It's time for coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Now here's nick coffee. All right, let's do it five o'clock here on a Monday afternoon. It does not feel like a Monday, at least it doesn't to me because we have a short week, only three days this week for us, because we're going to celebrate the fourth of July.
We're off on Thursday and Friday, which very happy to be off. So I feel like when you have weeks like this, maybe you guys are are able to still be as productive right in the same work ethic every day, regardless of what the week looks like. But I know there's others like myself that kind of you know, just you feel like a part timer a little bit, Right's what this week feels like. I wasn't dreading Monday as much because we've got a short week, and I never really dread, you know.
I think you can really like your job and enjoy working, which I do, but just you know, when the weekends come to an end, like it's just a feeling that is usually a sad one. I mean, it's not going to put it in tears or anything. Like that, but yeah, Monday, but it didn't feel like a Monday. So on Friday, they're like doctoring a comp day for us, right, Yeah, so at least for me they're taking at least this is what they told me a
couple of weeks ago. Maybe they've changed it, but they were originally taking June teenth for everybody who worked and sticking it right after fourth of July because we're not supposed to be off on Friday. Yeah, there was a one of the holidays earlier this year. It might have been President's Day, a MLK day. I use my comp day for that on Juneteenth or no, I'm using that for this upcoming right, so it probably is the same thing. Yeah, And man, the way the holiday falls this year, if
you don't get off work on that Friday, man, that's it. Isn't that such a throwaway to day sucks? I'm curious how many people won't show up to work if they're supposed to be there on Friday. I mean, I mean like call in, like just like no no, I mean no call, no show. I'm not encouraging that, but there'll be plenty of call in so surprised, Like I kind of feel like that's like, that's
justifiable unless there's an emergency that like led to it. If you literally just don't tell anybody and don't come to work, I have a hard I don't know what job you could have to where that wouldn't lead to you being fired. Probably a job where they just don't have anybody else to replace you with, or a union can protect you, and you'd have to be like written up a certain amount, like you know, just not showing up and not
telling anybody. I feel like, no matter what you do, that would be something that would be hard to come back from, unless again, you know, there's an understandable excuse for that. But again, it's July first today, which means as of as of today, Louisville has has been in the ACC for ten years. And I'm happy that Louisville ended up in the ACC. I'm grateful that they used that open spot when Maryland bolted for the Big ten and they chose Louisville. But I'm also not afraid to say that
I just don't like, I don't I feel underwhelmed. That's a me thing. Maybe I had expectations that weren't realistic. I just felt like Louisville would kind of feel as if they were in the upper echelont of college sports, and at times, I guess it's felt like that, But I don't know, I just I guess I had unrealistic expectations as far as you know, being in a Power five league. That is, to be fair, all the leagues' level has been in from top to bottom, you know, the
two major sports, basketball and football. I mean, the ACC is the best league level has been and it's not close. Obviously the Big East in basketball all had a hell of a run there. But football, you know, not a whole lot, not a whole lot there as far as historically, and of course now the league doesn't exist in football. But here is Tom Jurich ten years ago when Louisville was In fact, this was actually before they joined the league. I think this is when they you know, got
invited and they knew they were going to the league. Well, we've enjoyed a lot of success, but we know in this business it's all cyclical. So we we spent a lot of time making sure that we keep working and pointing forward that hopefully we could duplicate this again sometime. But you know, to wake up in December and be able to win a Sugar Bowl and go win a national title in men's basketball, be a national runner up for women's basketball. It's just a dream come true. But you know, we don't
take anything for granted. We appreciate everything that's happened to us, but we're just we're so excited about what our future looks like. When Louisville does join the ACC a year from now, there will be all this talk we've already had about an ACC channel and a year from now, who knows where those toxsic go. Where would you like to see the Well, obviously I think you'd love to see it go there. But that's smarter people than me.
They're gonna be making those decisions. But you know, I think anytime that you can continue to brand yourself and remake yourself, I think it's just it's it's an incredible asset for everybody Louisville that made it kind of said, I didn't plan on playing the rest of that, but I thought, but the hell of it, what the hell, let's let let's see what Tom said eleven years ago. And I shouldn't say sad, but like that level of
success. He just threw out there like casually. I mean god, I mean that was the yearly cardinal right, something that you'll never see again anywhere, not just at Louisville, I would assume. But VCS ball win against Florida football, National Championship, basketball runner up in women's basketball, and then a College World Series appearance like that's that's insane, and it made me sad that it's been that long since it happened and we really haven't had a whole
lot of anything close to that success since. But you know, hopefully that changes soon. But the network, that was all anybody talked about. ACC network. We need an ACC network. The SEC has one and it's crushed it. The Big ten was mocked when they launched their own network, and it gave them an insane amount of wealth for those universities in their athletic department.
So the ACC network it's here. And I think you can make the case that the reason that the ACC is currently in the situation it's in now adding teams that you don't need to add. You've got two schools suing the league, and the league suing these two schools because you know, the only thing keeping Clemson in Florida state in the league. Is this humongous buyout that
they don't that they can't pay and nobody would want to pay. But the network is what caused all this because Jim Swafford is that his name, James Swafford, smish Er, Swafford, whatever Hell's first name was. You know, he was trying to keep up with the Joneses. He knew that everybody wanted a network, and you know, a couple of years in there wasn one and then you know, sure enough they finally got it together. But they must have rushed it and Swatford is gone, so it didn't matter.
But like he's the one that probably killed the acc if it does in fact implode because twenty thirty six, I mean, under any grand of rights for these conferences that has taken place, these contracts, right, the new TV deal for this league and that league, who what sense does it make to lock in for that amount of time without being able Like just think of inflation.
Think about you know, that amount of money in two thousand and thirteen is not the same as two thousand and thirty six, which is when the grand of rights comes to an end. And that's why you've got Florida State, Clemson. At least they're the ones publicly saying it. Others haven't said it as far as you know ads that I'm aware of. But all these other schools, indifferently leagues are already making more money and they're going to re
up three times before you can do it once. And that's why they're that's why they feel is if their hand is being forced to sue and try to get out because they just can't accept that, you know, schools that they feel inferior to are going to be making way more money than them. And I mean, that's that's that's really the root of the ACC, in the
uncertainty of the league that's out there. But the one thing that you know, begin what could potentially kill it is also what could potentially save it in that deal because it's apparently so ironclad to where you can't get out, Like
we're all stuck together. We can complain, but this is it. So with the ACC, you know, ten years in for Louisville, I I don't feel like, you know, I don't feel like there's been anything that's happened for Louisville Athletics, any big moment, any big accomplishment really anything specifically, to be honest with you, that you couldn't have unless you were in
the ACC. Now you do get annual football games that you typically wouldn't get, right, like more often than not, Clemson or Florida State's really good, So you get a chance to play a really, really good team that if you're in the Big East or the American or even you know, Conference USA, you're not getting that opportunity. So that that certainly puts you in in a different spot. And yes, clearly, if you didn't get to the ACC, you'd have been playing on Thursday nights against you know, South
Florida with nobody there at that stadium down in Tampas. So like, obviously you're much better off than what you would have been had you not got invited. But I can't think of what the league as provided that. That has been a big moment where you feel like, well, thank God for the
ACC. I mean the Florida State win when Lamar Jackson was in his Heisman season, like that's I mean, I don't know if Louisville was that good because of the ACC, but clearly that opportunity present itself because you're in the ACC and Florida State at the time was rolling with Jimbo Fisher and that was a huge game, which again Louisville really had to fight, like for example, to play Florida in the Sugar Bowl like you did in twenty twelve.
I still actually believe it's the biggest win of Louisville for louisvill football in my lifetime that I remember, and I can't imagine there's one that was in my lifetime where I don't remember that was bigger than that. But you think of what you had to do to get that. You had to win ten games I think it was ten games that year you had to win, and you had Teddy on one leg up there at Rutgers in that last game because you had to win your league. You didn't win your league, then you didn't
get to go to the BCS Bowl Game. So you had to fight for those opportunities in Louisville. I think for the most part, when they get those opportunities, you know here and there, they've really taken advantage of it, and that was one of them. Now, you know, you have those kind of opportunities that are just on your schedule because of what the league
that you're in. But I will give credit to somebody on the text line who kind of called me out earlier and said, Nick, hey, maybe you feel a little underwhelmed with the ACC because Louisville's yet to really have a monumental moment and they've been there, and you're may be right, Like Louisville has never beat Clemson. Louisville has beat Florida State, but it typically hasn't really been when it mattered. I hate to say that. Now, they
did beat them in twenty sixteen. That game I just mentioned that was great. In fact, I don't know if people remember, Florida State end up having a really good season the rest of the way, like they end up beating Harball in Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. I think it was. So you know, those are things that stand out. But even with all that, I just still, you know, like if Louisville ended up getting out
of the ACC because of let's just say this scenario happens. Somebody has the cheat code and they can break the grain of rights deal and there's an exit strategy, and that leads to Clemson and Florida State and Virginia North Carolina. They're going to the Big Ten, and then the SEC adds Miami they add I don't know who else they would add. I'm trying to think of schools that are, like, you know, of value, and Louisville has value.
But what the scenario I was trying to present was Louisville ends up in the Big Twelve because they didn't get an invite to the SEC or the or the Big Ten because they only added like two schools and Louisville was like fifth in line, and they ended up in the Big twelve. I wouldn't at all care, Like I wouldn't feel like, oh man, the ACC is dead. I'm sad. Part of it is because we're still kind of new, you know, in Louisville. In my lifetime as a fan, we've
bounced around enough leagues. I don't have any league a field. I mean I don't. I mean we've been we've been getting around, if you know what I'm saying, Like, there's not any league that I feel a loyalty to because we've been bouncing around literally since I've been long enough to remember being a fan. So you know, I don't hate the ACC. I just you know, it's kind of whatever to me, But I will say this,
that's a good point on the text line. We'll never know for sure, but one of the biggest things that's ever happened to the University of Louisville in any sport is having a Heisman Trophy winner. That is something that I never thought would happen. Most people didn't never think would happen. You could
even really see a scenario where that would happen, and it did. And I have a hard time seeing Lamar Jackson come to Louisville if they're not in the ACC and they're in the American Conference with Cincinnati, with Central Florida, he had Florida. I mean, Florida was a school that offered him. I mean that was the real worries when he showed up on signing day.
I think he had like an orange backpack, and everybody thought that meant like he was going to show up and sign with Florida because they offered and they came in late Nebraska, if I remember correctly, was was heavily on him. But they didn't they didn't tell him if he could play quarterback or not. So you know, he clearly wanted to play quarterback, and obviously he
is a quarterback. So like, maybe that's the real big prize that the ACC has given us is because being in that league, you know, you get to play teams like Miami, you play Florida State that could be attracted for a recruit who's from Florida like Lamar. So maybe that is the real benefit, because Lamar winning the Heisman is something Louisville can still. I mean, look, he just won the MVP for the second time in the NFL. That has value. It's really difficult to truly know the exact amount of
value that it has. But having that guy, two time NFL MVP, former Heisman Trophy winner, a guy who seemingly has the cool factor in professional sports, that helps you. And I'm not sure if any recruit has ever said I came to Louisville because I watched Lamar Jackson and I saw how awesome it could be. But I'm sure whenever kids are being recruited now, just
keep in mind Lamar played here. His last season was twenty seventeen, So you know, kids that are just entering college or maybe being recruited right now, when they think of Louisville football, they think of Lamar Jackson, Now, I would say most people who don't have any connection to Louisville don't, you know, they don't know much about Like they don't people on the West Coast, and they think of louis they probably think, yeah, that's Allamar
Jackson played if they're thinking football. So I'd say that's probably the biggest, you know, gift. Maybe I don't know if you call it a gift or not, because Louisville did just like for example, when Lamar got here, he did say that one of the reasons that he came to Louisville was because Teddy Bridgewater and what Teddy did when they knocked off Florida and like that clearly got a lot of attention down there, especially when Charlie's going into Florida
and taking all their players. So maybe he still would have come to Louisville regardless of what conference they were in. But they were in the Big East at that time, and college football was different. You could still find yourself in a position to be in a BCS bowl game. In those bowl games,
man, they weren't national championships. But I feel like in the two team era, where it's just two teams that were decided as far as who's gonna play for it all, I think because there were only two, a lot of programs fans just understood like, hey, there's only two, but hey, we're at least in one of these big bowl games, the BCS games. So happy anniversary for the ACC. And I haven't talked about this yet and I've never really I've never really felt it, but it's there.
We are not treated the same in the ACC because we're not one of the ogs. It will never be with any league because again we bounced around. But yeah, I mean like when it comes to like all league votes and all that, like the Carolina media, and I don't mean just North Carolina, I mean just that region. Like you you aren't you know, you're
not put it this way. I think Louisville and the ACC is viewed as like a second class citizen outside of do Carolina, NC State, Clemson, even Virginia at times, you know, Florida State, those are the ogs. And maybe that's you know, maybe that's expected. But you know, the one thing recently that comes to mind is when Quincy Riley was left off of the All ACC first, second and third team like that that that wouldn't happen if he's at Clemson, Florida State, NC State, even North Carolina.
Who you know who wasn't great last year? All right, Uh, we have an update on the Paris poop? John Oh? Do we do an update on the Paris poop? So for those who missed this story, it seems like something you'd see on the internet that's clearly made up, but it's not. The Olympics are going to start later this month on the twenty sixth, and they've got they've got a poop problem in the Seon River where
the Olympics open water swimming events are going to happen. So it says here this is It says the newest water samples taken by monitoring a monitoring group found that bacteria level levels are still ten times above what is considered acceptable limits by bacteria were specifically talking E. Coli. As far as Olympic organizers, they remained confident that the summer sun and heat will help deteriorate bacteria levels and everything
will still go on as planned. So the poop protest I still really never I have still never really understood what that would accomplish, meaning, you know, taking a dump in this river where the Olympics Water Games are going to
take place. But the best explanation I got it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense, is that they were so bothered by real issues in their country that needed money, resources and resources went to cleaning this dirty water that has poop in it, and it was a waste of money and they're upset that the country wasted the money because they're just so you know, gung ho
about hosting the Olympics. Is that what is that? Is that the gist of it from what you've gathered, Yeah, that's that's what they're fighting for, apparently. Yeah. And I mean again, this this is like, this isn't fake news. This isn't you know, just a random this is this is real. Like the the I don't know if they cause it, the mayor or the politicians with power right those in office essentially in Paris initially agreed to do it with the citizens and then backed out because they realized it
would in fact probably play out poorly for them in the next election. Because I don't know, if I mean, we've we've got a guy running for president that you know, doesn't know what planet is on. We got another guy running for President's now convicted felon So you know, we don't have a whole lot of room to talk. But like if you like, if you're going to the voting the you know, you're going to fill out your ballot and you're thinking of the guy and you're like, yeah, that guy he
pooped in He pooped in public last year in the river like that. You know, just very odd, very odd situation in uh in Paris. I'm trying to see if there's any because the last week they they called off the the the pro was it a protest? I guess which was the poop? Yeah, they were all supposed to go out to these yeah, these toilets that they put out by the river and just you know, automatically dumping into
the water. I'm not sure who's taken ownership as far as leading this event, but initially, whenever they decided to hold off, they said it would be postponed and they're gonna do it at some point. So maybe they're gonna wait till everybody gets there and then really, you know, it seems even less productive. Yeah, it's who knows, though, I mean, I don't know a whole lot about Paris, but you know this story has led to me reading articles that I would never typically read. But you know,
maybe I'm childish. When I hear about citizens wanting to poop in the river to make a statement to their country. That's it's gonna get my attention. It's not a normal story. But apparently Paris is like a really gross place, like dirty city. They don't like what's the stereotype that they don't they don't like us. They don't shave their armpits or something. I don't know
about that. I don't know if that's a I mean, I know that's there's certain places that that's not a big thing to you know, maybe it is Paris. I'm not sure. Now you got me guessing. All right, let's get to our first break here in the five o'clock hour. We'll come back on the other side. I do want to get to some more of the more that came in from the text line, because I was asking
people when it comes to fireworks, what am I missing? What makes you aroused to light off a firecracker or to you know, light off a firework that'll go twenty feet in the air and give you a brief brief you know, maybe one to two seconds of colorful explosion, like I just I don't get it, and some of you have given me an answer. So we'll get to that in a lot more. Lastly, crazy day in NBA Free
Agency, a lot of big names moving, including Klay Thompson. He's no longer a Golden State Warrior, so we'll try to get to all that before we run out of time. Here it's Coffee and Company feil Bet Thornton's on Sports Talk seven to ninety. Well done, John. I don't think I know this song. This is Josh Turner, great deep country voice, good stuff. Uh. What I think of fireworks, I think of one how
much I don't like them. But also I think of this great scene from from Joe Dirt whenever he encounters the I haven't seen that movie in so long. I forget the guy's name who who was selling fireworks, but only selling the snakes and sparklers. Of course that you know aren't high level. So you're gonna tell me that you don't have no black cats, no Roman candles or screaming memis. No, Oh come on, man, you don't got no lady fingers, buzz butterles, snicker bombs, church burners, finger blasters,
gut busters, zibbity do dies or crab flappers. No, I don't You're gonna stand there owning a fireworks stand and tell me you don't have no whistling bungholes, no spleen splitters, whisker biscuits, honkey riders, hoosker doos does cherry bombs, nips and dazers with without the scooter stick, or one single whistling kiddy chaser? No, because snakes and sparklers are the only ones.
I like, what about the whistling kiddy chaser? I heard the church burner and I was like, that's what people were going across the river for. I really really like the creative names or fireworks. That's the best part of them. So I'm not acting as if you've you know you, there's something wrong with you, or I'm judging you if you love fireworks, because
again, I love things I'm sure people think are stupid. Everybody has their own preferences and whatnot, But I just don't understand the appeal of like what kind of entertainment value do you get with fireworks? Now, this is a
good point on the text line. Earlier somebody said that when it comes to like just the explosions, if you light it off yourself, which I did admit earlier, I've never done that, but I guess if I was to light like, I don't know, something that doesn't give us any visual, but it makes an explosion so loud, like maybe I would feel something there, you know what I mean, and it would be like, oh, that was cool as hell. Something so loud it'll set the car alarms off.
Yeah, because because this person says, I like lighting off the explosives, but you know, if I'm not doing the lighting, I don't care for them, and they annoy me because I'm not involved, And that makes total sense. That's I think that's a pretty pretty expected reaction. But when it comes to the ones that you know, do give you a visual,
you know, exploding in the sky and they're colorful and all that. You know, two people have said they never got into fireworks, and now their kids are a little older and they really love it and that's what makes it fun. So maybe that'll be how I, you know, become firework guy. I still don't see it happening, but that would be the only scenario where my kids love it. So you know, but I don't have to buy them and light them off like I feel like in most neighborhoods you can.
You can mooch right like you can. You can stroll down some where in your street, may be a street over and get something meaning like somebody's doing something where you can at least say and you can tell your kids, Hey, we're going to watch some fireworks tonight. Right, that's pretty common. Yeah, I mean, and I get the sense that I've lived in, I guess, a few different neighborhoods now and I've always felt like those who do go out and do it big, they they want you to come
see it. They want you to see that they have the best stuff around. Like they're not going to be like, nope, you got you better get back in your house and shut your blinds. I've paid for these fireworks, damn it, Like you're not gonna see that. It's like the Christmas vacation for Fourth of July. People are going all out for it. Yeah. So look again, I never want to make it sound as if like I'm saying people who like fireworks are boring. It's you know, and I
don't see how they could get entertainment out of it. It's just I can't relate. I don't really understand. I feel like there's there's got to be something that I'm missing that makes them. You know, maybe it's like the sense of danger that like, you have something that goes wrong. You know it's a problem, but you want to do it right. You're absolutely right, and that's and that's what that's what leads me back to what we talked
about in the three o'clock hour. There used to be a whole lot more messaging within the marketing of fireworks that if you've got this, man, you this is this, you better be careful because this is illegal in your state. But we went across state lines and we brought it back from you know, Tennessee, and you know you better. You know, there was some level of like feeling as if you had something, you know, you weren't supposed to have, even though probably you weren't breaking any laws. But uh
but yeah, shout out to everybody who you know likes fireworks. Uh, thank you to somebody who just sent this in. All right, so can you name any types of fireworks? I don't mean brands, because I know like sparklers, that's not a brand. That's just the type of thing, right, Yeah. Firecracker yep? Is that a brand or is that just a I think that's a generico. Okay, I'm gonna give you. I've got the answers here. Thank you to this person who sent this in.
Is a brocade of firework A brocade? I don't think so? Am I incorrect? It is? It is a fire type of firework. Cake a cake. I'm gonna say no to that one too. Cake is a firework man whack job. I'm none of these sound like fireworks. I'm staying with No, you're correct, it's not one. Okay, cross set that sounds like a real term, so we'll go with yes, there, you got that right. Okay, fish is it spelled like a regular fish like the animal? Were go with? No, it is? It is a firework,
okay, light flairy on, a light flairy on. I'm gonna say that is a firework. It is not. Okay, they just made that sound pretty cute, so I thought that was gonna be it twur billion, Sure it is. It is blinder box that sounds like a firework. It's not. It should be so like, let me look this up because because because I mean, tour billion is a type of firework, and I put it in a quick a quick Google search here, this is great live radio. I'm sure, like, yeah, I guess you know, it's it's
a firework type effect. So I guess it's. Yeah, it's like it's not a brand, but it's a kind of firework. Would have never known to me. I just the call. I call them all fireworks. I even call the ones that don't like to me an explosive that doesn't actually give you a visual. I still just throw it under the umbrella of being being a firework, all right. So, uh, NBA free agency has been
has been pretty crazy, and that's become the norm here this time. I mean, once you get to July, that's when these guys can actually sign these new contracts. And uh, you know, a lot of money, man, the NBA. It is. It is insane how much money these
guys are making in the NBA compared to other leagues. Like, you know, you could be one of the best players on an NFL team and be making good money, a lot more money than someone like myself, but you'll be You'll go, look at the eleventh guy on the bench in the NBA he might be doubling your salary. I mean, that could be you know, an extreme, an extreme example here. But yeah, so so far, here's what we have. Klay Thompson has made the move from Golden State
to Dallas. Paul George has agreed on a four year deal two hundred and twelve million to go to the Philadelphia seventy six ers. That was sort of the that was it was brewing that that's where he was going to end up. He was going to opt out of his deal with the Clippers. We also have Chris Paul who has agreed to a one year deal to go to the San Antonio Spurs. That's a good move by Chris Paul because that I mean, they were terrible last year the Spurs, and I don't know how
great they're gonna be. An extra Chris Paul clearly doesn't have you know, doesn't have a lot of years left, and who knows, maybe you know, he'll be I mean I doubt he'll be a bench player there. But Chris Paul's at the age that if he just kind of if the wheels kind of fell off here, you'd understand just because he's getting up there, uh, in age, But He's played with a really young team, which you know can only help him. I mean, obviously Wimby, he's he's the
franchise player there. But if you look at you know, if you look at other you know, some other young guys on that team that that Yeah, I'm sure a lot of people remember this name, Kelton Johnson. He's actually turned out to be a pretty good pro. Who else is it. I feel like there's one other dude on their team that's like a very well
known young player that you know, actually, never mind. I guess maybe that's why, uh, maybe that's why the Spurs sucked, because I'm looking at the roster and like, Wimby's like the only he's like the only, like real notable name. There's other names I recognize, but I don't think these guys are like great players, like Zach Collins, Charles Bassie so yeah, Devin Vessel so yeah. Maybe I was under the impression they had a
bunch of young players and that's why they stunk last year. They have one really good young player in Wimby, and now they have a veteran in Chris Paul who's old as hell, and the rest of the roster is very underwhelming. So I just playing in Golden State, coming off the bench was not something Chris Paul was happy doing, clearly, And I don't think there's any concern in San Antonio if he's going to be able to be to be a starter there. Who is any other other Yeah, this is not a big
name, but it's a lot of money. Kntavious Colwell Pope sent a three year deal with the Orlando Magic. James Harden plans to sign a two year, seventy million dollar contract to return to the Clippers, which is weird. I mean, I know he was there recently, but seventy million, So that's thirty five million per season for James Harden. Is he still worth that? I mean, if somebody's going to pay him, then by definition he's worth it. But I kind of feel like things have fallen off for James
Harden where he wouldn't be able to get that kind of money anymore. I'm trying to see there's any other big names out there. The rest of these names I'm seeing are guys that, to be honest with some of them I'm not familiar with at all. Others are just like role players like Jonas Balencinuous val valentiunis, thank you. He agreed to a three year, thirty million
dollar deal with the Wizards. So yeah, a lot of guys moving around when this was new Whenever, I don't know, like right after I guess roughly about ten years ago it started to really you know, it was often like you didn't used to see guys jump out of contracts because they could,
And to be honest with you, it's probably because they couldn't. Right if you go look at like the NBA fifteen twenty years ago, I don't think there were this many contracts that had the opt out because a guy will sign a five to six year deal but can opt out after the second year. And I just feel like they didn't used to be a thing. And it's led to these guys going and playing wherever they want. And you know, it's not illegal, right, They're not doing something they shouldn't be doing.
But I don't think this is great for the NBA because I think, again, the most exciting thing people see in the NBA is not the product the games themselves. It is all the blockbuster trades and free agency signings and the drama that comes with it. So it's good for business for the NBA because they stay, you know, talked about nearly year round. And you know, there's clearly a humongous amount of money within that TV deal, which is
how you know, the CBA, the Collective Bargaining Agreement. I mean, these guys, I mean, there's a ton of money in the NBA. But I just I got to tell you, I've had very little interest in watching any NBA in the last couple of years. Maybe it's just because I'm you know, I'm changed, but dudes jumping around from team to team all the time. It's just I don't know, they're not do anything wrong,
but it just I don't know. That's what we're doing in college now though, right, you're right, absolutely, But with college it's different because you know, my pacers are you know, they're my team, but it's not
to the level of Louisville, you know what I mean. And you know, I feel like if you're complaining of like if you're a small market NBA team, it's almost like being a mid major college team, right, because you could have a really good player, but he now has the ability to opt out, essentially meeting hit the portal and go play at a bigger market, bigger school, and you just they're kind of left. So sol it
hasn't happened yet at Louisville. Maybe it does down the line, but I feel like both Louisville and Kentucky for the most part of the early era Indiana as well, in the early era of college sports, things haven't been great. Clearly Louisville sucked out loud in basketball the last couple of years. But we're not losing momentum as programs because nobody wants to play here and they're coming
and taking our players. The only example I could think of, and it's really an exception, is is the move from the quarterback in Indiana who went to Washington. Oh yeah, Penix, Yeah, Penix like that. You know, he clearly left Indiana because you know he could play better in a better program, you know what I mean. Like, so it'll happen. I'm sure at some point where there'll be a player here that's really good in football or basketball maybe and they end up, you know, hitting the portal
because they just realized they can get more money somewhere else. But I do it, and look, other guys have done that, like for example, in football. Jalen Alderman, who I thought had a good year last year, really kind of emerged as a reliable guy at linebacker for for Louisville football. He was gonna play this year. They wanted him to stay and he was gonna be I think an effective player, but he was behind stan Kuon Clark. He got jumped in the depth chart by a kid who was a
true freshman last year. So you know, he knows, hey, they're not gonna you know, I can play more and Miami'll give me money, more money than Louibill gave me, because again in Louisville, he was good. They wanted him, but they couldn't pay him that premium price because that was going to probably guys that were that are you know, ahead of him as far as priority. All right, quick break, we'll come back on
the other side. Keep this thing rolling along. In fact, we won't keep it rolling along for that long because we we got to get out of here at six o'clock. So we'll come back and you know, wrap things up right here on Sports Talk seven ninety. So just within that last break there, we have some more NBA free agency news that not real surprising, but it is the largest deal in NBA history, and one that I would imagine even though it's day one of free agency, we're meaning where you can
actually sign these contracts. I don't I don't think there'll be a bigger deal announced to this offseason. Jason Tatum finalizing a five year, three hundred and fourteen million dollars super Max contract that'll extend him to the end of the twenty twenty nine thirty season. So that is is roughly. I mean, let's see here, that's about sixty two and a half million a year. I mean, think about that. What do you do a year money a year?
I mean generational wealth. I mean he already had it. He's already on I think this is his third contract I could believe. I mean he already got a new deal before his rookie deal came. I mean, yeah, he's been in the league for seven years now. So man, is that is a lot of money. Somebody asked me on the text line what it looks like for Donovan Mitchell. I don't. I haven't seen anything lately,
and you never really know what to believe. But there was a lot of noise during the playoffs whenever he was balling out against the Celtics and had no help and then you know, he got hurt and they got killed because he couldn't play, And there was noise that he wasn't happy and wanted to be moved, wanted to play for the Knicks, wanted to play for the Nets or something thing, and you know, I think he kind of shot that down. But yeah, I'm not sure what his what his what his
future is. But you know, I can't claim that I'm just gonna be a big old, a big fan of wherever he ends up, unless it was the Pacers, But you know, I hope he ends up with a good team that can you know, can contend and and you know he can make a deep run in in the in the postseason. So I'm sure they're trying to sign him in Cleveland. But you know, we'll see, we'll see what happens, all right. Uh yeah, just not much time you know left left here at all before we before we wrap it up and say
goodbye. But something I haven't mentioned yet here in the five o'clock hour for those that missed it at the start of the show. Uh, today is the first day where the ACC is welcomed in s m u Cal and Stanford and it's the first day for Oklahoma and Texas in the SEC. And uh, you know, I I'm not sure if this this is something that should be viewed as like, Wow, this is surprising, or this is this
guy he's he's full of himself. But Quinn Ewers gonna be one of the better quarterbacks in the country once again this year, coming back from Texas after they had that breakthrough win for Sarkesian, I should say breakthrough season where they finally made it to the to the College Football Playoff. This is what he said earlier today in an interview that We're going to be everybody's biggest game for sure. So I'm not surprised Texas views themselves that way, John, But
I don't think the SEC views it that way. No. I mean, it'll be big because it's new and it's exciting, but I don't think that playing Texas. I mean, look the SEC, it I mean, the history, the tradition, the amount of the size of their fan base is like, no way Alabama's gonna look at Texas as a bigger game than when they played Georgia or when they play Auburn or even Tennessee probably. I just you know, Texas, let's be real, they broke through last year and
they may be really good once again this year. But they were irrelevant for a long time and they're going to have a target on their back for sure. But until they either win the league or even win the College Football National Championship, they're still always going to be second fiddle in the SEC to Georgia and Alabama in those types. Yeah, and look, the Big Twelve. Let's be real. We know it's not the SEC, right, but the
Big Twelve. I mean, they just want put it this way. They're entering that league at a really good time because I actually think they're going to Texas is going to be really really good this year and they'll be really competitive. But prior to this current situation they're in with Sarkejian and this great quarterback Quin Yours, they hadn't won the Big Twelve since two thousand and nine, so they went what fifteen years, essentially fourteen years without without winning that league
that is clearly nowhere near as good as the league they're entering now. So again, Tommy's on their side in Texas at any moment could be great because of the recent and just because you know it's Texas. But yeah, I I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they're cocky. It's Texas, right, Even when they lose, they're like, well, we'll throw more money at something and it'll work out. All right, Everybody, have a good night. We'll be back at it tomorrow for a Tuesday edition. Doesn't feel like
won't feel like Tuesday, which is a good thing. So I hope you'll join us right here on Sports Talk seven ninety