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The Herd with Colin Cowherd
What’s Wright - Best Of: Nick Wright reacts to Kyrie Irving's ACL, Steph Curry G.O.A.T. debate, how Michael Jordan still haunts LeBron James & NBA
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- [00:00]
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- [00:36]
Nick Wright
Welcome to the Best of the Week for what's Right with Nick Wright. The best takes and moments from this week on the show. Enjoy. For Kyrie, obviously you feel sick for him. I think Kyrie has handled the last couple years about as well as any player could have. And I've been so impressed by him. And as far as on a dime remaking his leader reputation and maturity reputation and kind of sage wisdom and all of that. I've never seen anything like it. Like his, his. Him going from a guy who's like, well, great player, but you're gonna have to deal with a bunch of other stuff to a guy where the other stuff is a huge part of his greatness. I and it seemingly happened like on the trade to the maps. And so you, you give him massive credit. You feel sick for him. I also, he's a pending free agent. How this impacts the contract he will or won't get. For a guy who turns 33 in a few weeks, you maybe it's craving to talk about that immediately, but you think about that and it concerns you. And the other thing you think about is this. Since they traded Luka Doncic, he was playing way too many minutes because they didn't have another ball handler. And this is a. And they left themselves with one creator, one ball handler. And now, I mean, the minutes he has played since the start of February. Let's go there. Right. Luca was traded on what, February 1st. Okay, so perfect. Since the Luca trade. 42, 40, 42, 44, 40, 37, 32 and a blowout. 40, 38. 38. And then last night I it was now he was playing big minutes prior to that as well, actually, since Luca's injury, he was playing big minutes. But Luca was coming back. And Luca would have obviously would have been back, you know, well, earlier than that.
- [03:20]
Unnamed Co-host
Are we going in on the maps? Is this the maps topic right now?
- [03:24]
Nick Wright
Yeah, we do it right now. Like we might as well just get to it the. Because we have the breaking news on it. And so I I don't. There's a lot of pieces to this demons a that are inextricably tied to the Luca trade.
- [03:46]
Unnamed Co-host
And yeah, with the go ahead not having the extra ball handler and. But even the guy that they traded for was hurt since he got there. He played in what, a half of a game. And I think with Nico Collins, with Anthony Davis being a known hurt player, that's something that you have to take into account. And like, you're seeing that firsthand. And I just. It was. It was obviously a bad decision. Well, it was like, what was more likely to have Anthony Davis getting hurt or Luka Donches just completely flaming out and being a hindrance to your team?
- [04:15]
Nick Wright
Well, so that. So there were a million reasons the Luca trade made no sense, even if all of your skepticism was correct about him. One was you were worried about his body. And so you trade for a guy who's six years older and Anthony Davis who has real worries about his body. Another one was you actually already had depth at center. What you didn't have depth. That was shot creator. You trade a shot creator for the best shot creator arguably in basketball in Luca for another big. Another reason it was risky was your window with Luca was a decade. You then go, Nico Harrison, you said, Nico Collins, receiver for the Texans. But I knew the. You then go on TV and say your windows three to four years. Well, this year is done now done. And next year's in jeopardy. Like, are you. And also, are you going to resign Kyrie Irving? Do you still have to? If you don't, what are you doing? There was a lot of, you know, kind of back burner rumors to Monze that this could be a Kevin Durant destination next year that KD get back with Kyrie. You have Anthony Davis. From basketball standpoint, it would fit great. Okay, well, now that's massively in question. Like, I don't know. You tear your ACL in March. If you're Kyrie, do you just miss all of next year and shout out to Kyrie for shooting those free throws? You know, he obviously is as big of a Kobe fan as any active player. Kobe famous famously shot his free throws after he tore his Achilles. You. You really, really hope that Kyrie's career doesn't follow that same trajectory. As far as Kobe was just never the same guy after that torn Achilles. But I also think Kobe. Kobe was 34 when he tore his Achilles. Kyrie is 32, about to be 33. Was. Was Kobe. I'm looking up when. So Kobe tore his Achilles In April of 13 Kobe was born in August of yeah, so he was 34. August of 78 so I I just w Will the Mavs make There's so many tentacles to this and I'm reacting in real time. Will the Mavs make the play in they're three and a half clear of Phoenix. Phoenix would be a, at this point, a more interesting team because of the KDM booker factor, even though that team seems to just be ready for the season to end. But now that Whoever gets that 10 seed is dead on arrival, the Mavs have no who on the Mavs can create a shot honest to God, like Spencer didn't I last night after Kyrie went down. It's Dante Exum, you, you know who you also feel I mean Kai Jones. Shout out to Kai Jones, by the way, who had some real personal demons and issues or I shouldn't say demons is too strong. I I don't know that he had a it seemed like he might have had a drug problem, you know, and seems to have gotten himself clean and is, you know, resuming his NBA career. So you root for young people like that. Like that was going down a wrong track. He ended up playing big minutes yesterday, right. If they sign him, he goes 9 of 10 from the field. But I mean, Klay Thompson signs there thinking I can catch and shoot. Well, who's who you catching it from now? This isn't. I think I you know what? I think I did a bad job in my initial reaction to this is a. Say it. Say it again.
- [08:59]
Unnamed Co-host
Just the trait. Like the Luca 80 trade.
- [09:01]
Nick Wright
No, the Kyrie injury in the last 10 minutes. Because this is just an unmitigated disaster of historic proportions. And you can say the injury is just bad luck. But that's only if you think that if Kyrie's workload was different, if his responsibility was different, if his ability to rest games if need be, was different, he still would have torn his acl. I don't think that and the Mavs, who are the defending Western Conference champions, decided without the player forcing them or even asking them to decided I am going to blow this entire thing up and take a risk that's unprecedented in NBA history. And within a month of the trade, the piece you traded for, who was injured when you made the trade, got hurt again. And the guard in this league that maybe at this point, honestly has more responsibility to his team than any other guard in the league because of how the roster is constructed post Luca, you use him in a potentially reckless manner and his historically shaky knees get one of them gives out on him and now you're just cooked. And you're a team that does not have your own draft pick for 27 through 30. So that's the other like they. They mav's future draft picks. I talked about this the other day, so I kind of know it already. But here's what it is. Outgoing draft picks. In 2027, it goes to Charlotte. In 2028, OKC can swap with them. In 2029, it goes to Houston or Phoenix. In 2030, I think the spurs can swap with them. But 27, 28, 29 and 30, you do not have your own pick. And two of those years, I. Yeah, you will have someone's pick. But okay, the in 27, it just goes to Charlotte. In 28, OKC can swap with you. In 29, Houston can swap with you. And in 30, the spurs can swap with you. So if you bottom out, it doesn't do you any good. I. I don't know. The only reason Dimant I think Nico Harrison survives this is because Patrick Dumont, the owner, came out and did his own press conference where he was like two thumbs up to the trade. You gotta be a grinder like Shaquille O'Neal and Larry Bird were. Never drink, never party, and just all ball. And I'm. Yeah, of course. And I am just sick for Kyrie, man, this sucks. And it's. It's a lot of money. And I know nobody cares about the money part of this with pro athletes, but Kyrie had cost himself a lot of money the previous few years and left money on the table. And then because of his own excellent play and the desperation of the Mavs post, Luca was in a spot where he was going to get that Max deal. And now I don't know what it means for him. This is devastating. Oh, God. So. Oh, hold on. So that's interesting. So that's probably what he'll do. Well, I don't know. I mean, he has a player option, but I don't know that I. He. So he could pick up the player option for 44 million, but I think it's more likely he opts out and still gets a new deal. I just don't think it'll be a four year max. Like, so it's. If it were a career ending injury, which it's not, then you just opt into your player option. I don't think that's what's going to happen. But I'm just devastated for Kyrie. I'm not. Listen. And I'm devastated for Maps fans. 30 days and your entire basketball world is just you went from having one of the brightest futures of any team in the league to it says dark as it gets and all of a sudden Anthony Davis is back on the.
- [14:44]
Unnamed Co-host
Pelicans and they're racing the prices in the stadium for.
- [14:48]
Nick Wright
Well that's another thing. I saw that story. It's just a tone deaf timing of the announcement. I don't understand that piece of it at all. But just joining us, Kyrie Irving Torn ACL that was the fear last night. I am amazed by the way Quick sidebar. I am constantly amazed at how accurate those sports medicine folks on Twitter are by watching the video of something and saying what injury the guy suffered. I think those guys that I follow on Twitter bat like 800. I think four out of five they nail just by watching one video and it's listen, I know nothing about science or medicine, but it's always impressive to me.
- [15:54]
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- [16:32]
Unnamed Co-host
So Shaq said that Steph deserves to be in the goat conversation. Do you think that's a right take to have?
- [16:41]
Nick Wright
Sadly, no. So let's talk best point guard ever. We've done this before. I'll do it again just quickly here. Magic Johnson I believe this in my bones is the greatest point guard in NBA history. And Magic Johnson it's not only that as a rookie one finals mvp. Now he shouldn't have Kareem should have won it but had one of the single greatest finals games ever playing center just being utterly dominant to win a championship as a rookie right after winning a championship in college. If people don't know what I'm talking about, the Kareem was out. So Magic jump center as a rookie against Dr. J and the Sixers and dropped 42, 15 and 7 to win a championship in the finals. That almost gets talked about too much. And what doesn't get talked about enough in my opinion is this Demons a in year three Magic Johnson was second team all NBA and then after that he played nine more seasons before the HIV diagnosis and was first team all NBA all nine seasons. Those nine seasons after year three, his MVP finishes were third, second. Hold on, sorry, third, third, second, third, first, third, third, first, first, second. So again, years four to 12 for Magic, nine consecutive first team all NBAs, nine consecutive top three MVP finishes, three league MVPs, went to nine finals, won five championships. He's the greatest point guard ever. With that said, every time I'm putting together my all time starting five, Steph's the better option at point guard than Magic. So I know that sounds weird, but whenever it's like, okay, create the greatest team you can possibly create, I'm like, all right, so the two, the only two locks, even with respect to Kareem, the only two locks are Michael and LeBron. Those guys are the locks. And now we're figuring out the rest of the squad. And so I go, all right, so LeBron's there, he can bring the ball up. I, you know, Michael couldn't shoot a three to save his life, so I probably need some more shooting defensively. I'm going to be a monster anyway, so I'll put Stephen and play some Magic. So that's where the best point guard conversation, you know, gets off to a rough start. Or not a rough start, but it gets complicated. This episode of what's Right is brought to you by. Day Up Pizza Featuring Dairy Free Cheese Made with their new Daiya Oat Cream Blend, Dairy free cheese come a long way and Daiya is leading the charge. Their pizzas offer the melt and stretch of traditional cheese without any dairy each day. A pizza starts with a perfectly crisp crust layered with savory, satisfying toppings and finished with cheese that melts and stretches beautifully. The Day Oat Cream Blend delivers a creamy, cheesy texture that's indistinguishable from dairy based options. Every pizza crafted to be dairy free, making it a great choice for anyone seeking more inclusive meal options. Without compromising on taste, Daiya takes the concept of dairy free to a new level, eliminating faux moo, not the fear of cows, that is the fear of missing dairy. These pizzas deliver delicious taste and texture, making them perfect for any occasion from casual dinners to game day spreads. Enjoy a fomu free pizza night with daya. Visit dayafoods.com for more information or find Daya Pizza at retailers like Whole Foods, Kroger and Walmart. Coming soon to select Publix and Sprouts, follow Daya on Instagram and TikTok for more updates and recipes. But as far as best Player of All time. There's a. I mean, I just told you, Magic has nine first team, all NBAs. The guys who are actually in the discussion for greatest player of all time, LeBron, Michael and Kareem. They have as far as first team all NBAs, 13 for LeBron, 10 for Kareem, 10 for Michael. Some people throw Kobe in there. I don't think that's legit, but that's fine. He has 11, Steph has four. So he doesn't have the. The great season after great season after great season. All these other guys did. Here's the other thing that he doesn't have. And again, I'm not tearing him down. But this. If everyone who is actually in the goat debate, which I think is only three people, but other people might want to expand it to a couple others. And even if you expand it to them, if you include Magic, if you include Wilt or Russell, like pick whomever, they all had an extended period where they were unequivocally, undeniably the best player in the league. Steph doesn't have one step, doesn't have one season. Now that's again, it's like, well, it's his. His whole career is during LeBron's career. I get it. But that. So you just. So you can't be in the goat conversation when. And you can be like, what about the Erie one unanimous mvp? Yeah, he was going to be considered the best player in the league and then the finals happened and so like there is just not been so a spot. I'm not tearing him down. You guys know how highly I think of him as a player. He is greatest shooter, arguably the greatest shooter ever. He might be the greatest ball handler ever. He's one of the greatest teammates ever. That.
- [23:28]
Unnamed Co-host
Yeah. But off ball players, I know that's not like exactly the best best. Probably one of the best off ball players in NBA history, I imagine.
- [23:41]
Nick Wright
Maybe the best, right? Yes. No, all those things really matter, I find to me, nobody wants to have this debate. But an interesting one is him versus Duncan. Like it is. It's hard to do, like putting up Steph's career versus Duncan and Steph's career versus Kobe, Steph's career versus Shaq are all really interesting because those are four. So different players, just, you know, so such drastically different players, different styles, different career arcs. Like those to me are real debates. But Steph versus LeBron, Michael and Cream are not. Just not. And that's fine. Like, that's not a. It was also weird timing to have this discussion Like Steph was having a down year and the warriors were 25 and 25 and then they traded for Jimmy and they're, you know, on the uptick and Steph is playing some of his best basketball of the year. But this isn't like some magical Steph Curry season. He's not, he has no shot of being first team all NBA this year. He is. I remember when they traded for Jimmy, he had as many games with 15 or fewer points as he had 30 plus points. Like he's averaging the fewest points he's averaged in a season since his first MVP so in a decade. And he's averaging below 40% from three for just the second time of his career. So again, I'm not. He's all, all that's true while it's also true is he's having the greatest old little guy season ever. So all those things can be true at the same time. But goat conversation. Now we're, now we're getting a little cuckoo.
- [25:59]
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- [26:37]
Nick Wright
Where we have to start today is with what LeBron James said, what was said about what he said and how we got here. So first a level set of what happened. Anthony Edwards was asked about being face of the league and he was like, I don't really have an interest in it. I just want a ball. LeBron was then asked about that as the face of the league and LeBron said, yeah, I don't blame him. Why would you want to be when all the people who talk about our league and it seemed like he was about to say former players but and media. But instead it was just a catch all just on the players. And then as Bomani Jones would say hit dog gonna holler. And then all the guys who LeBron was talking about do protested too much. So the first one was Stephen A. Who did a five minute rant in response to LeBron that and I'm not, I am not exaggerating when I say this. In the first 90 seconds of Stephen A responding to LeBron saying that the biggest voices in the media just go after you repeatedly, particularly if you're the face of the league. In the first 90 seconds of response to that. Stephen A. Blamed LeBron James for the following the downfall of the slam dunk contest, the lockout in 2011, and the Chris Paul Laker trade being nixed. He put it all at LeBron's feet, all of it. He's like, ruin the dunk contest because you wouldn't participate. And then said the decision was what led to the owners locking the players out and changing the collective bargaining agreement. And Then through the CP3 trade in as kind of a little dessert after a delicious entree. And didn't really, to my ear, address any of what LeBron actually said. And then. And I couldn't believe this. And let me say this as well. I have a really good relationship with Stephen A. I actually texted with him this morning. But he is. So. I don't want people to think that this is. There's, like, media beef. But I. He knows this. We both have strong opinions. We disagree. I disagree with a lot of what he says. He's a big boy, grown man. He understands none of that's personal. And so I'm not. I'm not trying to start something. That guy's a friend of mine. I just think he's out of his mind on some of this stuff. And then on his podcast, and this I won't put on him. And, you know, appreciate those producers of that podcast because they put us on their, you know, friendly relationships. But. And demon, this will blow your mind again in addressing LeBron James, saying that if you're the face of the league, you get extra criticism. Get on. When Stephen A. Brought that up on his podcast, you know what video played alongside it, like the soundless, what we call B roll highlights. Hand to God, it was Bronnie's bad minutes against the Sixers. That's true. Go look. Go watch. So, like, again, I don't think that's Stephen A's call, but it doesn't exactly dispel the narrative that, well, yeah, you, you. There might be a little. A little unfairness here. And. And so that was his part of it. Bill Simmons, who is as loud and as respected and as important of an NBA voice as there is, who is an unabashed, obvious, diehard Celtic fan who has never really been what you'd call a LeBron guy. And LeBron's never been a Simmons guy. Simmons sent out the following tweets. Celts Cavs is a wonderful NBA game between two excellent teams that's included some terrific individual performances. This next game will be splendid, too. We're so lucky to be able to watch great players like Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and James Harden battling it out tonight. Just basically making fun. It's being like, this is ridiculous. Oh, everyone's gotta be so positive. And then Bill went on a long history lesson on his pod this week where he was like, this is how it's always been. And then explained how we went after guys who either hadn't won or until they won or very specific postseason failures in the moment, which is not at all what LeBron's talking about. LeBron was talking about the general conversation surrounding the league being constantly negative. And you know who totally agrees with LeBron that that's a problem? Bill Simmons. You know how I know that? Because on December 31st, Bill Simmons did an NBA pod with the great Kurt Goldsberry that is titled the All Positive NBA show with Kurt Goldsberry that he says at the beginning he's doing because the conversation surrounding the league has gotten too negative. So for some of these guys, even when LeBron says something they agree with because it's LeBron saying it, they can't agree with it. And then Wil Bon on the greatest sports TV show that's ever existed. Pardon the interruption. Did, you know, did what he always does, which is whether it is while he's on the broadcast when LeBron happens to pass Magic Johnson for career assists, or when he's addressing LeBron's comments. Can't help himself. But make it clear, no matter how great these guys are, they're not quite as great as the guys that happen to be playing. During my personal heyday covering the league, it's crazy how that works out. And we're yet to see what the Chuckster's going to say, but we'll find out here very soon. And my guess is it'll be more of the same. So now that I've set the table on what happened. Oh, yeah. And then LeBron responded with tweets. It would appear this first tweet is a response to Stephen A. Where he wrote, exactly made my point. But anyways, Happy this convo has started. It ain't about Face of the Game, and it ain't about one person or one show. It's about the culture of basketball. The most beautiful game in the world. Our game has never been better. Incredible young stars from all over the world, and some older ones too, laughing emojis. Steph Curry should be all we're talking about today, this is after he scored 56. Let's discuss how great OKC and the Cav to be this season with two completely different styles and break down why and how they have been. Of course, if players don't perform, we need to discuss that too and break that down. Even that can be discussed in a way. And this is the important piece of it. Even that can be discussed in a way that's not to bring finality to that player's game, but to leave room to see how that player responds. And let's watch the journey of that player. This ain't about me either. This is where I disagree with LeBron and I'll get to that in a second. Saying about me either. At this point, I don't really care what's said about me. It's always something. This is about the impact the negativity is having on our beautiful game and our fans. I know I speak for a lot of the players. More importantly, a hell of a lot of great fans that truly love and celebrate this sport around the world. Mind the game. Then a cloud emoji, a brain emoji, and of course a crown emoji. Because what would a LeBron tweet be without the crown emoji? All right. He then went on with my pal Scott Van Pelt, made a similar point after the Laker game and now everyone's caught up. So to me the question should be, is LeBron right that the coverage of the league, particularly for the super duper stars, face of the league caliber guys, too negative? And if he's right, how did we get here? So I do think he is correct and I do think I have been a part of the problem at times. I'll explain how in a moment and I think so the where I disagree with him, where he says this isn't about him, it actually is almost entirely about him and one other person. Because so much about how we currently cover the league week has to do with how we covered LeBron James. Because how he was covered has impacted how every other superstar, true super duper star is covered. So this is a point I used to make about Prime Klay Thompson. The better example right now might be like Devin Booker, where I think those guys who are in the Jalen Brown Devin Booker tier of players like 10 to 20, if you are ranking them, might be in the actual sweet spot because they get the same max contract as the superstar, as the super duper stars. But it is not a daily legacy referendum. When they play great in big spots, they're lauded when they play poorly in big spots, it we usually look to instead the best player on their team. And why didn't he do more? And that's, I think, what ants comments are referring to. While he wants to be this player on the team, obviously he sees man, heavy is the head that wears the crown. And. And so that the reason I say this is about LeBron and one other person is the LeBron of it all, is this. How many times have you been watching sports TV and heard a version of this? Sometimes by me, that's where I'll say, hand up, I'm part of it. Well, after a guy misses a big shot or plays poorly in a big spot or doesn't carry his team far enough or whatever it is, how many times have you heard this? Well, if it were LeBron, we'd be killing him. Well, if LeBron did that. And so the way LeBron was covered set a template to where it's how then Durant and Steph and Embiid and Giannis and Jokic, those MVP guys. Well, fair's fair did it to LeBron. So then we get to this question. Why did we cover LeBron that way? And that then gets to the other person in this story. The only name in all of NBA history bigger than LeBron's, and that's Michael Jordan. Because so much of our basketball, and at this point, it's not just basketball, it's overall sports commentary has been twisted is probably too strong of a word, but adjusted, tweaked, manicured to serve the legend of Michael Jordan. You, hell, you saw it in some of the reaction to the super bowl and momes getting a loss in the biggest game. It's like, oh, boy. We all know those super bowl losses count different than divisional round losses. That's a. That's a Michael Jordan argument. And when you look back at how we have covered this league for 40 years, there's only one guy. One guy who at each and every turn has benefited from it, and it's Michael. We. Let's go back to how we talk about the 1980s as a decade. Who was the face of the league in the 1980s? Oh, there wasn't a face. It was two guys. We've turned two guys into one person. Bird Magic. So why. Why was it not Magic and Bird or Bird and Magic separately? Well, in part. Is it because when we turn Bird Magic into one person and don't give Larry Bird his kind of individual standing, folks, right now, big enough NBA fans to care about this, to be Watching this pod to or to be watching this clip probably don't know that Larry Bird and Michael Jordan their teams played in six playoff games against each other and Larry Bird was six and up. Not in series in games just easier. No Bird magic in the 80s what we have totally erased one person's legacy from the if you ask die hard NBA fans give me your top 2525 players of all time. The vast majority are going to have every single guy that was the best player on multiple championships with one glaring omission and it'll be the same omission Isaiah Thomas. Why? Because part of part he is just. He has been turned into a bit player in the story of Michael Jordan we've partially erased Akeem's legend. Well his championships came, you know when Michael wasn't playing. Even though one of those championships came in a year Michael Jordan got MVP votes. We've glossed over when people talk about Shaquille O'Neal. Shaquille O'Neal. Does anyone. Have you ever heard someone make this point about his greatness at 23 years old he outplayed he was the best player on the court in a playoff series with Michael Jordan and beat him. No. We just pretend it didn't happen. And then the the PA stay resistance of all that is the guy who was his wingman for the whole thing. Scotty. We. We act like he was a just a. A 90s Ron our test and that included in Michael's doc. So. So why am I explaining that in relation to this? Because it's not only that the guy that today's face of the league or the potential faces of the league have to deal with a constant tear down of what they have or haven't accomplished established. It's that the last the previous guy, the the all time face of the league got the exact opposite treatment. And it is again if you really look at it we did. There's so much of how we consume today's NBA that is colored by how we have discussed and talked about these two players. Michael Jordan, LeBron James. When it comes to Michael we elevate lesser players like Reggie Miller who was a nice player. He was 18 three and three for his career he made zero first or second all team NBAs. He that that's who he was into A A guy with almost legendary status. Why he had that that great one series against Michael. You you hear more about Craig Elo who Jordan hit the shot over than Sydney Moncrief who beat him in the playoffs was one of the best defensive players ever. Why we we Talk about the 90s Knicks, who had one All Star on their entire team for a decade, like this legendary opponent. Why? To build up the legend of the face of the league. Juxtapose that to how LeBron, when he was rolling through the east the way Michael was in the 90s. We didn't build up the 60 win Hawks or the Paul George Pacers or the DeRozan Lowry Raptors into something bigger than they were. No, we went the opposite. That's the. Yeah. Yes. You made eight straight finals, but in that conference against those teams. What is it again? It's, it's not that it's always been this way. It's not that it slowly became like this. It's that it did a 1:80. We. There are just certain things that again, in service of one guy at the expense of the other, we've just decided like someone in some bible, some sports bible somewhere decided coincidentally, right around the time that this guy LeBron was lapping the field in every category. Actually, you know what? Longevity is not a factor in any of this. It's just, you know what? In when it comes to how great a player is, how long he was great, nobody cares about that. Since when that was. That was literally never a part of any logical sports discussion until again, so much of how we talk about today's league has to do with these two players. And then we get to the media piece of it because one Bill talked about this. Yes, Michael was criticized until he won. And then once he won, he was deified to a level an athlete in this country has never been deified. And so the guys, this current generation, not this generation, the old guys of this generation, LeBron, Katie, those guys who watched that growing up thought, man, I'm going to get that same treatment once I win and I'm great and I'm the face of the league, universal praise and adoration. And then the guys who gave that to Michael, like Wilbon now say, we're not on your payroll. Were you on Michaels? Cause that's what he got people. It, it's, it's all projection people. People say to me and Shannon that you guys are. Yeah, they make up in their minds that this tight relationship with LeBron that we must have while denying the reality of the pretend relationship that you're acting like the we have with LeBron. Ahmad Rashad actually had with Michael. My main man, Michael Jordan, the sideline reporter for the Finals, was his dear friend and golf buddy. We, we then act like people are being Honest arbiters of this skip, God love him, built a huge portion of his career on a singular take, which was, this guy will never be Michael Jordan, and nothing that he can do can ever change my mind on it. He could never move off that. It, it was. It was the only through line other than his Cowboys fandom for his TV career. And then Woj, who at a point in time was not only a great reporter, the best columnist in the. In basketball media, got iced out by LeBron's camp and just eviscerated him for years and years and years. Simmons, who crushed LeBron's family during. Back when he was doing running diaries about the draft, and then LeBron never had a real relationship with him. And then LeBron annihilated Simmons. Celtics, as always, been a begrudging appreciator of what he has or hasn't done. And then there's like, there's other guys who so much of their career is tied into Michael, whether it's Wilbon or. Why does Barkley get a pass for not winning? Well, he ran into Michael Jordan, all of this. So you have a whole media machine, and then folks have the audacity, the absolute audacity to act like it's shocking that. That it's shocking that LeBron might occasionally push back or might say, you guys changed the rules mid and this isn't how you've treated guys previously. And so that's what they're talking about. And I think it's reasonable. I don't know if there's a fix for it. I think maybe the fix for it is for when LeBron retires, this whole thing resets. But honestly, maybe not.