Does the NBA Have a Tanking Problem AGAIN?

Summary

PTI Podcast Summary

Episode: Does the NBA Have a Tanking Problem AGAIN?
Date: February 11, 2026
Hosts: Tony Kornheiser & Michael Wilbon
Notable Guest: Steve Young (NFL Hall of Fame QB)

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Episode Overview

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon tackle a busy sports agenda from NBA tanking and Victor Wembanyama’s explosion, to major golf changes and the ongoing debate about tanking in professional basketball. The episode features NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, who discusses Super Bowl heartbreak, the evolution of quarterbacks, and coaching trends. The hosts maintain a lively, banter-filled tone throughout, combining humor, strong opinions, and years of insight.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Victor Wembanyama's Scorching NBA Night vs. Lakers

[00:21 - 03:36]

• Wilbon: Emphasizes Wembanyama’s historic 40-point night (25 points in first 8 minutes), comparing it to Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan’s domination. He dismisses the Lakers’ depleted lineup as irrelevant, praising Wemby’s ‘greedy’ performance.

  • "Most dudes who get paid $50 mil can't put up 25 points in eight minutes that he did." – Wilbon [01:50]

• Kornheiser: Downplays the performance due to facing a Lakers team without its core starters. Calls it “a scrimmage.”

  • "Who was guarding him? The ghost of George Mikan?...This was not a game. It was a scrimmage." – Kornheiser [02:13]

• Both scoff at the significance of LeBron’s All-NBA ineligibility, citing his legacy outweighs postseason honors.

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NBA Tanking: Is It Back?

[03:36 - 06:35]

• Kornheiser accuses NBA management—specifically referencing the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz—of organizational tanking for draft picks, lamenting the broken faith with fans:

  • "I think fans of this team, if there are any fans left, should bring a class action suit for fraud on the part of the Wizards for selling season tickets and not ever attempting to win." – Kornheiser [04:25]

• Both hosts agree that players want to win, but tanking is orchestrated by executives and owners.

• Wilbon: Argues the NBA can’t police tanking due to ownership power and notes tanking is ultimately about future success – “you tank to win.”

  • "You tank to win. So ultimately, you're trying. You are trying to win." – Wilbon [05:15]

• Kornheiser references the Steelers’ “we don’t rebuild” ethos as a contrast.

• Memorable Back-and-Forth:

  • Wilbon: "The sin of the Wizards is they don't get it right." [06:00]
  • Kornheiser: "47 and 169 and nobody's fired." [06:32]

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Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour Critique & Golf’s Major Scheduling

[06:38 - 09:25]

• Rory McIlroy wants the PGA Championship moved back to August and maintains The Players Tournament shouldn’t be considered a major.

• Wilbon: Applauds Rory, saying The Players has the best field but isn't and shouldn’t be a major. Blasts golf for being "afraid of the NFL" and compressing its own season.

• Kornheiser: Emphasizes tradition – four majors, like the four Beatles or four heads on Mount Rushmore. Sees no need to designate The Players as a major.

  • "The Players has the best field...but it's not a major. There are four heads right on Mount Rushmore. Four heads. Anybody clamoring for a fifth head?" – Kornheiser [07:57]

• Both agree the PGA could move back to August and shouldn’t fear football overlap.

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NFL Talk with Steve Young

[10:55 - 18:13]

Steve Young joins for “Five Good Minutes”; focus is on Super Bowl struggles, young QBs, and head coaching trends.

Drake May’s Super Bowl Struggles

• Explains how painkillers for shoulder injuries can have unpredictable effects. Expresses deep empathy:
  • "It gets into your head. We're in the Super Bowl, it's going the wrong way...It's a huge scar that he's going to have from it, but he can turn it to the positive over time." – Steve Young [11:40]

Sam Darnold’s Career Parallel

• Young likens Darnold’s plight to his own, having started in a difficult situation before moving somewhere with greater resources.
  • "The best thing you could ever ask in team sports is be in a spot where you have the right kind of people to allow you go show your great." – Steve Young [13:28]

Best Young Quarterbacks (Not Named May or Darnold)

• Highlights Bo Nix (Denver), Tyler (New Orleans), and a promising QB from Indiana (Las Vegas/Raiders) as notable up-and-comers. Notes this was an unusual year for the Super Bowl, with “all the greats missing.”

Will Mike Macdonald Trigger a Defensive Coach Wave?

• Skeptical that one success will cause the league to shift from its offense-centric hiring:

  • "The game, the rule changes are all against the defense every year...Offense has is the king." – Steve Young [15:48 & 17:17]

• Recognizes the rarity and difficulty of dominant defensive teams in the current NFL climate.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On NBA Tanking:
  • "Coaches, general managers tank and owners allow it to happen." – Kornheiser [05:06]
• On Golf’s Tradition:
  • "The Beatles had four members...There are four heads right on Mount Rushmore." – Kornheiser [07:53]
• On Quarterback Development:
  • "Are you in a place that is a platform to allow you to iterate and find out how good you are? And there are just not 32 of them." – Steve Young [13:44]
• On NBA Superstars Sitting Out:
  • "Most dudes who get paid 50 mil can't put up 25 points in eight minutes that he did." – Wilbon [01:50]

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Other Memorable Moments & Quick Hits

• Wilbon and Kornheiser bicker playfully about Swanson’s “unfair” reception in Chicago and reminisce about Moses Malone’s legendary rebounding.
• News updates: Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll out with hamate injuries, Charlie Woods going to FSU for golf, NBA fines for fight and Colin Sexton’s “flipping off the rim.”
• Lighthearted critiques of player suspensions and sadness over memorabilia auctions by sports legends like Scottie Pippen.

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Key Timestamps

• Victor Wembanyama Performance/Lakers Rest — [00:21-03:36]
• NBA Tanking Debate — [03:36-06:35]
• Golf Majors & Rory’s Comments — [06:38-09:25]
• Steve Young Interview: NFL QBs & Coaching — [10:55-18:13]
• Notable Baseball News/Moses Malone Tribute — [21:02-22:50]
• NBA Suspensions, Injuries, Fines — [23:34-24:57]

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Final Thoughts

This episode blends passionate takes and veteran sports insight, moving seamlessly from NBA fireworks to the ethics (and inevitability) of tanking, then stepping out to the broader landscapes of pro golf and NFL trends. Steve Young’s segment provides thoughtful perspective on NFL quarterbacking, coaching, and how environments shape careers. Listeners will enjoy the balance of sharp debate, nostalgia, and future-looking analysis.

Transcript

[A]

Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. It's National Inventors Day. Tone, you ever invent anything?

[B]

I'm Tony Kornheiser. Just a couple little things. My resume, my college board scores, my family.

[A]

Careful, you don't wanna admit everything.

[B]

I haven't. I've admitted some of the bigger ones.

[A]

But I haven't admitted those are pretty big.

[B]

Don't worry about it. Welcome to pti, boys and girls. In today's episode, lousy teams meet in the NBA. Rory has ideas for the PGA Tour and Steve Young joins us for five good minutes. But we begin today with Victor Wembanyama scoring 40 points in only 26 minutes last night in a 136, 108 romp over a depleted Lakers team. Wembanyama had 25 points in the first eight minutes of the game. The Lakers sat Luka, Lebron, Deandre Ayton and Austin Reaves, four starters and Marcus Smart, who has started 36 times for the Lakers this year by not playing at all. LeBron is now ineligible for any all NBA team. Wilbon. Which is the bigger deal? Wembanyama's performance or LeBron's ineligibility?

[A]

LeBron's numbers that are all attached to longevity. They don't even matter anymore because he already has all of them. Okay, so that's over here. I watched this last night. Not the clips. I watched it in live time. When Wimbanyambo went Wilt, that's what he did. Somebody made the joke, oh my goodness, I'm forgetting who's doing the play by play. Who said, if we keep going like this, somebody's going to have to hand Wimanyama a card that says 100.

[B]

Says 100.

[A]

It was unbelievable what he did, and I'm glad he did it. You know What? Okay, so LeBron wasn't there and Luka wasn't there. And neither was Wilt, and neither was Jerry west, and neither was Shaq. Fine. He went into the place where you put on a show. One of the two places, Madison Square Garden, Louisiana. He went in there and said, have some of this over and over and over again. I don't care if you're here. And then he said afterward, I wanted to be greedy. Greedy. That's a word I associate with three people in the history of the NBA. Michael Jordan, in no special order, Wilt and Kobe. That's Bird. So four. They were so ruthless and win. Bunyamba seems to have that. And I don't care who was. I don't care if it was just you and me in an empty gym, most dudes who get paid 50 mil can't put up 25 points in eight minutes that he did.

[B]

So we're going to disagree a little bit here. First of all, you had the game right? Yesterday on the show you said the Lakers can't win the game and you listed all the people that weren't going to win. So you had that right. The reason I'm not particularly impressed with what Wembanyama did last night, not any other night, last night, is because he wasn't playing against anybody. Who was guarding him? The ghost of George Mikan, who was guarding him? Nobody was guarding him, Mike. This was not a game. It was a scrimmage. 25 points a name in. This was a scrimmage, but it was a scrimmage. Now, in terms of LeBron, the fact that LeBron can't be eligible for an all NBA team. That's the rule. He's missed too many games. And by the way, there are three all NBA teams. There should be one the five best players, regardless of position. It shouldn't be so bloated. And it only exists for contractual purposes. Now, in terms of not being on. So what? He is one of the greatest basketball players who has ever lived. If somebody say, oh wait, he didn't make all NBA third team in 2020, so. So I don't want to hear that.

[A]

Wim Banyama.

[B]

Yeah, well, he's great. But last night. Last night doesn't prove it or establish it. Not last night.

[A]

It reminds you.

[B]

Go ahead. You love him.

[A]

I do.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I understand.

[A]

He's it.

[B]

I understand.

[A]

Right now.

[B]

I understand.

[A]

But we'll move to a game on tonight's schedule that stands out for all the wrong reasons. The Sacramento Kings take their 13 game losing streak to Utah to face the woeful Jazz who have been sitting starters in recent fourth quarters. In the past, the NBA has tried to get teams to compete by altering the draft lottery or creating a play in. But Tone is playing not to win a problem the league needs to address.

[B]

Again, I live in Washington D.C. a city where the NBA team is trying to lose. The executives of the Wizards are trying to lose and by the way, succeeding. They are right now because they want to hire a draft pick. It's all about the draft pick. It's all about the draft pick. Yeah. They are 14 and 38 this year. In the last three years they are 47 and 169. Everybody should be fired. Nobody has been fired because this is Obviously the plan. They just traded healthy players for Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Big names who are hurt, haven't played a minute. I'm not sure they will ever play a minute for the Wizards. I'm just not sure about that. And I think fans of this team, if there are any fans left, should bring a class action suit for fraud on the part of the Wizards for selling season tickets and not ever attempting to win. The Utah Jazz are not attempting to win. They're sitting there. Starters in the fourth quarter. You cannot close out a game when your starters are close out again. Look, players want to win. Players don't tank.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

Coaches, general managers tank and owners allow it to happen.

[A]

We agree on that plague 100%. And now we will disagree. The league shouldn't touch this. You know why it can't? Because billionaire owners are gonna say we wanna go to court. Really? You wanna prove that I'm doing this? I don't mean in the case of Utah, cuz it's easy. By the way, Danny Ainge. I know how much you respect Danny Ainge. He's brilliant. Okay? So let me just mention that Utah, by tanking, you tank to win. So ultimately you're trying. You are trying to win. See, I know Danny Yang saw AJ Debancer score 36.

[B]

Yeah, I'd take the pick away. So.

[A]

So if you put. And I sue, I take the picture. If you put Debancer with Markkanen Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr. Ace Bailey and Keonta George, next year they make the playoffs, that's winning.

[B]

What about this year? What about the fans that these games.

[A]

I'm a fan. I want to know my team can win next year.

[B]

I'm going to quote some of that.

[A]

You know what the sin of the Wizards is? They don't get it right.

[B]

I'm going to quote some of that.

[A]

That's the sin.

[B]

About a month ago when the Steelers were looking for a new coach, they put Art Rooney II out there and they said what about the inevitable big rebuild? And he looked at everybody in that room and he said we don't do that. We try to win every single game.

[A]

Good for him.

[B]

Good for him. And that's why he doesn't own an NBA. Because they don't. You know what?

[A]

Good for him. And I want the Bancer or I want that kid Caleb Wilson and so do you in Washington. Cuz then you can stop losing intentionally.

[B]

47 and 169 and nobody's fired.

[A]

Don't get it right. Well, somebody Got fired in the previous game.

[B]

It's my turn. Let's get to golf. Rory McIlroy is out in California getting ready for the Pebble Beach Pro Am that starts tomorrow. At a press conference yesterday, Rory said, quote, I think the players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world. But we have four major championships. It's the players don't need to be anything else, unquote. Rory also called the pga, which is a major glory's last shot, referring back to where it used to be on the major schedule last in 2019, golf moved it up to second. Now it's in May. Rory wants it back to fourth in August. Wilbon, is Rory right?

[A]

Both cases, yes. The players. It's exciting. It's huge. But you can be huge and not be called a major. It's huge. It's the best field. It's the deepest field. He's speaking factually. And Tony, I hate that the professional golf is so afraid of the NFL totally that it won't even put. First of all, yes, there is some overlap in terms of viewership and eyeballs, but there's a lot of it that's exclusive to your endeavor. And the season is scrunched. They should put this back in August. It feels unnatural to have it where it is with the stupid FedEx thing just rushed in there and slapped together. I'm with Rory on both counts.

[B]

Okay. Golf has four majors. They have had four majors. The same four majors, what, 60, 80 years, maybe more than that. They got the Masters, they got the US Open, they got the British Open and the pga. They got four. That's what they have. They have four. Do you remember the Beatles? Beatles had four members. They had John, Paul, George and Ringo. There was a disc jockey in New York when the Beatles came along named Murray the K who said, I'm the fifth Beatle. But you're not. Because they only have four Beatles. The players has the best field. You're right, but it's not a major. There are four heads right on Mount Rushmore. Four heads. Anybody clamoring for a fifth head?

[A]

You don't probably.

[B]

Well, you don't need somebody clamoring for now. You're right. They moved it for two reasons. One, they moved it because it was two month gap between the Masters and the next major, which is okay. They want. Okay. But golf wanted to fill the gap. But the more important reason was they wanted to get out of the way.

[A]

Of the train that is in NFL.

[B]

Yes. And so the FedEx cup wants to be finished by labor Day. So there is not a conflict. If you can put it in August and still accomplish that, I'm okay with that. But, Mike, I don't mind it the way it is because now we have majors in April, May, June, and July. I don't think it is. I don't think it's.

[A]

It felt natural the way it was. It felt great having the PGA in August. Of course they can put it in August. Pro football doesn't actually start until the Sunday after Labor Day.

[B]

Well, Thursday.

[A]

So there's Thursday Thursday.

[B]

So they got. They got time. Can I tell you something? I met Rory's father when I was in Florida. He's a member at Seminole. I met him.

[C]

I.

[B]

He was a lovely guy.

[A]

Rory's father's a member of the show?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was completely love. He watches this show.

[A]

Good for him.

[B]

And he watches TGL as well. Let's take a break now.

[A]

You went a bridge too far.

[B]

Coming up, we'll ask Steve Young about Drake May's super bowl struggles.

[A]

We'll also ask him whether Mike McDonald's success could spur a run on defensive head coaches.

[B]

He asked me if you really like Wembanyama. No, I'm kidding. He didn't really. He didn't, Tony. But a nice guy.

[A]

You know what? It's more than like him.

[D]

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[B]

We're not done with the NFL season just yet. We have some questions for our great friend, the man who seemed like the homecoming king of this year's Super bowl festivities. Mr. Steve Young, we're going to start with Drake. Maybe how does a painkiller shot in your throwing shoulder help and hurt you as a quarterback? And what sort of empathy. And that's the right word, empathy, because you played this position. What sort of empathy do you have after his struggles?

[C]

Well, first of all, in the shot, I mean, the shoulder's the most complex joint in the body. And especially a throw, you know, you're throwing shoulder better than anything else. Like, the intricacy of it. And if it's numb in a certain spot, it can really affect you. And I think in the first quarter, he doesn't look 100%, so you could tell that something wasn't right. So that's. I feel bad that that had to happen at that time, but taking shots in the shoulder. Yeah, I mean, sometimes doesn't matter, and sometimes it really does matter. It's hard to know the context as far as the empathy, man. You know, it got to a point where I always used to say in height in college, all the receivers are open. In the pros, nobody's open. That was the difference. And that was like, for Drake, all year, everybody's pretty much open. And all said, he goes to the super bowl and nobody's open, and he's getting mauled. And you could see him getting overwhelmed. Like, it just gets. It gets into your head. It gets into everybody's head. We're in the super bowl, it's going the wrong way. We can't get a first down. And then things start to go haywire and they never could get right. And that's why championship football is so compelling, because it happens that fast. It's not seven games. You don't get to go back tomorrow and try to try it again. It all happens right there. And then you just devolve and bam, you're out. And he's going to learn a lot from it. It's a huge scar that he's going to have from it, but he can turn it to the positive over time. But, man, talk about empathy. That was a tough spot.

[A]

We'll switch quarterbacks and get to a totally different sort of story arc. Steve, you told our friend Rich Eisen earlier this week that Sam Darnold's career arc feels similar to yours. I must have missed the extra three or four teams that you got dumped to. But please tell us, what is it about Darnold's, you know, career arc that feels similar?

[C]

Yeah, I would say this. He started in a place where it was cloudy and rainy and how it felt.

[B]

Right.

[C]

It was oppressive in how it felt to try to be good. And then you get to a place where the clouds part and the sun comes out in the west coast off. It's now the fruits of it now we talked about every week. And that's similar to me, right? It's like I started in a place that was just poof, brutal and. And then got to a place that's just. You can now go find out how good you can get. And that's the best thing you could ever ask in the team sport is be in a spot where you have the right kind of people to allow you go show your great. If you're good or great or whatever it is, let's go show it. And I think that arc is really. That's true for anyone. Mike, whether you go team to team or not. Do you. Are you in a place that is a platform to allow you to iterate and find out how good you are? And they're just not 32 of them. We talk about that a lot. And when you find one, it's like a gift from heaven. And you just. Now, let's go. You might not be as good as you think you are. It might be the truth that you can't do it, but at least we're going to find out how good or great you can be. And I think, Sam, in that spot, it feels familiar.

[A]

All right, extending on that, we're going to ask you to be judge and jury when you mention those platforms and who has them of the young quarterbacks besides May and Darnold. So let's say people in there, I don't know, fifth year or less, who impresses you? Who do you like? Who do you look at and say, yeah, I'll take some of that for a while.

[C]

Well, like we just said with Sean Payton, you got Bo Nix. He's. He's in one of those places where you're going to be able to iterate and find out good you are. And it seems like he's been pretty good. Then you get to a spot like in New Orleans with Tyler. Is he somebody that could do a Brock Purdy? I mean, could he be somebody that just could. Could explode on the scene? It does feel like everyone around him that plays with him is like, this kid is real. This kid is for sure. So I think there's. Those are the two that stick out for me that are younger. And then you got a kid come from Indiana for the. Can one man save a Whole organization. We talked about it for years. Can he come and save the Raiders? You know, we'll see, but there's some young players I like, but this is the year that all the greats missed the super bowl, especially on the AFC side.

[B]

That's true. That's true. Yeah. I mean, Mahomes and Lamar Jackson and, you know, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.

[C]

Yeah, it was the year off. It was the year for somebody to do something unique.

[B]

All right, we will get you out of here on this. You've talked a lot about why so many teams have hired coaches out of the McVay, Shanahan and Reed offensive coaching trees. Do you think Mike McDonald's success and that defense was overwhelming? Mike McDonald's success could spur a similar pattern of hiring defensive head coaches?

[C]

I mean, it would definitely give people's interest because I think he's done all of that. I just. The game, the rule changes are all against the defense every year, and it makes it harder and harder to play great defense. And to me, the game is dominated by the Kings. And we took the year off this year. We just talked about the guys that didn't make it to the super bowl. But in the super bowl, you know, kind of competition, it's the quarterback that's going to do it. So those. Those offenses and those organizations that are built around the kings of the game, they're going to want to show up in super bowl of the year. I understand this is the year off, but defense will always be important. But because it's neglected more and more because of the safety rules and everything else, it's just harder to be great. And the Seahawks, look, they were great. They smothered the Patriots. But look what a really sophisticated hall of Fame kind of quarterback did the week before with, you know, 500 yards, 450 yards, and 27 out of 30 points with the Rams, like, Like, you can play great defense, but if you have one of those guys, that's what you have to have. And so I'd like. I'm fine with defensive coordinator being the head coach, but as long as they're long as Clint Kubiak, you know, now that he's gone, as long as somebody shows up, that has the sun out in the clouds part and innovation and innovative minds, then.

[A]

Then we got a shot before we let Steve go. He's being modest here. Wasn't it Bill Walsh and that and your organization, that changed because before he was Buddy Ryan, it was Bill Parcells. It was all these defensive coaches ruling the universe and you guys fought that.

[C]

Off well and I think that's the beginning of it. There's no question the innovation that changed the game. What happened with west coast offense and now again because of the rule changes, don't allow defenders to launch headfirst. They're slower to the ball, they can't patrol. We talk about it all the time. It's just the game changed what allowed even more for the west coast type of philosophy to get the ball in different spaces with more room to roam. It's just the game's change dramatically and offense has is the king and that's what and it started, no question started there, but now it's really throughout the league. And that's why it's unusual for the for the Seahawks to dominate like The Broncos did 10 years ago and then like the Ravens did a few years before that. There's been groups of people in the last 25 years defenses that have dominated, but I think it's a rarity. It is not the constant. The constant is the quarterback's going to rule.

[B]

Total pleasure to have you on all year. Thank you so much.

[A]

Thank you so much.

[C]

It's so much fun. You guys are the best.

[B]

That's good.

[C]

I'll miss you.

[B]

Let's take one last break. Still to come, bad news for two similar baseball stars.

[A]

Colin Sexton. He learns the punishment for flipping the bird to the rim after missing a free throw. What the ren did.

[B]

Bill Walsh is a giant.

[E]

Bill Walsh.

[A]

It's Bill Walsh.

[B]

Bill Walsh is a giant, right? Do you want to know an interesting small fact about Bill Walsh? Yes. He was colorblind.

[D]

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[G]

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[B]

Happy time people. Happy 32nd birthday. Dansby Swanson, the two time All Star shortstop came over to the Cubs from the Braves as a free agent before the 2023 season after signing a seven year, $177 million contract while in Atlanta, Swanson was part of the Braves World series champions in 2021. This past season, Swanson hit.244, 24 homers, 77 RBI, 84 runs scored and 20 stolen bases on a playoff team. For his career, Swanson averages.251 with 16 homers and 63 RBI. Swanson has two Gold Gloves, one in Atlanta, one in Chicago, and he's married to the fourth, former Mallory Pugh, who won Olympic gold and the World cup with the United States Women's National Soccer team.

[A]

Swanson's part of an infield that may be the best in the majors. Third to first, Bregman, Swanson, Nico Horner, who we better not trade and Michael Bush. And people are on Swanson. So you like Swanson include one of My dear friends.

[B]

You like Swanson.

[A]

I like Swanson, but he gets too much criticism, it seems to me in Chicago.

[B]

Happy anniversary, Moses Malone. This is posthumous, but on this day, 44 years ago, Malone collected 21 offensive rebounds in the Houston Rockets win over Seattle, a record for offensive rebounds that still stands. Malone had 32 total rebounds in that game, three more than the entire Seattle team. Now, to be fair, the NBA only started tracking offensive rebounds in the 1973-74 season, so that rules out Wilton Russell, who might have gone for 25 when nobody was. Malone also owns the second most offensive rebounds in one game, 19 in a 1979 game for Houston, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Zaza Pachula and Tim Basset are next with 18.

[A]

I'm old enough to remember when you were about Moses like I am. Wimby, you were a Moses fanatic.

[B]

First guy to ever go from high school to the pros when he went to the aba.

[A]

Great player.

[B]

Amazing.

[A]

And he was a great player.

[B]

Great player. Happy trails to Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll. The Mets shortstop and Diamondbacks outfielder will both miss significant time with Hammett injuries. The Hammett is a small bone in your hand for those of you who are not doctors like I am. Lindor will have surgery and miss six weeks. Carroll will reportedly miss significant time, but both are hoping to return by opening day. Hand injuries aren't the only things Lindor and Carol have in common. Both were 30, 30 players last season, both were all Stars, and both finished in the top 10 in MVP voting.

[A]

I just don't want this to become Hammer time. See what I did?

[B]

Oh, I like what you said.

[A]

We don't want that.

[B]

No.

[A]

How do you get this? Same injury comes out of nowhere and affects several star players as spring training begins.

[B]

It's bizarre.

[A]

It's crazy.

[B]

But it does feel like they'll be back in time, doesn't it? Let's go to the big finish if we do NBA fight suspensions. Isaiah Stewart gets seven games, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate get four, and Jalen Doran, who I thought started the fight, gets two.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Okay by you? Yeah.

[A]

But I. I see to you you got it right. And it could have been heavier. Could have been heavier than it was. I mean, should have been heavier than it was. I've revisited good Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander. I love that name. Needs shoulder surgery out five to six months. That's a big deal.

[B]

It is. He only had six home runs in 54 games last year when we. When he was on the o's. He had 44 ones. He's a big time home runner. Scotty Pippen is auctioning off 50 items of memorabilia worth an estimated $6 million. Your thoughts?

[A]

These stories always make me sad. No matter which great player in which sport, they always make me sad. Charlie woods is committed to play golf for Florida State. Does that make sense?

[B]

Well, he's born and raised in Florida. It saves his dad on in state tuition. Don't you think? He's that Last one. The NBA. Fine. Bulls guard Colin Sexton. 35K for flipping off the rim after a misfit free throw. Is that justified?

[A]

Colin Sexton's not on the Bulls. I thought he was.

[B]

Oh yeah, I think he is.

[A]

He's one of those nine people we got in addition to second round draft picks last week.

[B]

We're out of time. We will try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Cornheim.

[A]

Nothing wrong with Collins. Sexy, fine player.

[B]

But stop.

[A]

I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads.