The James Ham Show – Domantas Sabonis’ Impact On the Sacramento Kings

The James Ham Show – Domantas Sabonis’ Impact On the Sacramento Kings

All right Fun’s over James ask James about Lenny P that’s his guy James your thought your thoughts on the genius on the what your boy Lanny Pao oh don’t mind us Le and Lenny that’s all I know Lenny that’s right did did did do you did I tell you

Do you know who leaping lanny’s brother was isn’t it uh Randy Macho Man there you go there you go come on man James is with us what time it is Ste and Casey here on kfm West Sacramento 98.5 FM KX qd2 Sacramento ESPN 1320 always live on

The free Odyssey app I said it say it again this might be my favorite show ever is there a way we can fit OJ into the title let just work OJ into the title oh yeah the title is yeah we have three shows with OJ in the title that’s today’s

Title James hey before we get to the Kings and spr I actually would like to bring James into that conversation we’ve had for the last two hours before we got to wrestling um did everyone see the Kevin Durant clip last night oh I don’t think so you see did

You see the so you didn’t see so so James there’s this clip of Kevin Durant and the Suns running out onto the floor and two Dallas Mavericks fans it’s a a probably 40ish 50ish year old man and woman I guess they yell and the the clip picks

It up what is it hey KD you [ __ ] is that what it say they’re the only ones there yeah it’s only them there’s no one there and and they’re running out on the floor hey Katie you [ __ ] and Kevin stops and walks towards them and he

Literally walks up to them and it’s like what did you say and they’re trying to explain and she’s trying to get daap and like this high five and Katie is like you can you can make him out like why did you call me a [ __ ] though and he’s

Talking to them and you see them like oh you know it’s love hey and then my man goes I host a podcast about sports and Kevin walks away and I guess they asked him do you want us to throw them out and he said no he said it’s fine just let

Them stay yeah and I thought it’s one of the greatest clips that encompasses fans and athletes in a single 15-second span M you think you can get away with anything until that seven foot athlete is standing directly in front of you then you have a change of heart yeah

Salute to Katie for the way that he handled it I don’t know if I would handled he could have handled it in a very very different way and he didn’t so salute to KD for that but it’s an incredible clip to see James when we’re

Finished you need to go see it I would have been way more Petty and just had them removed yeah I think I would have had him tossed out too I don’t even know if that’s like I salute him maybe maybe that’s better that he didn’t it’s more

Of a teaching one it makes them look even worse um because of the way he handled it and I don’t know if I would have handled it that way it actually makes them look smaller you did that he called you on it you had no response and he still you

Only got to stay in that game because he said you could salute to KD fans are tough man like shout out to Kevin herder guy who was having a great night last night oh he had himself a night last night we spent some time with him shut up him like yeah

As soon as the first one went down was like Hey Kevin Harter guy is losing it he’s losing it down there the people really do like in the middle of the game they do a double take like wait what well when he came over to see us it’s

The funniest thing it’s the I think the national anthem is being sung this little boy walks up and he looks up and he is staring trying to figure and mind you fake Kevin herder’s got a beer in his hands he’s got food in his hand headband but full like he’s got

The to go and but but but the kid is looking at him like he wears like the tights and everything I mean that dude he’s fully 100% in on the bit oh it is great tremendous very nice guy to nice conversation awesome yeah awesome awesome awesome James um I want to talk

About Victor wiama we could do that later on in the hour your your your your your initial reaction last night when the buzzer went off and the Sacramento Kings beat the San Antonio Spurs by five yeah I mean I I think my my reaction is you can

Capture what my reactions are because I I put them out in the six quick thoughts like a win is a win and you know we can delve into some of the disappointments of the of the victory but this team needs to figure out how to win games and that’s it you

Know and it it doesn’t matter if we were I wouldn’t feel any better if they played really really well and lost um you know it would be a different show today from the Insiders and from you uh you guys here that you know if they lost

We would be lambasting these guys um but they they won so that’s where we start the conversation with the Victory and then you can kind of go from there as to whether it was satisfying as a victory or I you know again we talked about it a

Little bit uh on the on the handoff Damien I think if you’re a coach and you’re the team’s best player and you’re gonna have a practice like couple of days ago and you’re going to lay out like the keys to the second half and they’re so distinct and so specific and

It’s we’re going to push the tempo we’re going to get to the free throw line more we’re going to hit more free throws and we are going to uh do a better job defending the three and you come out in a game and your pace is like one one so

It’s okay but you get to the free throw line four time 14 times which is not good and you only hit 10 of them which makes it even worse because you shoot 71% which is like your season average and then you let them shoot 11 of 25

From three and that’s 44% which is even worse than what you’re already allowing and you’re you’re playing the team that’s the worst in the league at three-point shooting um that’s where my concern lies that if you can’t get your your basic four or five items that you put on the

Board and that’s going to be your focus of the second half if you can’t do those things against the San Antonio Spurs at home what what are you going to do against the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday in Los Angeles and that would be my concern so yes it’s the initial thing is

Hey good you got the win we can we can all breathe a big sigh of relief that the shows aren’t just like cantankerous and we’re not talking about how break up the Kings um you know and like how what do you do this off who gets traded and

We still got 27 games left but you understand what I’m saying like it it wasn’t as sad fing as he would like it to be yeah I get I I completely understand that and I look at it like this where you know you see a lot of

Times in like uh December you know the Kings will lose a tough game on the road to we can even talk about the Milwaukee game right where they lost a tough game on the road to Milwaukee and Kings guy 24 like no man there is no moral

Victories I don’t want to hear KC talking about they played well no man they ain’t no moral victories well that would be more of the time when it’s like let’s evaluate how they’re playing as opposed to the win and loss this really is no moral victories and no moral

Losses at this point where after the All-Star break it’s a win is a win and a loss is a loss and it’s like they’re pretty much for the rest of the year like into the playoffs like ain’t nobody going to be worried about they’re down 02 but they played really well no did

You win or did you lose and they’re down2 but they played really well Ain nobody worry about none of that and that has started once that All-Star Game ended on Sunday and that’s the way I look at this one they got 20 seven games left I think uh coming into that

Game they had 28 they got one of those wins we were talking about they need to get like 17 to 20 wins they got one that they can check off and that’s all that matters and I don’t even think they played bad last night I thought there

Was aspects where they didn’t do what they wanted to do but they played fine Spurs played well too and they found a way to get a win and that’s that’s just kind of how I’m gonna approach all these games yeah I I totally agree I would also point out

Like you had your your best player scored 28 points grabbed nine rebounds had one of the best defensive plays of his career to finish off a win uh you had your big man have a triple double you had Kevin herder hit his shots and

Go for 20 you had Malik monk go for 21 you had even a an off night for Keegan Murray he still plays good defense and finishes with 16 but you barely beat an 11- win team by five points and so they’re still concern but you still celebrate to win

You know what I mean like we we can talk about all these the good things that happened this is like that should be your uh sort of your road mapap to Victory right for this team in the second half or in the last 28 games your

Road map to Victory is Fox scores close to 30 Deon sabonis puts up a 20 point triple double either herder or Barn scores 20 monk scores 20 and then Keegan Murray 16 18 20 that would be your recipe for victory and so you did it you won um but

I don’t think anyone wants to throw a parade Down Down Jay Street right now I don’t think you could have told those 17 th000 in attendance last night oh no we might not have been going down J Street but we would have went down I Street would have went

Somewhere last night uh I don’t think uh partly because of the direction of this show took I don’t think we’ve given damont sabonis enough love for what he did last night I don’t think we’ve given damont sabonis enough love for what he’s been doing uh he went up against uh you

Know the next big thing so to speak and he went up against the guy who had just looks like it’s impossible to get a shot over and stop me if you heard this one before James he finished the game with a triple double he finish the game with a

Triple double on 11 of 15 of shoot in that situation under those circumstances domas finished with uh uh 11 of 15 shooting 22 points James and I know uh virtually everyone who spoke to you guys last night had something to say about the way Damon sabonis is playing yeah I

Mean I thought it was really interesting you missed the part where he was doubtful coming into the day that he was totally sick and part where James was feverishly trying to get this information out to Kings fans real he like James James follow domas to the locker room I

Did he was he was trying to get get this information to you guys and was just distraught that that that when he came back they didn’t know yet yeah I don’t think that there’s a way for us to keep like we have to keep doing it we have to keep saying how good

He is there can’t be a moment where we stop saying it because if you start to take for uh for granted what deonis sabonis is doing on a nightly basis then you know it’s it’s just it’s a crime and for me watching him go out there each

And every night and just be so incredibly impactful on the on the court um and against again like what will be one of the greatest players that we’ve ever seen eventually that’s what Victor wanyama is going to be um I mean even on a night where he got beat up pretty bad

What he finish with 19 points 11 rebounds four assists five blocks five steals that’s like a it’s almost like what we’re seeing from Victor wanyama and what we’re seeing from uh deont sabonis again you have to keep saying their stats again and again and again because

Both of them are doing things that are just crazy and you know Kyle and I were talking about like Wy like what was your first impressions and it’s like my first impressions it’s a 20-year-old kid that you know someone leaves if someone were to open up the windows at Golden One

Center he might get blown off the court but it it doesn’t matter what he does on the court is it’s just wild the things like when he goes to duncle ball and he’s gota he’s got to like lighten up or he would like jump over the rim that’s

That’s what it feels like every single time you watch him do anything and uh we just haven’t seen anything like it but at the same time we’re seeing sort of like God’s gifts for one player versus a guy who has done everything in the world to make himself into a great player he

He’s people say oh well you know him and dear Fox they won’t work because he can’t shoot the three and de’arra can’t shoot the three shooting 42.4% from three like oh well you know he’s undersized okay he just powered through a seven foot three guy on multiple

Possessions and it’s what he does every night like th Jared Allen out there Powers through him you throw Anthony Davis out there Powers through room it doesn’t matter like sabonis is developed into one of the great players in the game right now and again I I think we

Have to keep saying his stats because um if we don’t no one else will and that to me it’s a shame I mean this is I don’t I don’t even know how to but he’s a Hall of Famer right in front of us and he might not make the Hall of

Fame because idiots somewhere else don’t watch enough basketball to to rate him high enough so it’s crazy to me looking at at his game log real quick Casey it’s pretty goofy like he has seven triple doubles in the last 10 games wow and the game before that stretch started he had

20 points and 26 rebounds oh man 20 points 26 rebounds and five assists gez just R just absolutely ridiculous and it was dearin I think James that said he should be in the MVP conversation oh yeah and dar said he he should be in the MVP conversation Malik

Said he’s the anchor like he’s he said he’s our anchor like we go wherever he goes and that’s something like Kyle and I have gotten that discussion too on the Insiders and I keep making the point that you know whatever dearon Fox is gonna dictate how far this team goes in

The playoffs right but that’s because deonis sabonis is so good that he is willing the team into the playoffs and I think I think we can all acknowledge that you know that there’s Fox is a guy who can do these amazing things and and

Even monk is a guy that can come in and do these amazing things but the level of play in Sacramento has gone from all the way at the bottom to the top two-thirds of the league the top quarter of the league because of damis sabonis and what

He’s meant to the rest of the team and like that’s not to say that fox or her or any of these guys aren’t aren’t really good players too but he instantly brings you to a playoff level as a team and to me that’s where you just can’t look away I mean the guy

Is every single night I mean I I it’s unheard of to have 38 consecutive double doubles to have 19 triple doubles to have was is it 51 out of 55 games he’s got a double double and he doesn’t make the All-Star team it that doesn’t make any sense and the other thing doesn’t

Make any sense is the top 19 scorers in in the NBA all were all stars except for one and that’s Dean Fox who was number nine or number 10 like the league embarrassed themselves the NBA coaches embarrassed themselves and uh papovich in pregame uh skirted the issue as to whether he voted

For these guys or not but said yeah you know they’re they’re you can look at see what they’re doing they’re winning blah blah blah uh but he also did not say yeah I voted for both of them like Michael Malone did and it’s it’s a question that should be asked of every

Uh opposing coach that comes through Sacramento agreed shout out tone shout out tone shout out tone doing what he doing um damont saon guy’s amazing you know the crazy thing about his performance last night is we all knew what it was coming into the game doubtful actually surprised in some

Respects that he ended up playing and once the game got going on he was so good he was so like he had been all year long I didn’t even think about him being sick like this guy who knows if he could have could catch his breath who knows if

He was able to eat anything you know for the past two days and he was out there making it look like he normally does man that was a hell of an effort from him last night yeah and I thought Mike Brown like early on in the game did his best

To limit his minutes because it I think we got to halftime and he only played 15 minutes and you could see that he was on a shorter rotation than normal and and by the end of the game I don’t even know what’s he end up with 35 30

Because that’s the way it’s got to go in order for you to win that 33 so he’s about three minutes off as normal but if they that game was a blowout or if that game got any separation at all I don’t think de demonus would have played 30 so

It’s just a testament to to who he is and and how well he’s playing and um you know how he brings it every single night he is to me the the biggest lunch paale you know hard hot wearing dude in the NBA at at this moment lost in the pros

And the cons of uh you know the win and three-point defense and so on and so forth is obviously we just talked at length about damont sabonis we’ll talk more about dearon Fox one thing I think we neglected a little bit in and and it’s almost falling into the domas

Category where it’s just old hat and you expect it Malik monk had another 20-point game like he is I mean he he’s absolutely right damont sabonis is the anchor of this thing and you know dearen they the old Luke Walton line about being the head of the Snake Man Malik

Monk brings just a whole different element of all of that stuff uh to this basketball team when he’s on the floor and to have another 20 plus point game is huge for this team yeah I think for me the biggest part about monk that that I noticed again like Kyle and I

Were discussing this earlier is Malik isn’t shooting the three well at all right now he he’s strugg strling and last year when that happened he just went in the tank like there was six weeks where him and and Kevin Harter both you know struggled couldn’t shoot

And really like kind of went into a funk and hat tipped a monk because he’s realized that you know he might not have like the freshest legs right now but like you can go back I think it’s like 14 games or something where you can see that uh

That doesn’t matter at this point like he knows what the task at hand is he knows the task is to is to will his team to Victory as much as he can and like to me it’s just it’s been really remarkable to see a player who you know doesn’t

Always uh you know he’s he’s a mistake player he’s a guy that can make some uh you know that that doesn’t always like make the perfect basketball decision but he can be an adventure James he can be he’s an adventure but like again over his last 19 games Monk Is is shooting

28% from three but he’s averaging 16 points and he’s averaging 45.9% from the field like he figured it out and he figured out that he can’t be IR responsible in those moments and he can’t just like throw caution to the wind and keep throwing up threes and

Shoot himself out of the slump or whatever it might be he actually has to play the game the right way and I just think it’s like the maturation of Malik Monk Is is really fun to watch like and I hope he sticks around because this is

The perfect role for him and he can play more and more and more minutes especially if the Kings eventually do some different things with that that that shooting guard and small forward position uh but this is a guy that could easily average over 30 minutes a game

Coming off the bench and just he changes everything changes the complexity of the game when he’s on and his energy and his his second half play last night what you have 14 in the second half I thought he was tremendous it’s some big time shots

Too you know that shot uh I think Kyle talked about it a little bit the the moment that I thought they were going to lose the game when Deon Vell hits the three-pointer to put him up four um Malik monk he’s the one that got the

Ball came down the court hit the little floater uh little 14 foot floater to get him within two to set up deand three but it that’s the the whole point is you have a guy like that you have a guy that’s like I’m worry where here I’ll go

Get us a bucket real quick and then Fox and sabonis can do what they need to do as well but I’m here you you can trust me and um just just a big time player man yeah what I like about him too is he’s he’s raw and he’s honest and you

Know like we joke with him in the locker room we wait while he gets dressed and he’s sitting there doing his thing you know getting his his uh jewelry on he’s he’s got you know bracelets and necklaces and and he usually says oh he literally like oh F you guys I’m not

Going to talk tonight um but he doesn’t say F and he does it almost every night and I I came in the locker room last night I’m like hey Malik tell us to f off yet and they’re like nope not yet and Malik’s like you guys talking me

Talking to me about talking about me back there and I said no I was just wondering if you told us to f off yet or if you you uh you’re gonna like hang out and talk to us and he started laughing I mean he’s just a good dude like he’s

He’s just playing he’s having a good time with us but then when he talks it’s it’s very very honest like he said last night not only did he call demonis the anchor but he also said like look we got to stop playing down to the competition think that’s who we’ve been

We’ve been that player that Team all year long we’ve been playing down to the competition and we gotta figure that out and it’s like okay that’s good to hear you know because a lot of players won’t say that stuff they won’t say the stuff that’s that’s obvious to everybody in

The room but you know might not be something that the players want to say and put it out there since that weird like two week stretch where Malik was really struggling um he scored 20 points in seven of the last nine games one of those games he scored 18 uh and the

Other one was he scored six in the win versus Denver so that’s the stretch that he’s on uh right now 20 points per game uh since that weird six seven game stretch where he just was not playing well uh we’ll come back we’ll talk more with James ham uh about the game last

Night we’ll talk about dearon Fox we’ll get James’s thoughts on seeing Victor wimy for the first time uh and what he means for the league that’s coming up here as we wrap things up for the week here with our Insider James Hammond Sacramento sports leader ESPN 1320 yo yeah those guys those guys

Coming in at six right mhm yeah the stats are really crazy to me CU again like over his last 15 games he’s averaging 15.2 which is like right around the SE season average but you know he knows he’s not shooting it well and he just can’t wake up out of it he’s

Shooting 29.4% over that stretch but he’s shooting 49.1% from the field overall he’s just not forcing it he’s not you know he knows the shot will come around and it it it’s good to see like again that maturation of him because it’s not who he was before haven’t heard otherwise

So I did not hear that no that’s okay we have a meeting after the show that’s all oh the second show oh that’s mean you guys got a long day we do we always have long days James I know it feels like sometimes we always

Have long days but yeah I hear you you know what that’s like so no B deal yeah no big deal yeah today’s the hard day like yesterday was was a day where like you know I left the house at I don’t know 7:45 8 o’clock didn’t get home until

Almost midnight and then you know lots of talking on the radio and and then lots of coverage but it’s the day after where you’re trying to recover from that like just like the mental fatigue body saying no that kind of stuff yeah man but at least we love what we do no

That’s true yep I’ve always told the wife second I don’t love it anymore I won’t do it yeah yeah it’s just it’s too hard on your body it’s too hard on everything else oh for those who saw us looking crazy at one point we’re laughing because ESPN was talking to somebody about the

Lakers they said Anthony Davis lost his voice last night and darh said that’s why he couldn’t communicate on defense What freaking spectacular what last time I checked the last time I checked that guy had the biggest eyebrows ever and could definitely like communicate with his eyebrows communication guys come on man I never

Had done that stupid that that’s ridiculous come on Darin what’s happening that’s funny man what happened to the Lakers in 2023 2024 [ __ ] Anthony Davis lost his voice man never recovered never recovered hey I’m just surprised he stayed in the game and didn’t just go to the locker room shout

Out L Duncan standard standard move Duncan make me want to go to Georgia nice outfit Georgia Bulldogs did you see is there high school or or college there’s a girl who had a Quin not a triple double not a quadruple double but the next one Quint dble double Quint whatever it

Is you got it James I think 10 points 20 rebounds like 12 assists 10 blocks 10 steals she was Dom there we go my bad oh wow for some reason I turn Tiana Christmas yes turns it is Texas Tech Texas Southern base baseball game and in the bottom of the eighth Texas Southern

Is trailing five to 31 oh that’s a softball score well you had those softball nights right Kenny where every single ball that gets hit I think you know shout out shout out to uh Next Generation you know we like three-time Champions you know what I mean so not too many nights like that

You know we G we gonna come back I don’t think I can in the spring because ree got baseball games on Fridays but in the summer we’ll be back I’ll be back yeah we gonna get another another chip another ring baby all right we’re coming back Hammer all

Right hey I don’t want to day to pass I get I don’t know it’s not really news but like Demarcus acknowledged his career like he he he you know there’s something to an NBA player acknowledging like like yeah hey it’s it’s over and he obviously has you know a new light

Coming with the with the all the smoke Productions and everything that they got going on over there but uh Boogie long we talking about polarizing players earlier there will never be a more polarizing player in this city uh than DeMarcus Cousins and those that love him will love him forever those that hate

Him will hate him forever but uh I’m a Demarcus guy and and and he said his career was wrapped up James you knew him better than any of us I was hoping he had a a little run in him it’s become clear over the years it he probably

Didn’t um but yeah I’m excited to see what what’s what’s next for Boogie yeah I mean I think he’s gonna he’s gonna go back overseas and play a couple more times like he did a 10 game uh or 10day stretch in I think it was in South Korea

Or or China uh over the last couple like earlier in in January and I think he had a really good time he was appreciated uh fans you know mobbing him everywhere like like got the full experience and so I wouldn’t doubt that he does that a couple more times where

He goes and plays but I think it’s an acknowledgement that like the NBA I don’t think the NBA has passed him by I think the NBA has decided not to uh not to sort of play in that in that water anymore and this was always like again I

I’ve known Demarcus since he was a super young guy like 19 years old and you know covering him from day one was very difficult he got better as time went on and he grew and he grew up and um but there was always like this this idea

That he had that he was going to do it his way and I kept telling him like Hey you can do it your way at at 19 and but your way at 19 and your way at 25 and your way at 26 or 28 should be different because you’re going to mature you’re

Going to grow and at the end of the day I think you know a lot of uh you kind of it’s hard to shake your reputation and there there’s also a point where your body and your productivity aren’t at the same level that they used to be and you

Know there’s sort of that that that pie chart that like how much people will put up with and they’ll put up with a certain amount because you’re this good but once you’re not that good you know there there there comes a Breaking Point and uh like I I really do hope that he

Has a a great post NBA career I’m surprised he’s never got like another phone call to bring him back into the league even after you know playing for teams like the Bucks and playing for teams like Denver over the last uh couple years but you know again he did

It his way and his way uh wasn’t always the easiest yeah man I love boogie man I love Boogie um part of me is uh sad that this is the reality but part of me is happy for him to be at peace with it you know get to a

Point where he’s like hey man I agree agree and you know I’m I’m okay with where I’m at I’m doing different things in my life and uh I can’t wait to see what’s next I think there’s I don’t know how they do it there there’s there should be some

Acknowledgement in the golden one Center at the golden one Center at Doug whatever you want to do of DeMarcus Cousins I don’t the closest thing I was I would say retire the number but he never made the playoffs so they might not do that Mitch is kind of close Mitch

Got in there the one time but other than that Mitch never really his teams didn’t win win either but maybe they say the one time he got into the playoffs is what got his number retired but I don’t know if you start a a wall of fame a

Ring of Honor if you want to retire the Jersey I’m all for that but I think in this Fran franchise there’s got to be some acknowledgement at DeMarcus Cousins time yeah okay so couple of things there um number one I do know that he was at All-Star Weekend uh and was invited by

The Kings to the king’s brunch um was there with Brad Miller and VC ronad took pictures so so I’m hoping that they can men some fences and that everything you know they kind of bring him back in the fold as far as like a guy who can walk

In the door like blah does at Courtside if he I love that picture so much by the way the picture of Brad and and VC and and Demar because Demarcus looked like a million bucks and Brad looked like the money you find folded in the couch like

Like Brad was just here for the Vibes Brad was in the building last night too Brad is always in the building he is well remember that Brad yeah that’s his other home is Indiana Brad so I didn’t know that okay yeah yeah it makes sense Ian Ian he

Played for Indiana for a long time and you know him and uh George Hill like they love to go dunck hunting and all that stuff like he’s he’s an Outdoorsman so it it makes sense that the Brad there up The Practice Facility with something he caught while hunting in the back of

His truck I don’t think he caught it as much as he shot and killed it and it was laying dead in the back of his truck but go ahead no that’s that’s probably the proper way to expl way to practice huh yeah just they showed up practice had

The had the dead had the antlers sticking out of the out of the truck yeah like look I think that there should be a moment where trck it was yeah I we’re we’re going through the 100e celebration of the Sacramento Kings right now right well not of the Sacramento Kings of the

King’s franchise this is the the 100 year and we’ve seen I mean it’s kind of sporadic when they do it and they’ve only brought a couple of players in so we saw Mike Bibby come in but of course he works there and got a jacket U we’ve

Seen some other oh Mitch richond came through and got a jacket um I would like to see Demarcus come through and and have a moment with the crowd um I would love to see like him and vade have a moment where you know uh you kind of see

Those two because I don’t think that’s what I always got from vot that whatever happened with Demarcus and in the trade and all that stuff it’s not that he didn’t like Demarcus and it wasn’t that he was trying to be mean or anything else it was just he had to make a

Business decision and that’s what it was and it was probably the right decision at the time for him and the franchise um and it it was tough but you know at the end of the day um you got to do you got to make tough decisions but I would like

To see Demarcus come back in and and let the fans uh you know hopefully no one would boo um but there are people that don’t like him that’s the funny thing the golden one Center didn’t boo DeMarcus Cousins i’ I’ve like even at Peak frustration Demarcus like like they did

Not boo Demarcus that that contingent was loud but that contingent was calling talk radio they weren’t yeah they weren’t in that venue not not to any measurable degree they were not in that I remember Demarcus his first game back yeah come on man yeah a this city loves

That dude absolutely man those paying those paying fans love that dude I’ll say that for certain I think um man I think they should start a Ring of Honor man guy guys like uh guys like cousins guys like Mike Biby because I don’t think bib’s 10 is retired it’s not I

I’ve always liked the Ring of Honor because that’s where I think you incorporate tiesa and you incorporate Yolanda and and and and the Sacramento you have the pressure I I think there’s a lot of pressure in saying this num’s always gonna be retired like you can honor somebody and

Have them live in your Arena without getting rid of the number you know what I’m saying you could put do a Ring of Honor sure there may be guys like I think when it’s all said and done Fox and sabona are Jersey retirement guys like I think the numbers will be retired

But you know if monk is here forever maybe Monk Is A Ring of Honor guy we still get to celebrate him yeah without having to him having to be a guy that has his jersey retired yeah and I would put the the same for Bobby Jackson and

Doug Christie abely you know even guys like Scott Pard that played a bunch of their career there and like were part of the glory years um I I don’t you know how far deep you go into it um but you know kind of like the same way I talk

About uh sabonis like watching DeMarcus Cousins play on a nightly basis was a gift like he’s he’s one of the most talented players we’ve ever seen in the league and you know he’s a groundbreaker he he truly is and he’ll never get his due for for the way that he transformed

The center position where all of a sudden it’s okay for a 6’1 6’1 guy to break out and start dribbling the ball down the court it just wasn’t something that happened all the time not a true Center doing it and you know he really he did help revolutionize the game and

Um he’s the sort of the the first player that we see that becomes um Anthony Davis and Carl Anthony towns and now demonus sabonis all of these guys that that are allowed to do so much more and a lot of it was started with with cousins because we

Were coming out of like the Dwight Howard era and before that like one of the greatest erors of bigman of all time where you know there’s like 10 Hall of Fame centers in the league at one time but none of them could do what Demarcus did where they would just you know again

Who can imagine a 6 foot1 290 pound guy like leading a break going between his legs making a spend move around a guard and going in for a layup on the other and just absolutely tremendous what we’re were able to watch here in Sacramento uh well we saw the new era of

The big man last night uh Victor wanyama made his first appearance at the golden one Center we had an extensive conversation about wimy and you know what he may mean for the league moving forward as as LeBron and Steph you know start to prepare over the course of the

Next four to six years to ride off into the sunset maybe a little bit less than that but what were your first impressions Hammer of seeing Victor wiama in person yeah it’s just tremendous to to see a kid come like that come into the league like that and um we’ve never seen

Anything like it you know I I think you know as a kid I got to see Ralph Samson at least on the court I don’t know that he played because he was always hurt but um like I remember seeing him actually I think he got his autograph the first

Game I ever went to uh um but you know someone who’s like 7 foot three 7 foot4 that that tall that lanky um that athletic but again we’re talking about the next generation of the guy that can shoot the three a guy who can handle the ball I that talking to Greg papovich

Before the game papovich just made so many good points about you know what we’re seeing here is is something that’s almost like revolutionary and pop talked about how you know on the way there they had had him watching film of magic I think it was magic and uh Michael Jordan

And Kobe Bryant but also hakee elijan he keeps naming all of these players from all of these different positions and they’re talking to him about like his footwork and tightening things up and being more concise with your movements and stuff like that but has there ever

Been a player that could watch all of the footage of all those players and learn something from it and and I don’t think there has I mean the guy can handle the ball like a guard although he dribbles too high um and there’s nothing he can do about that

He’s s foot4 um but the way that even like watching him warm up was just crazy just his the fluidity of his body and the fact that he can he can move like somebody who’s six foot tall but he’s he’s just this huge man so I’m excited

To see what he looks like in three years four years I think he’s going to revolutionize the game I don’t think there’s anything you can do to stop him and you know Kyle asked me you know what do you think is going to be like Prime

Victor wh minyama and it’s like I don’t even think we know but it’s probably going to be like 30 and 15 and six and four blocks per game and two Steals and it’s going to be one of the most impactful players that we’ve ever seen and I think he’s lucky that he that

Papovich is the guy who’s stuck around because of who papovich has worked with in the past and sort of the the knowledge he can impart to him and uh it takes a certain player to listen to to stay in you know tuned in to pop but I I

Still think that this is like it’s a good marriage we’re we’re getting to see a player who when he’s done with the papovich era you know should be a finely tuned Superstar of superstars that we haven’t seen like a one of one um you know the the old unicorn that we talk

About uh thing that I just think he’s going to be a tremendous basketball player I I agree with everything that you say and one of the convers the conversation that we had was the the thought right now that you know people you heard tweets and stuff like that

People talk like man when LeBron and Steph are gone it’s gonna be tough for the NBA just talking about how they generate um they generate generate excitement and energy and and popularity and interest into the league and they do it as good as anybody’s everever done it

Geor Kobe LeBron Steph AI like that’s like the in my lifetime that’s it do you think wenyama has what it takes to check that box we know he’s gonna be a great player but is he going to be somebody that how do I put it people care about

Enough to like watch on a daily and care enough to have 4our sports debates on like for instance I don’t think joic is that guy that doesn’t mean he’s not one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen and will be there but is anybody emotionally invested in whether joic

Wins or loses like the way they are LeBron and Steph like where do you think wmy might land on that yeah I mean so I think when we when we watch Spurs players we get we instantly start attaching them to the the stars of before so of David Robinson and of Tim

Duncan he’s not GNA going to be I don’t think he’s not going to be like Tim Duncan he’s going to be more vocal he’s going to be flashier and like already what we’re seeing and I think that that’s where you know like if you don’t appreciate Tim Duncan it’s because you don’t truly

Appreciate like the fundamentals the big fundamental was exactly that it was like so fundamentally sound and great because he just likes sa bonus brought it every single night and was so concise in who he was wanyama is going to be great because like not to disrespect him

Duncan because he can be so much more he can be a guy who could win a slam dunk contest he could be a guy who could win the Three-Point Contest um you know he’s like the potential for not just to be one of the you know the top like 50

Players of all time but he if he reaches his potential we’re talking like top five player of all time like that’s where he could fall as a player and so um I I I don’t think he’s going to have a problem being the Next Generation and

I I think there are other players who are going to be right there alongside him we we just don’t know who all of them are yet you know I can’t wait for like year three year four of Chad holgren versus Victor wiama in battles like that’s going to be just spectacular

Basketball and you know so yeah I think the league is in a perfectly fine spot I would say this to Kenny sort of a little bit to your point the NBA has always done this they they’ve always created stars and then they they push their Stars so heavily on us that we can’t

Look away and when they those Stars age out it’s part of the reason why it becomes so difficult for for fans to like what’s next what’s next it’s because you know long after they should have not been like way out in front of everything and been like the beacon of

The league the league has made it so they still are we still watch them On T what was the lake the the warriors were on TV something ridiculous last year or the year before like 46 times but Steph’s still a needle mover though even if the Warriors aren’t I’d argue Steph

Is still a needle mover well no and I totally agree but the basketball isn’t good the like yes he is but there that team is the ninth or the 10th seed in the western conference right now like the league doesn’t let us move on from the players until the league is ready

For us to move on and and really it’s almost like they wait for a guy like Victor wiim minyama to be great like hey LeBron we need you to be LeBron for two more years and then we’re gonna like we’re gonna retire you and we’re going

To put in the other dude but we need you to hold out just a little bit longer because we’re g to keep pushing you out there as like our guy until we we can’t and but that’s that’s been the NBA forever it’s not the NFL it’s not Major

League Baseball like the NBA is very specific in the way that they hone in and worship their stars and their Stars that’s for a multitude of reasons and now we’re on the verge of launching another four-hour conversation here but one major league baseball doesn’t have a star they can’t even participate in the

In this conversation NFL doesn’t like having Stars they want the Chiefs to be the star yeah the Cowboys to be the star they don’t want Patrick Mahomes to be the star they they don’t want Tom Brady to be the star they wanted their logos to be the stars and in the league it’s

In in the NBA James I feel like it’s a chicken or Thea question if you put on the the the Golden State Warriors for Steph Curry and people are still watching the league is essentially giving people what they want to see the same is true for LeBron James regardless

Of you know they being better basketball like I’ll speak from a viewer perspective I don’t want to watch the Denver Nuggets yeah like I’d rather watch the Golden State Warriors I’d rather watch Steph I’d rather watch LeBron hell like this year’s not the case last year years P I’d rather watch Oklahoma

City I know Denver is good I don’t want to watch them they don’t intrigue me but I still want to see Steph Curry I we got home as soon as the game I flipped over to watch the game was a bit was over Steph wasn’t even in the game no more

Let me see what Steph and LeBron are doing well they wasn’t doing nothing but it’s still Warriors Lakers I think it still has some appeal to it and again is it if the league puts it out there and fans stop watching then fans are telling them something but if the league puts it

Out there and fans are watching the fans I think are telling the league something which is why I’m so fascinated what happens with the Spurs next year because they put Victor on so much this year for me it got worn out it was like okay I

Was excited and to to to your point James it was it’s not the best basketball no but the league creates help I mean they do a good job of creating the star and of producing and pushing and pushing and pushing the star and that’s not to say that you know

These guys don’t deserve it that’s not what I’m saying but what I’m saying is that you got two kids here in Sacramento that deserve to be Stars too and they haven’t been given that that sort of latitude the league does not push them as stars and then they get forgotten

About in an All-Star Game and and instead we get a jam real quick one of them has the NBA blocked on a on on his phone we we talked all this we think dearen has everything we don’t think he’s interested in being on on that he has everything he has everything

It takes to be a face of the NBA except the actual want to do it yeah no I get it I get it but you know again they were pushing they’re pushing aging Stars even even at this Allstar Weekend I mean like not to be disrespectful but and Paul

George has been had a good season but the guy’s averaging 22 a game you know like you got players that are that are like I I don’t know a guy who’s got 38 consecutive double doubles and 19 triple doubles and is averaging two points less per game but leading the league in

Rebounding and averaging eight assists per game like there there needs to be some sort of equality in in you’re you’re judging your players and again it’s a star driven league and they love to produce their stars and that’s why they will continue to be great and

Continue to do this uh you know to be as successful as they have been but sometimes it’s it doesn’t really feel all that fair don’t miss out on all NBA that’s all I care about don’t miss out on all NBA for those guys hey real real

I just want to get this in before we wrap up you know this did you have anything else to say about that um yeah we go for a whole other show at this point but no we had uh no no no no no we we we we’ve got an update from

Mitch he tweeted me oh and he said he lived in Tarzana in the mid 80s well that’s a callback do you want to explain that for those who might have just be tuning in Mitch called in and was a goat like he always is the goat

Not a this was a Hall of Fame call for Mitch today and we we wondered afterwards like has Mitch Mitch even been to California before he tweeted me to say I lived in T he said I lived in Tana in LA in the mid 80s that was way

Too coherent to be MCH but that was a solid attempt at an impression solid attempt at an impression right there La Mitch La Mitch La Mitch T Mitch clearly Tanna man yeah all right this seems like the perfect time for us to leave this might be our best show of all time no

This was this was what did you say the title of the show was again um the title of today’s show is we have three other show titles with the name OJ in it so this will be our fourth after that I love this I love this so much

Appreciate you guys for tuning in James always great to have you great to have Kings basketball back um we will be back

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