February 18, 2025 • 64 mins
Nick Wright discusses what went wrong at NBA All-Star Week and why everyone is blowing it out of proportion, especially LeBron James not playing. Then, Nick reacts to all the wild things Draymond Green said over the weekend. Later, Nick weighs into the NBA MVP debate and makes his pick. Finally, as always, Nick and Damonza answer your questions.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome In What's Driving the Great Episode three oh three,
we are officially to basketball season. NFL Franchise Tag Day
is today, which means the NFL offseason has begun. In earnest.
The All Star Game was this weekend. I'm the only
person in the world, evidently who enjoyed it. Or maybe
I'm the only person in the world who just doesn't
(00:22):
know how to consume anything without just bitching and moaning
about it from start to finish these days, I don't know.
So we'll get to all of that before we do
any of that. Demon's good to see you. You look
out just resplendent today. I mean, what is the weather
in Los Angeles? Must be glorious.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
It is feeling great.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
It is freezing in New York City, and you're wearing
damn near a Hawaiian shirt. Speaking of Hawaii, first things
First is off next week. I won't be going to Hawaii.
I'll actually be going further than Hawaiian. Wilde's is off
this week. Listen. Kate w is one of the hardest
(01:04):
working people in media and never takes time off this
but this was the week he needed off. So he's
off this week. Then we're off as a show next week.
And so yesterday, before we get to the Lebron stuff
in the ulsterreehum stuff, just quick story. Yesterday Lowayne filled in,
and he didn't fill in as a guest. He sat
in wild seat. He did the intros and outros, he
(01:27):
did weird and wonderful, and people wondered how did that happen?
So I'm going to tell you guys exactly how that happened.
So Monday, a week ago, during the Me Eating Crow show,
Wayne texted, Brah, I'm crying laughing in this blank a
(01:51):
lot of laughing emojis. That was too funny. Whole sec
me because I am if I have one religion, it
is an undying belief in being a terrible text replier.
I did not reply to that. Low Wayne live texted
(02:11):
me during the show, but I was kind of in
a text blockout from super Bowl until Wednesday afternoon. So
Wednesday evening I finally go back and I'm like, all right,
I have five hundred unreplied texts. I probably should reply
to some of them. And I'm like, oh my god,
Lowayne texted so I again. Because I'm not very good
(02:36):
at text etiquette. And even though this is you know,
one of the greatest musicians in the history of the
country who took his time out of his day to
watch my TV show and then give a live reaction
to it. My reply was, I just gave it the
little heart. I just clicked it and gave it the
(02:56):
heart Wednesday night. And so he then text me immediately
flying out there tomorrow to do SNL fifty. Let's get together.
He always says, smoke something, even though I don't smoke,
but it's just I just feel like he feels like,
this is, you know, the nice offer to make, and
(03:18):
he said I exactly. His version of it said, I'm
there till the eighteenth, so if you want me on
the show, I can do it, and I want to
come by Wifey's store. I'm like, this is just the
nicest person who's ever lived. So I text him short
version is this Wild's out next week. Here's a funny
(03:40):
option if you're into it. You pick a day and
sit in and fill in for Wild host the entire show,
do weird and wonderful the whole thing. He snap text back, done,
I just got to my room. Hit my guy Fabian.
We'll set it all up that afternoon. He's the greatest
(04:04):
person ever. That afternoon, at the end of the three
o'clock hour, this is now Thursday, we run a promo
on the show that Wayne is filling in for Wilds.
He is watching the show, evidently, because he texts one
minute after the promo, you're way too kind. I can't
(04:26):
bleep and wait, I'm gonna knock it out of the stadium.
Tell Cadob, I respect the person whose seat will be
filling too much to do anything less than kill it.
I got us and tell him I said, all caps,
thank you. So I read that text to Wilds, and
Wilds just said totally matter of factly, he has this
(04:50):
relationship totally backwards. You get that right. I'm like, yeah, man,
I do like this idea that he is thanking us, Like,
don't worry all, take it seriously. I'm like, bro, twelve
hours before the show, you're performing in front of Paul
McCartney and Tom Hanks at SNL fifty and then you're
(05:13):
coming and doing all Star Clung highlights, weird, doing wild,
weird and wonderful. So that's how that happened. He's just
the greatest guy in the world. So that was a
ton of fun, and if you guys haven't watched SNL fifty,
it's totally worth your time. His medley is great, and
(05:37):
Adam Sandler's five and a half minute guitar rendition a
tribute to the fifty years of the show is spectacular.
So I'm biased, Like my two favorite parts were Wayne's
part and then the Sandler thing, but the whole thing
was great. All right, let's get to the show. Here's
what miss the cut demonte Kansas City allegedly gives Travis
(06:01):
Kelcey a deadline. I would call that a soft deadline
of mid March. Mac McClung, I mean, I'm gonna say
this with confidence and certainty, the greatest white dude dunker
of all time, and I don't know that anyone's ever
gonna break that mark. I still think Vince is the
greatest dunker ever. And Aaron Gordon and Zach Levine put
(06:23):
on a hell of a show. But Mac McClung is unbelievable,
and Wimby and CP three break the skills contest in
a really the most embarrassing thing that happened this weekend
that deserved criticism was Wimby and Chris Paul trying to
rig the skills competition. But of course that is not
(06:45):
the thing that got the most criticism this weekend. Instead,
it was the reverse engineered What did Lebron James do?
Therefore it must be wrong. Let's start right there before
we get to the game. And I think this is
one demons. This is gonna be one of the things
that I think demands as we start the topic, disagrees
with me, and by the end of the topic I
(07:07):
might have swayed him a bit. But we'll see.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Let's go out, all right, we'll see first and Forebo's
happy belated President's Day. It's all you guys out there.
But just hours, just hours before the game, Lebron decided
that he was he was hurt. I don't want to
say he decided, but he was. He was injured. He
wasn't gonna play in the All Star Game, and this
led to fans saying, oh, you took a roster spot.
(07:31):
He also took a picture and did not suit up
as the regular as the rest of the team didn't
wore a street clothes. What's your take on this? People
are pissed about it.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, everyone's lost their mind. So let's just start here
who knew? So many people gave two shits about Norman
Powell making the All Star Game, and the answer is
they didn't. The the idea the amount of people that
were tweeting about Norman Powell because if Lebron had bowed
(08:05):
out a week early, Powell would have gotten the spot.
Though the vin diagram of people who two weeks ago
demonse were like these Pro Bowl alternates. It's such a joke.
Drake May gets to call himself a pro bowler when
he didn't actually make the team and then tweeting this week,
(08:28):
why aren't people thinking about Norman Powell. The fans in
San Francisco definitely wanted to see him play. It's disingenuous nonsense,
and the idea that there was any way for Lebron
to thread this needle and not end up being criticized
(08:50):
is just disingenuous and not true. So if he would
have a week ago said I'm not playing, the media
cycle would have been this is why nobody takes the
All Star Game seriously. This is you know, people are
excited and the face of the league doesn't do it.
Lebron gave it to the last possible minute to figure
(09:17):
out can I play? And it's not so much can
I as much as it is should I, Like if
it were a playoff game, would Lebron have played? Of course?
Does that mean that when he clearly believes this Lakers
team has a real chance to do something and this
Lakers team, because of the California Wildfires, has the shortest
(09:41):
break of any team with them and the Hornets because
they play Wednesday and the rest of the league plays Thursday,
that he was like, you know what, not going to
push it on this ankle? That makes total sense to me?
And then number of people who failed to acknowledge the
following truths. Okay, first of all, is this Has anyone
(10:05):
given more time, effort, sweat energy to All Star Games
in the history of basketball than Lebron James? The answer is,
of course no. He's played in twenty of them. Kareem
played in eighteen, the next closest or Kobe and Duncan
at fifteen. Has Lebron consistently shown up to this event
(10:29):
more than any player in the history of the league. Yes,
by a massive margin. This broke his streak. And but
the other reason that people are just so out of
their damn minds about This is one criticism of Lebron
that I don't even look at as a criticism but
is true. Is the guy cares about streaks and records
(10:53):
and accolades. He does, and he would have liked to
keep this thing going twenty one straight All Star appearances
because the record prior to Lebron playing in twenty in
a row again, twenty in a row was held by
John Havlicek and Bob Coosey, who both played in thirteen
(11:17):
in a row. That was the record. So Lebron set
the record for consecutive All Star Game appearances back let
me do them before he was a Laker, when he
was with the Calves, midway through his second sit with
the Calves and has just been spreading it out. Of
(11:37):
all the active players other than Lebron, Durant is the
only one who has played in ten of these in
a row. He did that pre Achilles. The new active
streak for consecutive All Star Games played is Joker at seven.
So this is the guy that we're gonna say, oh
(12:00):
it to everyone to play to play, the guy who's
played in twenty straight of these, the oldest player in
the league, a guy who has literally played more professional
basketball than any human being ever to live. Were like,
give us more, and if you don't, you're selfish. It's
just so ludicrous. And then there's this piece of it
(12:25):
and I'll get to the picture stuff later. There is
so Nick Fredell, who I really like. I really like him.
He was with ESPN. I think I don't want to
speak for him, but the way I understand it, I
think he was absolutely foolishly a part of their layoffs
(12:45):
months back. He is a great NBA reporter opinionist. Chicago
guy love Nick Nick quote tweeted it and said, there
is just absolutely no way mj would do this. He
always understood what his presence to the game meant. Guys,
(13:06):
Michael Jordan at this point in his career had quit
the game three times. It meant to his presence to
the game meant so much that he quit the game.
He went and played minor league baseball, then he came back,
then he quit again, Then he came back, then he
quit again. Do you know the most consecutive years that
(13:33):
Michael Jordan played in an All Star Game? Seven seven years,
the longest streak of consecutive All Star appearances. Michael Jordan
had was seven. Well, there's no way MJ would do.
So this is where the criticism. People just lose their minds.
(13:55):
So if Lebron had just retired four years ago, no problem,
no problem, you win your championship with the Lakers. You've
played at that point eighteen years. You know what, You've
given a lot to the league. But because he keeps playing,
(14:15):
because he's good enough to be a deserving, top tier
All Star, he then to these and I'm gonna talk
about Nick here, talking about the folks at large, folks
that have just become entitled that no, you owe us this.
He he's not allowed to be cautious with an ankle injury. Uh, Nick,
(14:41):
where did this injury come from? From Solomon Hill three
and a half years ago, the only real injury he's
ever suffered his entire career. That ankle and foot have
been messed up since then, He's and if you're if
you watch the Lakers, Lebron all the time pops up
(15:02):
on a morning of injury report because the ankle tightened
up on it. And do I imagine that in the
days leading up to the All Star Game he actually
took some time, maybe didn't do his regular every day
cryogenic chamber treatment that he would do if they had
(15:25):
actual games coming up, so it was more likely to
tighten up. Of course, of course, that this being such
a universally criticized thing that even Shannon and Kendrick and
guys who are normally you know, on Lebron's side, on
Stuffer's like, ah, this was this is a bridge too
(15:47):
far from me? What are we talking about me?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
And I've seen fans go as far as say, is
like Lebron's ruined the game.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Oh yeah, well that's the other piece of it. The
other piece of it is the fall of the All
Star Game is late at the feet of Lebron James.
I mean, it's just again, the All Star Game in
twenty twenty was awesome. The All Star Game in twenty
twenty two was awesome. And this is just it is
(16:18):
just an entitlement from fans and media that a guy.
Can you imagine any of these conversations existing around Tom Brady? Honestly?
Could you that if Tom Brady is second to last
year with Tampa was like guys, which he did do.
(16:40):
By the way, I know, I was named a pro bowler.
I'm not gonna play and it's not because I'm hurt,
it's just because not interested. It's exactly what happened. Was
there a could you imagine how stupid folks would look
if they went on TV and they were like, Tom Brady,
this is why it's a flag football game. Now see
(17:04):
this guy. Hey, look at the direct line of the
Pro Bowl's popularity with when Tom entered the league and
where it is now. Blood's on his hands. And then
we get to the photo stuff. Guys, there's like, this
(17:24):
is all documented. Injured players still are in the photo. Oh,
they don't have to be at the middle. You guys,
go look at the picture of Yao when he was hurt,
and obviously the middle of that picture has to be Lebron, Steph,
KD just has to be. Those are the guys you
(17:45):
and people are like, oh, they'd haven't a criticism if
often what'd you say, demonse? First of all, First of all,
the injured players. When Kobe was injured, he didn't suit up.
When other guys were injured, they don't suit up. But
everyone is lying if they are acting like if Lebron
(18:09):
had suited up for the picture, there wouldn't be this
exact criticism. It would just be the exact opposite this.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Why why was he suited up?
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Whow he wants people to think he played? It's guy's
ankles so hurt, you don't think again, None of this
shit is logical. It's just it's Lebron. I'm going to
attack it. If he'd just suited up, he'd have gotten
roasted for it. Jan has suited up and again Anthony
(18:41):
Edwards who in the meantime he didn't play either. He
gave less notice than Lebron. We found out during the game.
Anybody crying for Norman Powell with Anthony Edwards? No, Anthony
Edwards allowed to be injured? Why why is he? He's
because he's twenty three of the of his powers, young athletic. No,
(19:03):
it's so dumb. This whole thing is so stupid, and
it is. I don't understand how people call this selfish.
I don't get that.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
I know dude doesn't really have to be playing right now.
It is crazy to do for him to get criticized
on anything that he doesn't do, because any extra time.
At this point, he's in.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Year twenty two. He has now played more minutes in
years twenty one and twenty two than every other player
in the history of the league who made it to
year twenty one and twenty two combined. So let me
say that again, as of two years ago. If you said,
(19:57):
give me all of the minutes, all of the points,
all of the assists from every player ever in year
twenty one and twenty two and put it in a bucket,
that bucket is now doubled just from what Lebron's done
the last two years. And for it's just folks say, oh,
(20:20):
he's the face of load management. The guy is going
to play more games in more minutes than any player
in the history of the league. And he's the face
of not playing. I mean, give me a fucking break.
This suffs. People are out of their mind. And I again,
I mean Kendrick saying put your damn uniform on. He
(20:41):
messed up the whole picture. Again, Where was this for
Kobe or for yow sees.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
His greatness At the end of the day, though, is
really what it is? I feel, what do you mean
people want to see him play? People are our age.
It's like, I don't think it's I think people just
want to see Bron. Oh.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I agree with that piece of it. But the criticism
about the picture and about again, I Lebron cares about
these records, and also he likes the accolades of winning.
And he knew I have the best team by a mile,
(21:20):
like they won it without him. So and it's two
games to forty. He could have like he he going
into Saturday night, I truly believe, did not know if
he was gonna play or not. Then woke up Sunday
mornings like I'm not doing it. And so I just
(21:41):
find so much of this to be just insane. By
the way, just because I invoked stephen A, did you
see it demands, steven A did a whole segment responding
to us responding to him about the top ten list.
So a couple things. One is he was incredibly kind,
(22:05):
very nice to me personally there called brew maybe the
greatest human being he knows. I think like he was
incredibly kind, uh, And I should reach out to stephen A.
Didn't shout you out, which is a shame. But I'm
gonna work on that. I am. I would like at
some point I'm throwing this out there now, at some
(22:27):
point in the next year, we have to do a
family crossover episode because you know, he does stuff.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
With his nephew. Yeah, yeah, that would.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Be super funny if you and his nephew did like
a twenty minute show together. Nephew, Yeah, I know you
would get to be like and I think you're older
than him, you would get to be like the responsible
season journalist in the group. And but if you go
(22:58):
back and watch it, here's the thing, if you actually
listen to what he says, he unintentionally concedes that I
was exactly right that, yeah, if you put pencil to paper,
you would never you wouldn't have Katie in your top ten.
Because he brings up the guys I mentioned. He brings
(23:20):
up Uh, Kobe and Bird primarily, and he says off
the front end, he was like, of course, we would
never have Kevin Durant ahead of Kobe. Bryant says it
like three times, and then he's like, but he averaged
more points and was more efficient and its taller. But
then he's like, bo, we wouldn't have him ahead of him,
(23:41):
And then he brings up Bird. He's like, of course
we wouldn't have Durant ahead a Bird because Bird's a
champion and a three time MVP. But he did all
these things, which was the exact point I was making like,
you can say all these things, but if you actually
put pencil of paper, you're going to come down on
my side of things. And so shout out stephen A
(24:03):
for his kind words. I also am going to reach
out to him, not only about the nephew thing but
about some other stuff. But regardless, I disagree with him
that this was selfish. I disagree with again. And let
me just cause I tried to tweet out the link,
the YouTube link, and when I did that, I saw
(24:26):
the like pre show chat and one of the snap
One of the first things I saw and I'm glad
I don't read that during the show would distract me.
Was on Here comes Nick defending Lebron. Got to make
sure those clutch checks clear. I've said this once before,
(24:47):
let me say it again because I don't think people
understand how agents work. So my agent, this guy named
Ryan Hayden, does an awesome job. He works at UTA.
Rich Paul is a partner at UTA. Ryan and Rich
work together. Rich has helped me with a few things,
(25:10):
so you know, I'm clutch client adjacent. But Rich is
not my agent. But I've done stuff with him, right, Okay,
So I've made that very clear in the past. Here's
the other thing. Not only do they not pay me, guys,
I pay them. It's the exactly you got this relationship
(25:31):
exactly wrong. Your agent doesn't pay you. You you I
work super hard building this family empire for Demons and
Danielle and diora Indiana TV podcast, all of it, and
then every month like a you know, almost ten percent
(25:54):
of my money goes to them. Like it's not it's
it's so the idea that I'm on the take quite
the contrary. I provide a balance to the Lebron James
equation and then I pay them for the pleasure of it.
So if you're gonna roast me, don't get it right.
And not only am I not on the take, I'm
(26:16):
paying out all right, Demanda, let's talk All Star game.
By the way, speaking to my agent, my dad about
once a year, uh, Hayden, if you're listening about once
a year my dad comes for your job. He's like four, yeah,
he wants to yeah, because he's a professionally. You know,
he was ran a firefighters union for thirty five years,
negotiating with the city and he just the he's like,
(26:41):
you know, I could negotiate this way cheaper than you
know what you're paying your guy. Like, okay, pops, I appreciate.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Oh initially you said you said your job. I thought
you we were talking about me. And he wanted to
come and do the podcast. No no, no, no, no
no no.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
He comes from my agent's job. My dad would be
the worst podcast host ever.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
He'd be a pretty great agent, though. Huh.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
He would be great at the negotiating the contract parts
of it. A lot of being an agent is the
soft per skills relationships. And you know, my dad can
be a tough guy. Yeah, and he also is big
on He's very big on the like walk away from
(27:26):
the table, you know, dare them to. And I don't
really have the stomach for I mean, he went to
jail twice for if took the firefighters Union put him
on strike in the city through him in jail. He's like,
all sit here and wait.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Stand up.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Yeah, I don't have the stomach for it. All right,
let's do All Star game.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Uh So, viewers and players were not big fans of
the long stoppages between and in games, so there are
some potential fixes coming to the one v one tournament.
There I mean potential fixes coming with the introduction in
the one v one tournament earlier start time. I'm in
bigger names than the Dunk Contest. Everybody's super low on it.
(28:03):
But you seem to have hope.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Well, I thought the games were good. I thought I
thought it was a bad TV show. I think that
they there were there were too many stoppages, probably a
little too much. Kevin Hart were being honest the inside.
The NBA eulogy seemed odd because that show is continuing,
(28:28):
it's just going from T and T to ESPN. So
it was, you know, like they treating that like it
was Hue Brown's last broadcast was weird because like, these
guys are staying together, So that part I didn't just the.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
End of the version of them.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Yes, but so that was it was a little mellow
dramatic in my regard, in my opinion, that right. But
I thought that they achieved what they wanted basketball wise,
guys played harder, they cared, you know what I mean.
It wasn't just threes and dunks like, so I thought
it was a step in the right direction. I would
(29:04):
propose this tweak, have the games beat a fifty instead
of forty and instead of having four teams of eight guys,
and therefore you have thirty two guys, and you have
to have the rising stars involved, have four teams of
(29:25):
seven guys, and expand the All Star team from twenty
four to twenty eight. So that accomplishes a couple things.
First of all, we won't have to worry about the
ignominy of Norman Powell snubs in the future, because everybody
was so fucking worried about Norman Powell's feelings. But the
All Star Game had twenty four guys in it back
(29:51):
when the league had twelve teams, and it has stayed
at twenty four guys now that we have thirty teams,
So expanding it slightly to twenty eight probably makes sense.
And we don't have to worry about the you know,
there won't be as many snubs or whatever it is.
The league is deep, that deep with talent and I
(30:14):
so I didn't mind this tournament format. I thought it
was cool. I thought the TV production could have been tighter.
I think the games could have been a touch longer,
and then you fix a lot of it. But I
I love the idea of a one one on one contest.
I love it I will guys do it. I don't
(30:36):
know if guys will do it. I think it would
be exceptional TV and way more fun than a horse
or the different things that we've you know, that we've
heard about. So I really like the idea of the
one on one tournament. But I didn't hate I did
not hate this. Uh. I didn't hate this the way
(30:59):
other people did, and I thought it was I think
sometimes what happens is we once again take our cues.
I think the fans take their cues from the media
and social media, and I think Draymond and we'll get
(31:19):
to Draymond in a minute being on the broadcast just
saying how much this sucks. Like I thought that was bad.
I really thought it was bad. And I just can't
imagine that ever happening with another sport, and that to
me is now. I have been critical at the beginning
of the year, said the NBA has some real concerns.
(31:42):
The load management thing is a real concern, and the
just every team playing the same way with all the threes,
that's a real concern that needs to be addressed. But
that can be true, and then it also can be
true that during the event it should be a celebration
(32:03):
of your sport. I just can't it's I can't imagine
Fox has the Major League Baseball All Star Game. Can
you imagine? Even the lead up to it, Poppy and
a Rod and Jeter were just like, here's why the
game sucks. Here's why people don't care. Here's why it
(32:24):
was better back in my day. Like that's that's a
downer for the fans. And again, I'm not acting like
I thought it was a perfect event. It was not
a perfect event, but I thought the actual basketball was
way better than the last couple of years. I also
think people have been overly dramatic about how bad it's
(32:47):
been for the last ten years. Twenty twenty post Kobe
passing was a great game, twenty twenty two had an
awesome finish, twenty twenty three and twenty twenty four were terrible,
and Durant I think nailed it in some of his
tweets when he was like, listen, the All Star Game's
always been about three quarters of screwing around, so to speak,
(33:14):
and then if it's close, lockdown for the fourth quarter.
The problem the last couple of years has been the
three pointer allows teams to get to such a huge
lead that there is no period of oh it's close late,
let's fight for this. So tweaks were needed, But the
(33:39):
NBA just also needs like better pr like nobody thinks
that demands a that the Pro Bowl being a literal
flag football game is a massive indictment on the NFL.
Nobody thinks that, And go ahead if it look like
you want to.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
No, no, no. I made a flag football point earlier
and they shot it down. But well, well it's a
little bit different, just because with football, you know, you
don't want to want the guys to get hurt. I
was just thinking, why would you want the guys speak
one hundred percent the whole time during All Star Game
to begin with, just makes them more likely to get
hurt during a time where.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
So listen, guys have never gone. It's a myth, the
idea that these games were always great games or guys
were always going one hundred percent. It's just not true.
Now like it we can. The last two years were jokes.
(34:38):
Everyone understands that. But twenty twenty two was awesome with
the eelam ending one sixty three one sixty final. Twenty
twenty was great with another elam ending one fifty seven,
one fifty five final, and you know it's been twenty
eighteen was fine, Uh, twenty fifteen was decent.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Let's just go the first. We're supposed to be a
breath of fresh air, you know. I feel like it's
supposed to reset. It's not something to be so raw
rah over.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
But so I tend to agree, and people bring up
oh Man ninety three, Jordan's last year before he quit.
The first time one fifty one thirty five, one thirty
two overtime. That's awesome. The year before was one fifty three,
one thirteen. It's a forty point blowout or one team
(35:34):
scored one fifty. The year before that was an awesome
game one sixteen, one fourteen. The year before that was
a ball one thirty one thirteen. Now I'm not acting
like it hasn't. You know, it's gotten it's gotten worse.
I understand that, which is why the tweaks are needed.
But again, people are just uh way way too nostalgic
(35:58):
about things that did or didn't exist, And so I
do think the NBA smartly wants to tweak some things,
and I think they're trying to We'll get to the
Draymond stuff in just a second, But first, who's scoring
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(37:26):
I'm not really sure am if I'm allowed to say
the team names there, So just stick with me here, uh.
I like Luca's over and Lebron's under. So Luca over
twenty four and a half Lebron under twenty three and
a half are where they set are set right now,
lines and odds, of course, subject to change. Thought process
on that is Luca Lebron clearly dealing with a bit
(37:50):
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Luca hasn't is yet to have an explosive Laker game.
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slash b ball. All right, demonse, let's get to self
appointed all stars are Draymond Green, who had, I mean
just a treasure troil of quotes this weekend? Go ahead,
So do you.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
Want me to just go through all of them? And
I want you to go.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Through all of them and then all and then all
respond So.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
So Draymond, you know, was talking to him getting a
head coaching gig. He said, I've already been offered the
Golden State Warriors head coaching job when I'm done. He
also said they were gonna win a title. He said,
quote I said, I think we're gonna win a championship,
but I lied, we are going to win the championship.
That's what's going to happen. And he caught out the
Rising Stars game and he said that there's some team
(40:07):
that no one wants to see. And his thoughts on
the new format one through ten was a zero. It
sucks the same basketball.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Okay, So Draymond Green being the head coach in waiting
for the Golden State Warriors is news, and it would
be treated as news if I think people took that seriously.
The Warriors winning the championship it once again Draymond is
(40:40):
writing checks that Steph is going to have to cash.
I don't I like Jimmy and but Draymond is nowhere
close to the player he was at the peak of
their dynasty, and Steph is not quite the same player
he now. He came on strong at the end of
(41:01):
the before the break, but I would be they are
far far more likely to lose in round one than
they are to reach the finals. And now let's get
to the other stuff. He's right about the Rising Stars
(41:25):
shouldn't be playing Sunday Night. I actually think that is correct,
and that is a tweak they should make. I get
why they did it to make it to where there
was a real pressure on the stars, like we can't
let these kids beat us, but it should be a privilege.
But as often happens with Draymond, he while being correct,
(41:50):
his delivery of the information is so poorly done that
it's lost. And being on the pregame show for an event,
I felt so terribly for my dear friend Adam Lefko,
who is the one who asked him the one to
ten question, and then Draymond says a zero. This sucks
(42:14):
that buddy. Your job in that moment is to create
excitement for the event. Like that's people like, oh, I
applaud the honesty.
Speaker 2 (42:30):
I do not.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
Do not take that gig. If that's how you feel.
I mean this sincerely. Like, let's say I thought pickleball
was the dumbest sport ever, and then someone comes to me,
They're like, hey, crazy thing, man, They're asking you to
(42:57):
be a part of the Pickleball World Championship broad cast.
It would be my job to be like, you know what,
probably not the place for me not to be like, yep,
I'll take it so I can tell all these people
who are tuning in to watch it how much this sucks.
It's just that's just rude, and it's it's profession.
Speaker 2 (43:20):
They probably like they reached out to Draymond like, hey,
do you want to do this? How would like if
Draymond has those thoughts in his mind, he knows that's
how he's gonna talk. You're saying he should just not
do it.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
He s you'd be like no. I think that if
when listen he works for TNT, he does stuff for him.
I think that when they're like, hey, just like the
vast majority of years in your career, you did not
make the All Star team, so you're available this weekend.
Would you like to do this? I think that if
(43:52):
you'd have been like, well, I think that if he
had been like sure, but just so you know, I'm
gonna tell the audience how much the game sucks, they
might be like, ooh, all right, maybe we'll find something else.
And this is the other piece of it that I
(44:12):
find really galling. Why is he the the grand person
on the game yet? Like I, why so of NBA
history Draymond Green. There are one hundred and forty seven
(44:38):
people who have played in more All Star Games than
Draymond Green. One hundred and forty seven. Like was Chris
Webber on that panel? I can't remember. I don't think
he was. Maybe I'm not sure, because Chris Webber is
one of them. Karl Anthony Towns, who was in the game,
is one of them. Kevin who seems available, is one
(45:02):
of them. Like the Vince was on the stage. Vince
has played in double the All Star Games? Is stray hungry?
Like who he is? Not the the the arbiter or
the czar of All Star history? He he just isn't.
(45:28):
And the idea that he I just found it. Really
I'm gonna use a nerdy word, uncouth. It would you
would not have before? I mean, Stephen Durant are there
and playing in it. They are taking it seriously, and
(45:53):
for you to be like this sucks, it's not basketball.
I would he be feeling that way if he had
been selected? Maybe? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
I just know that Brow his his jersey off and
running off the field. It's just a little I feel.
Speaker 1 (46:12):
Like, well, no, no, no, it's it's it's not that,
but it would be I'm trying to think of a
good comp for it. It would be as if who
is a like a really good but not all time
great NFL player, if Brandon Graham before this year's Pro
(46:37):
Bowl was like holding court about the way football must
be played in a game that had all time legends
playing in it, Like, buddy, you you have less experience
with the All Star Game than Demarta Rosen, Like, I'm
(46:58):
not the you need to make one more for your
career total of All Star appearances to be the same
as Al Horford or like, like what I'm just saying
those are five times as like I mean, I'm just
(47:20):
I'm not taking my All Star history lesson from a
guy who has the same number of appearances as Otis
bird Song. I'm just not. And so like you can
go somewhere with that, and if you want to do it,
that's what the pod is for. Like, that's what the
(47:41):
pod is for, not for the game broadcast. All right,
let's move on.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
So you've we just started against the NBA season and
you haven't waved in on your MVP pick. Uh So,
coming out of the All Star break, who would you
should you play your flag on?
Speaker 1 (47:57):
Listen? I think the put in the doc. What the
odds are? I have to imagine Shay is a huge
favorite right now. Shaye deserves it. They have really they
have an excellent roster of really good players, but they
only have one great player and it's him, and they
(48:20):
are the best team in the league. So Shay right
now is to me the clear pick for it. I
will tell you though, and this might surprise you, demanse
if there's anyone that can steal it from him, there's
only one guy, and he is lurking. Who do you
(48:41):
think I'm gonna say.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
It is one guy in the NBA?
Speaker 1 (48:48):
Yeah, I think there's only one guy. I think that
I would bet all of what No, because now if
there's that sixty five game thing, so I wouldn't bet
all of my money, but I would bet a ton
of money that it's going to be one of two people.
And again I haven't looked at the god. Je'll look
at him in a second. I imagine Shaye is a
huge favorite. But the one guy who could steal it
(49:10):
from him that I think that I probably wouldn't have
a problem with. Do you know who I'm gonna say.
Speaker 2 (49:16):
I do not know who. I mean, I would like.
You couldn't be Luca, obviously, he switched teams in the
middle of.
Speaker 1 (49:23):
Luca is not going to play enough games, right, No,
it's it's a guy that people think I don't like.
It's Joker. Oh, Joker.
Speaker 2 (49:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:32):
The reason I said I didn't think you could guess
it because well, and all of a sudden, now in
a guy who just skirts criticism, by the way for
coming into every single season out of shape. And then
he was like, what's wrong with Jamal Murray? And then
around the All Star break, they're like, man, Nuggets sure
look better. And it's yeah, because Jamal Murray finally played
(49:54):
himself into shape. I mean, the Nuggets are super dangerous again,
and Jamal's playing well, he just had what you have
fifty five the other night. But Joker's been spectacular.
Speaker 2 (50:06):
All right.
Speaker 1 (50:07):
I'm now looking at the odds. Oh, and the odds
are back up what I was saying. Shay is minus
five hundred Jokers plus three point fifty, and no one
else is better than eighty to one. Giannis is eighty
to one. Tatum's two hundred to one. Get out of
(50:29):
here with Wimby, Get out of here with I listen,
Wimby might win Defensive Player of the Year. He's been excellent,
he is. He has been a part of forty total
wins in his career nineteen last year, in twenty one
(50:50):
this year, like the Spurs right now have the same
number of wins as the Blazers. Wimby is not an
mv HE candidate Yannis is an interesting one, but they
would have to get red hot like Yana. Is it
eighty to one? What go ahead?
Speaker 2 (51:10):
Uh? No, it was. I mean to cut you off there,
but Adam in the chat thought you were gonna say
Norman Powell.
Speaker 1 (51:18):
No, I mean it's a two man race, and let
me bond Temps bond Temp's straw pole. I know he
just came up, came out with his latest straw pole.
I didn't read it yet. Gosh darn it. Am I
the only person who has the most trouble in the
(51:39):
world getting logged out of their ESPN plus account. I
swear to God, man.
Speaker 2 (51:45):
This is the don't have that luxury.
Speaker 1 (51:48):
It's not a lot of money, buddy. Uh, I mean,
I can't I guess I can't want I can't read
the article. This is so maddening. I just get logged out.
They tell me I have the wrong password. I then
have the right password, and it then tells me like
I'm still logged out. Is so annoying.
Speaker 2 (52:09):
The Yeah, I hate it when I'm trying to put
in a password for a place and they're like, this
password is incorrect. All right, I reset the password and
then I changed the password and they're like, hey, this
password can't be your last password.
Speaker 1 (52:20):
Yeah, the also can. All right, I'm in now, thankfully.
So the straw pole, Yes, so in Bontim's straw Pole,
which I'm sure impacted the odds. One hundred potential voters,
seventy first place votes for Joke or for Shay, thirty
for Joker, and then almost the exact opposite for second place,
(52:44):
so they were one voter away from being a unanimous
first second second First Shay got seventy first thirty seconds,
Joker got thirty first sixty nine seconds. Let's so this
is how it. And then Giannis running away with third,
Tatum running away with fourth, and then Donovan Jalen and
(53:10):
Karl Anthony towns Neck and neck for fifth, and then
after that again Wimby got a third place vote. Get
out of here. Jaron Jackson got us two fourths and
a first and a fifth. Anthony got two fifth bron
You're twenty two three fifth place votes. Shout out. Cad
(53:31):
Cunningham got one fourth. Okay, Shingoon got a fifth. That's fine.
Uh yeah, Shay or Joker right now, it's got to
be Shay. But Joker's got a Joker has a real
shot at it, and that team is scary. Top ten man,
Joker finished top ten all time.
Speaker 2 (53:53):
Yeah, he's gonna take Katie spot at ten.
Speaker 1 (53:57):
Well, we did this man the other day. Katie not
quite at ten? Where Joker? Where did I have him
when I did it? I think I had him finished?
Speaker 2 (54:06):
I feel okay, yeah, maybe sixteen.
Speaker 1 (54:10):
I'm not sure people said that. When I did the list,
I said Oscar Robertson twice.
Speaker 2 (54:14):
I think fourteen and sixteen or something like that.
Speaker 1 (54:16):
I think Jerry West was supposed to be fourteen and
Oscar is supposed to be sixteen. I think I I
think I skipped Jerry and said Oscar twice. But well,
here's the thing, Joker in order to be eligible for that,
he's got to win another title. And people can say
that's reductive, that's stupid, but it's not.
Speaker 2 (54:38):
Like the yeah, I think he's going to do that.
Speaker 1 (54:41):
But yeah, so yeah, I mean, because you look at it.
The guys who are firmly in the top ten. Kareem's
got six, Brons got four, Michael's got six, Russell's got eleven,
Wilts got two, Shack Scott and Shack's not even only
in the top ten but he is. Shack's got four,
(55:04):
Kobe's got five, Duncan's got five, a Cheam only has two.
West I West only as one, but he's not in
the top ten. And so yeah, so I mean two
is the barrier and maybe he'll do it. Maybe one,
(55:24):
four and four Yeah right, two mbps equals one title, No,
because because the Steve Nash doesn't have a title, and
mb doesn't have half a title, I would you know,
(55:47):
but three maybe three mbps is a title. I'm okay
with that. The the yeah, but listen, sorry, I got
Shaye right now is the huge favorite and should be
UH and he's been spectacular. I still worry about them
a bit, just a bit. In the UH in the playoffs,
(56:12):
if they yeah, just the youth plus I need. Last
year in the playoffs, Shaye played up to his level.
All the other kids didn't quite so that worries me.
That worries me a bit, all right. This episode of
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updates and recipes. All right, Demanse, let's get to some
(57:43):
listener questions and if we can put some more in
the chat, if the producers can, I'm gonna ask the
first one because the first one is for you and
it says, uh, I'm from Eric, I'm a big Celtics fan.
Just wanted to ask where your Celtics fandom came from
and how you feel about the team's chances this year.
Speaker 2 (58:06):
Eric o oh answered the second one. First, I think
we're gonna win the championship again this year. I think
we'll go back to back. And the first question, I
don't know what type of cable we had on Walren,
but there was a time that I came home and
I'm pretty it was the finals. They were playing Kobe
in the finals. The Green team was playing the old team.
I wasn't really big. I don't I don't think I
(58:27):
knew all the NBA team names and stuff. Just really
wanted this Green team to beat Kobe. And it's just
uh and the Rondo, Rey Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce tandem.
I just love that squad and to this day, Ray
Allen and Rondo are two of my favorite players. But yeah,
I was it squad?
Speaker 1 (58:45):
Was it Ray Allen or Rondo that you had? The fact?
Speaker 2 (58:49):
It was Rondo? Honestly, it was Rondo the fact. Yeah,
but I feel like I had a Rey Allen poster.
I feel like I had like a poster of one,
A fat had of one. But uh, but yeah, no,
Ito has been my guys.
Speaker 1 (59:00):
So yeah, I mean that's that's exactly how I remember it.
And yeah, so that finals you're talking about.
Speaker 2 (59:08):
Is just an or something like that.
Speaker 1 (59:10):
Well, they played, they played in eight, and the Celtics one,
they played again in ten, and the Lakers one. But
the one you're talking about is eight, because by the
time they played in ten, you cared and yeah, two
thousand and eight. This is I mean, this is just
(59:30):
I mean, we're going back in the archives now, this
is right around the time that you and I met
exactly you know what I mean, This is like right,
and you weren't you didn't play basketball yet or anything,
but that was that was your team and then yeah
and then later in life. I think the only other
(59:52):
player that came close from me watching it from you
for fandom, individual player fandom to those two guys was Crawford.
Speaker 2 (01:00:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
I love you.
Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
Yeah, I love Jamal Crawford. H. That just that handle
that I could never master. But yeah, it's just a
smooth dude, just a smooth GUH.
Speaker 1 (01:00:11):
All right, so uh. Abishek says the one issue with
NBA discord is that people are pretending like basketball is
better than their two thousands than now overall. Listen, I
do think there are some Much like baseball, analytics cracked
the sport and they had to make adjustments. I do
think there are some real adjustments the NBA needs to make.
(01:00:36):
I also think that if any of these old heads
that swear the game was better in a previous era,
if we set up a livestream mystery science theater two
thousand style or a three thousand style where they have
to sit and watch a full game, just pick a
random it can be a playoff game from different decades,
(01:01:00):
we'd be like, oh, maybe it isn't quite as glorious
as I remember, and maybe that we do see having
to guard all segments of the court and the athleticism,
there are some real benefits to today's game. Ask AJ's question, Aj.
Speaker 2 (01:01:21):
If Lebron wins a championship with Luca and Lucas without
a doubt the finals MVP, does it help or hurt
Lebron's legacy?
Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
It unquestionably helps it. He does not he's the oldest
player in the league. Like nobody holds against Kareem that
his final two rings, he was the second best player
on that team, Like nobody holds it against him, and Kareem,
(01:01:49):
by the way, was not nearly like was not in
year twenty two. Now he was old because he played
four years of college.
Speaker 2 (01:01:56):
Uh, no, way in one of the finals right now
with Lebron be in the MVP, I'm sorry, Like, if
Lucas Luca Lucas the MVP, that means they wont Oh.
I'm not trying to I'm not trying to flame Lebron here,
but it's just I.
Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
Totally agree Lebron is not good enough right now to
be the best player on a champion, right, But that's
why Lucas been so exciting. Yeah, he I do think
he's good enough to be the second best player on
a champion. Maybe I'll be wrong, but I think that
with Luca, I think he's definitively good enough. All right,
(01:02:31):
ask Lj's question, then we'll get out of here.
Speaker 2 (01:02:34):
LJ. Hey, Nick, do you think All Star game could
feature the Team USA versus Team World? That way to
fix the fix the competitive nature.
Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
So that's a weird one though, because how are we
actually picking like there aren't There aren't twelve worthy international
All Stars. That's the problem with you know what I mean? So, like,
are we gonna name the All Star teams but then
play a game not involving them? Everybody suggests that because
(01:03:05):
the best players in the league, so many of them
are international, but there aren't twelve. You know, half of
the best twenty four players are not international players. You'd have,
you know, you'd have a really solid eight, But then
after that we're kind of we're falling off a bit.
I do think that could be interesting. I also think
(01:03:27):
that the weird spot is you have a disproportionate number
of the great international guys play the same position. Is
a lot of Biggs in jokicch embiid honest Wimby like
just basketball wise, it doesn't quite fit all right. Is
also somebody asked, now that football's done, you're watching any
(01:03:49):
TV shows? Watching White Lotus. Now the football's done, I'm
just playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption. I just
gotta tell you, I am so. It is therapeutic. I
enjoy it. I look forward to it. Last night, your
mom and I turned on White Lotus.
Speaker 2 (01:04:06):
She as is she always does.
Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
If that is fifteen minutes in, I wasn't tired, and
I wouldn't. That's a show we watched together. So I
didn't want to watch it. So I just snuck downstairs
and got in a good forty minutes of Red Dead
Redemption before bed. It's just it's just what I'm doing, Hobbs.
Thanks all right. Podcast Thursday, then a week off. Then
(01:04:34):
we're gonna get to a three day, three podcast a
week schedule starting in March. But our last podcast for
our vacation is on Thursday. See you guys on First
Things First in a few hours. Great job, Demond's a
great job. Folks at Blue Duck and our folks at volume.
Thank you guys. Appreciate you guys, watching View and listening
the whole thing. Talk to you guys soon.
Speaker 2 (01:04:55):
We'll trick
Welcome In What's Driving the Great Episode three oh three,
we are officially to basketball season. NFL Franchise Tag Day
is today, which means the NFL offseason has begun. In earnest.
The All Star Game was this weekend. I'm the only
person in the world, evidently who enjoyed it. Or maybe
I'm the only person in the world who just doesn't
(00:22):
know how to consume anything without just bitching and moaning
about it from start to finish these days, I don't know.
So we'll get to all of that before we do
any of that. Demon's good to see you. You look
out just resplendent today. I mean, what is the weather
in Los Angeles? Must be glorious.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
It is feeling great.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
It is freezing in New York City, and you're wearing
damn near a Hawaiian shirt. Speaking of Hawaii, first things
First is off next week. I won't be going to Hawaii.
I'll actually be going further than Hawaiian. Wilde's is off
this week. Listen. Kate w is one of the hardest
(01:04):
working people in media and never takes time off this
but this was the week he needed off. So he's
off this week. Then we're off as a show next week.
And so yesterday, before we get to the Lebron stuff
in the ulsterreehum stuff, just quick story. Yesterday Lowayne filled in,
and he didn't fill in as a guest. He sat
in wild seat. He did the intros and outros, he
(01:27):
did weird and wonderful, and people wondered how did that happen?
So I'm going to tell you guys exactly how that happened.
So Monday, a week ago, during the Me Eating Crow show,
Wayne texted, Brah, I'm crying laughing in this blank a
(01:51):
lot of laughing emojis. That was too funny. Whole sec
me because I am if I have one religion, it
is an undying belief in being a terrible text replier.
I did not reply to that. Low Wayne live texted
(02:11):
me during the show, but I was kind of in
a text blockout from super Bowl until Wednesday afternoon. So
Wednesday evening I finally go back and I'm like, all right,
I have five hundred unreplied texts. I probably should reply
to some of them. And I'm like, oh my god,
Lowayne texted so I again. Because I'm not very good
(02:36):
at text etiquette. And even though this is you know,
one of the greatest musicians in the history of the
country who took his time out of his day to
watch my TV show and then give a live reaction
to it. My reply was, I just gave it the
little heart. I just clicked it and gave it the
(02:56):
heart Wednesday night. And so he then text me immediately
flying out there tomorrow to do SNL fifty. Let's get together.
He always says, smoke something, even though I don't smoke,
but it's just I just feel like he feels like,
this is, you know, the nice offer to make, and
(03:18):
he said I exactly. His version of it said, I'm
there till the eighteenth, so if you want me on
the show, I can do it, and I want to
come by Wifey's store. I'm like, this is just the
nicest person who's ever lived. So I text him short
version is this Wild's out next week. Here's a funny
(03:40):
option if you're into it. You pick a day and
sit in and fill in for Wild host the entire show,
do weird and wonderful the whole thing. He snap text back, done,
I just got to my room. Hit my guy Fabian.
We'll set it all up that afternoon. He's the greatest
(04:04):
person ever. That afternoon, at the end of the three
o'clock hour, this is now Thursday, we run a promo
on the show that Wayne is filling in for Wilds.
He is watching the show, evidently, because he texts one
minute after the promo, you're way too kind. I can't
(04:26):
bleep and wait, I'm gonna knock it out of the stadium.
Tell Cadob, I respect the person whose seat will be
filling too much to do anything less than kill it.
I got us and tell him I said, all caps,
thank you. So I read that text to Wilds, and
Wilds just said totally matter of factly, he has this
(04:50):
relationship totally backwards. You get that right. I'm like, yeah, man,
I do like this idea that he is thanking us, Like,
don't worry all, take it seriously. I'm like, bro, twelve
hours before the show, you're performing in front of Paul
McCartney and Tom Hanks at SNL fifty and then you're
(05:13):
coming and doing all Star Clung highlights, weird, doing wild,
weird and wonderful. So that's how that happened. He's just
the greatest guy in the world. So that was a
ton of fun, and if you guys haven't watched SNL fifty,
it's totally worth your time. His medley is great, and
(05:37):
Adam Sandler's five and a half minute guitar rendition a
tribute to the fifty years of the show is spectacular.
So I'm biased, Like my two favorite parts were Wayne's
part and then the Sandler thing, but the whole thing
was great. All right, let's get to the show. Here's
what miss the cut demonte Kansas City allegedly gives Travis
(06:01):
Kelcey a deadline. I would call that a soft deadline
of mid March. Mac McClung, I mean, I'm gonna say
this with confidence and certainty, the greatest white dude dunker
of all time, and I don't know that anyone's ever
gonna break that mark. I still think Vince is the
greatest dunker ever. And Aaron Gordon and Zach Levine put
(06:23):
on a hell of a show. But Mac McClung is unbelievable,
and Wimby and CP three break the skills contest in
a really the most embarrassing thing that happened this weekend
that deserved criticism was Wimby and Chris Paul trying to
rig the skills competition. But of course that is not
(06:45):
the thing that got the most criticism this weekend. Instead,
it was the reverse engineered What did Lebron James do?
Therefore it must be wrong. Let's start right there before
we get to the game. And I think this is
one demons. This is gonna be one of the things
that I think demands as we start the topic, disagrees
with me, and by the end of the topic I
(07:07):
might have swayed him a bit. But we'll see.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Let's go out, all right, we'll see first and Forebo's
happy belated President's Day. It's all you guys out there.
But just hours, just hours before the game, Lebron decided
that he was he was hurt. I don't want to
say he decided, but he was. He was injured. He
wasn't gonna play in the All Star Game, and this
led to fans saying, oh, you took a roster spot.
(07:31):
He also took a picture and did not suit up
as the regular as the rest of the team didn't
wore a street clothes. What's your take on this? People
are pissed about it.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, everyone's lost their mind. So let's just start here
who knew? So many people gave two shits about Norman
Powell making the All Star Game, and the answer is
they didn't. The the idea the amount of people that
were tweeting about Norman Powell because if Lebron had bowed
(08:05):
out a week early, Powell would have gotten the spot.
Though the vin diagram of people who two weeks ago
demonse were like these Pro Bowl alternates. It's such a joke.
Drake May gets to call himself a pro bowler when
he didn't actually make the team and then tweeting this week,
(08:28):
why aren't people thinking about Norman Powell. The fans in
San Francisco definitely wanted to see him play. It's disingenuous nonsense,
and the idea that there was any way for Lebron
to thread this needle and not end up being criticized
(08:50):
is just disingenuous and not true. So if he would
have a week ago said I'm not playing, the media
cycle would have been this is why nobody takes the
All Star Game seriously. This is you know, people are
excited and the face of the league doesn't do it.
Lebron gave it to the last possible minute to figure
(09:17):
out can I play? And it's not so much can
I as much as it is should I, Like if
it were a playoff game, would Lebron have played? Of course?
Does that mean that when he clearly believes this Lakers
team has a real chance to do something and this
Lakers team, because of the California Wildfires, has the shortest
(09:41):
break of any team with them and the Hornets because
they play Wednesday and the rest of the league plays Thursday,
that he was like, you know what, not going to
push it on this ankle? That makes total sense to me?
And then number of people who failed to acknowledge the
following truths. Okay, first of all, is this Has anyone
(10:05):
given more time, effort, sweat energy to All Star Games
in the history of basketball than Lebron James? The answer is,
of course no. He's played in twenty of them. Kareem
played in eighteen, the next closest or Kobe and Duncan
at fifteen. Has Lebron consistently shown up to this event
(10:29):
more than any player in the history of the league. Yes,
by a massive margin. This broke his streak. And but
the other reason that people are just so out of
their damn minds about This is one criticism of Lebron
that I don't even look at as a criticism but
is true. Is the guy cares about streaks and records
(10:53):
and accolades. He does, and he would have liked to
keep this thing going twenty one straight All Star appearances
because the record prior to Lebron playing in twenty in
a row again, twenty in a row was held by
John Havlicek and Bob Coosey, who both played in thirteen
(11:17):
in a row. That was the record. So Lebron set
the record for consecutive All Star Game appearances back let
me do them before he was a Laker, when he
was with the Calves, midway through his second sit with
the Calves and has just been spreading it out. Of
(11:37):
all the active players other than Lebron, Durant is the
only one who has played in ten of these in
a row. He did that pre Achilles. The new active
streak for consecutive All Star Games played is Joker at seven.
So this is the guy that we're gonna say, oh
(12:00):
it to everyone to play to play, the guy who's
played in twenty straight of these, the oldest player in
the league, a guy who has literally played more professional
basketball than any human being ever to live. Were like,
give us more, and if you don't, you're selfish. It's
just so ludicrous. And then there's this piece of it
(12:25):
and I'll get to the picture stuff later. There is
so Nick Fredell, who I really like. I really like him.
He was with ESPN. I think I don't want to
speak for him, but the way I understand it, I
think he was absolutely foolishly a part of their layoffs
(12:45):
months back. He is a great NBA reporter opinionist. Chicago
guy love Nick Nick quote tweeted it and said, there
is just absolutely no way mj would do this. He
always understood what his presence to the game meant. Guys,
(13:06):
Michael Jordan at this point in his career had quit
the game three times. It meant to his presence to
the game meant so much that he quit the game.
He went and played minor league baseball, then he came back,
then he quit again, Then he came back, then he
quit again. Do you know the most consecutive years that
(13:33):
Michael Jordan played in an All Star Game? Seven seven years,
the longest streak of consecutive All Star appearances. Michael Jordan
had was seven. Well, there's no way MJ would do.
So this is where the criticism. People just lose their minds.
(13:55):
So if Lebron had just retired four years ago, no problem,
no problem, you win your championship with the Lakers. You've
played at that point eighteen years. You know what, You've
given a lot to the league. But because he keeps playing,
(14:15):
because he's good enough to be a deserving, top tier
All Star, he then to these and I'm gonna talk
about Nick here, talking about the folks at large, folks
that have just become entitled that no, you owe us this.
He he's not allowed to be cautious with an ankle injury. Uh, Nick,
(14:41):
where did this injury come from? From Solomon Hill three
and a half years ago, the only real injury he's
ever suffered his entire career. That ankle and foot have
been messed up since then, He's and if you're if
you watch the Lakers, Lebron all the time pops up
(15:02):
on a morning of injury report because the ankle tightened
up on it. And do I imagine that in the
days leading up to the All Star Game he actually
took some time, maybe didn't do his regular every day
cryogenic chamber treatment that he would do if they had
(15:25):
actual games coming up, so it was more likely to
tighten up. Of course, of course, that this being such
a universally criticized thing that even Shannon and Kendrick and
guys who are normally you know, on Lebron's side, on
Stuffer's like, ah, this was this is a bridge too
(15:47):
far from me? What are we talking about me?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
And I've seen fans go as far as say, is
like Lebron's ruined the game.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Oh yeah, well that's the other piece of it. The
other piece of it is the fall of the All
Star Game is late at the feet of Lebron James.
I mean, it's just again, the All Star Game in
twenty twenty was awesome. The All Star Game in twenty
twenty two was awesome. And this is just it is
(16:18):
just an entitlement from fans and media that a guy.
Can you imagine any of these conversations existing around Tom Brady? Honestly?
Could you that if Tom Brady is second to last
year with Tampa was like guys, which he did do.
(16:40):
By the way, I know, I was named a pro bowler.
I'm not gonna play and it's not because I'm hurt,
it's just because not interested. It's exactly what happened. Was
there a could you imagine how stupid folks would look
if they went on TV and they were like, Tom Brady,
this is why it's a flag football game. Now see
(17:04):
this guy. Hey, look at the direct line of the
Pro Bowl's popularity with when Tom entered the league and
where it is now. Blood's on his hands. And then
we get to the photo stuff. Guys, there's like, this
(17:24):
is all documented. Injured players still are in the photo. Oh,
they don't have to be at the middle. You guys,
go look at the picture of Yao when he was hurt,
and obviously the middle of that picture has to be Lebron, Steph,
KD just has to be. Those are the guys you
(17:45):
and people are like, oh, they'd haven't a criticism if
often what'd you say, demonse? First of all, First of all,
the injured players. When Kobe was injured, he didn't suit up.
When other guys were injured, they don't suit up. But
everyone is lying if they are acting like if Lebron
(18:09):
had suited up for the picture, there wouldn't be this
exact criticism. It would just be the exact opposite this.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Why why was he suited up?
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Whow he wants people to think he played? It's guy's
ankles so hurt, you don't think again, None of this
shit is logical. It's just it's Lebron. I'm going to
attack it. If he'd just suited up, he'd have gotten
roasted for it. Jan has suited up and again Anthony
(18:41):
Edwards who in the meantime he didn't play either. He
gave less notice than Lebron. We found out during the game.
Anybody crying for Norman Powell with Anthony Edwards? No, Anthony
Edwards allowed to be injured? Why why is he? He's
because he's twenty three of the of his powers, young athletic. No,
(19:03):
it's so dumb. This whole thing is so stupid, and
it is. I don't understand how people call this selfish.
I don't get that.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
I know dude doesn't really have to be playing right now.
It is crazy to do for him to get criticized
on anything that he doesn't do, because any extra time.
At this point, he's in.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Year twenty two. He has now played more minutes in
years twenty one and twenty two than every other player
in the history of the league who made it to
year twenty one and twenty two combined. So let me
say that again, as of two years ago. If you said,
(19:57):
give me all of the minutes, all of the points,
all of the assists from every player ever in year
twenty one and twenty two and put it in a bucket,
that bucket is now doubled just from what Lebron's done
the last two years. And for it's just folks say, oh,
(20:20):
he's the face of load management. The guy is going
to play more games in more minutes than any player
in the history of the league. And he's the face
of not playing. I mean, give me a fucking break.
This suffs. People are out of their mind. And I again,
I mean Kendrick saying put your damn uniform on. He
(20:41):
messed up the whole picture. Again, Where was this for
Kobe or for yow sees.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
His greatness At the end of the day, though, is
really what it is? I feel, what do you mean
people want to see him play? People are our age.
It's like, I don't think it's I think people just
want to see Bron. Oh.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I agree with that piece of it. But the criticism
about the picture and about again, I Lebron cares about
these records, and also he likes the accolades of winning.
And he knew I have the best team by a mile,
(21:20):
like they won it without him. So and it's two
games to forty. He could have like he he going
into Saturday night, I truly believe, did not know if
he was gonna play or not. Then woke up Sunday
mornings like I'm not doing it. And so I just
(21:41):
find so much of this to be just insane. By
the way, just because I invoked stephen A, did you
see it demands, steven A did a whole segment responding
to us responding to him about the top ten list.
So a couple things. One is he was incredibly kind,
(22:05):
very nice to me personally there called brew maybe the
greatest human being he knows. I think like he was
incredibly kind, uh, And I should reach out to stephen A.
Didn't shout you out, which is a shame. But I'm
gonna work on that. I am. I would like at
some point I'm throwing this out there now, at some
(22:27):
point in the next year, we have to do a
family crossover episode because you know, he does stuff.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
With his nephew. Yeah, yeah, that would.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Be super funny if you and his nephew did like
a twenty minute show together. Nephew, Yeah, I know you
would get to be like and I think you're older
than him, you would get to be like the responsible
season journalist in the group. And but if you go
(22:58):
back and watch it, here's the thing, if you actually
listen to what he says, he unintentionally concedes that I
was exactly right that, yeah, if you put pencil to paper,
you would never you wouldn't have Katie in your top ten.
Because he brings up the guys I mentioned. He brings
(23:20):
up Uh, Kobe and Bird primarily, and he says off
the front end, he was like, of course, we would
never have Kevin Durant ahead of Kobe. Bryant says it
like three times, and then he's like, but he averaged
more points and was more efficient and its taller. But
then he's like, bo, we wouldn't have him ahead of him,
(23:41):
And then he brings up Bird. He's like, of course
we wouldn't have Durant ahead a Bird because Bird's a
champion and a three time MVP. But he did all
these things, which was the exact point I was making like,
you can say all these things, but if you actually
put pencil of paper, you're going to come down on
my side of things. And so shout out stephen A
(24:03):
for his kind words. I also am going to reach
out to him, not only about the nephew thing but
about some other stuff. But regardless, I disagree with him
that this was selfish. I disagree with again. And let
me just cause I tried to tweet out the link,
the YouTube link, and when I did that, I saw
(24:26):
the like pre show chat and one of the snap
One of the first things I saw and I'm glad
I don't read that during the show would distract me.
Was on Here comes Nick defending Lebron. Got to make
sure those clutch checks clear. I've said this once before,
(24:47):
let me say it again because I don't think people
understand how agents work. So my agent, this guy named
Ryan Hayden, does an awesome job. He works at UTA.
Rich Paul is a partner at UTA. Ryan and Rich
work together. Rich has helped me with a few things,
(25:10):
so you know, I'm clutch client adjacent. But Rich is
not my agent. But I've done stuff with him, right, Okay,
So I've made that very clear in the past. Here's
the other thing. Not only do they not pay me, guys,
I pay them. It's the exactly you got this relationship
(25:31):
exactly wrong. Your agent doesn't pay you. You you I
work super hard building this family empire for Demons and
Danielle and diora Indiana TV podcast, all of it, and
then every month like a you know, almost ten percent
(25:54):
of my money goes to them. Like it's not it's
it's so the idea that I'm on the take quite
the contrary. I provide a balance to the Lebron James
equation and then I pay them for the pleasure of it.
So if you're gonna roast me, don't get it right.
And not only am I not on the take, I'm
(26:16):
paying out all right, Demanda, let's talk All Star game.
By the way, speaking to my agent, my dad about
once a year, uh, Hayden, if you're listening about once
a year my dad comes for your job. He's like four, yeah,
he wants to yeah, because he's a professionally. You know,
he was ran a firefighters union for thirty five years,
negotiating with the city and he just the he's like,
(26:41):
you know, I could negotiate this way cheaper than you
know what you're paying your guy. Like, okay, pops, I appreciate.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Oh initially you said you said your job. I thought
you we were talking about me. And he wanted to
come and do the podcast. No no, no, no, no
no no.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
He comes from my agent's job. My dad would be
the worst podcast host ever.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
He'd be a pretty great agent, though. Huh.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
He would be great at the negotiating the contract parts
of it. A lot of being an agent is the
soft per skills relationships. And you know, my dad can
be a tough guy. Yeah, and he also is big
on He's very big on the like walk away from
(27:26):
the table, you know, dare them to. And I don't
really have the stomach for I mean, he went to
jail twice for if took the firefighters Union put him
on strike in the city through him in jail. He's like,
all sit here and wait.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Stand up.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Yeah, I don't have the stomach for it. All right,
let's do All Star game.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Uh So, viewers and players were not big fans of
the long stoppages between and in games, so there are
some potential fixes coming to the one v one tournament.
There I mean potential fixes coming with the introduction in
the one v one tournament earlier start time. I'm in
bigger names than the Dunk Contest. Everybody's super low on it.
(28:03):
But you seem to have hope.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Well, I thought the games were good. I thought I
thought it was a bad TV show. I think that
they there were there were too many stoppages, probably a
little too much. Kevin Hart were being honest the inside.
The NBA eulogy seemed odd because that show is continuing,
(28:28):
it's just going from T and T to ESPN. So
it was, you know, like they treating that like it
was Hue Brown's last broadcast was weird because like, these
guys are staying together, So that part I didn't just the.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
End of the version of them.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Yes, but so that was it was a little mellow
dramatic in my regard, in my opinion, that right. But
I thought that they achieved what they wanted basketball wise,
guys played harder, they cared, you know what I mean.
It wasn't just threes and dunks like, so I thought
it was a step in the right direction. I would
(29:04):
propose this tweak, have the games beat a fifty instead
of forty and instead of having four teams of eight guys,
and therefore you have thirty two guys, and you have
to have the rising stars involved, have four teams of
(29:25):
seven guys, and expand the All Star team from twenty
four to twenty eight. So that accomplishes a couple things.
First of all, we won't have to worry about the
ignominy of Norman Powell snubs in the future, because everybody
was so fucking worried about Norman Powell's feelings. But the
All Star Game had twenty four guys in it back
(29:51):
when the league had twelve teams, and it has stayed
at twenty four guys now that we have thirty teams,
So expanding it slightly to twenty eight probably makes sense.
And we don't have to worry about the you know,
there won't be as many snubs or whatever it is.
The league is deep, that deep with talent and I
(30:14):
so I didn't mind this tournament format. I thought it
was cool. I thought the TV production could have been tighter.
I think the games could have been a touch longer,
and then you fix a lot of it. But I
I love the idea of a one one on one contest.
I love it I will guys do it. I don't
(30:36):
know if guys will do it. I think it would
be exceptional TV and way more fun than a horse
or the different things that we've you know, that we've
heard about. So I really like the idea of the
one on one tournament. But I didn't hate I did
not hate this. Uh. I didn't hate this the way
(30:59):
other people did, and I thought it was I think
sometimes what happens is we once again take our cues.
I think the fans take their cues from the media
and social media, and I think Draymond and we'll get
(31:19):
to Draymond in a minute being on the broadcast just
saying how much this sucks. Like I thought that was bad.
I really thought it was bad. And I just can't
imagine that ever happening with another sport, and that to
me is now. I have been critical at the beginning
of the year, said the NBA has some real concerns.
(31:42):
The load management thing is a real concern, and the
just every team playing the same way with all the threes,
that's a real concern that needs to be addressed. But
that can be true, and then it also can be
true that during the event it should be a celebration
(32:03):
of your sport. I just can't it's I can't imagine
Fox has the Major League Baseball All Star Game. Can
you imagine? Even the lead up to it, Poppy and
a Rod and Jeter were just like, here's why the
game sucks. Here's why people don't care. Here's why it
(32:24):
was better back in my day. Like that's that's a
downer for the fans. And again, I'm not acting like
I thought it was a perfect event. It was not
a perfect event, but I thought the actual basketball was
way better than the last couple of years. I also
think people have been overly dramatic about how bad it's
(32:47):
been for the last ten years. Twenty twenty post Kobe
passing was a great game, twenty twenty two had an
awesome finish, twenty twenty three and twenty twenty four were terrible,
and Durant I think nailed it in some of his
tweets when he was like, listen, the All Star Game's
always been about three quarters of screwing around, so to speak,
(33:14):
and then if it's close, lockdown for the fourth quarter.
The problem the last couple of years has been the
three pointer allows teams to get to such a huge
lead that there is no period of oh it's close late,
let's fight for this. So tweaks were needed, But the
(33:39):
NBA just also needs like better pr like nobody thinks
that demands a that the Pro Bowl being a literal
flag football game is a massive indictment on the NFL.
Nobody thinks that, And go ahead if it look like
you want to.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
No, no, no. I made a flag football point earlier
and they shot it down. But well, well it's a
little bit different, just because with football, you know, you
don't want to want the guys to get hurt. I
was just thinking, why would you want the guys speak
one hundred percent the whole time during All Star Game
to begin with, just makes them more likely to get
hurt during a time where.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
So listen, guys have never gone. It's a myth, the
idea that these games were always great games or guys
were always going one hundred percent. It's just not true.
Now like it we can. The last two years were jokes.
(34:38):
Everyone understands that. But twenty twenty two was awesome with
the eelam ending one sixty three one sixty final. Twenty
twenty was great with another elam ending one fifty seven,
one fifty five final, and you know it's been twenty
eighteen was fine, Uh, twenty fifteen was decent.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Let's just go the first. We're supposed to be a
breath of fresh air, you know. I feel like it's
supposed to reset. It's not something to be so raw
rah over.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
But so I tend to agree, and people bring up
oh Man ninety three, Jordan's last year before he quit.
The first time one fifty one thirty five, one thirty
two overtime. That's awesome. The year before was one fifty three,
one thirteen. It's a forty point blowout or one team
(35:34):
scored one fifty. The year before that was an awesome
game one sixteen, one fourteen. The year before that was
a ball one thirty one thirteen. Now I'm not acting
like it hasn't. You know, it's gotten it's gotten worse.
I understand that, which is why the tweaks are needed.
But again, people are just uh way way too nostalgic
(35:58):
about things that did or didn't exist, And so I
do think the NBA smartly wants to tweak some things,
and I think they're trying to We'll get to the
Draymond stuff in just a second, But first, who's scoring
big in the NBA this season? You with all the
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a half are where they set are set right now,
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(37:50):
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slash b ball. All right, demonse, let's get to self
appointed all stars are Draymond Green, who had, I mean
just a treasure troil of quotes this weekend? Go ahead,
So do you.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
Want me to just go through all of them? And
I want you to go.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Through all of them and then all and then all
respond So.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
So Draymond, you know, was talking to him getting a
head coaching gig. He said, I've already been offered the
Golden State Warriors head coaching job when I'm done. He
also said they were gonna win a title. He said,
quote I said, I think we're gonna win a championship,
but I lied, we are going to win the championship.
That's what's going to happen. And he caught out the
Rising Stars game and he said that there's some team
(40:07):
that no one wants to see. And his thoughts on
the new format one through ten was a zero. It
sucks the same basketball.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Okay, So Draymond Green being the head coach in waiting
for the Golden State Warriors is news, and it would
be treated as news if I think people took that seriously.
The Warriors winning the championship it once again Draymond is
(40:40):
writing checks that Steph is going to have to cash.
I don't I like Jimmy and but Draymond is nowhere
close to the player he was at the peak of
their dynasty, and Steph is not quite the same player
he now. He came on strong at the end of
(41:01):
the before the break, but I would be they are
far far more likely to lose in round one than
they are to reach the finals. And now let's get
to the other stuff. He's right about the Rising Stars
(41:25):
shouldn't be playing Sunday Night. I actually think that is correct,
and that is a tweak they should make. I get
why they did it to make it to where there
was a real pressure on the stars, like we can't
let these kids beat us, but it should be a privilege.
But as often happens with Draymond, he while being correct,
(41:50):
his delivery of the information is so poorly done that
it's lost. And being on the pregame show for an event,
I felt so terribly for my dear friend Adam Lefko,
who is the one who asked him the one to
ten question, and then Draymond says a zero. This sucks
(42:14):
that buddy. Your job in that moment is to create
excitement for the event. Like that's people like, oh, I
applaud the honesty.
Speaker 2 (42:30):
I do not.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
Do not take that gig. If that's how you feel.
I mean this sincerely. Like, let's say I thought pickleball
was the dumbest sport ever, and then someone comes to me,
They're like, hey, crazy thing, man, They're asking you to
(42:57):
be a part of the Pickleball World Championship broad cast.
It would be my job to be like, you know what,
probably not the place for me not to be like, yep,
I'll take it so I can tell all these people
who are tuning in to watch it how much this sucks.
It's just that's just rude, and it's it's profession.
Speaker 2 (43:20):
They probably like they reached out to Draymond like, hey,
do you want to do this? How would like if
Draymond has those thoughts in his mind, he knows that's
how he's gonna talk. You're saying he should just not
do it.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
He s you'd be like no. I think that if
when listen he works for TNT, he does stuff for him.
I think that when they're like, hey, just like the
vast majority of years in your career, you did not
make the All Star team, so you're available this weekend.
Would you like to do this? I think that if
(43:52):
you'd have been like, well, I think that if he
had been like sure, but just so you know, I'm
gonna tell the audience how much the game sucks, they
might be like, ooh, all right, maybe we'll find something else.
And this is the other piece of it that I
(44:12):
find really galling. Why is he the the grand person
on the game yet? Like I, why so of NBA
history Draymond Green. There are one hundred and forty seven
(44:38):
people who have played in more All Star Games than
Draymond Green. One hundred and forty seven. Like was Chris
Webber on that panel? I can't remember. I don't think
he was. Maybe I'm not sure, because Chris Webber is
one of them. Karl Anthony Towns, who was in the game,
is one of them. Kevin who seems available, is one
(45:02):
of them. Like the Vince was on the stage. Vince
has played in double the All Star Games? Is stray hungry?
Like who he is? Not the the the arbiter or
the czar of All Star history? He he just isn't.
(45:28):
And the idea that he I just found it. Really
I'm gonna use a nerdy word, uncouth. It would you
would not have before? I mean, Stephen Durant are there
and playing in it. They are taking it seriously, and
(45:53):
for you to be like this sucks, it's not basketball.
I would he be feeling that way if he had
been selected? Maybe? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
I just know that Brow his his jersey off and
running off the field. It's just a little I feel.
Speaker 1 (46:12):
Like, well, no, no, no, it's it's it's not that,
but it would be I'm trying to think of a
good comp for it. It would be as if who
is a like a really good but not all time
great NFL player, if Brandon Graham before this year's Pro
(46:37):
Bowl was like holding court about the way football must
be played in a game that had all time legends
playing in it, Like, buddy, you you have less experience
with the All Star Game than Demarta Rosen, Like, I'm
(46:58):
not the you need to make one more for your
career total of All Star appearances to be the same
as Al Horford or like, like what I'm just saying
those are five times as like I mean, I'm just
(47:20):
I'm not taking my All Star history lesson from a
guy who has the same number of appearances as Otis
bird Song. I'm just not. And so like you can
go somewhere with that, and if you want to do it,
that's what the pod is for. Like, that's what the
(47:41):
pod is for, not for the game broadcast. All right,
let's move on.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
So you've we just started against the NBA season and
you haven't waved in on your MVP pick. Uh So,
coming out of the All Star break, who would you
should you play your flag on?
Speaker 1 (47:57):
Listen? I think the put in the doc. What the
odds are? I have to imagine Shay is a huge
favorite right now. Shaye deserves it. They have really they
have an excellent roster of really good players, but they
only have one great player and it's him, and they
(48:20):
are the best team in the league. So Shay right
now is to me the clear pick for it. I
will tell you though, and this might surprise you, demanse
if there's anyone that can steal it from him, there's
only one guy, and he is lurking. Who do you
(48:41):
think I'm gonna say.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
It is one guy in the NBA?
Speaker 1 (48:48):
Yeah, I think there's only one guy. I think that
I would bet all of what No, because now if
there's that sixty five game thing, so I wouldn't bet
all of my money, but I would bet a ton
of money that it's going to be one of two people.
And again I haven't looked at the god. Je'll look
at him in a second. I imagine Shaye is a
huge favorite. But the one guy who could steal it
(49:10):
from him that I think that I probably wouldn't have
a problem with. Do you know who I'm gonna say.
Speaker 2 (49:16):
I do not know who. I mean, I would like.
You couldn't be Luca, obviously, he switched teams in the
middle of.
Speaker 1 (49:23):
Luca is not going to play enough games, right, No,
it's it's a guy that people think I don't like.
It's Joker. Oh, Joker.
Speaker 2 (49:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:32):
The reason I said I didn't think you could guess
it because well, and all of a sudden, now in
a guy who just skirts criticism, by the way for
coming into every single season out of shape. And then
he was like, what's wrong with Jamal Murray? And then
around the All Star break, they're like, man, Nuggets sure
look better. And it's yeah, because Jamal Murray finally played
(49:54):
himself into shape. I mean, the Nuggets are super dangerous again,
and Jamal's playing well, he just had what you have
fifty five the other night. But Joker's been spectacular.
Speaker 2 (50:06):
All right.
Speaker 1 (50:07):
I'm now looking at the odds. Oh, and the odds
are back up what I was saying. Shay is minus
five hundred Jokers plus three point fifty, and no one
else is better than eighty to one. Giannis is eighty
to one. Tatum's two hundred to one. Get out of
(50:29):
here with Wimby, Get out of here with I listen,
Wimby might win Defensive Player of the Year. He's been excellent,
he is. He has been a part of forty total
wins in his career nineteen last year, in twenty one
(50:50):
this year, like the Spurs right now have the same
number of wins as the Blazers. Wimby is not an
mv HE candidate Yannis is an interesting one, but they
would have to get red hot like Yana. Is it
eighty to one? What go ahead?
Speaker 2 (51:10):
Uh? No, it was. I mean to cut you off there,
but Adam in the chat thought you were gonna say
Norman Powell.
Speaker 1 (51:18):
No, I mean it's a two man race, and let
me bond Temps bond Temp's straw pole. I know he
just came up, came out with his latest straw pole.
I didn't read it yet. Gosh darn it. Am I
the only person who has the most trouble in the
(51:39):
world getting logged out of their ESPN plus account. I
swear to God, man.
Speaker 2 (51:45):
This is the don't have that luxury.
Speaker 1 (51:48):
It's not a lot of money, buddy. Uh, I mean,
I can't I guess I can't want I can't read
the article. This is so maddening. I just get logged out.
They tell me I have the wrong password. I then
have the right password, and it then tells me like
I'm still logged out. Is so annoying.
Speaker 2 (52:09):
The Yeah, I hate it when I'm trying to put
in a password for a place and they're like, this
password is incorrect. All right, I reset the password and
then I changed the password and they're like, hey, this
password can't be your last password.
Speaker 1 (52:20):
Yeah, the also can. All right, I'm in now, thankfully.
So the straw pole, Yes, so in Bontim's straw Pole,
which I'm sure impacted the odds. One hundred potential voters,
seventy first place votes for Joke or for Shay, thirty
for Joker, and then almost the exact opposite for second place,
(52:44):
so they were one voter away from being a unanimous
first second second First Shay got seventy first thirty seconds,
Joker got thirty first sixty nine seconds. Let's so this
is how it. And then Giannis running away with third,
Tatum running away with fourth, and then Donovan Jalen and
(53:10):
Karl Anthony towns Neck and neck for fifth, and then
after that again Wimby got a third place vote. Get
out of here. Jaron Jackson got us two fourths and
a first and a fifth. Anthony got two fifth bron
You're twenty two three fifth place votes. Shout out. Cad
(53:31):
Cunningham got one fourth. Okay, Shingoon got a fifth. That's fine.
Uh yeah, Shay or Joker right now, it's got to
be Shay. But Joker's got a Joker has a real
shot at it, and that team is scary. Top ten man,
Joker finished top ten all time.
Speaker 2 (53:53):
Yeah, he's gonna take Katie spot at ten.
Speaker 1 (53:57):
Well, we did this man the other day. Katie not
quite at ten? Where Joker? Where did I have him
when I did it? I think I had him finished?
Speaker 2 (54:06):
I feel okay, yeah, maybe sixteen.
Speaker 1 (54:10):
I'm not sure people said that. When I did the list,
I said Oscar Robertson twice.
Speaker 2 (54:14):
I think fourteen and sixteen or something like that.
Speaker 1 (54:16):
I think Jerry West was supposed to be fourteen and
Oscar is supposed to be sixteen. I think I I
think I skipped Jerry and said Oscar twice. But well,
here's the thing, Joker in order to be eligible for that,
he's got to win another title. And people can say
that's reductive, that's stupid, but it's not.
Speaker 2 (54:38):
Like the yeah, I think he's going to do that.
Speaker 1 (54:41):
But yeah, so yeah, I mean, because you look at it.
The guys who are firmly in the top ten. Kareem's
got six, Brons got four, Michael's got six, Russell's got eleven,
Wilts got two, Shack Scott and Shack's not even only
in the top ten but he is. Shack's got four,
(55:04):
Kobe's got five, Duncan's got five, a Cheam only has two.
West I West only as one, but he's not in
the top ten. And so yeah, so I mean two
is the barrier and maybe he'll do it. Maybe one,
(55:24):
four and four Yeah right, two mbps equals one title, No,
because because the Steve Nash doesn't have a title, and
mb doesn't have half a title, I would you know,
(55:47):
but three maybe three mbps is a title. I'm okay
with that. The the yeah, but listen, sorry, I got
Shaye right now is the huge favorite and should be
UH and he's been spectacular. I still worry about them
a bit, just a bit. In the UH in the playoffs,
(56:12):
if they yeah, just the youth plus I need. Last
year in the playoffs, Shaye played up to his level.
All the other kids didn't quite so that worries me.
That worries me a bit, all right. This episode of
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updates and recipes. All right, Demanse, let's get to some
(57:43):
listener questions and if we can put some more in
the chat, if the producers can, I'm gonna ask the
first one because the first one is for you and
it says, uh, I'm from Eric, I'm a big Celtics fan.
Just wanted to ask where your Celtics fandom came from
and how you feel about the team's chances this year.
Speaker 2 (58:06):
Eric o oh answered the second one. First, I think
we're gonna win the championship again this year. I think
we'll go back to back. And the first question, I
don't know what type of cable we had on Walren,
but there was a time that I came home and
I'm pretty it was the finals. They were playing Kobe
in the finals. The Green team was playing the old team.
I wasn't really big. I don't I don't think I
(58:27):
knew all the NBA team names and stuff. Just really
wanted this Green team to beat Kobe. And it's just
uh and the Rondo, Rey Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce tandem.
I just love that squad and to this day, Ray
Allen and Rondo are two of my favorite players. But yeah,
I was it squad?
Speaker 1 (58:45):
Was it Ray Allen or Rondo that you had? The fact?
Speaker 2 (58:49):
It was Rondo? Honestly, it was Rondo the fact. Yeah,
but I feel like I had a Rey Allen poster.
I feel like I had like a poster of one,
A fat had of one. But uh, but yeah, no,
Ito has been my guys.
Speaker 1 (59:00):
So yeah, I mean that's that's exactly how I remember it.
And yeah, so that finals you're talking about.
Speaker 2 (59:08):
Is just an or something like that.
Speaker 1 (59:10):
Well, they played, they played in eight, and the Celtics one,
they played again in ten, and the Lakers one. But
the one you're talking about is eight, because by the
time they played in ten, you cared and yeah, two
thousand and eight. This is I mean, this is just
(59:30):
I mean, we're going back in the archives now, this
is right around the time that you and I met
exactly you know what I mean, This is like right,
and you weren't you didn't play basketball yet or anything,
but that was that was your team and then yeah
and then later in life. I think the only other
(59:52):
player that came close from me watching it from you
for fandom, individual player fandom to those two guys was Crawford.
Speaker 2 (01:00:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
I love you.
Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
Yeah, I love Jamal Crawford. H. That just that handle
that I could never master. But yeah, it's just a
smooth dude, just a smooth GUH.
Speaker 1 (01:00:11):
All right, so uh. Abishek says the one issue with
NBA discord is that people are pretending like basketball is
better than their two thousands than now overall. Listen, I
do think there are some Much like baseball, analytics cracked
the sport and they had to make adjustments. I do
think there are some real adjustments the NBA needs to make.
(01:00:36):
I also think that if any of these old heads
that swear the game was better in a previous era,
if we set up a livestream mystery science theater two
thousand style or a three thousand style where they have
to sit and watch a full game, just pick a
random it can be a playoff game from different decades,
(01:01:00):
we'd be like, oh, maybe it isn't quite as glorious
as I remember, and maybe that we do see having
to guard all segments of the court and the athleticism,
there are some real benefits to today's game. Ask AJ's question, Aj.
Speaker 2 (01:01:21):
If Lebron wins a championship with Luca and Lucas without
a doubt the finals MVP, does it help or hurt
Lebron's legacy?
Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
It unquestionably helps it. He does not he's the oldest
player in the league. Like nobody holds against Kareem that
his final two rings, he was the second best player
on that team, Like nobody holds it against him, and Kareem,
(01:01:49):
by the way, was not nearly like was not in
year twenty two. Now he was old because he played
four years of college.
Speaker 2 (01:01:56):
Uh, no, way in one of the finals right now
with Lebron be in the MVP, I'm sorry, Like, if
Lucas Luca Lucas the MVP, that means they wont Oh.
I'm not trying to I'm not trying to flame Lebron here,
but it's just I.
Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
Totally agree Lebron is not good enough right now to
be the best player on a champion, right, But that's
why Lucas been so exciting. Yeah, he I do think
he's good enough to be the second best player on
a champion. Maybe I'll be wrong, but I think that
with Luca, I think he's definitively good enough. All right,
(01:02:31):
ask Lj's question, then we'll get out of here.
Speaker 2 (01:02:34):
LJ. Hey, Nick, do you think All Star game could
feature the Team USA versus Team World? That way to
fix the fix the competitive nature.
Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
So that's a weird one though, because how are we
actually picking like there aren't There aren't twelve worthy international
All Stars. That's the problem with you know what I mean? So, like,
are we gonna name the All Star teams but then
play a game not involving them? Everybody suggests that because
(01:03:05):
the best players in the league, so many of them
are international, but there aren't twelve. You know, half of
the best twenty four players are not international players. You'd have,
you know, you'd have a really solid eight, But then
after that we're kind of we're falling off a bit.
I do think that could be interesting. I also think
(01:03:27):
that the weird spot is you have a disproportionate number
of the great international guys play the same position. Is
a lot of Biggs in jokicch embiid honest Wimby like
just basketball wise, it doesn't quite fit all right. Is
also somebody asked, now that football's done, you're watching any
(01:03:49):
TV shows? Watching White Lotus. Now the football's done, I'm
just playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption. I just
gotta tell you, I am so. It is therapeutic. I
enjoy it. I look forward to it. Last night, your
mom and I turned on White Lotus.
Speaker 2 (01:04:06):
She as is she always does.
Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
If that is fifteen minutes in, I wasn't tired, and
I wouldn't. That's a show we watched together. So I
didn't want to watch it. So I just snuck downstairs
and got in a good forty minutes of Red Dead
Redemption before bed. It's just it's just what I'm doing, Hobbs.
Thanks all right. Podcast Thursday, then a week off. Then
(01:04:34):
we're gonna get to a three day, three podcast a
week schedule starting in March. But our last podcast for
our vacation is on Thursday. See you guys on First
Things First in a few hours. Great job, Demond's a
great job. Folks at Blue Duck and our folks at volume.
Thank you guys. Appreciate you guys, watching View and listening
the whole thing. Talk to you guys soon.
Speaker 2 (01:04:55):
We'll trick
Host
Nick Wright
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