SGA vs. Michael Jordan, Play-In Preview, LaMelo Ball’s Hall-of-Fame level, King of the Hill
140 min
•Apr 14, 2026about 2 months agoSummary
First Things First covers NBA playoff implications, NFL draft strategy, and competitive balance concerns in professional sports. The hosts debate SGA's comparison to Michael Jordan, analyze draft pressure on teams like the Chiefs and Bengals, and discuss playoff readiness across multiple leagues.
Insights
- SGA's production metrics rival Jordan's peak years on a per-100-possession basis, but sustained excellence and championship success remain the true measure of all-time greatness
- NBA competitive balance has reached crisis levels with a 13+ point average margin of victory—the highest in league history—requiring structural changes from league leadership
- Draft positioning and team readiness matter more than individual prospect talent; teams must align draft picks with organizational infrastructure and coaching philosophy
- Playoff experience and clutch performance history significantly impact player rankings beyond regular season statistics
- Injury management and return timing in playoffs requires balancing immediate competitive needs against long-term franchise health
Trends
Increasing emphasis on per-100-possession statistics to normalize era-specific playing pace when comparing historical player performancesGrowing concern about NBA regular season competitive imbalance driving need for rule changes or structural reformsDraft class supply-demand dynamics creating opportunities for teams to reach on prospects due to quarterback scarcityShift toward valuing playoff pedigree and clutch performance over raw regular season statistics in player evaluationsTeams prioritizing defensive needs in early draft rounds despite offensive skill position scarcityCoaching system fit becoming as important as individual player talent in draft evaluation and trade decisionsExtended injury recovery timelines (hamstring strains) creating risk-reward calculations for playoff participationYoung rosters with draft asset accumulation viewed as more sustainable than veteran-heavy win-now approaches
Topics
SGA vs Michael Jordan comparison and all-time player rankingsNBA competitive balance crisis and margin of victory recordsNFL Draft 2025 quarterback evaluation and first-round positioningPlayoff experience impact on player performance rankingsInjury management strategy in playoff basketballDraft pressure on Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati BengalsWide receiver evaluation from Ohio State programPlay-in tournament format and seeding implicationsClutch performance metrics in playoff basketballCoaching system fit in draft decision-makingLuka Doncic hamstring injury recovery timelineSteph Curry minutes management and playoff readinessLaMelo Ball Hall of Fame potential and winning basketballJeremiah Love running back versatility and draft valueTy Simpson quarterback draft positioning and first-round viability
Companies
Y-Refy
Private student loan refinancing service offering custom payment plans based on borrower ability to pay
Microsoft
Co-Pilot AI tool in Excel helping small business owners analyze sales data and make financial decisions
Toyota
Tacoma and Tundra truck lineup with advanced technology features and financing options available
Indeed
Job posting platform offering sponsored job listings to help employers find qualified candidates faster
Quaker
Oatmeal and fiber-based food products providing nutritional options since 1877
Pepsi
Prebiotic cola beverage with no artificial sweeteners and three grams of prebiotic fiber
Hilton
Hilton Garden Inn hotel brand mentioned in afternoon headline sponsorship
Shopify
E-commerce platform helping businesses design websites, market products, and manage sales operations
People
Kevin Wildes
Primary host discussing NBA playoffs, draft analysis, and sports commentary throughout episode
Nick Wright
Co-host providing draft analysis and playoff predictions; created mock draft 2.0
Greg Jennings
Former NFL player providing draft evaluation and quarterback analysis for Ty Simpson and CJ Stroud
Willie Cologne
Former NFL player offering draft perspective and wide receiver evaluation for Carnell Tate
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Thunder star compared to Michael Jordan; potential back-to-back MVP and Finals MVP candidate
Victor Wembanyama
Rookie phenom entering first playoff appearance; discussed as potential dynasty-era player
Nikola Jokic
MVP candidate and defending champion; ranked as most important player in upcoming playoffs
Luka Doncic
Recovering from grade-two hamstring strain; decision pending on playoff return timing
LaMelo Ball
Discussed as Hall of Fame talent; leading Hornets' late-season playoff push
Steph Curry
Minutes-restricted in play-in tournament; host Kevin Wildes accidentally omitted from all-time guards list
Steve Kerr
Implementing cautious minutes management for Steph Curry in playoff games
Marcus Freeman
Praised Jeremiah Love as unicorn talent with elite wide receiver and defensive back potential
Jaylen Brown
Ranked third in playoff importance; Finals MVP candidate with extensive playoff experience
Jason Tatum
Comeback story from injury; playing at all-star level as Celtics East favorites
Jalen Brunson
Clutch performer averaging nearly 30 PPG with Knicks; critical to playoff success
CJ Stroud
Fifth-year option picked up; questioned whether he's franchise quarterback after playoff struggles
Ty Simpson
Draft prospect claiming first-round status; debated whether he deserves first-round selection
Carnell Tate
Top wide receiver prospect from Ohio State; discussed as first or second WR off the board
Jeremiah Love
Unicorn talent with elite athleticism; discussed as potential top-10 draft pick
Josh Allen
Discussed whether Bills should add another weapon in first round despite defensive needs
Quotes
"SGA's blend of interior scoring dominance coverage bending due to that dominance and context proof winning is the closest thing we've seen to Michael Jordan."
Aqueous Duncan (Yahoo Sports)•Early segment
"The competitive balance of the regular season in the NBA is officially a crisis. Over the final two months, the 10 eliminated teams went a combined 9 and 99 against the top six teams."
Kevin Wildes•First Things Last segment
"If production, I mean, if you were to win six titles or if you were to win the next three or something like that, then your production at some point gets you in certain discussions."
Unnamed host•SGA discussion
"Is Ty Simpson worthy of a first round pick? No, I don't believe so. There might be a team that has a plan for them, but he has too much bad tape for me."
Greg Jennings•Draft segment
"The next two months should remind us why we all fell in love with this crazy league in the first place. The storylines are ridiculous."
Kevin Wildes•First Things Last
Full Transcript
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That's Y-R-E-F-Y.com and make sure you tell them that Riley sent you. No one goes to Hanks for his spreadsheets. They go for a darn good pizza. Lately though, the shop's been quiet. So, Hank decides to bring back the $1 slice. He asks Co-Pilot in Microsoft Excel to look at his sales and costs to help him see if he can afford it. Co-Pilot shows Hank where the money's going and which little extras make the dollar slice work. Now, Hanks has a line out the door. Hank makes the pizza. Co-Pilot handles the spreadsheets. Learn more at M365 Co-Pilot.com slash work. Welcome. Live from New York, it's the show that listened back to yesterday's episode and specifically the read I did on the Masters. No, bro. And you liked that version of you? It turns out that cadence, the gravitas, the tenor. Well, I found it more enjoyable in my normal hard scrabble chitter chat. May I ask you a quick question? Is it possible that you were listening to that on one and a half speed and now you're making three this time? We would get through about three times in two and a half hours. Is it possible that you were listening to that and sped up so it actually sounded like regular Kevin Wilde's, which is why you liked it? I listened to the YouTube video. All right, we got a thanks. Wilde's, look, it was a hit. It was a hit. And whenever we talk golf, you can go outside of that. It just doesn't work. It doesn't work for basketball or football or baseball or UF. Maybe if we do Wimbledon. Anything else? Wimbledon, maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Luca. No, stop. Coming back to America, is there a chance he can come back for this series? Meanwhile. I gotta get over to Spain. I just for just for what? Your answer? Just a little, you know, check up. Yeah. Just to get me going. Nine days away from the NFL draft. Great Genesis here. Greg. And he has one wide receiver he thinks would be a perfect fit. Really? For Josh Allen. Love it. And finally, beautiful day, a beautiful segment. Fresh episode of King Up the Hill. Playoff edition. Playoff edition. Yeah. Alongside Nick Ryan, Chris Prisard. I'm Kevin Wilde, who has to use his normal voice, even though I tried to evolve as a broadcaster. Yeah, you don't evolve in one day from doing one read. How does it happen then? I don't know. You're just getting good at your normal stuff. It's time to move on. Just for the K and A. Okay, fine. That's right. We started. Okay. See, SGA awaiting his first round opponent and looking at his second MVP and the key is Duncan of Yahoo Sportswriting. I've been struggling with a way to simplify SGA's case aside from invoking the name of the arguable goat. So I'm just going to stop struggling. SGA's blend of interior scoring dominance coverage bending due to that dominance and context proof winning is the closest thing we've seen to Michael Jordan. Brew, are you ready to compare SGA? Well, first of all, the closest thing we've seen to Jordan. I think we'd all agree. It's Kobe. Is Kobe Bryant. Yep. Now a lot of that, not all of it by any long stretch, but a lot of it is aesthetic. Yes. Kobe had the high flying game like Jordan, one of the greatest dunkers we've seen, won the dunk contest, had the post up game like Jordan also by design. Yeah. Yeah. Completely his voice, the way he talked to reporters, everything. And he won five championships. He won a lot of titles. SGA aesthetically is not now other than like the mid range game, you know, which he's mastered and obviously that was a huge part of Jordan. There's not a ton of a state. There are some similarities. He's a two way player, not as good of a defender as Jordan was, Jordan defensive player of the year and things like that. But Shay is a legitimately good defender. But and look, I, I don't think, I don't think I'm out on a limb in saying this. I don't think SGA will ever be in the goat conversation. But if production, I mean, if you were to win six titles or if you were to win the next three or something like that, then your production at some point gets you in certain discussions. And that's why comparing him to Michael Jordan. Heck, we compared Anthony Everest. People have compared Anthony Everest to Jordan because of the estate. You guys remember, I said a few weeks ago, if SGA had the, if his game looked like Jamarands with SGA's production, but it looked like Jamarands, we would have long been comparing him to Jordan and Kobe and all that. And that discussion would really be strong right now. But his production is, you know, it's fine to compare him because he's producing so much. I got several graphics. Number one, you look at shooting guards who have led their teams to multiple championships. Now, obviously SGA isn't there yet, but if he wins this championship, you got Jordan, you got Kobe, and you got SGA. Yeah. So that, that's it. Like Jerry West, I don't consider Steph a shooting guard. No, and SGA look, a lot of people might consider him a point. I don't know what to call him. He's a six, six guy that scores a lot, but handles the ball and he's, he dribbles it and handles it a lot more than Jordan and Kobe did. But he's in that. You look at guys who have averaged, because one of the great things about Jordan was he, he changed conventional wisdom. No one thought you could build a championship team, let alone a dynasty around a two guard. No one thought your, your best player could lead the league in scoring regularly and you win championships. SGA, these are the four guys who have averaged 30 or more points and one and led their team in the regular season and won championships that year. Jordan did it four times then Kareem, Rick Berry and SGA. SGA could be two. He could be second to Jordan and more than Kareem, more than Rick Berry if he does it this year. And then we've got a third graphic here about shooting guards who have won and I'm calling him a shooting guard, but shooting guards with multiple MVP. So his production is just getting so, his accomplishments are getting to be what they are that naturally you're going to start comparing him to Jordan in some regard. So the key to being and not just an all time great, but an all time legend is the sustained excellence. So if and Nikias is writing three articles on the three leading MVP candidates, like the, the basically the lawyerly case for each of them. So this was his, and it was lawyerly. Right. And that was the intentional on what it was. The point is, I don't even know if SGA is going to be Nikias's vote because he did it for Joker. He's going to do it for Wimby as well. But I, I think it is fair to say that SGA's last couple years can, if they win the title, can go toe to toe with Jordan's best two years. I think, I think if you put them up next to each other, you can say, Hey, that, you know, and this just happens to be their seventh and eighth seasons. But it also, a lot of people felt like those were the apex Jordan years. Except the deep, well, that's not the only defensive player of the year. But if you count that in the Jordan's best years, but the only defensive player of the year, they didn't win the title. Right. Right. So I'm talking about like individual excellence championships, pre retirement. This is a shocking graphic. Right. It's, it's right in line. Here is though where I would caution it. And then we're going to talk lists. Four years ago this week, Yannis was a two time MVP. The defending champion was 27 years old. His team was the favorite to win it again. And if someone wrote an article that Yannis compares favorably or compares to LeBron James, we'd say, well, yeah, he's in route. Yeah, he's in route. Two years ago today, Nikolay Okic was a three time MVP, the defending champion. His team was the favorit. He was 29 years old. And if someone said, Hey, how does he compare to Karim Abdul-Jabbar? Be like, well, he's going to, you know, the different players, but as far as the greatest center ever. And at that point in their careers, remember Karim won one early and they went almost a decade without winning. Right. Exactly. Karim at that point was a higher volume scorer and had more MVPs amazingly because he won five in the, or six in his first 10 years. And so right now, SGA is 27 years old. He's a two time, I assume, going to be a two time MVP is the defending champ. So I understand saying, Hey, how could he compare to Jordan? But the key for all these guys is yes, that was my first decade. And how about my second decade? And what they were able to do were my first half decade. You know what I, the, how do we do it? So here is, in my opinion, the guards that as of this moment, they hasn't won the title, that I personally have ahead of SGA and what guards, just guards, shooting and point, what their individual accomplishments and their team accomplishments are. And then we'll show you my top 10 and we can see where we think he can go after this postseason. So does throw whichever one up you want and I'll talk it through. I tried not to put too many numbers on it. But right now I think he is the eighth greatest guard ever. What you see about all of the guys ahead of them, they all went to, you know, Oscars, the only one that didn't go to a bunch of finals, I guess, or win multiple rings. Jerry West only won the one ring, went to nine finals. And so those are the, Isaiah Thomas is again a polarizing pick, but that's, we don't want to argue about Isaiah. That's about the world in which he lives to me. If we go to individual accomplishments for those same players, this is just times you won league MVP and first team all MBAs. That's where SGA's starts getting really interesting, right? Jerry West somehow never won MVP, nor did Isaiah obviously. Not many guards were winning them back then. Right. Bob Cousy was, I think, the only one who did it. Oscars. So, oh Oscars as well. So here KW is in my opinion, the 10 greatest guards in NBA history as of this moment. So I think he's already passed Chris Paul. I didn't listen. He's passed Bob Cousy. He's passed Jason Kidd. You know, he's passed John Stockton, which means if we remove guards, it's just players, and this might make you uncomfortable. He's passed Kevin Garnett. He is passed David Robinson. With another title brew, I think he definitely jumps D Wade. Yeah. And you start to have the Oscar and Isaiah question. And is he the fifth greatest guard ever? I would I put him ahead of West. Oh, okay. But I wouldn't have West as high. You would have West as high. So that's that's where we can start parsing it, I guess. And then he starts getting in the Charles Barkley, Carl Malone, Yanis, Kevin Durant area of all time players. If I mean people are going to put him in another title. If he wins this, I got him ahead of Durant. I just have to ahead of Yanis. I love Barkley, but I just have to put him ahead of Barkley because of accomplishments. I mean, you will have two MVPs to Barkley's one who have two championships to Barkley's zero. Why would you have him ahead of Durant? I think Durant is primarily been a great score. Not he's a good, he's a decent rebound. He's not great for his height, but for his position, he's decent, solid defender. I think SGA is at least as good of a defender, if not probably better. And SGA has proven he can lead his own team to maybe two championships. Now, if it's just one, then we can debate. But Durant, he was great in Golden State and he was their best player, but that wasn't his team. And he didn't lead those teams. He stepped into a ready-made situation and was phenomenal in his role, but it was a role. It was a glorified, he was a role. There was a superstar role, but it was a role. So right now, tell me if you think this fair. Right now, if SGA retires before the playoffs, he's one of the 30 greatest players ever. And if they win the title, he's one of the 20 greatest players ever. I mean, that's to me, like that's what, if I, you know, if I have him a spot ahead of Chris Paul as of today, you know, and Chris Paul isn't firmly in my top 30. Yeah, he's going to keep climbing. Who's going to be the favorite? Well, that's the thing that, and you're, you're absolutely right about not being too premature, because we would not have thought in 2021 that we're sitting here five years later and Yanis hasn't even sniffed one a playoff series. Or he won one one playoff series. Yeah. We would never think that was going to be the case. I don't know that we would have thought Jokic would only have one at this point. So we have to see how it goes. Nobody, and no, when Kawhi left Toronto, everyone's like, Oh, he's going to be the first guy with three rings with three different franchises and three five. Nobody ever thought that he wouldn't, from then on, play in another conference finals. It's been a more than a half decade. I don't mean, I don't know, maybe I'm misremembering the Bucks. I do not remember talking about the Bucks being set up with assets and depth. No, they had Drew Holiday who went on to Boston to help them win the championship. They had Middleton is in there. They were always a knee injury away. No, but that's no, they were not set up for a seven year run, but they were the favorites for the following year. And they, the, you know, Middleton got hurt in those playoffs. And then the next year, they were considered reloaded and right back. And then that was the year Yanis got hurt going into the playoffs. And then they made these massive trades, none of which worked out. Can I throw up one graphic dusty about Jordan and SGA? This is accounting for pace. Cause the number, you know, they have so many more possessions today that you, you've got to put the numbers in perspective. This is per 100 possessions, which eliminates pace. So it's closer than I thought. It's fairly close. I mean, SGA is putting up big numbers. Jordan, slightly better rebound or better score. SGA more assist obviously has a ball in his hands, but yeah, it's just adjusted and they both got to the free time. It surprises me that the points are that close. I thought you were about to do one finishing flourish of what Jordan, Jordan was going to crush a minute. No, no, no, that's, that's impressive. That actually 40 points a game would be pretty sweet. Thunder play game one Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile in Spain, Luca getting treatment for his hamstring expected to be back with the team state side on Friday. Now he's got a grade two strain, which is usually about a month, but we haven't heard from the Lakers or anyone really on how his treatment is progressing should look a return if he's not 100%. If he wants to play and he thinks he's, you know, more help than harm to the team, of course, he should come back. It's the playoffs. Fun fact, my opinion, five greatest players ever. Braun, Kareem, Michael, Magic, Russell, we could argue about it that certainly five of everyone's top six or seven between those five guys, their teams played in 1067 playoff games there during their career. They played in 1063 of them. Magic missed one, Russell missed two, Kareem missed one, Michael and Braun never missed a single one. Lucas already missed two and came back early, missed two in Dallas, came back early because he knew it was the playoffs and needed to get back when he had the calf strain. You don't save bullets for next year. And if it were, if it were a calf strain given the specter of Durant and then Halliburton and those things, maybe I would feel differently, but the everything can't be about the future. Sometimes things have to be about right now. And Luca, I believe went to Spain because not to get a head start on next year's recovery, but to try to come back this season. I know, Brew, you know, that thunder loss probably cast a bigger pail over the Lakers season for you than for me. I don't look at them as a team that if they're full strength, they're drawing dead anyway. Like what for? Who cares? You can't win the title. Going into that before everyone got hurt, I thought they had the fourth best chance to win the title of any team in the league. I'd now put them, if they were fully healthy, Denver jumped them. So I would have them at fifth, but it's more than a puncher's chance. He's an all-time great player who's been an all-time great playoff performer. If he thinks he can come back and help the team, he should come back and help the team. I wholeheartedly disagree. Wow. Look, if he's fine and the doctors are like, look, you're good, you know, he won't be 100%, but you're good, you're fine. You can go out there and essentially do all you want to do fine. But if he wants to get out there like Harden a few years ago in Brooklyn, and you know, really you can't or Aaron Gordon, I get that was what a couple of days after he injured his hamstring, but you saw him against OKC last year. I would not risk it. I think they are drawing to, if they get OKC, they will get annihilated. Like, and it's not just the one game. They're 0-4 against OKC this year, lost by an average of 29 points. Like, they're just, it's not a good matchup. And I think it is about, again, I'm not saying don't come back if you're good, but I would not rush it because it is about the future for them. And Luca is starting, I wouldn't, he's not injury prone, but he's starting to get injured. Last year he only played 50 games with both teams, Dallas and the Lakers. This year he's not even, maybe not, won't make the 65 game threshold and he's, you know, missing some playoff games already. Like, he is your future as the Lakers. And I would make my number one goal, if I'm the Lakers, would be to get him as healthy as possible for next year and then see what we can make some type of move, whether it's keeping LeBron or not, make some type of move for next season. So I wouldn't rush him back for this. Now, if he, if he's fine, that's one thing. But if he's not, I wouldn't rush him back. Are you still optimistic? I know it. I think he's going to play. You do. Yeah. I mean, if they're down three, oh, then I reserve the, you know what I mean? If this series is there on three, oh, and it, you know, the, I reserve the right to, if, if this series is even somewhat competitive, I believe Luca plans to play. And I'm sure he obviously wants to go into Spain and I also listen, the other, this is, I understand that the Lakers have to take a long view of a lot of things. Part of the long view should be, in my opinion, how, how long will it take us to get, you know, I know they want Yanis, but I think it's going to be hard to do. When, what year do we think in Luca's career is he going to have a better wingman than LeBron right now? Like, but it's not just wingman. It's the team. Yes. He could have a lesser wingman and I agree with that. If it's a better filled out roster, if it's more similar to Dallas a couple of years ago, I get that. I just, I, I felt Luca was a legitimate, and I think we all felt to varying degrees MVP candidate. The Lakers, up until the day he got hurt, were playing the best basketball they had played since the year they won the championship as a team. Luca was playing the best basketball of his career. I, if, if in 10 days he's at 70%, I think he would want to play and I think he should play. If you know, remember Aaron Gordon played that game seven and it's hindered him all season. I think he's played 36 games this year. Yeah. I don't know if they've directly tied that, but it does seem to be. It's a hamstring engine. No, Harden thinks, and people think that Harden, the thing in Brooklyn, you kind of made it a lingering thing forever. I understand that. He doesn't dunk anymore. And Harden and Luca have similar styles. So dribbling the ball. No, that herky, jerky, nice move, slow, but great move. I don't know. I think you think he'll be far more effective at 70%. I'm not confident he'll be effective at all at 70%. Okay. He's just already that, like, all that, like, I don't know. He's very, he's very, he's very, he's not fast, but he's very strong in that leverage. I just don't know if that's, I don't know if 70% exists. It's like a bucket that is like, has 70% of the bottom. It's like, it actually doesn't work at all. Yeah, I disagree. About buckets? You don't know anything. Have a bucket. Stay in the West Warriors Clippers playing. It's a 10-9 matchup. You got to win two to advance. Loser goes home. Steve Kerr says Al Horford, Chris Stops, and Steph all won't play 40 minutes. Kerr was asked about Curry's usage and said this. He's had it, you know, four games now. He stretched almost up to 30 last night. So with the two days off, he should be able to get at least that and then hopefully some more. Steph, since returning from his injury, hasn't even eclipsed 29 minutes, but he has had 29. They also were locked into their 10 seed. So they were kind of playing pre seed. You know what I mean? They didn't need those games. Like they couldn't improve their seeding. But I felt like he wanted to play the LeBron game. Maybe that was just to like get ready for the, this game. Are you good with him not playing or not or being on a minutes. I mean, I'm good with it. 30 to 34. It sounds like he could play 30 to 34 minutes with what Kerr said. And again, they're not a threat. They're not a threat to win a round, a series. Okay. So I, and if you have him go all out to beat the Clippers, you're still not even in the playoffs. You still have to play another game. So I can't let him go all out and then have nothing for the next game. And again, like the Lakers, if I'm golden state, my goal is let's get Steph healthy for next year. Let's get Jimmy Butler healthy for next year when he can come back and then let's make some blockbuster trade, whether it's getting LeBron, whether it's getting Yanis or it's other players, whatever we have to do for next year. They're, they don't have a shot this year at doing anything of significance in the playoffs. So I wouldn't, I wouldn't send him out there and just let him play till his leg falls off. Well, listen, Steph, fully healthy, peak Steph rarely played 40 minutes in the playoffs. Kerr has always been very cautious with him. And I think it's been smart. Part of it is because he runs more than any player ever. Like in order for him to, he, I mean, he is an all time legend as far as like cardiovascular and endurance, but part of that is, you know, he, he doesn't play a bunch of 44 minute playoff games the way a lot of the other all time great tab, but this is just one more. Do you guys remember when they invented the plan? Yeah. For the bubble. It wasn't hard and fast how many teams were going to be in it. It was like if there is a team within X amount of games to this, then we'll do it. Adam commissioner, silver, feel free to bring that back anytime you want. The Western conference this year, the Phoenix sons are three games clear of the eight seed. They won 45 games. They should be in the playoffs. The Clippers and the Blazers both won 42 games tied for the eight spot. The Warriors sitting at 37 wins. Send them. They don't need a spot. They don't honestly deserve a shot. The sons, meanwhile, should just be in this year under those circumstances with a team well below 500. Let the eight and the nine play each other for the final spot. The sons earned their seven seed already good in the East this year where you have a bunch of teams all within two games of each other. They all were above 500. Great. Glad we have the play in reward Charlotte for the late season push. Keep them alive. We don't always have to say that 10 seed has earned the right to play in the playoffs and the Warriors if commissioner silver caught and be like guys, sorry, we've actually changed rules rules this year. I think Kerr and Steph privately be like sweet. Yeah. Dreymon wanted this season over two weeks ago. Like they're not. I wanted to be appalled by the idea of a guy not the teams. That's player not going all out in a playoff game. But the fact of the matter is they don't. They probably shouldn't be there. They don't really want to be there. And the idea is our reward. If we win two games, you said they won't want to round. They won't win a game against OKC. Our reward is just getting smoked by having Lou Dort hurdle himself into our bodies. Not interesting. Not interesting. That came tomorrow night in LA. Does Josh Allen need another weapon? Greg Jennings joins the show. That's next on FS one of the Fox Sports Channel on series 6M. Pepsi prebiotic cola in original and cherry vanilla. That Pepsi taste you love with no artificial sweeteners and three grams of prebiotic fiber. Pepsi prebiotic cola. Unbelievably Pepsi. Nine days away from the NFL Draft. Nick release mock draft 2.0 yesterday was controversial. Six wide receivers in the first round, including Washington's Denzel Boston going to Buffalo. Greg Jennings is here. So we'll zoom out first. Do we like Buffalo adding another weapon to Josh Allen's arsenal? So of course I love them adding another weapon just not in the first round because they have so much need on the defensive side of the ball. I doubt if they expand their first round draft pick on the offensive side where you you just acquire DJ Moore. You trust who Josh Allen is. You know who James Cook is in that passing game as well as the running game and obviously Khalil Shakur. Your tight ends we can go on and on. But in the third round, yeah. Third round. Yeah. They don't have a second round pick. So that's where they would have to do it. And I could see them adding another weapon there. Look, when if they were to add a receiver, let's just say they were to add a receiver. For me, a fit would be a bigger guy. I know a lot of people like Denzel Boston. He's okay. Like he has that is a scathing. No, I mean, for me, there's a there's a lot of there's a lot of things on film that I don't necessarily care about. Do I believe he can be a good player? I do. I just think I don't know if he can be that guy right away. A guy that a lot of people don't talk about that played at a smaller school, Georgia State is Ted Hurst. A six four guy can run can sink his hips can catch the ball can get down the field can run every route on the route tree. Now he needs some improvement. And one of the reasons why I'm because you're thinking third round. Yeah. But one of the reasons why for me Denzel Boston, he's going to go earlier. Right. And I don't think they will expend that pick for him. And having Keon Coleman and Brandon being talking about doubling down on the fact that you know what, we believe in this guy. He just has to put it on to have a guy and miss when you drafted him in the second round. And then to take a guy in the first round that's not a sure thing. Unless he's a short thing, you don't do that. And I don't think Denzel Boston is a absolute sure thing. I'm with Greg like they look you went out and got your number one guy and DJ Moore. He's only what 28. Khalil Shakir is a legit number two. Then you got Keon Coleman who let's just say for a sake of argument is going to improve. And McCollard man. Like that's a pretty good receiving room. It's certainly good enough for Josh Allen. Because remember when the bills kind of took off a couple years ago, took off again. It was when they stopped passing the ball as much now. Brady may want to open it up again. But remember they stopped throwing it as much Josh's last two seasons, one of which was an MVP year. He's thrown the ball less than he has since his rookie year in his last two seasons. So you got James Cook, you're a running team. You got a great running back. Josh himself can run. I'm not saying you don't want to throw it. I'm just saying I wouldn't waste the first round pick on a receiver. Now I agree with you if you get them in the third round or later. Sure, why not take a flyer on a guy. But I think they have so many needs defensively. And that's the big question mark without Sean McDermott there. So I'm trying to improve the defense if I'm them early in the draft. So they're there and this is one of the reasons why it was surprising to some that Brandon being escaped not only escaped, you know, the firing that Sean McDermott suffered but seemingly got promoted. After Josh Allen, this team has really struggled with its top picks. So the draft right after Josh, they took at Oliver. That guy's awesome. Like that one worked. The next draft, they traded their first round pick for Stefan Diggs. That worked out that first round pick also. Justin Jefferson. Justin Jefferson. But that would have been. So they spent that first round pick on a wide receiver. It was just a veteran wide receiver. The next year they in the first round took Greg Rousseau, who's fine. Then the next year, a cornerback Kyari Elam, which is total miss off the team. The next year, first round pick a weapon for Josh Dalton Kincaid. He's still not their top title. You know what I mean? That didn't work. The next year, their top pick was Keon Coleman, the end of the first beginning of the second. Oh, the very top of the second. They traded back with the Chiefs or whatever it is. But their first pick was Keon Coleman, which has not worked out. And their first round pick this last year was Maxwell Hereston. A corner we'll see. So that's five years of first round picks without getting a real impact player, at least as of yet. Correct. If we go back six years, their first round pick was Diggs. He's been off the team for a couple years. I do think they need a receiver. I also think that any team in this draft that if they took receiver, receiver, first round, second round, we'd say that's weird. And that's what the bills would be doing because you traded your second round pick for a receiver. That's interesting. And so like they've already... What do you think they should take one in the first round? I expect them to. I also think... Really? Yes, because... Even with the needs defensively. I don't think that... I think typically if you promote your offensive coordinator head coach, at the press conference when they're talking about the end of the season, the owner says, we missed on Keon Coleman. I think that they are going to focus on the offense. That's what I think. So for me, when we watched them last year, one of the glaring things that stood out with Ed Oliver being out was they needed defensive interior help. I agree. And so when you look at this draft, you can get that. And I just feel like you can't... You could go and try to get another weapon for Josh because I do believe those numbers that you talked about, Josh not throwing as much. I do believe he's going to throw a little bit more because the order you get, the more you're going to start taking the ball out of his hands. You're not going to ask him to run the ball as much as we've been seeing over the last few years. However, the defensive needs are so glaring. You can't... Overlook it. Okay. Moving on to Jeremiah Love. He's getting love from Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman. Freeman was with Colin Coward and had this to say about his former running back. Take a listen. When did you go, guys? This is not just a really, really good college back. Yeah, it didn't take long. And you know what? Great players like Jeremiah Love make coaches look really good. And listen, I'll take the credit. I'll take the credit. I don't even coach running backs and I'll take the credit. But man, Colin, he is a unicorn. He is as talented and gifted of an athlete as I've ever been around. And I think he could be an elite wide receiver. He can be an elite DB. He's just gifted with a unique skill set. Okay. Where do you want to see Jeremiah Love? Minnesota Vikings. How dare you? Minnesota Vikings. How dare you? Oh, let's go. I'm not allowed to do trades in the mock track. I got... Look, let me tell you. I can't believe you did that. You got to go... You got to try to go get them. That's what I was... You got... Gosh, darn it. Bro, I have a lot to say because I'm out now. I was so ready to come in on the anchor and be like, you guys are like Titans, Walker. And I was like, Vikings. Like you got... If you're the Minnesota Vikings, understanding what you have not had at quarterback and obviously Kyler, we'll see what that turns out to be. Let's just say it works out. Well, the other glaring need on that offense is behind your quarterback in the backfield. Aaron Jones is coming back. Totally understand that. You got the veteran guy, but exactly the durability isn't there any longer. You have an opportunity to get a guy that you felt like you were a player away last year and it was basically your quarterback. You felt like that because you went all in defensively. Well, if you feel like you got your quarterback in Kyler and he wins that job and he produces... Well, you might just be a player away in the backfield that can take you over the hump where he can get out of the backfield. He can catch out of the backfield. He obviously can run. You listen to his coach talk about how transcendent of a player he is and the skill set. He would change everything. Justin Jefferson, Addison, Love in the Backfield, Kyler Murray, Undercenter. This offense would be electric. Well, I didn't even think about Minnesota just because I was looking at the draft. Right. But that, yeah, everything you said is right. Like they would be great with him. But in the draft, I'm going to say either the giants or the commanders. And I'd say my preference would be commanders. But the giants, Hardball, is great with a run game. Even before he had Derek Henry, they always have a good run game. He would obviously take pressure off Jackson Dart and he is a good receiver. But I'd love to see him in Washington because Jayden, it takes the running pressure off Jayden who's been their lead in Russia when he was a rookie. And you already have Debo and Terry McClure. And so you got receivers, but this guy is a great receiver. So it just helps so much. Jayden Daniels. I think it would improve his chances of staying healthy because love would be a great safety valve. Like check down guy who can run after the catch. Like, so I think there's a good chance he is up with the commanders. Certainly if he falls. What does this trade look like? So, yeah. So listen, the scenario would be that he falls past seven. Yep. And the Saints are sitting there at eight, needing a little bit of everything and needing cheap players because they are just now finally getting themselves out of the salaried cap hell they'd been in. And the Vikings come in. The trade value chart says the 18th plus the Vikings second rounder is equivalent value to the eighth pick. That you know, something like that. So the 18th plus I think their second rounder is 1549. Okay. 18 and 49. Good job. For the Saints because I think the Saints can't take a luxury position there. Makes sense. The Chiefs, you know, I listen Daniel Jeremiah had the Chiefs drafting Jeremiah love even though they took Kenneth Walker if he's there. That would be a very unique thing. I would would you would have. It would be great with Kent City, but but it's and it also you you wonder what Marcus Freeman said about him lining up as a wide receiver a lot. Like how often would you have Kenneth Walker and Jeremiah love on the field at the same time? I think that would be odd if they if they spent, you know, their biggest free agent signing and their top 10 pick on a running back when they have other needs. But if he does slip, I do think there could be a team that I mean the Vikings is who I said I wonder now they traded away their first round pick this year. So they would have to be very aggressive, but a team like Denver that might just say screw it will give you or you know, our first round pick next year and stuff if he starts to fall because I don't think the Chiefs can draft him. I don't think the Bengals can draft him. And so if he's there, someone might want to move up for dolphins. I mean, but again, I don't think he's needed a little bit of everything. I know. So I think they would want to trade down those teams. I I think what ends up happening is the Titans take him. And I part of me says if he is as a lot of people believe the best player in the draft Titans need good players go ahead. But I am a little scarred from the Gen T run last year with the Raiders where it does feel like some teams we talk about teams not being ready to draft their quarterback. It does feel like some teams could not be ready to draft a star running back. They don't have the infrastructure in place, especially because it's not really a 10 year player as much as a five to six year player that. But I think I think he goes to the Titans, but he doesn't go to the Titans. I do wonder does Harbaugh, you know, prioritize it? Does I think Washington's super fun or does a team jump up and get him? I think the Chiefs are really interesting. It would be quiet. So what would you do if they like if you were the Chiefs and you drafted him? How would you use both of those? I am looking forward. I would like the Chiefs to get back to an offensive show and not just like, oh, good news. We got Kenneth Walker will be really good. The Chiefs heyday, they weren't really good. It'd be like Detroit. Yeah. My Gumrie. And look, Walker was in that type. He shared the role in Seattle to the playoffs. But he wasn't making the money he's making. The thing for me with Jeremiah Love, I want to see, and one of the reasons why I think Minnesota would be a great fit, because I think him in that offense with Kevin O'Connell, he would utilize him the right way. I feel the same way, honestly, about the Saints. Obviously, I don't think the Saints would take with Kelly Moore. I think the way that he would use him will be special. But Minnesota, with all of what they had, I can't believe we had the same idea. The Saints might be my sleeper team. The Saints? They got Jeremiah Love. They don't make wise decisions. Don't forget. Aaron Judge hit two home runs. A bunch of guys hit two home runs. Now the polar bear hit this home run and was caught by... Hold on, save it. A polar bear. Hold on, it's it. People love it. SelectPan's only restriction supply, powered by fiber, connected to the premises by Coaxial Cable. Actual speeds vary. Afternoon headline sponsored by Hilton Garden and Hilton to this day. Time to catch the buzz. Tonight, 7.30, Hornets hosting the heat. What if we're rooting for the heat? What if there's heat? No one's rooting for the heat. Well, I don't know. Gianna. If you're just a neutral basketball player, as far as these two times you're neutral, you are definitely pulling for Charlotte. Exactly. Yes. I mean, they are so much fun to watch and the heat, God bless them, are not funny. Really? I enjoyed watching someone score 83 points. That was it though. That's not going to happen. What's your second best heat highlight? They haven't been fun to watch. This year, waving tears. Hornets went from 19 wins to 44 and have been hot post-allstar game. Hawks are super hot. I'm starting to talk about the Hawks. Celtics, Pistons, Hornets, Cavs, Knicks. 18 and 9 post-allstar. Well, tonight, B. LaMelle's breakout moment. Hard in a 9-10 match-up, but still. Look, I hope they make the playoff. And I don't expect them to win around, but I hope they make the playoffs. Okay. Now, if they get the AC, well, they'll face Detroit, not Boston, but I hope they make the playoffs. But it is not necessary, it is not even necessary for them to win this game for us to really start taking them seriously. And them, it includes their best player, LaMello Ball. All right. LaMello Ball, Nick. Now, he is not in root, but he has Hall of Fame ability. Ability. Now, he is not in root. Like I said. I thought I caught the buzz. What does that mean? He's my guy. Well, you were, you called this a game. This dude is silly. He was silly. But he is silly. That's his problem. He was silly. There are guys that have Hall of Fame ability that have never reached that potential and didn't make it. And he is in root to be one of those guys. But I'm saying if he gets it, he has everything he needs as far as skills and size and speed and et cetera, et cetera, to be that level of player. And this year, Nick, he has shown us already, whether they win the night or not, or win this game or not, that he, he can play winning basketball. His field goal, his points and assists per game are down. They're the lowest since his second year. He's in his sixth season. So he's showing that he's willing to take a step back individually. He's still got things to work on. Shot selection at times. Still only shoots 40% from the floor. So he's got things to work on. But I got some numbers. We showed the little graphic. Here's some better numbers. It's January 22nd. All right. They are 28 and 10. Where do you think that ranks league wide? League wide, January 22nd, 28 and 10. Hold on. That's a 60 win pace. Wild's new. I didn't know. That's a 60 win pace. All right. But offensively, they are the third rated offense over that stretch. And this is a significant stretch. Defensively, they are the sixth rated defense. I actually felt higher than that. So, well, that's good though. Yeah. And so, hopefully they can, I'd love to see them getting the playoffs, as I said. But whether they do or not, I just hope that they are smart this off season. And Charles Lee, you know, is doing a great job there. So, man, I am high. You are really caught the buzz. I think they're not your team. I said, you just, you can't do this. How many teams do you have? I said he was Hall of Fame talent. You don't believe. You laughed at me. Well, first of all, is he Hall of Fame potential? Doc Rivers made the Hall of Fame and immediately got fired. Hall of Fame is all over the map nowadays. He's nice. I want to let Wilde have his moment. This is a must win game for the Hornets. You don't say. Really? You think it's must win? I mean, it's literal must win. It's literally ruin all of this. Really? I do not think you can be the 10th. They shouldn't really be the 10, excuse me, the nine seed. They had a chance to be, they had a chance to escape the plan. They could have done what Atlanta, but they do silly stuff. You don't say. Well, they're still a silly squad. Don't get me wrong. They are 10 and 18 and clutch time games. A lot of that is before they started being good, but they will still give away games. This is a must win game. I not subscribing to the narrative that they are ahead of schedule. They are basically on schedule. You have to win this game. Gianna, I'm sorry. Nobody wants to see the heat. I do. Advance. You just don't like. You want to see heat pistons? Here's here. I for whatever it's worth. I think the winner of this game loses on Thursday anyway. I just KW. I want you to do something for me. Sure. I want you to turn your head 190 degrees and really, really take it. I rock the Lamella. I want you to take a picture. He's got a lot of tasks. I don't mind. I mean, that's commonplace. Listen, I am not colored ones. It's the color scheme and the placement and the pinmanship of some of them. And I want you to remember when there was that fake news hot cheetos toe tattoo story that the fake news was that it was Lamella's feet. And when you saw it, you like everyone were like, yeah, that checks out. It turns out it wasn't true. But we saw the rumor was that someone had gotten their toes tattooed that color red to look like flaming hot cheetos. And it was Lamella one and no one was like, that doesn't sound like him. That is. But he's good mature. He has matured. No, he has not. One car accident. He has not. This is not like all of a sudden he's turned over a new leaf. Conn Caniples there. Yeah, Charles Lee has done a good job. Yes, they have his usage rate is down, which has gone along with them winning. I am telling you right now, attaching yourself to this guy's star is a mistake. I rock with Lamella. Okay. Okay, he's playing. What do we have? Here's the only thing. If we ask a guy to do something and they do it, I don't then I'd like to reward them with my loyal showed a third of these highlights. He's taken one foot and three highlights. That's an effective shot. And to bruise when he takes it. It's not like he's got it. He takes it. Way more efficient. No, he has not. He has not. And so I just here's my request over the little down because we have, I think it's we have talked as much this year about the 10 seed in the East, the Hornets as we have the 10 seed in the West, the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry, if they lose this game, the next basketball season, can we temper any Hornets talk until they are firmly in the playoff picture? Is that fair? Lamella talk sells. No, it doesn't. Love. This is why it's a votes for the all star game. Thank you. The young people love you more than they should. I look, I'm just surprised that you that this is a must win. The anything can happen in a one game scenario. If they lose it, I'm not, I'm not feeling like, Oh my gosh, we do. No, I know it's a literal must win to go on. But I'm saying, I don't think you can take a lot from a season positively. If you were the 10 seed in the East nine, you, I'm sorry, the nine's pardon me, the nine seed in the East, if you finished with the league's 16th best record. Yeah, but they, if I'm them, I'm looking at the second half of the season when Canipple kind of got his footing. Yes. And Lamella, okay, took a step. You know what, John, I hate to say it. Blow out alert. Okay. Blow out alert tonight. I don't want to see it. If it's close, if it's close, if it's close late, if it, if it trusts that guy. Oh goodness, no. It's Toyota truck month. Time to get a truck that works as hard as you do. 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That might be too... We're too old. See, you, you, how are you the Hornets guy? I'm more excited about him than you are. I'm just not making B sounds. That's a sign of my excitement. Zzzz. You think it's Courtney. I know. I think it's... No, let's do it. We're going to license. Can we license like a Wu Tang song with an intro tomorrow? Today are the chiefs under the most draft pressure we discussed, meanwhile, Sun's Blazers. Is there a chance one of these teams could put a scare into San Antonio? But right now, oh, we're bringing back my master's cadence. Welcome back. April in the city, so nice, we named it twice. It's playoff time this weekend. It's play in time tonight and tomorrow. Which stars will shine the brightest? Which ones will just float away? Let's find out today's episode of King of the Hell. And during your intro, for the first time maybe in the long, at times, illustrious and at times, not so much history of the show, I issued a mid-show correction. And this person's on this list. Earlier in the show, when we were talking about SGA's place in history, I was talking about the greatest guards ever, one slight omission by me. I forgot evidently Steph Curry was a, oh wow, my apology. And not only did we all kind of blew past it, we spent too much time debating Isaiah and Oscar and forgot the fact that I didn't include Steph on my list. If I made that mistake, I would be like, you know what, live TV stuff happens. I feel like this mistake will haunt you personally for decades. Oh, I don't feel great about it. I've got to say, I don't, I don't feel great about it. I spent maybe a little too much time in the prep process, researching how many second team all NBA's Oscar Robertson had, and a little too little, not quite enough time making sure I didn't leave out one of the 12 greatest players of all time. My apologies to Steph Curry, friends and family. Hopefully, this place on the hill makes you feel better. Before we get to the reminder, playoff hill. So playoff history matters. Playoff, how much I trust you in the postseason or don't trust you in the postseason matters. It's not the only thing that matters, but it's one of the reasons for the movement. First, guys who were injured or guys who fell off the hill, we can update those and show you those. Now, I think Luke and Reeve still injured ineligible and poor Joe Ellenbyte. The old appendectomy came and got him, so he is injured ineligible and then fell off the hill from last week. Brew, do not take too much glory in this. Dennis Jenkins, off the hill from last week. I'm glad he got a little shine. Cooper, because his team didn't make, isn't in the playoffs. Was he the only non-playoff bound player on the hill last week? Yes, it was after his 96 points in two games. And Hardin slid off the hill, huh? Hardin slid off the hill, not because he played poorly at the end of the season, but because like I said, playoff time. Playoff performance matters. You know this. He's had some great playoff games, but then he's obviously fizzled. All right, seventh row. Back on or new to the hill. Aaron Gordon, he gets a playoff bump. He's a champion. He's their third best player. In certain, against certain teams, certain matchups, he might be their second most important player, the, not for a whole series, but in certain spots. De'Aaron Fox, one of the only guys on the Spurs with any playoff experience. We were lighting the beam for him. It was taking the Warriors to seven games. Castle and Lamello drop only because of a total lack of playoff experience, not because they've played poorly down the stretch. Paolo and Denny Obdius stay where they are. Scotty Barnes, best player on a 46-win Raptor team, makes the hill. Seventh row, again, lack of playoff experience or minimal playoff experience can hurt you a bit. Just so Jalen Duren drops a bit. Jalen Johnson as well. Tyrese Maxey, who we saw have some monster playoff moments, you know, throughout, you know, few spots throughout his career, including one of the coolest first round game winners we've seen. I think it was two years ago in Philly. He stays where he's at. Kat bumps up a bit. Couple champions bump up a bit as well as we. Jalen Williams has not been great this year and he's been injured, but we did see him score 40 in the finals was it last year. I know he had 40 points in the finals last year. Chad Holmgren's going to finish second defensive player of the year. Now to the top 15. Kind of the same generation on this level. And I know he hasn't been healthy as of late. Some of it's been his knees. Some of it's been an actual, like, illness, been sick, but he's back-to-back conference finalist. A guy we've seen play well in multiple playoff series. He moves up. Jamal Murray moves down only because of the guys who had to move up, not because his play warrants it. And he is a guy who, when he's been healthy and rolling, has been a playoff killer. As has Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson and Devin Booker stay where they're at. The reason Jamal and Donovan had to move down was a little deference to the old legends plus, call him a middle-aged NBA star, row four. Bronn, Steph, Durant and Jason Tatum. So Tatum's age is more in line with those guys and these guys. But I think Jason Tatum, as he gets healthier and healthier, he has played in the postseason even at as high of a level as anyone beneath him. Obviously, he's accomplished more in the postseason than anyone beneath him other than Jamal Murray. Bronn, I think, is showing that he did have his body ready to be peaking at this time of year and is playing some of his best basketball of the year. Steph, that's respect for Steph, even though he might be out of the season in about 10 hours. And Kevin Durant, for, you know, subject of a lot of criticism about what he isn't, what he is is one of the all-time leading scorers in playoff history on a points-per-game basis. And you can just pencil him in, I feel like, for at least 27 every night of this series against the Lakers, if not more. Now to the top six. Row three. Wimby dips only because he's never played in a playoff game. So he's not going to have him in the top three. Kauai Leonard is, I guess, he could have been on, you know, surprise you at him so high. Well, I think Kauai is younger than Steph, Bronn and Durant has, you know, been more available than Steph and Bronn. This year, I think you could argue, had the best year of any of the four of them, Durant would have an argument alongside him. He might make first team all-time. Right, that's what I'm saying. If Luke is not eligible, his team's record wasn't commensurate with the performance, but he's, this is his, individually, his best year as a clipper, in my opinion. And then Cade has just, has just enough playoff experience to go along with the fact that he was going to be a first team all-NBA guy before the lung collapse. And so he is there. And then to the top three. SGA stays where he is. Jaylen Brown. Wow. The combination of a ton of playoff experience. You know, this is year 10. Year 10 for Jaylen Brown. He and Tatum have been together nine years. Right, year nine for Tatum. Year 10 for Jaylen Brown. He's been to two NBA finals. What, five conference, four conference finals? I think seven. Seven conference finals? I think so. Because, yeah, I believe so. Six or seven. Okay. All right. Josh, let us know. The, what I'm, the point is, he has unbelievable playoff experience. He is a finals MVP and he's coming off his best individual year. So I bump him up and then atop is the best player in the league and a guy who's an all-time playoff performer as well from an individual level, not necessarily from a team accomplishment level, Nikola Jokic. That is the latest king of the hill. Look, I wasn't looking at it just out of, through playoff lenses. So my bonus take was Wimby, of course, ahead of Jaylen, but playoff, I'll humor you. Well, I mean, Wimby's zero career. Yeah, but he'll be fine. He'll be fine. I just called him healthy enough to play game 82. I mean, if he's healthy, call it a hunt. She's going to be better than Jaylen Brown, but my main thing, and again, this wasn't looking at the playoff so much, but I think Donovan Mitchell should be on that row ahead of, you know, above him. Okay. If you want to take Steph off, I obviously just without the playoffs, I put him ahead of Steph and LeBron at this point, but if let's take Steph down and switch Donovan with him, Donovan gets a bad wrap because he hasn't been to a conference finals. You know, I don't necessarily hold that against a guy that's 6'1, a 6'1 guard, but I think like unlike James Harden, who has had moments where he just disappeared and didn't, didn't play up to his ability, Donovan's delivered in the playoffs. He just hasn't been able to get to the conference finals. I don't know if we have a graphic, but I think, yeah, here we go. Look at it. His numbers in the playoffs improved. The points per game is top five all time. Yeah. I mean, this dude delivers in the post. Now, I don't have much confidence in the Cavs, but I'm not going to kill Donovan Mitchell if they go out in the second round, but I think he is a good, is a very good playoff performer, and he just hasn't been able to win team-wise, but so I would move him up, but I think it's a good hit. I have a similar playoff performer. I'd like to move up. This might be blasphemous. If I have to switch someone, I'll switch Tatum and Jalen Brunson. Granted, Tatum's a champion, but I'm not sure he's, I'm penciling in Tatum as a guarantee. He's had some high moments, but he's had some moments where he didn't look like Jason Tatum at his best, and he's still ramping up while Jalen Brunson is 100% healthy. Brunson's, and I took out the Mavs tenure, even though he had some big games with the Mavs. Most points with one franchise, so this is just Jalen with the Knicks. Wilt with the Warriors, Jordan, Luca with the Mavs, Iverson with the Sixers, Lebron with the Cavs, and then Brunson with the Knicks averaging just a hair under 30 points a game. So I'm expecting a huge series from Jalen Brunson against the Hawks. So I think he is, they're going to need him to play the level he's played in the playoffs in order to beat the Hawks. I think that they, the Hawks are, and we talked about this a bit yesterday, they could have drawn the Raptors or the Hawks, the Raptors they've owned, you know, I think they were 5-0 on the Raptors this year. So the Hawks are, I think, a tougher matchup and have bodies to throw at him. Where I totally believe in him is there's not, yeah, there's not five guys in the league that I would rather have fall in his hands, tie game 30 seconds left in the postseason. You know what I mean? Like go get me a game-winning playoff bucket, and it's so unique given his size that he can do that. Right now I'm on tilt on making lists, I'm gonna leave Steph Curry off again, I'll never, I'll be honest. Game tied in the playoffs. Luca, I'd rather SGA. Luca Lebron SGA, I'll still give Steph and then maybe Jalen. Joker's weird because Joker's not gonna, I would rather have at this point in their career I'd have Jalen than Steph. Really? That spot. Yeah, Steph's gonna likely take a three, and then he's gonna get in there and get a more range. We're gonna foul. And I don't, you know, I don't, Bron is an interesting one because what is true is the last two years in the playoffs, Bron has worn down by the fourth quarter. Yeah, I would take Jalen. Yeah, and so like, and last stop. Yeah, for this exact scenario, yeah, this exact scenario, it's the, but I'd like, I would take him over Ant, even though I think Ant is a better player holistically in that very, and that's, I mean Jalen was, wasn't clutch player at the end of last year. Yeah, and there is, or two years ago, one of the two, I'm not sure, Steph won it one year and he won it one year, might have been Jalen last year. I, I also think that is their single biggest edge in this series is that the go get us a bucket guy for the Hawks is CJ McCullum, the go get us a bucket guy for the Knicks is Jalen Brunson. Right. So I think that's where they have the biggest edge. Mid range is back. But he's not just mid range. Smartly. You know, he can get to the bucket like he gets guys on his hip. Yeah. Are the chiefs the under the most draft pressure? That's next on First Things First, great, Jennings back. This episode is brought to you by Indeed. Stop waiting around for the perfect candidate. Instead, use Indeed sponsored jobs to find the right people with the right skills fast. It's a simple way to make sure your listing is the first candidate see. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs have four times more applicants than non sponsored jobs. So go build your dream team today with Indeed. Get a $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com slash podcast terms and conditions apply. Full weekend of football coming up Friday at eight Dallas renegades, Columbus aviators, then Saturday at four the storm of Orlando, taking on the Birmingham stallions, Brenio powerhouse, UFL on Fox NFL draft 90s teams looking to rebuild jets, Browns, chiefs, Cowboys and dolphins all have two first round picks. Look at the jets at two and 16 jets. Make a little noise. Really? I don't know. I kind of believe in the jets just a little bit. I've always believed in Aaron Glenn. I like Aaron Glenn. I do like him. Well, you like bottom feeders. If Aaron Glenn does turn it around, then you're all I've been. I like Aaron Glenn. Here, can I can I tell you guys what you're saying about Wilds is directionally accurate. What's also true is he is trying to find eight losses on the bill schedule. I don't believe in the bills. And there you go. And the jets all of a sudden. I was like, oh, jets dolphins, all those first round picks. Maybe they can give Buffalo and see that's more so. I mean, this is very very very that's not defense plan. Five D chess because he knows the Patriots are hurtling back down to earth. No, hurtling down to 10 wins. Which teams are the most draft pressure? Cincinnati Bengals. Great answer. Look, you talk about a team and organization that feels like at least coming out of there. And a lot of talking heads, we talk about them glowingly because of the quarterback and that offense as a Super Bowl contending team because of who they have a quarterback. Well, in free agency, prior to free agency, Joe Burroughs likes free agency is of paramount importance. What do they do lose a lot of guys? Yeah, I don't think that's what he meant. Lose a lot of guys in like two for ones. I know they signed a pass rush. I know they signed a couple other safety like, but you didn't fill the voids to where now you're at the draft and you have all these needs. And if you're the Bengals, forget the needs. You have to get it right. You just have to select a good player that is going to impact your team, preferably on the defensive side of the ball. Have to be on the defensive side. Like it has to be if it's not on the defensive side, then it probably better be on the offensive line. Yeah. Okay. Because you lost your swing Lyme center Lucas Patrick, who was a guard, center guard. And then you just cut Matt Lee, I think last week, who was center guard. So like you lose interior Lyman, you need Lyman. Obviously, you got want to protect your greatest asset. If you're going to go on the offense side of the ball, that's Joe Burrow. But we know you have so many glaring needs defensively. If I'm a Bengals fan, I don't care who you pick, just make sure you get the pick right. Because if you get the pick right, they're going to be like, man, he's a heck of a player. But if you if you go for need and you get that wrong, it's like what they've been doing over and over again every year. I like your answer. But I'm going to one up you. Oh, and go Bengals south. The Cowboys. All right, we call the Cowboys the Bengals south. Yeah, because there's no defense. No defense. Now you like it too. Two expensive wide receivers. I don't remember that. I don't know if it was official. We started calling the Cowboys the Bengals. So we I come up with the going into last year, and all that very different than America's team. Yeah, that's fine. Go ahead. I come up with stuff. Yeah, it'll catch on just like that's Bob and all that stuff. But anyway, look, you gave up your best defensive player. Yep. You're not apparently interested in Max Crosby or Miles Garrett. You you are going to have a top notch offense, assuming health. All right. You have got to strengthen that defense. And here's the thing. They are win now. It's not about building. They are win now your quarterback. I know 32 is an ancient to be 33 in July. Dak Prescott. And he's played what this will be a 11th year. He's had some injury issues that we don't see with typical quarterbacks. And so they like every year is as Bob next year for them. I know this year we didn't say that because they were so bad. But they are s Bob if they strengthen that defense, they could really maybe do something in Fc East and the NFC as a whole. So they have it. Look, they've drafted well for the most part. So they do have the ability to do it. But they got to go get, I'd say two defensive players in the first round. Your offense is fine. Strengthen the defense quickly just because you've you've done all the draft mocks. Jordan Schultz said the Cowboys might be thinking about moving up in the draft. Have you run that through your I mean, I listen, they have 12 and 20. And so I the the circumstances under which they would do that, I would imagine would be if one of this like one of the stud Ohio State defensive players front seven defensive players or David Bailey, all of a sudden is available in that six, seven, eight range. And if they decide, you know, it's worth it for us to trade, you probably, you know, the 12th and the 20th for the eighth and someone second, you know what I mean? I don't the 12 and 20 would be too much to give up just to give up four spots. But if 12 and 24, eight and 40, what do you know what I mean? Something like that. I could see them. I that's the scenario where I could see them doing it. I think that would be a mistake. I think the Cowboys to Bruce point need two defensive starters out of this draft. And so I wouldn't want if I Dallas, I wouldn't want to be trading up now. They do have extra, you know, they have extra picks here. They also have an additional, I think second round or next year. So like they do have some, they gave up some of that draft stuff in the acquisition of putting Williams, but they still are plus at least a little bit of picks. So that should help them. But, Bru, what do you say to me when I make a point that you think's a good point, but not the best point, you call it something, you say that's cute. You and Greg had cute answers. Those are cute teams. Those are fun teams. They score a lot of points. No one on this desk thinks there's any scenario where given what they do on draft day that we're like, you know what, Bengals are winning the Super Bowl. You know what, the Cowboys are winning the Super Bowl. They could, you know, they can improve. But heavy is the head that wears the dynastic crown. The team that is under the most pressure on draft day is the Kansas City Chiefs. They have a couple major needs. They have their first top 10 picks since Patrick Mahomes, you know, since they drafted Patrick Mahomes. No one anticipates, even if you think they have a longer road ahead of them than I do, no one anticipates they're going to be winning six games again anytime soon and be drafting in the top 10 again. And they are in a very unique spot where they're sitting in the draft and what they need, which is as long as at least one offensive lineman goes in the top eight and a suit. Jeremiah Love goes somewhere in the top eight. Then one of these excellent defensive players is going to be available. There are six defensive players in this draft, five defensive players in this draft. Everybody seems to love and I'll do it off top of my head. But Bain, the three Ohio State guys, R.L. Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, and then David Bailey. Those five guys, Mendoza's going one, Carnell Tate, the Ohio State wide receivers, you know, in the mix there and Jeremiah Love. That's eight guys. The Chiefs in varying fashion, I think would be happy with any of those eight guys. But they are picking nine, which means they need somebody to take an offensive lineman or I guess maybe a second wide receiver, like there's weird scenarios, but probably an offensive lineman. And then an impact defender falls to them at nine. And then at 29, they can truly go best player available, whether it's wide receiver, KC Concepcion, whether I don't think... You like KC Concepcion. I do. I like him. I don't like him early in the first, but at 29th pick, I do like him. You know, there's a lot of optionality there. They also might choose to go heavy on defensive backs. I don't think that's their history. They drafted Lageria Sneed in late rounds. He ended up signing a huge deal. They drafted Jalen Watson in the seventh round. He signed a huge deal. They have been very good at finding late round corners and turning them into legitimate starters immediately, but they have to nail it. The Kansas City Chiefs built this part of the dynasty from the 2022 draft. When they had extra picks and they drafted eight guys, all of whom were still in the league, all of whom got second contracts in the league. Like they crushed that draft and then the two drafts since then, two of the three drafts since then have been very mediocre. So, and I, listen, I know some people think the Chiefs are dead and buried. I think that's crazy, but they do have holes and they do need to address it with more draft. They usually have one pick in the top 60. They have three picks in the top 40. So they just have the opportunity to really make impacts here. Yeah, look, I get it. The Chiefs, they haven't drafted this high. Should they, they draft this high? Got to nail it. But the reason why I say the bangles is number one, of their, since 2020, I want to say 10 of their 13 day one and day two picks have been on the defense side of the ball. They just haven't hit on. And, and who do we know? Yeah. Exactly. And so they haven't hit. Now you have a quarterback that has been not whispering, just flat out, letting everybody know I'm not feeling this man. I'm, you know what, that, that storyline has kind of drifted away. Yeah. But it resurfaces and it gets louder if you miss in the draft. If when we see the bangles, because they, what they didn't do in free agency, all of a sudden you miss in the draft and now you're out of the playoffs again. We're talking about you in December and January as being a team that's going to miss the post season again with Joe Burrow. And you think the frustration won't just mount again. This is a lot of pressure. You, as it should be. It's really, it's really simple. And I do think draft the best player, everything that I said about, you know, how the chiefs need the draft to fall, the bangles sitting at 10, I think are in a very tricky spot where if they want to go defense, those five blue chip defensive players that everybody seems to agree in varying orders is the top five defensive players in this draft. It's very hard to imagine that any of those five are going to be on the board at 10. So at 10, they could, that doesn't account for the number one corner delaying out of LSU. So maybe they go that way. Or at 10, are you going to take the second best safety in the class, the kid from Oregon? Like that's a safety already. People don't love to take in the top 10, much less the second safety off the board. The bangles history is not trading up in the first round, but they do, given their needs, they do feel like a team that if the difference between drafting 10 and 8 could just be massive for them. And I don't, you know, I think they're going to be sitting there hoping, they're going to also be hoping that either a couple wide receivers or a couple offensive linemen go in that top nine and one of those defensive players falls to them. Greg, I've got the Steelers. The draft, first of all, the draft is in Pittsburgh. And I think that adds an element of pomp and circumstance to the Steelers. Because the Packers got it right with the draft being in Green Bay last year. It's exciting. So the Steelers are drafting at 21. They don't know who their quarterback is necessarily. Dusty, shout out to Dusty, had the idea that Aaron Rodgers makes his announcement there as he comes out to announce the 21st pick. And by the way, I'm back. Dusty, great idea. I love it. The issue I have is this. I think if you asked 10 different people, what's the Steelers game plan, I think you would get 10 different answers. And early on, we're like, you know what, the Steelers are going the Dolphins route. You know, new coach, time to turn the page and rebuild. I don't think that's what they're doing. I think they are trying to win now. And you had them taking a wide receiver, correct? Or no? In one of the drafts, I had them, no, definitely not a wide receiver. I had them taking a delinement in one draft. And I'm not sure. I don't remember. But wide receivers, not what they, tell me if I'm wrong, guys, in the mock. I don't think I would have mocked them a wide receiver. I'm only kicking around wide receiver for wide receivers. Not what they need. I don't think right away, but they definitely could use. I just thought Mike McCarthy was like, you know what, I want to put points on the board. I'm not old school. I had them taking McNeil Warren, the safety out of Toledo. The delinement in the first mock draft and McNeil Warren in the second. To pop quiz, Greg, what do you think the Mike McCarthy wants to do in this draft? Oh man, your guess is as good as mine. I would imagine they're going to go defense. There's no quarterback. You can't get a quarterback. When you look at receivers, you can't get, Jeremiah Love's going to be gone. You kind of like your running backs, unless offensive linemen, they need help on the offensive line. You had a tight end in your draft. Kenyan Siddiq. I don't think he'll be there. I don't think he'll be there. I would love that for them. But it would be interesting to see what they would do. You could run two tight ends with him and Fryer Muth. I mean, I just know Mike McCarthy likes that receiver that you can split out. Did that tight end that you can split out? Aaron likes that. They seem to be all in on Aaron Rogers. So I think it'd be nicer. I think Aaron wants offense. Aaron's got to sign up for the team. There you go. I mean, drafts in nine days. I tell you this much, if Aaron hasn't announced by draft day, then they do have to draft a quarterback. Maybe not in the first round, but you can't be like Will Howard. It's your time to shine. You've got to at least have a competition with Will Howard. You like Will Howard. That's fine, but you can't hand him the job. At least make him compete with somebody. Yeah, that's a odd. I assume Aaron's coming back. I don't know. I assume Aaron's coming back. I saw it again. The draft's in nine days. Could the Suns take the spurs to seven games? You're already giving the Suns a good night. You know you need fiber for a healthy gut, but do you actually know how to get it? Quaker's been serving up fiber since 1877, with over 100 great tasting, good source of fiber options to choose from. Whether you like old fashioned oats, instant oatmeal, granola, or oatmeal squares, Quaker makes it delicious. So good. Get your fiber with Quaker. Shop Quaker's good source of fiber products at a store near you. World Cup just around the corner. Blazers Suns play-in game. Tonight, 10 p.m. Winter takes on the Spurs, Brew. Could either of these teams give San Antonio trouble in round one? No. I mean, Portland will get demolished. As young as the Spurs are, with not even half the talent. The Suns, look, I mean, they wouldn't give them trouble. Six would be... Six is trouble. That counts the... You're up 3-1, 3-2. It might go... I wouldn't predict six. I would predict five. But what's your... Half time of game six and you're down one. No, well, it's public territory. I don't expect them to have any trouble. All I'm saying is the Suns, you know, with Booker, Devon Booker. Dylan Brooks is just a disruptor. Jordan Ott, their coach is a very good coach. Jaylen Green's talented. He's back. Like, they got some things that, you know, but I actually would... It'd be good, I think, for the Spurs. Not six necessarily, but some close games. A couple of close games. I think they need a couple blowouts, too. But a couple close games, maybe a loss, maybe a five-game series, where you get to have a little hardship, little adversity in your first game. I don't think either team has a shot or a prayer of beating them, so it doesn't really matter. But I probably prefer they have a cakewalk against Suns. Listen, Brew doesn't wave the pom-poms for anyone, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And Brew, I think, deep down whatever fan is still in you, would like to see the Spurs win the championship. I like seeing great stories. This is an anomaly. It'd be history making, and then who knows what Wimbie is going to go into. And we all have our own kind of take equity in things, and you took a little bit of flack from me and others before Wimbie had played a game, rushing in past to Kim O'Lan. Is there anyone who's not on my side on that? I don't see that immediately proven inaccurate. Again, I don't agree with that, but that's fine. You don't agree? That if Wimbie ends up being a Kim O'Lan, he's a major disappointment? No, I don't agree. I didn't say mass, it is a disappointment. I don't think it's a major disappointment. Sorry, you're right, my apology. You think that. I do not, but regardless, the Suns could be a pain. And I, if I had any awesome players on my team that I feel like I'm going to need for a full playoff run, much less one, that's seven, five. Little banged up. I really don't want to be playing in a professional basketball game with Dylan Brooks. I think Dylan Brooks, and that's not, by the way, I want to make that clear. That's not a compliment. I'm not saying that like, oh, he's tough. He is over the line quite often and quite often in playoff series. No, he is. And so now he is, this is a compliment. He's having an excellent year and he's turned into a very important player. That part, I think he could have all those traits and some of the intimidation stuff he has without going out of bounds the way he has in his career. It is what it is. But if I'm, if I were a Spurs fan, I am a huge Blazers fan tonight. I just feel like the Blazers, it would be stunning if a Spurs Blazers series goes more than five. Absolutely stunning. And a Spurs, like Devin Booker has scored 70 in an NBA game. Devin Booker can get hot. Devin Booker's been to the finals. Obviously Dylan Brooks has been to a bunch of playoff series. They certainly won't be scared. You know what I mean? Even with and they obviously house money. I mean, there's no expectations. They can go out. And your point about Brooks is absolutely right. Like Brooks is the type of guy to be like, oh, I'm going to test that rib. Yes, I'm a guy. I mean, am I wrong? I'm not even sure that's out of bounds. Testing the rib might not be out of bounds. Some of the other stuff. But like a good, you know, I'm boxing in the mountain. You know, he'll give you a little extra. And I also I also do think the Suns are just demonstrably better than the Blazers. They won three more games, but they also did that despite the fact that Booker and Brooks both missed. Like it's the Suns at times this year looked like they were going to be a 50 win team. And so, you know, like if they didn't have that stretch of time without their guys, now they were the seven seed basically all year. But so I just think that the Blazers are a happy to be their team and the Suns maybe how they were going into the year didn't have the expectations matters. Be a did, but nobody else really did. I just think that it would not surprise me at all if we had a game six Sun Spurs. I wouldn't be shocked. And I would be absolutely shocked if the Blazers didn't have to use had an awesome year and I give him credit and what they've overcome with Chauncey's arrest after game one, they deserve a lot of credit, but they are. I think the Blazers just get crushed and if they assuming they make the playoffs, I set their over under on total wins in the playoffs at a half game. And I don't know which side I would give you another pop quiz here. The answer should be pretty obvious because it's sweet. Which who is the best player in the NBA? Yolkich that we talk the least about. I mean, you're gonna say it's Devin Booker. Yeah, I would like Devin Booker to become interesting. I would like Devin Booker to become relevant again, where it feels like Devin Booker just no since that playoff series against the we never he's not in the MAPS outside of like they went to the finals. They were the number one seed the next year and the favorites to go back. Then that series against the MAPS happened. They end up going to get KD and it never really needs had some injury issue. But yeah, I mean, he's fallen off the radar. There's no and he is a he is a great player. Tonight would be a nice reminder. I'm still Devin Booker. I'm still excellent. And then if they play the Spurs, he can make some noise. Yeah, I also listen. I think Sun Spurs is a fun first round. I would not be mad at six. I'd be mad at seven. Okay, yeah. But six wouldn't be bad. Yeah, that I'd really like five is six would be taken out five. If it gets to six Devin Booker's like, hold on, the tricky thing always with the six game series is that the six game series where you're anticipating the favorite team to win it. That does mean the underdog is going to be at home. Yeah, game six. And that's how you get game sevens. And you know what you know what can happen in game seven anything. Oh my goodness. This is just a bad one. I would have kept that between us. You took that step. Hurry shot at me because of the most embarrassing error of my television career was an hour ago. And now you're just everybody's on tell and Nick is fighting back Nick is in a corner and he's fighting dirty. He doesn't care anymore. Is he going in the first round we discussed me. Well, is carnell tape the next great Ohio State wide receiver and finally a special edition of top 10 Tuesday playoff edition. Who's the most important player in the NBA? Not best. Most important. Important. Yeah, very interesting. Coaches are just players. Just players. Sometimes you like to throw a coach in there. I do. You know what? When he wants to do a coach, he has people. The most important people. But when he wants to do. This is going to be players. I like altitude. Urm ball. First facade. Kevin Wilds, Nick Wright, who again is on tilt and Danny Parkings. And they'll tell us what they should wrap in. Of Nick being on the Internet isn't written in an egg. It's not a big deal. Nick made it as small as he might put it out there. I forgot. I forgot. Steph Curry was a guard. This is what happened. I was too busy researching old things. I left Steph Curry off my top 10 guards list. I might you know what? By the end of today, I might just say you know what? It wasn't an error. Yeah. Overrated. You know what? Chris fall or Steph Curry. Well, when you really think about it, I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do here. Interesting. Stand by the correction. First overtime. SGA looks like he's headed to back-to-back MVPs. Looks like the Thunder according to Vegas will win the championship. An aqueous Duncan of Yahoo Sports writing, I've been struggling with a way to simplify SGA's case aside from invoking the name of the arguable goat. So I'm just going to stop struggling. SGA's blend of interior scoring dominance coverage bending due to that dominance and context proof winning is the closest thing we've seen to Michael Jordan. Danny, you kicked this around last week as a Chicago guy. You called it an uncomfortable conversation. Are you still good with these SGA Jordan cops? You have to be. Like obviously he's not now in the past or in the future. He never will be Michael Jordan. It's just he's an icon. It was a moment in time. It's not going to be replicated. And even to this point in their careers, you know, Jordan had the defensive player of the year and the four top three MVP finishes leading into it. Like he's just obviously Mike stands alone as the greatest shooting guard of all time, arguably the greatest player of all time. But yeah, last Thursday when I was talking about what would happen if he wins the MVP and then the finals MVP and there was only six guys in NBA history with multiple of each, it's going to just lead to us having these types of conversations. I thought you guys had a great one about it earlier and I showed you guys this graphic last week because he can do it back to back. Like if he does it back to back and it's Jordan LeBron and Shay, we have to he's going to jump a lot of guys who matter. And Nick, despite you maybe being mad at me for the shot that I took you off the air, maybe this is a great mind situation because I was looking at Jordan's first two title seasons. Yep. Also, and just kind of did further stats on it. It is remarkably similar for Shay being a year younger than Mike at this time, but both of their seventh and eighth seasons in the league, Shay's age 26 and 27 seasons, Jordan's age 27 and 28 season, how strikingly similar they are. And obviously the two MVPs is assuming the vote goes through. Why wouldn't it be fair other than, well, he's Michael Jordan. No, I'll tell you, listen, I think it is fair to compare these two years that Shay has had, if they win the title to any two years by any player ever. Right. I think I think you can, I think it will be fair to be like these two seasons versus bronze best, Jordan's best two, cream's best two. I'm not saying he would win all of those, most of those, but if you win the highest individual award, both yours, the highest team award and your finals MVP, but that is not where I struggle or hesitate with any of this stuff is, it would have been very fair at this exact moment in Yonis' trajectory to compare him to LeBron. And by the way, LeBron at that point was basically, yeah, and he was already 18 years into the league. It's not like LeBron had a ton left to do, but Yonis, four years ago this week, his team was the favorite to win the championship. He was already a two-time MVP, not waiting on one. He already had won a defensive player of the year. He was 27 years old. Is it fair to compare him to LeBron? And the answer would have been absolutely not. Now, we think that we thought, well, he's going to win more obviously. And instead, since that moment, he has not played a single round three, let alone finals game. And a lot of the Shay, these things to me are layered in a lot of assumptions. First assumption is they're going to win the title this year. Well, they might, but the number two seed in their conference beat them four out of five this year. And the number two seed in the other conference, the favorite there is a tried and true champion as well that is just now full strength. Additionally, people think, and this is something Jordan did not deal with, that a guy with goat potential is with a team almost as stacked with assets is sitting right in the same division or conferences. They're going to be fighting with them the whole way. And so the, I think you can say now is up there eye to eye with the peak of the true legends. But you are, you are 10 seasons, eight seasons away of production in order to be able to actually get in the room with those legends, barring something like winning four titles in a row or doing, you know what I mean, doing something unprecedented. Yeah, you, I mean, it's fine to compare. And we compared Anthony Edwards a year or two ago to Jordan and Jordan even, you know, I texted with me that, yeah, his game is a little like mine, you know, there are some similarities. So that's fine. But he, I think your uncomfortable conversations when you brought that up is obviously nobody saying he's equal to or better than Michael Jordan. I think it was the other guys though, Kobe, you know, Dwayne Wade, I mean, I don't even put him with Steph. You can compare him if you want, but obviously step one, four championships, two of them without Kevin DeRasso. You mentioned Kobe. That's why he said, Kobe has the five, but yeah. And a lot of times three of Kobe's, he was the sidekick to Shaq. But those are the conversations you kind of bring him in. But yeah, sure. I mean, what he's doing is tremendous. And look, I don't think Shaq, I would be shocked if he ever got anywhere near the goat conversation. But at some point, your accolades, your accomplishments just raised you up. If he were to go on, this, and Nick is right, like we get way ahead of ourselves. But if he went on a Jordan type run where he won six championships in eight years in the, what was supposed to be the Wimbanyama era and Yoke, it's just still playing as part of his era. Like then you start to just move him up because of his great accomplishments. But right now it's fine to compare him because he's doing something unprecedented. But yeah, I mean, he's playing phenomenal. I also think it's layered with, and yes, this is a projection, no doubt. He is set up because of the thunder, because of their draft picks, because of his teammates, because of the executive who runs the team, because of his age, he should play winning playoff basketball for a long time. And I know you say we have done that for other people. I do think, and you can disagree, but just given the youth of the core and how talented they are and how many draft assets they have, I do think they are uniquely set up to win a lot of basketball games. It's not about a lot of basketball games, it's about a lot of champions. I mean, when you look, like I said, I honestly believe, now they could win it this year, but the only team I think is capable of a dynasty, dynastic run, like a, would be the Spurs right now. And if he wins it this year, that's too straight. I don't see him winning three straight. And I think that it's going to be a win, but Yammer era, not a shade, Gilders Alexander. I also think that it's just a bummer and bad luck for those two guys. If they, if those are going to be the defining teams, and I'm not sure I even agree with that, that they're in the same conference. That just makes it that much harder. It's like San Antonio and the Colby shack legs. That makes it so much harder. So here's why I think how great their setup is almost always overstated for these teams, because we don't know ownership's appetite for spending the requisite money of having all these awesome players. You know, the, we thought that the conversation surrounding Boston a year ago, when they were the favorites in the East, I don't think they're the favorites over the Thunder, but they were second favorites when the title was, if they go back to back, will they still tear down some of the roster because it was about to be a $400 million luxury tax bill? I remember us discussing it, that their, their only path to not tearing away a lot of that was if they were going for a three P the Thunder are not a big market. Those owners have not been traditional luxury tax guys. I know they didn't win the title, but you know, when I think people thought, holy crap, the Thunder is set up well. When they had 23 or younger, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden and made the NBA finals, and they played zero more games with that core together along with Serge Abaka, the same GM. And so yes, they have all these assets and yes, they're great young players. Do I think Lou Dort and Kacen Wallace or, they definitely go lose a lot of those guys. Those guys and no matter how good of a drafter you are, Presti is on a heater. Like even the greatest drafters ever don't always hit and you don't always even have, even taking the best player available at your spot sometimes is a mediocre player because you're drafting 29th and, and the Clippers picks are running out, you know, after this in short order. So I just, I think we, you're right, they do seem more set up for five years down the road than Denver or Milwaukee did, but they don't seem, they don't feel to me way better set up to repeat as champions than Denver, Milwaukee or Boston did and none of those teams came close to it. So I mean, I definitely, I disagree. I will be very, I think they are going to win. I think that they have a chance to win this even more comfortably than they did last year where they had two seven game series because if Jalen Williams can get back to how he played last year, and we'll talk about that in just a minute, on the top 10 list, like that's an element of this particular Thunder team that's been very injured, but it's healthy now, didn't have, and it's four straight seasons of Shea averaging 30 plus. Like even if they don't win titles, another way to do this is all NBAs and MVPs. In terms of, that's not a way to do this. To raise yourself, I listen, he's never going to be Michael Jordan. No, but it just too, too, right. But that's ultimately what is going to, what we're going to talk about. I mean, Kobe's got five and I know it's not just championships, but that like the only way for him to raise, just like Yolkich, look at Yolkich's numbers. He's the only way for him to get in that top 10 is to win another championship. Or look at, or the numbers are phenomenal. The flip side is if we're talking all MVAs and top five MVP finishes and 30 point per game seasons, look at Hardin's career and then ask people where he stacks up and the answer is nowhere close because he's at zero. But he doesn't have the, again, I'm saying that there will be multiple titles for Shea. Yeah, I, you, he needs to have multiple titles. All right, time for top 10 Tuesday since it's Tuesday. It's the most important players as we enter the playoffs, Danny. Start us off with number 10 in top 10 Tuesday. Most important players for the upcoming playoffs, guys, not necessarily the best, but who are going to have the biggest impact. They are the most important. Coming in at number 10, Kenny make himself into a household name, Stefan Castle. Everything that we do when we talk about the Spurs, obviously, is about the 7-5 alien Victor Wembanyama. But Stefan Castle has been unbelievable and he is still just 21 years old. If we can look at the list of players on a playoff team that have averaged 16, 5 and 7, it's Stefan Castle and Luca. As a number two player, if the Spurs make a deep run, at some point we're going to run out of things to talk about with Wembanyama. I think Stefan Castle will be a guy who really sees his stock rise, these upcoming playoffs. Coming to number nine, the aforementioned Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. I absolutely think he matters. I don't think this is just a system thing. This is a guy who had three straight games of 25 or more in the finals last year, including a 40-point game. This year compared to last year, it hasn't been the same. He has been battling injury, he's been looking better since he came back. But if he can get the numbers on the right to be more like the numbers on the left, I do think it can be a more comfortable path for the Thunder as they go. Coming in at number eight, Jason Tatum. It's one of the great comeback stories in sports. He is playing not quite like a first team all-NBA, but he is playing like an all-star. They're the favorites in the East. Is he going to get better as these playoffs go on? It seems possible. Obviously, he matters a great deal. Coming in at number seven, Cade Cunningham. I've had doubts about the Pistons all year. We have a lot of examples of teams that treat the regular season like the playoffs, and then when you actually get to the playoffs, it drops out. But he is a legitimate bona fide superstar. And if he can take his game to another level, improve me wrong, and put the Pistons into the NBA finals, he's going to matter a ton, obviously, over the next eight weeks or so. Coming in at number six, it's my guy, James Harden. My guy, oh yeah. Absolutely. I mean, not much is on the line other than the opportunity to reshape his legacy, which hasn't been to a conference finals since 2018. We could put up the playoff track record for him year over year. I know I'm going against history. So it's his legacy that's on the line. And if this doesn't work, and you just made this trade for him, is Donovan Mitchell gone in Cleveland? Do they pivot and move off of Evan Mobley? Like a lot of top 30 guys in the NBA right now, his next home. He's had some great teammates. So you look at that list and now you're going to the third round. So at least he's left all those places. Happy, good handshakes. I get it. I get it. I get the skepticism. We enjoyed the era. We haven't seen a lot of Cleveland's big four though, but we're about to. Coming in at number five, Carl Anthony Towns. Similar logic to Harden. He's not the best player on his team. That is obviously Jalen Brunson. I don't think they would fire Mike Brown. We talked about it a bit yesterday. I disagree with you, Nick. If the Knicks bow out early and he, he's going to get a lot of the blame. He gets a lot of the attention, positive and negative from Knicks fans. I have a very hard time seeing them bringing this team back. He's been playing really well. So he would command some value in a trade market. Would it be him? Would it be Bridges? What would they end up doing in the off season? I think it hinges on how he plays in the playoffs. Coming in at number four, Jalen Brown. Two Celtics on the list because if Tatum is not playing at an all NBA level, but the Celtics are going to win a title, Jalen Brown is going to need to be the guy who plays at a first team all NBA level. And for the most part this year, he did. He's going to need to be better than he was in the playoffs a couple of years ago. And those numbers were pretty ridiculous. He was good, but he's been better this year than then. And that year it was good enough for him to be a finals MVP. Can he play at that level over the next 10 weeks or so? Coming in at number three, not much to say about these guys at the top three because they are just all clear cut MVP candidates. Nicola Jokic leading the league in rebounds and assists. Can he take it to another level? Is this with a healthy Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray? Is it the most complete cast of characters around him even better than the title team? I think there's an argument for it, but obviously as Joker goes, so goes the Nuggets. He will have to face off with number two, Victor Wembanyama trying to become just an anomaly in NBA history, at least in the last 40 years. First trip to the playoffs, be the best player, take your team all the way to a title. And then yes, at number one, the best player on the best team. And I will be shocked if they don't win the title. So I think Shay is going to win his back-to-back MVP, back-to-back finals MVP, and he is the most important player in these playoffs. I'm going to jump in. This is very interesting. This is very interesting and I got to say your top eight is pretty solid. I like it. The hardened thing I have an issue, I take a little issue with, but I get it. I understand the logic behind it. Thank you. I don't believe Jalen Williams is one of the is the second most important player on his own team in these playoffs. I think that's Chet and I think one of the underrated stories of this spurs, thunder, current and maybe future rivalry is that Wimbie just decided I hate this guy. I don't even know that Chet did anything. And so maybe it's Wimbie's love of literature. I don't know, but I know he doesn't like him. So I'm going to, this is a little hipster of me, but I'm going to go ahead and say I'm going to take off Jalen Williams and go with a slightly under discussed player on a huge underdog. I think LeBron James a little important in his playoffs. Get out of here. He's going to play four games. Okay, maybe. I mean, maybe. Maybe he plays four, maybe, or maybe he plays five games. Two of them are exceptional. They're down three, two, and Luca comes back, or maybe a Rockets team that has been terrible in the clutch this year and a Lakers team that's been great. They just find a way the Rockets do to give them games. Maybe the fact that Emi Udoka at one point during LeBron's playing career in Udoka's coaching career, I think wanted to fight LeBron during a game gets LeBron's attention while he was coaching. That's what I'm saying. He would have lost. And also as far as impact, if LeBron does pull off the massive upset, what that means for the Rockets? What that means for another all-time great player in Kevin Durant and how we view him as far as it's not best and it's not most likely, but as far as important, there is no one in these playoffs who has a bigger responsibility for their team to have a chance to win a single game than LeBron James as the Lakers are presently constituted. And so I think you should be on the list. I just think you'll be watching by man. I agree with Nick about chat over Jalen. I think this clearly is about championships, so I wouldn't have LeBron on this list of guys who I think are going to be playing multiple. I think though you missed Aaron Gordon. Aaron Gordon is essential for Denver has a legit chance to win the championship with Aaron Gordon without him. And that hand, he's been an issue for him all season, not to mention last season in the playoffs. And so he has to stay healthy and play well. He's become an exceptional three-point shooter and obviously with him, they are a very good team defensively or pretty good. Without him, they fall off the map defensively. So I will put him instead of Jalen Williams, but otherwise I think it's a solid list. Solid top 10 to say, do you have the Lakers being swept? Yes, yes, I do. That's in pen. You don't have to, wow. Yeah, guys all of a sudden a big Rockets guy. Huge believer. No, I'm a big, like if two of your three best players are not playing basketball, you're probably going to lose. Luke is coming back from Spain on Friday. No, I saw that news story. And there's plenty going on in Spain. Are you conspiratorial or? I'm just saying. Jealous. Of jealous medicine. No, no, no. I'm just saying. It's plenty going on in Spain. Everybody goes everywhere in the world. Jealous is the wrong word. I meant like, he did say he wanted to go to Spain. Yeah, that's what I meant. Like, in vio. So like, been to Spain and had a wonderful time. That's in the beginning. Any medical treatment while you're at it? No, no. Maybe you missed out. Up next is Ty Simpson going in the first round or second round. Way to sell it, Wiles. And who's going to draft him, not the Steelers? Welcome back to First Things First. We got Greg Jennings and Willie Cologne out here. Let's go to Pittsburgh. Well, he loves it there. NFL draft is being held next week in Pittsburgh, and you will see 16 prospects in person getting ready to hear their names, including Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who has accepted an invite to attend the draft. Now, there's some speculation how he might drop out of the first round entirely. Simpson himself is spoken throughout the process, saying he is quote, absolutely end quote, a first rounder. So, Greg, very simple question. Is Ty Simpson worthy of a first round pick? No, I don't believe so. Look, there might be a team that has a plan for them. You tell me that team, I'll tell you what is asked them. What is that plan and what does it look like? And when you talk about a first round guy, it's an honor for him to be invited and attend. I think that's awesome. If I were invited, I would possibly attend as well. You know what I mean? That doesn't mean I'm a first round locked guy. But when you are talking about drafting a quarterback, first round, it is, there is no doubt that he's your guy, or he is your future face of the franchise. When I listen to the comparison, when I watch him play, does he have some good tape? Of course. But almost every player has some good tape. He has too much bad tape for me. And then when you talk about the comparisons to Brock Purdy and all of those things, well, we're, remind me where Brock Purdy was last pick of the draft. And you mean to tell me every team was just wrong coming out of college. I mean, he hit, which is great. But again, he hit with a damn good team situation that he ended up in. Exactly. Now, if you tell me, okay, the Rams are going to take him the last pick in the draft and something happens to Matt Stafford and whoever else is the backup and he gets the chance. Do I think he can play? I do because I trust the coach. I trust what the system is and what's around him. So I'm not saying he can't play, but is he a first round guy? No. Yeah, he's he's fringe at best for me. He's a day two guy. I have serious because and I'm not a fan of his size. Greg mentioned he's 61, 211 pounds. It's okay. He's a good enough athlete. I'm more concerned with his injury list and how he performed while injured. I have a list right here, a graphic for you. It all started with towards the back half of the season. He talked about his lower back injury. He suffered against Soura Carolina. And then it started to snowball out to that, especially at that big, you know, as well documented his crack ribs in the Rose Bowl. But what really happened was this accuracy dropped, right? If we can get to that right away, before he got injured, the first seven games, that's 70%. Right. And now you're talking about the last eight games. That's a big drop. So if you're talking about to Greg's point, if you're going to draft the quarterback in the first round, you got to play through injuries, right? They can't question your toughness and your ability to do your job at a high level. You talk about the Josh Allen's, the Aaron Rodgers, all these guys who are considered elite quarterbacks or or tough quarterbacks, their skills don't drop when they get banged up. They play through it and they show up. So I have major questions about his ability to play through. The one thing we haven't even talked about, which you probably will, he has no experience. Like the 15 starts, well, so that 15 starts, 15 starts is a huge negative. Why didn't you beat out Jalen Milrow two years ago? Right? Like that is that is something that I would definitely be asking. But here is what I will say. He is not in last year's draft. He is not in next year's draft. This is true. He is in this year's draft. And so in this year's draft, I'm not an economist, but took econ 101 and like micro and macro, baby, supply and demand. There is a large demand for quarterback prospects. And in this draft, there is not a lot of supply. And so teams can do desperate things. So if Mendoza is going one, that's 31 other picks for a team to say, maybe we should do what the Giants did with Jackson Dart and trade back into the first round where there's not always 32 first round talents, right? There's 32 first round picks, but there's not 32 guys that get first round grades. And if we can just show a little bit of the footage here, like he has impressive tape. He does. He has tape where he runs because there is pressure, but he is running to throw, which is the modern NFL, like the ability to scramble, improv, second nature, second angle throws, those sort of things. Like I could see a team be at Pittsburgh. Oh, no, we are going to, I was saying like Pittsburgh, please, Mike McCarthy will develop you. You get to sit behind Aaron Rogers and do the Jordan Love thing. So yes, you only have one year of college, but you get like a one year apprenticeship in the NFL and you've got the offensive coach. You have the number one receiver. You get to learn from Aaron Rogers. Like that's a strong, but GP Arizona Arizona takes a stud player at three and then trades back into the late part of the first round to take a flyer on Ty Simpson. Like I bet he does go in the deep because of the need of so many. We struggle. I don't think we'd be honest because he struggled against heavy pass rush. Like I watched them against George. I watched them late and especially in the Rose Bowl. When they got after him, he started to shrink. Right. And so if you're talking about him being drafted in the first round, now we're talking about a question of his toughness and his ability to perform when it heats on him. I don't think he's that guy. And if you, and I'm keeping a book, if you're a GM and you swing and you miss on him, you're going to get fired. Well, it's late first round picks not necessarily you're going to get you fired. It's certainly possible. And then this is maybe a little inside baseball, but the television, the media person in me says, invite him to the draft, build up the storyline and then photograph him and put him on TV as he falls. That's a story every year of the draft. I mean, including Aaron Rodgers, right? Like it worked out for Aaron Rodgers ultimately. Geno Smith, right? So the invite to the draft does not at all mean that there is intel that he is going in the first round. It could just be it's good television to watch a guy be sad in the green room. Let's go to Houston. Talk about another quarterback here in CJ Stroud. Texas General Manager Nick Casario, he was asked about his quarterback and the decision to pick up the fifth year option on CJ Stroud and the thought process that went into it. Here's what he said. These are a quarterback. We said that from the beginning to be gone. I've all said it. So, I mean, I think that was really more of a procedural thing. I mean, I'm going to say it was a no-brainer, but it was kind of a no-brainer. So, Gladys here, again, it's more apparent than Proust. I mean, so I'm excited about his offseason. I think he's had a good approach, had a good attitude here. I think he's put a lot of work in. Alright, Willie, I'll start with you. No-brainer to pick up the fifth year option, but are you still positive and confident that CJ Stroud is the long-term answer? I'm simply not sure anymore, man. And that's just a fair, and I'm being fair. When you're a franchise or consider the franchise quarterback, part of your resume is your ability to carry team. We watched everybody on that Houston, Texas roster carry CJ Stroud, not the other way around. And that's concerning. Like, yeah, I get you picked up his fifth year option. And listen, I even throw you another bone. I understand that his office line hasn't been great. Actually, he's been very poor, which I think has led to some of his own hinging. But I simply, after what we saw on the playoffs last year, I just don't think he has it. I don't think he's that guy that you can say, you know what, he's going to be our guy for the next five years. I honestly felt like D'Amico Ryan's failed his ball club by not benching him at halftime in that Patriots game. You should have won with Davis Mills, who won you a couple of games early in the regular season. So, yeah, do I think, do I like his demeanor? Do I like that the fact that he's capable? I'm going to say he threw 3000, 3000, 3000 yards. But I just, I don't know. Last year hurt my feelings as a CJ Stroud guy who was like advocating for him. It was hard to watch what he went through. I'm going to be honest. Like, I want to, I'm biased because I really do like CJ Stroud. And I've gone to bat for him. I'm hopeful that he is a still a franchise quarterback. Do I believe it? There's a small part of me that still truly does believe it, but not large enough to just say it with my chest and say he is absolutely, I believe he's, again, confidence was shot. He struggled. We saw all of those things. When you have a defense as good as what they have, you have to hit and hit now. It's unfortunate that he hasn't had the followup season after his rookie season and debut. I believe a lot of that has to do with injuries, not just on the offensive line, but at receiver, the inconsistencies of having guys out there that played a role as well. And he has played bad. I do believe that there is something still in there that we saw in that first year that can grow. We've definitely seen him be better. And I agree with you, Nick Asario. Fifth year option and no brainer. The question is $250 million. There you go. That part, hold on. Single digits. We are now nine days away from the 2026 NFL Draft and we want to bring you inside the OT War Room where every day we are talking the biggest storyline ahead of the draft next week. We've got Greg Jennings and Willie Cologne, still two Super Bowl rings between the two of us and two catches, two Super Bowl catches with touchdowns. All the Greg stuff. So we're talking wide receivers and we want to talk carnell Tate, the latest great wide receiver out of the Ohio State University. You look at any mock draft. He is either the first or second wide receiver off the board prospect that a lot of people like Greg. How much do you like him? Do you view him with that coveted can't miss label? Yeah, he's definitely a can't miss guy. Look, and one of the reasons why I put him in the can't miss category is simply because of the school that he went to when you look at the program and what they produce, what we've seen come out of Ohio State last year. Obviously in Mecca, Bucca, we know what he's been able to do in this league early in this career. JSN just offensive player of the year. The list goes on and on and on. Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, all those guys. Marvin Harrison, Jr. But when you watch this guy play, there's a term that's been going around and I don't really care for it. They've been saying quarterback friendly, but he's really one of those guys that just understands how to play the receiver position, knows how to get open, understands what's needed every single down. And when you have a guy that you can plug and play, JSN was that way in Seattle. He needed to have a coordinator that unlocked him. We saw Mecca Bucca immediately become that guy in Tampa. And this young man right here, Carnell Tate, is going to be that same type of guy with the level of production. One of the things I would say that I love about him, just like Mecca Bucca, was they weren't the primary guy. So he understands, you know what, I feel like I'm a number one Willie, but in case you don't think I'm a number one, I'm cool. I'm going to still give you number one type of production. So his route running is elite. His catching is elite. He's smooth. I like everything about this young man. Lastly, I will say this in all fairness, if Jordan Tyson didn't have the injury concerns, I would definitely have him ahead. All right. So that's a door that's open there. What about you and Carnell Tate? Yeah, I don't see him as a can't miss. I think a guy like Jeremiah Love is a can't miss because of his versatility. The reason I have a little apprehension is because he didn't run a four or five at the combine, right? For me, you want to have a little more elite speed than that. I do. I would say you talk about him on the other side of Jeremiah Smith. People want to question that production because Jeremiah Smith, you know, demanded so much attention, but I do agree. He's a safe. He's a safe pick. I think he's polished. I think he's has great. He's a shorthand catcher, great body control can pretty much run any route in the route. I give you that, but can't miss. I don't think he falls in that category. I can't miss that exclusive group that you're going to reserve. That's a generational type talent. Okay. So Greg, we have fun with comps here. Can you give us a comp then for, for Carnell Tate? Yeah. So I've been going back and forth about this comp and I got two guys really that when I watch them on tape, I kind of get a picture of what he does and how he runs his routes. That's Devontae Smith and Jordan Addison. Like when I watched those guys run and you can see a couple of the routes that they've run that are similar, the skill set is there. The route discipline is there. The detail to your craft is there. And the fluidity when you talk about a guy like Devontae Smith, very fluid, goes up and attacks the ball, survives the fall when he does high point the ball more often than not. I love making that type of comparison. I don't necessarily see them. They're not the same size guy, but the way they play the game, the ability to understand what's being asked of them, very similar in that regard. So Jordan Addison's obviously worked opposite Justin Jefferson. Devontae Smith has had AJ Brown. Yeah. You mentioned Jeremiah Smith. Like if a team is going to be using a high pick on this guy, though, like the hope will be that they can be a number one. You view him as a talent that can be a number one. I think he has the ability to fill that role. Do I believe that he's just a clear cut number one guy coming out of the gate? Probably not right away. Do I believe he has the skill set to be that? I do. But sometimes when you come in as a rookie, there's a lot that you need to yet still learn. And pending on the situation, how he's being used, where you're lining him up, of course, he can definitely get it done. Okay. So now those are obviously high praise. You like him. Maybe not as much as Greg, but if he is that type of guy, the value of the wide receiver position, he's probably going to have his name called inside that top 10. At least for this purpose of this exercise, we put the teams up there on the board. Willi, it's not going to the Raiders because they're taking Mendoza. Right. So two through 10. If you had to pick one and say this quarterback should be demanding that the GM hands in the draft card with Carnell Tate's name on it, who would you say? Yeah, I'm going with the Saints, Tyler Shuck. If you have an opportunity to get this, because I see for me, he's not a duplicate of Chris Alava. He's more of a compliment. And I think his ability to not only run a deep route, but he's a really good intermediate route runner. He's also effective in the red zone. You can throw those back shoulder face to him. But I also think he's one of those pieces that kid really one of those chess pieces that can really fill out your master plan. You talk about where the Saints are right now. They have Travis at 10. You signed no offense. You have they got a left guard, which they definitely they needed in David Edward. And now you're talking about timing, right? So you got Shuck in year two, you get him in year one by year three or four. They're going to be on the same level. Now you got all these pieces working at the same time. Now you can now seriously start talking about man, we have a chance to go get this thing because we have a young quarterback. We got a really good receiving core with the offensive line and a run game. Now they got to show some pieces of defensively, but I like him being a compliment to Chris Olava. So I'll piggyback on that. I like that because of Kelly Moore being your play caller as well and being able to interchange Olava and obviously take if you were to go that route. I just feel like the Saints have too many needs specifically on the defense side of the ball that they'll expend one of their their their early drive pick on that side of the ball. For me, I mean, New York, the Giants put them opposite neighbors opposite neighbors. Understanding that you just lost Wanda Robinson, a guy that was your number one basically because of the not being the availability not there for Malik neighbors and he was effective. Do you feel like a young man like carnell Tate? Obviously coming out of this program being ready made, being quarterback friendly, if you will, can he step in if Malik neighbors isn't ready to go and be that load carrier? I believe he can be and then when Malik neighbors comes back, we know he can be a complimentary 1A or two. I think he's the dream scenario for the chief set number nine if he actually falls to them and it's just like, oh my god, we allowed Patrick Mahomes to get carnell Tate and everyone's going to just be like, oh, that's obviously a perfect fit. I want to circle back though because you mentioned the Ohio State wide receivers and it is wide receiver you right now. This run is ridiculous. Right. You have offensive player the year. You have top five picks. You have guys who have balled out in the Super Bowl. You've got deep threats. Those are all obviously not the same wide receiver, but something that I think I wonder if teams fall into the trap of saying he's definitely going to be like those guys because Penn State was like linebacker you or there was a time when it was like, well, the next quarterback out of USC, there was a time when it was like, well, big 12 quarterbacks can't be good and then guy named Patrick Mahomes came along like some Ohio State wide receiver at some point will not be great. I'm wondering if there's maybe like, do we ever overrate a guy like carnell Tate because Chris Olave and JSN and Garrett Wilson and on down line, they were all good. Well, yeah, I think that there's a chance for that to happen. You talk about his speed. I don't care about the speed when I see he creates separation and he understands how to get open. The reason why I don't feel like this is going to be the case with him. When you put that list of guys up and we can put we can show you the list again. Hopefully, yeah, it's a fun list. But the one that stands out to me that hasn't done anything yet, at least is Marvin Harrison, Jr. Who was the highest? Who was exactly? And so like, I just believe when you look at carnell Tate and you truly watch the film, can he go out there right now and be inserted in an offense and give you immediate production? Yes, this is why you trust picking him. It ability talent. Jordan Tyson absolutely has more of that. Casey Concepcion, one of one of the guys that I absolutely am in love with has more ability and talent. However, you trust what he's going to be able to provide you because of the pedigree that he's coming from in the program that he's following all those other guys who's done it. Yeah, I trust the skill set, not the school. I've never been a guy I fall in love with the school because we've seen DBs come out of LSU. That's supposed to be DBU. We've seen the office line come out of Boston College. Somebody depends on what you put on tape. Your tape is your resume to Greg's point. What he's shown thus far is that he's a polished receiver who can be effective right away. And what you want out of a young guy like this is you want his impact not to be shown just on the field, but how he conducts himself off the field. By all reports, he has a high character guy straight out of Chicago. Players love being around him. So I think right now skit and scheme and fit matters. And I also think right now, if you're Ohio State, if he has to be another one, you just put him up in the hall of fame and keep it moving. I mean, it's a pretty good list. It is a great list. Longest record for consecutive first round picks for any school at wide receiver. Tomorrow inside the war room, it's not just the team, but the situation, how that impacts draft picks. These guys know a thing or two about that. We're discussing in the context of Fernando Mendoza tomorrow. Time now for first things last. The NBA playoffs are here and not a moment too soon, because for all the talk about the problems facing the league, well, they were justified. The competitive balance of the regular season in the NBA is officially a crisis. Over the final two months, the 10 eliminated team, so we're talking the Bucks, Bulls, Nets, Pacers, Wizards, Pelicans, Mavs, Grizzlies, Kings and Jazz, went a combined 9 and 99 against the top six teams from either conference. 9 and 99 and they lost by an average of 16 points a game. And really, it was non-competitive basketball all year. We just had the largest average margin of victory in NBA history at over 13 points per game. And that is not an outlier. The previous high water mark was last year. The one before that, 2024. So it's a problem and it's getting worse. And frankly, it's Adam Silver's job to fix it. This off season. However, the next two months should remind us why we all fell in love with this crazy league in the first place. The storylines are ridiculous. Kinshay and the Thunder go back to back and officially begin Dynasty Talk. Is Victor Wembenyama ready in his first trip to the playoffs to snatch the baton and proclaim the league as his own? Is this somehow the best version of Nikola Jokic yet with the most complete roster the Nuckets have ever given him? And in the east, Kent Tatum somehow complete one of the craziest comebacks we've ever seen with yet another title in a year they were supposed to be an afterthought. Or will it be the young pistons, the talented calves or the mercurial mix who emerged from a muddy Eastern conference? This is the reset, the dessert after eating our vegetables. And if that doesn't convince you that it's worth joining team no sleep for the next 10 weeks so we can all watch these West Coast double headers, allow LeBron James to put it another way. Listen, the pole season is about to be the young kids will say lit. I'm glad LeBron put it that way. Thanks LeBron, enjoy the playoffs. We're back tomorrow talking about it all on the O-Tip. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz and Allbirds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer.