NFL Free Agency Predictions, an NBA Power Poll, and Tatum’s Return With Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly, Michael Pina, and Joe House

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Jason Tatum

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But I really hope Cooper

Gets a feel for the city for the arena. Maybe he can look for apartments and condos for when he um officially signs with the Celtics in

2001 and comes home. We have a spot for him

But I really hope it goes well for him in Boston

And you know when he's on the Celtics in 2001, we'll just be like

Yeah, remember that time when he his first game

Was Tatum's first game back and now Tatum's passing the torch to him as the newest member of the Boston Celtics

Yeah, I think that's going to happen. We need Jason Tatum though. The Celtics got waxed by Charlotte last thing

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Coming up first though. The Danis Danny Hyfits Danny Kelly or we're going to be talking about football

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Crazy predictions all kinds of things. We're going to take a break pearl jam and then the Danis

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All right Thursday afternoon. So if anything happens after we do this don't play in us

The Danis are here Danny Hype fits Danny Kelly two thirds of the ringer fantasy football show a great great podcast

Craig couldn't be it craigs too big now

I don't know if you guys did you hear about how are you manuals trying to turn Pat McAfee into an actor like an action star

Do you read this story? I did not see that it was like Steven Seagull became an actor like that way

I don't know if you guys know this but Craig was the second choice

If I'm actually said no, they were just you know that actors get jacked like when John Krasinski

Like they're thinking Craig gets jacked. He just becomes the next Jack Ryan like who knows

Well, I it's funny to say that because I heard at the end of your show with Matt Bellany

Which was great breaking down the the paramount deal you said that you and Matt split the custody Craig

I just I guess we just get the drags. What does that make us yeah?

You're like half brothers on a WBC come with Craig just kind of floats in and out of your family

We have a lot of football stuff going on

The only real shocker to me so far and I don't know

I asked you guys to make a list of the top thing because right now it's we're heading in a football time right now

Like trades are starting to happen

The free agent the C is really kicking off in a week

But we know it's going to start sooner than that guys are getting waves like Stefan Diggs got wave today

Um, and we have a big picture sense of shit that's going down

Two things that happen I asked you guys to make a list and these two things are probably in the list so sorry

But the two things that I noticed were Buffalo getting receiver early getting on DJ Moore

And then where I want to start are the chiefs

Do they care about 2026

What what was the deal with the McDuffee trade? What do you think DK like what if why would you trade a star cornerback in his mid 20s that you clearly need in the AFC

What is the deal? Yeah, first of all look at hyphids's body language

He is just absolutely loving this because we Craig and I have kind of been giving him shit for

We we're not quite ready to write off the chiefs in 2026, but hyphids kind of is and so hyphids is absolutely loving this right now

Yeah point that out

I think it is it comes down to a number of things they have to

redo a lot of contracts to probably gonna have to release a bunch of guys half of their starting line up from last year is pretty much free agents at this point

So they have a lot of issues with their cap and they have generally the paper thing from like the seven year run

You're on where you keep rolling the check over for dinner and now it's due exactly

And they have a history of kind of moving on from corners than developing younger guys

And so that's probably a big part of this

But yeah, basically hyphids kind of has been laying this out. It's sort of a mini rebuild this year for the

Yeah, it's a shadow rebuild the chiefs of shadow rebuilding in plain sight

I mean, I the chiefs equals Super Bowl from 13 months ago

They've are the chiefs are going to probably turn over more than half of the starters in that game from 13 months ago

I know that she's got their butts kicked

But they still made the Super Bowl and that teams gone and really what I think is happening with the chiefs bill is that

The tire you killed trade gave the chiefs an extra four-year window

Because that was four years ago and the the chiefs turned tirey kill into a bunch of picks

Kansas City hit every single pick like the 2022 draft alone

Kansas City got seven starters five on defense and I could go through all of them

But like they're the guys you've never heard of everyone knows my homes

Everyone knows Kelsey everyone knows Chris Jones people don't know about like Brian cook and you know

People Trent McDuffy made it all pertuned

But there's guys like Jalen Watson and Brian cook and all these guys down the line that started in a secondary for Kansas City

That made three straight Super bowls all of the these guys the chiefs are setting back into free agency

They're not bringing any of them back

So they're kind of doing it again. We're Trent McDuffy the trade compensation

They got isn't that far off from what they got for tirey kill four years ago

So we're doing the same thing where they're caching

Players in for a bunch of picks and they're like well now we just have to hit all the picks again

And we're good call that whatever you want

But if you're like well, if we just hit all our picks again, we're a contender

I would call that a rebuild honestly

It's and I don't think I don't think it's a bad strategy

But the chiefs have a five-year window. They're thinking about with my homes because he's dirty

And the Rams are thinking about a one-to-two-year window because they've met staffers

So I think that's what that chiefs Rams trade was. Well, you left out the ACL

I mean, right. I know he's gonna come back

But he's gonna

We'll have a brace on I would assume

I'll do it so you don't have to the mobility that he would have had in his mid 20s

Bill I'll do it so you don't have to you have us here on Jason Tatum Eve

So thank you for that

But this is their the chiefs Jason Tatum season. I won't make you make the comparison because I know everyone will get mad

But it's a little bit like the Jason Tatum Celtic season

Well, in football it seems like the ACL recovery just goes faster and I don't really know the reasons for that

For back of all versus like Kyrie's not coming back and he had his injury over a year ago

In football we've seen these guys come back after like seven months

Which I don't they come back from Achilles faster must have something to do with those

The quits and the grass most of the time and all that stuff

Science research the inability to catch performance enhancing drugs now that we'll look back on later in decades

Right

Maybe getting mail to your wife which we've seen in the past

Danny on fandal right now

Chiefs not the favorite to win the aFC West which has to be the first time since

Alex Smith was there and they're probably even favorites the last year he was there

Chargers are plus 170 chiefs plus 180 and Broncos

Plus 210 I was surprised. I thought the chiefs would be the third in the pecking order on that one

But I think it's just

You know respect for the infrastructure the bigger thing for me which we talked about

A few weeks ago in this pod

I thought they were terribly coach last year

And um, I just thought they seemed really sloppy all year and it went beyond just like hmm

Maybe we need some different players and I don't think that's going to change at all

I'm I'm shorting the chief so you're not short in the chiefs yet Danny

That's what my mind is now. I know we we don't have to decide to logist to be totally clear that the

Argument was who is more likely to be in the Super Bowl next year the Ravens or the Chiefs and Craig and I took the Chiefs

And thought Hyphids was crazy for picking the Ravens considering some of the ways that they've ended the season their seasons over the last however long

Um, but I do think

Number one. That was the reason I think they got rid of Matt and Aggie and went to Eric the enemy exactly what you were saying in terms of like the coaching

I think the enemy is known as more like a drill sergeant type coach where he's gonna give him hard coaching

Maybe be a little bit more on the fundamentals and things like that. But yeah, I mean

The more that we get into this and the more I look at their cap and how many free agents they have plus the Rishi rice news

That came out recently he his his future is a little bit up in in the air right now um, I'm kind of

My argument is feeling quite a bit weaker in terms of the the chiefs ending it back up. Well you can

It's also possible to not like either team like I don't really like what with the Ravens have brewing either so all right for you guys

I could give you

Seven wins or I can give you 12 and you had to pick one which one or do you pick?

For Kansas City, I would pick 12

You would pick seven. I would pick seven wins over 12 for this season

I think they'll get back to super will contender if they hit their drafts

But I don't think Kansas City City City

Do you think we think that Andy Reed is just

Over the hell as a coach or or do we still believe it?

I thought there were a lot of signs last year that it wasn't looking great

And we've seen these coaches hit late 60s early 70s like

Piccaro you had him forever. He was a really good coach

Last couple years you and me and we're complaining about him

Meena meena denies it, but she was

We have the receipts

Um, then he goes to Vegas and he's terrible and he just kind of lost it which I think is

conceivable. I still think I'd go 12 but wow, so you would take 12 over the seven. Okay. Yeah

28

I feel like we're writing them off way too quickly. I mean look at what they've done the last 10 years

I'm not writing his career off and writing the season off in ACL

We're like the I mean even bringing Travis Kelsey back is just a legacy thing

If he wasn't as famous or as accomplished as he was

They probably might not even want Kelsey back considering, you know, what he's done

I mean, I don't know it. I think he's kind of a shell of himself

But I don't know Andy was 68 years old and sometimes the league passage you buy

I think there was a six-year window where what Andy Reed's really good at was the meta that you want to win in the NFL with

But now that they're back to understand a running that's not what Andy Reed's good at

Well, they do have that ninth pick and you guys are diving into the draft now and

I saw our friend Mina on TV pushing the running back

Number nine like yeah right around where you don't want to eat

I just feel like the what happened at the Raiders last year. I've just never take a running back in the top 10

It just just be I don't care if it's boat Jackson. I think I've just landed at that point in 2026

You have to be you would have to immediately be the best guy at your position for me to consider it

There's so many other ways to patch together anyway. I'm going seven wins for them

um

I

And I'm fully ready for the full roller coaster ride of by July. It's like

You know, I'm kind of intrigued by the chiefs

Yeah, yeah, and then I'm ready to ride on the roller coaster with them

We already have an idea for an episode. We're gonna do in July and it's gonna be that the week

I think the Odyssey comes out in July

We're gonna do the wax in our ears like we're not listening any training camp pipe like we're just not listening to the siren songs of training camp

Who is the worst guy last year for the fantasy training camp pipe?

Who is the guy that roped us in and then and then drove us into a telephone pole

Maybe Justin Fields

See I never believed that one

He was fantasy in particular. I would say he was a big time sleeper

Even though he was great for eight weeks and then just became a serial killer

For fantasy team okay

There's a list of guys that I'm always like people got hurt and they don't give him credit for being her

I think in terms of like hype being roped in. I think a frankly

I think the teams that won the all season

Last year were the Patriots and the Raiders and the Patriots all made the Super Bowl and the Raiders at the first pick

And I think that's the that's also the story to free agency to me is like some teams can go in and do with the Patriots did

But she usually like the Raiders so genty maybe it was another one. Okay. Yeah, I asked you guys for a list get us ready

For the next what do we think? It's really like three weeks

But it's ultimately eight days when all the shit goes down when we find out like wow they gave Malik

Willis 90 million. Oh my god. We're gonna find out

So may you made a list. Let's just go from top to bottom. Who do you have number one?

Hi Fitz

I'll be sure I'll go first. I think outside the chiefs thing

I think the number one thing I think is Kyler Murray is gonna sign somewhere for the veteran minimum

And I don't see wild ready for that. This is a wild story I think

I so just the prologue if people are listening and kind of shocked

Arizona is gonna cut Kyler Murray and Kyler Murray is gonna sign somewhere for the vet minimum

Which is like one year one point three million dollars the Cardinals are gonna

It's kind of like with Russell Wilson got a couple of the Broncos and got paid basically to play for the Steelers Cardinals

They're gonna basically pay Kyler's thirty seven million dollars to play somewhere for his next team

And Kyler whatever you as as a in the words of a wise old man that I

Have worked for I think Kyler Murray has

Been so overrated that he's now actually underrated

And Kyler Murray for one point three million dollars is a league tilting player. It's even released

Has done a great job writing about this at the ringer the last month where we can go through the teams

But I think Kyler Murray I think there's four teams that make sense and I think the list is short

I think it's the Vikings which is the favorite and then there's the dolphins the

Falcons maybe and I actually think the shadow team is the Steelers

But I think it's gonna be one of those four teams

It's funny because I thought you were gonna say the Panthers is one of the four teams. Ooh basically just like could is he just better than Bryce young

What are we doing or are they the same type of quarterback and we could add both and and just let them fight it out

You wrote those four teams Danny had decay

Yes, I think I personally think Minnesota has the most

Hype right now and it's kind of the most momentum

It kind of makes a lot of sense that he would do that because of the

The weapons around him they're gonna be playing in a dome the coach in particular

I think is the big thing here

Kevin O'Connell so the Vikings are kind of he did so good with JJ McCarthy

I mean, I know but if you look at everybody in asset

That's just makes me how bad is JJ McCarthy if he couldn't get anything out of him

They're out on him right that's a lot of the tea leaves being dropped

You read between the lines on everything they've said that they're not going to be relying on him this year

It's kind of like that thing where we're not giving up on him, but we're just not going to rely on him right now

Well, we I've been making this joke forever and pods and columns

Your QB is your relationship

Yeah, this is like if if high fits is in a relationship right now

And if he was just like yeah, no, it's still we're still

But I'm gonna date other people, but like then you know it's over

Yeah, that's what it's like with McCarthy

You can't dabble around and try to bring in all these other people while also claiming or we know how this is gonna go

This was the cults last year with Anthony Richardson the moment they put

The moment it was out there it was a wrap and this is gonna be a wrap

Well, what are you saying that the Vikings the Kevin O'Connell giving the one-hour meetings with JJ McCarthy every week with a year

He was out that wasn't enough time. I think he's looking back at that now as a giant sunk cost and

He could have just played fortnight or learned a skill maybe play the clarinet

Could have learned things maybe maybe gotten a better appreciation of jazz. I don't know

I guess I'm coming back to whether Kyla Murray is good or not

And you mentioned the overrated underrated thing if it's like I've just never thought he was the top

15 guy like a guy you could win multiple rounds with I still go back to that

What was it though Rams are the Seahawks when they lost by like 30 in that wild card game at a Monday night

And I talked myself into him as I think I had the Cardinals and you just knew right away

It's like oh the last season or two years ago

Well, cuz this season was also I think a Thursday night football game were

Sam Darnold had a game-winning drive against the Cardinals and then as a Seahawks

And then Sam Darnold went and won the Super Bowl. I know you've blocked out the Super Bowl

And again decays the Seahawks fans wasn't talking about

Super Bowl winning quarterback Sam Darnold almost threw us three picks in the first. I had a whole really sad pats

Fan text right about the three picks. We almost got from Sam Darnold early when our heart strategy was

Throw us one Sam and he was kind of thinking about it, but just never did it

Yeah, I mean it was the Seahawks first Super Bowl. So decays really excited. Yeah congrats on your first win

I know it's just that nice to finally taste that champagne

Do any of us think you could win three playoff rounds with Kyla Murray like honestly

No

Maybe I think the Donald Super Bowl the Donald Super Bowl

I think has to be a slice of humble pie for everybody even I believed in Darnold

I think more than most people and even I would have been

Has it in to say that Darnold will just win 14 games again and win the Super Bowl

But I think what it shows is there is is the Kyla are good enough to be a franchise quarterback and you know

Not even just like a Patrick Homes Joe Burrow

But like even what Trevor Lawrence was at the second half of last season

I don't know

But I think the Darnold thing is a slice of humble pie of look what certain guys can do when they're surrounded by elite talent like

Jimmy Gropel or Brock Purdy with the Niners and like different kind of quarterback

But I think yeah, the lesson of the last five years in the NFL is if you can't draft a franchise quarterback or acquire one you need to take a

A swing on a court on a top five pick that was ruined by a bad team

Darnold from the Jets Baker may filled on the Browns like I kind of think of Josh Allen had gone to the Jets

He would have sucked too and I look at the Cardinals are sneakily just as bad as those teams

But it's warm weather so no one cares

I think like what if the Cardinals ruined Kyla Murray and like this was one of those athletes that he was he's a top-down pick an MLB

So yeah, it's like all the the video game clause in his contract and the studying and the is the elite or the body language sure

But that he's getting paid a million dollars to be a starting quarterback

We triple over ourselves to the rookie quarterback contracts

That's like ten times more money to be the rookie quarterback

So I think he's so cheap that a team like Minnesota

I do think you change up what you do schematically to bring him in because if the alternative is

J.J. McCarthy or Derek Carr

I'm like I think you do have to give Kyla Murray shot. I just feel like it's fool's gold like it makes sense in August

I always felt like you could really feel us height in some of these camps like just he can't through the middle like he

Just can't and a lot of the stuff has to be rolling outside to side which the better the defense is

It's not going to be there and you you know, it looks great when you're playing a shit team

I think stylistically it is there's some similarities to like Russell Wilson late in his career in terms of

Having basically you can scheme away a big chunk of the field

Against their their offense when whether it's Kyla where you're Russell Wilson

Basically Wilson couldn't attack the middle of the field Kyla's

I don't think quite as bad about that

But he does tend to spin away from

Pressure and get try and get outside make things happen outside the pocket

Then when you start to lose some of your speed and athleticism or just in his case willingness to run because I think

There was a couple of years there where he you know every preseason

It was like Kyla's not gonna want to run. He's gonna try and you know play from the pocket

You heard you saw this with Russell Wilson throughout his whole career like

You know try and cut down on the you know, but that's the curse of the running QB where 100% with the mar

Yeah, these guys hit their late 20s and teams are like we don't want those guys to take the hits anymore

Yeah, yeah, when you have any kind of talent when you have any kind of

Physical like deficiency at the pro level whether it's will Campbell with his arm length or Kyla Murray with the height

You have these other things that make up for the superior athleticism will Campbell goes in injured reserve

Yeah, it's not a shot. It's like oh, well then he's a rookie 22 injured reserve returns

Okay, now the athleticism you need for the arm length thing Kyla

It's like when you lose the crazy athleticism and you're shorter that hurts your game. I do think though

If like I look at Miami who's often recorded just Bobby slow it. They run the 49ers off

Yeah, they can't like you don't think they could have them because I think like no they would have to change their offense to have

Who else do they have well Bobby slow it can't because like he doesn't know any like they can't

Kyla cannot do under center play action like he can't do that he needs to be shot gun outside quick game

Vertical shots outside so the dolphins that don't think you do it the team that I think you do it

If it's not Minnesota

Craig was so mad at me. It's Pittsburgh because that's a Rogers place

You don't think of Rogers and Kyler being similar

But if you look at a map where they throw I think it makes Steven

Kind of does make a lot of sense for Kyler

It does

But it wasn't his deep ball stuff like some of the worst of this decade

Thought that was like some really bad deep ball stats with Kyler. He was kind of I think he's been kind of all over the place

To be honest

I just think of how he played when he had Hopkins on his team Dodger Hopkins and kind of just really missed the

Throw it up to him

That does kind of come to my mind

But yeah, I believe he's been kind of all over the place with his deep ball accuracy

Hi fits is allowed no more shots at any of my teams because I'll just start making giant jokes

So I'm just laying that warning down now

Decay what's your first one?

So

To play off of the Kyler Domino. I think the next big Domino is going to be where Malik Willis signs

And he's probably going to sign for 20 to 30 million. Let's go. Oh, he's getting it's it's starting with a free

30 to 40. It's a it's a three

So I think this is fascinating because if you look at some of the numbers that he's put up in limited starts

I think he has like three or four starts over the last couple of years like six or seven appearances

In games his numbers are ridiculous like truly he he looks like at elite quarterback if you just look at those numbers

Obviously, it's a very small sample and

I saw this tweet from Kurt Warren of the other day basically if you look at all of these the dropbacks that he had as a starter

The last two years that he could if you take out screens and quick throws under five yards

He has 28 real dropbacks. So you're talking about

A billion per year per drop. Yeah, pretty much like he started gimmick offense only for him

gimmick is maybe not the right word, but basically he was

Utilized in the running game a lot. They weren't putting a lot on his shoulders

They weren't asking to do all that much in each of these starts

But he was

Incredibly incredibly efficient with the football

He's average like 11 and a half yards per attempt and

Was very good, you know protect the football. I like it his teammates seemed really in on him

Which I think is important when you're talking about the only position where that actually really matters

I think Packer's fans were in on him too

So he's a really fascinating one

I feel like on the surface this looks like an obvious you're gonna overpay and then he's gonna progress

Badly, but I'm kind of I kind of find myself thinking he might end up being pretty good

He was the player coming into the league when you look at his scouting report

Rare physical talent incredible arm really really fast in and athletic as a runner

Like he could change the way that you do your entire run game basically and went to the worst possible team

And the words and he was really raw that was like he was a third round pick

That was why he went so late and in the draft is he had a lot of things to clean up

And then he did exactly what you should do

Which is developed behind a good starter for a couple years and a good system with a good coach

And every time he got an opportunity, he did something really impressive. So

I don't know I don't know where the ideal place for him to go is right now

I think a lot of people are connecting him to Arizona

But it's funny that I'm old enough to remember every decade where we had guys like this now hard

It is to figure out going back to Scott Mitchell was one of the all-time best ones

There was you had the mat flin situation in the early 2010s

We have these guys and it's like small sample size, but if you look at the mixtape

It's like holy shit

Look at these 20 plays. I think things dubious. The mat flin comp

Erks me a little bit. I know it's both like Packers going from the Packers like

quarterback factory or whatever and

Turning the scene and Matt Haspick was another one that did it with the Seahawks

He was like a six-round pick and that was a positive one though. Yeah, yeah

Absolutely, but I think when mat flin happened

Everyone was very

dubious that it was going to be real and then when you saw him in training camp

You're like, okay, this is he's not real when you when you see Millic Willis throw the football at least you're like damn

This guy's got an arm mat flin was he just had kind of a noodle arm the mat flin thing

I actually think represents why this might be a decent decision and again to be clear

When I look at the Milik Willis thing, I look at I think of that that saying pessimists are often right and optimists are often rich

And it's like yeah, it's Milik Willis probably won't be good in the NFL like that's easy

Like it's easy to say like oh 30 million from Milik Willis is probably waste of money

All right, well if the Cardinals won three games last year

It's like you could argue the entire season was a waste of money

You know, they made it at some point every season you win three games as a giant waste of money

So at that point you're the most important thing is to not waste time and or opportunities

So the Seahawks just they signed that flin and they drafted Russell Willis. Yeah, you do everything and they hit one

You only have to hit one at every 10 quarterbacks you sign to have a good team like the Niners

You look don't stop shooting so you get one Brock Purdy was a seven-round pick

They were gonna take a linebacker and they decided to take a quarterback because why wouldn't we

And I think that's the thing you need the mentality to keep shooting because it's disproportionate upside

Wasting 30 million in one season for the Cardinal who cares if you like honestly

It's not mine who cares if it's 30 million from Milik Willis because it could it be 120 million for four years or 130 million for four years

I doubt 30 million in a year

It's a lot everybody needs a quarterback

Right the upside is that he's 26 like here's the thing

You could sure maybe the Cardinals go get Kirk cousins or Derek car or whatever

But then you need immediately need a quarterback again

It least if the 20% chance is Milik Willis is good then he's 26 years old

And he's the fastest quarterback in the NFL any as a cannon the issues were processing and a lot of the pro game stuff and that

You know, guess what if the Cardinal sign him Mike LaFlaur is Matt LaFlaur's little brothers that had coached the Packers

So Matt LaFlaur is getting all this credit for Milik Willis turning around no one no one on earth should have a better idea of how to help

Milik Willis continue what he was doing the Matt LaFlaur's little brother

So I look is it gonna work probably not but if it does

You need a quarterback. So you might as well try

one of my favorite moves would be if

Vegas traded back

Out of the first pick like flip picks with the jets and then sign Milik Willis because Brady was like I've studied his tape

I like um, I think he's a really hard one to figure out because like Mitchell had us had a

Sample size of some success

But when you also I test wise when you watch him who's just really slow six foot six guy lefty

It's just he kind of knew he's gonna be a bust right um net Flynn. We barely had any tape on Steve

Well, all she was a good one way way back when mandalus had him and

Either Dallas traded for him or New Orleans was I can't remember but at some point he got a shot and he said no arm

Um, but we actually have tape on Willis succeeding on a good team

And it's not like one game. It's like a few games and I don't know I

To me like the number of 30 what would it same Darnell get

Would it last year three for three three years a hundred million something like that

I think that's a good range to like roll the dice for the QB because if you if you hit like see out of

It with Darnell

Do you have somebody on a really good price you don't hit you can kind of

Get out of it. You can move on. Let me uh, let me take a break and we'll come back and finish this

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All right, was Mac Jones on either of your lists

Yeah, hi fits you can you can take this one take it

Well, we just have the whole quarterback musical chairs, but I mean, I think the teams are certainly calling 49ers about Mac Jones

But I don't think the 49ers should trade Mac Jones. I think the Niners are saying they'll do a first

Uh, I think they'd probably settle for a second

But I think the Niners shouldn't trade Jack Mac Jones unless it's a high pick because I rock party keeps getting hurt

And you need a backup quarterback. I I think hanging on a block in Mac Jones mean the electrical substation thing is is still

Maybe that's why he's the man of trade. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. What do you think? What do you think DK?

Do I think he's worth a first probably not

Uh, in terms of Mac Jones, but I think I would love to see him get a chance to start again somewhere

I think he's shown enough, uh, especially in like a Shanahan McVay style offense

Um, I think he's shown enough to be a starter. I think there's other guys in this group of musical chairs to Kirk cousins

I think is going to have a chance to be a starter this season Derek Carr

The the rumors on this we do the the momentum of this story has I feel like we got to at least pay attention to this

Like him coming out of retirement the Saints trading him. I've heard the Jets are an option for him

I don't know if he wants to go play for this. This is like the classic sports amnesia where enough time pass where nobody actually remembers his last couple of years

I got their cars coming back. I know. It's like yeah, we we had him and he and he wasn't good

He's going to be

Part of the story at the very least we got to watch it over the next however long to a couple weeks

Anthony Richardson

Is another one that I'm very fascinated to watch he might not be a starter this year

I think most likely he's he's going to have to do the same Donald thing and sit in purgatory for a year or two and then hopefully try and

What are we talking NFL or another league? No, I'm talking

The U.S. I'll start soon. I still believe in I still believe in Richardson. What do you believe in his physical talent?

It's it's the same as Malik Willis Malik Willis

I don't know the version thing at all. Oh, I do, but I will I mean he's going to get at least a chance

They gave him a they gave him an opportunity to seek a trade. We'll see if he does that and then the other guy

To include here is Tyson Beijing of the Bears, but there's basically just a bunch of now

Who was going to get caught Kirk cousins going to get caught and Roger's if he ever lets us know what he's doing

It intrigues me legitimately because of the gushing quotes from everybody last to training camps basically

But I never knew if it was trying to get

Caleb more excited to compete

Or whether they genuinely felt that way. What do you think I fits 50? No, the Bears love Tyson Beijing. Yeah

That's how it feels. They Bears love him Ben Johnson at the combine was with was

A ball that the idea that they might trade him. Yeah, I think some teams just love their backup and they

Know the Bears are obsessed with Tyson Beijing. They believe that a Caleb got hurt

I think they every team's like we have one of the best 30 with two of the best 32 quarterbacks

So if yes, the teams it's like there's 60 top 32 quarterbacks

But the Bears actually do think they could keep rolling with Tyson Beijing

Which either of you trade the 33rd pick for Mac Jones which belongs to the New York football jets

I would think about it if I'm the I'm the most aggressive person about this

I actually would think about it. I think that's a really I would think about it

For both sides

Yeah, because ultimately like you're paying Brock Perty so much money. It almost becomes like a fantasy football thing where

You've paid so much for say Juan Barclay or whoever. It's like well if he gets hurt. I'm screwed anyway

Um, I would think about it. It would be fun to have Mac Jones on the jets too

After same Donald beat the Patriots in a Super Bowl

I think I think all demons could be uh, yeah, I'm not afraid of any demons for former Patscubi

Or a Pats rival either

We got to talk about DJ Morgan trade it to the bills

I think so this is a kind of indicative of a

You know, this is what Hyphazis has been talking about railing on the the post chief's arms race

Basically the chiefs are down right now. Maybe this is going to be a mini rebuild year

And everyone else kind of wants to go for it

No one expected a team like the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl

No, it expected the Patriots to make the Super Bowl

It's enticing

Yeah, and so they're like we could that could be us. We could do this

And I think you know, I think the bills in particular are the the

Among all the teams that I fell were like man, we freaking blew it last year. We missed our opportunity

We missed our window and a lot of it had to do with our receivers are just not very good the the swings that they've taken at receiver

Keyon Coleman

It just didn't work out in in multiple ways and so

Um, that's the thing they did try to address it. They just didn't do it. Just it hit. Yeah, right and Kim Coleman

I don't know what happened with him. Obviously like there was talent there

But it was more than just him not fitting schematically

I think because he was he was a healthy and active a bunch of times. Well, it's also professional and some of these

Yeah, so yeah, they just missed but this one

I think makes a lot of sense for for the bills

I do think they probably overpaid to get a you know

They sent a second rounder to get and took on a bunch of his contract to get an old

Receiver coming off his worst season and there's a miracle trade for Chicago

Yeah, I mean, that's it like I

I mean, they probably couldn't say they probably couldn't say yes and hang on fast enough a hundred percent

How should DJ more like 30 times over the last three years? I mean, we made we made a big joke of it all of last year

Basically DJ more at one point left big field. Yeah, I'm touring up saying the 2024 season and then

Was that 2020 was that last year or 2024 hype? It's

I felt like I was reading a DJ more

Something that had nothing to do with football story once every six weeks for the last couple years

He just didn't have a good connection whatsoever with with killed waves

It felt like they hated each other just kind of one of those things

um, and

So obviously getting a second rounder for him is great for the for the bears

But I think the bills this does make a lot of sense for him. He could play outside

He's still got juice as an after the catch runner. He can get deep

I think he this is get by far the best quarterback. He's played within his career

I mean if you look at DJ more history of quarterbacks

It's it's a whole bunch of very bad quarterbacks and then depending on how you feel about Caleb Williams last year or Caleb Williams

Uh, so he has an opportunity here to have like a late career renaissance. I think he's 28 or something like that

um, and I thought a second was too much. I did too and the other problem is it sets a market for AJ Brown

It's just a better player who I thought teams thought they'd get a second for

him and now you'd be like, well, you gotta be more than that DJ more went for a second

Yep, um, DJ Moore does have history with Joe Brady from the time of the Panthers together, I believe um, and so

Yeah, I mean, there's some I think the bills or sorry. Yeah, I do think the bills got better

but it was an expensive

Hi, but some calling it what it was it was a panic trade by the bills a hundred percent the bills were

All time we can't be left at the altar with no wide receiver. We got to get somebody. Oh, DJ

Well, let's just do it now and um, I think it was really risky and

I don't know they've they've had kind of slightly unreliable guys the last couple of years that that didn't go

Overwell, and now they just parted another one. So you didn't like it either

No, the bills are tilting. I mean, Andrew Grootard are a piece of the ringer when all the bills stuff went down that they're just

Absolutely tilting in the bills like totally lost the

Goodwill of the fan base and like 10 days really 10 hours when the owner comes out and does the press conference and is like

Oh, this is just a very rich very angry man

And the truth is that the bills lost to the chiefs. I think four times in the playoffs the last six or seven years

Yeah, and then the

My home's tears is ACL and the chiefs are out and the bills still can't make the AC championship game

And I think that that sometimes really is painful and so they're tilting and well then you watch how bad the paths were in the Superbow and you're like

Yeah, oh my god, I like everyone's freaking out the bill the Broncos with the bonus injury the the Jaguars the Texans the bills all these teams are looking at the Patriots

No offense at the Patriots help that they're not offended after

But yeah, no, I think the bills are just the top of the line because they lost the division of the Patriots too

And so yeah, I think this is very much a panic back foot deal that joke you made about that that could be us

That'd be a fun power rankings because I think the number one that could be us team is the Atlanta Falcons

Right new coach

All the advanced metrics are really favorable to them last year. I haven't done any football homework yet

But it just felt like they were the best team in that division. It's kind of stupid. They didn't win it

Um, they can make the team better in a bunch of different ways

They don't have a first round pick unfortunately because they traded it to a guy that might not be playing next year

But they still have a bunch of talent and I just thought like they underachieved and that is a that could be us team because they're in a weird division

Um, who also do you have and then that could be us sweepstakes Danny

For 2020. Are the giants in there

The giants are going to be the popular pick. Yeah, because they don't have a very easy schedule and the end of season

Easy schedule, Patriots blueprint keep checks and dart healthy get another top five pick

Spend some money

Try to get anything out of Abdel Carter

That's not just weird stories about what him falling asleep in praxis. He's gonna be super awake

He's gonna be so alert under under john

It's Vegas said that could be us team or is there just too weird over there. I thought that athletic story this week was strange

About how we have out

Wait, Tika was the joke you made the right like that he's

In arrested development. There's a whole episode about a surrogate father who walks around with a camera on his head to help out with George

Senior for prison

He's basically like Tom Brady's eyes and ears on the ground when he's off doing whatever he's doing

He was a big reason why the Brady stuff fell apart with bell check

I know and this is where all the time and nobody really understood what his role was and

um

Yeah, he's like some sort of weird shaman thing

Check that's where because on paper the raiders

Do check a lot of the boxes right for the the big leap team next year

Mendoza is good right away if their coach is good right away fourth place schedule

They have skill players. They're gonna trade Max Crosby blah blah blah. I don't I don't know. I mean Mendoza

I love it. I don't know about the Patriots last year like when you drink may is rookie year one one gay

And games he actually started and finished went like one in seven in games and then the year two the year one of your two

I mean the rookie quarterback turning around a team like that

Well, I mean does this like 30 years old. So maybe you get a fact that in

Some college forever. Oh, what's your next thing on the west?

Well, speaking of the raiders. I mean Max Crosby. I think it's gonna get traded

I think D. Can I lean toward a G brown just not get traded at the Patriots?

Patriots it would make sense

I think this it seems like there's a bidding. We're honest is the chance Max Crosby's dealt with a time where this show goes up

But I think Max Crosby does get dealt before free agency opens Monday

And I think there's a lot of teams that make sense for I think the bears should be all in

I mean either they just free up the money. How much money do the bears have they've had a million draft picks and they've spent

Crazy free agent money. I don't understand how they have this unlimited funds

There's always money in the banana stand like teams can always create it if you need to and I think the bears because Caleb Williams

On the rookie deal you have Colson loves this on a rookie deal like they trading digi more like now you have

Roman Dunes is on a rookie deal Luther burdens on a rookie deal like the left tackle Aussie tropolo until they he got hurt

It's on a rookie deal like they have all these guys even don't know right the right tack at the school on a rookie deal

So they need to fund a defense center

Yes, they did so they need a center now, but I think they need to fund a defense with the thing

So I mean the front seven for the bears is everything from Max Crosby is he's I don't I think he's there's very few players

I want to see more on a contender. He's a jump off the TV. It's been doing it

That way about Garrett. There's like nine players in the league. They're like holy shit. That guy's good

He's also he's also kind of a culture guy too because he plays so hard and he plays every snap, you know what I mean?

He's like the type of guy. Yeah, maniac is I love that dude. I think

I'm really hopeful with the paths on this one

Because

Well, they have the 31st pick right

That's the centerpiece of something

I don't know if they would give up a first and a second. They have two thirds

Oh, they're gonna get two first for

You think he's too first. I mean he is gonna be 30. I don't think it's just the same Parsons kind of pool

Well, you guys are just saying the Netflix what you were in mapelling we're just saying the Netflix

Paramount thing how much was paramount going to pay $17 a share?

Right, so you just think debating where bumps it up. I just thought yeah the Parsons thing

He's four years younger

right and

Defensive ends once you start hitting your 30s

That's the fear with Hendrickson

Plan B is you sign Hendrickson and hope you can get to really good years Adam

I'm ranked keep your first. I would think that would make a lot of you would vote for that

You know what you know what I think is an interesting variable here

And I don't know if the NFL will learn this lesson

Bill you mentioned like what went wrong with Ash and Gen T last year in the running back and taking running back in the top 10 and whether the NFL

Learned from that if you look at two of the big ticket

Trades for last year as Micah Parsons for two first

And sauce Gardner for two first

And Parsons Torres ACL and sauce got hurt with an Achilles injury and you know didn't play the last part of the season

I'm wondering if teams will be like man

Trading two first is really really risky. I wouldn't do two first super elite player

You know what I mean? I just don't do it. I know that list of guys that would trade two first four is is pretty small

And he was 20 if he was 25. I'm in but 29. I'm only getting a few years for him. Yeah

So you agree with that high fets?

I do. I mean, I joke on our team on our show all the time that I feel like I mean look

I am not as up on the NBA as you were NBA staff

But I always feel like I look at the NBA and I see what the Oklahoma City Thunder have done

And if it was just what the Sixers had finished with the process we'd be like greatest rebuild ever

Like this is the best rebuild I've ever seen in any sport in my lifetime for the Thunder

And I feel like no one's learned any lessons from this whatsoever

Like I see you know what I see teams like oh like the Rams like we got to go all in now

And I'm like oh the Thunder just created the largest window possible and almost were freed by the

inability to attract for agents to their city and they're like all right

We're gonna have a ton of picks and I see that with the NFL too

I leaned more toward what the chiefs did where you're like I'd rather get four picks for this guy that we got five years out of that makes more sense

But cross me though. I you also

If you're certain teams you do want to get a guy like that on the team. He's really special. I really think he's

I don't know what if I made a list of the top 12 best players that I think are in the league

That just watching week to week. He would be in the top seven or eight for me

You notice like every game and he's getting double teamed. He's just

I'm the president quarter after quarter. You notice him

Every sport has guys that languish on bad great players that languish on bad teams

You know like I wish they were on a contender and you're like I'm glad Jillian Ramsey got off the Jaguars

You know every team is guys like that and I'm like that's why I'm still kind of mad Miles Garrett

Decided he ran with a record in four million. I'm like couldn't you've gotten traded down to I wish Miles Garrett would play meaningful football ever

And for merely 36 million year, but I don't know. I'm sure there's a ton of best guys like that illuminating though, right

Like at some point

And the way he how badly he wanted the sack record and him taking the contract when he knew that team stunk like

Kind of tells you a little bit. I to me crossby is like I just want to win

I don't care where I go. Yeah, please put me on a winning team. I can't take this anymore

Like him getting genuinely mad that they shelved him. Oh, yeah, like a tank for a QB

And he was like fucking furious about it. It's like I'm a football player

Football players play football

What do you have for the next one DK? So just in terms of things to watch the next week guys that can change teams

There's a lot of guys that have pre-pig name value and excitement value that are potentially going to be changing teams

The next couple of weeks Ken Walker. I think is one that

Especially for me. I'm gonna be really bummed to see if he leaves

Wow, it's like you you got over the hump with this that was another roller coaster ride right and then all of a sudden

It was like a great roller coaster and you're just gonna lose them

It was simultaneously the best thing that could happen to the sea ox and the worst thing that could happen to the sea ox

Because he got really hot at the right time and truthfully they probably won have won the Super Bowl without him

I mean he he made some incredible plays in the NFC championship game. Yeah, he was the Super Bowl MVP literally

So yeah, I mean it's gonna be a bummer to see him go if he does end up going

He's gonna have to take a discount to stay in Seattle

I think that's how it looks

So it's like what 11 12 13 is kind of the market and somebody will pay a little more than that to get him

Yeah, like 15 a year. Yes. Yeah, and it's gonna be man. It's gonna

The sea I understand this from the sea x point of view like they have a lot of free agents

They have to get big big money deals to JS and and a couple other guys over the next couple of years

So I understand it but

It's gonna be sad to see him go for like a difference of two million a year or something like that

I understand that's kind of just how the business is super bowl

I mean, I remember we won the three and four years and then they traded Dion branch to you. I know

For first and it cost us literally cost us the Super Bowl because they were China

It's like how he's getting too expensive and it was the biggest mistake Bell check made in that whole two thousands

It's a it's a fine line to walk for sure

In addition to Ken Walker, I think we'll make any team that he goes with a lot better

Mike Evans, I think is a really interesting one even how old he is now. He's gonna science or I mean look the Patriots might actually make

A lot of sense for him. I wish I knew he was gonna play 17 straight games. I know

That's always a playoff

So you always feel like there's gonna be five in the middle there that he's just gone. Yeah

um

Debo Samuel David and Joku Dallas Goddard Cleal Mac. I'm just naming big names that people will be like whoa

Oh, yeah, he's on a new team

Trey Hendrix and we mentioned my Mika Fitzpatrick maybe AJ Brown if he gets traded

So I'm just excited to kind of see where all these guys go try to CTN another free agent out there that is kind of exciting

I thought pretty effective last year. Yeah, I think ETN and Travis ETN and Ken Walker are gonna get

Decent deals for running backs because also the draft class isn't

Great at running back this year. There's Jeremiah Love at a Notre Dame who is amazing

He's like a Jimmy Gibbs. He's probably maybe a better prospect

You know, then even genty was last year

But then the second best running back in this class decay, you know your draft expert here

We have the NFL trash show and we're like is the second best running back in this class

Jeremiah loves back up at Notre Dame like

Price like it's not a good running back class. So teams are like unless you get Jeremiah Love

There are no starting running backs in this year's class. We're last year. There was like eight Kyle Manungai for the Bears

This is a seventh round pick so the ETN and Ken Walker all these teams also they feel like the nerds were wrong

Because teams are back to running the balls so they want to establish the run again

So I think the ETN and Ken Walker are going to need to centerpieces. I mean look at look at the David Montgomery trade

You know the Texas traded three picks. I think are two picks. That's not yeah

Two picks on a player to grab a running back who's 28 years old almost 29 years old

They have Woody marks who had moments last year

Um, that was that just tells you this class is not great. Yeah, and all the guys you mentioned

I think Hendrickson is the most intriguing as

One years maybe two at a high level

Rands me a little when the past got Cory Dylan when basically got one good year out of them won the Super Bowl

But the next year he got old and

Henderson I think he's 32

Mm-hmm. You know who it kind of reminds me of a little bit different type of player, but

um

The Seahawks traded a guy named or signed a guy named Marcus Lawrence in free agency late last year

And everybody kind of thought he was washed and they're you know, they're like this guy as a you know

He's getting up there an age. He's more of a run defender. He was

Critical for Seahawks all year. He was awesome. He had like a second wind. There's a famous

interview with him

Prior to the season where he's like man, I didn't want to leave Dallas

But I just know I'm not going to win a Super Bowl in Dallas and and you know, obviously

Cowboys fans took great offense to that

Michael Parsons took great offense. Yeah, they were like John on Twitter about it

But the Marcus Lawrence was like watch and then they want a super

But I could see Hendrickson having sort of a I mean not that he needs a Renaissance

He was good to like two years ago. Like not even yeah

But you know, it's not like he's totally falling off

But I think he's the type of guy who everyone kind of remember in 2025

I wonder if Khalil Mac could be that way because he got hurt last year too

But I there was some impactful moments with him where yeah, you know, um I want Khalil Mac back to the beers

Oh, I was hoping that happens. Can we talk AJ Brown

Let's do it

So your theory is they're gonna dangle him but ultimately not trade him

Sounds like where you you two have landed. I think that because

Well, I don't know I kind of I'm back and forth on it

I think they know that they're better with him on the roster and

They want to go for it this year

This is like the same conversation we're having with the you know the bills grabbing

DJ more like they know that AJ Brown makes them better this year and they have a chance to go out when a super bowl

So I think they're gonna ultimately stick with them, but

I don't like rule anything out high fets

I think that the Eagles will probably trade AJ Brown, but I don't know if it happens next week

They totally could but the I believe that they structured AJ Brown's bonus

We're basically they're able to pay they're able to the money that they would have to pay AJ Brown is able to be done

I think closer to August or even the beginning of the season

So it might be like the weird timing of the George Pickens trade last year

Which was after the draft and because the 2027 draft might be deeper than 2026 the Eagles if they're gonna lose AJ Brown

They might be looking at it as if we are offered it

They said they want to Quinn and Williams you'll first to the second no way if they the Eagles are trying to hold out

I think for a first rounder and

If they don't get offered one I think they'd rather wait and see if they could get someone from one in 2027

Then flip AJ Brown for less than they want

So we'll see what people offer

Well now it's time for me to give you my take

The Mike Raible reunion in New England they have been on a few threads about this over the last couple weeks

I don't like it

If the end of the past trade at 31 for him

And probably like a third next year or something that would probably be the price right something like that

And it'll be like he was a pats fan growing up

He played for Mike Raible

Mike Raible loved him

When they traded AJ Brown and drafted Birx

That was the beginning of the end for Mike Raible in Tennessee. He didn't want that trade to happen

Now they're reunited. He knows how good he is

He wasn't happy and Philly. He's gonna love Drake May. I'll talk by himself into it in five minutes

I just don't think it's what they should do. I would much rather slightly overpay Pierce from the Colts

And keep my first round pick. I think Pierce is like

I know the advanced stats back me up on this

I think he's really good and I think he's been saddled for the most part with shit quarterbacks

And we only saw a little bit when uh when Indiana Jones got hot there as Jason Garrett called him for eight weeks

but he was in

A quarterback wasteland and watching the Colts that did got open every game

And I just feel like there's a lot more there and if he was the focal point I'd much rather pay him

What's he gonna get like over 20 right? It's gonna get too much probably but I think you know

But would you pay him a hundred for four years like I would rather do that and keep my first round pick and if it's a little over the top

So be it

If you're talking 30 range now. I'm a little more nervous

But 25 a year for Pierce. I'm doing that in five seconds. Doesn't it feel like he would fit

Just perfectly it was Drake made to exactly what we need. Yeah. May is such a elite deep ball passer

Alex Pierce has been one of the best deep ball receivers in the NFL pair him with

Booty who's also very good deep down the feeling

But he was like they went the Pierce deep ball thing

He's also good at pretending he's going for the deep ball and cutting off like he basically has

I don't I really liked him last year

You make something my preference. Don't you usually draft your white receivers for the Patriots in the seventh round try and do a new strategy

It's a new strategy. Efton Chisholm is coming along

I don't don't don't forget is he one of the five best deep ball guys one of the best three like where is he in the deep ball

Receiver rankings. He's got to be up there was bigger longer plays than him last couple

I mean I in terms of just like a guy. I mean obviously I'm not gonna compare him to like Justin Jeffers

Senator Marches, but I think I think I'll appear now. I think you started out as yeah, but I think that Alex Pierce

I do think that it in the beginning. It was like oh, this is I mean frankly. He's huge. She's way

He's like six three feels bigger than that plays bigger than that. He runs like a four three eight or whatever

And he's like it. It started out. I was like oh, he's a great deep guy. He's like the got the most yards per catch in the league

I actually think he rounded out to a three level receiver. I think he can win quick. I totally agree

I think I can move all over

So I agree. I think that if you have the cap space

It's always the interest to have been a couple other teams have

Yeah, so I and so then all the deals are two years anyway every single

I mean Stefan takes signed a three-year deal and then you got cut you got cut today to save money

So I think that already free agent contracts only going to be two years anyway

So I I agree because AJ Brown I'm a little concerned

I also am concerned that on one hand, I think AJ Brown's right because

Every criticism he's had of Jalen Hertz and Eagles often seems obviously true

And maybe he'd be great somewhere else and he's under under valued

I also fear the fact that AJ Brown said he won a Super Bowl and went to his locker and said he felt nothing

Because he wasn't really a huge part of the game plan because it wasn't with the Patriots who's heartbroken

He's the winner of this favorite team. Yeah

I would rather I really value the pick

Because I think with these trades sometimes you're getting a guy that you already have to pay

But you also lose this other asset, right? So you're basically turning a first round pick

That's especially late in the round is one of the best assets you could have when you're building a franchise

You're losing that you're basically turning into a 29 million 30 million 35 million dollar year guy

Whereas like I could pay peers 27

But then I also have this awesome 31st pick asset and the the combine that's up to AJ Brown

Why wouldn't I do that?

Also, it Eagles how he rose been right now if it's just poker

You know with the line from rounders. It's like if it's been 30 minutes at the table

You don't know you're the sucker. Yeah, you're the sucker. It's like if how he rose been

Trying to deal AJ Brown for somewhere between two months and two years

And then suddenly you're on the phone with him trying to get a first. It's like don't make it like just hang up the phone

Like just don't make a deal with like do you know much more information how he rose been has about the situation than you like I don't think

Any team is gonna be in an advantage doing that deal. So I agree

I probably wouldn't pay the price which is why I kind of think no one's gonna give him a first in the next week or so

When we got Moss we gave up a fourth form

Yeah, right and it was that's crazy didn't want to give a first, but his reputation was in

Tatters right and they were just kind of stolen and figured they can rejuvenate him with Brady

But okay, before we go

Hi fits give me your single craziest prediction you can possibly make that actually has a chance to happen

For the NFL or for the next week NFL or for the next three weeks

The single craziest offseason thing that might actually happen. Yeah, okay. It has to have a chance of happening

So it's not like molecular science and then it's good. You're talking about a move that could be made. Okay. Yeah, I would say the

the craziest thing is

Like the Eagles bring in competition for Jalen Hertz like the Eagles

What a great answer. How was the Eagles bringing in a good game?

Like in prep the Eagles bringing in Anthony Richardson or the Eagles bringing in Malik Willis and Eagles are like

Hey, like you know what we had Winston Jalen Hertz came in and you know what Jalen you could deal with it

Because you dealt with to it Alabama and you know what Jalen like all those things you always say all the time competition

You know I'm sure he goes on and Kyler Murray

Yeah, the Eagles bring in the Eagles who like were quarterback factory, which they don't want to say out loud anymore

But still free and be sweet they can't get rid of Jalen Hertz in his contract yet

But we all know where this is going and I think the Eagles should add a quarterback with some kind and I would be fascinated to see if the Eagles actually added a court

Really why shouldn't they other than would look bad? Well the Tanner McKee bandwagon

They're still picking the survivors out of the out of the crash

That was really tough that game that any

His terrible performance saved us from

tire offseason of wondering whether you should be the quarterback

DK do you have a do you have a crazy prediction that might actually happen?

There's a couple that came to my mind immediately

Because of the way that coaches and GM's have talked about these players number one the Broncos trade bonus

because of all this

Sean Payton-Nix sort of drama that's happened even though it's not probably not really that much drama

And it didn't feel like nothing

Yeah, that's kind of my point is and even at the combine we went to the the Payton presser and he was you know kind of

getting and just like

Fights with the beat reporters there about like the whole thing you like put one of the beat reporter and time out during the presser

And it was like this is kind of weird man, and then bonix is coming out and talking about like how

Sean Payton shouldn't be talking about his medical history all that

What's called what what's called what it is Sean Payton has acted really fucking weird

Yeah, this whole season and then the offseason. I think

It's not just one thing you could point to like seven different things right just are weird

Like you're supposed to be the most stable person in your organization and he's not

The railing Givens quote from Justified was like you run into an asshole in the morning you're running an asshole

And you run an assholes all day, you know, maybe you're the assholes like Russell Wilson's calling out Sean Payton

All the Shanahan tree coaches hate Sean Payton for what he said about Nate Hackett and being a back coach before

Which you don't say out loud

It's like let other people say that for you and like the amount of people that Sean Payton has started be his own starting quarterback

Has serious beef and I do really do think that that Raiders Broncos Thursday at football abomination that the Broncos one like nine to six or six

Nothing, whatever it was there was real beef between Sean Payton and bonix after that game

And I think it was pay for papered over by a 12 game winning streak winning solves everything

So no one looked at it, but then they lose one game and then suddenly it's like oh the quarterback can coach him at it each other again

So I agree I think there's a very strange dynamic there

But this is I'm obviously not being like 100% serious, but since we're making wild, you know predictions

I think

There's an element of Sean Payton just wants to prove that he can do it with any quarterback

You know what I mean like that was like the whole AFC championship game dude that was the whole game was him trying to be the hero

Which seems to be what he wants

The other one that came to mind, can I do one more Sean Payton think quick because I'm gonna clean this corner in the offseason

Yeah, yeah

Sean Payton just might be a dick

And he did Fox for what a year or two years so like Shrager shout out to Shrager

But like all those guys like Sean Payton great great hand great dinner guests like got suspended for the entire season for bounty gate

Love the saints and fucking shambles right he all he did was like pay their

Salar cap credit card for years and years to the point that the dinner check was come and the waiter was coming over and he's like

I'll see you guys later and was just gone

And that was it and I think he's been a he seemed like a huge prick the last year or so so he's

I don't think it's a true bill porceles guy and that's why I said the whole time that I think Mike variable is

Like the one the only bellicic disciple, but variable actually is a lot common with

Bill porceles because I think well bill porceles was the confrontation guy and bellicic never was

Sean Payton is like the alpha confrontation guy like the same way that bill porceles could handle Lauren's Taylor

Like Sean Payton is that kind of coach. Look. I'm trying to dominate every room. I'm

It's crazy. I'm glad you brought this up because Bell check always got the repetitions being this huge asshole

You mean like Sean Payton like

Is Sean Payton better than Bill Bellicic? I don't know. Anyway. What was your other thing dating?

Well, I was just gonna say the any time you have a GM or coach sort of like strongly come out against like a news story

I it kind of peaks my interest and the CJ Stroud

Nick Serio

Nick Serio was asked about whether they're gonna I don't know what the question exactly was

But he was like all this CJ Stroud stuff is moronic and like went went totally in on

Even the notion that CJ Stroud would not be a part of their future plans or whatever like obviously his oh, you know, they're

Going to have to make a decision on him sooner or later here and

So that I'm just curious to see I guess my prediction would be that maybe there's a chance he does get moved because of how

Strongly they came out. This is how it happens every year

But the combine you're like there's no way we're moving in we don't we're not even thinking about that and then like a week later

It's like he's traded in the bucket of the craziest things that might happen

You're saying like the sea ox is Russell Wilson. Pete Carroll just basically is like how dare you yeah

You know what a good way to follow the tea leaves on that story you always followed the defensive guys

That was where you started to know the Russell Wilson when the defensive guys started taking shots at him in the mid 2010s

And there was like real resentment. I haven't seen that yet with the Texan stuff. No, and I don't I don't I still am sort of in the believer camp for CJ Stroud

But I think with the way that things have gone in the last couple of years

It's obviously just something that's worth monitoring and so we're saying like you're ready for the will Anderson GQ interview where he's like

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we felt like we had the best team in the league

But only one side of the ball

And it's just like shots

If we could just score one touchdown if our quarterback had been able to do anything

We like just one of those then there's like blood in the water all this sort of we even just not do anything

If CJ Stroud had just like gone down every time I think that

Yeah, if he throws it into the dirt three times in a row and punts like they're better off

Well before we go and we're about to go and I kept you guys 20 minutes longer than I thought

Um, I want to give you my list of things that I don't care about. Oh, Aaron Rogers

I don't care if you're playing or not next year. There's one

George Pickens whether you're franchise tag they're traded or whatever

I just don't care of let me know in late August what happens because what's probably gonna happen is you're in your franchise tag

You're gonna hold out and then Jerry Jones will get to be on first take for four straight months with the George pickens thing

I just don't care. He's gonna end up on the team

And that's it. And then uh last but not least the the Brady

Vegas, I'm sure there's gonna be more stuff about this

I'm really trying hard to like Tom Brady the guy that brought me six super bulls

All of these stories are making me like him last so I'm gonna file that into my own care care

Those are my three things what I do care about is I still want to know what happened to Drake May

And whether he was injured or not and I still want to know what happened to my left tackle and whether I can count on him next year

I look it the CX defense is better. I'm so all right

Will Campbell was a rookie 22 year old tackle went on injured reserve and everyone's on his arm to the tournament

I got a rookie came back from a tournament seal wasn't on the entry report his knee was not healed

Drake May it's like that was the best the CX of the best defense in years

It's like Mike McDonald. What do you do? We didn't run plays that we ran with him all year because I don't think he could run the plays

Something was wrong with him

Probably I mean we'll Campbell's not in the jury report imagine what was going on the Drake May show

And once you lie about it, you can't then tell people after

You're just kind of stuck with the lie classified

Right like the CX also blitz the crap out of the Patriots in that game. It was embarrassing

They knew what they knew what the plays were there was that report that kind of came out after the game that the

CX picked up on a tell from the offensive line that they were gonna be passing a running so

Yeah, listen to I hold no grudges against Danny Kelly mean of times

Sam Darnell the city of Seattle. I still want to do a rewatchables there. Oh, there it is. Is that the hat?

Oh wow. Yeah, I just had to bring it out on this one. How many did you get?

I got four different hats and you know

Probably still going to be in the market for a few more

So this is the best thing about winning the Super Bowl is the the the Super Merchant Super Bowl champ

That's crisp. Yeah, that's that nice. Oh, this is what they were wearing on the

On the parade and everything so and post game stuff DK last question. What does she he'd get?

Because it sounds like he's at a Seattle. That's a great question

He like a like a Cooper Cups money last year type of thing. I think a little bit for three. Yeah, I like maybe a little bit more

I think he's a raider

Rishi-chi

Patriot back up to like it

I don't know. I like Shaheed

Just figuring out how to use him as the season went along. I'm surprised I didn't try to keep him

Truthfully, it's the it's the same story as like

Tenth Walker. He won them a couple games. Yeah, in the season. Uh, Shaheed did. I mean if you look at

um

The way that what he was doing on special teams the return game. He was incredible like sometimes they would have him

Anytime they needed an expose to play, I feel like Shaheed would come up. They dial him up. Yeah

The Ram Seahawks there's a football game, which was the best game of the year

Like the sharp and a two-point conversion flips everything to see what's get home fields because of that that way

But Rishi-chi he's part returns set up that whole game

Well, that's the other thing you lose Walker and you don't have sharperness and now you're in the running back market

Which you just said the draft's not good. I don't know what they're going to do. Tyler LG or maybe I think you end up with

Count Walker would be like, but I hope so. I think that's where we plan. All right. The Danny's great to see you

Say hi to Craig for me though. I'm gonna probably see him in a couple days. Uh a pleasure as always. Thank you

Thank you. Thank you Bill. This episode is brought to you by state farm

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All right taping this mid Thursday afternoon. It seems like we were pretty certain Jason Tatum is coming back

For the Friday Dallas game Michael penis here

Joe house is here

Michael peanut. What are the minutes like for you? What do you think

Would you think would you expecting for

Minute limit for Tatum before we get into the powerful

Yeah, we were just talking about this right before we went on uh

I would anticipate short stints for him

I would anticipate him obviously starting and then you know subbing out after maybe the first TV time out

um

So you're gonna start interesting

You don't think he'll start

I didn't think about that. I thought they might be a little more careful, but maybe you're right. Maybe he

Starts, but then you get in a hole who's the last guys and him or Jalen Brown

I was the last guy. No, I don't know. Maybe you bring them off the bench. It's really easier

Billy you made a really good point. I don't know when it was

Recently about how bailer Shireman was kind of

Like a slotting in the minutes and the role that you think

Might fill yeah, yeah, exactly and Shireman's been great

I don't even want I don't think he should be removed from the rotation at all

He's been terrific

But I think that that will eventually be kind of the ramp up goal

For him just kind of those minutes and yeah, we'll see I mean it's this is kind of uncharted waters in a lot of ways

I thought in my head. I thought they'd go like five minutes into the first quarter

Wait five minutes into the second quarter and just play him in these shorter stints um

Who the person who doesn't care about this at all other than the gambling standpoint is Joe House who doesn't want to have

Well, this is fascinating fucking content talk about us from the gambling standpoint

Did this change your perspective of the eastern conference that Tatum is actually gonna probably be back here

As it became clearer that he is going to play basketball this season. I immediately jumped into

The Fandall sportsbook and bought the Boston Celtics to win the eastern conference

I bought Joe Missoula to win coach of the year and I bought the Boston Celtics to win the NBA title

Just to put your stank on us

You have to have well, I mean

Yes for sure

but also

This team with Tatum in any kind of

Capacity 80% Tatum 85% Tatum

They can win the east and if they win the east then that means they're in the final

You're in the final and then you know, let's see, but well

They need some luck with Charlotte would have to have an injury because Charlotte

I mean they might go 12 and oh in the eastern conference playoffs at this point

They're just rolling through the league

That we're gonna do a power pole in a second and I had the I sent you guys the records and the net ratings for the last 30 games

Which is basically July 1st

And Charlotte's in the elevenths

Peanut for plus for plus rating like this is like 2017 Warriors territory

Do you understand it at all?

I do I watch a ton of Charlotte Horns basketball

Obviously, but it's so funny that you compare them to the the Warriors because

I have this crazy stat that I saw last night, but they've won six straight games by at least 15 points

Which hasn't happened since the 2018 Warriors and that's tied for the second longest streak of that kind in NBA history

The Detroit Pistons in 2004 the only team that top them eight in a row

So they're just demolishing people at a rate that's ridiculous. I mean the starting lineup is

Everyone kind of knows this already, but it's historically great and

I think aesthetically when you watch them play you know, you talked about this in your deep dive

A few days ago

But the way that they have so much randomness in their offense with the small small screens the slip screens go screens

Etc it's really reminiscent of how the Indiana Pacers played last year to me and would give me hope

If I was a Charlotte Hornets fan that this could be like a truly magical season for this team

I think they're terrifying. They absolutely destroyed the Celtics last night and in that all the makings

Like Fando wanted me to do a bet yesterday

And I didn't want to pick a winner for the game because I was really worried about the game

The Celtics had played a bunch of games the last two weeks

And Charlotte basically looked like a better faster version of the Celtics

Because they have a similar

Similar style in some ways, right Charles Lee was with Mizzoula. They they push it more than the Celtics did

Lamella weak by weak house

Just is starting to seem more sophisticated with that like he's not seeming like he's trying to play in an all-star game anymore

He's actually in real-time looking like a guy who's running a team again and then the Miller con combo

I they're terrifying. I mean as a seven or an eight seed

This is terrifying now house

so

I'm not terrified and

You just hit on to me what is the most important ingredient which is the development of mello ball is he going to

End up when it comes to be playoff time and they they are up against

Detroit or Boston or the New York Knicks are they going to present as a serious basketball team with lamello ball at the at the tip of the spear

That's that's the big sort of open question to me as to this it sounds like

well, you know

For a couple reasons in the first place teams like this that that pull it all together

In the kind of the second half of the season and you know

Go on a run a regular season run like this. Yeah, they they they tend to like lose in the first or second round

And second but think about that though second round would be like an amazing achievement for them

That's what happened with the curry clay warriors that first year when they upset Denver. That's my point

I get a second round as a separate

But it would be significant. I don't think there's anybody on charlotte that is as good as stuff curry

That's all okay. What do you think Peter are we are we sure that they're not going to get the six seed

Simpley point it's they would have to basically chase down Philadelphia and there are a couple lots behind them

Yeah, and they'd have to leapfrog

Miami and Orlando there's some interesting future bets with them too

um

Like house. Do you do you think it's realistic in any way shape or form that they could upset

The next Cleveland Boston whoever is in that one two spot that the only one that would surprise me is the trait

But I do feel like they could I don't know. I'm just not ruling it out. I guess is my point

um and there were bets on about how far teams go in the playoffs

I'm looking at up the uh

To be to advance to the this is one of the regime favorites bets

So for them to advance to the eastern finals

Well, I don't I'm just saying. I'm just giving you the odds. Oh, let me guess

I mean is it it can't be less than thirty to one. It's ten to one

Get out of here. It's ten to one unfando and for them to advance

They waste your money for them to advance to the second round is plus 360 like these are relatively low odds

That's not the

Reward for that house. You can you can laugh

You're in this is like he has been watching it sounds like you've been watching it's very good

Yeah, they know how you're off the bandwagon screw you

I mean, I'll just say up the top both my kids wore moose idea about day jerseys to school today

And the compliments that drop off were through the room. Oh my god. You're really good man. This man is

I mean incredible like net rating when he's on the court since January 1st is like plus 20

You're something like that. It's just you try to fight Jayland urine like he's really bringing it all of the table

He's he's very aggressive, but this team rebounds like they're lead the league in defensive rebound rate

They're first or second in offensive rebound rate like they

They do things that win in the postseason they defend like when you talk about Lamello

Lamello's playing his ass off on defense for the first time in his life

He's selfless with the ball. He's moving it

So I I'm really high on Charlotte and I you know, we'll see how kind of the matchups

Tinker out, but

An upset in the first round probably wouldn't even be an upset based on how well this team is playing

And it'll be interesting to see if it gets to the point depending on where they land whether teams are like

I would rather play these other guys and we start doing like the top seed

Joking at the end house to put her in perspective. So the powerful were about to do it's the last 30 games

Only that I'm getting the records and net ratings and they are plus 11.9 which is first by three points for net rating

They're 21 and nine in their last 30 games. They're 12 and three in their last 15

And to me that all the stuff really matters because the sample sizes of just throw away the first two months and really look at this stuff

Anyway, quickly go through the power pole because there's some teams we just don't talk about

Going from 30 to one

There's a whole group here tanka blues of 2026

Brooklyn is 30 and I was surprised. I thought Sacramento is gonna be 30 but Brooklyn's 3 and 17 their last 20 with a minus 16.1 net rating

minus 16 is aggressive

They're not trying to win neither Sacramento 29 or Washington 28

Utah at 27. I just want to interrupt you. Yeah, Washington is trying to win. We're taping this on Thursday

Tonight with the franchise debut of this fellow right here

That's the number of tray young who's gonna make his debut tonight. They are they host the Utah jazz what a time to come

Well and Utah to its credit played very admirably last night against the Philadelphia 76ers

This is a back-to-back for them. They've already I haven't checked the injury report in the last 10 minutes, but

You the county George was doubtful. I mean, you know, yeah, I like you. We're gonna see you

In pinchman we'll get to see the words in pinchman and some and somebody's near Washington smash spot

If anyway, I'm gonna they won't help anybody

For listening to this tomorrow, but I'm telling you peanut. You respect the tanking of a team

That's three and 12 in their last 15, but their net rating is only minus 4.4

It really means they're trying to take care of the first three quarters and then just throwing the last quarter away

Right, I will say the the Washington Wizards are playing guys who don't have headshots for their player page on MBA.com

Like that's how anonymous some of these line-ups are like juju Reese

I had to google him and I couldn't see his photo and I had to search for it like that's kind of what we're dealing with here with the Washington Wizards

So um, yeah, that's it. We'll see how tray young what about all right you taught 27 Chicago's 26

They are two and 13 to the last 15. There's been some amazing stuff with the tanking teams

That unless they're playing another tanking team

They're just losing every game and

If you're doing like parlays on different teams and you have like a case like last night like the Quippers against Indiana

Just throw the Quippers money line in there because these tanking teams don't want to win

Dallas at number 25

In Indiana number 24

Dallas is two and 13 last 15 Indian is 4 and 11 last 15, but two teams that

Don't seem like they want to win

But also are are frisky as well

Like I almost feel like I feel bad putting them in the in this tier, but

Um, this is what they're showing us would win loss, but when you watch them like

I don't know like I feel like see outcome still gives a shit right when you watch some of these guys flags come back for Dallas

And then Memphis is the last one. They're 20 number 23

They're two and 15 or two and 13 their last 15

So from a tank of blues a standpoint

Sacramento is still up a game and it's just gonna be a slug fest

And this draft is really do you get in the draft peanut do you care or do you just get into it after the season

After the season. I can't watch college basketball. Yeah, too much

How sub you carried it all yet or no

Um about I'm watching a ton of college basketball because I want to see who the first six or seven guys might be

It was the least surprising thing

Of 2026 that when you had your conversation was it last week with Jay Kyle man

Yeah, and Tate yeah and Tate about guys that you like and when you when they you said there's one guy that's caught my eye

I knew and I just knew it was that a cuff kid because he's that he's that guy

He's that's the kind of kid that catches your attention and my attention and I think he's gonna be an impact player in the NBA

How's and I have known each other since 1988

In the Venn diagram of guys that we like without knowing the other guy likes them

It's we've been batting like 97% on this

Cannibal was like that last year for us. Yeah, we just like yeah, that was another one

Yeah, a cuff and there's so there's these guards and this is why the Clippers pick is so interesting

Where they get between five through nine from Indiana right if the if the ping pong balls fall

They would get five six seven eight or nine

All of those picks are guys who can score and really interesting guards

There's some guards besides there's some smaller. Sorry, but all of these guys are like

Potentially like a lead offensive player. So we'll see all right next category

This kids dark fast here in the power pole no man's land

Where we have New Orleans who's 11 and 19 their last 30 and I think of the 19 losses have come down to the last minute and like 17 of them

And now they have Murray back to and they really look like a confident NBA team

So I feel like they're gonna probably play themselves out of the bottom eight

Um, and that picked that Atlanticettes unless some sort of miracle happens will be somewhere between nine 10 11

um, and that dare queen trained will then not be as bad right Michael

Still bad, but not maybe they escaped how bad it was

Maybe maybe

First of all just like watching them digiante Murray coming back and watching him run pick and roll with Zion Williamson and

Kind of seeing what Zion has missed as someone who can screen roll and create havoc

Has been really nice to see for the New Orleans publicans um, and the fact that they finally split up the dare queen Zion Williamson

Tandem in the starting five and they sent dare queen to the bench was

Very necessary if they're trying to win basketball games because I was from the worst front court tandems in the league

But no, I mean, this is a

There's players on this team, but they're just not very good. This is how I was sum it up

It's a collection of that. It's like a fantasy basketball team and not an actual team

And I saw the same thing with Zion and queen

It's just two guys that just should not play basketball together. I don't know where they didn't realize this last year

But I guess would be Zion's not on the pelicans next year

Could he be on Charlotte? Maybe he'll try to jump on the I noticed a little mellow head this quote about him the other day

About how when they throwing alley oops to him when they played together one time how amazing it was like, whoa

Just throwing that out there

number 21 Milwaukee

And probably the next time we do a power pole that would be

Probably in the mid-20s

Yannis comes back and the team falls apart anyway. It's one of the weirder seasons

um, the chemistry looks bizarre

They were eight and three and eleven games in one stretch and then yannis comes back and they look where I I don't

Want to figure them out. I do have a seat warm for dock though for the playoffs. I can't wait for him

Milwaukee's out of the playoffs now. They're like this is a wrap. They're not gonna make up that they're fine back. It's over. It's done

Um, and then I have golden state of 20

Golden state is the eight seed right now. We're taping this before the games tonight

They're 31 and 30 quippers are 30 and 31 Portland's 30 and 33

House would you put on this season if you were gold state just tell Steph Curry

Actually, don't come back

Haven't they already I mean aren't we watching the punt night to night um in in the way that they play the matchups that they have

What they did with kamehga like felt like a punt to me um trading for a guy who seems to have

Some mystery illness that's never gonna go away and then being surprised that it can't play

Seemed intentional. I don't feel like it was a surprise. Well, do you blame on Butler tears as ACL like do you blame on Michael? No, I they

Made a gamble and they lost they tried with butler and you know he got hurt and that happens

So the right thing for them to do is to find themselves

Away into the lottery and that means losing in the play in because they're not gonna drop below

Um the 10 seed. It's not possible and so that 12 13 range and then do you think that

What what rationale could there possibly be for Steph Curry to play in that play in game?

That's that's the question that I post when they start doing the at least with the number

When they're it's like he'll be back in 10 days

Right that's definitive when they start doing the it's gonna be at least another 10 days

I just assume the guys not coming back like reading through the NBA

Teed leaves of how they talk about injuries. I don't know. What do you think Michael?

I just I mean this team obviously wasn't built to withstand the loss of Jimmy Butler and then

Steph and Curry. I mean almost every team that has a worse offense and step one out 10 or 11 games ago is in that tank tier

That we just were talking about so

Steve Kerz kind of grasping his straws trying to figure out um lineup combinations

But it's just like a whack-a-mole season for Golden State

I mean, it's just that there's no answers so I don't I don't see a point to be honest with you

Well, let me give you this stat

Golden State their last 30 games. They're 15 and 15 with the net rating of plus 0.0

They're literally dead even

In every respect all right next category is the water treaders number 19 Portland number 18 Orlando number 17 Philly

And number 16 Atlanta who is quietly 17 and 13 in their last 30

How's do any of these teams intrigue you in any way?

No sir

The one I'm interested in the most is Portland because I do like that young thing that they have going there and I'm a deep um

Then the obvious guy love daddy. He loved his time here in Washington

I don't know if he's coming back. He said I know I know well that that that will be the thing that sinks them um

And maybe it makes sense for him to not come back, right?

Maybe maybe they should get one more asset. It's a tough one because like I watch them play Charlotte on Saturday

And I thought they played really well and I thought they

handled Charlottes offense the best that had seen anyone handle Charlottes offense

They just kept throwing wings and defense and they could protect the rim and

Plus how it is playing really well all of a sudden. What do you what do you think Michael you intrigued by them at all

That gaming is the hornets. They were very physical. Yeah, I thought they were good

Yeah, to your point um, they just kind of ran out of gas and they can't shoot and so I mean

Their offense is terrible without Denny without shade and sharp who's also out and it just feels like a

cursed season and a lot of respects for the Portland Trilblazer's and his coach left after one game and

In house that is a factor. Yes, but I mean as soon as scoot comes back like the the guy who's the best player and the team goes down

So I just I don't know it's it's it's tough

Scoots had a pretty rough rollercoaster right here

I have a question Verno texted us from the Memphis game was not not uh not pumped about what scoot looked like in person

I've seen him another game. I don't know what to make of it anymore

Verno gave us a sell order

He did he put it in style. I was like dude. I've already this has already been a huge loss. Thank God. I have all my Charlotte Hornets stock

Here's my question when you um vote for awards um like for coach of the year. Do you write or did you put how many names do you write down?

I think it's is it three for coach of the year? I think it's really three. Yeah

Damn if it was five I think the august blittered. Yeah. Yeah. What he's done

With this team

Under these circumstances

deserves a recognition of some sort. What would be your three right now, Michael?

Great question. Um Missoula for sure

Um probably Jordan ought. Is it got to be in there? I think God has to be there

I think honestly Charles Lee needs to be in this conversation

I think that's the three and I actually would probably I'd probably have Charles Lee one Missoula to what three right now

Beckerstaff what are you talking about?

Didn't walk in you know with a with a 60 win team this year. This Detroit situation. It's amazing

Beckerstaff I've voted beckerstaff last year. Love beckerstaff

I thought the pistons would be pretty good. Didn't think they'd be this good

But it's not it's it's not that stunning to me um

I would say the western conference version of that is Mitch Johnson with the San Antonio Spurs

And you could kind of have those two cross each other out if that was kind of the logic there

The thing to me with Detroit the reason they're so much better than they were last year is it just comes down to Durin night tonight

What an absolute fucking beast he is

Old Durin. He I mean we were talking the other day. I was talking to a friend of mine about them

He is like the guys post college house the the 90s guys

Where we had a bunch of these guys and it always seemed like if they ever got no fight like the world would end

Like the Davis brothers and Oakley like Kevin Willis these big-ass

macho dudes

And he's like a throwback to that air. He just comes in

He sets the tone like he really I think intimidates some of these teams. He's just really

Really physically daunting night after night plays really hard

Um and between him and Kay that's just a tough-ass team and you throw in the other dudes

I'm surprised they're this good without steward. I thought they would fall back

Yeah, so bigger staff. You're right house. So it's probably those four and Mitch Johnson. I think has to be in there too

um

You're not intrigued at all by Atlanta neither of you

I'm so out of there cost me so much money. I know that that's how every year we we say all this is

What was the over under 46 and a half 47 some number that was near 50?

I don't think it's a five-year team on that to bet it

I mean, yes, the injuries and everything and we over

uh

What uh it over enthused about the idea of porzingis actually coming back from his illness and being able to contribute

So the porzingis and NAW combo

adds a layer and that's crazy that they nailed the NAW thing and still somehow have stayed in the same spot. I don't know um

Philly they've been worse since they traded trade

There's no part of you. That's like when Philly gets Paul George back

And in Beads healthy, they're gonna be scary because there's no part of me. I won't be in a stand for this

Because I'll use bad words

Yeah, I was I was so close to writing a why not the Sixers column right before they lost to the zombie Denver Nuggets

And then and bead goes down

Paul George gets suspended and they make this trade at the deadline to get under the tax that signals to me and to everyone on the team

I would assume that we're not good enough this year. So I

I'll look at what Darryl Moray did and I'll I'll read that as

How he assesses the team right now because I just also think that that was like a bad trade for Philly Delfia Jared McCain is

Just wrecking things in Oklahoma City right now

Was a weird one. I understood the logic. I did not like the trade because I think they're thinking

We need trade pieces for this summer for whatever we're gonna do

It's easier for us to trade the first one pick in these seconds then it would be just to have Jared and Kane

I just wanted to trade it

All you have to do if you're even if you're in the cusp of trading him go back one more time

Sit in a dark room and watch five games from last year when he looked fucking awesome

And remember that he's 21 years old

Who you're gonna get that's better than him. Yeah, like well

That's the point of the stupid picks and the reason that they have to do this is because they extended

Fucking ambide unnecessarily with a huge goddamn contract that didn't make sense then and still doesn't make sense and will never make sense

Uh, I think at some point. I'm gonna really try and get you to do the last 15 years of the front office of the Philly Delfia 70

That'd be a fun podcast. It is

Not very good. It is and we I mean, you know, even with with our friends along for the ride here

House has wound up today from tray young night at the business center

All right next category delusions of Granger

Three teams number 15 Phoenix number 14 Miami number 13 Toronto

um

Two of those teams are 17 and 13 and Miami is 16 and fourth in their last 30 all them

You can become slightly intrigued by if you think about it long enough Phoenix has the Brooks thing

He's basically out until right for the playoffs starting

Um and Booker who knows when he's come back

Miami, I don't know what to make of them, but that that went over the rocket Saturday at least made me go

Okay, I'm not gonna throw you in the garbage yet

And then Toronto to me just seems like a regular season team that um

It's hard for me to think they're gonna do anything in around one with it. We're out of those three

Which one would you bet on to upset somebody in around one Michael?

Oh, that's rough uh definitely not the Suns because they're in the West. Yeah, that's just not gonna happen

Uh, I think the Miami Heat are

feisty

Respectable they play defense the collel wear bam at a bio duo is starting to take off a little bit

They're they're they're playing them more and there's been a little bit of success in a small sample size

Which is nice to see and I also I don't know if you watch this gamehouse

But when they play the wizards

Bam dunked on collel wear and then flexed on him because he didn't realize it was his own teammate

And that was just like one of my favorite moments of the entire season

It really tells the tale of collel wear does it be us?

We went to the Celtics hosting the heat in a game

In early February where the heat got out to a huge lead Boston came out in that game super flat

Up up in Boston a home game. They were down. I'd the over

25 they were definitely down 20. Yeah, and Boston came all the way back

But we were so underwhelmed by collel wear we were like he was we forgot he was even

In the game and dressed

Yeah, and then every time he came in with the Celtics who go on like a seven-nothing run

Yeah, but I agree with Pina Miami to me. Here's the ingredient. I'm interested in I feel like

Hero is there something coming together. I like when he went into ran

I thought that was a sign that he must be feeling healthy again

Hero norm pal and out of bio with Eric Spolstra like you that's when you dismiss that team at your own peril

I feel like I think what's scary about them is the hero pal combo of you just never know when

One of them's gonna go nuts. You know in a playoff series

I say this every year and it's both the dumbest point possible, but it's also important to remember

You only have to go four and three in new advance, right?

This is the problem with the Lakers the Lakers can win a series in seven four games to three and the three losses will be by

22 28 and 31 and the three wins will be like three four seven and two

But that's the thing you're basically to be barely above 500

And when you have these two guys who can go off in any game

Who don't seem to care where they play either it can be rode home. Doesn't matter

I know that I think they're the scariest out of this three anyway very quietly. They're they're defense again top five defense

Yes

Net rating in the last 30 there plus three and a half which is a decent sign

Um, and we'll see with the defense if that keeps going I think Mitchell's scary like

As a as a full core make your life miserable defender like he's really tapped into

Something so there you go and Toronto

We just want to ignore Toronto

I'm gonna give them credit for the success of the season

um, they have validated the

The corner that they turned like we're gonna try we're gonna we're actually gonna try this year

We have some guys we're gonna try and play this style of up tempo push out

Um, you know try and force turnovers. They are so soft. So that I mean I I applaud them going for it the way they have

They have no size or strength. They they wilt down the stretch, but good job

Doing what they did so I it's it's a glass half full for me, but nothing

Interesting about them in the playoffs for my humble. Yeah, they've been fairly average for two and a half months

Penis just ready to move on I can just see the device

You disagree? No, I think Toronto beats up bad teams and loses to good teams. That's kind of who they are right now

They're the NFL team that house and I always we call them the good bad team in the NFL. It's like cool

Um, all right next category

Actually, let's take a break for we get the next category

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All right next category the LA and NIGMAs

We have the LA Clippers who are 2010 their last 30

And the LA Lakers who are 17 and 13

And their last 30

Clippers 12 Lakers 11

I'm very focused on this Clippers Renaissance because I just know the Clippers playoff bill is now they're like great

We can bill everybody and you're paying for all four rounds and then we'll refund you if we don't make it

um

There was a Neaterhouser thing happening with the Clippers. I don't know how focused you guys were on this

But they traded. I'm locked in. I'm locked in the traded Zubats

They's really because they got an awesome trade, but also I think they like Neaterhouser and wanted to play him

And you watch him and I've been to a couple Clipper games

He just says that he's trying to block everything

Like literally everything he's trying to get to chase down blocks challenging

He's a maniac

So of course, I loved him right away. I'm like I'm claiming this guy. I'm buying stock and I

A house on his island all that stuff

But the fear was this guy's so crazy. He's gonna get hurt

Like he's he's jumping after literally everything and at some point this is gonna backfire and then of course last night

The stupid Indiana game that they're running by 30

He's trying to block somebody from behind lands on somebody and seem like he's sprained his ankle

I think he's gonna be okay, but they got Garland back

They're relying on Garland and Kauai who weren't exactly Cal Ripkin and Lou Garrick

But I think their team's pretty good and

They also have the thing you would look for in an upset situation is

Best guy in the floor possibly with Kauai

Right top seven eight when he's healthy

Has if you talked yourself into the quippers at all from an upset standpoint yet or no

Oh, absolutely positively. Yes, sure. Yes, definitely because they have over it really since you know

January 24 and 10 over their last 34

It's the version of the team that we imagined when we sat down in October and it was like kind of team when 50 games

I felt like yeah, they can with well there's your proof 24 and 10 that's a thing to exceed 50 games

The thing that

Is the the

straw in the drink that I'm interested to see the stirring is mathering because you just described

The effort of Neterhouser and all that all over the place this motivated mathering is us

Thing and that's an ingredient that I'm interested in seeing and I still trust tie Lou

I still trust this team to to come out

Yeah, they know the playoffs

And they got a lot of young guys to be like I'd rather like Miller too. I think I think Miller's good

um

I like mather and more before jayton McDaniel's snatched his soul from his body with me in person last week

And actually made a stew out of it house

Quippers to advance to the western conference semi-finals one round

12 to one on Fandall

That sounds like the right price see that's a fair price. I don't have any issue with that. I already have you know my bet

We did it together peanut. Were you a derriest garland guy or now?

I wasn't when he was in Cleveland because of how that roster was constructed

And I thought the overlap with Donovan Mitchell just would not work in a postseason series

Um, it's a little different in LA where

Sure his size is his size, but there's a lot of great individual defenders

And there's a lot of size and and depth on the wing

So I like it a little bit more and also they need him

They need someone who can push the pace. They need his shock creation

They need a ball handler. They have no point guard without him

And it's just like kawaii Leonard running pick and rolls and Chris done running around with his headshot off

So I

You know, he's looked a little indecisive so far

But I think he'll settle in and be pretty important for this team

And I am extremely high on the Los Angeles Clippers as per usual. That's just my my ammo and life unfortunately

When you say they need him

I can't overstate that because go into the games

And especially minnesota did this they don't really have a point guard

So they're like a lot of the times the offense runs through either kawaii or matherin ironically

Chris done you can't run he can't run the offense and no they don't really have anybody who can just

Take it in bounce pass and dribble up the court and set stuff so minnesota was like

Cool, we're just gonna make your life miserable and they had IO and aunt and McDaniel

It's like picking everybody up full court and they were just taking the ball from the quippers

So just to have somebody who actually knows how to

Bring the ball up dribble through his legs do a spin move get over half court set like they don't have anybody like that anymore and harden did all of it so

I've always liked them

I agree with you that the fit wasn't great with with Mitchell

But on the other hand that team was awesome last year

With those two guys together and he just hasn't been healthy. I thought it was a good gamble for them

Lakers 17-13 then the last 30 D carehouse. I

Do not I am ready for this like the team to be out of our lives

I'm losing the first round. Yeah, they don't carry that's the most important thing

They don't they have the point to ref differential of a 32 and 2019 they play like a team that's barely above

500 they have that ridiculous clutch, you know

Whatever they are now 17 and five and clutch time

But when they play games that end in double digits. They're 18 and 19

That's that's who this team is that that's the Lakers and athletic teams athletic teams are nightmare for them

Yeah, they've played Charlotte that they would be in like severe trouble

I'll did did you ever figure out Michael why the

Why they just kind of punted at the trade deadline under that Luke and our thing when there were guys out there like why didn't they feel like

You they didn't even have a puncher's chance it didn't seem like was there strategy? I thought it was strange

Well, Rob Polinka said that Luke Connard was quote clearly right now the game's best shooter

So you would have anticipated he would have moved the needle for them. Yeah, it hasn't worked out that way

No, I don't I mean, that's just another case of a team that clearly did not believe in itself

Yeah to make a run and deservedly so I think they're

uh

Very average and you know how said those great numbers one that I don't I don't know if this is a number that matters

But in losses they have the worst net rating in the NBA

So that's a you know what I call those loud losses

That's that's a problem if you catch one of their bad games

You think they're like the worst team in the world and trade everybody and then the next night they win by three

And guess what they went one and one in those two games

But you saw that first game you're like that team fucking sucks

Oh my god, I can't believe how bad they are

And then it's like the next night they beat Phoenix because you know Brooks and Booker are playing um

Lurking we are now in the top 10

Well before we get to top 10 how where would you have put how uh Charlotte house

In the top 10 best 10 teams right now

I would have I would have had them 10. Okay, how about you Michael

I

Like where you have them. I don't think we want to spoil it right now, but that's probably where I would put them to okay fair

Lurking I have four teams

And none of them are Charlotte

The Houston Rockets 18 and 12 in their last 30 10 and 5 in their last 15

Minnesota

19 and 11 in the last 30 plus 4.9 rating impressive

11 and 4 in their last 15 the Celtics are 21 and 9 I have them number 8

plus 9.3 rating

I'll explain why I have them eight in a second

New York 17 and 13 plus 5.8 and New York is a classic catch them on the right day

In your convinced they're making the finals catch them on the wrong day and your convinced that they're gonna trade everybody except jane

Lebron snap to the season

um

I'll go in order Houston

Signs of life are still too flawed for you Michael

I think the book has been written on this team and

Once Stephen Adams went out that was it for me to be honest like he was so critical to their identity on both ends and

You know, they still grab a bunch of offensive rebounds, but they don't grab half of them

Like he was so integral to how they played and you combine that with obviously the loss of Fred

And I just think it's too much to overcome for this team

Couldn't agree my

I know how agrees because we've texted bad it regularly

Um and that

Accordingly yes

I still feel like I've felt this way all year

That there was value in Minnesota

And that people just weren't on Minnesota correctly from

Checking the prototype of if a team is gonna actually win the title. What do you need to have?

I need to have one of the best seven players in the league

I need to be able to play defense at a really high level. I need a couple he check guys

They do check all of it. It's been a little disjointed

But even now house they're 33 to one to win the title

That just seems out of whack to me

Yeah, I mean they all really want to bet it either, but it just seems like that

I'm when we're done. I'm betting that you have to bet it 33 to one is nuts

That's they made the Western conference finals two consecutive years like that there

They're you know, and we've had teams ahead of them in both of those years. Yeah

Top 10 in both offense and defense

rating-wise and you know

It's kind of the same team

We're waiting around

They are incentive to get to the three-seat, I think because you definitely want to play whoever ends up in in the six

Yeah, well, and they are not afraid to play Denver at all if that ends up being the matchup like they would

They're welcome. Welcome it

Yes, I agree with that

And which the way this is lining up. What's that going to be the four five? I mean house

You could argue wherever they end up three four five six

They're feeling really good about playing

The Lakers

They're feeling really good about playing Denver

Milwaukee Houston like pick it. I'm not Milwaukee Minnesota. Oh, what am I doing? I'm blanking

Houston Denver or the Lakers would be the three right? Yes, yes

Well, we're an old guy moment. I just said I just said Milwaukee

Car yourself. That was great. But yeah, all three of those teams peanut would they be afraid of any of those three no way

Definitely not the Lakers

You know if the Suns were to somehow get up there at the six and Minnesota goes up to three

It's just like there's a lot of great matchups for them

I

We'll talk about this later probably but I personally would not I don't want the Denver Nuggets in a seven game series

Like the healthy Denver Nuggets. I just don't want that in the first round. Well, I mean

I can't wait to talk about Denver

But the question would be are we getting a healthy Denver Nuggets in the very fair number

So Fandall has the Timberwolves plus 100

To advance to round two

Which is the line that I thought was not as good as I thought over to be but I that but they must be building in

They think they have a chance to get the three C

I'm scared of Minnesota

As I said, I saw them in person last week and I think with IO and Ant and uh

McDaniel's all out there together. It's a truly scary defensive team

With go bear behind them like I really think there's a high ceiling for them

Um to defend

Celtics number eight. I don't want to talk about them

Number we just it's just we don't know we're getting with Tatum

I just it's like we might as well

Talk about the Middle East and try to figure out what's happened in there number seven bill

Can I give you can I give you a quick Celtic stat before we move on

So their defense since January 1st with Derek White on the court is the exact same number as the spurs

With Victor Whitman Yama on the court

um

Derek White just won

The defensive player of the month for the Eastern Conference and is just he's so phenomenal

I just wanted to shut out Derek White his season has been so terrific

He's like a

Paint protecting guard one of the best paper takers in the NBA. It's it's wild

He is I think in the defensive player of the year conversation if Wembee doesn't get the games

I don't think it'll win it

But I do think when people write the pieces. He'll have to be mentioned now, right?

Because of all the advanced stats and the

I will absolutely write that yeah

You know what's crazy house

I always used to tell house one of the easiest great bets

If you're doing a parlay was to put the Derek White one block in

Any

Any semi-important or important game. He was just getting a block

It's fine the market is finally adjusted

He's down like minus 340 to get up when it would be like one plus Derek White block

It's minus 340 used to be like

Plus 120 minus 110 plus 105

And now they treat him like he's

You know rude to go bear it's hilarious because he always get a fuck

He gets it and he gets it early. Yeah, he's like he he blocks somebody from behind in the first four minutes of the game

Yeah, we will

Well, we'll see what happens with not we're talking about then

Too much unknown

Not a lot of unknown with the nicks at this point 17 and 13 in their last 30 plus 5.8

You know Sunday they look great against the spurs

It was also an afternoon game on the East Coast at MSG and in San Antonio can make a shot

Um

I still don't love how Brunson dependent they are

I

Still don't understand the Mitchell Robinson can't play back to back thing although if they're saving him for the playoffs great

The bridge is part is weird

The part where nobody guards Josh heart really at all if it's a good team like that's part of the strategy

So there's some things going against them. Is he have you seen anything that makes you think that there are realistic finals team peanut

I don't want to come across as a nicks hater

I just

When your two best players are so weak defensively it is really hard to win for playoffs series and you know

I was watching the Oklahoma City Thunder game that they just lost the other night

You watch crunch time in that game and I have a theory that Mike Brown is playing Landry Shamit in crunch time

So that teams will hunt Landry Shamit instead of jail in Brunson

Um, that's something that is gonna happen over and over and over again in the playoffs

We see it every year. Yeah, I think that when you run up against a team like if they were to play the Cleveland Cavaliers

James Harden would bring him into the action every single possession

So it's just it's tough

It's really tough. You got to have elite shot making you got to be really cohesive with your defensive rotations

And you know, miss Robinson's only playing like what 20 minutes a game. That's his limit

So it's just it's really difficult. There's just not a margin for error

House is in a huge fan

I am

You're wrong

How did you become a huge fan? No, I have futures on the nicks. I think that they

Especially after watching that Oklahoma City game that was like validation for me that felt like a very high

level of play

Validation of the next being able to get in and go with anybody now. I know no jade up for

Okay, see

This is a them

The nicks have the best since mid-January. They have the best defense in the NBA by almost a full point per

100 possessions

the nicks

So

There's something inside the chemistry there that is happening and when we just watched a

100 to three to 100 game and they were

Two two miss threes that's toe to toe with the team that I think is still the best team in the NBA

I have to have the nicks up there. I think they're too low in this powerful

One of the things that I don't like about them

Surface last night

So get they're down three

rebound

Waste 10 seconds and then call the time out so there's six seconds left and it was just like

I just don't think they have one of the best coaches in the week. I would just say that we've seen we've had a lot of that bats with Mike Brown

He's solid

Can take you to the to the game seven of round one

But it was just like such an obvious call the time out seven seconds before you called it

And the irony is they ended up getting good threes and missed the threes, but

um, I really liked an anobi down the stretch in that game

You know, that's that can I talk Sunday about the best perimeter guys and we're talking about the two Thompson's iJ to McDaniel's

Doran Caruso and then I think we had an anobi and I think we probably had an anobi

Too low because that it was it was really interesting watching shade try to unlock him

Like shade trying to get all the stuff he normally gets but trying to solve

This taller guy who's just a nightmare

Yeah, I'm probably a little too low in the next. I just think they've been too erratic like every time I start to buy into it

You turn it on and they're down 17 and like you know friggin Atlanta or something

Um

That was my toughest one. So I had them seven I had the wild cards Charlotte six, Denver five the Charlotte thing is just a pure

Going on the history of when teams go to this level in January and February

And we have a tendency not to take that seriously enough, but I'm just taking it seriously like I just think

They've proven now that they're a really good team

They're young they're healthy. I like having younger teams going into the playoffs. We talked about them already

Peanut you just wrote this huge piece about Yokech

Who I have number five. They're 16 and 14 their last 30. They're seven eight and their last 15

You wrote the thing that as a as a long time Yokech guy has concerned me that his stats

The stats that really made him special especially this year are going a little sideways because I update my stats every every week for the MVP and all NBA and stuff

And he was always 60% feel go all this stuff all the sudden the stats were looking a little more normal for him than they then they were and it's because since he came back

He's not quite the same guy and you laid this out in the piece today. So for the audience tell them what you found

Yeah, I mean his shooting numbers from the floater zone, which is his bread and butter the spot up the Rees that he gets on the pick and pop with Jamal Murray

Even his free throws just everything is is down kind of dramatically from what it was pre knee injury and

That doesn't even begin to talk about like the defense which I've always thought he was a little bit of an underrated defender

And right now it's just it's tough. I mean there's some just peak Matador situations. I mean the game against the

Minnesota Timberwolves with Anthony Edwards just kind of skating past him on the perimeter. It was really rough

Even like he on day George and when they they nearly lost the you touch as the other day George just go into the rim left and right

So I think they're trying to lose and they still almost got there

So I think the defense tanks and

That's tough, but for me it's

Health is just a huge component here

And I think the way that they play is different without you know the guy in the dunker spot like Gordon or Peyton Watson to threaten and space the floor like that

So I think when they get healthy and they get bigger like

I just I love Yokech. I can't quit this guy

He's still so phenomenal that that gave me head against the Celtics without Jamal Murray in the second half was just like

I'm the best player in the planet. So that's why I wonder like how much of this is rust and how much of this is health because if you watch that

Celtic game he looked like Yokech

I didn't I wanted to put them higher than five in the sample size was just too big

But I also think they don't have Peyton Watson who turned into this super sub for them

And then I've Gordon who's the third most important guy in the team in the guy that swings them from a first or second round team to a finals team

So five seemed okay how see can we have some Denver bets are you concerned at all

No, I'm not concerned at all because I believe that these guys that have been

Suffering these injuries laboring

You know to get back

We'll get back and that we will see

The full version of this team right as the playoffs get going and that is exciting. That's what we're after

I think you have Denver and exactly the right place even though they are behind both

Houston and Minnesota in the standings right now

um

It's it's the potential. It's the

Pedigree and I think it's right to to give them that that respect give them that nod

Even though you know

The game against Utah like they it's really

Well there's there's there's short on wings cam Johnson's who I was probably too hard on the other neck because I think he's hurt

Um, and certainly seems to be like gutting it out, but at the same time like

There's a piece to Denver Murray's been so good this year

um

And Yokej obviously is Yokej

And I do wonder if it's tough sometimes Gordon figured it out

Gordon is figured out exactly when he's healthy

Had to play with those guys had to get all his shots and the right things

But I do wonder sometimes with some of these other wing dudes

And supporting characters like somebody like Peyton Watson

Who was doing a lot of the stuff that he was doing without Yokej

Or cam Johnson who doesn't touch the ball for 40 minutes and then all of a sudden is being asked to take the two biggest shots of the game

Yokej is both awesome to play with but also in the last five six minutes

Were these two guys are doing everything and then all of a sudden it's like okay? Can you can you make this one shot?

It's I haven't touched the ball in an hour

um, I i just

You're bringing Gordon back you're bringing Watson back and you're just doing this in real time as the playoffs are starting

It really makes me nervous. I think they have some stuff to figure out

And I don't think Yokej is a hundred percent every game

Is the other thing mid there might be games or maybe his knee is a little more sore than the other games

You know, like that's not the game he was great

If he's playing back-to-backs if you're playing

You know, especially when we have those series where you're just playing every other night for two weeks

And he's not a hundred percent healthy that makes him nervous

Okay, the contenders

Cleveland number four Detroit number three and San Antonio number two

How's do you agree with that order?

Yes, no issue with it whatsoever. I would have the Nixon here. I had of Cleveland

But I I don't have any issue with the next step five. Okay

Peanut any uh any questions with that order

I would have Cleveland three in Detroit for

Hmm interesting. I didn't quite have the balls to do that

But I do feel more comfortable if I if it was a bet your life situation

It's

It's 55 45 to me going toward Cleveland to make the finals over Detroit

Those are my only two picks

Yeah, Cleveland was just in Brooklyn the other day and

Someone there at the game told me that they were just completely unafraid of the Detroit Pistons

And they had just lost to Detroit without

Donovan Mitchell and James Hardin in an overtime game that they should have won in Detroit

And then they beat them

with Hardin

After that um, and I just think that this team is just ridiculous

I think they have so much shooting so much wing depth

And I you know the Hardin thing is the Hardin thing we'll see how that goes in the postseason

So we're sure no the Hardin thing

The thing of sucking when the put when the games both matter

I would say this is you know

Not to make excuses with this is probably the best situation that he's been in for a variety of reasons

And donovan Mitchell being there and yeah, you I don't even need to go through it

But it's it's a good situation for him honey moon Hardin a Joe House favorite

17 and five since mid-January this Cleveland team and something outstanding since the all star break

Since the acquisition of Hardin right like yeah only one or two lost the rating is is outstanding

I'm I love this calves team, but I we are already getting these little oh

Donovan Mitchell's got a groin. Oh, yeah, we saw Hardin with the with the thumb

And Jared Allen left the game like I you know high ceiling these

I feel like I've talked about this a couple times in the pot already, but the the

The Detroit just really only having paid at the end of these games

I don't think it's sustainable for three straight playoff france as great as he is like

They just don't have that extra guy who I can trust to create a shot and that's one of the things with Charlotte

You know where if Charlotte plays Detroit in round one Charlotte has five guys who can create a shot

You know, and if they're gonna go toe-to-toe they're gonna be able to

At least feel comfortable doing it. I just feel like we're gonna see Charlotte versus Detroit in round one

I think that fight was like a pre if there's some sort of weird karmic thing. I feel like we're gonna see it

I don't know and I think Charlotte could beat them seen in Tonyo

Number two here and I would say probably

A

Half a level above these two teams for me from a ceiling standpoint

The youth from the

I don't know. I just really value having been there before we've been watching this forever

It's so rare for a team to just be like we're here. Oh now we're beating everybody like it's never works out that way

We really only see now with the 86 rockets

Even the 95 magic

The year before

They got a taste of it. I think if I'm remembering it correctly, but I don't know and I just

For them to just win the title this year just seem so foreign to my brain. Do you have a take on this Michael?

I think they're definitely a title contender. I'm really interested to see their next seven games

I think it is they have pistons

Clippers

Rockets Celtics nuggets Hornets and then back

They go on the road those are all home games they go on the road to play the Clippers again

Yeah, so I want to I want to see that stretch. I want to see if they go five and two six and one

Really assert themselves

Really care about winning those games. I don't know. We'll see

But I they're definitely a championship contender for me. They're especially since they

Changes their starting five moving champagne in for Harrison Barnes. They've been absolutely terrific. So

Yeah, when I mean

When he's wimpy. I mean, he's absolutely insane on defense completely controls basketball games without touching the ball

Um

Their their championship contender for sure

13 and 2 in their last 15 plus 7.5 rating in their last 30 and uh

I don't have side we haven't really talked about it, but I love Harper. I don't know

It's weird to call him the x-factor of the playoffs because I don't even think he's one of their four best players

But I've been so impressed by the defense with him and that just athleticism and I don't even know what he's gonna be

like I really almost want to like

Like study him in these in these next two weeks. I don't know what his ceiling is as a player. I don't know who to compare him to

But he's just I just like everything he does. I just think he's like a pure basketball player who gives a shit

Who's multi-scaled who can play with or without the ball and it's just additive. I really like him

I think it's literally the very best possible situation for him to have landed in

in the draft like yeah

for

Him to arrive with this group the way that this group has come together this year in this unexpected way

They're all lifting each other up like every move is a minus touch move the champ champ anything like the underrated

But like we'll look at what an impact it has

And and bass bassell and and castle

uh, it's just such a tough

team like so

capable of imposing their own

Physicality on teams. I just love the way that they go at okay see like I they could play if you want to let you know

Skip to the western conference finals and let me have a 15 game series of okay see against San Antonio

That I'm here for it. Sign me up. What a cool series and what a great thing for the lead that would be

This is why when we talk about the face of the league and all that stupid shit like

The league's always going to be fine. There's always going to be the next team coming and there's always going to be a rivalry

We couldn't have expected um champagne

Started out of Philly by the way house. Would you put that in your 15 years of of negligent Philly moves that they had champagne

briefly? I mean

It doesn't rise to the level of the Paul George signing or the bridges trade. It's not quite up there

With moving bridges at the draft but

How San Antonio 550 to minus 550 to make it a direct out around one

And then to advance to the western finals

What do you think those odds are?

San Antonio to be in round three

To make it to the western finals

uh less less than

Minus

No, not minus plus uh plus 160

Any idea Pena

I'm out of my death right now

Sorry

Minus 105 to make round three basically even us to win two series. I got I was like

No playoff

Like that's the reason

Let me catch myself. I was about to say like minus one is like no there's no way

But that's the thing and that's I think that the bigger point of this season is some of these teams like Charlotte San Antonio

might just

Might just be ready to win some playoff games San Antonio certainly Charlotte maybe

Um, and then we have okay scene number one

I don't know like I I'm sure jada they're taking everything easy

I think big picture when you have these five six-year runs where you're playing a hundred games a year

It's probably a good thing to have these guys

Not playing 80 game seasons then doing these playoff runs

But have you seen anything from okay see they're 2010 their last 30

Have you seen anything from them in the last two months that made you nervous Michael

Not nervous. No, I mean

Heartenstein's as a heartenstein's calf is recurring injury also that you want to keep an eye on

Alex Karuso fell on his hip last night against the nix and he's just one of them are reckless players in the league and he had to leave didn't come back

So

injuries are kind of a factor here for this team and obviously jw said is a big one

That's kind of a mystery right now. Uh, so what is this?

hamstring

It takes forever to get recurring. Yeah

So

That's a tough one, but they just keep winning games. They still have an elite defense

They have Shay who makes every single shot he takes so I'm not too worried about them

House

I loved that game against the nix. I loved them going into mass and square garden for a prime time

Like the whole league is watching and the way that they they came out and took advantage immediately of

You know claps into the middle and and chat home and getting touch after touch after touch and knocking them down

um

That was like a championship pedigree kind of a matchup and to the next credit

I mean what the nix did in the third quarter was was awesome gave it right back to him

But I that was that was like very reassuring like a restored my faith in this

Like what they're capable of what their next level looks like and where all the guys come in

Wiggins had a donkey like yeah, I remember

That's that's how they that's what they do. That's how they do it. And so yeah, I was fired up

Um from that game. Plus their America's villains and Shay were a giant like weird fur coat thing like whatever the hell that

was like they're just weird. The thunder like just getting their weird on

What was that there's such strange um

If you had to help chat with his hair facial hair situation

House, what would you recommend?

Say anything differently he could do would you go bigger beard?

Would you go beard is interesting longer like shaggy or hair? No, no, no, no

Not I would you shave it? I would bring it down because the problem is

Uh, it looks like his his head and face are about two and a half feet long when you go from the top of the hair to his chin

It feels like you got you know almost almost a full yard almost a full full ball yard to get from the top of the anyway

I would try and and tighten it up a little bit. I think I would go

Uh tighter on the hair

And I think I would go beard but longer I'd go longer face like you zag

It's like your face looks too long I'd go longer with the beard and really try to look more intimidating

could also be maybe a handlebar type of

Type of thing

Just trying to think of like I was watching shot caller last week some of the looks in that movie like maybe because ultimately like his toughness

Is gonna be the key to the team right you want people like oh shit chat. He looks like a badass. They might play the pistons

You know jayland duron just just coming in like okay

Okay, yeah, boy. There's any any facial hair construct that's gonna uh take bull duron off the case

How's did you have an opinion on a con conniple nickname before we go

2k was awesome. If we're gonna do 2k for conniple and you want to do bull duron those are two like modern guys

Did you like the giddler or no

I

So many I mean in our lives

We're not allowed to talk about that guy

Not allowed to talk about him. We're down with 2k Michael

Yeah, sure. Let's go with that. Uh, he's he's kind of like a one name person though

You don't even like conniple. Well, I'll know who we're talking about or come on. Yeah, I'm fine. Yeah

God he had one of those flare screen last nights where

I don't know how many guys in history have been able to run that play with the half second pick where they just get a three off

It's basically him and clay, right

And not counting Curry Curry doesn't count for any of these things, but you know what I mean like

I'm talking. I'm talking normal Ray Allen. I don't know. I'm talking normal players. Okay. Okay

I don't even honestly don't even know of Ray Allen got got it off like this

Where do they who us is on that list?

Con conniple is just I don't even know what to say his shot release isn't saying

I don't understand it

The fact that he's not in his ninth year is like makes my brain melt out of my ears

It just it doesn't compute the fact that this is a rookie his thing about how he was playing in men's leagues when he was 14

And that's one of the reasons because he's used to playing basketball with grown men and knowing where to go and what to do and get the ball

It's like maybe he stumbled on to some new way to

Like maybe we need to dump a you and just put 14 year olds in men's leagues and that's the new strategy

The advantage of the international players. Denny Obdia was playing with

You know, bro, bro, man. I

Best net ready in the league who can tell us

Gotta give out my my my bull row for we're gonna talk about quick releases. Gotta do it

That's a good one too. Well, I know it's almost weird or when the guys six seven six eight six

He's six six and

Just needs like a half second

I don't know. It's gonna be really interesting. I thought how Portland defended him was probably the blueprint in the playoffs

Where they just like crashed every

Every top of the line screen. They just put bigger guys on them or guys that were the same size and they really were determined not to let him get off

But then Miller got going. That's probably that team

House I'm admitting defeat on Brandon Miller versus scoot Henderson

Rare draft loss for me. I'd still think I'm in the winning side of these lottery pick ones, but that

It's gonna be a it's gonna be now. Okay. I remember make a fun at koc about it on my pod

He was wrong and I might have gotten freaked out by the car accident whatever happened or not the car with a

Wasn't there a gun there was some sort of bad Brandon Miller

Very bad. Yes

That might have been over action. I've learned some lessons there, but maybe not over react to an incident

But yeah, I think that was fine and less. All right, Michael Pina you can read him at the ringer

Listen him on a bunch of our podcast Joe House. We're in gambling show fairway wrong. Go to the players next week

Yeah, we're gonna be down TPC songgrass with all the big boys

Unbelievable with the greatest video game golf course of all time

The 17th that the best team will be there. All right. Thanks guys. Good to see you

Thanks Bill

All right, that's it for the podcast. Thanks to the Danny's thanks to house and Pina

Thanks to G'Hound and Wardo as well. Don't forget to vote for CR month on the rewatchables instagram feed

Don't forget about new rewatchables coming on Monday Fargo

And if you missed the one we did this week at Sicario

I'm gonna be back

Sunday night

With Zack Low we're gonna be coming on live on Netflix

Right after the rocket spurs game which should be a really really good game

But we're gonna find out what Jason Tatum we think