How To Keep Your Superstar

The Bucks' move to get Damian Lillard is a prime example of how an NBA exec is supposed to keep their star happy. Giannis could've hit free agency after this current deal, but the Dame trade should assure the Giannis will re-sign. #basketball #commentary #nba

[@Obamanomicon]

As a resident of Milwaukee, The Bucks keeping Giannis is important to the city in more ways than just basketball. The bucks being relevant and successful is huge for the cities economy.

[@jokeassasin7733]

Giannis is the reason Mark Lasry made a $3 billion profit

[@TheMasonK]

Absolutely! The local businesses have been thriving and the Deer District is awesome especially during Bucks games!

[@isaiahbrown8929]

Yes the same thing happen to Cleveland when the cavs won the chip.

[@MeBihhhh]

I don’t know why people that don’t know the bucks love talking about them. Bucks more than likely 3 pt have Giannis and Middleton hadn’t been injured since the chip

[@superxristakos9632]

​@@MeBihhhhAre you saying that the bucks are title favorites without the dame trade?

[@randomperson2540]

The way Giannis handles his business is exactly how I want every superstar to.

[@nohastump6961]

He stannin on bisness

[@Clownlife432]

The economics for sports and what they bring to communities is far overrated. People would eat and drink somewhere else if not there.

[@superxristakos9632]

​@@Clownlife432I disagree. Sports unite the people and are a great form of entertainment.

[@Clownlife432]

@@superxristakos9632 you can ‘disagree’ all you want, but what I am saying is a fact. I didn’t say sports don’t unite people. I said the economic impacts of sports are exaggerated and essentially zero. That’s well known.

[@daiyaanwilliams698]

Who are u thoe

[@tysonmaddox1090]

To me, this is the ideal with player empowerment. No shadiness on either side. No one talking shit about the other. Just a franchise and their star player working together to succeed

[@randomperson2540]

I agree 100%

[@Digyourholeanddieinit]

Yeah exactly, I think the difference between him and most is he genuinely has a lot of respect for the franchise he’s apart of and mostly integrity tbh

[@benlazzopina-wy9om]

@@Digyourholeanddieinit yeah he doesnt want to leave milwaukee but he knows winning comes first and hes just making sure they know it too

[@christianholbrook2686]

It's really amazing what happens when you don't go scorched earth immediately. Giannis didn't say "I'm leaving fuck yall." He didn't even say "Do this or I'm gone." Giannis knows how to act diplomatically with his team, and it's something alot of superstars should emulate.

[@Wormholt]

He virtually said “do this or I’m gone”. “If you guys don’t do what’s necessary to compete for a championship, I’m gone.” Just because he said it diplomatically doesn’t mean he didn’t make it very clear that he’d consider leaving.

[@thelastjerkbender2505]

​@Wormholt what is important is that he didn't pull any sneaky shit like showing up late to training camp, skipping practice or playing poorly. Giannis has a very mature perspective on the game and his job. That is something everyone can learn from, not just NBA stars.

[@MrE_]

@@Wormholt I disagree. When people say "do THIS or I'm gone" they are referring to something specific such as signing a specific player, firing/hiring a specific coach, giving the superstar more of a scoring role on offense, etc. Like guys like lebron, harden, etc have done in the past. Giannis saying let's do whatever it takes to win a championship, is general enough for the front office to still be in control, but specific enough to actually have a reason to keep a superstar on your team. Because why tf would you want a star on your team if you aren't planning on winning anyway right?

[@agayactornamedmichaeldougl6289]

Dame will be 38 when Giannis's contract is up. Middleton? Lopez? It will be Giannis and a bunch of fossils. I guarantee he will leave at that point

[@hiphopotamus69]

The Bucks front office has done everything a small market team can possibly do to keep Giannis happy. If he leaves in the next few seasons anyways you can still sleep at night knowing there was nothing more you could have done to prevent that.

[@ooblz]

i respect giannis for being as open as possible about his ambitions, i think that should become the norm in the nba

[@Sam-ri1vg]

The Bucks front office literally addressed every single critique that fans had against them this offseason: Lack of defensive adjustments? They hired a coach that sounds committing to doing new things, including using Giannis as a primary on ball wing defender Half court offense in the clutch? Well they hired Terry Stotts as a lead offensive coach, and acquired the best trade option they could have while also sending out the biggest issue with their half court offense Are we sick of Bud? They hired the coach Giannis wanted Are you just gonna keep running it back as is? They shook up everything they could while keeping the core in place Letting these older guys walk to save on luxury tax? Nope they re-signed both Khris and Brook to big money deals, and just took on a 60m/yr contract Clear #2 option with Khris's health in question? Well they got Dame, Khris is now a top 2-3 third option in the league Sick of the roster being old/fat? They prioritized getting some more athletic bodies involved (Beasley, Beauchamp, TyTy, Jackson) You want a true superstar duo? Here's motherfucking Damian Lillard The only critique now is perimeter defense, which is a result of trading Jrue for Dame. Which I'm sure they will live with and try and address at the deadline

[@_i_a_n_]

GM Horst has proven to be among the best ever.

[@TheMasonK]

For those who don’t remember where the Bucks were at in terms of salary and picks, John Hammond left us with multiple horrid contracts including Matthew Dellavedova $36m for 4 years, Mirza Teletovic $31.5m for 3 years and Miles Plumlee $50m for 4 years among others. We had our firsts but for a rebuilding team at the time, we did not own very many draft assets either. I’m not gonna list every single move that Horst has made since becoming GM of the Bucks but someday there’s gonna be a study on how to manage a sports team and Jon Horst is gonna be the star subject. He has been the most unsung part of the Bucks since 2018. He is the glue that has brought everything together. Easily the best general manager the Bucks have ever had.

[@FrancisL-ed4ic]

@@TheMasonKfacts 😮 I haven’t watch bucks since 2016 I watch it until 2017-2018 has far I know 😮😢

[@sunk5244]

@@TheMasonKHorst has absolutely nailed it in his 5 years thus far. There probably will be a study into this guy’s career in the future.

[@86lanzo]

Giannis: show me your committed to winning and I'll sign Bucks : heres Dame Giannis : Cool

[@leroyrodgers6089]

Jrue is great, but Dame will steal a game or two by himself in a playoff run. He will drop 40 or 50 and win them a game they had no business winning. I actually sense they would have beaten Miami with Dame, but I digress.

[@raiderleader4220]

wow what a take😐😐😐no sh** Sherlock

[@leroyrodgers6089]

@raiderleader4220 Apparently this was so obvious you felt the need to respond. Why? Your boundless genius is just so much that you have to ensure others are put down that they hadn't assumed everything instantly as you had? Incredible dude you must be. 👏

[@jtfc7286]

Moral of the story - bring them Damian Lillard😂

[@Jeff_2x]

A certain small market organization had the best player in the league for 7 years and didn’t make moves to keep their superstar. I prefer not to speak

[@hiphopotamus69]

The Bucks front office watched that and took notes clearly lol

[@akeme25]

Another certain small market team had a top-2 point guard in the league and didn’t make any moves to keep him and now lost him to a team who would be more willing to…

[@Chessbox09]

Props to Giannis for taking control of his own destiny by being assertive about his intentions. Due to the butterfly effect everyone else is a better or equal situation too (Ayton/Dame/Blazers /Jrue etc).

[@MrE_]

And props to the bucks for actually doing something without overreacting. The Dame situation in Portland is the alternate universe that giannis could have gone through if the bucks org did things differently. The Blazers tried going all in with Dame, but failed to make a finals run, blew it up by trading all key pieces, tried the signing of old vets tactic, then held Dame hostage for a couple years before finally embracing the rebuild. Lucky for giannis, the bucks saw some success, and were able to constantly make roster moves that helped improve the team overtime, and now made a big move to help giannis out more without completely destroying what they've previously built

[@bryanfoster326]

@@MrE_dame was very loud about being loyal and staying in Portland even when everyone knew they were far too many steps away from contention for them to have a real shot. If you’re the organization with the “loyal” superstar very loudly preaching his loyalty and critiquing people who leave their organizations, you can’t exactly trade that guy without getting a ton of heat. You’re mostly right, but I think the last few years were closer to dame holding the blazers hostage than the blazers holding dame hostage.

[@truthseeker198]

I guess that's one skill giannis has that harden could try to learn lol

[@jimbobfisher8904]

Ay as of now harden is reporting to 6ers practice sooo…..

[@tonysobon4669]

I just really hope Dame is going to workout , it scares me since I have wanted this trade forever and it just seems to good to be true. Also after hearing that Jrue wanted to retire as a Bucks made that trade hurt a bit more since you do not hear that often and he really is a great dude and player.

[@Arlind_34]

Giannis has respect for Milwaukee as an organization and a city. The bucks have respect for his talents and his accomplishments he has brought to the city and team. Both want to achieve more success so they are working together genuinely not just some fake promises to the fans and each other but real effort to field a contender and to make a real push for the title none of the cryptic comments and broken promises like other teams both parties hav their egos in check

[@hunterishairy]

Im not a huge Bucks fan, but saying that the Bucks stumbled into that 2021 chip is lowkey wild

[@buri8915]

my man switched up the background and got that amazing hair man. u have glown up g

[@MsMrapplepie]

Well, it’s also up to the superstar to be committed to a franchise as well. Giannis is a rare breed of loyalty and production that allows him to demand the most out of his front office.

[@poo5131]

Crazy how this is all a ripple effect from KDs big ass foot

[@statlifter]

👹☠️👹FREAK TIME IN CREAM CITY 👹☠️👹

[@alexanderboulton2123]

Players and teams don't have a responsibility to be loyal to each other; what they do have is a responsibility to be DEDICATED to each other. Giannis has promised his dedication to the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee, as long as they show the same level of dedication to him.

[@willhelm94]

For me, it's the fact that Giannis has always shown respect is the thing that makes Giannis special

[@chizzyxv3408]

I like the part where he mentioned stars not knowing what they want all the time cuz had the bucks had asked Giannis about Dame he would've said no just like when he said insisted on khris over trading for jimmy butler when he was a Timberwolve

[@fortynights1513]

You can keep your superstar by getting that player help that compliments them.

[@emmanuelmondesir]

Teams simply don’t get that. They only think about adding scorers, ignore fit and it always backfire. As a Suns fans that Bradley Beal is terrible.

[@fortynights1513]

@@emmanuelmondesirWould the players they gave up have fit better alongside Durant and Booker?

[@jimbobfisher8904]

It’s a good thing Dan Gilbert isn’t the bucks front office, we all saw how clueless that idiot was when lebron was first drafted all the way until he left like 7 years later.

[@hunterishairy]

Saying that the Bucks stumbled into that 2021 chip is lowkey wild ngl

[@Sai4651]

3:59 - I’m glad you addressed this. The Bucks had some of the best luck on that 2021 Championship run due to the Nets being hurt, the Sixers falling apart in the 2nd round against the Hawks, and basically everyone in the West being hurt (causing the Suns to make the Finals when they probably wouldn’t have). Not saying the Bucks championship doesn’t count, but I’d say the Bucks won more so because they were the healthiest team in the playoffs rather than being the best team in the playoffs.

[@nick-loading]

Let’s also remember Giannis got injured too

[@Sai4651]

@@nick-loading 2 games versus the Hawks and Trae was injured too.

[@myquest666420]

I know we are gonna miss Jrue though. Not happy he’s in Boston.

[@dequandavis5020]

Y’all do realize Giannis is delaying his extension because he can get MORE MONEY if he waits and signs it next year. Its wild how bad the media want giannis in a big market 😂

[@joaquinvalenzuela7756]

literally how to keep your superstar 101

[@LightningFastStudios]

Giannis has complained twice to the Bucks and both times they made a COLOSSAL upgrade at point guard

[@chicagosbest7280]

If Giannis wins another title in Mil, there’s nothing he could do that would remove him as an all time great for the city of Mil. After he wins another, winning another one in Chicago, only 1.5 hours away from Mil, would be absolutely legendary. He’d be immortalized in TWO cities. Maybe I’m crazy, but it sounds doable.

[@PigsHealthcare]

He’s not going to Chicago buddy

[@chicagosbest7280]

@@PigsHealthcare if they choke again, decisions will have to be made.

[@blueredlover1060]

The only other superstar that doesn't seem to be at odds with their front office is Jokic. Party of that being Jokic seems like a generally chill dude, but also there's got to be done element of him just being happy to be in the league at all.

[@troliskimosko]

Rusty looking extra groomed today

[@godussy]

Extra thic too

[@kaikwon1604]

​@@godussyIono about all that...

[@KenKnowsIt]

It’s not just Russ with Bron. That man does not know what players work with him sometimes lol.

[@Because_Truth_Matters]

Bro, they could have won 2 championship if only Khris Middleton would actually play like Giannis plays. In 2022, the Bucks without Middleton took the Celtics to 7 games. The only issue is that only Giannis could score really. Dude averaged 34 and 15. I mean he can't do everything by himself. Middleton let him down. Role players let him down. They could have beaten Boston and the Heat that yr too. In the finals, Giannis would have destroyed that Warriors defense. Draymond vs Giannis 🤣🤣🤣

[@afalseerra9517]

i mean middleton was injured and hes been dealing with knee injury for the last three seasons that he just got addressed. i get what youre saying but its not an effort problem.

[@emmanuelmondesir]

Jrue offense fell off a cliff and Giannis can’t shoot.

[@Because_Truth_Matters]

@@afalseerra9517 yes it is! Bro, people play through injuries all the time. In 2021 when they won a championship Giannis was not even supposed to play. In fact, after the finals Giannis told Melika Andrews that he was in so much pain but he did what he had to do! Just this yr, Giannis said he plays through injuries even when the Bucks tell him not to. I personally believe Khris Middleton should have played in game 6 and 7 to alleviate pressure on Giannis. In game 6, Giannis dropped 44 and 20, but role players couldn't score. The shot 13/39 3s. Cool, if you know that you have injuries, why do you still want to get paid massively? You are even the second guy but you are still demanding so much money. There's no team out there that would give Middleton 30+. He missed 50 games last yr. Also, I don't think Khris Middleton was even a number 2 guy in that 2021 championship. Jrue and Giannis made plays after plays after plays. What I don't like is him demanding so much money even though he's not helping much. I personally think Khris is one overrated dude

[@Because_Truth_Matters]

@@emmanuelmondesir so what are you trying to say? Giannis can't shoot but he still averaged 34 and 15 against the Boston that swept KD who averaged 23. Where was them skills to save KD's life? You can't answer that can't you!

[@ou8428]

It was a fake 35.... Giannis gets away with so many travels, carries and offensive fouls. Boston's entire team was getting technical fouls left and right because they were rightfully complaining about the bullshit officiating going Giannis' way I get it, the league needed to cultivate a superstar; and that it was an international superstar was a double win. But let's be honest, he's an extremely limited player who looks better than he actually is because of his size and league favoritism.... if he was officiated down the middle he'd just be an 18 point scorer with 5 Turnovers a game and would regularly foul out from offensive fouls alone. There's guys at the park who shoot better than he, and not just from 3. His long 2 sucks, he doesn't have any real post moves, and he's fucking garbage at the free throw line despite the amount of times he's allowed to live there you'd think he'd be good at it by now

[@sub1469]

Giannis also gets 60m+ by not signing this year. It had nothing to do with a trade or not but with the new TV deaal

[@1jarvisbasketball]

Today I made a massive difference and it only took 1 second

[@23rdJar]

Lmao

[@PowGetRekt]

2022, chris injured, they probably would have made it. 2023 giannis injured and himmy bulter was dif. We gotta see how good the new coach's system is and how they gel.

[@jimbobfisher8904]

6:07 cough cough Dan Gilbert

[@FearOfGeorge]

When Giannis joins the Greek National team Milwaukee sends a dozen of people to Greece to keep him safe, last time were 3 coaches who say to the Greek coach when he will play and for how long etc. Milwaukee would do anything to keep Giannis its very obvious....

[@verward]

I completely disagree with the idea they "stumbled" into the chip in 2021. They had luck against the nets in round 2, but other than that nobody really gave them pauze. They were clearly the best overall roster in the nba, besides maybe the nets and maybe the clippers when healthy. Their route was a lot tougher than this years' nuggets team (who admittedly did lose less games so had a more dominant run). Everyone thought they were title contenders if not favourites the 2 years after. They had injuries the years after, but they were goood.

[@coolkidbradude7745]

Philly better take notes and get Joel some real help that can stick around for more than a season unlike Harden and Jimmy Buckets.

[@tysonmaddox1090]

Nah bro we just getting Terence man and some picks😂

[@urbaindelva7869]

Jimmy would have stayed if they had paid him instead of Tobias Harris.

[@SalCali123]

😂😂😂

[@tysonmaddox1090]

@@urbaindelva7869 lol no he wouldn’t have he hated Brett brown? Is that a thing that everyone just forgot he said when he left for Miami? He said he never would’ve played for Brett brown regardless of the pay

[@hiphopotamus69]

In defense of Philly they have tried it just blew up spectacularly each time.

[@Ericrawnsley]

If dame wins a championship with the bucks is he a nba top 75 player? I think so.

[@peytonlee6791]

Oh he’s got to be right? Unless I’m tripping and forgetting someone

[@Chessbox09]

He already in the top 75. I personally don’t think he’s top 75, but if he wins a title I think he’s on there for sure.

[@Miles_305]

There was no way Dame was gonna win with the roster Portland gave him. 😅 what held him back was awful roster construction ...and that fact, well, it's Portland so no one really goes there. Respectfully.

[@samjosephson1310]

Eric Bledsoe? 1:18

[@jordanfilippi8191]

Rusty, the new Spurs episodes aren't viewable. I think there might be a problem. Comment #6

[@howdypartner6157]

POST EPISODE 7 JACOB!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@hollowmenrule]

Hi I like your videos

[@24xv555]

Giannis needs to win 2 more rings at least!

[@alexanderboulton2123]

I wonder if the Celtics should trade some pieces for Chris Paul?

[@johntorres5153]

We had Ray Allen and our dumbasses traded him

[@yossarian644]

This title is exactly what I thought when the trade went down

[@agayactornamedmichaeldougl6289]

This just hurts the bucks long-term... bunch of dinosaurs

[@yossarian644]

@@agayactornamedmichaeldougl6289 Still better than letting Giannis walk

[@esbenlange9659]

Freak time

[@PigsHealthcare]

Stumbled into that chip??? wow buddy

[@frankrusso5351]

But why if they lose?

[@vittiriowashington5211]

Right I'm baffled at the fact they have literally handed the fawns a ring already as if Boston and Miami don't exist. Also as if Nuggets aren't the champs until proven otherwise... The hype between Wemby and the 🦌 is wild.....smh

[@NoahFense69]

Why do i always fuck everything up ?

[@xboy5258]

But if every body could do this dame wont leave so in order for this to happen someone needs to not be able to do this

[@23rdJar]

I think the point is that, if you're a front office, you wanna be like the bucks and not like the blazers. Sure, disfunctional teams benefit functional teams, but nobody wants to be disfunctional on purpose, cause that wouldn't help their own situation

[@khaliljelliti6751]

I don't understand how the 2021 bucks stumbled into the finals and won. Can someone explain? (The only "lucky" thing I can think about is probably KD's big ass feet)

[@vittiriowashington5211]

Facts and I like GF, but he clearly is a double standard dude... When this is the same dude who shot subs at Bron about this same issues with teams he's played for... Wild😂

[@urbaindelva7869]

They didn't stumble into the Finals, but they were nearly eliminated by an unhealthy Nets team in the second round. That should not have happened, but I blame Coach Bud for that.

[@albericponcedeleon2696]

"Stumbled into the Finals" is probably the wrong verbiage, but it was definitely far from a storybook type of run. I could see the Bucks having to mentally figure out the championship puzzle piece by piece during the run itself. When usually I feel like we don't get to see that process on the court, only the end result. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don't consider KD's toe on the line as the Bucks getting lucky. For the same reason I don't hold KD going 0-6 in OT against him. Both events were a product of fatigue. KD had been logging some serious minutes that series. He was likely so tired that he either didn't notice he was stepping on the line or couldn't stop exactly when he meant to. Who knows, if he had stood behind the line maybe he misses badly and the Bucks win in regulation.

[@elijahlogan7347]

The Bucks didn’t just stumble into the finals they were a solid team that year

[@shepardice3775]

This is what the Cavs should've done with LeBron, then we mightve never gotten LeGM lmao

[@devontebroom6800]

He brought Cleveland a ring, They should try to do this for DM cause the squad they have ain’t gonna cut it 😂

[@bannedcommander2932]

Player empowerment has gone way, way too far and it needs to stop in every shape and form, diplomatic or not. Giannis is a professional basketball player, he should act like it. Just focus on playing as well as possible and leave the GM's tasks to the GM. If the GM wants to win he'll look to add the best possible players to the roster anyway, and if the GM decides to rebuild Giannis will be gone one way or the other. This makes the entire conversation pointless. Handling these things "better" than LeBron, KD etc. is meaningless. That's like saying Darth Vader is a better person than Palpatine. While the statement is true, the bar is set so low that the feat fails to impress.

[@jackcavanaugh6744]

I’m sorry but what? How did the bucks stumble into their championship?? A 50 piece close out game seems like the exact opposite of “stumbling” into a ring…

[@akeme25]

Mainly just other teams’ injuries but either way it’s not their fault and they still earned it.

[@shan8245]

dont do what cavs did to lebron

[@diegolanda3505]

Jesus Christ loves you

[@drezz.7]

First

[@hunterishairy]

Saying that the Bucks stumbled into that 2021 chip is lowkey wild ngl

[@Bigsauceball]

First

[@hunterishairy]

Saying that the Bucks stumbled into that 2021 chip is lowkey wild ngl