Survivor's Remorse

Nine for 12 beyond the arc...

Sorry, gotta ice the knees, folks.

Okay, that guy blows me off every night.

- Explain yourself. - I am extremely uncomfortable around you.

Our bodies are sending us messages and it's perfectly healthy.

We got a direction. We got some humility and some honesty.

I fucking love it. I fucking love it!

Hey, I really appreciate you taking the time with me today, Jimmy.

Takin' an interest.

It's $10 million, man. It's your call.

Whatever you think, man. I'll ride with you.

Oh, shit.

Yo, blow that flame out.

Shit.

How's it feel kickin' the world's ass like that?

- Oh, the world had it coming. - Yeah.

Tell me again how Cam's even got an opt-out clause after one season?

Because Cam has a fantastic manager.

Reggie Vaughn.

- Edward Pain. - The Theo Epstein of basketball.

Nice to meet you in person.

I know this is a short layover, so I'll get to it.

Indianapolis has a lot to offer.

World-class auto racing, a riveting state fair.

All we're interested in is a four-year max deal for Cam.

Jeez, wanna buy a girl a drink first?

I did. I come prepared like that.

The question is, do you?

- So you came all this way for a nod? - I came for a whiskey.

Enjoy yours on me.

Any chance you're going to Milwaukee for a beer?

What can I say? We're thirsty.

Flight 1457 departing for Miami.

As you know, Cam can opt out of his contract with Atlanta

at the end of this season and become a free agent.

And as you know, we don't want to leave Atlanta.

- Yes, we know that. - We have a big, beautiful house.

Agreed. New friends like the Freemans.

And Jimmy Flaherty. - We feel you.

- The strip club got crab cakes, though. - Nobody wants to leave.

We just want to make the best deal we can.

And per Cam's agent, the way we do that

is to convince Jimmy Flaherty that we might leave.

Why?

Because success in business is like success in the bedroom.

Nothing gets the job done like leverage.

It is almost Easter time.

That means that we're gonna see a lot of Jimmy Flaherty.

And it also means we cannot show any weakness

or he'll know that we're bluffing,

so when you see him, either avoid him,

stay off the subject, or lie through your fuckin' teeth.

- Am I clear? - And if he calls your bluff,

where would we be going?

Milwaukee or Indianapolis.

- Oh, my God, that sounds bad. - That's bullshit.

Those are horrible places.

We know.

This shit better work.

Milwaukee is the breeding ground for serial killers.

And where the fuck's Indianapolis anyway?

You don't wanna know.

Reggie, my expertise is at your disposal in this process.

I planned a trip to Shanghai, but I will happily postpone.

Well, thank you, Chen, but if I don't do it on my own,

it won't feel near as good.

Mm, I understand. I remember my first bold venture.

My father offered to advise me, but I refused.

And you made a fortune, didn't you?

No, I lost $73 million.

But the experience was invaluable.

- Are we exchanging nuclear codes? - We are being discreet.

- How's Cam? - He says hello.

- No, he doesn't. - He would if he knew I was here.

So you know about me and Cam?

- Don't know anything I shouldn't. - Moving on.

I got an exclusive for you if you're interested.

Let me guess. It's about Cam's opt-out

and it's something you want Flaherty to read.

- You've done this before. - It's my profession.

- You can't say it came from me. - A "well-placed source."

Indianapolis and Milwaukee will make Cam max offers.

Flaherty can offer you more years and more dollars than anyone else.

Correct, but if he doesn't do so in the next couple of weeks, we're movin' on.

Why force the issue? Why not wait till after the playoffs?

Because anything can happen in the playoffs...

Injury, scandals, apocalypses.

There's no plural to "apocalypse."

There's just gonna be one if any.

Cam has had the season of his life.

His value will never be higher than what it is right now.

I'll just say you don't want to be a distraction to the team.

Now you're thinking.

- Why'd you pick me for this? - Trust.

No, Ma, not the face. You gotta go around the side.

We always knew you'd get into Georgia State.

We just thought it'd be the penitentiary.

- Shut up. - I'm just playin'.

First woman to go to college in our family. I might cry.

- I cried when I saw the tuition bill. - Hey, it's in-state.

One semester costs less than a night at Onyx.

Seriously, Mary Charles, I'm very proud of you. I don't say that enough.

- Whatever, but thank you. - Ha!

That's not funny. I was having a sentimental moment.

The way you say it, 'cause you got a knife in your hand.

Uh-oh.

Can you cut the cake? That's cute. Cut the cake!

Mr. Flaherty!

- Who's the hot freshman? - Jimmy.

Thank you for coming. Thank you for everything.

All I did is make a phone call and vouch for your potential,

which I happen to think is immense.

- For you. - Jimmy.

Oh, you didn't have to do that.

Don't speak in banalities.

I... I don't know what those are.

Meaningless things that you don't mean

like "You didn't have to do that,"

or "I don't wanna be a distraction to the team."

- Wow! - Is that Prada?

To separate you out from the great unwashed masses

of other freshmen who need to recognize the beacon in their midst.

- That's really generous of you. - I'm like that.

Would you gentlemen care to join me in the pavilion?

Sure.

- You realize what's happenin'? - Shit.

You disloyal motherfuckers.

- We didn't say we were leaving. - We just said we might.

- Yes, in the paper. - Ain't no papers anymore, Jimmy.

There are fuckin' websites of papers.

And maybe if there were still papers,

there'd still be some decent behavior left in the world.

- It's just business. - Don't talk to me about business.

I was doing business at the highest levels

when your idea of doing business was taking 80 bucks from a booster.

Booster? I went to the University of New Hampshire.

- We didn't even have fans. - This isn't just business.

This is business between friends, God damn it.

And it plays by a completely different set of rules.

Rules that you, still new to business,

are obviously not sophisticated enough to understand.

I see.

Friends don't hold friends' feet to the fire.

And if they do, they don't do it in the press.

- I'll make a note. - And what do you have to say about all this?

I... I'm just... I'm speaking through my representatives.

You're speaking through your throat

and what's comin' out is bullshit.

Hey, there's a very easy way to solve this.

Five more years max money.

Can't. I'm up against the salary cap.

I need every dollar to bring in somebody who can rebound.

Then stop buying Latvians.

They play small and, frankly, they smell funny.

There are two at the end of the bench that are prime candidates for a buyout.

Buyouts are like burning money and I don't like dealing

with their agents who are also Latvian.

I have to repeat everything like seven times.

This is the business you've chosen.

What is it you always say?

"I see how it is"? Well...

... I see how it is.

Tell M-Chuck I'm sorry I couldn't stay,

but I had to go home and throw up.

'Cause "this is the business I've chosen."

Sure this is a good idea?

It's gonna be all good.

- Thank you for meeting me. - It was on my way.

Me, I don't take public transportation.

- Why not? - The public.

Jesus, you're attractive.

All right, cut the shit and cut to the chase.

Sorry, it was a reflexive reaction.

I mean, yes, I see you at the arena, but that's work.

One-on-one, you're upsettingly beautiful.

Did you have any actual business you wanted to transact?

Because if not, I'm going to work.

I'm sorry. My social skills are eroding in this job.

I know Reggie used you as a mouthpiece,

but I would never stoop that low.

Unless I had to, and now I do.

So here's an exclusive, but you can't say it came from me.

- A "source close to the team." - Blah, blah.

If Cam wants to set an arbitrary deadline,

let him go to one of those bumblefuck cities with my blessing.

He can freeze his ass off and wear those ugly fuckin' uniforms.

And good luck selling his Buckhead McMansion

in a still struggling housing market.

You can print every syllable of that.

I may have to edit for space and common courtesy.

Off the record, courtesy is exactly what's missing

from this little negotiation of theirs.

No acknowledgment of everything I've done for that family.

Actions speak louder than words.

- Actions don't spit on my forehead. - I'm sorry.

But you're a muckraker and it's time to rake the muck.

And when you do, sometimes some of the muck gets on your face.

Leaving now.

Again, I apologize.

You're not seeing me at my best.