 All right, welcome to In the Zone. We have a special knockdown J episode just because of the trade deadline. Wow. You had to, right? Cleveland Cavaliers, we had to bring in my man, J. Mack. He's got some strong opinions. As always, I'm going to knock him down. Try to. Let's see what you got, my man. What do you want to start, Chris? I mean, the Cavs, Isaiah Thomas, Lakers, LeBron. I actually think we should start with the Cleveland Cavaliers if you don't mind. It is your podcast. I believe lost six players, gained four new ones today, and I think they might have, as of right now, two open spots. I think Jettisoned six players is better than that. Discardant, what would you like to use? But Chris, let's just start bluntly. I do believe they got a lot better today as a basketball team. You know all season you've been ribbing me. I've been saying, I think the Eastern Conference is a toss-up, Celtics Cavs. I know you've been knocking me for that. It had been close in recent weeks. I've put the Cavs decidedly number one now with the addition of Rodney Hood, George Hill. I like him as a point guard. He's definitely an upgrade. And Jordan Clarkson, who I've watched a lot out here in LA. I love his energy off the bench. He is a get buckets player. LeBron can get the rest. And you've now got Hood, Clarkson, Hill. I like a lot what they did. They got younger. Do you feel they helped or hurt the team today? Let me congratulate you. I see all these weeks of being on in the zone. You've been listening and you've been learning. I'm learning. The first time we agree. Look, the Cavs definitely got better. Good enough to beat Golden State? No. Let's give them some time to develop chemistry, see if they can get there and make it a series. But definitely they should win the Eastern Conference. Number one, you should have LeBron James, who is far and away, far and away the best player in the East. Now, it might be debatable if he's still the best player in the world. But the East is not even close. Giannis? Giannis? Mentally, he's not where LeBron's at. Doesn't really know how to win yet. So physically, he's great. But he's not on LeBron's level yet, OK? He's got a ways to go. So that's number one. To your point, they got younger, more energy. They're going to be better defensively because of those things. Then they cleared up some long jams. Yes. You had Isaiah Thomas, DeWane Way, and Derek Rose, essentially three of the same type of players at this point in their career. Now, even when they first traded for Clarkson, I liked it. But I said, they got to do something with DeRose and DeWane Way, because it was going to still be a long jam. They got rid of those two veterans. Now, the second unit will be run by Jordan Clarkson. As you said, you watch him with the Lakers. He's got some flaws, but he can score. He's a slasher. He can give you 15 points a game off the bench. He's not a bad passer. He's not a bargain Lou Williams kind of a lesser Lou Williams. Yeah, I mean, he's that vein. Yeah, he's that vein of plays nice off the bench. No question. Larry Nantz saying thing brings you energy. That first when they got Nantz and Clarkson looked like, OK, they gave up Channing Friday. They gave up some shooting. But they in Hill, I think they're starting backcourt now, is George Hill and Rodney Hood. Oh, wait, whoa, whoa. JR Smith has been along for the ride. You're not starting him? How long? How long is he playing? You started playing brand new guys in the backcourt? I would. Now, you're right. They might do it differently. I would start Rodney Hood. JR Smith has been so up and down forever, but especially this year. Look, here's the importance of that two guard spot for Cleveland. JR Smith has had 10 games this season in which he scored in double figures. There are eight and two in those games. Just give me something from that. I mean, how many times does JR give him six points and they lose? Give me something from that spot. Now, Hood is a guy. They might bring him off the bench. You might be right. But I would start him. He's going to give me 17. He's capable of giving me 15 to 20 points a night. George Hill. And here's the thing for the Cavs. Because look, they got 29 games left, I believe, to work in all these guys. And remember, Kevin Love is out. So that's not a lot of time. The thing is this. It's easier to work together role players or work in role players than it is starts. You're not bringing in a guy who's used to being the number one guy on his team, used to having the ball all the time dribbling over dribbling. You're bringing in a George Hill subtle shots at Isaiah. No, because the way it was like that, who I love. Derrick Rose is like that. Like it's just certain types of players. And George Hill is going to defend. He's going to shoot the three well. Rodney Hood can score. Shoot the three pretty well, although he's somewhat inconsistent with his shooting. They won't get in the way of the LeBron James. They're used to being in systems where they are not the man. Of course, Clarkson and Larry Nass, I assume Nass comes off the bench too. So I think they'll be. Let me go next layer on the calves. Starting is one thing, but what matters more is who finishes games. Who's on the court the final five minutes? And I just jotted down the roster here. And I'm looking and I think it's a tough decision. Like Ty Lue is going to have to coach. Like this is difficult. OK, like you said, you have George Hill. You have Rodney Hood. Jordan Clarkson. He's a closer. He's a good player. I like him. Obviously, you have LeBron. Listen, Kevin loves got to be in that group. But defensively, do you need Larry Nass? Do you need Tristan Thompson? So is 29 games enough for these guys to head into the playoffs where first round you could be facing a good Sixers team, second round a good Bucks team, or the Raptors Celtics? I do have some concerns if 29 games is enough for the Cavs to figure this out on the fly, which leads to bigger picture LeBron questions, obviously. Yeah, I mean, look, they're not going to have the same finishing group every night. Sometimes there's some guys that's going to be depending on who's hot. I mean, you saw last night against Minnesota, Jettie Osmond is finishing. He's not going to finish every day. That had to eat at Isaiah Thomas, did it not? Well, look, I thought Ty Lue, I thought before they made these trades, I was thinking it was a good sign that he did that because it was a sign that he's saying, I'm going to play who's the better lineup. Not necessarily the best player individually, but what pieces fit together best. So the end of the game lineup will fluctuate. LeBron will always be in there. I would go with, offhand, I would think their best five might be George Hill, Rodney Hood, LeBron James, Tristan Thompson, and Kevin Love starting. But you can end games with Hill, Hood, LeBron, Jeff Green, Tristan. Then you can maybe switch, could be Kalkor. Is he still on the team? No, he's going to be on the team because they're going to need his shooting. And so I think this is now a more versatile team. Jeff Green, I like the way he plays for them at times. So I mean, you can do a lot more with this lineup than you could with what they had before. So look, Kobe, all up in the gym, you got to give him a good amount of credit because he really made lemonade out of some lemons. He did. And one of the players you got rid of, Isaiah Thomas, by all accounts, I mean, you probably know better than anybody, was a disaster in that locker room. We're now hearing reports that Isaiah and Jake Crowder were kind of set off from the team. They didn't really blend well. That's the part of why Crowder was in that deal because the team had cliques. You had LeBron and Wade and Tristan and a few others. Then you had Isaiah and Crowder. Then you had other group like so. Yeah, I mean, there's no surprise that Crowder went along with Isaiah. I do want to ask about Isaiah Thomas. He's off to the Lakers now where, you know, I don't know if he's going to crack the starting lineup with Lonzo Ball, KCP. They got Josh Hart, the rookie who's in the long-term plans playing very well. And again, you know, the biggest loser has to be Isaiah Thomas. I mean, jeez, he 15 games with LeBron. That's it. And he's out of town. You know, when you ask what the future holds for Isaiah Thomas, Chris, I mean, he's got 25, 30 games to let it work out in LA. If not, I mean, this is a guy a year ago, third team all NBA. He was fifth in the MVP voting. He's now looking at just two guys. If the Lakers kick him to the curb, who's going to? Who wants this guy? He is not in the Lakers long-term plans. I don't care what they say. Lonzo Ball is the future point guard of that team. There's no doubt. And Isaiah and Lonzo, I don't see it working. When Lonzo gets back, I think they're going to have to bring Isaiah off the bench. He's not going to be happy about that. He's obviously trying to get paid. I'm with you. I feel for him because a year ago, not only did he give us 29 points a game, great fourth quarter scoring, led him to the top seed in the East. 53 points a game or in a playoff game when on his late sister's birthday, played injured. I mean, the guy had a storybook season but was making $6 million a year. This year, $6 million a year. He's never had his payday, OK? He's only made like 22 million, 29 million. I know that sounds a lot. He's 29 years old. So this was his chance for a big deal. Let me be honest. I don't think he blew it. He got hurt. Well, listen, when you get hurt. No, no, no, Chris, hold on. You go to a new team where LeBron's the leader. You roll up to LeBron, the second best player in NBA history. Yes, LeBron, what would you like me to do? LeBron, you want me to come off the bench? What would you like me to? You've got to fall in line. And it's clear, Chris. He was not about that. But you have. I'll give you some of that. But you've got to be yourself. What's gotten a five nine guy to this level where you could be fifth in MVP voting is a chip on your shoulder. Is an arrogance that people think you're crazy. Nate Robinson, same way. That can work in Sacramento and Phoenix. Same way, like smaller guys sometimes have to have that chip to get to that level. A lot of places Isaiah was, you heard similar things. That's who he is. You're right. The comments were crazy. You just got here, you're criticizing. So fine, let me ask you while you're on this roll, defending Isaiah. He goes to the Lakers. They say we want you to come off the bench. He says, uh-uh, not happening. Well, he's not in position to say that. And who's going to want this guy after what he just went through? Nobody's paying this guy. Nobody's given him a long term contract. There is no shot at anybody. I think the question is locker room disaster. Five foot nine. Don't play D, 29. His reputation has been settled. It's not like people are like, wow, Isaiah had problems in the locker room. I mean, you hear that all over the league. His rep is not great. The question is this. He wanted the max money. He wasn't getting maxed. I don't know that he'll get 20 million a year. I actually think- You don't know. I actually think he could end up, I hope this isn't the case for him. I could see him settling for a multi-year mid-level deal. Three years, 15 mil, three years. The mid-level is eight over eight million a year. Three for 24. I mean, Lou Williams took three 24. He should take that and run. He should have got more. But think about this guy wanted, they had to back up the Brink's truck, right? Now, the thing is who's going to want him? What Isaiah needs to do is this. Hopefully he's listening and taking heed. Well, he came after you on IG. When he goes to the Lakers, he needs to be a good soldier. Whatever they, zip it up. Play your role. If that role is what Jordan Clarkson was doing, coming off the bench, giving them 15 points a game, show a good team that I could come off the bench, give you a spark and be that guy. I could be your Lou Williams off the bench. I could be your Jamal Crawford off the bench. Otherwise, no good teams are going to want him. It's just going to be a bad team that, hey, he's five, nine, he's exciting. Let's get him to put Fannie's in the seats. And then they're not going to pay you a ton of money. Here's a best case scenario. So KCP was with the Pistons. His deal ended. Nobody's given him a long-term contract. The Lakers needed a stopgap for one year. I think KCP got 18 million for one year. If a team needs a guy, doesn't want to commit long-term just once one year, maybe he gets 15 million for one year. I mean, that's possible. But point card is a position where, I mean, dude, Dennis Schroeder, who's really good. It's like not even a top 15 point card. Like, there are so many good point cards in the NBA. I don't know where he goes. I feel a little bad for him, but that's a good luck, Isaiah. All right, moving on. Chris, listen, this is one that, you know, we haven't disagreed a lot here. The Los Angeles Lakers. They have gotten rid of Jordan Clarkson. He's off the books. They got a number one pick from the Cavs, which is only protected if it's like top three, which is crazy. So they got about the 25th pick in the draft. We'll see what happens. They now can afford two, two max deals this off season. Your thoughts on whether what transpired today plus the whole recalibration story that we heard this week, which is obviously poppycock, right? As we know that's false. Do you think this makes more or less likely the Lakers get two max guys this off season? Well, look, I think the Lakers did a great job. You know. Phenomenal. Listen, magic, you gotta give it up to magic. Yeah, but the thing was, did anybody have any doubt they were going to be able to clear that cap space? I mean, I thought it was a foregone conclusion. They were going clear. If not at the trade deadline, at the draft. But they got two expiring. So they basically got another, Channing Christ coming off, Isaiah's coming off, and they got a draft. This is such a win. They cleared the room. It'll be a win when they get the free agents. Okay. Which leads us now to you know who. LeBron. Your guy. Well, what is, what does this mean for, let me say this about the Lakers first. Okay. Rylee Palinka and Magic Johnson, they're playing the political game. Number one, number one, it was a good move cause they did clear that cap room, right? Number two, what they do this past summer. They gave Contavia's call well put, what? 20, 18 to 20 years. 18 for a year. Okay. Then they take Isaiah Thomas off your hands. He's a problem in Cleveland. You know, he's, he's eating up the locker room. We'll take you. Yeah. Nice little, nice little things you did for Rich Paul. That's good. I like that. Rich Paul represents, call well put, represents LeBron. Is this breaking news? Can we? No, I didn't know. I'm just, that's on a deeper level. I haven't heard anybody say I'm playing chess. You playing chess. I like that. I'm studying calculus. You studying algebra, bro. I was starting, what's lower than algebra? Math. Geometry. Well, addition, your, your, your multiplication tables or whatever you're doing. Text Maverick Carter and tell him thank you. That, that's a great, thank you for that. Hey, take this guy out of my locker room, Lakers. Oh yeah. Sure, sure. LeBron, yes sir. Right here. Because they've got absolutely no need for Isaac. None. Other than that six and a half million dollars is going to come off the cap. But that's, that's really not a lot of money in NBA standards. So that's the first thing. Now, I think what you want to ask is what does this mean for LeBron James? Is he more likely to stay in Cleveland after today or where do you see his future after today? I think a lot depends on the playoffs, but let me go back. So you, you, you, you usually like, there's no reason to stay in Cleveland. Things have changed. He's out of there. Hey, things have changed. Okay. I do want to say this. Do you think Dan Gilbert considered the shucks? Lakers can now afford two max guys. They've helped out KCP. They're helping us with Isaiah Thomas. Boy, the Lakers are playing this real savvy. Do you think Dan Gilbert put that together? I'm going to ask. I don't know, because I don't believe that Dan Gilbert went to LeBron and said, what should we do? I think this is Dan Gilbert reclaiming the team. Hey, LeBron, uh, you wanted him on shumper. You wanted Mozgov. You wanted JR. It worked. We got a title. You wanted us to pay Tristan JR. We got a title. Thank you. David Griffin. Now your guy who you worked in lockstep with. He's gone. LeBron, it's my team. You're not going to commit. We're going to make decisions we think are right for the future. And I think they made some good moves, but I don't know if this unit is going to get LeBron to stay longterm. I still believe the Lakers are the number one option LeBron and Paul George in a tandem. I don't think it was a power move by Gilbert. Now, you know, it's his franchise. He is more involved in front office moves. So yeah, to a certain extent, he did what he wanted to do. But I don't think it was a throwing something in LeBron's face. Like, hey, we're my team now. I think it was, I think he made these moves thinking, one, this is going to make us better right now. And this is going to impress LeBron. Because at the end of the day, no matter how much tension there is between Dan and LeBron, Gilbert wants him to stay. Obviously. If for no other reason than a business move. I do want to be on record. You want to be on record. I think LeBron wants to deep down. Really? Hold on, hold on. LeBron wants to stay. But then when he gets with this group and if they flop in the postseason or they struggle, they get swept, then it's like, well, I can't win here. But I think deep down, this is where he's from, man. Look, if he wants to stay, he can stay. Wow. Because I think there are a few things to hit. Number one, I think this tells LeBron. Like, I think he's actually a little more likely to stay. Now, I've said before, I think he's probably more likely to leave. And that still may be the case. But wherever it was, 35%, 40% that he would stay, I think that number is inched up now. Because now LeBron can look at that front office of Kobe Altman and the rest of the guys and say, you know what? They can get things done. OK. This was impressive. As I said earlier, now you have confidence in the front office to make moves. I mean, what they did was spectacular. Well, it was Kyrie. Well, that was bad. Kyrie was bad. They didn't bring back Matthew Delavadova. A few, you know, that was a while ago. But things like that, they've made some bad moves. This showed you they can make moves and do different things. Let me pour some water. Can I pour some water on this? On paper, these moves look great. The first glance, wow, they reshaped the roster. They got younger, more athletic, more wings. We've got to see how it plays out. It's one thing to say he's more likely to stay on based on this, but, you know, we don't know if George has been in Sacramento. I don't even know what his game is like anymore. I'm just saying you talking about a guy who had really no confidence in the front office now saying, OK, yeah, that's all I'm saying. Because look, wherever LeBron goes, even the leg, they're not giving. He's not going to have the free reign within the organization that he has in Cleveland. Well, so if you think these guys are, I don't think they are giving him that. Obviously, you consult with him, you talk with him, you give him respect, but I don't think Magic Johnson is just giving or even Rod Polink like, I don't think he'd get it anywhere else but Cleveland. I don't know, Chris, you were here a couple of weeks ago. Hey, man, Dan Gilbert's got to do whatever he can to keep the second best player in NBA history in the building. Why don't the Lakers have to do everything they can to get the second best player in the building? Most organizations don't run that way. And most of the times that doesn't work. LeBron made it work a few years ago because it was LeBron is so great and Kyrie is so great. And you still had a Kevin Love as your third best player. You know, it's just rare. I mean, look at the best franchises in sports. San Antonio, Miami with Pat Rod. They don't, players don't run it. Football, New England, playing in the NBA, football, New England, players don't run it. That's all I'm saying. Players League. Even when Magic. Let's go back to Miami real quick. Who, who made the Chris Bosch deal happen? LeBron put together calls or is that all Pat Riley back in the day? Cause I want to give LeBron a lot of credit for the Kevin Love for all the moves he made with Griffin in Cleveland, but let's go back to Miami real quick. Was that mostly LeBron or mostly Pat Riley putting that chip in? Well LeBron was trying to get Chris Bosch to go to Cleveland with him. Bosch didn't want to go to Cleveland. Then LeBron and Duane and Bosch sat down and they all kind of came up with it. So you could say basically every swing LeBron's had at building a contender, he's hit a home run. No, I wouldn't say that because I think there are moves that, there are players LeBron wanted and it didn't work out. You know, I mean, LeBron's not on the phone making calls with talking to other GMs about, hey, you don't give a shit. I mean, you know, let's not, let's not go. So look, that, that's one thing. So I think LeBron will have a little more confidence in this front off. What he wants to do ultimately this summer, it's going to depend on a few things. Number one, is it better in his mind, does he think it's better to stay in the East and keep reaching the finals or go and losing or going to the West? And maybe I don't meet, make the finals. Maybe I get to the second round, conference finals and lose, but I'm not racking up three and six, three and seven, three and eight in the finals. What do you think is best? Listen, you know I like- Because if you don't mind, if you're just like, if LeBron is saying, man, I just want to get to the finals and take my shot, then you stay East. All right, we've talked a little bit about the Warriors and their struggles against the Rockets and the Thunder this year. And it's tough to quantify, but the hunter versus the hunted and the staying aggressive to stay on top, I don't know that I've seen it from the Warriors of late. Maybe they'll flip the switch and it happens. But once you get to next year, that's going on like a fifth year, right? Of dominance. How long do teams and franchises dominate? Before, hey, it starts to crumble a little bit. But is this- There was like a three to five year window. Now, you look at the Lakers, you've got youth in Lansley, he ain't never won anything. Brandon Ingram, they are starved to win. Cow Cousins. Well, that's a lot of them. I don't even know if Cow Cousins have been to the sweet 16. I don't even know if Cow Cousins have been to the sweet 16. Okay, you get those three young guys. You bring in Paul George and LeBron, who have won something. And let me add this. Magic in that front office. Since he's taken over with Rob Bollinka, let's admit they've done a lot of good things between the KCP, Brooke Lopez. We'll take these guys one year deals. Draft, nailed. Cow Cousins nailed, Josh Hart. They are batting really well so far in that Lakers front office. Everything I've seen is positive. You're LeBron. Hey, yeah, Kobe Altman and Dan Gilbert are doing nice things, but look at those guys in LA. They're restoring that Lakers brand. The key would be, like I said, number one, what does he think? Is it better to stay in the East and reach the finals and lose or go West and not reach the finals maybe? Or, and the second thing is, who would go there with me? If Paul George is willing to go to Lakers with LeBron, then, yeah, it looks good. Although that seems still not at the top of the Western Conference. Okay, they're top three. Well, maybe, I don't, okay, see. Well, yeah, if you lose, if George leaves, okay. See, Houston would still be tough. Golden State would still be tough. San Antonio, depending on what happens there, they're always gonna be tough. But that's, you're right, if the key is for LeBron, I think it's Paul George, does he decide to stay? While we're on Paul George, let me ask. We don't even know, I mean, I assume George would like to play with LeBron. Yeah, right, we don't know that. But that's another thing. Let me ask you, Paul George, we've seen him improve lately. I mean, he looks ridiculous. He's playing really well. He didn't make the All-Star team initially, right? He was added. We don't, I don't know Paul George at all. I wonder, he was the alpha in Indiana, went to the Easter conference finals twice, as the number one guy. He's now the number two guy. Would he be the number one or number two in LA? If LeBron 34 next year, Paul George still at, I believe, 28, 29 in his prime, would Paul George, you don't even have to think about that, huh? LeBron James is still better than Paul George. Yes. By a wide margin. As good as George is. So, so wait, does Paul George then, is he stuck being a number two? He's a number two. You don't think he's an alpha? Not on a championship team. Easter conference finals twice as the alpha against LeBron. He did lose on a championship team. Championship. Okay. He's a number two. That's no slight, but he's a number two. Period, the end. He was the number one the last two years in Indiana. How far did they go? Well, he was hurt the one year, right? Missed an entire season. The last two years he's been healthy. They came back and they were not very good. They were a seventh and an eighth seed. They were not very good. They weren't, you need a roster, man. Is that happening with LeBron James? Would there ever be a seventh or eighth seed? Come on, LeBron James. LeBron's gonna be the number one guy. He's not, George is number two right now. To Westbrook. Right, and we'll see what they do, but, so okay, so how could he be a top 12 guy in the NBA top 15 and be a number two? How many number one, I'm talking about number one on a championship team. Blake Griffin is a number one, not on a championship team, but he's a number one. So look at how many number ones. Chris Paul is a number one, but he's in number one on a championship team? No. So how many number one? James Harden is a number one. James Harden. Let's see. Let's see. There are three guys who prove. That's it? Kawhi Leonard? Let me finish. There are three guys in the NBA who have proven. Proven. Proven that they are a number one guy on a championship team. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry. Kawhi Leonard, no Kawhi Leonard. Has he proven it? He was NBA finals MVP. He averaged 14 points a game that year. He wasn't- Finals MVP. So was Andre Guadala. So it's a point stay. It was a series, it was a good series by Kawhi. I'm talking about for an entire 82 game. I'm just stating facts. Now do I think Kawhi could lead a team to a championship in San Antonio? Yes. Do I think James Harden is that caliber player? Yes. Kawhi? Do I think? I don't know. He's a number one, but is he a number one on a champ? It's a difference. No. It's a difference though. You see what I'm saying? Right, right. I'm just saying there are three guys who have proven it. Proven it. That's all I'm saying. Well what is- I like these other guys, but they haven't proven it yet. Did we say James Harden in that group or no? I said Harden is that caliber player, but he hasn't proven it yet. That's what I'm- There's a difference man. So is Paul George on the hard end? There have only been a handful of guys- Ever. Ever, who have proven it. Proving it. Kareem. Magic. Jordan. Barkley. Shaq. He never won a ring. He didn't prove it. So then it becomes like a ring. Now, well you prove as the number one guy you can lead a team to a championship. Now you're right. That leaves out Hall of Famers, Patrick Ewing. But what do you- Do you want to win a championship? Oh, David Robinson. He didn't prove it as the number one guy. So Paul George is a great player. I mean, I think he's tremendous. He's a perennial All-Star. He is the number one on teams, but is he a number one on a team that's going to win a championship? Oh, that's a good- It's Russell Westbrook. He hasn't proven it yet. So that doesn't mean that's not really a slight that you're not good enough. I'm just saying there are only three guys that have proven it. I wonder if LeBron- And you know what that's doing? That's judging everybody else. All these other superstars and stars by the LeBron James stand. And that's kind of unfair. LeBron gets judged at a higher standard. If LeBron doesn't win, then it was a bad season for him. But okay, but if LeBron's looking at that roster, Kevin Love, we can agree, he's not a number one caliber guy in the James Harden, Paul George. And then you look at Paul George. How would LeBron not want to play with Paul George over Kevin Love? I mean, it makes no sense to me. Well, you're in a tougher conference. So that's where the other factor comes in. Let me ask you this. Let me throw in a bonus for you. Okay, bonus question. Kyrie Irving, how big of a winner was he in his decision to lead? Oh, come on. I mean, it's off the charts. One of the best moves in recent NBA history. We mocked him. Who leaves LeBron? Who walks away from the king? He did it. He's the number one seed. The guys he got traded for shipped out of town. Kyrie Irving sitting on top of the world. He's an MVP candidate. And Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum. Always in the mix with Danny Ange for Anthony Davis or whatever big fish is out there. Gordon Hayward's heard he's coming back. I mean, the Celtics are set up in the near future. I mean, Kyrie Irving, massive. Kyrie Irving was a big winner. This has been great for him. He's always gonna be on a relevant team, a contending team. Like you said, he's on the periphery of the MVP conversation. That's why he's top six. He's in there. He's still a perennial All-Star as always. Okay, so he's won. Like it's been great for him. However, is he closer to a championship right now than he would have been had he stayed in Cleveland? Is he closer to getting to the finals now or if he had stayed in Cleveland and not left? So a week ago, if the standard, see, is expectations. Kyrie can have a great year, number one seed, All-Star, second, third team, all NBA, fifth in MVP voting and get beaten Eastern Conference finals. Everybody like, great, you won, that's great. But what's the standard? Okay, if we're saying if the goal is to get to the finals and have a chance to win it, I think he would have been closer to that if he had stayed in Cleveland and would have been an All-Star, right? Would have been an All-Star, exactly. The only thing individually he gained basketball was, I know he gained peace of mind. He's likes the way they play better. He's got a better coach. I get that. But as far as basketball, he would have been an All-Star in Cleveland, would have had a better shot at going deeper in the playoffs if he had stayed in Cleveland. The only thing he got is he's in the MVP conversation, but he's not gonna win. He's a number one. He's not gonna win the MVP. But he doesn't have to jostle with LeBron, right? He doesn't have to jostle with Tyloo, because remember, they weren't getting along. According to some of the reports that came out, Jackie McClose. Well, for his, yeah, for his peace of mind, he's happier. And that's vital. Yeah, and that is vital. But I'm talking about basketball-wise and winning championships. Is he better? You don't even know that he'll get to the finals. If he was in Cleveland, would you have any doubt? You're saying this, because a week ago, as the Cavs are imploding, Boston's number one scene, we would have said, yep, Kyrie, no question. And now it changes- Wait, Kyrie, what? Kyrie's in better shape in Boston than Cleveland a week ago. Now Cleveland all of a sudden gets a little better. George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson. I'm still gonna lean Kyrie. I know you're not gonna like it. I actually believe, and we can disagree with this all day, that the Celtics would have a better chance in the finals against the Warriors. I don't think they're gonna win the series, obviously, but I think they match up better defensive team than the Cavs would. I mean, the Cavs got better, but Chris, I need to see this group place of defense. We know the Celtics can play defense. I believe the Celtics in the finals would match up better with the Warriors. Are they gonna get there? I don't know, as I said, I believe the Cavs are the favorite to get there, but I don't think this changes Kyrie's decision. I think that former Cavs team that was existed yesterday, even though I think they would've, I ought to pick them to reach the finals still, I agree with you that I think Boston would match up better with Golden State and give them a better series than Cleveland. Now, this new group, let's see. Let's see what they look like. Let's see if they defend, let's see how the chemistry is. We know LeBron teams are gonna score. Can this team play defense? Yeah, and I think they should be able to. Because they have the athleticism and the strength. Once you have that, then it comes down to heart, desire, will, and technique. And if they can get that, then they should be good. Look, overall, Kyrie Irving has won because he's happier. He's enjoying playing basketball now more than he was in Cleveland. So I get that, that's great. I'm just saying, if we change the standard, if we judge Kyrie by the LeBron James standard and say championship or bust. You can't do that. I'm just saying, if it's championship or bust, he was closer to a championship. LeBron is in the Jordan Magic standard. I agree, I agree with that. But yeah, you're lucky. We didn't have our man, Josh Goldman, or Jeremy Binbow, or John Hill, Neil Foley, any of these guys sitting in that chair and judging. Well, because I was lucky to see that. We did agree, we did agree on the line. Listen, a lot of stuff happened today. You're learning. I am. I'm proud of you, man. You even got a new haircut. Makes you look younger, like, like, like a kid, something like 13, not 19, 39. Oh, bloody. Thank you for joining this special edition of In The Zones, Knock Down Jay. For Jason McIntyre, I'm Chris Broussard. We signing out. Peace.