All right, welcome to Fast Break Breakfast MBA podcast.

My name is Keith Parrish.

And I'm here once again with my buddy through the miracle.

Of computer phone with Dave before coach Dave de four calling in from Europe.

Dave, how has the European summer been been awesome?

It's good to be back, good to be back on the show.

But man, it's been really good to be back in Europe.

The vegetables take so much better here.

So you haven't continuously been in Europe, just to let the listeners know, but you are.

Now.

You were in Europe and now you're back in Europe.

What's been going on?

You got the Medal of Honor from Georgia, Right, I did, But I'm not joking like I said that.

I think I said it on the Patreon only episode Least last week patron dot com slash Fast Break Breakfast with our friend Joey Divine and we were like, yeah, he got like the Medal of Freedom or the Medal of Honor Or.

You got the Medal of Honor from Georgia, the Order of Honor, the Order of Honor.

The Medal of Honor.

Yeah, but congratulations, What was that like?

Uh, that was.

Honestly, it was one of the best days of my life.

Yeah.

Yeah, So you know, obviously it's hard to get to Georgia, so by the time I was there, I was kind of fried.

But yeah, I didn't let a lot of the guys know I was coming right, you know, And so I got to surprise a bunch of people, which is always you know, it's nice to to watch people light up when they see you and don't think you're going to be somewhere.

Yes, I was just thinking maybe for the people who aren't deeply oh sad in fast break breakfast lore, maybe let people know you received the like you didn't fight in a battle for them.

No I didn't, no, no, no, no, no no, It's nothing serious like that.

So yeah, I coached in the twenty twenty three World Cup.

I was on the coaching staff for the Republic of Georgia, and I mean it was, honestly, I was again one of the best things in my life.

Yeah.

And a few months ago I got I got a text message from someone with the team asking for this information, like where where was my dad born?

It was like, hang on it, You're gonna like hack my credit card what's happening here?

Yeah, and uh and so I was like, well, I mean, you know, I know these people.

So I was like, uh, yeah, here's here's the info.

What's it for?

And they kind of sat there.

They were like, Hey, we're going to be getting some awards.

I was like, oh, okay, that's cool, that's great, that's really nice.

And then then a few weeks later I got this email from them and it was like, hey, we're hoping you can make it.

I didn't realize at first that there was gonna be some kind of ceremony.

I thought they were going to like send something to mail, like a certificate or something, you know, like hey, thank you for being a part of this, Like we made top sixteen in the world.

This is a small country.

Uh, it's the best finish that they've ever had in the World Cup.

I'm honored to have been a part of it.

It was very nice.

But when they sent me the email inviting me to come, I was like, well, okay, I'll be there because you know this is like yeah, I mean, I don't know, it's very.

I'm sorry, but were they vetting your lineage to make sure you like you weren't Russian or bos.

I don't know.

Make sure they wasn't just saying this from the Visigoths or something.

Well, well, what I found out, Okay, So what I found out.

I was being awarded the Medal of Honor as a part of the team and from the President of Georgia and the they actually it's like and they actually sign a law to do this.

There's like a six like there's a whole signature process.

So I think it's a part of that.

Yeah, and I have all this This is all back in my house in California, because I, like you said, I did go home.

Yeah, and so you know, I get to see all of my guys.

Man, I don't know, I must have hugged I don't know, one hundred people, uh in one day, and met the President of Georgia who said that you know, his kid watching me on YouTube, which was funny.

Nice.

Yeah, it was amazing, really really great time.

And then you know, the team was leaving that night to go to training camp for EuroBasket, where they're at right now.

I think they just lost to Bosnia.

They did just lose to Bosnia and Herze good Vietna, so now they're now they need any Spain.

To lose, right because they beat Spain in the opening game, which is a huge win.

There a basket occurring right now.

Fourteen of the sixteen spots I think are clinched for the knockout rounds Spain.

Yeah, Spain needs to win two advance I believe, or did Spain already get in now because Georgia lost, No.

Spain has to win because it goes the head to head.

So because Georgia beats Spain, if Spain loses, then then they're out and Georgia's in.

But yeah, I mean, I don't know.

It was amazing, amazing, Yeah, it was honestly, like, uh, it was a very emotional day.

Uh, you know, in a lot of ways.

But it was awesome.

It was really good to see everybody got to like, you know, get to touch people is good and important.

So it was really nice.

I mean, the medal of honor was a nice cherry on top the entire thing.

Like it's another another little fun story that I've got.

Where where do you put that on your c V?

You know, does that go out yet?

Athletic Podcaster or does it go where?

Does it go?

Okay?

Definitely above Athletic podcast Athletic.

Of Honor, Republican Georgia.

Still there, very very happy to be there.

You know, the season two the The Athletic NBA Daily starting Keith Keith is coming on soon.

Yeah.

I don't know, man, I mean, that's the biggest thing I've ever done in my life.

Sure was coaching in the World Cup, and uh yeah, this was like a nice cherry on top of that entire thing.

But I'm not sure we're to put that on my resume.

You know, Like if I work for an NBA team and I was doing media, I'd get like a I don't know, probably fifteen twenty percent salary bump just so we're talking.

They'd call me some kind of an insider or something like that.

There you go.

I'm not I guess I'm gonna have to go to negotiate.

Hey, what do I get?

This should be a bus Hey, guys, New York Times, this is a bump.

I just say.

I mean, I haven't talked about it on the on the the daily at all, So this is kind of breaking news out there.

For there you gonegotiating breaking news.

I love it.

I'm not reading to go.

No, I'm not regociating it I'm if you're listening, no, all right, so but yeah, I'm excited to have you back.

Of course, I'm excited for your honor from Georgia.

Also, now you're in Germany hanging out on Munich.

Yeah, I've got their staff.

Yeah, yeah, including Gordon Gordon Herbert, who's the head coach of Bayern Munich.

He was the head coach of the the German national team that won the World Cup in twenty twenty three.

So I've just spent the last week with them in training camp.

I've called it continuing education is really I'm just hanging around talking to people and and kind of soaking in you know, basketball practice is one of my favorite things in the world, man, And just being able to like walk in the gym and hearing you know, there's no people in there, it's just players and hearing the shoes squeak and the ball bounce.

And they've got the led court here in their in their home arena where they practice.

And so I got a chance to see that in action and how they use it.

So during the practice, does it have like light up shoot from here or something, or well, how does the d how do they use it in practice?

So you can do stuff like that, Like you can draw on it, you can do all sorts of things.

And and what they've done is they kind of have like for different scenarios a lot of it.

Obviously it's built around spacing.

It's stuff that I would do with like painters tape on the floor.

Sure, uh, only only you can pull out a tablet and draw on an iPad.

My buddy Yen's Lutenecker, who's the who's one of the coaches here.

He kind of runs it.

He's also their analytics guy because you know in Europe you only get like four or five guys on the staff, so everybody's a video coordinator, everybody's a scout, everybody's doing a lot of stuff.

But yeah, I mean it's that's this has been amazing.

Man.

When and Gabriel by the way, yeah, he's gonna play for for Bayern Munich this year.

Great guy number one, Super nice but also shocking to watch, you know, a guy of of.

An an NBA player, actual pedigree, and.

And you watch him do stuff that you've never seen him do outside of the G League and even in the G League, Like I'm watching him in practice shooting movement, threes come on.

Yeah, well, I mean I've you know, at at an NBA shoot around, seem like Steven Adams just draining.

Three after three, you know, like now this is like in like they're going five on five.

Up and down.

Yeah.

So that's been that's been a lot of fun.

You know.

It's just good to be around around the gym, you know, that's my favorite thing.

So yeah, man, I had a great summer.

It feels good to be back like in in in the gym and just around players.

And then Kawhi Leonard has come to just hey.

Kawhi Leonard, get back to news, that's right.

Yeah, so we're gonna talk on this show, of course about maybe a little bit of euro basket stuff, the Kawhi Leonard situation, Pablo Tory breaking the news of Kawhi getting a lot of money for a very easy endorsement job.

Of course, the Clippers have come out with their statement refuting a lot of that stuff.

Also, Cam Thomas gets signed, So there are some NBA stuff to talk about before we get into it.

Dave, though, let's do our breakfast.

You're now in Germany.

What's a nice German breakfast?

What have you had?

Well?

The German.

You know, the German breakfast is interesting, right, the spread in a hotel.

You know, you've got your meats and cheeses and salads and stuff like that.

So I had cereal, which I don't eat at home.

Yeah, cereal with oat milk, you know, just like some some like corn flake style museli or something with some raisins in it.

Pretty good.

And then cucumbers and hummus because a big hummus guy.

If there's ever hummus available, I'm gonna eat it.

Nor Yeah, and I've been drinking too much espresso, way too much espressoh Like four in a day is just don't do it.

You're traveling man.

You gotta do what you gotta do.

Yeah.

Yeah, my breakfast black coffee, just a little bit fruit.

I'm gonna need something.

I mean, I'm gonna need a grain in a second.

I'm not sure what it's going to be.

It might actually be.

Cerealal Hey, you got any dates?

You know some oatmeal?

I I yeah, I know dates that are going to miss it right now?

Your your endorsement, Uh, you gotta you gotta get a date sponsorship lined up.

Anyways, those were our breakfast.

Let's jump straight ahead actually into steak and eggs best things, because there's been a lot of cool stuff that have been going on.

What has been what or for you, Dave?

It's obviously your personal life.

You gotta do ther summer, but basketball wise, maybe last week, last two weeks, what's a what's the best thing you've seen?

Hey?

You know, listen, the best thing has been honestly proud of the Georgian guys for for beating Spain and then in that opening game, Yeah, huge win, and and again like they've got a chance to qualify and make it into the knockout rounds of EuroBasket, and it's fun to have, you know, like I've got a personal rooting steak in EuroBasket, So you know, that's always that's always a good time for me.

Your guy, is it shunka shiaia?

He he did the Wait which player was it?

In the NBA?

It was who went up to eat tref and is like your your europe euro mom's a bee your grandma.

I can't remember how do I even search that?

But he did it.

He lost it, you know one of.

Those games where he came in off the bench and then got ejected in the fourth corner and just gave a very pointed f you like strong finger in each referee's face.

When the comes down, you know, you know it's a problem.

There you go.

Man.

There's been so much good euro basket.

I have been watching, but maybe more casually, like I'm tuning in to the Alprin Shingoon Jokic showdown.

Turkey got the upper hand on Wednesday.

There was one guy that actually caught my eye for Italy, this guy Niang, who, like I watched two of their games in full and was like, this guy is a spark plug.

It turns out he was a late second round pick of the Calves this year, Sallyu Nyang.

I don't know if I'm saying that correctly, a Senegalese Italian professional player.

Uh, second round pick of the Cavaliers.

I was really impressed by him.

I thought he was a really solid guy.

Did you have ask long?

Yeah, I mean tall had had a huge dunk a couple of days ago.

Just the activity.

That's one of those things where you're watching and you're like, all right, you know, yeah, the europe probably a little bit different, but yeah, he was.

He was very good.

Georgia struggled uh, to deal with him, like with his speed.

He was actually pretty fast coming around the corner too.

Yeah.

Uh, did you have an opinion?

I don't know if people saw it the the France Slovenia controvers quote unquote controversy at the very end of the game, So so France without wimin Yama, without some of the big name guys, no Gobert, like, uh, they beat Luka dancin Slovenia.

This guy Francisco has like twenty seven points or something, but at the very end of the game, Luca goes in for the handshake with like ten seconds left and because they're down by like seven.

But then, like the guy you know, Francisco accepts the handshake and then blows buy him for an uncontested layup.

Point differentials huge in these tournaments.

It matters.

I see it.

I see it both ways.

I see it like I understand Slovenia being upset, but also it's like, hey, point difential matters.

I think I think you gotta listen, man, like I would laugh about it.

I guess, like, I don't know.

I think it's funny.

The point differential does matter, though, so you gotta play.

Play the full forty.

Yeah, no shaking hands by the way, come on Luca, especially like he's a killer.

Yeah, I just want to, you know, just be one.

Yeah.

Also we had Simone Fantechio Miami heats.

Simone Fantechio set a Italian record with thirty nine points in an international competition.

Absolutely massive game.

It's been pretty cool.

Portugal advances like Nomias Cada been like a revelation in this kind of tournament.

It's also funny watching guys who you think of in just this general jaded NBA sence where you're like, so and so is washed or whatever I'm specifically thinking of, like Yusef Nurkic where you watch him out here and he's bringing the ball off the court and he's like shoot.

From the top of the You're like like BOSSI and beasts is for real?

This guy, this guy, this guy's playing.

It's like when in Gabriel Man, you take that guy who's in the NBA and and the NBA listen, Yeah, it is a it is not quite basketball, right, Like the NBA is its own sort of sport.

Yeah, and and largely like a lot of it's marketing based too, because the stars touched the ball all the time, and if you're a role player, your job is often.

Stand in the corner, play defense.

Yeah, pass the ball back to the star right like shoot when there's two seconds left on the clock.

When when the star dribbles eighty five times and gives you the ball, whereas in euro Basket, like these guys have to hoop like they got to play together, and you know it's It's why I think every single time the Olympics comes around, every single time the World Cup comes around, people are always saying, Wow, why can't we have this?

How much fun is that?

Oh?

Yeah, why didn't we not have live ball timeouts?

And why can't we not have the defense is allowed to play defense and if the officer.

Companies it is funny.

Though I do feel very much that FIBA officiating has been strongly influenced by the NBA, specifically in this tournament.

I'm noticing they don't call travels.

It used to be this like learning curve when the NBA guys had to play internationally, where it's like guys they call traveling like if you if your feet, and they are not calling it.

They're letting guys shuffle their feet.

I don't know is this Dave, Is this us on our deathbeds?

Being like they used to call traveling in all these basketball games.

It's really funny.

So if you're coaching now kids sports.

When I help coach my seven year old daughter's girls basketball team, like when I teach them the very basics of layups, like pick the dribble up, take two steps.

Now, this is the thing that was not done to me when I was a kid.

Now I'm like, hey, right hand, kids, make sure you're picking that ball up in your dribble on your left foot.

That's your gather you know, like you're with seven year olds, and you're like, you gotta make sure you have two giant euro steps after you pick up, like like you need to have two and a half steps, Like you got to make sure you're always picking the ball up over here, because like technically you get two more steps, that's what.

So it's funny where it's like, well.

There's one problem with that, though, key.

The only league in the world that has the gather step codified, yeah is the NBA.

But I'm telling you they're not calling it in FEBA.

And so now I'm like, I don't get anywhere in America either, right, it's not being called in AAU, it's not being called in eyb L.

And you know, I mean much to my chagrin because I do think you know again, let's just the defense has no chance anymore.

It has become you know, it's just an offensive exhibition of a sport for the most part.

Now let's do another barely basketball thing.

Here's my staken eggs best thing I want to congratulate.

A Fast Break Breakfast guest did a show a month ago with Owned Phillips.

Yeah who on and off again, writes the awesome F five newsletter.

This is the second consecutive time that Owned Phillips has been a guest on Fast Break Breakfast and then got hired by an NBA team within weeks.

So it's going to work for the Nuggets.

So the Fast Break Breakfast boost, it's real, it's real.

So h two for two?

Oh hell, World Cup, you're the world.

Yeah.

Owen has said next time he's unemployed, he's coming back on the show.

So that's uh, congratulations man.

No, I will say another another best thing.

I think this is the best thing.

Good job cam Thomas, Cam Thomas.

Finally, I mean we've had this entire impass.

We passed Labor Day without any of the restricted free agents getting in anything done.

Josh Giddy's still out there kaminga out there, Cam Thomas was out there, Quentin Grimes out like like nothing with the restrict of free agents.

Cam Thomas is finally like, screw it, I'm accepting the qualifying offer, and so he's gonna be an unrestricted free agent next year.

The Nets possibly gonna lose Cam Thomas or let this asset go for probably nothing.

Maybe they work out a sign and trade next summer, get a little bit of something.

What's it?

What are your thoughts on one cam Thomas betting on himself and the Nets being like, eh, no, thank you.

I mean, listen, I think Cam Thomas is a very good player.

I also I tend to agree with him that he's he's worth more money than they were offering.

Yeah, you know, for a guy who can put up I mean, he can put up twenty five in the NBA.

You know, you say, like, okay, yeah, he's a good player on a bad team.

Okay, those guys get paid too.

I mean, Jordan Woole is still getting paid, however much he's getting you.

Know, to world champion Jordan Poole.

Okay, sure, but would you rather have who do you want next season?

Jordan Poole or Camp Thomas.

I'll take Camp Thomas for six million expiring.

Yeah, well okay, sure, but you know, and obviously the money is nowhere closes.

But you know, I actually, you know, I understand wanting security.

So I know why these guys will sometimes take lesser deals to get more years, because you know, who knows what's gonna happen.

But also he's making good money.

It's not like he's going to be broke.

And he plays for the Brooklyn Nets like he's going to touch the ball every single time down.

He's going to be their best player.

He's going to score a lot, and teams always need a guy who can put the ball in the basket.

And so you know, maybe this is the year that that we see even more out of camp Thomas.

I mean, I don't know, I don't know how much more he has to do.

Maybe it's some playmaking, but look at who's around him, so you don't even know what kind of a playmaker he could be.

Really, because the guy like who's gonna finish plays playing next to Camp Thomas.

Well, the next sorry, I mean are an embarrassing And so.

If you're Cam, do I want to be locked in to the nets or do I want to go be a free agent next year?

So I'm I think that this makes a lot of sense.

And then next summer the teams have money next time.

Yeah, there's a lot of teams with capt Summer could be the dumb contract summer.

Again, part of me wonders if this archetype of player beyond Cam Cam and whatever baggage people view him in as like, oh, he's like a score first and doesn't help you win, you know.

I mean, of course he got into it publicly with Zach Low or Zach was just Zach was just again repeating what he's heard or whatever.

And then Cam Thomas publicly saw the aggregation and is like, these teams are double teaming me every night.

And it turns out actually Cam Thomas was double team more than almost anybody else in the.

NBA last year.

Yeah, but I also look at how this has just become an undervalued position, like Colin's Sexton was basically available for free, and like I think, I mean, arguably who's the better player of those two?

But still it's like, you know, it seems like a comparable player, So what's he gonna get for the nets.

It's like, I assume they didn't want to pay him anything and would rather go into undersect a free agency because of their precious cap sheet and they want it just to be beautiful.

They're like, oh no, it's yeah, no, our cap sheet's perfect.

We don't want to tie it up.

And it's like you have no one.

You have Michael Porter Junior, you know, like your team is nothing.

Nick Claxton like what are you doing?

You just don't want another guy?

Like, are you you're not gonna have enough cap space next year?

Are you gonna get two guys?

Are you prepared to offer the.

Tree planting contract it's gonna take to get to get a free agent next summer?

Well, they might be able to.

Hey, they might be the only team that can get a certain free agent if he's looking for a new home here in the next few weeks.

Yeah, if certain contracts are voided.

Speaking of tree planting contracts, Dave, let's take a quick break and we'll come back and talk about Kwie Leonard.

All right, Dave, I guess this is our cream of Wheat worst of Week Steve Balmer allegedly don't sue me, allegedly circumventing the salary cap.

According to the Athletic Zone pablotory, no, this.

Is this is an interesting podcast episode, by the way, incredible stuff.

I'm very impressed.

So the story.

Loosely, this Aspiration company, which is was a fraudulent startup thing that the guy has pled guilty to fraud was a Clippers team sponsor, Jersey sponsor.

Right.

They paid Kawhi Leonard twenty eight million dollars.

Kawhi, is I getting all that money or did you already get it?

He's gotten twenty one million, He's gotten seven million a year for yeah, seven million a year for endorsements, and as far as anyone can tell, this man, Kawhi did not deliver on the endorsement part of this.

Pablo Torri got actual.

Employees, former employees of Aspiration to be like, yeah, this seemed like a scam, and it seems like those people were using the term salary cap circumvention and so internally, yeah and so and so that's become a huge story and it of course blew up on the internet.

On Wednesday, the League announced they're starting an investigation based on this.

Steve Baumer, who has more money than God, and the NBA has put out his thing saying, of course, we did not circumvent the salary cap.

This is preposterous to say we would.

He started off.

They started off by saying the team said it's provably false, so they have not proved it to be totally false yet, so we're waiting on that.

But you know it, I think from the outsider perspective, you're like, that seems fishy.

But then I think it leads to the questions of for me, as a basketball consumer, well, what does.

Everybody else do with their players?

You know?

Seven million dollars feels like a big endorsement per year, you know, Like, but then I want to know, like, are there what other NBA players are.

Getting seven million a year for something like this?

Like what is so and So's Puma contract?

Is it seven million?

You know?

Cause like that, you know, this is my ignorance of not knowing the.

Big shoe deal.

Pretty big shoe deals are.

Big, Like the shoe deal is huge with Nike.

Yeah, it could be.

More than he makes on his NBA salary.

I'm not up on his on his deal.

But there's plenty of guys that were before you know, this huge salary at Boom.

We're making more on shoe money than they were making on NBA money.

I mean, the shoe companies have run the NBA for a long time in that sense because of how much they're able to pay.

There is no salary cap on on endorsements.

Now maybe there ought to be.

Maybe that's maybe that's something that the league and the union to talk about.

Horrible, probably not, but I mean, this is to do to get seven million a year, to do nothing is the American dream.

And Kawhi Leonard in a lot of ways is sort of living all of our dream lives.

Like he's an amazing basketball player, but he never really has to show up to work, and he makes tons of money.

And now he's got an extra source of income that he didn't have to show up to.

I mean, you know, spread the wealth a little bit, that's all, you know, I don't I mean, and and truthfully, I got Kawhi didn't do anything necessarily wrong here out outside of like how you feel about going around the union and we don't know.

We know here's what we know anything We know that he started an LLC, and we know that he signed an endorsement deal with this company for twenty eight million dollars.

Right, So again like, I'm none of that.

There are At the time of Kawhi Leonard's free agency, there were lots of reports about the demands being made by his camp, so to speak.

There was all the talk about his uncle asking for these things and there were complaints.

I think famously Genie Buss was like, no, no, no, we're not going to pay this extra thing that's seen.

We're not going to buy you a house.

Yeah, that seems like salary caps circumvention.

The Raptors were sort of upset because they thought there was a demand, which again this goes to my ignorance of not knowing what is commonplace in the NBA when when a player signs a free agent contract, are they like, I also need fifteen million dollars in endorsements, because apparently that's what Toronto lined up to keep Kawhi.

They're like, we found you fifteen million dollars in off the court endorsements.

This to an idiot like myself.

Smells like salary cap circumvention.

But if everyone does it, if that's just the typical thing.

And we always talk about the advantage that big markets have.

You go to the Lakers because you can make more money off the court.

That's just accepted.

Whether it is the Austin Reeves car Lemon endorsement thing whatever that I can't remember whe that ad was campaign was called.

But like you think those things maybe they come about organically, they're not specifically set up by the teams.

But of course they are specifically set up by the teams.

And that's again part.

I assume that's in the CBA somewhere, but I don't know that's not.

I mean, the the issue here is the Balmer money.

It's not the money from Aspiration.

It's not the LLCR like ka WHI set up.

It's not the twenty eight million dollars.

It's the fifty million dollars.

Right because Balmer is also also invested in this company, so you could say, oh, look, the owner put in fifty million, twenty eight went to this prize free agent.

And that that's where you have to say again it Aspiration being a team sponsor, it does seem a little strange to have the owner and this is this is just I guess the Uber wealthy being good with their money.

This is Russ Hanneman.

I keep Silicon Valley.

No, but I'm saying like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm spending the money on the billboards that I own, on the moving services that I own.

This is how all private equity or whatever.

You're like, Oh, yeah, we we sold off all the land that every Red Lobster is on and now Red Lobster rents the land.

You know, back from our own company.

Oh whoopscore bankrupt.

We made a lot of money.

So yeah, Falmer putting in fifty million.

Two Aspiration, Aspiration also giving twenty eight million to KWHI.

Those were independent things, is the argument.

That's the argument that the clip have made in their statement.

So you know, we had Pablo and Sam Amock on the pod yesterday on the NBA Daily, and I actually I brought up what's to stop Steve Balmer from saying, no, I just believed in this company and the Kauhi stuff was separate.

And that's pretty much what they said in the statement that they put out.

Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I believe like it just doesn't pass the sniff test to me.

And I see a lot.

There's a lot of folks that are kind of caping.

You know, they love to go to bat for billionaires, and even though we know how how they operate, it just seems to me fishy enough that Okay, we've got fingerprint.

I don't need to see the smoking gun, because I have the fingerprints on the shell casing, and I see the motive.

And also in twenty fifteen they did this with DeAndre Jordan.

Now it was a very smaller, much smaller sum of money, which still would like be a lot of money to a regular person, two hundred thousand dollars like Les Deal or something that that they were setting up two hundred thousand a year for DeAndre Jordan, and they got hammered, well not hammered, but they were punished for that.

This is obviously significantly more money.

And like the timeline of events for this really calls the entire thing into question, right, It was the it was the deal that he took setting up the LLC six months before he signs the contract to do the endorsement with Aspiration, and then the building of the into a dome being really hinging on keeping Kawhi Leonard and keeping Paul George, and so you just start to put all these pieces together, and it's like, well, it certainly looks like you know, it's it's the pornography thing, right.

I don't know circumvention, Like I can't define it, but I know it when I see it, and I see it and it certainly feels that way.

Morally, ethically, I haven't explored this a lot with myself and my own beliefs.

I don't think there's anything morally or ethically wrong.

Maybe ethically there is.

I kind of like, so the salary cap in max salaries, we are the league has.

Decided and it's been, of course collectively bargained to artificially restrict the amount teams can pay.

The most valuable players like Lebron obviously deserves more, Yo kitchen yanis and the absolute best players deserve more.

There was a time that Kawhi of course deserved more.

And when you tie in all those things you just said, the relocation of the Clippers to the into It Dome, there was a bigger value to him.

So like.

Let Balmer, who has more money than he needs as a human being, Well, none.

Of these people are paying enough in Texas right right now?

There we go like people talking about the players getting what they deserve.

They don't teach it kids ready.

Yeah.

And also part of it is and of course is very similar to the things we've seen in college athletics that were loosely approved for a bit.

And you know, like the things were like, oh yeah, when you enroll at the University of Texas, you're gonna get a you get a job at the hyundaid dealership, right, you know, it's like you're making nine hundred dollars an hour.

You just have to check in, uh, you know, but like you would physically show up for your note, like technically a no show job, but they would be like, no, no, he was there, so they would go.

And hang out.

You drive the loaner car and job.

Yeah.

Yeah, and so yeah, this is the part of it.

I don't know morally how much it bothers me, but it is interesting in the salary cap leagues, and of course all professional sports leagues have various fair play rules, and you have balanced the league because the league has decided that having fair equality cap off, you can't have the richest people spinning way more than everybody else.

They think that's better for the health of the league.

So it's gonna be interesting.

And how much does Adam Silver have the stomach for doing something publicly like this, because I would say new probably not.

No.

I think it's probably better for the league to him to be like, yeah, we looked into it.

No, these Balmer's right, you know, like like you don't think.

Imagine you don't think it's better for the league if he says, Okay, we looked into it.

It's fishy enough, but we can't quite we can't quite say it's one to one.

So here's what we're gonna do.

We're gonna do a fine and a couple of draft picks, which don't matter to the Clippers anyway.

See, this is my guess, is that a punishment will come, but it's gonna be nothing because the other owners are also doing this, at least some of them, like Memphis is not.

This is just not available to the Grizzlies.

They don't have this kind of business situation.

That's ridiculous.

Robert para Is, I think he's like fourth richest NBA O.

Yeah, why didn't he act like it?

He likes Countess checks.

I don't know, sure, yeah, but I.

Just for the Memphis Grizzlies.

This isn't available, is what I mean?

Right, Yeah, yeah, most teams, there's no there's political political like consultants out there.

There's no fraudigal hit.

There's no start.

This seems like there could be.

But also, like you even if there is a paper trail, not to get into like normal things like we had like the Panama papers, Like we know that everyone, like every rich person in the world was cheating, and it's like we have a paper trail and some people got murdered and it was like, oh, nothing happened, Like absolutely nothing happens.

So Bomber, don't please don't send out the hit squad.

That's right.

Yeah, But like again, there's no reason to do hit squads because no one cares any more about anything.

I will say that, and that's what you know what I actually I kind of talked about this a little bit, just we are at the point where corruption is just accepted now, and a lot of it is because of the way that our media works and the access that everyone needs to have.

This is, honestly, this is why I think it's important if Pablo did it, Yeah, because Pablo is a guy who truly values journalism and it's really nice to see someone trying to hold people to account.

Now, it's only sports, right, like it's and in this instance, like Steve Palmer didn't do anything illegal, Kawhi didn't do anything illegal that we know of, Right, it's just violating the salary cap.

But to me, like, as a as a basketball consumer, an NBA fan, and someone does this for a living, you are you are?

Like the competitive balance of the league actually matters to me.

Yeah, And if you're going to do something outside the lines, like okay, why can't the Grizzlies play six guys then six guys at a time?

Screw it?

Make your own rules.

Yeah, igo, we got a four point line.

We're just gonna make it up as we go.

And so if if Adam Silver is not willing to put his foot down and say no, no, no, look, we have these rules for a reason it matters, well, then forget it.

The bubble bubble title is not the only one that's fraudulent, all of them are.

Well, how does this does this compare to tampering?

This tampering has always been accepted.

And doesn't bother me as much.

But I'm saying they're both different the same little bit.

Some teams weren't doing it apparently.

I do think it's different because the financial aspect of this.

I mean again, it's just it's a tool that's not available to every team.

Do you think Adams Silver former is the most rich owner in professional sports in the world, right, like the sixth richest guy on the planet, and they just set up this whole new CBA to stop him from just being able to buy.

You know, that's only that's that's he's only the richest until the Board of Governors and Adam Silver allow the Saudi Wealth Fund to own a team.

Well exactly, well that which is coming.

Well, that's why I don't expect anything that happened from here, because they don't want to mess the body up.

Adam Silver took a bunch of millionaire owners and turn them into billionaires, right, and they love him for it, and he has been the most owner friendly.

People say he's player friendly, which is true.

But the reason he's been then so player friendly is because no one mess wants to mess with the meal ticket and everyone's making so much money.

Who cares about the rules.

It's all fake anyway, right, that's traveling.

I take four steps now.

The new NBA Europe team is just getting different investors the games in UAE.

Yeah, like they're doing all these like Katari Wealth Fund, Like.

I don't know, like, uh, it's it's a lot of like Okay, I don't know how we're supposed to feel about this.

The sportswa washing of all these things, which is across all sports.

Do you think Adam Silver announced leaked the All Star game changes thinking.

That would hundred listen if they have a press conference, if someone has a press conference about this and we get a bunch of helicopters over top of it, you know, I love I love.

The idea of Adam Silver, who, like Adam Silver is I think, as a human being, undeniably brilliant, like like the spectrum of human beings.

I think he's very smart when it comes to certain things like, uh, changing the All Star format.

I think he might be a moron, Like I mean, yes, I am going to grant him his wish and and talk about it for sixty seconds and and not talk about Kawhi, but like him being like, hey, hey have we changed We've changed the All Star format again?

What if it's three teams round robin this time a World's team It's like, why can't you just have a basketball game between two we're defined teams, We're just do it.

Like again, they keep fixing it.

What is he waiting for?

Like he's gonna change it every year?

What if Shake Gildess, Alexander, Jannis and Jokic all have the flu?

Like, who's like we have to have a certain number of world like a quota of international places should be that hard.

But still there was nothing wrong.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with East versus West.

I find the funniest thing when you go to the basketball and I understand not everyone goes to Basketball Reference, shout out Basketball Reference, but when you go to like the All Star Game, all time records of each game, and it's like East Verst West, East Verst West, and it's all like, you know, it's one hundred and sixty to one hundred and fifty, one hundred and eighty to one hundred, got I know we hit two hundred.

It's out of control.

And then you get to the bottom and I can't remember what the score was last year.

But it's like it's like two things that have you know, you have no idea, I can't found it.

It says, uh, twenty twenty five score.

Well they even took the score off.

No may have a looking at a puss, but it's like, all of a sudden, it's like, oh, there it is Team Shack forty one, Team Chuck twenty five.

Right, And it's like the staff.

You have four or five decades of East versus West with these basketball scores, and then you get to like twenty twenty five and it says like team Shack, Team Chuck forty one to twenty five.

I was like, what is that?

Why did you?

No one's ever gonna remember any of these things, like the the.

The old way, you had a remote chance of remembering something that happened, right, I don't think.

I mean I remember stuff from All Star games as a kid, right.

And this is let's not forget like it's an exhibition game.

It's it's an exhibition game for casual fans.

But so it's not just for casual fans.

It's not just for children.

It most definitely is for children.

It is for casual fans, but it's also for real fans.

It's for all three And like the I don't know what they're trying to do.

I don't know who they're trying to appeal to It's not me, but they're trying to get us off the scent of Kawhi and Malik Be's like.

Agree with that, Terry Rochi, I don't know.

Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, And I forgot about that.

He's still out there.

Wow.

Yeah, Well we'll see.

Well, I think still got some problems, Dave.

What if and again, they don't have the standard the NBA, much like the NFL and their conduct policy, they don't have the legal standard for a siding punishment.

I think if they said this is beyond fishy, you know, and they're like, and of course, what if they uncover electronic documents?

And there is an argument that's been standing out there that the.

League doesn't want to push hard into this because Balmer, well, then if it goes to court, he'll want to bring into liscovery, discovery on what every other team does for other players.

Anything talk about Jalen Brunson in mix.

Yeah, pablatory uh sort of has already teased sub Gentlen Brunson and stuff.

There's been a lot of free agent stuff and you got to know so like but but even if they do get to the point where Adam Silver's like, yeah, something's here.

Uh.

And also this would take the other I feel like it would take the pressure of the other owners to pursue this, and of course they're.

Not going to.

You can't imagine a world where they're like, you've.

Never see class solidarity with a certain class.

So, but like, what what would a punishment, what would an appropriate punishment be?

When we look back to the Joe Smith thing, they voided Joe Smith's contract.

This that the termberolves in writing paid Joe Smith under the table, which again, you gotta get in if you're not getting handed the briefcase of money, you gotta get something in write.

But they eventually gave them some of their picks back, but it cost them multiple first round picks, and they voided Joe Smith's contract.

There's an argument, to me made that voiding Kawai's contract is not the worst thing in the world.

The Clippers, what if they what if they extended Kawai's contract, You're like your books.

For the next decade.

I mean, listen, I actually, I mean I don't want to see again.

I mean, I think it's it's a tricky situation here, right, It does take two to tangos to the player as part of this.

Yeah, but voiding the contract and three to five first round picks.

That makes sense to me, again, because I care about the competitive balance of the league and and if they're going to be able to get away with it.

Okay, what if this was the Lakers, right, I think everyone would be of course, the Lakers would do this, right if it's the Knicks, I mean, I think people would be rightfully upset if it's any team.

I just don't get the point why I have rules if they're not going to apply.

I mean, I understand that everything is fake, and especially now, especially if you have money.

But to me, this is this is a pretty it seems like a black and white situation.

Of course, we need to wait until the league looks into it.

But again, I looked at all of this stuff, and it seems pretty clear to me what's happening there.

It's at least fishy enough that someone involved should have known.

Hey, wait, we probably shouldn't do this, and they did it anyway, So like, Okay, you're either dumb right completely incompetent because there's a huge paper trail, or you did it on purpose.

You pick one, YEA right.

You see when they come out and.

Say that I'm a dumb ass because I did did this and left a paper trail.

So you say, now things are like corrupt.

One thing.

I tell myself that maybe this is just coping with reality.

The world has always been corrupt, always like it's always been.

Oh, I owned the judges and the police force.

My seven year old said something like I can't remember what the context was, but she was like, well, what if they just bribe the judges?

And I was like, who who taught you about bribing judges?

I was like, in what kid's book was that?

I was like, was that in a Disney Channel original?

Or they had like a bribe the judges?

But anyways, like uh, watching the news, yeah, like like like Warren Harding was incredibly corrupt, and it used to be there wasn't a fair election in America in a major city.

I don't know ever when Oklahoma this sta I'm reading the Boomtown the Oklahoma City now whatever.

But it's amazing.

It's I love it's American history and it's NBA stuff and it's like, yeah, they there was never a legit election because it's like they were bought off and everyone was always bought off.

So part of me is like, well, this has always been the way.

The people with power have never been held accountable for anything.

But it's never it's never been thrown in our face.

It is.

It is throwing.

It used to be if you got one good newspaper article, and they used to play it newspaper articles.

Also, like we went into wars over fake news articles, and we're still doing that.

But it's like it used to be.

This is the thing I've said many times.

You watch like an old movie or even watch like a Watchman, where it's like a lot of the a lot of the conclusions for these movies and these spy thrillers and these legal thrillers and these other crime thrillers.

It's like, we have to get this to the paper.

If the if, like the movie ends with like, oh they got it to the Chicago Tribune.

The good guys won, and now it's like, yeah, you put in the paper.

None cares, you know.

It's like, you know, I think there if the public what Osmandias did, it's over for him.

Let me ask you, like Watergate happens.

Now, there's no way, no way Nixon resigns, right, right, right, because shame is dead.

Right.

It's actually like we've gotten to the point where you can't even shame someone in power or who has money into like owning up or doing the right thing.

It's deny, deny, deny, double down and deny and then attack.

Right.

So like expect to see some stuff like that coming in the next few weeks.

All right, so we have actually a really good listener submitted question about this topic.

This is a question any questions?

Yes, are you going to finish that quass?

Knock yourself out?

Adam p asks who are the two or three least likely owners to be paying a player under the table?

Which players least likely to do it?

I think you've identified a couple already, like James Dolan.

I feel like would do it just to butt heads with the NBA.

He wants discovery.

He's like, let's do it.

Let's what do I care, Let's do a discovery for I would love to have a protected I would spend the rest of my life in a legal battle against Adam Silver because this is what gets.

Me up in the morning.

He bodily winds up on the right side of things just to be adversarial, right, I mean it's funny like it's twenty nine to one.

Who's the one?

James dal I mean in some in some sense, Dave, you and I.

Much more politically aligned with the idea of propping up the weakest and the poorest by the richest.

But also James Jones's argument, why should I be lifting up the Pelicans that holds water?

Why should I be lifting up the Grizzlies when Robert Para has more money than me?

Great point, you know, like those are all legitimate, But by which which owners do we think are least likely?

I think there's I think there's a couple I guess, okay, least likely to pay someone under the table.

Herb Simon, mall business is dead, bro, There is no he didn't have the cash for it.

Get Miles Turner some legos under the table.

To keep no way, because he's keep That guy keeps all his receipts for sure, every time he goes out to dinner.

He's business so that he can write that off.

There's no ways too.

I think her Herb Simon, I think he's not gonna give you a thumb drive that has cryptocurrency on it or something.

But I do still feel like herb Simon will hook you up with the Keeler dealership a keya dealership that will pay you like quaint sums of money.

Yeah, but he's not going to give that.

He's not given that dealership money to give you as much.

Oh that's yeah, he's not going to give you any Simon gift certificates.

Right, you're not getting you know, he's not gonna hook you up with Hey, I got an open spot in the mall miles you can set up your lego store there.

That's not gonna happen with it.

I thought also, like these are some of the more old school owners.

I'm like Gail Benson, I think would do it, but again in an old school way that would have been more effective in like the nineteen sixties NBA.

Like I think Gail Benson will leave you a purse with twenty thousand dollars in cash, Okay, yeah, a nice restaurant in New Orleans, Like she'll leave the bag of twenty thousand dollars cash, you know, but again like hilarious sums of money, like you know, but I don't.

I don't think under the table, otherwise I would say the rhyme Storf rhyme sto number one.

Way, no way, he's not doing that.

Paying Michael Jordan man right.

Together the Bulls, Yeah, his champion.

He is like, I can't pay Scotti, Pippen and Michael Jordan and then his Rudman at the same time.

That's preposterous.

I'd also say the Orlando Magic right because the Dard whoever, their whole business model is built on the pyramid.

You know, they want that that downstream revenue.

If they're not new money.

The Devoses would absolutely do it under the table.

They would give you blackwater stock or whatever it's called now.

They have no issue with.

They have no issue with, let's say, alleged blatant corruption.

As far as the paramilitary group and your into your neighborhood.

I I thought clearly Rhinstorff would not because he's cheap, and I think the only other one I looked at the whole list, the only other one I feel convinced would not is is whichever Kronky is.

Kronky's man.

They they have the most money they own, their their combined holdings of all their sports franchises across the globe worth I think worth more than anyone else, but still I don't think they do it another the table.

They'd be like, no, you think not paying more than I have to you is given these guys like zero zero interest mortgages and stuff is I.

Think would have no There's a few I think would have no qualms whatsoever.

Just be like, listen, this is the real world.

It's a free market.

Like a loser, yeah, a loser team last year.

I mean, I think the the Adelson's Tilman for Titta, they don't care.

I mean these are also again like.

They can do.

They've got casinos right, so this is easy ways to lander.

That's also wild when you look to the list of owners and you're like that person clearly seems to be mobbed up.

And I know that's why it's always been, but it's still like, yeah, for tend I got his start with the mob, uh doing casinos in Texas and things like oh that's all right.

Uh yeah, I don't know who the other I don't think Jennie Buss would.

But maybe I'm just maybe I'm just too right eye and she's probably like, listen, we're the lakers.

It also could be she can have a certain level of ignorance or she's like I don't deal with that or the Lakers, and then she leaves the room, and then somebody else.

It's like the chamee comes like, look, I'm gonna give you an hour at the laugh factory.

Or he's like, best.

Weekend we get some real estate, best weekend, we get wet.

It's just stuff.

I don't what about like Joe lacub I mean Silicon Valley, maybe he could do some stuff under the table.

Mickey sat listen, No, no, because again they don't the cruise the cruise like they're not making tons of money on cruise ships.

How is a cruise ship magnate still a thing?

I don't you know.

You would have thought cruises would have just bit the dust five years ago, right, Yeah.

I think that any of the older owners are are less likely the newer ones coming up.

I mean, listen, number one, they've got so much more money.

Yeah, but number two, they got their money or got these teams in a time without shame and where the rules are made to be broken.

That's their entire mo.

I mean all of this stuff, like the way the NBA has been run the last ten fifteen years has been here's the black and white letter of the law, and they spend half their their season trying to find a way to break the rules, right Like, they're always looking.

For ways to go around the CBA and salary cap.

As it is.

They're always looking for new ways to you know, game the system.

I mean, look at the foul baiting even right like that.

You've got you've got teams that employ referee consultants to teach guys how to flout better.

So, you know, I just think that we're in the age of the grifter and we're stuck in it, and so any of this stuff is on the table as far as I'm concerned.

But yeah, the any of the mortgage guys, I would I would say they're they're highly suspect.

Any of the gambling folks their suspect.

Speaking of mortgages, Dave breaking news.

The rates down a little bit today.

I gotta call my guy, got to call my guys.

Drop the rate just a little bitter.

Yeah, do you know what disaster?

Yeah?

Anyways, Uh, thank you for the question, Adam ut question.

If you want your question answer on air, you gotta be a pictureon supporter.

Do that at patreon dot com, slash past break breakfast.

If you sign up over there you get access to the bonus episode are released last week with Joey Devine.

You can also play fantasy sports.

Thank you to everyone who did the Fantasy Football League.

We have sixteen teams in there.

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All of that is at patreon dot com slash fastbreak Breakfast and with that, Dave I can let you get back to your European journeys.

What's in store for the rest of your day?

You know what, I'm not sure.

Might just go take a nice walk.

It's actually a really beautiful day here in Munich, and I've now been in Munich this summer, I don't know, like two weeks, and out of that two weeks I've had this is my third sunny day.

It has been rainy or overcast and threatening rain the rest of the time.

So I'm out and try to enjoy it and then fly home tomorrow.

Sadly, I was really bummed at man now leaving the gym.

No, you're knowing you're not going back into the gym the next day.

Yeah, is a bummer.

It's a flummer.

So if there's any team out there looking for a coach, I don't know.

I could be pride away, but I'm gonna need some I'm gonna need at least DeAndre Jordan's sponsorship money.

Yeah listen, don't need the Kauhi money, but yeah you can.

I could be swayed with basically any under the table thing, So.

Just go ahead and hit me up if you have ideas out there.

Anyways, Dave, thanks for hanging out listeners.

You guys are the best.

And remember breakfast is the most important thing.