The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Postgame Show: DPOY

Episode Date: March 9, 2026

"You're my glue guy in the bay, and I love you..." Jeremy has a Stat of the Day about, well, you can guess who, which leads us to an old song from Mike Ryan about Draymond Green. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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and book an assessment today. Medcan. Live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. the day, start of the day, start of the day, and this year's start of the day, start of the day, start of the day, in this year, start of the day, start of the day, start of the day, in this year, start of the day. Per Cooper Morehead, the manager of basketball content for the Miami Heat,

there have been three players in the NBA this season to go plus 215 in their time on the court over the course of 15 games. Those three players, Shea Gildjus Alexander, Derek White, and Bamadabio, presently. You're going to keep doing this with Banerabio? Yes, I am. He's been great recently, and they played Brooklyn twice. Yeah, he's one of the best players in the NBA. His on-off numbers are only worse than Nikoliyokic.

He's been... The only player who affects winning more than Bamatabio this season is Nikoliyok. He's been really great since like mid-January. Yep. And it's weird because if you remember the conversation at that point. You traded him. It was shocking to hear two-time champion broadcaster Zaslo come out. And since then, he has been exceptional.

But you traded him. You said it's over. Enough of this. I don't think that he's a number one. I don't think you can win anything with him as your best player. My opinion has, well, yes, see, my opinion there hasn't changed. Like, I wasn't saying that because Bam was not. performing well this season. I was saying that because next year, BAM's salary goes up to

$50 million. And I don't believe that you can win with BAM making $50 million. I just told you that in terms of on-off, literally the only person with a greater impact when they are playing in the lineup versus when they are not. Is Nikoliyo-y-y-yokich is plus 10 when he's in there. Whenever he's not in there, they're minus 10. The Nuggets over the last few seasons. In my lifetime, there's never been that particular discreet. between on-off numbers, where a guy makes you a champion when he's on the court, and when he's not on the court, you're the worst team in the league kind of bad. Bam Otabio, the Miami Heat, when Barry Jackson put out their Ten Commandments philosophically,

one of them was, we will not trade Bam out of bio. I do think that locally, people underestimate the value of a guy like that who is, that good defensively, able to guard five guys and always available. I think because defense is something that sports fans and media have a real tough time getting around empirically, that there's a misunderstanding that the Miami Heat have been good at defense. They've got the fourth best defense in the league this year because he's at the center of it. Like that's not up for debate.

It's weird though, right? I don't think there have been many teams ever where the fan base understands that our centerpiece is a defensive player and know how to do the measurements on that. Draymond Green gets more credit for energy and attitude than he does for defensive player of the year's centerpiece for a champion. It's offense that we fall in love with. So we give Golden States a lot of credit for how good they are offensively without doing the the appropriate measurements on him being an unprecedented player at his size defensively. We just

don't celebrate it correctly. We don't measure it correctly. And the reason the Miami Heat are good at defense is because that guy can guard anybody on the floor. He really is an amazing athletic specimen. It is strange, right? To watch Khalil Ware block all the net shots and you're like watching somebody and you're like,

good God, how is it possible that that person is that athletic? but I do believe because Bam is smaller, it's funny to call someone who's six, nine, smaller, but because he's smaller, I don't think that he gets the credit he deserves defensively. And that's not even an opinion. That's factual. He's not actually ever considered for defensive player of the year when he should be. And like, I get what you're saying, Jeremy, that the only guy who he's up there with

and plus minus is the best player in the world, and that's Nicola Yoakich. But yeah, Nicola Yolkich is with him as the best player. they're a championship contender. And with Bam as the East Best Player, they've proven to not be a championship contender. They have been a lot better since they decided to run the offense through him, actually. Because that's been the big difference over the last month and a half. I don't know.

Come on. I mean, I don't think so. I don't think so this season necessarily. But I do think that when you build the roster correctly around that player, as opposed to building your roster around the player who was here before, right? Because Bamma Tobio has been your glue guy through all of this, right? He's the versatile one. He's the one who some nights will take a lot of shots.

Other nights doesn't have to take that many shots. Always available, though. Always available. Not a small thing. And always anchoring your defense no matter who's in there. The reason things have gotten better and the reason they're able to play Ware and out of bio together now is because they're playing different schemes at different times with different lineups.

So with the starting lineup, they're playing one defensive scheme. And he's out there anchoring that defensive lineup. And now, in their rotation, they're taking him out earlier so they can pair him with Colow Ware. A guy he's brought alongside him, and he's able to mask for some of those deficiencies because they're able to play his own defense. It's a totally different team because they've decided, you know what? Eric Pulster said it after this past game. He's in his prime.

They're going to play him a ton of minutes. They're going to run the offense through him. They're going to run the defense through him. And they've been a better team as a result of it. I'm a big fan of Bam. I don't want it to come off sounding like I don't want Bam on the Miami Heat or that I don't like him. You traded him two months ago. I don't think he can be your best player.

And right now, the evidence supports me. I understand. There's only one champion. And so ultimately, like, we've always talked about it. There's winning and there's misery, right? What I'm saying is that there's one player in the league in the Eastern Conference who is at that level in terms of impacting winning when he's on the floor. Spam out of bio. I think that Jeremy sounds always incredibly homerific when it relates to the heat, but not quite as homerific as the other day when I heard both Eric Reed and John. Crotty just raving about how when he calls challenges, Spoh runs out on the court and tries to influence the officials. They're going to video. There's nothing you can do in terms of influencing them when they go to video. Once they go to video, you could just watch the video.

There's nothing that Eric Spolster said before they watched the video that's going to have any impact on what it is they see on the video. I like it. I like it. You could see Spoh, like when he calls the time out and he twirls the finger, he's literally like muttering under his breath. You are so bad. That was such a terrible call.

He comes out on the court. But there are people around here who do actually appreciate defense. Mike Ryan once serenated Draymond Green. DePoy, you're my glue guy in the bay and I love you. You have made you. Your team are fave because you are good. Draymond green. There's so many positions that you can guard.

I shall sing of your defense forevermore. And your deep versatility with your wet shot. Who deserve to win tough in the pose because you're so strong Concord one through five well and I like that You have come into the league and destroyed it The voters have a clear East Coast agenda and it hurts me Cause your games start at 1030 They miss them

Those cat ones from Cleveland LaShape He knows he stole your trophy Jumpers are tough because you're so long Only D11E The size is where Because deep a thing I want you To know

You're the best in the league. You're my deep boy.