Bill Reiter, CBS Sports HQ NBA Analyst

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Hyundai, there's joy in every journey. Of course, hosts on this network Monday through Friday and many of these same affiliates from 10 a.m. to noon Eastern. You could also check out his new podcast, Beyond the Arc, as he does co-host that with John Gonzalez and Ashley Nicole Moss. And as we have to talk hoops, there's nobody else that I'd rather talk to besides LeBron James and maybe Steph Curry than the great Bill Ryder. Bill, how are you? Well, Zach, I'm great. And you're right.

I'm often lumped into the categories of people like LeBron and Steph. So thank you for keeping that pattern going, my friend. It's just me praising your greatness here, Bill.

Thanks, buddy. I can't even think could we even put on that Mount Rushmore. I don't even know who we would put as the fourth person when we have Bill Ryder, Steph Curry and LeBron James. Oh, you know who we put on there? I know who. Your dear friend, Chris Paul. I think that would be good company, right? Oh, you want to hear a good Chris Paul line that I came up with yesterday after the Warriors lost?

Go ahead. Chris Paul, undefeated at being defeated. How about Stu, by the way? I know you love Stu. I love Stu.

This is not like other producers that we both worked with where we enjoy ragging on that producer. We could both agree that we love Stuart Kovacs. I love Stu. Stu, though, wanted his team to lose last night so they could avoid the Nuggets and then he thought his team would be a guaranteed victory so then they would go up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. I don't get that logic.

So I feel really bad because many people texted me last night that are Lakers fans who are in the business and I said on the podcast that you so kindly plugged for me that a bunch of idiots that were Lakers fans wrote me in their idiocy wanting to lose that game. I did not mean Stu. I did not know that he fell into that category. I'm sure you definitely knew that.

I didn't know. Stu, what are you doing, man? Just make the playoffs.

Well, that's my thing. This is not, right, the Lakers with Magic. This is not the Lakers with Shaker, Kobe, Kareem, like all the legendary Lakers. I know they have LeBron. This Lakers team stinks like the audacity of Lakers fans to say, oh, we'll lose this game and then we'll definitely win the next game.

Why would you definitely win the next game? Yeah, I actually think, so I think the Lakers have a higher ceiling than most people do and, as you know, to the very low floor. The Nuggets isn't ideal, but you're right. Look what happened to the Warriors last night. The Kings shot 50 percent from the field or 46 percent on the three-point line and some other things happened and the Warriors' season is over. Yeah, you win the game in front of you and don't risk elimination and worry about the Nuggets if you get across that bridge.

Bill Reiter here with us. Yesterday, I threw out the idea, and I know it's been thrown out there before, where I don't think the Lakers win another championship with the way that this team is currently constructed. The Warriors, they're afraid to move on from their past players to elongate the championship window of Steph Curry. I think this offseason we need to see LeBron, James, and Steph Curry team up together.

How likely do you think that is out of 100 percent? I would say the likelihood of that is five or six percent, and I think it would hinge on the Warriors drafting LeBron's son, and then it turning out that LeBron is willing to opt out of his ridiculous player option in the summer. I think it's in the realm of what's possible but not likely, Zach, and go play with whatever team drafts Brony as long as it's the sort of approved team. I actually think the Warriors might roll it back, so I think the only scenario is LeBron takes the vet minimum to go play with Brony Jr. because the Warriors gobble him up in the draft earlier than he should go in the hope LeBron shows up. Do you definitely think Brony is going to go through with this process and go to the NBA draft this year? Ultimately, do you think he goes back to college?

I am worried that he will. I don't know, but that is the impression. So it's interesting, right, because I live in LA. I have to fly around the country to hang out with scouts and executives sometimes for my other job.

So when they come here, I will try to do that instead. So I don't have to get on an airplane, and I've talked to a lot of guys, just sources over the season, who were here specifically to scout USC and to scout, to a degree, Brony. And in several cases, Zach, I've had dinner with these dudes or drinks after they came from practice or a game or both, and not a single one of them thinks Brony is an NBA player at this stage of things. So that part of what I know, I hope not. But LeBron does what LeBron does, and everything I've heard from people that are sort of two degrees removed from LeBron James is they think Brony is going to go into the draft, and I think there's an anticipation he'll be drafted where he shouldn't be because he's LeBron's kid. So to answer your question, I think he'll be in the NBA next year, and I think it'll be a mistake. Do you believe LeBron is then, let's say Brony doesn't get drafted by the Lakers, does that mean LeBron is likely done with the Lakers and goes somewhere else?

So I don't think I can dismiss it out of hand. I think he'll probably come back to LA, but the thing about LeBron, and you know this, but it's worth telling your listeners, at almost every turn he has done the unexpected. People thought he was going to be a Nick or maybe stay in Cleveland when he went to Miami. I got mocked mercilessly when I worked at a different place on TV saying that I thought he might go back to the Cavs than he did. The Lakers were a possibility, but they were far from a guarantee in terms of what we thought he was going to do. So with LeBron, you sort of never know.

It's always a bit of a surprise. I think he'll stay in LA. I think he'll go another year. But if Brony comes out, I think it's 50-50 that Rich Paul is LeBron's agent and friend, that Rich Paul will tell teams it's collusion, and I don't know this, but I would speculate he would do this. He'll tell a select number of teams, you're approved to draft Brony, and maybe someday a LeBron will come. And whether that's this summer, Zach, or next summer, I think eventually LeBron James will play with his son in the NBA. No, the other thing that we don't know, this is LeBron's dream, but LeBron has said it before, we don't know if this is Brony's dream. And personally, I know that LeBron says he's going to go somewhere that will improve the draft stock of Brony. I don't know if I'm starting out my NBA career, I want Dad in my locker room, if I'm being honest. Oh dude, you are 100% right.

And I'll go further. I think that there is a... Remember when the Bulls came out and they were NBA level players and everybody just wanted to go at them because of their dad? I think Brony's going to get a low-key version of that. Not everybody loves LeBron. And a lot of people have lost to LeBron. And LeBron takes all the oxygen out of the room, and there's a lot of jealousy in the NBA. He's not as beloved or even well liked by peers as Kobe Bryant, for example, was.

Or even in a different way at the end, Jordan. So I think Brony's going to have a really difficult time just being LeBron's kid. And if LeBron is there and Dad's babysitting you over your shoulder, and there's a sense that, oh of course Brony got drafted by whatever, the funder, whoever it is, the Grizzlies, whoever, the Knicks, whoever. Just so Dad will come play with him. I think it's going to make Brony Jr.'s life a lot harder every single day.

Last night, it was looking like Bill Ryder. It was the best moment of Zion Williamson's young career so far. And then it has a terrible end with the injury, and now he has a hamstring injury, and who knows when we'll see him next. Is this just what it is with Zion? That even when he plays well, we're always just going to be thinking, okay, he's going to eventually get hurt. Yeah it is.

So here's the comp, and I think you can glass half-full this, or you can glass half-empty this. But he's a modern, sort of emerging version of Joe Alendi. Because I think what you saw yesterday is that Zion can be a star when it matters. And that 40 points was his career high. And it was a remarkable performance. And he did dominate emotionally, physically, in every way. LeBron James in that fourth quarter. And the Pelicans, I think, would have won that game if he hadn't gone out with three minutes and change. And then the injury hit.

So it's, yes, I think this is what it is. The question becomes, is it what it is to the degree that he never gets to a level where like Embiid, he's winning MVPs, either considered a top three player, or is he able to largely be durable? The guy played, what, 70 games, I think, this year. And there will just be times where he gets hurt, and you hope it's not every time.

I don't think we know, but it is a yes. His inability to stay healthy, the track record of injuries, and the height he can go to on a basketball court. And we saw last night against maybe the best player of all time in what is basically a playoff game, felt like a playoff game. Means he's both going to be injury prone, and I think when he's not hurt, going to be a legitimate factor for whatever team he plays for to make them really, really good. Bill Ryder, is Klay Thompson back with the Warriors next year? He should not be. I think for him and the Warriors, he should not be.

I don't think the Warriors dynasty is over, and I could bore you with reasons why. I think there's a recalibration there, but I do think Klay is an important piece. So let's say that he wants to get paid, whatever, 40 million dollars a year or whatever he can get on the market. Go to the Thunder, go to the Magic, go to the young team, because Klay's a great dude in the locker room. Be that veteran, bring him shooting.

You don't have to be the guy, you can be the sixth man of the year. That works for everybody, and that gives the Warriors some freedom in terms of the cap. You move on from Cliff, excuse me, Chris Paul, that dude, and now you can do the mid-level exception, you can recalibrate a little bit. I think there's an interesting team for the Warriors, or Zach, I think there's a world where you keep Klay on, because he actually had a pretty good year, if you look at the totality of the stats, he's just not reliable. But you gotta pay him, I don't know, I'm just making 18 million a year, or 16, or whatever you can negotiate. That's not a whole bunch of money, it's less than his market value, and then I think you can do some things and the Warriors are okay. What the Warriors cannot do is pay him the money that he's gonna want.

Money is what motivates him, and who am I to say, don't go get your bag. I think it's 50-50, if he's back, I hope it's at a reduced price, because that's what he wants and he understands that's what the Warriors need. I understand the human element to it, where these guys are so close because they won all these championships together, and I hate to put it all on Steph, but I don't think much is gonna change with the Warriors organization, and I don't think Steph's gonna do this. But there's no way Draymond should've been given that deal that he was given last year, and I said that at the time. If what you're saying is true that you get Clay at 17 or 18 million, I'm fine, but if they pay him another 40 million dollar a year contract, they're crazy. Is there some talks in the NBA circles that you're in, Bill Ryder, about Steph maybe taking a little bit more active role in being different in regards to breaking up this court?

That's not his energy. I've had those conversations with folks that are out there, including people that came out of that Warriors organization, because as you know, Zach, when you succeed in any of these leagues, your team succeeds, you get jobs. You're a scout or an assistant GM, everybody sort of fans out there. So I talk to a lot of folks, including former Warriors people, and that's just not how he's built. Also, Mike Dunleavy Jr. is the new guy that runs basketball ops because Bob Myers left. It's not like Steph doesn't know him or like him, but they don't have the same relationship he had with Bob Myers. I think they're gonna leave that, and that's a pretty top-down organization, and that's a pretty chill guy. Yeah.

I'll say this to you, I think it's worth saying. Since Draymond Green came back from suspension and got into the starting lineup at the end of January and that loss to the Lakers in double overtime, which is a 37-game sample size. I mean, you're talking basically half the season. Over that stretch, the Warriors had the second-best record in the NBA behind only the Celtics. They were top-six in offensive and defensive rating.

They were fourth in net rating. I can give you all the geeky stats, but the point is they were actually pretty good, and had Draymond not been an idiot and been suspended for his shenanigans, and they'd won at the same clip when he was there, they would have been a six seed, and we'd be talking Warriors, Suns. And so I think there's major changes that are coming, but like with LeBron, there's always a chance to win whatever dynasty he is or isn't a part of. I think if you have Steph for the next few years, you have a chance, but I don't think Steph's gonna be the one pushing one direction or the other on what that looks like. Bill Reiter, if the Celtics and Nuggets don't get to the finals, who gets to the finals in the East and who gets to the finals out of the West?

Great question. Okay, so I think Boston can lose. I think Boston can lose to the winner of tonight's playing game, right, if they have to play the Heat or Philly. Okay, I'm gonna go, you tell me this is a good answer, I'm not gonna be pretty daddy from over on my show, we won't answer any questions. Can I say the winner of tonight's game, the series between them and the Knicks?

Because that's the answer. If it's not specific enough, I'll go Sixers. If you want specific, I'll go Sixers beat the Heat tonight, they beat the Knicks in a drag out seven game battle, they beat the Bucks in three because Doc Rivers just quit because he's Doc Rivers, and then they barely get past the Celtics, and it's the Sixers. On the Western Conference side, man, it's a great question. The Thunder are too young and too small. And here's the thing, I know the Nuggets are the two, but the Nuggets are by far and away the best team.

They're winning. Yeah, the Celtics may not make it. In the NBA, let me be clear. Until someone takes down the Nuggets, I will pick them every time in this postseason. I don't even know how to answer your question.

I think the Dallas Mavericks, but Kyrie Irving's on that team, so I just don't, I feel very stupid saying that out loud. Now you sound like pretty daddy, by the way. You just said you weren't going to sound like him. You're refusing to answer the back part of the question. Don't. I said the Mavericks. Oh, okay. Gotcha. Yeah, don't. Oh, man, those are, I mean, that'd be like me calling you, like, Santa or something.

You know, like, let's draw some lines, buddy. He is Bill Ryder. Make sure you check out his new podcast in addition to his daily show right here on the Infinity Sports Network, where you can catch him 10 a.m. to noon Eastern, but also check out John Gonzalez, Ashley Nicole Moss, and Bill Ryder via CBS Sports HQ on introducing their new podcast, Beyond the Arc. Right? Did I get everything right on that end? You're a pro. You're the absolute best, and you crushed it. I appreciate it. Bill, thanks so much.

Enjoy the postseason. See you about. There you go. Bill Ryder joining us on the Zach Gelb show on the brand new Infinity Sports Network. I think anytime I'm tempted to say the old network name, I just pause, I slow down, and I'm just like, the brand new Infinity Sports Network. Alrighty, we will take a time out. I did not ask Bill about Jontay Porter and his ban from the NBA, so we will talk about that and gambling in sports, because we got a whole lot more details in regards to Jontay Porter, who was banned today for life from the NBA.

Coming on back. Listen as Selenia tells us why she chose to vaccinate her daughter. I definitely felt like the pros far outweighed the cons, the diseases that I am protecting my child against. They're still here, and at the end of the day, it's my job as a mother to keep my child safe.

Talk to your child's doctor and learn more at WhyVaccines.com. Brought to you by Merck. Okay, picture this. It's Friday afternoon when a thought hits you. I can waste another weekend doing the same old whatever, or I can conquer it. I can hop into my all new Hyundai Santa Fe and hit the road. Any road.

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