The Kevin Sheehan Show - NFC East Worst To First?

Episode Date: June 6, 2024

Kevin opened with Pro Football Focus' rankings of the eight NFL last-place division teams' chances to go from worst to first in 2024. John Fanta/Fox Sports jumped on to talk about the big news of the day, the possibility of UConn head coach Dan Hurley heading to Los Angeles to be the Lakers' new coach. Kevin finished up with a short preview and pick of the NBA Finals' featuring the Celtics and Mavericks.  Download the PrizePicks app today and use code Sheehan for a first deposit match up to $100! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheon Show. Here's Kevin. This show's presenting sponsor, as always, is Wind Donation. Call them at 86690 Nation or head to Windonation.com. Mention my name and you'll get a free in-home estimate.

So a year ago in the NFL, eight teams, because there are eight divisions, finished in last place in their respective divisions. Well, at least one of them based on history will finish in first place in this upcoming season, 24. What are the chances that team will be our team, Washington? Well, someone's written about that ranking least likely to most likely to go from worse to first, and I will share with you those rankings in this opening segment of the show, a show that does not include Tommy today. Not his fault.

Tommy was supposed to be on the show today. We were scheduled to record the podcast this morning before my radio show. We do that maybe 20% of the time. But I ended up having to record an interview before the radio show. And Tommy couldn't do it this afternoon. So Tom will be on with me tomorrow. He missed Tuesday because he wasn't feeling well. And yesterday, Legler was on with us.

God, Tim is so good. He's always great. It's a pleasure to have him on. He previewed the NBA finals. He talked about his favorite football team, the commanders, weighed in on Jaden Daniels. He seems to be a little hesitant on Jaden Daniels. That was not his guy.

I think he was really into Drake May. But if you missed Tim Legler on the show yesterday, it's a good listen. Tonight, the NBA finals begin. in Boston. I will have a pick in the final segment of the show today. By the way, on radio today, I had the Wizards head coach, Brian Keefe. He was really good. You can listen to that by going to the team 980.com or downloading the Odyssey app. I also had Doug Kammer on the show from Channel 4. Man, what about those tornadoes last night? Especially that big tornado that tracked across Montgomery

County, Upper Montgomery County. I was riveted watching camera last night on Channel 4, and he was on radio with me this morning explaining everything, so you can listen to that at the Team 980.com or by downloading the Odyssey app as well. I do have a guest on the show today. John Fanta, who covers college basketball for Fox Sports, John does a great job, has for years. he's really a big East guy. He knows Danny Hurley. And that's really the sports story of the day. Yukon head coach Dan Hurley in discussions with the Lakers to be their next head coach.

I woke up to that this morning. That was a shocker. You know, first of all, I thought J.J. Reddick was going to get the job. Secondly, Hurley to the Lakers, he just seems to me to be a college coach. He turned down Kentucky, 12 to 14 million. He's a Jersey guy. He's an East Coast guy. I don't know.

Hurley in Southern California, any of the Hurley's in Southern California, just doesn't seem like the right fit. You know, he is kind of a control guy, a possession to possession, you know, in-game coach. I don't know. Does that work at the NBA level? John Fanta will jump on with me in the next segment. John's always a great guest, and we will talk about that big story today. But anyway, I start with this from Benny.

Benny writes, and he's the one that linked me to the story on worst to first with teams ranked among the eight division last place finishers last year, but he wrote, Kevin, there hasn't been a repeat NFC East winner in 19 years. I think we all know that. By the way, just as an aside, it's quite amazing when you think about it. You know, that there hasn't been a repeat NFC East champion since the Eagles did it in 2004. They actually had won three in a row. They won 2002, 2003, 2004, three division titles.

in a row. And since 2004, after they repeated from 2003, we have not in our division, the NFC East had a repeat winner. It's kind of amazing when you consider that three of the four teams, the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys have had some really good stretches, you know, where they very easily could have gone back to back. Washington, obviously, during the last 19 seasons, you for the most part, haven't been very good. They have won three division titles, 2012, RG3, 2015, and then again in 2020, with a 7 and 9 record. But when you consider the Giants won two Super Bowls in a five-year span,

and by the way, during that span, didn't have one losing season, but they didn't go back to back. In fact, during that five-year span, they only won two division titles. Dallas has won 12 games in three consecutive seasons, but they didn't go back to back. They won the division title in 2021. They won the division title last year, but Philadelphia won it in 2022. But the Cowboys have won the most division titles since the Eagles repeated in 2004. They've won seven NFC East titles.

They've also had some really. good teams. During this 19-year stretch, the Cowboys have won at least nine games 12 times, and they've won seven division titles, but none of them as repeat division title champions. The Eagles also, you know, during these 19 years, they've had winning seasons in 12 of them. They've won six division titles, but they haven't gone back to back. It just seems like, you know, it just seems like it's defying odds that nobody's gone back to back. But anyway, back to Benny's email. Benny writes Kevin, there has not been a repeat NFC East winner in 19 years.

So that rules out the Cowboys in 2024. The Eagles had a bad finish and have a bunch of question marks with new coaches and players. and the Giants stink. This could be our year, especially when you consider that Daniels might be the best QB in the division. Benny, Benny, in the Jets, Benny, slow down. I'm not even willing to say that Jaden Daniels might be the best quarterback in the division. not on June 6th. Dax the best quarterback in the division heading into the year.

Jalen Hertz is two. Maybe Jaden is three. I hope you're right. I actually think Philadelphia has got a chance to be really good this year. Dallas and Philadelphia both are better going into the season based on talent and experience. But I like what Philly's done in the offseason. You know, adding Kellynne Moore and Vic Fangio as coordinators, You know, they added speed to their secondary, which was a major part of the team's problem last year.

They signed Sequin Barclay. You know, it's a big if with him, obviously, you know, health-wise, if he stays healthy. But if he does, that's a major ad. They'll still have an excellent offensive line, even with Kelsey retiring. The receiving core, you know, if you count Dallas Goddard with, you know, Devonte Smith and A.J. Brown, best in the division. Really good front seven defensively to go with the new speed in their secondary. I like Philly. I like Philly this year. MyBooky currently has Philly as the favorite. Dallas is the second favorite. Philly's at plus 115 to win the NFC East at my bookie.ag.

Use my promo code Kevin D.C. for a cash bonus on your initial deposit. Dallas is at plus 130. I think those odds have actually changed a bit because I think Dallas was a slight favorite the last time I looked at it. But Philly is a slight favorite now. Washington is plus 800. So we're a long shot, you know, division odds wise. Yeah, it's too early, I think, to proclaim Jaden Daniels, the best quarterback in the division. Although, did you see what Lewis Riddick said yesterday? Here's the quote. Lewis Riddick, ESPN, former front office guy in the NFL,

including here in Washington. He said about Jaden Daniels, quote, I've had correspondence with people down there who have said, very rarely does the ball hit the ground. He puts the ball exactly where it needs to be put. He can throw with

touch, he can throw with velocity. He is a student of the game, and he is someone most importantly that the players will gravitate towards already. They want to be around him. They want to be accountable to him. They want to do better for him. That's

pretty damn cool. He is going to take that town by storm as everything else around him grows with him. I have 100% confidence in that, closed quote. Lewis Riddick has loved Jaden

Daniels from the jump. He in Orlovski, I believe, had Daniels is the best quarterback in the draft ahead of Caleb Williams. But, man, I mean, have we heard even one constructively critical comment about Daniels? I mean, there was some criticism coming out of Chicago about a couple of the OTA days for Caleb Williams. Everything's been super positive about Jaden. You know, concerns me a little bit. Not that I don't want.

want to hear it, but I don't want to hear it. I want it to be true, but I don't want to hear it. I've already gone through this. I don't, you know, the over-promising, under-delivering franchise. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here, because it's not the same group, obviously, but it would be nice for them to just show us, not tell us. They didn't tell us. Lewis Riddick told us, but he did say, you know, I've had correspondence with people down there who are telling me this. All right, so pro football focus earlier this week put out a list of teams' chances to go from worst to first in 2024. They did a ranking, you know, one through eight, most likely to least likely.

History tells us that at least one team will go from worst to first. 28 teams since division realignment back in 2002 have gone from worst to first. That's an average of 1.33 teams per year that go worst to first. Last year it was Houston. The year before that, it was Jacksonville. The year before that, in 2021, it was Cincinnati. And in 2020, it was the Washington football team. You know, looking, by the way, at the last four worst to first division winners,

their previous seasons were horrible seasons, like Washington's last year. You know, I was wondering in going back and looking at it, would I find that the teams the previous year were like seven and nine or finished in last place at 8 and 8? Or, you know, in the 17 game schedule, were they 7 and 10 or 8 and 9? No, Washington was 3 and 13 in 2019 before winning the division. I know they won the division with a terrible record. seven and nine in a bad division. I get that.

Sincere was 4 and 11 in 2020. Now, Joe Burrow got hurt that year. Then they won the division in 2021. Jacksonville was 3 and 14 in 2021, won the division in 2022, and Houston was 313 and won in 2022, and they won the AFC South last year. Now, since he has Burrow, Jacksonville had Lawrence, Houston, rookie QB, and Stroud, but quarterbacks were the differences there. If you're wondering, the team that had the worst record the year before going worse to first, the 2009 dolphins, they were 1 in 15 in 2008, and then they won the division, the AFC East in 2009, with an 11-5 record. Four teams have gone from worst to first and then won the Super Bowl,

the 99 Rams, the 2001 Patriots, the 2017 Eagles, and the 2009 Saints. The Eagles in 2017, that was year two of Carson Wentz. Of course, Nick Foles took over, but in 2016, they were seven and nine. and then won the Super Bowl in 2017. So pro football focus, here are their rankings. So Cincinnati is number one in terms of their rankings of the most likely team to go from worst to first.

They were 9 and 8 last year. And remember, they missed Joe Burrow for seven games due to that wrist injury. Now, that's a tough division. you know, the AFC North. Even if Joe Burrow is healthy, are those odds better than some of the other teams? I'll go through this list and you can decide and I'll give you my final thought on what the rankings should be. But they're in a division with Baltimore and now Cleveland and Pittsburgh, but Baltimore and Cleveland in terms of teams that, you know, are pretty damn good. Cincinnati's good too when Joe Burrow is healthy.

Understood. Number two on this list of the most likely to least likely teams to go from worst to first. Cincinnati, the most likely. The second most likely, the Chicago Bears. They were 7 and 10, finished in last place in the NFC North last year. But Caleb Williams, Keenan Allen, Romo Dunzei from Washington. I mean, they do have a good roster. If Caleb Williams turns out to be the guy and he can play at the level of C.J. Stroud last year, yeah, I could see them winning the NFC North. Although Detroit and Green Bay are pretty damn good. Detroit, really good. Minnesota will likely take a big step back from where they were when they were healthy two years ago and they won 13 games. Kirk got hurt when they were four and four last year, but they were ascending, and they're going to have to go with Sam Darnold, and time will tell on J.J. McCarthy. But the Bears second most likely to go from worse to first. Where is Washington on this list? Well, number three on this list, the L.A. Chargers. Remember, they were five and 12 with a lot of close losses last year. They're in a division with the Chiefs. That's the

here, even with Jim Harbaugh. But man, Harbaugh does quick turnarounds. That is for sure. But the Chargers are the third most likely on this list. And then fourth, Washington. So eight teams finished dead last last year. Washington, according to Pro Football Focus, the fourth most likely to jump from worse to first. Here. is what they write. The commanders felt like a ship without a sale in 2023. It was good and bad, but through it all, it just wasn't enough. Hence, the wholesale changes this offseason to go along with new ownership. I'm a big fan of Dan Quinn, who happens to know at least one of the competitors in that division as the Dallas Cowboys former defensive coordinator. How Dallas

bounces back from not only Quinn's departure, but also a bad playoff loss will be something to watch. Remember, they added Mike Zimmer as their defensive coordinator. Pretty good defensive mind. The Eagles have the talent to bounce back as well, but their postseason also ended on a sour note. As for Washington, they brought in a ton of new names and free agency in the draft, including the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, Jaden Daniels. If Daniels can have a Robert Griffin the third like rookie season. Watch out for the commanders. Tennessee is next. I kind of like Tennessee, in part because of the division they are in. I don't know if Houston will be as good. Maybe a sophomore slump for C.J. Stroud, who knows?

Tennessee's got more talent than you think. I'm not totally sold. Actually, I'm not even partially sold on Will Levis this year, but they added Calvin Ridley, they added Legerley. They added Ligarius Sneed. And they're in a division that just always seems to be kind of wide open. Arizona is sixth on this list. The Cardinals, you know, in a division with the 49ers and the Rams and the Seahawks. They get Kyler Murray back for hopefully a full off season into a full, healthy, regular season. I don't know where Kyler Murray ranks on the quarterback list, but I don't think it's in the top half.

of quarterbacks. But they did add Marvin Harrison Jr. Carolina's seventh massive changes, obviously, in Carolina, two and 15 last year. Even though the NFC South, you know, seems getable. Atlanta's the favorite, Tampa, second, New Orleans third. Atlanta, you know, kind of growing into a solid favorite with the addition of Kirk. You know who to that team, along with, you know, some of that offensive. weaponry that they have. And then New England is the longest shot to go from worse to first. Jacoby Brissette, Drake May, but really it's about the competition, right?

Buffalo, Miami, and the Jets with Aaron Rogers. So I definitely agree with the last three, Arizona, Carolina, and New England. I don't think Chicago is going to win a division with Caleb Williams in his rookie season. And I think Detroit's really good. So I would not have Chicago number two. In fact, I'm not even sure I would have Cincinnati at number one because of the division that they are in. The team that I think has a chance to make a massive jump, if it's not good not, to win the division. It could still be good enough to win 11, 12, 13 games. The Chargers,

the only reason the Chargers aren't number one on this list is they're in a division with the Chiefs. But I think I would put the Chargers one, Cincinnati, two. And then I'd probably go a team like Tennessee 3, Chicago for Washington 5. I think I would have Washington one spot below where they are. I think Tennessee in particular would be ahead of Washington because it's more of a wide-open division. I don't view the NFC East as wide open like Benny does. And I think, you know, a big jump for Washington is possible. but we're talking about a massive leap.

And by the way, you know, deterioration of Philadelphia and Dallas in the division. I don't see it. I see seven to eight wins. That's not a division winner. So that's the way I would go. I would go Chargers won Cincinnati two. And then I'd probably have Chicago, three, Tennessee, four, Washington, As far as the bottom three, it's fine in that order.

Arizona, Carolina, New England. Yeah, that's probably it. Kind of rooting for Jacoby Brissette to play well, though. All right. John Fanta next on the big story of the day, Dan Hurley and the Lakers talking about a potential job for the national championship coach to go to the NBA. We'll get to that after the game.

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This from Ned, who gave us five stars on Apple. I love it when Legler's on your show, Kevin. What about Tim Legler as a regular Kevin Sheehan show podcast co-host? What do you think? I think it's a great idea, but I don't think it's possible. He is full-time with ESPN during basketball season. He has a young, young child at home. He coaches it's been enough of a challenge just to get him to come on two to three times a year.

year, even though we end up texting back and forth a lot, typically during Skins games. I mean, he's a huge fan. He still comes to a lot of games. But please rate us and review us if you get an opportunity between now and really the end of August heading into football season. The more ratings and reviews we get, the more helpful those will be. Subscribe to the podcast, follow us on Apple and Spotify as well. Jumping on with me right now, as mentioned in the open to the show, is John Fanta. John's been a reporter for a long time covering college basketball. He works for Fox. He has a Big East shoot-around podcast. He does commentary on the field of 68. You can follow him on Twitter on X at John underscore Fanta. John's one of my favorite guests over the years, really a big

East guy at heart went to Seton Hall. How surprised were you? I talked a little bit about, you know, waking up this morning and seeing this, you know, Dan Hurley News. You know him pretty well. What was your reaction when you heard that he and the Lakers were talking? Well, Kevin, always good to be with you. My first reaction was, this is the Los Angeles Lakers. This is LeBron James, whether he's at the end of his career, which we know he is or not. And it's a lot. And it's Anthony Davis, and it's an organization that's trying to win a title now. If you have those players on your team still, you're trying to win a championship now. My first reaction as well was, well, what about JJ Redick? Because this tells me that JJ Reddick, something has gone

to the wayside. Either he's asking prices too high, there's something organizationally that doesn't agree, because I could tell you, Kevin, in real time, this is, I have not shared this with anybody. I have been working on a story on JJ Reddick and why he could or how he could be a coach in the NBA. Kevin, I talk with people that are extremely close to JJ Reddick. Mike Shishaski included. This is something that's not getting talked about at all nationally right now. The way that those people spoke to me about JJ, you would have thought he had already put pen to paper and had agreed to become the Lakers coach. In other words, based on all those conversations I have with those interview subject.

I think we were all to assume that it was, that it was going to happen after the final. Right. So that was my first thing, because I'm in the midst of working on this story, was about to publish it. Glad I didn't. You start to explore it. And the thing is, Dan has talked about the NBA. It is the one thing that he has talked about that he would go to.

He doesn't want to coach another college. He wants to coach in the NBA. So then I start to talk to sources. people that are well-embedded, you know, around Dan. And what this comes down to is it's the L.A. Lakers. That is a crown jewel job. He didn't think that it would ever be possible, that they would be interested in him. Now that they are, he's obviously interested.

He has talked to his players about it. But the question is, does he fundamentally want to make a life-changing, sport-changing move and go across the country where he's been a northeast guy. That's all this comes down to. It's not about the money. He's making a boatload of a Yukon. He'll make a boatload with the Los Angeles Lakers as well. It just comes down to a psychological decision that he has to make with his wife.

Yeah, this is such an interesting story because I think for a lot of fans, John, it's a bit of a disconnect. You know, the Hurleys are Jersey guys. You know, I know Bobby played in the ACC in the state of North Carolina at Duke and is coached out in Arizona, but they just, you know, are East Coast people. And there are multiple reasons for thinking that this doesn't make a lot of sense. And before I get your prediction, I want to go through a couple of those things. And let's just start with, you know, the idea that Dan Hurley would be coached. coaching the Lakers in Southern California?

Well, and I think that that's the question that fuels him, Kevin, because I think the majority of people would say, I don't see the fit. You know, I don't see the fit out in L.A. Does he fit in the NBA? Does his demeanor with officials? He goes out officials in the college game. You think Tony Brothers or Scott Foster are going to allow that in the game? The answer is no.

But I could tell you, Kevin, spending the amount of time I do with Dan, and has spent around Dan. There's a method to his madness. A lot of it's an act. He's a smart man. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be the head coach of the reigning back-to-back national champions. To answer your question, the answer is probably this is a weird fit. It's a weird fit.

But that's exactly what I think. Just because it's a strange fit, I think that fuels Dan. like it's fueled anybody. Like it fueled Ed Cooley in a different vein, but like it fueled an Ed Cooley, who was happy, happy, happy, and everybody's like, well, he'll never leave. You never go anywhere.

People thought Dan might go down the road, but not now when he's on Clyle Nine, King of the World. I think sometimes egos come into play, and certain guys say, you know what, I'm going to do this because people are telling me that I can, not do it. I think that that power stands in a very unique way that doesn't power others, but he listens to it, and he feeds off of that.

John Fanta joining us. John's been a longtime reporter and broadcaster and has been a big east guy and has really known a lot of the Big East people and Big East coaches for years now. Yeah, you know, the East Coast to West Coast thing is a bit of a, you know, disconnect, fish out of water, it would seem like for the Hurley's in particular, for Dan Hurley in particular. But it's more than that, right? It's that, you know, old saying that, you know, no, that guy's a college coach. You know, he's not a pro coach. He's involved in really managing the game and managing possession by possession

and really very much, you know, comes off a bit as super controlling. And that's not what you, you know, typically have in an NBA coach. What do you say to those that would say he really just seems like he's a college coach? Yes, he does. But Kevin, think of it this way for a moment. I don't disagree with you. The current climate of college basketball is not good. It's chaotic.

It's volatile. I think that there's something to be said about this guy keeps winning titles and all he has to do, the moment he wins the championship, he's got to worry about his roster. He's got to worry about it less than other coaches and the struggles they deal with. But it's nonstop free agency. And I think for him, it's one of those things where maybe he's bored. Maybe he's like, I've done it all now in college. What else can I do?

People know I'm great. I'm a guy who mentally wants the next challenge. And I will look at it from this perspective. If the Los Angeles Lakers are offering $100 million to coach their team, you say, okay, that sounds good. Oh, I get to be alongside the super. stars for better or worse, right? But I think the other element of it is, okay, let's just say, Kevin, that you know what hits the fan and then it doesn't work out three years in.

Yeah, he'll be sought after. He'll be sought after. He'll be sought after again. He'll be immediately sought after. Right. No, there's no doubt about that. You know, I think, you know, it would be a mistake. Wouldn't it be if he took this job because he's, you know, he's, you He's got LeBron and he's got Anthony Davis and he's got a chance to win right away. I mean, this is the tail end of LeBron that he's getting. Right. It's a great point. I mean, I think that that's the other fundamental value here.

And also, could the tail end of LeBron be ugly? I mean, let's face it, could it entail having to put up with LeBron, having to put up with Brony? I mean, I will say this. Think about, think about Bronny. Okay, this doesn't get reported on because he's not a publicity guy, but there's so many like, for the hoops junkies, Kevin, like you and I, there are so many ripple effects. Think about Andy Enfield, right?

Yeah. Really good college coach. Really good college coach. Made USC a good team, a good team. Bronny James comes in this past year. The amount of drama that Andy still had to deal with and the agenda and the talk and all that, he's now the coach at SMU. You know why?

He didn't want to deal with it all. Like it got him so stressed that I think he was like, I just want something different. And you know what? My book is closed here. With Brony and with LeBron, it's the elephant in the room, you've got to deal with stuff. A lot of stuff. It's LeBron's way. It's the way he wants things.

And when you're in year 21 of your career and you've averaged some of the best figures in the sports history, you're allowed to call the shot. That is the mistake that Dan would be making if he just looks at alert, allure, alert, and not the reality that Dan, at Yukon, you answered to no one. In the NBA as a head coach, you answer to all these characters, not just LeBron, not just Anthony Davis, to all the players on the team. You answer to them.

And if you say you're going to do something different, if you say, I'm not going to be like the other coaches, they answer to me. I'm going to give you a very brief story. John B-line takes the Cavs job. Right. He comes in, he starts running practice. I was told this by a Cavs player. The player says to me he starts running practice like it's at Michigan. They said a weekend, we went to the front office and said this guy can't be our coach.

This is what you're dealing with. And guess what? Beeline lasted a couple months. Yeah, the fit with Beeline in the NBA, it was even more of a disconnect because of the way they played stylistically at Michigan. I mean, he was, you know, he was a possession by possession coach. Yeah, no, look, it sounds to me like you're almost pitching here that it's nuts for him to do it. Is that what you feel? I think he should take it. Oh, you do?

I think he should take it. And deal with everything that you just were yelling about, which, by the way, is exactly what he's going to deal with in the NBA. Well, I know. I'm a devil's advocate here, but I think he would adapt. I think he would change. You know what? No, let me clarify.

Let me clarify. I don't think he should take it. I think he will take it. There you go. Okay. I don't think he should take it. I think he will take it. And based on,

everything I'm hearing at this hour, the moment I get off with you, it's going to be, it's going to be somebody different. I mean, someday, I'd love to share the call log in the last 90 minutes because it's kind of, it's kind of surreal, like just the dialogue that's happening behind the scenes with this, because I think Yukon is, you con shocked. Yeah. Their people are stunned at this development. You know, they, I could tell you, and I reported this, Kevin, Connecticut, who does,

doesn't have SEC football, Big 12 football, you know, Big 10 football. They've got an offer for Hurley on the table. I kick in the details of it. It is a ridiculous college coach financial officer. So ridiculous, so ridiculous that the school is like trying to figure out ways to keep their faculty and staff from knowing what it is. That's how crazy the deal is. But it's a public school. Everything's out there.

I think he will take it, but I think for everything we just talked about. But it's the Lakers. That's what you're debating with here. Like, if you or I were offered the Lakers job, it's hard to say no in the Los Angeles Lakers. It just is. I think, first of all, I think a lot of what you talked about with respect to what, you know, college sports has become, you know, probably the reason Jay Wright's no longer coaching and other guys. it's just gotten to the point where it's just not what they had signed up for.

That, to me, would be a big reason why a Dan Hurley would take an NBA job. But for whatever reason, I actually think he's going to stay at Yukon. That would be a contrarian take in this moment, I think, because I think most people kind of expect him to get the gig. By the way, the J.J. Reddick thing, like, why would I as just a college basketball, fan and a guy that watches J.J. Reddick and listens to his podcast occasionally, why should I think J.J. Reddick's going to be a great NBA coach when he's never coached before? Like to me, the idea that I would hire J.J. Reddick before I'd offer Dan Hurley is nuts. Yeah, and, you know, I think one thing to consider here in my NBA circles is that there is a concern

and this might not be fair, Kevin, but we have to say what's out there. There's a concern with JJ. I like him on TV. I think he knows the game really well. I think he talks about the game very well. There's a little bit of a smartest guy in the room. No doubt. Concern.

And that turns players off. That's why I think this is going the other direction. Because I think Anthony Davis is like, and there's been some reports of this, like, I'm now supposed to just listen to everything this guy says. Like, no offense, but I played against him. Like, I think there's a lack of respect with this potential move. And I think Rob Polinka saw the writing on the wall and said, I better not do this. If Hurley takes the gig, who gets the Yukon job?

That's next. I mean, I think probably Kamani Young. I think they keep it in the family at least for a year. You know, if there were an outside guy, that could be up for it, maybe Bruce Pearl pursues it. Hmm, interesting. While I have you on, and I appreciate the time, I do read you and I do follow you on Twitter, and you put your top 25, you know, all too early out the other day.

You had Maryland in your top 25, which I was happy to see. I think most of the all early top 25s have had the Terps on the back end of it. some of them haven't had a minute, but just tell me right now what your thoughts are about what Kevin Willard's done here. He coached your alma moderate, Seton Hall for many years before coming to College Park. What do you think of the Terps in 2024, 2025? Yeah, I think that we would all agree that this past year was a major disappointment. Yes. For Maryland basketball. I think that's the very reason why I'm bullish on a turnaround for this program,

because Willard has been good off of a dark, dark year. And he's got a five-star big man and Derek Queen, who I think is going to come in and be an immediate contributor to make a big impact. Julian Reese is back. In the Big Ten, you've got to have formidable front court. Reese is a big-time player, unlimited motor, puffed, athletic, does a lot of different things. And I think you're looking at some of what they brought in the transfer portal. Willard's done a nice job with guards who are kind of under a pre-eastern,

appreciated. Jacoby Gillespie, the Belmont transfer, feels like that. Selden Miguel from South Florida feels like that. Junkyard dog mentality, guys that are just going to get after it. Deshawn Harris-Smith, I expect him to take a leap. I think for Maryland, the biggest thing this past year, Kevin was they couldn't shoot the ball. They were a horrendous shooting team. They brought in some guys who made shots this past year. And like, shot making is one of the skills where I don't look at what level you're coming from. If you're a guy that can come in off the bench or come into a rotation and be a three-point shooter, you're going to have a coach who's going to scheme to get you open looks.

So I like some of the roster management. I like that Reese's back. Queen, I've been probably more bullish on than others. And I just think that the way that he portled, he picked up some guards who are going to play with a chip on their shoulder. Rodney Rice from Virginia Tech, another good pickup in the portal. I like what he did. And I think he's going to be in a good place here. timing off of a really rough year of adapting and bouncing back.

Timing is everything. And I saw Cover and Willard closely, you know, from his days at Staten Hall. He typically did pretty well in the bounce back spot. This is one of them. You know, nobody's going to work harder. And I don't say that tongue in cheek, but he's a guy who, it's got eating in him, Kevin, that he embarrassed this past season. I expect his team to respond.

I like what they did in the portal. I think they got pieces that fit, that's. that fit them well. It's harder to get pieces that fit in this current day and age when every kid's asking you how much. No doubt. Real quickly, Ed Cooley's second year at Georgetown, it looks much better than his first year, but how much better? Yeah, that's going to be the big question here. Now, in the portal, you know, they bring in Malik Mack,

who comes in from Harvard, who had a sensational season this past year. So you've got Mac, you've got Jaden Fis, you've got Micah Peavy from PCU, a good top, hard-nosed player. They need Drew Fielder to make a leap. They need this front court to come together. But I think they're going to have a good back court. And I just think that Cooley, with an off-season of being totally off the map, again, you know, nobody's got any expectation level for Georgetown coming into this year. They can only go in one direction.

I think picking up PV and Mac. Matt could be an NBA player, Kevin. He could be that good. He had a great freshman year. I think that there's upside there. They just, they never blended this past year. A couple of games where it looked like it might start. It never happened.

I expect them to respond and at least be decent. I don't think NCAA tournament this year, I'm going to say the Hoyas are NIT, but Kevin, we both know that'd be a step in a better direction. Oh, yeah. Hard to, you know, it would be hard to take a step back from where they were last year. There's no lower point.

No. The program can only go in one direction. John, thanks, as always. Really appreciate the time. Thank you, Kevin. Thanks to John, a quick NBA finals preview and pick when we come back right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Hey, guys, most of us are interested in our mental and physical well-being to a certain

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health care regimen, including EE system. Donchich, five to shoot. Against Hardee, Donchitz winds it up. It's got! So you need a single reason to watch the NBA finals? Luca Donchich would be that single reason. He has been sensational in these plays. Leading all playoff performers in not only points, but rebounds and assists as well. Yeah, he drives me nuts because he complains a lot, but he is special. That is for sure. This final segment of the show brought to you by MyBooky, go to MyBooky.ag. Use my promo code, Kevin D.C.

They'll give you a cash bonus on your initial deposit. My bookie's got everything you want for the NBA finals. Boston minus 225 at MyBooky to win the NBA finals. Dallas is plus 180 for the series. The game won odds, Boston minus six and a half tonight with a total of 217. MyBooky.ag promo code Kevin, D.C. So who do I like and why? Well, look, the betting part of me says Boston. I'll lay the 225 I already have. I've got them tonight minus six and a half. And the reason is there is

overwhelming, overwhelming public sentiment right now on Dallas. Dallas, you know, went through a much tougher road in the West, and Luca has been just unbelievable in the way they closed out Minnesota in five games, the team that had beaten the defending champion Denver Nuggets, the public loves Dallas. An overwhelming percentage of series bets have been on the Dallas Mavericks. And yet, the price hasn't changed much at all. That tells me that the sports books believe Boston is going to win this series. They have a lot of exposure. They do. They have a lot of exposure tonight in game one. I talked to somebody offshore yesterday. They said, ton, ton of liability on the NBA finals series bets.

They need Boston because their customers are betting Dallas. So on that, and you guys know how I think when it comes to betting, the ultimate contrarian, aka smell tester, I got Boston. I'm playing Boston for the series. I'm playing Boston in game one. Now, in terms of the matchup, like if I were just sitting here telling you, I'm not interested in betting the series, what do I think? I think it's dead even.

I think I would take Kyrie and Luca over Boston's two best players, Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown, but I think I would probably take Boston's three through seven, three through eight, over Dallas's three through eight. It's close. I'd probably give Jason Kidd a slight nod over Missoula, but it's close. Boston has home court advantage.

There is a part of me that agrees with Legler that if these games are close, trust Luca and Kyrie more than Tatum and Brown. I do agree with that. I don't think that Tatum is the killer that Luca is. I don't think Jalen Brown is the killer that Luca is. Kyrie has settled in to being the number two feels totally comfortable being that. Sounds as I'm talking here like I'm leaning Dallas. I think it's a toss-up.

I can't wait to watch it. Here's one thing that I'm not going to love. These two teams are heavy ISO teams. their heavy two-man-pick-and-roll teams. It's not my favorite to watch when the ball sticks with Luca, sticks with Jason Tatum or Jalen Brown. It's not my favorite style of basketball, but that's really what basketball is becoming,

certainly at the NBA level. Now, Legler and I talked yesterday about really one of the big questions in this series, and that is how to guard Luca Donchich. Boston doesn't blitz. They don't really come out and force through a double team on the pick and roll Luca to give the ball up. It's not what they have done.

I think they've got to do more of it, for sure. And then I think the Celtics have to make Luca work defensively. That has to happen in this series. He can't just be resting, guarding a McDaniels or an Alexander Walker like he was in the Minnesota series. And Boston should be better suited to finding him and making him work defensively. If he can rest, if he can nap defensively, it makes it so much harder on the other end. You know, people always want X factors in a series like this.

I think this is a series that truly will come down to makes or misses. You know, it's a make or miss league. They always talk about when you've got teams with this kind of offensive firepower, you know, you're going to lose games that you don't shoot well in, and you're probably going to win games that you shoot exceptionally well in. I would expect the stars to play like stars. So, you know, it's really going to come down to guys like PJ Washington and Derek Jones and a guy like Kleber, you know,

whether or not he shoots it well coming in offensive. the bench, you know, Boston, Derek White, Al Horford, you know, guys like that, you know, do they end up knocking down shots? So it may be, you know, the X factor may be supporting cast shooting percentage, you know, all of these guys have proven at various times during the postseason that they are capable when Kyrie and Luca are making plays and finding these wide open players in corners like Washington. You know, PJ Washington had so many dagger threes in that last series. Derek Jones Jr., the same thing.

Do they knock those shots down? Does Derek White step up if a lot of concentration on Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown starts to slow them down? But these guys can make plays and find open guys. So I think this is really a toss-up. I do. It's a hard pick in terms of the analysis. But for betting purposes, this is an easy one for me. There's just way too much public action on Dallas. I like Boston to win this series in six games, meaning they would win in Dallas in a sixth and deciding game. Hey, if you're looking for another fun way to watch the game tonight, how about prize picks? Prize picks is the place to go to for daily fantasy sports.

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Role players tend to step up at home in the postseason. I think a lot of Dallas's focus will be on getting Jason Tatum to give up the ball. So I'm going more than 14 and a half points on Derek White, more than five and a half assists with Jason Tatum. $20 pays three to one. So you bet, you know, 20, it pays 60. You bet 10, it pays 30. You bet 50. It pays 150.

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All right, that is it for the day back tomorrow with Tommy.