Nick Wright reacts to Stephen A. Smith firing back at LeBron James following their confrontation at Knicks-Lakers. Later, Nick reflects on his 2017 pre-draft interview with Patrick Mahomes when Mahomes perfectly predicted his future. What has been most impressive about his run with the Chiefs? Next, Nick breaks down why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves the NBA MVP over Nikola Jokic. #Volume #Herd
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Steven A.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Smith has been going around talking about his confrontation with Lebron.
James talked about on his show. I went and talked
to talked about it with Gilbert Arenas and he said,
I thought it was weak.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I thought it was some bs.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yeah about Lebron coming up to him. And then also
he went on Sean Hannity's show last night, Yes and Does,
and this got brought up in despite the all the
awful things hannedy Is said about Lebron over the years.
So I have a lot of takes on this, and
I was going to leave this be, but the Gilbert
(00:42):
Arenas show appearance was to me it has to be
responded to, and there's so many different tentacles to this,
so I will first first, I want to make this
point we in the media have to be willing to
(01:12):
occasionally taken out. Everyone does, but particularly us. We in
the media have to be willing to at times be
like that was a miss. I was wrong. I didn't
handle that perfectly. And we in the media also have
(01:38):
to recognize and acknowledge that no matter how big or prominent,
or wealthy or successful any of us ever get, we
will never be from a fan or credibility to the
(02:05):
audience standpoint on par with the biggest athletes that we cover.
It'll never Howard Cosell was not equal to Muhammad Ali.
He was telling Ali's story. The audience was there for Ali.
(02:26):
Bob Costas was not equal to Michael Jordan. He's he's
telling Michael Jordan's story.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Go ahead to mins with that.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
With that point, don't you think it like, because Steve
Natesmith is saying it's weak, Lebron James obviously has all
the leverage on the court. Do you do you not
think that it's a little Uh, I don't know, it's
I don't want to say it's weak, but because he
obviously does have leverage, like nobody's gonna be on Steven
As yet.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
But you also you that's the thing. So that's the
thing you have to know in the media that you
at some point the actual stars are the people we're
talking about. Sometimes we can be good enough or successful enough,
(03:19):
or prominent enough or whatever where we become kind of
supporting actors, but it's their movie. People are here. They
care so much about them that we become important people
because we talk about them. And so there is there
(03:41):
will never be a White House courus or White House
correspondent that is more important to the political discourse than
the president. There will there, and there will there will
never be a stephen A And he has earned it,
(04:02):
earned it. He is the most prominent sports media member,
which does make him bigger than some athletes, but he
will never be bigger than the biggest athletes. Like here's
a good kind of you know, back in the Napkin math,
(04:27):
do you remember Demanse when I went after Patrick Beverly. Yeah,
that is I think two people on kind of equal footing.
But think about why that is. You have me. I'm
(04:49):
just saying we're about on equal footing. Me someone who's
probably near the bottom of the top ten in my field,
and someone like him who's near the top of the
bottom ten in his field. And that's where we meet.
So you've got it. Like so the and there was
another little jab at Patrick Beverley fit in there, but
(05:12):
uh so it is so No, I don't think it's
unfair for Lebron to to respond. We all like the
And here is the other thing. You gotta be prepared
in the moment with how you're going to respond if
(05:34):
they if you get checked, and this idea like I got,
I told the story you know, confronted is too strong,
but questioned by Jalen Hurt's mom night before the super Bowl,
and she was totally within her rights. I've told the
(05:54):
story for anohing of good things say about her, uh
and one of the only they're not many bright sides
for me that came out of that Super Bowl. But
I respected her in that interaction so much that I
was part of me, the little part of me that
wasn't heartbroken about the result of the game, was happy
for her because she was so adamant or someone was
gonna win and that he was gonna play great and
(06:15):
all that happened. But in that moment, I had a
choice to make do I snapfold my hand, or do
I say, okay, we can actually talk about it. What
I don't think is typically cool is to in the
(06:40):
moment snapfold your hand and then after the fact talk
and talk and talk and talk and talk about it.
And here's the other pieces of it that I just
(07:01):
I'm gonna go ahead and say I have a hard
time fully buying. On Gilbert's show, stephen A said, essentially,
my producers made me address it. I didn't want to.
(07:22):
My producers made me address it. Bro, that's not how
that works. We all we all know that, like, that's
it's not how that works on first things. First, I
can't imagine that's how that works. On first take. I
(07:43):
cannot imagine. And I do not think that anybody really
believes like there is anything on that show that stephen
A's like, I do not want to do this, and
they're like, so you have to come on, man, that's
(08:04):
not like, that's not that's not a thing. Like maybe
the day after a finals game, if see if someone
was like, I don't want to talk about the basketball game,
they might be like, well you have to and if not,
we're gonna pay, like the but I, that's not a thing.
And the other thing was this because on Gilbert Show,
(08:29):
stephen A said, oh, I I thought in the moment
this was about Bronni. It wasn't until I saw what
Lebron's conversation mouth somewhat covered mouth not with Richard Jefferson
that I knew this was actually about what I had
(08:50):
said about him as a father. Man. I knew it
the next day. I was on here the next day
and I told everyone that's what it was about it
was obvious. That's what it was about. The everyone who's
in these circles knows, that's what it was about. When
(09:11):
Lebron's people called you and you made fun of them,
it was months ago. It was about that. It was
about the I'm begging you as a father. So it's
okay to say I was caught off guard, has caught
(09:31):
off guard, didn't really know. And then the other part
of it, like again, and I say this every time,
and I'll say it again, And it's so funny that
I texted with stephen A the day this, the morning
before this all happened, so like I think this happened
(09:52):
a week ago today, I actually text with steven A
that morning, so before it all happened. Obviously, I have
and I'm still using current present tense. I hope a
good relationship with him. But I have to be I
have to be fair here, because I'm not hesitating ever
(10:16):
on this platform or on the TV show really to
criticize colleagues if I think they're dead wrong. I can't
just have the guys that I really like or my
friends or whatever be like a sacred cows here, especially
when this this is the story that continues to be
the story. The implication with Gilbert and Company that listen,
(10:39):
maybe I'd have handled that differently, but I work for
Walt Disney.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Come on, man about like the fighting or like I
was gonna I.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Mean, that's what it seemed like was being implied. I mean, like, man, like, listen,
Steven Ain't, to his credit, has gotten in great shit
and did like a real boxing thing and would be
a even even you know at his at his you know,
(11:10):
he's in great japer's age and is despite being a
decade plus order than me, I'll say it would be
a significant favorite over most other media members. You know
what I mean in hand to hand combat, but the
idea that it's like well, you know, hands are a
little tied because I work for the mouse. Otherwise, like,
(11:33):
come on, man, like what are we like? That's just
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
I don't play a Devil's advocate any longer, but this
last time we'll do it.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Do you think like what is in like? Is are
we saying that the only thing that Stephen A.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Smith did wrong was call out Lebron James a father,
Like is everything else like in bounds?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
What's out of bounds?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
So here's so here's what I think. That's a great
follow up and a great question. The I think that
I'm pleading with you as a father was out of line.
It's also what Lebron was responding to. That was very
(12:16):
clear from the morning after the event. I again, I
set it on this show on a little emergency pod
that we did right after or over the weekend, but
before the rj uh interaction with Lebron, and it was
(12:38):
it was very clear that's what it was about. So
that is you Now, I talked to Bamani about that,
Butmani says we need to normalize judging other people's parenting,
which is an interesting take, and like it's also you know,
Butmani's you know, glass house there, not glasshouse there. BUTMANI
ain't got no kids, so he didn't know how hard
(12:59):
you guys can be some times. But but the that
is that's what triggered Lebron. Okay, that's what it was
now is the criticism of Bronnie fair. It let me,
I'm gonna tweak how I word that.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Go ahead, Well, I mean also like there's a while
back Lebron put out a tweet and I get it's
not Bronni that tweet like it's just unfortunate that it's
landing on Bronnie the kid.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
When so that tweet is I would argue, and this
I think kind of speaks to how relatively well, not
relatively well, but incredibly well lebron James has handled twenty
five years in the public eye. That tweets one of
the five biggest missteps of his whole career, honest to God,
(13:52):
like it really is. But the fact that everyone keeps
pointing to this tweet from three years ago as evidence that, oh,
Lebron has been building Bronnie up bigger than he was,
I think speaks to the fact that after that tweet,
Lebron pumped the brakes on it, right, like that that
(14:13):
tweet was it put a bigger target on Bronnie's back,
and so that was that was a mistake. That that's
totally fair, and that's that would be criticizing lebron You
know that a decision he made, Like that's totally fair,
But that's not what this was about, right, So the so,
but I but to get back to your other question
(14:37):
is is Bronnie James a fair target for criticism? The
answer to that is yes, he's an NBA players, a
grown man NBA player. Is it also fair to say,
(14:59):
if this is going to be the one and only
second round pick in the entire draft in the last
two drafts three drafts that we are going to occasionally
criticize on national television, that if you have been one
(15:23):
of the more vocal critics, whether it was his summer
League performance or his opening few g League games or
those awful minutes against the Sixers, then if you really
want to be fair, you've got to mix in the
context and maybe include, oh, he's actually played really well
(15:46):
since that moment. Now, I think it's probably like, does
that make sense that if I'm that anybody that you
are is you don't have to talk about, but you
choose to talk about either super glowingly or super negatively
or it's you know that you insert in, It's probably
(16:09):
fair to balance the scale to a degree you don't
have to do. That's why I keep doing the You
know where he ranks amongst rookies, and he is somewhere
between forty eighth and fifty eighth in every single minutes games, points, assists, steals,
(16:30):
which is what you would hope for from the fifty
to fifth pick. So that's the other piece of this
that I think is a little bit of bullshit. If
you were and this is not I'm not talking about
Steven ah here, okay, if you are, to a degree,
(16:52):
I'm kind of talking about one of my dearest friends
in the world, among others, but among other not among
my other dearest friends, but Manni is one of my
dearest friends in the world. He's one of many people
who were very loud and skeptical about Bronni being drafted.
I do think what's fair is if you were one
(17:12):
of those people saying this is a farce of a pick,
to at some point mention he's acquitting himself pretty well
in the G League, that he's averaging the exact same
as the Lakers first round pick last year in the
G League, that he you know what, like that, because
(17:33):
I think it's pretty clear that the people who said
this is a farce of a pick, if Bronni in
the G League was four points, couldn't you know? It
is terrible to be like see, And so I just
I do think though that stuff is convenient well, and again,
I just it's also not all that day to day relevant.
(17:58):
I just what I don't. I just have a really
hard time with the sequence of I didn't want to
talk about this. I've now talked about it almost every
single day on four different platforms since then. I didn't
(18:18):
know what he was mad about when I got a
call five weeks ago from his agent about the exact
thing he's mad about, and anyone with kind of deductive
reasoning knew that's what he's mad about. Having been on
(18:42):
the record for twenty years about how many games you
go to and about how everyone you talk about is
welcome to come up and talk to you about anything
they say, and when that happens, to say it was
weak and it was bullshit, And this is why I
(19:05):
started with the we're not on equal playing field with
these guys. He sometimes you don't get to respond like
you can respond. That's let me don't That's I said
(19:25):
that wrong. That's not what I meant. What I'm trying
to say is, in that moment, I think what he's
saying is I wanted a phone call so I could
give give my side of the story, and Lebron was saying,
I don't give a shit about your side of the story.
I didn't like what you said, and I wanted you
(19:45):
to stop it, and if we never speak again, no
skin off my back. And that is a power and
balance because like rounds like I don't care about this relationship.
You might, I don't, and that just kind of is
(20:07):
that that that's why I used the Coseel Ali thing. Now,
Cosel actually was incredibly helpful to Ali because Ali had
the US government working against him and a lot of things.
So it's not a perfect example at all, but as
helpful as Howard Goseel was to Muhammad Ali, Howard go
(20:34):
Sel needed Muhammad Ali in that relationship more than Ali
ever needed would need him. And no matter how wealthy
or famous any of us get, we're not the actual stars.
(20:57):
And then we also have to have the humility to
at times just take an l. I don't know why
that is so difficult for certain folks like and that's
(21:17):
and I'm not just pointing out stephen A there at all.
That is that is a lot of people again, well
particularly people that in our business people that are there
is It's also why there's kind of this unspoken rule
almost like oh, you know, I'm in the media, I'm
not going to criticize other media that I obviously don't
(21:40):
subscribe to. I just think that is somewhat hypocritical, almost
like we can't we we can't do what we do
to these athletes and then act so wounded if somebody
(22:01):
does it to us.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Exactly like this guy needs to change this that like
that needs to happen. It's like I feel like which
is in some fashion.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
And so listen, I really hope this is the end
that of this the and the handity thing.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Do it well?
Speaker 3 (22:21):
I just I don't. I I don't look given all
the things Sean Hannity has said about Lebron that I
find to be in inaccurate on their face and wildly unfair.
I think going on that turf and doing this was
(22:50):
and now and again in Stepney's defense there, it didn't
look like he knew that question was coming, and he
didn't spend a lot of time on it, you know.
I think he was on there to give more political commentary,
which is a whole nother discussion. But whatever, Who's scoring
big in the NBA this season? You are with the
(23:10):
all new with all the new ways to get in
on the action. Draftings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner
of the NBA from Monster Slams, Dish in the Rock
cleaning Glass, get behind your favorite players and the prop
bets you can make on DraftKings, the home of NBA
player props. Ready to place your first bet? Try betting
on something simple like picking how many points your favorite
player will have. Go to the drafting sports book Gap
(23:32):
and make your pick. Guys, I'm killing you, I'm killing you.
On Tuesday, I keyed in on Pelicans Clippers. I was like,
Kwhi's being hot. You know, he's probably gonna come down
to Earth. Zion I thought was gonna have a monster game.
(23:53):
Zion did have a monster game, tripled Obel, but I
had him over twenty three and a half points. Too
many assists, not in a point it spins with twenty two.
That's a loser. Kawhi under twenty three and a half points,
he damn near at thirty, so that was an O
for two. So again I'm being totally transparent with you, guys.
I farmed this one out, I said, Demons, Daniel, Producers,
(24:16):
Blue Ducks, somebody help me out here. They're looking at
Cam Thomas, who's never seen a shot he doesn't like
over twenty three and a half and Steph Curry over
twenty six and a half. So we got it. We
gotta turn this these player props around lines and odd
subject change first time. Here's something special just for you.
New DraftKings customers bet five dollars to get one hundred
(24:37):
three dollars in bonus bets instantly take it to the
rack DraftKings Sportsbook Every point Counts. Download DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Use code right that's code right wrighd to get one
hundred three dollars in bonus bets when you bet just
five bucks only on DraftKings. The Crown is yours. Gambling
problem called one eight hundred gambler in New New York
(25:00):
call eight seven seven eight hope in why or text
hope n why, which is four six seven three six
nine In Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call
eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven
or visit CCPG dot org. Please play responsibly on behalf
(25:22):
of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas twenty one plus
age in eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus
bets expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after issuance
for additional terms and responsible gaming resources see DKNG dot
(25:42):
co slash b ball.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
So yeah, after dropping the first ever thirty twenty twenty
twenty game against Phoenix Yolks, MVP odds cut in half.
Then SGA got the best of them in that Denver
game he dropped forty and then Jokic got a little
get back. So they're kind of kind of a weird
situation for the MVP right now.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Who do you have?
Speaker 3 (26:05):
I think it's Shay. I don't think it's really that debatable,
and I am consistent. Well, here's why Demansey and I
heard Mike Malone. God, Michael Malone. Basically, if you're not
willing to say the NBA logo should be changed from
Jerry West to Nikola Jokic, like you're not given Jokic
(26:28):
enough respect by Michael Malone's standards. I mean the idea
that Jokic has won three of the last four MVPs,
he won back to back MVPs prior to ever going
on a deep playoff run which was not unprecedented but
close to unprecedented, and so like this idea that he's
not getting enough respect is just crazy. And here is
(26:57):
why I feel the way I do about the MVP,
and it is the same reason I felt it was
very clear Josh Allen was the MVP this past year
in the NFL. We cannot play Calvin ball with how
(27:17):
we give out MVP awards. And if people don't know
what the phrase Calvin ball is, it's from the old
cartoon Calvin and Hobbes, the comic strip. But it's where
you just make up the rules as you go. It's
essentially heads, you lose, tales I win. It's where whatever
the whatever the rules need to be for me to win,
those are the rules. And so two years ago the
(27:39):
NFL MVP Josh had these amazing numbers and not so
much Josh. Actually it was really brock Perty and Dak
had these amazing numbers. Lamar had middling numbers, but his
team had the best record. He played you know great
in some big spots, and they gave it to Lamar.
(27:59):
This year, Lamar has amazing numbers, but his team's record
is you know, mediocre compared to the other MVP candidates.
Josh had good numbers, not as good as Lamar's. The
team had the better record, and people were like, no,
Some people were like, no, it should be Lamar again, like, well,
(28:20):
he can't win for one set of logic in twenty
three and inver ctle logic in twenty four that if
we give Joker the MVP this year, then we need
to go back last year and give the one he
won there to Luca. Because last year here was Luca's numbers,
(28:45):
thirty four points per game, the scoring champion by three
and a half points, nine rebounds, ten assists. He was
thirty four, nine and ten on forty nine to thirty
eight splits. Joker, who won the MVP was twenty six
(29:06):
points per game, twelve rebounds, nine assists on fifty eight
thirty six splits. So why did Joker win it? Because
the Denver Nuggets tied for the best record in the
Western Conference. They had fifty seven wins and Luca's team
was the five seed. They had fifty five or they
had fifty wins. Pardon me that seven win golf is
(29:30):
why not only did Joker win it, but it was
not close. If I remember, I'm gonna check real quick.
Joker had got seventy nine first place votes, Shay got fifteen,
Luca got four. He ran away with it. So this
(29:51):
year when Joker's numbers are remarkable, and they are remarkable
at twenty nine, thirteen and ten. Shae is going to
win the scoring title, by the way at thirty two
and a half, but then only five and six. But
(30:15):
Shay is the in my opinion, rightful MVP because his
team has fifty three wins and the Nuggets have forty two.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Would He's not say no team, It's more just like
if the Thunder didn't have SGA, you know, they'd be
less off good. I think if Denver didn't have Yokics,
they'd be absolutely ft.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
No, that is listen, that's definitely true that Denver would
completely collapse without Joker. That's definitely true. But that can't
be the solo standard, and we can't change the rules
year over year like the And it is true, and
(30:58):
it has always been true that the hardest MVP to
win is the next one. The easiest MVP to win
is your first, and then to win a second one
you usually have to be even better than you were
for your first one, and then to win your third one,
(31:18):
you've got to be truly in historic territory, and then
to win your fourth you have to be have a
historic season and be one of the greatest players of
all time and not have any first time attempted first
(31:42):
time winner have a real case. So and Joker is
one of the greatest players of all time and he
is having a historic season. But the guys with four
are Bron Will Russell, Jordan Kareem. Those guys have four
or five or six. I'm not saying Jokers not allowed
to join that group one day. What I am saying
is we can't give Jokers third MVP, even though Luca
(32:06):
had one of the most insane statistical regular seasons ever,
because Joker's team was better, and then give Joker his
fourth MVP because he's having an insane statistical regular season
when SHA's team is better. Like if the we have
(32:27):
to be consistent with it, and and also like this
idea that the Thunder would be okay without Shae, I
don't agree with that. The Thunder without Shae would.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Be I mean, they wouldn't be in great shape. The
point I was just making was Denver.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Would be no Denver would instantly become one of the
worst teams in the league. I get that, But sh
Shae scoring thirty three a game for a team that
doesn't have another established star is super valuable. So like
I just I just like consistency in this stuff.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Yeah, and the press, I think from the beginning we've
just gotten really far off of what MVP means.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
I think it should have just been the.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Actual most valuable player as I get like the don't know.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
So this is a point Broom makes and and I'm
curious how you feel about it. And then we can
get to the NFL stuff quickly. And I don't know
why I ever say we're doing a quick show. I
don't have the capability of it. Does Is that fair
to the previous eras right? And here's what I mean.
(33:42):
If all of a sudden we change it to just like, hey,
who is the consensus best player in the league and
is he having an awesome season? Then he's the MVP,
and then all of a sudden, Joker ends with six
and maybe one day Wimby ends with seven. It's like wow,
when that's not how we treated Kareem Lebron or Mike
(34:07):
or Michael, Like is that like, so that is that fair?
I don't know. Yeah, say it again.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
I said you have to make a new league. I
was joking, but yeah, not.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
No, but yeah, I mean it just and so and
also this is it should be noted Shay the going
into this year, the only guy on his team who
had ever been an All Star is going to run
away with the scoring title. Scores thirty three a night
(34:41):
on good efficiency. Uh only plays thirty four minutes because
they blow so many teams out. His team has a
historic net rating and they have won. They are eleven
games clear of the Nuggets in the standings. That it's
not like this is a you know, a week MBP
(35:06):
case for shit. This episode of What Trait is brought
to you by Data Pizza featuring dairy free cheese made
with their new Data oat Cream Blend. Dairy free cheese
has come a long way. Daya's leading the charge. Their
pizzas offer the Melton stretch of traditional cheese without any dairy.
Each Day of Pizza starts with a perfectly crisp crust,
(35:27):
layered with savory, satisfying toppings, and finished with cheese that
melts and stretches beautifully. The Data oat Cream Blend delivers
a creamy, cheesy texture that's indistinguishable from dairy based options.
Every pizza is crafted to be dairy free making it
a great choice for anyone seeking more inclusive meal options
without compromising on taste. Data takes the concept of dairy
(35:49):
free to a new level, eliminating faux mu that is
not the fear of cows, that is the fear of
missing dairy. These pizzas delivered delicious tastes and texture, making
them perfect for any occasion, from casual dinners to game
day spreads. Enjoy a FAA move free pizza night with DAYA.
Visit dayafoods dot com for more information, or find DAYA
(36:10):
Pizza at retailers like Whole Foods, Kroger, and Walmart, coming
soon to select publics and sprouts. Follow DAYA on Instagram
and TikTok for more updates and recipes. Before the twenty
seventeen NFL Draft, before First Things First Yet existed, Chris
(36:32):
Carter and I filled in for Colin Cowherd and we
interviewed a few of the draft prospects. One of them
was a potential first round pick out of Texas Tech
named Patrick mahomes I. And here is one of the
questions I asked him and listened to his answer. Patrick,
(36:54):
I've got a son who's around your age, just a
little bit younger than you, and I did something with
him that I want to do with you. Right now,
you're not driving, are you okay?
Speaker 1 (37:03):
All right?
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Ten years from now, close your eyes, think about it.
In a perfect world, everything goes great. You are, you
are doing exactly what you want to do. Take me
ten years from now. Describe where you are and what
you don't have to tell me a city. Describe what
your life is ten years from this moment.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
Ten years from now, I hope to have a family,
a wife and a kid or maybe two, and I'm
playing in the NFL, one of the best quarterbacks in
the NFL, and have a couple of Super Bowl championships
with me.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
Well there you go. So like that. So you already
know your endpoint. Man. So now that you know your endpoint,
every fork in the road, every decision you make, just
keep in mind that's the end point you're trying to
get to. Where people screw up, at least my sec
is they don't know where they're trying to get to.
So you get to fork in the road and you
don't know do I go left right? But Patrick has
said he's got a wife and kids, so I guess
(37:52):
that means he's got to, you know, be hitting the
dating scene in the off season a little bit, I guess.
And you got a couple of quarters, you got a
couple super Bowl championship, still playing in the league. He
already knows where he's going, just got to figure out
how to get there. Yes, that is remarkable by Patrick
(38:13):
that he said the goals that high and exceeded all
of them. He said, one or two kids, he's at three.
The I didn't know obviously when I was saying hit
the dating scene that he was in a serious relationship. Yeah,
you know what I mean that he had the woman
in mind. He had the woman in mind. And he
(38:35):
said one of the best quarterbacks in the league with
a couple championships. He's the best quarterback in the league
and has three. I mean, that is a really really
cool thing. And then the also him men. Yeah, right,
so that was eight years ago. It was eight years ago,
(38:59):
So that was, Uh, that was I had I had
no recollection of that. Isn't that amazing?
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Yeah, that's truly awesome. I mean, got it on heed.
Speaker 3 (39:12):
Yeah, and so that that was really cool. So I
don't know if he I'm gonna I'm gonna send if
we put out that clip right there, a little throwback Thursday.
Also again, folks who accuse me of hair plugs or anything,
look closely at that video. You see I have a
(39:32):
full hairline. I just have a shaved head. I don't
look like a guy who lost his hair. Look, this
idea is everywhere you can see doesn't matter. Point is
uh yeah, I mean that's not a guy who's bald,
that's a guy who shaved his head. Wasn't the greatest look.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
I will say you can lose that one. I don't
ever want to get back to that one unless you have.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
To the But regardless, Uh, I don't know. My guess
is Patrick doesn't remember that either. But if we put
out that clip, I'll send it to him. That was
really cool.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
Good for him for the first time in his career.
Rogers is a free agent. Pittsburgh, the Giants, and maybe
a little bit of Minnesota. Those are the teams that
seem to be hawking him down. What are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (40:18):
So here's what I think. I think that Aaron Rodgers
knows exactly where he's going and exactly what he's doing,
and Aaron Rodgers wants the attention, and I don't think
that they are still negotiating. I think that he is
(40:42):
the main character in his story and in every story,
it would seem, and he, you know, likes that. Well,
there's three teams right now, kind of in a bit
of a two definitely in the Steelers and the Giants,
and one maybe in the Vikings that are waiting on him.
(41:05):
I I don't understand the Vikings piece of it, demons.
And here's why it doesn't make sense to me that
they were like Daniel Jones, we'd like to give you
around ten million dollars to back up JJ McCarthy, and
then Daniel Jones went to Indianapolis and they're like, okay,
(41:28):
Aaron Rodgers, we'd like to give you forty million dollars
to start in front of JJ McCarthy like those You
know that it doesn't seem like if you were if
they had tried to retain Sam Darnold and lost him
and then they pivoted Darren Rodgers to be like, okay,
that makes you know, that's cogent thoughts, so to speak.
(41:51):
This one doesn't make sense to me, And does it
you understand what I mean?
Speaker 1 (41:57):
Like I don't understand what you're saying, like, it's.
Speaker 3 (42:01):
It just seems like I'm looking for a car. I'm
either gonna get a Miata Tutor or a minivan. It's like, well,
wait a minute, what are you trying to get out
of this thing? Like the and so I just don't.
I don't follow it in that way, that's all. And
so I don't know that he'll pick today. I really don't.
(42:23):
I also will say this, the folks that believe the
Steelers could be anything close to contenders with Aaron Rodgers,
they weren't contenders last year with Russell Wilson. Aaron Rodgers
at disappointing. His career is not better than Russell Wilson.
I'm not saying he's worse. They're about the same. Like,
(42:44):
and so, I know they added George Pickens, but man,
that feels so combustible Pickens and Metcalf and Rogers, Like,
I don't, I don't. I don't love that at all.
Might
Steven A.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Smith has been going around talking about his confrontation with Lebron.
James talked about on his show. I went and talked
to talked about it with Gilbert Arenas and he said,
I thought it was weak.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I thought it was some bs.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yeah about Lebron coming up to him. And then also
he went on Sean Hannity's show last night, Yes and Does,
and this got brought up in despite the all the
awful things hannedy Is said about Lebron over the years.
So I have a lot of takes on this, and
I was going to leave this be, but the Gilbert
(00:42):
Arenas show appearance was to me it has to be
responded to, and there's so many different tentacles to this,
so I will first first, I want to make this
point we in the media have to be willing to
(01:12):
occasionally taken out. Everyone does, but particularly us. We in
the media have to be willing to at times be
like that was a miss. I was wrong. I didn't
handle that perfectly. And we in the media also have
(01:38):
to recognize and acknowledge that no matter how big or prominent,
or wealthy or successful any of us ever get, we
will never be from a fan or credibility to the
(02:05):
audience standpoint on par with the biggest athletes that we cover.
It'll never Howard Cosell was not equal to Muhammad Ali.
He was telling Ali's story. The audience was there for Ali.
(02:26):
Bob Costas was not equal to Michael Jordan. He's he's
telling Michael Jordan's story.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Go ahead to mins with that.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
With that point, don't you think it like, because Steve
Natesmith is saying it's weak, Lebron James obviously has all
the leverage on the court. Do you do you not
think that it's a little Uh, I don't know, it's
I don't want to say it's weak, but because he
obviously does have leverage, like nobody's gonna be on Steven
As yet.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
But you also you that's the thing. So that's the
thing you have to know in the media that you
at some point the actual stars are the people we're
talking about. Sometimes we can be good enough or successful enough,
(03:19):
or prominent enough or whatever where we become kind of
supporting actors, but it's their movie. People are here. They
care so much about them that we become important people
because we talk about them. And so there is there
(03:41):
will never be a White House courus or White House
correspondent that is more important to the political discourse than
the president. There will there, and there will there will
never be a stephen A And he has earned it,
(04:02):
earned it. He is the most prominent sports media member,
which does make him bigger than some athletes, but he
will never be bigger than the biggest athletes. Like here's
a good kind of you know, back in the Napkin math,
(04:27):
do you remember Demanse when I went after Patrick Beverly. Yeah,
that is I think two people on kind of equal footing.
But think about why that is. You have me. I'm
(04:49):
just saying we're about on equal footing. Me someone who's
probably near the bottom of the top ten in my field,
and someone like him who's near the top of the
bottom ten in his field. And that's where we meet.
So you've got it. Like so the and there was
another little jab at Patrick Beverley fit in there, but
(05:12):
uh so it is so No, I don't think it's
unfair for Lebron to to respond. We all like the
And here is the other thing. You gotta be prepared
in the moment with how you're going to respond if
(05:34):
they if you get checked, and this idea like I got,
I told the story you know, confronted is too strong,
but questioned by Jalen Hurt's mom night before the super Bowl,
and she was totally within her rights. I've told the
(05:54):
story for anohing of good things say about her, uh
and one of the only they're not many bright sides
for me that came out of that Super Bowl. But
I respected her in that interaction so much that I
was part of me, the little part of me that
wasn't heartbroken about the result of the game, was happy
for her because she was so adamant or someone was
gonna win and that he was gonna play great and
(06:15):
all that happened. But in that moment, I had a
choice to make do I snapfold my hand, or do
I say, okay, we can actually talk about it. What
I don't think is typically cool is to in the
(06:40):
moment snapfold your hand and then after the fact talk
and talk and talk and talk and talk about it.
And here's the other pieces of it that I just
(07:01):
I'm gonna go ahead and say I have a hard
time fully buying. On Gilbert's show, stephen A said, essentially,
my producers made me address it. I didn't want to.
(07:22):
My producers made me address it. Bro, that's not how
that works. We all we all know that, like, that's
it's not how that works on first things. First, I
can't imagine that's how that works. On first take. I
(07:43):
cannot imagine. And I do not think that anybody really
believes like there is anything on that show that stephen
A's like, I do not want to do this, and
they're like, so you have to come on, man, that's
(08:04):
not like, that's not that's not a thing. Like maybe
the day after a finals game, if see if someone
was like, I don't want to talk about the basketball game,
they might be like, well you have to and if not,
we're gonna pay, like the but I, that's not a thing.
And the other thing was this because on Gilbert Show,
(08:29):
stephen A said, oh, I I thought in the moment
this was about Bronni. It wasn't until I saw what
Lebron's conversation mouth somewhat covered mouth not with Richard Jefferson
that I knew this was actually about what I had
(08:50):
said about him as a father. Man. I knew it
the next day. I was on here the next day
and I told everyone that's what it was about it
was obvious. That's what it was about. The everyone who's
in these circles knows, that's what it was about. When
(09:11):
Lebron's people called you and you made fun of them,
it was months ago. It was about that. It was
about the I'm begging you as a father. So it's
okay to say I was caught off guard, has caught
(09:31):
off guard, didn't really know. And then the other part
of it, like again, and I say this every time,
and I'll say it again, And it's so funny that
I texted with stephen A the day this, the morning
before this all happened, so like I think this happened
(09:52):
a week ago today, I actually text with steven A
that morning, so before it all happened. Obviously, I have
and I'm still using current present tense. I hope a
good relationship with him. But I have to be I
have to be fair here, because I'm not hesitating ever
(10:16):
on this platform or on the TV show really to
criticize colleagues if I think they're dead wrong. I can't
just have the guys that I really like or my
friends or whatever be like a sacred cows here, especially
when this this is the story that continues to be
the story. The implication with Gilbert and Company that listen,
(10:39):
maybe I'd have handled that differently, but I work for
Walt Disney.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Come on, man about like the fighting or like I
was gonna I.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Mean, that's what it seemed like was being implied. I mean, like, man, like, listen,
Steven Ain't, to his credit, has gotten in great shit
and did like a real boxing thing and would be
a even even you know at his at his you know,
(11:10):
he's in great japer's age and is despite being a
decade plus order than me, I'll say it would be
a significant favorite over most other media members. You know
what I mean in hand to hand combat, but the
idea that it's like well, you know, hands are a
little tied because I work for the mouse. Otherwise, like,
(11:33):
come on, man, like what are we like? That's just
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
I don't play a Devil's advocate any longer, but this
last time we'll do it.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Do you think like what is in like? Is are
we saying that the only thing that Stephen A.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Smith did wrong was call out Lebron James a father,
Like is everything else like in bounds?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
What's out of bounds?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
So here's so here's what I think. That's a great
follow up and a great question. The I think that
I'm pleading with you as a father was out of line.
It's also what Lebron was responding to. That was very
(12:16):
clear from the morning after the event. I again, I
set it on this show on a little emergency pod
that we did right after or over the weekend, but
before the rj uh interaction with Lebron, and it was
(12:38):
it was very clear that's what it was about. So
that is you Now, I talked to Bamani about that,
Butmani says we need to normalize judging other people's parenting,
which is an interesting take, and like it's also you know,
Butmani's you know, glass house there, not glasshouse there. BUTMANI
ain't got no kids, so he didn't know how hard
(12:59):
you guys can be some times. But but the that
is that's what triggered Lebron. Okay, that's what it was
now is the criticism of Bronnie fair. It let me,
I'm gonna tweak how I word that.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Go ahead, Well, I mean also like there's a while
back Lebron put out a tweet and I get it's
not Bronni that tweet like it's just unfortunate that it's
landing on Bronnie the kid.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
When so that tweet is I would argue, and this
I think kind of speaks to how relatively well, not
relatively well, but incredibly well lebron James has handled twenty
five years in the public eye. That tweets one of
the five biggest missteps of his whole career, honest to God,
(13:52):
like it really is. But the fact that everyone keeps
pointing to this tweet from three years ago as evidence that, oh,
Lebron has been building Bronnie up bigger than he was,
I think speaks to the fact that after that tweet,
Lebron pumped the brakes on it, right, like that that
(14:13):
tweet was it put a bigger target on Bronnie's back,
and so that was that was a mistake. That that's
totally fair, and that's that would be criticizing lebron You
know that a decision he made, Like that's totally fair,
But that's not what this was about, right, So the so,
but I but to get back to your other question
(14:37):
is is Bronnie James a fair target for criticism? The
answer to that is yes, he's an NBA players, a
grown man NBA player. Is it also fair to say,
(14:59):
if this is going to be the one and only
second round pick in the entire draft in the last
two drafts three drafts that we are going to occasionally
criticize on national television, that if you have been one
(15:23):
of the more vocal critics, whether it was his summer
League performance or his opening few g League games or
those awful minutes against the Sixers, then if you really
want to be fair, you've got to mix in the
context and maybe include, oh, he's actually played really well
(15:46):
since that moment. Now, I think it's probably like, does
that make sense that if I'm that anybody that you
are is you don't have to talk about, but you
choose to talk about either super glowingly or super negatively
or it's you know that you insert in, It's probably
(16:09):
fair to balance the scale to a degree you don't
have to do. That's why I keep doing the You
know where he ranks amongst rookies, and he is somewhere
between forty eighth and fifty eighth in every single minutes games, points, assists, steals,
(16:30):
which is what you would hope for from the fifty
to fifth pick. So that's the other piece of this
that I think is a little bit of bullshit. If
you were and this is not I'm not talking about
Steven ah here, okay, if you are, to a degree,
(16:52):
I'm kind of talking about one of my dearest friends
in the world, among others, but among other not among
my other dearest friends, but Manni is one of my
dearest friends in the world. He's one of many people
who were very loud and skeptical about Bronni being drafted.
I do think what's fair is if you were one
(17:12):
of those people saying this is a farce of a pick,
to at some point mention he's acquitting himself pretty well
in the G League, that he's averaging the exact same
as the Lakers first round pick last year in the
G League, that he you know what, like that, because
(17:33):
I think it's pretty clear that the people who said
this is a farce of a pick, if Bronni in
the G League was four points, couldn't you know? It
is terrible to be like see, And so I just
I do think though that stuff is convenient well, and again,
I just it's also not all that day to day relevant.
(17:58):
I just what I don't. I just have a really
hard time with the sequence of I didn't want to
talk about this. I've now talked about it almost every
single day on four different platforms since then. I didn't
(18:18):
know what he was mad about when I got a
call five weeks ago from his agent about the exact
thing he's mad about, and anyone with kind of deductive
reasoning knew that's what he's mad about. Having been on
(18:42):
the record for twenty years about how many games you
go to and about how everyone you talk about is
welcome to come up and talk to you about anything
they say, and when that happens, to say it was
weak and it was bullshit, And this is why I
(19:05):
started with the we're not on equal playing field with
these guys. He sometimes you don't get to respond like
you can respond. That's let me don't That's I said
(19:25):
that wrong. That's not what I meant. What I'm trying
to say is, in that moment, I think what he's
saying is I wanted a phone call so I could
give give my side of the story, and Lebron was saying,
I don't give a shit about your side of the story.
I didn't like what you said, and I wanted you
(19:45):
to stop it, and if we never speak again, no
skin off my back. And that is a power and
balance because like rounds like I don't care about this relationship.
You might, I don't, and that just kind of is
(20:07):
that that that's why I used the Coseel Ali thing. Now,
Cosel actually was incredibly helpful to Ali because Ali had
the US government working against him and a lot of things.
So it's not a perfect example at all, but as
helpful as Howard Goseel was to Muhammad Ali, Howard go
(20:34):
Sel needed Muhammad Ali in that relationship more than Ali
ever needed would need him. And no matter how wealthy
or famous any of us get, we're not the actual stars.
(20:57):
And then we also have to have the humility to
at times just take an l. I don't know why
that is so difficult for certain folks like and that's
(21:17):
and I'm not just pointing out stephen A there at all.
That is that is a lot of people again, well
particularly people that in our business people that are there
is It's also why there's kind of this unspoken rule
almost like oh, you know, I'm in the media, I'm
not going to criticize other media that I obviously don't
(21:40):
subscribe to. I just think that is somewhat hypocritical, almost
like we can't we we can't do what we do
to these athletes and then act so wounded if somebody
(22:01):
does it to us.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Exactly like this guy needs to change this that like
that needs to happen. It's like I feel like which
is in some fashion.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
And so listen, I really hope this is the end
that of this the and the handity thing.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Do it well?
Speaker 3 (22:21):
I just I don't. I I don't look given all
the things Sean Hannity has said about Lebron that I
find to be in inaccurate on their face and wildly unfair.
I think going on that turf and doing this was
(22:50):
and now and again in Stepney's defense there, it didn't
look like he knew that question was coming, and he
didn't spend a lot of time on it, you know.
I think he was on there to give more political commentary,
which is a whole nother discussion. But whatever, Who's scoring
big in the NBA this season? You are with the
(23:10):
all new with all the new ways to get in
on the action. Draftings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner
of the NBA from Monster Slams, Dish in the Rock
cleaning Glass, get behind your favorite players and the prop
bets you can make on DraftKings, the home of NBA
player props. Ready to place your first bet? Try betting
on something simple like picking how many points your favorite
player will have. Go to the drafting sports book Gap
(23:32):
and make your pick. Guys, I'm killing you, I'm killing you.
On Tuesday, I keyed in on Pelicans Clippers. I was like,
Kwhi's being hot. You know, he's probably gonna come down
to Earth. Zion I thought was gonna have a monster game.
(23:53):
Zion did have a monster game, tripled Obel, but I
had him over twenty three and a half points. Too
many assists, not in a point it spins with twenty two.
That's a loser. Kawhi under twenty three and a half points,
he damn near at thirty, so that was an O
for two. So again I'm being totally transparent with you, guys.
I farmed this one out, I said, Demons, Daniel, Producers,
(24:16):
Blue Ducks, somebody help me out here. They're looking at
Cam Thomas, who's never seen a shot he doesn't like
over twenty three and a half and Steph Curry over
twenty six and a half. So we got it. We
gotta turn this these player props around lines and odd
subject change first time. Here's something special just for you.
New DraftKings customers bet five dollars to get one hundred
(24:37):
three dollars in bonus bets instantly take it to the
rack DraftKings Sportsbook Every point Counts. Download DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Use code right that's code right wrighd to get one
hundred three dollars in bonus bets when you bet just
five bucks only on DraftKings. The Crown is yours. Gambling
problem called one eight hundred gambler in New New York
(25:00):
call eight seven seven eight hope in why or text
hope n why, which is four six seven three six
nine In Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call
eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven
or visit CCPG dot org. Please play responsibly on behalf
(25:22):
of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas twenty one plus
age in eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus
bets expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after issuance
for additional terms and responsible gaming resources see DKNG dot
(25:42):
co slash b ball.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
So yeah, after dropping the first ever thirty twenty twenty
twenty game against Phoenix Yolks, MVP odds cut in half.
Then SGA got the best of them in that Denver
game he dropped forty and then Jokic got a little
get back. So they're kind of kind of a weird
situation for the MVP right now.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Who do you have?
Speaker 3 (26:05):
I think it's Shay. I don't think it's really that debatable,
and I am consistent. Well, here's why Demansey and I
heard Mike Malone. God, Michael Malone. Basically, if you're not
willing to say the NBA logo should be changed from
Jerry West to Nikola Jokic, like you're not given Jokic
(26:28):
enough respect by Michael Malone's standards. I mean the idea
that Jokic has won three of the last four MVPs,
he won back to back MVPs prior to ever going
on a deep playoff run which was not unprecedented but
close to unprecedented, and so like this idea that he's
not getting enough respect is just crazy. And here is
(26:57):
why I feel the way I do about the MVP,
and it is the same reason I felt it was
very clear Josh Allen was the MVP this past year
in the NFL. We cannot play Calvin ball with how
(27:17):
we give out MVP awards. And if people don't know
what the phrase Calvin ball is, it's from the old
cartoon Calvin and Hobbes, the comic strip. But it's where
you just make up the rules as you go. It's
essentially heads, you lose, tales I win. It's where whatever
the whatever the rules need to be for me to win,
those are the rules. And so two years ago the
(27:39):
NFL MVP Josh had these amazing numbers and not so
much Josh. Actually it was really brock Perty and Dak
had these amazing numbers. Lamar had middling numbers, but his
team had the best record. He played you know great
in some big spots, and they gave it to Lamar.
(27:59):
This year, Lamar has amazing numbers, but his team's record
is you know, mediocre compared to the other MVP candidates.
Josh had good numbers, not as good as Lamar's. The
team had the better record, and people were like, no,
Some people were like, no, it should be Lamar again, like, well,
(28:20):
he can't win for one set of logic in twenty
three and inver ctle logic in twenty four that if
we give Joker the MVP this year, then we need
to go back last year and give the one he
won there to Luca. Because last year here was Luca's numbers,
(28:45):
thirty four points per game, the scoring champion by three
and a half points, nine rebounds, ten assists. He was
thirty four, nine and ten on forty nine to thirty
eight splits. Joker, who won the MVP was twenty six
(29:06):
points per game, twelve rebounds, nine assists on fifty eight
thirty six splits. So why did Joker win it? Because
the Denver Nuggets tied for the best record in the
Western Conference. They had fifty seven wins and Luca's team
was the five seed. They had fifty five or they
had fifty wins. Pardon me that seven win golf is
(29:30):
why not only did Joker win it, but it was
not close. If I remember, I'm gonna check real quick.
Joker had got seventy nine first place votes, Shay got fifteen,
Luca got four. He ran away with it. So this
(29:51):
year when Joker's numbers are remarkable, and they are remarkable
at twenty nine, thirteen and ten. Shae is going to
win the scoring title, by the way at thirty two
and a half, but then only five and six. But
(30:15):
Shay is the in my opinion, rightful MVP because his
team has fifty three wins and the Nuggets have forty two.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Would He's not say no team, It's more just like
if the Thunder didn't have SGA, you know, they'd be
less off good. I think if Denver didn't have Yokics,
they'd be absolutely ft.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
No, that is listen, that's definitely true that Denver would
completely collapse without Joker. That's definitely true. But that can't
be the solo standard, and we can't change the rules
year over year like the And it is true, and
(30:58):
it has always been true that the hardest MVP to
win is the next one. The easiest MVP to win
is your first, and then to win a second one
you usually have to be even better than you were
for your first one, and then to win your third one,
(31:18):
you've got to be truly in historic territory, and then
to win your fourth you have to be have a
historic season and be one of the greatest players of
all time and not have any first time attempted first
(31:42):
time winner have a real case. So and Joker is
one of the greatest players of all time and he
is having a historic season. But the guys with four
are Bron Will Russell, Jordan Kareem. Those guys have four
or five or six. I'm not saying Jokers not allowed
to join that group one day. What I am saying
is we can't give Jokers third MVP, even though Luca
(32:06):
had one of the most insane statistical regular seasons ever,
because Joker's team was better, and then give Joker his
fourth MVP because he's having an insane statistical regular season
when SHA's team is better. Like if the we have
(32:27):
to be consistent with it, and and also like this
idea that the Thunder would be okay without Shae, I
don't agree with that. The Thunder without Shae would.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Be I mean, they wouldn't be in great shape. The
point I was just making was Denver.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Would be no Denver would instantly become one of the
worst teams in the league. I get that, But sh
Shae scoring thirty three a game for a team that
doesn't have another established star is super valuable. So like
I just I just like consistency in this stuff.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Yeah, and the press, I think from the beginning we've
just gotten really far off of what MVP means.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
I think it should have just been the.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Actual most valuable player as I get like the don't know.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
So this is a point Broom makes and and I'm
curious how you feel about it. And then we can
get to the NFL stuff quickly. And I don't know
why I ever say we're doing a quick show. I
don't have the capability of it. Does Is that fair
to the previous eras right? And here's what I mean.
(33:42):
If all of a sudden we change it to just like, hey,
who is the consensus best player in the league and
is he having an awesome season? Then he's the MVP,
and then all of a sudden, Joker ends with six
and maybe one day Wimby ends with seven. It's like wow,
when that's not how we treated Kareem Lebron or Mike
(34:07):
or Michael, Like is that like, so that is that fair?
I don't know. Yeah, say it again.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
I said you have to make a new league. I
was joking, but yeah, not.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
No, but yeah, I mean it just and so and
also this is it should be noted Shay the going
into this year, the only guy on his team who
had ever been an All Star is going to run
away with the scoring title. Scores thirty three a night
(34:41):
on good efficiency. Uh only plays thirty four minutes because
they blow so many teams out. His team has a
historic net rating and they have won. They are eleven
games clear of the Nuggets in the standings. That it's
not like this is a you know, a week MBP
(35:06):
case for shit. This episode of What Trait is brought
to you by Data Pizza featuring dairy free cheese made
with their new Data oat Cream Blend. Dairy free cheese
has come a long way. Daya's leading the charge. Their
pizzas offer the Melton stretch of traditional cheese without any dairy.
Each Day of Pizza starts with a perfectly crisp crust,
(35:27):
layered with savory, satisfying toppings, and finished with cheese that
melts and stretches beautifully. The Data oat Cream Blend delivers
a creamy, cheesy texture that's indistinguishable from dairy based options.
Every pizza is crafted to be dairy free making it
a great choice for anyone seeking more inclusive meal options
without compromising on taste. Data takes the concept of dairy
(35:49):
free to a new level, eliminating faux mu that is
not the fear of cows, that is the fear of
missing dairy. These pizzas delivered delicious tastes and texture, making
them perfect for any occasion, from casual dinners to game
day spreads. Enjoy a FAA move free pizza night with DAYA.
Visit dayafoods dot com for more information, or find DAYA
(36:10):
Pizza at retailers like Whole Foods, Kroger, and Walmart, coming
soon to select publics and sprouts. Follow DAYA on Instagram
and TikTok for more updates and recipes. Before the twenty
seventeen NFL Draft, before First Things First Yet existed, Chris
(36:32):
Carter and I filled in for Colin Cowherd and we
interviewed a few of the draft prospects. One of them
was a potential first round pick out of Texas Tech
named Patrick mahomes I. And here is one of the
questions I asked him and listened to his answer. Patrick,
(36:54):
I've got a son who's around your age, just a
little bit younger than you, and I did something with
him that I want to do with you. Right now,
you're not driving, are you okay?
Speaker 1 (37:03):
All right?
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Ten years from now, close your eyes, think about it.
In a perfect world, everything goes great. You are, you
are doing exactly what you want to do. Take me
ten years from now. Describe where you are and what
you don't have to tell me a city. Describe what
your life is ten years from this moment.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
Ten years from now, I hope to have a family,
a wife and a kid or maybe two, and I'm
playing in the NFL, one of the best quarterbacks in
the NFL, and have a couple of Super Bowl championships
with me.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
Well there you go. So like that. So you already
know your endpoint. Man. So now that you know your endpoint,
every fork in the road, every decision you make, just
keep in mind that's the end point you're trying to
get to. Where people screw up, at least my sec
is they don't know where they're trying to get to.
So you get to fork in the road and you
don't know do I go left right? But Patrick has
said he's got a wife and kids, so I guess
(37:52):
that means he's got to, you know, be hitting the
dating scene in the off season a little bit, I guess.
And you got a couple of quarters, you got a
couple super Bowl championship, still playing in the league. He
already knows where he's going, just got to figure out
how to get there. Yes, that is remarkable by Patrick
(38:13):
that he said the goals that high and exceeded all
of them. He said, one or two kids, he's at three.
The I didn't know obviously when I was saying hit
the dating scene that he was in a serious relationship. Yeah,
you know what I mean that he had the woman
in mind. He had the woman in mind. And he
(38:35):
said one of the best quarterbacks in the league with
a couple championships. He's the best quarterback in the league
and has three. I mean, that is a really really
cool thing. And then the also him men. Yeah, right,
so that was eight years ago. It was eight years ago,
(38:59):
So that was, Uh, that was I had I had
no recollection of that. Isn't that amazing?
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Yeah, that's truly awesome. I mean, got it on heed.
Speaker 3 (39:12):
Yeah, and so that that was really cool. So I
don't know if he I'm gonna I'm gonna send if
we put out that clip right there, a little throwback Thursday.
Also again, folks who accuse me of hair plugs or anything,
look closely at that video. You see I have a
(39:32):
full hairline. I just have a shaved head. I don't
look like a guy who lost his hair. Look, this
idea is everywhere you can see doesn't matter. Point is
uh yeah, I mean that's not a guy who's bald,
that's a guy who shaved his head. Wasn't the greatest look.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
I will say you can lose that one. I don't
ever want to get back to that one unless you have.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
To the But regardless, Uh, I don't know. My guess
is Patrick doesn't remember that either. But if we put
out that clip, I'll send it to him. That was
really cool.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
Good for him for the first time in his career.
Rogers is a free agent. Pittsburgh, the Giants, and maybe
a little bit of Minnesota. Those are the teams that
seem to be hawking him down. What are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (40:18):
So here's what I think. I think that Aaron Rodgers
knows exactly where he's going and exactly what he's doing,
and Aaron Rodgers wants the attention, and I don't think
that they are still negotiating. I think that he is
(40:42):
the main character in his story and in every story,
it would seem, and he, you know, likes that. Well,
there's three teams right now, kind of in a bit
of a two definitely in the Steelers and the Giants,
and one maybe in the Vikings that are waiting on him.
(41:05):
I I don't understand the Vikings piece of it, demons.
And here's why it doesn't make sense to me that
they were like Daniel Jones, we'd like to give you
around ten million dollars to back up JJ McCarthy, and
then Daniel Jones went to Indianapolis and they're like, okay,
(41:28):
Aaron Rodgers, we'd like to give you forty million dollars
to start in front of JJ McCarthy like those You
know that it doesn't seem like if you were if
they had tried to retain Sam Darnold and lost him
and then they pivoted Darren Rodgers to be like, okay,
that makes you know, that's cogent thoughts, so to speak.
(41:51):
This one doesn't make sense to me, And does it
you understand what I mean?
Speaker 1 (41:57):
Like I don't understand what you're saying, like, it's.
Speaker 3 (42:01):
It just seems like I'm looking for a car. I'm
either gonna get a Miata Tutor or a minivan. It's like, well,
wait a minute, what are you trying to get out
of this thing? Like the and so I just don't.
I don't follow it in that way, that's all. And
so I don't know that he'll pick today. I really don't.
(42:23):
I also will say this, the folks that believe the
Steelers could be anything close to contenders with Aaron Rodgers,
they weren't contenders last year with Russell Wilson. Aaron Rodgers
at disappointing. His career is not better than Russell Wilson.
I'm not saying he's worse. They're about the same. Like,
(42:44):
and so, I know they added George Pickens, but man,
that feels so combustible Pickens and Metcalf and Rogers, Like,
I don't, I don't. I don't love that at all.
Might
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.