Zas (1:22)

I did not.

Jeremy (1:24)

Yeah, I think he did.

Greg Cody (1:25)

Were. They're no longer with us, right?

Zas (1:29)

I think they're still alive.

Greg Cody (1:31)

Siegfried and Roy are no longer with us.

Jeremy (1:34)

They magically disappeared.

Roy (1:35)

They both died.

Greg Cody (1:37)

Thank you. You're Roy today.

Roy (1:38)

I am.

Greg Cody (1:39)

And Roy is Siegfried.

Dan Le Batard (1:40)

That's right.

Zas (1:41)

So Roy is not Roy.

Roy (1:42)

Today I'm Roy. Okay, but Roy is Siegfried, right?

Jeremy (1:45)

Roy?

Roy (1:46)

Yes.

Mike Ryan (1:46)

Correct.

Greg Cody (1:47)

Greg just said that Roy looks good in that wig.

Roy (1:50)

Thank you.

Greg Cody (1:52)

Seriously, that's gonna get annoying. That's gonna get annoying if every time I say Roy, he answers. Cause he's Roy and you're Siegfried. But can we answer Zsas's question?

Zas (2:03)

They lovers?

Greg Cody (2:05)

We. We don't know, do we? How do we not know? I think people assumed that they were, but I don't believe that they ever confirmed that.

Roy (2:16)

Per Wikipedia, Siegfried and Roy were romantically involved, though details were never disclosed.

Mike Ryan (2:23)

The details were they had a lot of sex.

Greg Cody (2:24)

Yeah, I don't believe those were the details.

Mike Ryan (2:28)

I mean, it has to be.

Greg Cody (2:29)

I believe you're imagining that they lived

Roy (2:31)

together at Jungle Palace, a Moroccan themed 8 acre estate in the Las Vegas area. Part of their 80 acre property they called Little Bavaria.

Dan Le Batard (2:40)

Yeah, that's a lot of sex happening.

Roy (2:41)

Separate houses on the property since 96.

Mike Ryan (2:43)

That's a heady play. I think Rob Zombie does that too.

Greg Cody (2:46)

I'm pretty sure that they were a couple at once one point and then stayed together because the business worked. Put it on the poll, please. At Lebatard show. Is there a lot of sexual meanderings at Jungle palace, the Moroccan venue?

Dan Le Batard (3:06)

The. The business worked until it didn't.

Greg Cody (3:08)

That's correct, Roy. That's. Or. I'm sorry, Siegfried, That's.

Roy (3:11)

Thank you.

Greg Cody (3:11)

That's good analysis by you. The business did work for them very well, right up until the tiger attacked one of them. And then, you know, that's one of perils of doing business with a tiger.

Roy (3:22)

Well, it's my belief that I was having a stroke and the tiger was just trying to save me from said stroke, not that I had a stroke after due to medical complications.

Dan Le Batard (3:31)

Dude, that was one of the great explanations ever. Like, no, no, no, no. It's not the tiger's fault. He actually was concerned, like, hey man, are you okay? Remember we did this bit right on the show like three years ago, like, hey, man, are you okay? Hey man, this guy's having a stroke, I gotta save him.

Greg Cody (3:45)

They were concerned with the optics right until the very end and they didn't wanna harm the meal ticket. After the meal ticket had quite liter

Dan Le Batard (3:53)

made them into a meal ticket.

Greg Cody (3:57)

Purdue was the number one seed as Kirk cousin.

Dan Le Batard (4:00)

Look like JCPenney looks like.

Greg Cody (4:03)

Looks like.

Jeremy (4:06)

Looks like it's back, Jack. It's bracket time, so make a chart. Does Jeff and Gundy look just like the queen of heart? Does Adam Silver look like a torpedo bat? Let's get Martin Sadness back on track. Looks like his back, Jack. When the donuts are in front of you, does Andy Reeves say, don't mind if I do. Adam Silver looks like a cute kid thing or fried a bag of onion ring. When Timmy laughs until he hats, that's how you know that looks like his bag, Jack, let me hear you say what's love?

Greg Cody (5:01)

What's love?

Jeremy (5:04)

Looks like his back, Jack. Let's keep on doing it every year though. Edwards has Mr. Bond. Welcome to Tangier. Jim Fisher looks like shotgunning beers at a NASCAR track. If you say this game the best, I'll say Zagak looks like his back, Jack.

Greg Cody (5:26)

Northwestern is gone from the tournament.

Dan Le Batard (5:29)

Jim Harbaugh looks like a casket Salesman.

Greg Cody (5:32)

Fairleigh Dickinson, 16 seed repped by Mike McDaniel.

Dan Le Batard (5:36)

Look like a college student on a full ride scholarship for esports.

Zas (5:39)

What A run.

Jeremy (5:43)

Looks like it's back.

Roy (5:45)

Jack.

Greg Cody (5:50)

I've always known that Greg Cody is in love with the sound of his own voice. But never more so than when it is singing. I wish we'd had the narcissist cam on right there so you, you guys could have seen him dancing with delight to his looks like song.

Roy (6:06)

There was pride. He wasn't really even smiling. It was just this look of I'm proud of this.

Greg Cody (6:11)

No, he was radiant. It was beyond a smile. It was somewhere in the realm of sunshine.

Jeremy (6:16)

It was a good performance. You know, you don't deny the obvious. It was a good performance. Full credit to producer Yeti working as magic in the background.

Greg Cody (6:25)

It's time for an acceptance speech. I just wanted to point out that you're a narcissist.

Jeremy (6:28)

I thought I was winning an award.

Greg Cody (6:29)

Amin. Amin came in today. He too was radiant because he loves him some basketball. And he came in here today saying, and this is the highest compliment Wemby worth the price of admission. Even though Amin doesn't have to pay to get into the games.

Dan Le Batard (6:47)

Let me tell you, I would have, I would have what I saw last night, absolutely. Like I was telling Jeremy earlier, Dan, that Wemby gets in the situations that for the entire history of basketball that ends in a tough shot, right. Gets in the paint but not quite at the rim and gets some contact. And usually you're like, oh, he's going to have to throw up a floater or something like that. And last night, at least three or four different times, like, nope, I'm just going to reach over and dunk it. It's just so staggering. You're not used to seeing that happen. Someone in that situation finish it off with a dunk and not a ferocious violent dunk of like, oh, I just went right through you. And chest to chest. Amar's Dadamar style. Nope.

Greg Cody (7:28)

He just. It feels sometimes like he doesn't have to jump in order to even do it. Like he doesn't even. It feels. What you're describing is absolutely so throughout times as watching basketball, I am used to bodies being able to behave a certain way. And the only ones like, you know, George Murisan or Boban, the ones who could just stand under the basket and do it are one thing. But if I'm expecting a mid range jumper and all of a sudd, somebody's just Inspector Gadget putting their arm out and dunking it confuses me. Disorients what I'm used to seeing from

Zas (8:09)

the sport over under two and A half championships for his career.

Greg Cody (8:13)

Oh, I go over there. Got to go over.

Zas (8:15)

Right.

Greg Cody (8:15)

Well, I'm very worried, honestly, what Mike Ryan, that bit that he was doing for a long time about Wemby's going to be a bust, et cetera, et cetera, because he was just scared he's going to hog all the championships. That team shouldn't be that good. They've got good pieces, but the fact that at the center of it, they can recreate what it is that the Nuggets do with Jokic, but with somebody more athletic, where you can't take the ball from him, you can't block his shot. If he gets the ball in the middle of the paint, he can do whatever he wants with it. It doesn't matter how many Giants are around it.

Mike Ryan (8:49)

That wasn't exactly my Wemby take. My Wemby take was I expect him to get hurt because people that frame do get hurt. And then the guy takes care of his body in phenomenal way. And now that he's healthy, the other part of the take was the game's unfair to somebody that size and he has this disadvantage. The game is a little unfair, but what you could always count on in the history of the game was somebody not having the intangibles. He works hard. He keeps his body in tip top shape. He remains pliable. He has this killer instinct. He's incredibly likable, too. So, yeah, he's going to be running this league, provided he keeps taking care of his body this way.

Dan Le Batard (9:28)

Mike, when Mike said, this guy's going to get hurt all the time, I think the next week, right around that time was when they had the video of him doing yoga and, like, putting his head between his legs and, like, seeing the back, like seeing his back from underneath. This dude is. Look, I hesitate to put the line that high. Two and a half championships is a lot. You're seeing what the league looks like now, how hard it is to keep good teams together.

Zas (9:52)

I think he's going to win this year.

Dan Le Batard (9:54)

No, no, that one, I could.

Mike Ryan (9:55)

I took him at plus 600. After what I saw last night, I. You could count on guys first to win. Yeah, I took them. They were at plus 600 last I checked. But I. I think typically when you see people this gifted, sometimes they take their own gifts for granted. And that is the case with Wemby. He wants to get better.

Zas (10:15)

He had a whole post game speech because two games ago, they clinched a playoff spot for the first time in six years. And he did this whole spiel post game where it's like I. I don't want to celebrate to. I'm scared of being complacent and yeah, like he, he's everything that you want, man.

Greg Cody (10:32)

He's going. He's going to have if he is healthy. What Rachel Nichols was telling us Yesterday, a top 10 career ever. I think it's. Amin doesn't want to get carried away with championships. But I think it's obvious when I tell you I don't want to dismiss the Spurs. Castle and Harper are top five picks. De' Aaron Fox is an all star. But that would just be another team if at the literal center of it they didn't have a guy who makes basketball unfair. Like what is happening out there can't really be competed with. If you're going to have that size, that athleticism and handle the ball that way, have range and be. Be an athlete that looks like all the other athletes at a height that athletes aren't allowed to be that size and be that kind of athletic.

Zas (11:19)

How many teams? So based on what you just said, because I think you're right. Like I. I think if Wembanyama was not on this spurs team. I think it's a bad team. How many teams?

Greg Cody (11:29)

I don't think it's bad.

Dan Le Batard (11:30)

That's that.

Greg Cody (11:30)

I just think it's another team.

Roy (11:31)

They're the Heat.

Greg Cody (11:32)

I don't think it's bad.

Dan Le Batard (11:33)

No, they were 14 and three when he was hurt. Like they, they're good. They are good for real.

Zas (11:38)

So how many teams in the league do you think you just put Wembanyama on and they would be really good?

Dan Le Batard (11:45)

All of them.

Zas (11:47)

Really good.

Dan Le Batard (11:48)

Like what's really good to you? Playoffs.

Zas (11:50)

Spurs are what the spurs are.

Greg Cody (11:51)

See, playoff team isn't really good for me. I want to make this correction just real quick because we're going to have some conversation here about Bam. Not wanting to be in the play in game and the play in game just for the record, okay, they can distort this all they want. They can make money in all the places that they want. That is a total fraudulence. Okay. The playoffs were already fraudulent. The idea that making the playoffs is a success when half the teams make the playoffs and now you've extended it. Like it was fraudulent before when it's 16 teams and sometimes you got a sub 500 team income because a weak conference or whatever. It's fraudulent to have half of your teams in the playoffs. But the playing game allows it to be more than half and worse than ever. I mean, you got 10 teams not trying. So basically 20 teams, here you go. You're a playoff team because 10 of them aren't trying.

Dan Le Batard (12:38)

I would say that you are not only a prisoner of the moment, you are Al Capone and Alcatraz of the moment. Typically, what we've seen in this play in era is teams 11 and sometimes even 12 are still actively trying to get into that play in because the play in gives you an opportunity to extend your season, as we saw with Miami a few years ago. So typically what we've had is more engagement in this part of the calendar. This year is an anomaly because of several things, not the least of which we have an incredible draft class. And so there's a bunch of teams that are like, yeah, I don't really care as much of having a chance to extend my season if I have a chance to get one of these generational talents.

Jeremy (13:18)

Well, to Dan's point, if you're a play in team, you should be embarrassed to call yourself a playoff team. You're not. You're in a tournament to make the playoffs. It's, it's, it's a false brag to say that you're a playoff team if you finish 11th. Where the heat sit right now.

Greg Cody (13:36)

I mean, it might be an anomaly and they might get it fixed, but this year, 10 teams aren't trying.

Dan Le Batard (13:43)

That's the issue.

Greg Cody (13:44)

Okay, but this year, if 10 teams aren't trying, that's how the Heat have as good a record as they have the Heat. Look, Brian Scalabrini is dismissing the Heat as a playoff team. He's laughing at them. He is saying, basically, did you see how they looked against Cleveland in the playoffs last year when they got destroyed in a way that no team had ever been destroyed. Before I go to that sound, I want to check in with Roy, who

Roy (14:08)

is very eager to get in here with Victor Wembanyama. It's the size, but it's also the skill. The other night he hits a buzzer beater that if you look at the way he set up the jumper in the mid range, it looked like Kobe, except he's 7 foot 5. Last night there was a play in the lane where he's, he's sprinting down. They're trying to create a break. There's a throw that is somehow over his head because how can you sell something over his head? But he catches the ball with one hand, spins, and as he's spinning, kicks the ball out to the corner with a level of athleticism and grace in his footwork. That you don't see from guys who are 6 foot 4. The fact that he's able to do it at 7 5, he is a truly unstoppable entity on the floor.

Jeremy (14:55)

He's so. He just turned 22. He's. He's so good that I almost think it's astounding that in his third season he hasn't won an MVP yet. And he's not favored this year. I think he's second or third in the odds, but that's how good he is. And I would also put two and a half as the over under on his MVP awards.

Mike Ryan (15:16)

Hey, Roy, buddy, you know that energy shift when the game gets good and everybody all together in unison knows to stand up on their feet? Oh, absolutely, Mike.

Jeremy (15:26)

Yeah.

Mike Ryan (15:26)

You've been at many big time sporting events. You know that moment quite well. That's what it's like when you take your first sip of Cuervo.

Dan Le Batard (15:33)

Oh, delicious.

Mike Ryan (15:34)

It's the signal that says, we're not checking the time anymore, pal. It's when small talk turns into stories. Cuervo, man. It's that high five. A random stranger effect. That's right. The game is popping. You're hugging people you never met before. That's the kind of energy that Cuervo brings. It's so smooth, so delicious. That's the Cuervo effect. Keep it Cuervo.

Dan Le Batard (16:00)

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Greg Cody (16:22)

He kind of like me.

Dan Le Batard (16:23)

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Greg Cody (16:49)

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Jeremy (17:18)

the

Greg Cody (17:19)

world moves fast your workday even faster Pitching products, Drafting Drafting reports analyzing data Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft 365 apps you use, helping you quickly write, analyze, create and summarize so you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn more@Microsoft.com M365 copilot Don LeBatard what is the worst part of the life?

Mike Ryan (17:50)

Stugats

Roy (17:55)

the worst part of the life of what?

Greg Cody (17:57)

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach. He said himself that he should be the mvp. Hears that sound. I think right now it is still reasonable that there is a debate. But as I said, I want to make sure My goal is to make sure that there's no debate anymore at the end of the season. Three arguments. My first one would be that defense is 50% of the game and that it is undervalued so far in the MVP race because I believe I'm the most impactful player defensively in the league. Second argument would be that we almost swept OKC in the season and we dominated him three times with their real team and four times with more rotation players. And my third argument would be that offense impact is not just points. God I I love the honesty of that answer. I love that he is just laying out the argument for him the way a columnist would lay out. A hometown columnist would lay out the argument for him. I want to enjoy this before I ruin it because I think he's going I think he's going to ruin it.

Mike Ryan (19:30)

I think he's going to ruin this year.

Greg Cody (19:31)

I think he's going to ruin the sport. He's going to keep getting better. That's not stoppable and it's not fair.

Mike Ryan (19:36)

That's a great takedown.

Roy (19:39)

Oh no. A really great player that ends up being put up as the foil to all the other teams. How bad for the lead, Jeremy?

Greg Cody (19:45)

I'm telling you Roy thank you. Jeremy. I am telling you

Zas (19:51)

it's happening.

Greg Cody (19:53)

Nobody loves Goliath and just historically, okay, maybe this guy will change the paradigm. But the fact that a player before was unfair, whether It's Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, at least he was the size of the other guys. What you're talking about that your brain short circuits because he's doing something in the middle of the key, in the middle of the paint, where you're like, wait a minute, that's not something human beings can do. You don't just reach out and dunk it like that.

Mike Ryan (20:22)

Enjoy. This time. I would say where this is a novelty, it's honestly got a little like circus sideshow bit to it because we'd never seen anybody look and play this kind of style. But in two years time, first takes gonna be talking about how you need to alter the NBA because this is unfair.

Greg Cody (20:40)

The the about Shaq was like this. And his kryptonite was the free throw. Shaq had some of this where and laziness.

Mike Ryan (20:47)

Like, he took his gifts for granted to a degree. I know he won several championships, but he never really fully maxed out.

Greg Cody (20:54)

He won several championships after he got embarrassed sort of the first 10 years of his life because everyone knew he should be better. But when Greg sets the over under on Wemby at two and a half, I'm like, no, you gotta think about this the way you think about Shaq if he is healthy. Because the last time I felt like this is Giannis. I was going to say we did this with Giannis. Yeah. But we did this with Giannis. But this is 7 inches taller than Giannis.

Mike Ryan (21:18)

Like, and fewer holes in his game.

Dan Le Batard (21:19)

Yeah. Giannis still to this day has very obvious kind of flaws that make him mortal. Right. Like we're talking about Superman. Oh, yeah. Wait, this is his kryptonite, this dude. I'm telling you, he may not be perfect, but he's not that far off. And that's the scary part is like, what's the thing that we're going to throw at him? That's going to be his kryptonite.

Zas (21:40)

I just saw it flash on the screen. The odds for MVP and Luca, like Greg said, Lucas plus 200. He's second shortest odds. And Wembanyama's plus 1100.

Greg Cody (21:48)

And also Shea Gilgis Alexander is.

Zas (21:51)

He's a favorite.

Mike Ryan (21:52)

Updated odds from DK Sportsbooks. He's plus 2200 when Benyama is.

Greg Cody (21:57)

Yeah.

Roy (21:57)

Shay is minus 1000. Luka plus a thousand.

Mike Ryan (22:00)

Yeah. Yeah. He's a huge long.

Zas (22:01)

I'm sorry. So even worse. But what I'm trying to say is there are people out there who would vote Doncic over Wembanyama for MVP this year.

Greg Cody (22:10)

Like.

Zas (22:10)

Like that has to be based on the games played, of course.

Dan Le Batard (22:13)

Welcome to the 65 game rule, ladies and gentlemen, where it doesn't matter who is the best player. We're going to do a counting of.

Greg Cody (22:18)

Oh, no, he's only played 62 games.

Dan Le Batard (22:21)

Sorry, you're out of this. This is why this rule is dumb. There's not a single person with eyes who would watch those two players say, and that guy's had a better season. But because of a technicality, that does not address the problem that they wanted to address in the. In the beginning, we're in this ridiculous situation where, I must reiterate, 10 of the 15, all NBA selections last year are on the cusp of being ineligible. Even these odds that you're talking about right here, Shai has played 59 games. They've got about 10 games left. So he's got to play pretty much six out of next 10 games. Luka Doncic has played 59. Same thing for him. Anthony Edwards, like all of these guys, they've got to play in order to play this thing out. And so when you talk about Anthony Edwards being injured, Kate Cunningham with the collapsed lung, like, there's going to be a pressure on guys to play basketball games when they really should not be playing just to be eligible.

Zas (23:12)

I hope they all get hurt. And like, Derek Whitewind's MVP is here.

Greg Cody (23:15)

Roy.

Roy (23:16)

Yes.

Zas (23:16)

So stupid.

Roy (23:17)

There's a way to save this. Tell everyone, hey, Wemby's not going to play tonight, but we're going to start him. He's going to go for the tip. Yes, he's going to tip it back.

Zas (23:27)

You think that saves something?

Greg Cody (23:29)

Has he lost? No, no, no, no, no, no. Just hear me out. Has he lost this year? I will hear him out, but has he lost a tip this year? Because watching last night's tip was fun.

Roy (23:37)

Oh, watching Bam look like he's 6 foot 2 is startling because there's no

Greg Cody (23:43)

way he's lost a tip this year.

Roy (23:45)

I'll look up the stat after this. But when it comes to being able to save these guys from all NBA and from the MVP race, you just say, hey, hey, everybody. I know we're worried about the gambling odds. I know we're worried about all of the information we're going to mark this guy. He is going to play. He is going to be available. Fine us if you would like. If you're an organization, if Wemby wants to win the MVP and you're the San Antonio spurs and you need him to sit out four of the final 10 games, but he needs to play eight of them, you say, hey, hey, he's only gonna play one minute. We're telling everybody he's gonna play for five seconds.

Greg Cody (24:24)

Why?

Roy (24:24)

So he can get the game played. He can come out. It doesn't influence the gambling odds. Find the organization. Who cares? This rule is ridiculous, and you need to show them how ridiculous it is.

Dan Le Batard (24:34)

Okay, this is a problem. The rule also says you have to play a certain number of minutes, so you can't.

Zas (24:38)

Does it really?

Dan Le Batard (24:38)

Yeah, like, so that you can't have just, like, checked in. I was here and then leave. Then that doesn't count.

Zas (24:44)

So, like, why was Mikel Bridges able to do his thing? That was just to keep.

Dan Le Batard (24:47)

Just to keep the street going. That has nothing to do with.

Roy (24:50)

But that's still the game played. No.

Greg Cody (24:51)

It is funny to watch you rage indignantly without realizing that your hair is flapping around, that your wig is flapping around, and that you look even more ridiculous with your indignance. I want to put up on the screen. I know it goes probably without saying that Wemby is very giant, but just put up on the screen the size of his hands, please, so that you guys can see what you realize. He's grabbing the basketball like it's a racquetball.

Dan Le Batard (25:17)

So, Dan, that when Roy is describing that play last night, right, of him spinning and then throwing the pass, the part we're all, like, fixated on, he's so tall and long and all that. The part that people overlook is a pompom moose, right? Like, it's a. It's a grapefruit in his hands. So he gets to palm it and do all of this crazy.

Greg Cody (25:35)

It's like. It's like Kawhi. People don't understand how big. Kawhi's hands. End hands are abnormally large for his size.

Dan Le Batard (25:43)

Michael Jordan. That's again, all the grace and elegance and athleticism. A big part of his thing was these massive mitts. That's why when he met me and he put his hand on my shoulder, it was literally like just a shadow came down. And I like, oh, snap, cap. That's a massive paw.

Roy (26:02)

Believe it or not, Wemby is 44

Greg Cody (26:04)

and 13 on tip offs this season.

Roy (26:07)

Wow.

Mike Ryan (26:07)

Plenty of black.

Zas (26:08)

Louis, you notice Amin said, when Michael Jordan met me, not when I met Michael Jordan.

Greg Cody (26:14)

Well, that's why he got the look at me, Leroy.

Dan Le Batard (26:16)

Do you know why I say it like that? Because I didn't introduce myself to him. He introduced himself to me.

Greg Cody (26:21)

Wow.

Dan Le Batard (26:21)

I was walking away, and that mint went. And I was like. And I looked up, and I was like, oh, my God. And then he's like. And then he said, and you're really going to want to warm up the sound for this one. Hey, man, I really enjoy your work.

Greg Cody (26:35)

Look at me. Put it on the poll at LeBatard show. Are you stunned that Wemby has lost 13 tips this year? You saw that last night against Bam, okay? The idea that a human being is undersized anywhere a human being the size. Size of Bam, okay? If you've ever stood next to Bam, any of you, like, he's bigger than any human being you've never been next to, who's not an NBA player. Like, he's. You will never walk into any place where you're standing next to someone the size of Bam. To have Bam look like a toddler on the tip against Wemby. And for Wemby's armpit to be in Bam's face is just funny.

Dan Le Batard (27:20)

Dan. I remember the first time I saw Yao Ming and, like, not on a basketball court, but in a social setting. And to see other NBA players marvel at how big this guy was, that's the closest thing I can think of. Like, I remember Shaq playing against Yaming the first time, and there's a picture of him kind of, like, looking up just to kind of confirm how much taller this guy is than me. There's something about putting, like you said, giants in awe of how big you are.

Zas (27:49)

Did you see late in the Gator game this past Friday night, in the first round of the playoffs, the Gators were up by a thousand points against Prairie View. And so the Gators put their freshman in, Olivier ryu, who is 7 foot 9. And there's this shot of him standing.

Greg Cody (28:07)

He's the tallest player ever. Correct. In college basketball. He's not any good. He's like a sophomore now.

Zas (28:13)

He's a freshman. Freshman.

Mike Ryan (28:14)

Is he a true freshman?

Zas (28:16)

Maybe not.

Mike Ryan (28:16)

He was a guy that the football team put on field goal blocks.

Zas (28:21)

So. So there's this shot of him standing there. He just checked into the game, and standing right next to him is a kid from Prairie View who happens to be 6 foot 8. And he's looking up at him, and he's like, he's trying to chat him up. And like, the kid who's 7 foot 9 obviously doesn't really care to talk about how big he is. He gets it his whole life. And the kid from Prairie View, at one point, you could see him mouth goes, you real big man.

Greg Cody (28:44)

Dwayne Shinsis, who was the previous or the OG of Gator Giants, used to get into elevators and Whenever someone would say, how's the weather up there? He was so tired of it, he would spit and say, it's raining.

Dan Le Batard (28:59)

I thought that was a Wilt story.

Greg Cody (29:01)

It was also a Dwayne Chintis.

Dan Le Batard (29:02)

Maybe they pass it along in the newsletter.

Greg Cody (29:04)

Maybe Dwayne Chintzes. Yeah, borrowed it. Zas mentioned the Prairie View coach. They were down 18 in the first half and this is how they all felt. Felt facing the 7 foot 9 guy off the bench. We need some help from the Lord. They're very good. Roy, what do you got?

Roy (29:20)

I was sitting in the presser yesterday as Victor Wembanyama walks in to make his case for mvp. And I'm sitting there and I turned to look as he walks in and I just kept. It took like four seconds to keep looking up. His head almost touches the ceiling. And for anyone who. Anyone who has been in that building, like in that press conference, that is not a short ceiling. That is a pretty high ceiling for Giants. It's built for Giants. And he still almost didn't fit. It's crazy. And speaking of tall guys in elevators, Taco Fall used to have to sit down and back into the elevator.

Mike Ryan (29:53)

You know, if Bam. Adebayo was playing for another team, I would circulate the I'm sick of being in the play in quote as we got our next whale.

Greg Cody (30:02)

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Greg Cody (31:32)

Don LeBatard. Teammates can't shoot from three now. They're gonna see a different Jimmy now. He's just, just playing Nickelback. Locker room and sts. Now play D and show threes. As I chase the nets for the six seed, these five words in his head scream my way winning games. Yeah. This is the Dan Levatar show with the st. Let's go ahead and play this sound because Bam is bothered by this and I choose just don't know what you do. They are topped out. This is as well as these human beings can play. I know it's an imperfect science, the draft. Okay, did you guys see this last night? Because Hero and Bam have absolutely been maximized by this organization as mid first round picks. But did you guys not notice with. I mean, obviously Wemby, but Castle as well. Like you can see top five talents. What they look like, they look different than the other players. It's the reason when you're going through the meat market that is let's scan the world for the greatest athletes we can find to be better than all these other great athletes. Oh, this guy's top five means something. That this guy's top 13 doesn't like it. There's. I just. I mean, you can explain this as someone who's worked in a front office, the difference between 5 and 13 when you're scanning the world and you're finding somebody who's the fifth best prospect.

Dan Le Batard (33:11)

Yeah, no, absolutely. Obviously the idea that they got all stars in that zone is testament to scouting. Like being able to talent recognize but also development. Right. We all know what Bam was when he came in the league. It wasn't this.

Mike Ryan (33:29)

He was poor man's Tristan Thompson according to George Sedano.

Greg Cody (33:34)

Did he say that for real? No. George Sodano relayed that that's how people were talking about him when he came into. He can be at the high end of poor man's Tristan.

Mike Ryan (33:44)

He shared scout chatter when he drafted him.

Dan Le Batard (33:48)

I like it being. I like it being George's opinion.

Greg Cody (33:51)

My point though, I mean is it's lost that whatever it is that the league generally applies to the Heat and say they know how to develop players. So does San Antonio. And they've got three top five picks. Miami's never had that. That they've got three top five fix and traded for an all star and traded for Sacramento's last good player.

Mike Ryan (34:12)

Traded for an all star that the Miami Heat were in onto.

Roy (34:15)

So they turned Bam into a rich Man's Tristan Thompson.

Greg Cody (34:18)

Yes.

Roy (34:19)

Nice.

Greg Cody (34:19)

Although Tristan Thompson is a rich man's Tristan Thompson.

Roy (34:22)

He's a rich man's dream.

Greg Cody (34:23)

LeBron got LeBron. LeBron got him a lot of money. Let's play the sound here of Bam saying he's fed up. I mean, he's seen what I've been doing in the last whatever amount of games, and, you know, I don't want to be in a plan.

Dan Le Batard (34:37)

So some of that is, yeah, he's got to protect me from myself, but

Greg Cody (34:43)

also, like, I don't want to be playing. So every game, I'm going to try to go out there and do the best I can to, you know, carry this team and force our way out of that. I want to get some sound here from Dwayne Wade. If you guys remember way back when, Mike says, this sounds like disgruntled superstar. The things that he's saying, his body language and his frustration remind me of what Dwayne said when he got eliminated in the playoffs as a solo act and said, I'm not doing it this way anymore. I'm not playing this way anymore. And then they went and formed the big three. He's like, I'm not going out. Bam's got to be tired of this. There's too much effort being poured in to Bam from Bamboo. Everything's built around him. He's the untradeable one. I know he gets a bad rap from people who want him to be better. He's great. He's a really great basketball player. He can be frustrating. You could want him to be better, but Bam Adebayo would be valuable to any basketball team in the league. Not just the way that he plays, not just his attitude, the entire package. Anybody in the league would want that guy. Guy on their team. And only because what the standard has been here for 15 years. Is he now the scapegoat for you're not good enough? He's not. But Bam's okay. If he yells out at the organization, hey, I need more help. Like, it's. This is a star. This is a star basketball player. Not just an all star. One of the 15 best in the one of the 20. I mean, where would you put him? Like, want him to be better? All you want want Bam Adebayo. When Wemby says, hey, it's both sides of the game. It's not just offense. It's this guy's. This guy's go bearish in his ability to be a defensive player of the year and guards all five. He's better than everybody. But maybe Wemby, and he's better than everybody in the league. As a defensive. You like the Thompsons? Who's your defensive player of the year?

Dan Le Batard (36:42)

No, I mean. Well, it would be Wemby if weren't for the stupid rule, but yeah, No, I mean, Bam, absolutely. There's a reason, like as you guys malign them. Them, they're two and a half back from the five seed like that. And that's because he's that good. He's good enough to raise everybody. First of all, he makes that team we're talking about yesterday. Oh, they're only an average defensive team against elite offenses or elite, elite teams.

Zas (37:04)

Five straight games, they've given up like 130 points. I mean, they're terrible against this team.

Dan Le Batard (37:09)

I don't know what team was going to shut down that last night. You could say that.

Greg Cody (37:12)

All you want.

Zas (37:13)

Average 136 points.

Greg Cody (37:14)

The Spurs. The spurs are really good. I know, but the spurs are really good offensively. And I would say there are very few players in the league at. They lost the Houston game. Hey, Bam, go guard the guy over there.

Dan Le Batard (37:26)

We've called the most unguardable guy in

Greg Cody (37:28)

the league who's fifth in the league in scoring history. Fifth in the league, just past Michael Jordan. And he can like, it's a. It's a. It's an absurd request to make of. Of your center. Go guard, go guard. Kevin Durant on the perimeter and, and he did it and he does it like. But he's frustrated and worse. Worse, worse because of how this guy cares. And you could speak to this Cody, worse. Everyone's blaming him for not being good enough. And I'm like, how good do you want him to be? He's overachieved and he's a mid first round pick, but he's overachieved in every single way that overachievement can be overachieved.

Jeremy (38:04)

He's a great player and I don't think anybody doesn't think he's a great player. And when you score 83 points, by the way, it enables you to take a whole different level of leadership and commentary like that. And look, he's frustrated, but who wouldn't be? This is their fourth straight year in the play in, which is barely the playoffs, and he should be frustrated. They got to build around him. It's the reason Jimmy Butler left, essentially. Right? I mean, they didn't build around.

Greg Cody (38:32)

The problem with building around him is that you need to get someone better than him. It's not just building around him. The problem is that he could be the 16th best player in the world and still be a number two.

Jeremy (38:42)

If he's the second best player on the team, then they have something and. And they haven't been able to do that.

Dan Le Batard (38:47)

Yeah, like I'm watching last night, for example. You said, oh, The spurs score 136 points. Jeremy. I mean, what's your name? Roy.

Roy (38:55)

I'm Roy.

Dan Le Batard (38:55)

Okay. How many of those baskets were because Heat offense failed, and then they just got an easy basket on the end? Like, it wasn't a whole lot of, oh, my God, we can't guard these guys. Although obviously Wembanyama was doing some crazy things, but a lot of it was just the Heat offense isn't good. I've been saying it from the beginning of the year. You guys are like, oh, they're number one. I'm like, this isn't a good offense, guys. This isn't a good offense. They struggle to generate points. And I think that part of that is. Dan, when you talk about people's frustrations with Bam is because if you're our best player, why can't we count on you offensively like that every night?

Zas (39:29)

Just the part that frustrates me when we say things like, yeah, they're only two and a half games back of number five in the Eastern Conference. They just won seven in a row. We were feeling really good about. About it. We're literally at the home stretch of the regular season, and they lost five in a row. Like, five losses in a row is really bad if you're a good team. And two of those five losses are by 25 last night and by 30

Greg Cody (39:55)

to the Hornets, about to lose two more, two to Cleveland.

Zas (39:58)

They're getting smoked in some of these games.

Roy (40:00)

The Charlotte game was without Bam, which we've just told you. Well, no, it's not.

Jeremy (40:04)

Whatever.

Roy (40:05)

He's by far their best player. They lost by 30 to a team that's played well. I'm looking at a team that's won seven of its last 12, has a couple of good wins in there. They beat Detroit. They beat Houston on the road. They beat Charlotte on the road. No, but in all. In all seriousness, when it comes to Bam and the frustration that you're talking about, that quote came because in the second quarter, he and SPO were going at it on the bench when SPO took him out because he was trying to match his minutes with Wemb and he was bringing in Khalil Ware to go up against Luke Cornette. And so he was asked specifically about that sort of, you know, going head to head. When SPO was asked about it, he's like, I love it. You know, we go at each other. We love each other. Other. When it was Bam, what he was saying is, yeah, I'm frustrated. I don't want to come out of the game. He's trying to save me from myself because I can't play every single minute. But I don't want to be in the effing play in anymore. That's why I want to play.

Greg Cody (40:55)

Let's hear from Eric Spoelstra here before I transition to bigger winners in town. The university of my football team had its pro day, and I want to talk about that.

Mike Ryan (41:04)

I love that about Bam. He and I are barking at each other. I mean, that's why I love him. Him, you know, I think he loves me, but even if he doesn't, I have to do what's best for the team. I don't want to just play him 24 straight minutes every half. You know, if I'm forced to do it, like in Houston, I'll do it, you know, but this is the first half. I. I didn't think that was necessary, you know, so some of the minutes, yeah, you know, the majority of the minutes, they're be the matchup. But it didn't have to be all the minutes, you know, for.

Greg Cody (41:41)

For us, the idea that these guys like the conflict and that the conflict doesn't mean anything that I, I, yeah. What an interesting thing to live in a world where the coach can say and actually know, yeah, I love him and he loves me. It's an unusual thing. It's. I don't think I can do that right now with the Dolphins. I could probably. I don't know if I could. Do you think I could do it with Paul Maurice, where the relationship is actual love? Yeah. He's my coach, but he's my teacher, and he saw what I was when I got here, and I've grown at his side for nine years. Like, let's explore for a second how many relationships in our market have what you would describe as actual love? Because I do believe those two people actually love each other.

Mike Ryan (42:31)

They do. You'd have to go to college outside of that to find that. Paul Maurice had a great quote the other day, as he often does. We're not at the end of our story. We're in the middle of it. And this season has been such a disappointment, but he's got the credibility when he says that stuff.

Jeremy (42:46)

You trust him also, I think Paul Maurice and his Panthers had that lovey dovey vibe when they were winning two championships in a row. Everybody was talking about, you know, the narrative was how great it is to go to work.

Mike Ryan (42:57)

And the called him the murderer.

Zas (43:00)

Okay. But I also apologized to his face. And then he told me that he loves me.

Mike Ryan (43:04)

That's a big. That's a big deal, being able to admit that you're wrong. I'm proud of you.

Zas (43:07)

Yeah. So we're good. That's my dog, Paul Maurice.

Dan Le Batard (43:10)

I thought being in love means never having to say so you're sorry.

Jeremy (43:14)

It's a good point.

Greg Cody (43:15)

How do you feel about how you said say he's there.

Dan Le Batard (43:17)

Okay. I thought no one was gonna notice.

Greg Cody (43:21)

Mike, yesterday at pro day, we learned basically that the University of Miami is going to have four first round picks in the draft, two of them edge rushers. There were a lot of scouts there, over 100.

Mike Ryan (43:35)

We haven't had that many scouts from the NFL since the university of Miami was winning Natties and Keontae Scott, I think, was the main headliner there. Although Carson Beck continues a very strong

Greg Cody (43:46)

draft season because he ran so fast. For those who don't know, Keonta Scott

Mike Ryan (43:49)

clocked a 433433 official. There were unofficial reports that it was sub 4 3, which is insane. But Keonte Scott is one of those guys that you wish was around here a little bit longer because he was an absolute dog. It jumped off the screen. You could see it and feel it live. His impact was so immense for this team.

Greg Cody (44:08)

I didn't hear anybody talking first round pick though, until yesterday.

Mike Ryan (44:12)

Yeah, he was kind of fringe. I was insistent on it because, like when, when they snapped the ball. This guy's just absolute dynamite. And he plays a position that with the analytics movement in the NFL, like having those guys on the inside being able to play blitz, it's. It's such an immense skill set for defensive coordinators. Keonte Scott, I think, solidified first round draft status. Mezador, probably first round draft pick too. So you got four, which means Mario Cristobal, outside of the national championship win, he got to the final. He's done everything that he said he would do. I mean, 100 scouts at your pro day, four first rounders. This is the start of a talent rich run for the university.

Greg Cody (44:49)

It can be said without any equivocation. Okay. If you buy your way into the top of the game and then do what Miami did last season, and then hundred scouts are at your facility and you've got four first round picks. It can be said that that $90 million right now, if we were to stop right now has been paid for. It has been a success. There is no disputing that Mario Cristobal has earned all of that money and he will make it back for the University of Miami in spades. The question of is, um, back. No, that's not a question anymore. When the scouts are at this pro day and then you become the next place, that can be the pipeline the way his Alabama team was when he was the recruiter for Nick Sab. But you got a pipeline to this. You've dropped this in the middle of Miami. Look, man, it's been a long time since I've seen that many scouts. Where you see the Dolphins wander over and they're like, we've got to see everything that's over here, everything. Because that that team might have in the weeds something in the fourth round. And that's the economy of football hasn't mattered like that at the University of Miami in a long time. Like it wasn't that under Mark Rick when they got to number one. When. When you're the place where the first round picks go, that changes everything in terms of how easy recruiting.

Jeremy (46:00)

And the Miami Dolphins don't have a great history of drafting Hurricanes players, but they're going to have a very interesting choice this year picking 11th. Because I think just about all of these four players we're talking about might be on the board at 11. One or maybe two will be gone, but they will have their choice of a top four. Kane at 11.

Greg Cody (46:22)

This is an exciting thing. And if you saw Deion Sanders is now fining his players in Colorado, I'd argue that paid for itself too.

Jeremy (46:28)

But.

Greg Cody (46:29)

But the way that this has all happened, Colorado is a million miles away from this, from all the scouts are at our facility. They come to us and one of the guys runs something that people are saying might be under 4. 3.

Mike Ryan (46:45)

It was worth it from attention currency. But Mario crystal ball is worth it for both attention currency and currency currency. Because with the revenue sharing built the way that it is, thankfully FSU and Clemson made the stink that they did. Miami made a ton of money off of last year's football run. And yeah, the arrows pointing up. Today is the first day of spring football. It means Darian Mensah takes the field for the first time in orange and green. Exciting times, dude.

Zas (47:13)

I'm pumped you know about that. Currency. Currency.

Greg Cody (47:15)

It's a T shirt.

Dan Le Batard (47:17)

The comedy movie event of the year. Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice.

Greg Cody (47:20)

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Mike Ryan (47:22)

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Greg Cody (47:24)

That's a great attitude. It's a time traveling ass kicking movie event. You sound insane.

Dan Le Batard (47:31)

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Mike Ryan (47:34)

I thought you were a clone.

Greg Cody (47:35)

Well, clones aren't real, dummy. And time machines are super grounded in reality. Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice.

Dan Le Batard (47:41)

Rated R. Written and directed by Ben David Grabinski.

Greg Cody (47:44)

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