Lakers Enter Flow State, Cade's Collapsed Lung & NBA Draft Prospects To Watch

Summary

---

No Dunks Podcast Summary

Lakers Enter Flow State, Cade's Collapsed Lung & NBA Draft Prospects To Watch

Date: March 19, 2026
Hosts: Skeets, Tas, Trey, JD

Episode Overview

This episode of No Dunks dives deep into the latest NBA happenings, including the shocking Cade Cunningham injury, the Lakers’ impressive flow and clutch wins, some surprising game results around the league, and a comprehensive primer on must-watch NBA draft prospects as March Madness tips off. The hosts bring their trademark banter, energy, and insider perspective to discuss MVP races, playoff impacts, and college standouts.

---

Major Topics & Insights

Cade Cunningham’s Collapsed Lung (02:57–09:22)

• Breaking News: Pistons’ star Cade Cunningham diagnosed with a collapsed lung, expected to miss “a period of weeks.”

  • Left previous game after contact with Trey Johnson III. Initially called “back spasms.” Severity still uncertain.
  • Comparable player recoveries: Gerald Wallace (3 weeks), Terrence Jones (2 weeks), CJ McCollum (4 weeks).

• Playoff Implications:

  • Detroit’s season in jeopardy if Cade misses significant time; could fall out of awards and All-NBA races.
  • “If they don't have Cade at full strength, they got no chance.” – Skeets (04:46)
  • Pistons have a 5-game cushion for the 1-seed but face tough first-round opponents without Cade.
  • “If you said several [weeks], it’s three or more. But in this case, we don’t know.” – Tas (06:08)

• Rotational Depth: Pistons are 5-2 without Cade, but competition was not elite.

---

Lakers in a Flow State: LeBron & Luka’s Masterclass (09:23–22:11)

• Game Recap: Lakers beat the Rockets for a 7th straight win; LeBron (30 pts, 6 dunks), Luka Doncic (40 pts) dominate.

  • Both bring energy, clutch plays in the fourth quarter.
  • Luka’s jaw-dropping behind-the-back move and alley-oop to LeBron: “He was laughing, dancing, talking to people in the front row.” – Skeets (09:23)
  • “He’s 41 years old. This guy dunked six times in a game.” – Tas (10:13)
  • LeBron’s athletic longevity and adaptation—now a play-finisher, off-ball threat.

• Clutch Dominance:

  • “Luka generated 15 straight points for the Lakers over four minutes. That really blew this game out for LA.” – Skeets (12:52)
  • Rockets’ fourth-quarter struggles: “They still don’t have a good fourth quarter offense in Houston.” – Skeets (13:44)

• Lakers' Supporting Cast & Coaching:

  • Praise for Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, bench depth.
  • J.J. Redick lauded for effective in-game motivation: “He calls them shifts... just three more shifts. He’s just making them think a certain way and it’s obviously working.” – Tas (17:16)

• Playoff Pyramid and Contender Status:

  • Lakers possibly leapfrogging Denver and Minnesota into the 2nd tier behind the Spurs.
  • “They’re looking more and more like a realistic piece of the pie title contender.” – Skeets (17:52)
  • Magic Johnson weighs in: “The Lakers are contenders in the West because of their outstanding improvement on defense.” (19:20)

• MVP Race Update:

  • Luka probably 4th behind SGA, Jokic, and Wemby: “He's going to lead the league in scoring... putting up 40 every night. The clutch record will definitely help with getting him votes.” – Skeets (20:16)

Notable Moment

• LeBron’s six dunks – “most in a game in nine years” (12:02)
• Magic Johnson is “actually tweeting takes” about the Lakers (19:20)

---

Surprising Outcomes & Standings Shake-up (25:05–34:50)

Nuggets’ Brutal Loss to Grizzlies

• Nuggets fall to Memphis (missing their “Ross Per”—roster—of centers), giving up big games to Ty Jerome and Gigi Jackson.
  • “They just do not have the quickness to stick with anybody who can handle the ball on the perimeter and get their own shot.” – Skeets (25:33)
  • Jokic had 10 turnovers: “That's embarrassing for a guy like him.” – Skeets (30:23)
  • Noted championship teams have slumped late before, so “maybe they can flip the switch.”

Pelicans Best Clippers

• Sadiq Bey (25) and Trey Murphy (23) lead Pelicans past the Clippers.
  • Optimism for the Pelicans running it back if everyone is healthy.

Other Game Notes

• Hawks on an 11-game win streak; blowout wins for Celtics, Thunder, Raptors, Blazers, and Timberwolves.
• SGA extends 20-point streak; “Couldn't totally tell, but it didn't look like there was a single drop of sweat anywhere on his body.” – Skeets (34:50)
• Jonathan Kuminga hits a 75-foot basket – 6th longest on record (38:11)

---

Giannis Injury Saga: To Sit or Not? (39:44–43:53)

• Bucks want to shut down Giannis for the year, but he refuses.
  • Organizational logic: protect trade value, avoid unnecessary injury.
  • “Of course he wants to keep playing. That’s who he is.” – Tas (40:23)
  • “Ultimately, I think Giannis will play because the Bucks want most of all to please him.” – Skeets (41:40)
  • Standings-wise, Bucks are all but eliminated from the play-in.
  • Complex pick/loss incentives mean not much changes regardless; “They're finishing the ninth or tenth spot, no matter if Giannis plays or not.” – Tas (46:58)

---

NBA Draft: Top Prospects to Watch in March Madness (47:46–76:21)

Top 10 Draft Prospects (by Trey Kirby)

Players in this year’s NCAA tourney, broken down into tiers.

1. Cameron Boozer (Duke, F)

• “Looks like the strongest man on earth…great passer…probably going to be the player of the year.”
• Comps: “Tim Duncan of Antoine Walkers” – (Danny Chow, The Ringer), “Safest bet in the class.” – (Sam Vecenie)
• “I’m a Boozer guy.” – Skeets (49:07)
• [Plays Sienna, 2:50pm ET]

2. AJ Debanza/DebonSA (BYU, G/F)

• “Sometimes he looks like Tracy McGrady. Sometimes RJ Barrett.”
• Athletic scorer, defensive motor in question.
• “Imagine Pascal Siakam bonded to and emboldened by an alien life form.” – Skeets (51:43 quoting Chow)
• [Plays Texas, 7:25pm ET]

3. Darren Peterson (Kansas, G)

• Crampy legs, minutes restrictions; “A little less athletic than in high school, but awesome player. Deep bag.”
• Concerns about injury vs motor, but high ceiling.
• [Plays Cal Baptist, tomorrow]

4. Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas, G)

• “Not a crazy athlete, but an absolute bucket.”
• Comps: “Darren Williams”, “Jamal Murray.”
• “He was U of I legend. 23 per game, 6.5 assists, 45% from 3.”

5. Kingston Flemings (Houston, G)

• “Speed demon, questionable jumper.”
• Comps: “Kevin Johnson and Steve Francis.”
• “The first Flemings in NBA history.”

6. Keaton Wagler (Illinois, G)

• Tall, not explosive but crafty; “little bit of Kevin Martin, Austin Reaves.”
• “I like a tall point guard, too.” – E (59:19)

7. Braden Buries (Arizona, G)

• “Drew Holiday style, do-it-all point guard.”
• Defense, leadership, “good at everything, not great at anything.”
• “Can he dunk? If he can, we’re calling him Braden Bunnies.” – E (64:42)

8. Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan, F)

• Old, physical, “man strength,” “switchable on defense, 7'4 wingspan at 6'9.”
• “The Yaxle is strong on the chassis. Maybe he’ll get drafted to the Pistons.” – Skeets/E (67:02)

9. Dalen Swain (Texas, F)

• “Gets buckets, one-on-one player, good athlete;” comped to Naji Marshall.
• “Some people don’t have this guy as a lottery pick, so I got me a guy deep.” – Skeets (74:25)

10. LeBaron Phylon (Alabama, G)

• Sophomore, scoring guard, comps: “Ryan Rollins, Andrew Nembhard, Dennis Schroeder.”

• “Ability to ramp up or scale back usage.”

• Draft Class Themes:

  • Heavy guard class, some versatile forwards.
  • “There’s going to be flaws with everyone outside the top three.” – Skeets (57:21)
  • Prospects discussed in the context of how they fit lottery team needs.
  • Fun asides about unique prospect names and potential callouts/nicknames.

Fun Tangent: How Many Times Could an NBA Player Spin in the Air?

• “We’ve never seen a 720 in the dunk contest. Do you think NBA players could spin three times before landing?” – Skeets (68:13)
• "Let's see this at All-Star Weekend: How many spins can you do?" – Skeets (75:55)

---

Other Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Lakers’ Championship Potential:

  • “They’re looking more and more like a realistic piece of the pie title contender.” – Skeets (17:52)

• On Jokic’s Tough Night:

  • “He’s just been really sloppy... 10 is embarrassing for a guy like him.” – Skeets (30:23)

• On Hockey vs Basketball athleticism (fun debate):

  • “You would not put Connor McDavid anywhere near Russell Westbrook in year 18 as an athlete.” – Skeets (71:41)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:57 – Cade Cunningham injury and playoff impact
• 09:23 – Lakers’ clutch win, LeBron & Luka highlights, “flow state”
• 17:24 – Lakers’ title tier/straw poll, Magic Johnson’s tweet
• 20:04 – Luka’s place in the MVP race
• 25:05 – Nuggets and Clippers' surprising losses, playoff implications
• 34:50 – Blowouts & bizarre moments (SGA streak, Kuminga's long shot)
• 39:44 – Giannis/Bucks drama about injury shutdown
• 47:46 – March Madness, NBA draft prospects primer (list starts at 48:00)
• 62:49– Fun tangents: athlete speed, “triple axel” challenge for NBA players
• 75:41 – Top 10 prospects list concluding, closing banter

---

Final Thoughts

The No Dunks crew delivers thoughtful, energetic analysis of the biggest NBA news with plenty of trademark humor—from playoff implications and MVP narratives to which NCAA stars to watch. The segment on draft prospects is in-depth, accessible, and full of useful comp names and viewing tips for March Madness. For NBA fans prepping for playoffs and draft season alike, this episode brings both laughs and serious hoops insights.

---

Quotables:

• “If they don't have Cade at full strength, they got no chance.” – Skeets (04:46)
• “He’s 41 years old. This guy dunked six times in a game.” – Tas (10:13)
• “Luka generated 15 straight points over four minutes. That really blew this game out for LA.” – Skeets (12:52)
• “The Lakers are contenders in the West because of their outstanding improvement on defense.” – Magic Johnson (19:20, via Twitter)
• “There’s going to be flaws with everybody outside of the top three.” – Skeets (57:21)
• “Let’s see who can spin the most times in the air at All-Star Weekend.” – Skeets (75:55)

---

Want more? Tune in for an hour-plus of basketball nerdery and classic No Dunks chemistry.

Transcript

[Podcast Advertiser]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human. When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Cino]

On the Cino Show Podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor cultural icon Danny Trejo talk about addiction, transformation and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to binge, featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Haddish, Johnny Knoxville, and more.

[Skeets]

I'm an alcoholic, and without this trope, I'm gonna die.

[Cino]

Listen to Cino's show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dickenpole show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand better version of

[Skeets]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[E]

Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually, I thought it was. I got that wrong.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

But hey, no one's perfect. We're pretty close, though. Listen to the Nick, Dick and Paul show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Skeets]

Then she says, have you seen a

[E]

photo of my son? And I'm like, who is this person?

[Boys and Girls Podcast Host]

Welcome to the Boys and Girls Podcast. Arranged marriage is basically a reality show and you're auditioning for your soulmate. And who's judging? Only your entire family. I sacrificed myself to this ancient tradition, hoping to find love the right way, and instead I found chaos, comedy, and a lot of cringe. Listen to boys and Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[E]

Good morning, sweet Fart, and welcome to the Dough Dunks podcast presented by Fart duel. It's Thursday fart 19th, 2026. I'm Je Skeets here in the Fart Factory. I just ripped one and it stinks alongside me as always. It's Tasmelis.

[G]

If only I had the hat from yesterday that said little ripper on.

[E]

Next to him, it's my top shot hot boy Trey Kirby.

[G]

AYO hey.

[E]

Oh, and last but not least, making the magic happen. Super producer JD has not reached me yet. Yeah, I don't think it will. It's already quickly dissipated. But you know, when you. Your own farts gross you out, bad fart. So apologies. Apologies to everyone. Happened right before we went live. On today's show, we're going to discuss some NBA draft prospects to watch this March madness that tips today. What time?

[Skeets]

12:10.

[E]

What do they do here?

[Skeets]

Is that when?

[E]

I don't know.

[Skeets]

Yeah, we've definitely got some afternoon games.

[E]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's all day. And we are going to recap a few of last night's NBA games and performances. But first, breaking news from Shams this morning. Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and is expected to miss an extended period of time. So Cade left Tuesday's game against the Wizards with what the team described as back spasms. We talked about it, right? Trey Johnson sort of fell on him there by accident, sort of tweaked his back or so we thought, gave it a go, played a couple more possessions, but then ultimately left and didn't return to the ball. And they said it was back spasms. But now Tas Mild, I didn't know that was a thing with a collapsed along with that's what they're saying. And you know, doing a quick Dr. Google search here, it seems like that could be a couple weeks. If it is that mild, obviously could be more severe.

[G]

Yes. I believe small lung collapse is what's happening in the the old Internet as far as we go, as far as medical concerns go. But yes, mild is what Shams is calling it. A number of weeks or a period of weeks is what Shams is calling it. So I think here March 19, very unclear as to how long it's going to last, but it's going to last multiple weeks. They're still diagnosing what is going on there. But this could be the end of the Detroit Pistons this season. They're not playing their best ball. And for Cade to be leaving and not coming back for multiple weeks and probably not going to be Kate Cunningham, MVP candidate right out the bat as soon as he comes back. Yeah, this could be the end of their season, essentially.

[Skeets]

Oh, yeah. Terrible timing for Cade for the Pistons. I mean, depending on how long he's out, this could take him out of the awards race completely. If he misses basically the rest of the season, if he's not able to make it back until like the second round of the playoffs, that pretty Much puts them out of title or at least Eastern Conference contention for me. So yeah, I mean, Sham said there was some optimism he'll make it back for the playoffs. I looked up some things. Last three guys I could find with collapsed lungs. Gerald Wallace in 2009, he missed three weeks. Terrence Jones, 2015, two weeks. C.J. mcCollum, 2023, he missed four weeks. So depending on the severity, he could be done till the end of the season. He could be back in a couple of weeks here. Still miss a chunk of games. I guess that's the best case scenario. But yeah, if they don't have Cade at full strength, they got no chance.

[E]

Yeah. Do you even have the. Let's just hypothetically say he's out for the rest of the regular season and is gonna even miss like a first round matchup. And let's, let's say for again, sake of argument, they keep the number one seed. D. Rankins comes in plays. Okay. They have a three and a half game lead on the Celtics. Let's just say they keep it. Do you think they could still get by one of those teams that would be in the eighth spot? So could be the Raps, could be the Magic, could be the Hawks, could be the Heat. Like these teams. Would you favor one of those teams? Kind of the plan. Or would you think the Pistons could

[G]

still beat them without Kate, Without Cade Cunningham? Yeah, I would favor one of those teams. In a situation like that, it's not going to be the Raps. They're already in fifth, baby. But as far as one of those teams. Yeah, Magic, Hawks. No, I would favor one of those teams. But again, what Choms is, is choosing to term this as a period of weeks. He's not saying several weeks. He's not saying a long time, so we can be optimistic. But a period of weeks, that means at least two. And so. And so it's not several. If you said several, it's three or more. But in this case we don't know. And I know Shams is not being extremely clear with it because I don't think the Detroit Pistons know at this point. He's, he's saying here on March 19, this is what we're going to call it and we shall see. But as far as those teams go, I think you'd want at least Cade Cunningham to be coming back and playing in the first round. I know you want him come back as soon as possible, but I think you could see them winning with Cade in the first round against a bunch of those teams. At least even if it's not 100%, Kate. I think they could still win around and then get to the second round. But I still think they hold on to this one seed because they have the tiebreaker with the Boston Celtics. So the Celtics have to beat them. Have to beat them. And I have a better record than them, I should say, before the first round.

[Skeets]

So yeah, they'll probably hold on to the one seed. But I would take, I would take whoever wins the eight seed over the Pistons without Cade.

[G]

Yeah. Yeah.

[E]

That is.

[G]

Yeah. Yeah.

[E]

Again, hopefully we're, we're overreacting here. And he's back in two weeks and he's back to sort of that MVP level and they get rolling again here as they get into the postseason.

[G]

They're not cooking right now.

[E]

Yeah, yeah. But man, this would be an absolute bummer to a terrible season for them and what a turnaround and his play and all that. And like you said, like he's at 61 games played. He hasn't hit the 65 game threshold yet. If he were to miss like the rest of the regular season, that'd be wild. This guy was like a top MVP guy all season long. Obviously was going to make an all NBA team. Maybe first, at least second. And now that's up in the air if he, if he doesn't come back and play in a couple more games along with a bunch of other guys that are like right on the precipice too. We could have the most insane all NBA teams or guys that would have made all NBA teams is what I should have said in the end. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

[G]

Yeah. And I suppose it did happen when he was hit. Somebody fell on him there.

[E]

Yeah. Trey Johnson III on him.

[G]

Yeah. We got a, you know, a tiny leak between the lung and the chest wall as Maryland says out there. We're looking forward to the Brian Suterer report to see what, what he believes. But as you said, you, you went through the one, the, the history of it. It could be, yeah. Three weeks and we're, we're four plus weeks from the playoffs.

[E]

Yep.

[Skeets]

So Schumann here in the stream team mentions pistons are 5 and 2 without Cade this season. Wins against the Bulls twice. Philadelphia, Indiana and New Orleans. So not the greatest competition. Their losses are against the Clippers and the Nets.

[G]

Yeah.

[Skeets]

So I mean it'll be, it, it'll be probably a toss up most nights for the Pistons without Cade, but they've got basically a five game buffer over the Celtics. So seating isn't A huge worry, I don't think, for them. But him getting back and getting into shape definitely is the concern.

[G]

Right.

[E]

Talk a little bit about last night's games. Let's start with the. Really the only entertaining game. It was a lot of blowouts last night, but Luca dropped 40. LeBron added 30. Lakers stretch their win streak to seven straight. They beat the Rockets back to back here in Houston. This was a close game, Tas, but once again the Lakers making all the clutch plays. And I mean, LeBron was special and we'll talk about him. But Luka, just the takeover there in the fourth quarter, the. The couple times that he split the. The double team, the trap up top, that one behind the back was extra special. That even impressed him because he then threw the alley oop to Rui on that one. Had LeBron another one. Then he hit the game. That or the three pointer that basically iced the game. He completely took over. And he was like laughing the whole time and dancing the whole time, talking

[G]

to people in the front row.

[E]

He was, he was feeling it.

[G]

Oh, he was awesome. From the get go, he was talking trash to that. That was it. A pair of people, just one person in the front row. It's so weird because I was trying to find out who's. Who's yelling at, but then you see there's a Luka Doncic jersey like right behind that person. But he finds somebody to yell at and yeah, the one to LeBron who I. I wanted to start with. I mean, it's LeBron, dude. It's 41 years old. This guy dunked six times in a game. He's 41. He's got more dunks this season than he had last season. And he played 22 fewer games this season than what he did last. He's about to tie Robert Parrish for the most games played in the history of the NBA in just one more game. And he was throwing down those dunks and he had that help block early in the fourth quarter when the Rockets were making their run to really help out. So the energy he was showing up that the alley oop where he had the cock back. He lost Dorian Finney Smith on the outside. He faked to go up top, backdoored him. He even dropped Dorian Finney Smith with a dribble like two plays later. But luckily it was just a foul on Jackson Hayes. So that doesn't make the highlights for him. But I mean, he's playing his best ball this season. I don't think there's any doubt about that. He's shooting 62% in March. You know, it got bumped up because of last night, but he was shooting 58% in March going into this game, so he's awesome. But yeah, he. He sealed it when Luka was doubled out on the perimeter at half court. And then Luca gave it up and got it right back and had to spin on Sengun. Lost him. And then through that alley oop to the sprinting LeBron from the corner for the alley oop with a minute 30 left. So it all starts with Luca, there's no doubt. But old man LeBron has to get lots of love because of what he's frigging doing here at 41 years. I'm not winding it here. I'm not pulling the Brian Windhorse last night who's praising LeBron, but come on, I mean, this is spectacular stuff.

[Skeets]

So spectacular is right. Six dunks is the most he's had in a game in nine years. They were talking to him, or they're talking to the other Lakers about the last time LeBron went 13 of 14 from the field. And Deandre Ayton's like, I was 12 as a man now. That's amazing how, how the longevity and to see him be such a monster in transition as well. That's why I think is part of the reason LeBron is shooting this great percentage, 63% in March. He's bought into being the transition guy, being the third option, hitting wide open corner threes. He's just a play finisher right now, able to pick his spots and looks completely bought into the team and realizes that they got a chance to win because they do have Luka Doncic. I'm walking in this game. I'm thinking I'm getting a new pair of basketball shoes soon. Am I getting the KD18 or am I getting the Luka 5? Whoever wins, I'm going to order them.

[E]

High stakes.

[G]

Yeah.

[Skeets]

And then Luka went nuts because all of the points he was generating for the Lakers there during the turn, the takeover, all of them were highlights. There was no easy baskets. There were no simple assists. It was a crazy spin move to get an alley oop. It was finding Rui Hachimura in the corner, and somehow Rui makes a three when the ball hit the bottom of the rim. I still don't understand how that one went in from the corner. But Luka generated 15 straight points for the Lakers over the course of four minutes. That really blew this game out for LA. And I love to see LeBron get the ball in the Corner, give it back to Luka and say, just do something cool. Then he hits the step back three to really the dagger, I thought. And you know, he celebrated. He yelled at people. Is he happy? Is he upset? It's impossible to say. He's swearing the entire time. And that was just special stuff to see. 30 from LeBron pretty easily and then 40 from Luka in just complete highlight mode. And they're doing a good job defensively as well. The Rockets, I thought, were better this time around than they were in their previous matchup. Yeah, they had Shangun. He mattered. I thought Amend Thompson was a little bit more aggressive, looking to get his shot, but still they held Kevin Durant to two attempts in the fourth quarter. They still don't have a good fourth quarter offense in Houston, even though they had a little bit better flow last night.

[E]

Kevin Durant in two close fourth quarters this week against the Lakers, 17 minutes, five points on 2 of 5 shooting, one assist, three turnovers, minus 10. That's just fourth quarter action there against the Lakers. Houston minus 16 in total in those two fourth quarters. They lost the games by combined 16. So it's like came down to the clutch time. Once again, the Lakers have been dominant in close games and the Rockets really have not and have fallen apart here. And you know, they had an awesome third quarter that was. The Rockets were like, you know, they were getting me believing again. I'm like, oh, yeah, here we go. When they, when they're rolling, they look like one of the elite teams. But that was just for the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, it was the Lakers. Luka, man, you're right. That like those two plays where he was splitting the traps and then throwing. And here's the best thing about Luka. He's talking shit to fans, he's not talking shit to the officials. He has really toned down the Luca complaining now. Why is that? Probably because he's at 15 technical fouls and one more is a one game suspension. I think Lakers fans need to ask Silver and the league to like put 14 or 15 technical fouls immediately on Luca's resume at the start of next season. He plays better when he gets close to this line. This has happened before with him where he like sort of cuts that crap out and just gets back to like kicking ass and. Because he's like right there and the next one would obviously miss a game and they're, they're in a race for all these seating. So yeah, it was awesome.

[G]

Get a fan who wears referee stripes in the front row because that's who he's yelling.

[E]

Sure. Yeah, there you go.

[G]

He's literally yelling at one fan and looking at one fan. And that's what gets him going. That's what gets him splitting these doubles or saying, all right, I'm going at the double again. As I said, he gives it up to deandre Ayton, who's setting the pick and gets it back and then splits the double. And that's the difference between Luca and Kevin Durant in fourth quarters, is that Luca has no problems with those doubles. And it's very different for Kevin Durant being the Giant that he is having to handle those doubles the same way from the perimeter. But they definitely made it different and got Kevin Durant off the ball more. Didn't have to bring it up as. More as many times. And, and they were better at the four on threes, but Lucas perfected the, the four on threes. Or, or he says, screw it, I don't need to pass out of it. He doesn't need to pass to DeAndre Ayton at the free throw line. Although that worked at times too. Deandre Ayton is awesome, but Luka is doing so many things. And, and speaking of DeAndre, the question was, coming into this season, who is going to support this top three of LeBron and Luca and Austin Reeves, do they have any guys? And now the question is, who's not supporting? It's deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart in the starting lineup. Here comes Luke Canard being a connector or breaking down, somebody sprinting out at him. Jake Laravia handling it defensively, shooting the 3. Really Rui obviously doing the exact same thing. So they got three guys off the bench doing that steadily. So yeah, they perfected it. Right now they are perfecting it. J.J. redick is, he's a good coach. Yeah, yeah. I like, I, I love the audio on him. Just, just what he's doing to try and get them motivated. He's. He's doing something that I think is just smart for anybody. The, the compartmentalizing of. He calls them shifts. Just three more shifts. Just three more shifts, which he's talking about like stops. Three more stops.

[E]

He's.

[G]

Three more shifts. You just gotta sprint from one side of the court to the other side of the court three or four times. Let's, let's do. He's just making them think a certain way and it's obviously working.

[E]

I was thinking about your hand drawn pyramid last night, watching the Lakers pull out this victory again, wondering, you know, where would you have them in that pyramid if we were to redo it here, I guess that's the question. Like, have the Lakers clearly jumped. Have they, I guess jumped up to the tier with the Thunder and the Spurs? Are they in their own tier? Do you have them above these teams that are struggling? We'll get to the Nuggets and obviously the Rockets are there and the Wolves, where do you have them?

[Skeets]

Interesting. I would maybe now, if I was doing it well today after a couple of fun clutch wins for the Lakers, they would probably be third for me. I would bump Denver down. I would put the Lakers ahead of Minnesota and Denver at this point, and then probably still behind the spurs because, I mean, they're still rolling as well, but I would have them in tier two. I mean, for me, they're a dark horse title contender, but they're looking more and more like a realistic piece of the pie title contender. Yeah.

[G]

Deandre Ayton playing at another level helps, that's for sure. Where he does.

[E]

Yeah. And LeBron playing like a supercharged Aaron Gordon people are comparing them to and you're like, oh yeah, off the ball way more obviously out there for defensive purposes, locked in screaming for these alley oops. Like Jokic throwing to Aaron Gordon is just Luka throwing LeBron, it's like, yeah, I mean, he plays like that. Jesus.

[G]

Sure, yeah. Again, this is the best ball of the season. And it doesn't help, you know, only playing 48 games to this point just to keep him as fresh as possible. I know it's that we're still a month away to see them, you know, lock up that three seed. It's still tough for them to lock it up. They could still fall down, but yes, the way they're playing and Luca, and that was the most threes he's taken in his career. Tying for for the most that he's taken before. 17 threes. Like he feels awesome and. And then, yeah, it starts to trickle down. We question them coming into the season because there are question marks there. They're size questions. But somehow all these guys are playing at an elite level.

[E]

Here's how you know. The Lakers are back. Magic Johnson is tweeting about him.

[Skeets]

Let's go.

[E]

Magic tweeted last night. The Lakers are contenders in the west because of their outstanding improvement on defense. That's fair point for Magic. It's been a total team effort starting with man to man defense. And the rotations and communication have been excellent. Says a lot about the great job J.J. redick is doing. The Lakers are the Most exciting team to watch in the NBA. Could tweet Magic for Magic. That's, you know, actually had sort of takes. It wasn't just straight facts, like usually gives the record of the Lakers and the seating, like, yeah, we know that. But okay, he had. He had some thoughts there. So Magic is in, and he sees them as a contender here in the West.

[Skeets]

Still tweeting.

[E]

Magic, still tweeting.

[Skeets]

Nice. Good for him.

[E]

Final thought on them. Where do you have Luca now in the MVP race?

[Skeets]

Because he is probably fourth.

[E]

Okay.

[Skeets]

Yeah.

[E]

So in order, you have SG or whatever order. You have sga. Jokic still above him. And then who did you have? Third. You have Wemby. Okay, fourth.

[Skeets]

Yeah. But I mean, he's. He's making a hard charge and he's going to lead the league in scoring. And now he's putting up 40 every night. It feels like hitting a bunch of clutch shots as well. The clutch record will definitely help with getting him votes. Even though a lot of their clutch wins early in the season were, you know, a couple of seconds at the end of the game, but it counts. And he has hit a ton of big shots and. And it feels a little bit like second year of heat with Wade and LeBron, where it's like, Finally, LeBron is in the Wade role, where he's like, hey, this is your team now taking it over.

[E]

Yeah. And you said it, Tess. You slipped in there. That was LeBron's 1610th regular season game, so one shy of the record. But he also has the record already for most games played. When you count the playoffs, it always makes me laugh. He's over 1900 games played. LeBron is. Because I played so many.

[Skeets]

I mean, he's technically already tied as well because he played in the first NBA cup, which doesn't go down for a regular season or postseason.

[G]

Wow. Wow.

[E]

Nice.

[G]

Robert Parish.

[Skeets]

Didn't you eat your heart out, Robert?

[E]

Robert Parish could never have played in an NBA cup. Literally couldn't. Didn't exist. All right, any other Lakers thoughts? Luca thoughts? LeBron thoughts?

[Skeets]

I thought JJ was funny in post game. He's like, I can still touch the rim, but then I can't walk for three days after. Then he talked about the four burners theory, which you got from James Clear. The four burners of energy. You have to keep going, Worth. Health, work, health, family and friends. He said friends and health. Not good for him right now.

[E]

He's just too busy.

[Skeets]

He's locked in. Yeah, he's way too locked in.

[E]

Fair enough.

[G]

Work family. That's all he does in the regular season, apparently. If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook

[E]

ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H vac and plumbing supplies to lighting and more.

[G]

And all delivered with plenty of time

[E]

left on the clock.

[Skeets]

So your team always gets the win.

[E]

Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

When you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity, the hosts always act like they know what they're talking about. And they are every experts at everything here at the Nick, Dick and Pole show, we're not afraid to make mistakes. What Coogler did that I think was so unique.

[G]

Who's he?

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

He's the writer director.

[G]

Who do you think he is?

[E]

I don't know.

[G]

You meet the like the president.

[E]

You think it was the president. You think Canada has a president?

[G]

You think China has a president?

[Skeets]

Those law proves that.

[G]

God, I love that thing.

[Skeets]

I use it all the time.

[G]

I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it like it's like the

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus.

[E]

Yep, it was a good one. I like that saying. It's an actual Polish saying. It is an actual Polish.

[G]

Better version of Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[E]

Yes.

[G]

Which.

[E]

Which by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually. I thought it was. I got that wrong.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

Listen to the Nick, Dick and Paul show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia and I'm kicking off a brand new season of my podcast Math and Stories from the frontiers of Marketing. Math and Magic takes you behind the scenes of the biggest businesses and industries while sharing insights from the smartest minds in marketing. I'm talking to leaders from the entertainment industry, to finance and everywhere in between. This season of Math and Magic. I'm talking to CEO of Liquid Death, Mike Cesario, financier and public health advocate Mike Milken, Take two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick.

[G]

If you're unable to take meaningful creative risk and therefore run the risk of

[Skeets]

making horrible creative mistakes, then you can't

[G]

play in this business.

[Bob Pittman]

Sesame Street CEO Sherry Weston and our own Chief Business Officer Lisa Coffey.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Making consumers see the value of the human voice and to have that guaranteed human promise behind behind it really makes it rise to the top.

[Bob Pittman]

Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Podcast Advertiser]

A ambitious, well intentioned, ferocious and wealthy mother looks like in the Black community this woman's History Month. The podcast Keep It Positive Sweetie celebrates the power of women choosing healing, purpose and faith. Even when life gets messy, love is not a destination.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

You have to work on it every day.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Keep It Positive Sweetie creates space for honest conversations on self worth, love, growth and navigating life with grace and grit led by women who uplift, inspire and tell the truth out loud. I have several conversations with God and

[Skeets]

I know why it took 20 years

[Podcast Advertiser]

to hear this and more. Listen to Keep It Positive sweetie on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[E]

All right, let's move on to two surprising outcomes last night, so I want to lump them together. Sadiq Bay scored 25, Trey Murphy had 23. Pelicans got the victory over the Clippers. Kawhi played but they won 124, 109. And then we had Ty Jerome leading the Grizzlies past the Nuggets, a game in which Yokich and Murray played. There was no Aaron Gordon, but Grizzlies beat them to125,118 to stop an eight game slide. Trey, I'll start with you on this one more surprising loss. The Clippers last night or the Nuggets?

[Skeets]

It's gotta be the Nuggets because at least the Pelicans are trying to win right now. They look like a real team. They got all their vets healthy, they're playing all of their older players and as we've talked about, they're trying to make the play and it's not going to happen. But at least they're trying to win. The Grizzlies are not. They don't have a legitimate center on their Ross Per. They got oh Matt, their Ross Per thinking Omax Prosper on the roster and he's their center at the beginning of the game. I think the Nuggets lately I've been calling these losses they had against the Lakers against the Thunder where they're just losing by the skin of their teeth. Encouraging losses because they're playing defense. They look like they're competitive. It's just not going their way in a coin toss at the end. This was a discouraging loss and they're really struggling against scoring guards lately. In their last six games they've seen Ty Jerome last night go for 21, 9 and 9. Reeves had 32, Luka had 30 and 13 in their game. Fox had 27, 9, Castle had 30 and 10 in their game against the spurs and SGA went for 35 15. They just do not have the quickness to stick with anybody who can handle the ball in the perimeter and get their own shot. Christian Brown was getting torched last night, Bruce Brown, they tried Spencer Jones, they tried Cam Johnson, they tried everything on Ty Jerome and he was just able to get into pick and rolls and do his little dance and get to his floater or create for somebody else. The lack of athleticism was killing the Nuggets. I really thought last night they only forced 10 turnovers. Jokic to me took too long to get into scoring mode. He only took three shots in the first half against the team that literally doesn't have a center. I mean they play a lot of, they play a lot of small guys. They play a lot of five out basketball. And you can see in the second half, Jokic was making more concerted effort to take the game into his hands. He went 9 of 16 in the second half. That was great. 12 of his shots came in the fourth quarter as they're trying to close this game out. I think he could have been more aggressive in the first half. He was looking to pass. He was sloppy with the turnovers. It looked like a second night of a back to back kind of night. It looked like they thought they'd be able to flip the switch, turn it on and run away in the second half, which we've seen the Nuggets do quite a few times in the past three or four seasons. They're one of the flip switching teams out there. But the lack of defense they have on the perimeter is a real problem because if you get past the first line of defense, there's not going to be a second line of defense right now. So until Peyton Watson comes back, they really don't have a chance on the outside.

[G]

Hey, don't kick yourself for saying Ross Per instead of roster at the beginning of this show. I, I was trying to think of MD instead of. What popped in my brain was Ed because we have a potential sponsor here on this show for erectile dysfunction. And I was looking at that earlier and so nothing was coming out of my head.

[Skeets]

I was, yeah, that's what erectile dysfunction is.

[G]

Yeah, yeah, nothing. Nothing. That, that isn't an issue at this point. But saying MD when I'm trying to say Ed was as far as the Denver Nuggets go.

[Skeets]

It's partly a schedule loss.

[G]

This was a rescheduled game from January that was plopped in there. They had to fly there last night. I know we always say what time did they land and all that and, and that is not an excuse, but I'm going to throw it in there.

[E]

I think the Grizzlies took advantage of it too. Like they were like pressing full court defense. Like they're like our best chance to maybe win this game is just like go deep in our bench. Like so many guys played for them. I know some of it was maybe they were trying to lose it at the end but like they really pressed the pace and that was why it's coaching decision because they knew they were getting maybe a tired team here.

[G]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Nuggets definitely do this where they aren't playing for four quarters. This, I mean it is a bit of a championship hangover. I know it's multiple years, but they don't come out and kick teams ass. And as Trey was saying, the Grizzlies athleticism showed out in this game, especially in that third quarter when they come out of their locker room at home to beat this team that flew in last night and landed at 4:19 in the morning. Katie Wingy, who's part of the Nuggets broadcast said my head to pillow was 5:30am so my head to my head to pillow, as she called it now that's their 16th back to back for the Denver Nuggets. The second half of back to back. Most in the NBA. But somehow they've been good at it even since last season. There's 32 combined back to backs. They're 22 and 10 in the second half of back to backs. That's the best record in the NBA. That's really, really good over the last two years. But you could see that the Grizzlies wanted to run it down their throat. Beat him in fast break. Beat him off the bench. 43 18. While the Nuggets played the night before, guys like Ty Jerome had four days off before this game. He sat out a game. Gigi Jackson, lots of athleticism. He had five days off. They sit Aaron Gordon in this game because of the hamstring management. So it was yeah, definitely more of a Nuggets loss, I think and definitely disappointing here as the, the standings are really, really important for them. They could have hopped over the Rockets last night. They did not.

[E]

Yeah, and Yic had 10 turnovers and nine of them were bad passes or just sloppy with the ball. And lost it in, like, a double team coming from the Grizzlies. Like, only one was, I think, like an offensive foul. Like a, you know, a moving pick, let's call it. He was really bad with the ball, and he's been quite bad for this, like, last couple weeks. The turnover numbers are high. He still fills the box score, all the other stats, but you don't want. That's the tov. You don't want a high number there. Last I checked. And 10's like, embarrassing for a guy like him. And he had an. He had a nine turnover game not long ago. And, yeah, he's just been really sloppy with it. So that's a bad loss. Now, I will say, like, some people are saying sky is falling with Denver. Like, it's definitely not their year, all that. You go back to the championship year three years ago. They lost four in a row at one point. They went seven and seven in March. They were losing to bad teams. I even remember. And of course, they go on to win the title. And then even last year, like, they got waxed by Portland. They fired their coach with, like, two weeks to go. It's sort of like, oh, they're here. This is a completely lost season. They took okc, the defending champs, to game seven, like, put up a hell of a fight. So point is, like, sometimes we can overreact to this. I. I don't. Maybe you're, like, not convinced it's their year, but they've done before. They've had, like, a really bad March, whatever, quiet run at the end, and then they kick it up a notch in the place in the postseason.

[G]

This is.

[E]

Maybe it happens again.

[G]

As far as the Clippers Pelicans game, I know we've been talking about a Pelicans team that may go into this off season and say, oh, we're gonna give this one more chance.

[E]

Oh, hell, yeah.

[G]

Yeah.

[E]

Oh, yeah.

[G]

Because Dejante Murray, you can find all the reasons.

[E]

You call Michelle Beetle now. We're running it back, baby.

[G]

Right. Yeah. Because Dejante Murray comes back from the Achilles and looks awesome late in the season here to lead this team. But then you got Zion. He's been the healthiest. He's been. You can start to look at all these reasons to see Trey Murphy's dunk last night. He's had an incredible year. He shot 200 threes. Look at all the reasons you can find to say we're doing this one more time with a healthy Dejounte Murray leading our. Our five. I mean, they're Starting five is good. Yeah, when you look at it. Call Michelle Beo.

[E]

Call Parsons. Call L. Williams.

[G]

Yeah.

[E]

DeMarcus cousins, too.

[Skeets]

And the Barry Sanders.

[G]

Barry Sanders? Yeah.

[Skeets]

Yeah, he's a running back.

[G]

I thought it was in an E. An Ed joke, maybe?

[Skeets]

No, he's got a firm one. Trust me. That's why he retired early.

[E]

JD Throw up the playoff picture. Please

[Skeets]

throw up the Ed picture.

[E]

Denver remains percentage points behind Houston for fifth place in the west, and they fell a game behind fourth place Minnesota. So we're showing you the playoff picture for all you podcast listeners right now. Four, five. Wolves, Rockets, three, six. Lakers, Nuggets, obviously. Thunder, spurs, one two in the West. So, yeah, these are big, big games. I mean, especially when you drop one to the Grizzlies when you're in basically, you know, a tie with, like, three other teams, that's going to hurt. Could hurt at the end. But maybe they want to play the Lakers. I don't know. Maybe they're playing chess, not checkers. I don't know. Maybe they want the three. Six. You avoid the. You avoid the Thunder side of the bracket until the Western Conference final G. I don't know what's going on.

[Skeets]

Yeah, it's going to be jockey mode.

[G]

We'll see.

[E]

Yeah, we'll see.

[G]

Yeah, the Clippers didn't. Didn't start Chris Dunn for the first time since November 5th. I thought that was something. Now that John Collins is back, combined with Kawaii coming back from the ankle, this was an opportunity for them to get a little closer to the Phoenix Suns in the seventh spot, who are losing games, especially with Dylan Brooks and Mark Williams being out. But now the Clippers have lost three in a row. An interesting choice, I thought, by Ty Lu to sit Chris Dunn, but they got the Pelicans again tonight. We're gonna see him again tonight.

[E]

That's right. Running back.

[Skeets]

We call him Christian Okoye.

[E]

Wednesday night results. JD I wasn't kidding when I said there was, like, a million blowouts. Look at this. The Celtics crushed the Warriors. The Thunder spanked the Nets. The Nets had 24 points. Is it at half? Yeah. That sounds like a mistake. I know, but they had 24 points at the half.

[G]

Yeah, they did.

[E]

They ended with 92. It was a great second half. Hawks ran their win streak up to 11. They crushed the Mavs. The Raptors dominated the Bulls. The Blazers took care of business in Indiana. Minnesota put up 147 points versus the Jazz. So those are some of the other games. Any of the takeaways from these blowouts.

[Skeets]

Well, SGA got his 20 points last night against the Nets. He went 8 of 9 from the field. He missed his first shot. It was like a wide open floater where it just got tipped him in the lane. He missed it, then went 8 of 8 after that. Didn't take a single three pointer. Couldn't totally tell, but it didn't look like there was a single drop of sweat anywhere on his body. Maybe a couple on his shoulders or the start of a glistening look.

[E]

He checked out like five minutes to go in the third quarter, didn't he?

[Skeets]

And he got his 20th point with 10 minutes left in the third. Subbed out five minutes later, never came back. And I was like this is how the streak could end. Like he has 19 points but the Thunder up by 50 or something like that. That seems the most reasonable way that it ends.

[E]

Yeah, I almost think they'll get it for him though too. We sort of did see them try that a little bit against the Wolves. Definitely had to get the late 10, but.

[Skeets]

Yeah, but man, 24 points in the first half. That's crazy.

[E]

That is.

[Skeets]

That was crazy.

[E]

Something else.

[G]

Yeah. We all wondered are they going to hit the under of 62 and a half wins now. They're 55 and 15 through 70 games. So math. Yeah, they just have to win eight of their last 12 games. So they should get there. But it, you know, it's somewhat close but.

[E]

Well, yeah, they'll get there that. We were wondering that before they went on this 10 game win streak for sure. And then now you're right.

[G]

Looks like they should, they should it. Yeah.

[E]

Quite easily.

[G]

I mean that Raptors blow out of the Bulls was. Was something in that the Raptors have turned it around. The fact that they were using their athleticism, they're pushing it and they're moving the ball in that. There's just too much movement for the Bulls defense in that game to handle. I think the Yaka Purdle effect is real. Him playing, having a center out there. I mean he almost got Decapac. His head was almost taken off by Matas Bouzelis. I mean that was, that was a great attempt that didn't happen. Almost got him. Almost got super, super close. But fun, fun team right now.

[E]

Yeah, I saw Raptors Republic. Right. The Raptors beating up on bad teams. Feels a whole lot better when they got a couple meaningful wins under the belt. Some facts to that. Obviously beat some winning teams recently here and then go and take care of the Bulls. Raptors completed the sweep of the three game season series. So Raps fans take the no dunks bowl this year. But I mean, you're hoping for L's at this point also shut down. Mickey Mouse Giddy, which was nice guy like you had brought up many times, was on a tear with the triple doubles. I think he had five triple doubles over his previous seven games. He was averaging like 19, 12 and 12. He did dick all last night giddy, nine points, three assists, zero rebounds. None for you. So Mickey Mouse Giddy couldn't even come through. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow. And then we got to show you this clip. Jonathan Kaminga accidentally hit it. A 75 foot basket in the wind. The longest basket by a Hawk in the play by play era and the sixth longest among all players in the play by play era since 97, 98, according to Elias Sports. So, yeah, he was trying to throw the pass to Jock Landell and it just went in and he had a hilarious reaction where he's like. At first like, what did I do? What did I. What did I wreck? But then he smiles at the end. So what a shot. Number one play of the night. Yeah, here he is, he's all concerned, but then he's like, ha, ha ha. Yeah, that's a three pointer. Crazy. I guess the previous longest made basket by a hawk was a 63 foot bucket by Jason Terry in 2000. So 26 years later, Kaminga now has it 75ft. 74. 75ft.

[G]

He's never been a good passer. I don't know what was more surprising, that the ball went in or Jock Landale's shaved head.

[E]

Yeah, that was, you know, quick thinking by Jock Landell to not touch it. Yeah, he obviously is thinking it's a pass and goes to go get it, like sort of an alley oop. And then he like at the last second pulls away so he didn't interfere with it and then that thing just drops. What a shot.

[Skeets]

Is that the longest shot of the season?

[E]

It has to be.

[Skeets]

Yeah. I don't know.

[E]

What did I say? 6th longest since we've ever tracked these things.

[Skeets]

Oh, wow.

[E]

Yeah. So it's one of the longest shots of all time on record.

[Skeets]

Nice.

[E]

Yeah, it's up there.

[G]

Yeah. The most recent one was Jokic last year, right?

[Skeets]

Yeah, he had a super long one. Yeah, Jay Crowder hit a long one once upon a time. Jay Crowder, high school quarterback.

[E]

What a shot. 11 straight, guys. 11 straight. They haven't done that since. Since we basically moved here to Atlanta. 1415, I guess.

[Skeets]

Wow.

[E]

I think Was the last time they had a streak that long.

[Skeets]

Is that the 60?

[G]

The good year?

[E]

I think so.

[Skeets]

Nice.

[E]

Yeah. Yep. Any other thoughts from any of the blowouts?

[Skeets]

41 for Bryce Sensibaugh. He's got two 40 point games this season.

[E]

What does he have two?

[Skeets]

Yeah, he had a 43 against the Bulls. They lost both of the games. He's gone for 40. But I'm happy for him when he scores a lot.

[E]

Guys, a bucket can score a lot. Yep. Okay. We got some Giannis news here, Tas.

[G]

Oh yeah?

[E]

Yeah. Bucks want to shut down Giannis for the remainder of the season after his latest injury, but the two time MVP has refused the team's requests. He wants to play again. This is from Shams. Although I mean Eric Nim of the Athletic actually sort of had it first and then, and then Shams, you know, spreads like wildfire. But nice. What your take on, on this new, I guess Giannis drama with the Bucks?

[G]

There's a lot of drama this year.

[E]

Yeah. Are you tired of it?

[G]

No, no, no, no.

[E]

I am.

[G]

I like it. All right. Yeah, you're done.

[E]

Yeah, I like it.

[G]

Well, of course he wants to keep playing. That's who he is. He almost had his knee knocked out in the Eastern Conference final and came back a week later to lead this team to an NBA Finals. He models his, the, the off court, the, the mental game after Kobe. So yes, of course he wants to play and of course the Bucks want him to sit and I think they can sell him and say, hey, we might deal you to a better situation. If we're going to get the most for you, then you can't get injured again. If you want to do what's best for the Milwaukee Bucks organization, you should sit just in case you don't want to get hurt because we're going to do you a favor. You're going to do us a favor. And so I think they can sell him on that.

[E]

And by all reports they have been talking about this for a little while because he has been injured and then sort of came back and got re injured. So these have been ongoing conversations, I guess, but he's like, no, I, I, like I once said I wanted to become the all time leading scorer and

[Skeets]

yeah, so I gotta play and definitely

[E]

hurts get my, get my 30 to get ever get there. But what a weird situation. What do you think happens here? Will he, will he continue to play? Will they come to an agreement? Can they convince him?

[Skeets]

I understand why they could convince him. If he really wants to do the Best for the Bucks because it makes more sense for Giannis to sit. Losing is good for them for the end of this season. Him being healthy is best for their trade request. Ultimately, I think Giannis will play because I think what the Bucks would want most of all is to please him in any way, shape or form so that he doesn't request a trade. And if that means he plays every other game for the rest of the season, I think that's what they would do.

[G]

If you saw how the injury happened, he tweaked his knee, he went into the hallway, the trainers were talking to him, and it sure felt like they talked him into sitting the game out. He comes back on the bench and actually, sorry. After he tweaked the knee, the ball went the other way. And then he stood there and caught a pass as he was, you know, cherry picking in a situation because he was just there and he went and dunked it. He didn't just sit there and put up a layup like he, you know, he dropped on that knee again and he looked like he could play. So it's not an injury that's knocking him out immediately, I don't think. I think he can't play. It's different from the calf injury, so he could play.

[E]

But the point is they can't get into the plan now. I mean, they're, I know they're not officially eliminated, but they, for all intents purposes are because they're seven and a

[G]

half games back now again.

[E]

So I, I sort of understood it when he's like, no, I want to play. I want to get us there. You know, we, we get into a playing game or a playoff matchup, we could beat anybody. That's his mentality. I get that. But like now it's basically a wrap. So they're like, no, don't get more injured like you said, whether we're trading you or not. If we're not trading you, we don't want you injured. If we are trading you, we don't want you injured because we would, in theory want to get a better package back. And like, like they're trying to like, do what's right for the organization. I get that. And again, Eric Name said Buck's leadership had already approached on us about this idea. So this has been going on for a little bit here. And he was like, no, he firmly rebuffed it according to Eric's reporting. And that guy's locked in on this team. So this is like now, it's, now it's just made Its way to. To bigger news with Sean saying it. Really.

[G]

But he's always had that mamba mentality. He'll never want to sit. And so we'll see how many games he plays. He's probably not going to play every single game, but I do agree he'll probably play a couple more and then they'll officially be eliminated. And then maybe I'll sit a few more. But it is an odd situation, that's for sure.

[E]

Yeah. Okay, we're taking a break. When we come back, we're looking at March Madness and some NBA draft prospects.

[Skeets]

Right now. New FanDuel customers can get up to 300 back in bonus points bets every day for 10 days. If your bet loses, here's how it works. Place a tournament bet using the token. If it doesn't win, you'll get up to $300 back in bonus bets every single day for 10 straight days. That's 10 chances to play all tourney long from game props and money lines to spreads, totals, futures and more FanDuel favorites in the tournament. Duke.

[G]

Yep.

[Skeets]

Arizona, Michigan, Florida. That's the number one seeds. But you know, Duke. Duke getting the nod for the number one of the number one. I saw our Miami, Ohio Redhawks officially qualified for the tournament.

[E]

Hell yeah, they did.

[Skeets]

What do you think their number is on FanDuel? Plus what?

[E]

To win the whole thing.

[Skeets]

Win the tournament.

[E]

How high can you go? Way more. Way more. Like 50,000?

[Skeets]

Yeah, almost. Plus 100,000. Jesus. I had to count the numbers of zeros.

[E]

Should we.

[Skeets]

I was like, I didn't know it could go that high. Should we feel good last night?

[E]

They look good every day.

[Skeets]

And even if we lose, $300 back in bonus if you use the token.

[E]

Okay, okay.

[Skeets]

You have to use the token. You can mix things up with same game parlays for a shot at a bigger payout. However you want to fill out your bracket. FanDuel makes it easy to stay in the action day after day. So visit the FanDuel Sportsbook app today. FanDuel, it is time to dance.

[E]

Yeah, it is. Just to correct myself, I said seven and a half games. The Bucks were back from the 10th spot. They're six and a half.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

How dare you.

[E]

I'm so sorry.

[G]

They've got a chance.

[E]

No, there's 14 games left. Here's the part. Here's my favorite part. They're not winning when Giannis even is playing.

[G]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[E]

So it's not like you put them back in. They win every game and you take them out. They Lose every game. That's not even the case now. So, yeah, shut them down, prioritize draft positioning and go from there.

[G]

Well, there, see, it's not really. You're not really prioritizing draft with the

[E]

way the Pelicans are playing and. Because there's a whole thing with the lesser of the two. With the Hawks. Right. With the Bucks and the Pelicans pick. Sorry.

[G]

Huh? So what, you're saying that they could finish?

[E]

Well, I'm saying it's still in their. The Bucks best interest to not be winning games. Yeah.

[Skeets]

Well, yeah, between the Pelts and the. It doesn't matter because the Hawks get the best of Bucks or Pelicans.

[G]

Yes.

[Skeets]

Right. So it doesn't really matter if they finish with fewer wins than the Pelicans.

[E]

Sure, sure. Okay. But it would matter for their chances to obviously jump into a top four position with the worst record they have where they are. The Bucks themselves, I'm talking about.

[Skeets]

Yeah, yeah, the Bucks are. But that would go to the Hawks anyways if they jump in us out for.

[E]

Yeah, yeah. Anyways, you're right. This is a bad. The Pelicans don't care. They have no incentive to lose. And the Bucks, they do actually still terms of keeping their.

[Skeets]

That's true.

[G]

Well, they're finishing ninth or 10th in terms of the worst record. Where the lottery balls fall, who knows? But really, if you look at the records, they're finishing the ninth or 10th spot, no matter if Giannis plays or not. They're not. They're not jumping, and they're not falling all that far. So that's where they are. And that's. There's not a big difference between the 9th and 10th best odds or the 9th and 10th odds of getting the number one pick. It's. It's teeny tiny. It's like, whatever it is, it's gonna

[Skeets]

be an exciting draft lottery. Yeah, it's gonna be quite exciting.

[E]

When is that? May. It is in May. Yeah. Can't wait.

[Skeets]

But it's the 27th.

[E]

Always dust off Heathercox. I don't think they did last year, but I always pretend that they do.

[Skeets]

May 10th.

[E]

Okay. Nice.

[Skeets]

Wedgie day.

[E]

All right. March Madness tips today.

[Skeets]

Yeah, it does.

[E]

We got games on all day. Games on all day tomorrow. And we look at it with an NBA glasses. An NBA lens.

[Skeets]

That's right.

[E]

You've got some prospects to keep an eye on.

[Skeets]

12:15 start today.

[E]

Oh, I said 12:10.

[G]

Okay.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Skeets]

Buckeyes versus horned frogs. Ohio State versus Texas Christian University. These are my top ten March Madness draft prospects. So if there's a guy that's not going to be playing in the tournament, he's not on the list. And I kind of broken this down. This is 10 players, but I kind of broke it down as like we got our top three that everybody knows about. We got a big chunk of guards that I got some opinions on and then we got some dudes that I think just might be decent.

[E]

Okay. And so you said like Caleb Wilson is not playing.

[Skeets]

He ain't on this list. He would have been number four.

[E]

We can't actually watch him here in March mad we can't view him.

[Skeets]

You can look at his tape. Is that a young Kevin Garnett? Maybe it is. But my number one recruit. Recruit, draft prospects. Cameron Boozer, the forward from Duke, looks like the strongest man on earth when he's playing. Thick legs, shoots the ball well, great passer. The only thing he can't do is highlight dunks. Not a lights out athlete, but probably going to be the player of the year in the NCAAs. And as we know, Duke is the favorites according to fanduel. They play against the Sienna Saints today at 2:50pm Eastern.

[E]

What's the line for that game? 30.

[Skeets]

Got to be pretty big.

[E]

20.

[Skeets]

Got to be pretty big.

[E]

Like that.

[Skeets]

But yeah, I'm a, I'm a Boozer guy.

[E]

I am as well in stuff I've seen from him. But you're right, he's not super, super athletic. I mean, look, he's shades of Carlos. Let's be honest. Shades of Carlos are at a great career though. And I think he is better.

[G]

Better dunker.

[E]

Will he go by Cam? Is he just going to be a Cam? It's not going to be a full name Cameron, is he.

[Skeets]

There's not a lot of full name Cameron's right now.

[E]

No fun name. I have like a little blurb. Danny Chow always makes some fun comparisons to some of the guys tk so I'll sprinkle some in here. He said, Danny said for the ringer Cam Boozer is the Tim Duncan of Antoine Walkers. It's a fun comparison.

[Skeets]

Those are two guys that are very different.

[E]

Right, right. But the Tim Duncan of Antoine Walker, that's what Cam Boozer is according to Danny Chow. That's funny.

[G]

Not quite exactly like Tim Duncan, but Sam Vicini said that Boozer is quote, the safest bet in the class to become a remarkably productive player. So, you know, super productive. Long career, better dunker than the booze than. Than Papa Booze.

[Skeets]

I probably think so yeah, I think

[E]

he's more athletic, a little bit more. But he's also. Yeah, I'm thinking older Carlos Boozer in my head to a kid still. Yeah, Cam. So of course he is. But yeah.

[Skeets]

23 points per game, 10 rebounds, four assists per game. Pretty good shooting.

[E]

He's very stoic. Yes, that's where the Tim Duncan is apt. But he is very even keel for

[G]

sure and got the best odds to be the most outstanding player via FanDuel at +4 10.

[Skeets]

Okay.

[E]

Okay.

[Skeets]

And I see there are 27 and a half point favorites today against the Saints.

[E]

Oh, all right.

[Skeets]

That's a big line.

[E]

Now we did learn that Doug Miller does not have a beard. So could have an impact on that line. Yeah, could.

[Skeets]

Well Cam Boozer yell and one like should. I hope so.

[E]

But I think he's too. I don't think he's like that. He's. That's where he's different than.

[Skeets]

You're probably right.

[E]

I think his dad played with a little more emotion in that sense. Or like showed it at least.

[Skeets]

I think you're right.

[E]

Yeah.

[Skeets]

My number two draft prospect, AJ Debanza. AJ DebonSA. We'll find out on draft night, which is the official NBA pronunciation, and then we'll go from there. Sometimes to me it looks like Tracy McGrady. Sometimes he looks like RJ Barrett. But he is leading the NCAA in scoring as a freshman. Seems to be kind of non committal on defense. But 25 points per game on 51% shooting, 34% from three. He could get there, but he's more of a driver with some incredible touch, incredible athleticism. He plays today against Texas at 7:25pm okay, Danny wrote.

[E]

AJ has an opportunity to redefine the power wing mold, especially if his defensive motor catches up with his immense physical affordances. Imagine Pascal Siakam bonded to and emboldened by an alien life form. Whoa. Damn Siakam. Imagine with an alien life form. That could be AJ And I'm. If that's the case, I'm so in scary. I know.

[Skeets]

He's got like a little AJ that comes out of his mouth. That'd be cool too. But yeah, he looks like he's the real deal and he plays like 40 minutes a game sometimes.

[G]

Yeah, yeah. But. But BYU is just not good enough around him, I guess, right?

[Skeets]

Is that why I think their second best player had a injury that took him out for the rest of the season?

[G]

Oh, yeah. Richie Saunders. Yes, yes, yes. Because the Bansa's got the 66th best, worst, however you look at it, most outstanding player odds.

[E]

And that's just for the tournament.

[G]

Yeah.

[E]

So they're. Yeah, there's like no way they go deep enough. Sort of thinking. Right.

[Skeets]

They're like a six seed.

[E]

I think we had Texas beating them. I think. Yeah, we do. Yeah.

[Skeets]

Yeah, we do. Yeah. They're going down.

[E]

We got the upset happening, guys.

[G]

Yeah, they're plus. He's. Plus 40,000. That's. That's 66. That's. Yeah. So no prospect on them winning, I suppose.

[Skeets]

Number three for me, Darren Peterson, the guard from Kansas. The stories for him this season have been all about his crampy legs and his minutes restriction and him maybe pulling himself out of the game when he's hit his stuff. Kind of weird. I would say the crampy legs and little injuries are a little bit more worrying to me than him saving himself for the NBA. Like guys do that in the NFL or ncaa. Going into the NFL all the time. It's just weird to see load management for a college kid when you're this young. But he looks a little less athletic than we was playing against other high schoolers in high school. But he still looks like he's an awesome player. I think he's been comped to like a taller Donovan Mitchell. He's got a deep bag. He shoots the ball well. He can score off the dribble. He is a really, really good athlete. They don't play until tomorrow. Kansas doesn't. Against Cal Baptist.

[E]

Cal Baptist.

[Skeets]

The proselytizers.

[E]

Good luck to them.

[Skeets]

Yeah, good luck to them.

[E]

Danny wrote. Seeing Peterson's frustrating freshman season unfold has felt akin to watching Carlos Alcaraz circa 2023. 3. Okay, we're getting basketball to tennis comps from Danny. I love that. But he's saying these. This idea, like lingering issues have affected his public perception. Yes, but the tools and his two way play and production are just like, this guy could be one of the draft crown jewels.

[Skeets]

Yeah. And he is number one on a lot of boards.

[E]

Yes. For sure. Yeah. I saw somebody was like, is there concern? Like, are. Are these like warning signs? Like, you know, his driver or his willing ability or wanting to play? Is it like a Ben Simmons situation here? Like, maybe we should have saw the writing on the wall a little bit. Or is it like, no big deal? Who cares? The injuries like Jalen Johnson barely played other guys. Same thing.

[Skeets]

Sure.

[E]

Like, it's probably the latter, but.

[Skeets]

Exactly. It was the same with Anthony Edwards. They're like, this guy like basketball or does he just Play basketball. Because he's awesome at it.

[E]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Skeets]

But it turns out he likes it and he is awesome at it.

[G]

Well, yeah, but it's the injuries and illnesses, cramps that are the issue apparently. Right.

[Skeets]

Yeah. I don't, I don't like a guy that already has leg injuries.

[E]

No.

[Skeets]

Coming into the league.

[E]

No.

[Skeets]

But I mean, maybe that's just a college thing. You know, Steph Curry was injury prone at the beginning of his NBA career as well and then was super healthy and became an all time great. Yeah, it could go either way.

[G]

There's quite the range here.

[Skeets]

Yeah, there is. I. It definitely feels like depending on who gets 1, 2, 3 in the draft, like, you could have your board any different way. You could have Debanta as the number one, you could have Peterson as the number one. And then, I don't know, maybe teams will actually be drafting for fit. Like, that's kind of weird to do when you're picking in the top three, especially with huge prospects like this. But I don't know, like, Utah's a weird one. Carlos Boozer literally works for the Jazz, but they just traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. They got Lowry Marketing, they want to bring Walker Kessler back. Does it make sense to bring in another forward? I don't know. So we'll figure. We'll see. We'll see.

[E]

And we. When we were filling out a bracket, we were hoping we get a Peterson versus Boozer next weekend in the.

[G]

That's right.

[E]

Sweet 16.

[Skeets]

Yep.

[E]

Sweet 16 if they win their two games here. Yeah. Yeah.

[Skeets]

All right. So that's the top three in, in my view, at number four. I got Darius Acuff Jr. A guard from Arkansas. Skeets, this is your guy because he's the next John Calipari guard. He's moved on from Kentucky, so all those guys he built that you loved, he's now doing it in Arkansas. To me, he's a little bit more of a Jamal Murray than a Tyrese Maxey in that he's not like a crazy athlete. He uses craft and skill to get into his shots. He's a good scorer, he's a good creator, he's a good shooter. He's small, he's not a great defender, but the man is an absolute bucket.

[E]

Yeah. Danny wrote. Given his stature as a sturdily built 6 foot 2 lead guard with a powerful crossover and the ability to get his spots in the mid range, the image of Darren Williams is hard to shake. The image of Darren, that was the comp there too. So I'm gonna like this guy. Yeah. All right. Yeah, he's a little small for sure, but sturdily built.

[Skeets]

Darren Williams was certainly sturdily built. Yeah, man, 23 per game.

[E]

Damn good.

[Skeets]

Yeah. Yeah. He was U of I legend. 23 per game. 6 1/2 assists. 45 from 3. Can shoot it as a catch and shoot guy as well. He just doesn't do anything for you defensively.

[G]

Yeah.

[E]

Yeah.

[Skeets]

There's going to be flaws with everybody outside of the top three, I do believe.

[E]

Okay. But you got them pretty high.

[Skeets]

Darius Acuff. Cool name.

[E]

Arkansas Razorbacks.

[Skeets]

Yeah, he's a Hog. Love the Hog. Kingston Flemings is my fifth draft prospect. He's a guard from Houston. He's a speed demon with a questionable shot. We've heard that mix a lot of times in NBA history. John Morant was one of those guys. De' Aaron Fox I think is a decent comp for him in that he is tall, he's skinny, he's fast. You got some questions about his off the dribble three point shooting, but he's good in the mid range. Houston plays tonight against Idaho Vandals at 10:10pm Late game.

[E]

Kingston Fleming. Kingston, What a name, man. What a name. Yeah. Danny did talk about how he has this incredible. Yeah, super fast, like you said, the burst, but has incredible leaping ability off one or two feet. That's fun. Comparisons Kevin Johnson and Steve Franchise. Steve Francis, Stevie Franchise himself there. Those are some athletes.

[Skeets]

Yeah.

[E]

At the point guard position.

[Skeets]

So Steve Francis was sturdily built, I would say as well.

[E]

Yeah, I guess he was.

[G]

Yeah. And the first Flemings in NBA history. Once he gets drafted. Only a Fleming.

[Skeets]

Yeah, we had the singular.

[G]

Yeah, we have one currently, but there's been a few others, but all just Fleming.

[E]

And we could see a lot of this guy because he's on Houston. Two seed. They should go.

[Skeets]

They went a lot lately.

[E]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Skeets]

Yep. My number six prospect, Keaton Wagler, guard from Illinois, came out of nowhere and he's going to be a top 10 pick. He's a great shooter. He's a smart passer. He's very tall for a guard. I think he's listed at 6, 6. He is very skinny, not a great athlete, but he has a lot of good savvy. To me, he's got a little bit of Kevin Martin in his game and I mean that as a compliment. I think Kevin Martin a little bit underrated. Honestly, it's probably properly rated. But I was like. I was always a Kevin Martin fan. I thought he was good Worst case, Julian Strother. Medium case. How about Austin Reeves?

[E]

Yes, I saw that. That's what Danny made a comp, too.

[Skeets]

He's a good shooter, he's got good craft and he just makes smart plays all the time. Illinois plays against Dalton Scantleberry's pen team tonight at 9:25pm Eastern.

[E]

Danny wrote the first thing you notice with Keaton is the utter lack of exception. Explosiveness. I was like, whoa, not a start. I want to hear in my blur. But then brought up like he has like this, you lose sight of like his toughness, this sleight of hand. And he can draw a lot of free throws. And that's where the Austin Reeves comparison comes in. He gets to the line a lot for a guy that's maybe a little more slight and doesn't like jump off the page with explosiveness. So, yeah, I like a tall point guard, too. Yeah, I'm always in on that. Illinois, let's go.

[Skeets]

Yeah. Hopefully Steve can get some TV time tonight on the cruise ship.

[E]

Steve Kirby, your father, not Steve Francis.

[Skeets]

Yeah, I wonder if he's tuning in. I wonder what Steve Francis is up to. You don't want to see that guy in an elevator. Trust me, I gave him a compliment. He wanted to fight me. Does it say anything about that in Keaton Wagler's scouting profile? Nice. In elevators. Strength or weakness? You tell me.

[Podcast Advertiser]

When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop. Stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Ambitious, well intentioned, ferocious and wealthy mother looks like in the black community. This Women's History Month. The podcast Keep It Posit Sweetie celebrates the power of women choosing healing, purpose and faith. Even when life gets messy, love is not a destination.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

You have to work on it every day.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Keep it Positive. Sweetie creates space for honest conversations on self worth, love, growth and navigating life with grace and grit. Led by women who uplift, inspire and tell the truth out loud. I have several conversations with God and

[Skeets]

I know why it took 20 years

[Podcast Advertiser]

to hear this and more. Listen to Keep It Positive sweetie on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

When you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity. The hosts always act like they know what they're talking about and they are every experts at everything here at the Nick Dicken Pole show. We're not afraid to make mistakes. What Coogler did that I think was so unique. He's the writer director.

[G]

Who do you think he is?

[E]

I don't know.

[G]

You meet the like the president. You think Canada has a president? You think China has a president?

[Skeets]

Let's walk through that.

[G]

God, I love that thing.

[Skeets]

I use it all the time.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

What color?

[Skeets]

I wrap it in a blanket and

[G]

sing to it at night.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

It's like the old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus.

[E]

Yep, it was a good one. I like that saying. It's an actual Polish saying. It is an actual Polish.

[G]

Better version of play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[E]

Yes.

[G]

Which.

[E]

Which by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually, I thought it was. I got that wrong.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

Listen to the Nick, Dick and Paul show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia and I'm kicking off a brand new season of my podcast Math and stories from the frontiers of Marketing. Math and Magic takes you behind the scenes of the biggest businesses and industries while sharing insights from the smartest minds in marketing. I'm talking to leaders from the entertainment industry to finance and everywhere in between this season of Math and Magic I'm talking to CEO of Liquid Death, Mike Cesario, financier and public health advocate Mike Milken. Take two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick.

[G]

If you're unable to take meaningful creative risk and therefore run the risk of

[Skeets]

making horrible creative mistakes, then you can't

[G]

play in this business.

[Bob Pittman]

Sesame Street CEO Sherry Weston and our own chief business officer Lisa Coffey.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Making consumers see the value of the human voice and to have that get guaranteed human promise behind it, Millie makes it rise to the top.

[Bob Pittman]

Listen to Math and Magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Skeets]

Number seven, draft prospect Braden Buries. Great name again, another good name, Braden Buries. He's a guard from Arizona. To me, a kind of a Drew holiday style do it all point guard who brings it on the defensive end. He's the best player on one of the best teams. I think I just said there were second and fanduel odds. He defends the ball, he runs the offense. He's maybe like A good at everything, not great at anything, sort of type. But that can net out to a really good player. Like if he adds a three point shot, he could be like Nikhil Alexander Walker or like I said, Jrue Holiday. In that he can score a little bit, he can defend a lot. He can do a lot of good things out there. Arizona doesn't start until tomorrow. They play Long Island University at 135.

[G]

It's got the third best most outstanding player odds.

[Skeets]

Okay.

[G]

At plus 950, best guy on a

[E]

good team makes very good team. Can he dunk? This guy got hops.

[Skeets]

Braden Burries.

[E]

Because if he does, we're calling them Braden Bunnies.

[Skeets]

Braden Bunnies.

[E]

Yeah, but I don't know. Let me see.

[Skeets]

Let me see what he's got here. Okay. His BPM is good. His steals are good. He can dunk. Yeah.

[E]

Okay, great.

[Skeets]

He's six foot four.

[E]

I'll be calling him that Brayden Bunnies after he has the dunk of the weekend.

[Skeets]

Excellent.

[E]

Called it first. No one's ever called him that.

[G]

Yeah, I want to call berries. Braden Berries.

[Skeets]

Sherry's berries.

[G]

He's got a sweet moves.

[Skeets]

That's not bad.

[E]

You know, Bury a shot too.

[G]

Bury. Bury a shot.

[Skeets]

Yeah, like. Yeah, maybe like a grave digger celebration.

[G]

Braden buries.

[E]

You play the undertaker music.

[G]

Yeah.

[E]

The Dom. Yeah.

[G]

Yeah.

[Skeets]

Feel free to consult the no dunks branding services and we'll come up with a nickname for any of these college players.

[E]

And you made the comp already. I saw Danny say dead ringer for Nikhil Alexander Walker. Okay, good.

[Skeets]

A lot of guards. It's a lot of guards in this draft class. They seem to be the most highly rated players. Except for you got Boozer and debance forwards. The center depth is kind of all over the place. There's some like gigantic dudes. There's a couple of seven, two seven three guys. And when you're that size and you can move, you got a chance. But none of them made my board. Number eight, though, from the University of Michigan, Yaxel Lendeborg. Yaxel Yaxel Lendeborg. He's old. He's gonna be 24 at the start of the NBA season.

[E]

Oh, my God.

[Skeets]

He's a big old man and he has man strength. To me, the best of the wing class here. He's switchable on defense. He's got like a 7 foot 4 wingspan. Despite being 7 foot or despite being only 6 foot 9. He just makes a bunch of plays. He's a streaky shooter. He's a Decent passer. He seems like a jack of all trades sort of offensive player. I saw he was comped to PJ Washington. I think that's kind of interesting. Like, if PJ Washington is shooting it well, that's good. He can handle. He can make plays in the same way that Linda Borg can. Michigan plays today Against Howard at 7:10pm

[E]

Danny wrote that the Yaxel has the frame and skill set to be one of those 16 game players that Draymond Green talks about. So maybe this guy's an impact player there.

[Skeets]

Yeah, maybe.

[E]

I like that. But yeah, he's sort of like this tweener guy.

[Skeets]

He is a tweener guy. Talk about solidly built. This guy is thick.

[E]

Yeah.

[G]

Yes, absolutely.

[Skeets]

Yaxle.

[E]

The Yaxle is strong on the chassis.

[Skeets]

The Yaxle is strong on the chassis. Maybe he'll get drafted to the Pistons. That would be perfect. Yaxle, the axle.

[E]

When he hits a three. Does he hit any threes? I know he must feel threes.

[Skeets]

Yeah.

[E]

Triple the axle. I could do this all day, man. I didn't think of that, but that

[Skeets]

would be pretty cool.

[E]

Yeah.

[G]

Yeah. I thought definitely more was figure skating.

[E]

Oh, that's what I'm saying.

[G]

Yeah, but I didn't think.

[E]

I'm just saying he hits a three, it's a triple Y axle. But you guys are saying he needs to actually pull that out as a celebration.

[Skeets]

That would be impressive, man.

[E]

Yeah. I could teach him the 360 jump fart.

[Skeets]

I think you should. Yeah, we'll put that in our.

[E]

But I don't know if I could spin two more times.

[Skeets]

That is amazing, huh? They spin that many times.

[E]

It's one of the most incredible things in the goddamn world. We just take. Take it for granted. Yeah.

[G]

Yeah.

[E]

I'm right.

[G]

That we do. Yeah.

[E]

And marathon runners. We do. We know they're impressive. We go, well, that's wild. But we don't really.

[Skeets]

Elite marathon runners are tough.

[E]

It's the dumbest. The dumbest thing in the world.

[Skeets]

Yeah, but. Okay. We've never seen a 720 in the dunk contest.

[E]

No.

[Skeets]

Do you think NBA players can jump and spin three times in the air before landing?

[E]

I don't.

[Skeets]

It's a lot of spins.

[E]

I don't. I don't. I mean. Yeah.

[Skeets]

I mean, they're not trained for it.

[E]

No, it's part of it. Yeah. It's a lot of spins.

[Skeets]

I would like to see that as part of the combine. How many spins can you do in a single jump?

[E]

There's guys Doing? They're doing quads, man.

[Skeets]

Well, yeah, I mean, of course, the quad guy, on a different level, he would be a top 10 pick this year easily.

[G]

Yeah, he can do it on skates. That is amazing at this point. It is amazing. Sports science. Get into it.

[Skeets]

How come our NBA players can't spin? That's what I want them to find out at number nine.

[E]

Because they're not on skates. Well, yeah.

[Skeets]

Wait, you think the skates help them?

[E]

Yeah, because. Yeah, the speed helps.

[Skeets]

You think a player is skating faster than an NBA player running at full speed?

[E]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. If we're talking about to do a try and do a jump. Yes.

[Skeets]

I guess we gotta ask sports science. I don't know if I agree with you.

[E]

I am talking out of my ass.

[G]

Sorry about that.

[E]

Well, we all are. That's okay. Yeah, we have no idea what we're talking. Time.

[G]

But I, I this whole segment, if

[E]

we're being honest, I barely know these guys. All right.

[Skeets]

I read three more articles than you did.

[E]

Yeah, I mean, I, at least I did some reading.

[G]

Everybody on skates is underappreciated. Even hockey players are underappreciated. They are preach. They are.

[E]

Tell me you're Canadian without telling me.

[Skeets]

I, I take the opposite. I think that hockey athleticism is overrated. You want to impress me? Play more than two minutes at a time.

[E]

I knew you were going to say that. I knew he was gonna say it.

[Skeets]

I mean, every other sport plays more than two minutes at a time. But you're right, two minutes is tough. And then when it's at the highest intensity. 40 seconds. 40 seconds. You go down and back three times. Come on.

[G]

Yeah. That's how hard it is to skate that fast. I mean, they're going, what, three times faster than a basketball player?

[Skeets]

I got to know top speed. I got to know top speed of Papa Bureau. Blue line. Blue line. Mixed with Serge Ibaka going from baseline to three to free throw line.

[G]

We can get Auston Matthews's mustache on this show to tell you how fast he's going, because it's fast.

[Skeets]

It's fast.

[E]

I guess Connor McDavid might be the fastest skater right now.

[Skeets]

Yeah, he's quick. He's quick. No doubt about it.

[G]

I don't even know if Auston Matthews is that fast, but I just know his name. And I know he's mustachioed, but okay.

[E]

Frequently reaching top speeds over 24 miles per hour. That's nearly 40 kilometers. Hour per an hour. Kilometers an hour.

[Skeets]

NBA top speed.

[E]

That is fricking fast.

[Skeets]

Okay. Russell Westbrook, highest recorded speed in the NBA, reaching approximately 21 to 22 miles per hour.

[E]

Okay.

[G]

Wow, that's very fast.

[Skeets]

Right, right. You're telling me Westbrook can't spin twice in the air? Twice? Maybe three times?

[E]

I didn't say not twice.

[Skeets]

Well, we'll see if he can do a triple Y Axle. This is all because the guy's name is Yaxel Lendeboy.

[E]

Okay, hold on. Connor. Maybe, like David can't skate and then jump and spin three or four times and land. So he's a professional skater.

[Skeets]

That's right. That's right. So you're just making my case for me.

[E]

Number one, I've lost track of a who. We're arguing now. I don't know where we are anymore.

[Skeets]

My positions are quite clear. NBA players should be able to do a triple axel. They are better athletes than anybody in the NHL as well. And they go as fast as a figure skater can.

[E]

Oh, Jesus. Okay, okay.

[G]

You're telling.

[Skeets]

Come on. You would not put Connor McDavid anywhere near Russell Westbrook in year 18 as an athlete. You cannot say that to me. I mean, you cannot say that to me.

[G]

We're talking about two different sports.

[Skeets]

Yeah. We're talking about one with equipment and one where you're using your body.

[G]

Yeah.

[Skeets]

It'd be like telling me driver is the best. Best athlete.

[E]

I got a counter to this. I got a counter to this.

[G]

Give me John Daly back in the 80s.

[E]

Here's my perfect counter to this. Back in the 80s, I think it was 80s. It was like Wide World of Sports or something. It was a bunch of athletes from all different sports. And Wayne Gretzky waxed them in.

[Skeets]

What they did.

[E]

They did like sprints. They did other. He was an incredible athlete.

[Skeets]

I believe it was a great one.

[G]

There was a 100 meter race with a tennis player.

[E]

Yeah.

[G]

Gretzky versus soccer. Bjornborg.

[E]

Yeah.

[G]

Was it Pele?

[E]

I think so. Yeah.

[G]

Yeah. And there's a fourth in there, but they did a tennis player, a soccer player.

[E]

What's that called?

[G]

Who was super fast. All right, when are you gonna get

[Skeets]

to the good athletes in the NBA?

[E]

Yeah. Sugar Ray Leonard.

[G]

All right, I'm waiting.

[E]

1982. We gotta go back.

[Skeets]

I'm waiting.

[G]

You crushed him.

[Skeets]

I take. I would take 82 Jordan over any of those athletes.

[G]

Give me 82 grits.

[Skeets]

This is a great argument. At number nine is Daily Swain.

[E]

It was a 60 meter dash, by the way.

[G]

Yeah.

[Skeets]

Wayne didn't want to run for more than 30 seconds. He's like. That's too long. 100 meters.

[E]

No way.

[G]

That's like the. The Michael Johnson versus Ben Johnson race.

[Skeets]

Ben Johnson?

[G]

Yeah. Do I have that race?

[Skeets]

Correct. Who's Ben Johnson?

[G]

Oh, Donovan Bailey.

[Skeets]

Donovan Bailey.

[G]

Yeah, yeah. Michael Johnson versus Donovan Bailey. He's a chicken. He's a chicken. 150 meters racing. Go on, go on.

[Skeets]

At number nine, Ilia Malinin. No, sorry. Dalen Swain. He's a forward from Texas. This guy gets buckets, one on one player gets downhill. He's a really good athlete. Doesn't really shoot the ball all that well, but I liked him in the first four. He just looks like a. Like a Naji Marshall type.

[E]

Okay.

[Skeets]

Puts a lot of pressure on the rim. I don't know if he's as good of a playmaker as Marshall is, but definitely looks like a scorer. He plays today at 7:25, and I think. Does he go against Darren Peterson? Is that right or. No, he goes against.

[E]

Oh, wait, Debanza.

[Skeets]

That's who it is. I think that. I think it's BYU in Texas.

[E]

Texas.

[Skeets]

So that'll be a cool matchup because I guess Swain and Debancer could guard each other. They're similar sized, but I don't know.

[E]

Some people I saw didn't even have this guy, like maybe lottery pick. So I was like, ooh, TK I got me a guy going deep.

[Skeets]

Got me a guy here.

[G]

Yeah, he's not even in the odds for most out outstanding player.

[E]

This is a must. Watch Trey Kirby.

[Skeets]

That's right. Tap in because they might lose tonight, but at number 10, my final prospect, Le Baron Filon, a guard from Alabama. And if I'm not mistaken, Linda Borg is a senior. He's played forever. Like I said, he's going to be 24 at the start, but this is the only other guy that is not a freshman. He was a potential first rounder last year. Came back to Alabama, had a lot more responsibility because they lost an all American and Mark Spears. So Phylon took over as the main creator. He scores, he passes, he shoots. He's probably like more of a second guard in the NBA along like a. Like a Dennis Schroeder type where he can handle the ball but can play off the ball as well. Alabama, very high scoring team. They play against hofstra tomorrow at 315.

[E]

The comp cloud from Danny was Ryan Rollins, Andrew Nemhard, and Dennis Schroeder, like you said. Nice. Yeah. So this is these guys that have the ability to ramp up or Scale back their respective usage depending on the situation. That's apparently Phylon. So you said his name.

[Skeets]

Phylon. Phylon LeBaron.

[G]

Freshman, right?

[Skeets]

Yes, he's a sophomore.

[G]

A sophomore.

[Skeets]

My bad guy.

[E]

Yeah. Okay. Some names to watch.

[Skeets]

Yep.

[E]

And we'll see if anybody does a triple axel.

[Skeets]

We will see.

[E]

You will immediately jump to the top of Trey Kirby's draft prospect board. If somebody can do a. Would you three spin jump.

[Skeets]

Would you watch that? At NBA All Star weekend, we get 10 of the best athletes. We're not even asking them to dunk. We're seeing how many spins you can do.

[E]

Sure. And, like, do a bunch of, like, things like that. Do a bunch of dumb challenges.

[Skeets]

Yeah.

[E]

Like a hand eye coordination challenge and other things. Yeah. Let's find out who the best athlete is.

[Skeets]

Yeah.

[E]

Good list, TK thanks, man.

[G]

Good stuff. Decathlon, just an underrated olympic event.

[E]

It's 10 sports, two days.

[G]

Two more than two days.

[E]

Is it? They do it over two days. I think that's part of the incredible achievement.

[G]

That's 10 sports for one person. Who would you take of all players we just named in 10 sports in two days?

[E]

Connor McDavid.

[Skeets]

10 sports, two days. I don't know about current, but Zach Levine would have a good chance.

[E]

We're saying the 10 sports in the decathlon.

[G]

Yeah, I think we have to do that.

[Skeets]

I mean.

[E]

Yeah. Wow.

[G]

Should we just.

[E]

It's a lot of running.

[Skeets]

Thompson Twins.

[E]

It's a lot of running, man. But then there's some throwing ones. Yeah. The Thompson Twins. Yeah. My God.

[Skeets]

Yeah.

[G]

Yeah. They can throw a javelin. I don't know if we could name all time.

[E]

I mean, LeBron, when he was young, it would have been.

[Skeets]

Oh, yeah.

[G]

Bye.

[E]

Bye. Well, boy, of the night. Sponsored by no one. Not a sponsor today. Oh, yeah.

[G]

Everybody's focused on March Madness.

[E]

Could have had a good one.

[G]

Giving money to an NBA show.

[E]

Could have had a good one. But this is unsullied by sponsorship. Today, Luka Doncic scored a game high 40 points. Lakers beat the Rockets by eight. The Donk shot 12, 25 from the field, seven three pointers made.

[Skeets]

You see?

[E]

Said it was his most three point attempts ever. So you said.

[G]

Yeah. He tied his career high 17.

[Skeets]

Yeah.

[E]

9 of 14 at the line. Like to see that get a little bit better. Luca, what's going there? But nine boards, 10 times, one steal. 38 minutes of action. Luca winning another. Whoa, boy. He's got a couple of those. All right. You said the Clippers are playing the Pels again and that is our pick them game and I really need a win here. I'm four and nine. You guys are both eight and five. Starting to run out of dates in March here.

[G]

Yeah, it's basically a pick em in New Orleans they're favored by one and a half. The Clippers just get to hang out there for a second night. Back to back you at 4 and 9. Skeets had the opportunity, the right to pick before at least somebody up top. I'm surprised he took New Orleans taking the Pels to beat the Clippers twice.

[E]

This is their super bowl playing great. Man. They are playing great. I mean what's is Kawhi gonna play

[G]

kind of back to back?

[E]

I mean I don't know.

[Skeets]

That's a question.

[G]

I don't know.

[E]

But they are playing well.

[Skeets]

I assume Kawhi, he has been playing

[E]

back to backs but just came back so who knows. Yeah. Okay, so you guys got the clips but you're right, I don't think a basic pickup here.

[Skeets]

So Bogdan Bogdanovich last night, strange. I think it was his third game of 2026. Literally forgot about.

[G]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[E]

But most people will be watching the madness today.

[Skeets]

Watching the madness.

[E]

But we'll be watching some NBA action tonight. Hopefully. You guys join us for the drop tomorrow. Maybe some worst of the week nominees. Rapid fire, all the staples on a Friday. I'm sure we'll talk a little bit about the NCAA first slate of games too. So join us at 10am Eastern if you're a Survivor fan. Actually hold on. If you're a Zach Brown fan, come join us on no buffs today at 1pm Eastern. Own YouTube YouTube feed. Own podcast feed. That link is in the show notes. Nora will join us here in the classic factory to talk about episode four which did feature there on the left. Zach Brown.

[Skeets]

Lot of Zach.

[E]

Oh God, it was a lot of Zach.

[Skeets]

Zack attack.

[E]

Yeah, JD was angry in the Slack channel last night so I can't wait to hear. I always love a fired up JD on a Survivor not Buffs podcast. Yeah, yeah, that'll be good.

[Skeets]

Slack attack on Zach.

[G]

Yeah, we weren't watching it in our house and I shared JD's thoughts with Danielle. I said, I laughed, I chuckled.

[Skeets]

I thought this is great that we're

[G]

not watching it because apparently it's not so good.

[E]

No, no.

[Skeets]

If you like spearfishing though.

[G]

Is that in the decathlon? That sounds like that.

[E]

Ground looks in shape, I'll give him that.

[G]

Oh yeah, I saw him. I saw him knees down. Looked Very, very in shape. His caps look good.

[E]

Yeah, he had short shorts. He went real short on the short. All right, we're talking Zach Brown and Survivor later today, but back tomorrow. Like I said, till that. Clipper bros. You heard it here first.

[Skeets]

Have a great time. Turn up. Love you guys. Awesome.

[G]

Thanks for. Thanks for joining us. And remember, sports are great. We just talked about so many different athletes.

[E]

Oh, my God.

[G]

Including Wayne Gretzky, who I always thought was a super skinny guy while playing.

[E]

He was. He was a wet noodle.

[G]

Guesses. Guess his noodle weight while he was. While he was playing.

[E]

How.

[Skeets]

How tall is Wayne Gretzky?

[G]

About six.

[E]

Yeah, he's not big.

[Skeets]

Yeah, that seems tall to me for a hockey. I don't know how tall hockey players are.

[E]

What was his weight?

[G]

I don't know.

[Skeets]

Is that what the scale, 190?

[G]

170.

[E]

Okay, that's light.

[G]

Yeah. I mean, listed sometimes as 180, but, you know, that's what. Shoulder.

[E]

Yeah. Yeah.

[G]

I don't know how they measure them.

[E]

Brace the day people.

[Podcast Advertiser]

When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery, so you can keep your facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Cino]

On the Cine show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor cultural icon Danny Trejo. Talk about addiction transformation and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to binge, featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Haddish, Johnny Knoxville, and more.

[Skeets]

I'm an alcoholic, and without this trope, I'm gonna die.

[Cino]

Listen to Cino's show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dickenpole show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand.

[G]

Better version of Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[E]

Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually. I thought it was. I got that wrong.

[Nick Dickenpole Show Host]

But hey, no one's perfect. We're pretty close, though. Listen to the Nick Dick and Paul show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Skeets]

Then she says, have you seen a

[E]

photo of my son? And I'm like, who is this person?

[Boys and Girls Podcast Host]

Welcome to the boys and girls pod. Arranged marriage is basically a reality show, and you're auditioning for your soulmate. And who's judging? Only your entire family. I sacrificed myself to this ancient tradition, hoping to find love the right way. And instead, I found chaos, comedy and a lot of cringe. Listen to boys and Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Advertiser]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.