NBA Preview With Ryen Russillo, USA Hockey Is The Best, NBA All Star Weekend + Who's Back Of The Week

Summary

Pardon My Take Episode Summary: February 17, 2025

Hosts: Big Cat & PFT Commenter
Guest: Ryen Russillo
Title: NBA Preview With Ryen Russillo, USA Hockey Is The Best, NBA All Star Weekend + Who's Back Of The Week

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1. Weekend Recap and NBA Preview Introduction [02:52 - 05:35]

Big Cat kicked off the episode by welcoming listeners back to the show, teasing a comprehensive discussion centered around the NBA with special guest Ryen Russillo. He humorously noted, “We're back to talk about the weekend... NBA preview with our favorite guest in the whole wide world, Ryan Rosillo” (00:46). The conversation quickly shifted to USA Hockey's recent successes, with PFT Commenter proudly declaring, “USA. We're so back. ... As of the second, we're the best hockey country in the world” (03:37). The hosts lauded the NHL’s performance over the NBA, particularly highlighting the excitement generated by the four nations tournament compared to the NBA All Star Game.

Notable Quote:

• PFT Commenter at 03:38: “We’re still the best hockey country in the world. We got the Cup. They’re not getting it back.”

2. USA Hockey Dominance vs. NBA All Star Weekend [05:35 - 09:55]

The hosts delved deeper into the NHL’s triumph during the All Star Weekend, emphasizing its superiority in engaging fans. PFT Commenter contrasted the NHL’s passionate fanbase with the NBA’s more subdued approach, stating, “There’s nothing like a little pure, unadulterated nationalism to really get people going” (05:08). Big Cat echoed this sentiment, critiquing the NBA for failing to capture the same level of excitement: “The NBA ignored that, being like, oh, who cares about Chuck versus Shaq? That doesn't do it at all.”

Notable Quotes:

• PFT Commenter at 05:15: “There’s nothing like a little pure, unadulterated nationalism to really get people going.”
• Big Cat at 05:35: “The NBA didn’t even come close to scratching that.”

3. NBA All Star Weekend Breakdown [09:55 - 15:37]

The discussion turned to the various events of the NBA All Star Weekend. The hosts expressed disappointment over LeBron James’ last-minute withdrawal from the All Star Game, criticizing his lack of communication: “He didn’t even have a heads up” (06:10). They also evaluated the All Star competition’s outcomes, celebrating Team Shaq’s unexpected victory over Team Chuck: “They should never go back to anything else. It should always be four nations every single year” (07:18).

Notable Quotes:

• Big Cat at 06:14: “LeBron decided he’s not playing in the All Star Game two hours before the game... It was just a lame move.”
• PFT Commenter at 07:06: “NHL is king. They crushed it.”

4. Super Bowl Week Highlights [15:37 - 19:44]

Shifting focus to the NFL’s Super Bowl festivities, Big Cat and PFT Commenter recounted memorable moments from the parade, including Quinon Mitchell’s wild antics and Saquon Barkley’s spirited interactions with fans: “He pulled a ball boy over the stands. It was like, yeah, you’re walking with us” (17:25). They also humorously discussed incidents involving fans, such as Howie Roseman getting hit with a beer: “He probably got some football guy street cred in the locker room” (16:34).

Notable Quotes:

• PFT Commenter at 17:27: “I like Saquon. When he went to the side, he grabbed one of the ball boys... It was awesome.”

5. Bullying Narrative and Rich Incognito’s Comeback [19:44 - 30:35]

A significant portion of the episode tackled the controversial bullying narrative within the NFL, specifically focusing on Rich Incognito’s role. Big Cat explained how recent revelations clarified that Jonathan Martin didn’t feel bullied, challenging the previous narrative: “Jonathan Martin’s mom put the words bullying onto the whole thing” (25:23). PFT Commenter echoed this, criticizing the oversimplification of locker room dynamics: “I feel like it’s always going to be shocking by the locker room... it just never works that way.”

Notable Quotes:

• Big Cat at 26:04: “The locker room is not the same as everything else in the world because it’s a violent sport.”
• PFT Commenter at 28:56: “Richie was the face of this anti-bullying campaign that just wasn’t really based in any reality.”

6. NCAA Tournament Expansion Discussion [30:35 - 33:05]

The conversation shifted to college basketball, where PFT Commenter highlighted Pete Thamel’s report on the potential expansion of the NCAA tournament to 76 teams. The hosts debated the implications of such an expansion, emphasizing the importance of maintaining competitive balance: “I don’t want an Indiana State from last year over a 10th Big Ten team” (31:15). Big Cat suggested rules to ensure a fair representation of teams across conferences.

Notable Quotes:

• PFT Commenter at 31:02: “76 teams in the NCAA tournament. 64 to me is still the perfect number.”
• Big Cat at 32:29: “There has to be a rule that it’s four and four big conference, small conference.”

7. In-Depth NBA Analysis with Ryen Russillo [33:05 - 99:36]

Guest Ryen Russillo joined the hosts to provide an extensive NBA preview. Topics included:

• Luka Doncic Trade Rumors: The trio dissected the complexity and potential fallout of a rumored trade involving Luka Doncic, highlighting the backlash from GM Nico Harrison and the broader NBA community's reaction.

  Notable Quote:

  • Ryen Rosillo at 48:35: “We’re going to get a major league on our hands here. Of course, they don’t want...”

• Player Evaluations: Discussions covered key players like Joel Embiid, Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jordan Poole, analyzing their performances, defensive capabilities, and impact on their teams.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Ryen Rosillo at 55:03: “Jordan Poole is the most dangerous player in the NBA. It’s actually not entertaining.”
  • Big Cat at 57:40: “I liked him too. That's another take that you have.”

• NBA League Dynamics: The hosts and Russillo debated the NBA's current state, touching on ratings dips, the influence of star players, and the league's attempt to innovate with events like the All Star Weekend.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Ryen Rosillo at 91:17: “But, like, the global part isn’t discussed enough. The new consumer and the younger consumer...”
  • Big Cat at 96:15: “There's something about basketball that's bothered me is that if you're good, it's, like, lame to try at times.”

Throughout this segment, Ryen Rosillo offered nuanced insights into team strategies, player performances, and the overarching trends shaping the NBA's future. The discussion was marked by a blend of humor, critical analysis, and passionate debates over player decisions and league policies.

8. Who’s Back Of The Week [30:35 - 33:05]

Following the main discussions, the hosts introduced their "Who's Back of the Week," highlighting notable returns of players or figures within the sports arena. This segment celebrated comebacks and assessed their potential impact on upcoming games and seasons.

Notable Moment:

• Rich Incognito's return was particularly highlighted, celebrating his comeback and the positive shift in his narrative after years of controversy.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts [99:36 - End]

As the episode neared its end, Big Cat and PFT Commenter recapped the main points discussed, reaffirmed their support for USA Hockey's dominance, and teased upcoming topics for future shows. They also engaged in light-hearted banter about upcoming personal plans and interactions with Ryan Rosillo, wrapping up the episode on a humorous note.

Notable Quote:

• PFT Commenter at 141:05: “We've had Richie on the show a couple times. He’s not for everyone.”

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Key Takeaways:

• NHL’s Superior Fan Engagement: The hosts lauded the NHL for creating a more passionate and engaging All Star Weekend compared to the NBA.

• Critique of NBA All Star Game Management: Issues highlighted included last-minute player withdrawals and the lackluster organization of traditional All Star events.

• NFL’s Festive Week: Memorable moments from the Super Bowl parade showcased the celebratory yet chaotic nature of football festivities.

• Reevaluation of Bullying Narratives in NFL: In light of new revelations, the hosts questioned the accuracy and fairness of previous bullying claims within NFL locker rooms.

• Potential NCAA Tournament Expansion: Concerns raised about maintaining competitive integrity with the proposed increase to 76 teams.

• Comprehensive NBA Analysis: With guest Ryen Russillo, the episode delved deep into player performances, trade rumors, and the NBA’s current challenges and opportunities.

This episode of Pardon My Take offered a rich blend of sports analysis, entertaining discussions, and critical insights into both the NHL and NBA, making it a must-listen for avid sports enthusiasts seeking thoughtful commentary and lively banter.

Transcript

[Big Cat]

Hey, pardon my take listeners. You can find every episode on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon.

[PFT Commenter]

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[Big Cat]

On today's part of my take. We are back. Sort of. We're not all together yet. We'll be all together on Wednesday's show. But we are back to talk about the weekend. And we also have our big NBA preview with our favorite guest in the whole wide world, Ryan Rossil. Oh, excuse me, I got something in my throat. That was a chip. I've been eating a lot of chips. Ryan Rosillo on the show NBA preview. Can't miss it. Also talk about all kinds of things. I think we talked maybe 20% basketball, 80% everything else. So it's great interview and we're going to talk about this weekend for Nate. The NBA All Star Weekend. Everything else that's going on. A little hot seat. Cool throne. It is brought to you by our friends at DraftKings who's scoring big in the NBA this season. You are with all the new ways to get in on the action at DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA. DraftKings is the home of NBA player props so you can get behind your favorite players any which way. From monster slams to dishing the rock to cleaning the glass, it's super easy for first timers to get started. Try betting on something simple like picking an NBA player prop. Here's something special for first timers. New DraftKings customers bet $5. Get $150 in bonus bets instantly. Take it to the rack with DraftKings Sportsbook. Every point counts. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app. Use code TAKE. That's code TAKE for new customers to get $150 in bonus bets when you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours.

[Ryan Rosillo]

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[Big Cat]

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[Big Cat]

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[Ryan Rosillo]

Hey, football guy. Pat.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Welcome to part of my take presented by DraftKings. Take it to the rack with DraftKings Sportsbook. Every point counts. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code TAKE. That's code TAKE for new customers. Get $150 in bonus bets when you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings. The crown is yours. Today is Monday, February 17th. And guess what? We're the best country in the world in hockey again.

[PFT Commenter]

Usa. We're so back.

[Big Cat]

Usa.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, we got, we have we right now. As of the second, we're the. We're still and still the best hockey country in the world. We got the Cup. They're not getting it back. That was an ass kicking that the NHL got it right. Hats off to the NHL.

[Big Cat]

Oh, I mean the NHL this, this entire sports weekend. So the first weekend without football. And I did see our good friend Chris Long making fun of everyone who posted like, I miss football. Guess what, dude? I do miss football. Sunday was weird today. It was weird waking up, not being able, like, you know, I wanted to get in on the football action. It's just so. It's weird to have our bodies change.

[PFT Commenter]

But you guys can miss football. Real ones misses football. Because we're married to the game.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, exactly. The, the, the story though for the first weekend without football was and listen, he's our good friend Adam Silver now because we did have a great interview with him on, pardon my take on Wednesday. But the NHL absolutely bodied the NBA in terms of getting it right. And what they did, what they've done with the four nations tournament instead of the All Star game versus everything that's been going on for the NBA All Star game. It's not even close. That was such a cool. I mean, it's still going on. We have a game Monday night. There's the finals on Thursday. But it's, it's. The NHL knocked us out of the park. And it was. The guys cared a lot. And it was so much fun to watch USA Canada on Saturday night.

[PFT Commenter]

It was the complete opposite of the ulcer game right from the first whistle, I think. Were there three fights in the first 10 seconds of the game? That's awesome.

[Big Cat]

First nine seconds.

[PFT Commenter]

There's nothing like a little pure, unadulterated nationalism to really get people going. Yeah, the NBA like, scratched the surface a little bit with that by doing the. The different teams with the guys from. From tnt. But it's not the same. It's not the same like having just USA against Canada. It gets the blood going. Just.

[Big Cat]

I don't think the NBA didn't even come close to scratching that. Being like, oh, who cares about Chuck versus Shaq? That dad doesn't do it at all. They should. They should try to do the countries.

[PFT Commenter]

One of the teams was like European international guys.

[Big Cat]

Well, it was the rising stars. So it was like the young guys.

[PFT Commenter]

No, but there was. There were four teams. Right?

[Big Cat]

Right. I think there was Team Chuck, Team Shaq, Team Kenny, and then the rising stars.

[PFT Commenter]

One of the. One of the teams was. I want to say it was Team Mitch. I don't. Either Chuck. Chuck or Shaq had the international guys. They were.

[Big Cat]

They just. He just drafted them because they did a draft. So he just did that on purpose.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, got it.

[Big Cat]

And we also had LeBron James decide he's not playing in the All Star Game two hours before the All Star Game, which. Look, I don't. I mean, I'm not going to. People. People made this huge debate like, I can't believe he did this. It's more just like, dude, just say you're going to do this five days ago. You know what I mean? Like, don't do it two hours before the All Star Game. And people do want to see you play. And it's probably. You're at the end of your career. It was just kind of a lame move. He's probably injured, but still, just give everyone a little more of a heads up.

[PFT Commenter]

He was sitting out with foot and ankle discomfort. I don't know about you, but we have. We have a producer on this show that broke their foot and didn't miss a single episode.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's a fact.

[PFT Commenter]

LeBron James has to bow out at the last second for the All Star Game. But, yeah, the moral of the story is that the. The NBA cucked the NFL during Super bowl week. Then the NHL cucked the NBA during All Star week. NHL is king.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. NHL is king. They Crushed it. They absolutely crushed it. They should never go back to anything else. It should always be four nations every single year. I know. Olympics coming up next year. But that's. This is. This is the best.

[PFT Commenter]

What about Russia?

[Big Cat]

He's trying to make emotion.

[PFT Commenter]

What about Russia?

[Big Cat]

Russia got banned because of. They got banned because of the whole war in Ukraine. Next question. No, I know.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you think that Russia should have been the best hockey players are Russian.

[Big Cat]

If we're doing a talent showcase, like. Oh, no. That argument was made because it was like Germany was, I think, in the top 10 in the, in the rankings. Yeah, Germany was in the top 10 in the rankings. Russia. And they, they, Germany didn't, I think, have enough current NHL players to feel the team. So that was why they didn't get in. But yeah, expand it and make it better. Just do the Olympics every year. It would be fun with only NHL players.

[PFT Commenter]

I agree. And somehow Freebird has become our national song again. What? Back in, like 1977, it was once king, now it's king again. I don't know how that became the USA song. I think it was in the juniors, right? It was like the song that played after the goals, but it just fucking rocks. Tweeting out a clip of Freebird every time we score.

[Big Cat]

Where do you guys land on the booing of the national anthem debate? I think it's very funny. I love it. I want sports to have more bad blood. There was a lot of hurt feelings online and I get it. There's obviously a political element with like the U.S. canada relations. I just love the fact, like, they don't like us. We don't like them. We're gonna boo them in the finals if we meet them in Boston. Like, I don't. I have no problem with it. I like all of it.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, no, it's. I'm fine with it. Don't boo, vote. I like the fact that they. That there's some bad blood there. Like for a while. Usa, Canada, we've been buddy, buddy. I think after, after the game's over, they're probably cool with each other. Where our nations have a long stored history together. But to like actually drum up some hate for your opponent I think is really good. It's awesome.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I completely, like, I just. It was fun.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I.

[Big Cat]

And just seeing there was. It was a weird mix of like. It was actually very funny because it was perfect for both countries. It was, it was. I saw people being like, I can't believe they booed. This is absolute bullshit. And then there was Canadians Apologizing for it being like, we shouldn't have booed. It's like, no, fuck that, everyone. Like, this is fine. If you get your feelings hurt over your anthem being booed, you're an absolute pussy. Like, that's it. It's. It's. It's enemy territory. It would obviously be a different story if it happened in America and they booed the national anthem in America, but it's enemy territory. I have. I like this. It makes. It makes you feel like you're in Rocky 4. That's what I want all sports events to feel like.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I, I like that there was some booing and then there was people that booed the booers.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So you had no idea who was booing who by the end of it, but just. I'm a big fan of booze in general.

[Big Cat]

I said, I hope this starts a major boo off, and I hope that on Thursday, if USA plays Canada, it's the loudest boos you've ever heard. I don't want to even hear a second of O Canada. I just want to hear boos. Yeah, that would make me so happy.

[PFT Commenter]

Boo Canada.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Remember rough and rowdy when I tried to do oh, Canada. And I just started getting booed and I started laughing so hard. That was an awesome moment.

[PFT Commenter]

National anthems need to be easier to sing. I. I could understand booing the Star Spangled Banner just because it's. It's a. It's a tough one to get through, but I. I can't believe we didn't lead with the fact that Wimby made a mockery of the All Star skills competition this weekend. That's what people are really upset about.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, well, I'm. I'm more upset that Wemby didn't. He had literally the greatest fall guy of all time in Chris Paul as his teammate. For people who didn't watch the. So on Saturday night, they do the dunk contest. Shout out Mac McClung. That's pretty much his whole job in life is just to win the dunk contest. They had the three point contest. Tyler Herron. White boys are having a moment. Cooper De Jean, TYLER Hero, Mack McClung. All in a week. And then they had the skills competition. And in the skills competition, it's like, you know, pass a basketball, dribble a basketball, go take three shots at the top of the key, at the side, whatever. And Wemby figured out that he didn't actually have to take the shots. He just had to throw the ball at the rim as fast as possible. And it made it look completely ridiculous and a complete mockery of the thing. But my biggest issue was he was teamed with Chris Paul, and everyone immediately assumed Chris Paul was the mastermind behind this because Chris Paul does that type of shit. But Wemby took full ownership of it, and he was like, yeah, it was my idea.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. We thought that Chris Paul was foul baiting the skills competition.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And then. And then afterwards, Wimby was like, no. I went around, I asked, like, all the refs, and they told me I could just throw them. And how come when Ben Simmons attempts a shot that looks like that, we all feel bad for him? When Wimby does it, we kick him out of the tournament. It doesn't make sense to me. Doesn't add up.

[Big Cat]

I agree. It was.

[PFT Commenter]

It was very funny that they thought that they had a loophole and then they were just like, no, this is bush league shit. Get out of here. But, yeah, Chris Paul, I think everybody thought it was Chris Paul's idea until after the fact.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And then Wemby. And then it turns out that Wemby, he did go around basically asking every ref if this is okay and can he do this? And they all were like, okay, yeah, I guess so. And then as minute they did it, they kicked him out. By the way, Team Shaq is about to win. So congrats to team Shaq. They're going to beat Chuck's team. It's huge upset. Huge upset.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Where were you for team Shaq? They were like, I think maybe one and a half point underdogs. So where were you for team Shaq's big upset?

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, so I do like the play to 40 rule.

[Big Cat]

I think that's a good Elo mending.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, well, no, I think they're just not easy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it's just first to 40. The court looks like. The court I do not like. But, yeah, I. I like that as well.

[PFT Commenter]

Also, did you see that John morant saw Mac McClung and he was like, yeah, we got to do this next year. I'm in. Count me in. And then he tried to get Zach Levine to say that he was in. And then I think Giannis also tweeted that he'd be down. This happens every year, though. Something cool happens in the slam dunk competition. And then all the stars that you want to see and are like, yeah, we're gonna. We're gonna definitely do this next year. And it's a good night because, like, you can. You're just making a future problem for yourself that you're gonna cancel anyways. But for that night, you feel like you're a hero. It's like, thank you for saving the slam dunk competition, John Moran.

[Big Cat]

I've been there. Someone should do it. I mean there were people complaining about, there were people complaining about Mac McClung being like a two way guy shouldn't get to compete in the dunk contest. I gotta tell you, if you, if you're thinking that hard about the dunk contest, like, and you're that much of a stickler for the rules for the dunk contest, you can't take this away from Mac McClunk. It's literally all he has. He's three times in a row he.

[PFT Commenter]

Jumped over a car.

[Big Cat]

He did the Blake Griffin.

[PFT Commenter]

He did the Blake Griffin. I mean that's kind of justice for the kid I was hanging out with on Christmas who just wouldn't stop talking about Mac McClung deserving to be on an NBA roster. Get him, get him on an active roster because I think he's on the two way contract right now. Right?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah, he is. All right. So yeah. Shout out Team Shaq. Huge. Where were you when team Shaq won the NBA All Star game? Everyone will probably put that down as one of the greatest all star games out there. Beat team Chuck, which was the, it was a semi. It's a semi foreign team, not all foreign guys. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean if, if the NBA All Star game, Shaq versus Chuck in the, in the final game started out the way that USA versus Canada started out, where there were three just full on brawls on the court in the first 10 seconds, we would be having a discussion for six months of like has. What does Adam Silver need to do to save the NBA and its image problem?

[Big Cat]

Here's the thing with the NBA and if they wanted, they have one thing they could do to, to, to replicate the four nations. And I think we all know what it is.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

But they can't do it.

[PFT Commenter]

We should talk about it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, they can't do it. But that, that would replicate the, the like hype for four nations.

[PFT Commenter]

Listen. Very, very bad for the world, but it would be fun to watch.

[Big Cat]

Let's just say we would. We're not going to say it, but I would enjoy watching Alex Caruso play in the NBA all star game.

[PFT Commenter]

He would, he would put forth a lot of effort.

[Big Cat]

We'd have to get minutes from him. We'd have to get some minutes.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. I mean can you imagine? No way would LeBron James back out an hour before that game.

[Big Cat]

All right, so other things have been going on. Max, how you feeling? Your. Your. Your one week anniversary for the Super Bowl. You feel good? You're about to go on vacation when we all get back?

[Max]

Yep. I mean, some people had to do some stuff while you guys were on vacation. That's fine. What'd you have to do, edit D and D?

[Big Cat]

You just didn't plan your vacation the same week?

[Max]

Yeah, no, I fucked up on my.

[Big Cat]

Dates on the vacation. That's fine.

[Max]

Sometimes. Sometimes you get. You get bad scheduling and it happens. I didn't even go to the parade, which.

[Big Cat]

Oh, no. Yeah, tell us about the parade. What was the highlight? I mean, I saw Howie Roseman got. Got hit in the head in the forehead with a beer. That was kind of badass. He probably got some football guy. Street cred in the locker room.

[Max]

Yeah, no, there was a lot of beers being thrown. No one went on the floats. They all just decided to get absolutely wasted and just walk the entire parade, which was.

[PFT Commenter]

Which was cool.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Quinon Mitchell was super up. Had no idea what he was saying when getting interviewed on the side of the street. Nolan Smith Jr. I think he got. I think he got sent home early. He was so drunk.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Like, he was just going up to every single person in the stands, and every time someone said, shotgun this beer, he would shotgun that beer. So that was cool. A lot of F bombs in the speeches that the local news just had no idea what to do. When broadcasting the game or broadcasting the speeches, they would cut out, like, audio for the entire speech and then they would come back in and then an F bomb would immediately come after it. So that was good. There wasn't any big, like, Jason Kelsey speech, but it was. It was good. It was fun to watch.

[PFT Commenter]

I like Saquon. When he went to the. He went to the side. I think he was doing a lot of walking and he saw one of the ball boys was just on the. On the side and he grabbed and pulled him over the stands. It was like, yeah, you're walking with us.

[Big Cat]

That was awesome.

[Max]

I saw that. That was cool. He also went to Barstool Sansom right after. Right after. And was just partying right next to all of. All of my co workers.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Would you.

[Max]

I would have liked to have been there with.

[Big Cat]

And you would have been there with.

[Max]

And I would have been there with.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Correct.

[Big Cat]

You would have been there with. Would you like to say anything about the hanging of Kermit the Frog? Classless.

[Max]

I. I honestly didn't even see that the Only thing I saw.

[Big Cat]

Having a furious debate was that's like. Well, there was like, this is racist. And I was like, I. I get. I get why you could, like, get there. But, like, it's also just a frog. Like, they're just. They're. It's Philly, and they're just. They're hanging a frog. It's literally Kermit the Frog.

[Max]

I honestly didn't see that. The only one I saw was the. The pig roast that someone put 15 in the side of. That was. That was. That was the. That I saw that people are getting angry of.

[PFT Commenter]

I think that's fine.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. The only. The. The. The funniest thing I saw. The trend I saw was it was a lot of Chiefs fans essentially being like, when we win championships, we don't take shots at anyone, and Philly's just taking shots at people. Like the. You know, the C.J. gardner Johnson doing the Taylor Swift. Swifties can licks my balls. Like, that kind of stuff. They're like. They're just taking shots at us, and we never take shots at people when we win titles. I was like, are you having a class off on how to win a fucking title? Who cares? Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

They're doing. Act like you've been there before. If you win, you can do whatever you want. Also, isn't Kermit the frog. Isn't it one of those marionettes? So it's, like, always kind of hanging.

[Big Cat]

True. Good point. And. And I just can't stress this enough when. If Philly wins a championship, like, it's ends. It's an NC17 movie. When you're. When you tune into any coverage of, like, if. If. If you have any type of soft softness to you in terms of, like, I don't want them making fun of my team or my players. Don't tune into any of the coverage because it's Philly. And they're going to do that. They're going to roast. They're going to roast a pig with number 15 on it and say, swifties licks my balls. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

This television show is rated Philly.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, exactly. So I. I had no problem with. With Philly just being all Philly. What are you gonna say, Max?

[Ryan Rosillo]

The.

[Max]

The CJ Gardner Johnson shirt was hilarious.

[Big Cat]

Oh, so good.

[Max]

It was hilarious.

[Big Cat]

I mean, you're only gonna get L once.

[Max]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

For the super bowl, it's perfect. You have to just tip your hat and it's. Swifty. Swifties have to be able to take it the same way they give it. They go after people and And. And they. They gave all the, like, terrible reviews to his mom's restaurant. I. I didn't see him complaining about that. He just went back at the Swifties. This is all. This whole episode is just like at fair fairs. Fair. Boo. Tell people to lick your balls. Roast pigs, do it all. It's sports. It's fun.

[Max]

Agreed. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't.

[Max]

I. I have nothing else to say other than funny is funny. And I. I respect funny.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah. Swifty licks my balls. I like that a lot. Memes. Aaron Rodgers officially nod Jet. It's good that you guys decided to part ways. He's officially gone.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Gone forever.

[Big Cat]

Top three Aaron Rodgers moments as a Jet.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Him walking out with the flag while.

[Big Cat]

Running out with the flag was.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, that's a good one. The most excited I've ever been to.

[Big Cat]

Watch a football game. The first drive on that Monday Night Football game of this season where I.

[PFT Commenter]

Thought we were going to the super.

[Big Cat]

Bowl and the devonte Adams Hail Mary. Okay, okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. What were your bottom three moments?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Him tearing his Achilles.

[Big Cat]

That's pretty much it.

[PFT Commenter]

That's the only bad time.

[Big Cat]

Yep. Yeah. The Denver Broncos game, that was brutal.

[PFT Commenter]

The Vikings interception, that was brutal. That Broncos game. And you guys won that Broncos game, right? Didn't you? No, we would have. If Greg. Greg's early on made the kick.

[Big Cat]

It would change everything. Yeah. Aaron Rodgers probably still be a Jet if Greg's Erlon was. Made a couple kicks. One of the craziest what ifs in sports history.

[PFT Commenter]

Six fourth quarter leads.

[Big Cat]

You win those games, you're in the playoffs. And then.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, it's true.

[Big Cat]

All bets are off.

[PFT Commenter]

Me and Max in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. You're so close.

[Max]

Who do you want? Memes.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Who's the quarterback?

[PFT Commenter]

Justin Fields. Sounds like you're very confident in that one.

[Big Cat]

Oh, no, baby, baby, no, no, no, no. Yeah, but if he comes and does good.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, well, no, big cat. You didn't think about that. What if he was good?

[Big Cat]

That's a really good. That's a really good point. I did not consider. No memes. No, no, no. Don't do that. Don't do that.

[PFT Commenter]

Get him, Rusty.

[Ryan Rosillo]

If it's Kirk Cousins, I'll kill myself.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[PFT Commenter]

It could very well be Kirk Cousins. Everybody else. Everybody else is better than Zach Wilson, so that's fine.

[Big Cat]

But Kirk Cousins is just a lateral move from. What about to Kirk Cousins. What. What would be worse, Kirk Cousins or Sam Darnold?

[PFT Commenter]

Kirk Cousins.

[Big Cat]

But Sam Darnold.

[PFT Commenter]

Kirk Cousins fell off a cliff.

[Big Cat]

I mean, he had his Achilles injury. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But he started the season off so.

[Big Cat]

Good and then he fell off a cliff. Also, Schefter said that Sam Darnold's most likely Raiders or Vikings also, he didn't really start off the season so good. He had two incredible games against the Bucks, beat the super bowl champion.

[PFT Commenter]

He had, he had that one drive where it was like, okay, Kurt, go out there and we're just not going to run anything from the playbook. Just do no huddle.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah. Okay. Last story I had before we do. Who's back? Rich Incognito. What, what a, what a day for, for Richie. I mean that was so, for people who missed it, there was this pretty good article about Jonathan Martin. I think we're right around the 10 year anniversary where he essentially was like, yeah, a lot of that stuff. I, I, I never really thought I got bullied. And that, by the way, that was kind of our take from, you know, we had, we've had Richie on the show a couple times. I actually text him, I was like, this day's got to feel really good. He's like, thanks, thanks for having my back. And he like, Richie is not for everyone. Richie also, I think, was put in a spot where he was an easy target to be the face of bullying. And this story that just came out essentially explained it that Jonathan Martin's mom put the words bullying onto the whole thing. And then it just kind of took an entire left turn where it became this thing that was so much bigger than just a locker room. And Rich Incognito became the face of like, you know, this anti bullying campaign that was, was just not real for what Jonathan Martin said today. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So in this article he was like, yeah, I was not bullied. Bullying was never really what it was about. I think Jonathan Martin, he's had his fair share of issues off the field in the last 10 years. I hope he's doing well. He seems like he's at least in a space where he wants to like clear everything up and try to move forward. There was a lot of stuff, a lot of meaning that got put onto the story that probably should have been, it should have become like a wide cultural issue.

[Big Cat]

Correct.

[PFT Commenter]

That NFL players and fellow office alignment were talking a lot of, to each other and some of the stuff went like way over the line for sure. But like it was not ganging up and, and bullying one person and like driving them to the point of going insane. It was dude talking each other and it became so much bigger than Just that story, like, I feel like it. This same thing has probably happened hundreds of times in the NFL and if anything, like, a player might get like a one game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team or they might get fined and then you never hear about it. But it became a Ted Wells report where you had like the FBI investigating it and it just got, it got insane.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And it, I, I think my interpretation from the jump, and we've talked about it on this show before, and like I said, we've had Richie on the show multiple times, is that if you ever, when you try to take the outside world and judge a locker room and how it operates and basically put it into corporate America or a classroom or any type of place where people gather together and there's a little bit more decorum, you're always going to be shocked by the locker room. The locker room is not the same as everything else in the world because it's a violent sport. It's guys all together getting paid a lot of money, busting each other's balls. That gets said in the locker room. If it gets said at your, you know, Fortune 500 company. Yeah, people would get fired. But that's not, you can't judge it that way. That, it just never works that way. And I thought the whole thing was a lot of people trying to put their workplace into an NFL locker room and having the standards match and they just won't, they'll never be the same. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you walk around naked after lunch break with, like, the other people in sales shower together? You got, yeah, like 99% of football is technically bullying.

[Big Cat]

Right. Well, it's even, it's even. You know, if, if you had your text message, text messages with your, like, closest friends in the world just put out there people, like, do these guys hate each other or do they like each other? I can't tell. You know, and there's relation. These relationships are deeper and, and have a different complexity than just a text message or a snippet that you take a capture of and you're like, oh, that's exactly how they acted all the time.

[PFT Commenter]

They would know that we hated Hank, though, before came out.

[Big Cat]

That's true. But yeah, it was. I, I, I'm happy Richie got a little satisfaction where I, I do hope Jonathan Martin's doing well. It seems like he's doing well. He's, he's big into bitcoin. He's got like a ton of degrees. Seems way smarter than I'll ever be. But it did. And even the, did you read the. The story. Pft. Yeah, I did that part where he. I think he had a falling out with his mom over this. It seemed like they hadn't talked, you know, for a while. And. And I understand his mom was trying to protect him, but it also. He's. It's a mother trying to protect a grown man, which. That gets a little weird. But the whole situation definitely went in a direction that removed itself from the reality of what a locker room is and what those guys were going through together.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. The narrative at the time was like, Richie incognito, basically killed one of his teammates.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

By being such an. And. And it was not at all based on what the truth of the situation was. And it does suck for him that it took 10 years for this to come out. And so he's doing a victory lap, as he should at this point, which is like. Yeah, I was. I was painted as, like, the worst person in professional sports.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he was. Made the face of it all. Still the. Still the funniest one. We went. We went to Buffalo and interviewed Richie after the game. Remember, we went. We went to the tailgate. So this. For old Awls will remember this, but we went to the tailgate after. So the Bills have like, a player's tailgate in the player's lot. It was basically Eric Wood, other offensive linemen, and Richie was like, meet me there and then we'll go to my house and we'll do the interview. And we went there and we sat there drinking beers and hanging out with the Bills offensive line for, like, two hours while I kept on texting Richie. And then finally he's like, oh, dude, I went home right after the game. He's like, oh, okay. Like, okay, well, we'll meet you there. He's like, yeah, I've been home for two hours. I don't know why you guys have been standing there in like 20 degree weather, drinking beers in the parking lot, but I am happy that Richie got a little vindication in this.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, he was. He was definitely made the face of it because Richie. Everything that went along with Richie was like, he was the easiest person to believe. That could be a huge bully. Just on. On how he played sometimes where you'd always be, like, right up against that edge. So I. I hope. I hope he's feeling good today. I hope that Jonathan Martin's doing okay because it seems like he's kind of all over the map, and I. I hope. I hope he's happy right now.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And I bet you Richie, if Richie Talked. There's probably some things that he would like to take back as well. Because I never, I don't think we ever said. I don't think Richie ever said that. He was a model citizen that never did anything wrong. It's just he became the face of like this, you know, horrible bullying campaign that just wasn't really based in any reality. Yeah. Okay. Anything else before we do? Who's back of the week?

[PFT Commenter]

There was a report from Pete Thamel, I think, expanding the NCAA tournament. So he says that for the 2026 season, the tournament could expand and the likely option would be to 76 teams. 76 teams in the NCAA tournament. At first I saw this and I thought. I thought, Dear God, no. 64 to me is still the perfect number. It just, It's a nice clean bracket.

[Big Cat]

I like.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm a simple man. I can divide by eight. I like looking at a 6014 bracket. Now, the only way that I would be okay with it if it was 76 teams is if you had the eight teams outside of the 64 that were all at large bids.

[Big Cat]

Well, that would be what they were.

[PFT Commenter]

No, no, because sometimes you get the conference tournament winners.

[Big Cat]

What do you mean?

[PFT Commenter]

I'm saying like if in the play in games.

[Big Cat]

Oh, in the playing games. I didn't, I didn't understand what you're saying. I thought you meant just the extra eight are all at large. Because they would all be at large.

[PFT Commenter]

Right, Right. No, but I mean that we have obviously the Dayton playing.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And then they would do another site that was not on the East Coast. It would be somewhere out west for, I don't know, time zones. But yeah, if, if all the playing games were at large teams, then I'll be okay with it.

[Big Cat]

I think it's less that and it's more that if they expand it. So they expand eight teams. It has to be. There has to be a rule that it's four and four big conference, small conference. Because what I don't want is an expansion of eight teams and then you get the seventh best ACC team and the 10th best Big Ten team over an Indiana State from last year. So if they made it, hey, we're expanding it to eight. Eight more teams. But it has to be four teams that are lower, you know, lower conference teams. And I could deal with that because that would be fun.

[PFT Commenter]

A team that got their bid stolen, their automatic stolen in the championship game. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

I don't want it to be just like a middle of the road big conference team that everyone complains about and is really not deserving of it. I would rather have it be like a Villanova or something where they're on the bubble and, like, I don't need them in. I'd like Indiana State.

[PFT Commenter]

Right? I. Yeah. I just don't like. I hate it when they have the conference winners and they have to play in the playing game. That sucks.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Agreed. Max, are. Are you on the bubble or is.

[Max]

Not on the bubble? They are the others very well below the bubble.

[PFT Commenter]

Wait, below the bubble or are you inside the bubble or outside of the bubble?

[Max]

They were starting to creep up into bubble land after beating St. John's last week, and then they just got absolutely smoked and implanted, embarrassed by Providence on Saturday.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, man.

[Big Cat]

Good news for the sickos and perverts who are left edging from Max in the Super Bowl. I officially believe that this badger team could make a. Make a run. So that will be where you get the heartbreak and the sadness and the. And me lashing out. That's gonna happen. I. I think they are really good. Really fun. They were. They're projected a three seed. They did a mock committee thing, and then they went out and beat Purdue. At Purdue. I. I fully believe they could be a like, Elite 8 team, and that's always a disaster for me.

[PFT Commenter]

This year.

[Big Cat]

No, he's. He's Cooper Flag. An elite eight run would be fun. Yeah. You. You want me to. Yeah, you want me to. You want. You need it. Everyone. You. Because when I say sickos and perverts, Hank is definitely, like, the number one leader of the sickos and perverse and he knows that he got blue balls for Max's super bowl run.

[Max]

He's just got to put a future on your. On your squad.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, No, I love the birds.

[Max]

That's the difference maker.

[Big Cat]

All right, let's do who's back of the week, and then we're going to kick it to Ryan Rosillo. And like I said, we'll be back in studio all together for Wednesday's show on Tuesday. So we'll be back from vacation then. But before we do that, who's back of the Week is brought to you by our friends at Truly. Truly Unruly is the first high ABV hard seltzer that actually takes tastes good. Truly Unruly is a hard seltzer that breaks all the rules. Drinks light, parties hard with 8% ABV. It hit. It hits hard, but still tastes amazing. Strawberry Smash. That's my personal favorite. I love it. We were drinking it in New Orleans. It's Great. You have a. You have. You get. You have a Truly Unruly. Maybe on the golf course you feel great. And it's the official hard seltzer. A pardon my take. Find Truly Unruly at a store near you or visit www.trulyhardselter.com Shout out truly. By the way, they were on the ice for four nations. I saw it as one of the sponsors. So big stuff. Love Truly Unruly. All right, Hank. Who's back of the week?

[PFT Commenter]

My who's back of the week was.

[Big Cat]

About to be cable, but I just found out that a deal has been made between YouTube TV and Paramount Plus. Yeah, it's. I don't think it's a. I don't think they made the deal. I think they just. I made the switch to YouTube TV like two months ago, and I like it. And then I think it was on Friday or a couple days ago that YouTube TV said they weren't going to be carrying Paramount plus, which could be an issue for March Madness. So that would have been a disaster, right? Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So they. I think they have the structure of an extent. It's like what the PGA Tour and live keeps doing, where it's like, yeah, we have. We have an agreement to framework. So there might not be march madness on YouTube TV.

[Big Cat]

That mean. That would be a. That'd be a disaster. Yeah, it would be a complete disaster. I mean, that's especially because YouTube TV you can watch on your, you know, on your phone, pull up on your phone for people at work or on your computer, and you get the four boxes, like, total disaster. They got. They can't. I'm not going to get political, but that does feel like something Trump should just get involved in. If we get to that point, if we're right before it, I feel like one tweet from him could solve that. Yeah. So cable. Cable might be back. Yeah. Okay. Pft. Your who's back of the week?

[PFT Commenter]

My who's back of the week is Giancarlo Stanton. He's back on the injury report. He's going to start the season on the injury report. Might not play in the first game. He's got double elbow tendinitis. So both of. Both of his elbows are up. That's what Blake had. So he's. If he does play, he's going to be in a cone and probably sedated a little bit. But it is. It's like just. It's so perfectly Giancarlo. Stan to, like, go into the spring training Yankees feeling good about themselves again. And then, oh, yeah, he's still Giancarlo Stanton.

[Big Cat]

That's like Rendoned having another surgery as well.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

All time, finesse job.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. How many games has he played, like, on this contract? Yeah, I think. I think three or four. It's. I mean, you can look at his highlights on the Angels and it's when he, like when he slapped that fan.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That's probably pretty much the coolest thing that he's done.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Okay. My who's Back of the week is national sports podcast because I wanted to talk real quick. Did you guys see I had two things from college or three things from college basketball. Saturday, Auburn goes into Alabama, beats Alabama. Awesome, awesome game. Two incredible teams. That was like, there was a moment in the last maybe four minutes where it was just trading deep threes back and forth. That was just so much fun to watch. So credit to Auburn. They're really, really good. And then did you guys see Terence Shannon's jersey getting retired?

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

Upside down all time. I don't know how that happens. I really don't. How do you put that? How do you attach the jersey upside down and then actually pull it up?

[PFT Commenter]

That means that it's in distress when they raise it upside down. I don't know. And the, the gasp from the audience was very, very funny when they all realized at the same time, oh, this whole thing's upside down. I don't know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And what I.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What I do.

[Big Cat]

Go ahead.

[PFT Commenter]

The discourse that I really like after the Auburn, Alabama game is people immediately saying, let's do this again three more times this season. Like, if we don't Get Auburn, Alabama 4 times total in college basketball this year, people are going to be very upset. And I think the schedule makers will do everything in their power if it does come to, like, you know, bracket time, make sure that we have a strong possibility of seeing those two teams match up in the Elite Eight.

[Big Cat]

Yes. I think also Carl Ravage did fall for the SEC is.500 since January 4th. Stat. He said that live on air a couple days ago. But the SEC is very, very good. And that was. That showed it. Also in the Illinois, Michigan State game. The. I don't know if you guys saw the end of the game, but I can't remember. I think it was with about five minutes left in the game, it was 67, 66, Illinois. Sorry. It was like six and a half minutes left in the game. It was 67, 66 Illinois over Michigan State. And the final score was 79, 65 Michigan State. So in the last six and a half minutes, Illinois actually had minus two points because they went and reviewed a basket for a goaltending from earlier and took off points. So you can see there's a screenshot where they're up 67, 66 with six minutes left and they lost 79, 65. Never been done before. That was crazy.

[PFT Commenter]

So infuriating if you bet on them.

[Big Cat]

So infuriating. But, yeah, that Auburn, Alabama game was awesome. And I don't know if there's any other college basketball also.

[Max]

Shout out, Pug.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Oh, boy, was that awesome.

[Big Cat]

Oh, boy, was that a bad ending for Yukon. Holy. They just pissed down their leg. Pug, you're back.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Seeing all. One game win streak.

[PFT Commenter]

There we go.

[Big Cat]

You could get hot.

[PFT Commenter]

Let's build off that.

[Big Cat]

Just put you guys on the bubble.

[PFT Commenter]

Tournament. Just put us in the Big east tournament.

[Big Cat]

Anything can happen, okay? Everyone makes it, right? Everyone makes it. Yeah. Not everyone makes a Big Ten tournament. Really? Yeah, they've had to because we've had so many teams now, so there's a few teams that don't make it.

[PFT Commenter]

Pug, you should do bracketology for the Big east tournament. Last four in Seton Hall.

[Big Cat]

Okay, you're in.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, yeah, we're in.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We're going to win it.

[Big Cat]

No, that was a bad loss for UConn, because Seton hall is not good at all.

[Max]

Seton hall is horrendous.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, her very, very bad loss. Very, very bad loss. Okay, Any other national sports podcast stuff? I mean, we got Rosillo for an hour and a half, plus.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, he's going to get into a lot of national sports podcast stuff, mostly about World War II, but, yeah, I. I think one thing that I saw that caught my eye earlier today was Calipari just yelling at that people for. He was basically saying, my team sucks. Yeah, that's.

[Big Cat]

He's not having a great time.

[PFT Commenter]

He's having a bad time. He says, like, my team sucks. They're soft. I have to treat them delicately. This is me treating them delicately. But I need to get in their ass somehow so I won't be hard. It doesn't look good. Doesn't look good for Cal.

[Big Cat]

No, it is not. Not. Not a great first year for him in Arkansas, but. All right, we're going to be back, all of us together, on me. Max, when do you leave for your fitness vacation?

[Max]

Wednesday night.

[Big Cat]

Okay, so we'll be back, all of us together on Tuesday, and we're going to try to get Biz on to talk, hopefully usa Canada now. Oh, last Thing. If the Canada Finland game goes to overtime, does the US Basically take a dive and let Sweden advance? So that's how the tiebreakers work out. So Canada, I think. I think the US Game on Monday night means nothing if Canada wins their game in regulation. In regulation, it will just be USA Canada. We're already in. We're already in Thursday night. So I think if. As long as. If Canada wins in regulation, our game means nothing. But if Canada wins in overtime, I think they get two points and then Sweden could. Could potentially jump them by the US Taking a dive and Sweden beating them, beating us in regulation. Do we do it?

[PFT Commenter]

My United States of America is not a coward.

[Big Cat]

Oh, I'd love to do it, though. It'd be so funny if Team Canada didn't even get into the finals.

[PFT Commenter]

I just want to say, for the record, I want to. You got to beat the best anybody, anytime, anywhere.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But yes, we should definitely take it. We should definitely take it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. What are you with, Right?

[Big Cat]

You're just. Are you paid off by Putin?

[PFT Commenter]

Hank, read an article. I want to hear. Obviously, Russia is one of the four nations.

[Big Cat]

They have to be in this. And they're like, no, they're not. I was like, that's crazy. The four nations. You're right. Well, no, but I want to hear.

[PFT Commenter]

About this article you read.

[Big Cat]

Hey, no, that's a raw reaction. I was just like, I feel like Russia has great hockey players. They're probably heated.

[PFT Commenter]

If it was up to me, I. I would play against Russia right now.

[Big Cat]

Yep. Right.

[PFT Commenter]

Me too.

[Big Cat]

Like, agreed. I don't want the asterisk. I'm not putting asterisks. True. But Russians, you know, Russians might come at you. How many Russians do you see on a day to day that are going to be like, well, that four nations was bullshit. True. I think you'll be okay. Yeah. Hank, I don't even know. I don't know what Russians are coming across that would be that passionate about it. But I. I am sorry for you. If you're going to get for it.

[PFT Commenter]

It'S the ones that you don't see coming that you have to worry about with the Russians.

[Big Cat]

True, True. We got to find a Canadian for Thursday night that we can heckle. Do we have a Canadian guy at the office? I was trying to think we had one.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. There's Greer, there's. There's biz. But he's gonna be there, right?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Do we have a Canadian?

[PFT Commenter]

It was just Rent a Canadian for a day.

[Max]

I'm pretty sure Greer's Rooting for America. Anyway, that's funny to nobody except for the people that are in this.

[Big Cat]

Yes, yes. But yeah, listen, we. Judging by our laughs, you know, that was funny.

[PFT Commenter]

Isn't Brandon Walker Canadian?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, let's make him Canadian. I like that. Yeah. We should tie him up and put a Canadian tuxedo on him.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Okay. All right, let's get to our interview with Ryan Rossillo NBA preview. Okay, before we get to our good friend Ryan Rosillo for NBA preview, we're brought to you by our friends at Chevy. Chevy has packed more capability into the Silverado Trail Boss so that you can pack more fun into your weekend. Have yourself a friye Saturday and Sunday with the truck that says no to nothing. Tailgates, spontaneous camping trips, DIY projects. Bring it on. What about a cross country road trip? Silverado was the perfect ride for last year's grit week out west. Recently they helped us give fullbacks recognition they deserve with the low man award. Well, the Silverado Trail Boss is built like a fullback. We're talking 495 pounds of feet of torque. Hold on to your sodas Max. Plus the Trail Boss gives you an extra 2 inch lift. So maybe Hank can finally dunk. Silverado brings the grit. Then pairs it with all the latest truck tech inside and out. The result, A truck that can do it all. Then show up on a Monday with a story to tell. So learn more about the silverado trail boss chevy.com Chevrolet Together, let's drive. We're also brought to you by our friends at Mountain Dew. Add a blast of refreshing tropical lime flavor to your game day with Mountain Dew Baja Blast. Mountain Dew Baja Blast is part of my game day ritual. I love Mountain Dew. I love Baja Blast. If you're sitting watching games, I know it's football season. Now it's basketball season. We're going to get into the NBA with Ryan Rosillo, grab them out and do Baja Blasts tournaments coming up. Mountain Dew Baja Blast. Do it. The tropical lime flavor Mountain Dew Baja Blast is refreshing as maybe hitting a parlay or a pick six or a buzzer beater. Now this basketball season, hitting your free throws and 1 and 1 while hitting a 34 point play. That's a Mountain Dew Baja Blast. Mountain Dew Baja Blast is the four point play of sodas. Say it right now. So ride the Baja wave on game day and grab Mountain Dew Baja Blast for you and your crew wherever refreshing beverages are sold. Thank you to Mountain Dew. Thank you to Mountain Dew Baja Blast for changing our lives. That's the meme. Right? Memes, you, you changed my life. And then she says, I'm literally Mountain Dew, Baja Blast. So that's how I feel when I talk, when I talk about Mountain Dew Baja Blast. Okay, here he is, Ryan Rosillo, NBA preview. Okay. We now welcome on a very, very, very special guest. He's one of our best friends in the whole wide world. It is Ryan Roso from the Ryan Roso podcast. Go listen right now. NBA preview. So we're running this on February, the.

[PFT Commenter]

Week of the combine, maybe the week 17th.

[Big Cat]

February 17th, NBA preview. Gonna get traded.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I, I, look, I'm not an insider. I think just there was a younger version of me, egotistically, maybe a little insecure in the business where I was like, well, I heard then I got to know Woj. I got to know his daily sacrifice, and I was like, it's wrong of me to dip my toes into his world.

[Big Cat]

Yep.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Right. Just because I have access. Right. Like, I don't go on cnbc.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Because I day trade.

[PFT Commenter]

So are you good at it?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Here's what I'm telling you. If I put the right, if I had more screens, I'd be better.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But I'm hearing big time rumblings of Luca.

[PFT Commenter]

My favorite was when choms was on SportsCenter the other day and they had a camera on him backstage when they were getting ready to bring them out to the desk. And it was like tunnel entrance to an NBA game. The camera was like going around him 360 degrees. He was like shaking his neck out. They're like, we're going to Shams in a second. He's getting pumped up to go out there. Then he goes out there, he sits down all fired up. He's like, league circles just can't believe what they're hearing right now. What is a league circle?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Just whoever you have a contact with in the league. Because I've never talked to more teams than those 48 hours after that trade on Saturday night. Like, I was hearing from guys I hadn't talked to in years.

[Big Cat]

It's still, I know that, you know, the dust is settled. It still makes no sense. Right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

So look, we've been in New Orleans all week. Every single thing I've gone to, all anybody wants to talk about is Luca.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, because it's, I mean, the original reporting of it, when Shams reported, it's like, I'm not hacked. Because it was so bad of a deal.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Bobby Marks had to be like, he's not hacked. Like, I need a third source. To confirm this about the original tweet.

[Big Cat]

This is not NBA Sentinel. This is an actual trade. Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Because if it is central, we joked on Saturday after it happened that Bronnie would have been in it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That would be a much better trade. But what do you think LeBron would have said? No. They would have had to let Ron.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, he would have said yes. He'd be like, Luca, my prime trade.

[PFT Commenter]

My own son for Luca.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Is it. Is it like, everything I've read, it just basically boils down to Nico Harrison, the GM for the Mavs, almost went rogue. And he doesn't like Luca, probably doesn't like fat people.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And I know that must have hurt.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Well, I mean, I. I've been defending Luca when everyone's like, you're just.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You're not even fat, but he's like, he's 270.

[Big Cat]

6. 7. 270 is not bad.

[Ryan Rosillo]

270 is not bad at all.

[Big Cat]

On 6. 7.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'd be 270 if I. If I could.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm not even 6.

[PFT Commenter]

If you look at BMI, he's, like, morbidly obese.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But BMI, there was a new thing I read today that was like, finally, you're like, oh, you think it might be a little outdated for Jack. People.

[Big Cat]

Right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Scientist.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Muscle. But what is it? Just. He hated Luca.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It seems like it. I mean, I think everything is. Is out. There's other conspiracy theories. And I love, you know, when somebody's really smart and they're really good at making a point, and then everybody was like, hey, did you hear about this, like, casino thing? And, like, the moving around? And then you're like, okay, maybe. Yeah, maybe.

[Big Cat]

Or.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Because it's so convincing. Right. But I always have this issue with, like, making this simple thing difficult. And I think those of us that do this for a living like to do that at times, and that's not even. This guy wasn't even. I don't even think a media member. But you're like, do you think they want to leave Dallas? You think they want to leave the Dallas market? And so we get a major league on our hands here. Like, of course they don't. They want these teams. Yeah. But they want the money paid when you expand those two. No. 2 new owners have to write these massive.

[Big Cat]

But they can still do that. They move to Vegas, and then the expansion team is Dallas.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

I don't know if you heard about this one.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Of course I've heard about it. I. I've had it sent to me, by people being like, checks out.

[Big Cat]

That's the thrill of a conspiracy theory. Because if you see it early enough, you can tell other people and they're like, wow, you're a deep.

[PFT Commenter]

And then they think that you came up with it. Like, yeah, Big Cat just told me this thing.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I like when somebody shares it with you. Like, they got it in a source that no one else has already seen.

[PFT Commenter]

It's like one Reddit post.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Everybody sees Sniffer 69 came up with.

[Ryan Rosillo]

With it, and everyone's like, he's had a good track.

[PFT Commenter]

He makes a lot of good points. Yeah, put another. Put another nickel in the Fart center for 69 was right.

[Big Cat]

Jar. Yeah, but it's crazy. This trade is crazy. It makes no sense. Here's.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Here's what I think is, like, the funniest part about it is that I guess Nico wanted to keep it a secret cuz he was afraid people would get mad if they found out.

[Big Cat]

I don't.

[PFT Commenter]

I don't know. But he was like, don't tell anyone.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. He thanked Penka for keeping it quiet. And you're like, what you think Palinka was going to do?

[PFT Commenter]

Apparently other people.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The other thing that I always think is insane with like, rebuilds in the NBA is like, we need everybody to be kind of on the same timeline, like, age wise. So you go, so if like, in theory, Ant were available, he's too young to play next to Kyrie. Now, granted, positionally a fit center in AD and Kyrie, it's very clear that Nico's background in the guys that he's had relationships with, like, he said, I don't do anything scary. I'm like, you did the single scariest transaction in the NBA two years ago by being the one team that's like, yeah, we'll trade stuff for Kyrie Irving. And it's worked out. And I think it's worked out because of that relationship. Clearly, the AD relationship goes all the way back. The Polinka relationship goes back 20 plus years. You know, everybody's read all the same stuff about how like, Nico was obsessed with Kobe, made it work. The Pelinka Kobe deal, where Kobe's like telling Polinka, go start your own thing. I'm coming with you. Like, these guys have been, you know, not a weird way, but like, collectively in bed in this basketball world for a really long time. But, like, at some point you have to have someone close to you that can. That can go, hey, even if you don't love Luca, even if you love Ad, Silence is not the play here. You know, like, every time there's a big trade. And granted, it's more in the NBA than any other sports, but it used to happen in baseball when it was a more active trade deadline. But when the insider goes on TV like just happened with the Aaron Fox Shams goes on, Wind Horse goes on. Whoever goes on, it's like, look, you know, people around the league are starting to tell you, you know, Sacramento definitely looking at offers and maybe open for business on Dear and Fox. A lot of times that comes from the team, Right. They want the guy to go on, advertise to the rest of the league that this guy is available. The idea that if it got out, it hurts their leverage is he. This is unfathomable to so many different teams around the league. This should be an auction. It should be a public auction. It should be updated every day. The Lakers, as Windhorse reported, saying that they went to Dallas and said, we can't give you the second first because we don't know if he'll sign an extension.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Then if you're Nico, you go, okay, then. Then you can walk away from acquiring luka doncic at 25 years old in a trade that is unprecedented historically.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I'm offering you gold, and you're gonna break my ball.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You can say no to me.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And instead, Nico was like, yeah, you're right.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So the other thing that closed my.

[PFT Commenter]

Mind, the other thing that could make sense with it, is that he's just obsessed with AD and he just loved AD and needed him on that team.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't know. Somebody else involved.

[Big Cat]

It's also crazy because he's like, oh, yeah, we just went to the finals with Luca being an absolute force offensively. You know, what we should do is go defense.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, that's the other thing, is that I spend a lot of time. I mean, I don't really talk to anybody about it, but they're like, oh, look at this guy's numbers. And be like, that guy's a loser. Oh, he has. He had 30 points again. Cool. You watch all the other shit that he does wrong. This guy has a laundry list of losing plays inside of a basketball game. Like, I know you're upset about the Zach Green.

[Big Cat]

No, I'm not upset.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But, you know, he's played in, what, four playoff games in his career. So, like, we're sitting around. This league has a lot of dudes that put up huge, huge numbers, but they do it on their own terms. They don't pay attention to Anything else? They've never even heard of an off ball cut to save.

[PFT Commenter]

Sounds like you're talking about Jordan Pool. No, it sounds very mean.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, Jordan Poole is like, I joke that if he went to confession, he'd be like, what is this? Because there's just no.

[PFT Commenter]

No conscience.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There's zero. I mean, he's the most dangerous player in the NBA.

[Big Cat]

I love him.

[PFT Commenter]

I love watching him play.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's actually not. Not entertaining.

[Big Cat]

No, it is.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You're just like, this is this. I can't imagine being a teammate. Like, I'd want to get on the plane at one point. Like, are you serious, man? So anyway, the point is, is there's a lot of players that get a lot of pub that were like, well, he must be good, because look at. At his line and look at all these things he's done. And they've done nothing. They've never sniffed anything. Maybe a playoff. Fluky run Luca with a team three years ago, that's third option was Reggie Bullock. Okay? Like, that team made it to the Western conference finals. And then this team gets through okc. It gets through Minnesota, and it plays. You know, it was a bad matchup against Boston. That Boston team is really, really good. But this guy was actually going on the playoff runs, right? So all these other guys are like, I couldn't think. You know, sometimes I think there's guys that are good that are on bad teams and other guys I think that are frauds. This guy's not a fraud.

[Big Cat]

And I think it was Harold Bob. I say his name wrong. Harala Bob Haralab, who said it, which was. I feel like it had to be said. Even though it's very obvious. He was like, yeah, you'll post clip. People post clips of Luca being a traffic cone and getting blown by post. The same amount of clips, if not more, of Luca having three guys guard him and still hitting the shot.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, that.

[Big Cat]

That's what he brings, right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I mean, that was alarming. It was also weird because I think the Celtics knew because, I mean, it's pretty obvious by their approach. Like, we're gonna just kill this guy right now. The Celtics also had like, five to seven guys with a ball in their hands that you actually have to worry about right off the dribble. Not just spot up guys so you can make a target that you're hunting move more when you're as good as the Celtics are. So those video clips, like, okay, fine, but I can do the same thing with a ton of other players that don't even sniff the first or second round.

[PFT Commenter]

Right, right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So.

[PFT Commenter]

And I don't think his defense was that bad late on in the playoffs. I feel like once he started to play hard, he wasn't a great defender, but he wasn't a complete liability all the time.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That matchup was tough for him. But I think just team to team, it was a tough matchup because it was like the first team, I mean, they had Tatum guarding their center while Tatum was playing point guard. And like, I was at two of the games. And it was funny because Dallas at one point's like, oh, wait, maybe we can attack Tatum on the post. And it's like, cool. You're gonna run Gafford post ups.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And take the ball out of Lucas hands. Take the ball out of Kyrie's hands. Like, you're playing right into what they want to do. But I think. Pft. Your point is this. Like, okay, you want to call him fat? Fine. You want to say he's not committed enough? Fine. You want to say argues the refs. Like, dude, pick a guy that doesn't argue with the refs. Like, it's always shocking when you go, oh, so and so doesn't argue all that much. I mean, sure, okay, fine.

[Big Cat]

All.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All great stuff. Call other teams.

[Big Cat]

Right, Right. The process is bad.

[PFT Commenter]

You're 100% correct. Like, if they knew that Luca was. Was up for being traded, you would have every GM, most GMs in the league, making their final best offers, and you would get an enormous haul for him.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think Ange would have done like Tatum after he won an NBA championship with him. Yeah, I don't know that. I mean, he never would tell you the truth or anything. I don't know if Boston could after just winning with Tatum, knowing that Tatum's always plays every game, plays defense. You just want a title. Their window is still open.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, Brown's the alpha.

[Big Cat]

He's got the aura.

[PFT Commenter]

Batman Robin talk.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, yeah, Max aura. Not. Not your Max. Unattainable aura.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you want to do Batman Robin for the Lakers now? Who takes the last shot?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I love that discussion. Whose team is it?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, whose team is that, Ronnie?

[Ryan Rosillo]

When Dwayne Wade spent, like, two years doing interviews and like, another 10 years after, he's like, well, the team didn't really click until I sacrificed.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was like, oh, you sacrificed against the guy who at the time, is the best version we've ever seen of him. That's arguably, like, again, we know we're sitting here, he's number two probably all time. I You, there's, there's definitely a, a clip that runs in two years. Right. Luke is out of shape. He gets hurt again. There's questions about the extension. He's miserable. He actually doesn't like la, which would be shocking to me. I think he's probably going to hang out with all the hockey players and move to Manhattan Beach. But I, we, we know what it could be. I mean, maybe Dallas goes on. I really like this team. When they were healthy this year, a good team. They had an awesome offseason. The trades were great for them. There is a version of events that can definitely happen. It's like, remember how everybody thought this and Nico was right. Whatever that could happen, I'm open to it.

[PFT Commenter]

The fans showing up and protesting, like trying to kill him, bringing the casket out.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Then the Mavericks go on and win a championship.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Dude. How about Ali laforce on the call the Mavs Celtics game last night, like having a moment where she was like, you know, everybody just wants to remind you that Saturday night's home game for Dallas, like, like these people have families.

[PFT Commenter]

Be responsible.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Right?

[Big Cat]

I know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And like this is quite the message. Anyway, having said all those things, you still will never be able to defend the process.

[Big Cat]

Right. The process is bad.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The execution of this is indefensible. But then I think about Luca, like, is this, this wake up call for.

[Big Cat]

Him and he's going to be next to LeBron, who's going to get him in shape, right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like Sula.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, that's not really that much of a wake up call. Where it's like, hey, we're going to send you to LA. You're going to play with LeBron and you're going to be the face of the Lakers.

[Big Cat]

More taxes, like that.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That'll show you a lot more taxes.

[PFT Commenter]

A lot of taxes.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Thirteen and a half percent.

[PFT Commenter]

Thirteen and a half state.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I think so. Over a million. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

But the one thing I'll say in defensive Nico is that he does have a job for life probably now because Rob Polinka will just hire him. He has to like if that we find out if he gets fired in two years and then he's just part of the Lakers organization. I think there'll be part of me being like, all right, I guess he was just looking out for himself. That's not the worst.

[Ryan Rosillo]

This does remind me of Roman times though.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, same. I was gonna say the same Sula.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Where he was like, I thought you're talking about Jim. No, there's no friend that's ever served me no enemy that's ever wronged me. Who am I whom I have not repaid in full.

[PFT Commenter]

It's powerful.

[Big Cat]

That is powerful.

[PFT Commenter]

That's what. That's the first thing I thought about when I saw that Luke was going to la.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Are you doing Roman Empire right now?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Just finished the trilogy, but I can't get the authors on. I wanted to do like a three part.

[Big Cat]

Well, they did.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, I did Pax, I did Rubicon, I did Storm before the Storm. So I just wanted it like, you know, what I do is I chart it out and then I'm like, which years am I missing?

[Big Cat]

So are you still single?

[PFT Commenter]

It's when somebody says, like, how often do boys think about the Roman Empire? That's just you weighing it down for everybody else. I never think about it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, I actually, when I saw them, when I saw the memes, I felt a responsibility.

[Big Cat]

Do your research.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was like, you know what? Like, a lot of people think this is funny.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But it isn't. And if you look at, like, the different forms of government, like, is it better to live under the guise of democracy with Than a, you know, ultimately a dictatorship?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know, which again, speaks to bread and circus.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you feel strongly about the Republic versus democracy debate?

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know, I don't know, man. At some point, I mean, not to go full dictator on you, but I think at some point somebody has to make the final decision. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. It's true.

[PFT Commenter]

Why'd you use that term?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, because I just think that, you know, there's a lot of stuff in history. You go through it and you're like, you think this is a collective.

[PFT Commenter]

Have you been to any good museums recently, Ryan?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, World War II Museum yesterday in New Orleans. Went by myself. Was shocked it wasn't busier with people from the media. Some people like to party with booze and drugs and women, and I like to. To party with history.

[PFT Commenter]

Ryan sent me a picture of just an airplane.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he was sending me a picture of like a.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Just an airplane. I took like 20 pictures.

[Big Cat]

Oh, you got us stuff from the World War II.

[PFT Commenter]

Thank you, Ryan.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The shirt. And that's my dog tag.

[Big Cat]

Oh, wow. One bar from the World War the.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, that's an MRE right there.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, this is a beautiful shirt.

[Big Cat]

Are we. We're splitting this shirt.

[PFT Commenter]

Look at this. This is for me and Big Cat. It's a. Keep them flying. U.S. army Air Forces.

[Big Cat]

Love that.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's so good. I was there.

[PFT Commenter]

Love planes. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

I'll wear it on. On. On odd days. You wear it on either.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, I love it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

At first I was afraid I was I would die and then I was afraid I wouldn't. Oh Anonymous soldier World War II we'll.

[PFT Commenter]

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[Ryan Rosillo]

Anyway, how about that? Central Division.

[Big Cat]

Central Division. Well, yeah, tell us who's going. Who's gonna win the title. I feel like there's five teams, six teams.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I like that. We just did this the other day. The surprise list. So who's not a surprise? OKC is not a surprise. Boston's a surprise. Cleveland's not a surprise. I think Denver's the fourth team. When Denver has Aaron Gordon and this version of Jamal Murray, even with a diminished bench, it's like you can't rule. Especially, you know, look at the depth. The extra days off, depth isn't as big of an issue. You know, Michael Porter Jr. Is like hit or miss to me. I think I like him less and less, even though he's so important at what they do because of stretching the floor. Westbrook has been like, really good in these minutes because of the energy. I think he's finally kind of accepted who he is a little bit, so he doesn't force the issue the way he would with some of the other guys. I think he's more differential to Jokic than anyone he's ever been playing next to. And the great thing with playing with Jokic is like, dude, if you just keep moving and cutting, like there's free baskets all over the place because he's going to find you. So I would put Denver in there because that's just how special I think Jokic is. And Memphis. No, I'm not, I'm not quite there yet.

[PFT Commenter]

Houston.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, no, I, I have a hard time believing Houston will win four series.

[Big Cat]

The Knicks.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I probably have the Knicks over Houston, even though I enjoy watching Houston the most as the taping of this. Houston's really going through a weird stretch. They haven't had Van Vliet. They have these awesome clutch record numbers, but they have some awful, like, clutch metrics, which is really weird how off the two things are. And I wonder offensively if they would have enough to like, keep up with some of the, the other high profile teams. But, you know, one of the questions I have about OKC is will there be a second score that is more reliable than the first version that we saw in Jalen Williams? Which is totally understandable because it was first time.

[Big Cat]

I feel like Chet has to. Yeah, because they do have. I feel like they do get killed by big power forwards right now.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, the rebounding stuff has been an issue now For a while with them. But I worry more. Their defense is so good, they are so smart. Like, they made Wemby look terrible. It was very early in the season, but it was, you know, if you hold the ball and you wait around against okc, they just swarm you and everybody's bought in. Like, the culture of that team is. Is almost like an unobtainable thing in the NBA. So I'm impressed with all of it. I just want the second or maybe even another guy, which isn't going to happen now, someone to be that reliable, like third creator in those minutes where maybe one of the other guys is subbed out or some of the things bogged down. But now I'm like nitpicking. Like I'm nitpicking with. Yeah, there's little things that I can nitpick with Cleveland, but I thought the DeAndre Hunter trade addressed probably the biggest issue is that when they start a game against the Celtics, like Streuss is getting defensive minutes against Jaylen Brown or Jason Tatum because they want Stre's spacing. And then the rest of the assignments, you're like, you know, what do we do? Do we put Mobley on a wing and feel like we're wasting him? Because you kind of have to if Boston doesn't want to play with double bigs like they do sometimes. So I'm really, really impressed with Cleveland. And even though Hunter's expensive as far as what they'll have to pay him and all the tax stuff, it's a no brainer, you know, not that he's a lockdown, but it's just a way better defensive option, you know, because playoff series are crazy, man. Like, you can see a game one result and everybody sits there and be like, oh, this is over. And then game two of the same guys plays out an entirely different way. So at least they have an option as opposed to what they had.

[PFT Commenter]

So in the west, you got Denver, okc?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, who else?

[Big Cat]

That's it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think after that, it would be a surprise to me if the Houston Rockets won an NBA championship this year. It would. It would be a surprise to me if Memphis won an NBA championship and the Lakers. Yeah, I think it's a surprise to me. This is a reset. I mean, Doncic becomes available, you stop worrying about how you match up in the 25 playoffs, and it's pretty clear. And even if they spent, you know, real assets on acquiring Mark Williams, he needs to be better now. Granny's only played like half the available games of his career. But the defensive numbers for him are atrocious. And when you watch him, it. The good sign might be, I. I just. Like, you'd not care.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, Like, I don't.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I know it sounds crazy. I want guys to care all the time, but is it easier to fix it when it's like, hey, your effort sucks.

[Big Cat]

And now you're playing LeBron. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You're playing with the Lakers now.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know, you can hide in Charlotte on league pass, but you can't anymore.

[Big Cat]

What about the Bucks?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I hate dismissing Giannis just because I. You know, I think on the best nights, he's. He's the second best player in the world. He's been even better this year. Last year, he wins the MVP in a lot of seasons. If it's not for this epic run that Jokic is on, you know, they've. They've reinvented themselves a bit. Kuzma's probably get a little bit more juice to him than Middleton does at this point. I think Middleton defensively, with some of the wing matchups, worries them, but, like, Kuzma doesn't necessarily solve those problems.

[PFT Commenter]

How do you evaluate Kuzma when he's basically in Siberia with the winners for so long?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I mean, that team was such a mess, and. And the minutes were. Were all over the place, and the priorities were different than, you know, Kuzma. Like. Like, when Kuzma's been good, he's. He's pretty good, man. He's not the most athletic guy. It's not like you're letting him initiate a ton of offense, like, off the dribble on his own. And defensively, he can probably get caught in some stuff where he's. He's not athletically matching, like, another guy that he's assigned to. But I. I like them because I think they can just count on them more than they could Middleton at this point.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But I'm worried about, like, the Dame stuff at the top. I think Brook Lopez, like, it's kind of over, man.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it's getting up there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. So the Giannis thing is. Is terrific. And, you know, I just love that guy. I love, like, you knew when it was the Wemby matchup earlier, you're like, oh, I can't wait to watch this game tonight. Because he's gonna be like, I'm gonna go right at this dude. And Wemby blocked him him twice at the start of the first game, and Giannis is like, all right, now I'm even more pissed where a lot of guys, like, with his profile be like, all right, I don't want to get embarrassed, and I'm not going to do that again. Like, he couldn't wait. So I always kind of, like, I think I probably stubbornly have respect for Yana so much that normally I would keep him live in this, but I think the reality is the NBA stories, the way they go, like, their, their windows probably already closed.

[Big Cat]

Damn.

[PFT Commenter]

So, boss.

[Big Cat]

No, I was just wondering because I, I, I, I, I don't like the Bucks, but I like Giannis. Like, Giannis is so much fun to watch when he's right, you know?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, he's everything that I would want. Like, all the stuff that we've talked about with Luca, and the funny part, too, is, like, there's been way more rumblings about Giannis's fragile future in Milwaukee than Luke. I mean, you know, the Luca thing was like, maybe, you know, oh, 26. This team's clearing cap space. All right, fine. But this Giannis stuff has always been this weird, lingering, like, oh, they have to do this. This is why they did the Dame deal. You know, this is why they did the coach thing. And, you know, who knows? And would he ever say, hey, I'm at this side of 30, like, I'm out of here, because it doesn't mean it's never going to happen. But, like, the American guys are usually the guys that do it. The international guys don't. Again, an international guy at some point who's a superstar is going to be like, get me out of here. Yeah, go ahead.

[Big Cat]

I think we've talked about this. I've, I don't. Maybe we haven't. But I always thought the Dame thing with Portland, not to be harsh, kind of made him a loser. He liked being, like, the man in a team that really never had expectations or had to compete for anything. He's like, I'm the man. I've run this franchise. We're not going anywhere. And then it gets spun, his loyalty. It's just like, I don't know. I, I don't know. I mean, it's probably harsh because it's hypocritical of me because I don't love when, when guys like, I gotta go team up with another superstar. But, but maybe towards the end, where it's just like, dude, be a little selfish while you have some, some gas left in the tank. You're an unbelievable player. Go compete and try to win a championship with someone.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Isn't it funny, though? I mean, it's like, okay, then he can't win he can't win at all.

[Big Cat]

I know, I know. That's what I'm saying. I know that it's a little harsh and it's hypocritical, but I always was like, dude, especially at the end, like, go get it somewhere. You're. You're so good. You're fun in crunch time. And it's like, Dame time stuff like, I don't want. I don't care about Dame time in the middle of February when you guys are a 500 team in Portland.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, there's definitely truth to him liking his role with the Trailblazers all those years, right. And whenever you talk to people out there, and granted, the regime has changed over, but it was, you know, is he ever going to get a little, like, annoyed with all this stuff? It's like, no. He likes being the main attraction, right? Like, everything's sort of on his terms, not in like, a. Like, I think the OKC stuff with Westbrook was, like. Like absurd towards the end where everything was so on his terms and they had just lost Durant. I mean, he had Biggs just getting out of his way. So he get extra rebounds and stuff, the highest, like, usage rate in, like, modern history. And you start to realize, like, he still gets rebounds other guards will never get because he's so incredibly gifted, athletic and his determination, all that kind of stuff. But, like, everything started feeling so catered to Westbrook. You're like, all right, is this actually a recipe for success now? That team didn't have any success in the playoffs. Dame certainly had a couple moments the OKC shot once Paul George was there or the Houston series. There's just a lot of stuff in there that I thought was a lot of fun. They had a Western Conference finals run that I think is one of those that falls under the kind of fluky.

[Big Cat]

Category, like Covid, right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, yeah, it was year before. That's right. So I totally get your point. And like, there was always this Bradley Beal thing that's very similar. It's like, this guy's not asking out yet. This not. And then people go, well, you know, he's pretty content guy, and he's pretty close to, like, qualifying for the five year max, right? So he may just get that and then he's going to bounce. And that's. That's exactly what happened. So I don't think. I don't think you're wrong. It just feels so unfair, Right. I don't really want to say, oh, yeah, this guy actually was a loser the whole time. You know what's crazy?

[Big Cat]

The whole time. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Imagine if he had gotten his way and gone to Miami.

[Big Cat]

I know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, do you think Butler would have been like, okay, I'll chill out now without the extension?

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, I, I, I like it when players do that when they say, I like this city. I want to be a one Jersey guy. I want to stay here if we're gonna try to win. But if we don't win, you know, I'm gonna give it my all, and that's okay. I think that's good. I think that's good for the league as a whole.

[Big Cat]

I liked it, too.

[PFT Commenter]

All the good players.

[Big Cat]

Like, two years where it's like, you still. Because he did. He was already past 30 when he went to the box. Right. Like, and he's, I mean.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So he, it was like, it just felt like, oh, man, if you, if you'd maybe asked out like a year or two earlier, okay, this could have been something.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The one you can get on name for, though. And this was starting to happen. And I remember, like, the first time it was explained to me, they're like, this is just the transfer portal now. Because people don't care about getting to free agency to maximize their opportunities or leverage all that stuff. They're just signing the extension and then saying.

[Big Cat]

And then saying, I want to.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, that sucks.

[Big Cat]

That sucks.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. And he had four years to go on his, the same way Durant had four years to go on his when he decided he wanted out of the Nets and they wouldn't trade him, they wouldn't fire everybody. Then they had to trade him to Phoenix anyway, and they ended up getting a haul. And honestly, looking back at that, it's an unbelievable deal for what the Nets were able to pull off for a guy that's unhappy within 18 months of every place that he's gone. Like, I was kidding around the other day, but I was like, do you. Who's been happier at, like, his peak basketball moments throughout his career? Kyrie or Durant?

[PFT Commenter]

Kyrie.

[Big Cat]

Kyrie. With the 2016 Cavs, I think, I.

[PFT Commenter]

Mean, it's Kyrie, I think Kyrie.

[Big Cat]

By the way, I'm going to take back my Dame. Take. You guys convinced me that was probably, that was probably a take.

[PFT Commenter]

I understand the cinema, but the four.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Year, the four year extension not kicking in and then saying, I want to be traded here and I only want to go to Miami.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And that's not a blast.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, no, that's not a blast. But the. I do think Durant was Was genuinely happy in Golden State. I know that everyone was like, oh, well, it's always going to be Steph's team. I do think Durant is so addicted to just the game of basketball and not all the other stuff that, like, the basketball they were playing was so beautiful that I think was happy there.

[PFT Commenter]

I think he was probably happy in OKC at the start when it was all new to him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know, 12 finals run.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You don't have pressure yet.

[PFT Commenter]

When he wasn't online as much, that's when he was the happiest.

[Big Cat]

You don't think he was happy in Golden State just from a basketball. I know he left, but, like, from a. From a basketball perspective, that team was just playing, like the highest form of basketball you could play.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Best starting five I've ever seen.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I just thought you were gonna argue.

[Big Cat]

No, I know.

[PFT Commenter]

I was thinking dream team.

[Big Cat]

The Pistons. The O4 Pistons.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, yeah. That was a great team.

[Big Cat]

All stars.

[PFT Commenter]

Tayshawn Prince.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. RIP better.

[Big Cat]

That was the best debate ever. Should they all be all stars?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I love it. That's not even the worst one. Remember the Atlanta Hawks team with all those guys.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And Joe Johnson and Har. They're like. Well, they're in first place.

[Big Cat]

Josh Smith on that team.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Josh. It's pronounced Josh Smith.

[Big Cat]

Smith. He. He was my all time. Like, he's just gonna chuck a few threes.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think he was on Detroit by then.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it might have been.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, it might have been like 27 from 3.

[Big Cat]

I love that he would do it, though. He'd be like, you just gotta pencil in that he's gonna chuck some threes and they're not gonna go in. I like those guys.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's a valiant flea that dare eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion. Henry V. Oh, okay.

[PFT Commenter]

You're dropping knowledge on.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you are.

[PFT Commenter]

You've been reading a lot, haven't you?

[Ryan Rosillo]

You a lot. You know what people don't talk about enough is Shakespeare's depiction of Henry V is so.

[PFT Commenter]

I agree.

[Big Cat]

I totally.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, right.

[Big Cat]

We actually were talking about that earlier.

[PFT Commenter]

It is.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's good.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Cuz it's like, oh, Billy, Shakespeare, he couldn't get it wrong. Are you serious? Have you ever talked to writers?

[Big Cat]

No.

[PFT Commenter]

Have you ever read anything about Henry V? It's complete. It's completely misleading.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I agree.

[PFT Commenter]

It's. You know what it is? It's an oversimplification of him.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. When he was just straight up efficiency. I mean, granted, he had a bit of a God complex and Just saying, France was his and it was his. Right. I would love to be arrogant enough. Like, we're here super bowl week, and there's some guys. You're like, we need simmer down. Like, cool daytime ratings.

[PFT Commenter]

But one very specific person, I. I.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Look at Henry V and I think, imagine just being like, hey, this isn't me just being a dick. It is my birthright. France is mine. God told me.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

How do you. How do you run errands that day with that kind of. With that kind of, like, idea of where you are in the world?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Nobody tough. It's hard to negotiate against that position. There's really nothing you could say.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Be like, hey, this sucks. We're in the woods still, and we're digging ditches and guys have malaria and dudes are dying and we don't have any food, and we might have to start eating the horses, and I haven't even seen a boob in two years. Like, this fucking sucks. And he's like, don't worry about it. God said we're gonna.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we got it. God's got us.

[Ryan Rosillo]

God did.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He probably had one chick that he liked from France, and he was like, I kind of want the whole country now.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, he did marry the daughter of the mad king, which was arranged. He did seem to like her, though.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, they were good. They were squad goals.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Totally.

[PFT Commenter]

Like Beyonce and Jay Z. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You're like Kate's. You know, good for Kate. I think Kate Middleton's approval ratings through the roof. Yeah, but I don't know, dude. Henry V. I just think it's funny to look at maps. You guys don't ever look at maps.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, I love maps. I bought it with a map on it yesterday. Yeah, maps are the best. What's your favorite projection? Are you Mercator guy?

[Ryan Rosillo]

You're gonna have to explain to me. You don't.

[PFT Commenter]

You're talking to me about maps. You don't know about projections.

[Big Cat]

You seem like a map casual.

[PFT Commenter]

I. I kind of like. They're fun to look at. They're fun to look at, but they wildly distort how big Greenland is.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Do you ever do that? Do you ever see that site where you can pull Greenland and it's like, the size of.

[PFT Commenter]

You know, it's that Greenland.

[Big Cat]

It's like, Louisiana.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Isn't that Trump.com when you just pull Greenland?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You bring it.

[Big Cat]

That shit's ours.

[PFT Commenter]

I do want Greenland.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, why not?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Does Greenland want Greenland?

[PFT Commenter]

No.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There is something to be said. Well, I don't know. This will probably bring up something else.

[Big Cat]

But, like, go on.

[Ryan Rosillo]

When you read Henry V, you're like, we do invade each other less.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, that's a positive. And that never gets talked about.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, the wars then were a little bit different, too. It's like, if there's big countries, world powers invading other world powers right now, it's like, eventually you're going to start a nuclear war. Back then it was like, we're gonna send seven horses and five guys with swords, and then they're gonna duke it out on the border.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm shocked about, like, some of that stuff from Agincourt in, like, late 1300s, early 1400s. And you're like, you invaded France with 2, 000 guys and some boats? Like, what the. Like, yeah, Imagine, like, we're good.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, we're going into the whole country, and the numbers were, like, really limited. And then they started, like, going nuts. I mean, granted, you get to go centuries beyond Napoleon, just being like, let's go for Russia. But. Yeah, I. I don't know. Maybe I'm just more top of mind right now after the museum visit yesterday and everything. But. Yeah, I. I don't know. That. That Back to the Henry thing completely miss Misjudged Shakespeare.

[Big Cat]

Him. What were your blind spots in the Pacific Theater? Do you know about the ice cream boat?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't think I do. Explain it to me.

[Big Cat]

The US had such incredible industrial power during World War II that we were creating boats at such a level that they created a boat that just served ice cream to the Navy that was in the Pacific theater.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't feel bad not knowing.

[Big Cat]

It's a real. It's a real thing. We were. We just. We just were out boats. That's how fast we were making them. They were like, all right, this one will just be soft serve, I think.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I mean, if you want to be, like, completely serious about all this stuff.

[Big Cat]

No, the ice cream boat is serious. I don't really like how you've kind of diminished it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What flavors do you think they had? I think they had them all chocolate and vanilla in 1945.

[PFT Commenter]

I bet they had strawberry or a malt.

[Big Cat]

That's just running up score, though. I mean, Japan's fighting with wooden boats, and we're like, we have an ice cream boat.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Japan's resources were strained pretty quickly, pretty quick.

[Big Cat]

Small islands, they got in a little over their heads.

[Ryan Rosillo]

First time they had surrendered in 2500 years.

[PFT Commenter]

It's crazy. They thought the emperor was God.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, he's called the God Emperor.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Another guy probably. Probably read Henry V. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

It's like this guy. Do you. Have you read this guy, too?

[PFT Commenter]

The naval battles in the Philippines? There's some crazy that went on there, too.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was watching the videos about it yesterday, but I don't know. I mean, this is where, being the war historian, like, you could say a fact, but I'm gonna go. I didn't know that.

[Big Cat]

No. Ice cream.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, I didn't know.

[PFT Commenter]

I just went to a World War II museum.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm supposed to know all of it. I'm supposed to know every maneuver from the runways to Manila. The Manila decision.

[Big Cat]

I think it's vanilla and chocolate. That's my only practice.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So good that we can't even do anything now with it.

[Max]

The one thing that you contributed to this was I.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Cream. Ice cream Was ice cream. We need to take a moment to understand how good that line was right there.

[PFT Commenter]

It's solid.

[Big Cat]

Is that the capital?

[PFT Commenter]

That's even the capital of the Philippines.

[Big Cat]

The whole World War II theater is just me thinking about ice cream.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But when Oppenheimer came out and, like, I. You know, some people just can't. They, you know, they send a tweet, and it's like, oh, we're celebrating this now. Like, do you want to do this?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, do you want to do this?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you want to do this?

[PFT Commenter]

Are we going to do this?

[Ryan Rosillo]

You want to talk about. Are we going the coast of China?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You want to talk inland?

[PFT Commenter]

Are we going to do the thing where we just ignore the rape of Nanking?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Dude, there's video. They didn't show the video, but there were stills of, like, practicing bayonet work with live Chinese prisoners. So, look, history is littered with all of this stuff. But, like, the artsy person that decides they're taking this stand without ever reading a book or deciding that they're just going to ignore the. Like, I'm not saying necessarily, like, who's right, but who put you in charge of saying who's wrong?

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

Is Cooper Flag the real deal?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I haven't watched enough of them.

[PFT Commenter]

You've watched a lot. You probably watch more Cooper Flag than almost anyone.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, that's definitely not true. I don't have a ton of time for college hoops right now. I've watched, I don't know, two full games and some Boston College seemed to not like him. A couple weeks ago, they're letting him have it, elbowing him in the face.

[Big Cat]

Oh, he's Duke. He's a perfect Duke guy. I did. This is where I. I wish guys could stay. Had to stay for a couple more years, especially. Especially at Duke. Just because I want to get the heat up for Cooper Flag. But one year is not enough.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, you're right.

[Big Cat]

It just doesn't feel. He won't.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I mean, that he's a main guy, though, for me, like, I'm just gonna have a hard time being anti. Like, why would, like, would I hate Duncan Robinson? I couldn't do that. New Hampshire guy.

[Big Cat]

Duncan Robinson's a good dude. Did he be the first. What was it? The first white American since 1976. I want to say, drafted one overall.

[PFT Commenter]

Cooper, the White Flag.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. We were on this a few years ago, which is kind of weird that we were on this, but we were.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That'd be the first white American drafted number one.

[Big Cat]

This is our future.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, but think about it.

[PFT Commenter]

Flag would also be a much better name for a French blood player.

[Big Cat]

Well, by the way. Yeah, it would. And I hate the whole capture the flag thing that they're doing for, like, you know, the suck for luck. They're doing Capture the flag. It's lame.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I don't like that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. There haven't been any good ones that I've heard yet, I don't think. I just. I haven't. I haven't heard anything that's all that great. I would root for the New England guy no matter what. But we. Look, the white guys have had a weird stretch in the NBA. Yeah. There was a time when you were like, okay, who are the five white American guys one through five? And like, dudes would get to four going, is it still Doug McDermott, who we love shout out to Doug McDermott.

[Big Cat]

But I.

[Ryan Rosillo]

This is. You know, Trump's back in office. Flag goes one. You know, you gotta wonder. You had that Baron.

[PFT Commenter]

Baron, Trump could. He could also go one next year.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The true. That woman in the Walmart ad with Busta Rhymes around Christmas when she dropped the verse at the end.

[Big Cat]

Yep.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So things are. I don't know. I don't know where we are on the Pendulum.

[PFT Commenter]

It's all happening.

[Big Cat]

Wait, so would you. So you don't know. Totally. You haven't watched it enough. But, like, the way that people talk about him and people you trust, like, is he one of those guys, like, guaranteed he's going to be awesome in the NBA? Because that does happen, you know, in the draft every couple years where you're like, okay, like Zion, but Zion, if he played. Yeah, it's not that kind.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, well, yeah, but I mean, the thing is, is, like, the more you really dug into, like, Zion. Yeah, he was at Duke. I mean, not that it was breaking news because everybody knew he was going number one, but I think for me, there was this whole other level of, like, oh, my God, like, this is going to be awesome. And the thing is, is once he played, he was that dominant of a player, and you didn't really have to do anything with him except just make sure there was a little bit of spacing for him, which they could have with this new version of the team. But whatever. I don't think he's talked about, like, we're coming off a women Yama deal, where the buildup to that, even though Flag has been on everybody's radar here for a couple years, and I think that there's the other two guys that are kind of part of the conversation, like, you'll hear every now and then of somebody. So I don't think it's this unanimous praise, but if I'm comparing to Wima, Wyama is the. It's not fair. Most anticipated picks in since LeBron. So it's been 20 years, so this is not one. I have not watched him enough. I don't feel comfortable talking about it based on what I think, and I think it's been assumed that he's the number one guy and for good reason, because he s the size and the athleticism and a little bit more of the vision where it's not just he's a straight scorer, but, I mean, look, you've watched him more than I have.

[Big Cat]

He's very good. He's very, very good. And I also appreciate that you were like, hey, I didn't watch, so I can't. I can't give an expert opinion. We're the opposite. I think you agree. Pfd. He's probably the best prospect ever.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, yeah. Number one.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you think that's sort of part of that, like, prideful nationalism that you're feeling right now?

[Big Cat]

No, I.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I've. No, I don't know what you're talking about. What's prideful nationalism? So, wait, I had another question about Cooper Flag, too.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Why?

[PFT Commenter]

No, no, I think you'll find this interesting. He's got a twin brother.

[Big Cat]

Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, that is interesting.

[PFT Commenter]

He's got a twin brother. I think they might. I don't know if they're identical, but they're. He's also, like, big.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He's huge. He's in the stands. He wears his Jersey. That's his identical twin or his twin brother.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they, he plays basketball, too. He's not very good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, I guess he's not as good.

[Big Cat]

Well, he's in the stands.

[PFT Commenter]

They did, they did an article about, I think it was in the Athletic a couple months ago, but it was, it was like, this guy kind of stinks at basketball, but his brother's really good. How does he live? And damn, we should do an episode where it's like, interview Cooper Flag's brother, Trevor Lawrence.

[Big Cat]

You got to go opposite. You got to go like, Trevor Lawrence.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

You're like, I'm just gonna do something. Something totally different than what my brother Ace Flag.

[PFT Commenter]

Is that his name? Ace Flag.

[Big Cat]

Cool name.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, but it's not, he's not twins. Oh, they are twins.

[Big Cat]

What? And he's not even playing.

[PFT Commenter]

He's not very good. He's, he's transferred around a bunch. I think he's like a.

[Big Cat]

Well, how's he transferred if they're same age?

[PFT Commenter]

Maybe it was high school, a couple different schools.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, he was committed or he's committed to Maine. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, that's going to be tough. That's going to be tough.

[Big Cat]

You don't know anything about Cooper Flag. Let's ask about his twin brother.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I know. I didn't, I didn't know. I just always feel like no matter what, you know, your mom's going like, hey, your path is different. And, you know, it's, you're special in your own way. And you're like, yeah, my brother's gonna be the number one pick in the draft. So, yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, just become best friends and what?

[Max]

So I, I think Cooper reclassified so that he could go to college early. Oh, so that's why.

[Big Cat]

Still in high school school.

[Max]

So he's still in high school. That's why he's committed to Maine.

[Big Cat]

Got it.

[Max]

I'm like 80% sure that that's, that's what happened.

[Big Cat]

Got it. I like producing by Max. I got a question for you about the NBA as a whole. Is the NBA in trouble?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Good question. Trouble. How so I can answer it properly?

[Big Cat]

I don't know. I, I, I'm not a ratings guy, but it does feel like, I don't know the league.

[PFT Commenter]

The ratings are down.

[Big Cat]

The ratings are down.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The ratings are down.

[Big Cat]

Ratings are down. And it feels like there's obviously the T. There's a few teams that can win every year. There's not as much parody, and there's also, I don't know like when you turn on a game in the middle of February, is it the best product? I don't know. I mean, the three point. The debate about the three points where it's like, hey, everyone's just chucking constantly. Is the NBA in trouble?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm going to sound like somebody who loves the NBA and therefore is going to protect it. But I think what I would do, because you know me, is that I would like defend something against what I think are arguments. One, the first ratings quarter that was destroyed by everybody went up against all of our election coverage. And the most important election of our time was the tease.

[Big Cat]

I believe democracy, which is at stake.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you realize I've been alive for every one of the most important elections of our time?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's incredible. I mean, I'd be that lucky.

[PFT Commenter]

Carter, Reagan.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was there. Yeah, I was there for that. And I was like, and then the next year, in four years, excuse me, the next election, they were like, no, this is. And I was like, I'm on the hottest streak of elections of anybody you've ever known. So I think that that was a little unfair. I think the three point thing, even though there's nights where I kind of feel that way, I also don't miss Mark Jackson. Post ups to took 17 seconds. Yeah, I think whenever people start comparing like all these clips of like what it is today, what it is back then, like, yeah, every Jordan clip looks awesome. You know what? There was also a million other games that Tuesday night that sucked and weren't as visually appealing as that clip. Why are we comparing that clip to a full slate of games on a Tuesday? I also think that there's a very, like, I've talked about this before. It's the polling of one, and it's not just one, but it's still a really small sample size of people to be like, I haven't watched it since they did that bubble woke. And it's like, okay, is that true? Like in that moment you went group Economics Jersey, which again was stupid, but you went group economics Jersey and you were like, that's it. I'm out on these guys now.

[Big Cat]

We're never in.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Right. That person exists, certainly. And that person loves telling you that they exist and they've done all of those things. But what I would argue is did that make you change a channel or did you already change the channel? Now you love pointing to that as the reason why you've already done something.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Same thing happened with all the Kaepernick. Right. Right wing people going like, I'm never watching that sport again. And remember, there was a bit of a ratings dip and there was decline and right wing media was all over it being like C. C. All right, well, at some point there's going to be some ebbs and flows of ratings and all that kind of stuff. So look, if you tell me. All right, Ryan, compare the finals to 10 years ago finals. Well, am I comparing it to LeBron and Steph in that window? I mean, you know, we're also talking about LeBron and Kauai. We're talking about Steph going up against LeBron in that one where everybody kind of got hurt in the entire series. So is that the best way to do it? I'd also ask people like, have you ever cared about sports or games or teams, you know, today the way you did 20 or 30 years ago?

[PFT Commenter]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But do you care about movies the same way? Do you go to. How many times you go to the movie theater this year? How many times you used to go, Is there an appointment viewing on television? Is there anything that's like the Sopranos options?

[Big Cat]

Right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like. Like, remember the Sopranos? You stopped what you were doing.

[Big Cat]

You made sure your phone, my TV went out. Right. Watched it live.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You made sure your food was ready to go. Whatever you were grabbing. Like, I'm sitting, like, nothing is disrupting this moment. I don't know those moments exist anymore. So I think the NBA has some things aesthetically about it that are concerning. I think there's some ratings intel that is. Is a small piece that if it were to continue is alarming. But I also think there's just so many people that love dunking on that league for a variety of different reasons that I think it becomes really skewed coverage. I think the NHL is down 28%. Is it too woke? Like, of course not.

[Big Cat]

It's. It's also like the NFL just is swallowing everything.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It is. I mean, that's why they're going to 18 games. That's why they were like, you know, Christmas football, family. No, it isn't. You're just like the NBA, which is within their rights to do. I think at one point we'll have NFL on every single night. I think that's what their goal is and that's what they'll look to do.

[Big Cat]

So that will rock.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Nobody's lost money on a team in like 40 plus years. They want to add more teams because people want to get into the business. The television contract was reported to come in like 3 billion less than it actually did. So maybe, maybe looking at traditional ratings, like as much as you can go look at that or look at that number, or this product sucks, or all these different things. I think the global part isn't discussed enough. I think the new consumer and the younger consumer, the idea of sitting down at 25 years old and watching a two and a half hour game starts to finish is like absurd to them.

[Big Cat]

Agreed.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So I think there's a lot of factors here, but I think unfortunately the loudest voice is usually the one that already hates the NBA telling you this league is dying. And I don't think that's true.

[PFT Commenter]

And I think most of the people that are saying, I used to watch the games changed so much, I can't watch this anymore. They're, you know, they're like 45 and above, I would say, for the most part. And of course you like that you got to watch when you were 20 years old better than the stuff you get to see.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, right. I mean, you ask that guy to be like going to Vegas still and you'd be like, oh, shit. Right?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

The Steph LeBron KD thing too, I think is important because they are in a transition. This happens in the NBA. It happens every league where it's like these guys are getting older. They were, they had this run that is, you know, LeBron's 20 plus years. Yeah. I don't think the NBA is in trouble. I just. Because I still love, I mean the playoffs especially, I love the playoffs. I think there's just the biggest, the best argument I think he made is there's just so much stuff now and it's so hard to capture like a massive attention. Unless you're football.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I can never tell if I'm like the best taste like I should have.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, best.

[Big Cat]

You are the best.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Stop.

[PFT Commenter]

You have the best taste.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Thanks, guys. If I am the one you should listen to or the one you should listen to the least, because I'm watching no matter what, right? This is my job. I have a good job. I have a good life. I'm lucky to have the life that I have. Okay? But there are times where, when I'm watching all these games, there's all these stoppages and they add a challenge and you know, they have the timeout before the three minutes that everybody's figured out all this stuff, like the dramatic back and forth moment. And it's happened in football too, where it's like, is that the game winning touchdown? Oh my God, it's the game winning touchdown. Wait, let me wait for Review. And now I'm excited. But there's no way the excitement after the delay of what you think it's happening. You're seeing the replay and getting confirmation. There's no way that excitement ever match what we used to have in that moment where you were like, this is like, oh, my God, it happened. And basketball, as much as I love the NCAA tournament, like, there can be a score and scenario where you get maybe that possession, possession, possession moment, but it feels like it never happens anymore in basketball. And I think that's a, a problem. Except they just are going to tell the TV partners, like, yeah, we'll figure out a way to get another stoppage in there. You know, college football, like, we can't call it the two minute warning. We'll call it the two minute timeout.

[Big Cat]

Pretty good.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Because, you know, we're our own thing. It's like. No, we'll just call it the extra stop because ESPN just renewed the package.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. I actually think they should ban following up. 3.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm up for any. The, the Elam ending thing. No relation to Matt. I thought like, at first, like a lot of people, like, oh, whoa, that'll change everything. Okay. Yeah, like, I would love to have those dramatic back and forth moments. Like, I think baseball may actually provide the best drama, tension because you can't disrupt it.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The way you disrupt these game winning football plays and all the basketball stuff. So when I say, like, I can't tell if I'm the best or the worst, like, I can be on game seven and I'll know, like, here, we got another stop. You get all this stuff and like, I start around. I'm looking at my phone. Maybe I'm like looking up something like, what is DeAndre Hunter shooting? You know, like, I'm sitting there and then I look up and like, four plays have happened because I'd already kind of like removed myself from paying attention to the game. So I'm like, like, if I'm doing that, what the hell is somebody doing that doesn't do this for a living.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

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[Big Cat]

Ron Rosillo what team's in the worst spot right now?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think Charlotte's actually in a pretty bad spot even though they've done a good job of because they've got to make a Lamello decision. Yeah, you know, I mean I looked it up the other day. His shots per 100 is the highest we've seen since Kobe Bryant since 2006.

[Big Cat]

Well, Lamello's is just the same players.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Kobe. Yeah, it was like he's the number one fan voting. Like, like if I were to ever. If I were to ever get in an argument with somebody who's a Hornets fan, I'd be like, do your parents know you have the phone?

[Big Cat]

So Hornets are in a bad spot. Bulls are in a terrible spot.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, I think the Hornets in like a weird Atlanta Hawk spot where it's like we have this attraction and we have Something. Something we can put on billboards and we have something that the fans excited. He sells jerseys and everything, but, like.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Is this really going?

[Big Cat]

Never gonna work. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Can you explain to me why we're still doing All Star Weekend and why that's a big thing?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I think it's a huge corporate thing.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

What happens at All Star Weekend? What kind of conversations?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't go anymore.

[Big Cat]

You're not going this year? Where is it this year?

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's San Francisco, I think. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, with the no game week thing, I did the live show and in Utah two years ago, and then I went, why am I working? There's no games.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, I'm gonna take. I'm gonna take some of this time off. So I went to. I went to Aspen last year. It's pretty nice.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I've heard.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Very nice.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's rich.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

A lot of rich people. Pft.

[PFT Commenter]

How was the powder?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Is that a cocaine joke?

[PFT Commenter]

It was.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It was trying to with me, but also ski.

[Big Cat]

I'm just really excited that Josh Al in the MVP.

[PFT Commenter]

Was pumped. He was dialed in.

[Big Cat]

Barely sleep.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, he's nervous, too. Before they announced he was grinding his.

[Big Cat]

Teeth, he was like, come on.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Oh, it's got to be Josh.

[Big Cat]

My platter feels small. Gotta go to the bathroom again.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I. I don't know, man. I.

[Big Cat]

We're not even on the.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's kind of like a mini super bowl week, to be honest.

[PFT Commenter]

They try to market it like a mini super bowl week, but every year is the same thing where it's like, oh, yeah, the weird skills competition's on and the dunk contest that's going to suck is here.

[Big Cat]

I do love, though, when people complain about the All Star Game sucking now, and it's like, okay, you were that invested.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's unwatchable. I don't watch it. I mean, I can't even tell you the last time I watched an NBA All Star game. I don't watch it. I think it's for kids. I think it's for kids. I think it's for corporate sponsorships. I think it's like whatever we deal with every night of, like, your options in New Orleans or Super bowl week. It's like, I can go to this party, I can go to this dinner, and, like, there's plenty of. I can't even get into. But, like, if you go to the hotel lobby at the Four Seasons and you're like, cool, I'm going to see, like, 20 people I don't get to see unless I come to this every single year. So to me, it's a mini version of that for NBA people complaining about the game. It's just not fixable. It's. It's not fixable because these guys do not give a. There has always been something about basketball that's bothered me is that if you're good, it's, like, lame to try at times. Like the guy who's really good in a pickup game that almost thinks it's insulting to try against you. And you're like, this is way more insulting than you killing us. You're really good. And now you're pretending you don't care. Just in case somebody were to cross you up or somebody were to stick a three in your face, like, this is your never look uncool moment. That's why none of the guys do the dunk contest. That's why somebody guys won't do the three point thing.

[Big Cat]

That feels like a shot at Mark Titus.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Oh, why?

[PFT Commenter]

We're talking about Mark?

[Big Cat]

No, I'm just kidding. He. No, he actually does try. When we pick up, he just kills all of us.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I could see, but he's way better. I could see him being a not try guy.

[Big Cat]

No, he try. No. What he does is he.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He reminds you.

[Big Cat]

No, he. He gets into the game and he's a not try guy. And then as soon as the game starts, he's like, wait, I'm trying and I'm going to win. And then he wins. He's good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I can't imagine how good he is. I mean, if you're good enough to walk on. Or was it an. Was it an offer? It's.

[Big Cat]

I think he was a walk on. But he just. He can hit every. Every time. There's an open, too.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I just saw him in the hallway.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Did you know he got drafted by the Globetrotters?

[Big Cat]

I didn't know that.

[PFT Commenter]

Dead serious. Look at the Harlem Globetrotters. Wikipedia page. Feels notable. It does.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, definitely.

[PFT Commenter]

It does.

[Big Cat]

And.

[PFT Commenter]

But I think he thought they would do these draft picks every year as like a promo thing, like press release. Look who we drafted. And Mark had like a YouTube channel at the time, so they just want to include his name. Be like, hey, we drafted Mark Titus. You've seen him on YouTube. He's funny. And then Titus was like, yeah, okay, yeah, I'll show up and play. And they're like, oh, oh, you're taking it seriously. And Tess was like, fuck, yeah, I got drafted by the Globetrotters. I'm going to play for them. Globe Globetrotters. Yeah. It didn't work out. First white American to be drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters ever.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Wow. God, you're all over these.

[PFT Commenter]

I just made that one up. Yeah, that one was invented, but it's probably also true, huh? Those are the best stats. When you just make something up and you're right. Have you ever gotten lucky with a take? Like, you say something, and then later on you're like, that was a stupid thing to say. And then it comes true later.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No.

[PFT Commenter]

It's a pretty good feeling.

[Big Cat]

All your takes are right.

[PFT Commenter]

Like we said, Josh Allen's gonna be the eventually.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

You do have a high rate of eventually. You have a very high rate of just wait. Yeah, I have to be right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

They're at the gates, and it's like, no way you're gonna be right. No way you're gonna be right. Like the trade Embiid thing I got killed for.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you were right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I haven't. I haven't brought this up yet because it's super bowl week. Thanks for not bringing it up the first time ever.

[PFT Commenter]

We won't bring it up.

[Big Cat]

But.

[PFT Commenter]

But you were right.

[Big Cat]

What. What the. Do they do?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Sulk?

[Big Cat]

That's it. I mean, Embiid is like. He doesn't. What was the stat? The. You said something.

[PFT Commenter]

It was he. If you look at the course of their careers, Tom Brady has a better chance of making it to the super bowl in any given year than Joel Embiid does of playing a game on game night.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, right. That's what it was. Percentage of games he's actually played.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Percentage of Super. Super Bowls that Brady played in during his career.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. It's crazy. It's nuts. Yeah. There was that other set that was like. It was side by side. It was like, Joan beat 450 games, played 415.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, it was his first. It was his 400th game that he missed.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So they put the graphic. Like, when he got to 400, dudes were making a graphic. Like, it was an accomplishment.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I've always been kind of, like, protective of him, and I was out once he started foul baiting the Olympics. I was like, are you serious? Dude? Dude. Like, I got mad. I was mad at home by myself, because I didn't. Nobody wanted to come over and watch me watch the Olympics during the day. Like, hey, you said something about maybe getting a drink one time. I was like, do you want to watch them play Serbia? Yeah, I. I got so frustrated. Look, I think Embiid played for Team USA because he gets a gold medal adds to the legacy because it's like, it's probably not that likely these winning a title at any point. There's arguments that I would hear about, you know, Harden's meltdowns, Simmons having an absolute meltdown in that Atlanta series. Just being shot and thinking, like, who is embiid been able to rely on? But, you know, whether it's like there was a situation this week, like, not this week, this season, we're going through all the hell stuff. And by the way, when he had been playing during that stretch, he didn't look right. Okay. Even though he's putting up numbers, he doesn't look right. He doesn't move unless he has the basketball. So you hope. Hope he's hurt. And he was hurt because that's why he shut it down. Again, the newest news about his knee. And then I just like, why were you guys in a hurry to even do this extension with him on top of everything else you already owe him? But when he basically, like, sat out the Cleveland game and then played in the Charlotte game, I'm like, dude, I can't. I can't do it anymore with you. I can't do it anymore with you.

[PFT Commenter]

And that's all he's done for the city.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I do feel like we're getting closer to the sit down with whoever it is at espn. It's like a countdown. Maybe it's Malika or something and it's MB sitting there in the stool. And it was like, when did you know it was over for you in Philadelphia? And then it's like black and white footage of like, him yelling at the ref or him yelling at a reporter, or the quote saying, like, I've done so much for the city. If you were to say this story, like, which course it's on, I don't know that redemption feels like the one that's more likely.

[Big Cat]

I love those interviews, too, because they always sit so close together and they zoom out and they're just in an empty room.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Why are you guys. Need to. Need. That's the Jeff Darlington.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. I was talking to Darlington last night. He's like, remember when you guys talked about my interview with Antonio Brown and said I was dick to dick with him? Yeah, you were.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It was.

[Big Cat]

It was enormous room and they were just dick to dick.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Just like right next to each other.

[Big Cat]

Was closer to me notice.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. No, I know.

[PFT Commenter]

You ever gone dick to dick with a guy?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm trying to be sincere and think about, like, have you dick To Dick. I don't know. There's some pledging I'm not psych about.

[PFT Commenter]

Max, do you have any comments about Ryan's comments regarding Joel Embiid?

[Max]

I don't know. That's my. That's my take.

[Big Cat]

That's our take.

[PFT Commenter]

Your take should be birds right now.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, birds. But you. Yeah, I mean, it's. It's a. Feels like a dumpster fire, if you had to guess.

[Max]

How do you think the Sixer season ends this year?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Bad.

[Max]

I mean, it's not gonna be good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What do you mean? You, like, they're gonna beat somebody in the plan? Yeah. I mean, that's not. If they're all healthy and they're all ready to go. Honestly, like, even with all the Embiid stuff, because he's the guy. He's supposed to be, the franchise guy, there's a bit of me, too, that's just so sick of all the MB propaganda people over the years, where it's like, you guys are being such dicks about the Jokic thing when Embiid was never better than him. He deserved to win the mvp. I'm fine with it. I never thought Embiid was the better basketball player. If you voted for Jokic that year for mvp, I couldn't necessarily tell you you were wrong. Like, sometimes I still kind of think about, like, you know, did MB prioritize the mvp and that's why you felt like you went in that direction and Jokic kind of not giving a. The last few weeks of the season, Was that the deciding factor? You know, I don't know. That wasn't an easy vote. A lot of the years I haven't had a vote that long. It hasn't been something where I'm like, yep, perfect score. Totally right. Zero arguments against any of this stuff. But I, I. That wasn't even Joel's fault as much as it was the people around him pushing this thing where it wasn't like, just sticking up for your guy was on Jokic so much. And that really, really bothered me because I can't understand how anybody could spend their life in basketball and watch these two dudes play and think that it's the same thing.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And I also think the Embiid foul hunting, running stuff that Daryl loves because he loved it with Harden and all these guys. Oh, look at your true shooting. Look at your efficiency. Like, look at all this stuff. Look at your points per 100 and all this. It's crazy. He doesn't play basketball naturally anymore. He's always thinking about, like, how can he get the contact? How can he fall? Like, there's a very choppy way that he goes about it, but then it's like, oh, yeah, 34 and 12 again. He must be awesome. And I think that stuff. Stuff is easier to pull off in the regular season. I think there are times, even though he had that 50 against the Knicks, there were times he was not comfortable with the basketball late. He still stinks when, like, a double comes to him. So, yeah, I'm just. I'm over it. And even with all that said, Paul George is Tobias Harris with better branding.

[Big Cat]

Whoa.

[Max]

Yeah, I mean, they're all back tonight. First time back in forever.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Let's go. You know, but like, Paul George. Paul George. I know he had a better January, but, like, he. He needs to be a dude while Embiid is out through all of this. And instead he's totally comfortable getting his ISO 17 footer up because he's so talented and it's great and like, all the. That he can do, but, like, there's. There's no, like, consistent flow. He just like, where's the aggressiveness? Like, it's. You're being tasked with get them through this really tough stretch. And he wanted nothing to do with it from what I saw.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. All right. Well, he barely played.

[Max]

He was hurt.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He.

[Max]

He. It was Maxi the whole time.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And then maxi took like 25 shots a game. And, you know, I don't think his numbers are a true reflection of, like, I don't think he's a declining player. Obviously. He was just going for it. You know, he was the only.

[Max]

It was the only way to. To score. They needed him and Yabu. They should have been selling at the deadline.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Whatever.

[Max]

I'll stop talking. But they're going to lose in the play.

[PFT Commenter]

Losing the play on.

[Big Cat]

Which is. Is. I. I'm with you too. That's another take that you have. The. The more playoffs. I hate the plan. I think it's stupid because it just gives more franchises a chance and the Bulls are specifically that.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Where are you talking Hoosiers football right now?

[Big Cat]

What? Hoosiers football? Yeah. All right, all right. They did. They were.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I did see the final score, but I've never seen a final score more, to be honest with you.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you have. I'm sure people made you aware of that final score a lot, but the.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Playing, impressive final score on the losing side in the history of.

[Big Cat]

It was a great, great final.

[PFT Commenter]

The way that Sig got that game to be engineered as a 10 point loss is very impressive.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Did you see when he posted his own AP voting results where he had Indiana SL, Penn State 4 Penn State slash Indiana 5.

[Big Cat]

That's cool.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You haven't seen that, Seen that.

[Big Cat]

Jesus.

[PFT Commenter]

I, I gave Sig one year where I'm like, I'm glad that he got a, a, a Power 5 job. Like, like that's cool.

[Big Cat]

If we're gonna be, that's your guy.

[PFT Commenter]

If we're gonna be a stepping stone, I want to be the best stepping stone, right? So like I, I want him to go to Indiana, put Indiana in a great place. That would be awesome for jmu. I think I gave him one year and then he continues to raid the JMU players. No, I have to wash my hands of them.

[Big Cat]

But the play ins.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The plan is not something I'm in favor of. But I think back to kind of the ratings discussion. Like March Madness right now is one of the best products in all sports. Right? We agree. It translates over to the person that would never care about this. And even though the regular season of college of basketball has. I don't even know what the declining numbers are there, but I mean it's just true. Like I don't watch a ton of it anymore, but when I do dabble, I can't believe how bad the product is. There's no continuity whatsoever.

[Big Cat]

I love that about it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's great. That's great. But it's. There are, there are nights where you're like, are they gonna score?

[Big Cat]

No, it's bad basketball.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What is going on here? I, I don't really know. You know, you can't team build for a lot of the programs, right? At least a lot of the ones on TV with the higher profile players. And you know, I, I like the oneand done stuff because I just think it's the right thing to do. I think not having to go to college at all would be the right thing to do. I just think it's wrong to tell people like, you can't just go pursue this because I don't know, whatever, that's a whole different discussion. But college hoops, when I've watched it over the years, even though I liked it more than the NBA when I was younger, it's, it's a tough watch, but at least they have this moment. And what you're seeing with what Silver is doing is the play in was we have this moment, the in season tournament which is now the Emirates Cup. That's a moment. It actually wasn't very disruptive. And some of those games this Year were terrific. So I think what you. Your goal is, like, baseball's goal is, okay, make fun of how long our season is. We don't give a. We're selling 162 game inventory six months of the year, and it rates really, really high in local markets. And all the local market stuff like this is a product they can put on and pull a better number than reruns of Wheel of Fortune maybe. I don't know. Wheel of Fortune's pretty popular, but with college basketball, like, they have their moment. I think the baseball playoffs are incredible, but that might just be their moment. Like, you're never going to be able to compete with what the NFL is. But because soccer, I think Silver is so influenced by a lot of the international soccer stuff, I think that they want to have these moments that they can sell and package in a different way, like as extra inventory. So I don't like the plan. There's going to be teams that have no business be like, you just had this season you had. And now you get another chance of potentially getting the playoff. Like, in the times that Steph's been eliminated, you're like, like, cool, yeah, great.

[Big Cat]

And the owners can just sell it. Like, oh, yeah, we made the play in. And like, oh, yeah, that's.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's like. When they talk about expanding the. The tournament, you just go, no, you don't need to do it. But then the coaches argue for it. It's like, do you guys want to argue for it? So you can say like, oh, you.

[Big Cat]

Know, like the bowl made the tournament four years in a row. Give me my extension.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Bowl eligible the last five years. You're like, dude, yeah.

[Big Cat]

You know, by the way, what. Johnny's are good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Johnny's are really good.

[Big Cat]

Their defense is legit. I was looking at some numbers the other day, and their. Their profile is like, you know, you can do. You could. I think it's on Ken Palm. You can basically do. Or might. Might be Bart Torvik. You can do. Like, what do they most look like in terms of tournament teams? And it was like in a lead eight or a final four team. Johnny's are good people.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Knock the schedule. Maybe you can help me out with Pitino a little bit because family goes way back on the father's side of the Providence ties. And when Rick was the head coach of that Providence Fires team. This is a little early for you guys. Pop Lewis, Billy Donovan. I had a T shirt that said Rick Patino for president. I think I was like nine.

[Big Cat]

That age.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, yeah, he was gone One of the Knicks family despised him.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And then. Oh, he left the Knicks. Right. Kentucky worked out. Worked out pretty well. Went to Boston. Family despised him even more after that. And then Louisville, you know, Louisville. Then everything else that goes with it. A lot of stops. I know you guys have some history with it, too, but I would be tempted because I'm excited. Potentially about, like, the St. John's right. Because the guy can coach. I mean, he's unbelievable. But I did the Celtics documentary for Bill and hbo, and I came in and did the patino years, and I wasn't nice. So I feel guilty about being in the documentary and then being offered patino and being like, let's talk St. John's oh, but by the way, like, I wasn't sweet about your Celtics run. That's going to be in the documentary.

[PFT Commenter]

So me and Big Cat had a similar situation.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think it was nastier than what.

[PFT Commenter]

I. Yeah, we said some things about his penis over the years.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. I never talked about his penis in the doc.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, so we did.

[Big Cat]

We.

[PFT Commenter]

We heavily did. That was most of our patino content, actually, was the whole ejaculatory system.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Are you guys even gonna do this again right now, or do you feel like. No, no, work through it.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm just saying we had. We had him on and we basically said, we've said bad stuff.

[Big Cat]

We buried the hatchet.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You just magical at that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

You have to tell them to their face. And then Rick somehow, like, Rick gets it. He'll. He'll laugh a little bit. He might still hate you a little bit, but he'll laugh about you just gotta be like, I was addicted to you about the Celtics documentary, but at least I didn't talk about your balls.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he's like, those PMT guys, they really suck.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Maybe I start with that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you should. He'd probably be like, yeah, you're right. No, but they're good, though. They're. They're good. They're going to be a force in the. In the tournament.

[PFT Commenter]

I told somebody that at the party last night. They said, who do you like in college basketball? I said, I like what Rick Patino's got going on. And they just laughed at me and walked away. And I was like, I'm actually. I think I'm right.

[Big Cat]

No, you are.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Wait, which party?

[PFT Commenter]

CAA party. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Who would. Who would laugh at that response? I don't understand. Like, how could you be that. That, like, offended by it or entertained by the absurdity of it is very weird.

[PFT Commenter]

My guess is that he thought I was making a Patino joke. Because why would he With Patino? Now I'm now talking. He probably laughed, and it wasn't laughing at me. He was probably like, oh, that's so funny. Classic pft. Like, it's not even a joke, but he's like, oh, PFT's talking about Patino again. But I was serious.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I think we got to the bottom of that one.

[Big Cat]

Who is your favorite player that people wouldn't think of? Like, not, you know, a yic Wemby to watch night to night. Put us on to someone. Put us on to someone.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know who I really like is Aaron Wiggins, Oklahoma City.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Now he's not a superstar. Not even close, but does his job. And they'll be stretches with the Thunder where I'm like, God, I think I really like, like, Aaron Wiggins, not Andrew. He was traded.

[Big Cat]

Yep.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Speaking of trades and where Wiggins is not, is that now where the rookie for Miami from Indiana. He's been terrific since he's been a regular part of the rotation. I've been really excited about Scoot's resurgence.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Tough first year for my guy. Was very invested. Had some takes that were watered regularly. Not showing a lot of life.

[PFT Commenter]

It's a great way to put it there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Some limitations on the rim, finishing and not being like, you know, he's like, oh, he's not Derrick Rose. You're like, well, this is a reason why we were so enthralled with Derrick Rose, because he was Derrick Rose. But Scoot's been really good. Scoot's put together, like, a nice five, six weeks here. What else are you looking for? Are you looking for, like, Isaiah Stewart, who I think would fight people? I appreciate that. I love what Cade has done this year. I actually think the Wizards with Koulibaly and Bub and even George a little bit. I guess you could throw Sar in there a little as the number two pick. Like, they stink, but they play really hard. Hard. There's, like, a few guys in that Wizards team.

[PFT Commenter]

I love Bob.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. So I wouldn't. I don't know that, you know, somebody's like, hey, what do you want to do tonight? Hey, I'm gonna stay in because there's solicit. The Wizards play with a lot of activity, so. So let's do that. Been really happy with Mobley, but I don't know if he'll hit, like, some of the scene. Like, Simmons was so crazy about what Mobley could do when he started comparing him to Duncan or kg. Then you kind of like, well, I like him them, but I don't like them that much. And then you make. Makes it feel like you're dissing a guy that you actually like. Like the Strokes. Like you like the strokes, but like the way PFT talks about the Strokes, you're like, jesus Christ. It wasn't that. Like the run wasn't that long.

[PFT Commenter]

Whenever I say that I'm actually making a patino joke.

[Big Cat]

There it is.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So you're never having it back on?

[Big Cat]

No, we will.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, we will.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That would be kind of nasty. That would be kind of. You guys could LSU me.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh yeah.

[Big Cat]

Oh yeah. We. We'll let you have them on first bash us and then we'll come on and be like, yeah, that resil guy's losing his brain. I don't know what he said.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I did go to the museum by myself. So I don't know that you'd be totally wrong on that. Who would be most likely in the media to have joined me if I had said, hey, do you want to go to the World War II Museum?

[PFT Commenter]

Probably me.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Or I'd probably be the second or third option.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, I would never ask you to go that. Cuz you wouldn't do it.

[Big Cat]

I would.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And it wouldn't be cool enough for you.

[Big Cat]

You. I'm doing such cool stuff. I've been going to. I watched Wake Forest and in Stanford till 12:30 at night on Wednesday and then was like, I'm so tired. Why am I so tired? Oh yeah, you watch Weak Force in Stanford. I'm the coolest.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Did you win?

[Big Cat]

I did win. The over. Did not win Stanford.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I bet last night. Live odds.

[Big Cat]

What?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was watching Celtics Mavs before I had dinner last night and Celtics are getting destroyed. And normally I would be like, okay, well they're not going to get killed like this bad. Let me look at the live odds.

[Big Cat]

I. I feel like Hank has made like millions doing that. Yeah. Just betting the Celtics when they're down. Is he sleeping back there? I didn't even know he was in the room. I thought he was on his.

[Ryan Rosillo]

In here.

[PFT Commenter]

It is like every other.

[Big Cat]

Oh my God. Hank is sleeping in the back of the room.

[PFT Commenter]

No, that sound, that. That's his voice when you wake him up.

[Big Cat]

That was so funny.

[PFT Commenter]

But yeah, Hank, every other night he's. He's like, celtics are down. Just put a nuke on him. Yeah, and it works.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It wouldn't work last night because it was like plus six and a half, minus six and a half. When I looked at it and I thought the number was too small even though they were down 20.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So I was watching it and like I waited and I waited and I go, this might be just a mail it in night from these guys. And I ended up laying it on the Mavs and they got up 27 and then won by seven. Celtics one on a 14 zero.

[Big Cat]

Covered.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I covered. But from the point of like, I'm so smart.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

To a 140 run where you're like, there's still four minutes in and all the backups are playing their ass off right now and Dallas has already shut it off mentally. I'm with Hank on that. Like, I think if you watch enough, I would look for live odds on the better team that's down going, they're going to make the run. Like, let me see if. If they were -7 before tonight. Now I'm getting them at +3. Like, I think I just have to do that with a certain amount of time left in the game. But I actually hedged myself last night. It just felt good to be back in it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. A 20 point lead in the NBA feels like nothing sometimes.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. That went to 27.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. That's crazy.

[PFT Commenter]

I would text the guys whenever the Wizards would be up by double digits. Be like, hey, wizard, up by, by 14 points. Hammer the money line. It usually hit like 90% of the.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Time on the other team.

[PFT Commenter]

On the other team. Yeah. I wrote down a list of topics and it's just one topic that I think I would like to just hear your opinion on. Nothing to do with basketball.

[Big Cat]

All.

[PFT Commenter]

But I just want to let you cook on this. What are your thoughts on crypto?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Oh, okay. I have no investments in crypto. I've thought about it a little bit more recently, but I think everybody does. They're like, oh, it's at 100 now. It's at 106 now. I feel like a loser. I had to get my brains beaten in a bunch of different times with trades for me to then become numb to the ups and downs or that stupid math that you do when you invest. We're like, if I had only done this and then I had this many shares. Like, I used to do all that when I was younger. I've had some bad losses. I've had some nice wins. My wins have been bigger. Like my takes.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You know, my wins, you know, may not. You may not see how the path you get there and you're like, how the that gonna work out?

[Big Cat]

But then you do.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There's Some. There's some losses I wish I could have back that ruin me emotionally for long stretches. But also when you're by yourself and you day trade and you have a horrible, horrible stretch, there's no one to tell you how insane you're being, so you just accept your own own demise.

[PFT Commenter]

It's like Nico.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Exactly.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Just like Nico. He didn't have anybody to tell him. He didn't have anybody to tell me. Like, I remember I was on vacation once in Hawaii with a date, and I checked the pre markets at like three in the morning because I was so locked into it. And I think I was down like half a million dollars because of just like this news. And I ran out onto the balcony and screamed like a hundred times. And she came running out. She was like, did your father die? And I was like, no, it's worse. She's like, are you seriously setting your alarm to check the pre market? So it was. I was pretty into it there for a little while anyway. Crypto. Try to read everything I could. Didn't understand in the beginning like everybody else. Now I fully understand it. The problem was, throughout the entire time, the people I trust the absolute least were all the biggest people that were about crypto. So I missed the window, or maybe the window still continues. I think the. The premise of it, its utility, all of those things make a ton of fucking sense. So I believe in it, except it is always scared the shit out of me.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, that's good. I think that's a very, very good take.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Good job.

[Ryan Rosillo]

How about you guys?

[PFT Commenter]

Wait, what you just said? Yeah, that's as much research as I've done right there.

[Big Cat]

Bought a. Bought a Bitcoin in 2016. Don't know how to access it.

[PFT Commenter]

I. I bought Doge as a pretty turn, though, back in like 2020 or 2021. And then it went up like 7,000%. But I only spent like 50 bucks on Doge. I was just like, Look, I got 50 bucks worth of Doge. That turned into, like, I don't know, four grand, which is pretty cool. Then it went down to like two grand. That's all I know about crypto.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I like real estate better.

[PFT Commenter]

Some of you put your hands on.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think it's more fun now. Other people, new land, Sopranos.

[PFT Commenter]

It's free real estate. I just.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Even though people on the other side, like, love touching a button and then it's done. Yeah, Now I have it all. Whatever it says on the screen, I push a button and then I have it. I totally understand People like, that's the only way I would want to do business. But I like real estate because I think it's a little like, if I were to read all the materials and stocks and stuff and all the different options, I could read it all. I know that my full grasp of the understanding would be like, okay, so you now think, like, I'm just doing my own research. I don't need any help. Schwab. I just. I don't know that I've ever felt, like, truly comfortable going, oh, I've read about all this thing. This technology makes sense. Like, a lot of it feels like the wins can be common sense, but it's always common sense after the fact. At least with, like, different markets in real estate, I can go. This is a desirable place. I know what this house is. I know because I've looked at this town so many different times or I know people that live here or whatever. So I just think that's an easier understanding, even if it's certainly not any kind of guarantee. I can't believe we're on this right now.

[PFT Commenter]

Great job.

[Big Cat]

Do you have another one?

[PFT Commenter]

No. That was the only topic. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

The only topic I want to hear.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What are you guys doing Life advice without.

[PFT Commenter]

I also had World War II, but we covered that.

[Big Cat]

Yep.

[PFT Commenter]

Thanks. For the Napoleon book. I haven't read a single page in the last, what, a year and a half ago you sent us it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Love is a distraction of the warrior.

[PFT Commenter]

But I'm. I'm taking it on vacation. It's a nice, light vacation. Read the biography of Napoleon. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Any of those books that are 700, like the Chernow stuff? Yeah, the first 200 is where you. That's the wax on, wax off phase of the movie.

[Big Cat]

There's gonna be.

[PFT Commenter]

There are gonna be several parts in the first, I'd say 50 pages where I. I will be strongly tempted to throw the book away.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Look, I love Chernow as much as any sports podcaster probably in the country. I put myself. I'm a one seed of Ron Chernow fans.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Okay. And I know when I dig in, I'm like, I've already read them all. I think War Bug is the only one I haven't read. I'm like, these first hundred 180 be tough sledding. Washington gets off to a burning start. But he. But, you know, like me, these long winded stories and answers. I'm like, I have to give you the prologue before I can give you the answer. I'll get better one day, I hope.

[PFT Commenter]

But no you won't.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I can't.

[Big Cat]

I don't want you to change.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, this is the best.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I can't.

[PFT Commenter]

The prologue is the best part.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I need to know what George was like as a rath scallion. You know, I need to know, like, what. And I think Chernow is the storyteller in the same case with Andrew Roberts and Napoleon. Hey, you've got to learn that Napoleon was an awkward, small dude, failed writer, maybe smelled chicks didn't like him. Like, no wonder he fucking ran a country in the world. Yeah, for a little bit there. Like, what's more motivating than never having chicks like you?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's it. He was the first incel.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He was. Yeah, he's just tweeting away. B minus tweet. C plus stuff, apparently is writing like sucked.

[Big Cat]

Really?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

All right, well, I'm gonna read.

[Big Cat]

All right, rollback question, last question. R, H, O, B A C K.com promo code, take 20 off your first purchase. Q, zips, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts. Roback.com promo code take. I know it's February. Give us your finals and your winner.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Thunder over Boston in six. Seven would be seven Thunder. Get it at home.

[Big Cat]

Okay, okay, okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Hank, what are your thoughts on that?

[Ryan Rosillo]

See it happen.

[Big Cat]

I can see it happening.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Is. Are you leaving tonight?

[Big Cat]

No, tomorrow morning.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Oh, you're out tonight?

[Big Cat]

No, Yeah, I have to. I have to stay tonight for dinner, but then I'm. I got. I'm free.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Is tonight. Tonight? Neil Young.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, tonight's the night. Let's go tonight. Tonight?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I booked two flights on Saturday. One a little way too early and then one.

[Ryan Rosillo]

How early is the early one?

[Big Cat]

I think it's like 8am you could.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do it if you wanted to.

[PFT Commenter]

10Am But I also like, I also.

[Big Cat]

Not going home to sleep and like just be like, oh, yeah, now I'm going to come home and nap all day.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I can't imagine how hard you nap when you have kids.

[PFT Commenter]

It's got to be the best.

[Big Cat]

You know what?

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's got to be unbelievable.

[PFT Commenter]

And like, you turn your brain off.

[Big Cat]

The best thing that, like I just had this ability that came up from having kids is I can crush like a nine minute nap like you'd never believe. And it's just. And then I usually wake up and I'm like, yeah, Hank, I usually wake up and I'm like, oh, I was supposed to be watching my kids.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you ever wake up and go, he might be.

[Big Cat]

Sleeping that old time.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Be honest. It doesn't mean you don't love your wife or your family, but do you ever have a moment? Moment? You're like, I don't want to go back.

[Big Cat]

No, Honestly, it's like 24 hours after being away. I'm always like, I want to go back first 24 hours. If you hit me in the first 24 hours, it'd be like, yeah, this is pretty sweet. And then after 24 hours, I'm like, get me back. That's how it always goes whenever we do these trips or go somewhere. Like, if you hit Monday night, we went out, dinner, all of us. It was awesome. Like, I don't want to ever go back. By Tuesday afternoon, I was like, get me the out of here.

[Ryan Rosillo]

This place can do it to you. But I think you guys have been here so many times, and I. I know we're wrapping up here, but we love Louisiana.

[PFT Commenter]

Everything about it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, the colleges and I love that you guys, like. I was like, those guys really like it. I'll check it out. But once you get like, south of Poyous, all you have to do is like, walk five minutes.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

South of Canal. And you go, oh, this is why, like, these people that, that are. Are like, successful, you know, big cats. Known all these cats for a long time. And he's like, I gotta introduce you to Rosillo. And you see all these guys.

[Big Cat]

Graves, meet my friend Ryan.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, I know. I mean, that was huge for me because I love chicken so much. But what I think is just so funny, he's like, you'll meet all these people. And then people think that New Orleans is only Canal street and, like, Bourbon.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And they go, dude, that place sucks. You're like, you know, there's other streets.

[Big Cat]

No, there's other streets in spots. It's. It's awesome.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm gonna work my way south.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

All right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Which is uptown, ironically.

[Big Cat]

I'm in. Yeah, I'm staying.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right, we'll see each other tonight.

[Big Cat]

All right, Brian Rosillo. Go. Subscribe to Ryan Rosillo podcast.

[PFT Commenter]

He's the best live studio audience with Hank. Before we get to the lottery ball, brought to you by our great friends at Planet Fitness. Everybody can get strong at Planet Fitness. They've got a high value membership that supports any fitness journey as low as 15 bucks a month. Planet Fitness has over 2, 700 club locations. Most clubs are open 24 hours. It's a judgment, free environment. They have best in class equipment. It's the same high quality equipment as other more expensive gyms. So you get a full Workout. From strength training to cardio stretching. They've got it all there and it's very convenient. Open 24 hours. A lot of them. That means that depending on what your schedule is, sometimes it's not conducive to going to the gym. You can make it work with Planet Fitness. They won't judge you. They have friendly welcoming staff, unlimited free fitness training, and they've got the PF app that has tons of free workouts. We've got a Planet Fitness gym here in the barstool office. We got free weights, dumbbells, barbells. We have the cable towers, the chin up, pull up bar Smith machine. I was on the stair climber earlier today. Treadmill, the core elevate thing. I like doing the upright rows with barbells. Good workout always. You feel sore the next day in a great way. We're all strong on this planet. Join today in club online or in the free PF app. Hours, amenities and offers vary by club. Check out planetfitness.com or stop by your local club for more information. Must be 18 years old to enroll or you can be 13 to 17 with parent or guardian.

[Big Cat]

Numbers. 1, 5, 61, 11, 3.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm gonna get it right now.

[Big Cat]

What if you hit it right now?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Memes.

[Big Cat]

Have you ever gotten this?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I guess at one time.

[Big Cat]

No, you haven't.

[PFT Commenter]

You didn't get it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Guess it one time.

[PFT Commenter]

Never you. Oh, Hank, welcome.

[Big Cat]

That means I'm hitting a hole in one this weekend. Whoa. That's a great congrats, man.

[PFT Commenter]

Good job, Hank.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You got it.

[Big Cat]

How many times you got games?

[PFT Commenter]

If I could give this to you.

[Big Cat]

I would, because I already have. I've already got it. You cannot. You can't.

[PFT Commenter]

But if I could, I would.

[Big Cat]

Memes, I want you to win. How many times you've gotten this, Hank? I don't even know. Probably four.

[PFT Commenter]

Three or four.

[Big Cat]

And. And memes, you. You've never.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I guess that right one time.

[Big Cat]

And Hank was the guy who never had gotten it. Now.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So easy.

[PFT Commenter]

It took so long. Frank. To get it. Oh, he didn't even stand up.

[Big Cat]

That's so easy.

[Ryan Rosillo]

No, it's like I want that.

[Big Cat]

I want memes to feel it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's just.

[Big Cat]

It's so easy.

[PFT Commenter]

The thing about Hank is he expects excellence. He says, wake me up at the end of the show.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, exactly.

[PFT Commenter]

That's when it really starts.

[Big Cat]

All right, see everyone on Wednesday.

[PFT Commenter]

Love you. It.