Podbit · The Bill Simmons Podcast
Chris Ryan invoked Giannis's own quote about being worried what kind of team he'd be walking into after a trade. The answer: probably not better than Milwaukee. Bam is a great teammate, but this Heat roster isn't a title contender from day one.
Where this was said
At 3:56 · chapter starts 1:15
Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Justin Verrier tear apart the trade piece by piece. Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Khalil Ware, Hakim Shayok, the 13th pick, and future unprotected first-rounders — everything Miami had except Bam Adebayo. Verrier argues the package gives Milwaukee flexibility over a definitive star, while Simmons notes Bucks ownership was split: the front office preferred picks while owners wanted the certainty of Jaylen Brown. [1] — Chris Ryan "Chris Ryan invoked Giannis's own quote about being worried what kind of team he'd be walking into after a trade. The answer: probably not b…" 03:56 Chris Ryan raises the most uncomfortable question: is Giannis joining a better team? The Heat finished 10th in the East last year, and their new core of Bam, Giannis, Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell gives them a defensive identity but little else. Simmons frames Miami's move as a Hail Mary from a franchise that had no other options, while also crediting Pat Riley for still having the gravitational pull to land a top-25-all-time player. Verrier adds that the league is simply better with Miami as a villain, and Giannis returning to a competitive environment — however imperfect — is good for the sport.
Miami gave up everything except Bam Adebayo — Herro, Ware, Shayok, the 13th pick, two unprotected firsts, and a swap — for a player who hasn't been on a winning team in years. The Bucks got a patchwork of pieces from a 43-win team and some picks starting four years out.
Miami surrendered Tyler Herro, Khalil Ware, Hakim Shayok, the 13th pick, plus future unprotected picks and a swap — essentially their entire non-Bam roster.
While the Knicks run high-octane offense, Miami can build an identity as a bruising defensive team from day one. The Bam-Giannis-Wiggins-Mitchell core is built to ugly up games and contrast every offense-first contender in the East.
Milwaukee's front office reportedly preferred Miami's package while ownership was divided over simply acquiring Jaylen Brown as a known, tradeable asset.
Milwaukee's front office preferred Miami's scattered package over a straight Jaylen Brown deal, and Bill Simmons explains exactly why: picks and young pieces give a front office years of cover. Jaylen comes with expectations and accountability. Front offices love trades that let them say 'we're rebuilding' for half a decade.
The Giannis era was slowly killing the Bucks franchise. Not a bad season — a slow, paralyzing death. Chris Ryan argues this wasn't a hard negotiation; it was a medical necessity. Get a new coach, start the clock at zero, and see what Tyler Herro becoming a homecoming hero looks like.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
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