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- [00:01]
Mike Wilbon
5:00am I'm up with a crisp Celsius energy drink running 12 miles today. Grab a green juice, quick change, and head to work. Meetings, workshops. One more Celsius. No slowing down. Working late, but obviously still meeting the girls for a little dancing. Celsius live fit.
- [00:17]
Commercial Announcer
Go grab a cold, refreshing Celsius at
- [00:20]
Mike Wilbon
your local retailer or locate now@celsius.com. pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Lobon. Tony and I have been doing this show nearly 25 years. Every day we give it our best.
- [00:35]
Tony Kornheiser
I'm Tony Kornheiser. Except today we're on espn, too.
- [00:40]
Mike Wilbon
Oh, we're on the Deuce. I mean, we're bumped. By what? By who? What's more important than us?
- [00:48]
Tony Kornheiser
Well, apparently the company thinks whatever is on is more important than us. I don't know what's on. I don't think it's bed sheet golf today. I don't think so. Welcome to pti, boys and girls. In today's episode, the Bills trade for the Bears DJ Moore. Kylan Murray gets a baseball invite from the A's. And the Panthers pondered trading their star goalie. But we begin today with a surprising, maybe even shocking result from the NBA. Last night, Charlotte beat Boston in Boston and did not just beat them. No. Charlotte beat Boston in Boston by 29 points. 29. This was the Hornets sixth straight win by 15 or more and their 16th win in their last 19 games. And then today came the report that Jason Tatum could make his debut tomorrow night. His seasonal debut versus Dallas. Will von. You had the Celtics quote, winning me at home last night. Your words. Yeah, but in light of the Tatum news, you tell me where you want to start.
- [01:45]
Mike Wilbon
Charlotte. Charlotte. Charlotte. We got plenty of time to talk about Tatum. And we will, because they are worthy in Boston. Is. Is. Is a threat to win the whole thing. No, no, no, Tony. Charlotte. Which has been entirely irrelevant and you can see some of it coming this year. And there are people like our dear friend Charles Barkley, who just declared, you know, a couple of weeks ago, charlotte's gonna make the playoffs. I called Charles in live time. He was on commercial break, and I said, if you lost your mind, Charlotte. Charles goes, hey, boy, Charlotte's gonna be good. And last night I'm talking to our friend Neville Waters, who says, you watching Charlotte, Boston? I said, no. He said, turn it on. The Celtics are down 25 at home. Unbelievable. Cannipal isn't just my rookie of the year anymore. He's almost everybody's rookie of the year.
- [02:37]
Tony Kornheiser
He's Neville's Is he Neville's rookie of the year?
- [02:39]
Mike Wilbon
I don't know. Brandon Miller?
- [02:41]
Tony Kornheiser
Tony don't actually vote Tony there.
- [02:44]
Mike Wilbon
No, he doesn't vote. I do. They're. They're a threat. You. Look, I know the vagaries of daily basketball in the NBA where you got 82 games, you always say no one game is that significant. And I overwhelmingly agree with you over the decades. But Tone, this was a stunner.
- [03:03]
Tony Kornheiser
So this is where I say on the show, slow down a second, Sparky. Slow down. We are both inclined to like Charlotte because to be fair, Charlotte has been a lifeless franchise for the last 10 years. It's been an outpost. It has made Sacramento look important. But the question then becomes, how seriously do we take Charlotte right now, today? And I would say not very seriously. And here's why. Today they are 32 and 31. And to get to 32 and 31, they had to go 16 and three.
- [03:33]
Mike Wilbon
Yeah.
- [03:34]
Tony Kornheiser
They are in ninth place in the east today. So, you know, playing. Yeah, yeah. I don't, I don't want to get carried away. On the other hand, I think it's really good for the NBA that Charlotte has some life. The only thing we know about Charlotte really is, is that Michael Jordan sold them at some point and then we lost track of Charlotte completely. LaMelo Ball is healthy. He's averaging 17 points and nine assists a game. And last week, risking sacrilege, I said that Con Knippel could morph into Jerry West. I have a statistic that is a mind blowing statistic. When Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball are on the floor with Con Canopy.
- [04:16]
Mike Wilbon
Yeah.
- [04:16]
Tony Kornheiser
Con Knippel shoots 58% from 3. 58%. And the last team, the last team in the NBA to win six in a row by 15 or more was the Golden State warriors in 2018 when they won something called the NBA championship. So I'm not going to get carried away, but all signs are good.
- [04:39]
Mike Wilbon
The 16 and 3, tone, the 16 and 3 is not a tiny sample size. It's fun. It's fun. And Jayson Tatum will get to because it looks like he's going to play as recently.
- [04:50]
Tony Kornheiser
Well, we have talked about that. He's going to have an enormous impact. But it's down the road.
- [04:54]
Mike Wilbon
Down the road. Let's move to football and baseball. The Oakland A's have invited soon to be former Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to explore a return to baseball. Murray is 28 years old and it's been more than seven years since the A's picked him. Number nine overall first round in the 2018 baseball draft. That was the year Murray hit.296 with 10 home runs, 47 ribbies and 51 games for Oklahoma. Tone, if you're Kyler Murray, would you seriously consider a return to baseball?
- [05:30]
Tony Kornheiser
Okay, if I'm Kyler Murray, I would. And I would say it's because I was a first round draft choice. But if he goes down that road, there are serious questions that have to be answered. Kyler Murray has now made $170 million in football. So he doesn't need money. But if he wants money, he can go out right now, get a three or four year deal for another hundred million dollars. If he is going to go to baseball, you have to be serious about it. I think you have to commit to it for at least two years. He's going to be 29. If he commits for two years, then he's 31. If he wants to come back to football and then maybe that economic window has closed for him. He's got to be absolutely serious about this. And the question that has to be answered if you're Kyler Murray is can he hit major league pitching? That's it, Mike. He's got months before football starts again. If I were Kyler Murray and I was serious, I would go to the A's training camp, I would go to a backfield, I would say give me all your major league pitchers and let me see if I can hit. Cuz if I can hit, I can play.
- [06:40]
Mike Wilbon
Yeah, go pay somebody to come and do that. A guy who you know is a hopeful at some camp somewhere. Tony, first of all, it provides leverage for football. If you want to go get that contract quarterback and the team is real serious about bringing you in as quarterback, you just drove that up. No more NFL veteran, minimum. We're not talking that anymore. So that's right. But here's the thing. He was considered a five tool player at his height, okay. When he's in college. So if we know three of those tools, he's got to steal half Tone. We know he can run, we know he can throw and chances are pretty damn good he can still field. So the question, like you said, is for average and or power, can he hit major league pitching? And he's got to find that out. And the team has got to find that out if they're interested in him. Oakland's got to find that out.
- [07:28]
Tony Kornheiser
I would love, I would love for him to be Bo Jackson. I think that's really special.
- [07:34]
Mike Wilbon
There's another Mike doesn't He put you in that mindset, size and everything.
- [07:38]
Tony Kornheiser
Yes, but if he leaves football now, some people will judge him as a failure. He may not want to carry that as a last impression. He may want to stay and try and get better. I don't know. But if it was me, I'd certainly try it.
- [07:54]
Mike Wilbon
Interesting.
- [07:54]
Tony Kornheiser
We move to the NHL. The trade deadline is tomorrow at 3pm the other day we talked about the disappointing goaltending in last year's Stanley cup finalists Edmonton in Florida. We talked about Tristan Jarry and Sergey Bobrovsky being like sieves in the nets lately. But let's narrow this down. Bobrovsky has won two straight Stanley Cups. Right now though, he's 55th out of 59 NHL goalies in save percentage. This is the worst year of his 16 year career. So Wilbon, if you were a contender, would you trade for 37 year old legend Sergey Bovski?
- [08:29]
Mike Wilbon
Tony, as with anything, the answer to that lies largely with how much is it going to cost me. So depending on what sort of draft compensation it's going to cost me, I think I would particularly. I'm going to bring up one team which is used to having some really fine goaltending come spring and that would be Vegas. That would be Las Vegas, the Knights. So they got two goaltenders, both of whom are out of the top 30. All right. They're a division leading team. So they got, they got aspirations now. And Bobrovsky is having a terrible regular season. Looks like the worst of his career. But he can turn it on, it seems because he was not great the last couple of regular seasons. But he gets to, you know, the time cherry blossoms are out in Washington, he can turn it on and be great against short period of time.
- [09:23]
Tony Kornheiser
Great playoff going.
- [09:24]
Mike Wilbon
Yes. If I'm a team like Vegas, yeah, I do it okay.
- [09:29]
Tony Kornheiser
So my feeling is would I trade for him? I would trade for him in a red hot minute. What do I have to lose? He's going to be a free agent if it doesn't work out, I've just rented him for a few weeks.
- [09:41]
Mike Wilbon
That's true.
- [09:42]
Tony Kornheiser
That's all. So then I'm going to do that. There's a statistic here. It is about goals above expected. It's probably like war in. Okay, gotta be. So he. And these are saves you make against things that look like certain goals in the last three years, in the playoffs, in the 65 games where he was the goaltender, his average in this thing, goals above expected is higher than in the last 161 regular season. Games. He's played 10. He's a great playoff goalie, you know, and he can't see you because he has two Stanley cup rings in his eyes. Yeah. Okay.
- [10:24]
Mike Wilbon
Yeah.
- [10:24]
Tony Kornheiser
So I would trade for him and I would, I would reason it this way. I think he's simply exhausted from the last few years. I'd sit in Mike for the first seven to ten regular season games. I'd put him back in in the last 10 regular season games. And then I would start selling tickets to the Stanley cup because I think he's a great playoff goalie. I. And you say Vegas. I would say Edmonton. Let's take a break. Still to come, the Bills are trading for Bears receiver D.J. moore. And what is the word for that?
- [10:56]
Mike Wilbon
And how best to describe Mike Brown's criticism of the way SGA is officiated? Really?
- [11:04]
Tony Kornheiser
You know, he's got a 16 team, no trade clause. Half the league. He refuses to go, but he can wave it. Half the league.
- [11:11]
Mike Wilbon
He can waive it. I mean, Bradley Beal waived it, so Bobrovsky can waive it.
- [11:17]
Tony Kornheiser
How did it work out for Bradley Beal so far? How's that going?
- [11:22]
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- [12:43]
Tony Kornheiser
Time to show off our extraordinary vocabulary. And I'm in my doctor suit. Ken Samet. I'm in it.
- [12:49]
Mike Wilbon
What's first The Bill's acquisition of wide receiver DJ Moore is blank.
- [12:55]
Tony Kornheiser
My word is enhancing. We keep hearing about how the Buffalo Bills don't get to the super bowl and everybody's fear that Josh Allen is never going to get to the super bowl, that the window has closed. This opens up the window. This enhances Josh Allen's chances to get to the super bowl, and here's why. Buffalo last year had no real wide receiver threat. Two of their top three receivers were tight ends. D.J. moore is a professional wide receiver, Mike. As you know, he's had four years of over 1,000 yards and he plays every day. I mean, he doesn't get hurt. And the cold weather in Buffalo is not going to bother him because he just spent the last three years in cold weather in Chicago. To me, this is a really big move for Buffalo. And I hope at the end of whatever you're going to say, address this because this is the second person who has left the offense, wide receiver and center, and I'm worried this has a negative effect on Caleb Williams.
- [13:59]
Mike Wilbon
Tony, I get the Bears. I get that my word is necessary for all the reasons that you stated. Josh Allen needs some help. He needs it now.
- [14:08]
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah.
- [14:08]
Mike Wilbon
Not three years from now. No. You want to go get a veteran, Not a draft pick. A veteran wide receiver, dependable DJ Moore. The thing I worry about him leaving the Bears with, he's the toughest guy out there, all right? He's the toughest guy in a room. Now it's a deep wide receiver room with Roma Dun and Luther Burton Jr. And we got this kid that nobody talks about, Jadee Walker, which I said to you yesterday. He's going to have to slide up and two tight ends who can catch it, Loveland, you know, and Comet. So I'm not worried about that part of it. We still need a center, but the draft pick the Bears get, the second round draft pick can be used to trade or draft. But going back to Buffalo, this is necessary because Josh Allen needs this threat and he's got to be thrilled today to get DJ Moore.
- [15:00]
Tony Kornheiser
But what do you feel? You lost a good wide receiver and a great center and you have a young quarterback.
- [15:05]
Mike Wilbon
Our receiver room is fine. The center is problematic. It's problematic. Although my friend Tommy Waddle, former Bear, says don't lose sleep just yet. They're going to be able to replace him. I'm worried about losing him.
- [15:20]
Tony Kornheiser
What's next? What's next?
- [15:22]
Mike Wilbon
Mike Brown's criticism of the way SGA is officiated is blank.
- [15:28]
Tony Kornheiser
My word is nonsense. And I like Mike Brown. Okay, Mike Brown is complaining that Gilgeous Alexander gets all the calls. Nothing goes against him. Last night he was upset because he thought that Gilgis Alexander had charged and he didn't get that call. I watched enough of that game, Mike, that I know a little bit about what I'm talking about. There were no calls last night. There were no calls. When people bring the ball up in the NBA, the guy dribbling the ball uses his offhand to push whoever is guarding him and uses the ball hand to elbow whoever is guarding him and vice versa. Okay, The Knicks, for example. The Knicks have a player who you know well from Chicago. Would you like to say his name? Jalen Brunson.
- [16:14]
Mike Wilbon
Jalen Brunson.
- [16:14]
Tony Kornheiser
Yes, sir. He's a tank out there. He is. If you guard Jalen Brunson all game, you go home with Welch. The only time a foul was called last night was after a ball was shot and 99.99% of the time it was a defensive foul call. Does Mike Brown. That's the NBA. Does Mike Brown not see this every single night because his players do it too. So this is nonsense.
- [16:39]
Mike Wilbon
Tony. It's chickens coming home to roost because Jalen Brunson, who I love. Yes, Chicago's own. No one, is more physical. All right. Jalen Johnson has. He is so smart and so savvy and he figured out as a second round draft pick how to formulate a game and use the skills he has, plus new ones and toughness which fit the Knicks more than they did in Dallas when he was there. Tony. It's his chickens coming home to roost. Mike Brown, you don't want to call attention to SGA doing this because that means officials will start watching your best place. That's what Jalen is.
- [17:21]
Tony Kornheiser
You don't call attention your left handed guard who looks like he has three arms as he hits everybody on the court on his way to the basket.
- [17:30]
Mike Wilbon
Yes.
- [17:31]
Tony Kornheiser
So, I mean, I feel exactly like you do. What is Mike Brown talking about?
- [17:35]
Mike Wilbon
It's like Mike, if I was a Knicks player, particularly Jalen Brunson, I would go to Mike today and say, Mike, come on, let's not get into my secret sauce. Come on now.
- [17:47]
Tony Kornheiser
Absolutely. Absolutely true. I'd love to talk, but nothing came up on the prompter. So somebody will get us out of the segment or something.
- [17:53]
Mike Wilbon
You will.
- [17:54]
Tony Kornheiser
Enough of Wil Bun's drab vocab. Let's take one last break. Still to come, a truly mind boggling start to spring training for an Orioles
- [18:02]
Mike Wilbon
prospect and the Nuggets host the Lakers tonight. But is that tonight's most intriguing NBA game? No.
- [18:10]
Tony Kornheiser
It's hand fighting. Mike, the guy bringing up the ball. It's hand fighting. Every single guy.
- [18:17]
Mike Wilbon
He gets fouled. Limbs go into the basket.
- [18:21]
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- [20:14]
Tony Kornheiser
Happy time people. Happy 33rd birthday Kyle Schwaber your boy, Wilbo Schwarz. Since he signed with The Phillies in 2022, Schwaber has been one of the great power hitters in baseball. He has 187 home runs in four years in Philadelphia, including a National League leading 56 this past season. In those four years, Schwaber has 434 RBI, including a major league leading 132 this past season. Phillies have made the playoffs in all of those four years and Schwaber has 14 home runs in 38 playoff games for the Phillies. For a while, Schwaber and Shohei Ohtani looked like the greatest leadoff power hitters ever. But this past season, Schwaber usually batted second after Trey Turner and before Bryce Harper.
- [21:01]
Mike Wilbon
Tony, he can wear whatever uniform he wants for the rest of time. He's a Cub. He's on the magical 2016 team that won the World Series. Kyle Schwermer came back from a horrific knee injury to do so. My former neighbor in Chicago, he's a.
- [21:19]
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, I wanted him to be a gnat, and he was for a while. He had a great June and then he got hurt and then he left and it hurt the Gnats a lot. Happy anniversary, North Carolina. On this day four years ago, the Tar Heels, coached by Hubert Davis, spoiled the retiring Mike Krzyevsky's final game at Cameron Indoor by beating Duke 9481 in another episode of the greatest rivalry in college basketball. Making matters worse for for Duke, the Heels beat the Blue Devils in the Final Four a few weeks later in Krzyzewski's final game ever coaching Duke. Then they lost to Kansas in the championship game. Krzyzewski finished up 50:50 against North Carolina, but he has five national championships, three Olympic gold medals and 1,202 wins at Duke and Army. The most wins ever for men's college. Coach Robot. You're going to Carolina Duke on Saturday, aren't you, Tony?
- [22:10]
Mike Wilbon
I'm going to that game. I'm excited. Excited already. The last time I was just like 10 years ago. Remember the game? Jim Boeheim came twirling out of his jacket. I think he got thrown out of that. At least he got teed up. So I cannot wait for this game. The question is, is Carolina going to have enough firepower to get within 15 of the nuclear dookies?
- [22:33]
Tony Kornheiser
You'd never, ever give 15 in this rivalry.
- [22:36]
Mike Wilbon
No, you.
- [22:36]
Tony Kornheiser
You never do that. Happy trails. To another ball off the bat of Vance Honeycutt. The Orioles prospect hit his fourth home run in four spring training at bats yesterday. That's right. He has homered in every one of his at bats so far, earning him the nickname Home run Honeycutt. The 22 year old was Baltimore's first round pick two years ago. But he has struggled in the minors, hitting just 171in High A last season. Just five home runs in 101 games. In fact, Honeycutt is not even in big league camp. He's come over from the minor league side on occasion to serve as an extra player for the big boy team. Like being a two way contract in the G league. He credits his sudden success to tweaking his swing in the off season.
- [23:18]
Mike Wilbon
Well, he should have tweaked earlier. It seems when you heard the name Honeycutt. We're of a certain age. I know what you had to think. Is this kid related to Rick Honeycutt?
- [23:28]
Tony Kornheiser
Rick Honeycutt?
- [23:29]
Mike Wilbon
From all the research, we don't think he is.
- [23:31]
Tony Kornheiser
Can't find any four home runs and four at bats.
- [23:34]
Mike Wilbon
But he's still wearing number like nine. It shows he's so far out of their thoughts and consciousness. 89, man. It's not Dennis Robbins.
- [23:42]
Tony Kornheiser
Let's go to the big finish if we could. Longtime pirate Andrew McCutcheon reportedly signing a minor league deal with the Rangers. Is that significant?
- [23:50]
Mike Wilbon
I don't know about significant. He's a former MVP. Yes, but that's like 13 years ago and he's 39. Good luck though. The US women's soccer team beat Canada one nothing in the she believes cup. Is that result a big deal.
- [24:06]
Tony Kornheiser
You know, I think we're. Aren't we the best in soccer? But we have now beaten Canada in two hockey games and a soccer game. Mist beat Phantom for the unrivaled title. Are you surprised by that?
- [24:17]
Mike Wilbon
I'm not gonna, you know, I don't do sort of off season sports in any sport. And I'm waiting for the real, real season that comes along, but I have no idea. Sabres at Penguins tonight. Who you got?
- [24:30]
Tony Kornheiser
All right, so Buffalo's in upstate New York. I went to college in upstate New York. They haven't been in the playoffs in 14 years. It's the longest drought ever in the NHL. It's good that they're good now. I'm gonna sentimentally root for them. Last one. Lakers, Nuggets, Pistons, spurs tonight. Which is more intriguing?
- [24:45]
Mike Wilbon
It's not close, of course. It's Pistons, Spurs. That is a potential NBA championship series matchup. You know what's significant? Your boy Trae Young back in a uniform tonight.
- [24:58]
Tony Kornheiser
Wizards debut. What's the over under on how many games until he says I'm done here. We're out of time. Try and do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.
- [25:07]
Mike Wilbon
I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads. And now here's the point.
- [25:11]
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