April 17, 2024 • 22 mins
Chris and Rob discuss why expectations and overall interest in Zion Williamson has fallen off so precipitously over the years, tell us if the incredible television ratings for the WNBA Draft are proof that Caitlin Clark can make the league viable and and debate whether Victor Wembanyama should win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Award despite playing on one of the worst teams in the league.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
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Couple at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the Best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brusa and Ron Harker.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Let me ask you this Rob and you know, a
few years ago a guy that many thought would be
the future face of the league, Zion Williamson, And this
year he had a good ye. He always plays well.
I mean, there's never been a question of his ability.
It's been a question of is he going to play?
(00:50):
Is he healthy? This year he's been healthy. I'm a
shout out Zion for playing seventy games. Rob average over
thirty one minutes a game. So I'm not even I'm
not trying to be funny, facetiaus not making fun I'm
happy for him, and I am I don't want to
say impressed, it's your job, but I'm just I'm happy
(01:12):
for him. And he's a good player. He's a very
good player. Has point guard skills. I'm not saying he's
a true point but he brings the ball up, runs
their offense at times and it's effective for them. But
I want to throw this out at you, Rob and
get your opinion. Is this a big game for him tonight?
Speaker 4 (01:32):
Like?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I mean, if he loses, is their damage done? And
if he wins? You know, like, is this a big game?
Speaker 5 (01:43):
Is this a moment for him?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Is this something where you know this could make or
break him at least for the time being?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
No?
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Way, no?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
How?
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Wow? And I say that, Chris, because uh, I truly believe.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Zion Williamson stardom and Zion, you.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
Know, is already half baked. And I believe what do
you mean by half baked that?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
And I'll tell you this, I think Zion Williamson is
NBA dead.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
I already think you NBA dead.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Kill a lot of cats. Further, was Kevin Durant now?
Is Zion?
Speaker 5 (02:30):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
And I'm saying from this standpoint, Chris, from where he
came from and the expectations like there's a wet blanket
over him.
Speaker 5 (02:40):
You talked about it already.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
He played well, but nobody talks about Zion. He's not
in any conversation, Chris, what come, give me the topic
that we talked about.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Zion this year?
Speaker 1 (02:53):
You know what, zero, He's NBA dead. People don't care
either way. Hey, if he wins, Chris, okay, if he
loses while Lebron and Ad he was supposed to win,
there's nothing there.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
There's no juice for Zion.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I'm dead serious that he just doesn't register now, Chris,
Does that mean he can't vibe for the MVP a
couple of years from now and the team turns around
and there, right.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
But I'm talking about twenty three right now.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
As far as moving the needle, people caring about a
player and wondering what's gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
He's NBA dead, he just is. I don't think there's
a post there with.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
NBA fans for Zion anymore, Chris, because he's just been
overall a major disappointment.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
Amen, Oh my god, he so much. I think you
watched First Things for this afternoon because that's exactly what
I said. I never missed. That's exactly what I said. Rob.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
We've moved on, Zion, we have You're no longer than
New Hotness. We moved on to Wimby and hit and
SGA and a man.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
And Rob even Jah his former AU teammate.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
When he comes back it some of it can be
his fault. Obviously, anybody can get injured. But he hasn't
been in shape. He hasn't worked the hardest on his body,
his eating habits.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Mate. Now maybe the light has.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Gone on going off, I should say, but right now, Rob,
you are exactly right.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
Zion is just a guy, a good guy. He's, you know,
above average player.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Nobody's saying he's a back border start right, He's still
a good player.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
But here's the truth too.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And if Zion wants to get to that next level, Rob,
he should hear this. Take heed, Zion, you have got
to my man. I'm glad you played seventy games. You
are a terror, a force of nature at the rim. Rob,
the dude is phenomenal at the rim. And that's why
(05:31):
when he's bringing the ball up court, he just drives
in and scores. But he don't shoot threes, he don't
shoot mid range jumpers.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
You know where he's going.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
And that's one reason he's had problems with playing the Lakers,
because Lebron's big enough that they put him in front
of him. He's gonna at least make it a little
difficult for him to just go to the basket. And
then when he gets to the rim, Anthony Davis is there,
the Lakers packed paint, and Zion has nothing right now
but stuff at the rim. So Zion, you gotta be
(06:08):
work on. You should be a better rebounder. Five and
a half rebounds a game. That's Steph Curry stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
He should walk into the arena with five and a
half thing, thank you.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
So you rebound, It has to improve, and you've gotta
work on your Jay because.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
As he's headed right now and again, very good player,
their best player.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
But Rob, once that athleticism starts to wane, he would
be in trouble if he don't ask some stuff to
his game because he is predictable what he's doing with
the rock.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
So I agree with you. We're on board on that one.
But I like what you said at the end because
you're absolutely right. He could. He's only twenty three, healthy and.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Works hard, and you know, really he still got plenty
of time and he could join that young crop of
future stars. There's no or current even stars, no doubt
about it. But right now he's off the radar as
far as celebrities superstars in the NBA.
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Speaker 3 (07:55):
I went ahead and did what so many were afraid
to do, which is vote Victor Winmbanyama my Defensive Player
of the.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
Year and Rob.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
I mean, I get it that his team was bad. Okay,
most rookies teams are bad, or a lot of them.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
But I am not gonna deny him what I think.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
He clearly deserved, which was Defensive Player of the Year
because the team his rookie year was bad.
Speaker 5 (08:31):
Here's one of the things Rob.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
When Wim Banyama was off the court, the Spurs defense
was one of the worst in the league, bottom ten.
When he was on the court, their defense was darned
near top five in the league. It was a six
(08:54):
point improvement in their defensive rating. For comparisons Rudy Gobert,
who I had second, he's a three time defensive Player
of the Year, probably will win so sooner before. And
Anthony Davis, who I had third on my ballot. When
Gobert is on the court, defensively, there is a zero
(09:17):
point seven point change in their defense. When Anthony Davis
is on the court, there's a zero point three point change.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
So Wemby is making a huge difference.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Rob. He had seven games in which he blocked I'm sorry,
eight games in which he blocked seven or more shots
this year. The rest of the top five shot blockers
in the league, Brook Lopez, Chet Holmgren, Anthony Davis, Walker Kessler,
(09:54):
they didn't even have that many seven block games. And
not only did he lead the league in blocks, but
he also was able to defend out on the perimeter,
which is something Anthony Davis and to a even far
worse extent, Rudy Gobert cannot do, and so I think
(10:18):
he deserved it, and so I feel I have no
problems voting for it.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
I have a problem, Chris Broussard, because ratings wise, Gobert
had a better rating, and you could go ahead and
talk about the difference between the nine foot tall winby
being on the court and whether or not he changes
everything in his block shots.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
But here's why I disqualify him. And it's not.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Just the record, because I get it, no one was
expecting them to make the playoffs or anything.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
But if he was really a defensive.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
How in the world did the Spurs lose eighteen games
in a row?
Speaker 5 (11:07):
Eighteen games? Chris? If you told me that he affected the.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Game somehow and they won a couple of games that
they shouldn't have won because he played this outstanding defense,
how in the world could a player on a team
that lost eighteen games in a row with the defensive
player of the year on it, How did they lose
eighteen games in a row. There's no way he could
(11:34):
get my vote on that team. I'm sorry. And he
didn't play one meaningful game other than his debut when
their record was oh to Zer That was the only
game that mattered to the Spurs.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
But other than that, he was just out there playing.
Let me go cheat here. It's not gonna matter.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
It doesn't matter if we win any games because it's
not about that.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
Did you watch him?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Was he?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I watched him. He wasn't cheating. I'm giving he was
playing legitimate. He wasn't just floating around Alex waiting to you.
He's not in the defense.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
You gotta score too. I don't care who the best
defender ever. You gotta score. I don't care how. You're
not shutting anybody out. This isn't baseball.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
You can put your shutout what not.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, right, that's what I'm saying. It's not baseball. You
have to score points. And that was earlier in the season.
Obviously he's still getting his sweet wet but still eighteen losses.
Eighteen losses. But I'm talking about him. This is a
team sport, and watching him defensively wreak havoc on the
(12:48):
perimeter with his long arms and ability to slide and
guard on the perimeter, block shots or make dudes not
even take shots.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Rob when he was stopped him from winning those teams.
But he was on the court, but they still won.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
The other Jay did when he was on the court,
the Spur, he he blocked ten percent of the opponent's
shots ten percent, and he played over two thousand minutes.
My point is, if you don't play a lot, you
might be able to do that because obviously you know,
(13:27):
the more you play, the less likely you are.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
To block ten percent of the shots.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
He's the only the second player since nineteen eighty six
to do that, the first Manu Bawl.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
So I'm just say this dude did his historical stuff.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
He had the highest combination of blocks and steals, the
second highest of the century behind Ben Wallace, who was
a four time Defensive.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Of the Year. I bet you my new Post team
didn't lose eighteen in a row.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Without without even looking at team, without even looking it up,
I guarantee you they ain't los.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
So what if it had been ten in a row
but the record was the same, that would have been better.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
Yeah, eighteen the row was ridiculous. It's ridiculous. It means
he didn't have an end record winning record. He has, no,
he didn't.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, all right, he clearly was the award, is not
who had the most impact on winning. No, wasn't that
good you expect him to do? Hold a team in
fifty defense, wasn't that good?
Speaker 5 (14:37):
No?
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Not not watch the game, not enough, not enough.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
For not enough for him, not enough for him to
lose eighteen in a row. That's what I'm talking about.
It was ridiculous. If you can sit here or doesn't matter.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Bigma's depresse was let me fit go ahead, one of
us gotta talk. If you can see here on national
radio and say Victor win, Binyama's defense wasn't good.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
You clearly didn't watch any games.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I said, wasn't good to stop them from losing eighteen
in a row. And that is my point, Chris, that
that tells you about that tells you about your vote.
Speaker 5 (15:24):
That you didn't look into the whole thing.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
About I did look and tho I'm asking you about
the eighteen in a row didn't bother you at all.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Now I'm asking you, okay, because it's more than defense.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
If it was three on three like they used to
play the girls used to play in Iowa when I
lived there, and once I only played defense, maybe it'd
be different.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Heck, he could have blocked twenty shots, held.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
The team to thirty percent shooting and you still could lose.
Speaker 5 (15:55):
You have to score. So you're an analytics guy now winning.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
The It's not about analyticsly, I gave traditional numbers to
the shot blocking three and that three and a half
blocks a game.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
Uh, blocking ten percent of the shot Now that's an
analytic but it's a based off a traditional sack. You
just changing on me that I take take analytics into consideration.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
But seeing he that he blocked more shots, like I said,
more seven block games than the rest of the top
five shot blockers in the league combined, that's not analytics.
That's a traditional stat. The dude was awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Watch a game and see guess what. Guess what your
vote goals for? Not because everybody knows married vote.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
It's not with me. Everyone knows it's not. See, that's
the difference. You vote.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
You must follow the crowd because I vote who I
think deserves it.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
I don't know who who everybody else gonna vote for.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
I mean, I may if it deserves if I feel
like it deserves it, but I don't say. You know what,
Yolka's gonna win MVP. Let me just vote for him.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
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Speaker 5 (17:15):
Rob G.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
I mean, wow, rob so far, so good for the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark, of course, the highlight of last night's draft.
She picked She's picked number one, going to the Indiana Fever.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
It was incredible, Chris.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Eighteen million people watched the WNBA Draft last well two.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
And a half million people watched it. It was their
biggest show or biggest audience ever.
Speaker 5 (17:40):
Is that correct, Rob G?
Speaker 4 (17:41):
That is correct, guys. A three hundred percent increase in
viewership from year to year.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Okay, And this is the best part.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
When I see her rookie contract, they can put it
pennies in a wheel barrow for her, Chris, the things
that she did as far as she's gonna get like
seven these six thousand dollars, that's her contract.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Right, I mean, what what and seventy six dollars The
league hasn't make made money? I mean, so that's that's
gonna change if these ratings continue.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
I do think I think it's been around years.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
No I know, but but they've been around twenty eight
years and everything she's doing is setting records. So I'm
not predicting that it's about to you know, turn the
WNBA around, But I'm watching.
Speaker 5 (18:34):
I'm ready to see. I'm open to it if it happens.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
And if that happens, it will, you know, raise the
amount of money that these women make.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
I don't know. I don't think they have.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
The deal like the NBA where the NBA players get
fifty of the league revenue.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
You can't get zero. Yeah, well but even.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
What they yeah, I don't think they get anything like that.
So they need to start making money and hopefully ultimately,
you know, they won't ever make NBA money, they'll be
able at least get to a point where they.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Can get fifty percent. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
But Chris that like her four years is like seventy
Oh it is, Hey, it is what it Rob, we
don't watch.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
Let's just keep it real. People don't watch the w NBA.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
And I say this with all and I'm not trying
to bust on Caitlin Clark, but with overtime, Rob G makes.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
More than her. I'm just saying barely. But Rob G
am I wrong? No, Yeah, I mean that, Yes, think
about that, Chris, what I just said, why is she
even harping.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
On this because she has a unique skill, she endorsements.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
Okay, but she should be paid more than what they're paying. Well,
the league is in the city.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
If you go to a league that's struggling financially, it
is what it is. No, I think she gonna make
you know, she's gonna make her money in terms of
endorsements and stuff like that.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Rob, Can you get them to a point where they
can make some real money.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Can you imagine walking across stage when you were drafted
in the first round by Fox Sports Radio as a
producer and your contract is thirty five cents?
Speaker 5 (20:14):
That's what it must have felt like her.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
You know what, I think her outfit in the jewelry
she had on last night was more than her salary
to be. But in all fairness, right the previous scus, I'm.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Just saying, like, I don't get why like you coming off, Rob,
like you're making fun of her.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
But in fairness, it's the league.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
She ain't playing in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
She's playing in the WNBA with nobody watching.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Right, And to your point, Chris, the previous high for
a WNBA draft television ratings was set twenty years ago,
six hundred thousand, when Diana Tarazi was first. Okay, but
and Rob, we're not gonna like this one. It's the
first time that a women's drafted more than a million viewers,
and it surpassed the viewership of both the NHL and
Major League Baseball drafts.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
Oh oh, but you know he didn't like that. Here,
come on, come on, come on, I'm man for junior,
I'm a baseball guy.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
And ask me how many drafts I've watched? Go ahead, Rob,
how many watch how many baseball drafts?
Speaker 5 (21:13):
All the baseball draft? Is it even on TV? Like that?
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Because I MLB network now? But bever been on television? Like,
h if nothing?
Speaker 5 (21:23):
That's my point, Like, I've never watched a baseball draft.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Let me here's what I want to ask you. I
wanted to get to this. It robbed the pressures on her. Hey, look,
she's lived with pressures ever since she became a great
basketball player. But she the league is riding on her shoulders. Rob,
Let's keep it real. This is all because of Caitlyn Clark.
(21:48):
God bless Angel Revees and any of these other women.
Nobody's tuning in there. This is about Caitlyn Clark, and
if she Rob, if she's not a star, then all
this is gonna go away.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
I don't mean for her, I mean for the league,
the interest.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
But if she is a transcendent star, she plays as
well as she does did in college in the WNBA
pretty much right away, then I think, you know, it'll
boost the league.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
As a whole, not just her, but the league as
a whole. You agree with.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
That, Like, if she's like, if she's not that good, rob,
I think all of this attention for the WNBA, it
might still be a little better than it used to
before her, but it's it's gonna pretty much fade.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
Of course, all of it, poof, poof. It's about her.
The pressure is on. It's a lot to heavy as
the head that wears the crown,
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the Best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brusa and Ron Harker.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Let me ask you this Rob and you know, a
few years ago a guy that many thought would be
the future face of the league, Zion Williamson, And this
year he had a good ye. He always plays well.
I mean, there's never been a question of his ability.
It's been a question of is he going to play?
(00:50):
Is he healthy? This year he's been healthy. I'm a
shout out Zion for playing seventy games. Rob average over
thirty one minutes a game. So I'm not even I'm
not trying to be funny, facetiaus not making fun I'm
happy for him, and I am I don't want to
say impressed, it's your job, but I'm just I'm happy
(01:12):
for him. And he's a good player. He's a very
good player. Has point guard skills. I'm not saying he's
a true point but he brings the ball up, runs
their offense at times and it's effective for them. But
I want to throw this out at you, Rob and
get your opinion. Is this a big game for him tonight?
Speaker 4 (01:32):
Like?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I mean, if he loses, is their damage done? And
if he wins? You know, like, is this a big game?
Speaker 5 (01:43):
Is this a moment for him?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Is this something where you know this could make or
break him at least for the time being?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
No?
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Way, no?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
How?
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Wow? And I say that, Chris, because uh, I truly believe.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Zion Williamson stardom and Zion, you.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
Know, is already half baked. And I believe what do
you mean by half baked that?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
And I'll tell you this, I think Zion Williamson is
NBA dead.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
I already think you NBA dead.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Kill a lot of cats. Further, was Kevin Durant now?
Is Zion?
Speaker 5 (02:30):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
And I'm saying from this standpoint, Chris, from where he
came from and the expectations like there's a wet blanket
over him.
Speaker 5 (02:40):
You talked about it already.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
He played well, but nobody talks about Zion. He's not
in any conversation, Chris, what come, give me the topic
that we talked about.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Zion this year?
Speaker 1 (02:53):
You know what, zero, He's NBA dead. People don't care
either way. Hey, if he wins, Chris, okay, if he
loses while Lebron and Ad he was supposed to win,
there's nothing there.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
There's no juice for Zion.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I'm dead serious that he just doesn't register now, Chris,
Does that mean he can't vibe for the MVP a
couple of years from now and the team turns around
and there, right.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
But I'm talking about twenty three right now.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
As far as moving the needle, people caring about a
player and wondering what's gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
He's NBA dead, he just is. I don't think there's
a post there with.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
NBA fans for Zion anymore, Chris, because he's just been
overall a major disappointment.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
Amen, Oh my god, he so much. I think you
watched First Things for this afternoon because that's exactly what
I said. I never missed. That's exactly what I said. Rob.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
We've moved on, Zion, we have You're no longer than
New Hotness. We moved on to Wimby and hit and
SGA and a man.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
And Rob even Jah his former AU teammate.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
When he comes back it some of it can be
his fault. Obviously, anybody can get injured. But he hasn't
been in shape. He hasn't worked the hardest on his body,
his eating habits.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Mate. Now maybe the light has.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Gone on going off, I should say, but right now, Rob,
you are exactly right.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
Zion is just a guy, a good guy. He's, you know,
above average player.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Nobody's saying he's a back border start right, He's still
a good player.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
But here's the truth too.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And if Zion wants to get to that next level, Rob,
he should hear this. Take heed, Zion, you have got
to my man. I'm glad you played seventy games. You
are a terror, a force of nature at the rim. Rob,
the dude is phenomenal at the rim. And that's why
(05:31):
when he's bringing the ball up court, he just drives
in and scores. But he don't shoot threes, he don't
shoot mid range jumpers.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
You know where he's going.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
And that's one reason he's had problems with playing the Lakers,
because Lebron's big enough that they put him in front
of him. He's gonna at least make it a little
difficult for him to just go to the basket. And
then when he gets to the rim, Anthony Davis is there,
the Lakers packed paint, and Zion has nothing right now
but stuff at the rim. So Zion, you gotta be
(06:08):
work on. You should be a better rebounder. Five and
a half rebounds a game. That's Steph Curry stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
He should walk into the arena with five and a
half thing, thank you.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
So you rebound, It has to improve, and you've gotta
work on your Jay because.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
As he's headed right now and again, very good player,
their best player.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
But Rob, once that athleticism starts to wane, he would
be in trouble if he don't ask some stuff to
his game because he is predictable what he's doing with
the rock.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
So I agree with you. We're on board on that one.
But I like what you said at the end because
you're absolutely right. He could. He's only twenty three, healthy and.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Works hard, and you know, really he still got plenty
of time and he could join that young crop of
future stars. There's no or current even stars, no doubt
about it. But right now he's off the radar as
far as celebrities superstars in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
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Speaker 5 (07:25):
Two NBA Insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you
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Speaker 6 (07:31):
All happening in only one place. This League Uncut, the
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Stein join us as we team up to expound on
everything we're covering Hearing and Chason.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein.
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On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I went ahead and did what so many were afraid
to do, which is vote Victor Winmbanyama my Defensive Player
of the.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
Year and Rob.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
I mean, I get it that his team was bad. Okay,
most rookies teams are bad, or a lot of them.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
But I am not gonna deny him what I think.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
He clearly deserved, which was Defensive Player of the Year
because the team his rookie year was bad.
Speaker 5 (08:31):
Here's one of the things Rob.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
When Wim Banyama was off the court, the Spurs defense
was one of the worst in the league, bottom ten.
When he was on the court, their defense was darned
near top five in the league. It was a six
(08:54):
point improvement in their defensive rating. For comparisons Rudy Gobert,
who I had second, he's a three time defensive Player
of the Year, probably will win so sooner before. And
Anthony Davis, who I had third on my ballot. When
Gobert is on the court, defensively, there is a zero
(09:17):
point seven point change in their defense. When Anthony Davis
is on the court, there's a zero point three point change.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
So Wemby is making a huge difference.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Rob. He had seven games in which he blocked I'm sorry,
eight games in which he blocked seven or more shots
this year. The rest of the top five shot blockers
in the league, Brook Lopez, Chet Holmgren, Anthony Davis, Walker Kessler,
(09:54):
they didn't even have that many seven block games. And
not only did he lead the league in blocks, but
he also was able to defend out on the perimeter,
which is something Anthony Davis and to a even far
worse extent, Rudy Gobert cannot do, and so I think
(10:18):
he deserved it, and so I feel I have no
problems voting for it.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
I have a problem, Chris Broussard, because ratings wise, Gobert
had a better rating, and you could go ahead and
talk about the difference between the nine foot tall winby
being on the court and whether or not he changes
everything in his block shots.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
But here's why I disqualify him. And it's not.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Just the record, because I get it, no one was
expecting them to make the playoffs or anything.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
But if he was really a defensive.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
How in the world did the Spurs lose eighteen games
in a row?
Speaker 5 (11:07):
Eighteen games? Chris? If you told me that he affected the.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Game somehow and they won a couple of games that
they shouldn't have won because he played this outstanding defense,
how in the world could a player on a team
that lost eighteen games in a row with the defensive
player of the year on it, How did they lose
eighteen games in a row. There's no way he could
(11:34):
get my vote on that team. I'm sorry. And he
didn't play one meaningful game other than his debut when
their record was oh to Zer That was the only
game that mattered to the Spurs.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
But other than that, he was just out there playing.
Let me go cheat here. It's not gonna matter.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
It doesn't matter if we win any games because it's
not about that.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
Did you watch him?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Was he?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I watched him. He wasn't cheating. I'm giving he was
playing legitimate. He wasn't just floating around Alex waiting to you.
He's not in the defense.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
You gotta score too. I don't care who the best
defender ever. You gotta score. I don't care how. You're
not shutting anybody out. This isn't baseball.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
You can put your shutout what not.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, right, that's what I'm saying. It's not baseball. You
have to score points. And that was earlier in the season.
Obviously he's still getting his sweet wet but still eighteen losses.
Eighteen losses. But I'm talking about him. This is a
team sport, and watching him defensively wreak havoc on the
(12:48):
perimeter with his long arms and ability to slide and
guard on the perimeter, block shots or make dudes not
even take shots.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Rob when he was stopped him from winning those teams.
But he was on the court, but they still won.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
The other Jay did when he was on the court,
the Spur, he he blocked ten percent of the opponent's
shots ten percent, and he played over two thousand minutes.
My point is, if you don't play a lot, you
might be able to do that because obviously you know,
(13:27):
the more you play, the less likely you are.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
To block ten percent of the shots.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
He's the only the second player since nineteen eighty six
to do that, the first Manu Bawl.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
So I'm just say this dude did his historical stuff.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
He had the highest combination of blocks and steals, the
second highest of the century behind Ben Wallace, who was
a four time Defensive.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Of the Year. I bet you my new Post team
didn't lose eighteen in a row.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Without without even looking at team, without even looking it up,
I guarantee you they ain't los.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
So what if it had been ten in a row
but the record was the same, that would have been better.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
Yeah, eighteen the row was ridiculous. It's ridiculous. It means
he didn't have an end record winning record. He has, no,
he didn't.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, all right, he clearly was the award, is not
who had the most impact on winning. No, wasn't that
good you expect him to do? Hold a team in
fifty defense, wasn't that good?
Speaker 5 (14:37):
No?
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Not not watch the game, not enough, not enough.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
For not enough for him, not enough for him to
lose eighteen in a row. That's what I'm talking about.
It was ridiculous. If you can sit here or doesn't matter.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Bigma's depresse was let me fit go ahead, one of
us gotta talk. If you can see here on national
radio and say Victor win, Binyama's defense wasn't good.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
You clearly didn't watch any games.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I said, wasn't good to stop them from losing eighteen
in a row. And that is my point, Chris, that
that tells you about that tells you about your vote.
Speaker 5 (15:24):
That you didn't look into the whole thing.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
About I did look and tho I'm asking you about
the eighteen in a row didn't bother you at all.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Now I'm asking you, okay, because it's more than defense.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
If it was three on three like they used to
play the girls used to play in Iowa when I
lived there, and once I only played defense, maybe it'd
be different.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Heck, he could have blocked twenty shots, held.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
The team to thirty percent shooting and you still could lose.
Speaker 5 (15:55):
You have to score. So you're an analytics guy now winning.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
The It's not about analyticsly, I gave traditional numbers to
the shot blocking three and that three and a half
blocks a game.
Speaker 5 (16:08):
Uh, blocking ten percent of the shot Now that's an
analytic but it's a based off a traditional sack. You
just changing on me that I take take analytics into consideration.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
But seeing he that he blocked more shots, like I said,
more seven block games than the rest of the top
five shot blockers in the league combined, that's not analytics.
That's a traditional stat. The dude was awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Watch a game and see guess what. Guess what your
vote goals for? Not because everybody knows married vote.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
It's not with me. Everyone knows it's not. See, that's
the difference. You vote.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
You must follow the crowd because I vote who I
think deserves it.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
I don't know who who everybody else gonna vote for.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
I mean, I may if it deserves if I feel
like it deserves it, but I don't say. You know what,
Yolka's gonna win MVP. Let me just vote for him.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
Rob G.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
I mean, wow, rob so far, so good for the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark, of course, the highlight of last night's draft.
She picked She's picked number one, going to the Indiana Fever.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
It was incredible, Chris.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Eighteen million people watched the WNBA Draft last well two.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
And a half million people watched it. It was their
biggest show or biggest audience ever.
Speaker 5 (17:40):
Is that correct, Rob G?
Speaker 4 (17:41):
That is correct, guys. A three hundred percent increase in
viewership from year to year.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Okay, And this is the best part.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
When I see her rookie contract, they can put it
pennies in a wheel barrow for her, Chris, the things
that she did as far as she's gonna get like
seven these six thousand dollars, that's her contract.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Right, I mean, what what and seventy six dollars The
league hasn't make made money? I mean, so that's that's
gonna change if these ratings continue.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
I do think I think it's been around years.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
No I know, but but they've been around twenty eight
years and everything she's doing is setting records. So I'm
not predicting that it's about to you know, turn the
WNBA around, But I'm watching.
Speaker 5 (18:34):
I'm ready to see. I'm open to it if it happens.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
And if that happens, it will, you know, raise the
amount of money that these women make.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
I don't know. I don't think they have.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
The deal like the NBA where the NBA players get
fifty of the league revenue.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
You can't get zero. Yeah, well but even.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
What they yeah, I don't think they get anything like that.
So they need to start making money and hopefully ultimately,
you know, they won't ever make NBA money, they'll be
able at least get to a point where they.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Can get fifty percent. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
But Chris that like her four years is like seventy
Oh it is, Hey, it is what it Rob, we
don't watch.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
Let's just keep it real. People don't watch the w NBA.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
And I say this with all and I'm not trying
to bust on Caitlin Clark, but with overtime, Rob G makes.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
More than her. I'm just saying barely. But Rob G
am I wrong? No, Yeah, I mean that, Yes, think
about that, Chris, what I just said, why is she
even harping.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
On this because she has a unique skill, she endorsements.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
Okay, but she should be paid more than what they're paying. Well,
the league is in the city.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
If you go to a league that's struggling financially, it
is what it is. No, I think she gonna make
you know, she's gonna make her money in terms of
endorsements and stuff like that.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Rob, Can you get them to a point where they
can make some real money.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Can you imagine walking across stage when you were drafted
in the first round by Fox Sports Radio as a
producer and your contract is thirty five cents?
Speaker 5 (20:14):
That's what it must have felt like her.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
You know what, I think her outfit in the jewelry
she had on last night was more than her salary
to be. But in all fairness, right the previous scus, I'm.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Just saying, like, I don't get why like you coming off, Rob,
like you're making fun of her.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
But in fairness, it's the league.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
She ain't playing in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
She's playing in the WNBA with nobody watching.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Right, And to your point, Chris, the previous high for
a WNBA draft television ratings was set twenty years ago,
six hundred thousand, when Diana Tarazi was first. Okay, but
and Rob, we're not gonna like this one. It's the
first time that a women's drafted more than a million viewers,
and it surpassed the viewership of both the NHL and
Major League Baseball drafts.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
Oh oh, but you know he didn't like that. Here,
come on, come on, come on, I'm man for junior,
I'm a baseball guy.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
And ask me how many drafts I've watched? Go ahead, Rob,
how many watch how many baseball drafts?
Speaker 5 (21:13):
All the baseball draft? Is it even on TV? Like that?
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Because I MLB network now? But bever been on television? Like,
h if nothing?
Speaker 5 (21:23):
That's my point, Like, I've never watched a baseball draft.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Let me here's what I want to ask you. I
wanted to get to this. It robbed the pressures on her. Hey, look,
she's lived with pressures ever since she became a great
basketball player. But she the league is riding on her shoulders. Rob,
Let's keep it real. This is all because of Caitlyn Clark.
(21:48):
God bless Angel Revees and any of these other women.
Nobody's tuning in there. This is about Caitlyn Clark, and
if she Rob, if she's not a star, then all
this is gonna go away.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
I don't mean for her, I mean for the league,
the interest.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
But if she is a transcendent star, she plays as
well as she does did in college in the WNBA
pretty much right away, then I think, you know, it'll
boost the league.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
As a whole, not just her, but the league as
a whole. You agree with.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
That, Like, if she's like, if she's not that good, rob,
I think all of this attention for the WNBA, it
might still be a little better than it used to
before her, but it's it's gonna pretty much fade.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
Of course, all of it, poof, poof. It's about her.
The pressure is on. It's a lot to heavy as
the head that wears the crown,
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