Did the Nets suffer from gross mismanagement?

The NBA world was shaken up in the middle of the night on Wednesday/early Thursday as Kevin Durant was suddenly sent to Phoenix.

However, no one was more shaken up than Mike Ryan.

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz discussed the Durant trade on Wednesday and Mike was in his feeling about the fact Pat Riley could not reel in the big fish he’s been after forever.

He believes the East is up for grabs and that the Celtics aren’t that great and that the Heat could have made the big splash, future consequences be damned.

Dan points out that the Nets suffered from epic mismanagement, having three Hall of Fame talents at one point and now all three are gone. Not only that, but in all of the transactions which saw them leave Brooklyn did not result in the Nets getting back a proven star. Former Marlins executive David Samson pushed back a little, noting that we don’t know yet that they didn’t get a star since they got a bunch of picks, which is what Samson says is the whole point of what you do when you’re trading stars like that.

Samson also says he doesn't understand why Dan says the Nets were mismanaged — is it because they never won together or that the Nets didn’t give into the Durant trade request last summer or because of the way they handled Kyrie? Dan says its because rare is the time in the history of sports that three talents like KD, Kyrie and James Harden have gotten together and the result has been seven total playoff wins. Samson again pushes back, saying its rare to do what Pat Riley did in assembling his big three with LeBron, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and winning championships.

Mike asks if the Nets made a mistake in not trading Durant last offseason, noting that he knows for a fact that the Heat offered something better over the summer. Mike says he understands the arguments against acquiring KD — age, injury history, etc. — but his point is that the Heat as currently constituted is older and in win-now mode and he's really frustrated by the lack of win-now moves of late in South Beach.

Witty points out that similar to how the Lakers are having to pay the price for acquiring Russell Westbrook in a win-now move the Heat are paying the price for the Kyle Lowry signing, which hasn’t worked.

When some of the guys start offering up excuses, Mike wants to hear none of it. He notes that the Heat had a package better than what the Nets ultimately got from Phoenix and that it was simply gross mismanagement on the Nets’ part. He goes so far as to say he would have included Bam Adebayo in a trade for KD noting that Jimmy Butler is getting older.

And while Mike says he is a huge admirer of Pat Riley, he’s not willing to let the legend off the hook.

David retorts that sometimes you have to dance with the people you brought to the dance, which is something Pat is famous for. But Mike responds that the Heat are going to be off the dance floor in the second round.

Meanwhile, out in Arizona on Radio Row, Stugotz has a take of his own ...

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Local Hour: No Longer The Godfather

• David Samson is here, and before Mike Ryan “smokes that Pat Riley pack,” Samson discusses ideas to spruce up the World Series, a make-believe World Series Radio Row, Dan Uggla smoking heaters, and the Marlins trade deadline move that made him most excited during his tenure. Then, Mike Ryan is apoplectic with rage at Pat Riley after Kevin Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns asking questions like “Is Pat Riley no longer The Godfather?,” “Is Riley washed?,” and “Have the Heat wasted the Jimmy Butler window?” We can’t confirm it, but Mike Schur is probably somewhere with a huge grin on his face.

Hour 1: The Interrobang

• EXCESSIVE MESS?!??!???!?! Chris Cote tells us the story of his latest Airbnb review and asks what order a question mark and exclamation point should go in when yelling a question. Mike Schur saves the day by introducing us to the interrobang. Then, we get Schur’s thoughts on the Kevin Durant trade before he shares his Stat of the Day and gets punished with a Schursday Thunder for insubordination...again. Also, no one on the planet earth is more plugged in on the Inter Miami side of the Lionel Messi story than Mike Ryan, may the Lord strike him down. And limited fake cocky Adam Schefter makes an appearance.

Hour 2: Daddy Needs A Drinksie

• Chris Cote has FOMO for Radio Row as Andrew Hawkins is whisked away from our GBF set. Roy is somehow still exhausted from NHL All-Star Weekend. Aaron Rodgers is going to sit alone in darkness for four days and ***not*** do drugs while Dan capes up for Big Ayahuasca. Plus, do athletes take edibles before games? Then, Stugotz and Billy join us from Radio Row with Hawk who has finally returned. We discuss an upcoming Golic party, Hawk’s colorblindness, and how Billy becoming “cool” has infuriated Stugotz. Also, JuJu kills Dan Le Batard while accepting his MVP honors.

Watch more below!

VIDEO:

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