The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 Points with Chris Mannix - Nick Wright on the problem with NBA MVP voting, should Jokic win?

Episode Date: March 10, 2023

‘First Things First’ host Nick Wright joins Chris to discuss the issues he has with NBA MVP voters. The two debate whether voting should be anonymous, if the doubt surrounding the Nuggets should impact Nikola Jokic's MVP case, and whether Jokic should be held to similar standards as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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or visit 1-800 gambler.net in West Virginia. Welcome back to another boxing with Chris Mannix. As always, you can listen to the show live on the AMP app. Just follow Chris. Manix on Amp. All right, there is a debate raging right now on television, on podcasts, on social media, about the MVP voting in the NBA, specifically as we come down to the final month of the regular season, the voting for this year's MVP, where there are probably three

maybe four top candidates for that award. And in general, I feel like there has been some attacks on the voting and the voters over the last couple of months about the process. Some of them can be dismissed rather easily. I mean, I don't want to get too deep into what Kendrick Perkins said on ESPN about race and voting because of race. His take was pretty quickly dismissed after, you know, when he pulled his stat out of his ass,

about 80% of NBA voters are white, and he has to pay to apologize on air because of that. I don't look at that take as being anything that I want to jump into. But Nick Wright, who is the host of First Thing First on Fox Sports One, the What's Right podcast. he has been making some points that have bothered me. Okay, well, real quick, before we get to hi, Chris, thanks for having me on.

Before we get to the points I've made that have bothered you, can we spend two minutes on the Kendrick stuff for a moment? Is that okay? Yes. I know you talked a little bit about this on Collins show, but let's, yeah. Let me ask you this. Do you think that the NBA world, fans and media, mostly fans,

but throw media as well, would have been quicker to recognize that Alex Caruso is an awesome player if he wasn't a prematurely balding white guy. Because I do. Do you think that sometimes white players get reflexively dismissed at times, not because people are out and out racists, but because of preconceived notions or whatever, and that the average white player gets treated like they're a below average player

until proven otherwise? Do you think that happens? Well, you're assuming kind of a fact, not in evidence. I don't think Alex Caruso is an awesome player. I think Alex Caruso is a useful player who can defend a couple of positions and is a valuable player on a championship team, which I don't think anything has to do with. I think of Alex Caruso in kind of the same ways I thought about Malik Monk last year with the league.

Sure. I kind of the same ways I think of Malik Beasley right now with the Lakers. Sure. Maybe awesome was the wrong way to put it. The point that I was trying to lead to is while I understand J. got very upset because he didn't understand the difference between saying race might be playing a factor and calling people racists. I do think, I believe that our evaluation of basketball players at times cuts both directions against non-black players, which is, I think the

The typical white player gets downgraded a bit in the view of the average fan. And I think that the great, undeniably awesome white player sometimes gets a few extra bonus points. I think we have a long history can document that. And I do think that is not calling anyone a racist. And so in just in defense of Kendrick, I think that it is his point that, Once we have a guy that is undeniably great if they're white, that sometimes they get a few extra percentage points credit. I think we have a long history of that.

And I think Nash benefited from it. And I think maybe Yokic is, but if we remove race entirely from it, we can still have this discussion. But I didn't want to just dismiss. I thought Kendrick got accused of calling people racist when he was not calling people racist. in my opinion. There was an implicate, look, you can't come out and say inaccurately that 80% of the voters are white and not at least plant the seed that race is involved in the discussion. But there's a difference between the analogy I used on my podcast today is, I do my podcast with my son, who is black. If someone sees us together and says, I saw you guys doing the podcast.

I had no idea that you're dead. Race is a huge reason why. They didn't think I'm his dad, but that is not at all a racist thing to assume. Do you follow me? Sometimes race plays a factor without the people being racist. But I know that's not why you brought me on. You brought me on because of the things I've said

that are incredibly unimpeachably accurate and you don't know what to do with them. Here's my biggest problem. And we can get into the minutia of what you said. and your point specifically. I know that you prepare fastidiously for your show. You are extremely prepared every morning, now every afternoon for every podcast that you do.

What you've been doing over the last month, and I first heard it when you filled in for Colin on The Herd, and I heard you talking about it a little bit with Colin earlier this week. what you've been doing is you have been implying, in some ways even calling the people that vote for MVP lazy. And you have been implying that the people that vote for MVP are not doing the kind of diligence they need to do for a vote like this. And look, I have been a voter for the better part of a decade. And look, you do a lot of reporting on your show.

show. Like you will make phone calls to people to try to bring some sourcing onto the show. This has been a position that you've taken for several weeks now. You've talked about this topic. This has been a pressing topic on television. You have taken this position. And maybe you can tell me, but I don't know that you've reached out to one actual voter to discuss the process. You haven't reached out to me. I could tell you my process. In fact, I'm real quick, I'm going to tell you my process because when the end of the season comes around last week, last two weeks, putting aside the build up to it, right? So I go to dozens of games every single year.

I watch hundreds of games every single year. I don't watch every Nicola Yokic game in the same way. I don't watch every Joel M.B. Yeah, me neither. Of course. You can't do it. What I also do, though, is I've got a whole slew of NBA people that I talk to, converse, text, whatever, on a regular basis.

And I will send message to them. And I will say simply, who would you vote for MVP? It's not a poll. I don't vote. I don't take numbers and vote on the outcome, but I take note of what they say and how they say it and their argument. And I factor that into my decision to vote for MVP. So I did take offense and I was insulted by the idea that you were putting to the people

that watch you on TV, the people that follow you. on social media, that voters kind of just get to the end of the season, look at the Raptor rankings, and decide who to vote. That was the implication, Nick, whether you, whether you think it or not. No, no, no. Okay, so it wasn't just the Raptor rankings, to be fair. But the, I don't think people are, I didn't call the current voters lazy. I never said it.

I called him arrogant. And that I stand by. The cousin of it. That's kind of a cousin. No, no, I didn't mean those are, I don't know. No one has ever called me lazy about anything. Everyone has always called me arrogant. So I don't know if they're, how related they actually are.

So I am not doubting how much people watch or any of that. I am questioning whether or not the current crop of voters believe all that they have it right and every other era, generation of, voters have had it wrong. Because in order for this guy to win last year, they had to say, nope, winning not as important as everyone else has always said it is. And this year, they have to say, nope, everything is siloed. It is one year in time snapshot. No history matters. Because we have seen, we have seen so many great players win back to back to back. back and then be essentially deemed ineligible the third year. And this current group of voters is saying they were wrong.

The voters who did that, some of whom are the same voters that did it to Janus three years ago. We have it right. They have it wrong. I find that galling. And I would also say this, the current group of voters. When you're calling and making these phone calls, when you're talking, in fact, I will just ask you directly. Is Nikola Yokic the best player in the league? I'm not asking about MVP.

I'm asking, is he the best player in the league? No. Okay. If we just go to back-to-back MVP's, so Wille Russell, best player, best player, Kareem, Moses was at least arguable. Some would say no, but he was the best player then on the greatest team ever.

Bird, Magic, Michael, Duncan, not leaving anybody out, Nash, set him aside. LeBron. LeBron again. Steph, Janice, now Yokic. So that's 12, now 13 names,

11 of them. If you did a straw poll, is he the best player in the league, would have won it. Nash probably wouldn't have won it. And now Yokic. So again, last year, you guys changed,

you guys said, we know better. You don't have to be the best player in the league. Okay, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on that.

Just for context here. two years ago, I voted for Yokic for MVP, his first MVP. I thought he was better than Yonis that year. Simple as that. That's not if Yonis was what coming off the two straight, I thought Yolkich was better than Yonis. I thought others were better than Yonis too that year. I thought Yokic's primary competition in that 72 game season was Embed. I didn't vote for Embed because Embeddied played 51 of those games.

And games played matters. Even in a 72 game season, 51. was just too little. Right? So the following. And I said, if you remember that year, I was advocating for Chris Paul. Yeah. There was a lot. I don't think there was voter fatigue when it comes to, I don't think there was a standard

set when it comes to Yonis. I don't think Yonis played to that level that year. Oh, I don't think he was on that same level. While I didn't vote, wouldn't have voted for Yonis, I think what was being held against Janus was the playoff flameouts. Yeah, but you just said you wouldn't, you just said you wouldn't have voted. against Janice. So you were having the same mindset everybody else was, not to vote

for Janus. Yes, but for me it was because of the playoffs. But just so you know, I would have voted Chris Paul because if you're going to, you can't in my belief, and again, all of the history of voting belief was, first of all, you can't really win three in a row under almost any circumstances,

but if you're going to, you better also be winning championships along the way. So Janus to me went into that year de facto ineligible. I know people get mad at that, but also a lot of the people are now voting for Yokic. We heard the pod, we heard them talking about that in regards to the answer. But go ahead. So I interrupt you.

So that year. So two years ago, I voted Yokic, the 72 game season. Last year I voted M.B. Because Embed played 68 games. He was dominant on both ends of the floor. And as far as intangibles go, I gave Mbid a lot of credit for navigating the Sixers through that car wreck, the B, the Bid, Ben Simmons drove him to.

Like, I thought he deserved something a plus because of that. But to go back to the year before that, Yokic, or sorry, even last year, last year when Yokic did win, even though I didn't vote for him, he did win. I think a lot of people gave him credit because he played outstanding. And even though the Nuggets were not a top three team,

take a look, Nick, at the guys he was playing with. Yeah, I get it. Do you see the guy, hold on, in game five of that series against Golden State, they got beaten the first round. Golden State eventually won the title, so they got beat by the best team that was out there. In game five of that series, the last game, Yolk had started the game with Jeff Green, Monty Morris, Aaron Gordon, and Will Barton.

Like, who is winning at least at a playoff level against the eventual champions? Who is winning? But that is where the logic gets circular, and that is what is so frustrating. Everyone says you can't hold the first round loss against him because it came to the Warriors, which is why it behooves you to not play the Warriors in round one, which is why we don't give the MVP's two six seeds because they likely will get bounced in round one because they're playing an excellent team. And so I don't, and I understand you didn't vote for him last year.

And last year, I advocated last year for Luca. Because everyone's, everyone's talking supporting cast. Luca was without his second best player, Tim Hardaway Jr. Now, Jalen became a second best player. And that team won more. And do I feel vindicated that the two guys I've had the last two years, one of them in Luca made the conference finals beating the one seed sons? and the other one, Chris Paul, swept Yokic's team out.

Yeah, a little bit. But I, but it is, it is to me, there, there, we keep moving the goalposts. And you said at the top of the show, there are three. And then you said maybe four. I don't know who the fourth would be. To me, Yokit Jopi and Bid and Yonis have separated themselves. I was, you know. I'm giving Luca a puncher's chance in the final 20 games.

If they go on a, yeah, sure. Okay, that's fair enough. They'd have to go like 12 and three or something, get the record up there because his numbers are unbelievable. And Luke was my preseason pick, but they haven't won enough. But what was so frustrating to me, and you asked me something earlier that I'm not trying to skirt, like did I call a lot of voters? I did not. I was reacting directly to Bond Timps' column. And the fact that it was not close.

And that is what to me is where, whether it's, what Perkins brought up, the history stuff I brought up, to me, everything should be looked at if in a year where Embed is averaging more points than anyone has averaged in 40 years, not named Jordan, Coby, or Hardin, when Janus has the best record of all of them, right? and when both of those guys are demonstrably better on one end of the court, to say it's a runaway, to say it's a route to me to get back to your original point, does make one thing that the advanced numbers, which are not a perfect science, are having a wildly disproportionate impact on this discussion.

I don't think that's a hot take. I think that's undeniable. It's not a hot take. But one thing I think that has to be worked into this conversation that we're having on March 9th is that Tim Bondemps asks voters for their top five. I think it's January, February, late January, probably I have to go back and look at my text messages when he actually asked me for my top five. When he asked everybody, takes a while to compile them, all that. that was before the 15 game winning streak by the Bucks. That was before they jumped into the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

I guarantee you. It's when I started talking about it. It's when I made you mad. But go ahead. But this was all before. But this was before the Bucks were on a tear when we voted. This was before the Bucks went crazy and got the top spot in the conference. I guarantee you, if there was a new straw poll taken right now,

dead heat at best a dead heat between Janus. and Yok it's right now for the top. Well, if that's, I'm going to check real quick. If that's true, then you can make a lot of money. You can't because you vote on it so you're not allowed to gamble on it. But let me just check the latest MVP odds. And I'm not acting like Vegas is unfallible, infallible. But I do believe that Yokic is still, he's minus 260.

And Embed and Yon, or four to one or seven to one at the one that I'm looking at. Don't quote me on. Maybe that's changed a bit in the last, you know, in the last day or so. So the odds makers say he's overwhelming. And so again, maybe it would be a dead heat. But can I ask, can I ask you a question as a voter? Mm-hmm.

Because I'm really, not by you. I'm really sick of being lectured on it. This is a regular season award. and it's about this season and this season only, because again, I'm just basing on how we've done voting in the past. And in the past, it does say everyone saying it's just a regular season award and it's about this season and this season only implies that every single person starts the year in the exact same spot in the MVP race. And I don't believe history tells us that's true. I think that this year in a weird way,

I think Embed probably started 10 bases ahead of the path because it's like, man, this guy's finished second and back-to-back years. He's close, right? And I think that Janus finished well ahead of the pack when it's like, dude, since he last won an MVP, he did win a finals with a 50 piece, and he hasn't won it since. And, you know, so there's different things, right? Let's say Yokic wins this year.

and let's also say the nuggets, they're definitely going to be the one seed, they get worked in round one. Okay? Should that have any percent impact on his ability to win a fourth straight next year? No. Okay, okay.

Well, then we can't agree. If you truly, do, you're saying no, it shouldn't. Would it? Would it? Probably. If your scenario plays out, it probably would. But you don't think it should.

I don't think it should. I think we are told to vote on this award as a regular season award. We're told that. It's how we're supposed to vote. But I thought there was no, there was no, I thought there was no definition of valuable. There's not a definite. No, but it's a, it is billed as a regular season award. Well, but that's just because, hold on a second.

That's just because the voting, you guys. submit your ballots before the playoffs. Right. I understand that. I can't assume something's going to happen. Like I didn't know two years ago that Janus was going to barrel through the Eastern Conference and win a championship. Of course.

And I'm not advocating that the league MVP should be the guy who plays the best in the playoffs. Now, if they want to have a playoff MVP award, I think that's kind of a fun idea. Not necessarily, it's a little different than finals MVP. Like as a for instance, like in 2018, LeBron's last year with the Cavs, he could have been playoff MVP. You know what I mean? Even though you wouldn't have been finals MVP. Separate thing.

What I'm saying is that if, and I'm not saying this is Yokic because, and this is what is frustrating for me is I, and I've done some of this to myself and some of it has been to me disingenuous other media members tarring me, but fair enough. I have been painted as if I think the guy stinks. Like I think he's an average player. I think he is undeniable. At worst, one of the eight best players in the sport, probably one of the six best.

And if you incorporate injury risk, he skyrockets to one of the three best. You know what I mean? And so that's where I have it. But I do think, there has been because it's not like his numbers, the old school numbers, are off the charts in any way except for assists for his position, right? It's in a league where we're seeing more guys score 30. Hell, we've had two guys score 70 this year. He's averaging in the mid-20s per game.

His rebounds are great, but Janus and Embed are right there with him or if not ahead. The assist, and yes, the efficiency is eye-popping. It's like DeAndre Jordan field goal percentage despite not just dunking the ball, which has intense value. But it also, if you talk to, which I know you do, guys, smart guys that run teams, they will tell you some of the publicly available advanced numbers

have a couple major flaws. one of them is they don't distinguish contested rebounds from uncontested rebounds, and that's a huge part of value because it ends the defensive possession. And the other one is efficiency is wildly important, while also being able to recognize are you the guy that gets the ball at the end of the shot clock to bail your team out, which doesn't really happen to Biggs, right? You know what I mean? That needs to be separated there as well.

And so when I brought up the advanced numbers, if folks want to make the advanced numbers case, I just want to know are they truly standing by the advanced numbers? The advanced numbers that say for a career, Yokic is a top three player ever. Does anyone actually believe that? I don't think advanced numbers should be part of the equation. It should be the equation.

And my point is the only way to justify him winning last year was the advanced numbers. It's the only way. It's not the only way. Again, I didn't vote for him. But how I think voters probably saw it was you had a guy that played the entire season without Jamal Murray, almost the entire season without Michael Porter Jr. who had a collection of very average players around him put up astonishing numbers and kept his team. I think what were they to succeed in the postseason. I think they looked at Yokic

in the same way they looked at Russell Westbrook years ago. I think that was the impetus to vote for Yokic this time around. Again, I didn't do it, but I think that's why people voted for. But when you say astonishing numbers, I am here to tell you. Across the board. Across the board. 27, 14, and 8 is not astonishing. 27, 14 and 8 is great. It's great.

No, no, it's great. Again, this is now semantics. Astonishing to me, it's not like from the pure counting stats, Russ's triple double season, which again, I wouldn't have voted for him that year. That was pretty astonishing numbers. He averaged the first triple album, he got credit to, he got,

he, that credit, because the negative bounce went to Durant, and he got the positive bounce from that. 100%. But I just, it, here's my,

here's my other part of it, that maybe you're going to tell me should not play a factor. And maybe this is why I'll never have a vote. I, some of the folks who are adamant that, no, no, no.

He is the best player in the league. You know what I mean? He is sure seem to be nervous for the nuggets this postseason. And it's like, well, you have the best home court advantage in the entire sport because of the altitude. That's over 40 years of data we have. The Denver teams have a unique home field advantage across sports. You have that. You have the, Jamal Murray, I understand him.

I understand him. He's never made an all-star team. Yes, but he has scored 50. in a postseason game. Jamal Murray is a legitimate number two. Aaron Gordon is a more than legitimate number three. And Michael Porter Jr. is as good of a fourth option,

at fourth option as any team has in the league. Right? Like I don't even know. I guess the Suns, when Durant's healthy, Aiton is the only other fourth option that would come close. He's not even really an option.

Like it's a different set. You have all of that. You have a Western Conference that everyone agrees is the most wide open West we've seen. But the reason everyone says it's wide open is because no one believes in the one seed with the three-time MVP. That bothers me. That to me should be a hard stop moment of wait a minute. Guys, we are re and this is where the history of it to me matters. It matters that the voters had the foresight after Nash won those back to back. And then that third year had

his best season, that enough voters were like, no, no, we're not doing it again. Like, do you, like, do you think that was a mistake? Because I think that was smart. I think it helped save this award that to me is the only award in professional sports that truly really has historical value in matters. The NFL MVP has some weird ones. A damn kicker won it. Like the baseball, you give out two of them and then pitchers get their own thing. This award is the most important award. And it is a great artifact for history of, it almost tells you more about the league than the list of champions does.

In almost in different ways. But if you give me the list of chance finals and the list of league MVPs, I can tell you 90% of NBA's history. I would say one thing, though. I think it was when you're hosting Collins show. you suggested and tell me if you think I'm wrong that the diversity of the voting should change. Not the- Not racial diversity.

Not racial diversity, but including more former players, things like that. I don't know, you probably did see it, but when the athletic went out and polled a whole bunch of retired NBA players and asked them who the best player in the NBA is, it was LeBron number one and Yokic number two. So a whole dozens, if not hundreds of retired NBA players, guys that purportedly know the game, voted Nicole Yokic number two in the best players. I was not, but I was not advocating for more former or current players that votes. I actually am advocating for the votes to be anonymous. Oh, no. Pat.

Can I make the argument for it? Sure. Yeah. I think that because everyone now, because everyone knows their vote is going to be public, there is a pressure towards hurting and group think. And I think that if it was with, here are the 100 voters, but the battle the way it was up until recently, right, where we knew the voters were, but everyone's valid.

But how does that fit the narrative of, look, nobody knows who votes in Tim Bontamp's poll. That's an anonymous poll. And it's no favors. It's still favored Yolkine. Right. Well, that's because I think those people tell me if I'm wrong, the vast majority of them are actual voters. And they're all voters, yeah.

Okay. So, okay, so I thought it was just most, but all. I think there's something you don't know till the end. Most people know they're going to vote who have voted in the vote. You don't know if you get MVP or not. It's probably 90 plus percent are actually voters. Sure, exactly. I think those people respect Tim and appreciate Tim

and aren't going to tell him a name that if their vote was due that day, they wouldn't be submitting. You know what I mean? Like so I think that, but my point is I think when there is massive pressure from the alleged smart basketball media that I simply don't think is that smart. some of it.

I mean, a first cousin of this is I had to listen for four years that you're a casual if you don't see how great Rudy Gober is. That you simply don't

understand the sport if you don't recognize how much more valuable he is than Donovan Mitchell. That you don't see that no, no, no, no, he actually unlocks things for them. And what he unlocks for them is early vacation.

And eventually people laid down their swords on that. But a lot of the same, you know, I look at my stats that I've created media, swore that those of us that just from, can we define it? No, but we watch basketball our entire lives. And you know that if you're seven foot two guy, you cannot ever give the basketball to when push comes to shove, you're going to be fucked. And we were just told, nope, you don't get it.

And the point I was making about the anonymous part is, I think there are a lot of people who don't have the stomach totally understandably to be criticized or ridiculed by the allegedly smart people. And because of that, when all of the election, allegedly smart people say this is the right answer. If you know your questionnaire is going to be public,

you fill it out accordingly. I don't know. I don't know if I buy that. I'm not talking about you on that. No, I know, but I don't know if I buy that for the media writ large. It just places a greater sense of importance on an MVP vote. It is a responsibility for somebody in this business, but you're not being handed the nuclear launch codes here.

You're being asked to vote for MVP. and the backlash is Stevie 126 on Twitter that might be slapping you around. Like that, I don't buy it. I don't think that. I think that transparency is incredibly important. Otherwise, you might get some agendas also further. You've got people that vote for this in local markets

that might be inclined to vote for their guy in their markets. So they can tell their guy that they voted for them. No, that definitely is a concern here. But I do think that we need. know across life that at times anonymity leads to greater honesty than being like there are there are if we were to have let me i'll try to use an example without getting anyone in trouble uh i am not thinking of a good one but there are questions that i could ask Chris Manix and say, hey, I'm going to, you know, there's a reason people ask to go off the record.

There's a reason people ask to go on background. And there's a reason sometimes you get what is the more socially acceptable response of your names on it and you get the more honest response otherwise. I don't think it's ridiculous to say, you're right. It's not as important as these other things that you might have some people just be like, man, I am not giving this fucking guy three of these in a row when I haven't seen. them in the finals ever. I don't care what the numbers are. And I would be okay with that because. I think you've got to explain, you should, like, whether it's in a column or a podcast or on TV,

you should be able to explain your vote. If you can't explain and justify your vote, you shouldn't be voting. To me, it's as simple as that. One of the thing, look, you, I don't even think it's subconsciously, but you do hold Yokic's playoff failures the last couple of years against him. Yes. As a great player, you hold that against him. Yes. I would just say that I think you have to look at each one individually.

I look at the one two years ago. And they lost- Is that the one where he got thrown out of the final game? He did, yeah. But they lost Jamal Murray right before the end of the regular season, torn ACL. They beat Portland in the first round, and then they lose in the second. I don't look at that, at Yolka, just under-a-chish. and the Nuggets underachieving that year.

Last year, they get beaten the first round, five games, could have been better, but I just named you the list of guys that he played with in that playoff series. I don't think he underachieved and that team underachieved at all last season. This year, we're in sync on this one. If they get beat by the Lakers, the Clippers, the Thunder, whoever winds up in that number eight seat after the play in dust is settled, and if they get beaten the second round, I hold it against Nicola Yokish because this is the first time, the very first time in Yokic's

NBA career that I think he has championship caliber players around him. And that's what it's about. LeBron, he doesn't win unless he has great players around him. You look at what happened in the playoffs two years ago. Anthony Davis goes down against Phoenix. They lose that series. Hold on. You need great pieces around you to succeed and achieve greatness.

You need, yes. You need great. You need great players around you to win a championship. It's why I hope history remembers Dirk as fondly as I do because he won a championship without another. It won the whole thing without another great player. Very rarely does that happen. Dirk might be the only example.

I mean, Yonis did it. Yonis did it. Oh, Yonis. No, no, no. That's what I was about to mention him as well. But I mean, up to that point in time. Exactly right. you can make the finals

as a one-man show. Usually get dusted, but we've seen it. And I, part of my frustration around this has been what I have viewed as a double standard of

we are giving Yokic the accoutremon of the best place. player in the league. And then if you hold him to the standard, we have held every other best player in the league, it said you're being unreasonable. And that's bullshit. That is bullshit.

Because when LeBron won back-to-back MVP's and had already been to a finals before he was a champion, and they lose in round two in seven, six, pardon me, to the Celtics, that is hung around his neck as he quit and all of it. You know, why? Because he's the best player in the league. When Kevin Durant is seven years removed, eight years from winning an MVP, and they lose in round one last year,

it is called the biggest failure of his career. when Janice the year he wins his second MVP loses in round two to Miami. He is called a playoff choke artist. Oh, well, Nick, you can't compare Yokic to LeBron, Janice, and Durant. I fucking agree. But everyone else says he's better than him. He's winning the awards that say it. So it's a weird thing because you agree with me, I think, that, well, yeah, you can't hold

Nicola Yochich to the standard we held LeBron to or the standard. No, but I think he's going to be held to that standard, Nick. Let's see. Six months. Let's see. This is where, this is one of those we don't know because it hasn't happened yet. But I'm telling you, I will. I know other voters will.

If he gets smoked in the first or second round with that team and that talent around him, he will be hammered. Maybe not like LeBron. LeBron was different. LeBron's different. Sure. But like, he's the one guy, Nick, that, you know, voters. definitely punished him in 2011.

Not for anything he did. He was for the decision. He punished him. And they said, Derek Rose, he is your MVP. Great year, Derek Rose, but LeBron deserve the MVP that year. LeBron's on a different level. I think that Yonis, that Yokic will be treated just like Janus if they flame out this year.

Maybe you disagree. Maybe you think it's going to go. I don't know. I feel like he's already. I think the media, it's weird. Because I mentioned him getting thrown out of their final playoff game, right there. I think most people have memory hold that.

That was your league MVP who didn't finish the season with this team because he got kicked out of the game because of a flagrant. And then, and then the very next year, when we rewarded him as a six-seat at the end of the year with another league MVP, he gave the Morris twin Whiplet

into this season. And if you're telling me, you remember what I'm talking about, right? I do. I also know Marcus Morris, Marcus, many players have said Marcus Morris or Marquite Morris. Markiev. Shouldn't have done what he did beforehand too. No, no, no, I agree with that. But again, do you think any other multiple time in BP that would have gotten the lack of of cover or reaction. Now, maybe the answer is that's because we just don't talk about him. He's not polarizing whatever it is. I don't know. But I think there are a few things that are like, wait, what? The guys, you're, you're, I think, I think you're kind of, LeBron is the only one I think we talk about it with. Like, Yonis just did that stupid thing

where he shot the ball at his own rim intentionally trying to miss. Nobody really cared. Nobody beat up on him for it. Nobody really called him to that. Do you think that was a shot at the MVP? that's that's asking it would be to dig into the psyche of yonis i think yonnas knew he was a rebound away that's no of course i don't know i don't know that he was thinking i don't know that there was something about you know that yonis was following the stat padding conversation and was looking to pick up a triple double because of that i don't know that i that's all right last things i know i said i know we said it would be 20 minutes and now but just one last thing quickly

uh just honest question here how why isn't and it'd be so if it was Yokic, Luca and Steph as the three leading candidates then to me you would dismiss the defensive side of the ball almost entirely

right you'd be like none of them are really helping you defensively so it's kind of who hurts you the least right and that would actually of those three would be Yokic because Yokic is not like some horrific kills you defender now they end up against the Lakers and LeBron gives him the one five pick and roll treatment for 40

possessions tonight, we'll see. But when it's Yokic, Embed, and Janus, why is the defensive end of it not disqualifying for Yokic right now? I don't think it should be disqualifying. It should be considered. Heavily weighted. heavily weighted. And this is why it goes back to what I said about 10 minutes ago. If you made that poll today, it would be different. Well, call Tim to do it. You know what I'm working? Tim has to deal with me. I sent Tim,

I send Tim my list of fake ballots before I ever sent him a first one. Cam Thomas to the top of my list every single time. Sam Houser regularly makes an appearance. So it takes some time to weed through it. By the way, are your Celtics going to be okay? Yeah, it'll be better than Anthony Davis will in a couple of years. I'll tell you that. Wow.

Wow. I miss you, buddy. It's good to talk to you. You too. Nick Wright, check him out first things first. What's Right podcast. Always good to catch up, man. See you, Maness.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app. or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

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