I'm gonna make a statement that I think you're gonna disagree with.

But I have been saying this for a long time because if the bucks lose tonight, we all know what the conversation is.

Tomorrow on every talk show in America literally this one and first taken all the radio and everybody else is gonna be Is Yonas leaving Milwaukee?

And so I have a feature here that I call change my mind.

I'm gonna make the following statement.

I invite you to change my mind.

If you if you think you disagree, I believe it is best for the long term.

If Yana stays in Milwaukee, I think that a chain link fence is only a strong as its weakest link.

And I think if if if the sport is better, even though everyone talks about the glamour teams in the glamour markets with the JAMA rants in Memphis and the Zions in New Orleans and Yannis in Milwaukee Stephen A If you'd like Thio change my mind.

Well, first of all, I don't feel like changing your mind, greeny.

I mean, it's near is really not about whether you're right or wrong.

It's about who cares?

Who cares how you feel?

Guess what?

Nobody cared how I felt about LeBron leaving South Beach to go back to Cleveland.

That would have been better for Stephen A.

And Stephen Hayes opinion.

It didn't happen.

Nobody cared.

Okay, so why should they care about my Greenberg?

Thinking is best for you.

Honest to stay in Milwaukee, of course, small market teams.

You know what?

You don't want them decimated and what have you because they lose marquee talent.

You know what the collective whole is More is more important than individual parts.

We get all of that.

And so the NBA.

If you're in a small market and your team is a championship contender, that is a beautiful thing.

But here's what I would tell you is more important, then a star player staying in the small market.

It's about ensuring that Guess what?

You got stars in the Eastern Conference because that time zone matters in terms of ratings and overall health of the N.

B.

A.

Just look at the ratings and how it was a struggle over the last year and a half or so because LeBron went out west.

The fact that LeBron was in Cleveland mattered.

Now, whether it's Cleveland or Miami, I mean, I'm here to tell you something right now.

I'm choosing Miami South Beach all day, every day, twice on Sunday.

Yes, I would, without hesitation.

But to me, it's about the time zone, Justus, Much as it is about anything else you need tohave marquee talent in the Eastern time zone.

So they're seeing, you know, So they're seen more so than if they're out west.

Stephen A.

Your hometown is in the eastern time zone.

And you know that every one of your friends you grew up with and every one of my friends I grew up with are screaming at the TV right now, tell me honest is going to go to the Knicks.

Is there any chance of that?

No.

God, no, anyhow, no any.

No way.

No enemy on.

I'm rooting for World Wide West.

You, Wesley and Leon Rose.

But ain't no way in hell that's happening.

I don't believe that, Richard.

Your reaction amused me.

What do you think Well, let's go back to the original thesis.

Do you think that you were there, including?

Okay, this is what they won championships.

My thing is this.

Either they have to go get ah, high level player to come play with Yannas.

John is has to recruit Ah, high level player, which that doesn't seem like that's kind of Dionysus thing.

So my thing is, he doesn't have to leave Milwaukee, but ultimately there is a formula.

This is not the old school MBA where you stay in one place.

It's the Reggie Miller's.

It's the Larry Bird.

This is not that time.

The 10 Duncan and Kobe Bryant players move.

Players pair up because ultimately they're not judged to a certain degree by the MVPs.

They're judged by how many championships you win, and only to do that is to be paired up with other great players, so you could do it through free agency.

You could do it through recruiting, or your team could go do it via trade.

So those are the options for the Milwaukee Bucks.

They have to go and get that talent, or Yonas has to help bring that in, or you honest will potentially leave.

Stephen A.

You talk to everybody.

Can he get somebody there?

Can he get another a level player to come play with him in Milwaukee?

I don't think so.

I don't think so.

And listen, I like Milwaukee.

I I particularly like the job that the organization has done in terms of you go out there is that they got their own mini version of L.

A.

Live for crying out loud to try to galvanize the folks to support the Milwaukee Bucks.

And they come out there in droves and I give them a lot of credit.

From an organizational perspective, I think they've done a wonderful job.

But the bottom line is you're paying Chris Middleton $180 million that you're looking at him and you're and you were anticipating that he was gonna be that bona fide number two.

What he did in Game four, you anticipated he was going to be for Yonas for years to come.

If that dude shows up on a night in night out basis, I don't think they they worry about losing Yanis because I think ultimately Yanis wins.

The problem is, that hasn't been what Chris Middleton has done for the vast majority his career.

He's been a solid player, even a good player, but that bona fide number two star that Johannes need with the ability to close the way Kobe did in 2000 when Shaq went out in Game four or five, rather against the Indiana Pacers and Kobe Bryant at the path the big boy and say, I got this and took over.

That's what a unionist needs in Chris Middleton.

And if Chris Middleton isn't gonna be that guy, I don't see them being able to go out there and get somebody else to come toe Milwaukee.

I don't see it.

Thank you for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.

Subscribe to ESPN plus.