Why do you guys call me on vacation? I don't call me anymore.

So let me take some calls first. Here's Harley in Westwood. Go ahead, Harley. Hey, so I'd probably be considered a green team by a lot of people, but I think it's pretty clear that the Celtics won the basketball side of the trade, but lost the value side of the trade. I am an auntie visit guy. He would have been a top ten pick this year if you ask me. but let's just talk about the Nets real quick.

They were 7 and 16 last year. and Auntie Zizich guy. He would have been a top 10 pick this year if you ask me.

But let's just talk about the Nets real quick.

They were 7 and 16 last year when Jeremy Lund was healthy and 6 and 38 without them.

The Nets aren't going to be that bad this year.

They got Daniel Russell, Alan Krabb, Damari Carroll, Mazzroch, so many more players, and the rookie center from Texas.

Tell me about the Lakers. What about them? Well, if they finish two through five, you get that pick. Are they going to suck, or they're going to be better? They'll be a little bit better. It all depends on Lanzo, if you ask me, and Brooke Lopez's help. But I'm not really concerned about that. I'm more concerned about looking at the nets because I'm not as concerned with the value that the cash got from us there. Okay, I understand Harley. And it's an interesting way to put it. You won the basketball trade because you got the better player. If you added up the value of all the pieces, you made the case Cleveland won the value thing, right? Which is, I'm okay with. This is what I argue about with the Patriots all the time. Neat. You won the trade. You won the contract. You got value. Did you get the better player? Yeah, absolutely. No, no, I'm saying this with the Patriots all the time. They brag about getting a good contract or winning a value thing, but then they don't always end up with the best player. And in football, you can get away with that because there's so many intangibles.

But in basketball, you want the best player. Even if you lose the value part of it, you get the better player, you usually win. Yeah, 10 times out of 10. Fine. So that's why I'm fine with the trade. But, again, to the caller's point, don't act like the Celtics didn't give anything up. they gave up a lot and they from a value standpoint may have lost it

I think the Lakers pick is important because if that Brooklyn pick conveys to Cleveland, and they get a really high pick, let's say they get one, two, or three, but you get one, two, or three from the Lakers, then that's sort of mitigated, right? Then you've sort of, you've sort of broken it.

Absolutely.

So I think that Lakers pick is important.

I think that when you're negotiating with Cleveland, you've got to look at it and say, who is a chance to be worse? Who is a chance to be worse? So, Jimmy, from what you understand, underground sourcing, did Cleveland say Tatum, Lakers pick, or Brooklyn pick, and the Celtics could choose?

I think they wanted Tatum, Lakers pick, or Brooklyn pick, and the Celtics could choose?

I think they wanted Tatum, and that would have been where Ube Selly... Hang on, Dan, calm down, calm down.

More from Dan in the final word.

I think they wanted Tatum first and foremost, and then I think it switched to the Brooklyn

pick and Zizich.

So Cleveland wanted Brooklyn over the Sixers.

I keep all the Lakers pick, but that Sixers pick coming back. I think that's accurate. Okay. So Cleveland thinks Brooklyn's going to be worse, but that's how you have to handicap it, right? Whoever you think is going to be worse is that pick that you want. and for someone to know who's going to win more games,

the Lakers or the Nets,

you've got to be a hardcore hoop guy, man.

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