← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
What's Wright - Nuggets CRUSH Celtics, Tatum to the RESCUE? Luka-LeBron FAILING + Combine HEADLINES | Nick Wright
01:02:45
Loading summary
Transcript128 lines
- [00:00]
Nick Wright
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Verizon Advertiser
Guaranteed Human we all want the best without having to pay the most. That's where Verizon comes in. Get this now you can take your AT and T or T mobile bill into any Verizon store. They'll look at what you're paying and give you a better deal. Period. You get the amazing coverage you want while keeping more cash in your pocket. Visit your local Verizon store to start saving today. Must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms and conditions apply.
- [00:35]
Public Investing Advertiser
Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes on and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures hey
- [01:36]
Nick Wright
this is US Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis Woodhull and I'm US Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhull. As athletes, our lives are about having a clear path and a team that you can absolutely trust.
- [01:47]
PennyMac Advertiser
So when it came to getting the
- [01:48]
Nick Wright
best mortgage, we chose PennyMac.
- [01:50]
PennyMac Advertiser
PennyMac is proud to be the official mortgage provider of Team USA and you
- [01:54]
Nick Wright
learn more at pennymac.com PennyMac Loan Services, LLC equal housing lender NMLS ID 35953
- [02:00]
Public Investing Advertiser
licensed by the Department of Financial Protection
- [02:02]
Nick Wright
and Innovation, California Residential Mortgage Lending Act.
- [02:04]
Public Investing Advertiser
Conditions and restrictions may apply. Do you want to find a stress free way to buy your next car? Start at CarMax and shop your way. If you want to browse with confidence, get pre qualified online with no impact on your credit score and shop cars within your budget. From luxury cars to family rides. CarMax has options for almost every price range including more than 25,000 cars priced under $25,000. So hey, want to get started? Just head to CarMax.com for details and get pre qualified today. Want to Drive CarMax welcome in what's
- [02:41]
Nick Wright
Right with Nick R. Episode 430 for the first time in quite some time, back in this room in studio we have last earlier this week we did it from a hotel room on the west coast. Last week we did it from the Blue Duck studios on the west coast. The week before that we had to scrap an episode because I was in a fugazi hotel room in Daytona beach that just didn't have the text set up for it. So it's been quite some time since I've been in this room doing this show. We will have a full schedule by the way next week and then the week after. We actually will take a week off right at the as middle of March, early March as I'll be out of town. Speaking of March, by the way, we're going to talk a little college basketball here on the show. I have a pretty cool March Madness contest that I'm going to tell you guys about that the podcast audience can be a part of. But that's coming up in a few minutes. Damanze, good morning, how are you? Great to see you.
- [03:50]
Damanze
Good morning. I'm doing great. Good to see you Pops.
- [03:54]
Nick Wright
So we are to just full disclosure here, a very interesting part of the sports calendar in that I love the NFL real off season, I love the free agency period, the draft, all that stuff. Right now though, NFL wise is a little bit of a dead time because the new league year hasn't started. Now just a few minutes ago there was a pretty notable trade with the jets trading Jermaine Johnson to the Titans for former second round pick to Andre Sweat. I actually like that trade for the Jets a lot. I like Sweat, young player, cost controlled and it lets the jets basically guarantee we're going to take whoever our number one edge rusher is with that. What are they the second overall pick of the draft after Mendoza goes number one. So I like that trade for them, but we don't get a lot of those moves, you know, for the next 10 days or so in the NBA. Right now I there were two NBA recaps this morning that the ESPN headline was Team X beats shorthanded Team Y. That was the, that was the headline of the Pistons win over the Thunder and a different win, I can't remember which one. And so we're in a bit of a bit of limbo. However, there are still some noteworthy things. And this Darren Peterson story at Kansas, the fact that Luca, you know, has not taken a single shot to tire take the lead in the final 90 seconds of a game all season, those things jump out to me. So we will get to all of that. But first I got to remind you guys this episode of what's Right and the cry is presented to you by our friends at Boost Mobile and our friends at Boost Mobile do of course, as always, bring us straight to voicemail. Some James Harden has I guess a slight fracture in his right thumb. This is where it's noteworthy that he is left handed. He's going to play through it. He's not going to have surgery. He missed last night. But Sham says he's got it should be, you know, a full go with a splint after that. I can't imagine that's good though. And we'll see how that impacts him. Even if you're left handed, use your right hand for everything, including shooting to a degree. So I'm, I'm very curious how Harden will look when he comes back. Sean Payton is claiming he's giving up play calling duties to Davis Webb. I find that incredibly difficult to believe. Just, you know, my opinion on that is I it is very hard for me to believe Sean Payton is actually throughout the entirety of the season going to give up play calling duties. However, Davis Webb was a guy that was in some head coaching conversations. Certainly some you run out the entirety of our offense, be the head coach of the offense conversations. So maybe this was a happy medium to get him to stay in Denver. And last but not least, and something that I just do want to spend a moment on because the Internet yesterday seemed to really disagree with my take on Brandon Aubrey because Brandon Aubrey wants to shatter the kicker contract record and I demand I said on the TV show yesterday I would give Brandon Aubrey the Mahomes deal for kickers years 10 years $75 million 7 1/2 million would be the most with the new rule super useful super with the new kickoff rule and his he's the fifth most accurate kicker ever. But I actually think that undersells him because due to the fact that he can make 65 yarders they ask him to kick a lot of super long field goals. Other kickers simply wouldn't be asked to kick and that can drag his percentage down. I was just if, if he were to hit free agency there almost isn't a number that if I were the Denver Broncos. I wouldn't pay him in that thin air with a defense that good a coach that good a quarterback who credit to him for his playoff performance, but
- [08:36]
Damanze
whatever struggles and stuff.
- [08:38]
Nick Wright
Yeah, exactly. Regular season and you would feel like if he played in Denver, Aubrey and the other team kicks it into the end zone. You get on the 35, you're one first down away from being in legitimate field goal range. And the point I made on the show yesterday that people took issue with. But I will stand by if the chief's biggest competition to return to AFC supremacy is the best team in their division other than them, Denver, the Bills who have been banging on the door and the Ravens who have been banging on the door. I would be all of those teams need a top tier wide receiver and the other big free agent for the Cowboys is George Pickens. I would be more bothered as a Chiefs fan if any of those teams landed Brandon Aubrey than if they landed George Pickens. I'm totally serious about that. Like if you're I think having that type of. When all three of those teams have what I would call shaky question marks at kicker all for all three of those teams, I think Aubrey would be a legit game changer. All right, reminder everybody like Rate Subscriber View to the pod we're up over 230,000 subscribers on YouTube. The the iTunes and Spotify numbers have been great but if you guys could continue to help us out by subscribing to the pod, that would be outstanding. All right, Damante, this was a little you versus Daniel last night. Your Celtics played Daniel's Nuggets. Get to it.
- [10:19]
Damanze
Yeah. So the Denver cooked us in the second half. We were coming off a back to back but Shams reports that there are reinforcements coming back. Tatum is practicing full 5 on 5. Where how highly would you rank the Celtics with Tatum at 100% maybe.
- [10:35]
Nick Wright
Let me, let me rank them without Tatum first. Okay. Because we talked on Tuesday about Jalen Brown being, you know, third on my MVP ballot. To me firmly in the top five and how impressed I've been with what he's done, what Missoula has done, the way they've kind of proven beyond a shadow of a doubt the math edge they have night in, night out. Right. So I have given Boston their flowers and been very, very, I think fair to what they have accomplished this year without Jason Tatum. With all of that said, I would put them at close to 0% to win the championship, not make the finals. Win the championship. If Jason Tatum does not come back, if Tatum doesn't come back to Monze. I would have the following teams in no particular order but the following teams ahead of Boston in championship probability. Okc, San Antonio, Denver, Detroit, the Knicks, the Timberwolves, the Rockets, the Cabs and that I might end there. Sixers, Lakers would be the next teams that come to mind. But I the they they would be they. I do not believe they can win four rounds without Tatum and I believe they absolutely can win four rounds with him. Particularly if if he were to come back in the next two to four weeks and have some ramp up before the playoffs and then also get something here's the other piece of it. Because they've been so good without him, he could get some ramp up in the playoffs if they stay the two seed and then in round one your even if they were to drop to the three I guess but in round one if they stay the two seed you are getting Charlotte or Atlanta or Miami or Orlando. I don't think you would need full go Jason Tatum. I don't even think let me rephrase it. I think the Celtics as presently constituted without Tatum at all could win. I would pick them to win any of those series so he could continue to the ramp up. But this is where I kind of want to pivot the conversation a bit on Tatum and his return because there is an element of oof, they're playing so well. Jalen's playing so well. Would he screw it up? And last night to me was a reminder that that is a faulty conversation because you simply cannot win a title with the team you have right now. You can't. And the Celtics have been to a finals and lost. They've won a title. They are not a hey nice seven game round two exit that that means nothing to them. And so I the conversation surrounding Tatum and his potential return should be more of a you I'm. I'll overdo it here but like hero story because he and I understand the Celtics don't need saving because they are playing really well and they're a really good team. But if it's one winner and 29 losers from the you know that's your mindset of then they do need saving because right now they can't be the one winner. And last night you saw it that that was not even. You know the Nuggets have not been a dominant team for months. Going into last night they were 16 and 16 in their last 32. They have really missed obviously Aaron Gordon, who is their third best player but maybe their second most important player Certainly. And Jamal Murray left that game early with an illness. Demons a. He played eight minutes and the Nuggets still annihilated Boston.
- [15:38]
Damanze
Yeah, I think if you got Tatum and he wants to play, he's obvious. I don't think he's can possibly make the team worse.
- [15:45]
Nick Wright
You gotta, you gotta correct. That's exactly right. And it is, it's. Here is the other thing that I think is important to recognize for the Celtics when it comes to the Tatum return. This year, Jalen Brown is averaging 34 minutes a game. Derrick White is averaging 34 minutes per game. Peyton Pritchard is averaging 33 minutes per game. He is not going to take minutes from those guys. Those guys will still play 33, 34 minutes per game. He will be taking minutes from Hauser, who again is having a fine year. He will be taking minutes from. Probably not quite a. Because he's the center, but he, he will be taking minutes from Garza. Those are the guys that you are Baylor, Shireman, that Tatum will be taking minutes from, which is where he doesn't have to be 100% Jason Tatum for him to be a huge addition for them. And so it, It'd be one thing if Jalen Brown, Peyton Pritchard and Derrick White were all playing like 40 minutes a game and it's like, okay, it will be. Their rotations will be significantly altered by Tatum's return. They are. Jalen Brown last year, I'm. I'm just going to look this up in real time. Played 34.3 minutes per game. This year, Jalen Brown is playing 34.3 minutes per game. The exact same down to the 10th. Derrick White last year played 33.9 minutes per game. This year he's playing 34.3 minutes per Game. So he's playing an extra 25 seconds a game like then he was last year. I think Pritchard. I'm going to check. I think Pritchard is playing a little bit more. More run than in the past. He was playing 28 minutes last year. This year he's playing 32 and a half. But I think that'll maintain. I just think that's because he's improved, you know, as a player. And so I just, I don't. I don't think the framing of man. Could Tatum disrupt things is the right framing. I think in the temporarily he. It might and it might be rocky and you are, you know, as far as him knocking the rust off and getting back to himself, all of that, there will be some growing pains but those growing pains are worthwhile because right now, as you saw last night, again one game, but a Nuggets team that did not have Aaron Gordon, that essentially did not have Jamal Murray, they were blown off the court by him. So I do think they can win the east if Tatum comes back. I think I might pick them to win the east if Tatum comes back. And then you would see who they draw in the finals. What else do we have on this?
- [19:09]
Damanze
Would you invest in them winning the finals at plus 1100 right now,
- [19:17]
Nick Wright
I think 11 to 1 on Boston right now is a more than fair price if you believe Tatum's coming back.
- [19:26]
Damanze
Right.
- [19:27]
Nick Wright
Without him again, without him, I would say it should be 16 to 1 or worse. But with him, I think they are 7 to 1 team. And so you can do the owner, you know, math in your head on percent if they're 16 to 1 without him, if they're 71 with him, what percent chance do I think it is that he's coming back? All that stuff. But yeah, I think, you know, do they have a 9% chance of winning the championship? Yes. And so, yeah, I do like that. All right, what else do we have on this game?
- [20:04]
Damanze
If Jokic clears his 65 game mark, do you think he's en route for his fourth mvp?
- [20:13]
Nick Wright
So that's a really interesting one because if he clears it and Shea doesn't, then definitively, yes, like those two guys are the top, top, top two contenders. The. But it is now Shea all of a sudden, you know, keeps missing games. Shea has played 49. The Thunder have played this year. Sorry, I'm doing this in real time. The Thunder have played 60, so Shea's missed 11, so he can. And you can miss 17. And so, you know, he has more room to play with. The Nuggets have played 59. Joker has played 43. So Joker can only miss one more. So I don't think he's going to clear it. Here's the other thing. But now the. I also could see joker sitting at 63 games with two games to play and being like, I don't care. Like, I'll see. You know, I'd rather rest like I. And listen, winning league MVP is obviously a massive honor and him becoming joining the four MVP club, which is. So Kareem's got six, Russell has five, Jordan has five, Braun has four. Does Wilt has four or five. So will. How many? Wilt has four. So. And that's the list. Like nobody. The Joker, Magic Bird, Moses, Moses has three, Moses has three and so yeah, joining the four MVP club obviously would be, would be sick. But. He's gonna get it.
- [22:40]
Damanze
I do think he's gonna get the MVP this year.
- [22:44]
Nick Wright
Go ahead.
- [22:44]
Damanze
MVPs in one title does sound kind of weird. But. But yeah, I think, I think Jaylen Brown gets it this year and to me he deserves it.
- [22:56]
Nick Wright
So I think he, I don't think he's had a better season than sg, than SGA or Joker, but let's just say for the time being that neither one of them are eligible. I agree with you. I said on Tuesday I would have him third that you and I are out of the mainstream on that as far as the voters. So last week Tim, Tim Bond. Tim did that straw poll and here were the people ahead of Jalen Brown in addition to SGA and Joker.
- [23:31]
Damanze
Right.
- [23:32]
Nick Wright
Cade Cunningham, who again like that is he has a similar case as Jalen Brown which is we weren't expected to be this good. You know, they've, they've got now the best record in basketball. They, they have passed the Thunder best record in basketball. Wimby, who again the games played thing is going to be tough on Wimby and Luca. Now. I don't think there is a strong argument to have Luka ahead of Jalen Brown. Jalen Brown though was barely ahead of Donovan. Well, he was I guess strongly ahead of Donovan. Mitchell Wimby is an interesting argument because he is like they are overachieving expectations.
- [24:17]
Damanze
Nothing without Wimby.
- [24:19]
Nick Wright
Well, so here's the thing. I don't know that I agree with that because I think Castle's been awesome. They have good guards but Wimby is so like a game like last night is a great example for Wimby where he's 3 for 12, only has eight rebounds and has scores 12 points and they're plus 19 in a three point win when he's on the court because of his defensive impact. So I don't, I think that Jalen, Cade and Wimby all have right now a really good individual argument that they should be third in MVP voting and third can become first if Joker and Shay don't hit the 65 game mark.
- [25:10]
PennyMac Advertiser
Every morning is another chance to enjoy your favorite cup of coffee with Nespresso Virtuo up effortlessly craft bold coffee over ice or milk at the click of a button. Nespresso your coffee your way. Virtuo up only@nespresso.com support for the show
- [25:27]
Public Investing Advertiser
comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now Generated Assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures all right,
- [26:27]
Verizon Advertiser
two truths and a Lie Here we go. I went to college with college football coach Jim McElwain, I began my broadcasting career doing play by play for the Las Vegas Stars, and I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. Okay, I lied. All three are true. Verizon isn't as expensive as you think. In fact, if you bring in your AT and T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store, they'll give you a better deal. That's right, a better deal on the best network with the most ways to save on plans, streaming and phone deals. So take that AT and T or T mobile bill to your local Verizon store today. Get a better deal and start saving based on root metrics. Best Overall Mobile Network Performance US Second Half 2025 all rights reserve must provide reason Consumer Mobile Bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
- [27:16]
Nick Wright
All right, let's go on to some college hoops.
- [27:18]
Damanze
So we got a loaded NBA draft class this year, but the guy at number one or projected number one, Darren Peterson has the tendency to sub himself out of games. If is this something for GMs or teams to look at?
- [27:32]
Nick Wright
100% and it's one of the most bizarre college basketball stories I can remember and listen to. Bance is awesome. Carlos Boozers kid Cam Boozer is awesome. But going into the year it felt like it was a pretty clear Peterson one debancer to Cam Boozer three But this. Nebulous. Is he hurt? Is this about reaching his nil threshold? Does he not care? All of that? That would in a year. Demons a word. Feels like there are two other absolute studs at the top of the draft into ban Boozer. That would scare the hell out of me. That would just flatly. Now we haven't seen a guard prospect this highly regarded in at least a decade and he is the prototypical modern NBA guard with great size, athleticism, all of it. But the wait, what is going on factor would worry me. And it makes Kansas a very difficult team to handicap for the NCAA tournament because Kansas obviously has been awesome. You know, awesome is maybe overstating it. Kansas has been quite good all year despite the fact he's missed a dozen games essentially. And so. Oh, speaking of the NCAA tournament, it just launched yesterday. The, the folks that I've done stuff with in the past, it's splash sports that we did the big, you know, we did a. What's right, NFL Survivor contest for like 100 bucks an entry or 50 bucks an entry. I don't quite remember. And then we also did the High Roller 5K and entry Survivor contest. They. They have and they put my face on it. What I think will be the biggest March Madness Survivor contest in the world this year. First place and somebody's going to get it is 3 million bucks. And it's. It's not like one of those impossible contests where it's like, hey, all you have to do is do a. Pick a perfect bracket. It is a true Survivor contest where you pick the. I'll explain the rules more thoroughly as we get closer to it, but basically a team every day or later in the tournament, a team every round. And you just need to be the last man standing. And you were last person standing. You win 3 million bucks.
- [30:47]
Damanze
Madness, Survivor. Almost.
- [30:49]
Nick Wright
It is not almost. It's exactly what it is. And it's $150 to enter. And you can have multiple entries if you want, but it's not unlimited, but you could have a bunch if you want. But $150 is, you know, I think a reasonable price point to where you guys, everybody can get involved for at least one entry if you want. And this was the contest Demons A. I was in one of these last year. Yeah, the day, the day that your mom and I went to the Grizzlies Lakers game and I was, we were sitting courtside and that, you know, video of Bron coming over at the end of the game. I'm on camera because of where I was sitting a bunch during the game and looking at my phone and not the game in front of me because that was the night of either the Sweet 16 or the Elite 8. I don't remember And I was down to me Hubs and Danny split an entry in the Splash Sports I think like high roller March Madness contest and we were down to five entries left and I was sweating like in real time on terrible Internet streaming. I won that on that day. We didn't win the whole thing though. But so the the cool thing about March Madness Survivor is it's unlike NFL Survivor, teams get eliminated. So you have to basically reverse engineer who you think is going to win the championship, save them and then the ideal way to do it is for every team you pick to win that they lose their next game. Yeah, you want you a disaster is a team that you pick in round one makes the final four because then you're just not going to have teams available. So yeah I the so again and 3 million bucks for first place. Pretty sick and it's winner take all. Well the I mean you know, I suppose that might depend on your municipality. I'm not sure but yeah so and people can check it out if they want. I the splash sports.com Nick and this is the I am again full disclosure on this stuff as always. My buddy Brent Hanks introduced me to the Splash Sports people years ago and I have a very, very small percentage of equity in the company and so the so that you know, that's how they can, you know, use my face on this stuff and have the quick easy ways for you guys to find it. Splash sports.com/nick Again I think there's we've already had a few hundred people sign up and it came up yesterday the math on 3 million bucks divided by 150 so around you know they they're anticipating around 20,000 entries in it and so hopefully some of you guys join me in it but the done with that for a moment back to where I was going. Yeah I I think at this point it is incumbent upon Darren Peterson to either come out and say listen I have an injury that I've been playing through and here's what it is or to cut this shit out. And I don't know if it has tangibly hurt his draft stock yet, but if he were to do this demons A in the NCAA tournament I think it would eliminate him from going first and maybe going second. Now it's also possible does not care the money difference between going first and going third is not that big. But it's just, it's a lot of weird stuff happening right now around him and I don't I would be anxious if I were the Atlanta Hawks who have the Pelicans pick or or the Wizards or the Jazz or any of these tankers.
- [35:39]
Damanze
Maybe he's ramping up for the tourney.
- [35:43]
Nick Wright
That would be great. I I've never seen the load managed college player. Yeah, and it concerns me. 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 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 know their 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. $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 sports book 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 too. 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, Virginia. All right, Damonte, let's get to the Lakers.
- [37:40]
Damanze
So Tuesday, Luca had a chance to close out the game against Orlando. It kind of passed up on the shot. Threw it to LeBron. LeBron shot it, missed it. Last year you said that LeBron will find a way to mesh with his team, make it work. Do you think it's time to walk that Back.
- [37:56]
Nick Wright
Well listen, the Lakers have some roster construction issues. That's the biggest problem is they don't have enough shooting or defense which are the two most important things in the modern NBA. So that, that has nothing to do with the Luca LeBron pairing. Now the defense has to do with the fact that Luka doesn't defend, Austin can't defend and LeBron's 41. So like those, that part is. But that's not about meshing.
- [38:22]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [38:24]
Nick Wright
As far as the meshing goes, here is the statistical reality of the Lakers right now. The Lakers, when Luca and Austin are on the court without LeBron are awesome, great net rating and the Lakers win. LeBron is on the court with just bench. Guys are awesome, great net rating, but when the three of them are on the court together, it's a disaster. And I happen to think that's more to do with the defensive limitations when those three guys are on the court than guys not adjusting. Because here is a shocking fact. You know what, maybe it's not shocking, just an eye opening fact. LeBron of his 23 year career has the lowest usage percentage of any season of his career right now. The maybe somewhat shocking fact is Luca of his eight year career has the highest usage percentage he's ever had and he was on some teams in Dallas where he was the only guy who could score. So this is the highest usage Luke has ever had, the lowest usage LeBron's ever had on percentage of the time on the ball this year LeBron is down to 23%, Austin is at 34% and Luca is at a eye popping 41%. So LeBron has adjusted and by the way he somewhat instantly adjust. Last year LeBron was at 31% on ball and Luka was at 37. This year LeBron has dropped down to 23, Luke has jumped up to 41 and Austin went from 30% last year to 34%. So that part they haven't. And their only path forward demons was going to be score 130 a night. They have, they have right now the number 10 offense in the NBA. They need to have a top three offense because the defense was going to, was going to suffer. And so they are just squarely not a championship contending roster. And the only path they had to championship contention was Luca playing the best ball of his very decorated, amazing career. And that particularly since he came back from the hamstring, hasn't happened. And the culture over there. Go ahead.
- [41:51]
Damanze
Is cooked. I mean you got, say it again. I mean Clint Capella, you got deandre Aiden coming out saying that they want me to be Clint Capella. I'm not Clint Capella. But Clint Capella is better than deandre Ayden and I. And that's your big.
- [42:05]
Nick Wright
I agree with you. Like I. So listen, I, I, DeAndre8 and his first team all time lack of self awareness excuse.
- [42:18]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [42:20]
Nick Wright
The Lakers would love to have prime Clint Capella. Prime Clint Capella would be just perfect.
- [42:32]
Damanze
Yes.
- [42:32]
Nick Wright
For. I'm not talking about Clint Capella now a dozen years into his career.
- [42:38]
Damanze
No. But when he was on the Rockets.
- [42:41]
Nick Wright
Yes. And his first or his first couple years on the Hawks.
- [42:45]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [42:46]
Nick Wright
I'm going to give you good defense, catch lobs, rebound. I can't shoot free throws, but whatever. Like that is the exact type of big man that would be perfect for Braun and Luca. And so. And that was their big off season move.
- [43:04]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [43:05]
Nick Wright
So I don't, I mean, listen, they are just what they are. If you catch the Lakers on their best night, they look scary. But. And that, that magic game. And as far as Luca not taking that shot, I just don't know what to say about it.
- [43:19]
Damanze
Yeah. And it's like, that's not LeBron's fault. He didn't shoot. I don't think that's a, a molding thing. That's just. But it also, I mean, it might be confusing for Luca. Like, is this my team? Like, should I be taking the last shot?
- [43:31]
Nick Wright
But, but I mean, the play was drawn up for him.
- [43:35]
Damanze
Right?
- [43:37]
Nick Wright
The. The play was drawn up for him. And I mean, credit to jj. They got exactly what they wanted, so. And Luca wasn't like afraid of the moment. Luke is a killer. It was just weird. But it's also weird that Luca has not taken a shot this year to tire take the lead with 90 seconds or less left.
- [44:00]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [44:01]
Nick Wright
I think LeBron's taken six, Austin's taken five, Ruiz taken a handful, and Lucas and taken one. That is odd. There's no.
- [44:09]
Damanze
How would you rate his, his tenure so far in la?
- [44:13]
Nick Wright
Lucas?
- [44:14]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [44:19]
Nick Wright
At this point. Disappointing.
- [44:21]
Damanze
Right.
- [44:22]
Nick Wright
I mean, the playoff. I thought they, I thought they got the exact playoff matchup they wanted last year in Minnesota and they got blown off the court. That was a Minnesota team that Luca had just beaten in to go to the NBA finals with Dallas the year before. And this year they are. You know, Luca has not appeared to improve on the things he needed to improve on, most notably conditioning and defense. Like, he's dealt with a few nagging injuries and the defense has been as bad as ever with that said, he's averaging. He's the scoring champ right now. He's averaging 32 and a half points a game. He's giving you 32, eight and nine a night. So it's hard to, you know, he's been. He's been night to night awesome. And it's still a little disappointing because the, you know, every year it's like, this will be the year Luca wins mvp. It's not going to be this year. And so that part is. That part is disappointing. All right, let's. We can do the LeBron Vegas thing.
- [45:44]
Damanze
Yeah, yeah. So there was an article that talked about LeBron maybe coming out after retirement. And with Rich Paul investing in a new Las Vegas team with expansion coming, could you see LeBron actually getting into this?
- [45:58]
Nick Wright
Well, listen, he has been very open forever that he wants to own an NBA team and he wants to own the Vegas team.
- [46:06]
Damanze
Right.
- [46:07]
Nick Wright
The problem is the numbers have gotten insane. You know, LeBron's done incredibly well on the court and even better off the court. But they're talking about the expansion fee. The. The money you got it. The check you got to write to the NBA for them to distribute to the other 30 owners. Could be $6 billion. They ain't got that. They ain't got close to that. Now, the story was, could Rich sell Clutch Sports, which is worth, I'm pretty sure, well, north of a billion. And LeBron owns a stake in that? A good stake in that, I think. I don't know. I also think it would be really good for the league for LeBron to be an owner. When Michael Jordan wanted to be an owner, he kind of got cut a sweetheart deal. It does not appear the league is going to do that for LeBron. So I don't know what the path is. That's a lot of money. It's a lot of money. And to need it liquid and in cash, obviously you'd have to take on other investors,
- [47:26]
Damanze
but I mean, kind of Ron get like a massive loan with like the amount of money that he. That he makes. Like, I can take out a loan right now, today, but LeBron obviously has
- [47:37]
Nick Wright
much, you know, so here's the thing. I don't. Yes, I think LeBron has, you know, exceptional credit crazy loan, but I don't think he could get a loan for $5 billion.
- [47:50]
Damanze
5 billion.
- [47:51]
Nick Wright
I. I don't. You know what I mean? So I don't. But again, I'm. Now I'm talking over my skis. I don't know how any of that works. I also don't know if the NBA will let you finance a team or if it has to actually be cash in hand. So I, you know, I but I, I think it would be good for the league if Bron owned a team.
- [48:08]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [48:09]
Nick Wright
And the team Vegas is, you know, Vegas is about to have the A's. They have the Raiders, they have the Aces. You know, Vegas becoming a real big sports town. All right, Boost Mobile is proving that you don't have to overpay for great wireless Unlock the Savings with the 25amonth Forever Unlimited plan to permanent price with no contracts, 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@boost mobile.com today based on average annual single payment, single line payment, Pardon me, of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full details, visit boost mobile.com support
- [49:00]
Public Investing Advertiser
for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor supply suppliers growing revenue over 20 year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S P500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures all right,
- [50:01]
Verizon Advertiser
two truths and a Lie. Here we go. I went to college with college football coach Jim McElwaine. I began my broadcasting career doing play by play for the Las Vegas Stars and I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. Okay, I lied. All three are true. Verizon isn't as expensive as you think. In fact, if you bring in your AT&T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store. They'll give you a better deal. That's right, a better deal on the best network with the most ways to save on plans, streaming and phone deals. So take that AT and T or T Mobile Build to your local Verizon store today, get a better deal and start saving based on root metrics. Best Overall Mobile Network Performance U.S. 2nd Half 2025 All Rights Reserve must provide recent Consumer Mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
- [50:49]
LifeLock Advertiser
Are you a fraud paying American? It's a fact that one in four honest, hard working tax paying Americans has been a victim of identity theft. With Lifelock Identity Theft Protection though, if your identity is stolen, they fix it guaranteed and get you your money back. Last year the IRS flagged over 60 $16 billion in refunds for identity fraud. That's billions of dollars that could come from your salary, overtime or second job. But this year you don't need to stay a victim. LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second for your personal information and alerts you to threats you could easily miss on your own. And if your information does fall into the wrong hands, only LifeLock has US based restoration specialists who are backed by the million dollar protection package. Because this tax season, fraud paying American is something no American should have to claim. Visit lifelock.com iheart and save up to 40% your first year. That's 40% off@lifelock.com iheart terms apply.
- [51:49]
Nick Wright
All right, Damanze, let's get to the other NBA from last night.
- [51:53]
Damanze
Yeah, so last night Detroit defeated a depleted OKC team. Isn't it kind of crazy where we are at the beginning of the year? We're just saying who's going to beat okc? But now it's possible that they could use lose home court advantage. What's going on with OKC and over in the Western Conference?
- [52:11]
Nick Wright
Listen, so this was, I mean OKC last night didn't have five of their top leading scorers. Okay? So we can throw that game in the trash. However, They are now 10 and 8 in their last 18 after starting 24 and 1. So after starting 24 and 1 they are 21 and 14, which is good. That's a 60% winning percentage. So that's not. But it's not, you know, the 60% winning percentage, just for context, is what, a little bit worse than the Timberwolves have done all year. It's a little bit better than the Raptors have done all year. If you win 60% of your games all year long, 6.6 times 82, you win 49 games. Okay, so like that's. That's who they've been for a big stretch 10 and 8 in your last 18. That's what the Heat have been all year long basically. And so the question is flawed all of a sudden or bored. My money is on board. However, you are correct in that they now if it were to be Thunder Pistons in the finals, they wouldn't have home court. The spurs have 16 losses, the Thunder have 15 losses. If they finish with the same record, the spurs get the one seed that absolutely could matter. And as dominant as the Thunder looked early in this year, it is of course worth remembering that last year in the playoffs that wasn't no. Despite the fact that they won 68 games, the playoffs were a different animal for them. They needed a game seven to get out of round two against Denver and they needed a game seven in the finals that we don't know how that game would have gone had Halliburton not gotten hurt. So it's. It is super. And the last champion forget repeat the last champion to forget make the finals. The last champion to make the conference finals. The year after winning the championship was the final year KD was on the Warriors 2019, the 20. You know the 2020 Raptors didn't sniff it. The 2020 Lakers didn't sniff it. The 2021 warriors didn't missed the playoffs outright. The 2022. Hold on Tari. The 2021 Bucks lost in round two. The 20, the I I'm saying all these years wrong. Let me back up. I apologize. The Raptors won in 2019. In 2020 the Raptors missed the playoffs I think or at least didn't it was quite left. The lakers won in 2020. That that year they lost in round one. I believe the than the following year the Bucs won in 2021. They lost in round two in a classic seven game series to Boston. The warriors won in 2022. They missed the playoffs the next year. The Nuggets won in 2023. They lost in round two in shocking fashion to the Timberwolves. The Celtics won in 2024. They lost in round two in shocking fashion to the Knicks and the Thunder won in 2025. So no one's even come close to defending their title. And so it is worth noting the other thing is this. How real are the spurs and how unprecedented I what the spurs winning the title Dean would mean for Wimy is just hard to put into terms. Okay, here is the full list of guys who are in the hall of Fame or want a league mvp who won the title their first time in the playoffs. Okay. Manu Ginobili, but he was a role player on Duncan's team. Kevin McHale, but he was a role player on Birds team. He turned into a great player. Player. Right. Magic Johnson, number one pick of the draft. Get, you know, one finals mvp. But he had Kareem, who that year was league mvp and it was his sixth league mvp. He was on Kareem's team that year. Michael Cooper, who again was on Magic's team. And then the one guy who first time in the playoffs we win the championship and I'm unquestionably the best guy. Bill Walton. Bill Walton with the Blazers in the late 70s. Here are for the 12 greatest players ever. Damanze how many playoff runs they had before they won a championship. Okay, the. Or the playoff run where they won their first championship. Okay. LeBron 7. Seven playoff runs. His second playoff run. He made the finals. His seventh playoff run. They won the title. Kareem, his second playoff run. Shout out Kareem. But again, four year college player as well. Jordan, his seventh playoff run. Magic is first. We just talked about it. Bill Russell his first. But, and, but again, that team had a guy who had won league MVP previously in Bob Cousy and had won the championship to. No, they hadn't won a championship before Russell got there. But they, they had Bob Cousy who was league MVP that year. They didn't win. Yeah, they didn't win a championship before Russell got there. But they had Bob Koozie. Where, where's the rest of my list? Here it is. Okay. Wilt in his seventh playoff run. Duncan in his second. He had David Robinson, he was best player there. Kobe in his fourth. He had Shaq and he was awesome by his second and third rings. Aem was in his ninth, Shaq was in his seventh and Steph was in his third. And Bird, I think I left out, was in his second playoff run. Second or third. Wimby. Winning a title on his first playoff run would be essentially unprecedented. Walton's the only one who can be like, I was the best guy and I did it. And they absolutely could like the, the spurs absolutely can win the championship this year. I didn't see that coming.
- [60:04]
Damanze
I thought.
- [60:04]
Nick Wright
But Castle has been awesome. Awesome. Fox has been really good. They haven't needed as much from Harper. They're well coached, they're deep the whole. The whole nine. So. Yeah, it's hard not to.
- [60:20]
Damanze
Guys outside, even outside of basketball, it seems like they probably can make stuff work. I like the character on that team.
- [60:27]
Nick Wright
Should I say the. No, I mean. And. Yeah. And I. I think playing in San Antonio helps that, honestly.
- [60:38]
Damanze
Fair enough.
- [60:39]
Nick Wright
Like, no, I'm not. I mean, just. I just think it's like, hey, we're here to play ball. Like.
- [60:43]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [60:44]
Nick Wright
And San Antonio is a fun city to spend a long weekend. Like, I'm not knocking San Antonio. There's good food.
- [60:49]
Damanze
Charles Barkley.
- [60:51]
Nick Wright
No, but. But you just don't have the distractions.
- [60:57]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [60:58]
Nick Wright
I mean, OKC is the same thing going for him.
- [61:01]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [61:01]
Nick Wright
You know what I mean? Like, it's just. No, we're here to play ball. All right, let's talk a little Chiefs here before we wrap up.
- [61:09]
Damanze
So GM Brett Ve came out and said that he wants to make the running game more explosive. So maybe going for a free agent running back or using the ninth pick to get Jeremiah Love. In 2024. You said how it was a mistake for Philly to go after Saquon considering all the other holes they had. Do you feel similarly to the Chiefs this year?
- [61:28]
Nick Wright
Well, I was obviously wrong about Philly. You know, that worked out amazingly. Here's how I feel about the Chiefs. I would like an edge rusher at number nine. I know Reuben Bain has short arms. I really don't like short armed left tackles. I don't mind it as much for pass rushers. Quite. It's still not ideal, but I think that guy's a monster. Avril Reese and David Bailey, I don't imagine will be there. So if Bane's there, he's the guy I want. If he's not there, I wouldn't hate Jeremiah Love. And here is the thing about running backs that go crazy high in the draft. They work. So I'm just going to give you, you know, in the list Demons a of the in recent NFL history, the running backs who have gone incredibly high.
- [62:37]
Damanze
Top 10, like.
- [62:39]
Nick Wright
Yeah. Or top half of the first round. So Ashton Genty. We'll see. Didn't have a great rookie year, but we'll see.
- [62:46]
Damanze
Yeah.
- [62:47]
Nick Wright
Here are the guys since him. Bijan at 8, superstar Jameer Gibbs at 12. Superstar. You then have to go. All you have not had. Am I right on this? Prior to Bijan at 8 and Jameer Gibbs at 12, you didn't have a running back go in the top half of the first round. Since Saquon. Saquon didn't work out for the Giants. I mean, he was awesome, but I mean, he obviously is a stud. They didn't have the infrastructure. Leonard Fournette went number four. He was really good. That Jags team with no quarterback got to, you know, an AFC championship game. Christian McCaffrey at eight. Superstar Zeke went number four. He was unbelievable. Unbelievable for the Cowboys for five years. Todd Gurley went number 10. He was offensive player of the year and was unbelievable. And that is, that's the list for the last decade. So you don't have really running back busts in the top 10. The question is, can you get better value at a different position? And this is a spot where for the Chiefs, man, you sure wish the draft was before free agency because they can't go into next season without a major upgrade at running back. Particularly because you don't know how healthy Patrick's going to be at the beginning of the year. But you also don't want to go spend a bunch, you know, offer Kenneth Walker a bunch of money and then the draft falls a certain way. Right. And so that's where Veech's job is hard.
- [64:54]
Damanze
Do they have the cap space, you think, to even pay for a running back?
- [64:59]
Nick Wright
Yes, they, they absolutely can because running. But even, you know, great running back makes like 12 million bucks. Yes, they can pay for a running back, but that's the other reason people don't like to take running back super high. Because a great running back in free agency costs. You call it 15 million bucks. Bucks a great edge rusher and free agency costs you 35 million bucks. So you, you know, the cost control of a running back, you don't. You're not saving nearly as much as an edge rusher. And so the only. Here are the only things I would not like the Chiefs to do at 9, take an offensive lineman. I do not think they need it. Their, their left tackle was their first round pick last year, Josh Simmons. Yes. And he missed games. He had a weird off field thing, but he's awesome. The left guard, Sua Mataiya, who's second I pick a few years ago, played well for him. They have the best center in football. And Creed Humphrey, they have an. An awesome right guard. And Trey Smith, right tackle, they're going to need to address. But you can, you know, that's fine. You have four of your five spots taken care of. So I don't want them taking offensive lineman and I only want them to consider a wide receiver.
- [66:19]
Damanze
Wow.
- [66:20]
Nick Wright
If I said no, I.
- [66:22]
Damanze
No, no, no, you said consider. But I'm just Even surprised you receiver at all. But.
- [66:28]
Nick Wright
Well, listen, yeah, I mean, I don't know what Rasheed Rice's status is going to be. And I also have, you know, I think it's fair to say Xavier Worthy's year two was underwhelming, like, so they might still have a need there. However, I would only be okay with wide receiver at 9 if no wide receivers have been taken or if the guy you would have taken, you know, if the guy. If a wide receiver's been taken but he wasn't your top receiver. Like, I would only want you to draft a receiver at nine if he's essentially first receiver off the board. And so for the Chiefs purposes, nothing would be better than some team falling in love with Ty Simpson and, you know, a quarterback going in the top eight. You know, Mendoza is going to go one. And so every offensive lineman or quarterback that goes two through eight is good for the Chiefs because it pushes back, you know, Jewel Love, Jeremiah Love, the running back from Notre Dame, the pass rushers or the wide receivers or maybe Caleb Downs. I don't think they would take a safety at night. So that's where I'm at on that. All right, let's get some listener questions quickly, because then I got to go.
- [67:56]
Damanze
Marcus asked, will there be any WBC coverage? Whatever. WC coverage on the pod. What?
- [68:02]
Nick Wright
Let me w. Wbc. I was gonna say can Damanz Guess what WBC stands for.
- [68:09]
Damanze
World Broadcasting Corner.
- [68:12]
Nick Wright
You got the first word correct. All right, I'm gonna give you the C. World Blank Classic.
- [68:22]
Damanze
Oh, a World Basketball Classic. Baseball.
- [68:26]
Nick Wright
There you go. You nailed it. I think there might be some because I wonder if we might do some shows from there because Fox has it. So. So there. There might be some. Wbc, by the way, used to be, like the preeminent belt in boxing. It might still be one of the belts, but yeah, so I. So there could be some WBC coverage on the podcast. All right, next.
- [68:53]
Damanze
Curtis says, Nick, I really enjoyed the Q A style podcast recently. Will we see more of those in the future? The summer could be prime time for some Q and A podcasts while sports slow down.
- [69:04]
Nick Wright
Yeah, we might even when I get back from my March vacation, we. And we get back to three episodes a week, we might just make the Friday episode mailbag listener question episode until sports really start ramping back up. So yes. All right, next.
- [69:25]
Damanze
Producers asked nuggets at Thunder tomorrow night. If SGA is back, who do you think wins? Gonna be a good game.
- [69:34]
Nick Wright
Assuming Jamal Murray's illness was just a night I'll take the nuggets the because I think SGA is going to take time to ramp back up. I also wonder if that's a spot where SGA's 20 point streak could end. Like SGA scored at least 20 and 100 some straight games. He's approaching Wilt's record and so I like the yeah reminder everybody like rate subscribe review to the show. We will be back here on Tuesday. It is great to be back home back in studio. Great job Demanz Great job Blud up Great job Volume thank you so much for our great sponsors Hard Rock, BET and Boost. Talk to you guys on TV today in a few hours.
- [70:17]
PennyMac Advertiser
We'll try if you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call one grainger, click granger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT&T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. So bring us your bill, walk in, running, Hogo, sticking, teleport. If you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or fly in on the wings of a majestic falcon. Any way you can bring your atmosphere AT and T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network based on RouteMetric's best overall mobile network performance. US second half 2025 all rights reserved. Must provide a very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
- [71:18]
Nick Wright
You know how it's never really about
- [71:19]
Public Investing Advertiser
where you're going, it's about who you're going with. The right people can turn any drive into a great memory. That's something Toyota really believes. They design vehicles around real life and real people, the ones who make plans and happen and bring everyone together inside. Everything's built with passengers in mind. Comfortable seating, smart layouts and space that actually works so everyone can relax and enjoy the ride. There's room for the people, room for the stuff, and room for the moments that happen along the way, because when people are the destination, your ride is important. Learn more@toyota.com and find the vehicle that fits your people. This podcast is supported by FX's Love Story, John F. Kennedy Jr. And Carolyn Bessette. The new limited series from executive producer Ryan Murphy. It explores the complex courtship of the iconic couple, considered to be American royalty, whose love story captured the attention of the nation. Their fairytale romance would unfold in front of the public eye, where their private love would also become a national obsession. FX's love story John F. Kennedy Jr. And Carolyn Bassette. Watch now on FX, Hulu and Hulu on Disney for bundle subscribers.
- [72:24]
Nick Wright
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.