Welcome. In episode three point fifty one, What's right when Nick Wright presented to you by boost Mobile. If you guys aren't subscribed to the pod, this past weekend is a good reason example is why you should be. We had World Series of Poker, seven time greats that win, our poker champion and the best poker broadcaster in the world, Nick Shulman on the rare late Friday night pod, shout out to Paul and all the folks who helped out with that, and even if you're not a poker fan.
He then gave some awesome boxing commentary and some boxing picks. Now the picks didn't end up winning, however, he handicapped the Manny Paciow fight to a t. We were on the right side of that fight got absolutely robbed, robbed by the judges, and I thought so. But the reason I'm mentioning that here is it wasn't part of a
regular schedule. It was kind of a time sensitive. We did it Friday night, the fights were Saturday night, and so if you're not subscribed to the pod, you missed it, and so subscribe on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify for the audio, the visual feeds all of that like rate review. The ratings and the reviews do help more than I think they probably should, but they do, so we appreciate all that. So there is that we have an absolutely jam packed
show today. We have like nine topics all for everything from Dame going back to the Blazers, Marcus Smart signing with the Lakers, CP three going to the Clippers, Why don't necessarily believe in the Lions? Jerry Jones is just silly comments on Micah Parsons and two somewhat heavy topics to not even have one topic's heavy the other one's
obvious to start the show. So we're gonna try to be faster than we typically are, particularly on the more impactful times where sometimes I go twenty thirty minutes because we just don't have time for that. Also, before we get to what missed, brought to your straight the voicemail brought to you by Boosmow. Before we get to that, Demon's a big day. Good to see you, pal, love that Bodie your You're dressed immaculately. I'm wearing one of
my worst white T shirts. But such is life. Big day in the right household today, Pow, do you know what's happening today. Baby sisters going off to sleep away camp for three weeks. Oh she leaves, she leaves in like an our Hell yeah, and.
So exciting stuff.
Exciting, a little nerve racking, but exciting all the same. So all of that is happening and going on here. She might pop in if she has to leave while we're doing the pod to say goodbye, so that'll be nice. Uh. There was one other thing. Oh yeah, by the way, your baby sister, she is keeping you to the she gets to come to LA and spend a weekend with you or longer with you this summer and summer is
rapidly ending. So I'm just letting you know you're gonna need some time available in mid to late August where Deane is gonna be with you. I'm just getting you aeat of time. We still got time, okay, all right, no problem? All right. By the way, so here's what's not on the pod today. Straight to voicemail, brought to you by boost Mobile. The Chiefs extended. George Carloftis I love the deal? Is it a risk? Yeah? Because if he doesn't continue on the trajectory that he is, then
it'll end up being a contract they don't love. But if he does continue on the trajectory that he's on, then it is an absolute steal. It is almost on average annual value, it's about half of what the top pass rushers are getting now Hornets when their first title in franchise history. Is not lost on me that the Hornets finally won something and it was in a tournament LaMelo did not play in. And the Eagles receive their ridiculous Super Bowl rings that have pop out wings on them.
I'm not bitter at all. They're the deserving champions. Those rings are outrageous. All right, demons, Let's get to the story from the weekend, which is the WNBA All Star Game. Kind of so, go ahead.
Yeah, So the ladies of the WNBA All Star Game, we're protesting with shirts that read pay us what you owe us, And Kelsey Plum took a little bit of a shot at Caitlin Clark after and said that zero members of Team Clark were very present. It could have been an inside thing, could have been a dig. What did you see here?
Okay, So the Kelsey Plum thing I think was totally misconstrued and that's not the real story. But I want to address it, because Ramona Shelbourne also, I thought, did a good job addressing it this morning. So Kelsey Plum is up on the dais with was it Sabrina who
was the other player alongside her? Yeah, okay, so what Sabrina. Sabrina, by the way, is on Team Clark, and they talk about the meeting that morning about wearing the shirts, and Kelsey Plum says, like, now, no members of Team Clark were there, taking poking fun at Sabrina and also I think or I thought, poking fun at the fact that they had all been out partying the night before and that team didn't get up in time. That was my initial reaction. Ramona Shelbourne then reports out on it today.
WNBA players, including Kelsey Plum, had been discussing the pay
US what UoS T shirts for over a week. According to multiple sources, they settled on the idea at breakfast Saturday morning that very few players on Team Clark attended because of the early start, but just to make sure, sources said, uh, Brianna Stewart and the FISA Collier and others went by the Team Clark locker room before the game to make sure they were on board with the IDM plan they were, I thought, Ramona writes, I thought it was fairly obvious Kelsey Plum tried to make a
joke that didn't land the meeting where players decided to where the shirts at eight there on Saturday. Understandable that not many from Team Clark made it after what we saw on stud buds from the night before. Now, I am not locked in enough on WNBA lore to know about this stud bud stream prior to WNBA All Star weekend. It seemed very popular during All Star weekend, but I was. I am logical enough to know Kelsey Plumb was not in a moment of WNBA player unity taking a shot
at half of the All Stars. But because Caitlin Clark's name was involved, people took it and ran with it. That's not the story. The story is how many people are such utter losers. And here's what I mean, folks, general rule of thumb blind. If workers are trying to extract more money from owners and management, general rule of thumb, you should be on the worker's side. Now, I know some of you listening are like, well what about me? I own a eighteen person habit astery business, and that
I'm an owner. Okay, good you, I guess can be management. But the vast majority of us, and I say this by the way, as a silent partner owner of a small business. Uh you know it's very small. It's my wife's boutique. But like I guess, I technically have my hand in both pots. Worker and business owner. Doesn't matter. The people that create the product create the value. Those people trying to extract more money at the very least,
you shouldn't be rooting against them. And if you are going to try to be like, well, actually, here's the thing, Actually know what the hell you're talking about. So here's the reality. Does anybody at does anybody intelligent actually think that, well, Max's contract in the NBA. In the NBA is around fifty million a year, so I guess max contract in the WNBA should be about fifty million a year. No,
nobody's making that case. Nobody with a platform that matters is arguing NBA and WNBA players should be paid dollar for dollar the same, like the purses at Wimbledon can be. But it makes sense for the purses at Wimbledon to be the same men's and women's they get similar TV ratings. The tickets self for the same they are generating the same money. The issue that the WNBA players have that
is a fair and correct issue is multifold. And again, so many losers are just bootlcking management sellouts because they think one day they might actually be It's the same folks that are like, well, you know, right now, a tax policy that helps out the lower class would help me. But what about when I have fifty million dollars and I want to pass that down to my kids. It's like, buddy, probably not getting there. You probably should worry a little bit more of the here and the now than the
estate tax. But I digress. What people are arguing is in the NBA demands if it's a fifty to fifty split of back br basketball related income. So if the league generates ten billion dollars, the player's salaries get five billion, and that's how you pay the players. The owners get five billion, and that's how they run the league, you know what I mean, pay all the bills that come associated with running the league, and they hope there's money
left over. It's fifty to fifty in the NBA. Do you have a guess what again, the size of that pie doesn't change. The size of the pie can change. Pardon me, the split does not. It's fifty to fifty. It used to Brew told me the other day. It used to be sixty three thirty seven in the player's favor, and the owners have kind of chipped away at it or whatever. But it's fifty to fifty now, which feels pretty fair. Like okay, Like I'm not gonna act like
owners don't do anything. I'm not gonna act like they're unimportant. Now. I would always again, yeah, I would always listen. I'm a union guy. I'm a union kid. I my dad was the president of the firefighters union for basically my entire life. I you know, I am a union guy. My first term paper I ever wrote my life was about leq WALSSA and the Polish Solidarity movement. It's colored my politics, It's colored who I am. It's I think when a lot of people talk about man, you know,
we see these stupid old tweets. They're like, you know, in the seventies, you know, you people were able to the man worked, the wife stayed at home, you had a car, you had a house, you sent your kid's school. It is like what changed and people because they're dopes, are like, what changed is immigrants? What changed is the union? Jobs and factors and stuff like that. But again, sorry for being political this morning, but this is kind of a political thing. So go back to you demand what
do we think or what is your guest? Yeah, the split players owner to player? What do you think the split is as of this moment?
I think it's like seventy thirty.
How about ninety one to nine?
Oh wow? Any one nine owners?
Ninety one to nine owners? Now what folks reaction is gonna be? But the league loses money? But twenty two two thirds of the league he lost money last year? Got it? Okay? So quick question on that honest question because the world has changed in the last two years in the WNBA, thanks in large part to Kitlin Clark, not solely to Kaitlin Clark, but she's the driving force and the success of women's college basketball and the eyes
and the ratings, all of that. Guys, you think right now WNBA teams are worth more or less than worth two years ago. You think that if you bought the WNBA team two years ago and you offered it up for sale today, that you would get more or less money. Do you think if it's such a bad business that, oh my god, you can't you can't claw any more money away from Are there a bunch of WNBA teams for sale, It's like, oh my god, nobody will buy one? Or are they expanding the league? Is it a league
where more people want to get in? Again? I don't want to.
Expand in the league.
Doesn't it also make it pretty pretty weird to up it right now? Wouldn't it make sense for like once the all the teams are there, because then there's gonna be some other split taken away from the teams when those two teams do get there.
Is that, Well, no, I it's split because like in the NBA, they're going to bring it right, You're bringing
in more money. There's expansion fees all that, and I don't I'm not going to I have to be careful on what I say here, but I actually have a little bit of insight into what what it costs for a new w NBA team because Kansas City is trying to get one, and I have had very casual conversations about being a very very small part of an investment group, and I gotta tell you it ain't cheap right now, people think WNBA's on the uptick, they think it's a
growth industry. It is so because it is. And so this idea that the players should just be satisfied, and this idea that the poor WNBA owners like, uh think about the owners that are losing money, when with most pro sports, the real profit is in the appreciation of the team that in over years, when you eventually cash out, you know what I mean, you make ten twenty one hundred acts on what your initial investment was. That's what it is. And then there is this other very basic
logical point. Is there any other capitalistic endeavor? So I'm not talking about social workers, I'm not talking about kindergarten teachers, I'm not talking about firemen. The capitalistic endeavor where someone of Caitlyn Clark's quality, and I will use her as an example because she is the most visible player in the league. Is there any other field in the world where someone of Caitlyn Clark's caliber would make less than eighty thousand dollars a year. Think about it, just for real,
think about it. And the answer is no, there is not. So it is a little right now out of whack. It is why Britney Griner a few years ago was over in Russia playing ball and got caught up. Uh, because you can make more money overseas, which is another point. Is there proof of concept that you can pay women athletes more than the WNBA pays them and still be a functional business. Yeah, because leagues across Europe do it.
So again, nobody serious is arguing that the WNBA players and the NBA players should make the same amount of money. But nobody serious can actually think that Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese and Paige Becker's making seventy some grand a year is a proper payment for services rendered. And again just a rule of thumb. If there is a labor dispute and you don't know much about it, I'm not saying the workers one hundred percent of the time in every labor dispute across the border and the right, I'm
not saying that. What I am saying is, if there is a labor dispute and you don't know much about the actual details, and your gut reaction is to side with ownership, you're a sucker.
Or your sexist.
Well, in this instance, there's a lot of that. In this instance, there is for the grand scheme, Yeah, there is. You're being more specific to the WNBS. Yeah, And I mean so, I guys, this is where and I am not you know, Adam Smith in that I am not a true market zealot. However, there is a beauty to an actual marketplace, which is, if it's such a bad deal for owners, why is no one selling their teams? Huh?
Like?
Why? Well, by the way, you people who are like concerned about the long term trajectory of the NBA. If you are, you have a few like ooh, data points of the MAVs sold, the Celtic sold, the Lakers sold, Like, why did those ownership groups get out? Now? The flip side to that is they sold for these insane amounts of money. So maybe that's a sign in the favor
that it's healthy, but it is. It is just outrageous the amount of people that were like, pipe down, ladies, be happy when the truth of the matter is, in America, celebrity is super valuable, and over the last couple of years, the WNBA players have become celebrities, and Caitlin might have been the driving force, but she ain't the only celebrity. Hell, the oh my goodness, Sophie Cunningham is a legit star. Angel Reese is a legit star. Page is a star.
Turns out the stud Buds crew have this huge twitch or stream following you again, so oh yeah, absolutely. I was trying to mention more of like the newer players, but yeh, Sabrina's been but yet all those folks. Asia Wilson is a legit star and she's been around for a while. Like, obviously the money's not right. All right, we'll get to something lighter like the commander's team name in a minute, But first, nothing says summer like long days, clutch plays and firing off a few bets on the game,
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All right, demonse, before we get to the commander's team name special guest. For the first time in a while, we're gonna try to squeeze her in here. Deanna, you can sit down, Demanda, have you seen her?
I was just about to tell you we haven't talked. I love your hair, you get you look a lot like mom. Right now, you're you're all ready for camp. Those are gonna do good for your three weeks.
All right, so three weeks at camp? Are you ready? Are you sad? Yeah? You're gonna miss us. But oh sorry, I need to get you more on Mike. My apologies. We're very excited. We have to By the way, I meant to tell you this, I'll call you guys. After the pod, we have to schedule her phone call. It's like it's like prison. You got to schedule a phone calls. You're gonna be there. You're just gonna be scrubbing floors, gonna be doing all this stuff. So I don't want
to say what camp you're going to. But no, oh no, they can't see. It's fine, it's not on camera. I don't want to say what camp you're going to, but it's gonna be awesome. It's your second time at sleep away camp, but it's your first time that your sister won't be there, and you're gonna crush. Now, I do have a question for you, if you don't mind answering it. So this isn't all girls camp? Yeah, but I was reading about some of the details. Do they have dances? Yes,
so it's just all you girls dancing together. So what's the deal there? You know what's the deal?
You're asking me this because you.
Want to say on camera. Well, I'm just I'm just trying to get the details. Your brother certainly doesn't know the Brother camp. The Brother camp. Yeah, a boy from my school goes there. Oh, really, don't say his name. But are you friends with him. No, oh okay, all right, that's good. So how often do you guys meet up with them? You don't know? All right, what are you most excited for?
You don't know.
You don't you got to stay trip for the first time in your life. I'm just excited for everything. You're excited for everything. Is there a number you're gonna try to water ski? I'm not gonna try. You are gonna water ski? Anything else? I need to know? Okay, do you want to go?
Yeah?
Did you do that?
Oh?
The half onun at camp Dana. No, he's not in charge of the graphics. No, that's not that's that's not his thing. All right, you're gonna do great. Give me a giant hug. I love you, Sorry. This is the this family business. So this is what we gotta do. She's on our way, on her way to camp. You're gonna crush give me kiss. I love you bye. Can I have the AirPod back?
All right?
I'm gonna call you guys after the pod to set up a phone call. Love you baby. See you don't forget anything. Double check your backpack. Okay, I love you bye? All right. So there was that she was supposed to leave in at noon, but she's leaving now. So there there was that. So, uh, thank you guys for that. And now the Washington Commander's team name, I mean, get to this podcast is a little bit of everything today. All right, go ahead.
So the commanders are they're trying to build a new stadium.
Hold on, wait, wait, pause, pause, go ahead, you need more money? All right, just go on my safe and grab grab alright, I love you.
It's open.
Well, my wife knows that you think i'd be allowed to have a safe in this house that your mom doesn't know the combination? Are you kidding me?
Are they sounded like the door was just like wide open. You're like, yeah, just go grab it out of my safe for me.
I guess Mom's no, no, no, it's fine. Go ahead, all right, so let's yeah, go ahead.
Commanders are trying to build a new stadium. Donald Trump is trying to put that in a halt.
Uh.
There could be a number of problems here, but he does not like their current name. He wants to revert back to the Redskins, which you know was discontinued because it was insensitive.
What are your thoughts here?
This is we just live in the dumbest timeline man. So I'm I'm not going to do I'm not even going to like wade into the obvious like distraction piece of this because I'm not. I just don't have time for it.
I just.
Demanse. I want you because I think you will be stunned to if you can, can you click on the link that I put right beneath the story, because here's the deal. So people people conflate things, don't scroll through it yet demonse okay, and they're like, why why did Washington changed its name but Florida State didn't? Why are the braves and the Chiefs allowed but the Indians weren't? And these are not complex questions, okay. And the answer is, is there an argument that all of the Native American
imagery should be removed? There's an argument. I actually don't believe in that argument. I do think there is things where you can be actually honoring a culture. Now. I think that, for example, the thing my Chiefs fans do that I hate is the tomahawk tomahawk chop, which I think that's borderline racist, not even borderline at all in Garrison, and I would if people don't know what it is, I would show you, but I'm not gonna have a clip of me on you know that can be snipped
on camera of doing that. But it's just like the old school, like cowboys and Indians thing for the Indian side, and so I don't like that. But the Chief's logo in and of itself, just like the Braves logo or the Seminoles, which the Seminole tribe tribe of northern Florida has not only signed off on but is a party to that, I think certainly you can make arguments for it. You can't and you never could make an argument for pardon me Redskin because it's.
A literal slur.
And you couldn't make an argument for Indians because the logo was literally a smiling, painted red based caricature and you might be like, oh, we were laid on that, and we were. But those are undeniably racist. So I guess what it comes down to is this, does the potential racism or insensitivity have any deniability? And if the answer is yes, then we can have the discussion. But if the answer is no, And when you have a literal painted red face or your name is a literal slur,
then it shouldn't be used. And the reason I wanted Demonde to go to this link is I it is unbelievable when you look back at how many teams had Native American imagery and they were all the same, cartoonish, outrageous looking. What would have been called then Indian the Philadelphia Warriors was basically a naked guy with a feather in his hat, a funny nose dribbling a basketball. That
was an outrageous depiction. If you scroll down further, Saint John's who used to be called the Red Men and then became the Red Storm because again red men is a racist character, is a racist term. It was again a dude with a giant headdress, again the similar nose dribbling a basketball. Some of these are out my my. My school used to be called the Orange Men. Again, if we are ever if there's ever a name that's color and then skin like color of skin and then person,
it's probably one you don't want. And so Syracuse used to be the Orange Men. Their Native American mascot was outrageously racist, so they got rid of it. And these are not things we need to argue about. There is no proper way to call a team redskin there isn't it's a racist term. And now you might be like, Nick, how racist is it? If you're comfortable saying it because you wouldn't say the N word on the air, you wouldn't say other slurs. And I'll be honest, I kind
of like it debated that with my head. In my head, I feel like because it was the team name for decades that that I don't want to say there was a numbing of the slur. But I guess I'm just more comfortable saying it in this type of conversation even though you would you would never again. Another good rule of thumb, if calling someone a team name might get you punched in the face, it shouldn't be a team name.
Like you might see a guy and be like, what's up, chief, and he's not gonna fight you, or like I'm thinking of the other the But if you see someone and you called him the old Washington team name, he justifiably might punch you in the face. And so I I just don't of all the things we need now, if you want to say bring back the colors, bring back, we actually do want it to be. We want to find a name that is that evokes Native American heritage
and all those things. I'll listen, and I thought, Commanders, that's kind of what they were trying to do. But I'll listen to you on it. But the Cleveland Indian, and I also the Cleveland Indians' logo was an outrage and Washington's name wasn't outrage. And yes, there's a million things Trump related, like ten years ago, did he tweet the President's got more important things to do than worry
about Washington's football team name? Of course, does Trump have you know, other things going on right now that he might want the media distracted from. Sure as all of that, but there also is at its core, what so much of this bullshit comes down to, is I wanna be angry about having to adjust any little bit of language because other people want me to. And now again, is there an argument that at times we have over corrected in that area? Sure, is there a free speech I'm
allowed to do it, of course. But then there is just the very basic, simple, not hard and every other team for the last at least twenty years across collegiate and professional sports, was able to follow it, which is, don't have your team name be a dictionary defined slur after that we can start having a bit of a debate. But there is just a certain group of folks that just want to always be mad. Like I saw the the the outkit guys tweeted, did you see demanse the
L Duncan viral clip about L Duncan. She's a sports center anchor. She does a great job. She was doing halftime of the w NBA All Star Game.
Oh yeah, I did, I did you saw this? L.
L Duncan is doing like tossing to break at halftime of the All Star Game and the the w NBA All Star Game notably much like the NBA All Star Game this year, not a lot of defense. And so she says, and I think this is the quote, what I'll call it a paraphrase, she said, much like a all girls trip to can Kun, there's no d and then they go to break. Now, you might say that's a little risk a for the for ESPN, it certainly courage for her to say that in that setting. I
also think El Duncan's never been shy on courage. You also can say it's a corny joke. I don't know. It made me chuckle just because the setting it would have been a grown worthy joke if like a stand up comics like, hey, just see enough to be an all star game? That like if it was like a whole set up punch light thing. But in a given the setting of it and the kind of reaction, yes,
it was just so out of nowhere. I thought it was funny, and then those I always have to be mad at everything losers are like, can you imagine if a man made this type of joke about women?
And no, okay, not about women, but inappropriate jokes during an NBA YEA something is.
Sure, but no, but the answer is like, listen, man, everything doesn't have to be Uh, woe is me the oppressed straight white male that just can't get a break these days, And it's just you're just playing the same song again and again and again and again, and it's just so tired and so like folks, if if you wanted to have like a smart discussion of have we
over policed language? Is it speaking of white folks? Is it a lot of in some instances, white mostly liberal white people changing language in relation to people of color that don't actually want it changed, like the Latin X stuff, and you know, like that if you want to have like a smart actually you know, discussion. There's there is
room for that. But if you want to die on the hill of one of the thirty two teams in the NFL, their team name should be a literal, dictionary defined slur, then you're just an asshole.
And a weird thing to be trying to halt the construction of the building to go back to something like I can see if he was saying you have to change your name from Redskins to Commanders, but to change it back, it's just it's.
A And again, I don't think that they're I don't think they're actually gonna halt the name and they're not gonna go They're not changing the name back. No, you know what I mean. They're not. They're not changing the name back. It's just such a it's just such a weird hild for groups of folks to like be worked up about it. I don't I don't totally get it.
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extra five G speeds not available in all areas. All right, demanse, let's get to the actual football stuff and we'll go through these relatively quickly.
Go ahead, So Jerry Jones feels like they're going to do well with getting micro Parsons extended, or maybe not. He said that just because we sign him doesn't mean we're going to have him. He missed six games last year. What do you think that Jerry's trying to get done by saying this?
Nothing? Just news cycles and just talking. But here is what to me is so funny about this situation. Jerry. Jerry is laying out all of these I think somewhat clumsy and not exactly profound points on you know, the risks of paying players, like, yes, they they might get hurt, they might not be available, they could regress. Like nobody in the audience is like, oh my god, I'd never
thought of that. But he's doing all of this when all of us know he's ultimately gonna pay him, Like that's the that the so the Bengals team owner is out there, you know what I mean, being like, listen, we don't want to give Shamar Stewart the deal we've given all the rookies because what we don't think we should have to pay him if he's in jail. Really what he said, and you can agree or disagree. I think the Bengals are poorly run. That's neither here nor there.
The point is that you that he might actually stick, he might stand his ground, he might stick to his guns. Jerry, unquestionably, without a shadow of a doubt, is going to pay Mic up. And so he is just like he is creating a This is a clumsy analogy and I've probably
used one of these something similar to this before. But if deep down you know you and your ex are getting back together, then you don't want to like go on like a public Twitter rant about what a bad girl she was and all the you know, all the thing ways she did you wrong, because ultimately you're gonna be instagramming pictures with her again. And there is an element of when Jerry is like, here are all the reasons that paying a player is super risky and you
might not want to do it. Is there not a piece of him? Is there not a piece of him that's like, oh boy, I'm definitely planning on paying this player, like and this might end up being thrown in my face, like and so that is like it, But he is. Bruce said this years ago, and he wasn't wrong that Jerry is entertainer first, football owner second, and he is wanting to make sure the Cowboys are in the news
and entertaining and all of that. And I guess good for them, but it is he's obviously gonna pay Micah, And now you're gonna pay Micah, who you have pissed off at least to a degree, because Micah retweeted JJ Watts tweet and JJ Watt tweeted. Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rushers simultaneously right before the season begins, you just
gotta take it. Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more than hearing how upset you are they got hurt while how upset you are that they got hurt while fighting for you, and JJ Watt retweets it or I'm sorry, JJ Watt writes it, Micah retweets it, and so it's just unnecessary, and all of this is unnecessary, and it's just they're just bad at the business part
of this. Cowboys are pretty good at drafting, very good at marketing, well above average at actual football historically, you know, I mean even over the last five years or whatever, and just bad at the business part of it. And there's no getting around that. All right, Let's get to the Lions.
The Lions are confident this is the year that they get over the hump, with David Montgomery calling it their year of reckoning.
How do you see this season going for Detroit?
I'd be a little nervous, demanse, So here's so listen. I don't think I think they have too much talent to be bad. But here are the to me ominous signs, so to speak. First, one is one that always matters. Lost both coordinators, Like that is one that during a season when a team is struggling, we're like, oh, change coordinators, but we don't do a good enough job in the offseason of you know what I mean. Reminding folks lost Aaron Glenn, lost Ben Johnson, So that to me is
first concern. Second concern, their center retired. They lost their best guard in free agency, so it looks like they're gonna slide their worst offensive lineman who was their right guard last year whatever guard Zeitler wasn't over to center, and then be starting a second year, sixth round pick and probably a rookie second round pick at their two guard spots. So they wear offensive line has been maybe their single biggest position of strength as of you know,
in this Jared Goff Dan Campbell era. Now that interior of the offensive line might be the biggest weakness of the team, and that can nothing makes Jared Goff go from man. Jared Goff has been really good to Pumpkin mode, like up the middle pressure because he just doesn't have the athleticism to escape or be creative if it's on time and it's what it's supposed to see, he's really good. But if you can get pressure on him up the middle, it can be really deadly for him. And so that's
a concern. The tougher division this year, to me is I shouldn't say tougher because last year it was really good. The Vikings were excellent, Packers were good. But again, another tough division. That's concerning. And here's the other piece to mind for a team last year that was fifteen and two. Here's they're opening seven games, which is before their bye at the Packers home for the Bears, Ben Johnson at the Ravens home for the Browns, layup at Sincy at
the Chiefs, home for the bucks Man. And by the way, it's just a schedule that you never can take a breath like. There's their first seven, then a bye week, then home for Tampa, home for the Vikings, at the Commanders at the Eagles, home for the Giants, Okay, home for the Packers, home for the Cowboys at the Rams, home for the Steelers, Okay at the Vikings at the Bears. And so could I see the Lions going from fifteen and two and the one seed to ten and seven
in a wild card. Absolutely, and so I think they're good. I think they're talented. Gibbs is a star. Having Hutchinson back will be great, But I don't look. I think the Lions losing both coordinators, the loss of the offensive lineman that they've had, I still feel like they. I'm not as big on Jamison Williams as maybe others are. I wonder how that horrific playoff game has sat with golf all off season. I wonder how back to back years of just gut punch postseason losses, you know, has
sat with them. All of that is concerning to me. And in that loss last year was we had a graphic on the TV show yesterday of number one seeds the last decade to lose their first home playoff game,
and it was the the Cowboys Dax rookie year. The ravens Lamar's first year is a full time starter, the Titans with Tannehill and the Packers with Aaron Rodgers in that his second to last year, there in the crazy like thirteen to ten game or whatever in the snow against San Francisco so, by the way, three of those teams the next year missed the playoffs. The Ravens made the playoffs and lost in the divisional round. Like, so, you have a seventeen point lead in the conference championship game,
you blow it. You come back the next year, you're even better year the one seed and a rookie quarterback comes to your stadium and waxes you and your quarterback plays his worst game in a couple of years. That's all ominous if you ask me for the Lion. Uh do you think that's fair? I know you think you thought I'm a little too low on the Lions historically.
Oh well, no, I do think that. I mean you said they lost their their interior linement. But just just jerick Off as well, Like I thought, it's like a I don't want to say ominous limitation to win in the super Bowl. It's what it sounds like they're talking about. And like you need to see him, you know, win that playoff game or like that was a rookie that you got that done too by But but.
Yeah, and it was, and it was I mean Washington just they were outlaw flast them that game. Yeah, I mean, and that was the Lion. Now, the Lions defense was banged, devastated by injury, and we know that. But I also I am a little worried what version of Aiden Hutchinson we're gonna see at least at the beginning of the year. So I think all that's fair, All right, summer's coming in hot. Literally. If there's one thing you shouldn't mess
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Yeah, so the NFL is a month away, so it's time to talk futures. Is there anything that you see on the horizons that you like? Division Super Bowl winner syrds.
Listen, we're gonna do our full blown gambling show, you know, late August, and it really when if you're new to the pod this year, you know, in the last few months, football's when we really cook. We got our gambling shows. We got a lot. Demon's a is dialed where I am still by the way, Uh Connor and Paul out are friends with the volume and with DraftKings, if we could send DraftKings this official on the record plea, I do not by the way I'm putting this out there.
This is this is what we would call a value. Add I don't want a single extra dollar in our wonderful partnership with DraftKings. Is that what I'm looking for? But if we could, in addition to in football season, when you know I'll give you my five plays of the week, if we could also have a bonus thing and maybe even create a cool little graphic like we have for mine one teaser a week. We have to come up with a snappy name for it. But if people don't know Demons last year, I think hit like
seven in a row. He's turned into a bit of a teaser expert. If we could have somewhere, I don't care if it's buried, I don't care if you have to click seventeen different links to get into it. Somewhere on there Demanse's NFL Teaser of the Week. It would really be a s actual moment for this podcast. So all that's coming go ahead.
I mean, that'd be like my one of my greatest achievements outside Hidden seventy threes in a row one time it does.
Oh yeah, we did. That's a sidebar. We can get to that in a minute. But uh, it would be great, And it would also be awesome for some of Demonse's high school and college buddies who are regular DraftKings users for them to be scrolling and to see the demands teaser. It would really it would. It would be awesome. And so we're pulling over. In the meantime, there is one bet that I think the odds are going to shift because I think this team is going to become a
popular sleeper pick. And I have no lawyer. If you will when it comes to gambling, now, I obviously will. There are certain things I won't do, like I won't bet against the Chiefs, but it doesn't mean I bet on the Chiefs every time. A couple years ago, I told you guys one of my favorite preseason win totals was the Broncos over five and a half wins. I can't stand the Broncos, and by the way, I think they're one of the most overrated teams in the league
this year. It actually kind of plays into why I like this bet, but I thought that they were great value over five and a half wins. They ended up winning I think eight games, the sixth longest odds of any team to make the playoffs, far worse odds than the Panthers, better odds than only the Titans, the Jets, the Giants, the Saints, and the Browns are a team that I believe is going to make the playoffs, and
I believe these odds are going to it. Between now and the start of the year, drop from plus three point thirty to like plus two ninety. And that is
the Las Vegas Raiders. The Las Vegas Raiders going from a head coach in Antonio Pierce that was just out of his depth to Pete Carroll going from maybe the worst quarterback situation in the league to Gino Smith with Brock Bowers in year two and Ashton genty in year one and Carol coaching up that secondary and a last place schedule that includes games against This is not just all strength of schedule games, but on the Raiders schedule are the Patriots, the Titans, the Browns, the Giants, the U.
I skipped over a couple, oh well, ones that I won't necessarily think are easy, but you guys might The Bears, the Jags, the Texans late in the year, a team that I worry about a bit, four games against maybe these slightly overrated Chargers and the considerably overrated Broncos. Did I mention the Colts game in there? They have on their entire schedule aside from the Chiefs game. Oh, they
play the Cowboys. Like here's the Raiders' schedule, Patriots, Chargers, Commanders, Bears, Colts, Titans, Chiefs, Jags, Broncos, Cowboys, Browns, Chargers, Broncos, Eagles, Texans, Giants, Chiefs. They have three monster games Chiefs and Eagles, five simple games in my opinion, And in nine we'll see games that team absolutely can get to nine or ten wins and sneak into the playoffs.
And and if the Chiefs are in a good state of that year at that time of the year, it could be a free game for them.
Well that's the other thing. If you are in the AFC West, you always hope that one of your two Chiefs games is that week seventeen Chiefs game, because about half the time the Chiefs are resting people that week, half the time they got to go for it, like it could be bad let where oh man, the Chiefs need this game for you know, playoff positioning. But about half the time they have everything locked.
The Chiefs pretty well anyways too, I feel like.
Sometimes yeah yeah, and they beat them on Christmas two years ago. So the Raiders plus three point thirty to make the playoffs. That is my early first NFL season long bet. All right, Demonse, Let's go to the NBA.
Marcus Smart is the newest Laker.
He's been bought out by the Wizards, and he's gonna play with me playing with him next year. How do you see him fitting in with this, this new version of the Lakers. I'll say, like five years ago, Lebron would have.
Been pissed playing off playing with Marcus Smart.
Okay, but what do you You're You're to call you a Marcus Smart guy?
No, do you?
I'm not like a Marcus Smart guy. I didn't dislike him. I didn't love him.
Like he was he was, he was viable. I like his scrappiness.
I mean, I'm just curious, like what his role would be over there with the Lakers.
So listen depth defense. Obviously that's his role here. For the money they're paying him, it's fine. I I would be very surprised if he is a real difference maker. However, the hope would be that with Memphis and Washington bad fit and then Washington's not trying for anything, and that all of a sudden, you know, he's reinvigorated. The concern is very simple, Demonsey. It's that he is a very
old thirty one. That the concern is because of his style of play, that he has, you know, aged much more quickly than you would have liked, and because of his toughness, how many charges he's taken. All of that, and that even at just thirty one, he's on the significant downside. But credit where it's due. The Lakers adding eight and smart without giving up anything of real substance,
even though they did lose Dorian Finney Smith. It's not a bad that the off season is ticking closer to a decent one.
And go ahead and then like, do you think maybe they'll get rid of Austin Reeves to get even more stuff or probably gonna have it.
So I don't know. It's I think they really like Austin. I think Austin's a little redundant with Luca plus Lebron, but it's possible they look at it, like, we only have one more year of Lebron, so you know, we want to have a second ball handler other than just Luca.
What the Lakers do have, and this is I don't think it's going to happen in the preseason, in the off season, but during the regular season, what they do have is the expiring contracts of Maxi, Kliba, Gabe, Vincent, Jackson, Hayes, all of which those got those combine for twenty five million. If you were to add Ruis to it, then all
of a sudden, it combines to like forty million. Art would the Lakers during the regular season use some of those expiring deals to try to go get what plus a draft pick or two, to try to go get one more piece? And the answer to that is maybe, And I think so. I think that they have left it.
They've been able to kind of manicure around the edges without moving any picks or moving any expiring contracts, and so more moves could be coming pending on the you know, Lebron still being awesome, Luca being healthy, and how close they think they are to winning a championship this year. And by the way, that's a perfect segue into one
of our sponsored segments, Boost on the Rise. Time on the Rise, brought to you by our friends at Boost Mobile bring down players who found a way to stand apart at NBA Summer League, just like Boost Superior, five G, Networks and Towers. At this point, demon's I think early in the year at least Bronnie is going to have a shot to earn back end of the rotation minutes. Listen, his turnovers in Summer League were he had too many turnovers. His turnovers in his games were one, four, three, and
then eight. That eight is obviously an outrageous number, but he also gave you eight points, fourteen points, seventeen points, and then eighteen points in the fourth quarter alone. His efficiency from three needs to be better, which kind of drugged down his efficiency in general. But he played good defence, and he looked kind of the way you want a second year, second round pick to look, which is like he's better than a lot of the guys he's playing
against in Summer League because he's supposed to be. So. I thought Bronnie stood out in a positive way, which is why you know he's the guy we're highlighting for. On the Rise brought to by boost Mobile. The flip side is you would have hoped Dalton Connect's supposed to crush summer league. He was a first round pick, you know, almost a lottery pick. He was an old college player. So that's the other thing, Dalton Connect. One of the reasons he fell in the draft was he you know,
he was a four year college player. He's twenty four years old, having played in the NBA for a year, and he struggled mightily in summer league. And he was ten points a game. He didn't shoot it well at all from three, and maybe it's just you know, all sample sized three point variants, but he was five for
twenty one from three. Didn't do much else. And now you worry that when Connect probably had the value of, you know, around where he was drafted, like you know, maybe not after a year contract gone, you hoped he had the value of like a late first round pick in a trade. I don't know that he does anymore. And so that like, so while Bronni was a positive in summer League for the Lakers, I think Connect was a negative. All right. Before we get to listener questions,
a few things. Just count me in demanday as someone that's not going to believe in the Clippers for the sixth straight year. What do you mean?
I mean they just what do you mean? Do they will take whatever? Like it just seems like they just take a bunch of big names so they can stay relevant. It's like they just might be about rights.
Such an old team. Yeah, I mean Brooke and Kawhi and James and now and listen, CB three played all eighty two last year, so you can credit for that. But he's not an impactful player.
I'd love to see him stay with Wimby if I'm being honest.
Well, they have too many guards though, now yeah, because the guarded for Fox, they have Castle and they just drafted Harbor, so I don't mind him going back. It's not like this is a bad move. But it's just the same old folks whoever year like watch out for the Clippers. They're saying it again, and that's surprising to me. All right, before reminder, like rate subscribe review, some of the listeners want to know about the seventy three point shots. Uh the how many?
Uh? How many do you think that was?
I don't know how many it was in a role, but I just remember it was one hundred threes. I probably we missed like the first six or seven or something like that. It was like one for six or one for seven like that, and I think it finished either like eighty two or eighty four of one hundred, So I don't know, you got any was, yeah, so.
You've got it. So Demanse was doing an impromptu, uh maybe against some of the rules, tryout for a junior college team that will remain nameless, and they it was supposed to just kind of be just like an interview, get to know you thing, and then they were like, hey, why don't you go out and you know, warm up a bit or whatever, and then they had you take one hundred threes twenty from each spot corner, wing, top
of the key corner or wing corner right. And I was in the gym and Demonse missed six of his first seven, and I was sick, like for not for me, but I was sick for him. And then in the so he was one for seven and then in the next ninety three went eighty three of ninety three, because you finished with eighty four, and so I don't know, you know, what was your longest streak in a row of you know, without a miss I think it was probably you know, twenty something.
And I just wanted to be known. Thompson was out there shooting just regular threes. This had the big.
Net up like shooting the ball.
Yes, it was a little extra degree difficulty.
There, little extra degree. Also you were kind of, you know, thought playing for your basketball life and had missed you know what I mean, and started off shaky. It was one of the cool So you at the end you made eighty three of ninety three. And I think, if I remember correctly, I said to you when we were walking out, like at one point you made forty five of forty six, like you know what I mean once and so so I think you're probably your best seventy.
If we were to grab them, you were like sixty six of seventy or something.
But that makes sense. It was it was like it was.
I was flustered in the beginning and then but yeah, I said, I don't know if I've ever take that many shots in a row like that was all.
Right, Let's get to some listener questions quick.
Eric says, last week, you said you'd add Derek Thomas to this current Chiefs team in it and add any former player situation for the Chiefs. Would you consider will Sheds, will Shields or Willie Rofe to bolster.
O Willie Rope I hadn't thought about Willie Roape be pretty unbelievable. If you could just get you know, one of the greatest left tackles ever to guard Mahomes blindside, that'd be pretty great, all right.
Next, Tyler asked, do you think Jayden Daniels is on a crash course to the next Mahomes.
Next Mahomes too much?
Homes?
Well, their different stylistically and body types obviously, and Jaden's awesome, but next Mahomes too much? If yes or two, you know, he would have to either win League MVP or Super Bowl this year and then he's kind of on pace. I think that'd be very tough and maybe you could do it.
Next uh Danny asked if Patrick Mahomes did not exist, which current NFL quarterback would you want on the team.
I mean, Josh Allen's the second best quarterback, but I do you have to like men in black neuralizer me about you know, my history with Josh Allen. So my answer is probably Caleb because I still think Caleb is going to be a superstar.
Next as she asked, what are people finally going to stop bloone things that are proportion whenever Clark's names comes up.
I mean that once once they change the way social media and search engine algorithms or uh work like that. It's just you just get too much engagement. That's why. Uh all right.
Next, Jeremy says, hey, Nick's speaking of labor relations. Curious to hear your thoughts and reactions to the NFL nflpa's dumpster fire the last few weeks. Or is that not allowed because of pablotory.
No, it's allowed. Credit words to Pablo and Mike Florio, but most only Pablo did a truly spectacular job with that story, and they affected real change, and it was it was, you know, real journalism. And I thought it was great. I mentioned it, I talked about on the TV show. The NFLPA has got to get its act together? Is the short version of it? I I you know, I that is that story deserves way more attention than just that one line. Maybe we'll talk more about it
Thursday if we have time. But it's embarrassing kind of and I'm glad Lloyd Howell resigned, and I'm glad jac tried to resigned and really good job by Pablo and Mike.
Next, ass, do you think the mahomes can be the goat? With five Super Bowl wins? You already thinks Mahomes is the Yeah.
No, I don't know. He's the most talented and best I've ever seen, but Brady's the goat. But yeah, I ain't that, I don't. I guess there's I think the question is does he have to get to seven for him to be considered the best ever? And no, I don't think he has to get to seven.
Next it clips as when is when is tennis Corner coming back?
Uh? For the US Open. I'll just be honest. I didn't watch as much Wimbledon as I have in years past because of travel, so I I couldn't really do tennis Corner, but I'll be at US Open and so it'll come back for the US Open. All right, great job. Demon's a regular podcast schedule this week. We'll be back
on Thursday. A lot of thank yous to give out today, volume DraftKings, Boost Mando, everybody for being involved, all the listeners, the great folks at Blue Duck as always like great subscribe review, See you guys, later Altrike,