First Things First - Victor Wembanyama scores 41 back-to-back, Raiders sign Kirk Cousins, Lakers vs. Thunder, BUD List

Episode Date: April 2, 2026

(0:00) Victor Wembanyama scores 41 points, Will the Spurs win a title? (25:39) George Pickens contract dispute, Raiders sign Kirk Cousins (39:42) Is ABS good for baseball? (46:04) BUD List (01:05:57) Has Nikola Jokic become underrated? (01:16:16) Lakers must-win vs. Thunder? (01:24:03) Celtics beat Heat, Is Wemby gunning for MVP? (01:46:30) Frenemies (02:00:25) Will Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza start Week 1? (02:06:08) ABS comments and reactions to game-ending strikeout call Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from New York, it's a show that doesn't understand Kirk Cousins contract at all. Well, five years. No, it's not, though. They're like, no, it's one. It's, you know what? And they're ready to pay in half. I'm like, where the five come from. This is where the sports media ombudsman comes in in about an hour.

Oh, I love it. I get it. Because it should be. It's depending on who you want to. A five years, but a five year. But it is, but we'll get to that later. Wow, the sports media on both. Five years, 20 million.

guaranteed. How about that? There you go. But they're only paying 11. That's what it is. The Falcons are paying. I can explain that to you as well later. That's, that's, it's to screw the Falcons because of the offset language stuff.

I guarantee you Tua's agent and Kyler's agent, little annoyed that they didn't see this little wrinkle available to them before they agreed to play for the minimum. I like that. Stay tuned for the sports. I hope you go hard at this. No, I will not just an explainer, you know. You'll see. You'll see. Today, Viva Las Vegas.

Mendoza's Pro Day and Kirk Cousin Science. Could the Raiders be playoff bound? The stat that says maybe. No, Nick doesn't think so. No, they got better. They were his big pick. And I was wrong. Last year is last year.

They got better. They got way better. But it turns out they were not as close as I thought. Beat the team that went to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Lakers Thunder tonight is one of these teams facing the elusive in the debut of an NBA must win. Have we done a must win yet? For NBA, we tend not to.

82 games. Maybe there's a recent. And finally. Knicks had one last night. A must win? Yeah. And they did. I don't think it's a must win against a great.

They called it a must win themselves. Josh Hart said it is a muscle. He said a Wednesday night game against Memphis was a must win. Wow. Yes. Like, like, It's the most motivational segment in all of sports, the Budlist. And we're debuting a new character.

On the Budlist? Maybe. K.W. He's a gotten rid of Cowboy, Bruy. He's trying to get rid of Jackson Blade. The Jackson Blade has become bigger than the show. The issue is the guy took over. In a theater near you.

We're starting in Golden State. Wemby, he's been pouring in the points recently at 25 and 10 at half, at back-to-back games with 41. When he made his MVP case, remember, he said offense is more than just scoring. And everybody's like, well, he's like, yeah, what about roll gravity? Nick kept on making fun of him.

He said, fine. I'll start scoring for him. Exactly. That's right. So here's Wemby with Scott Van Pelt on the importance of the MVP. I do care deeply about it. And I think that all the grades, you know, that are in the Hall of Fame or that are in our mind the best of all time,

they have fought and grabbed everything they could grab early on in their career, you know. And if I want to make my spot among the grades, I got to try to not miss any occasion I have to put my name up there. Okay, Brewers, more scoring the key to Wemby winning the MVP. First of all, I'm smitten. You got to love that minute. Even Nick Wright has got to love that mentality. I mean, now, Wilk Chamberlain obviously was incredibly dominant. But those that played during that time and historians of that time would say he lacked that killer instinct.

He won two championships, which was nice, but, you know, he wasn't out to just destroy. Steve Kerr once told me, this is during Shaq's prime. He told me if Shaq had the killer instinct, he was. He probably have eight titles by now. All right. There's this thing we've all known called kind of gentle, the gentle job physically that you kind of let up a little bit, just your whole life. This dude don't have that. Because he's not that big.

He's, he's obviously tall, right. But whatever it is, to me, he has the mentality of a Kobe Bryant, a Michael Jordan. And like, he wants it all. And I love it. All right. So I had to say that first. But to me, the scoring thing, no. Like, 24 points a game is absolutely enough to win MVP.

I said Friday, 22 times guys averaging fewer than 20 points, 24 points a game, had won MVPs. Magic Johnson won three, never averaged 24 points for a season in his career. Steph's first MVP was 23 points a game. And this is a guy that does all he does, rebounded defense, block shots, so on and so forth. So, no, he's scoring enough. This will help, obviously, but I think the key to him winning the MVP is the number one seed. Look, look, he's gaining to me, and obviously, Shea is still playing great. I've had Shea number one.

But if Wimby and the Spurs get the number one seed, I do think he'll win it now. He might win it anyway, but I think he's, I think Shea is clearly the favorite. Yeah. If they get the number one seed, though, I think a lot of people will go on Wimby's side and I think he'll win it. So to me, that's the key. So I agree with a lot of what you said. And I, I take issue with some of how Wimby is covered far more than I take issue with Wimby. I think I have been directly critical of Wimby two times in his career.

One was the skills competition thing that I hated that he and Chris Paul did a couple years ago. Probably. And the other was a few weeks into this season when he was like, basically, we play the right ethical brand of basketball and no one else does. He was early on that. Now everyone's come around. And so aside from that, I just have been more, I have said, man, this guy's going to be one day the best player in the world, and I bet he wins, you know, multiple championships. And that has put me in like the third or fourth percentile of Wimby praise. Because it's somewhere from the league screwed.

He's going to win a combined 20 defensive player of the years, MVP's in titles, the goat, like all this stuff. So you don't have to be super critical of him to be one of the bigger critics of him. But the media coverage of him has irritated me because this is the timeline of the last week. Because now we like scoring. Because Wimby, as of four days ago, had had one 40-point game since opening night. And then prong three of his three-prong MVP platform was, scoring's overrated and all of a sudden

it is roll gravity and Luca 40 points for a month who cares and then Wimby and back to back nights puts up 40 against a hapless Bulls team is what it is and against a Warriors team

that's starting a guy who's got to play one-handed because they're out of players and in those two games by the way Wimby and the Spurs are not this dominant defensive team they've been all year.

They're more, he's leaning more into the offense, as is the rest of the team, and everyone's like, you know what's cool? Scoring a bunch of points. I've been there. I agree. I think scoring a bunch of points is awesome. Who's saying all that, though?

When was the switch? The switch is in line, and I'm not, Brew, I promise, I'm not talking about you. You haven't. The switch is in line with whatever Wimby says or does, the last call it 10 days is what an MVP would say or do. The way he plays, what his statistical profile,

he's going for the MVP. And so here is what I would say to Wembe as far as if he really wants the MVP, he should have been far more vocal and forceful about playing more. Because there are two things that to me are

kill shots at the moment to Wimby's MVP case. One of them is he has not played enough. The minutes he has played this season is so far out of line with every. So the average MVP plays 3,013 minutes. Wimby is on pace for less than 2,000. We have one MVP to play less than 2,200 minutes.

He's on, hold on, he's on pace. When winning MVP. Yeah, he's on. Right now he's played 17. Oh, okay, sorry. He just played 1784. The one MVP who played less than 2,200, Bill Walton, he got 50A games. Right, he got hurt in the 60th game of the year as the defending champ, best player in the league on the best team, missed the final 22 games.

They gave it to him anyway. So that is. But why do you care about that? Because I don't believe the MVP is a hypothetical award. I believe it is a what you have actually accomplished this season. But they're the two seed in their, they're going to win 60 days, right, 75. And I'm so free.

I play a few extra minutes. No, no, no. I don't think you can have everything in life. And I think that the sacrifice of him not playing a lot of minutes when his competition, and this is, I'm glad you said, what do you want to do? They're the two seed. They're going to win 60 games. When Shay, who is the guy who I think is MVP, I've argued Lucas should be considered more

strongly. Shea is having arguably the single most efficient guard season ever. I can show you that quickly. And then also every other in every other. So this is guys who have scored 30 on 55% from the field in the season. It's a big or a wing, a big, a wing and Kareem and Shea. And here, KW is the list of guys who have scored 30 a game and had their team win more than 60 games.

It is every single time that has happened, they've been the league MVP. So if, so. Let me ask, if the spurs are the one seat, you still wouldn't vote for Wimby because of the minutes? I would

need to, I would be, let me, let me without answering it, because I don't know who I would vote for if that happens. To me, I, the only way I would consider voting for Wimby over Shea is if they're the one seat. Because I just think Shea has been that good wire to wire.

And I thought the other piece of Wimby's case of we dominated them, that is a great argument as to why OKC should be worried about the Spurs and the playoffs. But in those games, Bru, and you know this, three of them, Wimby didn't even start. Like he wasn't he wasn't dominant individually. in those games. It was the team won. So I just, I don't think a guy who's played two-thirds of what the average MVP plays, who has played the equivalent of, what's 400 minutes at 30,

the equivalent of 14 games less than Shea, whose team right now is a worst record, who is, you know, we're shocked when he scores 40 and we're not with Shea, is the MVP of the league. I don't. And I don't think that's unfair to him. Okay. What, Kate?

The minutes thing, the minutes thing doesn't resonate with me one iota. But games played does. Games played, of course. And maybe I give him a lot of grace that I am still more concerned about his long-term health and protecting Wembe in the NBA for a long time. So if he has to play under 30, so be it. Now SGA and Wemby both take themselves, like aren't needed necessarily. in the fourth quarter.

SGA is, unless he's stack patting, where Luca is needed in the fourth quarter. Some of this too, though, is the Spurs culture. Remember, like for the last 12 years, maybe more than that, I guess, Tim Duncan, second half of his career was playing 32 minutes a night, Tony Parker. Like, they generally don't play their guys 35 minutes a night.

And I think that could be smart. but I'm legitimately curious if you agree with me on this, Brew. I think that the Spurs plan with Wimby can be the smart plan, the right plan. And like you were saying, because you're worried about his long-term health. But one of the taxes on that is it will make it harder for him to win individual awards. Not for me. Because what he's doing in those 29 minutes is phenomenal. He leaves the league in net rating, you know, again, playing the league.

so little, you know, 17, by a nice margin, by three points. So, yeah, he's so, it's not like he's playing 12 minutes a night. No, but he's playing 29, 30 minutes. Can I ask you one quick question before you zoom out on the spurs? I made a narrative argument, which is not based in statistics. It's not based in wind shares. It's got a little bit of points. But do you think, fast forward 10 years, and you're talking about, and take the playoffs out of it, but right now, Do you think the story of the NBA this year has been SGA or Wembe? I think that, I think that the, here's the problem with your take the playoffs out of it. There is no story of any individual season.

Tell me the story of the 1997 NBA season. Take the playoffs out of it. Tell me the story of the regular season. The MVP award always has the playoffs. Correct. Right, but you're trying to make it about the Iraq. of a superstar. Yeah, that's what it feels like.

You don't think that's what this season is. No, I do, but I don't think that's what the MVP awards ever been about the story of the season. I don't look at it that way at all. I do think this season will be remembered for how it ends. I don't think this wasn't, there's not a 73-win Warriors thing where that season is, you know, you remember how it ended,

but you also remember the regular season. I think this season, it is, either going to be the Jason Tatum's return is the story of the season because they win the title. This guy is taken over the league because they win the title. The Thunder

became the first back-to-back champs we've had in a decade because they win the title or Joker goes crazy, Luca goes crazy. Everybody who ascends. Right now. The narrative of the regular season is Wimby. I think that's honest. And I don't and I don't and I

and I guess that's the point I'm kind of making, I think Shea has been overlooked in that. And I'm not a Thunder fan. No, but I, you know, I believe in, like, Heisman moments is my big thing. I feel like Shea's star has dimmed. Didn't he just let two weeks ago, didn't he hit a game winner over Joker? And then three days ago, didn't he hit a game winner? He had a waved off.

And then he won it in overtime with 47 points. The problem for Shea is he's this generation's, this is a little bit of an overstatement, but Tim Duncan. He's just not as exciting. His game's a little more excited than Duncan's. But it's not just a captivating style of play, high flying or anything like that. It's the manipulation of the refs.

I don't like that either. After the Thunderwin, the opposing coaches say, he does a great job with the refs. And after Wemby wins, the opposing teams, what are you going to do? This guy's amazing. He's going to be the face of the NBA. Yeah, I think you would agree to the story of the regular season is.

The story. I would even put Luke up maybe ahead of Shea as far as sports. I absolutely agree that the like, if you were writing like a New York Times recap of the regular season at the end of it, that those, that Wimby is the lead graph. That to me, though, has almost nothing to do with how I would vote for MVP. And I think that there are certain. But I, yeah. I agree.

I don't think that's the primary. But I think about that more than I do. Like, let me see his minutes played. So you don't, and again, I don't want to belabor it. You don't think that, and I'll ignore the patronizing voice. That wasn't, that wasn't it mean to you. You don't think that whenever we're saying, hey, we've given out 70 of these awards, and this guy would be far and away the least time on the court.

That should factor at all. Like, the one thing if I just said he was, you know, it's below average. But any time we're talking about least or most. Like if somebody with the Shea thing was like, hey, guys, he's going to shoot more free throws by a lot than anyone ever. Does that factor into how you think he's minute? That would resonate with me. Just minutes aren't akin to, you know. But games are.

Which is weird. I just think, Nick, like, he's been so productive in those minutes. Which is why I think he's first seen only. Again. And three blocks. I'd right now have him third an MVP. It's not like I think he's not having a great season. I don't think it's enough to overcome Shea and I think

Luke has been better. All right, we'll zoom out and talk about the Spurs as a squad. They've won 10 in a row, 15 in a row if you take out the game, Wembe missed. He's thinking championships are going back to Wembe and friend of the show, Scott Van Pelt. Is he friend of the show? Yeah, we don't have experience, right?

Screw it. I mean, that's all we got. We're not going to play any different ways because it is this way. I mean, we're still going to play 100% and go to try to win this championship. Sure. Screw it. All right. Spurs more likely to have early exit or win the championship? I say win the championship.

Like, they're legitimate contenders. I don't know if I'm going to pick them yet or not. It's either them probably are OKC or maybe Boston. But they, I will not be surprised if they win the championship. Me neither. And conventional wisdom obviously is about the inexperience. Here's the thing. Conventional wisdom would have told us there will never be a seven foot five or seven foot six player doing what he's doing.

Playing with the guard skills, the ball handling, the moves, the three point shot, guarding out on the perimeter. You almost have to throw conventional wisdom out of the window when you're talking about him. So we've never seen a team really do this. We talked about the Portland Trailblazers in 77, but outside of that, nobody's come close to doing this. But this is something we've never seen before. And the team is good, too, around him. Stafin Castle, I think it's a future superstar. De Aaron Fox is obviously a star.

He's got a lot of talent. They got some experience. But look, if the Lakers were to upset them, let me put it this way. I don't think it's going to be an easy road, though. Even the first round, Phoenix or the Clippers. The Clippers have Kauai Leonard. Phoenix will have presumably Dylan Brooks back by then. You got Devin Booker.

Jordan, it's a very good coach. That's not going to be easy. Then the Lakers is just intriguing to me for the sheer fact of the experience. So that, again, I would pick, I will pick the Spurs in those series, but I don't, I would, those are interesting. So that's, and then, and then, but I think they're more likely to win the championship than to lose to one. So I, this is where, like to me this is a true like probability math equation for me. Because I think there are odds are, I checked the latest title pie that we did.

I had the spurs at 15%. Six to one, the implied odds of that are about 15%. It's about, you know, a one in six chance to win the title. So I think those odds are about right. So my question is, do I think they have a greater chance to lose in round one or round two than 15 percent? My answer to that is yes. Because I think they have about a 10 percent chance to lose in round one if they get the clippers. They've played the clippers twice this year, both in March.

Both were close. Both the spurs had their full complement. And once the clippers didn't have Garland and once the clippers didn't have Kauai, and both were four point wins. So I give the clippers a one in ten chance of beating them. And then if they get past them, let's say I give the Lakers a one in three chance of beating them, 33%. There is a far greater likelihood of a one in 10 coming in or a one in three coming in than 15%. So you understand what I'm saying there.

And so it's, it is really the math on site. If 90% of 67% go ahead. They play the clippers tonight. If they crush the clippers tonight with this change your idea. Well, oddly, if they crush the clippers tonight, their odds of playing the suns go up a bit. You know what I mean? So like that and that's a weird thing. If they crush the clippers, which they probably want to go out and do just to send a message.

Well, every win matters for them because they're trying to get the one seed. Yes. And even just because those. There have been two four-point games. Two four-point games, and one of them, the Spurs needed a huge fourth quarter comeback. They were down double digits going into the fourth. So I think the most likely Spurs outcome, to be clear, if I, like, had to bet on how's the Spurs season end? The most likely outcome is a conference finals loss.

That's what I think is the most likely outcome. That makes sense. But I think that there is, I personally would be more surprised by them winning the title. even though I think they definitely can than by them losing before the conference finals. More surprised by them winning. Yeah, yeah, I mean, because the other thing that we haven't, whenever we talk about experience,

we're only talking about the players. But in a Clippers Spurs round one, Tylo's coaching experience versus Mitch Johnson is noteworthy to me. And do they get worn down a bit, even if they get past it? And same for Reddick. Right, Reddick. I mean, he doesn't have a ton of,

but he has some. And so like that, that's the, but I think. But if they get to the conference finals against OKC, that means they will have gone through LeBron and Luca, most likely,

and a tough first round, at least an experienced first round opponent, I might pick them over the Thunder. If they get there, because then they're somewhat playoff hardened. And they obviously match up well with them. Let me ask you this. Do you think you'd pick them over the Nuggets,

if the Nuggets have beaten the Thunder? and the nuggets are like that because probably but so that that's a it's a weird setup there of the Yokage versus Wimby which I think would be

some smart people called that once Godzilla versus Mothra I think that would remember we are about two weeks away from ordering a Spurs robe I'm just you're like you know SGA when I

crunch the numbers he's still the MVP and I still have the thunder. I think it might be, honestly, we might need to have a meeting after the season. I think it might be best for the show for Brew to pull a Zach Lowe and give his vote back. And to be totally, so you don't have to see. You don't. No, no, no, no. I was saying that as a compliment because I think you, the fact that you have a vote makes,

you don't allow any bit of like show a motion to. come into, because you, but if you didn't, but I mean, look, I, you know what I mean? For a while, like having your gravitas has helped the show, but now it's really hurting. I felt this way about LeBron early in his career and I voted objectively. But you didn't have a, you didn't have a crown on. It was coming. All right. All right.

We're going to do the Celtics later on in the show. Coming up next, is Kurt Cousins. Starting for the Raiders week one. And wow, wait until you see the pro day throws from Mendoza. Nailed them. Any defense? No. Hey, check out the podcast if you get a chance.

And we have brand new original content feature me and the Yankees. What is that? That was what he's saying that was the best jersey? That's not a bad look, Wilds. Well, that's why. Exactly. Wilde's like, thank you. He's like, you could wear it to a.

Nice restaurant. It's just press play. It's like me on the union stuff. It's just like at least mine's profound. It's not profound. It's just a biography. News out of Las Vegas. Kirk Cousins is a Raider.

He signs. One year, 20 million. Who knows what? It's getting $11 million from Las Vegas, nine from Atlanta. Meanwhile, head to Indiana. The Raiders soon to be QB has pro day. Eric Edholm reporting that there were at least 10 members of the Raiders franchise in attendance and get this top prospect for Nando Mendoza shows off his

trademark accuracy at Indiana Pro Day 53 at 56 throws for Wow yeah no no was guarding again nobody nobody oh no pressure nothing no can I defend that for a second nothing here's what maybe you guys agree with me then we get to the topic great pro days are often totally meaningless but bad Pro days matter. Who had a bad pro? If you, I don't even have one off top of my head.

My point is like 53, you can say 53 of 56, who cares? But 46 of 56 against error would be concerning. That's the point I'm making. But guys at this level shouldn't have bad pro days. Now, Teddy Bridgewater, right? No gloves or whatever. There was someone had a bad pro day. Remember we have to, it may have been Mack Jones.

probably it was Bill Belichick like this remember that club well Zach Wilson of course had a phenomenal but it was really just the one throw but go ahead start how should the Raiders use Kirk Cousins I mean I think he should be their week one starter and I think

he probably will be and I think it's perfect like I do I think that this is a perfect spot for Kirk and a perfect mentor for Fernando though. They strike me as similar as far as incredible. Their personality.

They were both Christians. That's what I was going to say both. Not only Christian, but very outward men of faith and very positive disposition seemed to be. I know Kirk obviously his wife and kids, Fernandez Young, but very family men in different ways. So I think that part's really good. I also think that there are some not the athleticism, but some trait similarities. And I also think that not starting week one for Mendoza is great.

And so if I'm the Raiders, my, I, Fernando needs to be so much better than I could have possibly imagined in training. for him to be my week one starter rather than to slow build it. You don't have to do exactly what the chiefs did with Mahomes, where he played week eight, week 17 back then, because that team was a playoff team. And, you know, but I wouldn't need to see Fernando until Halloween.

I'd be fine with that. Oh, I agree with you on just about everything you said. But look, if he doesn't play this season, I'm fine. I'm fine. Right. Mahomes basically sat out the whole first.

season. Jordan Love sat two. And obviously it's back, but Aaron Rogers sat the three. I've been, now we've seen rookie quarterbacks come in and play well. Obviously, CJ Stroud and, you know, others, J. and Daniels. But I like the idea of a quarterback being able to sit and learn at the feet of a mature professional QB.

Look, they're not going to be, I don't think, a great team. they're in a great division so they may take their lumps and you send a rookie out there against the chiefs and the charges and the Broncos not to mention the rest of the schedule and he could end up looking bad so let him learn under Kurt Cousins

I think this great and Clint Kubiak has said he's on the record saying I would like a quarterback to sit you know early instead of throwing him in there as a rookie so I think that's the plan Kubiak obviously was with

the OC with Cousins in Minnesota, and Cousins had some great years under Kubiak. So this is clearly a plan. And I agree with Nick that I think Cousins are going to start. And if he plays well, then he'll probably play the whole season. Oh, I don't love that. If he's playing the whole season.

I mean, Alex Smith played the whole season. How'd that work out for Patrick Mahomes? I mean, Patrick Mahomes is almost an outlier, but I don't remember the last number one pick. to sit in the entire season. That's what I'm saying. No, number one picks haven't done it in a very long time. Everybody plays.

Can I show you just this graphic? Last year, I flirted with Cam Ward making it to the playoffs. Just because we've had guys do it. And every one of these guys has a little bit of a different story. But you could have made the same argument for Bo Nix. Bo Nix was in the AFC West. Bo Nix made the playoffs. Had they had a Kurt Cousins.

he probably he may have sat. Yeah, but, but Bo Nix is doing great. Jaden was great out of the gate. C.J. Stroud, new coach, defense was good. He popped, purdy popped. Mac Jones was kind of, a lot of it was Belichick defense, but Josh McDales, he worked. Lamar. No, he came in.

Again, Raiders are different than the Ravens, but I'm, it feels like when we have, like is any rookie quarterback going to make the playoffs next year? We're going to say no. But if you look back in the last. five years, a bunch of guys have. Well, the, hold on, can we throw that, is it possible to throw that back up? Because I just thought, so, but that also means since Lamar.

So last year nobody did it. Last year, no one. In 2019, nobody. So three of the last, what is that? Three of the last nine years, no one's done it. And six of them, six of the years, there's been one. There's never, there's, none of those years has there been multiple. So I don't.

21, 22, 23, 24. Like, I wouldn't have put Lamar on the graphic. It re-contextualizes it just recently. Oh, I shouldn't say none. There's been multiple. Nixon and Jaden were multiple in the same year. Stroud would be the comp in this regard. That was a team no one thought had a shot.

They thought when they trade, remember they traded their future first for Will Anderson and myself, others were like, man, that might be the number. one bick the following year and he was excellent. I think that it is, I think if he doesn't play all year, I would be surprised. But I think that there are the flip side to this graphic is how many quarterbacks that are on shaky ground would have, would Bryce Young have benefited if we didn't see him as rookie year? That's, that's a good point.

You know what I mean? And so, and I don't know, I don't know, I don't know where. where Cam Ward stands with Titans fans right now. I assume fine. But does he, does Cam Ward, if he is, if he struggles the first five weeks next year, are people already worried about him as opposed to if he had sat?

Yeah. And so there is the, there is a flip side of that of the quarterbacks who just didn't work. Or I shouldn't, I'm not saying that about Cam, but who don't pop, would they have been better off sitting and watching and learning? I don't know. I mean, it's an unknowable question.

I'm not saying I am against playing him this year at all, but I'm just saying if things are going well with Cousins, maybe if they're winning more games than expected, I wouldn't have a problem with him sitting. Carson Palmer, according to Hub's last number one pick to sit. Oh, yeah. Behind John Kittner. Jerry Jones says he has a long-term plan.

That's a long time ago for George Pickens. Pickens is slated to play under the franchise tag, but that might be a precursor to a longer contract. Here's Jerry talking about how he's handling negotiations. Take a listen. There's no issue with me with talking to agents. I need to do a better job of not getting, well, Daddy said I could have it. And him going to Mama and Mama saying Daddy said I could have it. We've got to get on the same page. When I also do visit with players always have, sometimes make the deal with the player, always. Always.

half. It always works out if he worked without an agent, he'd save a lot of money. Well, and we cut off the part where he said with me. Yeah, save a lot of money. Which is critical. I mean, because obviously he saved money if he wasn't paying an agent. Yeah.

He'd get that 3% whatever it is he's given his agent. But Jerry, to me, would you add on the part, the part we cut off is talking out of both sides of his mouth? Because he's saying, I have no problem talking with agents. But then he ends it with

he saved money with me with me if he doesn't have an agent. So if you're willing to give him say $35 million with an agent, why won't you, or without an agent, why won't you give him that with an agent? You see what I'm saying? Yeah, of course.

So I just think he needs to stop kind of going against agents. Right. I mean, here's the thing. I just don't, I, it's, it's, it's, It's against the collective bargaining agreement. George Pickens has an agent. It's the same agent Micah Parsons had.

And this came up when the Micah Parsons thing went awry. Jerry was like, you know, it won't affect the negotiation. And David Mulligetta said it won't affect the negotiation. Great. We know David Mulageta feels, especially with the Cowboys,

I'd assume with everyone, talk to me, my client let me earn my 3% this is ridiculous and I don't even have the I am going to out of kindness and to save myself in the show a headache not really dive into the the real implications of daddy said mama said and that thing and I'll just say he's just an old man he's you being folksy fine but I don't I really don't like that and I give I understand Cowboys media it's a very interesting beat the owner is so accessible and all of it but and so I'm not and it's a hard job I'm not criticizing it but there's a lot of like

jocularity when I would think so it's just surprised me nobody's like hey Jerry isn't that against the rules when you're like hey you you can talk with the player didn't this come up with a player last year that actually you can't negotiate contracts with a player? He's just, and he'd be like, I'm just saying if it were to happen. But I mean, I don't,

I just don't get it. Well, remember when he was on the radio show that he goes on all the time and he threatened, I won't come on with you guys, fire you or something like that. I think he also like has an ownership stake in. Well, yeah, I mean, but that's different.

But you're right, you're just asking these questions. I hear you completely. And so I just, I just don't... I don't like this. I don't want to act like it's a huge deal. No, but it's...

But it irks me. And it irks me that he is... To me, I think bruise reading is correct. Is implying... Yeah. The deal you can get, if you and I work this out together over some whiskeys and cigars, is one thing.

But if you bring that guy in here, I can't promise you that deal will be there. So you can get a worse deal and pay 3%, which to me is manipulative. And it's just, it's not, George Pickens is not a professional negotiator. He is a professional football player. He is paying money for someone to do this for him.

The person he has doing it for him, has a relationship with the Cowboys. And the last time Jerry tried to go around that person, it torched everything. Ruined the team. It would not, it's not unreasonable. for someone to if you're a Cowboys fan

to expect even folksy Jerry Jones when he's asked about this to be like listen you guys know in the past I have enjoyed talking to players one-on-one but we saw how that went with Micah and I have a lot of respect for David Mulegetta I know his name now I know I said before

I didn't David and I are going to work this out whether it's franchise tag or long-term deal we want to have George here for a long time but we're going to do this the right way. That's an okay way to expect the head of a $15 billion company to act. And nobody, and everybody would have been stunned by that. I was just saying, if he said that, I'm like, wow.

Well, since he didn't, he should get a call from the league, though. Of course. Like, if the league won't call to the Players Association, called the league and say, call Jerry Jones. Again, that also is not happening. That's right. Two things that aren't happening to close the B block. Baseball, been around for over a century, brew, and this is the first time a game has ever

ended via robot. Orioles up 8 and 3 on the Rangers 1-2 count called ball 2 Orioles challenge it and get the ABS game ending strikeout where a week through ABS been some highs been some lows for all different characters have you liked the way this is gone

I'm here for it I am here for it I've been calling for this for years you have a lot of people think he was the first what he'd been calling for on my former radio show the odd couple I would call we talked more baseball to hear Fox SportsRour I would call

call for it. Look, we all grow up with a strike zone. There's one strike zone that all of us who grew up playing baseball, no matter how high you go, have had. And these umpires that think they're bigger than the game have decided or decided decades ago, a few decades ago, you know what, I want my own strike zone. Yes. It's not, no, there is no. It's not. No, there is no. It's The basketball hoop is 10 feet high, no matter where you go. The strike zone is what it is no matter who's behind the play. Not to be argumentative. Go ahead and be argumentative.

Well, if one guy is six feet and the other guy's five, ten, the strike zone is different. It's based on your body. So it's not a basketball. So Wemby, the hoop should be 17 feet tall. The umpire doesn't get to decide what the strike zone is. I know what he's saying. I'm saying, but it's a moving target, literally. We know what the strikes are in there.

Where's your armpit? And these guys. Where's that to start? Well, you notice what's been one of the, maybe the most chances are the low pitches. And that's what's gotten my goat over these last few decades is all these low pitches that were called strikes. And now, thanks to technology, that's no longer the case. The only people don't like it are the umps.

That's the only people because they're getting embarrassed. Because they made up their own strike zone now to being exposed. So here's Salvi. He kept on embarrassing this poor ump. I believe the ump's name was Eddings. Um, and it's just over and over these low strikes. And he's like, that's a strike. Now, I think I'm going to find a sympathetic ear across the table.

That one's not. That one's obvious. How's he caught? That one's great. Okay. Some of these other ones, well, The millimeter? This is C.B. Buckner.

He had a rough game. Three inches. He had six misses in one game at Red Sox versus the Reds. That being said, if you're going to miss like that, that's fine. But, Brew, there are pitches being called strikes via ABS. It's like, oh, you missed by a millimeter. where 99% of the ball is in the, is out of the ABS zone. So, and a thread hits it.

And like, whoa, that umpire, he should be out of the league. I'm just not a millimeters guy. I'm not a big fan of metrics. But so here's the, okay, good joke. That's the truth, too. Here's the, so this is actually not where I was going to go, but I'll respond to you. the problem you have that you have identified,

there is no solution to. Because, so the way that you might feel better about it is if what they put on the screen was the square with another, or the rectangle, with another rectangle around it. That was the exact width of a baseball. And for it to be a strike,

100% of the ball would have to be, inside that is the same thing. I don't even know. I don't even know what I'd be at. Right. And if you just said, no, it's actually only a strike. If the majority of a ball, more than 50% of the ball is inside of it, that still is going to come down to millimeters.

Yeah. And so there is no work around court, which is why replay in sports is terrible. This guy goes the whole way. It is always terrible. It always sounds like it always starts with Vinnie Testaverdi's helmet. was in the end zone, not the ball. We got to fix that. That's how it starts.

That's the first domino of the meme. And then the giant domino of the meme is, hey, you know that sick catch from Calvin Johnson? Turns out, he set the ball down. And upon replay, we realized that's not a catch. Did anyone who's ever played football know that? Of course not. Oh, replay in baseball.

We just can't have a guy get called safe when he was tagged down on a stolen. base. That'll be quick and easy. Sure, why not do it? Then all of a sudden we find out thousands of bases that have been rightfully stolen the guy for a millisecond. After he stole the base, comes off the bag, he's out. Take that Lou Brock. You're cheating forever. No, that's what it is. That rule should be. Well, that's ridiculous. He came out for a second. And I'm telling you, the bottom of your clue, I'm telling you that all of the replays, it sounds like a good idea.

And then it turns out every basketball game you've ever played at the Y in your life has gotten out of bounds wrong. Because if I'm holding the ball and you knock it out of my hands, if we get it slow enough, Bill Nye tells me it went off the outside

of my pointer finger and it's out on me. I don't like it. My answer would be we're not making millions of dollars in our wreck runs at the Y. No, but it's... There are millions of dollars based on the game. I just don't think it makes it better. And tennis is the one that I've said I'm okay with because it's so fast and accurate.

But the more I go to the U.S. Open every year, I'm like, you know what I miss? Arguing. Yelling at the oms. Yell at the umps. That was in. VAR, I think, is like, well, your chill-lays. Offsides. Live from New York.

It's a show that's wondering what happened to Donald Connect. Yeah. You guys scored 37 points. Remember that? Yeah. Who was that again? The jazz. It's a couple weeks in his rookie year.

Now he's getting his minutes taken by Drew Timmy for the South Bay Lakers. And Brony's not even available to South Bay Lakers because they need him for the real Lakers because Mark Smarts out. Has anyone checked in with Al Horford's sister if she's still sad for all the players that could have been drafted instead of Brony? I don't even remember that story. She was very upset. Why? Because it's unfair. To who?

To the guys who could have gone 55 and instead Brony does. Now Brony's playing real minutes. I don't know. Some other second rounder. I'm sure you guys having a blast and they're just going to be it. Today, Lakers Thunder is one of these teams facing a must win. Meanwhile, Joker locks up a triple double for the season. See, become underrated.

I have a hot take on this. The fact that it's not even in the first hour of the show, not that the second hour of the show is not as powerful as the first. No, we lead the second hour of the show with our best stuff. That's a good point. Tears, Bud list. That's right. My letter.

So are you bringing back Bruto? I'm not telling you. You got to get to the letter. Time of the most motivational segment in all of sports. Also time where you read some viewer mail. Christina went to the post office today. I said, thank you, Christina. She said, you're welcome.

Dear Wilds, love the show. Thank you. And loved the last segment on the implementation of ABS in baseball. I'll tell you what. People rip the post office. These letters come quick. Have you guys considered utilizing ABS within the show, sincerely Dawn and Dawn.

ABS within the show, I'm not sure it's more of an um. Ah, the automated blade system. Again, why do we do this? Okay, okay. Because it makes Brew happy. I have no idea what was coming. Automated blade system. Yeah, Jackson Blade comes in and dispenses justice.

That's right. I had to come in and. Let them know. You're not above the game. Exactly. Call the strike zone like it was. We've been saying this for decades. We were kids.

The low strike. The odd cup. I'm tuned in seven o'clock. The ball at my ankles has never been a strike. Hey, honey, how was it? Good. I listened to a half hour of brewtime about the low strike in 2004. All right, here we go.

Number three. Mike Brown. Oh, boy. Mike's in a tough spot. Oh, no. Mike is in a tough spot. Look, you replaced a guy that led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time

in 25 years. So you obviously know what your charge was. Get them to the finals at least. If not win the whole thing. Here's the problem. You got a good team. But right now, Boston looks better. And I'm not really putting much into the fact

that y'all beat him last year in the playoffs. Boston looks better. Nick, I think Detroit looks better. They have all season. They've owned the Knicks in the regular season. But the fact that they play so well without Cade bodes well for them in the playoffs.

And then on top of that, you might get a Philadelphia team with a healthy Joelle M.B. And Paul George, not to mention VJ Edgecom, the nice rookie, in the first round. Tyrese Maxie. Yeah, of course.

That goes without saying Maxi. And so you could get them in the first round. Now last year, you beat Philly in six, but no Paul George and no VJ Edge comes. So you got a tough postseason ahead of you. The good news is if you come through it and get to the finals, you will be celebrated. And look, Mike, you're a very good coach, two-time coach of the year. I definitely believe in you, maybe a little more than I believe in your team. All right, at number two, sorry, Ramsey.

Luca Donchich. Now, Luca, you can't come out and say it, but you want the MVP just as much as Wemby. Oh. And you should. Why can't you say it? Because now it would look like you're copying. Because Wimby's come out and said it and really paid dividends for him,

and you would look like you're copying. And here's the other thing, Nick. Luca, you might not admit this, Nick. You need it. You need it more than Wimby. Oh, yeah. Wimby's 22. You're 27.

And Wimby is talking like he wants all the hardware. Like Shea, Luca, Cade. Get your MVP now. Get it this year. Maybe get your championship this year. Because Wimby wants all the hardware. Now, there's been a gift given to you, though, Luca. A gift, an opportunity.

You got two games coming up against Oklahoma City within the next week. If you ball out like you've been doing really all season, you play great and you win? Wow. That would move some need. Now, in some ways, it might help Wimby because maybe they become number one. But it would help Luca. It would help you if you go out there and put up 40 something, whatever, you play great,

and you beat Oklahoma City, that would be huge. And even though it would help Wemby, maybe get the number one seat, maybe you meet OKC in the playoffs in the second round, and you're in their heads. Oh. And you got the experience, LeBron James, which maybe you guys could do something. So, Luca, I definitely believe in you. Your game is great. Contrary to popular opinion, people think I'm hating on Luca now.

I love your game. Your production. Little ball dominant for my liking, but you're a great, all-time great player. All right, I believe in you. Number one, Dan Early. Oh, wow. All right, the dude's a heck of a coach. A heck of a coach.

I don't even mind all of his histrionics on the sideline. I actually like him. Well, I can't like, you know. I do like him. I was watching him as they were getting stomped by Duke. I'm sitting there watching. him and he seems like he's cool. He's obviously directing, but he's seen cool. And I was just thinking, what is going on his head? Because it looked like they're going to

get blasted and obviously he had a plan and they came back and won it. Here's the deal. He has won eight years at Yukon. You've won two champions, two national championships already, two national championships in the previous three years. Nick, if Hurley wins this championship, He will become, he will have three championships in four years. No one, not Bobby Knight, not Roy Williams, not Mike Shoshesky. No one not named John Wooden has ever done that in men's basketball. And so, Nick, I know you like Patino, but if Hurley can win this championship, and after what we saw last weekend, why would you be?

put it past them. If he can win this championship, I think he's got a great argument. Better than Coach K? Well, in this era where there is one and done and there's the NIL and players are transferring in the portal every year, that

would be incredibly impressive. I'm not saying I would say he's better than Coach K, but he have an argument as the best modern coach since John Woodman. If he wins, have three championships and a better winning percentage. that we saw from cool stats yesterday, then Coach K. Better tournament.

Better tournament, you're right. Flirted with going to the Lakers. We didn't know how much of that was real, how much of it was a contract leverage move. Do you think that he would entertain calls from the NBA again, even though Yukon has him locked up? I think he's just staying. His style, you know, I don't know if he's hard driving.

I don't know if that would work in the NBA. I'm not saying it wouldn't, but it'd be a question. Jay Wright seems to get his phone ringing every single. Oh, I think he would have opportunities. Yeah, I think you'd get opportunities. I was staying in college. I think the best college jobs are better jobs.

Or certainly more stability. Well, yeah, just, I mean, just the, it's Spolstra and Kerr. It's like, okay, well, so Spow, you know, had to, had to win almost immediately. Yeah. And Kerr did win immediately. And other than that, It's like it's five years. It's like, it's like a, you know, a nice term at college, plus, you know, a year of hanging out.

Yep. And so I just, he, if even if they don't win this, at this point now, he can be at Yukon for about as long as he wants. And my other thing that I wanted to ask you before we, are you, the, great buddless. As always. But it's not 412 yet, so we have a couple of minutes to play with. Um, UConn has just unequivocally definitively become when to, as long as you incorporate and you should, the women's game, the university of college basketball in America. Yes. Certainly with the women.

It's like, but, but I mean, because you've had three different head coaches on the men's side win national championships. Uh, Calhoun was a legend, obviously. Kevin Ali won a championship. Yep. And now Hurley is, you know, talking college basketball dynasty, whatever that is. Gino's been to what, 26 final fours in 31 years, something absurd. I don't have it off the time. I thought I saw that.

But I mean, and. They're going to win again. Yeah. And so it's just, it's really. It doesn't feel like, I don't know, maybe I should start banging that drum harder. It still feels like Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke. And then the graphic has women, women differently. Women, unequivocally.

I think only if you're thinking of just the men. If you're thinking of both, it's clearly. No, both, but women do carry most of the load. But if you. Women, they're like prime UCLA. There's no men's team other than UCLA under Wooden that's been even close to that. But if we were talking just men's, Yukon has an argument that post-woodon.

Yeah. If you, post-Woodens, they are the most successful program. Yes. They got five or six. Yeah, the championships and it's just, and doing, it's not just like, you know some of that affront. Like North Carolina is Dean Smith. Duke is Coach K.

I think it's more impressive that they've done it with multiple coaches. I don't know. I'll tell you what's impressive. What? In fact, that it's 412. It's time for the sports media ombudsman. Got a little tease of this in the beginning of the show. I'm ready for this because it's about things I don't understand that.

I got to tell you. I'm proud of the sports media. There is another one or you're doing yourself? I'm going third person. That's how proud I am. Because a couple weeks ago, we did something risky. We called out by name, you know, a friend, a guy KW might run into it at the drugstore that I share an agent with and very, in a pal, credible reporter in

Ramport because I thought he, along with others, he was just the subject that sports media on on Buckman's hire was misinforming the public about Travis Kelsey's deal. You got 10 to millions of Swifties thinking the family's about to come into three years, $55 million. And they were not. Yeah. And I could see that train coming down the tracks. So just their spend. Right. The chiefs actually signed Travis to one year 12 million when they know they're going to have to essentially cut him after next season when he retires. Swifties see three years 55 million. They're not following cat mechanics. They're going to be mad. They're going to turn on the chiefs in nine months. Be like, you cut, Travis!

How dare you with everything he did for you? And it was because what was a contractual mechanism to spread out a cap figure was reported as real money. And I am here to say the sports media ombudsman has affected some change. Okay. Because Kurt Cousins signed a one-year $20 million contract. That for cap reasons, is a five-year $100,000. been $30 million contract.

So let's check and see how some of America's biggest sports reporters reported it. Sources. Raiders are signing Kurt Cousins to a contract that pays him $10 million for playing in Las Vegas in 2026. And a $10 million option, fully guaranteed bonus with no offset. There is a two-year team option for $80 million. So he's like, listen, it's a one-year 20 million. Let's see what Adam Schaefter said. Shephty. Comp update.

Kirk Cusim signed a five-year $172 million deal with the Raiders. Amazing. That in-hold on. Wow. That in reality is a one-year, fully guaranteed $20 million deal. Can name the club's option for two years at $80 million. Then the same stuff we heard from before, and then more guaranteed money. Tom Pelliserro, how's you do on this one?

Okay, I'm going to need you to zoom that one back on in on for me dusk. If I could explain it to the audience, that's fine. We can't. There it is. Kurt Cousins will now make $20 million fully guaranteed for playing the 2026 season. Go down a few bullet points. Raiders hold a two-year $80 million option for 27-28, which is unlikely, though not impossible to be picked up. Meaning is this.

Nobody flat out said, Kurt Cousins, five years, $130 million. The legend at the bank did it again. What's up, KW? I did see that tweet around. I'm not, I'm just saying the ombudsman's watch is not over. It's not over. Okay. Well, I want to give credit to those three guys for even though they were long convoluted tweets,

if you read them, you didn't. Nobody left that thinking, wait, are the Raiders not drafting Mendoza? Are they going to trade the pick? Are they committed to Kurt Cousins? Can I just all recommend, give the sports media ombudsman maybe open up his purview a little? bit. Sure. Can we just sign the guy to whatever he's getting paid?

Is that too much to ask? Why do I have to five years? So let me explain Kirk's deal quickly just because I actually think it's interesting. The reason they are signing him to the option bonus is so the offset money from the Falcons doesn't eat into his money. So it is, it kind of screws the Falcons a little bit. and it allows him to make more money. So the reason it's $10 million now and $10 million later

is so he can make that money and the Falcons have to pay the biggest share of it possible. That's the first reason. The reason for the option bonus is simply so, in theory, if he, you know, has a Sam Darnold year and they want to keep him, they have that ability, but in reality, so they can spread this $20 million over multiple years of that. the cap from the salary cap perspective.

That's why they're doing. I hope that makes clear it up. Well, you tell me. No. But he did a good job. It did a little bit. And I'm glad that the sports media on budget. The CBAs are, this is how they are.

They're really. I think they should be streamlined. I don't. It's tough. You like it? I like it. It makes me more money. How much am I getting paid this year?

20 million. How would you pay me? 10 in top of it. Sounds good. Oh, no. This one. Harts my heart. I'm putting the Boston Red Sox on the Bud list.

All last year, I had a bit of a running joke about the Colorado Rockies when they were 35 and a half games behind the Dodgers. And I said, you know, it's getting late early for the Colorado Rockies. Well, right now, the Boston Red Sox were six games into the season. The Red Sox are one in five. They are four games behind the Yankees. They're in the last place. You say, hey, it's early.

A lot of teams are four games out. Not true. It's just the Red Sox. Yeah. Oh, okay, you run into the hot-hitting Astros. Not a big deal. Your bats are slumping a little bit. Again, it's early.

Well, I think there's major issues of foot. Here was the Red Sox a few days ago. There were two swinging strikes you saw, then some defensive errors. Okay, run scores. Now the ball scoots away. We're back on the mound for the third pitch. Watch what happens.

That, my friend, is strike three. No. And the end of the inning. It should have been. Guess who, guess who was paying attention? No one. What? What?

Nobody. Byron Baylor didn't pay attention. The umpire didn't pay attention. Alex Corrid didn't pay attention. He, well, he had several foul balls, but he's already out. What happened to AES? In the, in the, you know, the scorebug, it was 0 and 2.

He swings and misses. And the poor person who's operating, it ends up walking. The person's operating just, I guess that was a ball. Yes, I missed it. No one. Someone online has to be like, hey, that was three. consecutive swings and misses. They never fixed it.

No, nothing to fix. No, the umpire after the game apologies. Yes, but that's it. So I think there's something majorly wrong outside the fact that since we won the first game against the Reds. But since then, here are the graphics. We're 0 and 5 last batting average 28th, 29th running is a scoring position. So you guys are in last place in your division? Last place.

So who's the division leader in the AL East? The Yankees, my second favorite team. Who's the division leader in the AL Central? I believe it's the. Royals. It is. So, Brew,

do you remember when did our baseball picks? Yes. Oh, and I had the audacity to believe in the royals,

and Wilde called me basically a childish homer. Yes. And then explained how me picking my hometown team to go to the World Series was ridiculous.

Yeah. And him picking his hometown team to go to the World Series was totally reasonable. How's that? I mean, it's early. How's that age? Six games.

It's aging fine. Really? You're in last place. You're in first. It's getting late early. You just said it's getting late early, but keyword early. Not keyword late. I mean, worst record.

What is, what is, it's my stat, you can't put my staff back on the, I ask Josh to make the stat. What is our bet? You owe me $100,000. What do I owe you $100,000? I do. For the best, that last bet that we made.

I paid that. And what? What? Are ya chips? Chick-C-Palais. Chick-Palais. The fight for the college basketball crown continues live from Las Vegas tonight. Stanford taking on West Virginia.

Then you got Rutgers taking on Creighton. All starts at 7.30 Eastern right here on FS1. Right now we're headed back to the hardwood of the NBA. Three stories, no breaks, it's fast break. Denver gave the jazz the blues. Good, that was good. I'm supposed to laugh at that. Well.

I am laughing. They used to be from New Orleans, group. Yeah. Bruce is like Smith now. Yeah, she really is. It was a perfect name for New Orleans. Yeah. Well, yeah, I mean, the pelicans are nice and everything, but we should go back to the jazz.

You should trade. They should trade. You're right. Sorry, we got to get to the jazz. Okay, they scored 170. Ski. Oh, sorry. Utah skis.

Let's, come on. What about that? Joker at 15, 17, and 12. The E-clinches back-to-back triple double seasons. Has he become underrated, considering he's leading off fast break. I think Joker is perfectly rated. I think he is, I think he would win the poll of who's the best player alive.

I don't think it would be unanimous, and I don't think it should be unanimous. I think that it's as tightly, there is as many great candidates for that argument right now as we've had in a very long time guys having awesome seasons. I also think he has been fairly decorated. He has three MVPs. The last five years he has finished an MVP voting. First, first, second, first, second. And so that means he has the same number of MVPs as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

And the only people with more MVPs than him are Kareem, Michael, Russell, Braun, and Wilt. That's the full list. And while what he is doing this year is remarkable, I'm not certain you can say he's better this year than he was last year. Here's the numbers this year to last year. He's going to play fewer games this year. He's going to average fewer points. He's going to average 0.3 more rebounds and 0.6 more assists

on slightly less efficient shooting both times for the 4 seed. Now, if people have, you know, moves, they're like, ah, what happened to Joker? Like, that's ridiculous. You know, if anybody's saying that, then yes, he's underrated. I don't think anybody's saying that. So I think he's properly rated, and I don't think he, right now, Brew, has a legitimate case to be MVP. I think because of the other guys, how strong those cases are, even though it's a good enough season to win MVP, if we compare it to 2006 or something, or, but that's where I see.

Look, I think you can, just the MVP part, you can argue for four guys. You know, Wimby, Shea, Luca, Yolkich. But I agree with Nick. I think he is properly rated. And that's because in America, particularly in basketball and football, it's about winning championships. Not just about winning championships, but that is a big part of it. and he is not won to date to the level that his statistics would, and accolades even, would suggest he has.

He's won one championship, which is great, the monkey's off his back, but only been to one other conference final. Correct. All right? So he puts up historic numbers, and the reward for that are potential MVP's, which he's gotten three,

first team all-MBAs, going to be a Hall of Famer, talked about glowingly. Like, that's the reward. But if you want to get spoken of higher than he already is, you got to win more. Like, to talk about him more would be to talk about him in the Magic Johnson, Larry Bird type category.

And he just hasn't. All the guys talked about in that vein have won more than him. So I also will say this. if Russell Westbrook had not average the triple double four times we would look at Joker like differently I mean and again he still recognizes the top 20 player of all time top 15 even to some people

but it's been done the triple double so that and he's he did it last year and so that takes a little bit do you agree with me that most people like yeah I do think most people still say he's the best player in the world Yep. I agree with that. Moving on. Nick's Sixers both toppled tanking squads.

Nick, New York put up 130 on the gris. The Sixers put up 153 on the Wizards. They'd meet in the playoffs. Should New York be concerned? Yes. I'm not saying I would necessarily pick Philadelphia. But look, if M.B. And Paul George are healthy.

Then they could be a lot to answer. And we know Embed and Kat have this little, you know, a little bit of rivalry. I think Embed definitely wants to take it to Kat. Lashire, Embed, who has not been a phenomenal playoff player, gave the Knicks 33 and 10 in the six-game playoff series. No Paul George in that series. No VJ Edge come for Philly in that series.

So you add those two along with Embed and Tyrese Maxie? Oh, yeah. And the pressure. They're starting to really believe in the system. All of the pressure, all of it on the Knicks. None on the Sixers. Yeah, it would be a tough series, tough first round series. So you guys know I have a soft spot for the Sixers,

the what if, the possibilities of it. I want to ask you a question, KW. This is the scenario. The Celtics win their round one series in five games against whoever it is. They're at home. watching game seven of round one. The Sixers and Knicks have played a six-game battle, and going into game seven, both teams, nobody suffered an injury.

Both teams are fully healthy. And the Celtics are getting the winner. The Knicks are the three-seed, and the Knicks beat the Celtics last year. But in this scenario, the Sixers have, they are healthy going into game seven. Can you magically assure that they'll be healthy? No, I'm asking you in that, if you're at home as a Celtics fan, watching that game seven, who are you rooting for? Because you think it gives your, like gives you a Celtics fan a better chance.

It's such a boring. It's such a bad answer. I assume that the Sixers would not be able to make it through two playoff runs. But if they, but I mean, just assuming they're healthy. But I'm assuming they're healthy going in that they are going, the winner of that series is going to be healthy going into round two. You don't want 35 point Embed if he's back. I know.

And prime. Paul George is 209 points in. It's only four games. Rested Paul George. All NBA, Bruce can have an all NBA ballot. Maxie's all NBA maxi. It's a very interesting setup of fresh Paul George. If we get the six weeks of healthy Embed.

very interesting. And I'll tell you what, I don't look, the Knicks, God bless them, they beat Philly or Boston last year. I'm not going to put much stock in that if they meet. Because I think Boston is going to be like really up for that.

Like I think last year they relaxed, they had owned them in a regular season. All they were doing is getting flowers thrown at their feet all season. And the Knicks to their credit play great. But this is going to be different. Listen, I think a Knicks Sixers series, would be a seven-game series.

And I think the Knicks would be super bummed if that's the team. I know the Hawks have won 17 to 19 we're talking about them in a minute. I think that the, you know, the magic and heat are, you know, right in that. I think the Knicks would be bummed if that's who they get is the six.

All right, well, let's head down to Atlanta for our weekly Hawks conversation. Alexander Walker at 32 last night. Hawks are 18 and 3 since the break. finished a season sweep against the magic, which Orlando coach Jamal Mosley outlined here. Take a listen, bro. It means we got sweat by the Hawks.

That's what it means. They kicked our ass. There is no, what does it mean? What does it feel? That legitimately the Hawks have kicked our ass. Faithfully. Brew, is it finally time to start talking about the Hawks? Well, look, the Hawks have had a tremendous run, 18 and 3.

got some nice Jalen Johnson. I think he's going to be all NBA too. Definitely. They play very good defense. They're a top 10 defense. They're long and athletic and rangy. And they shoot the three well.

They're like six I think in the top in three points shooting. So they're dangerous. Here's the thing in the 18 to three run. Their losses are to Houston, Boston, and Miami, which are almost the only three good teams they've played. Now, they have beat Detroit, albeit without Cade. They beat Boston without, I think it was, just beat them without Tatum, it was. Which still is a good win.

But they beat Orlando twice, which they obviously own. They beat Portland. They beat Philly twice. But again, that was before Embed and Paul George got back. Yeah. So I'm just saying 18 and 3, you would be like, oh, they actually could do something. I just want to temper it a little bit, but they're on the rise. And I like what they're doing.

Nick, same question. Is it time to start talking about the Hawks? Saturdays Baseball Night in America on Fox. Pete Crowe Armstrong and Danny's Cubs taking on Jose Ramirez in the Guardians or Ronald Acuna Jr. in the Braves against the snakes. Snakes are doing okay. It's better than Red Sox. Oh, yeah.

Everybody is. Baseball night in America Saturday, 7 Eastern only on Fox. Lakers in OKC tonight. L.A. has lost both of their games against the reigning champs. OKC, this surprised me, almost 10-point favorites. When the Lakers lose, they lose bad, or they used to at least. Lakers have been scorching hot. Is this a must win for the Lake Show?

I am really excited for this game because the Lakers have obviously been playing great, and this is a great test, not to mention something that could happen in the playoffs. So I am actually going to say it is a must win for the Thunder. What a turn. Yes, for the Thunder because there are only two games ahead of San Antonio. Which is really a game in a half. And San Antonio has the tiebreaker. So if they lose this game, and I know they play the Lakers again in a few days,

but if they lose this game, this is at home. So let's say they lose and San Antonio catches them. and becomes the number one seat. You lost the number one seat. You lost home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. Now you play these Lakers in the second round.

These Lakers who will have beaten you on your home floor recently. And so Ann, who are incredibly experienced, LeBron obviously has seen it all. Luca has beaten this OKC team in the playoffs a couple of years. years ago got to the finals. So he's not afraid of OKC at all, but especially if they go into their house tonight

and beat them. So I think that that would really be intriguing. So I think to avoid all of that, OKC must win tonight. Wow. Yeah. And I think this is a can't win for the Lakers. Not that they can't win, but that even a win is not necessarily good for them. Wow.

So here's why. A can't win. Yeah, there you. Thank you, bro. I appreciate it. Because what Brew didn't include in if the Thunder lose, meaning if the Lakers win, and the Spurs catch the Thunder for the One Seed,

the person who's MVP case that helps the most is not Luca Notchich. If Luca the next, if Luca in the next week plays Shea and outplays him twice, the biggest beneficiary of that will be Wimby. Yes. Because Wimby will then get the one seed, and Luca is, narratively, I don't think fairly, but narratively, considered and also ran in this all of a sudden two-man race. Exactly.

This is so unbelievable. This was a one, by the Vegas odds, for whatever that was worth, this was a one-man race for months. And then Luke and Wimby were dissing second-third. Since then, all Luke has done is win player of the month and play his best ball. Wimby has also played really well. But Wimby was like, I should be MVP, guys. and the odds makers are like, well, if you say so, ha!

And so, and so here's the other thing. I happen to believe the Lakers would be better served playing the Spurs in round two than the Thunder. Because that's where the experience edge really comes in. And while both teams, obviously, Spurs and Thunder are very young, the Spurs are not crazy deep. Really? Not compared to the Thunder. They got eight guys averaging double-fiel. No, so that's kind of where I was going.

I think the Spurs have seven guys they really, really like, and that makes them they're deep in the Lakers. I think the Thunder have 11 guys they trust. Point being this. I think that the Thunder are, for a lot of reasons, a much tougher matchup in the playoffs this year for the Lakers than the Spurs are. And if the Lakers win this game, they are more likely to play the thunder than the spurs.

But the flip side is, if they lose this game, they all of a sudden fall in jeopardy of going to the four seed, which makes them, again, more likely to play the thunder than the spurs. So I see there's, yes, you want to win and you want to feel confident about it, and it is once the Lakers traded for Luka last year, they whooped the thunder the first time they played them, and then the second time they played them, it was tied with six minutes left.

Luca yelled at a fan. The ref kicked him out. Wilde saluted the ref and said, damn straight, that's what you should have done. And Brew and I felt like we were robbed of what could have been a great ending. And so I just, Wimby's not playing tonight. It just got announced.

I just read against the injury management against the Clippers. So there is a scenario where Luca puts up 46 points in a win over the Thunder. and the biggest move, and Wimby sits, and the biggest MVP move is Wimby's odds getting better. If this, but this, not playing the night could hurt Wimby too. Well, listen, I think not playing should hurt you. Wilde's yelled to me for that too. Back to back.

Oh, yeah, back to back. Nobody's ever played back to back. If this game. Luke, I think, scored 60 on a back to back last week when he won player of the month. That's why he's going to be 30 or fourth. That's why he's going to be third or fourth. I'm like, there's no room service. Could any result really change your view of these teams if the Lakers get blown out or if the Lakers, we've seen the Thunder get handled easily too.

Or is it just a game or could this really change your viewpoint on these teams? You never want to overreact to regular season games, but if the Lakers win this game, that does make me like, oh, man, because as you kind of pointed out, we thought last. year, okay, they kind of have OKC's number. If they meet them in the playoffs, yeah, they could give them some problems. You laid out last year the way it went. So it would raise the Lakers

in my view. And if they get blown out, if the Lakers get blasted, then it would just be like, yeah, they're not going to match up well with OKC or probably even Spurs. No matter what happens because they play again so soon,

we're going to have that. But I'm not. I also, the other reason that I do think the Thunder are going to win tonight is, I think in, and this is one of the reasons, whatever Lakers contending chances they have are so tenuous because they really have to stay healthy. They really need all. I think Mark is smart who's not playing tonight in a game or a series against the Thunder

is more important than Austin Reeves. Like I think that, like if we were to, if Austin was out tonight Marx is playing. LeBron just kind of assumes Austin's offensive role. But without Marcus, I just don't, like, their best option to guard Shea, I guess, is Vanderbilt. And their second best option, I think, is Brony. Like, they don't have anyone who guards.

Jay's going to give you 35 regardless. Yeah. With Marcus Smarry, he's still giving you 30. No, but you understand what I mean. Like, Marcus Smart is the Laker who can guard the point of attack. And so he's a huge part. Right. And particularly against Shea. And so that's a big loss. Live from New York, first things first overtime. Today is Wembe Gunning for the MVP.

News breaking that he's sitting out tonight against the clippers. Does that hurt his case? Does that ruin this whole segment? Meanwhile, this Fernando Mendoza watching Kurt Cousins start week one. A take that you got to see to believe. Oh, wow. Okay. A rookie needs to make the playoffs again. What do you mean? Of course it'll happen again. Doesn't mean it's going to happen immediately. Well, I should. You had them last year in the playoffs. It hasn't been the top pick making the playoffs. Yeah, it hasn't been the number one. Also hasn't been the national champion. And finally special. And he made the playoffs. Thank you. You came on my side. And finally, special edition of frenemies. Here we go.

This is the greatest hits version for Parkinson's. Like, I got an idea. How about is Justin Herbert better than Patrick Molf? Not better than just performs better than. No, this is actually, oddly, a Mike McDaniel? Who knew that those two guys were such huge Mike McDaniel fans all the time? And the two starting tackles will be back. That's right.

Love what they did in free agency. Yeah, the Chargers are looking good. Car ball. It's an air. What did they do in free? Yeah, I don't even remember that. They lost a guard. They lost a, they lost a, they lost a guard, they signed a center.

Well, yeah, because they lost their guard in the center. They, they, they, they, they, they You don't think they've upgraded at the interior of their offensive? I, I, I actually don't. I think, but whatever. We'll save it. Oh, okay. Chris Brousard, Kevin Wilde, Nick Wright, and of course, Danny Parkins.

I'm here. We're on Wemby Watch. There we are. 25 and 10 at the half last night against the Warriors. Back-to-back games with 41 Parkins. He made his MVP case, and he was like, you know what? Scoring's like, you know what? not that big of a deal. Then he decided to give scoring a shot. He talked to Scott Manpel

post game. I do care deeply about it and I think that all the grades, you know, that are in the Hall of Fame or that are in our mind the best of all time, they have fought and grabbed everything they could grab early on in their career, you know. And if I want to make my spot among the grades, I got to try to not miss any occasion I have to build. my name up there. So that was Wemby on the MVP. And again, he's sitting out tonight. It's more scoring than key to Wembe winning the MVP.

It'll help, obviously. And he's clearly gunning for it. He's clearly gunning for it. And that's awesome. Like, it's okay. Thank you, Dan. Of course. But I'm consistent on this.

I like brashness and calling your shot. I like Timothy Shalameh saying I want to go down as one of the all-time greats. And people are like, I don't know, you're 29. That's a little off-putting. I'm like, no, I want my elite artists, athletes to know that they're great if they actually are and can back it up. And that's what Wembe's doing. And he's doing it in the context also with winning. Right.

Like, I actually disagree with you, Brew, on the one seed on this one. Because if they both end up with 60, like if the Spurs end up with 61 wins and the Thunder end up with 63 wins, or vice versa, I don't know. You both had 60 wins seasons. It's not like the, it's not like the, the nuggets last year when Shea had 18 more wins than Yokic. Like they're both clear, they're clearly contributing to winning. I would say when you're talking about world class athletes, this much difference is all it takes. The difference in winning gold and not placing in 100 meters is this much.

Sure. So that, that makes a difference. And the impact is between having the one seed and the two seed is massive. Yeah. It is massive for the teams. I'm not sure when the differential is that small if it should be that massive for an individual award. Okay. Like personally.

And I would vote Shea over Wemby because of the guard impact and because J-Wb being out. But I think it's very close. And I just think this run that Wembe is on right now, because we do the numbers for the whole season as we should. It's a full season award. But part of what's happened with his minutes is he was load managing the knee injury early. So we pulled the last 15 games because they happened to be 15 and 0 in the last 15 games that Wembe's played, which is pretty good. And in that stretch of time, he would be third in total points, second in total rebounds, first obviously in blocks, first obviously in plus minus, while being 57th in minutes. So the minutes.

So the minutes being down. actually with how well he's been playing recently is not impacting the number of points that he scored. So, okay, so that's really, that's really fascinating. And you know what would be awesome? And the NBA should consider doing it. I'm not. And I know that they, we're talking MVP for the year. But if they broke the season down into like periods of time, like I don't know,

you could call it the last 15 games or like a month. And then they gave a player of the month, we would know who was the best player that month. Because I think it's a guy. I think they do that, actually. And they even do West and East. And Luca, who he wasn't, well, not 418 points. I think it was an even 600. And we don't have assists on there because Wimby's, that's not his, like, Brew brings up a lot.

Magic Johnson won MVP scoring less than 24 points. I think as great as Wemby is. I think Magic's touch better passer, maybe more impactful distributor. No, I'm no, I'm just saying. But we, but we, the question is he gunning for MVP though. And so, no, of course we know he's gunning for him. I think he's obviously gunning for MVP. And I think the way he's gunning for it, to be totally honest,

contradicts his initial case for it. Yeah, definitely. He's not defended well. No, he changes. He had three blocks last night. Hold on, Brew. Let's be fair about just these last two games. These last two games, the Spurs as a team,

and I am told, and I believe, the biggest, reason the Spurs have a dominant defense, we all agree, is Wimby. He is the most dominant defensive player. And the last two games, against the tanking Bulls and the G-League Warriors, the Spurs, by eye-test and statistical

test, have not defended at the level they had defended all year. And Wimby, by eye-test and statistical test, has played a different style of offense than he had been playing. He hasn't played a different style of offense. He scored more. He's playing. He's

playing the same exact style. He's just shooting a little bit more. But they're not running the offense through him. He's not posting up anymore. He's shooting more. Okay, well, that's what I... That's not style. Okay, well, all right, then I'll use a different word. He is

looking for his shot more after telling us the reason he should win MVP was we dominated OKC, even though he didn't dominate them. That the defense is half the award. and there's more to offense than scoring. In his gunning for it, he's like, all right,

maybe a little less defense and a hell of a lot more scoring. And I, again, I like 40-point games. I like high-volume scoring, especially when it's efficient. It's also why I think Shay, Christine, if we can do the 30 points per game thing, I think Shea has a vice grip on this award because literally everybody ever, who scored 30 a night and the teams won more than 60 has won MVP.

We're eight for eight on it. But you don't think he has a vice grip because if Wimby gets the number one seat, this will still be true. Yeah, and I didn't. I didn't vote for Wim. Right. I didn't say I would. I do think right now, though, Shea has a vice grip on it.

And I understand you're not saying he's MVP, Danny. Well, no, but what I'm saying is that when we did a Wembe topic like a week or two ago, and I said everybody who had been 24 points or more, 10 or more rebounds and three or more blocks and their team won 60 or more games. They all won MVP. Yeah, well, that was two other guys, right? Three other guys. Yeah, I think this is a, this, this, there's a little more weight behind eight people

across all the full decades, but we'll see, or eight instances, not eight people. But I just, I think that he's, I think it's interesting, brew that in his MVP push, to me, he has slightly changed his approach. And I think that, the fact that he had 40 on opening night. and then one 40 point game until in the time between opening night and he made that MVP speech. And since then, he's scored 40 both times,

tells me, or the last two, he is emphasizing that more. I don't know that that's bad, but I... Because he may feel like he needs to, like you've said, yes, he needs to score more. 24 points, which is ridiculous, because 24 points a game has won MVP.

Magic Johnson won three MVPs, never averaged 24 points a game. game in a season. Now you say he was a great pastor, which he was, the best in history. This is the best defender in history. So they both have things they do that go beyond their points per game. That's all I'm, that's all I'm saying. And I don't think I at once said, you can't win MVP at 24 points. You've talked about 24 points a game like, yeah, there's no way. No, well, I just think in a year where, and I think when the other candidates are having such historically great, historically great offensive. But he's having a historic.

great defensive season. I understand, which is why he's in the conversation. I just don't think it's enough to offset it. But I know that's not really what we're talking about. Here's a graphic that I have that shows Wimby's impact. On the, look at the, his on court, the point differential 17. It's doubles, almost doubles Shea, doubles Luke, almost triples Luca, kind of. And it's more, you know, four points ahead of Yolkich.

Like, that's why the men. minutes doesn't matter to me because clearly he's having a huge impact. Again, if he was playing 20 minutes a night, but he's playing 30. And so, yeah, I mean, that right there is huge. Well, there's no more impressive eye test athlete in the sport than Wembe. No. It's, it is a crazy thing to watch. And you said, Brew, he's the best player in the world.

But we don't know what your ballot will be tomorrow. but I don't think he yet has been number one on your ballot. No, he hasn't. So, like, there is a, there is, like, a slight difference between best player in the world and the MVP. Of course. It's a big difference. Steve Nash was never the best player in the world. Right.

But having the best individual season. But this one, it's catching up. Because, I mean, he, Wemby's rising for you, right? You've had him higher than fourth. I mean, yeah, I mean, I think I had him third in my, you know, I don't have a real ballot. Right. I don't, but I, I have him right now as a strong third. I have him ahead of Joker.

And I, I am, because I do value the one seed and I do think, and I value exceeding what we all, how good we all thought your team realistically was going to be. I think that helps Luca. I think that helps Wimby the most because. That would be a huge factor. Right. And so I value all of it. I, I find it interesting that your utter. dismissal KW and your somewhat dismissal brew of the minutes thing.

Because it's, I don't, I don't, the league has told us it values how much you play. They decided the decider was games rather than minutes, but it's all about minutes, time spent on the court is what we're talking about, availability, all of those things. And Wimby is going to, with missing tonight, he's going to finish this year playing the minimum allowable games to be eligible for the award, while also in those games playing fewer minutes per game than any MVP ever by a lot. And so that is like, so this is minutes over the course of the season. Walton's the only one that's going to come close to Wimby's total, and Walton's MVP year was very odd because they were the best, they were 50 and 10 when he got

hurt and then he didn't play the rest of the year and the league decided that you know what he was the best player there defending champs he was having the best season he's going to win it that to me is noteworthy i think what you noticed though all of those numbers are recent other than walton who got hurt yes that's because the game is changing guys don't play the minutes they used to guys used to play through heck going back even to early lebron they played 40 minutes a game yeah So the best players were playing 38, 40-something minutes a night. Now the best players are playing about 35 minutes a night. So he's not like way behind him.

He's several minutes per game behind some of the leaders. But when you consider his height, that he's guarding out on the perimeter and the change in the style of players far as minutes for players. He had a real injury. At the beginning of the year, he was playing 20 minutes a game. So listen, I think that is, I think if I were running the Spurs, I would have this same plan. I think it's the smart plan. I don't, what I am not comfortable with is the combination of, for whatever the reasons are,

you have one guy who of the candidates has, in my opinion, I'll just say my opinion, far and away is just objectively the least impactful passer is objectively the least impactful score. objectively, has played the fewest games and the far fewest minutes and doesn't even have the best record. And that guy, I know he's the best defender in the league. That to me is not enough to close this gap. And I am stunned he's not playing tonight. This does not help him.

Now, it's obviously, I guess, the smart thing to do from a health standpoint, which is what's most important. That's more important than MVP, obviously. But this... Can I say something real quick? Isn't a great help. If he couldn't play a back-to-back and the Spurs are trying to get the one seed, I know he probably wouldn't have gotten an easy of a 40, but would it not have made more sense for him to sit against the left-handed free-throw

shooting corpse warriors and be there against the clippers? He could have sat more of the second half. Well, the game was clearly... I don't know. I mean, that was weird. It's not like they didn't know they had a back-to-back, and the Clippers game is a game you can lose. Maybe legitimately tweak something.

Or you want to be ready for Denver on Saturday? But again, I think you're just as ready. I mean, today's Thursday. Like if you sit, I don't know. You get two days rest, maybe? San Antonio only two games behind the Thunder. Head to the east and down to Miami where the Celtic scorch the heat. 53 points in the first quarter, Parking second most in the shot clock era.

Jalen had 20 in the first quarter, 43 overall. Tatum had triple double. And Bam, who's known Tatum since he was 12, says he thinks he'll get better after the game. He says, I can tell he's still out of shape. Wasn't it. So it was actually like a very nice comment. 25, 18, and 11 out of shape.

Odds in the East, Celtics, and then your calves, the Knicks, the Pistons, and the 76ers. How are they still? Are you ready? Are you ready to abandon your Cavaliers pick? No. The Celtics are the favorites. They deserve to be the favorites.

have no problem with them being the favorites, but I'll answer your question directly. How are they still the second? There's a path. Right now they are the four seat in the east. You want to be the four seat in the east because you let, assuming the bracket holds, you let Boston and New York meet in the second round. I think you'd rather play Detroit in the second round of the playoffs than the Celtics or the Knicks. Would we agree with that? I think you'd rather play the Knicks. I think what the The Cavs would love to be is the two seed, like Boston. Oh, I don't know. I don't agree with that.

What do you mean? Well, I mean, I know that the Knicks beat the Celtics in sixth last year in the playoffs. No, I'm saying if you're the Cavs, I think you'd rather play the Knicks in round two than Detroit in round two. I don't know that I agree with that. Oh, really? I'm not nearly as big of a believer clearly in this Pistons team where we'll see what happens with Cade Cunningham. And I think a lot of what they've done this year is by being a try-hard regular season team. shocked if Cleveland gets to the

Eastern Conference, or excuse me, if Detroit gets to the Eastern Conference finals. I love Cleveland. You should have gone with what you are about to say. I'll be shocked. No. Cleveland gets to Cleveland is 16 and 6 in games when James Hardin has played for them, which is a better win percentage than your beloved Detroit Pistons.

It would be good enough if you did that over the course of a season. 16 and 6 win percentage would be the one seed in the east. How many of those games were against tankers? I can get that for you. We can say that for every team, every team in the league. Hardin has been great since he has been with Cleveland. The efficiency numbers are way up.

And you guys know I love my big four. Only five games played together still. I don't think that's a good thing. That's a negative. But Alan is coming back. But they're going to have no continuity. Hardin and Mitchell have looked great together on the floor. Allen and Hardin, he's had double doubles basically every game that Alan and Hardin have played together.

They have been managing Jared Allen's knee tendonitis to save him for the playoffs. Donovan Mitchell's coasting a little bit so that he doesn't break down before the playoffs. All you got to do is get in. You have your matchup and you get to the Celtics in the Eastern. Yeah, you beat the Hawks, you beat the Pistons, and then you take your chances with whoever comes out of the beat-up seven-game series Celtics Nick. Why is Celtics Nick? First of all, why?

The Pistons are not, they're not ready to win the East this year. That's fine. So I'd rather play. Is that because of the injury? The injury, the inexperience, and I, we see this all the time. Teams that try harder than everybody else in the regular season and have an overinflated record. The Bulls, the Hawks, the Raptors.

We see it all the time. I think that's what this is. You don't see him win 55. It's usually not a one. Oh, you mean it often. It often, it's a lot of Hrapters is a story. It's, frankly, that are one seats. They treat the regular season like it's the playoffs.

and then when everybody else... Like the Knicks did last year. Yeah. Under Timbado, that's what they do. Yeah. So what I was... You didn't know what I was going to ask. Why do you think...

First of all, why are you so confident the Knicks are going to be in round two? And if they are, that Nick Celtics is going to be a war. Like that... Why? Because last year the Knicks beat them, that can't be the whole reason. I mean, I think it...

I think Stiles make fights. Like, I absolutely think that for the thunder, the nuggets are the scary matchup. In round two. In round two because of what happened last year. Because they have Joker, there's no answer for them. Their offensive stealing is high. And I've seen them give them massive fits in the postseason.

I don't know why that would be different on the Eastern Conference side when the Knicks have kind of built their team in the image of we have to beat Boston and they beat him in six last year. That's a tough matchup. That's not an easy given series for Boston. We know that they can go cold from three. Listen, I think that's fair. I am not certain the Knicks right now

without how they're playing to be there in round two. But let's just play out your idealized scenario where we then get to the conference finals. You still have the Celtics beating the Knicks, right? Yeah, probably. Okay. Yeah. Why are the Cavs beating a Celtics team

where Jason Tatum now is two months removed from coming back? And a Celtics team that was markedly better than the Cavs all year before Tatum came back. They'll be an underdog. They will. But I'm not abandoning.

But you're picking them. Yeah, they can get, yes, absolutely. We have not seen the ceiling of this Cavs team that with James Hardin is averaging 119 points a game. Cleveland has really great talent. Yes. And they've got depth. Look, on paper you like them.

What has been their problem in the playoffs these last few years? They've underachieved. But luckily they've been mentally weak. Yeah. They've been mentally weak. They have not answered the call and been able to match the moment in the playoffs. They should have, they have lost several playoffs series they should have won, but they weren't mentally tough enough.

Add James Harden has had problems with mental weakness in big games in the playoffs. That's my problem with them. On paper, I love the talent. But I just think, that's why I think Detroit would beat them up. We got to get this in. James Hardin is a better playoff player than Darius Garland, and it's not close. Fine. I'm not compared to Darius Garland.

But Cleveland is. You know. Because they traded him for each other. Okay, fine. But he's going to have to get it done in a big game six or game seven. You confident he's going to do that? He had 28, 5, and 8 in a game six win last year. And then what happened and remind me what happened in game seven?

He had 13 assists. What happened in game seven? He had 13 assists. How many times did he shoot? He had seven points. But he had 13 assists. I need, I'm counting on 25. five from you, James. He gave me seven. He had 31 and 11 in game one. Hey, if you like it.

Oh, he's great. He should be great. Game one. What did he do in game five? In game one. Game five. Game five and game seven. James Hardin has more good playoffs than Darius Scarland. Nobody cares about them. The cabs care. The cabs. And the trade they made to upgrade Darius Scarlin for Chardon. Happy frenemies Thursday. NFL league meetings earlier this week. GMs, coaches, Nick, they're meeting in Arizona ahead of the draft. Jim Harbaugh and Andy Reid to talk to reporters, discuss their season outlook, and the new hires they've each made at Offensive Coordinator. We'll listen to Jim Harbaugh first.

Awesome. Awesome with the capital A. And it is what I really thought it was. Just a perfect combination of Mike McDaniel and Justin Herbert. It's going to bode really well for the Chargers. Awesome with the Capital A. Tough to beat that. try with Eric B. Enemy. Yeah, I'm fired up to have him back. When you lose a Matt and Aggie to bring in a guy who could just step in and go, that's not an easy thing to do. Fired up to have him back. He brings great

energy, loves doing what he's doing. All he wants to do is win football games and have a great offense, the ultimate team guy. Yeah. So this is red meat for us here in Frenememey's land, Nick. Yeah. Chances the Chargers offense is better than the Chiefs offense this year. I don't, I am so stunned that you love the Chargers offseason. Stunned. Because Because they obviously... What's not to love? Well, listen, a neutral party, Ben Solac, who I think we both think smart guy. Smart guy?

How many teams there in the league? I believe it's 32 still? So he ranked the 32 off seasons. So you're just taking someone? No, I'm just trying to bring a neutral party to it. Okay, go ahead. Out of 32 teams, he had the Chargers offseason 32nd. And the reason for that is, they...

It's particularly on offense. they didn't get better anywhere. They had a sinner retire and they replaced them with Biotish. Cole Strange is now slated to be, their starting guard. The only reason we know the name Cole Strange was because when Bill Belichick

and one of his final fateful first round picks drafted him, that Rams laughed at him, and that was proven corrected by the fact he didn't make through his rookie contract. They didn't get better at running back. They didn't get better at wide receiver. So it's this idea that Mike McDaniel is going to be this cure-all when we're comparing them to a Chief's team

whose biggest issue on offense was the lack of a running game. They signed Kenneth Walker. And I understand that Eric Bianami as an offensive coordinator hasn't drawn up as many fancy plays as your guy, Mike McDaniel. But you know what he has done it as an offensive coordinator? Won a bunch of Super Bowls with this team. So, yeah, I, I, I, I'm confident that the Chiefs

who've had a better offense than the Chargers every year Patrick's been there and finished with an intact ACL will continue to have a better offense than the Chargers. All due respect to Ben Solek, who is a very sharp guy, that exercise was about additions

and subtractions this off season. Do you feel like the Chargers maybe are going to get better production at a couple of positions that I think you would say are important on offense? Left and right tackle? Yes. I do.

Left and right tackle. Those are two of their four highest paid players in Joe Alt and Roshan Slater and probably their second and third best players behind Justin Herbert. So those additions will come in the form of their highest paid best players playing more than like six total games than they played last year. The Chiefs also had their starting left tackle play eight games last year. It is not nearly as good as Joe Alt and Rishon Slater. And the other, but I'm just telling you now, I think this is a strategic mistake projecting so much strength for the Chargers.

Because by mid-season next year, all those same offensive line tears you were crying about the left and right tackle, you're going to be crying about the left guard, center, and right guard. And it's going to be tough to be worse than the Chargers were on the interior of the offensive line the last couple of years. They might be as bad, but it would be almost statistically. impossible to be worse. And I'll say this, man, we are entering a pretty large sample if we look at the two offenses. You act like it's insane to think that anyone could have a better offense than the chief. No, not anyone.

This team. Okay, well, let's put it up. Let's look at it. A sample of three seasons. I think you would agree it's pretty similar. And because the quarterbacks have played an identical number of games over those three years scoring the same number of points within four yards your team turns it over more your team's a little bit better on third down the charges have a little bit better pass a rating

it's very similar and the chargers are going to get better production at tackle this year which was the biggest detriment to their offense last year and they've upgraded at play caller the chiefs are not upgrading at play caller well they're upgrading at an energy vibes guy That's disrespectful to what the fact that he is not the one calling the plays. Obviously matters. But it doesn't mean that he's an energy vibes guy. It doesn't mean that he has no tactical input. It doesn't mean that I know you're not a Matt Nagy fan.

Matt Nagy fan, pardon me. I know you thought he was part of the deterioration of the Chiefs offense. And those last three years are the three years since Eric Beanimy left. The enemy is a beloved coach by players. I don't mean to be disrespectful to him. I think which addition is going to have a more tangible impact in terms of state? Why? The chiefs used to, by your metric, the chiefs entered a three-year slump when he left.

By your, the stat you just showed. You know, you follow the chiefs very closely, closer than anybody. You know that Andy Reid is the offense. He's the play caller. He's the play designer. He's the culture. He is everything. So I don't think he is everything.

I do think he's the play caller. I do think he is the, you know, the most, the best head coach in football. I also don't think it is random coincidence that when Bienemy left, the running game got markedly worse. And when Bainemy went to Chicago, the running game far outperformed

its talent level. And I know you love your fancy wizardry play caller. I do. But we have no that we have no evidence evidence that Mike McDaniel outside of the cocoon of either Kyle Shanahan or Peak Tyree Kill is actually

majorly impactful. I like Mike McDaniel. I think he is a good hire, to be clear. You wanted him in Kansas City to be clear if you would have done it. Yeah, I think when I didn't think Bienemy was coming back. Absolutely. I'm glad they got Biener. I think Mike McDaniel's sharp, but I do

not think that the shell game of this was the problem with the Chargers Now, this is fixed when every year it's been something randomly different, when the real problem with the Chargers, in my opinion, has pretty clearly been they've had substandard offensive line play, which will continue this year, substandard skill position players, which will continue this year, and come the postseason, their quarterback is far worse than a substandard player overall. None of that changes by getting rid of, was it Greg Roman,

who was Jim Harbaugh, who you love, his first hire, and replacing him with Mike McDaniel. I think their offensive line will be better. And to be clear, since you complimented the Chargers somewhere along the way there, the Chiefs will be a much better run team. Kenneth Walker and Eric B. Enemy, they obviously will be a better run team. So will the Chargers. And the Chiefs also are getting their tackle back.

The Chargers also signed Alec Ingold. Great fullback. Let's go to the NBA. Yeah, Lakers take on the Thunder tonight. Thunder, nine and a half point favorite against your Lakers, although the Lakers have won 15 of 17 in March. Speaking of March, you might have heard, Luca, 600 points.

Player of the month named a few hours ago, and a runner up for defensive player of the month. Okay. That's true. You check the NBA's account. Well, then that could add a nice fun wrinkle into this conversation. Yeah.

Who would you rather have for the rest of the season? Shea or Luca? Oh, I, the, I mean, I think, listen, I think Luke is a better player. Close, though. Right, you would say it's close? Yeah, of course. Of course. I, I, I think there is, like, Steve Nash won back-to-back MVPs at no point did I think he was the best player in the league.

Isaiah Thomas won back-to-back championships, including a finals MVP. I don't think anybody in that moment thought I was, except for maybe Isaiah, who I love, thought he was the best player in the league. It would be pretty unprecedented for a guy to combine those two, back-to-back league MVPs with winning back-to-back championships and not be the best player in the league. But I don't think Shay's the best player in the league. Well, I mean, it would actually, it would not even pretty unprecedented, right? Because the only guys with multiple MVPs and multiple finals MVPs, assuming he would win it if they do, I think it's the sixth greatest players ever arguably.

And so I just, I think that, I think if you compare their careers, their primes, or their playoff numbers, I just think Luca clears it. So the points per game, it's Luca,

rebounds, assists is Luca. The field goal percentage is Shay. but the effective field goal percentage because Lucas shoots so many more threes is Luca. The first team all NBA MVP. Now, what's fair is, yeah, but Luca came in awesome. Shea wasn't immediately awesome.

So I took that into consideration. If we just do the last four years when Shea has been awesome the whole time. Luke is still that now the first team all NBA, it's going to be, now it'll be four to three. Yep. And two to zero. See if he wins MVP.

But again, I don't know that I, because Shea has had the better seasons, I don't know that I feel he's a better player. I just don't, I don't. And then if you look at the playoff stuff, when they played once in a playoff series, Luke out played him. Shea has not,

even though he's the defending finals MVP, he played a tick or two below his regular season last year in the playoffs. Yeah. in route to it. Luke has actually had more deep playoff runs than Shea. They beat them when they played head to head. I think Luke is a better passer,

definitionally, rebounder definitionally, and I think he's a more dominant score. And I think if you put Shea on a team with 17 great defenders like, I'm sorry, Luke on Shay's team, they win the title last year too. I 100% agree with that. Yeah.

Like that they are close enough as players and the thunder are so excellently constructed. And kind of the perfect team for Luca to play with. Yeah, they're the perfect team for any player in the league to play with because every single player on their team is good defensively and they're crazy deep and they're well-coached and they've got all that draft capital and they're young and athletic. Yeah, the situation that Shea is in

would be the best for anybody and I do think a few players would be able to produce around there. You did it by career and I was just thinking about because I don't necessarily care because they came in as such different guys. Luca is basically a professional athlete who was Euroleague MVP at 17 and Shea more of a prospect who has developed. I just, I think that their numbers this year are very, very close.

And again, absolutely. Luca better passer. They're one and two in scoring. They're one and two in free throw attempts. But I think you would agree finishing second in defensive, whatever you said for Luca. She's a much better defensive player than Luca, right? Shea's a better defensive player who also zero times at any point has to guard the other team's best player. I mean, he was voted if there was a third team all NBA defense last year, he got enough votes for it.

Like he is, can. Huh? Well, they do. Say that again? I just want you to say that. I want you with a straight face say what you were about to say right there. If there was a third team all NBA defense, he would have made it, which means. Is there a third team all NBA defense?

No, but you have votes. No, I get it. But players get votes. And the top 10 make the team. And so he got enough votes where he would have been like 12. Yeah. And so he finished third team. I saw your defensive rating thing.

The defense rating is. That's a team stat. Sure. Sure. But you also know that Shea is a better defense. She's a better defensive player than Luca. Okay. And they're close offensive way.

I don't know that I, that's the part I don't think I agree with you on. They average within one point. They are close. They are close scoring. They are not close rebounding or passing. They're not. But they are close in efficiency off. Yeah, no, which is part of the scoring.

They are close individual scores. Luca is one of the best passers ever. Shea is not one of the best passers in the Western Conference today. Luca is one of the best guard rebounders ever. Shea is a good guard rebounder. Like, I just, no, I don't think, that is where I think that Luca gets shortchanged and that we over-emphasize his defensive weaknesses. I think Shea's going to win the MVP.

I think Shea's a great player, but. I'd rather have loop them. Another frenemies win for me. Fernando Mendoza and Kurt Cousins. Who should start week one? Willie Colon next. Willie last night, the Crown quarterfinals tipped off. Oklahoma advanced after a 90-86 win over Colorado,

thanks to Nigel Pax, 20 points, five assists, and two blocks. They faced Baylor after the Bears defeated Minnesota. 6748. Cameron Carr had 15, 9, and 2. So we check an updated look at the crown bracket. Top half completed. Bottom half, still to go. It's better than a college basketball tournament in Vegas.

Oh, nothing, man. Listen, watch out for Stanford's freshman sensation of Buka or Corey. Big time guard should light it up tonight. We'll see. Okay, man, you are. How do you feel about that? I think you nailed it, is what I think. And yesterday you were dropping Rutgers.

knowledge, so this is Willie's big night. Let's do it. In the crown. We'll be watching right here on FS1. The NFL. Kirk Cousins is a Raider. One year deal guaranteeing him $20 million. He gets 11 from the Raiders, 9 from the Falcons, continues to be a legend at the bank.

Although in Indiana, Fernando Mendoza, the assumed number one pick, of course, to the Raiders, had his pro day. By all accounts, did a great job. League meetings, Willie, Clint Kubiak, new coach of the Raiders said his preference would be to start a more mature quarterback that would appear to be. be what's happening now with Kirk Cousins and that guarantee. So more likely to start week one, who should start week one, Cousins or Mendoza. Oh, it should be Kurt Cousins. And I'm happy Clint Kubiak gets to reunite with Kurt Couss. Obviously, they have some history from their days

in Minnesota. But when you talk about what makes sense, and this goes back to what John Spitech has been saying, they want to build this thing up brick by brick. And I'm just going to take a small pivot. Listen, Las Vegas offers a lot of distractions. Let's just keep. Let's keep. Let's keep. Let's keep you the buck. Sure. I've been distracted in Vegas. And I say that because in 2013, I had a young Gino Smith step into New York. And there was a lot put on his plate considering that he wasn't supposed to be the starter.

It's supposed to be Mark Sanchez. Mark Sanchez gets hurt in a preseason game. We wheel out. Not wheel out like he was hurt. But we roll out. We usher out Gino Smith, man. And I can remember when he ran out the tunnel. And they played his music was Jay-Z's 99 Problems.

Yeah, okay. Right, that song, right? I won't finish it just for TV purposes. Thank you. Nevertheless, man, I remember saying, uh-oh, because it felt like he was trying to live up to what the streets were talking about, right? Like he was trying to wear that persona. He was trying to live up to being the king of New York.

Well, we just needed him to be the quarterback for the New York Jets. And I think some of the all-field distractions on top of managing being a big-time quarterback in the spot, got in his way. As a guy who played with a young quarterback, you know, sometimes from the neck up, can be ready from the neck down, playing that long, dealing with those hits, being, being an NFL quarterback takes a toll. So I think giving him a year where you allow Kurt Cousins to kind of be a year? A year. Yeah, 100%. Let them have a year. What's the rush? The Super Bowl will be in Las Vegas in 2009. If you're, if you're serious about this long-term plan, you want Fernando

Mendoza to be your starting quarterback when the Super Bowl comes around for you. Not banged up, that quarterback questions, none of that. I think everything you said makes sense. And And I think that you don't give Kirk Cousins $20 million guaranteed for him not, even if half of it's not being paid by you, for him not to be the week one starter. So I assume he is going to be the week one starter. I promise you it won't be for 17 games. You don't. No. It won't even happen.

No chance, man. Okay. Teams play their guys. But where does it get you? Well, when you draft someone with the number one pick, a high pick, you want to find. out if he's the guy as soon as possible. Right. Because if he's not the guy, you want to pivot off of him as soon as possible.

But you're not going to know he's the guy in year one. I mean, you can know that he's the guy. You might not be able to know that he's not the guy. Yeah. So, and Fernando Mendoza played in a pro-style system last year for 16 games, won a national championship, and is 22 years old. This is not some guy who can't have, who has no ability coming from a spread offense. It's not that there's not a time of spread offense in the NFL, but it used to be, like, spread to pro style or small conference or like Josh Allen from Wyoming or like big 12 quarterbacks that never had success.

This guy played in the Big Ten in the national championship and a pro style system. With a lot of weapons who were all who had long in a tooth, 36 college starts. Like he will play next year. I'd bet anything that he plays next year. I don't, first of all, I don't, I don't, there's nothing push back against that because that's what history tells us. Yeah, I got to agree with that. on top of that, I would say if you're serious about his development, there's nothing wrong with entertaining saying, hey, man, let's continue to build this roster up. And then when he's ready, and we feel like this ready, this offense or this roster is

built to kind of help him out or be the best he can be, then we throw him out there. I always think with that, then he shouldn't be in the number two quarterback. Then he should just full red shirt year and nothing that happens. But I mean, I remember being in Chicago when they signed Mike Glennon to a one year 18 million deal because they said we were going to sit Mitch Trubisky for the whole year. And four weeks into the year, Mike Glennon was leading the league in turnovers, and there was Mitch Trubisky starting week five, and the rest was history. So I agree it can be a detriment, but Trubisky had one year starting.

This guy's had three years. I will be floored if Mendoza doesn't play the majority of the games. Baseball. Getting it right. Already, yet again. Sports on a roll. Finally. All right.

We're a week into the regular season, Willie. and we had our first game that ended on an ABS challenge overturned. Called it a ball, was strike three, replay coming. We can say with certainty no MLB game has ever ended like this before. That was in the Orioles Rangers game last night. So is it already a success? What are your early thoughts on the ABS system? Oh, I love it.

I think it's definitely elevated the game. The fact that we get to finally talk about situational baseball, like we talk about situational football, because of this system. Like, think about it. Like, if it's the top of the knife, it's five, let's say five for it, right? And you have one challenge left. If you're at bat and you know your clothes is coming out,

you shouldn't use that challenge, right? You should wait to the bottom of the knife and leave it for your pitcher and catcher. So now we get to evaluate those situations. And listen, I think these guys are still learning how to use it. But when you see the crowd, stand up after a challenge, like if we're in the Coliseum and it's amazing. So I'm all about it, D.P. What I like is, like the tennis system, it just is what it is.

There's no ambiguity. Sometimes in football, they're like, I think it shouldn't stand. And then the rest, like, it's overturned, and I'm more confused. This is black and white. I like it. Good job baseball. Good job baseball.