Wosny Lambre
Appearances
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
You are 100,000, 50 million percent the only one. And I'm not buying this reverse jinx crap. I'm not reverse jinxing anything. I'm not doing that. We knew you were going to do this reverse jinx. Look. The Celtics went out to a 25-3 lead. I think that's for a reason.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I think they are just a nightmare matchup for Cleveland because they get Cleveland out of their base offense, which is ball movement, quick hitting, all of that stuff. The Celtics being so switch heavy, it's just like, no, like Garland, you got to beat somebody.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
you know uh donovan mitchell you gotta prove that you're an all nba caliber shot creator finisher you gotta beat somebody you know it's gonna be drew holiday it's gonna be tatum it's gonna be brown like they're gonna force these guys to play in the one-on-one and i think they're gonna be fine like honestly it all depends on the health of the celtics when those two teams get together yes that will be it that's the most important thing for that matchup two things health
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He's an on-ball menace. He plays his ass off on defense. This guy really tries. He takes his matchup personal every single night. Obviously, he's a yapper and gets under the skin of every single one of his opponents. Sometimes he's on teammates too, but that's neither here nor there. I just think he's a gamer, man. Me too.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Every now and again, he'll get you some buckets, blow by guys, driving kick guy. He'll make his threes every night. I've always been a shooter guy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
is he on your radar yet yeah he's a little runner testy he's he's on my radar uh obviously freaking stewart beef stew like number one now pretty much ready to rumble no matter who the opponent is the guy almost murdered lebron james two years ago uh but yeah ron holland is fun i like that he's i like that they haven't been afraid to throw him on the deep end man and just let him
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
sort of figure it out. I think coming into last year's draft, people saw him as like kind of the most, you know, sort of physically athletically gifted of the bunch, if not, you know, the most skilled and crafty. But I like what I've seen from him so far. I like how he's coaching these guys up. I really do.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I'll go first. It's all good. It's so obvious. It's almost like a ceremonial first pick in the sense that we all know what the outcome is going to be, and it's got to be Bradley Beal of the Phoenix Suns. Wow.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
That was not who I had on my board. Waz, I have him fourth. No shot. And the reason why is we just went through this exercise. The Suns were desperate to move this guy. They did all kinds of tactics. They tried to bench him to get him to remove his no trick. They tried everything. to get this man off of their team. They had Jimmy Butler on hold, ready to go, locked and loaded.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
They were going to improve their roster. They called everyone. It was not possible. This is an immovable... It literally can't be moved.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
So from a worse contract, you can't trade it. I don't know. He's winning me over house. You can't, not only can you not trade him. Okay. And like, there was this sort of like, I did it. Well, Bradley bill still, you know, a decent contributing play. Like the other night, the, you know, KD and bud game, they completely took off after Bradley bill's ass went to the bench and
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
So he's getting $50 million this year, $53 million next year, and then $57 million. Well, he has got a player option.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I wonder if he's going to take his player option.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
His player option is $57 million in 26-27, all while holding a no trade clause, which means he basically has the franchise by the barrel. OK, to me, this is still because of the two extra years, still the worst deal in the NBA. And I get it. There's other guys here that I'm like, wow, this is tough. But Bradley Beal to me is the worst.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
House would know this way better than me.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
There you go.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
And I got to say, going through this list, there's just not as many horrific, scary contracts.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Most of these contracts are like, eh. Not that terrible. Some of them you could be like, oh, it's kind of risky. But most of these deals, like even if a guy is slightly overpaid, it's not a franchise killer the way this Bradley Beal thing is. And I'm sure I'm pretty sure I know your next pick is going to be. But, yeah, it's tough.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
It's tough. I got to say, I've been one of the biggest like, look, elements of wanting to move on from Luca were justifiable people in the media. Right. Like there are elements to it where I'm like, I understand why a team would say, you know what, man, this guy is going to be problematic after we give him three hundred fifty million dollars. The bottom line is trading for A.D.,
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Just it's just you just you just had to do something more or better.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Yeah. And and then A.D. goes. It's just like the way he framed it in the media was about availability. Yeah. A.D. goes down immediately. The first game he plays and Kyrie's gone. He's gone.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Oh, Ben Simmons, Bradley Beal. I think those are the creme de la creme, specifically because Ben Simmons got a max contract and then never played. And when he did play, he didn't want to take layups. So, yeah, those two are the ones that immediately come to mind. Obviously, there are legacy deals like John Wall out there. Like, there's a few other doozies.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I think they did it because it's like before he went down last year, he was basically averaging 35 points. He was having the best scoring season since Michael Jordan, literally, in like 1988, right? And so the idea being like, look, when this guy was on the floor for us, he was amazing. And, you know, even in his limited capacity against the Knicks, he was pretty good.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
So the idea is like, oh, he's going to get back to that form before he went down midway through the season. I think the problem for me and what makes this a justifiable pick is that, you know, guys go down and it's like, all right, he's got an ACL. He's got a PCL. He's got a broken fibula. He's got whatever, ankle, whatever. This is the problem. This is the procedure we're going to do.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
This is how long it's going to take for him to come back. It's going to be fine. They can't even tell us. what is wrong with his knee and what they're going to do. People are throwing out micro fracture surgery. Do they even still do that? Dude, that's how dumbfounded they are by what they can do to address the problem in his knee. And it feels like there's nothing left to fix.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Uh, it's a devastating, devastating contract. Um, let's just say, presumably he plays three more years on this knee in 28, 29, he's going to be owed basically $70 million. Um, That's tough.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
In his age, 30, what will that be?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He's making it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He's not going to retire before this contract is up. He can't. His accountant will not allow it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
So 20 games a season out of him for the Sixers. Hey, it is whatever I got to do to make it to the finish line. And listen, look, I think Joel Embiid is a bit of a tragic figure.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
And he seems to want it really badly. It's just his body just straight up has not cooperated. And that sucks. But at the end of the day, he's going to have like $600 million in career earnings. And I don't feel that bad for the guy, you know?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
This is the last obvious, this is just horrible, contract, in my opinion, left in the league. There's other ones that are like, all right, this is pretty bad, but this is like... Horrific. And it's Joel Embiid's teammate, Paul George.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
No, easily. I think so. I think you can make arguments for both.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Player option in 27, 28 for 56 mil. Probably opting into that one. Not retiring.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
So bad. And this is the thing. I think we got to give cut Darrell a break here a little bit in the sense that last year on the Clippers, Paul George was an all NBA performer. He was the Clippers on off numbers with Paul George on both offense and defense. He was he was their best player last year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He was a bona fide star NBA player last year, and he's coming to the 76ers environment, just turned into a pumpkin. Like, I don't think we could have foreseen this.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, I mean, I think the Luka trade definitely took this thing into a whole different gear. Obviously, we spent a lot of time talking about what happened, why it happened, how it happened. But the actual basketball, to watch Luka kind of just...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, and I got yelled at a few years ago because I implied that he wasn't the next Kawhi Leonard. People thought I was insane and kept saying, look at his rookie stats compared to Kawhi's. I'm like, guys, this is not – I think Scottie Barnes is a really good player. Me too. I don't think he's anybody's idea.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I don't think he's anybody's idea of a number one option. I think around the right circumstance where he would be de-emphasized and just kind of just solely allowed to focus on his strengths and not, you know, firing up threes on a regular basis.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Hey, he made the all-star team last year, House. He's an NBA all-star. All-star. So he's knocking on the door theoretically. On All-NBA, I've never been the biggest Scottie Barnes person, but I don't see his contract as like, you know, some kind of death knell to Toronto's future.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I think some of the team building they've, you know, taken, the actions they've taken in that direction, I think are highly problematic, right? Um, but I don't think Scotty Barnes is like, I'm horribly over.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
pretty much automatically be embraced by the crowd at crypto yeah where he is just playing to the crowd and just straight up he's in it and it's kind of amazing that it's come together in nine freaking games this way yeah it's well it's even more amazing that some people were saying i don't know i don't know how those guys are gonna play together two ball dominant guys it's like what
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
So here's what I compare Scottie Barnes to. I compare it to the deal that Wiggins got off of his rookie extension. Where Glenn Taylor said that... Well, Andrew Wiggins promised me that he was going to work his ass off in the offseason, and so I gave him the max contract extension. He hasn't put it on the court that he's worth that, but he promised me. He gave me his word.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I think if Scott – I look at his deal like that. You look at the talent, where they drafted him, the idea that they're just not going to give him a max extension I think would have been problematic for their management. And I'm like, in a few years, can Scottie Barnes be the finishing piece
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Even at a slightly inflated or vastly inflated, according to Joe Howe's contract, could he help a winner elevate their situation the way Wiggins did for the Warriors? I think he could, potentially. That's why I'm not so, so down on the deal. When he's a fourth banana. Okay, I'll keep my eye on it. A $50 million fourth banana.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Hey, man, I just came back from the grocery store. It's not that far off, I'll tell you that much.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
What is happening? You know what's so funny, Bill, is that when I looked, I looked at Kawhi's contract, but I looked at it next to Paul George's, and I was like, yeah. Not so bad. And plus, like, he's been playing so well recently. I'm like, ah. But you're right, though. It is.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He just straight up does not play. And that's what makes the deal.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He looked better than Paul George.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
My next contract is like this. I feel like this contract goes under the radar because this franchise is just known for ineptitude, basically. But it doesn't get talked about enough. And to me, this contract just signals like everything this franchise is about. And it's Patrick Williams of the Bulls.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Like this dude is going to make $18 million per year until 2029. And like, he's never been good. He's not good now. And like what, there was no reason to do this.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Everything about this guy has been theoretical. It's like, oh, look at the body and the 3ND, and it's just never, ever materialized. And it's just what the Bulls do. Nothing they've done. Aside from finally, thankfully, moving on from Zach Levine makes any sense whatsoever. But are we even sure that they're even going down the rebuilding? you know, path.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
We don't even know if that's the case, man. But like the, the Patrick, as soon as they inked this, it was like, what are they doing? Like, why would you do this?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Dude, for the season, he's shooting 37.5%. He can't shoot. From the field, guys. He's 6'8".
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He was a good player. I thought Miami made a great pickup.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He's 31 on St. Patrick's day.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Wait, is this for the extension that Nico Harrison is going to eventually give him this summer?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Next season is done.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
And again, I think Dallas was good. They were basically going to be over a barrel this summer. Oh, they would have maxed him. They would have maxed him a max extension for four years, which would have been kind of insane.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
But now they could probably wheeze a lot of that. And so maybe that'll be a mitigating factor in the next deal. But yeah, he's not playing next year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He said he wanted them to exhibit the work habits of one Shaquille O'Neal. That was tough. Am I up now?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
This is kind of easy for me, to be honest. And it's Brandon Ingram. Another guy who nobody... They tried to trade this guy for two straight years. Basically, David Griffin was like, bro, we're not paying you a penny over your current salary. Like, it's not going to happen. They fought and they fought and fought. Nobody would take this guy. Golden State needed a forward. It wouldn't take him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
It was like, no, thank you. Everybody said, no, thank you. And then, of course, like... The Raptors, for reasons I still don't understand, traded for the guy, gave him the extension, three years, $140 million. And then, you know, right after, my guy Jake Fisher is like, yo, they're probably going to trade RJ Barrett next summer. Like, what was the point of this? I don't get it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He's not a fit next to Scottie Barnes. He never plays any defense despite, you know, the physical tools and the profile. He's always just been a kind of like, give me the ball, let me cook, and not going to elevate a single thing around me. Hates taking spot up threes. I don't understand the trade. I don't understand this deal. I don't understand what Masai Ujiri has done basically since 2019.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
120, sorry, not 40.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Jackson Hayes dropped 20 points in the first half.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
You have to pay the money. You have to. He definitely made my list, but it's like, you're the Nuggets. This guy's been a part of the greatest team in the history of your franchise. You drafted the guy. They love the guy. If the Nuggets make another finals run or two, I think this is completely justified to keep the era going and all of that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I'm not going to lie, House. Some of these Jamal Murray box scores to start the season, definitely my eyebrow was raised for a while. The performance with Team Canada in the goddamn Olympics, that was scary stuff for me. But as of lately, he's dropping 50 on guys. He's looking spry. I love it. I'm feeling more confident. But yeah, it's scary when you think about his injury history.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I don't think so. I don't think that's a fair characterization.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Yes, 100%. I think so. I think Rudy was the anchor of by far the league's best defense last year. he was key to beating Joker in the playoffs.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I mean, it was a trio, but Rudy played a major part in sort of like keeping Joker contained. They win that in a dogfight, you know, seven game series.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
They justify it by saying, look, $35 million, that's probably the going rate for starting centers. This guy's always been an Ironman in terms of playing. Takes his conditioning and his body really super seriously to stay on the court. I understand the pick, Bill.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I think Rudy's going to stick around. The idea that they had a three-center rotation last year is just an anomaly. Like, you can't keep three centers who are basically paid their market value on your roster when all of them are basically kind of starter caliber. So... I don't know. I think they figure out how to make the Nas Reid thing work. I'm just not as disgusted by the Rudy deal.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
And I guess I've kind of become a Rudy convert, man. I just think a lot of this stuff does get a little bit underrated.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He's expensive, but I'm not.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Another one I take no joy from this, but DeJounte Murray, after this year, he's got three years at about 32 per. Coming off of an Achilles injury, and it's just, it's tough. You tear your Achilles... Yeah, guard. And you're like one of your main strengths is basically your athleticism, your shiftiness. Yeah, I'm not seeing it for him. And the deal is tough.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I think this is going to end up being a bad deal for New Orleans, man.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
That's the new duo though. But no, LeBron seems to have a pep in his step. He had a chase down block the other day where I'm just like, this guy's now back to chase down blocking people. I loved it. They smartly decided that, no, Luka Doncic is the point guard, the orchestrator. We'll just work around, I don't know, one of the three best players in the NBA. And they've been rewarded for that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Well, he's on the opposite of a bad contract. That's an amazing contract they got for Peyton Pritchard right now.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
This is pretty easy for me, and it sucks, but it's Grant Williams. This guy has three for 41. Yeah, and he's just not an NBA player anymore. Straight up. Doesn't play. He's just done.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Next year, even when he was playing and he was getting ticked this season, it was pretty disastrous. He was another Nico Harrison sort of unearthing. Just never, never panned out. Yeah, Grant Williams. I think he's done.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
And the J.J. Redick stuff is absolutely working. Every time the Lakers social media account posts one of his post-game speeches, I know it's bullshit, but I'm bought in. I'm like, I'm ready to run through a wall for this guy. It's amazing to watch what the Lakers have been doing.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I don't want to draw the ire of this fan base, but for me, it's the minus, the bonus.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
You do this every year. This guy is just overpaying. You do it every year. Like, I think the team's limitations are based on their commitment to this dude playing center, where just, like, straight up, you cannot guard the paint. Shout out to Doug Christie. He's changed up the game plan to make it just straight up. Everybody just packs the paint, and we allow teams to shoot threes now. That's it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
We cannot guard the paint with DeMondis and Sabonis at center. And they just committed to it, and I get it. He gets rebounds. He's a great guy. I get it, all of that. But, like, this guy is just not worth what they're paying him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
If you're another team and you've identified Sabonis as somebody you want, why? Why do you want him at that number?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Okay. Thank you.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
He's like the center version of Ben Simmons would have panned out.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
You're going to regret this in the playoffs.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
It's been a rough year in Orlando, man.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Come on, man.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Not what he was brought in to do.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Great locker room guy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Ah, man, now I'm starting to get into guys that I really actually like as players.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
This is tough. I think the Jalen Green deal is a tough one. Just the up and down, inconsistent nature of his game, man. Two weeks, he's up. Three weeks, he's down.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Yep, with a play option at the end of it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, we try to get them a superstar.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
And I think the ultimate indictment of Jalen Green and the deal is that Fred Van Vliet goes down and the offense just goes into the tank because they don't have a creator. Yeah. who can effectively get them into decent offense. And it's like Jalen Green, like you're right here. Like you should be stepping up here.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
I really like Jalen Green.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Stop it. Get the hell out of here.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
They're conserving his body for the postseason, folks. Chill.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Okay. Not mad at it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
This hurts me because he's one of my favorite players in the league, but it's OG Ananobi.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
It's a huge deal with a guy who has an extensive injury history, especially muscle injuries, which tend to happen with a lot of overusage, which... Newsflash, he plays for Tom Thibodeau. Ask Luol Deng about that. Love OG. I love watching OG play. I love his approach to the game. But this is so much money for a guy who doesn't create his own shot ever. He's not some great distributor.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
It's like, man, this is a lot.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Literally a hill of beans.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, he should be. Zach Collins definitely should be.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Drew Holiday 4 for 134 I thought about it and another guy that's got like a fucked up finger that I thought about is Bam Adebayo he's having a horrible season everybody thought this was going to be a breakout year particularly on offense that just straight up has not happened he's got a sterling reputation amongst people in our profession so he won't get killed in like the media but like he's been a disappointment well we've hit the end
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Probably Sacramento.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
You lit a fire in the ass.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Vitamin D. He's going to be getting a Hailey Bieber from Erdogan. Is that what you're saying?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
This is why I disagree with you, House, is when's the last time Katie was happy somewhere?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
So, like, the guy's just been, you know, perpetually unhappy. Like, everybody remembers that last year in Golden State. Like, people think this Budenholzer thing is, like, out of left field. It's like, go look at the last year in Golden State. Like, this guy was miserable. A lot of people described it as morose. for an entire season, for the best team in the league by far, right?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
Obviously, the Brooklyn thing blew up. And look, I've kind of defended what Jimmy did because it's just like, look, you guys don't want to pay me. After I basically overachieved my entire tenure here, I'm blowing this thing up. Like, it was ugly, but he got the right outcome for himself and his career. He got his money in Golden State, and now he's on a team that I think is as scary as anyone.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NBA Worst Contracts Draft With Joe House and Wosny Lambre
And it's specifically because they got Jimmy Butler. The defense is taking another step. And Jimmy is just seamlessly fitting to the offense, which I kind of thought would be the case because he played in a similar offense in Miami around, you know, Tyler here on Duncan Robinson getting free on the three point line. Now it's Steph Curry.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Is destruction, you know, a ninth seed in the play-in or potentially an eighth? Is that destruction?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Would you agree with that? I would say the Spurs are the first ones out, for sure.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And I will probably go Sacramento, but I understand the Suns skepticism for sure.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I think the theory that you replace Luka's production or lack of production because he's not on the floor with AD, who's like, you know, played at an all-star starter level damn near the whole year and you become this defensive juggernaut. I think the theory is sound there, specifically in the regular season. If they're just like, you know, a really hard nose, like we grind out games defensively.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Team in the regular season. That, I don't buy it as a playoff proposition. They did get the better Martin, brother. Yeah. They won something. Unfortunately, Boston doesn't play in this conference, so I don't know how good Caleb Martin can be. I just think... Not what they needed, by the way.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I just think a motivated Jimmy actually fitting a Golden State need, meaning somebody who can do something off the dribble that isn't Steph Curry and, you know, can play defense, even though he's not what he used to be at all. He used to be an ace defender. He's not that, but he's way more than competent. And just the motivational factor.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I think the FU Jimmy factor is going to be at a very high level. And, you know, Draymond, super competitive guy. I understand why the odds are such.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
A couple of things that I love about the deal. One, it pays deference to the end of the Steph era. So Jimmy's deal basically coincides with... you know, Steph Steele to Jimmy Butler is a maniac. He's going to be extremely motivated and he's an upgrade to what Andrew, you can say whatever you want. He is a clear talent upgrade to Andrew Wiggins sort of Sometimes here, sometimes there, whatever.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And then third, I like that it just clarifies the Kaminga stuff because with these young guys, we see it all the time. When they're in these trade rumors for an entire season, it's like, all right, that's now been clarified. You're going to be here. This is what the team looks like. Let's go. I'm really high on this for Golden State.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
He can't put a team on his back. No, it's not. 2022 final, Steph is not.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
We just turned Jimmy Butler into Andrew Wiggins. I mean, how do you... It's like if you're playing a game of chicken against a guy who's willing to die, like, how do you win? Right? Like, I just don't know... He's Dom Toretto in every Fast and Furious movie. He's not going to flinch. I'm coming right at you. He's willing to do it. So, like, how do you win versus that? And...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And again, I personally wouldn't have carried it the way Jimmy did. The way he's obviously looking at it is like this is literally his last payday ever in the NBA, major payday. And he's looking at it like, I have to do whatever I have to do to make sure I secure that win. And unfortunately, it got ugly. And I can understand feeling entitled. It got ugly. It was like got disfigured.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, it was bad. It was like Vanilla Sky, Tom Cruise face level ugly. And I've been carrying Jimmy Water just in the sense that he's overachieved. He was an A-plus player for Miami for what they did when they got him, what the expectation was and what he actually delivered.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And for him to feel like, yo, why won't you place faith in me that I'm going to over-deliver again as I've done my entire tenure year? Yeah. Like him being like, yo, this is a slap in the face.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Ware's been good for like a month.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Ware is very good.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
There's definitely going to be an annoying team to play against. I just think this version of Boston is just too... Oh, I'm not worried about them for Boston.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
They definitely have a bunch of solid rotation guys. It's just like, who individually are you scared of in a series? What do you think Terry Rozier would bet on?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
He hasn't played on an actual NBA team for five years. This is year five in NBA Siberia. He had his choice. That was his choice. He had options to leave and play for competitive teams, for example.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Maybe he was looking out for a better championship situation. I just think in 2020 on the Lakers, he was the ultimate role guy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yes. It's 2020. He was the ultimate role guy. Again, the last two good players he played with were Brad Bill and who? Is this... Bob Carrington?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Listen, it's a defensive Kyle Kuzma monologue. Great cutter. Great cutter. Not a great shooter, but can make open shots when called upon. Okay? How about terrible shooter? He's shooting like 27% for free this year. I would say his shot quality has been horrible on a team that's going nowhere. He has shown no professional pride whatsoever this season.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
He looks like... He looks like he is on autopilot. I just think it's different when you play on a team that's actually playing for something.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
The Wizards basketball situation is hell. It's bad. It's hard.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Move. But that bad. He's got two bad ankles.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
But was there a Chris Middleton-esque guy out there?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Chris Middleton this year, guys, has been a non-entity.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Kuzma can play four for these guys next to Giannis or next to Brooke if you need him to. And again, like, I think that role play junkyard dog guy is still in there.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
One last thing, because I think the Kuzma thing is going to work. When Team USA was assembled last summer, Kuzma, who's like an outspoken Twitter guy, he's like, yo, these guys are big NBA players and names, but somebody's going to have to fill a role. Somebody's going to have to do these dirty work things. And Devin Booker famously said, I will, or whatever, quote, or whatever.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
This is Kuzma explains to you, I understand what it means to be on a team that's trying to do something meaningful. It was five years ago.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Look, Rashawn Rondo is on that team. COVID, COVID, it just happened. I think, I think Doc as a coach. Joe Biden was alive. Is the kind of guy who will curse you out for not doing the right thing in terms of playing your role, playing next to Giannis. I'll go the other way.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And in three, four weeks when this thing is actually working. So we disagree.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
So is Jordan Poole an Orlando Magic candidate?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And GMs, you know they fall in love with their young guys. So it's not that surprising that they still think, you know, all of these guys are going to come through in a major way. Jalen Suggs going down, I think, is just underrated in how... It's really hurt them a lot.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Who knew?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
It's two things. It's two things. It's terrible. So nobody's going to convince me that this doesn't cost players money. People say, well, no, the basketball revenue is guaranteed and teams have to spend to a floor.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, no, that's cool. But like teams going beyond above and beyond.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
What is called for is more money in the player pool. And now teams will just say we don't have that option because of these things. And the reason why the players agree to it is that the new CBA kicked in and they 2X the money. So when you're making all this money, it's like, why are we going to bat for this?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
We're richer than we've ever been by two and a half times X. And so that situation converged to let the owners get this. And it's literally so that Joe Lacob could forever just be like, you know, his first five, six years just always spending way over the cap and always going into the luxury tax. Now he could go to his fan base without any retribution and say, guys, Second apron out.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
The owner is just literally like, oh, God, we're never going to have to do this again. Oh, my goodness.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And nobody can explain to me what problem it was solving. What was solved by this in terms of selling it?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
That's one of your surrogate teams. Yeah, for sure. Especially when Jalen Johnson wasn't injured. But Hunter, I think this year has most often looked like the version of him that's been sold to us basically since he's been drafted, right?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Look, first week of the season, the Strother talk, even the Christian Brown stuff. I was like, Zeke Najee. I was like, Zeke Najee made a couple of threes the other day. And I was like, what the hell is going on? I was just like, guys, I get it. You love your young guys and whatever.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
So maybe they will be vindicated, but you're right, Bill. I would have loved to see them do something like a bogey thing. I was excited when they were in the Zach Levine sweepstakes, allegedly.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Like this big physical guy who, you know, is really toolsy, but every now and again will make a shot and even create his own shot, which, you know, takes him past the three and D sort of element. The D has been hit or miss his whole career. And even his shooting has been sort of hit and miss. But this year, he's actually making shots. 39% from three.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Back when I was just, again, applauding everything the Nuggets did, I just swore Bones was going to be a person.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
He was complaining that he wasn't getting enough tick on a team that had Nikoli Okic.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Tough. And now he's about to be on his third team.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, I get the idea that they're not keeping their pick. It's like, why are you losing and giving them a better pick? It's like, that's gone. It's out the door. We got to do what's right for our team.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I, it's tough. I remember when Masai was, you know, he was like a GM free agent and it was like, is he going to New York? Is he going to this? And, you know, there was rumors that he got equity in the Raptors and all of this stuff. And like to use all of that cachet and literal equity and goodwill to do this with the Raptors since he re-signed with them. It's just so rudderless and directionless.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
That's what I think attracted him to the Cavaliers. Did you guys see the Cavs sell out the game the other night?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And I get it. Brandon Ingram's a good player. I understand why you would want him on his team. But like, what is the idea or the theory of the Raptors?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
That's not Brandon Ingram.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
So here's the... It's like, you know, Brandon Ingram is going to feel a way about New Orleans not paying him because he feels like he's accomplished stuff there. And there's like so much stuff. There's a sort of entitlement there. But then, you know, you go a whole year and a half basically where nobody wants you.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I think he comes into that contract negotiation with the Raptors with a little bit more humility. I'm sure that's probably what they're banking on where he doesn't think he's a five year maximum contract player.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
It'll probably be like a three year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Does his space.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Which the Raptors need.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
The talent doesn't fit at all. But, you know, again, another lanky, rangy guy who they love, but he's never used his tools for good. It's fake size, and he doesn't guard.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
He absolutely is ball stopper-ative. He's ball stoppiest.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
That's brutal.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
This is the first year that it's felt like a great deal. That's the crazy thing.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I mentioned this because none of those guys are on the team. Yes. That's the thing. None of them. I just, and I've said this a couple of times. I remember it's being at summer league in 2019 after they traded AD draft Zion, who looks like he's going to be the next LeBron James. Yeah. And I remember seeing Griff at summer league and there was an aura emanating from him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Everybody wanted to bend this guy's ears like, my God, Griff, he's done it. They are on their way. They got all these picks and their young guys are cost control and blah and this and there's so much versatility and oh my, New Orleans is it. And what's come of this AD trade? One frisky first round series.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, I think Hunter's another one of those guys like like Rui who looks the part where it's like, oh, he's this big physical guy and we could get him to guard Tatum and Brown. But like in practice, he's just an offensive player. He's never been a defensive force at any point, maybe in moments and possessions at a time. You'd be like, wow, if he could just tap into that always.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And then the perils of the max contract era is that when you have your own guy and he's clearly one of your best players, there's a pressure to pay him a max deal, which he'll be in the same pay grade as guys that are just clearly much better. Bonafide All-Stars and Ingram and even Siakam, like these are high quality players. Are they max players? But the way the system is set up, like you...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
have to pay these guys in accordance to this freaking pay scale. Well, think about this.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
We thought they were clearly going to be above playing range. Like they'd be in the six, maybe even five range. Their over-under was like 45 and a half. Yeah. So it is lower now. Like it is idiots on New Orleans coming into this year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And so that's why I feel like he's available for, you know, a Karis Levert and second round picks were famously, you know,
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And it doesn't fit because it would have made sense basketball wise, which is just generally not what KD does. He doesn't do the basketball thing except for Golden State. Like that's been the only time that he put the thing on the floor first. And he didn't really care for the results in terms of his own personal happiness, as he said earlier.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
This crazy owner, no picks. It's almost you fit the thing like a glove. Obviously, KD's good enough to do all the ball movement stuff, but that's not what Golden State would be asking him to do. They'd be asking him to be KD. Again, just get the ball and cook people, and Steph and everybody else will work around it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
But again, I can understand not wanting to go back and do the same thing and wanting to maybe – If Phoenix isn't what you ultimately end up doing in terms of signing an extension with, exploring some different option that makes you a lot happier. And I think Phoenix's whole thing has always been with trading all these picks and this and the future's done.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
If we want to, we'll do a fire sale for KD and Booker, try to get a bunch of picks back and just move on with our lives. That's what it feels like the Phoenix thing is.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yeah. People don't remember this, Bill. That's why you're Bill Simmons. I'm not Bill Simmons. I'm Conspiracy Bill.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
People don't remember. And I was like at the time, there was a bit of a whisper campaign of what's up with KD? What's taking him so long? He should be back already. Like he looks good when we see him in practice, when we see him in the gym, blah, blah, blah. He's going to be a free agent. He doesn't want to risk it. And it was a whisper campaign. He came back.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And then Torres freaking Achilles and Bob Myers is crying at the news conference and all of that. And I always thought that was like, man, damn, we did kind of say he was, you know, loafing and taking too long. Another great appearance from Conspiracy Bill. That was great. What a cameo by him. There's something to it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I'm sure you've gotten a few of the conspiracies with the Luka situation.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I mean, the Fox thing, I think, was cool in a couple of ways because a lot of people felt like the Spurs should hold out for a better superstar. But and I said this on our podcast, it's almost like your friend who like is addicted to Tinder and is like a nice girl who wants him and wants to settle with him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
But he's like, yeah, but I got these five other hot chicks on Tinder that might want to mess with me. It's like, no, get with the girl that's like a nice girl. Good looking girl wants to be with you. Settle up with that one.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
You're very buttoned up today. You got the cardigan going. The Spurs knocking in on not just De'Aaron Fox as a talent, but like temperamentally. He's a Spurs kind of player in terms of his headspace, his approach to the game. He's just not an NBA diva. He's about the right things. And I thought they were smart to just be like, you know what? It's not going to cost us a ton to bring this guy in.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yes, some people might look at the extension like, you're going to pay him $48 million? I would. I think he's a top 30 guy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
To me, I'm okay. Also, he wanted to be in a small market Texas team, which is pretty rare. Go get him. And I'm happy they did that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I mean, their owner just doesn't like... The idea of a complete teardown and rebuild. And so other people might have been like, look, Fox has been our franchise player for how long? We built everything around him. We moved Halliburton out of here because of him and our belief in him. And he no longer wants to be here. All right, let's start all over. See if we can get some bonus offers out there.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Let's start all over. Do something different.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And Sabonis, like, who trades for Sabonis? I feel like he's way more valuable to them than he would be to some other team. That could be true. That could be true.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I was literally about to scream it, Bill. That's what it looks like.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Is there a team that you are surprised hasn't done anything yet? Definitely the Magic, most surprised, because they're so rudderless right now. And the idea that you wouldn't try to spruce that thing up is tough. I think the Knicks are really counting on Mitchell Robinson coming back and being that anchor. They really need him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Why is nobody going to scoop Clint Capella? Is this an injury history thing?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, Magic should have probably tried to do something. I get it. They can be patient. Their guys are still young and all of that stuff, and they feel like they're building towards something. But the Magic should have done something. I'm always going to think the Denver Nuggets should have upgraded.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Something like that? I think it's the... So is the tank in motion now, Wes? Of course. I think the tank has been in motion once they decided that, like,
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And he's already $30. I think he's on trade about that number. It's one of those things where guys on bad teams, I feel like you get in the right situation that's actually playing for something. You can change the contours of what you do on a night-to-night basis if it's for some greater good.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
He's definitely one of the greatest heat ever.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
That's a different thing. The Bulls basically had... What was it, 30 games in Lonzo's first year?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And Sacramento's been that good. Capella's not, I don't know. Like, if you need big man help.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
If you need big man help, why are you breaking the bank to me? And I know we're saving it for the second half for Mark Williams. Save it for the second half. Where you could do something for Clint Capella just for this year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Katie to the Grizzlies is a Katie move.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Katie to the Grizzlies is a Katie move. Because they have the stars already, so he won't feel like the burden is all on him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
For the season. And Hunter's been there for so long. He's been there long enough to get a rookie extension. He's not new. So in a certain sense, he's a known commodity for them. So I can understand him being like, look, this thing has run its course. Let's get at least something out of this. And we're not the type of team where...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I thought you were a cop of any of it. I was like, I was confused. No, he's going to recognize the burden will not be all on him. And so he can go in and just do KD things. Just come in. Plus he can take over the offense.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Listen, it also would be very bittersweet. Ja's just trying to save himself for the playoffs. Has Ja played four games in a row? I don't think so yet.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
This is the perfect compliment I could play to Grizzlies and I get it. I'm in the tank for them. Even when John's not playing, I still want to watch that team. The Jaron Jackson Jr.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
But if it was like... Damn, who's playing point guard for them?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Also, if you're going to do that, man, get somebody who's in their twenties, even if it's their late twenties, get somebody in there. Don't get a 38 year old, man.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
He's really good. Because his stats. Oh, his stats are insane.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
where we're winning so much and he helps as this sort of ancillary part that will, you know, help us out, fill in the blanks rotation-wise. It's just like, let's get something for him. We're going into this mega youth movement or whatever.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
only thing he doesn't do anymore is turn the corner on guys he's not getting to the cup the way like prime KD like that was what made it unstoppable but he still gets to the cup and he can elevate hey we have a trade sir Shams yet again Shams just dancing in Woj's wake just having a great time
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And then you have to calm yourself down. No, he gets to the basket, man. He has moments where he looks like an above average NBA athlete. Like where it's like, man, this guy has some physical gifts in terms of quickness and all of that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Next year is his last year. $21 million. $21 million for Marcus Smart. So...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
And it was like, holy shit. Two zipped to the nuggets and came back and tied the series up.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yeah, and to what end, right? Like, I guess, yeah, the Hawks pick is definitely valuable. Like, I could see it landing, what are they, probably like in the 10 range or something like that. Which, you know, of course is a valuable pick.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
But at the same time, when the guy says that he wants to go to San Antonio, San Antonio is clearly positioned to sign the guy outright if and when they need to or have to. And it's like... The closer he gets to his free agency, the less valuable he becomes. I do wonder how much leverage they have in a situation to be like, screw that, you're giving me this. Because the Spurs season was going fine.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Like, they could make the argument that, like, look, we don't need to bring Fox in right now. We like the way our young guys are coalescing around Wemby. The Chris Paul thing is worked out. Knock on wood, he hasn't even been hurt. And so there's no rush on our end. So they definitely could credibly say we could walk away from the table.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
It was worthy until Saturday happened. I think without Saturday, we'd definitely treat it as a monumental trade. Jimmy Butler's teaming up with Steph Curry and Draymond. That whole saga ends. It's a story. It's a jolt to the Warrior season. It's just after Luka Doncic. We're broken. We're broken.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Is that worth it?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
So here's the thing.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
So here's the thing. The sons had agreed in principle to give him two extra years on top of what he already had in the bank. That would be tampering if they did that. What do you mean?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Well, all of these reports about tell Golden State no or tell this person to go away or whatever, it's like holding out hope that Phoenix could somehow, by some miracle, get Bradley Beal out of there so they could bring Jimmy in and actually give him that extra year. Once that became... Not a possibility. It's like, all right, cool. We'll settle for Golden State.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
I want to get the hell out of Miami. It's only one year added. My agent's framing it as 120. It's really like 111. But whatever. You know, I think he was just really holding out for that extra year that Phoenix had promised him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
Bradley Beal, it's just like at a certain point, Jimmy, it's worth it to take this to the summer. If Bradley Beal, who has a no trade clause, okay? It's not even just like, all right, we get Bradley Beal. It's like if something comes up, we could use this guy to move or whatever. He's still a good player.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
He's not worth the fifth highest salary in the NBA, but he's still somebody who can play, who can help a team. It's not the end of the world. Bradley Beal, where he gets to dictate terms... to the team that he gets traded to, it just makes absolutely no sense.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
You literally can't trade him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Part 1: NBA Trade Deadline Reactions With Rob Mahoney and Wosny Lambre
No, he's still somebody who contributes. And I would say he could contribute to winning. It's just when you're paying somebody like that, you would hope he's like your on-ball guy, your shot creator.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I mean, that was just misery in terms of selling this product and being like, these are compelling guys, interesting people, great athletes. This man went up there and said he loves his mom, his son, and he hoops really hard. Like, It's just not going to work. And, you know, again, and I'll say this again, their most popular young guy was who? Ja Morant. Right, yeah, we talked about all this.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
And bottom line is Nike and them did not get their hooks into him and turn him into a corporate product since he was 12 years old like they have the rest of these guys. These dudes are so anodyne. They don't say or do or look – Nothing is interesting about these guys. I enjoy watching them hoop. As people, I'm completely uninspired. There's just nothing there.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
And, you know, again, the guys who are willing to be a little bit out there and different don't comport with how the league sees itself. Like how's this guy Kyle Kuzma? Hey, Kyle Kuzma is willing to say stuff in public. That's what I like that about Kuzma. He's willing to say shit. These other guys, like, I don't know, man. They're just so afraid. There's too much money at stake. Any backlash.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Yeah. They don't want to jeopardize it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Yeah, the thing about more cup games, it will make it so that it makes it easier for the best teams to actually play in the further rounds to actually advance. And so you probably wouldn't get an Atlanta in there, although I love watching Atlanta.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Hey, that's fair. And yeah, again, I do think... you know, fixing the window that they put it in. But to me, it's like, it's a promotion issue. Like Adam Silver needs to get his Don King hat on. Like this guy's just not a promoter. He does not know. They just don't know. And maybe it's the networks. I don't know. You know what I mean? They don't know how to eventize these products.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
And that to me is the main issue. People don't see these things as essential viewing. They know the season is 82 games long. They know that effectively a loss in January is just like ho-hum. Who cares? Every single game doesn't matter. And the league just needs to be better, more effective at promoting their product, getting people to feel like this is essential.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Because the idea that people aren't interested in the NBA, I think, is BS. I think plenty of people are still interested. Obviously, like the highlights, the recaps, they do numbers online. People still want to know about the results and all of that stuff. It's just the NBA needs to impress upon people that these games are worthy of their time, worthy of their commitment.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I kind of do at this point. He's got a Dyson Daniels bedspread. So I'm also like a bit of a radical thinker on the schedule and stuff. One, I think, I don't even think 70 is enough of a cut. I think it should be literally round robin. You play each team one time at home, one time away, two times a week. So like 60.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
That's it. One in one.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
And that's the point. All of these owners who were told are the most visionary business people ever because they ran some hedge fund, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. They can't figure out how...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
this extra shortfall in money that they got from this big, big ass 11 year contract from all of these networks, as house mentioned, how reducing inventory and making it more scarce, they can't figure out a way to monetize that. I find that to be just, just baffling. It does.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
And also I'm a bit radical on league pads. I think we should abolish it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I haven't heard this. Look, if you have to watch the NBA for work, if people say, oh, that's self-serving for you, Woz, whatever. I'm just saying, if people have to watch it for work, all right, we'll give you League Pass. If you want access to it, we're charging you a crazy premium, which to me, that means like whenever people want to watch the NBA, they got to watch it with the league's partners.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I like I don't see what's so bad about that as an idea, because, again, I grew up in a context of no league pass and was completely fine with Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and NBA on NBC. Like, I don't know.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Yeah, you get your own team in your market. Yeah, just like how the Jets and Giants got forced down my throat when I was living in New York.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Bill, no, we're not giving them three other teams. So that's it. You're going hardcore. You watch your local team and you watch your national team. Okay? There's two days a week that NBA games are on.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Yeah, that's it. That's it. That's it. And also... They do need to do something about the bootlegs. I was talking to somebody who works in this sort of area in terms of how young people consume sports, specifically the NBA. Like, how it was explained to me, it's like how people of my age viewed Napster.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Where it's just like, once we found Napster and LimeWire and all this other stuff, we literally stopped believing in the concept that we would go to Sam Goody and buy a CD. It's like, no, I get this for free. I'm not paying for it. I don't have an ESPN subscription. I damn sure don't want a discovery. I am just pilfering an illegal stream. They need to find something to do about that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
And I know I can hear people right now saying, how many people could possibly be streaming stuff this way? I'm telling you, it's a sizable amount of folks.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Dude, and Doc said this in the pregame availability. He said one of the cooler things about this is we had time to prepare for our opponent. Almost like a playoff game. Again, everything gets better when we're not stuffing all of these freaking games together, playing three games in five nights in three cities. This is a no-brainer schedule. It's a no-brainer.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Everything would be better with less games. So maybe they'll give some of the money back.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Wow.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
His dog's teams just don't practice generally.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I'm fine with Vegas, but they need to figure out a mechanism by which they can get the fans of the actual teams in those buildings. I don't know. I haven't really put too much thought as to how they would go about doing this. Again, I'm biased like you guys. I love Vegas. So I think it's a great place to host something like this past weekend. It was also the freaking rodeo championships.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Shania Twain had a concert. There were cowboy hats. Entertainment! It's just a great place to host an event.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Yeah, and we can make the tweak be, if we're going to spread it out, we can make the tweak be the semis end up being home arenas. And then the final, you know, you make it, not only do you make it, you know, the destination or whatever it is, there's enough space. Because I don't know why the semis and the finals have to be so freaking close to each other.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Like, they don't do that in the Champions League.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
The PJs.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
There is no trade deadline that's relevant anymore.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Again, I feel like I'm always bashing Adam Silver. Like, the guy did a good job. He went and enriched the players and the owners with this new TV deal. He is an absolute magnet for corporate money. Like, they invented the NBA Cup. The next year, they're like, oh, we got the Emirates. The Emiratis are paying for it. Like, he is a master at that. But this whole thing about...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
We want to be like football and have parity. And so let's make it impossible for good teams to stack talent. And trade's just an impossibility now. This was a mistake, guys. It was a mistake.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I picked the Dallas Mavericks before the season. I don't know if I've unleashed this take on you. I saw the Celtics as the 2016 Warriors, coming off a championship, smoking everybody all regular season, faced the Cavs in the finals the year before, just like the Mavericks. I think the Mavericks and the Celtics are going to rematch.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
in the finals, and Luka Doncic, like LeBron before him, is going to find a way to win his first NBA championship, y'all.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I love it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I need to see the first SGA moment.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I mean, I was only there for the semifinals. I got back on Sunday. But it's done. The Bucs, I heard the Bucs won in Giannis. Played well.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I think I like the idea of having two games in one location, sort of an all day kind of basketball extravaganza. Like I personally enjoyed that aspect of it. The arena is, you know, pretty much up to snuff in terms of any normal NBA arena. So like just the, the kind of logistics of how it works as a basketball venue is completely fine. Um,
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
I thought that was great. I think, you know, what it reminded me of, honestly, especially early on in these games as they're sort of getting going, was being at the dunk contest and the three-point contest in Indianapolis last year. It's like... I'm here to watch, but it feels like nobody there is very impassioned. It's like neutral observers, basically.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
But as the games get going and the result gets closer to being finalized, people got into it. It's just because there's not a lot of partisans there, Um, that's, that's the, that's what the atmosphere felt like. It felt like, you know, when I was watching the three point contest last year, until Steph and INS school got to the finals, there wasn't that much juice watching it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
But like once it's like, whoa. Steph might lose to a WNBA player. The energy sort of got ratcheted up. And I think that's kind of what it felt like being in Vegas is like early on in the game. The crowd is like everybody's sort of getting settled in. And then when you notice that, like, all right, the game's in the balance, people were really into it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Fair.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Part of it for me is like, you know, I I've read and I've heard all of the hand wringing. Like the bottom line is if the Nixon warriors were in this final, they would have been an atmosphere. It would have been, you know, a huge deal, but we didn't get that. We got the bucks. And OKC, these are not two national brands.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
These are not two, you know, fan bases that have massive like fan bases all over the country. The way the Knicks and the Lakers do like, you know, if you've ever been to a Hawks game when the Knicks are playing them. It's half Knick fans in there. Yeah. Same when you go to when the Lakers play in places like Phoenix and Denver. It's like a bunch of Laker fans there. Right.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
And so, you know, the two teams in there, I think, was problematic for me personally. And I'm not somebody who's ever like, you know, given Adam Silver his props. I think the teams played hard. The teams played like as if there were stakes. All the ancillary stuff I think needs to be figured out.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
But the most important thing that the players cared and tried their best, I think that's the biggest sort of takeaway for me.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Well, you know, that's a great question. Honestly, I think part of the thinking is like we want to really juice and goose attention on very early NBA games, which traditionally people just didn't, you know, gravitate towards because obviously and like people need to understand that like no matter what the NBA Cup does or is, it's not going to be as popular as football.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
We need to let go of that as even a concept or an idea. Americans love football more than they do basketball. And that's okay. A lot more. A lot more. And that's okay. I just think it's about... One, the Giannis and Shay thing, and I've talked about this on group chat. I think David Stern's dream of these hyper-corporatized, you know, focus group to death athletes.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
You know, they don't get busted for weed. They don't scare corporate America. They are the perfect corporate automatons. But guess what? People are not attracted to that. They're not compelling figures. Even Nike and Giannis, like selling Giannis as this cute, cuddly teddy bear, that's just a mistake. Nobody knows a single thing about Shea Gildress Alexander except that he wears funny clothes.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
That's it. Nobody knows anything about these guys.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
Is the NBA Too Afraid of Football? Plus, Jets Dysfunction and Million-Dollar Picks With Wosny Lambre, Joe House, and Peter Schrager
Yeah, look, I agree with you on the Netflix front. Look, sorry, Bill, but Jason Tatum went on that damn show and said he loves his mom, he loves his son.