Will LeBron James play for Los Angeles Lakers this NBA season? | THE HERD

Will LeBron James play for Los Angeles Lakers this NBA season? | THE HERD

All right, back here on the herd. Oh boy, listen. This next guest, I’ve known this guy, I don’t know, probably since I got here to FS1 like nine years ago, and we would run into each other and he was a little taken aback by some of my takes. I had to take him to school, you know, uh, and then the old dog taught me some new tricks. So, let’s bring in Chris Brousard. First things first, the man, the You didn’t tell the story. You didn’t tell the story about how when you were a Cub reporter in New York. Yes, I was the only vet that was kind to you. Everybody else was blowing you off and I was kind to you. So, I was this young guy at a newspaper in Jersey and I was crushing it and I had a couple job offers. So, they were like, “Oh, we got to throw McIntyre a bone to keep him in.” So, I went to a USA basketball thing at Madison Square Garden and I walk in wideeyed. I’m trying to talk to people. Hey, where do I plug in my computer? And these guys are brushing me off and Brousard’s like, “Hey, young fella.” Takes me under his wing. I listen, Brousard is a great guy. Uh, I I I like how you’re wearing a Jets tie. Uh, your show’s in New York. Uh, how my Jets gonna do this season, Brew? What What are we looking at? 10 and seven. Look, Justin Fields. No, I’m not going 10 and seven. I’m excited about Aaron Glenn. I’m somewhat excited to see Justin Fields. I think they will cater the offense to him. They won’t try to fit, you know, him into a a a square peg into a circle. So, I think he’ll be okay. But, I’m not going 10 and seven. They not making the playoffs. All right. One big talking point so far today is uh this quarterback list that came out. I’m sure you guys are going to chop it up on First Things First Next. But Brew, I got to ask you. Uh I had some issues with the list. I did my own. Um I I had Patrick Mahomes coming in at four coming off his worst worst season as a pro. Uh I had Brock Party in there. I love Jaylen Herz at five. I’m just curious if we could get my list on the screen and you want to kind of poke holes in it. I mean, there’s really not a lot you can do. I know you’re good at this, but this is kind of impervious. Patrick Mahomes is number one. What are you talking about? He is in a category by himself. Okay, I will give you if this season he comes out and plays the mediocre by his standards type of football he did last year and there they win 10 or 11 games, get bounced in the first or second round of the playoffs. Sure. then you can move him down. But until further notice, he is the best. Not much of a receiving core at all last year. Offensive line on the blink and yet he still goes 15 and one and gets his team to the Super Bowl. I’m sorry. He is the best. He’s the best quarterback I’ve ever seen, period. He’s not the GOAT yet. He’s got to do more and win more championships to get to Brady. But come on, man. Dude is number one. He’s in a category of his own. Uh outside of that, I’m putting Lamar ahead of Joe Burrow. If your argument for Josh Allen, what that he he has been better in the postseason than Lamar, but right now, I would say I would put Lamar at two, but I understand the playoff argument. I think you I like Herz like you do, but I and I get it. It’s only one year, but right now I’m going with Jaden Daniels at five. A lot of people are going Jaden Daniels. Yeah. the poise he showed, the clutch play that he showed. Uh he didn’t have the greatest weapons, you know, outside of Terry McLuren. So, he is a special quarterback. Best rookie season we’ve ever seen. I put him at five. All right, let’s pivot to the NBA. Uh Brew, uh before we get to LeBron, I know he’s your guy. You’ve known LeBron in his camp forever. I want to start with Cooper Flag. There’s a lot of doubters. I heard some people say, “Hey, he could he could be a Andre Kirolinko in the pros.” I was like, “Come on, guys. Uh, sorry, Baron Davis. That’s not happening. They didn’t shut down Andre Kirolinko after two summer league games. But Cooper Flag is going to be the truth. I said he could be a Kevin Garnett type player. Obviously not the MVP right out of the gate, but I love the defense, the handle, everything about his game just screams superstar. Where are you on Cooper Flag after two summer league games? Well, I think he’ll be a better scorer than Garnett. Like offensively, he can do it all. He can shoot the three. He’s got the mid-range shot. He can post a little bit and I think will post better as his career goes on. He can, you know, lead the fast break, can obviously take it to the hole and dunk. So, he can do I think his offensive package is way better than Garnett’s, you know, when you you know, you compare those two. But, um, I think he can be a superstar like his ceiling is superstar MVP candidate, you know, and and maybe winning it a a time or two. I’m not saying he’ll definitely be there. What I have said is he’s definitely a star. The the question is will he be a superstar and I get that he struggled in the first game in the summer league. Where he really struggled was just that his shot wasn’t falling. Yeah. You know, he did everything else well. He led the break. He obviously had the big defensive play and the assist while leading the break on at the end of the game to win it. Um and then I you know what I like Jay Mack? He knew, he said it was, I think, his worst game or one of his worst games of his life, right? What does he do? I like the fact that he clearly looked in the mirror, was upset with himself, and then goes out the next night and scores half of his team’s points with 31. Like, that shows a dog. And people have questioned that, like wondered, does he have that in him? Will he take over? Does he let the game come to him too much in that game too in the summer league? He took over and I I like the way he responded to a disappointing game one. So yeah, I I think he is the truth and uh great great luck and fortune for the Dallas Mavericks. Yeah. Yeah. Uh fortune favors the bold. I think something nonsense Nico Harrison said. Uh let me just ask you, this just came to me listening to you gas up flag. Seems like we’re on the same page. I’m gonna ask you, Chris, if you’re building an NBA team and I said next seven years, you’ve got him locked up. Are you taking Cooper flag or SGA? SGA. Oh, remember SGA? SGA. Stop it. Yeah, we don’t we don’t know that Cooper Flag will ever, and as much as I like him, will ever be the number one player and lead a team to a championship? That’s totally up in the air. And SGA has done it at the age of 26. Oh, by the way, doing it with the young the second youngest team ever to win an NBA championship. No. And here’s the other thing, J-Mack. SGA still has plenty of room to grow. His three-point shot is nowhere near where it will be over the next two, three, four years. So, he can get even better. Wow. And so, there’s no question. And and look, Flag looks like he’ll be a good defender, but SGA also plays defense. Like, no, no question. SGA all day. Wow. That’s a surprise. Honestly, I would take like six or seven guys over SGA. Webinama, I would take over SGA. He had many good. I’m not putting Cooper Flag in Wimy’s uh on Wimy’s tier. Are you? Uh well, we’ll see after a year. I’m extremely bull. I asked Rick Buer over under one and a half MVPs for Cooper Flag in his career. I took the over. Is that Well, here’s Look, I said it. The ceiling for Cooper Flag is superstar. The ceiling, I’m not predicting this, but the ceiling for Victor Wimanyama is goat. That’s the ceiling. Goat. He could He can’t be the goat. Is that what you’re telling me? He can’t be the goat. We’re just in a different era. I How many guys are you saying could be the goat? Him. Who else right now are we looking at? I know people are going to disagree, but I do think given what he’s accomplished through his first six or seven seasons, I think Luca Donuch could be in the goat. His numbers are going to be there for sure. The defense isn’t there. The defense the defense is not there. But you know what? He’s going to lock in this year. Jordan, they were great defenders. Obviously, winama. So when you talk about goat, you nitpick and that would be a nit to pick on Luca. Yeah. No, the defense is not quite there. By the way, let’s talk about Luca and the Lakers. Luca’s getting a little skinnier. By the way, do you believe this? Luca’s thin and he’s the Are you believing this based on pictures seeing Luca at a at a at a Jordan party in, you know, Greece or wherever he was over the weekend? He did look He did look awfully thin. I mean, it was not down 15. Come on. I I don’t know. He’s looked good in the, you know, in the summers before, right? We’ve looked at him. Oh, wow. Luca slimming down. But I will say this. I mean, obviously playing with LeBron James may change your perspective for a positive, right? You look at the way LeBron works. You look at him doing what he’s doing at 40 years old and you maybe I would think a competitor would say, “Man, I’m going to start doing some of that stuff.” So, that could be good for Luca. And also, he is entering that like you talked about what he’s done over first six years of his career and he’s been phenomenal. I love Luca, but doesn’t yet have an MVP and obviously doesn’t have a championship. And so he is now at that stage, uh, J-Mack, where until he wins a ring, there is going to be a little bit of criticism of him. Like people will give him love, don’t get me wrong, but it’ll be like, “Okay, when you going to win?” And they’ve all faced it. Jordan, LeBron, everyone who has taken several years to win as probably the best player or one of the best players in the league get starts to get that criticism and that can spark you to work harder. And so I think this could be good for Luke. He’s getting a little bit of criticism and so now I think that can spark him to work harder on defense, work harder on his body, and come back as an even better player. Yeah, I’m trying to look it up, Brew, but it looks like LeBron and Jordan both won their first title at 27. Is that accurate? Right around there. So, Luca’s like right in line with that. It’s not a big It’s not a race to see who can get the first title. You know, it’s it’s a marathon. And watching Luca work, again, I I know people don’t like when I hear putting Luca on the GOAT, but he makes everyone around him better. The way Magic did, the way LeBron did, the way Jokic does, different from Magic. Here’s why. L certain players he does make better and same with LeBron they make certain players better but because this is when LeBron was in his prime because they are so ball dominant it is tough to fit pieces around them right you have to fit the right pieces around like Magic was different was such a great playmaker that everyone on the team could be the best version of themselves you haven’t seen that with LeBron through his career or Luca through his career and that’s a different that’s just the ball dominant era. Some of these guys are just too ball dominant. But but Luca is phenomenal obviously and so I’m just pointing that out. Ball dominant like the free throw merchant SGA. Anyways, uh let’s quickly go. So I took some heat on Friday for DeAndre Aton. Listen, statistically, just statistically first seven years averaging 15 and 10 and and shooting 50%. He’s in in a class. Listen, that’s pretty good for centers, especially in this era where it’s not really uh they’re they’re not getting the ball as much. Um, so I think Eightton is a steal at $8 million. When you consider Rudy Gobear’s at like 35 mil, I would take Eighton at 8 mil over him. However, it’s DeAndre Aton. He he was a mal content in Portland. Uh he was kind of lazy in Phoenix. Do you think he can turn it around playing with Luca and LeBron? Yeah, I I’m with you on that. Now, I don’t know how far you went. How you were talking about a class you put him in. What class did you actually put him in? So, the guys who were 15, 10, and 50% shooting are are centers like Giannis and Joic and elite guys. And I again, statistically, he’s in that group, but he’s not as good as Nobody would say that. Come on. Well, other than you apparently but uh no but look I I otherwise I’m with otherwise beyond com saying he’s with Giannis and Jokic. I’m with you. All right. I agree. I think I don’t understand why certain people have panned this move to get DeAndre Aiden. It’s ridicul acquisition, right? That they obviously killed. He’s better than Mark Williams statistically and period. Okay, he’s going to be a great fit with Luca. He obviously will be great on the lobs from Luca and then he’s got the short mid-range shot that is darn near automatic. I mean, he really is good at that level. What I want to see from DeAndre Aton, his problem has really been his attitude, moodiness, his motor or lack thereof at times. I want to see him say, “Look, I’m playing with the best player of this generation and another guy that could be the best player of his generation and Luca. We have a chance to do something special.” I’m giving my all on the defensive end and then don’t be so moody again like Luca learn from LeBron is example and I agree with you. I think it was a great move by the Lakers. I’m not saying it puts them over the top to win the championship, but I think it was a great move. And look, they’re right there. I I think right now you would say OKC, Denver, Houston, and Minnesota are better than the Lakers. But the Lakers are good enough where there’s hope. Like they should go out there like we have hope that we can do something special this year. If the Lakers get Bradley Beal, they’re the favorites in the West. Uh let’s quickly go to LeBron. Oh no, stop that. Let’s go to LeBron. I have to ask you about this. You know this guy as well as anybody. He’s been leaving breadcrumbs on social media for a couple weeks now. He’s using Rich Paul to get his thing out that he’s not happy with the Lakers. Not really feeling the love from Pelinka and company. They’re go they’re showering Luca. There’s Please tell the audience there’s zero chance LeBron’s getting traded. Zero. They’re not. I won’t say I won’t say zero, but I am with you. I don’t think he’s getting traded. I think he starts the season with the Lakers. Now, if for some reason it goes terrible, would they try to move him at the deadline? Maybe get him to a team with a chance to do something in the playoffs. Yeah, something like that. But I don’t see it going terrible. Right. They were 15 and8 with LeBron and Luca last year. And Jmack, the teams they beat, they beat Houston twice, they beat Denver twice, they beat Oklahoma City, they beat New York, they beat Indiana. Like those 15 wins weren’t against chump change. Like they were playing good basketball and and that was on the fly, right? That was with a roster not built around Luca. It was on the fly. LeBron had to all of a sudden adjust to being the second guy offensively and they still played good basketball. So you would expect them to be better. You know, JJ Reic has spent all off season trying to figure out what’s the best way to maximize LeBron and Luca and the other parts together. you add a good center and DeAndre Aton that you didn’t have a year ago. Like again, I’m not predicting at this moment that they’re going to win the championship. But if I’m the Lakers, I’m I’m saying we are one of a handful of teams with two allNBA level players in Luca and LeBron and we’ve got a good cast of role players. Now, they need more athleticism on the wing. They need more shooting rather, but they’re good enough where you can, as I said, you should go into this season hopeful. So, look, if I if I could get, and this isn’t even possible because of the second apron rules and stuff, but if I could get like a Darius Garland and Jared Allen, no, absolutely. Or LeBron, I would do if I’m the like, now you have Aton, so you may not need Allen. Those contracts are that type of package. Yeah. No, but those are but those are guys that can play off Luca in the future and the present. See Darius Garland I think would be good off Luca because he can shoot. And then obviously Allen with the defense and finishing at the rim off Luca would be good. So I’m looking at them as guys that will help be good in the present and beyond. So I would do that but again that’s not even possible. So I don’t Yeah, I don’t see the Lakers when the Suns get rid of Bradley Beal. The Lakers could get him for $5 million. Bradley Beal is the missing piece. You can just go ahead and get the parade ready for the Lakers if they get Bradley Beal. I know the paper clips. I’m not nearly. Yeah, that’s why I watching. I’m just first of all, I’m not sure they’d even get Bill. You know, obviously he’s going to have a lot of options, but I don’t know that he wants to go there and be at best the third banana. Like, he would come off the bench, right? So, you want to win anyway. I don’t know that I’m not sure. I haven’t been talked to. I don’t know that he wants to do that though, so it might be attitude issues. I I just don’t see that. It’d be a nice pickup if you can get him and he’s got the right attitude. My main man Chris Brousard, he’s on First Things First after this. Brew, anytime you want to lose an NBA battle, just holl at your boy. We’ll chop it up, man. Have a great summer, my man. I’m going to tell the audience, we used to have a whole segment on my podcast where I beat you down. It was literally called Knock Down Jake, and you were Jay. So, what are we talking about? Right. Bruce Art’s the man. All right.

Jason McIntyre is joined by host of “First Things First” Chris Broussard to react to Jason’s top NFL quarterbacks, Cooper Flagg’s summer league performances w/ Dallas Mavericks, Cooper’s ceiling, DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers, and whether LeBron James will play this NBA season.

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