The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Alley Oop 163: Cade Cunningham: Superstar Leap or Empty Hype? | Zach Harper + Spurs, Luka & Olympics

Episode Date: February 27, 2026

Is Cade Cunningham getting the respect he deserves… or is the hype machine in overdrive? This week on Alley Oop, Juju and Trysta welcome Zach Harper from The Athletic for a full-on NBA debate episode — and things get SPICY. We kick things off with the big question: • Is Cade Cunningham an MVP candidate… or are we getting ahead of ourselves? Does he deserve praise for carrying Detroit — or shade for the results? From there, the besmirching spreads: • Are the Spurs the second-best team in the West? • Can ANYONE beat Team USA in Olympic basketball? • Who are the true powerhouses — East vs West? • Why won’t Luka shoot when he’s WIDE OPEN?! • Kelsey Plum does an Aliyah Boston elbow impression and we cannot recover. It’s debates, hot takes, chaos, and a LOT of shade. If you love NBA debates, spicy basketball takes, and zero chill analysis — you’re in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh, oh, majesty, mindy. Hey, majesty, mindy. We come for the wings. We come for the wings. We stay for the ass. We stay for the ass. Welcome back to the alley. Oop.

I am Jujugadi. Join by my sister as always. Trista Crick. How you doing, sis? It was pretty good, right, Zach? It was dead on. Dead on pre-show. She did an impeccable.

Juju impersonation. Come on, man. And to say the least, the man, not the myth. Zach Harper is joining us today. How you been, my brother? 60% man, 40% myth. So pretty good. Man, that's not what I hear from the ladies.

Moving on. We got a lot of stuff going on in the NBA. Let's go right into it, man. K. Cunningham, MVP, Canada. Is it right? I need you to adjudicate this, heck. I believe if Cade Cunningham messes around and wins the MVP, he should give the award back. He is not a true creator for himself.

You go into synergy. Every offensive metric is good to average, to below average. He does not generate space. He is an excellent defender. He is an excellent passer. He is a terrible three-point shooter. and for a guard, I want somebody to do better in that regard. Is it valid yes or no to have this besmirching play the beat of Cade Cunningham?

I hope it just starts playing over and over because he pushed the button so much. Throughout. Yeah. That's a lot of besmirching. I do not think there's any world in which he should be the MVP. So I'll say that. Okay. Like what do we?

Say it with your chest, Zach. What are we doing? Like this is Yokicch's award or SGA's award. And if it's Jalen Brown or Cade Cunningham or Victor Wembenyama, no thank you. That is strictly, we now have a 65 game rule and those dudes didn't become eligible because of that, which is stupid. It's a stupid rule for the, especially for the MVP. That's an MVP by default. You cannot have an MVP by default.

We often have someone coming out of the east by default, but you can't have an MVP by default. That's not okay. You right. I feel you. Back to Cade. Yeah. We're not about to allow you this. Right.

He just did it like this. He's a professional bullish. Man, by the way, if you don't know, now you know, my boy, Zat is a professional who Dini.

You just saw it. He ain't answered a damn thing. He was like, you step out of a damn question. He was like a ego soaked in oil. He slipped right out of that thing. Absolutely.

Yeah. No, did he? No, I'll, definitely no, did he. I do think like, yeah, he's a horrible, he's a horrible three-point shooter, especially if like what you want as a guard. I wonder how much of not creating space is because they literally have one shooter on that team. I do think that matters.

Like you have so much that is just paint-focused and like, I don't know. I don't know that you're worried about too much of the, of like, swinging, you know, the pass or whatever. I think like he's someone I've been highly critical of the past. I do think like he's become a really good clutch player. Right? And I think that matters.

I think that matters like not three point shooting, but everything else like eight like he creates a great midrange shot for himself. He knocks it down. He gets a free to the line. So I think I think Kate is like like for me he's he's on the MVP ballot. He's just not the MVP. Paul George wants to finish third on an MVP ballot. He wasn't close to the MVP.

Like that that's where I think. Kate is this year. Like for me, he's first team all-MBA. But I don't know that he's like overrated. I think he's just overstated at this point for this season because people are hedging their bets going, well, you know, if SGA doesn't qualify and Jokic doesn't qualify, it's got to go to somebody. Like you even like your guy, Stan Van Gundy, like a week and a half ago doing a Pistons

next game and he starts going off on how Kate Cunningham needs to be in the MVP. conversation. You know what that means? I don't believe he's the MVP, but I do think he should be on the ballot, which is a nothing thing. When people are talking about the MVP conversation, that's a cowardice of I will not pick this guy. I just want you know I've been watching him.

Does Kate have a bag? Yes or no? No. What is happening, right? No, but he's, but he's quick enough and has good enough size of the point guard position. Like, I don't think he needs a real bag. He's very strong. He's just has to be able to turn the corner. Yeah, he is very strong.

Yeah. He can get to the mid-range for a guard. He can go left enough. He goes left. See, here we go. This is like, he can go left enough. We're doing a lot of hooping and hollering for Cade because this is a, let's be honest. Push the button again, Dylan.

The other smetka. Listen, Detroit's a cute story. Okay, we're very happy that they got out of the basement and their 14-win season. most consecutive losses in NBA history. I'm not acknowledging that flag. But this team is vastly now been swung in a very high position. And Cade is a part of that hype, in my opinion. And I like Cade-ish.

But I don't even think he's in the MVP discussion. No, like, because who are the other, like, who are the five in the ballot then if he's not in there? Ant, Wemby, Jalen Brown, Shea Yolke. Yeah, I can't, Ant's my guy. I can't put him in there yet. They've given away too many dumb games, although Aunt has been spectacular this year.

I do think Cade, but also this might be conference dependent. Now that I'm thinking about it. Yeah, they'd be the number one seat. They would be the number. They'd be the best team in the number one seat. Like Detroit, I'm going to say I don't want to take away from their accomplishment as I'm about to take away from their accomplishment. Detroit is the one seed kind of by default. Like the Knicks are supposed to be better, right?

There it is. Let him know. Give me that besmircher drop. I feel like I'm, I know. He deserves a bit of a smirch. I'll take it. I'll take it. Yeah.

Brough, both of y'all, I got one message for both of y'all. Just because I love y'all. Stay off the week. Duh. You guys got to be kidding me talking about Does Kate have a bag? Are you kidding? Do we have a bag highlight?

Find me the highlight. He has a bag highlight. He got a bag highlights. Wake up. Second of all. Does he have a layout package? Second of all. Second of all.

I don't like the tongue. Does he have an in and out? Does he have a hezy? Trista, you line stepping right now. Trista, you line stepping and I will not approve it. I'm going to throw a flag on you. You already got two and a challenge. So what I'm saying, see and I lost my track of day, I'm thinking,

I'm saying Cade, Kedric, no matter what, I don't like the tuck rule. I don't like that. A man just says, hmm, the point went out right here. I'm just standing here. Here's where I don't like none of that, but that's how it goes. Unfortunately, the Joker and Shay might be in L. And so if that actually happens, who are we going to give it to? Whamby?

Then we have a MVP by default. And who gets it? Oh, we're getting paid bag work. Here we go. Let's see it. All right. This is going to be funny. This shows out of the room.

And then he said, they foul more than anyone. And they... Mouth. Come on. It wasn't horrible, but like, it was so stiff. Man, we got to move out. I think Kauai Leonard has a deeper bag. River went like a...

When all of a sudden everyone freaked out because Blake Griffin was like going between his legs up, but he didn't really go anywhere with it. Yes. This is what I'm saying. Yeah. Like I think Cade's like a year away from like using that to like really get somewhere. Like he's showing like, hey, I don't, I do the-d-I-can dribble. I got it.

Can you create space with the dribble? I feel like I'm watching Beavis and Butthead right now. Watch the R-EM. Play the Cade bag video again. Don't play it again. No, we got to move on. Another one of you answered a damn question the whole time because if it's a bunch of the Wemby.

Joker, exactly. I said Whimby. Exactly. Non-starred shirts. For me, though, I agree that the team is a little ahead of his time. The problem is Kay can't have a bad game for the Detroit Pistons, for them to even win. Unlike how Shea and them happen. So as good as they are, they're only as good as Shade takes something.

I think they're a year away. They should have made a move at the break. Should have made a move at the break, for sure. You feel me? Because Malik Beasley and, what, Tim Hardaway, Jr., provided something that Duncan Robinson just doesn't. He had head fake and dribble maybe once. Tim Robertson, I mean, Tim Hardaway, hit fake, dunk on your ass. Same with my boy, Millie Beezer, get well son.

Moving on, though. Get well soon. Yeah. So if you don't know, but now you know. DMP allegedly. It's got that allegationitis right now. Look, y'all mentioned one of the MVP candidates as well. Victor Wimbienaima, who has his team right now, I think, has, if not, a brighter.

just as bright of a future as OKC right now, in my opinion. You did. See, look, you raise bait. She's pushing it too far as this. You see what I'm saying? This is how not during, this is Black History Month, Trista, first and second most. Don't get me get the third most.

But Wimby had a latluster game against the Toronto Raptors other night. You did. And that team still finds a way to find a way. You did? Because no matter what's going on on, on the offensive end, you got to maneuver through the trees that are victory when in my mama. My boy had a no look non-jump block the other night.

What is this? Are the spurs the scariest team in the West, not named the Thunder? No. Ooh, the smirch again, goddamn. I think, yes, just because I don't trust Aaron Gordon's hamstring coming back. We've been dealing with his hammies. having problems since the playoffs last year. We've had two incidents this year.

I think Aaron Gordon, outside of Yokic, is the most important role player in the West. Like, I think he's the most important player besides Yokic on the Denver Nuggets. Without him, I think they're cooked. I think Minnesota has danger qualities because they've been to the Western Conference two times in a row,

Western Conference Finals, excuse me, two times in a row. But like, it just feels, they should have beat the hell out of the Blazers the other night. Six and a half point favorites, only win by three. giving up double-digit leads multiple times against teams.

I think they should blow out. And I don't trust Houston offensively. They're kind of a little like the Detroit Pistons of the West to me. Like, whoa, where's the buckets go? A couple of Thompson twins, I think are kind of a key piece of that element. But smart of the Thompson twins. I love them. I love them so much, but they are really offensively limited from a shooting perspective.

Okay, I was about to pick the yellow up. From a shooting perspective. Anyway, so for me, it is the Spurs. I think they're upside and their health. And Victor William on the team makes them the most dangerous outside of OKC. Zach, who is it for you? It's Big Honey, is Yokic. Like, he, like, I get it.

I'm with you, but Aaron Gordon Hamstring is super concerning. This is a year of this, and that's super concerning. Like, he took an elite, historic Thunder team to seven with a, a not very good team. And they are, you know, they do need Aaron Gord, but like Jamal Murray finally had a good regular season where he got to be an All-Star. Like, Tim Hardaway Jr. came in.

Bruce Brown, Bruce Brown came back. Like, they brought him Balanchunas who hasn't solved the non-yokic minutes, but they also were like eight and five when he was out, which you would have never thought they'd go eight and five in that stretch. Can we bitch merch for a second? Yeah. The Marcia.

I love Jamal Murray. He's one of my favorite players. Is Jamal Murray an all-star if Yokish doesn't go down with that knee. Probably not, but this is the best he's played in the regular season. It is. He's been awesome.

And he's usually... Unnecessary but smirch. He's usually... I'm just tallying him. I'm tallying him. It's not that we brought up like scary team Canada who didn't even meddle in the Olympics, but we got to worry about the world.

We can get to that. We can besmirch the world next if you want to because I'm not worried about them in 2028 at all, team USA all the way. But this, this Nuggets team, they don't need much, but they do need some Aaron Gordon. They do need some Aaron Gordon.

What I'm saying is Canada is the new Australia where it's like, oh my God, they got all this talent. Look out for them and then they don't meddle. Bro, when I woke up this morning, he didn't know. We can besmirch the world. It's not a sin as I expected to hear today.

Let me clarify this. Just talk about basketball, okay? I'm not, this ain't a, we're not going on that side. out of the aisle. This is just about basketball. I'm not worried about, I'm not worried about I don't even got it out of baseball. By the way, the world's going to fix

the all day. They went 0 and 2. Get them out of here. USA all the way when it comes to basketball. Hold on. There was no Yogish. There was no Luka. There was no, there was no shame. You put all of these European teams together, including

Canada, and they beat the hell out of the USA. No way. Not a chance. Luca, Wembe, Yokic. First of all, those three right there, you're a rap. Shea, Janus. You know what we're not doing, though? You know what we're not doing in the Olympics?

Hey, the world gets to team up. Yeah. No. Team Canada. Take your Dylan Brooks and get out of here. You don't get to go to the bronze medal. You don't get on the podium. So we're for smirking Canada and not the world.

All I heard about for years was, uh-oh, look out for team Canada. Didn't see him on the podium. You see how besmirching is a sickness, dog. Where did they go? Like it's so fun that when you just give somebody the opening the besmirch. Lookouts for France. Why? Because yaboo's on the team.

Get out of here. Come on. Br. To the flat, you got another flat trust. Just by the way, within that for the listening audience because she besmirched the USA. I don't get to damn what you assemble. We're going to win. We're going to win the rest of the world.

Like we almost lost a friend. but Steph Curry had to go nuclear. France was trying to come back and Steph put them to bed. Steph Curry saved the world. Serbia was sketchy. How about that loss we had to Nigeria? Yeah, a get right game. We're just warming up.

Step Curry saved the world. That's what he did. Joe L&B helped save the world. That's what he did. I'm so sorry. Everybody who lived in the team USA. He doesn't want to be associated with the world. He's like, let me go to Team USA.

Come on, man. Man, return coat. We love him. We love a turn coat. We love a turn coat. French turn coat. Moving on, man. Look, I can't believe we got this far in the show with two damn topics.

And we don't have submerged Earth, USA, and the damn monsters. Like, but it's the legend right now in the, in the, in the, in the, in the, just the world, I guess, is that the east is so much more weaker than the West, man. But I'm starting to see like a little bit. different in my opinion. I don't think the West just running away with no down better than the East. So let's go seed by seed and let's

disset this as fast as we can. We don't have to besmirch every single person on each team. Okay, that's a good point that you make. Thank you for telling you. You feel me? Come on, guy. All right. You're trying to condense this for smurchment.

Yeah. Exactly. Number eight, man. Miami Heat versus the Golden State Warriors. Who do you, who you got? West. Yeah. West.

Okay. Well, that was anti-climate. Steph Curry versus Tyler here. I'm good. Yeah. I forgot that. He has been asked lately. Number seven, Orlando versus Phoenix.

Phoenix. Well, wait. Is Devin Booker and Dylan Brooks? Are they healthy? Are we taking? That's the problem. I don't know that part because I feel you. But as of right now,

as of now, is Orlando still Orlando? Yeah. They got, they still got, Epcot Center. All right, Phoenix. You show me one easy bucket that they get and I'll start believing. Everything's a damn grind on the office.

See, it is. It's a grind. I always say Kay Cunningham, the rich man's palo ban caro. Damn, okay, that's, this is unnecessary. Where is my flag? There we go. Thank you, thank you, yes, that is. Number five. That's 15 yards. Goodness. Exactly. Okay, but also to salute to Jonathan Isis Mohawk. Bruh, it's

just a word of advice, Jonathan Isaac. the Mohawk young L.A. Ain't I? Days are over. Let the Mohawk go. Number six, Philly versus L.A. Philly. Yeah. That Lakers team stinks. Right, bro. That Luka non-shot at the buzzer the other night. What the hell was that? Then my boy, glitch.

Could I, let me say this. Everyone's always like, yeah, but the Lakers haven't been healthy this year. You know what their numbers are when Luca, LeBron, and Austin Reeves are on the floor together? They're minus 8.4 per 100%. That team stinks. Stinks. Damn. Stinks the high hell.

And now Clint Capella or no, now DeAndre Aden's mad because he wanted to be Clint Capella. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Unleashed her. Unleashed Bismercher. Go ahead. They have turned our boy DeAndre Aiton into a blonde Clint Capella. He's going through a midlife crisis right now because they've turned him into only a law threat. He's got a deeper bag than that. I like that.

That bag is a travel bag for when mid-April. hits and he gets to go on vacation. That's when that, that's what that bag is. After or before they gather? Look, the answer to A. Now, it's got the hit damn mind because, bro, you are not Clint Capella newsflash. The Lakers wish they had, exactly. The Lakers wish they had anybody that had any kind of dog in them bigger than your dog, neither here nor there. Number five, Minnesota versus Cleveland. Minnesota. No question. Right, no, Minnesota versus Cleveland. James.

Toronto. Oh, my bad, my bad, Toronto. Sorry about that. Either one of Minnesota. Doesn't matter. I mean, yeah, Toronto. Trista's choking. I didn't know she was the calves in the playoffs.

This is, uh, Toronto. Hey, yo. Number four. Cleveland versus Denver. Come on. Come on. Denver. I heard that.

Aaron Gordon could retire. I'm taking Denver there. That's, yeah. The Knicks versus the Rockets. I'll go Knicks. I'll go Knicks. Yeah, I don't know what the Rockets do at the end of games. Me neither, man.

Neither does Reed Shepard. The Celtics versus the Spurs. Oh, flag on yourself. That was unnecessary. This one's tight. I think I go Celtics. Number one. The Thunder versus the pistons.

Thunder. Damn near took. the blue, the G-League team last night over the Pistons. I'll go with the Thunder. Yeah, this is. Look, and as, if you keep a score at home, the West is better than the East. What was I thinking? This shouldn't have been a topic. No, it's a great topic.

This is a great topic. If the calves were a four-seed, it would have changed everything. I mean, or five-seed. If there were a five-seat, would change everything. Oh, no, I still think. Timberl has actually done something in the playoffs. Mr. Rebecca, let's get to some video. man. Let's move on to a segment we like to call

Boy Stop. Here's your, here's my MVP. Kay Cannon. Kay Cunningham. Pushing the hell out of Stefan Kasson. He had my boy in the clamps, man. That's the true sign of a clamp. When you got an unnecessary sign of aggression

that makes no sense to nobody except the aggressor, It makes sense to me. He can't Euro step around them because he doesn't have the footwork. Oh, goodness. Goodness gracious of that. Goodness. Yeah.

Well, yeah, this is also a game where they just kept like hitting Wemby in his, like in the smallest back as much as possible. And it's like, but then they're going to complain we don't get any whistles.

I'm good. I love Jalen Duren, though. I like how physical this Detroit team is. Ayes, Bleeball. It worked until Wemby had enough. When Isaiah Stewart was bleeding from his face coming for LeBron,

I was like, this is a man after my own heart. Oh, yeah. No, I'm not messing with Isaiah. Beef, Stu. Come on, man. Exactly. Y'all see him dispersing K. Like, Isaiah Stewart, don't listen to this. Y'all know my boy listen to this every episode. Damn.

You're being me? What we got next, Miss Rebecca. Oh, the Luca, man. Come on, bro. We talked about earlier. Luca Donchish. Trigger shy Trigger unhappy

Did my boy Wide open That shot I'm talking about Bro, what's you doing? And Shouts out to everybody Who out there needed

Just one and a half More point from Luca My boy To come home I'm gonna send y'all To the group chat I'm just not even a lie I'm being dead serious

Bro Luca Open And grenade That'll be that open open enough for him to get a shot off. Definitely. I mean, I think Draft Kings will be sending an email.

Just if you hear me, to Pablo Torre will be sending the email too, by the way, Luke Godinche. Enjoyed it. Enjoy this week. How do you force LeBron into a post-up turnaround jump shot at the three-point wig? Like, at the break there on the way. Like, that's a grenade. Right.

The whole way back. He did this the whole way back to the locker room. LeBron did something to him. Spaghetti lasagna. Like Luca, boy, stop, man. Shoot the damn ball, man. I can't be shooting over the goal. Shoot it.

When we got last and last video, man. We're moving over to the unrivalie. Man, we got Kelsey Plum, man. Showing Alia Boston exactly how the world perceives Aliya Boston. Uh-oh. I can dig it. Calcino plum, lino.

Look at her. Bowes. Boes. Lootucous. Bowes. Pivot. Pivot. Look.

She might have been generous with her pivots. It's not wrong. Right. You know? Like it's this. Boom. Well, yeah. Like this is.

That's my dog. Yeah. What do you think, Triss? Is that my dog? In the post, is that how she? That's our dog in the post. I love Alia Boston. He's incredible.

She really is one of the most elbow-laden post players I've ever seen. And she'll swing them like this, too. Oh, yeah. Let me create some space like a Buddhist. Come on, man. We always rule for a leader boss. But girl, don't act like this is new to you. She's like, done on.

Yeah. She's looking like, what, me? Who you're doing right now? She said you're the reason that people think that. No. There's Reddit threads already made about this. Girl, stop. She said I haven't elbowed anybody this season.

There's no way. That's true. Unless the season just started. No, there's no. I guarantee she's been elbowing people. There's no way. Right, man. But that's going to do it for the Ali Ups show, man.

Thank y'all so much for joining us. Also, side note. well soon to Rip Petino in St. John's 18 minutes without no damn bucking. Run everybody. Everybody get on the line. Right. Everybody get on the line and run until I blow the whistle. You did.

Thank you so much for joining us at. Oh, my goodness, bro. Like I always want to put this on wax whenever we have you on. You're one of the people that made me originally believe that I make it do this damn podcast. Crazy you didn't think you could. Brosey you didn't think you could. Confidence is a mother effort.

You dig? Sometimes we need our friends and you have been that friend to me and I want to always salute you and commend you for being that way for me, bro. I wish you nothing but success. Right. Great show. Honestly, just a phenomenally funny show. Zach, your perfect compliment.

Look, I'm happy to besmirch anytime. This is my love language right here. Yeah, social media. Who cares? Check out the Bounce free newsletter that I do every day from The Athletic. The Athletic.com slash The Bounce. You can catch me on NBA radio every day from one to two Eastern with Mark Stein or Chris Haynes or Amina al-Hasson. And then check out Cinepho podcast.

We Breakdown Movies. You're afraid to Mitchie-Mit-Mit-Bin-Bit-Bounce. What the hell is that? As always, I'm so, Ms. Rebecca, we love you. It's my new text tone. That's what that is. And Distinguished Dylan. Thank you as always for your service.

Trista, you know exactly how I feel about you, too. Same way I talk about Zach. You already know that. That's how we even got here. You dig it. And catch us next Tuesday. Same bad time. Same bad channel.

From Miami. Hey. In the Maya, yo, where they cook up? Lock in. Lock in. Locket.