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Welcome in episode one oh one of What's Right with Nick Right, the podcasting YouTube show. We are not on television today, so it's the only place you can get my live sports opinions today, Gambling show tomorrow back on TV with our regularly scheduled show on Monday. The reason we're not on TV is because of the World Cup. And here's the deal. I give my full effort and
concentration to this show, just like the TV show. However, I'm just gonna show demon's my computer screen right now and that they can tell you we are live on YouTube, which means this is taking place during the World Cup, during one of the most important matches of the World Cup Croatia Belgium. It's also taking place during Morocco Canada. What a shameful appearance by the Canadians of this World Cup up. They're already down to nothing that in that match.
So here's my commitment to you. I will let you guys know if anything happens in Croatia Belgium, and we're gonna talk World Cup in about fifteen minutes when these first matches are at halftime. Because if you love the World Cup, you're probably watching it right now maybe you check in with us at halftime. Either way, I am as into it, I think, and when we get into it in about fifteen minutes, we'll discuss it. I think
I had demand a little into it yesterday. Hold on, just be honest for a moment before we get to the show. Those two matches yesterday, the Argentina match in the Mexico match going on at the same time.
That was pretty exciting. It was speak up, yeah, it was. It was cool, like, speak up. Soccer will never okay, I'll speak up. Soccer will never really interest me the way that it interests me. I will never like soccer as much as I like playing monopoly.
Oh my gosh, that's devastating. Even yesterday, I'm watching Mexico bend in those free kicks. How impressive that was?
They were very impressive. Yeah, they were very impressive.
But I just think the sport, like a lot of the times, it ends up zero.
Oh so what oh you have to have by watching.
Sports that can end in a tie?
Okay, well, well guess what starting this weekend, no more ties because we'll be to the knockout round. Everyone needs to advance. Ask questions or hayes Demanse for not loving soccer in the chat. And I also when we talk World Cup, I only want a little bit talk about the tournament. I really want to talk about some of the soccer fans responses to talking about soccer. Will do
all that in a moment. Well, we'll do that in a moment, but first, as we always do, what's not on the show today, Here's what did not make the cut for today's show. Brady rumored to return to the Patriots, a story Kevin Wilds was on six weeks ago and people laughed at him. Shout out to my television partner Wilds, Jashaun Watson returning from his suspension, and Yannis playing with
the toy dinosaur mid game. Yannis, after the latter incident, has to, you know, remake his image a bit as wholesome, Yannis. So he's literally playing with children's toys mid game. All right, now to the actual show, Demansey, what are we starting with?
All right, huge game for your Chiefs this weekend against the scorching hot Bengals. Yep, since he has had the Chiefs number of beating them twice in the last year, Kansas City is getting a lot of respect they are road favorites in Cincinnati, but do you think that they can finally figure out how to stop one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Okay, So this is a massive game to me. This is a bigger game for the Chiefs than the Bills game was, because the bang are the only team that can argue they can hold over the Chiefs. Now, those two games last year were odd in this regard. The Chiefs dominated the first half of both of them and then fell apart in the second half. The first one could have been kind of chalked up to the Chiefs had righted the ship. The Bengals at that point in
time weren't even necessarily a playoff team. Chiefs kind of overlooked him and then Chase went crazy in the second half. The second one was for a chance to go to the damn Super Bowl, and Mahomes short circuited after messing up. If you guys, remember the Chiefs are up twenty one to three. They're at the goal line. They can kick a field goal. Going to the half twenty four to three, they decided to run one more play. Mahomes makes a
mistake and throw short of the end zone. They don't get a field goal and then immediately Patrick played the one bad playoff half of his career. It's the only He's lost three times in the playoffs. One of them was an unbelievable game his first season, in overtime at home in the AFC Championship game against Brady. One of them was the Super Bowl, where he was hit more times than any players ever been hit any quarterback in
a playoff game in recorded NFL history. Played his numbers weren't great in the Super Bowl, but nobody watched that game and thought he played poorly. And then the AFC Championship game, where he was perfect for half of football. And by the way, I would have won so many thousands of dollars in that game because I thought the
Bengals the Chiefs were an awful matchup for Cincinnati. If you remember, Cincinnati had escaped against the Raiders and then escaped against the Titans thanks to Ryan Tannel repeatedly throwing picks. The Chiefs, meanwhile, had come off annihilating the Steelers thee believable game against the Bills, and I bet the Chiefs on an adjusted line of minus twenty one and a half and they were up twenty one to three at halftime,
and then the whole thing fell apart. So do I think the Chiefs have an answer for Jamar Chase, who I expect to be back this week or they expect to be back this week? And answer no? But do I think that they will? This improved defense will make sure he doesn't crucify them. Yes. More importantly, do I think the Bengals have an answer for Travis Kelcey and this diverse receiving corp now that chaudobi Ouzie is out? I do not.
Do.
I think the Chiefs have shown the ability in games they take seriously to come out fast and strong. Beat the crap out of Tampa, beat the crap out of San Francisco. The Bills got them, but the Chiefs beat the crap out of them for a half, and they didn't play well. At the very end of the first half when Alan went ninety nine yards, I give him credit for that. The This is a game that will have the Chiefs full attention. It's wildly important for the
Chief's ability to get the buy. Mahomes has never lost three in a row to anybody. I think Brady's the only person ever beat them too in a row. I like Kansas City's chances of moving the football. I like Kansi's chances of getting to Joe Burrow some Chris Jones quietly is having a defensive Player of the Year caliber season. I love that it'll be in our picks tomorrow. I love the Chiefs minus the two. This is a statement game for Kansas City because Cincinnati beat him twice last
year and knocked him out of the playoffs. Next.
Oh, we got a poll.
Oh oh, yeah, do the Bengals get a third rate win over the Chiefs? Sixty one percent of you are correct. Thirty nine percent of you said yes.
Next, all right, The Dolphins of the forty nine ers both hold a spot directly under your Chiefs in tiers.
In your tiers, yeah, this week they face off.
The forty nine Ers had one of the best defenses in football, but haven't played an elite offense like Miami yet.
This feels like a statement game for the Super Bowl contenders. Who makes the statement? All right?
I know you don't write the questions tweak them, so I don't know which one of our idiot producers wrote the Niners haven't played in the elite offense. Like Miami yet, because I do believe they played Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs of Kansas City and the Chiefs scored forty four on them. I do think that happened. By the way, the Niners.
How long ago was that game? Two months ago?
It was the I know it was a month ago because the Niners. It was the first week they had McCaffrey. So I don't know forty games ago. It was October twenty third, so five weeks ago. Give me a break. Give me a break with that nonsense commentary. Haven't played an offense like the Dolphins. They played the Chiefs and they got crushed by them. Okay, let me set that aside. I am so upset that this game didn't get flexed to Sunday Night Football. This game is at the same
time as Chiefs Bengals. So you have Niners Dolphins at four to oh five and Chiefs Bengals at four to twenty five, and Sunday Night football is Colts Cowboys, which is fine, but it's just such a bummer. Now. I'm sure or CBS protected because you can prevent some games from being flexed. I'm sure CBS was like, no, Chiefs Bengals is our game. We're not letting you have it. But Fox couldn't protect Dolphins Niners and wouldn't them, so that could be the Sunday night game instead, it's not.
These two games are on at the same time. That's a bit of a bummer for me. But set that aside. I do like the Niners in this spot, and this is a game where if I am Miami, I'm holding my breath the whole time because as excellent as who has been all year, he's a smaller guy and because of those concussions early in the year, if he were to get another one, I think he's done for the season. Okay, and I think the Niners are going to be hitting the bleep out of him throughout this game. I like
the under in this game. I don't think the Niners are gonna be explosive offensively. But it should be noted what the Niners have done since getting McCaffrey. I'll give you the full results. So now, the first game with McCaffrey was against the Chiefs. You know, he didn't have full week of practice whatever. They still scored some points, but the defense allowed forty four. Since that game, what the Niners have done. They played the Rams, they won
thirty one to fourteen. Yes, the Rams stink. The Rams scored zero second half points. Then they played the Chargers, they won twenty two to sixteen. The Chargers scored zero second half points. Then they played the ninth or they played the Cardinals. The Cardinals, they blew them out thirty eight to ten. The Cardinals scored zero second half points. Then they played the Saints. They shut the Saints out
the whole game. So the Niners have not allowed a single point in the second half since they've played the Chiefs. The Chiefs have score scored thirty in the second half, thirty points, four offensive touchdowns, plus two thanks to a Jimmy Garoppolo safety, not the self safety, just a regular old safety. So that is a month of football where the Niners are not allowed to point the second half. With that said, the Niners offense was very disappointing against
the Saints. Scored one touchdown and came on a pass that should have been picked off in the end zone. So I like the Niners in this spot. If TUA has an explosive offensive game, the discussion on Monday will become too should be League MVP, not by me, but people will pretend Mahomes didn't throw for four hundred and thirty yards on this team. They will only think about
what the Niners even done the last month. The Niners have to have this game if they want to take firm control of the NFC West with Seattle still lurking. Even with Seattle's loss, Seattle's the same record as San Francisco at seven and four. I like the Niners. I like it to be a low scoring game. Next. Do we have a poll question?
There?
We do? Who will win the game? Fifty seven percent say the Niners? All right? Next? All right?
The Bills are looking for their first division win of the season in foxboroughs Right.
Yeah.
After being an early season juggernaut, the team has looked pretty shaky since Josh Allen injured his little elbow. New England is coming off Mac Jones' best game of his life, and they're only a game out of the playoffs. But even you have to love Josh Allen against the crappy New England Patriots.
Right, No, I mean I like the Patriots plus the points tonight. I also am going to tell you guys a shocking stat So I'm just gonna show it to you, Demanse. This is since week seven, so weeks one through six, Josh Allen was seventeen touchdowns, four picks, a one oh
nine rating, beating the Chiefs, all that stuff. Since then, he has tell me if I'm saying this fairly, nearly identical completion percentage, identical, nearly identical yards per attempt, the exact identical touchdown interception ratio, six touchdowns, seven picks, and the exact identical quarterback rating seventy five. As who demanse as the quarterback for the Texans, Davis Mills. Davis Mills, who just got binched Josh Allen the last six games, six weeks, I should say, has It's not that he
hasn't been an MVP. He's been bad. He's been truly bad the Patriots. Meanwhile, last year the Bills scored like ten straight touchdowns on him, two in their last regular season game and then in their playoff game. The Patriots
have been planning for this game all year. The Patriots defense, I imagine, just went through its most hillatious week of practice ever because they in a game the offense played good enough or well enough to win, the defense didn't hold up its end and let Kirk Cousins kill him. I am not saying I think the Patriots win the game. I do like the Patriots plus the points in a relatively low scoring game. I also think Josh Allen's gonna
run a lot in this game. I think Josh Allen, because of all of the red zone turnovers, is going to start in the red zone just trying to call his own number and run the ball the I'm not a big type of this better, but if you are a first touchdown of the game, better. I like Josh Allen at seven to one to be the first touchdown score doing it with his legs, and so the Bills have to recognize there are two teams in the league I believe right now. I'm gonna check and make sure
I'm right on this. I think there are only two teams in the league that have not won a divisional game yet this season, and that is I'm sorry, there are two teams in the AFC, pardon me, that have not won a divisional game this season. That is them and Russell Wilson's Denver Broncos. If they lose this game, it's brutal for them in this regard, it almost guarantees they lose the season long tiebreaker with anyone that will
tie them within the division. Here's why they have already lost to the Jets, They've already lost to the Dolphins. If they lose to the Patriots, they then beat all three of those teams in their rematches, They're head to head will be one apiece. So in divisional tiebreakers after head to head, what's the next tiebreaker? Divisional record? And three and three is not going to be enough to
have the divisional record tiebreaker over Miami. So even if you beat Miami, you're you're going to be screwed on the tiebreaker side of things if you were to lose this game. Also, the other thing is it makes the Jets and Miami games must win games. So I do believe the Bills can and should win. I am not overly impressed by the Bills. I am no longer scared of the Bills. I think it's a low scoring game. I do like the Bills to win. But the Patriots
plus three of the Bills, what'd you say? I think you just admitted that you were scared of the Bills. At one point, I said after the last playoff game after the lastyear's playoff game, that they instilled fear in me. But nonny more not when they played like this for six weeks. And I know von Miller is saying the other element here is Dion Dawkins out. Von Miller's out. I know von Miller is saying he's targeting a return in a few weeks. I'm not sure about that.
We'll wait and see, all right, last, all right, it wouldn't be a What's Right show or What's Right without talking about the prince that was promised. Oh yeah, by the power of vested in me and the producers, your JAG's betting band is officially lifted.
Oh yes, all right, it's been a long time.
But go ahead, just in time for them to be favorites against a Lions team off extra rest and they almost beat Buffalo.
Yeah, Trevor is one. You know what's better than almost beating Buffalo actually beating the Ravens, something Trevor Lawrence did. But go right ahead. Fair.
Trevor has won one road game in his career, and the Jags haven't won one since twenty nineteen.
They've won no, they have one.
They have won one since twenty nineteen. Sorry, Jacksonville can now make an appearance in Nick's picks. Will they make the list on tomorrow's betting show. Well, that has yet to be determined.
And betting on the Jags on the road has been a fool's errand betting on them on the road is a favorite seems insane. But I said it earlier in the year, and folks tried to throw it in my face during the little slump that Trevor Lawrence is already a top ten quarterback in the league. I think it's undeniable. Now, dude, I think he's top No, I think he's like the tenth best quarterback in football. Here's a fun stat, great quarterback games passer rating of better than one to zero five.
Trevor Lawrence has six this year. That is the same as Mahomes. Only Geno Smith has more of great quarterback games. Now, a bad games have been bad. He's had some terrible red zone decisions, and he's got to stop fumbling so much. All of that's fair. But the upside if I just go by division and we're gonna name quarterbacks that we know are better than Trevor, Okay, we'll give you Tua Tua, Josh Allen. There's two AFC North, Lamar and Joe Burrow.
There's four AFC South Nobody, AFC West, Mahomes and Herbert. There's six NFC East. You know what, We'll give you jail and obvious for I always played this year, and I'll give you a dank. Now we're at eight NFC North. I won't give you Kirk Cousins and not Aaron Rodgers this year. I just won't do it. NFC South, we're giving you Brady. Sure give him Brady. We're at nine NFC West. The only possible argument is Geno, and that's ten. That's being as so. I think Trevor's better than Gino.
As good as Gino's been, It's tenth best quarterback in football. So the did I overvalue the Jags somewhat? Yes? Is Trevor Lawrence already in a lot of ways showing you in that dysfunctional franchise with urban Myers first year, just now getting his legs underneath him the upside. And let me ask another question. Here's another honest question. Take Mahomes out of it. You can if this was If this was the question, you've got to bet an amount of
money that matters to you. Are you certain there is any quarterback in the league that you would rather have for the next decade than Trevor Lawrence. Are you certain you'd rather have Josh Allen? Maybe, but the valleys are quite low and concerning. Are you certain you'd rather have Joe Burrow? Probably, but he's already got his knee blown out once he gets hit a lot. Are you certain you'd rather have Justin Herbert? I'd like to see Justin Herbert playing a big game before I'm certain of it now.
Are those guys better bets right now than Trevor Lawrence? Sure? But the only guy in the league that you are dead certain will be better than this guy for the next decade is Patrick Mahomes. He's the only one. And that's why he's the prince that was promised.
You saying, you're saying that Trevor Lawrence is better than Gino Smith was definitely racially motivated.
Okay, you can't say that, Oh I can't. You can't say that. We're live on YouTube. You can't say that. Hey man, it is clearly not racially motivated. And I have been Gino's biggest national one of his biggest national media supporters. The biggest has been Stephen Ruiz. I like Geno, but Trevor is a decade younger and clearly higher upside. If I had the ability to turn your microphone off, I would turn your microphone off. We're at halftime of the World Cup Games. We do a little FIFA forecast next.
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Welcome back in What's Right with Nick Right just tweeting out the live link to the show. You can add your comments or questions, and also you can add to the chat what you think Demanse's penalty should be for his libelous and slanderous comments. At the end of the last second, we don't need to revisit them. Instead, we're gonna talk soccer. So they go ahead and play the animation for the World Cup corner or what are we calling it? The few before guys. Oh, Canada scored, good
for them, Canada after their shameful World Cup. Oh well, they didn't really score. It was a Moroccan owned goal, all right, demons set us up for this, and then because we go ahead and set it up and then I'll get into.
It, all right.
In a winner go home game, the us men knocked out Iran of the world knocked Iran out of the World Cup.
By the way, I'm not trying to be a jerk. Iran Iran, And it's only because some of the Iranian journalists and players have been upset the people mispronouncing it. So Iran, go ahead, ran.
Yeah, they played the Netherlands Saturday. Yeah, after his injury, Christian Polisic, Oh.
You nailed it.
May not play.
He's gonna play. Go ahead.
Do you think that they can win and move on to the quarterfinal for the first time since two thousand and two?
Yep?
And is the future of US soccer brighter than ever? Regardless?
Okay, so I actually only want to spend a a couple of minutes on the US part of this because the rest of the tournament has been so interesting. But let me see. So here's the Netherlands, all right. Much like the US, the Netherlands didn't qualify for the last World Cup. Unlike the US, the Netherlands in the two previous World Cups made a semi appearance and a final appearance, so they finished second and then third or fourth in the twenty ten and twenty fourteen World Cups, but they
didn't make it in twenty eighteen. So the guys you remember from the amazing twenty fourteen team, now you remember soccer fans Van Persey and Robin those guys are gone, okay, but they still have one of the best defenseman defenders in the entire world in Virgil van Dyke. He is going to tower over all of the United States attacking players six foot four. He's one of the best defenders in the world. And the US has basically thrown away
all their corner kicks and set pieces. They don't have anyone who get a damn head on the ball, and with Virgil van Dyke back there, I don't like their chances and on those spots nothing. The Netherlands, they have not lost in in almost eighteen months. They are fifteen I'm sorry, thirteen zero and five thirteen wins, zero losses, five draws in their last eighteen matches at the on the international level. Okay, so it is a very very
difficult spot. However, the United States played a team that most people believe is far better, not far better, but better than the Netherlands in England and held them scoreless nil nil draw. The US has to capture its offensive attacking play from the first half against Iran and pair that for a full ninety minutes with the defense that exhibited against England, and then they have a real chance. And if they win, I believe it will be the best moment in the history of the United States of
US soccer. Nineteen thirty the US technically made the semifinals of the first World Cup ever, but that's nonsense. There was only thirteen teams in it. And then when we got to the semis they lost six to one. Okay. The next year, the next World Cup nineteen thirty four, they lost seven to one. In the knockout, they lost seven to one, finished dead last in the tournament. They then didn't make the World Cup forever. They have now qualified for seven of the last eight. They have only
once ever been passed this round. The round of sixteen, the one they played one time. It was in two They beat Mexico in the round of sixteen to nothing. They then lost in the quarterfinals. I think this would be the best moment in the United States soccer history. The reason it would be potentially that the futures the brightest is we the third youngest team in the entire tournament, so we have these guys to build on for four years from now when the World Cup is in the
United States. And so yes, it's bright. All of that is good. Now I want to talk about the tournament as a whole, which has kicked so much ass. Yesterday, just for an instance, Mexico's only path forward was to make up a four goal goal differential with Poland, so the and to score at least three goals. It was too nothing. Mexico and Poland was losing to nothing for like the last twenty minutes of both of those matches, with Mexico needing one more goal to advance, Poland would
have gone home. Mexico got the goal got called off due to and off sides had a few other chances, weren't able to do it. Amazing drama. Right now, Belgium's playing Croatia. Belgium one of the favorites for this whole tournament. If they don't win this game, they're done. They're going home. Assuming that it is not quite that cut and dry, because if Morocco were to somehow lose to Canada, then Belgium could theoretically move on with a draw. But Morocco
is not going to lose to Canada. So Belgium, one of the favorites for the tournament now is about forty five minutes for their lives. We've already seen Denmark, not one of the favorites, but a team no one thought was going to go home after the group phase go home because Australia, and Australia moves on. So it's already been unbelievable drama. Argentina going from the brink losing its first match to not only qualifying for the round of
sixteen but winning its group. It's and I don't have to give you the full breakdown of the whole World Cup so far, as far as from drama, and interest to me, it's been as fun of any World Cup of my lifetime. Also, France looks like they might be on another level of everybody. Brazil. I have a large financial investment in Brazil winning this whole thing, and I'm saying this now on the pod. If Brazil wins the World Cup, I am taking all the money I won.
I will win on Brazil winning the World Cup and using it to go to Brazil after the Super Bowl. It will I'd never been there. I didn't want to go there when Bolsonaro was president because it seems so scary. Well Carnival, sure, yeah, but it's the same so and yeah, I would be. The time that I have offered from work is right around the time of the end of Carnival in Brazil. I will go to it with the money I went on Brazil winning. It might go either way.
I also gave out a couple World Cup gambling picks. There was the one five team qualifier parlay that was like nine to one. That one didn't hit because Mexico didn't get through. The other big bet I told you guys, was Brazil and Argentina both to win their groups. You get that at even money now, Brazil is not technically locked up its group, but with a draw in their come in their match tomorrow, they would lock up their group, or even without the draw if as long as what
would they need to do, they would. The only way they don't win their group is if they lose and Switzerland wins by multiple goals, which isn't gonna happen. So the Brazil Argentina BET's gonna come through. So you're welcome to that, America. Now here's what I want to say real quick about non soccer fans and soccer fans. Folks find some folks find it annoying when non soccer fans are like, why do you even talk about this? Nobody cares? You know what. I'm not annoyed by that. I can
ignore that. That's fine. Here is the fan that I can't stand, the soccer fan gatekeeper, the hipster. I like soccer when it's not the World cop. What do you know? You shouldn't talk about this? You don't know any what do you know about a false nine? Go bleep yourself? Okay, First of all, the assumption that because folks in my business, some of us are not regularly talking about something that we know nothing about. It is ridiculous. That's first of all. I there are a lot of things I know a
lot about I don't talk about because the audience. I'm not doing the TV show for myself. I'm doing it for an audience. That's first of all. Second of all, stop being like the worst hipster music fans ever, which get mad when their band gets popular. Oh I watched them when they were in a seventy person venue and the cover charge was a was a piece of popcorn. And now you like them because they're playing City. Yeah,
people like cool, popular things and the idea. But at least with like the hipster band fan, maybe they can take some real ownership of it. Guys, there's eight million people on the planet, more than one billion of them like soccer. You're not special, there's nothing unique. It's literally the most popular sport in the entire god dog world. So stop trying to patronize or talk down to people
who maybe am I gonna act like that? The Premier League schedule to me is the same as an NFL Sunday where I'm watching every of course not but I really just like I love Tennis. Am I watching the Indian Wells? Open. I'm not. Do I give a Do I care an immense amount about the Grand Slams? I do? Do I have a favorite La Liga team?
No?
But do I watch the Champions League? Do I have a favorite Premier League team? Yeah? And it's just so these some folks are supportive of it. But and like, oh, Nick, it's so cool to see you talking soccer, and some folks you just want to kick them in.
The shins the soccer security.
Yeah, like like like if all of a sudden I tried, you know what I mean. I was big on frisbee golf and be were like, hey man, there's like our cool little click. Maybe I get it. It's called the World's game. It is the biggest sporting event in the world. It's the only sport played by tens of millions of people on every continent. Australia just made the Group of
six the knockout round. Every continent's gonna be it gonna be represented except for Andarctica, which doesn't have people so irritating all right, By the way, I told you I'd to keep you guys posted. Uh, Morocco's still leading Canada to one. Belgium in Croatian now to the nil nil. All right, let's get to the well. I don't know what we're doing here, all right, So we're.
Playing a new game that I'm not sure it's so new.
I feel like we've got a game that we've played very similar to this before. But yeah, oh, let's talk a little NBA. Yeah, I'm gonna save the frisbee golf until Monday. Okay, it's time for a new game called tear it Down and turn it around.
Okay.
I will give you a team who's underperforming, and you will decide whether it's time for them to tear it down and trade away their players or if they just need to have patience and let it turn around.
Okay, all right, First up, let's look at the MAVs and my step brother Luca. It's not your step brother, my large adult Slovenia. I didn't marry his mother. Like that's how that works. You use my other adopted son. He just doesn't know it yet. There's no, we don't have step siblings in our house. You know that?
Go ahead, all right.
Your twentieth greatest player of all time is him. He just went off for forty one, twelve and twelve vers the Warriors, but the rest of the team is a mess and they're only ten and ten. Should the MAVs tear it down or turn it around?
Listen, they're in a really rough spot and they remind me a little too much of the Calves the first time Lebron was there, where this guy is so good and they can't build the right team around him. I don't, I don't. You can't tear it down.
I mean they already started.
Brunson's gone, right, but they and that was I mean, that was him leaving. They The problem is they don't they need another They need a very unique player. They need an Anthony Davis or a Evan Mobley, a great defensive player that's good around the rim, that doesn't need the ball a ton. And those guys are hard to come by. Yeah, and so what they've got to do is crush the draft and what they all. Here's the thing though, for the reason why I wouldn't tear it down,
the West is so wide open. So the Kawie didn't play basketball anymore. The Lakers are gonna be happy just get in the playoffs. I all, I don't leave. The Nuggets are head and shoulders better than the MAVs in a playoff series. They just beat the Warriors, right like they the Suns, they beat them in a playoff series last year. I still think you can make the finals. What the MAVs have going for them is and Crochet
almost just scored. They will have the best player on the court in every series they play, unless they play the Bucks in the finals. And people got mad at me about this that I'm not giving Tatum his respect, and Tatum's playing unbelievable and I did have him underrated last year, that he's been great. Demand is going to get to see Tatum play in person on Sunday. But the Giannis is clearly the best player in the world. And as clear as that is, Luca is clearly the
second best player in the world. And then there is a real argument right now about Steph Durant and Tatum three four five, how you would slot them. But Luca is the best player in his conference. So you can't tear it down next.
All right, The Heat or a Jimmy Butler missed three away from making the finals just a few months ago. Now they aren't even a top ten ten in the East with an aging cores.
What should this team do.
Should they tear it down or turn it around?
All right, I'm going to try to make a trade real quick. They have to tear it.
It seems like they're already tearing it down. They're doing something to me.
No, that's true, but I don't think they're intentionally doing that. All right, I want to see if I can make this trade work. God, I hope I can make this trade work. Please, let me make this trade work. All right, this is what we are going to try and again. And let me say this. On the front end, Russ has been good. Okay, Russ has turned it around a bit, and he's been good. Let me see if this trade works. Oh,
it works. The Los Angeles Lakers need to call the Miami Heat and say, you guys are a very attractive free agent destination, but you've got some bad contracts. Duncan Robinson most notably, you don't play him and you owe him seventy million over the next four years. You also
just extended Jimmy that window is probably closed. We will give you two expiring contracts and our first round picks that we had been holding on to, which could be absolute lottery tickets, and you could use them in future trades Russ and Patrick Beverly's sixty million of expiring contracts to Miami for Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson. You get off Duncan Robinson, you and the Lakers throw in the twenty seven and twenty nine first round picks. The Lakers
would play Duncan Robinson. They're playing Damn Matt Ryan, who's a poor man Duncan Robinson just because they need shooting. Jimmy would fit in great with Lebron and names and the heat can reset some things and just try to build moving forward around Bam. So I'm saying tear it down because it's the Lakers only path forward and because I think it works all right next, all.
Right, the Bulls, they're barely holding it together, waiting for the waiting for Lonzo to return, and are only nine to twelve. Damar is still playing at a high level, but Lavine still isn't right from his injury.
Should the Bulls tear it down or turn it around?
I think the Bulls are pot committed to this year. I think you got to try to turn it around this year and then potentially do a tear down in the offseason. They traded a lot for Vucevic. They paid all these guys, they've the injury bugs killed them. And the fact that the East is awesome. I mean, the East is awesome. You have the Box and the Celtics clearly at the top. You have the Sixers and the Nets who have underachieved, but I think still scare people.
I don't put the Nets on that level, but they still scare people. The Calves are great, and you know the Bulls are justin also ran at this point.
All right, next, where's Tony Snell playing at these days? Oh?
Boy, why do you ask me that?
I don't know?
Man, I just the I wish you hadn't asked me that live. I should know it. Oh, he's on the Pelicans. He went to the Pelicans this year. I don't even know how much he's played. But why did Tony Snell come up out of.
Because I knew he played for the Bulls. I was just hoping like it.
Yeah, so Tony Snell shouldn't be what what I just.
Think Tony Snell what a bad juju to the teams?
Okay, but he's it played for the Bulls six years ago.
Buddy, Sorry, why are you asking me a Tony Snell.
It's been six years. Take them on. He's played for the the Bucks, the Pistons, the Hawks, the Blazers, and the pelicanizing and I and you know what, I don't even now. I don't feel as bad because I don't know that he has played. If he actually is on a roster this year, he might Because Tony Snell his last team was the I was gonna be so embarrassed there because I was, like, I've watched a ton of Pelicans games. I haven't seen Tony Snell he last played
for the Pelicans. Okay, I feel better now he's I don't know that he's on a roster right now? Uh all right, yeah, so okay, let's move on from the Tony Snell part of the show, all right.
After making one of the worst trades in NBA history to acquire Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves are living their worst nightmare. The team has no chemistry and now Cat is hurt. Should the Timberwolves tear it down and.
Turn it around?
They can't tear it down there. They got nothing to They traded everything for Gobert. It's such a shameful, it's such an indictment on Gobert.
Yeah, did you see the play where he was like him and Cat were they kind of on the left side of the court and they were passing it back to each other and Rudy Gobert in falling and like trying to tip the ball over the cat as he was falling and it ended up being stolen.
Just reminded me of like a fifth grade basketball game. I was pretty bad at basketball in fifth grade.
Really bad. No, I'm not killing you, but you were really bad. You like were like going through an awkward growth spurt. You hadn't like found yourself yet, and you always were like your short's funny, your uniform looked weird. You had those stupid long legs, but then you ended up getting good leg But uh, no, I didn't see that play. I was too busy watching Tony Snell tape.
All right, next, All right, you knew what was coming sooner or later. The Lakers, maybe they really improved since we last discussed him to the third worst team in the West. Maybe instead of trading Russer a D they should trade Lebron. Should the Lakers tear it down or turn it around?
Okay, so first of all, I'm not going to kill you for this one, because this has been a topic on a lot of television shows. Should the Lakers trade Lebron? They literally can't. I don't. This is maddening to me that my colleagues the other networks don't understand. I'm not saying you have to know the intricacies of the CBA in every single way, like what's the what's the taxpayer exemption mean, and what's the ape for and all these things.
What you should know is that because of the date Lebron signed his extension, he is not eligible to be traded until the day on the calendar that happens to be one day after the trade deadline he is on. So when you sign an extension, you can't be traded for X amount of days. Lebron maybe intentionally signed his extension on the date that makes it so the Lakers can't trade him until the trade deadline is pass so
he is untradeable this year. Now, when it comes to Lakers, you are correct that they are the third worst team in the West. What However, another way to put it is this, they are three games out of the sixth seed, so the third worst team in the West. But that's eight and twelve right now. The sixth seed is eleven and nine, so that and that's the Kings, and they are two games out of the playing eighty is playing the best he's played in years, and as I told
you guys, would be the case. One of the sneaky problems with the Lakers early in the year was, yes, Russ was terrible until he started coming off the bench, and credit to him for being good since then. But Lebron pre injury was the worst three point shooter in basketball. He was shooting twenty four percent from three on seven
a game. And the reason I was not concerned is because I told you, guys, Lebron's gonna shoot thirty four percent thirty five percent from three without ever really shooting thirty four to thirty five percent. He's gonna shoot twenty five percent, and then you're gonna shoot forty percent, and he's gonna he gets hot and gets cold. Since coming back from the injury, Lebron James from three is shooting
fifty percent on nine a game. So all of a sudden on the season, let me see what he is, because last night he had another He was six of eight from three and the Lakers, by the way, I mean they had obviously a terrible loss to the Pacers, up seventeen in the fourth quarter. It's just an unforgivable loss. So now all of a sudden, Lebron on the season is shooting thirty three percent from three, so that he got the average backup to respectable number. Lakers can't blow
it up. You're not trading ad Russ. If you would trade him, it's not to blow it up. It's to try to win right now, and Lebron's untradeable. We answer your questions as Croatia almost scores again. Next, what's right? All right? Welcome back. In last segment, We're gonna go quick here so we can watch the end of the World Cup and I gotta shortly get on a plane to Vegas. Demanse, what are our fan questions?
Marco's are Chamizu's. Oh no, Marco's are yeah, Shamizu says, yes. Bill hosts you at his parents house in Brazil for free.
Okay, it's a very very kind offer. I'm not gonna take you up on that. It feels like it would be uncomfortable for your parents, certainly, Hey, mom and dad, this guy his talk show host that I watched in America is coming to Brazil izetidosis. Here's the other problem with that, Uh, Brazil is a massive country. Like, so I looked up a place that I might want to visit because I'm if I go, I'm gonna fly into Rio. And I was like, I looked at it on the map and I'm like, wonder how long that drive is
and the answer is sixteen hours. So I'm like, oh, won't be visiting that. It's like the United States and that you. I think people who aren't from their underestimate how massive geographically it is. That's very, very kind of you. We do have those some Brazilian fans, including a guy who was such a fan of First Things First. This is one of the greatest moments of my career, honestly, and I wish I had his picture with easily accessible.
We put it on the show. We had talked about on the TV show the vaccine stuff, I think around the time of Kyrie's all his stuff, and I made it very clear that I was a big proponent of science and a healthy, safe, effective vaccine. There was a listener or a viewer from Brazil who got his vaccine he said after hearing us talk about it, and brought with him like a soccer flag, but it was my face on it and held it up up when he
was getting his shot. We have, honestly, God, So we have the the Caribbean and South America that's in the Eastern time zone or the Central time zone or the one that's a little an hour later, like, uh, what was it? I don't know if it was Trinidad or Trinidad. A lot of the people that watch the Morning watched the Morning Show, so like we have a fair amount
of viewers internationally as certainly on YouTube. So I would love if I end up going to Brazil to see some people that you know, see some people from Brazil watch the show staying at the parents house. Though I'm gonna I'm gonna kindly decline. All right, next, all right, dad.
S what are your thoughts on live standings in soccer? Can't decide if it's the greatest or worst thing.
Ever.
I think it's really smart. I love it if people don't know what it means, it means they they flash you the standings for the group if the current scores hold, and I think it's great. So it's so yesterday, for example, demant when they were showing us the live standings because Argentina was winning. In the live standings, Argentina had three more points than what it actually had in the moment because they were saying, if these results hold, this is what it is, and it really matters when it comes
down to tiebreakers. I don't think the only time that would be super useful in American sports would be Week eighteen in the NFL, which it would be like, okay, if these you know, we're in the second half of Week eighteen as of now, here's what the stands would be if these results hold, all right?
Next? Uh So, Christian asked, what's your Premier League team?
Well, it had been Liverpool purely. I'm gonna be honest about this because I you know, I'm good friends with Maverick Carter, Lebron's business partner, and Maverick owned a piece of it, but they since sold a piece of it and bought a piece of it an Italian league team. So I but I'll stick with Liverpool. Liverpool's team I play with in FIFA. Liverpool is the team I know the best because a few years ago a friend of mine bought a piece of it, so I rooted for them.
Prior to that, I would have said I didn't have a Premier League team. Prior to that, I would have just said I was a Barcelona fan because they had all the best players in the world. But now that now PSG has all the best players in the world, I actually dislike it because they're in a small, crummy league and everyone on FIFA uses PSG every time and it is infuriating.
Next Matt Pozzoulo as book club this week.
All right, So that's a bad job by me. No book club this week. Next, and last week we didn't have a Thursday show, so I know we're way behind on book club. Next week we're going to do an extended book club because the book's got to be finished. So everyone's got to finish our book for book club last week or next week. Pardon me, a Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrec. We've got to finish it. I have finished it, but I don't have the full book club prepared. I also clearly don't really
know how to do book club. But next week we finished the book and we officially assign our next book.
All right, next, all right, Zach said, I think Demonda should.
Have to wear the Patrick Beverly jersey for a whole episode for those out of pocket.
Gino Smith comments.
I mean there's got to be some type of punishment. I don't know what it is. I mean, it's just, you know, I mean, just going at me for really no reason on something that is, you know, important to me, which is my sterling record of commitment to racial justice across all races and categories of people. Huh yeah, yeah, fair enough.
I just felt like, yeah.
Okay, we don't have to revisit it. We don't have to revisit it. It's fine. Church eight one six said demons should. I don't think so that's the I would be surprised. It was like, we have a friend that hosts a radio show in Kansaday called The Church. Elaslo An eight one six. Casey aia Code says, Demand should be made to wear pants for a month. Now that it's called Demand's gonna be wearing pants. But as soon as it hits sixty again, it's gonna be knees and
thighs out. All right, everyone will be back for the Gambling show tomorrow. I'll be back on TV. Monday, enjoy the end of croixcha Belgium. Let me, let me make sure Canada didn't score again. Canada's not scored again, Morocco's holding on well. And I'll maybe see some of you guys in Vegas this weekend. If not, see you for the Gambling Show tomorrow and see you on TV and on the podcast on Monday. What's Right