Matt Barnes Warns About Rich Paul’s Podcast

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Speaker 1: Rich Paul ruffles some feathers last week on his podcast Let's take a listen.

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Speaker 2: The Lakers have options the Lakers. If I was the Lakers, I would probably be targeting the Memphis Grizzlies as a trade partner for Jaren Jackson.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I would for whom.

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Speaker 2: Well, that's the thing, because you got to figure out the package. But I think if you're building around Luca going forward, which they are, you need a guy like you need that anchor. And Jaren doesn't want to be a part of a rebuild. They just put John Morant on the market. If you're able to trade out expirings and give up the last first round pick you got, that could be one scenario, right or you can say, let me withhold that.

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Speaker 4: But this comes with a one.

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Speaker 1: This comes with a very.

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Speaker 2: Unemotional attachment because Austin is beloved, which he should be, but he's an underdog.

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Speaker 3: And here's the thing.

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Speaker 2: You if you really if there's a world where you can do what's best for your team and do what's best for rost because Austin deserves to get paid right now, this.

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Speaker 1: Is very interesting because I like Rich, I like his come up, I like his grind, I like how powerful.

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Speaker 3: He is in the game right now.

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Speaker 1: And then I also saw what Austin Reeves Rivers said, excuse me about not players you shouldn't na and I'm I'm kind of in the middle. From a standpoint, I thought it was kind of weird for someone of Rich's caliber and richest power A lot of people behind the scenes about Clutch's power and how what they have with the teams and and and they're say so with getting players and not getting players on different teams. I found it kind of weird. What you know, the fact that he would openly share this as an agent and and and let's keep it real, a lot of he said what a lot of people possibly are thinking.

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Speaker 3: But these people aren't as powerful as Rich.

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Speaker 1: And to be able to share something that you know is going to go into the Lakers locker room that you know, you're you're you're six to reade the separation from Bron. So now Bron has to kind of step in it and say, hey, you know that that that that's his own man, doing his own thing. But to me, that kind of shit fucks locker rooms. Obviously, the conversation surrounding Austin Reeves and what can happen. And again, Rich is not the only one think of that. He's just the only one powerful enough to know what. You know, when he's saying that kind of shit, that's gonna make waves. You know, I think there's no Austin Reeves has had a great season. Something I predicted. I was fighting back with the neighborhood hater Gino told him, Austin Reeve's going to touch that He's gonna touch for somewhere around two hundred million. That's how good he is and how good he's been playing. You think about a chance to trade for you know, Jah a Jah or Jaron Jackson Triple J. I mean again, people are talking here, but to hear Rich say, it is a little different. So this is we're at a weird space, a fun space, you know, where everyone has a voice and it's amplified now. And again, Rich is one of the most powerful behind the scenes dudes. But you know, for him to go this way, obviously Ar's representation pulled up on Rich at a game. Interesting now it's it's gonna be see what do the Lakers do. Are the Lakers gonna, you know, look to make a move. This is are they you know bronze clock is ticking. It's Lucas team. Now are they gonna put some more around Luca? I mean, although they have a lot and then ar playing so well, he's a tool, a bargaining tool. So we'll see again what the Lakers will do the trading. When is the time the February so it can start?

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Speaker 3: When does it start?

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Speaker 5: Trading always open unless you sign right like Kuminga for example, he couldn't get traded until January fifteenth. How his contract with structure huh. But most guys as a sense right now can get traded, and usually people wait until the end of the trade deadline. And the rumor kind of going around in the world is that everyone's kind of waiting on what Joannis is going to do. What's gonna happen there before everyone else starts kind of making big deals.

00:04:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a lot of teams in play for Giannis, So we'll see what the Lakers end up doing.

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Speaker 3: Again.

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Speaker 1: This is to me what makes the NBA greatest. Shit like this, You know, not only is the basketball side, but the reality TV show side of the game is always in play.

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Speaker 5: The question I have about this is like, do you see Rich Paul continuing to kind of be a media figure down the road, or is him doing this is going to continue.

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Speaker 1: To see I want to see. To me, there's no telling. Some people may like this side of it that he's that he's you know, giving you a look inside of his head and low key. I don't think he's flexed his power, but people understand how powerful and how many players he has in this game and the pool he may have. So I think it's interesting. I want to see how this does this affect business?

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Speaker 3: Does it not?

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Speaker 1: Does it help business? So I think that's what you know, We're not gonna have to guess. We're gonna be to see how this plays out for him. But yeah, if I'm Ar's representation, I got a problem with rich and obviously that they pulled up on him and had, you know, a conversation court side. So we will see. Moving on to some NBA action, the Knicks. Is it time to hit the panic button two and eight in their last ten I don't think it is. These are the dog days. I talk about this a lot, you know, January up until the All Star break. Some teams make position moving up, some teams will slide down. Something I said in the preseason, has kind of been bouncing around on Instagram, on my brother Eddie House and Mike Bibby's podcast Straight Game, where I just kind of had some thoughts on Mike Brown.

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Speaker 4: Will it work? I got one hand saying fuck no. The one thing about Mike Brown is that the first year is always good. Mike is a great, exact person.

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Speaker 1: He's just to me. He's not a leader of men. You have to be There's there's spend.

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Speaker 4: I couldn't imagine it now.

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Speaker 1: Because these kids are making so much money, you have to have the respect of them. And I think Mike is such a nice guy. That's what Fuck's Mike up. Mike wants to be cool with everyone instead of putting his foot down, like this is my team, this is what's going on. So that's why I feel like I've seen that he was my coach with the Lakers. We had Mike after Phil Jackson retired.

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Speaker 4: And when I tell you, rest in peace to.

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Speaker 1: My dog Cove and Ron Artest, they walked all over that they used to sub themselves in and out of games.

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Speaker 4: I'm just like, oh shit, you about to try and like, hold on me, I do better. I'm a little crazy. I'm not stupid. I'm crazy. I'm not stupid. I'm not knowing.

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Speaker 1: I can't sub my motherfuck himself in the game. But and then he came to I think he learned. I think he learned a lot in Golden State underneath Steve. I think Mike Brown is a great second chair because when you sit in that second chair, this is the first chair. This that when I tell you there's such a night and day different sitting in the head coaching chair. I think Mike is a great assistant coach. I wish him the best, but I seen it first handed. Sacramento his first year came in, brought Golden State system, they made the playoffs for the first time and pricing, so a lot of.

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Speaker 4: You were born. And then he lost the respect of the team quickly.

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Speaker 1: So now you're going to a New York media market that's try to eat you up every mistake.

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Speaker 4: Mike is a good guy.

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Speaker 1: I just don't think the situation is gonna work because he's too nice.

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Speaker 3: For his own good. Hope I didn't come across it's too much of an asshole. You know.

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Speaker 1: I've got a chance to play for Mike and work and see him coach. You know, when I used to work for the King, so I feel like I have a pretty good feel on him. And just my initial thought is he's such a good guy that sometimes putting his foot down when he finally tried to do it, you don't take it seriously, and then you sometimes lose the locker room. And I think he's you know, he comes in and starts off great because he is.

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Speaker 3: A good guy at the core, but you got to lead today.

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Speaker 1: And again this could be a little premature, but it'll be interesting to see how the Knicks recover. Have dropped nine out of their last eleven bottom five in defense, and that spanned and they started the season twenty three and nine are now twenty five and eighteen. Again, this could be a tough patch at January, tough patch these grind months leading into All Star or is it or something bigger, So that'll be something we pay attention to moving into All Star in the second half of the season.

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Speaker 5: But Matt with a team that, like the East was so wide open, with Halliburton getting hurt, Tatum getting hurt, you know, everyone's looking at the Knicks is like, yeah, this is their year. And I mean the Celtics and Pistons are above them. Just I felt like you went into the season having higher expectations of them and they're kind of not.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so what are your thoughts.

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Speaker 1: I definitely felt that this was an opportunity for the Knicks to make a run for every reason you said, just guys being down, you know, Milwaukee kind of struggling to find that what they're footing is Detroit being so young. I love what Detroit has been able to do. They've been able to grind it the old school way and and make their way up top. What Jaylen Brown has been able to do for you know, a team that lost what three starters and a guy coming off the bench and arguably their best player. Look at the standings real quick, Detroit, Boston, New York still in third. So let's you know, let's not push the panting button too much. But I thought, to your point, Nate, that this would be the year similar to Josh Allen, you know what I mean, what kind of once he got in the playoffs, there was no Mahomes, there was no Lamar Jackson. This was to me the year he was supposed to really you know, put his put his foot in it. Put his foot in the ground and make something happen. So again, still what fifty game? Forty games left?

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Speaker 5: Yeah, we're about halfway point.

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Speaker 1: About halfway point, still forty games left, but something very interesting to pay attention to.

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Speaker 3: Obviously, I know.

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Speaker 1: Nick fans will be and the media will be paying attention to what this team really is. They start off the season hot, they've they've hit a slump in you know, the dog days of the season, and we'll see what this team does going into All Star and coming.

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Speaker 5: Out and then Matt we're about kind of like two weeks away from the trade deadline, it's on February fifth, or the Knicks a team looking at hey, if we really want a title this year, like that that trade deadline window somewhere where you can move.

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Speaker 1: You know, it'll be interesting. You know it'll be I mean, you know what guys come to mind. If we're talking big dogs, then possibly you know, is in getting Giannis? Like what kind of would you have to give up to get a Giannis? If you're the Knicks?

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Speaker 3: You know, is the cat? Is it Heart?

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Speaker 1: Is it Picks? Is it the bridges in there? And take Heart out? I think Catt will probably be the player that they center the trade around. So it's gonna be interesting to see what this this is. I mean, there's no better time than now for the Knicks to make a move. You know, Tibbs was fired and then they really didn't have a blackup plan. They land Mike Brown, you know, after a search and feel like he was the guy that can help lead this team. So as they're playing now, as Detroit's playing, as Boston's playing, do what I see the Knicks coming out? You never know what, Jayalen Brunson. They can get hot at the right time, but we'll have to keep our heads tuned and our eyeballs open. Unfortunately, Jimmy Butler went down yesterday with the torn acl What does this do to the Warriors?

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Speaker 3: They were already kind.

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Speaker 1: Of a middle of where they six seven in that area that the kids say, that's a big blow. And I saw actually Gilbert on the way over here today was talking about trying to be funny, talking about Cominga's phone is gonna ring now, talking about what we need.

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Speaker 3: You are you? Are you ready to play? And gil said his whole body's gonna be hurt in u WII.

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Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I can't that's been an unfortunate situation because I really like Kaminga. I think if he's able to spread his wings, he's some guy that can definitely give you, you know, points and rebounds and and and some athleticism to such an older team. But at the same time, there has to be something going on on Kminga's part for Steve Kurr not to fuck with them this much. So unfortunate for Jimmy Butler being what is Jimmy thirty five, thirty six, thirty six.

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Speaker 5: This is the second oldest player to tour to tearing Aco the last twenty years, and the other guy was bird Man and that was late in his career.

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Speaker 3: Different kind of game, yeah too, in different importance.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I wish Jimmy Butler the best obviously, Unfortunately a CL's are very common now and and he'll be you know, fixed up and like new. But at thirty seven thirty eight, the mental side of it, the grind he's played a long time. How much longer does he want to play? Be a big blow for the Warriors. I'm not really sure where they go from here. To be interesting to see what they do with the trade deadline with Kamina. If there's anything cooking over there. You hear Giannis is in play or that's one of the teams, so we shall see.

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Speaker 5: Butler getting hurt kind of screws him into the trailer.

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Speaker 3: Would have to be a part of that.

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Speaker 5: Well, just from a money standpoint, And now you don't have an asset to trade, and does.

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Speaker 1: A Draymond and kaminga package with some incentives around it get you a Giannis or no, I.

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Speaker 5: Don't think you'sol maybe an ad like you got to think about it, like if if Kuminga had a better suitor this offseason.

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Speaker 3: We would have been with the Warriors.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, and didn't have it.

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Speaker 1: But how much of that is teams souring off her?

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Speaker 3: Not like what they don't know?

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Speaker 1: You know what what people are whispering because you know, people plant fucked up me. And I'm not saying Kamina hasn't earned what's said about him, but people bad mouth people all the time.

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Speaker 5: Fair but also they there's a report that they gave Kaming an opportunity to play and he's like, oh, my back's hurt, I don't want to play, So like what is that telling you.

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Speaker 3: That it's a it's a it's a cod world.

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Speaker 1: And he was mad that they weren't fucking with him, So he's not in the into Gilbert's point.

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Speaker 3: If you haven't seen Gilbert Ship, go check it out.

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Speaker 1: It was kind of funny, just you know now that the words I don't Steve gonna stand on the ship. Steve's not gonna fuck with Minga the rest of the way. So it'll be interesting, uh, to see what happens out there in that land,