NBA Courtside

Shams says Kawhi Leonard has denied any participation in his investigation and lays out the worse case scenario: “The absolute worst is Kawhi Leonard’s contract being voided, or him being suspended for a significant period of time. Whether it’s 40/20 games or entire season.. it all comes down to the evidence and what’s found in the investigation. Is there proof Kawhi Leonard had participation in this? To my knowledge he has denied all of that.” (Via @shumpstreetpod)

Iman Shumpert on where LeBron James should go: “If this is about a ring, go to Philly. If this is about selling tickets Miami. If this about ended your career the way it should go, go to Cleveland. Just don’t go to Cleveland trying to be happy about a win because you not going to win there. You’re not going to be happy. This is about legacy, the return tour, this is not about winning don’t you dare go over there think it’s rolling with the winners. I don’t know what’s up with them during the playoffs, don’t do it. I’ve been on a team with LeBron when he was frustrated and he felt like he got too much going on. He going to start shipping sh*t out of there, man.” (Via @shumpstreetpod)

Richard Jefferson on Alfonso Ribeiro comments about LeBron James ruined the NBA: “I’m going to teach you some basketball. People forget that Shaq left Penny, left Orlando, and went to LA. Oh, you’re going to leave the small market to go to the big market. And then all of a sudden, then Phil Jackson magically appears, like Phil Jackson jump ship and was like, you know what? I’m going to jump over here because I see these studs. So now they win three championships. And so for people to say that it was chasing rings and LeBron left the original team that he was drafted, people forget that Grant Hill and T-Mac teamed up in Orlando. And if not for Doc Rivers fu*king it up, Tim Duncan Would have been there. It’s true. Tim Duncan is like my big brother love him to death. I remember asking him a question, like he goes once Doc Rivers literally said, “Hey, look we’re going to get it done with or without you.” And Tim was like, “Oh, excuse me.” The fact that Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, and T-Mac, and if not for Grant Hill’s ankle injury, Grant Hill was a top five player in the league when he left Detroit to go to Orlando. And T-Mac left Toronto. They were literally doing a big 3 in 2003.” (Via @RoadTrippinShow)

DeMarcus Cousins on people discrediting the Bubble Championship: “I had this discussion the other day, it’s just like, damn. You know what I’m saying? Like, when the average person goes to work, you know what I’m saying? You have a sick day, whatever bad day, whatever the case may be. Y’all went to work during the pandemic, too. Those days still counted for you. So, they had to play a championship in the middle of a pandemic and it doesn’t count for him. Like, so what’s the damn difference? You know what I mean? I mean, y’all got paid at your job. And I know it’s comparing oranges and apples, whatever the case may be, but the foundation of it is regardless this is something that happened that nobody had control over. So to discredit him for that, it just doesn’t make sense.” (Via @RoadTrippinShow)

DeMarcus Cousins says he doesn’t like the way LeBron James was treated LA: “And you know we in this era now that you can’t really, you know speak on his behalf or it’s considered glazing or we paid by Klutch all this goofy sh*t but for the most part, you know, I grow up in the era of watching Bron like create the blueprint for the next guys coming up. So, I think he’s a legend in this game hands down. I just, I don’t know we kind of getting to a point where you know when it comes to our legends in the game, I don’t think they going out gracefully the way they should. I mean, from Melo to how CP was handled. We kind of watching how the Lakers just kind of act like Bron ain’t LeBron, like, you know what I mean? So, Kevin Durant, like, you know? So, I want him to go whenever he’s going to be appreciated and where he’s going to get the flowers he deserves.” (Via @RoadTrippinShow)

DeMarcus Cousins on why Tim Duncan was the hardest player for him to guard in the NBA: “It was either rookie or my second year. And you know you play Timmy enough you kind of pick up on the sh*t that he does. Tim got some tricks to his game that people don’t know about. So one thing he was infamous for is when he’s guarding the big he pulls you down on one shoulder so he can get up and block it. That sh*t used to frustrate. I’m like, “Yo, this a foul.” Yo, like I can’t jump if he’s pulling me down on one shoulder and blocking me. I’m like, “That’s a foul, bro.” So it got to the point it go so frustrating. I’m like, “You know what? I’m about to manhandle Tim.” Like, I just started going through his chest. So, I got maybe two, three buckets in a row. I get to popping it like, “Yeah Tim, you too little out here.” So, you know Tim ain’t really got too much to say. So, I think Tim ran off about a good 14 to 16 like just straight. No extra moves. Back down jump hook, turnaround jumper, face up jab off the bank. I’m just like, god damn. So, by the end of it, you know, he just say good game.” (Via @RoadTrippinShow)

Jeff Teague on Caleb Wilson play in the summer league: “He looking crazy, I was wildin’. Boy you look like Bron n***a. He got more handles than Bron though.” (Via @club520podcast)

Shannon Sharpe says for LeBron James if all things being equal, the Warriors make more since than everybody: “Because what when LeBron James won championships, what was he surrounded by? Shooters. Battier, Rio, Mike Miller, Kyle Korver, JR. Smith, Danny Green, Caldwell-Pope. Guys that can knock down open shots. Who can knock down better open shots than one Stephen Wardell? Excuse me. Wardell Stephen Curry.” (Via @NightcapShow_)

Anthony Morrow tells a story about when Kevin Durant left OKC: “That sh*t was on July 4th. I’ll never forget. I was leaving my daddy house. Headed to the crib. I text him. I was like, “Bro, I had to pray about it.” I was like, “Damn, sh*t got crazy, bro. I don’t want to cuss.” I was like, Bro, listen you my brother, bro. I was like, “You made your decision. How you supposed to make it. You’re a grown man. I just want you to be successful. He text me like, “Appreciate it, bro. Put the phone down.” Fu*k this n***a. Like, for real, bro. No, but he going to see and going to say something. I love, you know, that’s my brother for life. But in that moment, I was like, Nah.” (Via @club520podcast)

Anthony Morrow tells a story about young Steph Curry: “We had a Pro-am. So like he was playing we at the Greater Coble center. First half my two cousins that played at West Meck they were like bully guards. So they picking him up, pack Gym Dell Curry in there and they was just bullying him, picking him up full court. He was turning it over, air balling like so in the second half I don’t know what happened. I swear to God, man. If you from Charlotte, they know this real. He had like 45 in the second half. And it was like I remember talking because Dell was there, OG, and we was just talking . When I was leaving, he told Steph, he was like, “Listen, I don’t know what happened to you in the second half, but play like that everywhere, anytime. I don’t care if you turn it over, miss shot, play like that. Never turn his back.” (Via @club520podcast)

Byron Scott says NBA teams are looking at LeBron James saying do we want to take him for just 1 year with all the sh*t that comes with it: “All the antics, the people that’s working with, you know, Rich Paul and all those guys and all the other stuff that goes along with it. Bronny James, do you have to get Bronny James out of his Laker deal? You know, so there is a lot of layers to it when you’re talking about bringing LeBron along. You know, we all know this for a fact. He ain’t going to go to another team and say, “Well, I’ll come off the bench.” You know, I’ll be a role player, come off the bench. You know, he can still probably be your third best player or your second best player on the team. You could be successful. But the teams that we’re talking about that really are looking at LeBron right now, that Rich Paul said that are looking at LeBron right now are teams that maybe can get to the next level and that next level ain’t a championship team or winning a championship. That’s just my opinion.” (Via Byron Scott’s Fast Break)

Paul Pierce on why LeBron James was his toughest opponent in his career: “When you have to play him in multiple playoff series, like multiple, it’s hard to get sleep. And it’s my matchup like, you know, all I think about is like, well, I’m going to have to fight through about 100 pick and rolls tonight. So your body after that one game, you know, you got to do this probably like four or five more times. It can mentally drain you if you’re not mentally prepared.” (Via @NFGShow)

Paul Pierce says the way the rookie players are playing in the summer league, it shows you the excitement that we put towards this draft: “It’s the build up coming in we was like this is going to be one of the best drafts. And then for these players to come out there and kind of solidify that kind of in summer league because you like, all right, let’s see you know what they really got. And so I love seeing that because it’s nothing better than seeing these guys because this is the time to be optimistic right here.” (Via @NFGShow)

Rich Paul says LeBron James not making the decision about the money, that actually makes the decision harder: “When you remove the money, now you actually have clarity. You never seen an athlete been in this position. Where have you seen an athlete be in this position where he can sit there and say, “Oh don’t worry about the money.” How I’ve never seen it. I don’t know. I’ve been around a long time. This is my 25th season. It’s his 24th. I count 25. I don’t know. I’ve never seen that before. And so, but that’s not the only thing that makes it difficult. There’s a number of things that makes it difficult. Obviously being in year 24, you’re not in 12 or 14. And so, you really have to evaluate things. A lot differently. And you know, look, we’ve never going to be rushed to do anything and we damn sure don’t care about what nobody has to say or think. Not at this point. We didn’t work this hard to get here now. We can’t be worried about that. I think it’s more so just, you know, when the man’s ready to make his decision, he makes a decision.” (Via @NightcapShow_)

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Draymond Green says the problem he has with Stephen A is he disrespects NBA players as if he is a player himself: “You very much so right up there at the top… A lot of players having a relationship with you, were facts. Until you started to disrespect players as if you were a player. There’s a fine line… Stephen A the problem I have is you get upset about the very thing that you do. You get so upset and bent out of shape about the very same thing that you do.” (Via @DraymondShow)

Draymond Green believes other agents will start podcasting after Rich Paul started his He compares it to when NBA players first tried it and people judged but now every NBA/NFL player has a podcast now Draymond says the White Board was a genius move and Rich Paul walked, so these other agents can fly (Via @DraymondShow)

Draymond Green says it’s not a big deal that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown didn’t hangout off the court much: “That sh*t don’t matter. We all have different lives…. Does not mean they didn’t like each other. It simply means we don’t carry the same interests off the basketball court. None of you people who sit and judge hangout with every colleague that you work with. But for some reason when it comes to basketball players, if two guys don’t hangout, it’s a big issue?” (Via @DraymondShow)

Draymond Green Calls out Stephen A Smith 😳 Draymond says Stephen A isn’t in the locker room like most journalists are to where the players have a chance to say something back to him on his takes. He struts downs the tunnel in pre game and guys don’t love him. So the only place they can say something is when he’s sitting courtside like LeBron did when he confronted him Journalism used to be where if somebody wrote/said something you didn’t like, you could speak about it in the locker room with that person and agree or disagree He says Stephen A has always wanted to be the ‘big dog’ and now that he is, people are going to say his name. And when Stephen A says he’s going to ‘do this and do that’ when responding to players that he won’t do actually do anything. Draymond also calls him out for starting the narrative about Kevin Durant being sensitive for responding to criticism but Stephen A does the same thing now days (Via @DraymondShow)