Best Of - Thunder ALL-TIME team? Nick reveals Club Superstar, Eagles Top 5 NFL team ever?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd Episode: What's Wright - Best Of - Thunder ALL-TIME Team? Nick reveals Club Superstar, Eagles Top 5 NFL Team Ever
Release Date: May 31, 2025

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1. Saquon Barkley’s Bold Claim on the 2024 Eagles

Timestamp: 02:27 - 05:19

Nick Wright delves into a contentious claim made by Saquon Barkley, who stated that the 2024 Eagles are among the top five NFL teams of all time. Wright vehemently disagrees, arguing that the Eagles' accomplishments do not warrant such high placement in NFL history.

• Nick Wright: "Not only is it not true, it's not even an... you can't even make a credible argument for it." (02:37)

He contrasts the Eagles with legendary teams like the 1972 Dolphins, 1984 49ers, and 1985 Bears, emphasizing their undefeated records, dominant defenses, and postseason performances as benchmarks that the 2024 Eagles fail to meet.

• Nick Wright: "The 72 Dolphins that went undefeated had the number one offense and the number one defense and beat teams by an average of 15 points a game. That's a top five team of all time." (03:38)

Wright also criticizes Barkley’s selection process, highlighting inconsistencies such as including the 2000 Ravens, whom he doesn't consider a top 20 team.

• Nick Wright: "One of the teams he listed was the 2000 Ravens, which is not a top 20 team of all time." (03:51)

2. Club Superstar: Building the Ultimate Team

Timestamp: 06:42 - 10:33

Transitioning from NFL discussions, Nick Wright introduces his rendition of "Club Superstar," a fantasy team selection that includes iconic NBA players. The conversation revolves around the strategic inclusion and exclusion of certain players based on performance and potential.

• Nick Wright: "We took out Embiid because of all the injury stuff and AD for similar reasons." (07:58)

He explains the criteria for maintaining team depth and ensuring that each spot is occupied by reliable and high-performing athletes. Donovan Mitchell's inclusion over veterans like Anthony Davis sparks a debate about leadership and playoff performance.

• Nick Wright: "The hardest call was Donovan." (07:51)

A notable quote during this segment reflects Wright's critical stance on roster management:

• Nick Wright: "Your guys lists suck. And... he wouldn't even it was so his top. Here are his top five teams of all time for the record..." (05:20)

3. Oklahoma City Thunder: Evaluating Dynasty Potential

Timestamp: 20:04 - 41:18

Nick Wright offers an in-depth analysis of the Oklahoma City Thunder's current season, debating whether they should be considered a dynasty in the making. He meticulously compares their performance to some of the greatest NBA teams in history.

• Nick Wright: "They are four wins away from one of the single greatest Seasons in NBA history." (20:21)

Wright references historical data, such as win totals and point differentials, to contextualize the Thunder's achievements. He draws parallels with the 1996 Bulls, 1997 Bulls, and the 1972 Dolphins, underscoring the rarity of such success.

• Nick Wright: "The 73 Celtics not, you know, had a disappointing playoffs. And then this Thunder team." (27:58)

He also addresses the Thunder's draft capital and future prospects, noting that while they possess a significant number of picks, the quality and potential of these assets remain questionable.

• Nick Wright: "The Thunder's draft capital is more quantity than quality. So this year they have the 15th pick from Miami and the 24th pick from the Clippers." (28:04)

Wright concludes by assessing the Thunder's resilience and depth, arguing that their comprehensive team structure positions them well for sustained success without necessitating exorbitant spending.

• Nick Wright: "They have one more Denver pick later. But again, unless we think Joker's gonna retire." (31:39)

4. The Best All-Time NBA Teams: A Comparative Analysis

Timestamp: 13:12 - 19:55

In this segment, Wright discusses the criteria for the best all-time NBA teams, weighing factors such as regular-season records, playoff performances, and individual player excellence. He emphasizes the importance of consistent dominance and the ability to perform under pressure.

• Nick Wright: "If we're trying to do the hypothetical, if they were to match up against each other... And if your guy is peak Wilt Chamberlain or Peak Michael Jordan...". (28:04)

He debates the merits of current superstars like LeBron James and Steph Curry in historical contexts, defending their places among the elites despite evolving team dynamics and league competitiveness.

• Nick Wright: "When we just saw he just finished sixth in MVP voting. Sixth. He just finished firmly. Second team, all NBA." (12:00)

Wright also touches upon the subjective nature of ranking players and teams, acknowledging differing opinions while advocating for his assessments based on tangible achievements.

5. Listener Interactions and Final Thoughts

Timestamp: 19:55 - 41:18

Throughout the episode, Nick engages with listener questions and comments, providing insights and clarifications on previous discussions. He maintains a candid and often assertive tone, ensuring that his perspectives are clearly conveyed and debated.

• Nick Wright: "I am not trying to give myself credit here. I... I was not one of the loud Thunder skeptics." (31:45)

In his closing thoughts, Wright reiterates his support for the Thunder's potential, while cautiously acknowledging the unpredictable nature of sports championships.

• Nick Wright: "I think the dynasty talk is so silly and I understand folks argument is they are set up so well and I will just make the point that I made on Tuesday again we think every team almost is set up so well when they're in the midst of winning." (35:00)

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Conclusion

This episode of "What's Wright" by Nick Wright offers a robust discussion on both NFL and NBA topics, blending historical analysis with contemporary commentary. From challenging Saquon Barkley's assertions about the Eagles to meticulously evaluating the Oklahoma City Thunder's championship prospects, Wright provides listeners with a comprehensive look into sports rankings and team dynamics. His decisive stance and analytical approach make for an engaging and thought-provoking listen for sports enthusiasts.

Notable Quotes:

• "Not only is it not true, it's not even an... you can't even make a credible argument for it." (02:37)
• "We took out Embiid because of all the injury stuff and AD for similar reasons." (07:58)
• "They are four wins away from one of the single greatest Seasons in NBA history." (20:21)
• "If we're trying to do the hypothetical, if they were to match up against each other..." (28:04)
• "I am not trying to give myself credit here. I... I was not one of the loud Thunder skeptics." (31:45)

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This summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions and providing context for listeners who may not have tuned in.

Transcript

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Dan Flores]

Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[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. All right, let's do one quick NFL thing and then get to some listener questions.

[Unknown Speaker]

Saquon Barkley told Reed Blankenship and Cooper De Jean on their podcast that the Twitter. Oh, man, 2024.

[Nick Wright]

Hold on. Did you know this? Demons? Before we even get to it, bad news for us was we're now competing with a Reed Blankenship Cooper De Jean project.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's a. That's a nice tangent.

[Nick Wright]

Clear my schedule. I'm gonna have to catch up on the archives there.

[Unknown Speaker]

All right.

[Nick Wright]

Man, oh, man, I bet that's an insightful show. I'm excited to listen. Okay, go ahead.

[Unknown Speaker]

Saquon told him that. That. That 2024 Eagles team, the top five team in NFL history, you're obviously an NFL historian. How. How true is that?

[Nick Wright]

Not only is it not true, it's not even an. You can't even. You can't even make a credible argument for it. Like and by the way, Saquon said they were a top five team of all time and then listed five other teams in his top five which then would make them I guess a top six team of all time. But one of the teams he listed was the 2000 Ravens, which is not a top 20 team of all time. Like none of this makes sense. But the 72 Dolphins that went undefeated had the number one offense and the number one defense and beat teams by an average of 15 points a game. That's a top five team of all time. The 84 Niners that went 15 and one annihilated their postseason opponents start to finish had a top two offense, top two defense. The 85 bears that everyone talks about the greatest defense of all time with which it had but it also had the number two offense in the sport that year and beat their playoff opponents to Monz 91 to 10 is a top five team of all time.

[Unknown Speaker]

Bears quarterback ever thrown for more than 4,000 yards.

[Nick Wright]

I know because they had Wolf defense.

[Unknown Speaker]

I guess was amazing but oh okay.

[Nick Wright]

The defense was amazing and they had an amazing running game. They. They scored the second most points of any team in the league that year. The the who are the other teams? I'm leaving out an obvious one. 92 Cowboys, pretty good. 78 Steelers which had I think 11 hall of Famers. They're pretty good. The 07 Patriots didn't win the Super Bowl. They're the greatest team I've ever seen. The 2016 patriots that went 14 and two and ran had a top two offense and defense. They were pretty good. The 98 Broncos en route to a back to back championship like listen the Eagles had the number eight offense, number two defense and were in one score playoff games in rounds one and round two. Now did the Eagles have a top five super bowl performance because of what they did and who they did it to? Sure, I'll listen to that. You want to say did they have a top five all time final two games by just dismantling the Commanders and then dismantling the Chiefs? Sure, I'll listen to that. But top five team of all time credit for I feel like yeah but they still scored 55.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

You know what I mean or whatever they scored like the sure. But I just people again everyone just leave the list to me. Your guys lists suck. And and again I just and he wouldn't even it was so his top. Here are his top five teams of all time for the record 72 Dolphins because they're undefeated. Good job. 85 Bears. Good job. The 2000 Ravens, who. It's not even a tenable opinion. And then he was like one of the Brady teams and one of the Mahomes teams. Like, that's not even like a, a thing. And so I just like, whatever. All right, let's go. Remember, to everyone, like, rate, subscribe, review if you have time to. You know, when you're not listening to the Reed Blankenship Cooper De Jean podcast, if you want to check out what's right with Nick Wright, we'd appreciate it. You don't you think I'm being rude there to Monse.

[Unknown Speaker]

Hey, man, I started a podcast. It's gonna be very insightful.

[Nick Wright]

And yeah, I'm gonna go do a three cone drill after this. After our pod.

[Unknown Speaker]

So you unveiled your latest rendition of Club Superstar and you took Donovan. You put Donovan Mitchell in and Hallie in for the first time. You took Embiid and AD out. Could you explain to us your process and how the club management goes about getting these guys in and out?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, so. All right, so tell me. So Here are the 12 guys in and we can put the graphic up. Halliburton, Brunson, Joker, Shea, Luka, Giannis Braun, Steph, Donovan, Durant, Ant tatum. It's a 12 person max. So if you want to put someone in, you got to kick someone out. We took out Embiid because of all the injury stuff and AD for similar reasons. You might be like, then how does Tatum stay in? Tatum has been so consistent and so durable that, you know, one season long injury does not get him kicked out. Like, his spot is secure. You seem to have, I mean, the hardest call was Donovan.

[Unknown Speaker]

Donovan Mitchell surprised me.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. So who would you, would you have any of those guys in over him?

[Unknown Speaker]

That's what I was, I was trying to think of. I mean, yeah, Anthony Davis, find a guy.

[Nick Wright]

Because in line was Wimby, Cade Shingoon, and Devin Booker. Wimby is the obvious next guy in, but he's got to actually do it. You know what I mean? He's got to actually earn his way in. And so I, I, you know, we.

[Unknown Speaker]

Did a good job with it and all that. Yeah, I understand how Donovan Mitchell slips in there.

[Nick Wright]

The. Sorry, can you hear me still? The Monte.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes, I've got you.

[Nick Wright]

Okay, good. Sorry about that. My, I knocked my airpod out of my ear. I mean, AD is a tough, tough one and the argument against Donovan is, you know, eight years in the league, in the playoffs every year, never in round three. It's hard though, to use that as an argument to put AD and over him, because do I think Donovan could have, you know, made a conference finals or an NBA Finals alongside LeBron like AD did? I do like we when AD was the guy, he never got past round one. I. It's a tricky spot. Donovan is, for a guy who hasn't been deep in the playoffs. He's not a playoff dropper, like, you know what I mean? He puts up huge numbers. And Brew raised the question, do we not have 12 superstars?

[Unknown Speaker]

Right. That's the other thing I was kind of thinking, but go ahead. It's just like, let's just look around at the teams. I'm like, who can get in over this guy? But it's like, it's a little scarce.

[Nick Wright]

Right. It's a weird spot because the league is so deep on really good players, but maybe a little thin on great, great players. Because the other argument was, should Kevin Durant be out? And my answer to that question is he's such an iconic player who still plays at a high enough level. I don't feel comfortable. He's still 27 a game. You know what? I don't feel comfortable.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

Taking him out. So to me, Those are the 12. What are your follow ups here?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. Care to explain how Jokic took LeBron's throne?

[Nick Wright]

That was a editorial choice made by the artist, Jack Perkins, who does a great job. You can follow him on Twitter at Pure Hoop. And listen, I give him the lists, he makes the picture. I gotta tell you, I wasn't thrilled with seeing LeBron out of the throne, but I guess Joker's earned it for now.

[Unknown Speaker]

He's right.

[Nick Wright]

But yeah, that was not. I didn't. Trust me, I didn't. I didn't demand that. Now, I did hear that. I'm okay with LeBron being moved out of the throne because he's no longer in the argument. Best player in the league. My pal Simmons yesterday did a top 15 player pyramid and didn't have LeBron on that. Now that's an outrage. Like, that's just objectively that. Here's the thing about the LeBron rankings that is so irritating to me at times. People keep prematurely downgrading him because of his age. When we just saw he just finished sixth in MVP voting. Sixth. He just finished firmly. Second team, all NBA. So why all of a sudden is he not one of the 15 best players in the league like you. The LeBron is anywhere you. You could fairly argue for LeBron to be as high as 5th and as low as 10th best player in the league, but that's it. And the. It. What is frustrating to me about Bill's ranking specifically is the. He still has Steph Curry as like the seventh best guy. There's no. There's. There's no way to look at this NBA season and say Steph was better than LeBron. Not by stats, not by team record, not by individual accolades, not by. Not by any of it. Now you can say his team made it one round further in the playoffs. So be it. That. That part is true. But that's. It was that. But that team also. What. And be like, well, how much of LeBron's team success this year was because they traded for Luca? Seth's team was sub 500 when they traded for Jimmy. Like, that's a weird one for me. That. But set that aside. LeBron obviously still superstar. Steph's obviously still a superstar. And that's, you know, that's where we're at. All right, next.

[Unknown Speaker]

Do you think that Halliburton still should deserve. Would you have still given him a spot if he would have lost in round one?

[Nick Wright]

No. Now, I submitted this list before round one was over. I submitted this list. I took a screenshot of it yesterday to send a Gianna of when I submitted this list. I submitted this list May 7th. So let's see where we were in the playoffs on May 7th. I've got a. I can pull that up quickly. So when I submitted this list, we were. The games that had just been played is the Pacers had just taken a 20 lead on the Cavs. Oh, so that's interesting. I didn't even realize that I submitted this list the morning after Halliburton executed that. That insane comeback on the Cavs. And so maybe I, you know, maybe I was kind of in the afterglow of that. But he's proven me right by his performances throughout. And the other thing is. So no losing in round one. No. But. But had they ended up losing in round two, I would have still been comfortable with it. All right. The NBA Finals almost here. And every play could be the one that changes everything. It's the NBA playoffs where heroes rise, legacies are built, and the action never lets up. And with DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA, you don't just watch the madness.

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[Dan Flores]

The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.

[Nick Wright]

I'll correct my kids now and then. They'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

[Dan Flores]

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oklahoma City dominated Minnesota last night. The defense was humming. All of OKC stars were looking good. People want to talk about the the probability of this being a dynasty. You think they should hold the brakes on it? What is OKC gunning for here historically?

[Nick Wright]

Well listen, they are four wins away. Damanze from one of the single greatest Seasons in NBA history. Like that part is that has to be. There's two real metrics for two hard metrics for how good your seat like how good your season was and then some softer metrics. But the first one is how many games did you win? What was your record? And they have now become the fourth team ever to enter the finals with 80 victories. And now when we go long tor long term history, you gotta recognize that the playoffs have expanded a bit and changed. But a shorthand, you know. The 96 Bulls who won 72 regular season games did it. The 97 Bulls who won 69 regular season games did it. And the 73 win warriors who won 73 regular season games but did not win the championship. They all did it. They all got to 80 wins before the start of the NBA finals. So check off that box. As far as you know, that's really a regular season stat. It means how many regular season wins did you get? But we already knew 68 wins. I the list of teams to win more than 68 games in a single season are those two. 70. The 72 win Bulls, the 69 win Bulls that I mentioned, the 73 win warriors and then one other team, the 69 Lakers that they went on to win the championship. That's every team that won more regular season games than these Thunder. The teams to win 68 games are also at least. Well, one of them is an all time team. The other one came up short to the Knicks in the conference finals. You have the 83 Sixers, who. I'm sorry, not the 83 Sixers, the 67 Sixers. The 83 Sixers that were it. I put them there because I think they're one of the greatest teams ever. The fo fo foe Sixers. But that was not. They were not the dominant regular season team. These teams were. And then the 73 Celtics which came up short. And then this Thunder team. If we lower the threshold to 67 wins then it gets a little fuzzier because you have some great teams and some not so great teams. 67 wins. The 86 Celtics in the short, on the short list of greatest team of all time. Like that's pretty undeniable that you've got to at least include them when you are discussing who are the greatest teams of all time. The 86 Celtics have to be on that list. The 92 Bulls, who I actually think might be maybe the best of the Bulls teams that ended that finished off the first three. Pete, there's at least an argument there. The 2000 Lakers, the first championship with Shaq and Kobe. The 2015 warriors which is the first championship with Stephen. The 2017 warriors, the first championship with Stephen Durant. And then a couple teams. One that gets kind of is a punchline and the other is an all time great team that ran up against another all time great team. The punchline is the 07 Mavs who lost in round one after winning 67 games to the we believe Warriors. And the other One is the 2016 spurs who just happened to be. Yeah, I mean that team was unbelievable. They got clipped in round two by the 2016 Thunder who then ran into the 2016 warriors who then ran into Peak LeBron James. But so to do this quickly, teams to win 67 plus you have first year Steph won a title. First year Steph and KD won a title together. You have the first year Shaq and Kobe won a title. You have Jordan's Bulls the third time they won a title. And the best Celtics team of all time, the 86 Celtics. Those are the 67 win teams plus the two that I just mentioned that didn't win the title. The 68 win teams are this year's Thunder. And then you add to it the 73 Celtics not, you know, had a disappointing playoffs. And then 67 Sixers with Wilt won the title. And then 69 win teams. Jordan's Bowls the fifth championship. The Laker team that had the 33 game winning streak in 72. The 96 Bulls 100 and 72. And then the warriors, the 731 Warriors. So that's the company they keep. So there's one kind of hard piece of data. How many games did you win? The other one is were you blowing people out and teams that finished the year with a 10 plus point differential. It is last year's Celtics and then the 08 Celtics. Kareem's Bucks in 71. The Durant first year Durant warriors, that other warriors team the first year they won the title. The Bulls a couple times and The Lakers in 72. The Thunder beaten teams this year by almost 13 points per game. So they check both of the hard metric boxes. You then add the kind of softer factors. How good was the league in that time? I think the league's as talented as it's ever been. What was their path to the finals and to a championship? That one probably cuts against them a bit. They are not going through legendary opponents in route and they won't face a legendary opponent in the finals. They did however go through a legendary player in Joker and that was a classic seven game series. Another kind of soft factor. Did they have an all time player on their team? All time? I don't know yet. But the guy who had the best season this year and Shea. Yeah, they did. I mean Shea was unbelievable in the regular season, has been almost as good in the playoffs.

[Unknown Speaker]

Would not have, would not have an all time player make it a better feat.

[Nick Wright]

It might make it more impressive. But it's hard to argue when you're talking about the best single seasons in NBA history. It's. And I left out some of the 66 win teams and some of the best teams ever were 66 win teams. Le, LeBron's Heat that had the 27 game winning streak. I, the, I mentioned earlier the 08 Celtics, which were awesome. Those were the margin of victories. I mentioned Kareem's Bucks, the, you know, there are some, a couple Lakers teams, one with Magic, one with Kobe. Oh, those were 65, not 66. But the, it would make it more impressive, maybe to Monz. But when we're talking about who the greatest teams of all time are and if we're trying to do the hypothetical, if they were to match up against each other. Right, right. You want to be able to say our guy can at least kind of look eye to eye with your guy. And if your guy is peak Wilt Chamberlain or Peak Michael Jordan or peak Larry Bird and my guy is Chauncey Billups. Oh, and, and again. And I'm not, I'm just picking a team that won the title even though they, they're not in the all time team discussion. That's going to be a harder argument to make. Shea is making an argument that he's building an all time resume. It's a weird one because of how he started and it was a slow progression, but he's just gotten better and better and better every single year. I, so I am okay with saying this is an all time single season. I am not okay with saying this is an all time team because what the other all time teams had was stacked accomplishments, you know, multiple finals appearances, multiple championships and the teams kind of bleed together. But single season, it's that. But that thing gets us to the point you were. And I, I understand Pacer fans maybe or Nick fans even are like, my God, you're acting like they won the championship yesterday. And to that I would say, no, I'm not. I actually acted like they won the championship on Monday night because to me they did. That was the, that was the end of the competitive portion of this year's NBA season. And that's not to say the Pacers or the Knicks can't beat him in a game but when a team has home court and that team beats people in the playoffs at home by 51, 19, 43, 7, 32, 26, 15 and 30 with one loss coming on a buzzer beater they're going to win the championship when they also are a team that. That can if it were to happen Damanze deal with injury better than any other team in the now they can't deal with an injury to Shea but nobody can lose their best player. They could but they I. They could lose J Dub or Chet and still win the championship no, much less lose what I mean go ahead.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh no. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like Chad is such a presence. Chad. Losing Chad probably put them.

[Nick Wright]

Oh I think it. It would change them obviously but I wouldn't like. I wouldn't write them off any of these other teams if they lost one of their three best guys. You would basically just write them off. I. You couldn't do it with this team because of how deep they are. So I have and I'm not trying to give myself credit here. I. I am trying to remind the audience I guess I was not one of the loud Thunder skeptics. Now I didn't pick them to win the championship because I thought the Lakers could beat him. After I saw the Lakers beat them in a game the Thunder wanted and then the Lakers play them to a tie until Luca got kicked out and I was like okay, I think the Lakers are the one team that can give them real problems. Maybe Boston. But I. I thought the Thunder were a legitimate championship caliber team all year and the moment the Lakers went out I said I think they're going to win the title. With all that said, I think the dynasty talk is so silly and I understand folks argument is they are set up so well and I will just make the point that I made on Tuesday again we think every team almost is set up so well when they're in the midst of winning. And to which some people reply yeah but those teams weren't as young. That's true that the Bucks in 2021 or the Nuggets in 2023 or even the Celtics last year weren't as young. However with the Bucks and the Nuggets we did feel like their best player was in already in once they won the title. The historically great conversation and Shea isn't quite in that yet like we thought. Yes, this Thunder team's younger, but we thought that Giannis and Joker in that moment were a tick above where Shea is in this moment. And the other argument people are going to make is yes, but the nug it's the for the Thunder it's all that draft capital that they have. And that is true, but it's also a little misleading. So the, the Thunder's draft capital is more quantity than quality. So I'm, I'm going to go through it just to and this is courtesy of real GM to remind people what they have. Because what you're gonna see is it's a ton of stuff and it's a ton of stuff that theoretically they could use in trades. But it's not like oh man, that could be the third pick of the draft. Okay, so this year they have the 15th pick from Miami and the 24th pick from the Clippers. At least I think fact check me in the cause I don't have this year's pulled up. Fact check me in the DOC if I'm wrong about this year but they the then next year what they have, they have Houston's pick next season protected 1 through 4. So Houston, we think Houston's going to be quite good next year. So a late pick next year and then they have. I want to make sure I get this right, the Clippers pick next year. So I think the Clippers showed us this year that they are going to be at least a credible team. And so those are, those are fine picks, but none of those appear or feel like those are going to be, you know, I lottery top 10 picks. Right. And then they have Phillies pick next year potentially. And again they only get two of these. So these are the best ones they could get. Phillies pick if it falls outside of the top four and Utah's pick if it falls outside of the top eight. The moral of the story is next year they are going to have a bunch of extra picks and they all look like they are not going to be lottery picks because Utah is the only team on that list that is likely going to be in the lottery and Utah likely is going to be able to keep their pick because it'll be in the top eight in 2027. They again they get the Clippers pick and that's unprotected. Maybe that could be good. Maybe. And Denver's pick, which assuming Joker doesn't retire is not gonna be that good. And in 2028 they can swap with Dallas again. Do we think Dallas now that they have Cooper Flag and Anthony Davis is there that that's going to be a top five pick. No. And then that's really. I think they have one more Denver pick later. But again, unless we think Joker's gonna retire. So the point I'm making in a somewhat convoluted fashion is it's a lot of stuff, but it's not great stuff. Now the argument there would be damanze, yeah, but they can package that stuff for a star and that then gets to, to me, the next interesting domino for the Thunder, which is yeah, are they going to want to be expensive? Are they going to want to for the first time in franchise history be a big luxury tax butt up against the apron type of team? And my answer to that question is I don't see why they would now. And you can say, well, they want to ch. Right, correct. Right. They, they, they didn't want to pay it then and you can be like, well, but now they want a championship that could cut either way. Maybe they, you would be like they want a championship now. They just want to win, win, win. They also want to be like we want a championship without having a super expensive team, so why do we need one? And so it is a different NBA guys and it's a different NBA also in this regard. The own like the guys who have reeled off a bunch are guys who are top 10 all time players. The one guy who is pretty consensus outside of the top 10 who reeled off even two is Isaiah Thomas and he's firmly in the top 20 but outside the top 10. So Joker would have checked those boxes. Little unlucky, some Jamal Murray's injuries, you know, Giannis could have potentially little unlucky. Didn't have, you know, this type of pick bounty though to be fair in Milwaukee to make up for some of those mistakes. And I'm not saying Shay is not Shay. Shay, I said all year was the mvp. But it is surprising to me how many people who a month ago were quite convinced the Celtics were about to reel off a bunch of championships are now convinced the Thunder are about to reel off a bunch of championships. And so I, you know, too long didn't listen. All time single season team. Yes. Set up pretty well for the future. Yes. Going to win this championship. Without a doubt. Yes. Ready to pencil them in for multiple titles. No. So that's where I land on Oklahoma City. They will be in the mix for years to come but as a lot of teams can attest, in the mix doesn't really buy you anything in the modern NBA.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Dan Flores]

Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.