De’Aaron Fox gets paid. Are the Spurs a Playoff Team Now? | From The Logo

De’Aaron Fox gets paid. Are the Spurs a Playoff Team Now? | From The Logo

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to From the Logo. We’re 36 minutes late today, but it is what it is. Y’all should y’all should expect that [ __ ] by now. Anyway, um I’m joined today by my dog Bama. Uh also, shout out shout out to Pressbox, by the way. Finally got Bama on the show to congratulate him. Um how you feeling, brother? No, I’m good, man. trying to edit edit some of this content to get to these boys. But bro, football season almost here. I’m sad I can’t show y’all the display names, but you know, I’m a member of Djon Lee fan club. You know what I’m saying? Alabama got a 65 Corner over there. We really cooking with hot biscuits, hot hot water cornbread right now over there in Tatown. So, I got some nasty narrative to spin. Um Carolina Panthers FC this year. You know, I’m team hopping right now in the NFL. So, Carolina Panthers FC, I was Miami Dolphins FC last year. I’m real nasty like that. You know what I’m saying? Real nasty. I ain’t no different than one of them girls on the blade. You know what I’m saying? High as bitter, baby. High as bitter. But it’s good to be back up here with y’all boys, man. What’s good y’all boys? I miss y’all, man. You know what I’m saying? Y’all like my cousins, bro. I feel like that that cousin, especially Gifted, man. The boy gifted, man. Every time I see Gifted, man, I’m like, that’s my dog right there, bro. Good time with that dude when we was out there in Indian Indianapolis, man. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Gifted. How you talk? Real talk. Yeah. Uh, overall feeling good. I definitely want us to get our [ __ ] together with these shows. Um, I think we got a really good uh chance. There’s a lot of things in this offseason that are going to be trying to pick up. So eventually we are going to begin to pick steam back up but been a while. Um we are kneede in the offseason right now like kneede. So and to be completely honest chat feel free to uh let us know of any topics that you might want us to discuss that you found in this offseason because I remember Sean was talking about how this was going to be like historic and all this stuff and this offseason has been quiet as hell. It has been nothing but back and forth negotiations. The the hottest topic of the week is Jonathan Kaminga every week and anything else outside of that is just contract extensions, but it is what it is. Um, speaking of contract extensions, Luca Donuch signs a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. Did anybody did anybody think anything different? Did anybody think there was a slim chance that he might, I don’t know, test the market or anything different? No. to go from a Dallas market to a LA market, that’s a no-brainer. Um, you know, being a lifelong Laker fan who don’t want to play for the Lakers. Um, one of the bigger markets in basketball outside of what the Celtics and Knicks, if you want to say that. Um, I mean, it’s it’s a really ideal location for for any superstar free agent. Um, you know what I mean? Just dating all the way back with Shaq, Kareem, all of them guys. So, um, I really didn’t expect nothing else. So now we get to see Luca and LeBron James Jr. baby. Yes, sir. About to take the nation by storm. Oh my god. Gift, how you feeling, bro? Uh, I thought he was going to wait longer, but him signing it does make sense because he opens himself up in the next two years to sign that big boy contract for almost $400 million. So, I think strategically it makes a ton of sense. Um, I still think though that they’re going to have to consistently show how they’re going to build a good championship roster around him. I also think he has to like show them like hey like this is the best version of myself on this team now like to show that he hasn’t pee as a player. I don’t think he has. I still think that there are ways he can go to. Um this press run has shown him a ton in terms of being like in really good shape which a lot of people have cried or complained about for many many years of his career. So just having that established and knowing that you’re going to be on the roster is a big thing I would say not just for him but for the future of this franchise to know that for these next two years this guy is 100% locked in on this team that can definitely attract some other players in the coming off seasonason. So it makes sense to me honestly. Um, yeah. I I I think it’s uh it was a no-brainer for him because a player like Luca, for as for as great as Luca is, uh, Dallas kind of like, you know, screwed him over a little bit in terms of, uh, what his rapport might be with other teams with all of these little malicious little sub jabs and all this stuff about his him being overshape or him being overweight, him not being able to play defense, all of these little things. Um, and now the expectation I think of championships and all of that that comes with playing in Tinsel Town is starting to creep in with the way in which he quickly got into shape in this off seasonason and looks to be um, a lot more leaner. So, we’ll see how that works for him. I’m very interested in the player option though in the third year because like Gifted just said he has two years give or take of the Los Angeles Lakers and Robolinka being able to surround him with a team. Um and I mean a real team that also means that they’re going to have to figure out what the hell is going to happen with LeBron James and all of that stuff. I think that at one point maybe two and a half years ago Lakers fans if you were to ask them like you know what’s the state of LeBron’s mentality on this team or what’s the state of this LeBron era of the Lakers they would say okay LeBron’s about to ride off into the sunset but we’re still trying to get another ring with Luca Donic the timetable of LeBron running into the sunset doesn’t really mean anything it’s more so uh what are we going to do to contend for a championship LeBron James is only getting older Lucas the young fresh franchise face. So, we’ll see if they make any more moves. But that player option, watch out for that cuz in a year and a half time, if they if they play inbound, [ __ ] going to get real spooky over there. We gonna see. We gonna see. Um yeah, I I um I want to see how they’re able to build up this roster. I do think this does raise a very important question about the future of LeBron. Um, every year we just don’t know what to expect, especially this year where some people thought he would have been out of the NBA by this point, but he’s still playing at a high level. So, it’s like, is this really his last year in the NBA? Is he going to try to move on to a different team? I think this is like very important. I’m I’m surprised I don’t hear a a ton of people speaking about this because this is the first time where he’s had the power in all of his stops. And he still has it because they can’t trade him, but he’s on a team where he’s not the main priority anymore. And I think for LeBron, that’s just never been the case for his entire career until now. Thanks. That’s the first thing that popped into my head when the trade went down was what does this because we’re done with the LeBron and Anthony Davis era. Like we’re done with that now. We’re on to the LeBron and Luca era. But what does that mean? The LeBron and AD era made sense when LeBron touched down in 2019 in LA because AD was still somewhat in his prime years and LeBron was coming out of his postp prime. LeBron had like five, but whatever. LeBron was LeBron was at a point where he was trying to literally def find someone to defer to and not have to defer to J.R. Smith in the 2018 NBA Finals. You you get my point with Luca Donic in the equation. It’s it’s a whole like the whole timetable for what they’re trying to do changes because now it’s not just about, you know, winning a championship in a championship window. LeBron and AD’s championship window was closing ever so slightly, right? and they just realize that with with Luca that that allows them to have a little bit more leniency on the back end post LeBron because they still have a top five player in in the league to build around. So, we’ll see. We’ll see. Um, why y’all still banking on LeBron? Ain’t he like almost 50 years old? Why trying to predicate everything behind what he gonna do? Because you got to think, you got to think, Bama. I mean, he’s the literal next best player on his team. That kind of matters. you know. Yeah. I mean, it’s just almost by default. I think uh everybody fans, GMs, teams, like it’s it’s time to start trying to transition and find that number two because like again, this is what’s going to happen, right? We gonna remember him for how great he was, all that stuff, 2016, all yada yada yada yada yada. This ain’t that no more. You feel me? Like at the end of the day, you need to find a way to transition off a 41year-old basketball player and find somebody else to fill that void because this is going to always be the narrative when they come up short. Well, LeBron James is 41. LeBron James is 42, LeBron James is 49. Well, like stop the transition from having to depend on him because it’s almost I just feel like everybody they just trying to have a built-in excuse. Does that diminish LeBron’s greatness? No. But I’m just talking about from a a a basketball going forward from where we are today. You see what I’m saying? It’s not 2016. It’s not 2017. It’s not 2018. It’s not 2020. You know what I mean? So, I’m going from a this point going forward. You locked in with Luca. Great. Found you a next superstar to run the face of the franchise. Right now, you need like you said, Gifted, you alluded to it earlier. Now you need to figure out a way to construct the team around Luca. I kind of like the DeAndre Aiden pickup kind of a little bit. I’m I’m a little lukewarm on it. I can see the vision a little bit. But now we got to have find some more bonafide defenders and guys that can shoot the rock. You see what I’m saying? To help out Luca. Um there are other few things they need. Of course, we need to build a bench a little bit deeper too as well. But I’m just saying you it’s weird because when he does have them spurts of games, oh my god, he’s the greatest 40-year-old ever and then when you get the playoffs, you got teams like Minnesota running his ass slap off the court showing him he too old, bro. You can’t run with these young boys no more. Unfortunately, would I want LeBron to go back to like I be saying the same thing. Damn, bro. If this was 2018, LeBron would have really gave aunt the business. Like I could just see it, right? Like I’d be seeing it, bro. I was like, man, y’all would not want to see that man in 2018, bro. Because the only thing I can remember, Ant go down, get the tough layup, and then as he coming back on defense, he pushing LeBron all the way down court. I’m just like, bro, that is insane to see this because the LeBron I saw that [ __ ] was jumping from the free throw line in the game. I remember that [ __ ] like it was yesterday up in there Milwaukee. That boy jumped from the free throw. That [ __ ] was insane. And I’m just like, wow, bro. It’s really almost that time. Because like I said in football, they say it all the time, father time is undefeated, bro. Undefeated. Some players just age more gracefully into the sunset than others. Like Tom Brady, LeBron James. Yes, these guys were so far ahead of everybody else. Of course, the gap has they’re still who they are, but the gap is closing drastically right now. And I just feel like the Lakers need to go try to find their number two. I don’t know who that could be, you know what I mean? But I just feel like they need to figure out my thing. When you say that, are we saying that they’re moving on from LeBron officially and he’s off this roster? Is that what you mean? Cuz like Well, I I just mean, right? I wouldn’t fully say that because uh like I said, it’s LeBron. You know what I’m saying? I think he deserves some level of respect, some level of grace. I wouldn’t say completely just get him off the roster unless you have to. Like if it was like for somebody like a a Giannis, I know I’m dreaming right now. Hell yeah. you get his ass off the roster for a Yiannis. You see what I’m saying? But for the most part, you need to find somebody to where that dude can uh that dude can be a number a number three or number four scorer option, but trying to rely on him as a number two at 41. He about to be 41 this upcoming next season, right? No, got a little bit his birthday like December 29th, but he about to be 41 in the upcoming season, bro. So, it’s like to keep relying on him as your number two, bro. That’s just like you want a built-in excuse when he get to the playoffs and he run out of gas. You see what I’m saying? Because you going to have to load manage him. You’re not going to be able to work 41 year old like that. You going to have to load manage him. So it’s going to be a portion of the games throughout the season. You gonna have to figure out how to win games without him already. Yeah. 55 at the age 41. What you ch like 55 games? I’m just I’m talking about being realistic. I agree. I agree with that point. Um because that was the point that I was making when the trade originally went down because originally AD was the second option. But to that same point, Bama, you couldn’t rely on him to get you 55 games confidently and that was a number two. And then you’re hoping that LeBron is as number one can carry the load. And even sometimes LeBron could have couple weeks in December where his ankle’s bothering him and Austin Reeves is running the show and you just hoping for the best. But like I I I see that point 100%. They do need to come to that point very very soon where they’re going to figure out what to do with that. And like Gif said earlier, it’s a tough situation because it’s not like you can trade LeBron necessarily. I even thought that LeBron would end up taking some pay cuts or something like that. Like it’s not not as like an insult to his game because you’re 41 years old. The fact that you can still give me 23 and six and five is incredible at your age. Take the pay cut, [ __ ] What you need it for? You are a billionaire. Space Jam 2 did how much? I ain’t seen and I’mma get some more millions. You know what I’m saying? Like you live in you live in LA. Like you good, dog. You what? Whatever you want, you can get you can get an endorsement from a [ __ ] from Conc. So So like, okay, I used to have that mindset and then like I thought about it more, right? Like why am I giving you more of an excuse to not do your job? So, I got to take less because you don’t know how to build a roster with me. Be right. If you eliminate the fact that it’s it’s him, his production warrants the contract he has. Right. Right. Right. Right. 100%. But but here’s the thing though. You’ve seen we’ve seen instances in the past. Even LeBron is not LeBron is no stranger to taking pay cuts if it’s going to help the team even when the [ __ ] was in his third prime. Steph Curry is in that conversation. Kobe back in the day used to get ridiculed for not doing it. Carmemelllo Anthony used to get ridiculed for not doing it. These are kind of weird names though because for Steph um that mainly happened because he was hurt. He not taking no pay cut now. Yeah. But if there’s an if there’s an oper like if if say say a situation arose in which like Jimmy Butler needs to get paid or something like that and there’s a moment in which you can look and keep yourself under the second or above the second t tax apron and all that stuff and Steph you don’t think that Steph would try and figure out a way to keep the team afloat financially even if it meant taking 15 million less or something like that 10 million less whatever it is like I get your point about they’re definitely warrant they definitely deserve to get paid. Bradley Beal leading the league in scoring didn’t mean that [ __ ] deserved a no trade clause, especially from Washington. [ __ ] what like like I don’t care that you averaged 30 points a game and you were a top three scorer in basketball. Pure bucket getting lost, but you ain’t you don’t deserve that much willpower. You ain’t done nothing. My only thing I would probably say and then I want to hear from Hayes too, the the afficionado. My only thing too with the athletes you guys just named like Steph, Braun, um, Kobe, what they did for the NBA, it’s not going to sit right with their spirit if they have to take a pay cut. You got to think about it. These guys make the game a global game. Like when you go over to China and stuff, they know LeBron, they scream, they not really screaming NBA, they screaming Steph, they screaming Braun. So what these dudes did to push the game forward to other countries and all of that, I kind of feel them for not want to take a pay cut because you guys still using my name, image, and like likeness to push this brand, which is the NBA. These people are not coming to see the owners. They’re not coming to see Jenny Bus. They coming to see LeBron James. They coming to see Steph Curry. They’re not coming to see Jerry West and them dudes no more. But that’s what that’s why I feel like the the own because the owners don’t take a pay cut when they generate all that revenue from what they get for the year. They have not managed this team well for years, bro. I’m sorry. They they made like so many dumb front office overall choices and Braun in the past has taken less and they did [ __ ] all with it. So, so like I’m not really a fan of like hyping up this overall front office because they’ve been cheap. How are you one of the 30 teams in a billion dollar industry and you don’t have synergy, which is like two bands a month. Synergy, a NBA team that really predicates itself on making the right choices to put their team on the best path to win. You don’t have synergy. That’s literally like bar number one. It’s just look man but synergy wasn’t gonna help help them keep an Anthony Davis healthy for more than 55 games a season. So I mean that’s fine but it’s like no I get I get what you’re getting at completely gifted. I’m I’m just saying like for the Lakers and even even this conversation on on getting paid like here’s the thing and and I I get it like LeBron’s never been paid what he’s worth. He’s never been paid per the V no matter how much he gets paid. There’s no such contract that that is going to pay Braun the value that he’s brought to the league, the the value that he brings to the franchise, none of that. What what you make in marketing, what you make in jersey sales, there’s no dollar amount within the CBA that’s going to get LeBron the money that he deserves in on a on an NBA contract. It’s it’s impossible. So the question that you that you have to ask yourself here is that how like to me if you’re going to ask a player to sell less, you got to come to me with a plan that makes me feel like we’re about to win a title cuz otherwise why am I taking less? I’m fine taking less, but you have to have a plan. that binder that they say Pelinka goes to these meetings with. What in that [ __ ] binder is telling me we about to win a title? Because if you want me to take less for this franchise, you better be using that money to do something spectacular. And to Gift’s point, this front office up until this point has done all but [ __ ] off the opportunity that you’ve had here. You got a title out of it. Great. But it really has felt like they got their title and they can now say we won a title with LeBron and we we’ll let we’ll let them figure it the [ __ ] out afterwards. You’ve made bad decision after bad decision. What type of players are the best type of players to have around Luca 3 and D players? You let Dorian Finny Smith go just because of you don’t know how to [ __ ] build your team. You don’t know how. Like Dorian Finny Smith said, one of the reasons he wanted to he he left is because he was uncertain about what was happening with LeBron. So like you you can’t ask somebody to take less and we looking at your plan like what [ __ ] plan? Like is this a Wy Coyote plan? There’s nothing here worth it. Purple Purple Orca said to be fair, the front office has been ran by a GM. Even before LeBron got there, we got to stop that [ __ ] You know what I’m saying? Like even before LeBron got there in co final five years, it didn’t make any sense what they were doing. Bodies were leaving. Carlos Boozer, Lu Deng was getting paid from literally sitting at home at one point from a Lakers. He’s getting a bag too. Like come on now. Like we can’t put it all on LeBron. Um, I will say I agree with Hayes and Gifted’s point upon further listening of the Lakers as a front office have not done in the last 10 years haven’t done well in the front office field when it comes to signing players, creating acquisitions, selling assets off, keeping assets, whatever the case may be. They have done a terrible job with it. The Russell Westbrook trade made no sense at the time, makes no sense back right now. like and and that came with a lot of baggage that they eventually had to figure out ways to get up off of. But still along the way, losing out on guys like DFS, losing out on guys like Caruso, right? Losing out on guy like like they just as a front office, they I agree with the synergy point. It doesn’t seem like there’s ever a a solid plan in fruition for them to just go after. When I think back to players taking pay cuts recently, Harden took a pay cut in Philadelphia, didn’t he? Y’all, if y’all remember right. Yeah, I think you’re right about he took he took a pay cut. But to Hayes’s point, Daryl my who may or may not be a liar in China. Daryl my That was a crazy arc, by the way. Never forget that. Crazy. Crazy. Uh, but Daryl my must have told Harden something good in terms of, hey, look, if you do this, we can find you that corner shooter. We can find you that second piece uh to come off the bench when Joelle is either hurt or sitting down on the bench. we can get you uh uh uh what Montre whoever the hell they got and it didn’t pan out at the end of the day. Tobias Harris was the one that ended up with the most points in that game, seven for Philadelphia that game, but it didn’t it didn’t pan out. It didn’t work. Tobias Harris got paid along the way. Oh yeah. You know what I’m saying? Like so it’s like if I’m Harden, you know, after a while it’s like, okay, all in all, I took a pay cut for Tobias to get paid and for us to still not make it to the conference finals. you’re a liar and I’m going to go China and tell everybody like that like all that was justified in that in that in that situation because and it was all stemming from the fact and to Harden’s credit he even said it it all stemmed from the fact that he had taken a pay cut already. So he felt like as a player he had helped you the GM the front office out by helping you figure out what the hell to do which they ended up doing nothing. But when it came time for him to get paid for the back end on back-to-back playoff appearances, leading the league in assists, things like that, money wasn’t there. He got upset. Completely justifiable. Completely justified. So that’s insane to me. I don’t know, man. I I I think the real test with them acquiring Luca starts now. You have him officially under contract. He’s getting into the best shape of his thing, which I got to be honest. The one thing I hate so much hate about the offseason is the amount of gas we do for some of these athletes. Like, bro, I’m sorry. Like, I don’t want to see, oh my god, Zion’s in the best shape. Oh my god, Luka. That sounds all good. Let me get to game one of the season and see what you looking like. Hey, do you remember last offseason where so many people were like, “Look at Zion. Zion has a neck. We can see Zion’s neck. The [ __ ] had all the weight back on by Christmas. Like, no, I’m not I’m not going to put that on. Right. Right. And he got there at some point, but like this idea that like this shift happens now and they’re good. We don’t got to worry about nothing. Like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I agree with that. I agree with that. That’s stupid. That’s very stupid. And you want to know what else was in that same box is is the offseason workouts for non-shooters. I don’t care. I agree with that. What I see from Ben Simmons in the offseason. I don’t care what I see from Jared Vanderbelt, [ __ ] in the offseason. Show me what Steph Curry and Clay and Luca and Austin Reeves and LeBron even and Kevin Durant and Kyrie and J. Show me what the shooters are doing. Show me what the scorers doing to further their bag. Not the [ __ ] that’s going to stand in the corner and have a box score of 18 minutes and two rebounds and 0 for four from the field all from corner. Don’t show me that. Don’t show me that. Ben Simmons done as a collective. Let’s all do it together. Chat, hop in. Let’s all as a collective just be done with Ben Simmons. Can I can we do that? Can we Can we and I what I mean by that is not necessarily giving up on him as a player, but just giving up on the prospect of what he could become. We know what he is now, and that’s fine. He is what he is. Yeah. Ben Simmons in this new phase of his career, he’s a he’s a player that can get you rebounds, play okay defense, and he can facilitate some for you. You can be a secondary ball handler, and that’s perfectly fine. the ceiling of what we thought Ben Simmons could be five, six years ago. It’s done. It’s dead. It’s it’s it’s it’s done. It’s it’s it’s like it’s like Meg the Stallion when the BBL finally fell on her. It’s done. It’s no talent there. So, it’s over. I don’t know. I don’t know. Hers is talking about that [ __ ] I I probably picked the wrong person. I should have said Cardi B. Me was just It was just at the forefront of my brain. That’s all. Yeah. Let’s hope Clint Thompson is watching. Uh, Hayes, we’ll give you the the the rest of the hosting ability since you’re here. But I No, you got it. Go ahead. Cook, bro. You cook. All right. Well, well, fine. Fine. Since since everybody is here, um, since everybody is here, uh, let’s get into the title topic, why don’t we? Uh, let’s talk about the San Antonio Spurs. Um, De’Arra Fox signed a 4-year extension with the San Antonio Spurs for roughly $229 million. Now, when this trade originally went down last season, the the Spurs were in like an interesting state as a team. They were still a playin team. Everybody kind of thought that they would be at best, maybe. I don’t know. But I was excited for one when when they picked up Chris Paul last year in the offseason. I was like, that’s a nice pickup. They’re gonna figure out a way slowly to start getting Wimby to ball more. And then when we look at the end in the latter half of last season when Victor Winyama picked up the the blood clot scare which something that nobody could have ever prepared for. I say all that to say we don’t really know what we’re looking at with San Antonio. I don’t know at least. I like De’aran Fox of course. Love him. Love the fit between him and Wimi. Right. Love it. Love Stfan Castle and his emergence onto the field. I think he’s going to have a bigger role next year with this team. Right. Devin Bell, all these guys. But my question is is Victor Wimanyama, how much how much faith do you guys do you let me ask this question, let me rephrase it. Do you guys have more faith in the San Antonio Spurs as a unit or do you have more faith in Victor Wimbeyama and what he can do for the team as in leading the team, being there, being the engine, the anchor, all of these things, even the number one go-to option every time down the floor on offense? like how do y’all feel about this? Can I say something that’s probably going to be controversial? Let me get it out the way real quick. All right. So, I want to hear this. So, I have faith in the Spurs as an organization. I have faith in the Spurs as a staff. Faith in Spurs as the ability to develop. But I think with Wimi right now and us collectively as basketball fans are are seeing Wimi through who we know he can be and not who he is quite yet. And and it’s fine. I’m not saying that Wim is going to be a bust. I don’t think I think Wimby’s going to be one of the best players in NBA history. He’s going to break the defensive player of the year record. He’s going to break break the block records by year eight if he can stay healthy, right? But we still saw through large portions of the season teams get away with putting shooting guards and small forwards on Wimby to keep him away from the rim and it completely throw off the Spurs and their offensive game plan. So, while I I I know I I I would I would bet easy money on Wimy’s eventually going to be a top five player in this league, he’s not there yet. And we got to stop talking about Wimi as if he’s there yet. We got to stop trying to make W he ain’t shown it yet. Now, part of that is injury. Part of that’s just the normal up and down that’s going to happen as a player because what he already does without the thing Wimby right now is operating off pure and utter raw skill. He has no bag yet at all. None. not a single bag. And that’s why he’s going to be great because look at what he’s already doing. But to me, to put it the the the thing, can Wimy lead a team to do anything meaningful yet? I haven’t seen it. Now, maybe that changes as soon as this season. He has a great team around him. I love the the talent they have on this team from top to bottom. There’s so many players I really love on this team, but Wimby has a lot to show before I’m personally going to going to believe that he’s ready to lead a team on a playoff run at this point. right now. He has a lot to show there. Uh uh so I was going to get to WBY, but I wanted to begin with Fox, but since we’re here, I do want to say this. From what I’ve seen from WBY, um I don’t think I fully agree. I think the problem is that he can do so much. He doesn’t have specifics on what he, you know, consistently wants to all the way get to. I think like the structure of what he can do isn’t there yet. I think his natural talent in terms of like moves, he can do a lot of things, but having like a a like focus on what you want to get to consistently, that hasn’t been seen yet. I also think that he was a clear allNBA first team guy before he went out. Like that’s how well he was playing. His beginning of the season was rough, but when he really picked it up, it was no question about it that he was, I would say, probably the best defensive player in the game. And offensively, he became a more efficient player as it Yeah. grew. Right. My question really is the Spurs as a team, their acquisitions, and more importantly, how do we feel about Darren Fox as a player? Because I got to be honest, when he signed the contract, I saw a lot of people say he’s overpaid, he’s a bad player, this and that. I saw some say, “Oh my god, it’s a great contract.” I don’t know how people feel, but this first team only goes as far as those two players can really carry it. And even to to your point, Gifted, with Fox last year, latter half a year, you just reminded me he was dealing with what was it? Hand injury for the majority last part of the season. So, what we saw from him when he got there, like I remember one game I was watching and it was um I had money on that [ __ ] That’s what it was. I I was watching and uh Fox, I think I had him for like 18. This was like his third game as a Spur and I didn’t realize that that bro’s hand injury was legit. Like the the seeing him in the fourth quarter of that game and then reme remembering what I saw in the Warrior series in the playoffs a couple years prior. Two completely different players. So clearly there was something wrong there. Hopefully that’s all fine. He’s 100% healthy and then they can continue to to build build off of that. What De’Arren Fox I think provides to this team is someone to divert the attention of the def if that makes sense. Like did y’all did y’all get that? Did y’all got that? Like like Yeah. When you when you think about Wimi and what his role is for this team offensively and defensively he’s a target or he’s the attention, right? De’Arren Fox offensively now instead of Wimi, you know, they can they might not be able Hayes to get away with putting two guards and threes on Wimby at the perimeter because if they get De’Arren Fox in a mismatch with a big, it’s wraps. He gonna take it to the top. You know what I’m saying? So, it’s like that’s where I’m that’s where my intrigue is gifted is what is how how much of a role is De’Arren Fox gonna play in the success of the Spurs offense becoming something that isn’t soed one-dimensional. onedimensional meaning so when be focused but at the same time you have a player that is a decent enough facilitator to be able to read the defense and if they’re overcorrecting on him he’ll be able to find the open man or maybe even find certain angles for Wimy to get his shot off or get to the rim. I’m interested to see what the offense looks like defensively. Um, I also think Stefan Castle has a high motor for someone his size. And I’ll be interested to see how much I I guess if his minutes and everything go up and how much of a factor he’ll just be on the defensive end because it’s one thing if like we’re not asking him to be uh what Devin Vel is even as a shooter for this team when he gets hot but Stefan Castle if he can if he’s locking down on defense picking pockets and scoring in transition that can turn the whole entire like morale of the team up to okay we’re gonna be a defensive-minded team. we’re gonna try to get you in transition, right? Whatever the case may be. Um, so I’m interested to see that. I I’m I’m gonna be watching a lot of Spurs games this year. I’ll tell you that much. Uh, but Bam, how you feeling about about De’Arren Fox and and win potentially becoming Stockton Caramel thing with Fox with me, bro, his shot selection. Um, phenomenal basketball player. When he getting down getting to the cup, he put pressure on you like none other. Um, my thing is, uh, for some odd reason he turns into Steph Curry. I don’t know whether that’s just Steph Curry and bust bust his ass so many times when he was over there in sacks or now he just want to shoot like his big brother, but uh, a lot of the times it’s just the times he want he chooses to be a three-point shooter. It’s like you obviously got the mismatch. You one of the fastest player, if not the fastest player in the league, so you can get by anybody. Why aren’t you doing so? It’s like you just keep bailing the defense out. Um, another thing too is I really feel like they need a consistent shooter. Somebody that just to throw over their space to court in the corner or whatever the case may be, however you want to do it, a veteran more so. That way, somebody be able to respond in the playoffs. Uh, because that’s what a lot of people expect. I saw somebody put up in here, they go 50 and 32 or something like that. That’s a playoff round team. You see what I’m saying? So, you going to want somebody in the playoffs to help extend the court because a lot of the times with the dudes you just said, Castle, Wimby, uh, De’Aran Fox, unfortunately, all of those dudes need the ball in their hand to be a effective basketball player. Um, and when we get to the playoffs, that iso, we already know this, when you get to the playoffs, that ISO ball not really gonna do it. Like, just keep sitting here passing it. You iso, now you iso. Now, you iso. N you’re going to have to be able to run some sets. You gonna have to be able to free up your superstar. You’re gonna have to be able to get if Wim is the best player, you gonna have to be able to create so he can get to his spots and be more efficient than what y’all alluded to. Because if you just go sit there and play that iso ball, I feel like everybody just going to run out of gas. You see what I’m saying? But um I I mean I’m high on Wimby. I’m a lot more higher on Wimby. I’m the person that just looking at what he can be, I guess. Um which I’m not mad if people do that. Uh, like I said, he’s 7’4, got a crazy handle, can shoot the three ball. The way he play deep, I’m not mad at you if you just looking at what he can be because he’s showing flashes of it now. That’s how you emerge into the all-star and superstar level. How many times consistently can you link those flashes together? And he’s young right now, bro. I think he’s really gonna do it. Um, I’m like I like the start he’s got off to. Um, that shoulder scared me though. Uh cuz I just feel like, you know, I don’t know, them blood clots really not good. Uh because I don’t think that’s something that you can really control um in a sense. But um if Wimby can stay healthy, and I’m pretty sure you could say this for any athlete in the NBA. If Wimby can stay healthy and continue to evolve and grow because what he only like 18. Well, he only like 19, right? About 20 21 now. Yeah. Yeah. 21 something like that. But I I say I give I give players to like when they 25 like he still got a ways he still got I mean he led the NBA in blocks and was hurt for the rest of the season. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like he’s different. I mean yeah the I I I did the numbers like legitimately if he stays healthy and I’m talking and I’m not even talking about all 82. If he plays 70 games over the next two years he’s going to be top 10 in blocks. In four years in the NBA he’ll be top 10 in blocks by the rate that he has already. It’s a Hall of Famer, bro. That’s crazy. Yeah. Yeah. That’s nuts, man. That’s facts, though. It would be a Hall of Famer. Yeah. As far as the De’Ar the De’Arren Fox, like I I get why people that say like, “Oh, he’s overpaid in in this.” But the way that I always like to look at it is that if he was a free agent on the open market, how many teams for De’Arren Fox would have paid him the max? And I think most teams that call him would pay him the max. He’s a he’s a I I saw him lead a Sacramento Kings team to the third seed overall. Now he’s he’s coming to a situation where I legitimately think by the end of this contract, maybe even not by the end, we’re talking about maybe halfway through this contract, he may be the Spurs third best player, while the other two are on rookie scale deals. And Wimby and Harper, maybe even Stefan Castle, one of if we already know Wimby, if Stefon Castle or Harper, one of those guys end up being a better player than De’Arren Fox, you’re a perennial championship contending team if De’Arren Fox ends up being your number three. or even if he’s you’re 2A or 2B if those guy one of those guys end up being just as good as him. So, I understand why paying it because right now you’re at the place I I like to look at things as risk tolerance. You’re at the place where you can pay Fox that and it’s not really hurting you because you have so many players still on the rookie scale deal. Now, by the time Wimby and maybe Harper or Stefon Castle are up for their contract extensions, you you’re paying all those guys maxes. You better hope you’ve gotten a title or been a championship contending team by then with the second tax apron, but you got a while before you need to worry about that. Yeah. Yeah. Um I want to point this out. So I I went on on uh this site called Sprack. Love that site. Um in 2627 he’s making $49 million. Um I’m done really focusing on the numbers because a lot of these numbers are going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. um 30 even even 40 plus is not the same. It’s gonna be different now. But I want to focus on cap. So he’ll be making 30% of the cap in in 27, 30.86% of it in 28, 31.5 in 29, and then 32.13. Now, here’s my thing. Whenever we’re saying, “Does a player deserve a contract or not?” I look at the market first because it doesn’t matter if I think he is that player. What is the market saying about the player? I think that matters more. But also in terms of actually trying to find out the value, what do the best players get paid and how much of the cap are they eating up? Shay also signed his contract. Here’s a fun fact. Shay will never make more than 30% of the cap on his contract. Fox will. So, I can understand people saying they might have overpaid him, but I still think that that could be a tradeable contract because Fox isn’t some older player. I think by the time this contract is done, he’ll probably be 31, 32 years old, which can still find some teams who might want to take a chance on that still. Yeah. I can’t knock him for getting paid. It’s just about I’ve always been more of a production over like production to show how much you’re getting paid and if that is warranted or not. Like well I mean it’s not always based off the production. It’s just really off of the market for point guards of that level. You see what I’m saying? It ain’t like just grow on trees like that. Um, so it’s like if you trying to have some type of team that want to win, um, you gotta pay somebody and just depending on the timing, some guys get a lot more luckier than other ones. You know what I mean? The timing was right. Timing plays a huge part into that. You are spot on there. Timing plays a huge role into that. Yeah. Shout out Jordan Pull and Andrew Wiggins getting paid at the same time. Damn near. Um, that was a moment in time. But I remember after the Warriors won the title, I was like, JP, no. He getting paid, bro. Like he he know he getting paid. And keep in mind at that point too, that’s when they were still very heavily into the two timeline thing. They really thought that by time they thought by now they’d be passing it off to Pull Kaminga and Moses Moody. Yep. A million%. I mean, [ __ ] that is a fact. Just insane. Um but yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That’s uh that’s actually insane about um SGA. Damn. a player his caliber 2K26 color cover and everything. [ __ ] Um and he still took less. What does that What does that say more about Gifted? Um well to me Shay because uh even his first contract that he signed before this, he took less and they got all this going down. So So to me like that says more about I think I’m going to win. But it also speaks to why OKC is a good team because they understand cap and they have all the draft picks to go with the cap now. Like they have just made routinely good moves and they are a team that is really focused on player development. A lot of these young players are going to be value players for them. So, you know. Yeah. Uh can y’all talk about the new 2K? Real talk said it was I I don’t even know nothing about I know that you got I know you got a rebound meter. That [ __ ] crazy. I ain’t playing 2K. You know what? You know what I’m tired of 2K doing, bro? 2K every It’s like every other year. I can’t say every year they’ll say, “Oh, we we we ch we changed the dribbling mechanic.” And I’m looking at it, I’m like, “It’s the same shit.” Yeah. That’s the same [ __ ] I feel you, too. If my opponent swipes, he gets the steal. If I swipe, I get a foul. It’s the same [ __ ] It’s the same [ __ ] Oh, we we have a whole new engine that that that better calculates when the player’s plant foot is playing. It’s the same. You slid on the video. You told us there’s no more sliding on. I saw it. I’m gonna let y’all know, man. I’m gonna let y’all know it need to go back to 2K making football games and EA making basketball games. Oh, no. EA basketball games are [ __ ] trashed. EA doesn’t need to touch basketball games. No. Lime was better than it was. Be good. I’m like like listen they they could be good but it wasn’t better than two when they were both at their height. It was not better than 2K. They can make a solid basketball game but they not they keep keep football. I want 2K they eventually get back in football. Doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to happen but you know it is what it is. Like the I I agree with Hayes in in the in the sense of like the thing that annoys me the most is false advertising or false marketing, however you want to call it. But for a game that has a fan base like the 2K community, which is a very opinionated and loud community that will tell you every single year, and I’m not going to lie, for like the last five years, maybe more. Every time they’ve announced a new game, the comment section has been the same. It is an uproar of [ __ ] that refuse to pay for this game, but will still probably end up like me, you know, getting it around December when it’s $25. But that’s mainly because I don’t have time to pay 60 to65 to $80 or whatever it is to get the same exact game that I had last year just with updated facial features. I don’t have time for that. Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t love the game. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to still play the game. I mainly play 2K for my career now. And if that if they [ __ ] that up, I won’t play it. It’s that simple. My career gives me peace of mind because it’s my career at the end of the day. If I want to average 66 points a game and win eight straight championships like I just did the other day, then that’s fun for me. Oh, okay. My bad. I ain’t gonna sit here and get in on the mechanics of of of it. But I tell you this, the fact that they have a rebounding meter and a layup meter and a dunk meter and a shot meter is kind of OD, kind of wild. I mean, to be fair, they’re kind of gassing it a little bit though because the rebounding stuff has always been there. They just never showed you if it was green or not. I think the QTE [ __ ] where like there’s multiple buttons you might have to press to just dunk the ball on a lob is kind of Yeah, that’s Yeah, I don’t know about that. Um I got to be honest with you, right? Uh for me, I haven’t played 2K since 24. I told myself, I’m not going to play 2K until they stop having two different dev teams because they have one dev team that does work on the current gen, not the next gen because it’s 2025, the current gen. And they have a older team that does work on last year. And I’m sorry, they got to leave last year alone. That’s part of the problem. They keep they they can only develop to a certain point because you don’t want to have a drastically different game on PS4 than PS5. And that’s holding your development cycle back. It just is. Yeah, I agree with that. And but listen, the main reason why I can understand people still buying this game regardless is because they have a corner on the market. There’s no other basketball game for people to play with and have actual fun with. My only thing is if you’re going to buy it, don’t [ __ ] around and drop $1,000 on VC. Don’t like like that’s the thing that like they’re making their money not just from you buying the game at this point. It’s the microtransactions. The microtransactions that people consistently feed to a product that is not good or is not in a great state is what is funding them. And let’s be honest, why do I need to make any changes to my game if you going to buy it anyway and drop a ton of of extra money into the game? If you going to buy it, just play the game, bro. All this like, I’mma put $50 down this Friday, I get paid next week. Okay, better. We’re going to put another hundred in. And then you still complain about the game. It’s just ah like it’s just ah for me. I don’t know. Yeah. So I’m probably not gonna get this one. Um I’m gonna probably wait until next year. I just want to see them say this is only dropping on next year. And I can guarantee that game also might be ass. But at least the likelihood of it being solid is probably higher. Yeah, I can see that point. I can see that. I agree that they do need to to to go away from from current gen cuz how many more 2Ks are we going to get on both consoles that are supposed to be two different feels of how we’re playing the game? Eventually, you’re just going to run out of people are just going to run out of patience for this [ __ ] But I do agree with the market thing, too. It’s like if EA the last good EA basketball game was what, Chad? 17, 16, 18, one of the two. For me, it was 20. I was a real demon on there, boy. Two week play. They didn’t have a game in 2020. N Oh, you talking about 19, right? Live 19. Live 19 probably better than uh what you call right now. Yeah, NBA Live 19. Wasn’t Joel on the cover? I think somewhere. Yeah. Whatever that one was was I think something like too. Yeah. But even still, like that game was decent, but then after a while, you realize why it’s not. He had some problems with it, too. Yeah. But with 2K, I agree with the microtransaction part. It’s like the issue with 2K is that I to me I feel like 2K always does this where they just add so much [ __ ] in that doesn’t necessar like for example the smallest thing. Why do we change the shot meter and then you only give us like three to really choose from which and they’re all kind of the same so they’re all ass. But like I remember a point I think it was like two or three 2Ks ago where they allowed you to use uh shot meters from like 2K15 and back like the old the [ __ ] around your feet and and all that stuff. Like just the shot meter should not be the most complicated part of the game in my opinion. If we’re greening it, you shouldn’t have to wait three shots to green again. That’s another issue that I found with multiple players ranging from Mars when we were in Indiana. That [ __ ] was complaining left and right, but I was dog walking his [ __ ] But it is what it is. Like JD was complaining too. Uh, and I’m sitting here like, “Yeah, I agree with y’all. That’s why I just try. I choose drive in mo majority of the time cuz [ __ ] [ __ ] it get wicked on that park, man. If y’all if y’all ever want to play PC Space Bama, I got all five. I’m a real demon out there. My white boy center. I ain’t gonna let y’all. I’m keep it real with y’all. He a demon now. All right, hit me after hit me after the show. Hit me after I think the peak for me was probably 20. Um, was I was like in like was good actual leagues. Like I really play the game ODL, but um I think beyond that for me I I just I don’t know, man. Like this game is it just looks weird. I don’t know. The next gen version looks like AI to me and it’s like ah you know what I’m saying? like eh I don’t really have that drive to want to play as much anymore. But there will be a time where like I do tap in. I do think some people drag the problems with the game just a tad bit because most people are not efficient with their brains. Like they have to watch NBA 2K best build. Like they can’t actually think for themselves and make their own player which is a whole other problem with the game. The real problem with 2K is the community. A lot of you [ __ ] are just terrible and like that’s really what it is. So, well, yeah. And then they don’t know how to play the game. They don’t learn it and then they complain enough because there’s more casual players than actual real players on that game. And then and then 2K goes and they they they patch it something that wasn’t actually a problem and then they break the game. It happens every single time. Every time. Which is why you can never get comfortable in my opinion with putting money into 2K cuz you spent all this money on this build and they patched that [ __ ] out of existence in a week. Mhm. You know, like it’s tough. Yeah. Um so I mean hey well uh I know Gifty you’re about to get up out of here. Um this will be a good good place to to stop today. We were able to talk about the title topic. We were able to talk about 2K and its idiotic developers and we were able to also shed light on Luca Dantress and the Lakers and what I think we all kind of think their direction may or may not be. Um next week I next week I want to do a list. I’m just going to say this now. I’m with it. We got to do one of Bleacher Report’s list. They didn’t done a top 100. They didn’t done a top um they didn’t done a grading system for the off seasonason. We got to we got to do one of their list because the fact that Bleacher Report be consistently putting together rage bait and just posting that [ __ ] for the world. As a as an employee of Bleach Report, I can tell you right now the people that they be having that they be having vote on some of this [ __ ] I can guarantee you they ain’t watched nobody but they teams play in a while because the fact that Jimmy Butler was above Clay and Dre and several other players that have actually won NBA titles, it’s disgusting. It’s disgusting. I ain’t gonna say too much. Um, man, Haze, you gota have you gotta call a team meeting, bro. Listen, Bleach Report knows, bro, like there’s certain writers on Bleach Report that I’ll be like, “Do not put me on a live stream with this [ __ ] bro.” Cuz all I’m going to do is be like, “Hey, that article you wrote six months ago, what the [ __ ] was you smoking when you wrote that [ __ ] They know what they doing. They know what they doing.” Yeah. You know, game in the game, I guess, or some [ __ ] like that. Listen, there there’s a Bears writer over there. They were like, “Hey, can you do something with the draft on him?” I was like, “Listen, no. Thank you for the opportunity to earn a check, but for my personal peace, no, I’m not going to do it because you know what time me. Oh, yeah. Yeah. No, man. I feel Yeah. No, that’s crazy. All right, y’all. Um, other than that, this has been from the logo um episode, whatever the hell it is. Uh, I was your host today. Hayes will be your host next week again. Gifted was here along with Bama. Uh, y’all, I’m gonna let y’all sign off and everything. Uh, don’t don’t think I’m just going to talk over y’all, but y’all go ahead and let the people know where to find y’all. Football is going on. That’s where you can find me. Every Sunday I’m going to be watching football. I have already told my significant others, Sundays are no longer our days. Don’t bother me on Sundays. Do your thing. I’mma do my thing. Um, but you guys can follow me at CEO Hayes on every social media platform I’m on. See, I couldn’t do that. Hayes, I ain’t got the balls just yet. I let her know right before like the week before like, “Hey, Washington’s playing New York next week, so don’t so don’t don’t talk to me.” I love you, babe. Uh, go ahead, Bama. Let us know. Let us know. You know, football coming up tomorrow. Press box. That’s where you always can find me at. Dropping the hottest takes. Uh, like like a said, it’s football season, man. Like, let’s get ready, dog. Let’s get ready to rock and roll. You know, time to see it, bro. We’ve been seeing so much practice, so now I’m ready to see uh see it in action, man. Yes, sir. Yeah. Uh, for me, um, I’m currently, um, doing my project. I’m hit a page soon on all 30 teams in the NBA. Um, I have been doing non-stop basketball stuff there. And outside of hoops, I’m finally back on my game ship and playing game of the year, Expedition 33. Been having a blast with that [ __ ] Has just been amazing. The best looking game I’ve ever played in my entire life, which is really saying something. Um, so yeah, that’s where you can find me. Uh, uh, get the hoops. I stream the games on Twitch. I do the basketball stuff on my playback which is also gifted hoops. So that’s me. Yes sir. Yes sir. And as always y’all can find me as easy honcho mainly on Tik Tok, Instagram. Um I have taken a break from posting for the month because I have five videos that I have saved up. One of which I’ve been working extra hard on and that is top five reasons why [ __ ] hate Shayas Alexander. So, that video will post very soon. And one of those reasons, I’ll give you guys a hint, is because he’s Canadian. Now, um the other four you’ll have to find out in the video, but they are I put together a decent list. I just read some comment sections and put together my list of why I think [ __ ] hate when, you know, new stars are born. Um, other than that though, I also will be making compilation videos about the NBA season, best dunks, best moments, yada yada yada. I like those videos. Um, other than that, you can also find me here on from the logos or on on from the logo on Tuesdays. My bad. Other than that, this has been one hell of a show. Thank you all for stopping by. Thank you, Hayes, Bama, and Gifted for your time today. Bama, keep killing it on Press Box, my brother. We are glad to see this show come back from the dead. Um, other than that, y’all have a great rest of y’all’s week and we will catch y’all soon. Peace. Peace. Peace out, people. Demon Slayer is the second best anime of all

Welcome to Players Choice From The Logo, the ultimate destination for breaking NBA news, in-depth game breakdowns, and insightful opinions on all things basketball! If you’re a dedicated follower of the NBA, a passionate fan of your favorite teams, or simply love to stay up-to-date on the latest hoop action, you’re in for a treat. Tune in every week for exclusive insights, analysis, and discussions that will keep you at the forefront of the NBA conversation. Join us for a live, interactive experience that connects you with fellow fans and lets you dive deep into all things basketball.

📅 Live Episodes Every Week: Tuesdays @ 6PM EST On YouTube

🔵BECOME A MEMBER
➜ https://www.youtube.com/c/PlayersChoiceShow/join/join

▶PLAYERS CHOICE FROM THE LOGO
➜ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTUnr42UwML-f0TXzmrgeLU1m-D5wfbOJ

💎SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL
➜ https://bit.ly/subscribePCShow

🎧PODCASTS
➜ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6HdAfxZoc7ZmhnttuAb9Y6
➜ Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1568579417
➜ Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNzg1OTcwLnJzcw==

📱SOCIALS
➜ Instagram: https://bit.ly/PCShowIG
➜ TikTok: https://bit.ly/PCShowTikTok
➜ Twitter: https://bit.ly/PCShowTwitter
➜ Discord: https://discord.gg/kn2BkbfJU3
➜ Snapchat: https://t.snapchat.com/ytQg595H
➜ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/PlayersChoice/
➜ Twitch: https://bit.ly/3cIi0ea
➜ Haize: https://linktr.ee/BullsCentralPod
➜ Gifted: https://linktr.ee/giftedhoops
➜ Zeezy: https://beacons.ai/zeezyhuncho
➜ Bama: https://www.instagram.com/moneymakinbama

👕CHECK OUT OUR MERCH
➜ https://bit.ly/3CYDkH3

📧COLLABORATION/SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES
➜ info@smck77.tv

#FromTheLogo #FTL #PlayersChoiceFTL #PlayersChoiceFromTheLogo #PlayersChoice #NBA #BasketballTalk #DebateShow #NBACommunity
ma