The Best of The Dan Patrick Show

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Speaker 1: You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox Sports Radio.

00:00:04
Speaker 2: Our one on this Tuesday, Dan and the Dan It's Dan Patrick Show. Glad to have you on board. Reggie Miller a little later on Clark Kellogg on loan from CBS Sports covering March Madness. Your phone calls are always welcome eight seven to seven to three DP show, Say good morning. If you're watching on Peacock. That's our streaming partner. NBC Sports Network also carries the program, and we give a shout out to our radio affiliates around the country. Stat of the Day is always brought to you by Panini America, the official trading cards of the program. First down, we're brought to you by True Green. How about you get your lawn looking like a PGA Tour golf course quality lawn. Easy way, make sure you do it with Truegreen Truegreen dot Com. Then sit back and relax, pull question play the day. Stat of the Day starting lineup Fritzy Seaton, Marv Paula, yours truly in the backroom guys as well. There's a little bit of move with the point spreads for March Madness and for entertainment purposes. Purdue yesterday was favored by seven and a half against Texas. Now it's six and a half Nebraska. It was one and a half against Iowa, still one and a half that they're favored. Arizona was favored by eight and a half yesterday against Arkansas, now seven and a half. Houston was favored by two and a half. Now it's three and a half against Illinois, and Michigan against Alabama. Michigan was favored by ten and a half yesterday, now it's nine and a half. Also the odds to win the tournament, Arizona is a slight favorite over Michigan. Then it's Duke, and then it drops down to Houston. Then it drops down even further to Purdue, Illinois, Iowa State. Yukon surprisingly is what eighth on this list, but Arizona and Michigan duke in there and then Houston and at plus seven hundred, then Purdue plus thirteen hundred, Illinois plus fourteen hundred, Iowa State plus seventeen hundred, then Yukon plus twenty five hundred, and then it starts to dip down to Michigan State, Saint John's, Arkansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Iowa, Alabama, and Texas, Texas the longest of shots at plus thirty thousand for entertainment purposes only, all right e eight seven seven three DP show email address DP at Danpatrick dot com, Twitter handle at DP show operator Tyler sitting by. He'll take your phone calls if you listen to the program. You know what I think of Victor weinbin Yama that if he doesn't win the MVP this year, it's going to be his next year, because this is a coming out party. He was a curiosity and then I wanted to see him with a good point guard. I wanted to see him kind of figure out he knew how to play defense. I wanted to see if he knew how to play offense, where to kind of find his spots. Well, he's finding his spots now and he's making a case a late run from MVP. Now. I've been pretty staunch supporter of SGA that he is going to get the MVP. I don't think he's the best player in the game, but it's not always given to the best player in the game. You have to decide whatever your definition of value is. Do I think OKAC is a playoff team without SGA. I do now Is that fair to him? Is San Antonio a playoff team without Wembenyama? I don't think they are. Jalen Brown quietly carried the Celtics while Jason Tatum was out. I still think Jokers the best player in the game. He's a statistical anomaly. But this is where it becomes a little bit more of Okay, people want to know this guy play defense? Does that guy play defense? Jalen Brunson does he play defense? No? I don't know if Kid Cunningham plays defense. I don't know if SGA plays defense. I know Victor Webbinyama plays defense. And when you think about it, he's going to be the defensive player of the year. So at one end of the floor, he's the best player in the game, no doubt, best player in the game. How much does that count? How much does that matter to voters? It seems to matter when we want to vote against somebody. When you say, yeah, but he doesn't play any defense. Okay, Now you've got a guy who's the best defensive player in the game, who is going to give you, you know, twenty two and twelve and three or four blocks every single night. So at the other end, he's still very high level. Last night, webban Yama had twenty six, fifteen and five blocks. So over the last three years, there have been eleven games in the NBA where a player has had those numbers. Wemby has six of the eleven games. Anthony Davis is the only player with more than one. Dad of the Day brought to you by Panini America, the official trading cards of the program. But I want you to listen to Victor wemban Yama after the game last night, and I want to remind you that he's only twenty two years of age, But listen to he's just kind of matter of fact, pragmatic, just like, hey, should I be the MVP, here's Victor wembn Yama.

00:05:37
Speaker 3: My first one would be that defense is sixty percent of the game and that it is undervalue so far in the interview race, because I believe I'm the most impectful player defensively in the league. The second argument would be we almost swept Okay seeing this season, and we dominated him three times with their real team and four times with year. My third argument would be that offense impact is not just for us.

00:06:12
Speaker 2: It's just a matter of fact. Now I will say, if Lebron had said something like this, you know the media would be crushing him. But he's twenty two. He's stating his case and he's right. They won twenty two of their last twenty four. They are a real force in the West. They're a real force to be able to play for a championship. And if you watch them the previous years, they weren't a very good team. But he's finding his spots. He can shoot a three, he can take it to the hoop. He worked out with Jamal Crawford, who had one of the better handles in the history of the NBA. So Wemby in the off season worked with Jamal Crawford because he wanted to a seven to five guy, wanted to improve his and he has. But then you have him at the other end. He can guard the three, and he can guard the rim, and he doesn't have to take more than a couple of steps. He is truly unique, and he's only twenty two years of age. So when we start to equate value, that's where it's open to interpretation. Is he the best player in the game, No, he's the most unique player in the game. Yes. Is he going to be the best player in the game. Yes, now there's a late push for Luka Doncic. Now he's leading and scoring. I understand that the Lakers have played well, they lost last night, But how much do I give credence to he doesn't play defense. If Wemby is an A plus on the defensive end, and let's say he's an A minus on the offensive end, does anybody match up with those grades? And the answer is nobody. And if if I look at what his team has done more importantly, we tend to look if the Spurs had the best record in the West, Wemby would win the MVP. But should it be that his team isn't as good as OKC but his value? Look at what they've done. Now it's not a oh you got to see the Spurs their curiosity. Now it's like OKC doesn't want San Antonio. They're going to do their best to avoid because Wemby can't wait to play against Chad Holmgern. And that's another thing that I love. You know what happened at the All Star Game. Wemby cared and the other players started to care. I love the enthusiasm, and it matters he cares. He plays hard like these are all the things you want, And he wasn't cocky. He was just let me lay this out to you in case you haven't thought of this, and make a case. He's not gonna win the MVP, but he should be finishing second. And he's only twenty two, which is remarkable when you look at the skill of any player that if he was six, I mean, he's Kevin Durant plus seven inches. And at the other end, he's the best defensive player in the game now. Katie obviously a better offensive player, but not for much longer, because once Wemby starts hitting the mid range jumper, he can shoot a three, and he can go to the hole. You're gonna have to pick your poison with him because he'll make you pay. You're gonna let me shoot the three, you're gonna let me drive to the hoop, or you're gonna give me that mid range jumper. And if I'm Wemby, I'd be pounding that mid range jumper. I'd make you pay because then once you come out, I'm going by you. And then the defensive end, it's remarkable to watch him. He can he can cover both sides of the lane. He can go out to the three, he can guard the rim. Yeah, Paul, he.

00:10:11
Speaker 4: Had a block last night where the guy beat him and was going for a reverse layup. He was on the back side of the rim, reach across the net and blocked it from the backside. It was freakish.

00:10:23
Speaker 2: It's remarkable, and you got have to go out of your way to sometimes find the spurs when they're playing. And okay, see for that matter, to be fair to SGA, but with Wemby, it's such I mean, you're watching you're watching history, and look, I've been around this game for almost sixty years. Like this is truly truly unique with what we're seeing. But there are other players that I thought could be like this. I thought Ralph Samson could be like this. I thought Sean Bradley could be like this. Guys who were that tall build could run and they had great touch. This is different. This is unique. Now. You know, we talk about people changing the game, Steph Curry changed the game more than any other player in history. Well, you can be Steph Curry because he's six two sixty three, Like you can go out there and go I can shoot that shot. You can't be seven to five so you know they had the campaign to be like Mike. Well, nobody could be like Mike, but we would like to be like Mike. We can be like Steph Curry in our mind. We can't be like Wimby. Yeah.

00:11:35
Speaker 4: Point, Maybe women Yama changes your game because you have to play defense completely differently on him. Your offense, you can't take normal jumpers. And I was looking how he's finishing the season. In the month of March, he's up to twenty seven points per game, he's up to twelve rebounds, he's up to four blocks. Though he's having his best month of his season right now.

00:11:56
Speaker 2: And this is what I mean. This has to count for something a little bit more. You know, this is getting ready for playoff position. You've won twenty two to twenty four. Now OKC is won twelve in a row. SGA gives you twenty a night. And maybe it's not fair to him. He's not exciting. He's a great closer, but he's known for what drawing founds. That's first thing you think of, Oh, he's really good at drawing founds, which I don't have a problem with. I think NBA officials have to relearn how to officiate today's game. Because you can call holding in past interference on just about every play in the NFL, you have to decide how often you're gonna call it. It's not there isn't a penalty, it's do you want to call that? And in the NBA, and this is the death of the NBA some nights where you're watching and it's forever, we watch this in March madness, Like there are games where you go, God, how long is this? Is this the same game we've been watching? It's I think the officials got to relearn on what they're looking for and what you're going to call. Because if I'm SGA, just like James Harden, can I get away with this? I'm going to continue to do it. All the great players and even that you know the players who aren't great, they try to get away with this. But if I can push off, you're not going to call it. If I can draw fouls', you're going to call those. I go to the line, You're going to continue to do it. But I think it's incumbent upon the commissioner and the officials to look at the game and decide how you want to call this game, because there's nothing better than when the game flows where it's back and forth and back and forth. It's you know, it's not do it. Nobody wants to see that. But Wemby, I'm going to see him in person.

00:13:53
Speaker 5: Yeah, Mark, is there Statford shots altered because it's almost like Max Crosby or Hurries like, you know what. He might win Defensive Player of the Year just off of the shots that he alters, never mind the shots that he actually blocks, because he makes you think twice about even putting up a three point right.

00:14:11
Speaker 2: I'm sure that they have stats on that of affecting a shot. But when you think about it, there's only one other player in the NBA. When you think defense, you think this guy, and it's Rudy Gobert. But that's all he does and he is nowhere near in the area code of Victor win Benyama. Rudy Gobert is going to the Hall of Fame because he has four Defensive Player of the Year awards. He will be a Hall of Famer. Wemby is going to do that and then everything he does on the offensive ent Yes.

00:14:49
Speaker 6: Mark, I'll go back to the Olympics.

00:14:51
Speaker 5: Rudy Gobert was not on the floor for the US versus France in the gold medal game. Hey, you're the defensive player of the Year four times. Remember Wemby was supposed to win Defensive Player of the Year as a rookie.

00:15:01
Speaker 2: He should have. He should have absolutely, But sometimes you know, people get into this, Oh yeah, i'll vote for him, and I'll vote for him, and we don't talk about defense. Now, look at these points in the NBA, like you're getting one hundred and thirty and you're losing games, but you got a guy who cares about playing defense, who plays it at a very high level, no pun intended, and that has to be factored into the MVP. I don't know if it will. And once again, I think SGA is going to win. They've been the best team, defending champs. He's consistent, he scores twenty a night. But they're the best team. Yes, Mark, And.

00:15:45
Speaker 5: If the Spurs and are Thunder meet in the playoffs, if SGA wins the MVP Award, or wins the MVP Award over Wemby, you think he hated OKAC before. He's going to go nuclear on OKC in the playoffs if he sees them.

00:15:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, this is a rivalry. It's a true rivalry. And you could hear him he said, hey, look we beat them when they had their lineup, we beat them three times.

00:16:07
Speaker 1: I like it.

00:16:09
Speaker 2: But at twenty two, I know, we love the story. And I always go back to how would the media have treated Lebron at twenty two if you said, you know, I'm the best player, this is what I do. Nobody does what I do. Wemby, it just feels like the way he said it got a little bit of his French accent in there, and you're like, okay, all right, yeah, I'm all right, all right, I believe you. I'm behind into this.

00:16:36
Speaker 4: Yeah, Paul, I know there's only ten games remaining. Thunder or fifty seven wins, Spurs have fifty four wins. If somehow the Spurs steal the one seed in the East with how much would that affect the MVP voting. It's possible.

00:16:49
Speaker 2: It's striking dim then well yeah it's possible. It's three games, but you know, Okac is not losing now, you know they they're back to full strength. Feels like, but if the Spurs maintain this, I mean this might be one of those ten years from now we look back and say, wait, why didn't Wemby win it that year? I mean, it might be that way, but it's fun to watch. It's fun to watch the growth that you see of you know, he was kind of not awkward because he had a flow to his game, a rhythm to his game, but he didn't know where to stand in the NBA. He was getting roughed up, knocked out of the paint, and then he finally got a point guard and he positioned him. Yeah.

00:17:34
Speaker 7: I imagine, yeah, that watching Wemby right now is similar to what it must have been like to see Wilt Chamberlain play. They like, there's one dude out here that is just different. It's a totally different level. Yes, all right, let me take a break. I know I get carried away. I have a friend who's a Boston Celtic fan. He's already responding to me. Oh, here we go with a Wemby love.

00:17:57
Speaker 2: Yep, here is the Wemby low of WHIMVP. All right, we'll take a break. We'll come up with the poll question. We got Clark Kellogg and Reggie Miller a little later on. We're back after this.

00:18:09
Speaker 1: Be sure to catch the live edition of The Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

00:18:19
Speaker 2: Paully Fools Go here with Tony Foosco.

00:18:21
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:18:22
Speaker 8: As everybody knows, we're the hosts of the award winning Polly and Toni Foosco Show.

00:18:25
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:18:25
Speaker 8: But instead of us telling you how great we are, here's how Dan Patrick described us when he came on our show.

00:18:31
Speaker 2: Quick, knowledgeable and funny, opinionated.

00:18:35
Speaker 1: What what are you doing interrupting our promo? Yeah, you wasn't talking about you.

00:18:39
Speaker 9: You took those clips totally of context.

00:18:42
Speaker 8: Oh yeah, Well after this promo, I'm gonna take you out and beat you.

00:18:46
Speaker 2: Let me put this into context.

00:18:48
Speaker 6: Shut up.

00:18:48
Speaker 8: Yeah, anyway, just listen to the Paully and Toni Fusco Show on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

00:18:55
Speaker 1: Yee.

00:18:57
Speaker 2: They called him Special K when he was in height Go in college Clark Kellogg, CBS Sports Lead college basketball studio analyst and the eighth round or eighth overall pick by the Pacers in nineteen eighty two in the first round. You still got your uniform from your Pacer days.

00:19:16
Speaker 10: You know, I've got a I do have actually a Pacer uniform and a Buckeye uniform DP in a memorabilia case that primarily is filled with our kids stuff, not mine. But I do have I do have a Pacer uniform and a buck Eye jersey in the Did.

00:19:32
Speaker 2: You ever ask for somebody's jersey when you were playing?

00:19:37
Speaker 6: I have not.

00:19:39
Speaker 10: I do have a signed pair of Reggie Miller's shoes. I got a signed pair of Kobe's through an aux. Reggie actually signed a pair of personally for me. But that's I think. And I have something from John Wooden, the late great John Wooden. I have a basketball to he signed for me with a scripture reference on it.

00:19:58
Speaker 6: Oh, I can't think. I'm not a huge memorabilia god, Dan, I'm not. I'm more of a memories guy.

00:20:05
Speaker 10: So I'm trying to accumulate those and photos and the like and but no, I'm not a big memorabilia guy. And actually my wife doesn't allow me to bring too much extra stuff.

00:20:19
Speaker 2: I couldn't imagine back in your day where you asked Larry Bird for one of his jerseys.

00:20:24
Speaker 10: No, that wasn't quite cool. It operated in that time. Great respect, great admiration. But I'm trying to figure out how I can maybe take him down when I see him and ask him for his jersey.

00:20:36
Speaker 6: Were probably getting away of that.

00:20:38
Speaker 2: Everybody is. It feels like lamenting. There's no Cinderella story. But I think there's dark horses like Iowa in Nebraska. It's a great story. Even Texas coming out of nowhere, but they're not a Cinderella story. There's high point BCU. You know they were nice, but now you know we get to this point. It feels like this is where you want the blue bloods or you want the best teams in college basketball. So your thoughts about no so called Cinderella Dan.

00:21:11
Speaker 10: This tournament is such a special event on the sports calendar.

00:21:15
Speaker 6: In the minds of many, it's the best.

00:21:18
Speaker 10: It's three weeks to a championship, that's sixty eight teams. Ultimately one gets a signing moment. You do have stories that unfold from places that you don't anticipate, and you can dub Cinderella however you'd.

00:21:32
Speaker 6: Like to dub her.

00:21:34
Speaker 10: This tournament always, always, always delivers. Now, depending on your personal preference of what you prefer, then it might deliver more or less in a given year than you think.

00:21:49
Speaker 6: But by and large.

00:21:50
Speaker 10: We've had a great blend of the excitement, the unpredictability that is March Madness, and so I always embrace it for what it is each and every year. We had four number ones for the second time since the field expanded last year, and that was phenomenal. We very well could have three number ones in the final four this year.

00:22:16
Speaker 6: That's still TBD. So I take it for what it is.

00:22:19
Speaker 10: It's a joyous and exciting and blessed ride every year, and we've had quality matchups. We've had some surprising blowouts too. I mean we had blowouts in a four or five matchup between Texas Tech and Obama. We had a surprising blowout in an eight nine matchup between Saint Louis and Georgia. I can't recall seeing those kind of margins of victories with those two seed lines. So again, enjoy it for what it is. I'm not opposed to the matchups we have. Cinderella showed up briefly and we still have one. I think in Iowa, who shockingly dominated eight dominating inside frontline in Florida.

00:23:03
Speaker 2: Talking to Clark Kellogg from CBS be in Studio for March Madness, the future of the mid major. I don't want to overreact, but I do want to react to it. Of is this an aberration of what's gone on maybe the last two years, and maybe kind of this is the future with college basketball.

00:23:27
Speaker 6: Time shall tell.

00:23:28
Speaker 10: Dan, you know, we have a real tendency towards recency bias in our lives and in our sports. And we'll see, right, we'll see it clearly looks like the tide has shifted more towards the Power Conference teams, the big brand names, but there's been a dominance of those groups. Anyway, it might be enhanced and increase going forward. I still believe part of the magic of this event is the fact that the mid majors or the non Power conference teams have an opportunity, with the right mix and the right formula to get to an elite A to Final four where we see fewer than we've seen in past years. The last gate tends to lead you to think that I would rather let the data accumulate before making a statement on it.

00:24:25
Speaker 2: But I'm wondering if I just look at this big picture, logically, you have the big conferences where these kids might not be drafted and they could stay an extra year now and you're going to then you're going to have big names at your school who will go to the draft. But then you're gonna get guys who go, I got nil that I could make money. I might stay a year longer at Kentucky or LSU or Florida those places. And you're also going to cherry pick the mid majors where you go, hey, you see that freshman or a sophomore, we can offer you money, And that's where I think you're going to have guys stay. But you're also going to get an influx of guys who have proven that they can play, and you may not have to go after you know, a high school kid, You're getting somebody who's already you know, battle tested.

00:25:21
Speaker 10: Valid, valid points, real points that reality exists. But I also think somebody mentioned this to me, and I can't recall who it was because I'd love to attribute this to them, But they also talked about as much as we've talked about the Marquis freshman and how great this class is, there also have been a number of really good freshmen that have played at the high points or the mid majors and have excelled. And I think what may send some of that tide and still help March Madness be a Cinderella place on occasion, will be that some of these high school kids that are talented but may not be one and done kind of guys will end up in good situations at winning programs at the mid major level, and some of them will decide that that's the best place for me to be as long as I can be comfortably taken care of from an NIL standpoint and can develop and can maybe make a March Madness moment with a group of guys that I want to play with. So I think that's still going to exist. I'm always idealistic. Yeah, won't exist as much, but I think it still will be part of the fabric.

00:26:35
Speaker 2: Feels like people are cooling on Duke's chances understandably.

00:26:40
Speaker 10: So, I mean, when you look at how Michigan is played purdueers coming on Arizona, I thought Michigan in Arizona coming into the tournament would.

00:26:49
Speaker 6: Have been co favorites.

00:26:50
Speaker 10: I don't look at the odds makers, but I'm sure that's probably what it looked like. I know Duke at one point, but you have the injury to gone, but he looked good in this game, he looks to be one hundred percent. Obviously, Kayla Foster is not coming back. You're wondering how that affects Duke as they go forward. So I could see where if you're ranking the remaining teams and you've got Tom Izel in Michigan State looking at you and how successful he's been, that Duke would be considered maybe vulnerable in its bracket. They've got Saint John's first, which isn't going to be easy. So I could see that, Yeah, I could see that where people would cool on their chances to win it all.

00:27:30
Speaker 2: Did B why you get their money's worth with aj DEBANSA.

00:27:34
Speaker 6: That's a relative question.

00:27:36
Speaker 10: I mean, clearly they got talked about more and probably got more media exposure and contacts than they could have ever imagined, certainly in terms of what happened on the floor. In terms of success, maybe a tad below, But again I don't know what the number was. You hear those numbers, but there's no real reporting like you get from the NBA, where you know what guys are really making. I think it was as long as he felt good about where he landed, they felt good about how he produced the results, as a team were less than anticipated, but I would think it would have been I would look at it as a fair exchange.

00:28:11
Speaker 2: Quite honestly, we're gonna expand the first four at some point.

00:28:18
Speaker 6: You're assured of that. Yeah, okay, what do you think is going to be DP?

00:28:22
Speaker 2: I just think you double Tuesday and Wednesday.

00:28:26
Speaker 6: So you're talking eight teams.

00:28:27
Speaker 2: You just you get six. You still get your sixty four to start officially on Thursday. But I think they'll just they'll add more games on Tuesday and Wednesday. I don't think anybody will have a problem with more games on Tuesday and Wednesday. And I mean the structure is going to be the same. I think that's what people will be like, Okay, we still have our sixty four teams and we're still are one through sixteen. I think they'll just they'll add to Tuesday and Wednesday.

00:28:57
Speaker 6: Yeah, I don't disagree. I mean they've talked.

00:28:59
Speaker 10: The talk is been seventy two to seventy six teams, which mathematically makes sense because most of the championship that the NCAA puts on, twenty percent of the eligible teams make the postseason.

00:29:12
Speaker 6: We are currently at three hundred and sixty.

00:29:14
Speaker 10: Five Division One teams, twenty percent of that would be seventy three. So I've reconciled that being I know it's about more games and more money, but I've reconciled the mathematical component of why we would expand, and it was much the same when we went from sixty four to sixty eight in twenty eleven. The number of Division One teams that increase, you want to get to that twenty twenty one, twenty two percent, And I'm fine with that. Expanding for the sake of expansion, no, but when you've got a rationale behind it, more teams create more spaces for opportunities for more players student athletes, so I'm good with it. I don't think we'll go anything beyond either four additional teams or eight, And to your point, I think folks will be fine and adjust and be happy with starting the sixty four team bracket on Thursday. The calendar won't allow for much more than that. I just think the calendar would allow for anything beyond that.

00:30:13
Speaker 2: How often does Charles Berkley leave you speechless?

00:30:19
Speaker 11: I mean, but it's so much fun for him to leave you speechless or shaking your head or scratching your head or just laughing hysterically.

00:30:30
Speaker 10: I tell everybody you know him, you spent a lot of time around him. He's one of the most gracious celebrities of his stature that you will find anywhere, because he's genuinely a good guy, and he is a genuinely funny guy, which adds to his persona which is off the charge.

00:30:47
Speaker 2: Good to talk to you, great work, Thanks for joining us, Clark.

00:30:50
Speaker 6: Always a pleasure, Dan, I look forward to it every year. Keep up the great work, Man Clark.

00:30:54
Speaker 2: Kellong CBS Lead College Banskomon Studio Analyst.

00:30:58
Speaker 1: Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to listen live.

00:31:10
Speaker 2: Reggie Miller was on the call. Tea Wolves Celtics has passed. Sunday Sunday Night Basketball, NBC Peacock Tonight, It's Donovan Mitchell, the Calves and they're hosting Pallo, Ben Harrow and the Magic Coast to Coast at the eight Eastern non NBC and Peacock. Man, do you have a second home in Cleveland?

00:31:32
Speaker 6: I feel like I'm living I know I know.

00:31:35
Speaker 9: I feel like I have a residency here in Boston. I feel like we've been in those two cities the most this season. But things will start to change up a little bit. I know, we go to OKC. We have a trip to Houston coming up, so we're spreading our roots a little bit.

00:31:52
Speaker 2: Theadore okay, but what fan base might be a little tougher on you between Cleveland and Boston.

00:32:00
Speaker 6: Are good?

00:32:01
Speaker 9: Oh, no problem, no problem either way, no problem. The only fan base that raises an eyebrow is we nowhere is one. It's the Knicks. Yeah, that's the only place. Everywhere else I go, open arms.

00:32:17
Speaker 6: How you doing.

00:32:19
Speaker 2: Chicago's okay, Chicago's great.

00:32:21
Speaker 9: I haven't been to Chicago, and because they've been so bad, we haven't been to Chicago in like five years, even when I was with the other network.

00:32:28
Speaker 6: It's been a while since we've been to Chicago.

00:32:30
Speaker 2: Well, Chicago always beat you, so they probably.

00:32:38
Speaker 6: Where are we going with?

00:32:40
Speaker 2: I just was looking at Yeah, you did damage to the Knicks and they never forget, and then Spike Lee is always there. But you and Spike are good.

00:32:47
Speaker 6: We are very good.

00:32:49
Speaker 2: But it took a while.

00:32:51
Speaker 9: And look, even the Knicks team that all the players I feel I'm good with respect.

00:32:57
Speaker 6: It's the fan base that have an issue. All right.

00:33:03
Speaker 2: I've been talking about Wemban Yama today, probably too much, but he's twenty two. Yes, he was asked about being an MVP candidate. He talked about defense, which to me felt like, hey, Joker doesn't play defense the way I do. He talked about scoring, he doesn't score like Luca does. But then Wemby said, but scoring is more than just you know, offensive end is more than just scoring. Then he talked about head to head with OKC and SGA, and he said we beat him three times.

00:33:35
Speaker 6: Four times.

00:33:37
Speaker 2: Well, he said three times with their full lineup. Yes, yes, okay, tell me he is correct, No lies told. But tell me why he won't win the MVP, because.

00:33:51
Speaker 9: The guy who probably will win it, SGA, will probably end up having the best record once again in the NBA, second in scoring, and he is as though he's not as impactful defensively as Wimby.

00:34:09
Speaker 6: SGA does play defense. He is a two way player.

00:34:12
Speaker 9: He's in the top ten and stills and he's just like he's just out there scoring thirty points a game. So I think having the best records will give him the advantage. But I love everything about Victor Winbinyama. He's reinvented how we approach the game, the All Star Game, and he made those guys play hard. He should get a nod for that as well. But I also want to say this too, We've got to see them in the playoffs. I mean, you gotta got to win a playoff series.

00:34:48
Speaker 6: I want to see a playoff series.

00:34:50
Speaker 9: I know the guy that will probably win the MVP, and what's finals MVP? Okay, let's I love what the Spurs are doing. We're on a collide course, right, and he's putting it out there. He is saying this before the playoffs too. He's calling subtly, calling out names. Hey I dominated y'all champs. Hey jo kids, you're a three time MVP. I played both fans and I can score with you guys too. So he's putting the Spurs unnoticed. But I want to see him win a playoff series. That's slower roll a little.

00:35:25
Speaker 2: Bit, okay, but so that means he can't win the MVP this year because it's taken for the regular season. The votes are taken there. You want to see him in the postseason. Therefore next year, if their success this year, then he sets himself up to be MVP.

00:35:43
Speaker 9: Absolutely I think, and again you know what, he could win MVP this year. Don't get me wrong, because there is what three weeks left in the season. I think we are ten to some teams have ten to twelve games left. And what the Spurs have done. Everyone thought, especially the way the Thunder started the season, what twenty four and one, that they were going to run away with the season They've made the Champs have to work and think about all the injuries to okay, see this year and they are currently in a twelve game winning streak right now, But they've needed every one of those twelve wins. Why because the Spurs are breathing down their neck only three games behind. So I give the Spurs so much credit of putting pressure on the Champs. But having said all that, I got to see how this young team and how Wimby and how Castle and how Dylan Harper. I want to see these guys in the playoff series. They will steam roll in the first round. Now we have a collision course with the Lakers. Are you going with Luca and the experience with Lebron and Ar and the Lakers and DeAndre Ayton, who's been to the finals before or again the Spurs.

00:36:59
Speaker 6: They steam rolled the Lakers this year as well.

00:37:02
Speaker 9: I want to see that second round matchup, and then if they're able to get by the Lakers and okay See handle their business on the other side of the bracket, then it's the matchup we have all been waiting for.

00:37:15
Speaker 2: Okay, But if the Spurs end up with the best record in the West.

00:37:19
Speaker 6: Votes will already be in.

00:37:20
Speaker 9: I think they will have to catch them, like by next week. I think votes will be in because I have a feeling it will go down to the last game of the year if they catch them, right, because they're three ahead with tend to play. I don't see okay See going in the tank with ten games to go, so if they catch them, it would be like the last game of the year. I believe the votes for MVP and all the awards will be in.

00:37:48
Speaker 6: He's certainly gonna win Defensive Player of the Year.

00:37:52
Speaker 9: You could almost make a case you won't being Most Improved Player of the Year as well. And yes, he's in line to me, I mean, and you know what, we're not talking about Yolkish too. I mean, he's averaging a triple double as a sinner. And again, I know people will kind of want to look at him cross eyed because the no defense or whatever. The dude's averaging the triple double as a sinner.

00:38:15
Speaker 2: Oh, Joker's in a different category.

00:38:18
Speaker 6: Okay, all right, I just don't want people to.

00:38:21
Speaker 2: Now we take him for granted, now, we all, and.

00:38:23
Speaker 9: You know what, we're taking Sga a little bit for granted as well, because the new kid on the block is showing us the twenty two year old so and and you know what, I think a lot of these people that actually vote for the VP, they could have, you know, fatigue, SGA fatigue, Joker fatigue, and just you know, want to spice things up and go with Wimby.

00:38:47
Speaker 6: I let me promise this. I am in Victor's camp. What he has done. He is a breath of fresh air.

00:38:56
Speaker 9: Thank you for saving the All Star Game and making guys play hard.

00:39:00
Speaker 6: I get it, but I want to see come playoff time too.

00:39:03
Speaker 11: Now.

00:39:03
Speaker 9: I like the talking now because he's calling people by names subtly, but he's calling people by names.

00:39:10
Speaker 2: What changed? I know the Lakers lost last night, but it felt like they figured something out. We've talked about Lebron's role in this, but and Luca getting like a late push for MVP as well. DeAndre Ayden, I think recently came out and said, oh, I kind of figured out what I'm supposed to be doing here.

00:39:32
Speaker 6: Role get big hands ready, lob don't How simple is that? DeAndre very good? Yeah?

00:39:43
Speaker 9: Yeah, And I think roles have been defined, starting with arguably the best player over the last you know, twenty three years, in Lebron James.

00:39:54
Speaker 6: He knew he was going to have to take a back seat and be.

00:39:57
Speaker 9: The third option, which it sounds so to say, because I don't think you can go back maybe to when he was ten. I doubt even when he was ten he was the third option on an AEE team ever.

00:40:09
Speaker 6: And he's accepted that role.

00:40:12
Speaker 9: I mean, case in point last night, he didn't even score in the first half in that Detroit game.

00:40:16
Speaker 6: He ended up with twelve points.

00:40:18
Speaker 9: And I think he has accepted being the third fiddle behind Luca, behind ar And again we talked about this last week. I'm gonna give he didn't play last night, but Marcus Smart and what he's done defensively on that team. He's been a huge anchor in terms of being able defensively to put the Lakers in a position where they are so competitive at that end of the floor and clean up a lot of mistakes sometimes that happened from other players. So I think roles have been defined, guys are playing within their abilities, and I think that's why the Lakers have won nine out of ten games.

00:41:01
Speaker 2: Talking to Reggie Miller, he'll be on the call. It's the Cavaliers against Pallo ben Carrow and the Magic. And there's some trouble going on with Polo ben Carrow and coaching staff there in Orlando.

00:41:16
Speaker 9: Look, you know there's been reports of him and the head coach, Divalmo's they kind of having words with one another.

00:41:22
Speaker 6: And again, it's been a long season.

00:41:24
Speaker 9: Before this five em losing streak, they had won seven games in a row, and I think there's been a lot of miscommunication defensively for Orlando because that was their calling caller the last two years. If you think about it, they were so good defensively, and they go out and they make the huge trade for Desmond Vane to bring in some offensive punch because they needed shooting around Franz Wagner again, who's been injured all season because of a bad ankle. Look, this team has been hurt. Wagner hasn't been back, Powell's been in and out of the lineup, and they're battling right now. They're currently eighth, but they're only a game and a half out of being fifth. So yeah, I think there's some mist communication between head coach Jamaal mostly and Palla. But this is a scary team if they can get things right that they can get Funds Vagner back.

00:42:23
Speaker 6: Healthy and whole. Desmond Vane has been playing great as of late. Shugs has been hurt a little bit. Sugs has been hurt a little bit.

00:42:32
Speaker 9: So there's some injuries for Orlando that they need to kind of get healthy in hole first as a head into the playoffs.

00:42:41
Speaker 2: The freshman in college basketball, he got four or five guys that feel like they're going right to the end, like maybe tank Worthy. Yeah, but the biggest difference in what you you know with de Banca and a Cup and h Peterson like that Boozer. The difference of Okay, that's college to the NBA. What changes right as you get into the league.

00:43:12
Speaker 9: The speed of the game, I'll put it to you like this. In college, you feel like it's a four hundred meter race.

00:43:23
Speaker 6: You run, you.

00:43:23
Speaker 9: Get out the gates kind of quick, and you have your moments, but it's a challenging race. In the NBA, it's a two hundred meter one hundred meter race every single game. And in college basketball, you may be going against a five star for one or two five star four star players every game. In the NBA, everyone won in high school and college and was a five star athlete.

00:43:50
Speaker 6: And the size of the guys.

00:43:52
Speaker 9: You forget how tall and long the NBA players are versus college so it's a sprint. It's it's much more physical, and to me, this draft class has all of that. Caleb Wilson. Wilson from who didn't even play down the stretch for North Carolina, has the length and the size to be a great NBA prospect. You talked about AJ Peterson, from everything I've seen in Kansas and from his workouts, can score the basketball with the best of them. Darius Acuff, the guard from Arkansas, I would love to see him in an NBA type setting. So it's gonna be an interesting draft and where some of these teams like my beloved Pacers, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Washington, Like, who.

00:44:43
Speaker 6: Gets that top pick? The Utah? It's gonna be interesting to see where some of these players fall.

00:44:48
Speaker 2: If you're Brooklyn, why wouldn't you bring in mac mcclunk.

00:44:53
Speaker 6: Why not?

00:44:55
Speaker 2: I mean, like, nobody cares about the nets, nobody's going to the games. At least you get a guy who's torching the G League and at least he's entertaining to watch.

00:45:05
Speaker 9: Not only entertaining, but what a three or four time dunk champion. There's name recognition to that. And again, when you're playing in the shadow of the Knicks, why not have a guy like wait.

00:45:17
Speaker 6: Isn't Matt mcclun didn't he win the dunk? I remember some of those dunks? Hey?

00:45:21
Speaker 9: I mean he could sell tickets for you To me, I think it would be a no brainer. You're in the tank anyways, you're losing every single game. Why not take a flyer and give this young kid an opportunity to get some NBA minutes.

00:45:37
Speaker 2: But is he that bad of a defensive player?

00:45:39
Speaker 6: Well, if you're scoring forty two in the G League, he must be doing something right, right.

00:45:44
Speaker 2: I don't understand that that Okay, you're really bad at defense, but you're really good at offense.

00:45:52
Speaker 9: Well, there was a guy that Doc Rivers just cutting Cam Thomas, I know who was instant office.

00:45:59
Speaker 6: He was instant when he was with Brooklyn.

00:46:01
Speaker 9: Maybe they think it's the same type of project, but Cam had different issues. Cam Thomas, I don't know why you just wouldn't bring in Matt McClung and give him a shot and give him minutes.

00:46:13
Speaker 2: Who's the fastest guy you ever saw in the NBA?

00:46:19
Speaker 6: There's a host of them.

00:46:20
Speaker 9: Rocket Rod Foster, who I played with at UCLA, had a small stint in the in the NBA.

00:46:28
Speaker 2: Wow, was Iverson quicker than he was faster?

00:46:35
Speaker 6: Probably?

00:46:37
Speaker 9: No, but he I was pretty fast as well. From coast to coast ay I yeah, Hey, I would Muggsy votes. He would put pressure on you too at that small frame from coast to coast with the basketball. Jake Kidd very fast, yes, j kidds and he's taller six four six three six four.

00:46:58
Speaker 2: I'd be curious. You guys don't run the forty.

00:47:01
Speaker 9: No, this is not like the NFL combine where the forty matters.

00:47:05
Speaker 6: No, we don't. I think they do now.

00:47:07
Speaker 2: Maybe, well, the forty doesn't matter. You're more likely to run forty in the NBA than you are in the NFL.

00:47:14
Speaker 6: Yes you are, Yes, who's ours? Ours? In the NBA, it's more obviously, you know, quick movement.

00:47:20
Speaker 9: How efficient can you get from spot A to spot B? And there's so much more backpedaling side to side.

00:47:30
Speaker 6: I mean, there's there's so many things.

00:47:32
Speaker 9: In the NBA that are totally different from baseball, football and some of these other sports.

00:47:37
Speaker 2: Next time I had the commissioner on, I gotta tell him it's time to bring the red, white and blue ball to the NBA. It's about entertainment. It looks great, won't.

00:47:50
Speaker 6: Happen because that was part of the gimmick of the ABA.

00:47:55
Speaker 2: That's what you took the three point shot from the ABA.

00:47:58
Speaker 9: I know, but that's what made it specially that there is no way they will bring it would be great.

00:48:04
Speaker 2: Okay, how about one week when you go into an old ABA city.

00:48:11
Speaker 9: Oh, that would be nice. So that would be San Antonio obviously Indiana.

00:48:19
Speaker 2: I believe that the nets, Yeah, well they.

00:48:23
Speaker 6: Were the new Jersey nets then, right?

00:48:25
Speaker 2: Was that the they will maybe the okay, maybe you have ab a week.

00:48:33
Speaker 9: You have them on you ask him about that, because then your next question is going to be because I've been hearing this being floated out, I'm on a four point play.

00:48:41
Speaker 6: What's your thoughts on a four point shot?

00:48:44
Speaker 2: No, I don't want more people taking deeper shots. I'm trying to I'd get rid of the one. I'd love to have one week where you don't have to point line.

00:48:55
Speaker 1: How about you?

00:48:57
Speaker 9: Well, you're you're talking to a guy who lived behind the three point lie.

00:49:01
Speaker 6: I'm not on board maybe with that one, all right, all right?

00:49:04
Speaker 2: But would you would you be okay with the ABA ball?

00:49:07
Speaker 9: I would love the ABA ball just because I have again being adopted Hoosier, and we know what the ABA Pacers meant for the state and the city of Indiana. Mel Daniels, Roger Brown, Bob not a lucky They would be very proud of this conversation.

00:49:26
Speaker 6: Rale right now, I'm loving.

00:49:28
Speaker 2: You, all right, play nice in Cleveland. Thanks, thank you. That's Reggie Ala wishous Miller Junior. The third