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Hello and welcome to the tampering podcast, part of the Athletic NBA Show Network.

I'm Sam Amick, NBA National Writer at The Athletic.

Here, as always, with Mr. Anthony Slater.

Fred Cad's going to be joining us here in a little bit.

We got a lot going on, as always, in the association this week for our loyal listeners. As always, thank you for joining us here in a little bit. We got a lot going on, as always, in the association.

This week, for our loyal listeners, as always, thank you for joining us.

Slater and I think are going to dive in a little bit on the 65 game rule that all of a sudden is front and center in the NBA when it comes to this thing that we thought was compelling star players to play.

We were very, very excited about it.

And then came Joel Embed and his sensitive situation, I'll call it. Slater and I the other

night we're at that Sixers Warriors game where Joel hobbled off late in the fourth quarter.

He's kind of become the poster boy on that front. All things, Joel Embed, we're going to

talk about trade deadline season. Slater, it's coming up pretty quick here. We're going to get into the Knicks with Fred. Talk about Damia Lillard's return to Portland. So other stuff around the league, including the Houston Rockets piece that I chipped in on with Shams Sharani and Kelly Yiko. We will make the rounds later coming at us with the airport energy this morning.

What's up, sir?

I think I'm at the Sam Amic International Airport in Sacramento, California.

Is that what it's called these days?

I can't.

Man, I can't get any love in that airport.

...