Hello, welcome to the collective podcast. We talk about the NBA which we're doing on Tuesday,

evening, slash afternoon. Sorry for being a little bit late this week. July 4th, holiday and all

that. Joining me from Los Angeles is Dave McMeneman. Hello, Dave, how are you?

Hello, Brian. This shortly figures to be a very interesting podcast, a very interesting podcast.

Most people will be listening and they won't know what you're doing. We'll just move on.

Joining me from New Orleans where he's actually, I believe, at the Pelican's facility right now,

Mr. Andrew Lopez. Hello, Andrew. That is correct. I'm also honored to be on a podcast with

Russell or the Miz's favorites ESPN personality. Well, I have to say, you know, there are a few

guys that I go way back with and the Miz is one of them being somebody from Cleveland.

So, um, let's what can I say? I don't know anything about wrestling. I'm sorry. When I was a kid,

my favorite wrestler was junkyard dog. Okay, that's right. I said it. He was sometimes tag

team with Hulk Hogan. Everybody focused on Hulk Hogan, but I was a fan of junkyard dog. Okay.

I want somebody to aggregate that tomorrow. Brian, when he was his favorite favorite wrestler is

junkyard dog. That was a kid. That is true. Absolutely true. I went to multiple wrestling events at the

Richfield, Coliseum, RIP. So we got some stuff going in here. I think contractual

obligate to start with the Brooklyn nets over a weekend. Not a lot happened, but from what I can

tell, there was an attempt by the nets to make it clear there was not going to be an artificial

deadline here. They are going to take their time, which they should. And, um, but I'm going to just

say about the nets, what I said back in February when it came down to the James Harden trade.

Everything you hear, especially if it's, you know, especially, everything you hear is a

negotiating position. It is a negotiating position that they are taking. And it is the correct

negotiating position when you have something as important as Kevin Durant. And one thing that I

...