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On today's part of my take, we have a twofer for the people. Great sports weekend. We have our good friend Peter Schrager on the show to break down the 2024 NFL Draft winners losers stories from Detroit. We also have our good friend Alex Caruso in studio. I know we had him on three weeks ago, but this time we have Mon talking NBA playoff basketball. He gives us some great insight into how these series are going, tells us how we're stupid. Well, he didn't say we're stupid, but we felt stupid with some of the things he told us and taught us about basketball. We're going to talk some NBA playoffs. We're going to recap the draft. We got who's back of the week. It's gonna be a great Monday show for everyone. And guess what? It's Kentucky Derby week. So are you ready for the greatest two minutes in sports? Saddle up with DK Horse, an official draftkings affiliate right now. New customers who download the DK Horse app can get a 100% deposit bonus up to $250. Just deposit $25 or more and complete the playthrough requirement wager on your favorite horses. Then watch the races at Churchill Downs live right in the app.

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Now. In the street, there is violence and not a lot of sort of work to be done. No place to hang out or washing and then I can't blame all on the sun oh, no we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue and then we'll take it higher oh, we gonna rock.

Down to it's part of my take.

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Welcome to part of my take presented by DraftKings. Download DK Horse now to join the run for the Roses action. This week is Kentucky Derby week. New customers get a 100% deposit bonus up to dollar 250 when they opt in with code take only on the DK Horse app. Today is Monday, April 29, and the city of Philadelphia is dead.

Is Philadelphia a bad sports town? The conversation.

These are the questions. I know that Max is hoping we didn't do this to start, but I would say it's the biggest story we're going to talk about the draft. We're going to recap the draft. We're going to talk about every NBA and NHL playoff series. But the big story was on Sunday afternoon. The New York Knicks took a commanding three one lead behind a brilliant performance from Jalen Brunson. And the city of Philadelphia was completely cucked by New York Knicks fans who were so loud, very loud. So loud, very loud.

They were cheering for Sixers, missed free throws. They were cheering every time the Knicks made a shot. I guess we can talk about it a lot, but I feel like we should go to our Philly sports guy to get his perspective on it. Hank, what did you think about the Knicks showing up in the building more than the Sixers fans did?

Yeah.

The next are passionate sports town fashion, passionate group of people. They showed up and they made their, their voices known. They see, they put the jersey on wilt statue.

Yeah.

Covered the whole thing up. Couldn't see it anymore.

Yeah.

I mean, that's usually something that, you know, and if it's a good sports, good sports down, that comes to blows or people fight back or, you know, the Knicks fans aren't even get able to get in because it's a home game for Philly, but defend the statue.

Yeah. Yeah.

And, and Brunson was awesome. He was awesome.

There was no diving all over the place. Josh Hart had a hilarious stat line. He had 45 minutes. He had four points, I believe, on four free throws.

Yep.

And 17 rebounds.

17 rebounds. All hustle from, like, the Knicks supporting. Cassidy just out rebounded the hell out of the Sixers. That fourth quarter. Like, this series is awesome because it does feel old school basketball vibes.

Yeah.

Where it's, it's kind of a fist fight on a basketball court, but yeah. The Knicks had 15 offensive rebounds to Sixers, nine. They wanted it more.

There are a few possessions where they were getting 3rd, 4th looks, and it felt like there was nothing that you could do. Hank, I have a follow up question for you as a big Philly sports fan. When Embiid had that wide open look at the end of the game and he decided not to take the shot and then dribbled towards the basket, did that give you flashbacks? Did that give you flashback?

Excuse me?

You said he didn't take the shot.

Did he end up taking the shot in that possession?

He drove clumsily to the hole and did not dunk it. And clumsy reverse.

He did not know.

He did not take the shot.

The wide open shot in that possession.

He did not take the wide open.

Shot that he had, Hank.

But as a Philly sportsman, did that give you flashbacks of Ben Simmons and Rim protector Trey Young?

Yeah, I mean, this team needs a major shakeup.

There's.

There's a lot of big changes happening to the Philadelphia 76 ers this offseason.

What about the fact that Embiid, who has played great in this series, even. Even though he continues stepping on people, you know, throwing shoulders into people's faces?

Not great at boxing out either.

Not great at boxing out.

Palsy guys.

He scored one point in the fourth quarter. Kind of ran out of gas. Yeah, and it's tough when you every year run out of gas and I made a glass and made a glass.

So what about at the end of the very end of the game, Kyle Lowry, taking those foul shots, misses a shot intentionally, but didn't communicate to his teammates that he was going to try to miss intentionally to get a rebound?

Yeah, I mean, that.

I feel like that might be coaching. You know, at the end of game one, they decided not to foul when it was still, you know, reasonable that they could have made a comeback. Again, these end of game situations, you think that they're things that you go over in practice and it's just. You don't even have to communicate because, you know, you run end of game situations. If we're down by this many, this time on the clock, you're right. Miss the free throw, this is what we're doing. That's not something a player should have to say. That's something that the coaches should have communicated, you know, throughout the whole year, the playoffs. You coach for these exact situations. So for your team to not be on the same page, how does that happen?

Are they dead? Are they done?

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

They could fire the coach cuz he's been there for a long time.

Has he?

Oh, wait, no, no, Nick. Nurse just got there.

Shit. Tobias Harris is gonna be gone. That's. That's the big fix.

That's a good spin zone.

Tobias Harris. Max, did you watch the game at all?

Yeah, I happened to turn it on.

Yeah.

And what were your thoughts, your Nova guys? I mean, Jalen Brunson was incredible. Yeah, Brunson, he's so good.

He had 47 points on 34 shots.

He's been great. All serious.

Wait, wait.

Why did you include the 34 shots in there?

Because Joe LMB did that. That's the only thing that people would be talking about.

Wait, but he shot the ball 34 times. Did he shoot above or below 50% from the field?

I think it was barely above.

Barely above. It was above 50%.

Yeah.

Joel Embiid is scoring 35 points a game, 45% from the field, and a plus 34 when he's on the court. Jalen Brunson is scoring 33 points a game, 40% from the field, and is a minus three when he's on the court.

Okay.

And the difference that the people are talking about Jalen Brunson and Joel Embiid is absolutely insane.

Okay.

But saying 34 shots felt like an insult.

It was.

It wasn't until he went 18 for 34. He also had ten assists. So it's not like he was just ball hogging and being like, I'm gonna shoot the whole. And two turnovers, which is pretty incredible.

Yeah.

He had a really good game, but everyone acting like that. Jalen Brunson is the next big thing, and Joel Embiid is shit. Joellen beat is having a better series than Jalen Brunson.

I would say, with the exception of the fourth.

He has a better. He has the fourth quarter today.

Correct?

The fourth quarter today. Correct. Jalen Brunson was very good. Joel Embiid ran out of gas. I do not think it was a good decision by nurse to leave him out on the court for the entire second half. He's not ready for that right now. And you could just obviously tell he ran out of gas, but, like, I hate that.

That.

That it's now omb fucking choking again in the playoffs when he's averaging 35 points a game. Yeah, 50 points last game.

Okay.

By the way, I've been very impressed with Embiid throughout this playoffs, with the exception of the fourth quarter, where he. He was completely out of gas.

I am very, I'm very down to.

Say that, like, by the way, that that was the first time a player has ever taken 34 shots out of 40 and ten.

Pretty impressive anytime.

More than 34 shots usually doesn't have a 40 and ten.

Yeah.

Speaker zero.

Yeah.

Brunson had a. Had a very, very good game. He's also had bad, bad runs in this stretch to pick them up, but everyone's taught, but he. His supporting guys picked him up. No one picked up NB today when he had a bad stretch.

Yeah.

So is it over? Yeah, it's over. And what's the, what's the fix?

Yeah, well, I mean, you just don't.

Have just it delivered.

I mean, off you got.

What about the series of the year? Series of the year.

Rebounding, 40 pointing.

They have.

They have 40 extra second chance points in this series.

I've been very impressed with the Knicks.

They just rebound.

They just are dogs.

Can't.

Like.

They're just, they are dogs. They want, it's just that they want it more. The Sixers are a better, are better basketball players. They are a better basketball team.

The same go for the fans.

Yes.

Fans were a joke today.

Yeah.

I think that Joel Embiid said is 100% correct. You can't let that happen. It's very disappointing.

It might be the crowd of the year at the closeout game for the Knicks.

Yeah.

This next game at the Garden, that plays gonna be.

But, yeah, honestly, might be the crowd of the year at the closeout game if the Sixers won.

Yeah.

True, true.

No, that I've, I'm already worried about that.

Would you like not to Mark Wahlberg, but if you were there, would it have gone down different?

Oh, yeah.

I would have beat the shit out of those guys.

That's my guy.

There were things. I I was, I was watching videos today. I'm like, where's the Philly rep that you don't come into our, our town without getting a punch?

Yeah.

Dude was flipping people off after the game, just in a crowd of Sixers fans, and they were just sitting there taking it. The one time you guys did show up was when there was a loose ball, and I think was Max. He hit the ground. Good hustle play. And you had everybody on the sideline calling timeout.

Yeah.

Like, every fan stood up and they're like, timeout time.

You got the time, and the refs.

Gave it to the fans.

Yeah.

Made an impact play.

But it is. This is a bad, this is a bad day for Philly.

Yeah, for sure.

Very bad.

Bad sports town today.

Oh, today. All right. Good job putting in today because. Yeah, I just, and maybe it's just Knicks fans are so crazy, which they are. Like, it's been so long since.

That's the other thing. Like, this is like, the first time that the Knicks, like, actually have a shot at making a run. And the Sixers have been so disappointing year after year after year that it's. There's obviously a playoffs.

Yeah.

There's obviously a difference of excitement in between fan bases right now. And you can tell. I mean, you can just tell.

It got to the point where during foul shots, I thought it seemed like every shot that the Sixers were taken was for free chicken.

Yeah.

Because they would miss and the crowd would go crazy.

Yeah.

The m. The every single time mvp chance.

That could have been the Nova. That could have been the Sixers Twitter guy, though.

Yeah.

Is the process of failure. No.

I mean, no, you get. You get to buy Sarasoth the books. Hopefully, you can bring in role players next year.

Did you guys go to Paris, get you to the eastern conference final where.

Embiid is still there, Tyrese Maxey is still there. You still have two stars on the team. If you can build a team and not put $200 million into a guy that can't get you ten points in a playoff game, then you have some room to work with.

Again, coaching. I think. I think we're talking about the. Not the process. We're talking about the results of the process, when we should be focused on the process of the process.

True.

And the fact is, the process of the process worked. And they get a bunch of good draft picks.

Yeah, it was.

We're just results guys. Now all of a sudden, we're judging.

The process, and the process doesn't actually. You can't judge the process until, like, Joel Embiid retires.

Until.

Yes.

Actually, you can never.

Joel Embiid is still a top player in this game.

Like, when he has his gas.

Yeah, yeah, he ran out of gas.

Runs out of gas.

Ever.

But, like, that was the problem because as soon as in the first half, as soon as we were up ten, he comes off the court, three minutes go by, the Knicks tie it up. Like, you have to be able to weather the storm without your best player being on the court. Yeah, like Joel Embiid, when he's on the court. Like, the Sixers are the better team when he's on the court.

Yeah, but he just need a guard that can get his own shot, score a bunch of points.

That's not what I said.

Make shots.

Make Larry's twelve for 17 in the. In a game.

Be reliable in the playoffs.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You need one of those.

Ah.

Okay, so Sixers are dead. That's official. Maxes is burying them.

Have we already started the conversation, Max, about Josh spending too much time on the commanders, not enough time on the Sixers?

I don't care about. I don't care about your stupid football team.

Okay, all right. That's fair.

I've had. I've had that conversation.

That's fair, Hank. Cocky Hank. No. Is he back?

No.

He even said after the Celtics beat the. Beat down the heat, two more games exactly like that and move on. It's a magic Johnson tweet.

He's. We've.

Our boy has been lobotomized. He doesn't have any pa. He's just. He's like, a robot watching these games.

Now and move on.

And move on. Two more games exactly like that and move on.

Just forget about the heat. Get it over with.

Are you not going to be excited about any games they play until the finals?

I'm excited about every game. Yeah, you guys, just the next game.

That was. That was good, though, to your. Your back. That's why we were upset that cocky Hank was retired, because that was, I think I said it when we were talking about it on Thursday, like, you're going to 20 piece the heat on Saturday.

But that was, that was just on Saturday. We're focused on Monday. We got to do it again Monday, do it again Wednesday or Thursday and just move on. Don't. 20 piece.

20 piece every time.

20 pieces. If you were to take. If you were to rank every player in the series, how far down would.

You have to go to get to.

The first heat player?

Hmm.

Bam's pretty good.

Yeah, probably four or five.

Yeah, bam's pretty.

Put kp above him.

Oh, you would? Okay. Yeah. What about.

What about coaching?

No, coach, it's probably a toss up.

Yeah, probably toss up. We're Missoula guys now, so we got to say that it was.

If they were playing, like, on the court, Missoula all day.

That's good point.

That's a really good spender. That's a good point. If they were inside of a batting cage and one of them had to get out with their life, I'm taking Missoula all day.

Yep.

Alpha male challenge. Okay. Other games, the Lakers have beaten the Nuggets in a game. We should clarify.

Quarter game, four quarters game, the whole game.

And Hank's wish might be coming true because Jamal Murray is questionable for Monday night's games. All his wishing that the Nuggets get injured. If you're a Nuggets fan, blame Hank.

I wish, for the record, the opposite.

Right.

But whenever someone says, I don't root for injuries, they're rooting for injury.

I mean, you said that a million.

Times on the show, and every time I've been rooting for injuries. That's fucked up. So there we go.

Yeah.

In this game, I don't know about you, but it definitely felt like this game was not over until the last, like, minute and a half of the game.

Yeah.

Even though it was never really that close. Like, they got to, what, eight points at one point? Yeah, I think. But it was just, like, the clock ticking, and the Lakers are still up somewhere in the ten to 17 point range, and the announcers just kept saying, like, not over. They still got to weather the big comeback that's coming. So you felt like the big comeback was going to happen until it didn't. Until the game was totally over and LeBron James is fucking awesome again.

Yeah. Anthony Davis, I love that Anthony Davis is playing with, hey, we're not going to win this series, but you motherfuckers can't blame me energy every single night because he had, he had 25 and 23, 323 rebounds. Like, he's making sure that whatever blame pie goes around, it's not on ad.

So one thing that they, they touched on, the announcers brought this up and I went, I looked it up because it is very impressive. There are now, I believe, 123456 players to play 21 seasons in the NBA. It's Vince, Kevin Garnett, Dirk, Robert Parrish, Kevin Will, LeBron. They've each played 21 seasons. LeBron in his 21st season has more points than all the other guys combined in their 21st season.

Whoa.

Pretty crazy.

That is crazy.

Like, we don't, we don't think about what LeBron's doing right now in proper context. I don't think, because we've just seen LeBron be awesome for his entire career, but the fact that he's 39 and doing this and him and ad are putting the Lakers on their backs and being like, we're not going to get swept. And they have been competitive. If you look at the time with a lead in this series, it is crazy.

Like winning the series.

The Lakers are dominating the series. Yeah, but the Nuggets have just won more games. No, I mean, the Nuggets are a problem. They're still very good. And I expect the Nuggets to win in the next game and close it at home. But still, even though we are going to take a lot of pleasure in LeBron getting bounced from the first round of the playoffs, as we should, I think we've earned that right.

Yeah.

As LeBron haters, it is pretty fucking impressive what he's doing.

I said it last week when I think it was game one or two, when he had that Jamal Murray block and it looked exactly like the splitter block ten years ago. And it put everything into perspective. You're like, holy fuck. Like, yeah, he's not the same LeBron. That was the peak. LeBron, who was the best player in the world, but even still, he's playing 39, 40, 42 minutes a night and putting up insane numbers. And he is old. Oh, breaking.

This is breaking news for me coming across my timeline.

Breaking what?

Breaking moves.

Okay.

OJ is dead.

Joel Embiid is the fourth player in the last 25 post seasons with multiple games in the same series, shooting.

Oh.

And five or worse in the fourth quarter.

Oh, run out of gas.

He has Bell's palsy.

He's a hybrid. He's a hybrid.

We're on to the next game. What are we doing here? That's not breaking news to him.

To him, he said, plug him back in.

Yeah, that's tough. He's the anti LeBron.

Yeah, well, we can get back to LeBron hate. We sucked his dick for long enough. I think he only won because they sold their shoes for the pre game warmup speaker two.

Yeah.

And also his temper tantrum at Darvin Ham was so funny. He was looking. He looked like a five year old not getting their candy bar.

Yeah.

He just stood there for what it felt like 10 seconds, not stand screaming at him.

Stomped.

Well, stomping at him. He was stomping at him even when the ball was going the other way. He was just continuing to yell at his coach. That was great. For that reason, I wish they had lost that game where the one where he, he flipped out on his own coach. Yeah, regrettably, they won that one, so we won't get to remember that. As well we should. But you know what? I was kind of happy to see the Lakers get one.

Yeah.

Because they needed. I mean, it had gotten so ridiculous the way they were losing and the way the nuggets continued to snatch their soul. To go out and fighting and win one was big.

The gentleman sweep, maybe.

Yeah. Who's not going out and fighting is the Pelicans. They're done. The thunder are for real. They've been dominating. They've been. The first game was close, but since then, they've emasculated the Pelicans. And now we have Charles Barkley with all time rants. He said that the Pelicans are so bad, they shouldn't go to Cancun. They should go to Galvan. Galveston. And then he followed it up. The next day, Shaq did a really good job of just, I love Charles Barkley so much of just getting him to double down because they found. He found out that Beyonce is from Galveston.

Yep.

So he's like, I don't want the beyhive after me. And so he apologized. And then I think Shaq said, like, are you going to go to Galveston? He said, the water's so dirty. I'd rather go to San Antonio with those big old women. And then he said that San Antonio, you know about Victoria's Secret. They don't. It's a secret to them because they're too big. So he basically took one shot at Galveston. Apologize, and then took another shot at Galveston and then added in San Antonio. And it was one of the funniest.

Tv moments, I think he said, like, I'd rather go down to the riverwalk and watch the big old women. Big old women with, it shouldn't be river. It should be a river treadmill down there. Yeah, big old women. He's right about Galveston, by the way.

Yeah.

And we're going to get into that with Caruso a little bit. But, Charles, don't let Shaq, don't let the beehive. Don't let Jay Z talk you out of what's right. Stand up for yourself. Galveston is a, is a weird fucking beach.

Yeah.

You don't want to go there.

Yeah.

So. And then also on Saturday, we had the magics tying the series two two. The magic's defense is so goddamn good. I don't think I've seen this in an NBA like playoff game in a long time where the Cavs went to start the third quarter all the way to garbage time. With four minutes left, the Cleveland Cavaliers scored 18 points.

Yeah, it was, it was painful. Very painful for that Cavs offense. I like the magic. I think they're a good young team.

They play just great defense.

They're not going to do much this year. They might. They might win this series. They're going to make it competitive. I bet on them to win the series. I hope they the series, but I feel like next two, three years, they might be making some noise.

This would be pretty tragic if the Cavs can't win this series because Dan Gilbert's never won a series without LeBron James.

Yeah.

That's a fact.

And he's the one who said they're going to win a championship without LeBron James. And it does feel like the Cavs are at a crossroad where they, like, they keep adding people, adding players, adding draft picks, since, like, they should have something to show for it. And if the Magic, the upstart magic who have, like, it's just such a funny when you have two teams like the Magic, if they lose this series, futures bright.

Yeah.

If the Cavs lose this series, like, what the fuck?

We.

We just can't win series because the.

Cavs used to be the Magic.

Right.

They're a fun, young team. And at some point, if you're a fun, young team and you don't win you just age into being mid.

Yeah, yeah.

So a lot at stake there. Two, two series and then Sunday. So we talked about the sixers Knicks game. If you aren't watching the NBA playoffs, I understand some people like, oh, fuck the NBA. We don't want to watch the NBA. That, that Mavericks Clippers game, especially the fourth quarter, was such awesome playoff basketball when Kyrie, like the Mavericks were down 20 in the first half. But when Kyrie and James Harden were just going shot for shot and James Harden was insane. And Paul George playoff p. That three pointer he made at the end of the shot clock in the corner where he like, you know, a step back. Incredible shot to make. That was, that was what playoff basketball should be. Those two teams, they find a way. I know Kawhi was out again, which was actually good for the Clippers cause he was so bad on Friday.

They moved the ball.

Yeah.

And he just looks injured. But that game was so much fun to watch. And like Kyrie, when he, when Kyrie gets going and he just starts making just like insane shot after insane shot, it's so much fun to watch.

There was one layup he had today that I think it was like a triple pump fake. Yeah, he was in the air, clutched it like three times and made the layup. And he wasn't surprised that he made it. No, and I wasn't. I was actually not shocked at all that went in because I've seen Kyrie do that within 8ft of the basket. Kyrie is a fucking magician.

Yeah.

And always has been. But it was just, it was great basketball to watch. You're right, it was, it was a lot of fun down the stretch and I kept, I kept thinking like, this would be an all time collapse by the Clippers. But then the Clippers just kept playing great basketball and offense and holding him off and it ended up just being a great game on both sides.

Yeah, it was so much fun. It was so much fun. And then the other Palmer in the front row.

Yeah, loving it. Living it up.

Cuban, who, he doesn't own the team, but he still gets all the camera time.

Is he involved with the team?

I think he still is, but he can be fired at any moment. I still don't really understand that entire.

He gave up his ownership.

Yeah.

So he's like owner, was it?

They kept him employed emeritus.

Yeah.

I think they were just like, yeah, you can just keep your seats and tell people that you own the team.

Yeah.

You've been around for, like, they probably just kept in there to yell at the refs.

Yeah. Yeah.

Probably your work cubes. And then the Pacers and Bucks. The Bucks are going outside. I know Bucks fans. Yeah, they're very injured. Dame was out this game. Bobby Porter's got ejected. Chris Middleton's hurt. Giannis has not played yet. I understand if you're a Bucs fan, you're like, this is bullshit. Our injuries. Injuries happen, and injuries bounce your way, and sometimes they don't, because I just want to remind everyone that when Kevin Durant almost single handedly beat the Bucks, their championship season, James Harden and Kyrie Irving were hurt. So they happen. They happen in sports. Jason was a game seven. I know you guys lost by a billion, but Jason Tatum rolled ankle on the first play of game seven. It sucks. I understand being very bummed out about it, but you can't, like, they just. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don't.

Yeah, they're really not going their way.

This time, but they really didn't go. They really went their way when they won a title, and I never apologize for a title. I'm not taking away the Bucks title. But you also can't then you. You can't just ignore the injuries that happen when you win a title and then be like, the Pacers stink. They're just getting lucky because we're injured.

It also makes it very hard for the Bucks to figure out what they have to do this offseason. The fact that their main guys aren't showing up at 100% the playoffs. How do you evaluate that going next year? Like, do. Are you honest with yourself? And you say, like, the team wasn't really clicking that well to begin with? Yeah, I don't know. Or do you say, like, let's talk.

We'll fix it?

Yeah, let that. Yeah, let the doc take a look at it.

That Tyrese Halbert and game winner on Friday, which. That was the weirdest. Crazy. And started at 430 in central time. It was very bizarre to have a game like, I was watching overtime and it was still very light out.

Yeah, but, yeah.

Tyrese Hall, Burton, incredible finish, incredible game.

Yet.

Chris Middleton just. I thought he was going to hit three in a row. He had two insane three pointers to keep the game extended, but, yeah, the paces are fun. They're like. They're fun, young team, and I like watching them run up and down the court.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, that game was one of the best ones of the playoffs so far. Double overtime. Incredible. But it was weird. Hank and I walked in the studio and we're like, this game's not live, is it?

Yeah.

This was in the first quarter. Like, there's no. There's no chance this game's on right now. Yeah, it's like a replay.

Yeah, it was very bizarre. Triple header, I guess. All right, so we'll talk about the sun's Wolves when it finishes. There's eight minutes left in the game. The Wolves are trying to sweep the Suns. Hank, you're up. Three one on the Leafs. Poor Leafs swimming.

Three.

No.

And the Leafs are melting down. We're going to have bizarre whitney on. On Friday to talk some hockey. They're melting down.

Probably be all Bruins fans. Game. Game five. Or I guess game six if it goes back to Toronto. But yeah, they're there. They're the philly of the NHL stack team. Can't get out of the first round process.

Just. It's a bummer. Sad Leafs.

It is sad for a historic franchise like the Leafs.

Pft. Your team now, technically, is eliminated.

Technically, we are today. They actually didn't follow one of my keys to the game, so this game shouldn't count. OV didn't get a shot. Again. It's okay. So I can spins on this a couple ways. Number one, I got one for you as well. Number one, the Capital should get credit for the Rangers winning this series and for the Rangers turning into the juggernaut they are, because the Rangers turned around their entire franchise a couple years ago when Tom Wilson, in a horrifying act of violence, threw Panera into the ground.

Or was it.

No, it's a Benjad. Threw him to the ground. One of the two. Anyways, they accused him, basically, of attempted murder. They wrote a letter, an open letter, begging the league to suspend Tom Wilson or have him arrested. And then they fired their entire front office after that because they realized that they were a soft hockey team. Since that moment, the Rangers have turned it around. They've built themselves up into being a tougher hockey team, more talented hockey team, a more cohesive hockey team, all directly from the fact that Tom Wilson absolutely bodied you in your own house one time. So, in a way, the Caps kind of could take credit for winning the series, for building the Rangers into the juggernaut that they are right now. They were a much better team than the Caps. OV looked awful this entire playoff series, which is weird because he looked good at the end of the regular season, but he. He did not look like the OV that I've grown to know and love and watch over the last. How many years came in the league? In, like, 2004. He looked, he looked very different. So now I'm even thinking like, next year, what is it going to be?

Is it going to be ov? Just like running out there for, for power plays, hoping to get a shot from his office where he can still snipe it in? I don't know if this is what Alexander Ovechkin is, he might not get the goals record because like this playoff series, going multiple games without a single shot from one of the greatest goal scorers of all time, if not the greatest goal scorer of all time, was just bizarre to watch. And it was sad. And I was telling big cap before we taped, I just really wanted at least one more day where I could be like, I have appointment television.

Yeah, you got something you got to.

Do where it's like tonight the Caps are in a playoff game. Can't wait to watch. But they're in a weird spot where they've, they've been sellers at the trade deadline the past two seasons without really an opportunity of doing anything big in the playoffs. They got into the playoffs this year, even though we're in the middle of a rebuild, but it still does feel like the Caps next season is just going to be dedicated to OV getting the all time scoring record. And when he's not playing that well, then it's like, well, what are we doing as a hockey team? So I obviously always going to be back next year. I hope that he's not, I hope that it's not something that's wrong with him. I hope that just maybe it was a long season that ended up getting the best of him, but he looked fucking awful. Awful this entire series, and we got our asses kicked. It got to a point where I was hoping that you could decline penalties in hockey.

Yeah, you said that out loud.

Yeah, I said it out loud. I know you can't decline penalties in hockey, but they got, I think in three out of four games they got a shorthanded goal, and at least in another game they had another goal that, that should have been a shorthanded goal. That was just barely.

They missed.

I forget what it was, maybe off the pipe or something, but the power play sucked. Everything sucked. A couple of young guys stepped up a little bit. All in all, the haters were right about the, about the Capitals.

So I got a spin zone for you.

Okay.

I have a rule of hard and fast rule. When it comes to the playoffs, if you get eliminated within a single week, it never really happened. That's the beauty of it. It you like that was so fast. It was seven days.

Yeah.

In and out. No one's gonna remember you're in the playoffs, which is probably for the better. And that's like. It doesn't. You didn't even. People like, I'd be a trivia question, who was a seed in the 2024? But no one will know.

No one knows.

Yeah.

It happened so fast.

I didn't get a chance to get excited by it, by anything in the series.

Right.

It was over before you. You were the.

You're one.

Oh.

In the first game.

Right.

Were we?

No.

I don't know.

I think we're down.

I think it was zero down, like, the whole time. It was zero. Zero after one period. Yeah, we were tied and we were tired in the first game. Yeah, we'll always have that.

It was.

Yeah.

No, it was three nothing in the first game before the capital scored their first goal. So they were literally just. Like I said, it was just over.

Is that true? I thought that we had one goal.

No, I'm looking at right now it was three nothing. It was three to one. Oh, that's because you scored a goal.

But that's because their three goals basically all happened at the same time. So I eliminated those three minutes from the game.

They happened very quickly.

Yeah.

You were the Abe Simpson just walking in, walking out of the playoffs.

Yeah.

Today was over. After about, I think, 57 seconds. They scored their first goal.

Yeah.

The game wasn't even on yet.

It wasn't.

We didn't think it on the tv yet, and we were already down. So I feel like you. You never win those games.

Yeah.

You're losing by the time you get it on.

But it's just. This didn't even happen.

Didn't happen. You're good. Didn't happen.

You're good.

I apologize to Red Wings fans. I apologize to hockey fans. You were right.

You were right.

The Caps probably shouldn't have been in the playoffs this year.

Yeah.

But we will get biz and. And or Whitney on this week to talk some more playoffs. I have. We have to decide our period of the week.

I've got a new nominee.

I do, too.

Is it the third period of the Predz Canuck?

Yes. Yeah.

That was crazy.

Yeah, it was wild. The Preds had an open netter to win the game.

Missed it, bounced it off the Pikes.

Yeah.

And then two goals with. With the goalie pulled.

Yep.

For the Canucks. Goes into overtime.

Canucks win one with, like, three minutes left, and then they scored one with 8 seconds left.

Yeah, it was an awesome end to that period.

Yeah.

So that I think we can just say that's period of the week.

That's my. That's my vote.

Yeah.

Anyone else got any other nominees? Where do you want to talk about any other periods?

Hank?

Your nobjen.

Yeah.

No, I mean, the fourth quarters don't count, right.

Uh, well, the overtime. You talking about.

Are we talking about basketball?

He's. No, no, it's periods of the week. Well, like, Alex Bennett's not in this anymore.

No other periods of the week for me.

Yeah, you could say.

You could call a quarter period. It is a period of time.

I love the end of that. Clippers.

Oh, so good. It was so good.

That be period of the week?

No, I think we got significant periods. That could be quarter of the week.

Okay.

That could be quarter of the week. If you want that. Would you like to nominate that?

Yeah.

Doesn't sound as cool as period of the week now.

Period of the week is. All right.

Maybe Max is texting when he was drunk last night.

Hank.

Period.

Pussy.

Pussy.

You're being a pussy about the Celtics.

Yeah, that was actually. That might be period of the week. That might be period in between.

Pussy of the week.

Yeah, Hank. Period pussy.

Max, were you. Were you actually upset at Hank for how he's acting?

Yeah, yeah, I was mad.

I was a little mad.

Too drunk, and he wants to fight me.

That's pretty much like, you have a good team, and you. One little heat loss, and you're. You took your ball. Focus.

I got focused.

You were literally talking about matching up against the nuggets, and you went lose one game.

Yeah, I got ahead of myself, and now I'm back on the right track.

We are.

Right back on the right track.

We are.

We got ahead of ourselves.

Yeah.

All right. Other. Any other hockey to talk about? I know the Oilers. And the hot. The first round has been. I don't want to say mid, but, like, it doesn't feel. There's been a couple good series. I think the night Star series has got. It still has a way to get, like, that might go seven, but. And no. And both teams have won or all the road teams have won, but, like, got a lot of three ones out there. Yeah, got a lot of three ones. And that's usually. I want to. I want a couple game sevens. I feel like usually, the NHL playoffs, we get at least one or two game sevens in the first round.

I feel like the Bruins. Bruins are on a heater right now.

Yeah. Yeah, we have. Yeah, we have a sweep in all, all games. All three ones except the two one. That is the stars nights. That's crazy. Okay. Should we talk some NFL draft? We should talk some NFL drafts. Recap the NFL draft, basically Friday and Saturday. I don't know how you guys consume the weekend of the NFL draft. I essentially just wait for the Bears pick, and then I'm like, great pick. And then everything else. Like, if a QB, Spencer Rattler, went, everyone said that he sucks as a high schooler.

Yeah.

Bad demeanor.

Yeah. Yeah.

That's a good way to do it. I like to watch the draft on Friday, like, kind of like I do on Thursday, where I pay close attention for at least the first few picks.

Yeah.

And then I quickly realize, oh, yeah. This isn't nearly as entertaining as yes. As the Thursday is.

Oh, yeah.

Second round. I get locked in on the guys that my team picks in the second round.

Yeah.

I didn't have a second round pick this year, so I have a couple things I'll throw out there that we can. We could talk about. JJ McCarthy's initial picture showing up to the Vikings facility was very funny. Someone aptly said that it had big time. Mom, I threw up energy. He has, like, a wrinkled suit. Also, JJ McCarthy has been nominated by Colin Coward is the number one backwards hat energy quarterback in this draft class.

Backwards hat energy.

Yes.

That's different from actually wearing a backwards hat.

That's got to just be the hair.

He said.

He said it's hair. Cocky Michigan guy. Backwards hat errors.

Okay. All right.

But it's. It's awesome that cowards throwing backwards had energy onto a guy not wearing a backwards hat.

Yeah.

Where it's like you. I don't like that you would be.

A backwards trying to call his shot.

If you wore a backwards hat, I would hate you.

Yeah.

We had the funniest trade be realized in this year's NFL when the New England Patriots selected Joe Milton with the draft pick they got for Mac Jones. So that was perfect. They basically did pimp my ride with exhibit, and they're like, hey, you liked your quarterback. We put a cannon on him, but he can only throw cannons.

Yeah.

You want a deep ball guy. And Hank, I would. I would start looking right now at Joe Milton.

I've looked at, oh, no controversy. I think might be that's more excited about Joe Milton.

It's got to be a Drake. It's got to be an open competition because it. If you watch Joe Milton throwing off passes, you will. The highlights for Joe Milton are higher than anybody else's highlights ball.

Looks real light in his hands.

At least you have Hail Mary guy.

Yeah, I mean, he's exciting. He's an exciting player.

Kind of redundant with Jacoby Rosetta on the roster.

Yeah. Really?

That's.

He was the designated sneak and Hail Mary guy.

Yeah, but Joe Milton will be both of those. Yeah, for sure.

Imagine if we got Harrison junior, and then we had Joe Milton.

Yeah. Yeah.

He's run go round.

He would throw the ball off his helmet whenever he was, you know, within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage. It is great, though, that it was Mac Jones, the Mac Jones pick, the six rounder. They traded Mac Jones and got back. They then upgraded to Joe Milton Cannon arm.

I think it's worth taking a flyer on, Joe.

Yeah, absolutely. The, the Bears got Sam Hartman, I think.

No, I think the commanders. My manners.

Got Sam. Yeah, we got someone else, some other. I don't even know. Yeah, I got a punter.

The.

Yeah, you got the Iowa punter, which is awesome. He's very experienced. He's got a lot of, a lot of mileage on that leg, though, punting at Iowa.

Listen, he. I like saying, hey, best player available. If it's a punter, it's a punter.

Yeah. Yeah.

That's what the, the commanders did throughout the entire draft. They just went, best player available. And we got Ben Senett, the, the low man trophy winner from Kansas State.

I like that.

He's awesome. I'm, he's, he's mini kiddle. We're not doing baby Gronk anymore. He's baby kiddle, and he's going to be good. And then I also like what I like Newton, the guy from Illinois.

Yeah.

Dude's a problem.

Yeah.

In the second round you got him.

In the second round we got him. Also, there was a moment Max and I were watching the draft together, and the commanders traded our pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was in the second round, Max starts pounding his chest, being like, I want Cooper.

I want.

I thought, I thought he was asking to sign Riley Cooper again. It was really weird how angry he was getting. And then they end up drafting Cooper, Degene, and Max. You thought that they would have brought the pope into town. Max was just loving it, and it was honestly a little bit uncomfortable how hard you were celebrating that pick. I think everybody in the bar was like, why does this guy like this white defensive back so much?

Max, that's not what happened. Even slightly.

So give us the slight pFt.

Was very excited because his team was, and he wanted to get Cooper Degene. And then the Eagles traded, and then he just started immediately going like, max.

Why do you like this pig so much?

Why do you like this pig so much? Oh, you really want this guy? You really want this guy?

That's interesting.

When it was really, he was really upset that he didn't get him, so he was just using all of that.

Against all time moment in deflection when I just, I just put, I pegged Max as a racist. I was like, look how much this racist wants this white quarterback.

Kind of pathetic.

I'm really pathetic how much you want this guy. But, yeah, so I think that the Eagles got fleeced in that trade regardless.

Yeah, but I was, you did get Sam Hartman. I was thinking of Austin Reed from western Kentucky. The Bears got as an undrafted free agent. I love the underrated free agents.

Yeah.

Sign everyone. What?

I hate to poo poo. PFT, but.

How did a tight end.

Win the low man trophy? He was a hybrid. He was a fullback. Tight end also. I don't vote on it.

Actually.

I do vote on it. That's a lie. But the people that nominate the fullbacks, they, they take care of that. And he did play fullback.

Yeah, he's both.

He's kind of like a mix between kittle and you, Shaq, by the way.

Pft.

Did you see your new quarterback, Jaden Daniels, when he was seven years old, wrote on a piece of paper, I will play in the NFL. I saw that. How many pieces of paper have that for people who did not play in one of the four major sports? Oh, I was gonna, I definitely wrote it.

I was gonna be the first baseball player astronaut.

More pieces of paper with. I will play in fill in the blank league. And never realizing that then street then than traffic lights in Manhattan.

Oh, for sure.

Yeah.

Way more.

Way more than toilets in those millions every year. Every year you get a toilets in the country. Way more about Russell Wilson's house.

Way more.

He's got like 75 toilets, but no.

Get 75 new toilets the next.

Think about all the toilets in stadium next year.

Do you think it's more is more toilet? It's infinity number.

There's more toilets?

Yeah.

Oh, you think there's more toilet?

I think so, yeah.

Yeah.

Hank doesn't.

It's in the billions.

You think it's in the billions. Pieces of paper?

Yeah.

Wow.

Your first job out of college, if you become an accountant or salesperson, you should have to say, like, you know, every day when I was a kid, I grew up looking at the poster on my wallet. I had that said, one day I will play in the NFL.

Yeah.

And today I'm an accountant because I wasn't good enough at football.

But what if it was a forensic accountant? Do you think there's any ever been a kid who's written down, I wanted, someday I want to be a forensic accountant? Maybe now because of show. Hey, yeah, that's kind of a cool thing. All right, the Timberwolves are up to with two and a half minutes left. All right, other draft notes I had. Keon Coleman rocks.

Yes.

That was an awesome, awesome introductory press conference when he was like, guess where I got this jacket from? And then one of the bills reporters, like, from Tom, is. Oh, he's like, no, Macy's.

Yeah.

Then he also said, keon Coleman said that he went out on, he saw the field, and he scored three touchdowns in his head in 30 seconds, which as far as he knows is a record.

It's a record. Well, it's a record for thinking that, yes, you scored.

It's.

He definitely set that.

I actually would say that's not a record.

I've never thought that I've scored more than three in 30 seconds. Three seems to be like two.

I don't know. I think there's got to be a Buffalo Bills fan who's looked at that end zone and just been like, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown.

Boom.

How did that go? Like, when you scored your first touchdown, you recovered onside kick.

I think he just was like, oh, I'm going to score a touchdown in the back corner and then I'm going to get one in the front.

Yeah.

One in the middle.

The part about the coat was so funny, too, talking about how he buys his coats in the offseason. So right now he's looking at shopping for winter coats.

Yeah.

Because if you get it now, it's, it's way less expensive than if you wait until, like October.

Yeah.

Or November to get it. Also, Xavier Leggette. Awesome voice.

Awesome, awesome voice.

Loved his presence, too.

Incredible.

I would, I would listen to him just read the phone book.

Yeah, he's great.

We also had, oh, speaking of the bills, Josh Allen will be the first quarterback in NFL history to hand off or throw a pass to two separate Frank corps.

Oh, yeah. Frank or junior time with him.

Yep. Yeah.

And he played with Frank or senior.

Yep.

That's kind of cool.

That is very cool. And Frank or junior, he, his dad is really standing for him pretty hard, which I love.

Yeah.

His dad's like, yeah, he's a carbon copy of me. We had all the same measurables. Nobody thought I was going to be a great running back. That was probably because of the injuries in college. Yeah, but, yeah. What if Frank Gore junior. What if he just plays for 20 years?

I.

Listen, Frank or junior? I got to look it up. There was a game where southern miss didn't have a quarterback, and he played. I think he played quarterback and running back, and it was just the Frank Gore junior show for the entire game, where he, like, ran the ball 30 times, threw it a few times, and it was awesome. And I was like, I'm a Frank Gorg junior guy now, too.

Yeah, he's fun. There's actually a bunch of sons that got signed. It was Frank Gore junior.

Jerry.

Jerry Rice's kid got drafted a little bit later than people thought. We have another McCaffrey in the NFL.

Yep.

He's a wide receiver, was a quarterback, and then there was somebody else. What other?

What others? Oh, Jeremiah Trotter.

Jeremiah Trotter for the Eagles. That was a cool moment.

I like that.

I love all the behind the scenes phone calls where they show the GM picking up the phone, calling the kid, the owner gets on the line. That was a great one, because they also talked to Jeremiah Trotter Sr. And it looked like Lori was going to cry.

Yeah, no, it was cool. He talked about. He was like, I've known you since you were about two or three.

Yeah.

Axeman. Ax man junior coming in.

Yeah.

I think also means wanted me to say Joe Walt.

He was.

He was screaming, say Joe.

All say Joe Walt. Say Joel, I guess.

Oh, Joel's dad's play.

Yeah, yeah.

And Joel very Harbaugh. Joel came to the facility, and Harbaugh immediately was like, who's taller, you or your dad? He made them stand back to back. Very hardball. He's meeting his new first round pick. You guys stand back to back. I got to check this out.

Real. Yeah.

Maybe what jeans were working with, because.

Maybe room to grow if his dad's taller.

Yeah, true. All right. Other notes I had, I think that's. Oh, I mean, we didn't talk about it on Thursday. We should have those. Bad job by us. Roger Goodell was just perked out.

Yeah, he was.

He was.

He was pill headed.

He was duck walking.

Yeah.

Moving slow, talking slow.

He was standing very close to Eminem at the start of the show.

Yeah, yeah, it was. I mean, he got his guys black back. Blown out.

Yeah.

By the way, did Bradley Beal say something before this game? Like, we're not going out like, this. And I think he scored nine points.

That's tough. Yeah, I don't think no trick lost.

Bradley Beal.

Yeah.

We'll have to recap this as soon as it goes final. The Mavs are sorry, the wolves are up four right now with a minute 40. I want them to sweep them and.

We'Re going to talk about it with Peter Schrager in a little bit. But the video that came out on Friday of David Tepper walking into the Charlotte area restaurant because the sign outside said, please let the GM make the picks this year. Tepper saw that. He went in there with, how many goons did he have with him? He had, like, at least he just, he had one.

I think it was one goon, but it was kind of like a. I think he's, I think he hired a security guard that's just basically tepper light. Like, they had the same body type.

Yeah.

Doesn't really make a lot of sense.

So they go in there and on the, on the security footage, they're talking to the owner of the restaurant, or I think it was the owner, and the guy's wearing a hat. And Tepper just takes his hat off his head and puts it down in front of him. That's the most emasculating move you can do.

Yeah.

Taking another man's hat off, especially when.

You'Re David Tepper with that balding pattern.

Yeah.

As he has classic rich guy male pattern baldness.

If an owner took my hat off, my head, I would show up like Christopher Malta Santi in the neck brace, like Tony Khan.

Yeah.

I'd be like, oh, that you, you broke my neck.

Yeah.

When you took my hat off.

Yeah.

He a complete, like, in the report came out after, like, he wasn't bothered. Mm hmm. Every time I'm not bothered, I try to steal someone's hat.

Yeah.

If, honestly, if somebody took your hat off, because it was a big day online for people being like, I don't care who you are, if another man takes my hat off, I would never. I'm gonna beat the shit out of that. I would fuck him up in that situation. Would you have fucked David Tepper up?

I would have fucked him up.

I thought about that and I was like, I think I would have liked to say that I fucked him up. But I do think that faking injury is the right move.

Do you know what he should have done is for a guy like David Tapper, who's probably very litigious, so you don't want to get in a lawsuit with him and everything. And, you know, there's cameras. Guy takes your hat, just throw him a fucking fake punch and watch him flinch like a bitch.

Yeah.

Is that assault? I don't think it is.

No, definitely not. Yeah, don't touch them.

Yeah.

You then would have to do two for flinching.

Yeah.

You can then say, is assault.

No, but legally, two for flinching. That's allowed.

Yeah, that is allowed. But imagine if that was on the tape where.

Yeah, that'd be good move.

You just, like, little juke him.

And I would have done.

Yeah. If.

And then you could maybe even get the other guy to throw a punch, and then now you're set.

I would have been like, I'm sorry we spilled some of our famous sauce on your chest. And then he looks down and boop. Yeah, do that one to him.

Who got hurt in the Suns game? The coach. Oh, no, what happened? Wait, that's not. There's a loose ball, but that's like an assistant coach. Oh, no, that is the coach. Shit. That's bad. By the way, did Anthony Edwards just snatch a soul?

Katie didn't jump up. Business decision.

Damn. But he snatched them.

Is that guy okay?

What. What just happened? Mike Connelly was going for a loose.

Ball on the sideline.

Ran right into the coach. Chris Finch just went down.

Yep. And.

Oh, get up. This guy.

This guy does not look ready to go.

He does not. He's got.

He's got the biggest.

Oh, shit.

I am not prepared for this.

Look on his face.

He's Dennis Hopper. Drunken Hoosier. Yeah, like, I don't want to be out here.

Yeah, this is. They better make these free throws.

This. I mean, he's not ready for the suns, though. Can you pull it up for us?

He looks like he just did not do any assignment whatsoever. Now he's about to give a presentation.

Uh oh.

All right.

Now he's fighting with the other assistant.

All right.

They made their first.

Oh, his knee. That didn't look like it was that bad. Oh, and it was. It was Mike Conley. Oh. I don't know. Oh, no.

Is that a knee or, like, broken leg? What if he just has to poop? It's like the Paul Pierce all over again.

He's got to finish this game.

Think he'd stay? And if they were not down three. Oh, is this LeBron?

Oh, I don't know. This is very funny, though, to have your. To lose your coach to a knee injury right before sweep, you know? Hey, blow some Frank Vogel. They got to show him again. I want to see him again. He looks like Joe Prenti.

I got it.

I got to find out, like, we're Joe Runty.

Yeah.

Do you think they've got reporters following this guy to the, the locker room?

Oh, they have to.

X rays.

Yeah, they have to. They have to give us a report on this. Um, okay. I think that was everything from the draft.

Yeah.

Oh, shout out our guy, Tony Schuffler. Did you guys see that?

No.

He rocked. He got up, did a great speech, said, put Mike Shannon in the hall of fame. And they said, God bless Bo Nicks. He was, he was doing the, the Broncos pick, and then he got Josh McDaniels trending, which was great.

That's awesome.

Yeah.

So there was just a bunch of people being like, I like, Tony Sheffield was one of my favorite draft picks. Like, what could have been if Josh McDaniels didn't trade him and Jay Cutler.

I love that. Good for Tony.

He's getting a lot of hate on Josh McDaniels. All right, let's do who's back in the week. Then we got two great interviews. Talking more draft with Peter Schrager, talking NBA with Alex Caruso. Who's back of the week is brought to you by our friends at Coors Light. There are plenty of chances in life to make things better by choosing chill. Grab every opportunity to choose chill, then reach for a refreshing Coors light. When the mountains turn blue, it's as cold as the Rockies. When you embrace a chill mindset, it's a good time to choose chill and crack open a Coors light. Coors Light is mountain cold refreshment, crisp and refreshing. As the Colorado Rockies make the most out of the times, you choose to chill, choose Coors light. I like to chill. If you're a Wolves fan, when your coach gets knocked out of a game but you're up 30 and you're about to sweep the suns. Crack open a Coors light. Chill out. Get Coors light delivered straight to your door with Instacart by going to Coors light.com. Take celebrate responsibly. Coors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado. All right, who's back the week? Let's save suns and wolves for after Caruso before we do lottery ball.

So we'll, we'll recap the sun's debacle if they end up losing. So if you want to listen to that, if you want to, all Wolves fans, don't get upset. We mentioned you. We're going to mention you. We'll get to that. After Caruso and trigger Hank who's back the week?

My.

Who's back the week is MLB uniforms.

I had that, too.

Nice.

Congrats. There was a report that came out that basically said Nike fucked up the uniforms. We're working to fix them. We're going to get the bigger names in the back of the jerseys, and everything should be fixed at the latest at the start of the 2025 season.

What?

Yeah.

They also absolutely have to wait.

Fanatics.

Completely.

I don't know if that was, you know, it's interesting. Fix was in.

It's interesting, isn't it?

It.

But it was.

It made very clear that it was entirely a Nike issue. And. No, nothing to do with anyone else.

Not a fanatics problem at all. Just a weird. Just Nike. So, yeah, they're. They're returning to the larger lettering on the back of the jerseys. They're fixing the mismatched gray tops and bottoms.

Okay.

And they're addressing Nike's propensity to collect sweat, meaning like the. The pooling of the sweat and also see through ness of the pants.

See through ness. So you got a problem when that has to be put into the press.

Yeah.

They should be less see through in the pants area.

See through.

Yeah.

Players should be able to slide.

Yes.

Without the uniform busting their ass open.

Yeah.

I'm sad. I mean, I'm glad that we get to watch an entire more season of baseball with having this be, like, a weird thing that we get to all patent.

Yeah.

That makes it fun.

I like that. I like that. But, yeah, they're trying to fix it now. I did. I read one thing that said that the guys in the MLB PA might be investors in fanatics.

Oh.

And so maybe that was why people are pointing at Nike for being the problem, not fanatics.

Hmm.

I think it's just a weird coincidence.

Probably just one of those weird coincidences.

Yeah.

So Nike. So is Nike.

I said Nike was trying to innovate.

Something that didn't need to be innovated, which is fair.

Sometimes you got to take a shot, right? Take a chance. No, I. It's a debacle by fanatics and Nike.

Yeah.

I mean, that's what I keep. That's what I like. That's basically what, what businesses do. They innovate stuff. And they're like, you need this now?

Yeah.

All the time.

Yeah.

Aren't you bored with the thing that's been working all these years?

Yeah.

Hey, you know your phone. Don't you need a new one?

Yeah.

Well, no, not really.

Don't you need another camera? On your phone.

Well, it's too bad your battery sucks now and you have to get a new one.

Yeah.

Ever thought, hey, if I'm standing a mile away from a mountaintop, do you want to zoom in and be able to see a flower on that mountaintop? You find yourself in this position a lot.

You definitely need one. Hey, aren't you sick of having a phone, an iPad, a computer? Don't you want a giant, huge phone that wraps around your eyes?

Yeah.

And doesn't allow you to watch porn on it? Yeah, wouldn't that be good?

Yeah, that would be good.

Yeah. Yeah.

Sign me up.

Yeah.

Aren't you sick of talking to people and going outside?

Yeah.

Oh, we have your escape.

Yeah.

Here we go. You love this now.

Yeah.

Hey, remember that truck you had? What if we just made it a big cube and called it a cyber truck?

Yeah.

What if we fixed it?

Aren't you sick of your brain having its own thoughts? Wouldn't you rather just have a chip in there that does all your thoughts for you? Yeah, wouldn't that be better?

That would be better. By the way, I have a hack. I shouldn't say it because it's gonna. If you're ever in traffic and you're trying to merge into a lane you shouldn't be merging into.

Yeah.

Wait for a Tesla. They automatically have to stop.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

The cars are the sensor.

I shouldn't say that because, well, actually, I don't have a Tesla, so I don't give a fuck, but. Yeah.

Little.

Little hack for people out there.

It's good.

Pretty good, right?

Unless it's the one time where it doesn't stop.

Then you're fucked and you're. Yeah, but those. Those cars will stop and you're good to go when you're the asshole. Less to merge and smart.

Yeah.

My who's back of the week was going to be old uniforms, but Hank took it. So I'm going to say my who's back of the week is Kony. You guys remember Kony?

Yeah, that was what? That was a Billy football play.

Yeah, that was Billy football play in Uganda.

Their goal line package and then their.

Whole team was like, we don't say that word. Yeah, please stop saying that word. And Billy kept looking around like, Kony. Yeah. Why are they all looking at me? Weird to say Kony. So apparently russian mercenaries, they're a good group. They're in hot pursuit of the notorious warlord Joseph Kony after a bloody near capture in a remote corner of the Central African Republic earlier this month, sources tell Rolling Stone magazine. So Kony might be. He might be, like, dead. Maybe we did it. Oh, all those YouTube clicks that we did back in 2012, see, a bitch finally paid off.

He's finally gone.

He's finally gone. But also, according to Billy, something in Uganda that people just say all the time is they call each other Kony. So if. If there's a politician that you don't like, you'll be like, that guy is basically Kony. Or he'll be like, I think he is Coney. And then it's like a slur you could put on somebody. God, the Kony accusations are running wild in Uganda. Who knows if this is the actual Kony or if it's just some guy that got accused of being Coney because they never caught Coney. So Coney could be anybody.

Yeah.

Could be Hank.

Coney could be Hank. He's our Coney.

Yeah.

Bring back Cocky hank.

No. Europe.

Two one and three one jobs.

Not finished.

Like, what the fuck? You're a pussy. You're a pussy. You are a pussy. That's fine.

I mean, I can't exist on the show. It's literally a breathe one way. Breathe the other way.

No, this.

Say that.

Go back to saying this.

Speak, don't speak. Don't speak.

We always want you to speak.

Speak.

We always want you to speak. Read, speak. Be. We want all that.

You did quit speaking when your teams were losing.

That's.

That's just like a gaslighting thing you guys say.

I would love a supercut of Hank saying yes.

Well, he can't speak.

Yeah.

So now you're gaslighting him and you're not speaking again.

Well, like Matt.

I mean, p at Max, like your example with PFt at the bar. Like, they just say these things that you do at the bar. And I was there. That didn't happen.

What pft said, correct.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

But two thing is, I was joking about that.

I've never gaslighted you about something you said at a bar.

I don't know what you're talking about.

I haven't.

I I want to say I agree, but I feel you bring this up.

Because I don't go out.

But also Max.

Yeah, Max.

I'm good.

Max has said a lot of things in a lot of bars.

That's true. One thing about Max, he'll beat the fuck out of Hank.

I never said that.

I never said that.

Yeah, you said that. You said that a lot.

That wasn't at a bar, to be fair.

That was just existing out loud.

Remember when he kept insisting to the mentalist that Shane Victorino was your favorite player?

Yeah. Let's talk about this.

Come on. Come on.

The guy was.

Poor mentalist.

This poor mentalist was brought around a bar at a Super bowl party just doing party tricks for the people. He was just trying to wow people.

Make the time pass.

And then he came up to us and he was like, who's your favorite baseball player of all time? To Jake. And then Jake was like, thinking to himself, he's like, oh, I think I'm gonna tell him Derek Jeter. I love Derek Jeter. Mike's like, no, ask me. Ask me. My favorite player is Shane Victorino. And the guy was like, well, you ruined the trick. You're not supposed to say that out loud, like, no, but Shane Victorino fucking rocks.

By the way, Draymond Green said, you got to stay in the game, coach. It's 140 left. Wish him well, though.

Wish him well, though.

Call them a pussy.

Wish him well, though.

Call them a pussy. All right, my who's back is Kentucky Derby. It is Kentucky Derby week. Very excited for that. We have Randy Moss coming on Friday. We've JJ Reddick on Wednesday, but pft. I'll be attending your Kentucky Derby.

This party's gotten so much buzz since, since Friday when this episode came out. I'm turning people away now.

Whoo.

House is going to be full.

That's crazy.

I had to go to Costco. Went to Costco.

To Costco Rocks.

Got a. Yeah. This is our second consecutive part of my take.

We'll.

We'll do an impromptu Costco ad. Went to Costco today, loaded up on hot dogs. You can buy so many things at Costco, it's insane.

I I had a moment this weekend. On Saturday, I was out with my, two of my kids and my wife, and I was just like, she's like, where should we go for lunch? I was like, why don't we go to Costco? She's like, for lunch. And I was like, yeah, hot dog.

The giant slice of pizza.

And then I got turned down. But the next, next week, we'll be doing that when I just, I'll just take the kids. We'll go on a sneak Costco run.

Yeah.

I've officially reached the point in life where I go to Costco and I'm pumped.

Oh.

Looking around, a bunch of dads in there doing their shopping. We, you give each other the Costco old man wave.

Not only that, but I love that they checked the receipt because then I'm always just like, yeah, I didn't. Rob.

Yeah.

Check it out, bro. It's Val. Yeah, look at it. I got. I got 300 mini cupcakes.

Yep.

75 rolls of toilet paper and 16 gallons of laundry detergent. I didn't rob.

That's this.

That's the cycle of life. That's all you need.

Yeah.

One of my favorite things to do is walk into a Costco and act like I'm sneaking in. And then the person's like, excuse me, sir, sir. And then think that they're catching you sneaking in, and then you turn, you're like, oh, boom. Costco executive card.

Yeah, have it. Okay, let's get to our interviews. We got Peter Schrager, we got Alex Crusoe. And then on the other side of the interviews, we will recap. The Suns have officially been swept in a sad, sad state of affairs for the Phoenix Suns organization. And we'll give a lot of credit to the wolves. So here he is, Peter Schrager. Okay, before we get to our good friend Peter Schrager recapping the 2024 NFL draft, quick word from our friends from Pepsi. Everything is better with Pepsi. We went to Detroit last week, had our pardon my cheesesteak truck with some Pepsi infused items, and we drank a lot of Pepsi and everything. It tastes better with Pepsi. Think about it. This is your favorite sandwich, your favorite piece of pizza, your favorite wings. Pepsi makes everything taste better. Saucy, stretchy, crunchy, gooey, messy. Pepsi is an essential part of the most undeniably delicious food moments. Let's face it, Pepsi just makes every bite better. I love the wild cherry. That's my big cat approved Pepsi product. The refreshing pop of sweet, fizzy pepsi bubbles makes even the best food taste even better. Grab a pepsi, zero sugar for your next meal as every crave worthy bite is better with Pepsi.

I'm going to go get a Pepsi right now. Nice little Pepsi with a big, big, tall glass of pepsi with some ice.

Wild cherry, zero sugar.

Mmm, awesome. And they get. And Pepsi gave us the old school glasses, which I love, love. So everything is better with a Pepsi. Okay, here he is, Peter Schrager. Okay, we now welcome on our very good friend. It is Peter Schrager. He's fresh off his trip to Detroit. The NFL draft 2024 is in the books. Shrags. You can find him on Fox Sports good morning football shrigs. Let's start with this because we got a lot of questions about winners, losers, stories you heard, but the dust is settled. You are the master of some spin zones. Spin zone. The Falcons for us.

Yep.

Let's go.

Let's step right into my office.

Okay.

Well, it's funny because it's like part of me is, all right, have a contrarian take, so I want to defend it. And then part of me is like, I've got to carry the water for friends in Atlanta. So let's just do what I do. The argument there right now is that there's no worse place to be in the NFL than quarterback purgatory. And there's no worse place to be than nine and eight, eight and 910 and seven, seven and ten. And there's a lot of teams in the league that live in that area. And why that area is so bad is you're just good enough to be in playoff contention every year, but you're not good enough to actually win the thing and you're not bad enough to get a draft pick. Now this is very convoluted thinking. If you're considering what the goal is to win the Super bowl, this move to them ensures that no matter what happens in the next two to three years, three to five years, if it all goes well for both sides, they will not be in quarterback purgatory. They viewed Michael Pennix as a top ten prospect in this draft.

They themselves do not see them being in the top ten again now that they have Kirk Cousins. So the argument is best player on the board. Yes. And then $180 million, $100 million guaranteed. Kirk's our starter. We fully intend for Kirk to be our starter. But if and when that time comes, because he's 36, coming off an achilles, we have our guy. And God forbid something happens to him because, yes, quarterbacks do get injured in the league. The season is not down the drains. They, I think they were really scarred by the Desmond ritter, Taylor Heinecke, you name, whoever else has started for him, Mariota, that they don't want to be in that place again. And I'll say it because I think it is kind of linked together here. This is the same franchise that looked Bill Belichick in the eyes, had two interviews with him and said, nope, we're good. Like they're on a limb. They're beating to the beat of their own drummer right here. And in this case, they don't think it's crazy that they took Michael Pennix. If anything, they think more teams should because quarterback is the most valuable position in this league, times ten.

And now they have theirs for the future while also having their current one that they feel pretty good about. Even they backed it up with all the money they gave them.

Speaker two.

Yeah. The more I thought about it, I still think it's crazy in the fact that they probably could have traded back and gotten more assets because the teams that were picking right after them, we saw, you know, Denver was in love with Bo Nix. The Vikings were in love with JJ McCarthy. It felt like they could have probably moved around a little bit and faked some teams out and gotten some more draft capital. But the one thing you could say for the Falcons is it was known as a weak draft for defense. There wasn't a defensive player taken to the 15th pick. And what were the Falcons going to do? The, I think the best player available was Roma Doonze, who went to the Bears. But if they take another wide receiver, they get killed for that because that would have been four years in a row that they took a running back, wide receiver, tight end. So I guess, listen, they have a chance to be right and, and right now they're the laughingstock. But if it works out, it will. There'll be geniuses for it.

The stat I got in the modern draft era, which is 1966, they're the first team ever to draft four skill position players on offense with top eight picks four years in a row.

That's, wow.

You do pits, you do London, you do Bijan, and now you do Pennix. I would add one more thing when you're talking about that purgatory, and they didn't name names or name teams to me, but they were just saying in general, that's not a place you want to be. We don't expect to be in the top ten anytime soon. We think we're going to contend, especially in the NFC south with Cuz. But I started thinking like, well, who would they be? And they start thinking you're like, all right, look at Pittsburgh the last decade. Look at Denver the last decade. None of these teams have first overall picks, but they are in that ten to 20 range, you know, and it's, all right, the Titans. And it's like, all right, well, how are you getting a quarterback? Well, in this case, they got theirs. Now, someone said to me, you know, it's like Jordan Low, and we've all debunked that. The analogy to me is imagine the jets signed Aaron Rodgers last year and did all that hoopla and then drafted a quarterback in the top ten. Like, that's how this feels. It's not Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers.

It's the jets kind sign signing Aaron Rodgers Cousins. That relationship was in a great place. I think Cousins threw out a first pitch to a Braves game a couple of days ago. I think, and I have to double check this, I think he was part of like, the Falcons draft festivities.

Like the old Mike Glennon.

Yeah.

So I was going to ask you about Kirk. Have you checked in on him? Is he okay?

We heard a little bit about Kirk.

Every other media member apparently has had a heart to heart with them. The day of the amount of people who had tweets like Kirk was surprised. There's like 18 different versions of it. I haven't reached out and I know his agent, Mike McCartney very well, but I haven't spoken to him either. Yeah, no, apparently he didn't know that was going to happen. But I've told this story and I'll tell it one more time. Peyton was with the Saints and they had the 11th pick in the draft in 2018 or 2017. Sorry. And they wanted Mahomes, like, Mahomes number one on their board and they hadn't told breeze. They had no intention of telling breeze, but if Mahomes somehow fell to eleven, they were taking a quarterback. And then Drew Brees, out of nowhere, had never done this in his career, called up Sean Payton. They're like best friends and it's like, I've got a couple of buddies in town. Is it cool if I, if I bring them to the war room tonight with a draft? So then Sean has to decide, like.

What do I do here?

And he tells the story. I don't know if he's ever told it publicly, but it's great. And he's like, so right then and there I'm like, sure. And then I pull Drew aside and I'm like, there's a chance. There's this kid from Texas Tech we really like, if there's a chance he might take him. And as picks go by, one by one by one, like, he sits Drew down like, 7th pick overall. And he says to Drew, he's like, we're going to take the Texas tech quarterback to Drew Brees's credit because the story's much better if Drew Brees takes out like a two by four and breaks over paint. He was just like, got to do what you got to do. And this is the height of Drew Brees. Like, I think the next year they went to the NFC championship game and breeze is like, you got to do what you got to do for the future. I totally get it. Like, breeze was cool about it. And then Andy Reid trades up one pick before them gets Mahomes. They take Marshawn Lattimore and Breeze was there to watch it all. But, like, it's never a comfortable conversation.

And if you don't take the guy, you don't ever want to even like, let the other quarterback know that. Because the alternative is what happened to Rogers, where he was, I think down in Peru or Chile when it happened and was completely blindsided and was, you know, upset by it. But Cousins, I think he left Minnesota because he wanted that commitment. Right? Like, yeah. And these guys gave him the commitment. But here comes Michael Pennix who Chris Sims made a great point come training camp. Cousins is awesome. Obviously, Cousins is still rehabbing. Like, no one throws a prettier football maybe anywhere in the league or in college. And Michael Pennix, I was at the combine like 2ft behind him. It was like watching Mozart compose music or it was like watching van Gogh. It was just like this lefty big release with this tight spiral, throws just bullets, but they're like so beautiful. And once these players start catching passes from Pennix and Cousins is on the side, it's going to be something.

Yeah.

Going to be awkward.

I mean, is there any, anything at all to him being a lefty quarterback where it's like, okay, well, maybe some teams don't, would prefer not to have a left handed quarterback because it does look different for the wide receivers. Like, is that something that people do take into account? Because watching lefties on tv, I'm like, that's, that person's a witch. It looks wrong.

It looks weird. Yeah, yeah. Is that you're saying, is that like some people were down on Pennix is the light? I think the more the medicals, but the Falcons were super high on him. And I think if the Vikings, just based on my intel, if the Vikings didn't get McCarthy, they were very comfortable taking Pennix at eleven. I think that, I think the Broncos, if Nick's, I think the Broncos had Knicks over Pennix, but who knows if that was a smokescreen. I think if he was there at twelve. So like, it was more the team than where he went. Like, you know, he goes 8th overall to another team. We're like, all right, it's a little early than we thought, but the fact that they just signed cousins, I was, how did you guys think it? Where, how'd you find it out? Like, I, I had this whole like flee online and then I did it on good morning football on Thursday where I'm like, please don't tip pics. Like just don't. Or, yeah, if you do, if you do tip pics. Like, if you're a viewer at home, like, try to lay off, like, Twitter, because there will be something cool and shocking and different that happens tonight.

You don't want to find it out from a random tweet from, like, Jordan and Scholzer shams Charney. Because what happens is, and I'll give you the behind the curtain, either a good reporting, someone from the team submits the card and there's someone in the room who can tweet a report, text a reporter and be like, dude, we're taking Pennix. And then that reporter. Good for them. They can go public with it. I don't know if that's how the fan wants it, but that's fair. Or maybe more dubious is at the NFL teams, all 32 of them. When another team submits their pick where it says the pick is in the board, all 32 teams get that before it's announced on television.

So.

So all it takes is one person who has a source at any of the teams to say, oh, Falcons just took panics. And then they run to Twitter. Like, did you find out from a tweet or did you guys find out what you did?

Yeah.

So. So every year I have a ritual, and I like Albert Breer. He's been on the show before, I think when he got hacked, right. We had him.

Good guy, good reporter, good guy.

Every year I mute him on draft night because he tweets out every single pick. And I have. And then I forget for about usually like two or three weeks that I haven't muted come back at OtA. I gotta, I gotta bring Albert back in the timeline. But, yeah, I found out from one of his tweets and I was sitting in our war room here at Barstool and my jaw was just on the floor for like a minute. I couldn't believe it. Yeah. It's not that he's a bad player. And if you think that if you have him graded as a top ten worthy pick in terms of a quarterback, then, yeah, I guess it could make sense and it might pan out from the long term, but at the time I was. I couldn't believe it. Cause it didn't make sense for about ten different reasons.

Yeah.

And the salary cap hit on cousins is so much. And now you're adding another quarterback to the fold. Dan, what about you?

Same thing I found out from. We were doing no spoilers in the, in the, in our war room. The only one I spoiled was I wanted to know the Bears 9th pick before anyone else. So no one could spoil it. And I had the same reaction, was like, what the fuck? Like, and I get it. Kirk Cousins is in. He's on a two year deal. Everyone says four, it's two year deal.

So.

And I get it. I understand, like you always, you don't want to be in a spot where you need a quarterback. You want to be, you know, you have your next guy already. And Kirk Cousins isn't young, but it still was just shocking to me just because I think they could have traded and gotten, I think they could have gotten him somewhere later and gotten more draft capital. And, like, that's, to me, the, the winners and losers of the draft are the guys who are able to maneuver it and get who they want, but also get the most out of it. Like, even the bears, like, this story came out that I think was Ian Cunningham was holding Ryan polls back because he wanted to trade up to get rum. Roma doon's a. So if he trades up to get. Roma doon's a, yeah, we still have Roma doomsday, but he just gives away picks next year. That is, that would be a mistake. Instead, they, they were patient. They got the player they wanted. So it's like those little maneuvers are the winning and losing drafts, and I think the Falcons could have maneuvered better.

That's all.

Yeah, that's fair. Payton was taking like, great, great pride in that. He got the jets to the Vikings to trade up with the jets. I think he was bragging about it, like, you know, but that's, that's the game of chicken. So the Vikings, through fear that the, the Broncos were going to jump them, made a trade with the jets to go up just one pick, and then they took care of it at ten and just got McCarthy there when, you know, if they had stayed, he's probably there anyway, the jets, you know, and maybe Sean Payton wasn't going to be able to pull that trade off, but you're right, and that's what these guys get such a high on, too. Like, that's the best stories of what if we had made that trade or what if we move back or what if we stayed put and did this? You know, everyone thought the jets were taking rock Bowers, and this year they actually, there were no leaks out of the building. They take Olu out of, you know, out of Penn State, Broncos take the quarterback and then, you know, talking to the Raiders guys, who knows if they would have taken Pennix if he was on the board.

But they did not think in a million years Brock Bowers was going to be sitting there at 13. They just took Michael Mayer last year. In their case, they're like, he's one of the cleanest prospects in this entire draft. We'll find a way to use them. We need offense everywhere. So then Brock Bowers, who I can promise you in a million different mock drafts, not one of them had Brock Bowers going to the Raiders. But that's the beauty of the draft.

Yeah, it is beautiful. Yeah.

We're going to get back to more Peter Schrager, but before we do game time. Game time's a exclusive ticketing partner of Barstool Sports. Did you know you can get tickets to any baseball game right now? Let's look up real quick. Let's look up on the game time map. The Cubs. I think they're coming back to Wrigley this upcoming weekend. Game time, the official ticketing partner, Barstool Sports. You shouldn't have to worry when you buy tickets, your next big event. Game time is a fast and easy way to buy tickets to all the sports, music, comedy and theater events near you. All right, I'm looking it up. Cubs $11 $11. Get in. But you can, there's some really good seats. There's some, look, 200 level. Oh, yeah. $75, $50. Maybe you want to sit in the sun. I'll tell you right now, you can sit in the sun. $111 for a flash deal in box 28. That's a great deal. Get some sun. Cubs weather's turning. Outdoor baseball. Nothing better in game time will get you there. They have flash deals for sudden discounts. That's what I just quoted. Zone deals for when you're feeling flexible.

And their lowest price guarantee means that if you can find the same seats for less anywhere else, game time will credit you 110% of the difference. Game time is the best place for last minute seats with up to 60% off your favorite events. What are you waiting for? I'm going to buy those Cubs tickets and we're going to go sit in the sun. Watch the Cubs play the brewers. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with game time. Download the game time app. Create an account. Use code PMT for dollar 20 off your first purchase terms apply. Download the game time app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed with the game time app. Okay, let's get back to some more. Peter Schrager who out there and talking to everyone. I know everyone loves their draft.

Everyone?

Yeah, everyone gets an a plus in their own room. But who do you think did the best maneuvering the board getting, you know, filling holes, and you walked away being like, I think that team is just way better than they were walking into Thursday night.

There's one that's going to be pandering to one of you that I can talk about. And then there's another one that I think is, there's, there's no fans in that room right now, but I think Washington had a really, really good draft. Nine different picks, nine different positions, got a bunch of players who can play right away. And I think Jaden Daniels is the perfect mix of, has a ton of experience. He's 23 and then he's still electric. And I think, I think what they did around him with the Titans Dan Senate and then, of course, getting the offensive lineman Coleman. But I like, I love the fact that they got Johnny Newton in the second round, like Adam Peters for a first year GM, like, that was awesome. And then I think the Arizona Cardinals, who had so many picks, they, they hit a home run. Now, they're not a sexy team. I couldn't tell you. You know, five guys that contributed on their roster last year. But like, you talk around the league, everyone's like, you know, Arizona compiled a bunch of picks and they got a bunch of guys who are going to play right away.

And Dan, I really, I know there was only five picks, but I thought Chicago, with what they did, I mean, you get Caleb and Adunse and then the kid from Duke who everyone was really high on, or Yale. Yeah, everyone was really high on. Like, that's a really good draft. That's three contributors that are going to play on a team that I think was a couple games away from being a playoff.

Yeah, I mean, the draft. The draft was the first round for me because with only five picks, it.

Definitely, like, were you hoping they would trade back from a doomsday or were you cool?

I was cool with whatever. I'm in full trust. Ryan polls everything he does. Like, I don't think he's been, I think he's, he actually, I'm working on a theory that he did the chase claypool deal on purpose so that everyone was like, this guy's dumb. And then every deal he's made since has been ingenious. So he basically, yeah, he completely rope a dope the league by being like, who would trade a second for Chase Claypool? What an idiot. And then everything he's done since has been gold. By the way, when you just said you were pander, you were going to pander to someone. Max started shaking his head because he thought you were going to talk about the Eagles. I'm happy you didn't. Yeah, he like, literally, it was one of those moments himself.

He said he's talking about, yeah, he.

Like, stood up and they're like, no, I'm actually talking about the guy behind you. So he was, yeah, he very excited about his draft.

I thought the commander's trade with the Eagles in the second round was genius. We fleeced the Eagles. They gave up so much to take Cooper Degene when Koolaid McKinsey was still on the board. I love that pick. I love to see that happen in the division. And then Adam Peters is, I think he's like the best player available.

God.

So if you had asked me, going to the draft, what the commanders should be doing, I was saying, like, load up on the offensive line, get some big boys, have somebody protect Jaden.

Got one lineman.

We got one lineman in third round. But what he did, I thought a really good job of is he realizes that the roster needs a ton of work.

Right?

So we're not, we're not like an offensive lineman away from being a contender for the Super bowl. So he just saw value getting great players, even if it was a position of strength. Get good young players wherever you can. I thought he did an awesome job of that, but, yeah, the, the icing on the cake for me was just fleecing Max in the second round. Just absolutely taking him to the wood shot.

Nine positions.

Awesome.

Max wanted Cooper de Gene so bad. Devastated. He wanted Cooper de so bad. After this pick, I wanted Cooper de Gene. So I'm projecting on Max that I.

Know that we did, everyone did. I probably, I think the easiest way to get engagement online or to get likes or reels, retweets. I have posted Cooper de Jean basketball highlights, like, eleven times, but, like, eleven different reasons why. And it's just I just want, like, new followers. So maybe this will go viral if I do it at 08:00 p.m. I'll just put out Cooper Dejean basketball highlights.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I said today I posted that video and my tweet was, you know, because I'm six three in person, I say whenever I ever an ex player, a current player, a coach sees me in person and says, oh, shit, you must have hooped in high school, which I did. This is what I always hope they envision me just, like, dunking in Iowa.

Yeah, I like, I like six three in person. You're just implying that you're, like 510 on camera. Six three in person.

Yeah.

What about you. I feel like you're a big guy, too. People always say, like, yo, you're taller than I expected.

No, I think people know I'm tall, but, yeah, I do. Like, there is. I mean, we make fun of Florio. Like, Florio is actually not that short. He's like, six one, but he has short face, so, like, when you. Yeah, he does.

Yeah, he's got short face, short vibe to him.

Yeah, he's got short energy. So, like, when I could understand people being like, oh, Mike, floor, you're way taller than I thought. I. I always thought you. You wore your six three correctly.

Okay.

Yeah, I'm gonna start saying five nine in person.

Yeah, that's.

That's a powerful line.

Shriggs, I got a question for you about your good friend, Sean McVeigh. He made his 1st. 1st round selection ever as a head coach in that war room. Was there any chance that they were going to trade? Was he like, no, guys, I really don't want to do this. Like, what if. What if. What if we had to pick up their fifth year option? Like, that would suck.

He very much, very much was in the mode of trade. Like, they get such a kick out of the trade down, and they think, and it's not just him, it's all of them. Like, they think it's the coolest thing that, like, they get guys on day three that all end up being, like, pro bowlers. And I think. I'll tell you, they had. I think I could say this. They had three guys on their board. I forget who the other defensive player was that they were interested in, and the offensive player was Bowers. And if it wasn't any of those three guys, verse, whoever that might have been law to might have been Murphy. I forget who it was. It might have been Peyton or Turner, Dallas Turner, but it was Bowers on offense, and it was two defensive guys, and they had done a million simulations, and Sean was geeking out on this the whole last 48 hours. Texted me, like, all these scenarios, and their whole front office is great, and they all enjoy this like we do. They're almost like fans in a lot of ways. And Bowers would have been the one, like, if they moved up, it was going to be, but they didn't.

They just were so happy. And then verse fell to them, and then they get verses teammate, which was one of the cooler viral videos, which I'm sure there needs to be, like, a behind the scenes story on how the hell they made that happen. That verse was somehow there to get on the zoom call.

Yeah, it was cool.

Great.

Yeah, I love all those videos. Yeah, I watch. It doesn't matter what team it is, what player it is. I always like to hear it.

Isn't it funny that some of them don't land? Like, it's just a player being like, hey, coach. Yeah, coach being like, all right. And like, the team still posts it out.

Yeah, yeah.

The owners on the farm, like, congratulations, we're bringing in. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.

Yeah, well, they had, the bears posted the one with Caleb Williams, and it was kind of awkward because he had known he was gonna be a bear for he was wearing a shirt underneath his suit that said Chicago on it. So it's like Ryan polls talking to him, and kale was like, okay, sounds good. Like, we've all is a formality. He's like, we don't have to release that. Like, it looked like he wasn't enthused, but he clearly had been enthused for the last two months.

He's like, we've got to wait till there's five minutes left.

Yeah.

Right. I got a question.

Good.

I got a question for you, though, about. About the logistics of the broadcast and the draft itself. Why is it that we have to wait for the full allotted amount of time for the first overall pick to be announced in any round?

Why?

Great question.

Why can't Goodell say, like, I'm opening up the draft, he gets booed, and then he's like, no, here's a little kid that's on stage with me. Don't boo me. I've got this kid next to me. I declare the draft open, and then, boom. Immediately, bears hand in their pick, and Goodell says, okay, the bears have taken Caleb. Like, they've had, what?

Four months?

They've had four months, totally.

To do this.

Totally. I'm with you. I think it's a tv show in a lot of ways, and they want to build some sort of suspense, and so they go that way. I mean, look, I laughed last year. I was in Kansas City, and I'm doing the draft, and we're sitting there and with a straight face, they're singing national anthem. There was a, you know, flyover of the, you know, what are they called? The Blue Angels.

Yeah.

And no, no one's. And I'm like, they're handing names in on a card and announcing later.

Yeah.

Yeah.

This is amazing.

So I think it's all part of the show. But this year, Goodell had.

What do you have?

He had kids in the flag football, but he also had the, he had Eminem, he had Jared Goff hit him on raw. Then he finally gets back and they still boot him.

Yeah, yeah.

They had the a ten warthogs buzzing the tower. Going off top is like the most american thing ever for the NFL draft.

Yeah.

For some reason, it's the best with.

And then the fans that are all dressed up, like, in the front rows, wearing the big chains, faces painted, and then they hear a guy in the second round and it takes them, like, my favorite moment is like, when they don't immediately know who it is.

Yeah.

And they're like, oh, that.

Oh, yeah, yeah, I like that guy.

Yeah.

The jets took Olu, and Kyle Brandt was in the pit, like, doing all the interviews, and we were laughing, and he asked me, he's like, what do you think the reaction was when they took an offensive tackle over a tight end? I'm like, I'll tell you exactly. I'm like, first of all, where was the fan from? He's like, long island. I'm like, perfect. Here's the reaction. The initial thing is surrender Cobra. They passed on Bowers and then 1 second break. And then.

Smart pick, smart pick. You gotta, yeah.

You gotta protect Rogers from the inside out.

Yeah. They all become Bill parcels in that moment.

Um.

All right. So I know everyone loves their draft. Was there anyone that you were like, that didn't really make sense or a draft, you're like, hey, they probably missed on. They didn't maybe fill all the holes they had going into the draft.

I have so many thoughts, like, it's hard because I truly am telling you that, that teams have different, like, I had a team tell me that, that lot to, just because of the medical stuff. Like, wasn't a first day pick for them. Like, and so then if the Colts take them 15, the Colts are doing flips that they got their number one defensive player in the draft. The password they never thought would be there at 15, but another team didn't even have him at all, like, viewed that way because of other reasons, you know.

Right.

So the one team that, like, just because of the whole offseason being so curious has been the Cowboys, where Jerry says all in and then Guyton has not played a ton, is not like, this polished player. They traded back, they get more draft capital, and they end up picking an offensive lineman who sure might play. But, like, Rico Dowdles, their number one running back right now. They didn't sign any real free agents, and, you know, they've got Dak and CD, Lamb's contract looming. So, like, to me, the Cowboys, when you say you're all in, and I know we shouldn't, like, make too much out of an owner saying, whatever, but, like, there's a thousand people working for that team that are like, okay, well, he said that, but we're doing the best. What does that mean? If you're drafting, if you're trading back and you're drafting Tyler Guyton, who might end up being great, but all in how? For 2024 or all in for what? You know, all in my ass.

You're saying, all in my ass. You're doing the skip Bayless.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

There's a comma, though, right?

Yeah, there's a comma, there's a comma.

It was a.

So, yeah, what about. I guess it's. It might be tough for you to say which team you think had the worst draft. I know you're, you're close with a lot of front offices, a lot of coaches, but no, it's more that I find it.

I find it annoying when it's, like, draft grades and no one's brave enough to give anything lower than a b minus, and no one's bold enough to give anything higher than an a minus. So, like, to me, you know, who had a bad draft there? We'll look back in a couple of years. We'll know who had good drafts. A bad draft.

I looked at Mel's. He gave, like, 15 B's. A lot of B's.

Everyone gets a b. Everyone gets.

Except Ravens get an a. Yeah.

Yes.

Ravens got an ace.

Yeah.

But what would you say is the team that, like, other, that you've heard from other teams around the league where they're like, I don't understand what this team was doing.

I'll tell you. A team that, and I. It was the Eagles last year that I got a lot of heat for in Philly because I said on the draft, I'm on the broadcast, day three, and I love it. It's my favorite day. And I said, a few teams around the league now. All right, slow down. Everyone on tv just crowning the Eagles because they did the Jalen Carter, the Nolan Smith they traded for DeAndre Swift, and it was like, literally was a three hour, oh, my God, the Eagles, they went to the Super bowl last year, and they could do no wrong. And I think other teams are like, guys, there's 31 other teams on the broadcast. Why don't you talk about someone else? I'm like, all right, fair. The team this year that I got from a couple teams that they were like, okay, some curious picks, but maybe they know better than we do. And one of the lines was guys on NFL Network sure do seem to be excited to crown them was the Detroit Lions this year. They traded a future third round pick for an offensive lineman out of British Columbia that they took on day three who might be great, might not be great, whatever.

But that's one of those where you're kind of feeling like, what's it, a heat check? You're kind of feeling yourself a little bit. Their draft last year was so good when they got Laporta and Gibbs and Branch and even Jack Campbell, who might not have had the best season. But when you draft an inside linebacker at 18th overall, that's you telling the rest of the league, like, we don't really care about how you rank your board. We do our thing. They did that and then they traded up again in the fourth round and they took a player that played safety and running back at a Utah and is kind of a hybrid. But like, they traded up. Like, that's the kind of stuff when you're, you're like, all right, you know what? We're just going to go for it. We're going to do it our way. And you know how the Lions are such like a vibe right now and they're all wearing the Dan Campbell jerseys. That's one of those where the lions are feeling themselves a little bit. They're like, we're right there. We're going to take some bold picks, we're going to make some bold moves.

And the rest of the league, they can bitch and whine and moan and make their comments, but, like, we believe what we've built in this building because we've done it. We've built it from the ground up.

So, yeah, they deserve a heat check.

Yeah, they were, they were feeling themselves this draft quite a bit.

Yeah.

So important question, how is Goodell doing? I know he had his back blown out a couple months ago, right? And he, he got hugged pretty hard up on stage. Did he tell? Well, like, was there a word that went out to some of the guys that were in the green room, like, don't hug me, my back got blown out.

I think he hit back. He had an operation done, I think. And then mims, the big kid, or was it Latham? It was Latham from the Titans just came right in and jacked him up. And I saw no pain wincing. He was walking around night, too, so I think he's fine. But you have to wonder if the kids knew that in that moment, they're like, you know what? Screw it. I've been watching this on tv for 20 years. I'm hoisting that guy up like, I'm going for it. I'm doing it anyway. He can deal with it, but, yeah, I think he's okay.

Yeah.

All right, I have a couple last questions. First one is the Spencer rattler story. That was crazy that teams were like, yeah, we didn't like how he came across as a high schooler in a Netflix show, or I don't even think it might have been just a YouTube show. That's nuts. Like, everyone's a shithead when they're 17 years old. Like, teams were actually judging him that way and being, like, everything since.

Were you aware of this show before?

Yeah. Yeah, we knew about this show.

Yeah, Spencer Rattler, like, when he. When he got to college, he was very hyped up at Oklahoma because he was the guy that everyone hated from QB one. Yeah, he was kind of the heel. He. He came across, like, in that show, definitely. Like, he had a. A sense of entitlement. But again, he's a high school kid that has been, like, his life has been laser focused.

Ian's report, because we tossed him.

Because.

Okay, so, first of all, he's a day three quarterback. I I've said this before, like, I don't want to ever criticize a kid or anything, but when you watch the draft on NFL network and on ESPN, if there's anything I want to say, it's every player. When they're taken, a lot of times, it's like, oh, this kid's amazing. Everything's an all american. Like, there's no. So, Spencer Rattler, when all the six quarterbacks go, we're like, who's the next quarterback? And all sudden, it becomes the focal point. And it's like, could he go early? Second, is he going to. He was a day three quarterback in September. He was a day three quarterback in October. He was a day three quarterback in February. And he's a day three quarterback in March, probably. And that's nothing against him. But when you're now the focal point because you're the last great quarterback or the last quarterback, everyone knows you're gonna go there. So we're talking about Spencer Rattler nonstop on the broadcast, and it's. It's actually becoming good theater, because now it goes from fourth round to now early fifth round, and Ian comes into the broadcast, and he had a whole report on Rattler, and at the end of it, he said what he said, where he's like, you know, there.

There hasn't been any conversations that I've had or that show on rattler where that show doesn't come up. And I'm not doubting Ian's report. Charles Davis then comes on and is like, yeah, but the last two years since he got to South Carolina, he's matured. And that's when the. That part doesn't come out. Ian Trapoor comes out and like, what's the term? Strawman? I don't even know what it is. Literally, any person who's met Spencer Rattler in our sports media world, like, came like. Like a rise to arms in defense of Spencer Rattler. And I'm like, all right, see this coming? Um. I'll tell you, honestly, I didn't do a ton of work on Spencer Rattler. I've heard things about his game and all that stuff, but I was vaguely aware of the. I'll just say it's, I didn't do enough, because I do the first round mock draft. I didn't do enough on him to give you a personal take on whether or not that conversation piece came up. But I would trust Ian that if that showed up, it was probably six in the conversation of, here's what it's throwing motion. Here's about his leadership.

Here's about it. And then, oh, yeah, did you see the reality show? I'm sure it did come up.

It also. It also is. We get those stories on day three where it's like a quarterback goes, and it's almost like you need some nugget to remind everyone the draft still going on. They're like, oh, yeah, Spencer Rattler just got drafted. And I was like. I looked, I was like, oh, shit.

Yeah.

Yeah, we are in the fifth round right now.

Fifth round. Yeah, there's a lot of that. I mean, like, we love it on our. I'm doing rounds 4567 yesterday, and I'll tell you, like, when those international guys get taken, when that kid from the lions goes, when a punter or kicker gets taken, it's like a jolt of enthusiasm.

Yeah, I know. Something different. Right, right.

They took the Iowa punter.

I mean, that was, that might have been a heat check for Ryan poles, too, where he's like, australian guy, the.

Pick, and he's wearing a Jack Seaborne jersey. This guy's great.

You take a punter when you're like, it's the last piece for a Super bowl roster. I mean, that's.

You might be best player available.

Yeah.

No, the Iowa punter. It's like that dude. He's got a lot of experience.

There were, there were like arguments, you know, like, I actually kind of like to pick just because people were like, once. This draft is not that deep because of nil and a lot of guys staying and not, you know, underclassmen, everything. He's like, he was a really fucking good punter. And the bears puncher sucks last year.

Dan, question for you. Is Caleb Williams having a heat check? Like he did this thing where he's like, the bears.

Yeah.

Like he does the hand claw.

Hand claw.

Yeah.

Which Bairman's been doing for a long time. I. Yeah, he's got a, he's got, he's doing a little heat check. Listen, I. People keep asking me, they're like, do you think he's too eccentric or goofy? It's like if he's good, none of it will matter. It's, it's basically comes because it's after that. Like, if he's not good, people blame the nails. Yeah, they'll say that like always too crazy, he's too unique. And if he's good, no one will give a fuck because no one in that locker room will care anything. If he can ball, which I think he can.

If he's good, it'll actually be the opposite. People like, this guy is so funny.

Yeah.

I also think he is. He is truly just the first like true Gen Z quarterback that we have. Like, I think there'll be more Caleb Williams coming up where it's like kids that are of this age that were born on the Internet, that are like unique personalities. I just think it will happen more.

I think. I think he's a, a tremendous addition to the league. And I'm not saying in any, like in like any not in a. Oh, he's going to say ridiculous. I think. I think he's a real personality and he's like, we haven't had this before. And he did the thing with the bears. Then that whole controversy about the Pablo Tory podcast where the gentleman, I think Fleming says name came on and was like a GM compared him to prince playing quarterback and everyone was outraged.

Yeah, we said that.

I'm like, I actually 100% see a GM actually saying that because it is some of the things that he is different.

It's.

Yeah, it's refreshing to me. So then he also said like they did something. I was just reading the transcript. But he's like, I'm coming for twelve. Like, I love it.

It's like twelve is brady it's like, all right, yeah, why not? And the prince thing was so funny because it was so, like, front office GM guy, where like, he's like, oh, prince is a weirdo. It's like if he's calling Bruce Springsteen, then, then we're talking. It's like, prince is one of the greatest musicians of all time. If he's, if he has a career that is comparable to Prince in the NFL, he will win, like, multiple super Bowls.

Jeff Lynn, quarterback, deep cut.

Yeah, yeah.

So, yeah, I'm so excited. I think he's going to be awesome. I think he's a really good player. Like, I. All the other stuff doesn't. I'm just going to defend him. I'm ready to defend him on every turn.

Yeah.

I mean, for it, the prince thing is a head scratcher because like, any, anybody that's ever listened to Prince is like, well, Prince is. Prince rocks.

Yeah, Prince rocks.

He's looking at.

Prince is like the dad of a young kid that's starting to listen to music, and to listen, the music confuses him.

Yeah.

It's like, I don't, I don't know about this Prince nonsense.

Yeah, yeah, like the parents and like the Beastie boys. Like, you know, lights at the right to party video. Like, yeah, like, prince, shut that off.

Get that out of here.

Yeah, shut that loud music at the combine. I spoke to him for a while and I'm friendly with Kingsbury, and Kingsbury. He's like, no, he's a great dude. He's like, you'll love him. Like, he's. He's cool. So talking to him. And he showed up Friday night at the combine, and quarterbacks don't do anything till Saturday. And he'd already said he's not doing anything. And everyone was up in arms over it. Showed up Friday night and he's wearing this big sweatshirt where it says, like, quarterback eleven, whatever it was. And I go up and I sidle up next to him. We're talking for a while and I'm like, oh, you know, I'm friendly with Lincoln Riley, friendly with Cliff. Like, great to meet you. All this stuff. Do my usual Spielberg. And I'm like, why are you here? He's like, oh, you know, I forgot the kid's name. I'm sure he was drafted. He's like, this, this corner is competing tonight. I just, I wanted to see him do his 40 and do all this stuff. I've never seen a quarterback show up on Friday night of the combine to watch a teammate workout. It's the first time I've ever seen it, and I don't think it's him acting.

He wasn't doing it for cameras. So I'm like, all right. And then I've spoken to a lot of the bears guys about him, and he. The word, it's like, he moves. I forget the term. They said, like, he moves quietly. Like, he's got this great presence, but he's not loud.

He's not.

He's just like, he moves. He's just cool.

He's.

He's assured with who he is.

Yeah.

You can feel the confidence.

Super comfortable.

Right.

And just like, so comfortable in his own skin. So you take that and, like, teammates at you and Kingsbury will tell you, like, teammates at USC. Love the kid.

Yeah, love him.

Like, and that's from top to bottom. So that's all I need.

Yeah.

Prints are not.

Yeah.

So, Pete, you've done a great job picking the Super bowl, what, the last five years? Or is it four years?

Three years.

Three years. Oh, no, it's getting smaller every week. Smaller.

They caught me. I came on your podcast, said five years. The truth of the matter is, I've had the matchup in the matchup or the right winner the last five years. But we went back and checked the tape, and it's been. I had the Chiefs beating the Buccaneers in that COVID one, which kills me. And then there's another one where I had the other team winning. But I've had rams, Chiefs, chiefs the last two, three years. Let's just go with.

That's pretty impressive. I want to give you a chance to spread your wings a little bit. Give me a third round pick that was taken, the draft that you think is going to be the guy next year, we're like, how do they like the Puka Nakua? Who's the puka Nakua of this year's draft? Could be any position.

You know who. Okay, so that's a. The running back on the Dolphins, who they traded up to get in the fourth round. Jalen Wright out of Tennessee. Okay. I don't know how it works in fantasy football, because they have a chan and they have moster and they have some. And Ahmed, they have all these guys. This Jalen Wright averaged eight yards of carry at Tennessee. Is as fast as they come and is like, was supposed to go on day two and was supposed to go early day three. They trade up to get him. And if I know Mike McDaniel, which I think I know fairly well, like, that's his pick written all over it. They traded up to get him again. Depth chart be damned. There will be plays where Jalen Wright, the running back from the Dolphins, like, has an 80 yard scamper, does something crazy. And the way they do their offense, like, all those running backs will touch the ball. So, Jalen Wright, fourth round pick, Dolphins. That's my.

All right, I got one last question. It's Roback. Question rho back.com promo code. Take 20% off your first purchase. Qzips, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts. Roback.com. You knew I had to assess. You know I have to assess. Your boy, David Tepper.

Come on out of you right away.

Come on. Going into, going into. We listen. I've watched the tape many, many times. I do not think it was an aggressive move, but ball busting, ball busting, still pulling the hat off another man's head, that. That could be seen as an aggression. Just going in there, though, and being bothered by that. What I mean, you are the number one David Tepper defender.

What's going on?

What's going on?

Again, beats, marches to the beat of his own chum, goes in there, sees a sign that says, stay out of the draft room the night before. He was feeling good. They. They traded back into the first round. They got Xavier Leggette, who, by the way, has one of the best press conferences.

Yeah, he's awesome.

Was feeling himself, but couldn't resist. Saw that sign, had to go in and just. He's a. He's a man, a man of the community down there. He just wanted to.

Oh, that's what it was. Small business.

Yeah.

He screams small business.

He SCReAMS Carolina native. That's what he screams.

Yes.

Yeah, it was.

It was an.

It was weird. I think it was. It was weird. It was probably. It was probably playful. A lot more playful than the drink situation, but, yeah, look, people are up.

In arms over it.

I think he likes it. I think he likes it. I think it's like he's just playing around. He's having fun like it's his team. And again, we'll never be pushed around and will never be a wilting flower in the corner of the room. He's gonna have his voice heard.

Yeah, it was. It was a weird move, but I think every other restaurant in the Charlotte area should just put out signs like that and just hope that he stops. Yeah, it should be his thing, where David Tepper, if he sees a sign disparaging him, will come in and get into an argument with you.

In a world. In a world of, like, protest on college campuses and, like, real life. That's such a very niche, specific thing to put on a sign in front of your restaurant. Like, it is so specific. I'm like, I so appreciate that. Like, keep the owner out of the draft room. I'm like, God, you know, of all the causes. Yeah, let's go.

We got to do. Yeah, we'll put a sign on, uh. We'll post a tweet on. Pardon my take. David, temper. You won't come on this podcast.

You won't.

We wear hats all the time.

Yeah, if he took a take. If you took my hat off, it would have gone down different.

Oh, but I would have fucking.

I would have been. I'd been like Cam Newton when he's getting jumped. And that hat doesn't go anywhere.

Yeah.

All right. Well, shrigs, thank you, as always. You're the best. Uh, get some sleep, and we'll talk to you later on this summer when we get football coming back.

You guys are the best. I so appreciate the invite. And the bears, the commanders, the patriots, and the eagles all got better this weekend.

Yeah, yeah.

Love it.

Love it.

Thank you for saying that. I appreciate it.

All right, see you, shrikes.

Peter Schrager was brought to you by our great friends over at Chevy. As everyone knows, this is a Chevy truck podcast. Chevy trucks are the greatest trucks ever built. And our good friends at Chevy have been a big part of the. Part of my take story. The Silverado helped us dig the biggest hole ever done in Ohio during Grit week. It took us to the big game out in LA. We drove from Connecticut all the way across the country. Silverado got us there, and it has partnered with us to give college fullbacks all the rightful recognition that they deserve with the low man award. Low man trophy award winner, Ben Seneto, Washington commander, very excited about that Chevy was there for that award. Chevy Silverado, the long time awesome partner of the show. A truck with commanding and unstoppable grit, legendary capability, dependability, too, so you can find out for yourself like so many other awls. Head to chevy.com. Check out all the Chevy truck grit. Build your own Silverado. Check out what current offers are out there during Chevy truck season for do it yourself road trips, projects, off road adventures, tailgates, whatever your thing is, it all starts with a Chevy truck.

And now here's Alex Caruso.

Okay, we now welcome on our good friend Alex Caruso. Probably the quickest back to back.

Yeah.

A little thirsty on your part.

A little thirsty on your part. But this is to explain to the audience. So, the first time we had Alex on was, like, three weeks ago. Awesome interview. Talking a lot about his career. Caruso's here for another three days before he goes back to Texas for the summer. And I was like, well, he knows basketball. Let's talk some basketball. Let's talk more current. What's going on in the playoff series. Like, I'm down. Also might have been because we have a golf simulator. And Tuesday, he texted me was just like, hey, can I come hit balls on a random day? I was like, yes. We're going to get you a key card. So, first question. Tough question. You just played 18 with Hank. Did you win?

Yeah, I did. I did win.

How?

By how many strokes?

I don't know what the final difference was. I did finish one under. I birdied 1804.

Did you finish even?

Hank, we can't hear you.

Have you only. You only lost by one, Hank?

Yeah.

At a five to that six.

You lost by six.

One, five.

What's.

Oh, okay. You were 15 over.

Yeah.

And he was one under.

Yeah.

Oh, no, 16.

It's interesting because this is. You've played, what, 36 holes today?

I have.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I was fresh.

That's.

That's. That's the. Probably the excuse.

Okay. Yeah.

So, Hank, if you took your best 18 holes that you played today, would you have beat him?

No. Wow.

Wow.

That's pretty impressive. I do have an important question. I'm glad that you're in studio today, because we need to get to the bottom of something. I figured you might have some insight into it. Who's the guy that the Lakers have on staff that steals all the opponent's shoes when they come to town? And let's not have them. Do you know who did that? Is there one guy we're like, yep.

That must be a new hire. Yeah, they must. They must. They must have serviced somebody out once I left and use all that money they didn't give me to smart. Hire somebody.

I love that. I love coach Malone, after the game, be like, I'm not an excuses guy, but you can point to the fact that we were wearing flip flops in our shoot around. Would that actually fuck you up?

I mean, to be honest, if you. If you have a routine, it might. You know, like, if you're a big. If, somebody's superstitious and you got to get your. Like, you got to have your routine and got to do this. But, like, there's been games where I. Like, I don't even shoot before the game. Like, I'll go out and shoot like five free throws, ten free throws, just because I'm tired and like need to save my energy for the game and I go out and play great and then there's some nights I do that and I don't play good. So, like, if you're not a big excuses guy. No, yeah, but yeah, what are you gonna say? You know, lose your first game? You're probably gonna.

I feel like there's some guys that have such a pattern, a routine that they get into where something like that might mess with their head a little bit or at least shake their confidence. Like if you, if you do everything on game day the exact same way and then something that small can like mix you up a little bit, maybe you got there, you're not like you're meant weak then, but yeah, you're mentally weak. And also you probably just care too much.

Yeah, yeah.

Real warrior like me, myself, I don't think it would impact my shooting at all.

No, you probably do better.

I'd go from five to all your.

Makes and warm ups. You'd save them for the game.

All right, so let's, let's start with that said series because we, the Lakers did win a game, which was huge. First time in eleven games.

I want to say I was, I was a little nervous that if they got swept, what the energy would be like when I came in.

Yeah.

So I was, well, I mean, we have had this. It's rare that this podcast is on the right side of history when it comes to playoffs or whatever. You know, we predict things poorly most of the time. We have been dead on with this series where it's, every game's the same, the Nuggets go down and then they come back and they win and they snatch the Lakers. So in Ad and LeBron play like great games and no one else shows up. So what is it about that matchup that gives the Lakers so much like trouble?

Well, the Denver is just built so perfect around Joker, right? Like they, they got, they got length, athleticism, shooting. And then like Joker, man, he, you saw the one pass where he was going over his head pass. It was, it was my, the basketball, you know, purists and me got so excited when I saw that because it's just like I would, you would love to play with a guy like that. You know, if you just get to the right spot, you're going to get the ball and like they got, I mean, they got shooting all around him. Jamal Murray's the perfect compliment to him, playing off of him and, like, the pinch post getting layups. And then defensively, they. They're just, you know, they're locked in together. Like, they might not have the best individual defenders. Like, KCP's a really good defender. Aaron Gordon's a really good defender. But outside of that, the team just has team defense. Good team defense. Yeah, and the chemistry, that was phenomenal.

So Jokic, like, it does feel like he's playing the game on easy mode. Like that pass. Specifically watching that, it's. It's a joke, like, watching him be able to do that and he's almost toying with them. When you're going up against a guy like that, can you tell when a guy's, like, feeling it to the level of, like, it's just everything is easier for him than anyone else on the court.

Yeah, those, that's. Those are the nights where you hope that you're not playing and you hope that you're watching. Yeah, you're lucky you're watching on tv because when you're playing, man, that's like a guy of that caliber who already doesn't really care, you know? And then when he tries, it's like, all right, what are we going to do tonight? Because the whole thing with him is make him score. Make him score. And it's like, well, you know, if he gets twelve assists and 15 rebounds and then make him score, now all of a sudden he's got 20 something points. It's like, that's asking a lot for the other guys to not get their numbers and try to try to win a game.

Yeah, it just seems like every. He doesn't think when he's out there. There, he just moves and knows. And he just knows. Yeah, exactly. Like he knows ahead of time. Like, okay, my, my instinct is to do this, so I'm just going to go with my instinct. And he ends up being like a really smart basketball player, the less he has to think about it, which is crazy to watch that one play where the ball goes over his head. He goes from, like, ducking because he thinks the ball might hit him in his head to, oh, shit, here's the ball.

And then just split second, that guy's open. I know he's there.

Yeah, it's.

It like a balloon.

Like you, like, was kind of like a fake out. You think so? Yeah, I think he's playing on that easy mode.

If he.

Everything. He's on such an easy mode that even the mistakes, I'm like, oh, he did that on purpose.

Yeah, I mean, he, he just makes and that's part of, like, the, like, he's got the poker face.

Right, right.

He looks like he doesn't care. We know that he doesn't kind of care. He obviously wants to win, but he's thinking about his horses back home.

Yeah.

The whole time. Yeah, dude. With it, when a, when a player doesn't have any stress and they're really good, like, it's going to be a long night series.

The Lakers have been talking about some of the adjustments that they've made. The nuggets were finally asked some questions, like, what adjustments are you going to make? Yoke was like, you know, I'm not going to tell you. Like, why do I even share that with you? But when you're, when you're making adjustments in the middle of a series, what's that like, in terms of, like, your coach communicating what you're going to do differently to you guys? Is there a text that gets sent out, like, when he's watching film at 02:00 a.m. That morning, just trying to get over that loss? Or is it just, okay, come in and then get into the office, and then here's what we cooked up overnight.

Yeah, it'll be more like that. The second one, it'll, it'll be more a little direct and thought out rather than just like a text message. Hey, next game, we're gonna double them in the post or something like that. Like, they'll go back and watch the film, and either, and most of the time, it's not even schemes. It's like, more matchups, right? Or, like, minutes. Like, they'll try and. They'll try and make sure that, you know, they bring a certain player in whenever the other guy's best players in. Or if team goes small, they might throw two bigs out to try and do something like that. But, yeah, a lot of that is, is either overnight or over the course of the day, and a lot of times to the first couple games, coaches don't want to make too many adjustments. Right? Like, you, you want to, you want to play it out, because this is, like, the plan to go with. And then after, like, maybe game two, you're like, all right, we got to switch some stuff up.

Yeah, what about, so the heat. I know they're down to one now. Hank, they. He'd actually have already accomplished a great thing this playoffs. They've retired cocky. Hank. He's, he's, he's not gonna be cocky for the rest of the playoffs, but it feels like every year, Spo does something to get the most out of this team. What is it like when you're playing the heat? Do you. Do you have in the back of your mind, like, Spo is going to do something that I probably haven't seen or, like, they're going to throw something at us that we haven't seen on tape? Like, how maybe you could just explain a dumb question, like, how do you quantify a coach like spo and what he's able to get out of this heat team?

Yeah, a lot of it, I think, is. Is, you know, nurturing and cultivating, like, getting the best out of the players. A lot of times with him, you know, he's so intense and he's such a competitor. Like, when that's. When that's the. The lead dog, you know, between him and then Jimmy, obviously, and Jimmy's not playing, but he's still a voice and he's around. Like, it's hard not to raise your level to that. And, you know, a lot of times people talk about, like, their culture. Like, that's a big buzzword for them and for, you know, miami Heat in general, like, the people that they draft and bring into their organization all fit the mold of, like, all right, like, dog mentality. Like, we're gonna play hard. Like, we might have a couple deficiencies. We'll work on that. We can get through that. But, like, for the most part, I know what I'm gonna bring. Night in, night out. And then, yeah, he. He does a good job of scheming different things, like, against us. They put Bam on Demar the whole game, and he, like, was basically playing a guard spot on the outside, and it just kind of stalled us out a little bit.

But, like, you see in the Boston series, like, there's just a lot of isolation. It's. It's hard to scheme against that when they have so many different guys.

Right.

Go get a bucket or create for the other guys.

Right.

Yeah, I mean, I. That, yeah, I didn't want to bring up the end of the bull season, but that was, like, bam going on to Mars. Like, you. You don't think that's going to happen? Because Bam's usually, you know, relied on.

It was the first game this year we didn't play with Jimmy, so, like, it was the first time we. We kind of predicted. Like, we figured they were going to do that, you know, maybe him or Caleb. But once we get into the, you know, you're in the heat of the battle. Like, there's. It's a one game series, right in the playoffs, where you're going seven games, we're like, all right, coach. Gonna watch the film, and we'll come back next game. It's.

And do something different.

Yeah. Yeah.

I would definitely be bad coach. I would. I would watch the film. I'd be all night. I'd just be, like, firing text.

Like, play harder.

That are definitely asleep.

Yeah.

Like, hey, here's what we're gonna do. And then when they got in the next day, be like, remember, look at that. Texas.

And she.

That's our adjustment. I'd be a very bad.

I think I would just every start, every simple. Yeah, let's not overthink this.

Well, that's.

That's what I would say. Every single practice or before every game. Like, it's a make or miss league, so fucking make your shot.

Okay.

I say that. I say that throughout the year. Tonight, we didn't make shit.

Yeah.

I would say, you guys, you have.

To want it more than they do.

That was.

That was always my favorite thing. I love it.

And.

And in reality, I think there might be some truth to that in the. The New York Philadelphia series, where it looks like New York does want it more.

They just play with, like, a. I mean, they play like that all year, though. You know? Like, it's not. It's not. It's nothing new. Yeah, it's. It's Tibbs, but. And then same thing. Like, you know, Hartenstein plays like that regardless. Josh Hart plays like that regardless. Steven, Shinzo, og. Like, they all fit that mold of how they want to play, and they did a good job of bringing players in to fit that. And then Jalen Brunson is just on a. You know, he's been on a tear all year, but especially postseason, there's not a great matchup for him in the league. But for sure, I don't. I mean, Philly hasn't found one yet that they found that can slow him down at all.

Yeah.

And it feels like. And you tell me, like, what happens when a team out rebounds another team like that? So much like the offensive glass. You can even say for the Bucks Pacer series, too, where it feels like the Pacers are just. They want it more on the glass. What is the fix to that? Is it, like, do you guys actually have to go into the, you know, the day off and be like, hey, you got a box out? Like, this is team rebounding, or, how.

Do you fix it?

It's crazy. Like, the thing, like, the simplest. The simplest parts of basketball, right. Games and.

Right.

You forget that like, that's the stuff that's important. Yeah, that's, like, one of why Minnesota is such a good defensive team. They got, you know, seven seven something. 611. Jalen McDaniel. Six nine, you know, nasreed 610. Coming off the bench like, Anthony Edwards is six six. Like, they rebound the ball when they get stops. Like, you don't get second chances. It's impossible scoring them if you don't shoot well.

Right?

Yeah, that's one of the things, too, though. It's like you gotta box out to get the ball. Like, if you. If they keep getting shots, eventually they're gonna make them, like, yeah, and it's in the playoffs, so they care, so they're gonna try really hard. Like, if you don't get the rebounds, you're not going to win games. And it's one of those things where it's, like, your habits come. Come to light.

Right.

If you haven't done it all year, you're not going to start doing it. When it's time to.

Time to win, it's tough to turn it on. How often during the season is boxing out? Like, talked about.

I mean, we talked about. We were a small team, so we had to talk about it, because if we just tried to jump with people, like, we would get killed on the glass. But. But for us, I mean, that's. That's a pretty normal thing, and that's hard thing, you know, once you get to, like, professional sports, if you're serious about winning and the coach talks about that stuff, you know, like, not turning the ball over, setting good screens, not fouling, rebounding, like, boxing out. Like, those are the things, like, you watch as the teams advance in the playoffs, like, they do all that little shit that wins basketball games.

Yeah.

At the end of the day, you can make as many shots and do all that, but you're gonna have to get some stops. You're gonna have to do the stuff that wins games.

Yeah.

All right, dumb question. And I've noticed this. This happens a lot in the NBA these days, where. And maybe this is. You tell me this is just defensive philosophy. We're doing it no matter what, but switching everything. When a team switches everything, you'll sometimes see the other team. They won't even, like, set real screens. They'll just kind of flash, and then you'll get a switch.

Yeah.

What is. Is that. That's crazy. Like, even I was saying it about the Jamal Murray game winner. Like, no one really came and set a pick on LeBron, but they switched it and Anthony Davis is an incredible defender, so it's not a bad switch, but what, what is that like? I feel like you're giving something up when you just immediately concede the switch, even without making the other team set that pick.

Yeah, part of that is, is personnel based. Like, obviously that one with ad. Like, you feel pretty confident that late game. And they're probably like, sometimes teams have switching partners.

Oh, it's hot.

I like that real team camaraderie.

Who's your switching partner?

I mean, any guard, but, like, most of the time, I do a good job of trying to keep them fight through it. Yeah, I don't want to let, I don't want to let this guy try to go against my teammate. Like, that's my job.

I'm right.

First team, all defense, like, yeah, go guard this guy. But that was kind of when teams started going small and started switching everything. There's the slip screens and the go screens became a big deal. Like, just trying to cause confusion, basically.

Right.

Just standing there for a second and going to the, can I get this.

Guy to open up his hips? And then I gotta get the hell out of the way and I can go downhill and create the advantage where it used to be. All right, big guy, come set the screen.

Now.

I'll come off and get downhill at the other big. But teams are going small, trying to get more shooting space out the floor. And when you do that, like Indiana, that's, that's their offense. Like, they play fast and they just set. They, their, one of their main plays is actually called pistol action, where it's just a guard to guard. Step up on the sideline.

All right.

Send a flat screen to the baseline and that guy, majority of the time slips out and Tyrese Halliburton or TJ McConnell just dribbles as fast as they can, gets to the baseline and it's, it's a really hard action to guard because they're playing so fast.

Right, right. What, what do you do? Like, what are the rules in, when you're playing against a team that's just running a pick and roll over and over and it's a lob to the, like, even that Mavericks, the Mavericks Clippers game, James Harden was just on fire with his floater and it felt like the Mavs, and it might have been because Lucas fifth foul, but it also felt like Jason Kidd might have had different personnel in there, might have been better, but, like, what are the rules when you're getting just beat to death with a pick and roll, whether it be floaters or lobs at the rim and you can't, you can't stop it.

Yeah. Depending on, like, what the, what the coverage is for the teams, like, that might be what they're willing to give up.

Right.

You know, like, obviously we're not in Dallas's meetings. Like, we don't know what they're doing, but, like, James Harden is one of the few guys on their team that can create for other guys. Like, any time that they have a good game this year, he's got 8910 double digit assists. So, like, for me, that might be something where I'm thinking, all right, they're going to live with him taking floaters contested and they just didn't do a good enough job testing the shots.

Yeah.

You know, and it's one of those things where, you know, coach is going to go watch and see, like, all right, do we think he can do that again? Yes. We need to change something up. If not, you know, that's. You kind of live with it.

Yeah, man, it's a great answer because it's, it's. He went twelve for 17 and it's like, okay, yeah, maybe that's exactly what they wanted to do.

They didn't give, you know, they didn't give Zubok, Plumlee, you know, dunks and right corner threes whenever you bring the low guy, low guy over. So that might be something they're working on. They also could have just fucked up the coverage.

Right.

The big guy was supposed to be there and they kept messing it up. And that's something where in the playoffs you can't have happen.

Yeah.

And I do think Luca having the fifth foul, like, he was very passive once he got his. Not that he's like an elite defender.

No, for sure.

But he was very much like he.

Was gonna let whatever happened, like, I'm just gonna stay in the game and we'll try to find enough stops.

Right.

In a game like that, when you, when you get up big, like, huge in the first two quarters, is it, is it more of mentality in the playoffs of like, let's try to keep our foot on the gas? Or is it, let's play smart? Cause I feel like every team, if you give up a big comeback, you're like, oh, we should have kept our foot on the gas. But I feel like sometimes it is smarter, like, to start slowing things down and to not like, you know, to play like, possession baseball where it's like, we're not going to give you enough possessions to come back.

I think it's, you got to play, you still got to play aggressive, you know, whether that is, you know, playing fast and taking the opportunities in transition, but also being smart and like realizing when you have to come back out, play against a set defense. But I mean, if you, if you punt too many times and like we say punt like in football, you give possession back. So if you come down, don't do anything late clock or 6 seconds. Now you go isolation. You take step back midis or step back threes. Now you're giving them defensive rebounds. Like that's a hard way to live to try and make all those shots. So for me, I like just staying aggressive, foot on the foot on the gas and going the whole game because at a certain point, you know, it's, it's, there's not enough possessions. They're going to have to start taking more threes. They're going to have to try and switch up defense, maybe trap something. And now you're getting open shots. Like for me it's, it's stay aggressive because if you let off the gas at all and then they get momentum like Dallas did.

Right.

You know, Clippers were lucky to hang on to that game just because Dallas had the foul trouble. I think that the two main guys kind of.

Yeah.

Had to pull the reins back a little defensively.

Yeah.

All right. I want to talk about three teams that are kind of under the, not under the radar, but they don't get talked about a lot because they're not the Lakers or the Celtics or the Knicks or the, or the Sixers, but the Thunder, the Magic and the, in the Wolves. They're three of the, I think four best defensive teams in the NBA. And you saw it with the Magic. Like they just, that was insane what they did to the Cavs. The Cavs scored 18 total points in a 20 minutes stretch in the second half. What is it about those teams that they're doing so much better than everyone else defensively? Because I love, personally, when we get to the playoffs, it's like defense still matters and you get to actually watch teams like, oh, we can shut you down and get you out of everything you want to do.

Yeah.

I mean, one, one of the, one of the statistics that people look at when you try to find championship teams, top, top ten defense, top ten offense.

Yeah.

And a lot of times the teams with the offenses will kind of sneak in there and they have a puncher's chance, but the teams that defend are the ones in the playoffs like we just talked about. You got to get stops. Best players in the world, right? Best players in the world are trying their hardest to win the game. So eventually you're gonna have to get some stops, because if not, they'll just keep scoring. And all those teams, you know, they got a little bit of youth on their side. Yeah, they play really hard all the time. You know, they don't take possessions off, and then they're, they got size and length at the rim and they got guys that can speed you up on the outside. That's. That's a key, you know, that's. That's what our 2020 championship team at the Lakers like, we had guards that were just hounding, pestering guys, and then we sent them into the lane are three seven footers.

Yeah.

You know, it's like, how are you gonna score like that? Like, you got to be really decisive and, and really smart about how you attack those, those teams. And, you know, if you don't do it, you know, enough times in a row, all of a sudden they went on a ten hour run. Now you're playing behind the eight ball and it's really tough.

Yeah.

Cuz it does. I mean, it is kind of a chick, not a chicken and egg, because it does feel like you need the rim protector is the number one thing. But, like the magic. For example, their guard, like Suggs, is big and he's long and he just, he gets in your face. Is that because he knows he has that help behind him and that, like, those work together every time those two.

Things really play off each other, you know, I think, I mean, that it's, you know, you saw with us, like, we don't have three seven footers to send guys into, but, like, I was a point of attack guy. Like, our guards did a really good job of trying to get over screens and limit activity. And you kind of have to play like that regardless, you know, like, if you're garden, you know, for his sake, you guard Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.

Right.

Guys can shoot threes. Guys can get into the lane, good free throw shooters. There's not a whole lot they can't do offensively. So if you just let them play comfortably, they're going to kind of pick you apart.

Yeah.

So I think it starts, you have to play like that out on the guards and then it just is an added bonus. They got guys at the rim.

Yeah, that's why Rudy go bear. I mean, that, that makes everything go for the Timberwolves, where they're just like, yeah, we can just send you to Rudy Gobert.

You're not going to score super aggressive user length. And then if you get beat the rim, you got a safety blanket.

Yeah.

He at least will make you alter your shot or you're going to think about him.

Is it.

Who's the number one guy that you would think about, like, when you're going into the paint?

Wendy.

Wendy.

You're like, oh, shit, these are.

Dude, it's already there.

He can block.

Y'all saw the clips this year. Like, there were guys that were on fast breaks and, like, he's a step behind him, and they just dribbled out.

Yeah, yeah. Because it's.

It's block guys standing on the ground.

Yeah.

Rudy's up there, too. Like, Rudy still has that, you know, that presence. But, man, Wendy's already just like, he sees, so, he's so long, man.

He was like, at the free throw.

Line, there's a guy starting to take a three. He takes one step and blocks it.

Yeah.

It's just. Why do people not like Rudy Gobert.

Is because he's French?

I don't know. I don't know. I think French might have something to do with it. French guys that, like, they, like Wendy.

Like Tony Parker.

I think people like Tony Parker. I don't think people hate Nick Batoon. Like, I don't think it's a. It's a mandatory french thing.

Yeah.

I think it's probably the flame outs in the. In the playoffs, when he got it, he gave everybody.

Yeah, maybe he's always. He's always pretty vocal, too, and it's.

Yeah.

People don't always love that from defensive guys, you know? Like, think about any defensive player that was, like, super outgoing. Evoke, like, that if he wasn't on your team. Everybody kind of hates that guy, right?

Yeah.

Right.

Like, kind of the status quo for how that goes. I think that's probably where. Where it comes in.

It's like he.

He stops you from scoring, and then he talks a lot about it, but then he won't score on offense, and you're like, wait, what the fuck? Like, why you're not scoring either.

Yeah. Yeah. That.

That rubs a lot of NBA players the wrong way, because NBA players are all focused on scoring.

Like, yeah.

Thing. It's like, I'm gonna go get a bucket. Like, you can't stop me. You get a couple stops and guy talk shit.

Yeah.

Have you noticed any difference in how the refs are officiating the game in the playoffs?

Yeah, it's interesting, man. I was. I was thinking about this. Like, it's like they go through a threshold at the beginning, like playing first couple games and then all of a sudden it kind of reverts back because like it gets so grotesque of like a viewing experience because this guy's just hammering each other. The guys are going in to lane. Like, I think about the, the Warriors Kings playing game. I don't know if y'all saw that game. Yeah, dude, they're playing football.

Yeah.

And it was like obvious fouls that weren't getting called. And then today I saw James Harden did a stop it. We call it stop and shot where like guys on his side and they like stop really fast and the guy touches them and it was like minimal contact and they called a foul. And it's just stuff like that where it's like you, you want it to be one way or another or at least a happy medium. Like, I just feel like it, it starts off the playoffs. Everyone knows it's like, all right, it's tightened up. Like there's no real body. Like you can kind of, you can kind of armbar again. Like if you go in and they hit a little bit arm, like, they're not going to call it, but then they kind of soften up like a couple games thing. Yeah, it's like, all right, we got to get back to the production of what we want to watch.

I also think they just don't, they don't take as many of like the cheap ones, which I appreciate, like Kyle Lowry today. That was one of the funniest things. You see that when I think maybe it was Brunson fell down and he, he tried to, he tried to like jump and trip himself while shooting and it was ridiculous.

Abby vet, he got, yeah, I know.

He got the call, but I saw.

Whereas waste that there was like eight flopping calls called in the first couple weeks of season and then there was like two called in the last.

That's how it happens in the NFL. They always do that.

Don't do. Wow.

They get people to stop.

Yeah.

There's a lot at stake. If you say that a guy flopped in a playoff game and if you're wrong, like, if it wasn't a flop.

And you go for it.

Yeah.

How, how weird is it watching these playoffs? And I know that we're in the middle of these series. We're watching the, the Suns Timberwolves game right now. Obviously, the Lakers won on Saturday night, so they're still alive. But we could have a playoffs where Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Steph Curry are not in the second round.

Is it.

Can you feel it shifting? Like, the league is.

This is probably the first postseason where you actually see it.

Yeah.

Like, like, even last year, like, you know, those guys still were around. Like, obviously, golden State was. Was really good. Lakers made it to conference finals. It's just, dude, that the young guys, man, like, Anna's anus and is, like, of that old school nature, like, talk shit, back it up, talk more shit behind it, which I love, like, the competitive spirit of it because, you know, you see a little bit of the, like, not buddy, buddy. But it's not, as always, you know, cutthroat during the year.

Yeah.

And for me, it's like, winner go home every night.

Right.

I'm trying to win the game. Like, I'm friends with a lot of guys in the league. Like, after the games, I'll say, what's up? Like, good to see you. I'm gonna be pissed if we lose, and I'm not gonna be as happy and as excited to see them, but at the end of the day, like, I want to win. Like, I'm not gonna, like, not try or, like, not, like, I'm not gonna back up or slow my role because I'm playing against my friend, and I feel like that's how he brings it every night and he's got the game to back it up, or sometimes I don't.

Yeah.

You know, I might talk a good game, but at the end of the day, I need some help.

It's cool to watch, like, him and SgA and, like, some of these younger guys where it's like, okay, this might be. This is kind of what the league's gonna look like.

Yeah.

I mean, even Luke Lucas, still young.

Yeah.

There's so many, you know, Paolo, Ben Carroll looks. He looked amazing. Game three, you know?

Yeah.

If he. If he could ever develop, like, a high thirties, three point shot, the dude is going to be amazing.

Yeah.

So of all the young guys, like, second year or rookie, who is the one that you've got your eye on? Is it is Apollo. We'll put chat.

Yeah, chat.

Although was he technically a rookie this year? He was technically rookie.

Yeah.

It'd still be second year.

Yeah.

Dude, honestly, it checks can be really good. People haven't talked about him enough just because, you know.

Commercial.

Yeah, commercial.

I've now done, like, a full circle on the commercial where it comes on. I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah.

All right. Yeah.

Pro wants.

No, but, like, he's. He's going to be really good. Like, we played him so early. We played him twice early in the year, so, like, he hadn't figured it out yet. And then watching him later in the year, man, he, you can tell guys I get better through the year. He's going to be really good. I still think, man, when, when wendy figures it out, it's going to be trouble.

Yeah.

He's, is just physically, you're going to, it's going to be like the, it's going to be like how teams had to, had to match up with LeBron for like a stretch of, like a decade where it's like you need a couple guys on your team that are six seven to 610 long and can move a little bit, but for him, it's going to be like six nine to like seven foot. Yeah, it's going to be, it's going.

To be with Wimby.

What's one thing about playing against him that we don't get as fans watching the game when we're just like, we can obviously see his defense and what he can do, the places he can come from to block a shot that, that seem impossible. But is there something about his game that playing against him is different? And you can tell already, like, this is going to be a problem.

They just, just how much space he absorbs while he's out there. Like, even on, off, even on offense for him, like, if a guard comes off a screen from him or, like, somebody who's guarding him helps just a little bit. And, like, there's a. He's within 10ft of the basket. Like, he's gonna get the ball and he's gonna, he's gonna score. Like, if you don't have a guy that's seven foot that's right next to him, like, he pretty much is just grabbing the ball, lays it in or dunks it and, and then, like you said, defensively, like, he can, he can cover so much ground and, like, he, he set records this year for, like, blocks and steals, I want to say. And he's just playing off instincts.

Yeah.

Like, he doesn't even know guys. Like, he doesn't know guys habits yet. He doesn't know who likes to go left. Like, who likes to pump fate. Like, once he figures out, like, people's games and, like, how the flow of the game works, he's gonna set some records.

How, how do you stop Jalen Brunson? And what is he, what is it about Jalen Brunson? That's like, why? Because, you know, a lot of people.

Would tell you, I don't have the answer for that last couple.

Yeah. I mean, a lot of people don't. The whole league doesn't really have an answer for it. But, like, what is it about his game that he does an elite level? Because he's not, like, he's not a wemby. He's not jumping off the page in terms of, you know, athleticism, all that stuff, but he's so, so effective. He always feels like the game is in his control, too.

Yeah, well, especially once Julius was out for the year. I mean, it's just his ball every time down the court. Like, when we. He's. I'm pretty sure he had the highest usage rate post all star break in the league. Either him or Luka were one and two. And it's just, you know, he's just deciphering where he wants to go. He's shifty, you know, that's one thing. He gets guys to change angles and move his body. He's got a good first step, and then he shoots it good enough off the dribble to where you have to honor it. Yeah, it's hot. You know, he can make six, seven in a game, scores at three levels. Like, his, his touch and he gets in the lane, plays off pivots. He's making reads right. Like, he's not getting in there and saying, all right, I'm gonna go do this. Like, he's playing off of how you're guarding him, which is one of the hard things for me when I'm, when I'm guarding him, because I'm trying to stay, you know, I'm trying to play like a cornerback does in football. Like, I'm trying to mirror him, stay in front and not give up, like, the angle or leverage.

But he's just, he's a tough shot maker, too.

Yeah.

Shots that he probably should make. But so it's like Sicily.

It's doing stuff where, like, he can. He's watching you and being like, your, your weight is in the wrong spot here, and that's how I can go after you.

Yeah, we're like, you know, he pump fakes and you rise up. Like he said, he has great footwork. That's the Villanova coming out. And I'm like, pretty sure they, what do you call it?

Booty ball.

Yeah, booty ball. Yeah, he's got that down, like. Yeah, had that coming out of college, and now he's just refined it and added some other stuff to, to his game. And this is not like a point on the court where you can kind of shade them or you know, corral him to that. He can't find a way to get to a spot for a shot.

Yeah.

It is so much fun to watch because it is like, those are the players that they're not the most gifted athletically, but they're footwork. You say that no waste.

Maybe not, like, in the tradition.

Yeah. Yeah. He's.

He's incredible at that.

Jumping out of jail.

Right. That's what I mean. Where it's not like he's jumping over guys.

Yeah.

Change of direction and.

Right.

Strength is underrated.

Yeah.

It is just a foot when a guy has footwork. And I love when it's like, no wasted steps.

Yes.

Like, there.

That's part of it, too, is there's no waste of movement.

Yeah.

A lot of times when I'm garden guys, like, if you waste movement, I'm gonna. I'm gonna take that as my advantage. Cut you off or play you into one of my teammates. For him, it's not a lot of.

Ways he kind of reminds me, and I actually, this leads into a question. So did you do the anonymous poll on the athletic? Did you fill that out?

I don't think they asked me this year.

Oh, really? We're trying to find out who voted Paul Pierce.

Oh, I did see that.

Yeah.

Was it the greatest ever? Is that what.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Was he you?

It wasn't me.

Can next year you do it and.

Yeah. Who should we do it?

Blake Griffin, Ellie.

Oh, Deli.

Yeah, dude, he's the goat. And we'll be like, oh, that was crucial.

Respect Deli's game.

Yeah, I do.

Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, that was like, you know, my avenue in. That was. Yeah, player. I had to, like, tell you walk.

You're the italian deli. You were the deli.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That was a very funny poll, though. So I in, but I brought up Paul Pierce, too, because he kind of had not the same game as Jill Burns, but also, like, not the fastest. But there was no wasted step to his spots. Right, exactly.

He was also. He could rise up and shoot over guys, too.

Yeah.

6768, I think.

Going to get back to Caruso in a second. He's brought to you by Pepsi. Everything's better with Pepsi. I love Pepsi. The zero sugar, wild cherry, delicious. The standard. Also good. Everything's better with Pepsi. Doesn't matter what you're having. You could be eating hamburgers. I had a Pepsi with a hamburger last night. Set it off, made the cheeseburger ten times better. You can have Pepsi with thai food. I did that on Friday night. Great choice. You can have Pepsi with anything. It makes everything better. If it's saucy, stretchy, crunchy, gooey, messy, Pepsi is an essential part of the most undeniably delicious food moments. Let's just face it. Pepsi makes every bite better. The refreshing pop of sweet, fizzy Pepsi bubbles makes even the best food taste even better. Grab a Pepsi, zero sugar for your next meal, as every crave worthy bite is better with Pepsi.

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Check it out. Now here's more caruso. You're a Texas kid. I want to give you an opportunity to respond to Charles Barkley. He went after the city of Galveston pretty hard. That's pretty close to college station. I'm sure you've been there once or twice.

I've been there.

I'm not going to inject my personal bias into it.

Okay.

Do you think Charles got it right about Galveston, or would you like to defend?

Yeah, no, it's not great. Yeah, it's not the best, but, like, it's a beach.

Yeah.

It is a beach.

You don't go to get in the water. I'll say that.

No, there's. There's sand. There's water.

Yeah.

But there's also, like, tar and oil on the sand because people also drive their cars on the beach. It's pretty gnarly.

Yeah, no, that's what it is, though. You go out to hang out on the beach. You don't really like. You're not. There's no boogie boards.

I actually have seen people boogie boarding in Galveston, but I swear to God.

People will, but you should not.

What they've done is they get these big ass oil tankers that drive by and the giant waves that come off of these oil tankers, people will be like, oh, shit, let's go catch a wave. And it just. From this big ass, dirty, big swell today, boy. Yeah, exactly. It's. I kind of agree with Charles Barkley.

But yeah, no, it's. It's not the best. It's not. It's not known for its clean water.

Well, yeah, yeah.

You get drunk on the beach, you drink 20 light beers in the sun on the beach. Play some place.

Yeah, exactly.

Why, yeah, yeah. Why do role players play better at home? Or is that just a cliche we lean on and just, like, do confirmation bias? We're like, oh, this guy scored a bunch of points at home.

And it would be interesting to do, like, an actual statistical analysis on that because that is like, you know, that's like the generic, like, go to saying, yeah, this guy home game guy's gonna play better. Like, neat. Alexander Walker the other night hit, you know, four or five threes in the second half on the road. Like, I don't think that affected him too much.

Yeah.

I think it's. I think it's person by person basis.

Yeah. Because it is.

It is just. I think it might be. Just be the cliche we go to where. Where it's like, all right. Got to get back home. Then all the role players will chip in.

Well, that's like this. Like, I had some of my best games this year on the road. Like, I had a game at Minnesota. I set it career high, and three made game at Indianapolis. I had like 21 seven and seven. Like, I played some of my better games on the road this year.

Yeah. What about.

Have you ever been in a playoff game or any big game where the crowd, your home crowd seems to be like, 70% away fans?

No, not that much.

No.

No.

But that would talk.

Do you think.

Do you think that would piss you off for sure.

Oh, yeah.

What would you be thinking about that?

I probably during the game, I wouldn't. I wouldn't think about it too much, but, like, you know, the other team makes a shot and you hear a bunch of cheers.

Yeah.

What was that?

Are you miss a free throw?

Yeah. Yeah.

And you're also fighting through Bell's palsy or it's not.

It's not quiet when you're free throws at home.

Yeah.

You can only see out of one eye, and you're like, what are all these fans doing?

What would you say. Would you say about that after the game?

Not excuses, guy.

No, not excuses, guy.

But.

But it sucks.

Tough. Yeah, it's tough.

Yeah.

Like, you wouldn't say bad sports town, but some people could say that it opens up.

It opens up dialog for that.

The conversations happen.

It has to start.

We've had, I don't give a fuck state of this series where he's like, this can't hurt me.

I mean, the fact that it happened in Philly, of all places, crazy. And I understand. It's like, you know, a two hour drive from New York, you can get on a train, be there and get back. Home prices, also at MSG, are crazy to get in.

That's my favorite. Whenever we start bringing in the price wars, we're like, well, it's so expensive to go to MSG.

Yeah.

Which is. Which is kind of true.

It is.

But it's just such a funny that we go to where it's like, well, of course there's a bunch of fans cheaper.

Yeah. But for them to have that many home fans on the road, I know tickets are available.

It's.

I would be upset if I was a player.

What's, uh, what. Out of all the places in all the teams still left, what's the best gym to shoot at?

Ooh.

That's a good question.

Good question.

Thank you.

It's a good question. All right, let's. Let's go through, honestly, Miami. Miami is notoriously good shooting gym.

Really?

I mean, it's always warm, you know, so. So, like, don't to worry about loosening up and getting warm.

Right.

Worried about in that. The basketballs are always soft. Good basketballs. The rims feel soft. It's the humidity.

Yeah.

You know, like, when the. When the ball hits the rim, it's got a little better chance of going in.

Yeah.

Miami's a good one. Phoenix isn't a bad one.

Dry heat.

I'm trying to think of some more.

Is there a bad one?

Honestly, I want to say Minnesota, but, like, I shot well there this year, so I don't know if that's not so bad. Yeah, maybe it's not so bad. It's. It's Staples center. Sorry. Crypto arenas. Good shooting gym.

Mm hmm. Yeah.

You like the dark backgrounds? Yeah, yeah.

Is there any truth to like it when you watch in the. Not the NCAA tournament, but a lot of times, some of the. The smaller schools are playing in gyms that have the backs that are closer to the back. The backboard.

Like, does that give you better gym?

Yeah.

Like, the high school type vibe.

Just like, once. One row of bleachers.

Yeah. Yeah.

Is that easier?

That's a good question.

I always felt like that would help with depth perception when there's, like, dude.

Honestly, I haven't played a gym like that so long. I don't.

Yeah.

Our gym.

Yes.

Yeah. A couple shots after.

Yeah. Yeah.

We can put you on the gun and check your stats.

Yeah.

Might be better.

What about the. So, like, going forward in the playoffs is, like, back to or not. There's no back to back spits every other day. Is there real, like, does it really feel like you get later in a series and you start, your body wears down, or is it like, we're already here, we're used to this. It's fine, because, like, I even game sevens, like, you'll see the basketball will not be the best basketball. That might just be. Teams are tight, but, like, how does it feel going through a deep playoff run?

No, it's definitely. I mean, it's. It gets to you, obviously. The only really deep playoff run I've had was with the Lakers. Yeah. Bubble.

So.

But, like, the travel. The travel didn't affect us, but, like, by, you know, by. By the second series, into the second series, you know, you're tired.

Yeah.

You just gotta fight.

And even having, like. So imagine, you know, finishing that. I mean, I think back to our series against the bucks, you know, we played them. Like, I remember after the first game, you know, I was taking charges on giannis. Like, I was, like, in the mix, laid the game, and then we come back and, like, I remember the drive home from Milwaukee, Chicago. I was just looking out of the windows, like, I'm tired, dude. Yeah, that was. That was a lot.

Because you see a different level.

Yeah. There's no, like, think about the last five minutes of a close game, of the regular season. The whole game.

Yeah, it's.

It's. It's as hard as you can go. Basically, the whole 448 minutes.

Yeah, yeah.

Have you reached a point where you're starting to, like, take better care of your body? Players always talk about that, like, after in the league for so long, you realize what you can and can't do. I know a lot. I forget who was saying this in an interview, but he was saying, like, at morning shoot around or, like, a morning workout, half the guys would just smell like liquor because they were, like, sweating out the night before. Essentially getting back into shape. At what point did you have to change the way either you, like, you partied a little bit or any of that other stuff because you realized you couldn't recover the same way you used to?

Yeah.

Honestly, the last, the last couple years, just playing more minutes, you know, like, when I was in LA, I was playing max, 20 minutes, you know, maybe getting to, like, the mid twenties if I'm playing really good some game because we had so many guys. And so I didn't, like, you know, I didn't realize, you know, how much of a grind, really, the season was. And then I got Chicago, you know, playing 30 minutes a night, the first. The first season, and it's like, oh, shit, like, when we play four games in six days, you know, and you're playing 25, 30 minutes plus, like, at the end of that third game, on the back to back in the third game, you're like, oh, shit, like, I need to get the Colto.

Like, yeah, yeah.

And that was part of the reason this year, I think I had such a good year on the court. You know, I played 70 something games, like, 29 minutes. 30 minutes a night was just the routine. You know, like, I was. I was on top of, like, you know, all the shit that people talk about, hydration, nutrition. I was cold tubbing every time we had to, like, on the road, wearing my recovery tights. Like, they just. I just found a good rhythm.

What are recovery tights?

They're basically just, like, ankle to thigh, just full body, like, recovery types.

Giant compression sleeve.

Yeah, basically.

I love those because those are. You see people, like, in compression sleeves or the leggings, and it's like, either NBA athlete or diabetes. There's, like, no in between. Those are the only two reasons you wear them. The biggest ends of the spectrum you.

Could find maybe going on a long plane ride, trying to increase your circulation.

There's nothing really. It's like one or the other.

Yeah, I thought about that.

Yeah.

How did you decide to become a compression sleeve guy? Did you try out different things? Like, Luke is wearing sorts of shit all over his body. Have you tried out wearing, like, different sleeves, different parts of your body?

Yeah.

Do I wear. I have teammates that make fun of me. I wear the most stuff out of anybody. Like, I have. I have. And I don't wear those, like, those padded compression shorts on the hip.

Yeah.

From these companies, because they don't actually protect, like, the joints and your bones. Like, it's on your. It's on your thigh and, like, below your tailbone. So I wear it, like, snowboard. The snowboard pads.

Oh, really?

So when I, like, fall take charges and stuff, like, that's what I'm falling on. I got knee pads on. Yeah, I wore the. The arm sleeve this year because at first, like, I hyperextended my elbow a little bit, and my elbow was messed up, so I wore that to, like, keep it tight, and then, sure enough, fell on my elbow enough times during the season, wore padded one towards the end of the year. Like, I got a lot. I got a lot going on.

Yeah.

I like the knee pads, although I feel like a lot of players don't wear those. Like, it would be, like, maybe restrictive.

No, not restrictive.

No, no.

Because by the time. I mean, you're not wearing, like, you know, it's not like the weightlifting. Like, you know, the. The powerlifting knee pads where it's, like, your art. Your leg has to stay straight. Like, they're. They're pretty movable.

The ankle braces, I'm surprised those are restrictive. I would assume, cuz, like, no one.

Yeah.

Where the ankle braces, like, Grayson Allen.

Wears the thick ones, I think Steph wears them.

Yeah.

Fox wears them.

Yeah.

It looks like Forrest Gump.

Yeah.

I'm not a big fan of the ankle braces. I'm a tape guy.

Yeah, I have that movement. All right, I got one last question. Rowback question. Rho back.com promo code. Take 20% off your first purchase cues. Ifs, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts. Thank you, Alex, for coming in. You're. I know you're going on summer break, so I'm happy that you're able to come in whenever you're back. You got a golf, and you also, like, we learn more about basketball with you around. I think we're gonna give you a key card next year that we just come in, engulf whenever, and beat the fuck out of Hank, which, actually, I might just have that be like, we just have it on the skate.

It's on side.

Hank gets his ass kicked.

Yeah.

It's for the cocky Hank.

Yeah, we can just. We can just shove him down. Be like, you're still not good.

Hank just gets really good.

Nah, nah.

He has gotten a lot better, but, nah, I'm not. I'm not really worried about that. So, the young teams, I know everyone's like, oh, well, the Nuggets look like the best team in the west. They're the defending champs, the Celtics. Hank already has Celtics Nuggets in the finals. But the young teams of the thunder, the wolves, the Pacers, I guess you throw the Knicks in there. Just not.

Are the wolves that young of a team?

I'm saying more like young in terms of success.

Gotcha.

So, like, yeah, I mean, the Thunder confuses because they are literally.

Yeah.

Like, the deep run team. Which team do you think has the best chance to potentially do, like, a crazy, how do they get to the finals? Run.

It's crazy. I mean, the wording of that is tough, too.

Yeah.

Like, how do they get to the finals? But, like, literally, the west had three number one seeds this year.

Right?

Like, the Thunder and the wolves. And Denver went back and forth till the.

Yeah, they came apart.

Yeah.

Based on the first couple games, I don't think the Pelicans were a true test for OKC. So it's tough to say with them. But based on how Minnesota's playing, I'd say. I'd say the two wolves. Yeah, it does feel and feels ready for the moment. Like, he doesn't feel. Like he shies away, you know, make miss, and he's indifferent. Like, he just is go mode. I like. I like Mike Conley. I like, I like McDaniel's. I like the pieces. Like I like how their team fits for the postseason.

Yeah.

During the regular season, night and night out, depending on matchups, it's not great. But for the postseason I think, I think they match up with a lot of, a lot of teams really. Well.

What about, what about the Pacers? Because they're, they are like they haven't. I think this would be the first series the Pacers have won in a long time and they play a style that's like fun to watch. They fast, they got a athlete.

It's, I think it's the same thing though with, with the thunder. Like bucks without, bucks without also, you know, dame miss, miss tonight and Bobby got ejected. So like, I'm not taking anything away from them cuz like you still gotta go out there and play the games and they're playing well and they beat him earlier in the season too. So it's not like it's completely, you know, out of the ordinary for that. But I don't know, dude, the way they play, I, it makes it hard too because we had success against him this year.

Yeah.

So I don't understand, I don't understand how the other teams struggle with them when it's just like, alright, get back in transition. You know, pretty much I say take care of, but like guard Halliburton, guard Siakam, you got a pretty good recipe for success. But I guess we just matched up with them. Well, yeah, I don't know. Who, who would they, who are they playing the second round? If they, if they advance, they would.

Play the Knicks Sixers.

Yeah. Don't love that for them.

Yeah.

So I mean the t rolls are good because you're right. Like the, the Pacers have been impressive, but they are playing against.

I think there's just more question marks around the other team.

Right. Where's the wolves of just, I know they're playing right now, but like the first three games they've completely dismantled the Suns.

Just, just nothing special either. Like they just go out there and guarding, playing on offense, going home.

Yeah.

And for, for us because we're not the smartest basketball minds in the world when we're watching the Suns on paper. The Suns should be good. They should. I think, I mean they have a big three. They put together a big three. What is it about the team that has just looked so disjointed, so just like frustrating to watch? What is that? What is the reason why they're struggling despite having so much talent.

Yeah, I think they're missing. I think they're missing a point guard, like a lead guard. I think they're missing somebody to organize everything, to take some of the pressure off these other guys, to bring the ball up to, you know, through the. Through a playoff series. Like we talked about, seven games. If you have to work as hard as they have to work to get shots up, and especially against Timberwolves, so much length, like, you're not just getting layups at the rim, and now you're asking them to bring the ball up and to organize stuff and to make decisions. It's just a lot.

Yeah.

I feel like a couple of the games that I've watched, it just looks like whenever, like, you know, the energy is high and the game's kind of crazy. Like, they need to be able to throw the ball to somebody put under their arm and like, all right, go get in the corner, run this play, do this, and kind of calm everything down. And they don't have. They don't have a stable force.

Yeah.

It's even. I mean, the Mavs Clippers game was so incredible to watch because you had, like, james Harden and Kyrie just trading in the fourth quarter. It's like this is, you know, and.

It was like, all right, we got the ball, and it's like, get to your spot. Get your spot. Come, come. Set the screen.

Right. Right. It's either I'm gonna get a great shot, or someone else is gonna get a great shot. All right, well, thanks so much, Alex. Enjoy your summer. Good luck with golf.

Appreciate that.

Whenever you're back, you're welcome to come by. I want you to just beat Hank every single time. We should just get it, like, hundred matches.

I don't.

What? Hank, Hank, what's your. What's your best round ever?

I shot 86 a couple weeks ago.

Okay.

Pretty good, though. Was it an 86 from the whites? Were you keeping. No gimmes?

No.

Give me no mulligan?

No.

Breakfast balls? Maybe breakfast.

No gimmes at all?

No, not a single game.

People you're playing with where they like Holly cup.

That's number pawn.

Cup.

That's a good number.

Okay.

Good job, Hank. I shot a 72 at Shinnecock one once.

I think I know about that.

Yeah.

And then people.

People talk about it coast to coast.

Yeah. No erasers on the.

Yeah, well, listen, you can shoot whatever you want. You just got to fill it out.

Yeah.

It's very easy.

Scores of mine.

Yeah, you. I mean, I could feel like you shot. You want me go to Pebble beach tomorrow and shoot a 65. Somebody I tweeted and actually, JJ Reddick text me. He's like, dude, I didn't know you're a stick. We got to get out.

Yeah.

You're like, dude, I skipped, like, seven holes.

I did that once.

I gave up that one time with.

A scorecard where I had three zeros on my car. I was, like, pretty good, right? Almost broke 100.

Yeah.

Sometimes, though, you just get your drink.

Yeah, exactly.

It was crazy. I actually did enjoy, though, the, like, hour of people, like, reaching out, being like, holy shit. Yeah, you're a really good golfer.

Yeah.

I was like, this is awesome. Like, everyone respects me now.

It's like announcing you had. You're having a kid and then posting a 72 at Shinnecock. You get probably the same amount of text from, yeah, dude, congrats.

People care about.

Yeah, it was crazy golf.

Oh, dude.

Dude, I remember, like, was cancer.

Yeah.

It wasn't a ton of people, but JJ texted me, was like, we got to go out. And then Justin Thomas text. He's like, dude, I know you had that game.

And I was like, did they don't. Did they revoke the invitation?

Yeah, they were just like, that's the. Never mind.

The Internet gets a bad rap sometimes for. For golf losers that will correct anything in your swing, like, if you post a swing online. But what I found is the golf community is, like, actually very, very supportive if you shoot, like.

Yeah.

Think is if you're good, you get.

I mean, even, like, if I. If I break 100 and I post the scorecard, there's so many people that are like, dude, that's awesome.

Congrats.

I'm so proud of you. Yeah, you don't hear about those people as much as you hear the losers. Like, you need to open up your swing.

Cares about those people.

I felt loved.

Yeah.

I gotta do it again.

I love the game. They have it for themselves.

Exactly. Wait, what's your best score?

I've shot a two over 73 and a 74.

So.

On a par 71.

So not 72 at Shinnecock?

No.

Okay.

You got me.

You got. You can always dream. You can always dream.

I'm playing Tuesday. I'm gonna shoot 71. Text it to you.

Okay.

Have you got a hole in one?

Oh, yeah, I got one.

Is it on film?

It's recorded on my phone that the ball was in the hole in the people.

So that's a no.

I don't play YouTube golf. Maybe that's the. Maybe that's. That's my summer job.

You don't want to be the guy who. Every single par three, you're like, hey, take out your phone. Yeah, yeah, I might do it this time.

Yeah.

Never even close. You just start topping it.

We did that in Arizona. We went to. We played the TPC at Scottsdale.

Yeah.

And we hit a par three. Everybody brought their cameras out.

Which one was the famous 116?

No, we did that on 16, too, but I think it was like, I don't know, seven or something on the front nine. And I hit my shot, and the ball went directly to the right, bounced off a tree, and went backwards. And then they're like, okay, try it again. And I did the exact same thing where the ball went backwards, and having somebody film you like, you're expecting to get a hole in one and have.

It turn out that bad.

Oh, yeah.

They played seven holes in me.

Oh, yeah, video.

Yeah.

But, yeah, hold one. So you haven't really gotten it yet.

No.

Yeah, yeah, I guess.

Sorry, we won't allow it.

I got one asterisk, like the. Like the championship. It's an.

Yeah, right.

One ring.

Right.

You feel like you're a champion when you go to bed at night. We don't.

Yeah, you got a bubble hole in one. That'd be the biggest scumbag move of all time. If you lied and said that you got a hole in one, like, at the end of your round, you, like, post online and.

Yeah, well, I've done that.

Make that round.

I have done just random, like, scorecards. I'll just throw one out there.

And then people.

It was like, holy shit.

But.

But somebody doing it, seriously, I think that might be the saddest thing ever.

Oh, would definitely be the saddest thing.

I feel like that's got to be bad karma, too. Like, you're. You're. You'll never make one.

Yeah, yeah.

I. Not to. I can't remember the story. This dude, this dude found on the Internet. He, like, was new to golf, came in, told his grandpa that. He was like, how'd you round go? He's like, oh, it's great. Like, I made a hole in one, and blah, blah, blah. And his grandpa was, like, so excited for him. He didn't make a whole one. He was just like, you know, bullshit with him. Didn't have the heart to tell him. Day later, he comes back. Guy made him a plaque.

Oh.

With the ball, the whole. What was the yardage?

Oh, no, guys.

Grandpa dies before he can tell him.

Oh. Never.

Actually better.

He said he's never gonna make one. His life.

Yeah.

That's the perfect jinx.

Yeah.

Hey, grandpa's dead and he thought you had a whole one. That's kind of cool.

Yeah, I guess for him.

Yeah, yeah.

Grandpa gets to heaven and I always imagine that when you get to heaven, you've got like DVR for life. When you get, when you can watch.

These people, some morals.

Yeah, yeah.

But I just all, I would imagine that he's like, I want to go see my grandson's hole in here.

Yeah.

It's rewind and he's like, whoa, what the hell? What the hell has he done?

Yeah.

Now he's up in heaven, pissed off for the rest of his life.

Yeah. All right, Caruso, thank you so much.

We'll see you soon.

Yeah, I'll be back soon.

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Okay, let's wrap up the show. The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to the second round in a four game sweep, which is shocking in the fact that it was, I think, before the series, it was even money on both sides. Who would win that series. And the Timberwolves just dismantled the Phoenix Suns. Their defense is so good. Anthony Edwards is a star rising up the charts. He is that dude. I'm happy for Minnesota. They've won a series. They're going on. I think this is, I got to check this. I think this might be other than the year they, Kevin Garnett took them to the Western Conference files. I think this is the first time they've won a series.

Is it really?

I believe so. I'm gonna look it up. I'm gonna look at that.

I mean, that would be shocking if.

True, I'm pretty sure.

Just because it feels like we talk about the Wolves being in and around.

The postseason, but they haven't won series, the playing game. Yeah, playing one series.

Playing series.

Minnesota Timberwolves playoff history. Let's see. They. I am 100% correct.

Wow.

Kevin Garnett. Year they went to the Western Conference finals. Other than that, in their franchise history, which started in 1980, 919, 90 season, they have not won a playoff series. So congrats to Timbrels. That's awesome.

That is very.

That's big. Like, that's huge.

Yeah, you should, you should enjoy this. To everyone in Minnesota, your sports history has just been so tortured and so painful. This is big.

That's a crazy stat.

It's big. And it's also not a fluke that you dominate sons. You're really, really good. And I have to think that they're going to be. I guess. I guess they could match up well against the Nuggets, right? Like, their defense is incredible.

They.

I don't think they matched up well against the Nuggets in the regular season, but I don't think that matters because I think the sun's matched up well against the Timberwolves in the regular season. So who the fuck cares?

Yeah.

Their team defense is, is unreal.

Yeah.

Anthony Edwards is him. Uh, yeah. Congrats. I. That's, that's huge. I mean, they, they are, they've been building. They've been flirting with it. Now they have gone to the next round. Their team on the rise. That's fucking awesome.

On the other side of it, time to blow up the Suns.

Uh, okay, so couple Sunstein might be unblockable. Yeah, no, it's gonna be very hard. So I think blowing up the Suns.

Is like fire the coach, you know, it's his first season.

Matt Ishbia, this has maybe been one of the greatest, like, guy, guy buys a team, rich guy buys a team who thinks he's the smartest guy in the world, does a bunch of all in moves and it blows up in record time. Like, we've seen it time and time again. This happens all the time. Remember what Prokorov with the nets. Like, anytime a new owner shows up, they're like, we got to win right now. I want to do everything right now. The Suns have zero playoff wins this season. They have zero first round picks from 2025 to 2030. They have zero second round picks from 2024 to 2030.

Okay.

So that, trying to think how you're.

Going to get good players.

They have one pick.

Yeah.

In the NBA draft between now and 2031. Mm hmm. One single pick. That's insane. They have Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. They've also like, think about it. They were two games away. They were up 20 on the Bucks. And everything that has happened since then has been an all and all out disaster.

Yeah.

It's been very painful.

And they deserve a lot more blame than they get. I think they just kind of snake, snake by. They should be shamed. Shame, shamed for the way they've gone out.

Yeah.

So today I think katie had 33 points. Book had 47 points.

Yep. They went out.

They tried Bradley Beal, nine points. Bradley Beal. Also, no trade clause, like we said. And he's getting, I think, $50 million a year for the next three seasons. So I don't know how you blow this team up.

No.

I mean, they got to hope that someone wants to trade for Kevin Durant or Kevin Durant says he wants to be traded. Kevin Durant, this is getting, it's getting on the ugly side of his career in terms of. I know that he had that one, which I mentioned at the beginning of the show, the one season where he almost single handedly took the Nets to beat the bucks in that game seven where his foot was on the line. But other than that, this has not been a fun few years since he left Golden State. Also, the Suns have not won a playoff game since Matt Ishbia took a flop against Jokic.

Yeah, that was big flop.

So they've lost six straight games.

But remember, Suns in four year.

Suns in four year was fun. Yeah. I don't know what that's inter. I mean, Kevin Durant now with the Nets and the Suns, he's completely destroyed two franchise.

I don't, I don't know that you can say he destroyed the Nets.

Well, he went there, he brought Kyrie. Kyrie obviously had a large part of it. But then he was like, I need to get out of here.

Yeah.

And it's not like they, I mean, the Nets will are trying to rebuild, but they went all in with Kevin Durant. And then he's like, two years later was like, get me the fuck out of here.

Yeah.

I mean, he's gonna do the same thing for the sun.

That entire experiment in Brooklyn was just. I think there are three big reasons why it didn't work.

Right.

But he did feel like he was the one who's putting it all together.

Yeah. And it.

But it didn't work.

But this experiment also.

Yeah.

Did not work.

Yeah.

So Kevin Durant, I think the only movie has is hope the thunder will take him and they can win a title.

Maybe it's coming home. Maybe bring him back to DC.

Yeah.

I don't know that this was. This was. Yeah, this was a crazy. They just absolutely dismantled him. The wolves are just so much better, and now the suns are. I like, if you're Matt Ishbia, what do you do?

That.

That shot of him on Friday night when they zoomed in, he was just, like, the saddest guy in the world. I don't know what you do. You bought this team. You thought you were like, you know, I'm gonna get my big three. We're gonna win a championship. Look at me. I'm the smart guy, and it's just all gone to shit.

So let's go into the big book, the big bag of tricks of what a billionaire owner would do. Like, someone that's new to the business. You tried going all in. You tried putting together super team. That's not working now. I feel like you got it. You got to go to your superstars and see who they want as the coach.

Yeah.

Right. And then you hire whoever your superstar says, and then that doesn't work out. And then now you've learned two big lessons in your first couple seasons.

Yeah.

Right.

But I feel like that this is the exact time in a new owner's life where he becomes, like, tries to be best friends with his stars.

Yep.

And then gives them whatever they want, and then they're going to be unhappy regardless of what happens. Like, one. One and a half years from now, tops.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's pretty much. That's the book.

Yeah, that's the book.

He's.

Man. And he was doing his. He had his kids around him. I think tonight just maybe, like, soften the blow, like, hey, yeah, don't make fun of me as much. My kids are here.

Yeah.

Bradley Beale did say I've never been swept a day in my life, so I'll be damned if that happens.

Oh, I do. I do. No, actually, no, I was gonna say I respect Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, like, not just, like, folding in the first quarter, but. No, I don't. I actually don't. I don't respect.

You don't respect that?

No, I don't. I don't respect the suns at all. I'm not gonna give the suns any compliments.

Okay.

I don't think they deserve a single compliment. All the compliments go to the walls.

The gorilla was cool. I love the gorilla.

The grill is cool. But yeah, the wolves are a complete team. I do think, think they, they can give the Nuggets a series. Like, I think they can win that series.

Yeah.

I mean, why not? You have to think that Gobert against Jokic is as good as it can get against jokic, right?

Yeah.

And I think we'll have like, what? We're going to have both. We're going to have one game where Anthony Edwards probably shoots like two for 18, but then we're also going to have a game where Anthony Edwards is the best player on the court.

Yeah.

And he just dominates because he is that guy. I fucking love them. We got to get him on PMT. Have to get him on PMT. Oh, maybe Tom Creen.

Yeah.

Can help us get him.

Yeah, Tom Cree's a Tom creen guy.

He's a Tom Creen disciple. Okay, let's finish up the show. Just want to give a quick shout out to all the listeners who had my back on Friday. And they're like, this is what America is about. This sad loser that is Max, try to take one away from you. And then you just, through hard work, beat him. It was incredible. Everyone was like, this is what America is about.

Yeah.

Is there any additional pressure on you, Max?

Oh, there's so much pressure on him.

Is there any pressure on you?

No, he's gonna get.

I'm gonna get it.

Yeah. Yeah.

Max, just going to continue to continue to ask you every time this question.

Is asked towards me.

Okay.

And I'm gonna say I'm going to get.

Yeah, I'll say the same thing. I'm gonna get we.

No one believes you.

Okay, I'm gonna get it. Maybe this time.

Okay, you know what?

Maybe work hard like I did.

I've been thinking about getting it this time.

I made a promise. I'm the anti bradley beal. I made a promise and I delivered. So shout out all the people. And they even, even Hank and Max tried to take my joy away when kill Williams said he was number 18. It was so sad. It was nasty work. You were being a nasty boy on Thursday.

There was a lot of things said about him being 13.

You were being matching up nasty boy.

You did follow me around the entire office and be like, hey, I got 13 Caleb Williams number.

Because it was when we, when I followed you around the office, what time was I falling?

There was also a time where I asked you a question? I was like, is that gonna be his number in the NFL?

Probably.

No, you said, yeah, he's already said that that's gonna be his number.

You know, I was thinking about like, how awesome would it be to be a punter on a team and then you draft a guy and then he has to pay you like $40,000 for your jersey.

Yeah.

If you're like, if I were you got a treat. You got to pick a team number to try to get a wide receiver quarterback.

Like if you're, if you were a brown spunter in the two thousands or two thousand ten s, I would change my number every year. Looking at who the hot quarterback prospects were going to be coming out next year's draft, try to camp on their number. So that way when Johnny Manziel comes in, you're like, gotta buy, gotta pay up.

Shit, it's a good point.

It's a good line of work to be in.

Yeah.

Imagine if there was. If someone, Cuz Keenan Allen is number 13. And Kel Williams great teammate was like, nah, he's a future hall of Famer. I gotta give him the number. But imagine if someone on the Bears had gone 13, sold it to Keenan Allen, then went 18, sold to Caleb Williams.

Yeah, you flip it now you're flipping jerseys. If you're a punter, if you're a punter or a kicker in the NFL, reach out to us. We're happy to consult with you and tell you what jersey number you should switch to ahead of next season.

Yeah.

Okay, Max, have you ever gotten this?

Pft, have you ever gotten this?

No, I asked the question about you.

I asked the question. The PF.

Okay, but I.

Answer my question.

Have not gotten it yet. Pft, have you gotten it yet?

I'm about to.

Okay, Max, we pick my number for me today. No, please. No, I want you to.

I will not.

Cuz I could probably win with your number two. I want to show you.

I'm not gonna do that.

Okay, numbers 23.

There's a ball up top.

Yep.

Six.

What's six?

I'll do 18 lucky numbers. Oh, Jake's gonna be so mad if.

You get it, man. He's doing it for Kale Williams.

Yeah, I know, but Jake's gonna be mad regardless.

I gotta think cuz I'm hot. I'm one for one in the last one. You know what, 99 poke? There you go, pug.

Max, when you looked in, there was 20 in there, right?

It was right next to 13.

Yeah, that was a sad moment when.

Max was like, join. Even in here, I fucking find this. I can't see it. I'll go 67, 21. That was Shane.

Max.

You have any losers try to say I look this time? Nope. Yeah, you probably try. You probably were Twitter searching.

I didn't even look. I never. I never wanted to look at that moment again.

Memes, did you say three or you just holding your hand up?

I said three, but.

All right, I'll do it every time. It's gonna hit.

99.

Pug the guy.

Holy. Let's go. Pug.

Much pug.

This is too much pug.

You're so fucking good at this.

So much better than Max.

Facts. Is that your third time? Yes.

Coming like clockwork. Great job.

You're fucking dead.

Beast.

Dude, I don't know what to say.

How do you do it? Place right time.

Oh, congrats, pug. I'm happy. It's. I'm gonna be happy for anyone except Max. Cuz Max is never gonna get it. Max, you ever got it? You'll get it one day, man. Oh, by shirt. Another real laugh. I really apply a 99 puncher.

Love you guys.

Today is on my day to find you.

Shy away, I'm coming for you.

Love a king. Love of king. Don't want, don't want, don't want me, don't want, don't want me.

You better take something.