.
Now, that's another thing that I would say that really impressed me about him.
So, on his high school team, right, they played against, like, you know, they played in the EYBL Scholastic.
So, Trey Johnson, Jeremiah Fears, Vijay Edgecombe. Played against each other and they played with each other. Jasper Johnson, who's going to Kentucky this year, I watched him, you know, like defend those guys and have to share with Kyan Anthony, who was on his team at Luhigh. And you kind of go, oh. Here's a kid that, like, if you need him to take 27 shots to win, he'll do that.
But if you need him to take eight shots, defend. run the floor He'll do that happily as well.
So I think he and Maxie create this like speed demon defensive backcourt. That I'm like, do you play Maxie, McCain, and Edge Cohn together? Or do you bring one off the bench? But Edgecombe won't be coming off the bench very long. They're going to have to figure that thing out with those three guys.
But to me, Edgecombe is more blue chip than those other two guys. It's going to be fun to see what takes place with that team. Hopefully, they're healthy. I think they'll be a good watch to Six as well. Last question for you, Chris.
When you think about the rest of this offseason, Any other moves that we should pay attention to? We got Kaminga. Like, is there anything else? Man, that's the craziest thing about the NBA and added on my frontal lobe earlier. I don't feel like I should say this.
Look, man. I don't think Giannis is staying in Milwaukee. Wow. I just, you know. Working on, I don't want to give out too much information, but at the trade deadline at Free Agent Fever, when we're hosting these, when we're doing these four-hour shows, bouncing around the NBA, and I hear phone calls and that sort of thing, I'm like.
I'm surprised he's still there. Yeah. And I just don't think a I don't think Milwaukee wants to play ball. And I don't think he wants to ask out. But unless they get a miracle deal to improve that team, I think Giannis is the next guy gone.
Okay. Said from Chris Miles. I'm giving it to February. I'm surprised he's still there. As well.
Well, listen, Chris, I appreciate the time. I got to catch you right down the block. I got to catch up with you soon, man. Tell everybody where they can find, watch, and listen to you. Yeah, well, coming up, I'm calling 10 Summer League games over the next couple of days in Vegas.
So if you want to catch tomorrow's stars today at the Summer League, one of the games I'm looking forward to, I got the Utah Jazz versus San Antonio Spurs.
So that'll be Dylan Harper versus Ace Bailey on Monday. That's one I'm very excited about. But yeah, catch some Summer League action. And then after that, we'll be in studio still covering the WNBA. You know, it doesn't stop at NBA TV.
Doesn't stop. Chris, thank you for the time, man. Safe travels. I'll catch you soon, okay? Hi, appreciate it.
No doubt about it. Chris Miles from NBA Television, there's a lot of shoes that still have to go out there. And drop as we got a three-team trade today, we got a massive extension, there's a lot going on. In the league, thank you again to Chris for coming through and joining us. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you, coast to coast, on the Infinity Sports Network.
888-710-4ISN is the number. That's 888-710-4ISN. When we come back, Yeah, we got summer league action. We also have the home run derby coming up next week. We talked about all these guys who are out here playing.
Plan any all-star game due to ultimately be replacements. But the home run derby, in a lot of cases, is where the fun is at, is where the meat is at. But we got a bunch of guys. who are not going to be in the home run derby. I'm going to tell you who's in and who's out.
We'll do that on the other side of the break. It's the JR Sport Re Show on the Infinity Sports Network, and it is time for a news flash with Rich Ackerman. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief. It is the JR Sport Reef Show here with you, coast to coast, on the Infiniti Sports Network. Hey, thank you so much to Chris Miles for joining us from NBA TV.
As we get ready for NBA Summer League action, as we have more going down here with the Guys moving and shaking. Bradley Beal soon to be bought out. Paula Boncaro gets a contract extension with the Mavericks. Jonas Valentunis, I guess we won't know whether or not he'll be a member of the Nuggets until October is just a lot. Are still going on in the NBA.
And then we got guys like Jonathan Kuminga. Who are just Well Just around. We don't know if he's going to stick around with the Golden State Warriors, whether he's going to. sign a contract extension or get moved, It is so much. and going on.
Every day there's there's something new. In the NBA.
So, thank you so much, Chris, for the time. 888-710-4ISN is the number. That's 888. 7104ISN. You know, early in the show, before we spoke to Chris, we did have a chat with Rowan Kavner.
from Fox Sports. And we talked all things baseball, but one thing that we didn't get into Was he was the home run derby?
Okay, we can get into the all-star game, but we didn't get into the home run derby. As of today, And we have four participants who are all set and confirmed. for the home run derby. You have Cal Raleigh, who's been smashing and mashing home runs. For the Seattle Mariners, We have Ronald Decuna Jr., who naturally, he's the first guy that was announced.
gonna be hitting home runs in his home baseball park. With the Braves. You also have James Wood, who's going to be participating as well. James Wood, people are going to find out about him. from the Washington Nationals.
You have Byron Buxton, which I'm just like.
Okay. Like, I well, first of all, I'm surprised that he's even healthy enough. uh to go out and and and play. And so Byron Buxton is here from in Georgia. And not necessarily Atlanta, so I don't know.
Maybe that's one of the reasons that they have him here. Uh it botcher. He's going to get hurt in this competition, isn't he? I hope not. All he has to do really is just be careful.
I mean, based on his history, he could barely play baseball enough. And he's just going to go up there and swing the bat. I don't trust him. Yeah, it's usually soft body, like soft tissue injuries for him.
So maybe. And I'll just warm up the oblique a little bit more. Oh, that'll. If I were the twins, I would be like, oh my God, you got to be kidding me. And then we got guys who will not be participating, okay?
There's no Kyle Schwarber. Obviously, there's no Shaw Hill Tani. Why the hell would he do it? He's just trying to stay healthy. Even come back with that arm.
There's no Peter Lonzo, who's a multiple-time. uh winner here and peter lonzz is like man i'm not Not doing this. This is a And we were talking about star power. Does the home run derby not lack star power outside of looking at what we have in Acuna? Isn't this kind of like a.
A big old shrug. To be honest, I don't think the casual baseball fan knows who James Wood is. They should. He's a twenty two year old star.
So I think When you introduced these guys like Acunyo f when he first came up, And he did it. It's kind of like that. or for James Wood. You can't really ignore Cal Raleigh because he's leading the league in Homers. That's another reason.
And Buxton, he's always been a name. And you gotta give the twins something just because they seem like a wreck of a franchise right now.
So I don't I don't mind that. He has potential star power. Yeah, he du he has per se, but he has to play. You see, this is the thing about baseball and how it it markets its stars nationally. You can say that people should know James Wood.
But casual fans don't. And I don't think Byron Buxton gets enough play. Like, how often are the well, first of all, we already talked about how difficult it is. to find and watch a lot of these national games. And then, when given a choice or an option, how often are the twins on?
Not at all. And so it it really boils down, and this has always been the the case. Things are so regional for baseball. This is a great opportunity for people to learn. And hopefully they stick.
I just hope that Buxton can come out of this. And actually be healthy. That's what I'm hoping for. We did hear from Pete Alonzo, he spoke to SNY. And then he discussed why he doesn't want to go out there and win another big chain for winning the home run derby.
Um I I mean I I've never really fully enjoyed the uh like the the three off days. Um so I think for me like I just want to be in the best possible position uh to help this team win in the second half and personally like I feel like I'm in a in a groove with with certain things and um yeah I think for me like I definitely will do it again. It doesn't mean no forever. That guy is still waiting on his next big contract, okay? Every year he has to wait more and more and more.
And so, if I'm Pete Alonzo, the last thing that I'm going to do is go out there and not even risk being hurt. I I want to just commit to the Mets. I want a long-term deal. I want to get paid.
Okay, somebody else who's not participating is Kyle Schwarber. He has 27 home runs so far this season. And this is his reasons for not participating. Do you expect to do the home run derby? No, I'm not going to do the home run derby.
Um, you know, just Maybe uh maybe see what happens next year. Yeah, it's it's Is not for everybody and not to do every single year. Like, why would anybody. want to be bothered in that regard. And it does become work.
You got to show up, and you got to do all this extra work. Nothing wrong with a little bit of uh of a vacation. in that regard. And an errant judge?
Well, Aaron Judge is like, what do I need to do this for? And then he'd be criticized and. Eh, he he wouldn't get a break anyway. Home run derby. Let's see what they do.
Every year I feel like they change up the rules and how many rounds it is. It's. It's not quite The Slam Dunk contest. At all. Uh but it is it is there.
Didn't And see this how great the Slam Dunk contest is. Didn't Mac McClung win it for two consecutive years now? Is it three? No, not three. Can be three.
This guy showed up last year and won. Showed up again this year and won. And I think between both seasons, he played a grand total of one NBA game. One. And this is your NBA slam dunk champ from the G League.
It's just so why not at this point, and I'm not advocating for it. For all of this, why not just get a guy off the street to slam duck the damn ball, okay? I guess a two-way player is more reasonable than I know, a guy off the street, but he actually did win three times. Yeah, not consecutively. No, he did.
Mac McClung won 2023, 2024, and 2025. He won the slam dunk contest for the past three years. Yep. Oh my God. Oh.
Yeah, throw it out. Like, like at this point, I thought it was two. At this point, throw it out. Why, why? Like, why?
And of course, it's more reasonable to have a two-way guy than just some guy off the street, but he might as well be a guy off the street. Like, if you're supposed to be out here showcasing the best talent and the best players, and the best players in the NBA don't want to participate. Like, who cares about Mac McClunk? I mean, if if if I don't know. Nate Robinson, God rest his soul.
I'm glad the guy got a new kidney. It was fun because Nate Robinson was actually in the league. Like people are watching Mac McClung. And so this is just a... That's a crap show.
A home run derby, not quite the way of the slam dunk contest. And hopefully they stay out of that realm too. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network. 888-710-4ISN is the number. It's 888-710-4ISN.
So much going on. We got a lot more to do in the final hour of the show. Talk about everything that took place today, a few things in sports history, and more. It's the share of our sport reshow, the Infinity Sports Network. Looking to earn a business degree that fits your busy life?
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