← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
What's Wright - Nick Wright Mailbag: NFL Club Superstar, RANKING current NBA players all-time, Josh Allen vs. Lamar
00:56:02
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This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human welcome in what's Right with Nick Wright, episode 428. If you are watching this after watching Tuesday's show, you're like you're wearing the exact same kind of not befitting the style of the podcast out. But that's true for a couple of reasons. One is we are doing this on Tuesday actually right before the Tuesday show. So this is gonna you're hearing this after we've done another pod. Doesn't matter in LA Demons A here I am leaving from here to go do my hit on the Herd. So if I have any super viral takes from Tuesday's show, my hit with Colin or this episode we're doing today, I almost need to be careful to make sure I only have that doesn't happen or else it's just first of all I'm not really dressing the part of the pod and second of all it'll look weird for people who don't get it. But great to see you as always. This has been an unbelievable few days. I feel like I'm basically board certified to be an au pair at this point. I, I mean it took me a couple days but I, I have I damanze trusted me more with his three month old then his mother. My wife trusted me with our youngest daughter when she was three months old and a couple days. It worked out great. I feel like I nailed it. Today's show again we talked about it last week and earlier this week is going to be a straight ripoff from Bill Simmons mailbag type of episode. We have not done these directly before. We've done live question responses but today's show is not live. Like I said you're going to be hearing it or seeing it on Thursday. We are doing it on Tuesday. So we have sourced the questions already but we will still do our regular stuff like reminding you that this episode of what's Right with Nick Wright is presented to you by our great friends at Boost Mobile. Even though since today I'm in studio we don't have the sick Boost Mobile. The what's the word for that? Not hologram.
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Neon.
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Neon. Neon. Hologram. Neon.
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Neon sign.
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Yeah, neon is the word I was looking for. Neon sign behind me. And speaking of Boost Mobile, straight to voicemail brought to you by Boost Mobile things we are not getting to today. I do. I'm not getting to the Olympic scandal with the curlers and the pushing. I don't, I, I, I don't totally. I have not followed it maybe the way I should have. We're not getting to Demonte's Curling Corner and and we are not able to recap how I did yesterday, which again is actually tomorrow on no Gamble, no Future. However, if you didn't watch it Wednesday, it lives on this YouTube channel. So you'll be able to see the live stream in replay there if you want to find out. I mean, it's on the board that by the time you listen to this, I am either, you know, I am. It's almost a guarantee that if you listen to this episode when it drops, I will be in a state of massive hangover Thursday morning in Vegas, either celebrating my what could be my biggest one day gambling one of my life or dealing with the devastation of my biggest one day gambling loss of my life. Either one of those outcomes will likely lead to a lot of drinking in Vegas Wednesday night and me feeling really awful Thursday morning because I'm washed and I'm in my 40s and I can't drink like I used to. So we will give the full recap of that next week as well. Reminder, everybody like rate, subscribe, review and now let's get right to it. Damanze and we will start with some pretty straightforward NFL questions from the audience.
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First off, we got Zach. He asked if you were an NFL qb, whose career would you rather have Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or Sam Darnold?
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So I think despite being super bowl champion, I think it is very clear the last pick of that is Darn Darnold.
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Yeah.
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Because Darnold for, I mean there is the nuts and bolts of he has made far less money than those guys. Yeah, he obviously has had far less stability than those guys. He's had to move around and he has been the subject of not just major criticism, but just derision, mockery in a way those guys never have been. Josh or Lamar, though, is an interesting question. Go ahead.
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Unfortunately, I like to say that I know Josh Allen hasn't really accomplished much more than Lamar Jackson, but I would say that Josh Allen's had some bigger games.
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I feel like Josh has. I think he answers Josh because I don't think there is both of the guys. You know, the money is basically the same and the success is close to the same and that they both win a ton of games in the regular season. They both have won a league mvp. Josh is obviously one or I'm sorry, Lamar is obviously one two. But they and neither is one or reached a Super Bowl.
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Both get the love from the.
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They both get the love. But I feel like and you know, people can, you know, I'm the. Again, I'm the hot dog meme guy where it's like, who did this? Yeah, I don't feel like Josh has any, like, true vocal, dyed in the wool doubters the way Lamar does. So I. And so the. And, you know, while I have been, I guess, a critic of both of these guys at various times, I think there is a level of skepticism about Lamar that has reached a higher degree than with Josh. I think Josh's public, you know, approval rating, if you will, as a player, I'm not as a person. I think their approval rating as a person for both of them is incredibly high. I think Josh is just fair or not less criticized and considered the slightly better player. And so I think. I think the answer to that is Josh. I. And it's close, but I think he has. I don't even know if it's fair to say he's had the better career, but I do think he is more highly regarded. I think their careers are very similar and Lamar actually is the more decorated player. He has all pros. Josh, first team all pros. Josh doesn't. He has two MVPs. Josh has one. Yet I don't really feel like Lamar is. I don't hear fans outside of Baltimore say he's the best player in the league. And I think they think he's one of the best, which clearly is. But I think Josh is kind of at this point, widely. If the answer isn't Mahomes, I think he is widely considered it's Josh. So I think Josh up to this point is the career I would rather have. Now, I will say if neither ever reaches a Super bowl, then I might switch that to. I'd rather. Here's why. If Josh never reaches a Super bowl, then every time people tell his story down the road, when he's done playing in the first paragraph of his story is going to be another player in Mahomes, Patrick, you know, and so that's Lamar, you know, for good or for bad, doesn't have that knocked out by
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like three or four different guys.
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Right? And so it's. For a player as great as Josh, if he ends having never gotten to a Super bowl and never beaten Patrick in the playoffs, then it is. It's always tough to be the Patrick Ewing to someone else's Michael Jordan story. And that's kind of what it would be for Josh.
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All right, next, David asks what single play from the Chiefs dynasty keeps you up at night the most? My guess would be the D. Ford offside.
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So the D. Ford offsides is Mahomes first year as a starter. AFC championship game against the Patriots. Down 14 nothing at half. Mahomes has one of the greatest second halves in NFL history. They score 31 points. They have they finally. They take the lead in the fourth quarter. There's a couple minutes left. Brady throws the game ending interception and totally meaningless to the play. D. Ford had his hand in the neutral zone and the Patriots then you know, the interception off the board. It was Brady's third pick of the game. It was. He was sitting on at that point. Obviously five Super Bowls, not seven. Mahomes would have beaten him and I believe they would have then beaten that Rams team in the Super Bowl. So that's the answer most people give. I have. And maybe this is just what kids would call cope. I have come to the belief that the D. Ford offsides play and losing that game was good for the Chiefs next half decade. Because the Chiefs defensive coordinator that year was Bob Sutton. Good man. This is going to sound mean, but just awful.
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Okay.
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And had they reached and won the Super Bowl. Mahomes his rookie year or second year, but first year starting. They obviously are not firing anybody.
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Right.
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Because they lost that game. They fired him, brought in Spags and Spags was so critical. He's still there.
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Right?
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Exactly. And has been so critical to all the championships that followed. So I'm. I'm just not certain if they win then and win immediately.
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Keep the guy.
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Right. If they, if they get, if they have the, you know, three of the next five years they win the super bowl. Five of the next six, they make the Super Bowl. The other play that stands out in people's mind is afc a different AFC championship game. They lost in overtime. Right. They're beating the Cincinnati Bengals 21 to 3. The Bengals score a touchdown right before half. It's 21:10. Chiefs have the ball on the three yard line with seven seconds left. And Andy lets Patrick run one more play before the field goal. Patrick makes a mistake and throw short of the end zone and Tyreek gets tackled in bounds. They get no points and the second half is a total disaster. They lose an ot, but that one I again have dealt with the cope on or I've coped with in that. That loss led to them trading Tyree and I think that was good for what it allowed the team to build.
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Yeah.
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So I am going to give maybe wild answer, but my answer is the pick six from the super bowl against the Eagles because even though they ended up getting routed. I do. I don't think that Eagles team was so much better than the Chiefs that you play that game 10 times, the Eagles win nine. I think they were enough better that if you play that game 10 times, the Eagles win six. And they had structural advantages on the line but had if, if that game didn't get out of the hand so quickly.
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Right. It's a lot of momentum.
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Pick six in the super bowl and it's. And it led to Patrick pressing and so many things. So that's actually. And it's not like. Well, that super bowl loss ended up being good for no. The next year was the season from hell. Now the answer to that question, you know, maybe is going to be years from now obvious. And it's going to be the play where Patrick mom stores acl. But I am, I think Patrick's going to come back from that at a hundred percent and not be like a pre and post injury. But that maybe that's just, you know, blind optimism.
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All right, next, Joey asked Nick what if you made a club superstar for NFL players who would be in what would the rules be for it?
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I think the way to do the. It would have to be one guy per position.
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Yeah.
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And. One guy per position for certain positions and one guy per position for position groups. So it would be. So let's think about who it would be. The quarterback would be Mahomes. Anybody disagrees can go to hell.
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Yeah.
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The wide receiver.
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Tough.
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I think it would have. I think it would have to be who. Who's. So keep Justin Jefferson. No, Justin Jefferson's the answer for me because again it's, it's not purely just a raw rankings tie. Does go to the superstar component and how long you've been doing it. So running back I actually think is easy
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like now in this moment.
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Right now. This moment. But again how long you've been doing it right. Fame, all of it.
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Level it be Derrick Henry.
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That is correct. Yeah, that I just listen I think Saquon's obviously unbelievable. Christian McAffrey is unbelievable. Bijan Jir Gibbs, all those guys. But Derrick Henry has been the running back and he continue it's been for so long he's produced at that level. He is of those guys the only guaranteed hall of Famer. And so Derrick Henry, I'm just going to go one offensive lineman and I would give that. I think I'd probably actually give that to Lane Johnson, Eagles right tackle. And I also don't want to spend too much time debating that thinking about it that would be my gut. For D line, I would do 1D tackle, 1D. And so what do we have right now? We have four guys, 1D line, 1D end. So defensive end is obviously Miles.
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Yeah.
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With, with respect to Micah and Crosby, it's Miles D tackle. Again, there is a bit of a legacy bump here, but I'm giving to Chris Jones. He is the only active defensive tackle who is a guaranteed hall of Famer. I understand he had a bit of a down year. The whole team did. But it's him middle linebackers because you know, edge is, you know, outside linebacker. If you're in a 3, 4, it's the rotate. Right. And so I'm just going to do a middle linebacker. The middle linebacker is Fred Warner. That is to me inarguable corner. I, I, I think the answer is certain.
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Okay.
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He's, he's one defensive player of the year. I don't know if you have, if you like Christian Gonzalez is great. There's obviously a lot of great corners. But I, I think the right answer for corner is certain safety is Kyle.
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Yeah.
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And so if I did it and I had the same rules of 12 guys, that's nine. So then the three wild cards, no
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kick returners, no kickers.
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Definitely no kickers, definitely no punters. Maybe one of the wild cards would be a kicker if it was like we were in a moment where like venitarian is prime.
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Tucker.
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Justin Tucker. Back when we talked about Justin.
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Yeah,
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no, no, it's not your bad. So if we had wild card spots, I think Josh and Lamar have to get them.
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Yeah.
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And one last.
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We throw a coach in there. I guess coaches weren't an NBA.
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So then I think then the last spot would go to Micah over Jamar Chase. Any of the running backs, any of the other corners. He is a superstar. He is his, you know, on a no doubt hall of fame trajectory. He was, you know, he's one of the only non quarterbacks in the league that we know would be traded for multiple first round picks because we saw it happen. So there you go. I think, I think we just, that's it. I think we just nailed it. I think we just nailed it. All right, let's the. You know what, Let me talk to you guys about my friends at Hard Rock BET and then we'll get some other questions here. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet Florida's sportsbook. I know it can be tough with no football, but like the song says, I bet I will survive with a Hard Rock Bet there's always something to bet on every night. Hoops, hockey, so much more. Plus all the great same game parlays, live betting and player prop options you're used to. And did you know Hard Rock Bet is the official sports betting partner of the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic, so they obviously know their hoops. If you haven't signed up with a Hard Rock Bet yet, there's never been a better time. New signups can double their winnings on their first in bets. Max $50 that's right. If you would have won a hundred bucks on your bet, make that 200. The hard rock Bet Sportsbook app is the only legal sportsbook for whenever you're in Florida and it's also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan. Coming soon to more states as well. Plus, Hard Rock Bet offers new promos daily, so whenever you're listening to just open the app, check out what they've got going. Any day of the week, download the Hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposit payable and bonus bets. Not a cash offer Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital, LLC in all other states. Must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia to play Toronto. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call 1833 play wise in Indiana. If you or someone you know has a gambling Problem wants help, call 1-800-9 with it gambling problem, call 1-800- gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia this month, iHeartRadio is celebrating the stars of the 2026 Winter Games. Ocala, Florida might seem like an unlikely home for a Winter Olympian, but Erin Jackson is a sprinter in a league of her own. After making history as the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympic gold medal, she returns to the ice faster than ever. A former inline skater, she dominates the 500 meter sprint with explosive power and arrives in Italy to defend her crown for more Winter Games gold. Search Olympics on the iheartradio app all right demons A let's go on to the NBA.
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So pump asked where did Tatum, Jokic and SGA rank in the top 50 players in the last 50 years?
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What a great question. And this. Honestly, I know I do this sometimes, but I mean it. This time this summer, let's do an episode where we really fully give this a freshening up, so to speak, 100%. So since I last did any tweaks, the active guys for top 50 of the last 50 years were obviously Braun one and again if people aren't used to this list it's Kareem to now so this doesn't affect bronze ranking but everyone else we're going to say if you were doing like their all time ranking they drop at least two spots because of Russell and Wilt and some of them would drop three because they're also behind west. Some would drop four because they're also behind Oscar. Some would drop five because they're also behind Elgin or six because they're also behind Mike and or seven because they're also behind Koozie. I I'm not going to do all that work right now. So we will just do the top 50 of the last 50 by the previous rules. But again for accuracy sake keep that in mind. So Bron was one Steph was 10 right behind Shaq and Akeem and right ahead of Dr. J and Moses Durant who's an active player was 13. So for the first guy on that list Joker the Ambia I would have him if I were do it right now he would jump ahead of and this as much as this hurts my heart because I love these two players and one of them was the inspiration for the list. He would jump ahead of Moses and Julius and be right behind Steph. Yeah, I can't put him ahead of Steph. I don't think that's fair.
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I thought you were initially when you first said you apologized.
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No, I can't I at least at the moment I I think only one title.
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He's amazing.
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He's amazing. He's utterly amazing. But he is right now and I think this is fair when it comes to all time rankings at the ceiling you can be at with one title there there are like listen Wilt who's again not on the list but would be only as to dream only as two if he gets a second one then we start having a real Jokic versus the the Steph Shaq Dream Bird group. Like that's where the that's the neighborhood in which he lives. But so he is so he right now would be 11 and so again which 13 was Durant 14 was Giannis. So those guys would drop to 1415 and then so here's a it's a trick. This is a tricky one Damon say because and maybe I am crazy on this. It is very hard for me to say SGA is better than Tatum even though I understand SGA is better than Tatum. Does that make sense?
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Pretty hard for me to say that, too.
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But, like. But there's no, like, argument for, like, SGA has won an mvp, is probably gonna win another one. SGA has better stats. Sga, they both, you know, achieved at a super high level. SGA has a better resume than Tatum and has proven he can be a. A list MVP candidate in a way Tatum hasn't. And yet I still kind of deep down feel like Tatum's better.
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I think that's when it gets down to, like, the play style again, maybe. That's probably just me personally.
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Yep.
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I probably enjoy watching Jason Tatum play
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basketball more than sga, so I. I agree with that. So I had Luka 20th, but again, that was like a projection thing. If I redid it, as great as Luke is, he's dropped.
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Yeah.
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Chris Paul was 21. So I'm. I'm scrolling through it. James Harden was 25. So SGA, if I redid it right now, would come in. God, this is crazy. But. Right ahead of James Harden. Okay, so he would slide into 25. 20.
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Yeah. I was gonna ask, is James Harden moved at all since.
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No, he's not gonna move down, but he certainly hasn't helped himself.
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Right.
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And so for Tatum, I would slide Tatum in. So, like, 30 is Iverson. 32 is Kawhi. 33. I would slide Tatum in right ahead of Scotty Pippen and right behind kawhi. Okay, so 33. But again, we've now added people. But that. That's where it would be. So Tatum slightly behind sga, even though that doesn't feel right to me, but it feels like it has to be. And Joker, right outside the top 10.
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All right.
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All right, let's go to Iceman.
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Iceman asks who would be the Mount Rushmore of international players.
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So this is very easy, and I think it's undeniable. So it's. Yes, Wimby is he.
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I know he's fresh.
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No, he can't be there yet. Oh, there's. It is Jokic Dream Dirk Giannis, and I think that's the only acceptable top four, I don't think. I actually don't think that is even worth a debate now. Could Wimby get there? Of course. Would it be shocking if Wimby doesn't get stunning? But Jokic Dream Dirk Giannis has to be your Mount Rushmore of international players. And I don't like the Manu Tony Parker any. Those guys are simply not in that.
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As big as these guys.
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No, those guys all won league MVPs. Those guys all won championships. Those guys all won finals MVPs. Like, they are. They are the guys. And there's a reminder for the. Well, actually guys, Tim Duncan is from the US Virgin Islands, so he's not an international guy. He obviously would be on there, which would create a problem for either Giannis or Dirk, who is, you know, the Yokich and Dream are solidified. Giannis and Dirk. Different. Different people might have them ranked differently. So a top three, there could be some debate. A top four, there is not. All right, next Nick asks.
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I'm a Mass fam and last year it was been a last. The last year has been a roller coaster. After the Luca trade, I nearly picked a new team. I didn't. But it's an interesting thought exercise. If you were picking an NBA team to be a fan of right now, who would you go with without just picking the best team like OKC or a hometown team?
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So I think if you were just truly a NBA free agent, I think the Knicks would be a fun team.
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Yeah.
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Because they've got a. I think a very easy to root for superstar diehard fan base. Games are on TV a ton. They're, you know, they are. They're always going to spend. They're always going to care and players
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want to show out at msg.
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Yeah. So like I think that would be a fun team to just pick out of nowhere. I get why people would say Denver because you get to watch, you know, root for Joker every night. But that's a tricky one because it does feel like once Joker's done the Nuggets just kind of go back to being the Nuggets. I would, I could not strongly recommend enough not being a Lakers fan under the current ownership and general. It's so frustrating now maybe now that the Dodgers are taking. The Dodgers owners are taking over, it'll be better and they're. But there's. It's. You wouldn't feel it's kind of. That's a weird thing to be like. I'm all of a sudden a Lakers fan. People just. You don't get any like cool points for that.
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What about the Hornets?
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So that's fun team.
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Nobody expects anything from them. You get to ride it out to maybe their success at some point.
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I mean, yes, if you believe in fun players, believe in Lamelo, then sure, I would go a different way. And I. You know what? I think this might be the answer. I just thinking about it briefly. I think the right. If you're an ad, just a true NBA free agent and want a combo of long Runway team that can legitimately win now and in the future you get kind of like a credibility cool points like, oh, you're a real basketball fan. Fun style, fun players. I think the answer might be the Detroit Pistons.
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Oh, damn. Okay.
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Yeah, you get for the next decade, Jalen Duran's, you know, just played in the All Star game. They, they, there's a world where they win the title this year, but nobody thinks like, oh, you're a front runner.
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Right.
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It's a cool basketball history with them. They've won three championships. The I. So I think that might be the right answer of kind of melding everything together. Minnesota would be fun because of ant.
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Yeah.
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But yeah, I think Detroit's my answer there.
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Okay. Yeah, I like that one a lot.
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All right, let's get to some more questions Mustard asked.
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Does being a hot take specialist sometimes hinder sports betting? If the conventional wisdom is correct, is seeking a contrarian opinion open you up to risky bets?
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So here is what certainly hinders my actual sports betting. And Parkins gives me a hard time for this all the time. I simply don't have the discipline or ability to bet against my takes.
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Yeah.
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So like, and obviously I would never bet against what I say I believe is going to happen.
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Right.
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But sometimes it's less what I, you know, sometimes our, you know, discussions or it's less about what I believe is going to happen, more about what I want to happen. And I find myself too often betting on what I'm hoping will happen versus trying to look at it purely from like a value perspective.
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But don't you think that helps you hit some bets sometimes too? Because you see the storyline and you.
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Right. Certainly it can, but I think in the, over the long run, I think it's probably a losing strategy. But that is, I just, I would never, I. It's not that I always bet on what I'm hoping will happen, but I never bet on what I'm hoping won't happen. Even if, even if in my head I'm like, man, this team should be getting three points and they're getting six. I still just don't have the ability to go.
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Yeah, I feel I get it.
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That's right.
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All right, next, Curtis asked Nick, what's the moment in your life that made you realize this is what I want to do for a career?
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I there. I just, I remember being very dead set that I was going to play in the NBA having.
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I don't think you ever told me about this.
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Oh, really? No. Yeah. I was like dead set to the point Of I was very emotional kid, being maybe 8 years old and sitting in the back. I just remember this so vividly being in the back of my dad's car and I had a Moses Malone basketball card in my hand. Moses Malone. I just said he was 12th greatest player of the last 50 years on this list. Now 13th. But Moses Malone at the end of his career played everywhere. So he was. So this, if I was 8, this was 92. Does this line up? This is exactly right. So maybe I was nine and it was 93. But Moses Malone, after his unbelievable run with Houston and then Philly over the next decade of his career, went Bullets to the Hawks to the Bucks, back to the Sixers to the Spurs. And I remember looking at the back of his basketball card and then my dad saying to me, nick, why are you crying? And this is so embarrassing, but I don't care. I was a little kid and I said to him, I was like, I'm just worried that when I make the NBA I'm going to get traded all the time like Moses Malone. And I was just like, it was, I was just like so certain that I was going to be NBA. And I was like, man, that would suck to have to be.
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I don't want his career.
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And I obviously didn't know what a legend he was, but I was fortunate in that by like I think age 10, maybe 11, I realized, oh, you ain't making the NBA buddy. Like you're,
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you had a welcome to the world moment.
- [36:48]
A
I just, I was somewhere. I, I was such a die hard sports fan as a little kid. Like I was the, the annoying little kid that was like, ask me any sports question, I know all the players, you understood. And then I was like, I'm not the best player amongst my friends. Like I'm, I'm cooked on this. And so the moment that happened, I just pivoted instantly to, well then I just want to call NBA debate. Oh no, I didn't think it was debate. I thought I wanted, I wanted to be. I didn't realize this at the time that color commentators were only former. I wanted to be the person. Jeff. Yeah, the. I think little kid Nick might have been better than Reggie Miller. The right. The color commentator. And that was all I wanted to do. And so like I, you know, I've told the story before, so I don't won't do it again. But when I was like 12, I met Bob Costas and I asked him what he did, where he went to school. He said he went Syracuse, worked at War. And I was just like, okay, that's what I'm going to do. And that is what I did. So it's just the only, it's like career goals if you were to track it. The only like on the record things I've ever said were lion tamer as like a 5 year old. My mom told me that I said because we went to the circus, that transitioned to NBA player and that transitioned to sports broadcaster and it never changed. So I've wanted, you know, I've wanted, I've thought I was going to do this for 30 years. Is the answer.
- [38:29]
B
All right, Next, Alexander asked, should Stephen a be president?
- [38:36]
A
No. And I, I don't, I don't know. I had been, I had thought for a while he did not actually want to be. I don't know that I think that anymore. And there, there, if we are as a country going to fully pivot from like statesmen or at least long term politician to professional entertainer, which is, listen, that's what Trump was. I mean he was, people say he was famous for real estate, he was famous for being famous and he was really famous for the Apprentice and he was famous for being famous and understood television and really uniquely gifted understanding what. Marketing, Marketing, marketing what moves the American people. And that is a political trait, but it didn't used to be the defining one. If we were to go from President Trump to President Stephen A. Smith, then that is what the office then becomes. It's almost like the, a version of like the royal family family in England where it's like, hey, this is not a figurehead position that has real power, but that is, it would. If the next president is a celebrity turned politician, then I just think that's what presidents will be from there on. I don't think that's what's best for the nation as a whole. And that's without getting into what I think would be. My guess is, and I don't know if he's ever really, he's been very cagey about what he actually believes and what his actual policies are while flirting with these things. My gut is I would probably have a lot of very, very different policy feelings than him. But I will tell you this, the flip side to that whole coin is
- [41:11]
B
he'd be better than the president that we have now.
- [41:14]
A
Oh, no, that's, well, that's, I mean my opinion on that is very, you know, you, there's it, it'd be hard to walk past somebody on the street who I don't, don't think wouldn't Check that box. But the. No, the. The. The. The flip side to that coin is, I mean, if he's running, I mean, like, like, I could just, like. Well, I mean, I don't know if the idea is he's gonna crush on the debate stage. I can tell you one person in the field who I think would do better on the debate stage. And so I, you know, so maybe I shouldn't close the door to. To him or anybody who is a captivating public speaker and sports take guy. All right, next, Cooper.
- [42:06]
B
As chances that the US Advances out of its group for the upcoming World
- [42:10]
A
cup, it will be a catastrophe if they don't. So we're going to talk a good amount of World cup this summer. And that is not me just being a company man because Fox has the game. That is me doing it because I love the World Cup. I love the World cup, and it's in the US and. And I'm going to go to some of the games. And the US Got a great draw. And with the new format of 48 teams qualifying and 32 advancing out of their group and given the fact that the US either got the best or the second best draw possible, it will be an utter catastrophe if they don't make it out of group play. And the. The goal for the US should be quarterfinals, which is final eight. The minimum for the US should be round of 16. So win a game in the knockout round. Disappointment for the US Is losing your first game in the knockout round, which is round of 32. And utter catastrophe. Salt the earth and start anew for U.S. soccer is not making it out of the group stage. All right. But we got a few more in. This has actually gone longer than I thought it would. This has been great. We should do these more often. But real quick. You ever notice how everything keeps going up? Rents going up, streaming services going up? Even your favorite burrito spot is charging extra for salsa. What's up with that? But with Boost Mobile, you and your phone bill don't have to play the will this go up soon? Game. Why? Because Boost Mobile has unlimited talk, text, and data plan at a price that'll never go up. In fact, it's the same price you'll pay for life. So switch now for unlimited wireless at a price that will never go up. Only at boost mobile, after 30 gigs, customers may experience lower speeds. Customers will pay $25 per month as long as they remain active on the Boost unlimited plan. All right, so some content ideas people are throwing at us culinary charts asks
- [44:17]
B
more of A a request than a question. Can you do a gambling 101201 series where you outline some of your approach towards gambling strategy?
- [44:26]
A
Yeah, I think we could do that over the summer. Probably tail end of the summer for football season starts. And, and so I, yeah, I think we could definitely do that and I also think a big, an important piece of that should be explaining to people that there's the people love and the sports books market and are really into parlays. Parlays are you know, if you are. Whoops. If you are doing this just you know, for a little added fun while watching a game or on the weekend, a fun lottery ticket. Anything where it's you can bet x and make 10 or 20 or 100x right. Then it, you need to treat that the way the math intends scratcher is. No, no, no. Like, like it is, it is in the same. If you are, if, if you are, you know, doing $10 to win $1,000 parlays, there is nothing wrong with that. But it is in the same ballpark as buying, you know, lottery tickets. It's. You know what I mean? You are, you, you understand the odds are this is worth zero, but it's fun and it gives like that's so there is that.
- [45:57]
B
You feel a lot, a lot more confident though placing them in the lottery tickets. Like the feeling of it.
- [46:03]
A
Of course. And you do have. It's, you're not, it's not a. You know.
- [46:06]
B
Right, exactly. You're picking the guys who you.
- [46:08]
A
And it's not 200 million to one or whatever. No, you, you have a real shot of hitting them. But that is not like a long term strateg like the, the people should not look at it as. This is a great way for me to make extra money this month.
- [46:31]
B
Yeah.
- [46:31]
A
They should look at it as. Listen, I think I, I, I believe, I think I, you know, can do well or I want to have a little extra fun. Whatever it is. That's the parlay side of it. And then the straight bet side of it is really a lot about stuff that you know, I've kind of tried and he's picked up on teaching demanze over the last couple years which is truly understanding the value of half points, key numbers, those things. So you have a real fighting chance. And so, and even doing it that way it's again, it's very, very, very difficult to be a winning and profitable gambler. Which is why it is, it is a form of entertainment that, that I, I know some people have, you know, moral Qualms with it. I find it no different than paying, you know, the. When people pay to an admission to go into an amusement park, like, you know, you are leaving there, you know, with you have. You own nothing and you are paying for the experience. It's. It needs to be looked at in a similar bucket with, you know, something that you will enjoy even if you don't win.
- [47:52]
B
Right.
- [47:52]
A
Which is why it's important people don't bet, you know, over their skis and there's. And so yeah, we can talk about all that. I am, I. It is very important to me as I understand how entrenched sports gambling is in my life, in my livelihood, in the pod that I'm just honest with the audience about, you know, the pros and cons and what it is. And I think I've been, I have always tried to be very.
- [48:24]
B
I feel like you're with pretty thorough with explaining the process and stuff and
- [48:28]
A
not trying to treat it the way some people who are like shilling crypto coins treat it as like the get rich quick type. That's not what it is. But I do. I've done it for. I said I thought I wanted to be in sports broadcasting for 30 years. I've been gambling in some way, shape or form for almost as long. And so it is in my blood. I come from two lines, family lines of gamblers and you know, I, the I'm, you know, in Vegas all the time playing poker. So I'm not here. I am. I, I just want to give people the full picture of it. So yeah, we can definitely do that this summer.
- [49:13]
B
All right, next, Michael asks any thoughts on a once a week Nick Nick Wright episode on current events. Love to hear your thoughts on going goings on the current US and global events, especially if sports topics get a bit slow.
- [49:25]
A
So here's the, here's the reason I'm hesitant to do that like a once a week thing people get. Sorry, no go.
- [49:35]
B
No, no.
- [49:35]
A
I mean I'm curious what you thought.
- [49:36]
B
Go. Well, sometimes when we talk about current events, I know some fans, they don't they. Oh.
- [49:41]
A
I'm not as worried about people getting mad, especially if I branded it as like, hey, you skipped this episode. I am not, I'm not comfortable talking about important things if I don't feel I am totally buttoned up on them. And so if all of a sudden I had no like somebody was like, hey, your thoughts on the curling controversy. Yeah, I would. I know just enough about that that if I had to like give a Take, Yeah, I could give a take. And if it's like, Nick, you idiot, you don't even understand, I would just be like, oh, my bad. I would feel, and I don't say this lightly, immoral doing that about things that actually matter. Like, because I do take my platform seriously, I do think that, you know, I'm not like a tastemaker, but I do think my opinion matters, at least to some degree. And about actual real life stuff, I only try to talk about it if I feel I am fully dialed and I know all of the information that one can know. And, and I do not currently have the bandwidth or the time to be to know as much as I need to know about sports, to be great at my full time job and also be fully buttoned up on everything that's going on in the world to give an opinion on it right now. When the person says, you know, when sports get slower, like, could I do more of it, maybe. But what I instead, my approach has always been if there is something I am very passionate about or really care about that I want to talk about, I will make sure I truly educate myself on the totality of it before I speak on it. And I think that folks that I would just caution anyone against taking anyone's opinion seriously on anything. If that person has a strong opinion on everything. Yeah, fair that if every time a topic comes up, that person's like, I've got this one clocked, then there is an element of you don't have anything clocked.
- [52:16]
B
Right.
- [52:17]
A
And, and so I have a lot of respect for people who have the humility and ability to say, you know, I don't know much about that. And I think that is a bit of a lost art and it is, I will, I will take it just one step further. And then we got to wrap the show. We got one more question after that. Even in sports, I just did two days from the Daytona 500. I made it very clear to the audience that I'm not an expert in this. You know what I mean? I've done, I work hard and I take my job seriously. And I'm a big, I'm enough of a sports fan, or as Wilds would say, fan of sport, that I know more about the NASCAR and the Daytona 500 than the average non avid NASCAR fan. But I am far from an expert. But in the days I knew we were going there for a few weeks, so I did, you know, I studied up and then I went there, you know, as a curious interloper that wanted to learn with my own kind of research questions on it. I would. But I would have felt like a fraud had I showed up at the ending at the Daytona 500 or at the Indy 500 last year and presented myself as if, man, I've been studying this my whole life. And that's about car racing.
- [53:49]
B
Right.
- [53:50]
A
I can't imagine just being like, hey, I've done a couple days worth of research, and let me tell you what I think about the war in Gaza or about the war in Ukraine or about the history of
- [54:09]
B
85% of folks on Twitter. Well.
- [54:12]
A
Well, yeah. I mean, people transition from expertise in one field to another very quickly. And so I just. I am on important stuff. I want to know everything that I can know before I voice an opinion on sports stuff, I kind of do feel I know close to everything. And stuff that I don't, I shy away from. So that's a long answer to, I think, a complex question. All right, one for you, Demon. Say if the Ravens moved off Lamar and he won a ring somewhere else, like Darnold, would you be more happy for Lamar or more sad about your Ravens not winning with him? Before you answer, I want to say this. I think I know the exact answer.
- [54:54]
B
Yeah, I'll go. I would be more happy for Lamar. I wouldn't. The Ravens are the same team that were, like, not giving him a contract in the very beginning when I first became a fan of his. I would be. I wouldn't be sad that he wanted somewhere else at all.
- [55:09]
A
So, and is this correct? You. If Lamar left the Ravens, you have no affiliation with that team? Honestly, it's not like you, like, grew up a Ravens fan. You were a Lamar fan. That made you a Ravens.
- [55:22]
B
Right. And. And honestly, I liked Harall, and, But I, I, I can acknowledge that there probably needed to be some new scenery, but especially with Harbaugh being gone, too. Like, just Lamar.
- [55:31]
A
No. Yes. You have.
- [55:32]
B
No.
- [55:32]
A
You have. No. So for, like, yeah, like, Kyle Hamilton. Yeah. No, you're a, You. The. You're. You're not from Baltimore. You weren't, like, a Ravens fan as a little kid. You are. You're. You were a fan of Lamar first and foremost, which made you a fan of the Ravens.
- [55:48]
B
Yes.
- [55:49]
A
So, yeah, I think that would be. I, I think that if. If a genie appeared and was like, hey, we can guarantee Lamar wins a Super bowl, but he has to leave the Ravens, you would be like, sign me up. I don't care. Yeah. Which I totally. That. I, I think it's very different if you have a hometown team, right? Like if, God forbid, if Mahomes left the Chiefs, I would still root for him. But I would be a Chiefs fan. Like, I'm a Chiefs fan. All right. This is fun. Like Rate. Subscribe Review to the pod. Thank you guys for watching. Shout out to Hard Rock, Bat and Boost. Also Volume and Blue Duck. And we will be back here on Tuesday next week with our regular schedule. Talk to you guys. Then we'll trade. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.