Stephen A. is DISAPPOINTED in Doc Rivers 🗣️ ‘YOU KNOW BETTER’ + Giannis’ future! | First Take

Stephen A. is DISAPPOINTED in Doc Rivers 🗣️ ‘YOU KNOW BETTER’ + Giannis’ future! | First Take

Welcome back to First Take. Giannis and Takumbo making headlines yesterday. Sham Shirania reported that Giannis and his agent were having conversations with the Bucks and discussing whether Giannis’ best fit is in Milwaukee or elsewhere. Soon after this news broke, Giannis was helped off the court in what was a non-cont calf injury against the Pistons. He had an MRI last night and an Achilles injury has been ruled out. So Doc Rivers having to answer questions about Giannis’ future last night before the Pistons game. Here it is. the conversations Giannis is having with the team about his future and whether or not it should be here in Milwaukee or elsewhere. So, here we go again. There’s been no conversations and I want to make it clear just for the I would say one more time, but for the 50th time, he clearly is not getting to one network for sure. Uh Giannis has never asked to be traded ever. I I can’t make that more clear. I go to the source. I talk to the source every single day. Every single day. And he loves Milwaukee and he loves the Bucks. I’m not going to deny he doesn’t love Milwaukee, but I think someone like Brian Winhorse might be to differ on the trade situation. Hello, Wendy. Good morning to you. So, you obviously heard Doc River sound. What do you think is the best thing that would happen for Giannis and his future? Yeah. So, I can understand why Doc is frustrated about this. Trust me, this is a frustrating situation. And you know, he can look at you in a straight with a straight face and say that Giannis has never asked for a trade and he can pass a lie detector on that. But yes, there have been conversations and yes, Giannis has saber rattled with this in the past. And so, in the wake of what happened yesterday, I think I’m getting two different questions from people in the league over the last 24 hours. One is do we think that after saber rattling before because guys you remember in August he had an interest in playing for the Knicks the Knicks and the Bucks had trade conversations about it. They weren’t able to come to a deal but I promise you it was not the Bucks idea to have those negotiations and I promise you the Knicks got the call to ask and start the trade conversations because the Knicks didn’t think it was coming. Just trust me, okay? And so did Giannis come and sit with ownership and say trade me? He did not. But he was interested in it. And so here we are again. There is interest on Giannis’s side in maybe making a change. Now will he go forward and take the next step and say trade me? This is what the league wants to know because in the past we have gotten here. This is why Doc has exacerbated and he has not gone to the to the line and has not said I want to be a trade. Second thing is if he does get to that line, will the list include more than just the Knicks? Because in the summer it was just the Knicks and if the list includes more than just the Knicks, will Giannis get to control the trade. These are the things the league is very focused on right now. I think the first thing is Giannis Antompo should be asking for a trade. I mean, this team is 10th in the East. You go out and you get Miles Turner and you think that that’s going to help this team. It’s going to give you something that allows you to compete. I mean, if it wasn’t for Ryan Rollins really being sort of a revelation this year, this team has no backing. And Kevin Porter Jr. said, “You know what? I talked to Giannis every day.” Giannis would tell me first if he wants to be traded. I felt like he said that before the season. Before the season, he said, “Hey, right now when I walk on the court, when I walk into that building, I wear a Bucks uniform, but my mind can change in six or seven months.” That’s like your old lady coming up to you and being like, when I walk into this house while I’m wearing this ring, I’m a Clark. But you know what? In six or seven months, my mind can change. And no, he may not have gone straight to Doc Rivers or straight to ownership right now and ask for a trade. But the conversations with the Knicks were real. And if I’m the Knicks, I’m willing to put Cat in the trade. I’m willing to say maybe Muel or OG can be a part of that trade. And if I’m Giannis and all I’ve done there, two-time MVP, I want to get out at 30 to give myself an opportunity to win another chip because it doesn’t seem like the Milwaukee Bucks are moving that way. The Milwaukee Bucks should trade Giannis Antuba. Put him out of his misery. You’re going nowhere with him. And it’s not his fault. This is one of the top five greatest players on the planet Earth. He’s turning 31 on Saturday. He’s a two-time league MVP. AllNBA selections ninetime ninetime allstar top 10 finishes in league MVP voting nine times. Okay. Yet, despite all of that, despite averaging 30, 11, and six, okay, in the last four plus seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks have won one playoff series, they have been knocked out in the first round, the last three years. And if you look at the start line, I don’t want to cast any dispersions or disrespect anybody because these brothers can play, but they’re not scrubs. But look at who he’s playing with. They’re not beating the Knicks. They’re not beating Detroit. They’re not beating several teams within the Eastern Conference. So, we ain’t even talking about the NBA. We talking about the East. Okay. And your Doc Rivers, respectfully, cuz I love that man. You’ve been around too long to react like that over such an obvious question. You know better. It doesn’t. He doesn’t have to come to you or go to the Milwaukee Bucks to ask for trade. Were the representatives on the phone with the New York Knicks? Did the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks talk with one another this summer? Doc Rivers knows the answer to that. Why are those conversations happening? Because you’re not winning. They recently lost seven straight, eight or nine. Okay, that’s where they are. They’re four, three games, three four games below 500. You’re a mediocre team in a watered down east. in a watered down east with one of the greatest players we have ever seen. What’s he supposed to do? You know better than that, Doc Rivers. You know better than that. He’s Doc Rivers is a champion. Doc Rivers has coached in many playoff games. You know better. And you don’t have the personnel. And I don’t know if you have the ability. Wendy would know this better than me because I haven’t looked it up. I got it written down but I haven’t writt up on it yet. Wendy, we don’t know what kind of assets they have or they’re bereft of moving forward to improve this team. And then you were supposed to make it get h happen with Damen Lilllet. It wasn’t happening to begin with and then he tore his Achilles. So where are you going from here? The best thing you could do if you’re the Milwaukee Bucks, I got a top five player in the world. The New York Knicks within the Eastern Conference traded. They made a trade for Muel Bridges that involved five first round picks. Five. Desmond Bane allowed in Orlando. Multiple first round picks. What the hell can you get for Giannis Anthonyo? If you’re the Milwaukee Bucks, you can get the farm. You That’s what you do. You look at him and you go like this. We love you. We know we don’t deserve you. Okay. Okay, we going to try to get you where you want to go. What can we get for Giannis? There is no limit to what you can get for Giannis Anthony Tumpo. By the way, get on the phone with OKC. You know how many assets they have? All George, all right? You know, you get you get on the trade with them. You the Golden Estate Warriors. Try to pull up Giannis and Steph together. Oh my lord. Oh my lord. That that changed everything. Everything. There are options. But the point is, you’re the Milwaukee Bucks. Here’s what you can’t do. Even with Giannis, you can’t sit there and be mediocre. Yeah. That ain’t gonna cut it. That’s not gonna help the present, and it’s not going to help the future. At least help your future by trading him before the trading deadline in February. Giannis Anthonyo needs to be wearing another NBA uniform. And and to with what Doc River said, too, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard trade rumors about Giannis. We obviously were talking about it this summer. If we’re going to have the conversation more than once, obviously where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Last word on this, Wendy, go ahead. Yeah, I think what Stephen A is describing, and he’s describing as a Knicks fan, I think I should point that out. What he’s describing, I think, is what Giannis would prefer. He would prefer the team to take the lead, but the team has done the exact opposite. They’ve mortgaged and reorggaged and reorggaged their future to try to keep him there. And I get it because I’m just going to say when Kareem Abdul Jabbar left in 1971, they didn’t get back to the finals for 40 years. So I get it when you say you’re going to keep your superstar player until the last second. I got it. He’s been being a consmate professional too much. He wants to stay in Milwaukee, but they just can’t figure He loves Milwaukee. He loves the city. He appreciates the organization. He’s grateful to them. He just knows they’re not going to win. Yeah. And and so maybe it’s time to go to a bigger market. Dare I say it. Unfortunate for your Knicks, though. He gave up five picks for Mac and a got no draft capital to give away. Where there’s a will, there is a way. Listen, I’m saying about the ball. You give up everybody including the equipment manager, the cheerleaders, the dance team and everybody in between but Brunson. But Brunson, everybody else, and then someone’s injured and then what happens? Okay, I don’t even want to put that on York. No, That’s not good. Let’s stay in the end.

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Brian Windhorst, Dan Orlovsky and Ryan Clark join Shae Cornette to discuss Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future and what the Milwaukee Bucks should do!

0:00 Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future
0:30 Doc Rivers’ comments
1:20 What is the best thing for Giannis’ future?
5:07 Giannis’ achievements
5:38 Stephen A. speaks on Doc Rivers and Giannis
7:22 What should the Bucks do with Giannis?
8:35 Brian Windhorst weighs in
9:05 Final thoughts

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