What’s Wright - Nick Wright REACTS to NBA All-Star Game MIRACLE, Kevin Durant FIASCO, & Tyreek Hill-Chiefs REUNION?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – "What’s Wright: Nick Wright REACTS to NBA All-Star Game MIRACLE, Kevin Durant FIASCO, & Tyreek Hill-Chiefs REUNION?"

Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Nick Wright
Guest/Co-Host: Dameanze

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd features Nick Wright and co-host Dameanze diving into the revived excitement of the NBA All-Star Game under the new US vs. World format, analyzing lingering issues like player engagement (including direct shots at Jokic), and previewing both the NBA's looming storylines and pressing NFL topics, including Tyreek Hill's uncertain status and potential Chiefs reunion. Notably, Nick addresses his "viral" (and controversial) Bill Simmons podcast take, and rounds out the episode with his classic segment, "Nick Wright: Public Defender," humorously defending—and reevaluating—some of the sports world’s most confounding personalities and controversies.

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Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. NBA All-Star Game: US vs. World Format

[04:54] Reaction and Format Success

• Both Nick and Dameanze praise the new All-Star format, crediting "just enough public criticism" and bold leaders like Wembanyama for raising player intensity:
  • "Wimby gets credit throwing down the gauntlet and being like I'm going to try so you guys better try too." – Nick [05:05]
• Three teams (World, US old guys, US young guys) add layers of pride and competitiveness.
• Short, 12-minute games "instantly" brought a fourth-quarter intensity, keeping energy high.

[05:05–11:14] Criticism and Double Standards

• Nick highlights Nikola Jokic as the lone high-profile player still not taking the game seriously, and how he escapes criticism compared to American superstars:
  • "It is an unequivocal double standard when the previous universally accepted best player in the world, LeBron James, is currently getting more criticism for not doing the dunk contest 15 years ago than Joker is for not caring in the All Star Game..." – Nick [07:24]

[10:14] Kawhi Leonard’s Star Performance

• Kawhi drops 31 points in a quarter, impressing:
  • "Unlike some of the All Star Games in the last decade ... these were contested. These were difficult shots." – Nick [10:24]
• His effort underscores Jokic’s apathy.

[11:18–13:03] Potential Tweaks

• Emphasizes the success of the “old vs. young” subplot, suggests future versions find similar thematic distinctions.
• The NBA needed the positive All-Star buzz given recent PR struggles.

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2. Transitioning Stars and NBA’s Branding Crisis

[13:03–13:36] Star Power Who's Next?

• Discussion on the NBA’s looming “famous player” gap as LeBron, Steph, and KD age out:
  • "Right now the single most famous basketball player under the age of 35... is Caitlin Clark." – Nick [13:17]
• Wembanyama is the NBA’s hopeful new face, but has yet to reach that level.

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3. NFL: Tyreek Hill Released by Dolphins; Chiefs Reunion Rumors

[17:20–21:10]

• Nick predicts Tyreek’s possible return to the Kansas City Chiefs, but enthusiasm dampened by Tyreek’s off-field issues and major knee injury:
  • "There is a lot of reason to believe that he continues to be a bad actor off the field." – Nick [18:04]
  • "There is a lot of reason to believe he will not be close to the same guy." [18:57]
• Addresses the moral calculus for teams and fans regarding athletes with repeated allegations.

[24:40–25:40] Chiefs Super Bowl Odds

• Tyreek's potential return wouldn't move Chiefs’ odds much; the key variable is Mahomes’ health status.

[25:40–26:26] Tua Tagovailoa’s Miami Future

• Tua likely out as Dolphins starter due to his contract’s financial complexities.

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4. NBA Post All-Star: Top 5 Storylines to Watch

[28:41–34:29]

1. Jason Tatum’s Comeback

   • The Celtics’ title hopes hinge on Tatum’s health and return to at least 80% effectiveness.
   • "If Tatum can ramp up even to 80%...then they're a real threat." – Nick [30:22]

2. Thunder’s Title Defense

   • Are they bored or truly vulnerable after bad losses?
   • Can they defend their championship, bucking the decade's trend?

3. Wembanyama and the Spurs

   • How high can “Wimby’s” emergence take San Antonio?
   • "He's 22. He's in year three...seeing him in the playoffs, seeing that Spurs team that is ahead of schedule." – Nick [32:23]

4. Jokic and the Nuggets’ Historic Potential

   • Can Jokic cement himself among legends (Wilt, Bird) with multiple titles as lead star?

5. Tanking Epidemic

   • A quarter of the league “wants to lose”, which hurts the NBA’s business and image.
   • "That's just not a viable business model." – Nick [35:07]

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5. Nick’s Fixes: Tanking & NBA Award Eligibility

Tanking Solution [36:40–39:15]

• Two simple approaches:
  1. Commissioner can dock worst-offending teams with last draft pick after one warning.
  2. All ten non-playoff teams have an equal (10%) shot at the top pick.
  • "Adam Silver could just do [this] by edict...once your roster is set...you have to do everything in your power to win games and play your players when they're healthy." – Nick [37:59]

65-Game Award Eligibility Rule [39:32–41:26]

• Recommends Bill Simmons’ tweak: eligibility at either 65 games or 2,000 minutes, with commissioner's discretion to waive requirement in case of single (real) injuries.
  • "The idea was to prevent load management ... not to penalize great players who sprained a knee." – Nick [41:03]
• Most MVP races unaffected; concern is more about All-NBA and similar recognitions.

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6. NBA Miscellany: MVP Frontrunners & the Broken Dunk Contest

MVP If SGA and Jokic Miss Time [41:53–42:23]

• Jalen Brown and Cade Cunningham have paths if SGA and Jokic are unavailable.

Dunk Contest Problem [42:41–43:39]

• No solution; feels the human limit of creativity has been reached:
  • "I think we reached the pinnacle ... human beings have not evolved fast enough to outpace how many of the dunks have been used up." – Nick [43:09]

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7. Nick Wright: Public Defender — Viral Takes and Basketball Scandals

Defending Kevin Durant’s (Alleged) Burner Account [43:47–46:16]

• A tongue-in-cheek defense, noting:
  • "If it's real, it legitimately damages his team's chance of winning at the championship, which is a shame." – Nick [44:48]
  • Jokes that KD’s only true burner contribution was calling "Russell Westbrook triple double cocaine bear." [46:18]

Defending Jackson Hayes’ Bad Dunk Contest Performance [46:26–48:02]

• Claims trauma from mascot incident (“Gee Whiz”) ruined Hayes’ focus.

Defending Nick’s Own “White vs. Black All-Star Game” Take [48:13–51:59]

• Explains the initial idea was partly in jest, but reconsiders after a cringe fan interaction:
  • "Anything that gets that person that excited I want to be on the opposite side of. So I plead guilty." – Nick [51:18]

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "Wimby gets credit throwing down the gauntlet and being like I'm going to try so you guys better try to. I credit to Wimby for that." – Nick Wright [05:05]
• "It is an unequivocal double standard ..." – Nick Wright on Jokic and LeBron All-Star effort [07:24]
• "Kawhi's 31 point quarter, right. Pretty unbelievable." – Nick Wright [10:24]
• "Right now the single most famous basketball player under the age of 35 years old is Caitlin Clark. Caitlin Clark is the most." – Nick Wright [13:17]
• "A lot of reason to believe that [Tyreek Hill] continues to be a bad actor off the field." – Nick Wright [18:04]
• "If Tatum can ramp up even to 80%...then they're a real threat." – Nick Wright [30:22]
• "You cannot create a situation where the smart thing for teams to do is to sit their best players and lose games." – Nick Wright [34:45]
• "I think we reached the pinnacle of what...I just don't think there are [any more dunks]." – Nick Wright [43:09]
• "Anything that gets that person that excited I want to be on the opposite side of. So I plead guilty." – Nick Wright [51:18]

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Memorable Moments

• The viral aftermath and personal reconsideration of Nick’s “white guys vs. black guys” All-Star game idea after a random fan encounter. [51:06]
• Nick’s dry wit defending infamous sports moments and people in “public defender” style, especially KD’s (alleged) social media misadventures.
• Honest introspection about fandom and the moral calculus around NFL stars with repeated allegations.

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Episode Flow / Content Structure

1. Quick apology for missed shows, channel/poker plug, content roadmap. [01:36–03:39]
2. All-Star Game: US vs. World format, player engagement, fixes, and legacy. [03:39–13:03]
3. NBA’s Future Face: Star power transition issues. [13:03–13:36]
4. NFL: Tyreek Hill’s future, moral issues, and Chiefs’ odds. [17:19–25:40]
5. NBA Storylines: Celtics/Tatum, Thunder, Spurs/Wemby, Nuggets/Jokic, Tanking. [28:41–34:29]
6. Fixes: Tanking, award eligibility. [36:40–41:26]
7. Remaining NBA Miscellany: MVP, dunk contest. [41:53–43:39]
8. Public Defender: KD, Jackson Hayes, Nick’s own viral moment. [43:47–51:59]

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Overall, a punchy, candid, and at times self-deprecating episode that swings between sports meta, strong analysis, and barbed humor. Recommended for both casual and hardcore fans seeking real opinions and memorable soundbites.

Transcript

[Nick Wright]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Nick Wright]

Welcome in while driving the grind episode 427 live from Los Angeles right alongside same room. Good to see you buddy. As damanze we are so apologies for no show on Thursday. I thought we were gonna do a show. I the I we were down at the Daytona 500. The tech setup that I thought I would be able to pull off in my hotel room, it was just not tenable. It would have been a bad episode. So I apologize for not giving you guys a heads up. To make up for that, we have a bunch of cool stuff coming the rest of this week. Tomorrow on this channel if you're a poker fan, a gambling fan, or just got nothing better to do or just want to root for me, maybe root against me, that would be kind of crummy. We will be live streaming my the card game I'm playing in Vegas with the great Antonio as fond some other pros, some other business people. No gamble, no future. Will be this tomorrow afternoon live on this channel free of Course for anyone to watch whole cards, the whole thing. Watch me play and what we'll see how what it ends up being. But one of the biggest, if not the biggest card game I've ever played in. I don't know exactly how big the game's gonna play. So that'll be tomorrow. We are doing a mailbag episode that, full disclosure, we actually recorded about an hour ago. So you will see me in this exact same outfit. This is one of the reasons today's episode was delayed. And then next week we'll be back to our regular schedule. And then soon we will get back to the three episodes a week right after football travel stuff going on. Also probably not quite enough content for three full episodes, but we'll get back to that as well. But let's get right to it because there is a ton to get to since we last talked. We will start though with straight to voicemail brought to you by Boost Mobile. Dame wins the three point contest. And then also. Which was awesome, by the way.

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

And then shared a a text or something on IG where I think it was Steph saying he committed to next year that they thought four of the eight should be Dame Booker Stephen Clay. That would be sick. Yeah, that would be great. Everyone would like that. LeBron non committal on year 24. I, I just put me down being on the record, I would be stunned if this is LeBron's last year and Michael Jordan wins his seventh ring. He wins the Daytona. His team won the Daytona 500. Shout out to MJ and like, listen, fair is fair. I said a tiny, tiny, tiny part of the goat conversation was his horrifying Charlotte Hornets ownership. And so a tiny part of his NASCAR goat conversation gotta go in there. It goes there. But NASCAR like it. NASCAR goat like it doesn't apply to his basketball goats. That's a different sport entirely. All right, Demanze, let's reminder everybody. Like, rate, subscribe, review. That way you'll know when we go live when we're, you know, especially because we've been. Our schedule's been a little weird. Now is the time to do it. Let's get to the All Star Game.

[Dameanze]

All right, so after years of uncompetitiveness, maybe since Colby played the NBA might have found a solution to the All Star Game with the US versus World format.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah.

[Dameanze]

What did you think of the new All Star Game?

[Nick Wright]

I thought it was awesome. I really enjoyed it. And I think you had, I think the perfect storm of just enough public criticism that the players heard and were Aware of Wimby gets credit throwing down the gauntlet and being like I'm going to try so you guys better try to. I credit to Wimby for that Ant gave him credit. The other players responding cool teams in that it wasn't just us versus the world concepts, but also the US team felt like old guys, young guys. Yeah. So all three teams had the different kind of pride to play for. The fact that it was just 12 minute games meant you were kind of instantly getting the intensity of a fourth quarter which even when the All Star Game's been bad, if it's been close late, guys lock ramp it up at the end. And so that was there the whole time. So all of it really worked. And here is what I will say. Sorry. Daniel, our resident Nuggets fan, where I think some of the criticism of the older generation of players about letting the All Star Game down has been unfair. Everyone just flatly accepts with no criticism whatsoever that even in this format the one guy who couldn't be bothered to give a shit was the best player in the world. And, and I like Joker. I am not and seems like everybody likes Joker. I understand I might be the wrong messenger of this because of my years back history of skepticism, but it is an unequivocal double standard when the previous universally accepted best player in the world, LeBron James is currently getting more criticism for not doing the dunk contest 15 years ago than Joker is for not caring in the All Star Game that everyone else cared in 50 hours ago. Like that is, that's not. And, and so it does feel like there is the, the a pass given to Joker and to a lesser extent Luka, because Luka, I guess you can say is still coming off the injury. And Joker, I know was hurt, but he's been playing and kicking ass and he's just never cared at the All Star Game. And right or wrong, no one has criticized him the way we've criticized the legendary American guys for not caring. And Joker does have something of responsibility of you're the best player in the world. And so despite him not caring, the games were awesome. They were great. And, and I do, I don't know how this, if this, how sustainable this specific format is, but I am okay. I didn't understand exactly how it was going to work and I was critical of it leading into it, but once the game started, it was good.

[Dameanze]

It worked out very well.

[Nick Wright]

Worked out really well. And it was, it was fun. Now let me say this real quick before we get to the other stuff because it's kind of silly for me, first time talking to you guys since my appearance on Bill Simmons pod to not acknowledge my shockingly and I mean it shockingly viral takeoff.

[Dameanze]

Yes.

[Nick Wright]

Hey, a few years from now, what if we what if we did white guys versus black guys? So I am aware that that took on a life of its own. We are my feelings on my own take have evolved.

[Dameanze]

Okay.

[Nick Wright]

For reasons that I will explain later in the show when we bring back really a classic old what's right segment. Nick Wright Public Defender so I am not running from that. I also don't want to do it right here. We will do it later and we will discuss that there. Let's get to some of the All Star follow up stuff.

[Dameanze]

Did you feel like this is a passing of the torch moment for, for the stars, young stars and well, I.

[Nick Wright]

Mean it didn't in real time it didn't feel like that because it felt like Kawhi, who is not.

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

I mean who is not as old as the, you know, Bron Steph kd but he is closer to their age than the young guys. Kawhi was the star, right. And then because the old guy's team didn't win, he couldn't be MVP. But he had 31 points.

[Dameanze]

Honestly, Kawhi doing all that makes Nicole Jokic look even worse. I know Kawhi, he's never been the type to not care about basketball. But I don't know him taking it seriously and going crazy seriously.

[Nick Wright]

Now he. It also was in his arena. You know what I mean? So that the. But the Kawhi's 31 point quarter, right. Pretty unbelievable. And unlike some of the All Star Games in the last decade like when AD had 50 or the other crazy when Steph shot 28 threes or something. These were contested. These were difficult shots. These, these were with the other team trying to stop him with that was against. Is that against. I can't remember if that was against Team World or against the other US Team but whoever it was, I think it was Team World. They were. They were trying to win the game and that was a close game down the stretch, late and quiet was just sensational.

[Dameanze]

All right, next, what tweaks would you make to the US Verse World format?

[Nick Wright]

I I think. I think there and they I don't know I find call this unintentional or happy accident or something that they. They didn't announce that the the two U.S. teams were going to have distinct feels to them like the guys, young guys. But that's definitely what it should be like if you're going to have these three different eight person teams.

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

Then there should be something delineating continuation of the other. Right. Delineating the two American teams. So I don't. You're not always going to be able to go old, young, I don't know like so maybe you do east, west sometime. Maybe. I'm not sure. But I like there being a, you know, a theme if you will of, of the two of the two different US teams. And, and so I listen the NBA needed a good weekend. The, the, the pod that I did last week with Bill really did and this is credit to Bill, not me, set the tone for a week of heavy NBA criticism about tanking and about the major issues facing the league. And so to have a win and to have it highly rated and to have people care and to have the games be good and like was a needed victory for a league that has by its own doing taking some taken some PR hits, about to lose a.

[Dameanze]

Bunch of their guys.

[Nick Wright]

Well that's the other piece like that that does the biggest stars and that is the other big problem for the league that they don't right now have a solve to and they're hoping WIMBY will solve it. But right, right now the single most famous basketball player under the age of 35 years old is Caitlin Clark. Caitlin Clark is the most. She is. I think you disagree with me.

[Dameanze]

I honestly thought it would have been Wimby.

[Nick Wright]

I, I don't think so. I don't think your sisters. No, no Wimby and they, and if they do they vague. They're like oh is he the really tall right. They have an opinion on Caitlin Clark. Like and so, and maybe so maybe it WIMBY is close but I, I think that the, the most famous, the three most famous basketball players right now are 41 year old LeBron James and then 37, 38 year old Stephen KD like though and so that is like Anthony Edwards, Luca Jokic, Giannis, those guys have not ascended to that level. And so but that's a, that's a issue for the NBA for another day. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet Florida's sportsbook. I know it can be tough without football, but like the song says, bet you didn't know this. I bet I will survive with 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 obviously they know hoops. If you haven't signed up with Hard Rock Bet yet, there's never been a better time. New signups can double their winnings on their first 10 bets. Max of $50. That's right. If you would have won a hundred bucks on your bet, make that 200. Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app is the only legal sportsbook for whenever you're in Florida. 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, just open the app and check out what they've got. 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 terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call 1-833-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.

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[Nick Wright]

All right, demonte, let's go to Little.

[Dameanze]

NFL Yesterday, the Dolphins released Tyreek Hill. If you remember, they Traded five picks for him a few years ago. Somebody predicted what his next move may be if this were to happen.

[Nick Wright]

Yes.

[Dameanze]

Let's take a listen.

[Nick Wright]

It's a year ago. I believe Tyree Kill is going to play another football game for the Kansas City Chiefs that I'm very excited for. Tyree Kill wearing a Chiefs uniform in 2026. Maybe that's enough to get Kelsey to come back for one more year. A little final. Tyreek and Kelsey right off in Sunset together. Yeah, I think that's absolutely on the board. I'm a little less excited now than I was then.

[Dameanze]

Understandably so or so here.

[Nick Wright]

Listen, since those comments, Tyreek has had more really ugly off the field allegations. I can't. But they feel like heavier than allegations, lighter than, you know, out and out convictions. But there is a lot of reason to believe that he continues to be a bad actor off the field. A lot of reason to believe that. So that's the human element, the football element which is not as important but should be acknowledged. Normal football player is. He suffered a catastrophic knee injury and there is a lot of reason to believe he will not be close to the same guy.

[Dameanze]

Especially Tariq Hill. Right guy relies on his speed like that.

[Nick Wright]

It's speed, his ability, his acceleration just does his raw naked athleticism. With all that said, I would imagine, and I do think he wants to come back and I would imagine the Chiefs would take him back at a very, very discounted rate. Even if it's just for a year for him to, you know, see if he can be the rare wide receiver that in his 30s after a bad injury can, you know, still cash in again 85%. But it is not as exciting of a proposition for any reason as it once was. And it is the that the Chiefs do need to be careful on. I'm not naive. It's pro football there, you know, you're not going to have a team full of Walter Payton man of the year winners. I get that. But that wide receiver room can get a little hairy on you quick. And I feel like I am, I am a big. What I've said before and I have to be consistent on it is for anybody in almost any setting. I will give you just in my again, let me back up a little bit quickly in order. There's the standard to have your liberty taken away from you and to be imprisoned. And that is beyond a reasonable doubt. And that is the bedrock of our jurisprudence system, all of that. That is not the standard for, you know, if people believe you did or didn't do something. You know what I mean? What you're, you know, gun to your head. Do you think he did it or not?

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

That is not beyond a reasonable doubt. That is just what you think. So I am at this moment, I am not talking about guys going to jail. I'm talking about what I think of, you know, the people. And my general standard is. And people might say, you know, it doesn't have to be your standard, it's mine. If the, if you are accused of almost anything once, I will tend to be like, yeah, I don't know, I, the, who knows? But the moment you get accused a second time, I tend to believe you've done it. And I think that's reasonable. I think that is, I know that that is not, it is just a, it is not a hard and fast every single time rule. But it is. My general feeling is I will, I will believe in your, in it. I don't even know if it's. Believe in your innocence. I won't assume you did what you're accused of if it's a one off accusation. But the moment it becomes multiple, particularly and this is the key point for some guys, if it's multiple from different parties, right. Then I have a very hard time like, no, you probably did that. Right. And again, some guys are victims of massive conspiracies. I'm not saying in that. So just to be clear, this is not the standard for someone to go to jail. This is the standard for. In Nick Wright's brain. Do I, do I trust him or do I? And so, so I just think so I think that's a tricky spot for the Chiefs because I don't think the Chiefs don't have a lot of guys on the team who've been accused of bad stuff. But the guys who have been play the same position.

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

And it's the position that Tyree plays and that's a tricky spot.

[Dameanze]

Would you say Tyreek Hill was less out of the limelight when he was on the Chiefs? I would say they will be it more.

[Nick Wright]

Well, he had gotten in a, he had got in a lot of trouble in college, which is why he was a fifth round pick. It's why. And what he got in trouble for in college was ugly stuff. And so he, he did seem to for the most part seemed like he was on, you know, his best behavior was trying to get paid. He was playing great. He did though, as a chief early, relatively early, once he become a superstar, have a really, really awful allegation that seem to Be disproven by audio. And so that again, maybe goes against, you know, the thing I was saying. But now there's just a lot of. A lot of stuff that makes you feel like as a teammate.

[Dameanze]

I was just about to say it's not even the off the field stuff, even on the bad tattoo.

[Nick Wright]

And so it's, you know, it can. There can be a lot of moral bargaining you do with yourself when it comes to rooting for pro football teams. And I. All I've ever said is I owe the audience honesty and people can judge me for it. It's fine. I. The. And these. This is the own. My. The bargaining that I'm doing in my own head as far as what I think is going to happen there. All right, let's. The. Hold on. Um, I wanted the. So the. I. I think let's do the Chiefs odds question real quick.

[Dameanze]

The Chiefs are currently plus 1500 to win the Super Bowl. They're tied for seventh. How do you think their odds would change if they got to re.

[Nick Wright]

I don't think it would change at all. The what will change? The chief sides and what will make them the fourth favorite? It will be Seattle, the Rams, Buffalo will be the top three. And the Chiefs would jump to number four. Would be the report that Patrick Mahomes is going to play week one. Right now the Chiefs odds are a hedge as far as the chief sides are where they should be. If Mahomes is going to have his first start of the year in week four, he's going to miss first three games. If he's going to play week one, they should be better. If he's going to miss the first six weeks, they should be worse. And so right now it's kind of a hedge for that. But. But the Tyreek would not significantly change that at all.

[Dameanze]

All right, next, the Dolphins cut a handful of players. Do you think Tua is next? I. I think with Tyreek Hill being cut, that Tua is probably not going.

[Nick Wright]

To be cut to his contract is so tricky.

[Dameanze]

Okay.

[Nick Wright]

And it's the problem for them is keeping him more guarantees vest for future guarantees. He has no trade value because of the contract. But if you cut him. They haven't. I don't even. It's whether you split it over two years or one, it's 98 million dead money. It's a catastrophe. And so maybe what they'd have to do is trade.

[Dameanze]

If.

[Nick Wright]

And if they trade him, it's only. Only 45 million in dead money. Maybe you could trade him and a draft pick to get someone to take on the deal. It's a very, very tricky spot, but I don't think he's going to be this for one way or another. I don't think he's going to be the starter for the Miami Dolphins next year. I don't think they can let more guaranteed money vest in his deal. All right, before we move on, let me tell you guys about my friends at Mars Men. Most men start losing testosterone at around age 30, about 1% every year. After that same workout, same diet, but it can feel like you're moving through mud. And when the new year hits, it's a great time for a reset so you can feel energized again and not worn down. So keep it simple and do something natural that supports your body. With Mars Min, it helps your body unlock usable testosterone so you can feel like yourself again. Mars Men supports healthy T levels, energy and stamina with its 8 natural clinically dosed ingredients including vitamin D, zinc, boron and more. 90 day money back guarantee so there's no risk. Worst case, you don't absolutely love it. You get your money back. But over 91% of users report higher energy levels. Thousands of guys are feeling incredible results. Just check out the reviews on the website to see for yourself. For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off for life plus free shipping and three gifts at men. Go to mars.com It's a perfect way to kick off the New year strong. That's mengotomars.com for 50% off and three free gifts at checkout. After your purchase they'll ask you where you heard about them. It will help our show if you tell them we are the ones that sent you in. Again our listeners get 50% off for life plus free shipping and three free gifts@ MengotoMars.com Perfect way to kick off the new year strong. MengotoMars.com for 50% off and three free gifts at checkout. All right Damante, let's do some NBA storylines here.

[Dameanze]

NFL is over post an all Star break is over. What are the top five storylines in the NBA that you're looking at?

[Nick Wright]

Number one is to me is Jason Tatum's comeback. It seems like he is coming back and there is it. You know the I don't want to read too much into some of the Jalen Brown stuff. I don't want to read too little into the Jalen Brown stuff. He you know Jalen Brown tweeted the side by side of their record at the ulcer break last year. And then this year he was an Instagram. He was then asked about it. He was like, I just want to, you know, I was just trying to promote our guys. I think that's true. I also think there is a.

[Dameanze]

It's just.

[Nick Wright]

No, it's always been a weird. Yeah, it obviously works. They want to get 100% and they're great players. But it doesn't feel like there is ever been a fully. There has been a defined pecking order. I don't know if there's been a fully accepted pecking order. And now when Tatum comes back in the short term, Brown will be better. Like, Tatum is going to take some time to ramp up, take some real time to get back to his old self. And the team's playing really well. So that is a tricky spot. Just real quick. But the Celtics as presently constituted, have no chance of winning the championship.

[Dameanze]

Oh yeah, the champion. Okay.

[Nick Wright]

No chance of winning the championship. If Tatum can ramp up even to 80%.

[Dameanze]

Exactly. This is the exact number I was.

[Nick Wright]

Thinking by, by the playoffs.

[Dameanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

Then they're a real threat. So you've got to bring. If he wants to come back, you've got to bring him back. But that's the number one storyline I'm watching for for the league the rest of the year is the Tatum comeback. Did you want to say something more on that?

[Dameanze]

No, it was just because I was saying what, what percentage do you think he'd need to be at to take over the east, but 80%.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, I mean, the. Listen East, I think this, I. This. If he didn't come back, the Celtics would have a chance. They would not be my pick. They aren't my second pick. They would have a chance of winning.

[Dameanze]

The East 100%.

[Nick Wright]

But they would have no chance of winning the championship. The. I guess I, you know, barring some weird catastrophe on the team that wins the west, like in the, you know, their best guy goes down in the conference final, something like that. But with Tatum, you would have a real shot. All right, so that's storyline number one. Storyline number two is were the Thunder. Did the Thunder get bored or did those losses to the spurs make them a lit. Not ruin them, but vulnerable.

[Dameanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

Or. And are they going to be the first team to defend their championship since the Steph Katy warriors and the first team to come close to defending their championships and Steph Katie warriors or are they going to follow the trend of this decade of defending champion early in the year it's defending its championship. Looks like they are obviously the best team only to not even come close to defending their title. So that's Storyline number two is the defending champion. Storyline number three for me is Wimby and the Spurs. And how high can this thing go this quickly?

[Dameanze]

Yeah, right.

[Nick Wright]

That seems like for you it's very high on your.

[Dameanze]

I like Wimby a lot. He's a crazy little player. But. But yeah, no, I'd say it's up there.

[Nick Wright]

He's 22. He's in year three.

[Dameanze]

It's just a freaking it.

[Nick Wright]

And we've never seen him in the playoffs. Like, it's not his fault like the. The. But so seeing him in the playoffs, seeing the spurs team that is ahead of schedule, how high can you know, can they win the championship? They can.

[Dameanze]

James Harden postseason.

[Nick Wright]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Dameanze]

On the Cavs.

[Nick Wright]

So that, to me, is not a top five storyline just because I just know how that's going. That story is going to end. Number four is Joker. And this Nuggets team, can.

[Dameanze]

Can they operate as if they have the best player in the world on the team?

[Nick Wright]

Yes. And make and go. Like, go. They can win the championship. And if they do, you know, we. We're going to talk in Thursday's Mailbag episode of where Joker is. Historically, they win the championship and all of a sudden he's sitting in the room with Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird and.

[Dameanze]

And then the. I mean, the amount of guys that have multiple chips in the league right now are very little.

[Nick Wright]

Oh, that's a great point.

[Dameanze]

Well, I guess, like, you have all of the warriors that are still playing.

[Nick Wright]

But if you like guys, you have yo Jokic's age or younger.

[Dameanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

That have multiple rings, it would just be him. Like, again, if we're not talking about role players, like.

[Dameanze]

Exactly. The big guys. Right?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. Cuz Bron's got four. He's obviously super old. KD's got two. He's way older. Steph Clay Draymond have four. They're older. Yeah, no, that. That's the kind of the fallout of teams not repeating. And then number five storyline is. I'll just do one negative one, I guess. And I don't want to belabor this point, but what is the NBA going to do about the tanking and what reforms are going to be put in place?

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

Because you've got a quarter of the league wanting to lose, and that's not tenable. Just not tenable.

[Dameanze]

I saw. Well, so Colin made a point yesterday. What? So if the teams are bad, you know, they're just bad and it's like, how do we retool?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. You know, like, well, yes, I understand that, but you cannot create a situation where the smart thing for teams to do is to sit their best players and lose games. Yeah, that's bad.

[Dameanze]

It's bad for the league.

[Nick Wright]

That's just not a viable business model.

[Dameanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

The fact that everyone agrees it would be dumb for Milwaukee to play Giannis again this year is bad for the league. You know what I mean? The fact that the, the, the Jazz traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. And before he ended up having the surgery, everyone was like, I like that trade, but they probably don't want to win this year. So what does that, you know, like Anthony Davis and Trey Young get traded to the Wizards and everyone's like, you know, that's good for them next year, but this year they don't want to win those things.

[Dameanze]

That's always the narrative.

[Nick Wright]

That's not good. That's just not good. And that is. It is the job of the commissioner to figure out how to realign those incentives. Just, just flatly. Hey, guys, Boost Mobile is proving you don't have to overpay for great wireless Unlock their savings with $25 a month forever unlimited plan. It's a permanent price with no contracts and no price hikes. You can keep your phone and your number, but you save up to $600 a year compared to the major carriers. Stop overpaying and switch to a fair price at Boost Mobile today based on average annual single line payment of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For a full offer details, visit boost mobile.com all right, next.

[Dameanze]

So this next segment is going to be called Knicks Fix. We're going to present to you some problems around the NBA and you present a fix for it for. Do you want to skip this first one?

[Nick Wright]

No, go ahead. We do it all.

[Dameanze]

Yeah. So tanking was the big talk All Star weekend. It seems like Adam Silver wants to make a change as well. How would you go about fixing this?

[Nick Wright]

I think there are. Listen, this is something a lot of people spend a lot of time on. So I don't want to spend a ton of time on it. But I to me there are two simple and they are different but simple solutions that I think Adam Silver could just do by edict. Number one is if the commissioner believes you are not doing everything you can to win games he has in his authority with give him one warning. You now pick last in the Draft I don't. Utah, your Pick is now 30. If you do that shit in the fourth quarter again like that, that and we will give you one warning. Now that does not mean you are allowed to before the season trade away your best players. You can build a team that you're.

[Dameanze]

Like, you're like, we're tanking this team. Everybody's going to play right now.

[Nick Wright]

Everybody our season ticket holders knows on the roster. And we are going to try to win games even if we realistically can't win a lot. You know, we're a young. I mean you don't have to all of a sudden go sign big free agents that aren't going to help you win a championship, but once your roster is set and you can also trade away your bet, you can do those things, but you have to do everything in your power to win games and play your players when they're healthy. That's one solution. The other one is Simply this. The 10 teams that are not in the play in or the playoffs, the 10 non playoff teams, they all have the exact same lottery out. They are all at 10%. And if, if we believe you at the end of the year are tanking out of the play in like you could be a play in team and you're tanking out of it to get one of those 10% chances. We will have no mercy on the penalty we will levy against you. And so like those, those things to me rattle the cage convoluted ways. But I think those are two pretty easy to digest fixes.

[Dameanze]

All right, next, LeBron is out of the race for any postseason awards. But I mean it's not as big for him as other guys like Yokage, Steph and Wimby are all getting close to being out too. Is somebody who cares about the history of the the all NBA teams. Would you make any changes to the 65 game rule or do you think it's fair?

[Nick Wright]

So I listen, I will just give Simmons credit on this. I Simmons said it should have been 65 games or 2,000 minutes. And I think that's super smart. I think that the. I think that that is a great fix for it. 2,000 minutes would be, you know, nobody plays 40 minutes a game anymore, but 50 games at 40 minutes a game or 60 games. If you played 60 games and you played 34 minutes a game then you'd be at least eligible. And that to me is Yich wouldn't.

[Dameanze]

Be in the clear.

[Nick Wright]

And I also think that you maybe should have at the commissioner's discretion the ability to waive it for single injury instances. So let's say Joker who ends up. He missed a month with one injury.

[Dameanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

If a guy. If a guy misses, you can only miss 17 games. If a guy misses 16 games for one injury and plays in 62 of the other 66, I think the commissioner should be able to say at the end of the year he's eligible.

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

The idea was to prevent load management, resting guys, all this stuff. The idea was not to penalize great players who sprained a knee. And I do care about. It doesn't actually impact the MVP stuff as much as people think, because it's very, very, very rare somebody's in contention for mvp.

[Dameanze]

That.

[Nick Wright]

That.

[Dameanze]

Right. That's in that situation.

[Nick Wright]

Exactly right. But it's. You have to go back to like Bill Walton to find an MVP that played under 60 games. Usually guys just get eliminated from being the MVP of the league if they didn't play enough by default.

[Dameanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

But it matters a lot for all NBA. It matters a lot for some of the other stuff. The. Go ahead and ask. Follow up here.

[Dameanze]

SGA is out with injury. If it lingers in both he and Jokic are out of the MVP race. Who would you pick for mvp?

[Nick Wright]

I mean.

[Dameanze]

I think Jalen Brown.

[Nick Wright]

I think Jaylen Brown's got a real shot.

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

I think Cade would have a shot. I don't think it's going to be Luca. I think Jalen Brown would have a real shot at.

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

I mean, who. I think SGA beating him.

[Dameanze]

Who's beating Jalen Brown right now?

[Nick Wright]

Well, so YIC and SGA are the obvious one with.

[Dameanze]

With those two.

[Nick Wright]

But if those two guys are out.

[Dameanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

I mean, Luca would have a shot and Cade would have a shot. But I think Jaylen Brown is. I mean, the Celtics have been excellent and he's been great. He's just been great. All right, next.

[Dameanze]

The dunk contest. It was a disaster. Again. How could we figure out a way to change the dunk contest? Fix that.

[Nick Wright]

I don't have a way to fix it. Yeah, I don't have a way to fix it. And I do. I think we reached the pinnacle of what. I just don't think there are.

[Dameanze]

Oh, how many more dunks are there? Right.

[Nick Wright]

That's what I mean. I just. I. I think. I think we have. Human beings have not evolved fast enough to outpace how many of the dunks have been used up like the. The. The only frontier left jump so high. Right. And the only frontier left is a front flip dunk and I don't. And I think we are decades from a person being able to do it. So I don't have a fix there. All right, let's do Nick Wright, public defender.

[Dameanze]

So it's. It's been a while. We haven't done this. I don't know if we've done this since I've been out in la, but we're gonna bring back public defender. I do not have the wig.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, I know.

[Dameanze]

So first off, we're gonna start off with Katie. Starting off with a man who once called you Nikki.

[Nick Wright]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.

[Dameanze]

Kevin Durant had 12 points in 12 hours of screen time on his phone after getting caught for having another burner counselor defend your client, Kevin Durant.

[Nick Wright]

So before I jump into character again, for people who are new to this, this is me doing the job of a public defender, which is defending my client whether or not I believe he is guilty or not. And just sidebar on this real opinion before I get into public defender. This is so much bigger for KD than the previous burner account stuff.

[Dameanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

And it's because of if it's real, the talking on Shingon and his current team is catastrophic.

[Dameanze]

Yeah. And it's just really like you're. You're supposed to be like a vet. Veteran. Pres.

[Nick Wright]

Veteran presence, a leader. The final piece. It is it. If again, if this is real, it legitimately damages his team's chance of winning at the championship, which is a shame. Okay, so, like, that is. That's my real opinion now, Kevin. Or public defender, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. It wasn't him. What's your evidence? It was honestly follow the tweets. What is the sourcing any of these allegations really have? What? That. Some. He once tweeted an eagle. And this guy has the eagle headline that somebody once said, when are you going to be back? And it was around the same time. Kevin, my client was dealing with an injury. What who credible has said? I'm in the group chat. I'm on the record. I know Kevin Durant. That's him. The answer is nobody. It is a lot of smoke. None of it was him. With that said, he did come up with calling Russell Westbrook Triple double cocaine bear. That was him. The rest of it was not him. I rust my case. That's. That's my public.

[Dameanze]

Out of all guys, man. Russ, come on, man.

[Nick Wright]

Triple double cocaine bear is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. That's. I mean, it just flatly was. Go ahead.

[Dameanze]

Two weeks after shoving Washington's beloved mascot, Gee Whiz, Jackson Hayes disappointed big time with a very pedestrian dunk. Counselor, defend your client Jackson Hayes.

[Nick Wright]

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I would love to tell you that the fact that the prosecution brought up my incident, my client's incident with G Whiz should be stricken from the record and it does not apply here. But I'm in fact glad they brought it up because that was the cause of this entire debacle. My client, who a few weeks back famously was just trying to playfully mess around with a mascot and found himself suspended and potentially being sued for an honest mistake. While he was approaching what should have been his free throw line dunk, out of the corner of his eye, saw another mascot and was so worried that the momentum from a free throw line dunk could lead to another Gee Whiz style mishap, he pulled up lame, honestly sacrificing his own pride and reputation for the safety of, of an unnamed furry friend. And therefore I simply, you know, I. To the mercy of the court, I would, I would only ask that his actions in the dunk contest be remembered when you guys are a different jury is deciding how guilty he was for the unfortunate G Whiz incident. I rest my case.

[Dameanze]

Last week your client went on Bill Simmons podcast and pitched a radical fix to the All Star game. Counselor, defy. I mean defend your client Nick Wright's con canople based All Star solution.

[Nick Wright]

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury to the obvious defense is once the NBA itself opens the door to the All Star Game, teams are going to be determined by nation of birth. It is not a radical change to say are there other demographic indicators that we could use to determine the team you're on? Be no different than saying we are going to have a six, five and under and six and over. We are going to have left handed, right handed. We are going to have white, black. There's, there's a long list of things that once the league itself determines. We are not basing this on NBA conference affiliation, but instead inherent demographic traits, they have opened the, the, you know, metaphorical Pandora's box. With that said, my client would like to say something in his own defense. So now I'm me. When I mentioned white guys versus black guys on the Bill Simmons podcast as an all Star take, it was tongue in cheek with a hint of honesty. As far as we might be approaching a place in a few years where for the first time in nearly 50 years, if not longer, that would be a competitive game. So it was a Little funny, a tiny bit serious. It was all of it. However, I had an incident outside of an In n Out Burger 2 days ago that made me rethink my position. And that incident was as I was leaving In N Out Burger, a young man who I don't know, but I am just certain I would hate, positive of him. I had a three second interaction with him and I'm like, I don't like you. I don't like what you represent. I don't like who you are. I can tell. I don't like your old tweets. I can tell I don't like you. Some frat bro about 20 years younger than me ran up to me as I was leaving the In N Out burger and said, bro, the white black, All Star game, greatest fucking idea I ever heard.

[Dameanze]

That'll do it.

[Nick Wright]

And I was like, you know what? I don't like my take anymore. So I. While I appreciate my lawyer's defense of me, I don't deserve it. Folks that came out and said we are not currently in the correct racial or political climate for that game to be appropriate. While at first I thought everyone was being a little too dramatic, that moron that ran up on me and loved it so much made me decide I don't like the idea anymore based purely on my gut instinct on anything that gets that person that excited I want to be on the opposite side of. So I plead guilty. And that is today's what's right. See you guys on Thursday.

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[Nick Wright]

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