Colin Cowherd Podcast - Pt 2. Nick Wright on Jokic MVP Debate, LeBron/AD Relationship, Ja Morant Controversy, Warriors Dynasty Decline

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www dot MD gambling help dot org. Maryland one eight seven seven eight Hope, New York or text Hope New York four six seven three six nine New York one eight hundred and five two two forty seven hundred Wyoming, or visit www dot one eight hundred gambler dot net West Virginia. All right, everybody, Yesterday part one of our two part podcasts with Nick Wright. We jumped heavy for about thirty five forty minut It's into the NFL today.

You know Nick Wright, and a lot of you understand his passion and historic knowledge and current energy for the NBA. And I love talking to Nick about hoops. I think if you watch my show and have listened to my show for years, you know I'm an NFL NBA guy with some college football and I want to start with discussing a place I used to work ESPN. This week there was a moment Nick where Kendrick Perkins sort of pushed back on Yokich, Steve Nash, and Dirt Navitsky winning MVPs.

So what Kendrick Perkins was asserting is there have been three white players Dirt Navitsky, Dallas, Steve Nash, Phoenix a couple of times and Yokich who are not top ten in scoring but are winning MVPs. He said, what are they all have in common? JJ? Reddick fired back, asserting that Kendrick Perkins was playing, you know, the race card, and it was unfair. It was a highly contested moment

and it was pretty riveting television. And I'm wondering, Nick, because you've been outspoken where you think Yoki is an overstated player. What was your reaction to that, you know, very turbulent TV moment. I didn't see the whole segment, but I saw the clip, so I will preface it with that. There is nothing and I know we're gonna

talk about this, but I'm really glad we are. There are very very few things that make me more frustrated than when people who know better, smart people act like someone invoking the idea that race could play a part in things means they are calling giant swath of people racist. Kendrick did not call NBA voters racist. Kendrick raised the point.

I believe what he raised was in NBA history or in the last fifty years, whatever it is, there have been three guys to win League MVP without or in the last forty years, I think, without being in the top ten in scoring, and it was Dark Nash and to be Yo Kids this year. And in the last sixty years, there's been one guy to win three straight MVPs, Larry Bird, and now it looks like it's going to be Yokis. Now that he raised that point and clearly implied race is a factor, that does not mean you

are calling everyone racist. It is no different than if when I talk about offensive coordinators who've made it to the Super Bowl and the coaching opportunities they've gotten, and

then there's Eric Biennemy and Byron Leftwich. I think race has played a factor, even if it is a subconscious factor in this Yeah, And I think that if we are just flatly analyzing the Yokits situation, since nineteen eighty three, guys have won an MVP with a team not being a top three or four seed Moses in eighty two, Russ the triple double year that you mentioned Yokits last year.

So right or wrong, that was an aberrant event, that was an So he got an exception that there right, I just said, in the last sixty years, only one guy has won three in a row. Yea, So him winning three in a row would be an exception to what the history is. Sure it is it in play that there is. And I saw some an NBA trainer, a white NBA trainer. I forget who it has actually

tweeted this. I think it's an interesting point. His belief that the general media, the white general media, tends to subconsciously, maybe unintentionally underrate good white players. They think, ah, probably not that good the guys who are like actually, you know, and those guys actually get underrated by maybe a guy like JJ Redding. Right, Maybe JJ didn't get enough credit for how good of a player he was because he was white. That doesn't mean they're racist. It means race

works in our brains. A bunch of my ways. While while that happens simultaneously, yeah, slightly slightly overrating the great white players, right, and and do I think that happens? Yes? Do I think it is noteworthy that every time Michael or Lebron or Jannis one back to back, the voters then said, Okay, let's let's try someone else. Let's you know what I mean, let's just give someone else to try. But Bird one three in a row and jokes about to win three in a row. I think it's noteworthy.

I don't think that means we're calling anyone god dog plans and it is. It is to me, trying to shut down a conversation. I actually do not think. I think if I'm listing all the reasons that Yokich is now gonna win probably his third trade MVP race would not be in my top five, but it would be a it would be somewhere on that pie chart, a very small one. So I think it is. I think it is more nuanced than people give it credit for it,

And I I didn't. I would have been very upset if I were Kendrick and a teammate did that to me, I wouldn't have liked it. So I'm listening to KG his podcast with Paul Pierce, and he mentions how he's like man, I've been in this league a long time. I read body language. He goes, when Lebron had that night and a D didn't even get up, I don't care if you have a bum ankle, you get up.

And he said he thinks the Lakers are looking at these next ten games without Lebron as the future of a D. Can they win without Lebron at they can't as he's gone. But it was really interesting. So I mentioned something I'd been tipped by somebody and around the Lakers that said, you know, Lebron and a D. After that reaction to Lebron breaking Kareem abduls Jabbar all the time scoring record, they're not boys. It's not hostile, but then they're not guys, right, You can tell from body language.

KG points this out. When I mentioned that two days later, I got the strongest reaction from Lebron's people on anything I've ever said. What does that tell you? They got really defensive. I think there is a feeling Lebron feels like it kind of needs him for at least this year, because I had been told in the last year there are times Lebron is disappointed. He came in post bubble out of shape. It was his turn to sort of, you know, triumphantly take the team when Lebron's missing eighties

often not playing as well. You know, they've only played like twelve games together since the bubble. That's their longest streak, and there's been some disappointment in the Lebron camp. When I said that, major reaction from Lebron's group, and I trusted my source. So my takeaway on this is Lebron left d Wade okay and didn't give him a heads up. One of his best friends ever. You know, Mellow is one of his best friends ever. He's never really actively

pursued him and said bring him in. He did with Westbrook, he didn't put Mellow, and I guess my takeaway is this is that the Lebron a d thing is over, but Lebron's really sensitive to it because he did move off Wade. He did get criticized for it. I think it's over. I think Lebron's smart enough to see the temperature in the room. On social media, he's not He's gonna He's gonna be there for him when he's miked,

He's like, I love you, man. He makes sure everybody knows but I'm not going to just say A D's reaction to the Kareem moment is nothing. Well, listen, I certainly not nothing. I don't know what it was. It was one of the most bizarre things I've seen in sports in a couple of years. I was one of the most bizarre, shocking things I've seen in sports, and I don't I don't have any sourcing on what was going on. I think I speculated with you, but I it's been so long and this was just blind speculation

because it was so bizarre. I thought something bizarre had to have happened. You know. That was right around the trade deadline, and we knew the Lakers called about Kyrie and we now know Durant was available. And I, again, I have no sourcing on this, and I've said it on TV a couple of times and no one has sexed me like you're onto something, So I'm probably wrong. I'm just saying in the moment, I was like, I

wonder if part of it. Once the nets were like, we're not doing Kyrie, it's like, well, any interest in Anthony Davis for Kevin Durant, And that that filtered back to Kate to a d and he felt betrayed you know what, and felt hurt you know whatever, because something had Here's what I do know, without having any sourcing, something happened right because that was weird. That was as weird as it gets. With all that said, I I don't think the Lakers are dead this year. Man. I don't.

You can say I'm crazy. I just I go up and down the Western Conference. I'm like, Okay, the one seat is Denver. I know a healthy Lebron and Ad can beat them. I know that. I've said one totally agree. Memphis now is off into the week. Memphis is who knows with Memphis? By the way, John Morant reportedly Jamax said this to meet today on the air. Is that and this was two days ago in this airs, is that you know when Jaw goes out, his teammates don't go with him. He's got his guys. Is that is

their resentment that he has blown the season up? In that room? I don't know, but I do know that Memphis is right now not looking as good as they were at any point in the last eighteen months. Yeah. The Three Seed, God love them, is light the damn beam Sacramento and I got mad respect for Sacramento. My lovely wife who you adore. She's from Sacramento. Love the people there, no defense, none best offense in the league, but no experience and no defense. Same with Dallas since

Kyrie showed up. They you shoot fifty three percent against the MAVs. No defense, right. We joked about this on the show. NBA used to be a race to a hundred. With the MAVs, it's kind of like a race to one twenty five. It's like who's gonna get in there first, like the um Phoenix. Set them aside for a moment. They are, they should be the favorites. I get it. Dallas is my pick at the beginning of the year. I don't think Kyrie's part of winning. I don't love it.

Last year they have the number eight. Defense's fallen apart. I know you believe in the Warriors. I got a fact. I got a nut fact for you, Colin in nineteen eighty the worst road record to win a title twenty one. In twenty the Warriors have won seven times on the road this year. I don't think it's their season. Okay, So now then you have the Clippers who made the brilliant decision of adding Russell Westbrook for no reason whatsoever.

So the and then there's Phoenix, which has everything you'd want, not quite as much depth as you'd want. However, there are certain teams that when an injury happens the Bucks last year in Middleton, it's like, God, dog it what terrible luck. Couldn't see it coming. Bad timing, bad luck. There's certain teams when injuries happen, like the Lakers every year post bubble, it's like, well, yeah, one guys in

year twenty and the other guys managers whole career. Or the Clippers it's like, well, Kawhi is his body's breaking down. The Suns, veteran leader and best player, are incredibly injury prone. Now you can't like Kevin durant Is more Is post Achilles is injured all the time. So I just say that you can't. You always people always throw out the caveat of if healthy. Well, there are certain teams more

likely to be healthy than others. And the Suns, Clippers and Lakers are three teams that if they're hurt, it's like, yeah, well that's you know, that's the risk you run. So the point I'm making is I think. I think everything you said about the relationship might be correct, and the

Lakers a long term might be correct. But I also think if they can survive this time without Lebron, I don't and I don't know the severity of the foot injury, but if they survive it Lebron having three weeks off before a playoff run in a wide open West, I'm not ready to write them off yet. Maybe I'm, you know, a romantic, but I'm not ready to them off. I will tell you one team that I think is going to feel like this could have been a year for a great run. And now his question the amy run,

it was the Pelicans. Yeah, Pelicans are looking unbelievable. And now we don't know when Zion's ever gonna play. Yeah, and that's a disaster. Well, the Zion John Morant class felt great. Zion can't get healthy and John Morant can't grow up. Get off the bench. Bet the NBA with FanDuel, America's number one sports book right now, FanDuel's given new customers ten times. Your first bet in bonus bets doesn't matter.

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www dot MD gambling help dot org. Maryland one eight seven seven eight Hope, New York or text Hope, New York four six seven three six nine New York one eight hundred five to two seven hundred Wyoming, or visit www dot gambler dot net, West Virginia. So, you know, it's one of the things, not that I defended job, but I said, you know, in the NFL, you know, a guy comes in after four years at Georgia, three or four years at Alabama, they've gone to college, they've

the global perspective of classmates, they've had hard coaching. These are men, the two best guys in this year's draft forgo college. Right. So it's AAU or international basketball to a paid league, to the NBA. They can't drink in the team hotel. So I think part of what sort of endemic in this sport, and you've got to come to terms with it, is these guys aren't emotionally ready. And I think it's just a reality. I sort of build it in is when I look at these rookies.

First of all, they all hit a wall year one, because college basketball is regional travel mostly thirty six games. NBA is domestic travel count preseason playoffs could be one hundred games. So they all hit a walt like game sixty five. They can't keep weight on, you know, they're just they have to play defense. They're burning seven thousand calories at night. By year two, expectations ramp up, social media, parents, hanger honors. So the jaw situation, I think you'll get

turned it around. And I'm not defending him, but isn't this sort of something that's built into the sport. These are kids now they have revenue, basketball, revenue, shoes, revenue, social Oh it's overwhelmed. Listen. So here's the thing. I'm amazed anybody at that age that money, that fame doesn't just create disaster after disaster. So I am super you know, I've told the story to you before. I'm smart kid. I think, good family, all the opportunities, forget getting fifty million.

I ride out of college one who wants to be a millionaire and won fifty thousand, and it's gone in nine months, gone with it. By the way, I didn't. I didn't buy a car and have any assets. It was spent. Gambling, drinking out is spent. People are like, oh, you're paying for everybody's lifestyle. Yeah, of course you are. Of course you are that. So I'm going to defend a lot of that stuff, Like people are like, oh,

all these guys, they're paying for their friends. As soon as you have money, you like doing things that cost money, and nobody likes to do them alone. So it's like, hey, guys, want to go to dinner, and if all your friends like, yeah, I've got money for Fridays and you have money for mass Rows and I guess what, You're all going to mass Rows and you're paying the bill. It's like, hey, guys,

it's the offseason. You're on vacation, and they're like, yeah, I can pay for Branson and you're like, hmm, I was thinking Barbados. I guess we'll all go and all pay for it. So I understand, like all of that stuff is to me totally reasonable. The gun stuff scares me, and again I'm going to couch it with this part of it. There is legitimate, understandable pushback from people who are like, hold on a second, we got more guns

than people in this country. Everybody's allowed to have guns, and we only freak out when it's a young black guy. He wasn't breaking any laws potentially, all that got it. I actually think in a lot of ways there are fair points there as far as the apocrisy of it all that. What is undeniable, though, is what he is doing is dangerous. Forget if it's right or wrong, it's dangerous.

It would be dangerous anywhere. It is particularly dangerous in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis, Tennessee has the third highest homicide rate of any major city in the country fifty biggest cities. Bloomberg just had this fifty biggest cities in America. Memphis, Sinnesis murder rate

is number three. It is nine times New York City, Okay, which means if you are one of as far as gun violence, the most dangerous cities in America, you're one of the most dangerous cities in the world in developed countries. That's where he lives. We just saw in Memphis a Memphis celebrity, beloved Young Dolph, a rapper, murdered at a bakery in the last year. I don't know if Jah's a real gangster or not. I don't know if he's hanging with real gangsters or not. I don't know if

he's just you know, playing for the Graham. I know that city. My wife, who you adore, her best friend, who you've met a few times, saw the Super Bowl. Nicole, the who's with us all the time, lives in Memphis. We go to Memphis a lot. I know the city, I know the nightlife. I told this story on my pod the other day. I don't know if I should tell it or not, but whatever. We went down to Memphis for the Southern Heritage Classic, the Jet Dean Steam

Jackson State saw it. That night. We went out, went out to a lot of the places that I know, like our places, Jagoes in Memphis. That that scene that those clubs. Right. One of the guys who's promoting one of the parties that night knew I was coming. He knew Nicole knew I was coming. Whatever. When we got there, he said, hey, thanks for coming, nick I was like, yeah, it's great whatever, and he said this is such and such. He's gonna be with you tonight. Like huh, He's like no,

He's like I brought it. He's one of my security guys. He's just gonna be with you all night. I'm like, no, come on, man, like I thought he was doing it, like I was like some big shot. He's like no, He's like, eat, I know, I know my city, and I know I'll feel better he'll be with you. His point was, you have a little bit of notoriety, a little bit of jewelry. I'd feel better if I knew someone who knew everything about the city was here with you.

And now some might say and if boss is here this thing, I'd say, and Nick, maybe go to a different club. Maybe maybe, But whatever it is, you're young, you're having fun. That is where John lives. And whether he is an actual tough guy or not actual tough guys see these videos and see how he's inducting himself. And I don't think it's being hyperbolic to say what he's doing is dangerous, not that he's going to hurt someone.

That's something could happen to him. And and this last point I'll make on it, the opportunity in front of him there is like he's in a very unique spot because if someone were to say, who are the best players in the NBA over the next you know, six years, So Lebron's gone, Durant's probably aged out of it, Staff might be aged out of it. So like you know, from twenty twenty six to twenty thirty two are the best players? People probably say, well, Yannis, Luca, Yokitch embed

and then you say Jah Tatum whomever. Here's my point, there is a lot of money in being He's never going to be the best player in the league, but he might be the best American player in the league for a long time because all the guys ahead of him. There's different marketing available for the best American player. There's just is like they Luca and Yoki and Janis are not going to get all of the endorsements that the guy who's the best player in the league should get

as an American guy. Would that could all go to job. People love him, he's electrified, but the shit he's doing is dangerous. It's flatly dangerous, and I hope he I hope he gets that, and I hope he's I hope he's all right. By the way, I know you don't buy the Warriors, but I do think it's interesting, not just because he's a member of the volume. But I watched the Warriors a lot, almost every game, at least half. He's a much bigger part of their offense as a

catalyst than people will ever admit. The ball moves significantly better when he's on the floor. He remains maybe the best defensive player, certainly for his size in the league. He's a classic Rodman annoyance, and I think he plays with a There's so much intellectual capital with all those playoff games, his spacing, his screening that when he went after Jordan Pool. Some have suggested it hurt the team on the road, that that's where you hang out together

and it's a more clicky team. People took sides after that. Do you buy into that? Oh, well, that's that's really injurious. I haven't heard that specific theory because the home road splits don't make it, don't make sense. It is but the road. If a clicking teams aren't good on the road, that would know. So maybe listen. Only Houston and Saint Antonio have fewer roadwins this year. Think about that. The Charlotte Hornets have been better on the road this year.

The Pistons have as many road wins. That seems impossible. It really seems impossible. So there's got to be something going on. And the outlier event is exactly what you said is Draymond's slugging pool. And I this is not that one guy's you know, a vet's gonna punch a younger player is going to happen. But this is one of the risks when you try to bridge generations like

the Warriors with the light Years. Thing we're trying to do is that you are going to have and it's not like the NFL, where there's so many guys everybody, can you know what I mean, have their own group. There's only fourteen guys on a team. It's only nine guys that matter at all, and it would it be shocking for anyone because the only guy that kind of

straddles the line is Wiggins. As far as a you have really young and then you have the four guys who've been there for all of it, Steph, Clay, Draymond, and Iguadal. That's it, and so it is a weird spot. I also I also think this that winning that title that they won was so important and so gratifying and so much for all of those guys, A can't ever tell me nothing nothing Title one. It's the first one.

The Calves were hurt, and then the very next year Lebron killed him, which doesn't take that title away, but it feels a little, you know what, It makes you feel a little different about it. Then you're the best team in the world by far. But there's the weird thing with Kevin, you know what I mean, STEP's the guy, but evans there and then Kevin leaves and you're in the damn wilderness. You miss the playoffs outright, and then you get knocked out in the play in. That's the

two years and then you win the whole thing again. Yeah, I think, man, it is hard, Yeah, to amp yourself back up. Yeah, there's a lot of people that watch them even more closely than I do. That felt like that was the last great moment for the franchise. Those games in Boston. I think it's here's the thing, And that could also explain the home road, which is they're not that great of a team at this point. They are emotionally spent, but at home they get that extra

oomp energy. Plus it is still intimidating for opponents. So again I don't think there are seven, you know, seven and twenty four level team independent. But it might be that it's less about the road record being so awful and more about the home record slightly inflated for where it should be because that they get the boost from the crowd and all of that. I just think that strikes me as a it's a lot of years, Colin.

It's fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty one two. We're in the ninth year from when they won their first title to right now and be what it can be Like Lebron went to eighth straight two different teams. By the end of the run in Miami they were spent, and by the end of the run in Cleveland, they were spent. Lebron's ability to bridge that whole thing is mind boggling. But we're now talking nine years of title contention. Essentially.

That's a lot, man, That's a lot, And I just it's why I just have a hard time, hard time thinking they can gear up for one more hurrah. Maybe they can, but I think they might they if they find themselves in the play in which is on the board unlikely but on the board having to immediately gear up for elimination level. Then it's just I just think they're in a rough spot, which is one of the reasons the West feels so open to me, Nick Ry, we did thirty thirty five minutes on NFL yesterday, thirty

thirty five minutes today this morning. Before we go, Can I just ask you one question in the NBA Eastern Conference for a second, how much? Because I'm not able to watch your show quite as I watch pieces of it every day, but when I was in the mornings, i'd be at home and i'd have it on, so i'd kind of always hear you. Now you're on while I'm prepping and I don't know about you. I try to consume almost nothing before I go on the air because they're all like it will get in my brain,

and you know, I don't want to um. How much have you talked on your show about the New York Knicks? Well, not a lot. I think that that's the right answer. Yeah, No, I'm not asking you to talk about him now. Yeah, I just that's the reason I asked you was because the amount of attention that the moment they have a good two weeks, this team that's been out of Round one, once. Yeah, this millennia gets because my theory on it is the following. I really asked you that just so I could go

on this rain My apologies. I think media that works in New York likes Knicks. Fans liking them. Yeah, they like walking on the street and having oh yo, shout out to the Knicks, thanks for giving the Knicks love. And I won't do it and be well, yeah my show. They're like, oh, ready to admit the Knicks are a threat to who? So what? And I said today, I said, over the last fifty years, the Calves, who by the way, are currently the four seeing the Knicks of the five,

have been a better franchise. Yeah, like, what do you It's flatly true. The last fifty years, the Calves have the same. In the last forty years, the Knicks have no titles. Last fifty years, the Knicks have won, the Calves have won. The Cavs have the one of the I'll be generous here two greatest players ever, really greatest players ever. The Knicks have the thirty fourth greatest player ever. They give me a break, and even recently and right now,

who has the best player between them? The Calves? Who's the best young player between the calves. But the I don't usually believe in like coastal media bias except for on two things, New York Knicks coverage and wildfire coverage in LA. In the other direction, I believe this is a totally random taked in the show on I believe if anywhere on the Eastern Corridor had fires the way Los Angeles does, it would be wall to wall news

coverage every time it happens. If if if twenty miles north of Washington, DC, you had one hundred and fifty acres on fire, I have a feeling CNN would be all over. But it happens in that California are like, I don't even know. It's weird out there. There's oceans, mountains, like nobody talks about it. It's crazy to me. But Knicks coverage, the overcoverage of the Knicks and the undercoverage of the California weather stuff, that's where I believe East

coast media bias happens. Yeah, that's my Knicks. It's a TIBs team, play really hard every night. Effort wins a lot of regular season games. In the playoffs, everybody plays hard. It's talent and they don't have enough offense and you don't have an extra gear. You can't do it if you're always, if your foot's always to the round on the accelerator, then when someone else goes into fifth gear, you're like, I was already there, and now I can't win the race. Yeah, I've seen that. I've read this

book before. All Right, buddy, once a month we bring him in. We do an hour. I usually do thirty minutes. Congratulate your success. Oh, thanks you too. Congrats on this highest rated TV show ever. You're crushing. Love you, man, I'll talk to you soon, all right. By the Volume, make sure to check out the dram On Green Show. I brought Draymond Green into the Volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports. Unique perspective understands behind

the rope. Also chops up with guests like Gary Peyton, Zach Levine, Tracey see McGrady. Make sure download The Draymond Green Show wherever you get your podcasts, only on the Volume podcast Network