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00:00is that's Momo. Momo. So we are moments away from seeing if we can get her to give us specific
00:05names for trade rumors for the Golden State Warriors later on this year. Let's do it.
00:10Probably not. Probably not. But we do want to ask her about this. Steve Kerr, last night,
00:15why Cominga has played fewer than 20 minutes in three straight games? Just read the game and,
00:21you know, every game is going to be different. So we've got a very deep team. As we know,
00:25we're committed to playing 12 guys every night. We just find groups that click and we stay with
00:30them. And J.K. will be part of a lot of those. Okay. Joining us on the River Islands guest line,
00:35none other than Ramona Shelburne, ESPN. Hello, Ramona. Hello. How are you?
00:40What's good? How are you, bud? We're doing fantastic out here. We got some
00:45football problems, but we're pretty excited about the basketball team.
00:48Yeah. Yeah. They're better than expected, huh? Damn right. Damn right. And we're wondering,
00:53though, if it's good enough. And we know that Jonathan Cominga is obviously at the center
00:59of that conversation. So how would you answer this? What does the league think of Jonathan Cominga?
01:06I think they think he's incredibly talented and there are a lot of teams that would love to have
01:11him in their developmental system. But I'm not sure anybody really wants to commit that
01:16giant max contract to him. And so I think the Warriors have some level of leverage because
01:23he didn't sign that extension. They can they do control of playing him. I don't think they're
01:27trying to depress the market on. That's not how they roll. Okay. But they also they're trying to
01:32win basketball games. Right. And I think with J.K., like, you know, I just caught the Warriors
01:37the other night in L.A. and that was the night they basically lost to the Clippers because of
01:41turnovers and free throw shooting. And J.K. is one of their poor free throw shooters. And he takes a
01:46lot of free throws because he always gets a lot. He's always he does drive into the lane a lot,
01:50gets fouled a lot. So I think some of that is, you know, clean up your turnovers,
01:55shoot better from the free throw line. I would have said at the beginning of this season that
02:00in some ways Podjemski is a little more valuable than him because he's not right in line for that
02:05giant extension right now. He's got one more year before they, you know, they have to pay him.
02:11And also his number is lower because he was he was a lower draft pick. But Podjemski has been in a
02:16terrible shooting slump. Right. And so I don't know. It's interesting. They got both those guys
02:22have just got to earn their minutes. They've got to earn their spot in the rotation. And
02:25think about the Warriors. It's kind of fun. I'm covering them for a really long time. Right. And
02:30Steve Kerr always finds these guys like Lindy Waters, like, you know, I mean, it's he finds
02:36these guys who just know how to play basketball. They know where they're supposed to be. It's a
02:40read and react game. They make good decisions. And he just plays them a lot. And at the expense
02:47of lottery picks, I mean, it probably drives the front office or the ownership crazy because they
02:51take water. You know, they pick these guys really high in the draft. They want to play. But
02:55whatever he's going to play, whoever is running the system, the best. And if it sounds like it's
03:01going to be Lindy Waters the next little bit while Melton's out and until Podjemski finds
03:06his jump shot in no doubt. And he fits in many ways with that starting unit, especially. And
03:11I want to ask you, Ramona, about the style, because you mentioned, you know, Jonathan
03:15coming as still a developing player is part of the difficulty with he and Golden State,
03:21that very thing with the style. And he's more of a ball dominant guy. And he needs to be in a place
03:26where he can maybe be more just on the ball and creating on his own. Yeah, I mean, like the
03:32Warriors never have anyone who is all that ball dominant. The guy who probably touches the ball
03:36the most is Draymond. You know, I mean, everything else is just swing, swing, swing, swing, swing.
03:40You know, Clay, what was the, you know, the famous Clay game where he had, you know, 37 points and
03:46dribbled 11 times, you know, and that's that's a lot of why things went badly for Clay the last
03:51year with he just over dribbled, you know, there's like special dribble, but he doesn't have it very
03:55long. And so that's just not their style of play. You either play with that kind of pace or you
04:00don't play very much. And I think everybody there's just got to get that. And J.K. is an
04:06exceptionally talented guy. And I do think that he has taken huge steps and I still think he's
04:13going to be a big contributor for them. But, you know, Wiggs has done better this year. I thought
04:17he had one of his best games last night, you know, and I thought it was because Lindy Waters
04:23took the defensive assignment on Trey Young and Wiggs could just focus more on offense. And
04:28he was a leading scorer last night. I mean, I thought, you know, he I saw him in L.A. just
04:32really working on his shot and and really, you know, trying to get himself into a groove again,
04:37like he was a couple of years ago. And he's he's been good in spurts. And I think he'll have to
04:42play a bigger role until they, you know, until offensively, until they, you know, I keep bringing
04:48up Podemski. I don't mean to harp on him, but he's been the guy they were counting on who just
04:52really hasn't had a good feel this year. Just second year, second year of shooting woes,
04:58right? Putting too much pressure on himself, et cetera. And I think with with J.K., like that job
05:03of like second leading scorer next to Steph is wide open. Somebody can grab it. Is it going to
05:08be Wiggs? Is it going to be J.K.? Is it going to be Podemski? I mean, who is it? And I think,
05:13you know, they're all kind of vying for it. And that's that's the way Steve set it up.
05:17Like he wants 12 guys to play every night. He wants Steph to play. What's he averaging this
05:21year? Thirty two minutes. That's great. Yeah. Keeping that down and keeping him healthy,
05:26obviously. Yeah. Ramona Shelburne ESPN. So, Ramona, without getting in the names and obviously
05:31everybody knows J.K. and Podemski are the the young assets that were talked about a lot in
05:36the offseason. But how would you handicap the current thought of, hey, these warriors are
05:42actually good enough as constructed versus, hey, they might need to make a move at some point to
05:49really be a title contender. I mean, I do think they probably need to you know,
05:55they probably are one move away from, you know, from the you know, being seen as a team that can
06:01challenge Boston or I mean, who are we going to say in the West? I would have said Oklahoma City,
06:07but I think that said homegrown injury is pretty, pretty intense. I mean, I you know,
06:11there's still Denver, I guess, you know, I mean, you know, there's they haven't been healthy all
06:15year and Jamal Murray said kind of a down year so far. So I don't know. How do we how do we talk
06:20about them? So, you know, I I think they're probably one big swing away, but I or maybe
06:26not even a big swing. Right. Maybe they just need to find someone to sort of replace what Milton
06:29was giving them. But, you know, I think it's it's I my sense is they're not looking for anything
06:37really big during the year. Like it doesn't feel like that. Like they they tried several big swings
06:44in the offseason. None of them worked out. They went with this strength in numbers approach that
06:48has done very well so far. And I think they they really like what they have going. They like this
06:54team, you know, like just being around them, you can tell they have a good feel about what they're
06:59doing. And so I you know, I would I would expect more like a replacement for Milton or maybe
07:05another big to be in there. You know, I think they like I think they like their big, but you can
07:09never have, you know, too much of that, you know, in the Western Conference and you have to go in
07:14the Oak Ridge and guys like that. Does their financial flexibility that they work so hard
07:19to create, does it have more power in the offseason than it probably would at the deadline?
07:25Well, the offseason is very interesting, right? I mean, you have you have a couple of superstars
07:31on teams that are wildly underachieving right now, you know, and I I don't think superstars
07:36usually move in the middle of the year, but there's I mean, you know, there's there's a
07:40couple of firefighters around the league right now, you know, you and I, we can point to them
07:44and and, you know, with Milwaukee, Philly, etc. And then, you know, there's always Jimmy Butler,
07:49who's out there and he wants an extension and, you know, depending on how much he, you know,
07:53how much he works out with the heat. There's a lot of wings, you know, that that are interesting
08:01out there, but I don't see anybody moving during the season. It doesn't doesn't usually happen that
08:06way. Ramona, what what would you say about the Giannis situation as a whole? Yeah, I don't think
08:12anything happens with him during the season. I don't think he asked out. I think they play the
08:16season out. I don't think Milwaukee does anything big this season because, you know, they really
08:21haven't like last year was a weird year for them. They like Giannis and Dame were just hurt all last
08:26year. This is the year where they're supposed to figure out whether they can find some chemistry.
08:30They've they've looked pretty good offensively. The last, you know, whether they won three out
08:36of four, it's not like a big win streak in the Eastern Conference. It is. They look pretty good
08:40offensively. They still need perimeter defense. But but I think in the east this year, like,
08:45you know, they if they can kind of get it together enough, I don't I don't I I just don't
08:50think anything seismic happens with them. They they have nothing to trade, you know, right now.
08:55They don't really have much many assets. And while they need help in the perimeter, it's just not
08:59that much they can do and be like, I just I don't I don't think you take as big a swing as they did
09:05with Dame and and not even give it two full years. You know, I don't I don't think they do anything
09:12drastic this year. You mentioned I don't think Giannis would push anything. Yeah,
09:16and that would be a shock if he eventually did. He's been loyal and he's won there,
09:20but he's never really given that indication. You mentioned Jimmy Butler before. What's the
09:24level of intolerance from Miami to Jimmy and Jimmy for Miami at this hour?
09:31I mean, I I really believe Jimmy's going to have a great year this year if he's healthy.
09:35And I think he he's one of those guys that that, you know, he's always going to be in shape. You
09:40know, he's always going to work hard. He's not going to, you know, blue fluid. He's not going
09:44to, you know, lower back tightness it or whatever you want to call it. Right. He's not that's not
09:50his game. He always just plays hard. And I think Miami wants to keep him. He would like to stay
09:55there. I think they eventually work something out. But and it's also this is also me saying
10:00this based on like the fact that I just think the whole NBA guys is still figuring out what this new
10:07CBA is. And I think people like the Warriors are and this is a word with phrase we use, but they
10:13were they were light years ahead here and the way they treated it, the way they approached it,
10:17the way they they they handled things with Chris Paul and with Clay Thompson and structured their
10:23roster. And I think even waiting to pay J.K. is smart because you want to have that flexibility
10:29as long as you can in this era. And so there's just a lot of teams where I mean, there's so many
10:34so many players like what's this name names that you've heard. And trade talks Brandon,
10:40Brandon Ingram or Zach Levine or all these guys who make max money, but maybe haven't translated
10:46into being the top player on their team, but they are worth that money. But in this NBA,
10:51in this CBA, with the way the world, the rules have changed, it's not so much that people don't
10:56want them. It's just you want to extend them and you want to extend the max money. And what does
11:01that do to your cap for years to come? You know, Trae Young in Atlanta, like these are all these
11:06are all interesting situations that those teams are going to have to sort through because of the
11:11way the rules have changed. You're listening to ninety five seven, the game KGMZ FM and HG1,
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11:20powered by First NorCal Credit Union for a low rate auto loan. Apply online or just ask for
11:24First NorCal financing at the dealer. We're talking with Ramona Shelburne at ESPN. Ramona,
11:29one of the things I love about talking to you and others at a high level who are reporting on the
11:35league nationally is you seem to have a really good finger on the pulse of how star players are
11:40feeling about their situation. So so with with the curtain sort of falling,
11:47how would you describe how Steph and Draymond are feeling about their situations?
11:54I think they're feeling really good right now. They're positioned well. They know they're in
11:59there. They're in an organization that is that has a lot of assets. I mean,
12:06would you rather be on a team like the Warriors that has a lot of good young players that has a
12:11bunch of guys on these sort of mid-level contracts that are easier, easier to trade if you need to,
12:16or aggregate salaries that you're not in second apron hell like or would you rather be like the
12:20Milwaukee Bucs? What can the Bucs do? The Sixers. I mean, there's not much the Sixers can do.
12:28Everyone will want Jared McCain. That's been their best player this year. You can't trade
12:32Jared McCain. So I think it's I think it's I think Steph and Draymond are in about as good
12:39a place as you can be. I mean, you know, outside of outside of being able to do I mean, Oklahoma
12:44City is pretty well positioned, right? Of all the teams, but every single contender and I did a story
12:51with Denver, I don't know, a month ago or something at the beginning of the season,
12:54because they got off to a rough start. And and also they've they've lost free agents.
12:58They've lost guys like Bruce Brown and Contavious Caldwell-Pope and Jeff Green,
13:03a lot of the guys from their championship teams, you know, ended up going elsewhere and getting
13:08getting more money. And they've they've kind of gotten ahead of it by saying we're going to draft
13:12and develop players that we believe can fit our system. And it's a it's a hard it's a hard one
13:18for a guy like Jokic to see all these guys that he's won with and then now replace them with
13:24much younger players who are less experienced. But Jokic is like, I'm really happy that I have
13:29a chance to win every single year. I understand that there's so many good players in this league
13:34that don't ever get that chance. And I think if you're Steph and Draymond and all that, like,
13:39they have a chance to win every year. And they're also well positioned to make that needle moving
13:43move. But the way they've managed their salary cap, I think you feel a lot better about your
13:49situation than than a Giannis would or a Joel Embiid or whoever else, whatever other team you
13:55point to. The Warriors kind of revolutionized basketball with their love of the three when
14:00Steph and Clay were doing their Splash Brothers thing. Are they starting a new revolution in this
14:05we're going to play 11 or we're going to play 12 man rotation game? Maybe that's a good question.
14:12I mean, they've done the they've done the strength in numbers thing before. Right. But I don't know
14:16if they've been as they were as committed to it back then. I mean, I just remember it from 2015.
14:20That was that was that first championship year. And they they got a lot out of people. And that's
14:25a that's a fun game to play. And it works if everybody is really on board and they're all
14:29OK in their financial situations and their playing time. You know, like a good example,
14:36like Buddy Heald. OK, Buddy Heald came out and he was firing and he was shooting threes at an
14:41amazing clip and he was starting and he was, you know, he's doing great. And now his minutes are
14:45like 20 minutes a game and his stats are cut in half and he's doing fine, you know, but it's as
14:52long as he's OK with that, then then it works great. Right. As long as Lindy Waters is OK,
14:58starting three games in a row and then maybe not even playing for a few games,
15:01then they're OK. But that's a that's that's where you pay Steve Kerr a lot of money to
15:06keep everyone feeling OK about that, because, you know, I know I know why teams do that.
15:11I think it's great if you can pull it off. It's it tends to be hard with guys on one year deals or
15:16two year deals or people who who, you know, even just need just need to get into a rhythm,
15:21right? Like, you know, one game you're going to play 10 minutes and you stay in and find your
15:25shot next game. Maybe you're in for two minutes and then you're out and hard to play your way
15:29into a into a rhythm. So we'll see how long they keep it up. Ramona, did you say you're
15:33about to go take a nap before going to a game tonight? Yes. OK, that's what I do, Mark. I
15:39do the show. I do the show at noon. Yeah. And I, you know, get here at 10, 30, 11. We get hair and
15:44makeup, which meant, you know, at L.A. it takes me an hour and something to get in here. Sure.
15:48You know, I have two children, so I'm up at six something and take them to school. Then I drive
15:54downtown. I prep and then I drive downtown. And then you can't go home in between. Right. Because
16:00it's too far to drive home in between before the game. And we got to go. I got to be over there
16:04about five by 30. So I was like, I got a good hour right now. And like you said, three forty
16:10five. And I was like, yeah, one segment. No later, because I got a car nap with my name on it.
16:16Do this in the car like my first thought when you said that. I'm like, you have two little kids.
16:20How are you napping at four o'clock? Because I have to, otherwise I get five hours of sleep.
16:28I got to get it. I got to get it. You know, a nap in here. Right now, the answer being you're not
16:33going home like that's what I know. There's no way to go home. No, I finished it like one thirty
16:39two o'clock. You can't drive home. That's an hour back in traffic of an hour back home and then an
16:45hour and a half back downtown. That's not going to happen. What's your car nap plan? Is it like
16:50what's the recline angle? What's the timeline? Oh, all the way down, all the way down. We got
16:56we got some tent and I put on the white noise and I set an alarm and I just I just go all the way
17:03down and I put a lot of times I put like a shirt over my face so like nobody can look in and see
17:08me. I was going to ask your address. Somebody wanted to come by and take a picture of Ramona
17:13Sheldon asleep. I mean, I'm in a parking garage. You know, I find a corner and I'll be coming over
17:19here. It's elite. Wow. The jacket over the face is next level. That's paparazzi proof right there.
17:26I like the white noise machine. I think that's a good move. It's elite. Yeah, the glitz and the
17:31glamour of the sports media life is really next level Ramona. I mean, because I'm going to be
17:36here till eleven o'clock tonight. So it's like, you know, this is 15 hours away from home. Like
17:42you got to catch a nap in here. And the kids in the morning don't care how tired you are. They
17:46want breakfast and snuggles. They're coming in at 6.30, whether I like it or not. You know,
17:55actually, I got to get up even earlier because we have parent teacher conference tomorrow morning
17:58at 7.30. I just had those. Those are stressful. Oh, all right. Well, he's in kindergarten. What
18:04are they going to tell me? He needs to work on his cutting. He's cutting outside the lines too
18:10much. He's using too much, too much blue crayon. Let's mix it up. Yeah. All right.
18:15Mix it up. Crayon angle. Ramona Shelburne drooling in her car live on 95.7 the game.
18:23All right. Thank you, Momo. Thank you so much. Good night. Night night. That's the real night
18:29night. Drive home safely. There it is. All right. Thank you, Momo. There she goes. Ramona Shelburne
18:34ESPN.