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Welcome in What's driven the Great? Episode two forty three ton to do Today. Fresh back from Boston for Game two of the Finals, every person there was awesome except for one guy. At all, these Celtic fans, the Boston accents gave me a bit of a hard time, like, hey, Nick, how of the MAVs gonna win in five because they're down oh two? And everyone else just wanted to talk sports. One guy confronted me in the second bar we were
at after the game. It was like and I'm not gonna try to do an accent and was like, what's it? Feel like to be a sellout, and I'm I'm listen and we can put demonse on the screen here' I'm I am not a likes to fight guy, and I'm not a get in fights guy, but I also do not like being publicly disrespected, and those two things come in conflict at times. And he clearly wanted to get that line off and then keep it moving, and I wasn't about it. I was like, hey, I was like,
say it again. He's like, what's it feel like to be a sellout? And I'm like explain. I was like, just explain, explain what you mean. And he hemmed and hawed and stammered, but he also was not going to be like, oh, I'm just kidding. So we so we had a moment, he and I and I'm like, you gotta tell me what where the sell what the sellout part of it is? Like cause I picked the MAVs,
Like what are we talking about? And he then all of a sudden got very animated and I'm like, all right, well this could go you know, this could go sideways on me a couple different ways, but I guess we're gonna wait and see what happened. And then as that happens to Monsey, because I was waiting at the bathroom for your mom. As that happens, your mom comes out of the bathroom, and I honestly think she scared him off.
He's like, what's the problem here? And he and he starts walking away and curses at me walking away, curses at me, and your mom yells, oh, you're gonna talk. You're gonna talk, mess and run away. That's what you're gonna do. You're gonna talk, and you're gonna run. And then he's lost in the crowd. So aside from that really great evening in Boston, go ahead.
I could you imagine if he was like, actually, I'm not gonna walk ways.
Well at that point, here's the thing I always kind of in those spots have like power in numbers, Like even though it was a Boston crowd, everyone had been so nice to me and I had taken so many pictures that I also have the added kind of feeling of security of this isn't really gonna go.
Left on me, Like there's an advantage.
That's exactly right, that is exactly right. I felt like I had home court advantage even though I was in some random Boston pub surrounded by Celtic fans, because when I'm out in these spaces, I think it's one of my biggest kind of strengths as a public person is I really spend time with people. If you over and say hello, I am meeting you at your eyes, I'm shaking your hand and we're having a moment, you know what I mean? Where that.
Well? Have you really don't know that I have any affiliation to you? Yeah?
Yeah, yeah, So that so that's the And I said to one guy, one guy who was a diehard Celtic fan who showed me his group chat of his friends and him talking like sending clips of my takes, talking trash about me. And I was like, I was like, can I look? But he was being nice about it, you know what I mean. He wasn't really talking trash. It was just like this idiot the you know the things the maps are gonna win. I was like, I'm gonna look into the future and tell you something that's
gonna happen. I was like, I'm going to say something on TV this week that gets shared in that group chat, and you're and these guys, your friends are gonna be crushing me and you're gonna have a crisis of conscious moment of do I join in or do I put in this group chat guys. I actually met him and he's pretty cool. I was like, and I was like, and that's gonna be up to you, buddy. I was like, that's gonna be that's gonna be your call of what you do in that moment. But but it was great.
I had a great time. The Amtrak was awesome. Amtrack a little more expensive than I thought, but the amtrack to Boston was great. Uh, you know, we were there for eighteen hours if that got in at three pm, took the six amm track back. Didn't sleep much after the game, So that was great. The game did not go the way I had hoped, But what are you gonna do? Your mom met Bea, which was very exciting for her. Your mom also met Bill Simmons, and I tried to introduce her to Bill Simmons and she said,
I know who Bill Simmons is. And he was very happy about that. He's like, oh, and so there was So there were a lot of cool people we got to see. We'll talk about all that. Also, if I made just real quick, I just saw my Twitter feed that Shannon Sharp signed an extension uh with ESPN. Congrats to Shannon. Happy for Shannon. He has the you know, he took a leap, and obviously what he's doing online is crushing, and also what he's doing on TV is crushing.
So even though there is you know, a network rivalry if you will, a lot of good people over there. And I'm really happy that Shannon is continuing to thrive. He was unbelievable obviously an unbelievable football player, and then he and Skip did, in my opinion, the best debate show in the country for the better part of a half decade, if not longer. And now he's doing great. So congrats to Shannon on that note. I just saw that news. All right, Here's what missed the cut not
in today's show. Scotty Scheffler wins another golf tournament, joining Tiger is the only due to win the Masters the players in the Memorial in the same year. In the last eight weeks, Demanse Scheffler of in three of the last eight weekends he's won a golf tournament, in one of the last eight weekends he's gotten arrested, and in one of the last eight weekends his wife's given birth.
So I mean that is a jam packed couple of months. Man, few major win, a couple other big tournament wins, adam ember of the family and get himmed up by a self conscious foot cop that doesn't have anything better to do. What a week for Scottie Scheffler shout out to him. Jalen Brown compares himself to, Oh, this is gonna be a tough one, hermony, I know that to Harry Potter character demonse, did you ever get into Harry Pottery? Okay, there you go.
I never got into Harry Potter.
I think Snape's the one people say, I look like, I'm not sure. Somebody whatever one has the big long note. That's not who Lamar Jackson compared me to. That was a separate thing we'll get into on the show. I never got into Harry Potter either. One of the funniest radio bits that's ever happened was at the peak of Harry Potter mania, Laslow, who you know, those books would come out and they're like eight hundred page books, and
he made he made the day. The one of the big books came out, I don't know, And it does hold on. Let me, look at this, I'm gonna spoil something here, but it was Dumbledore killed did Snape killed Dumbledore? Okay, thank you, Daniel, Daniel. I'm not by the way, I'm not stereotyping here. But if I was gonna guess someone on the staff that might have Harry Potter clucked, Daniel would have been who I went to as I was saying, but uh, but so one of the funniest radio bits
ever is the when that book came out. That's an age thing, Daniel, it's not anything else. When when that book came out, Uh, Laslow does a great radio show in Kansas City Church Alislow made one of his internser producers stand in line so they could be one of the first people for the book, and then made them go home and read it eight hundred page book. You have to read it and have it finished by the time the show's on the next day. So they like
speed read the book. And then Laslow opened the show spoiling it and said, hey, everybody, Dumbledore killed Snape or Snape killed Dumbledore. Sorry, And there were protests. I mean, it was a jerk move, but it is a hilarious bit. It is a hilarious bit. Twenty years ago. So twenty years ago, the book just comes out, and the day after he publicly just starts the radio show with Snape killed Dumbledore. It was on the news in Kansas City. It wasn't all time great radio bit, all time radio bit.
And then also lastly, Lebron says, bad boys for sodium good. I haven't seen it yet. Okay, let's get to the actual show. Demon's a lot to do.
Go ahead. Yeah, So the Celtics, of my Celtics, they took a commanding two zero lead in Dallas or in Boston. Sorry, and it seems like you might have made an assistant coaching debut at at the Celtics arena. I don't know what Celtics arena is called, honestly, t.
TD garden, called the Boston Garden T garden?
Yeah, yes, So how was that witnessing your Slovenian son? Take that? Take that out? Even though he did well, he had a triple double win. You've seen to be listen.
I went into the game saying, Luca's got to create fifty five points. He created fifty five points on the nose, thirty two points, eleven assists, one of those assists. Was was on a three, so that's fifty five on the nose. Here's here's where I was concerned. So there's obviously, and I think we'll roll through it at some point. A meme of me looking very concerned. I'm on the broadcast watching Luca get you know, wrapped, and I'm standing there.
I didn't love any of this. I'm like, okay, I knew that he had been added to the injury report or downgraded on the injury report because of a chest thing. But here's where I was worried that he might not
be able to be effective. Now, obviously he was. Right after they do player intros demanse, when they're coming out for the opening tip, Luca is going player by player and coach by coach, dapping them up right, and one of the coaches instead, while he's dapping someone else up gives him a light little one of these taps on the chest and Luca winces and the coach goes oh, and then Jason Kid looks at him like what are
you doing? And I'm like, oh, boy, Like that wasn't for the cameras, that was you know, no one else saw it. It was just getting tapped on his chest. Whatever he was dealing with hurt him. Now he did not look hurt. How he played, I thought he played well. I'm also going to be consistent on something that people have for a long time wanted me to criticize guys
for that. I simply don't think it's fair, which is Luca in this game, in this series, but in this game in particular, was not that effective in the fourth quarter, and people are like, well, you know, can he close? Can he not close? Fourth quarter effectiveness and how much I expect out of you has always been on a scale of how much did you have to exert in the first three quarters to get your team in the
game in the fourth. So with Kyrie struggling the way he was with this is an insane stat man other than Luca, no mav in this series has made more than one three pointer. Lukea is eight of twenty one from three. The rest of the team is five of thirty one, and no one has made more than one.
So I felt like Luca, we have did was didn't have the luxury of being able to you know, coast at times or rest at times throughout the first three quarters of the game because if he wasn't doing what he was doing, they were gonna be down twenty and then come the fourth quarter he was gassed. Now, if you want to say he needs to be in better shape, he needs to be able to go hard for forty
plus minutes. It's the finals that is fair. Only in this regard, there are only two guys in the last uh ten fifteen years that have been able to consistently do that, and that was Lebron and Giannis, guys that can go all out and still have the most left in the tank in the fourth quarter. Jokis, to his credit, seemed to be able to do it in a different way in last year's playoffs as well. But we saw Yannis do it, and we saw Lebron do it every
year for damn near a decade. Uh and so it's just like Steph would get Steph wouldn't play those super high minutes. Durant would play those super high minutes, but then would sometimes trail off in the fourth quarter. Very very difficult. Now on the actual game, Demanse, let's talk about your Celtics for a second, because their game plan has been brilliant, defensively brilliant, and that's Joe Mizzula, who I think is a little bit of a weird odd gut,
but I love it. So listen. The Celtics fans are loving Missoula right now, and his ability to scheme a defense that is simply saying we are not going to allow you to shoot corner threes has been excellent. They take. They have five attempted corner threes this series. That's crazy. That's really crazy, and that's coaching. And I know that Kevon looney yesterday and Kevin Wilde's yesterday both kind of soft launched the take of Luca needs to get his
teammates more involved. That's not what I'm seeing. I'm not seeing that Lucas being you know, super ball dominant. He take. He took fewer shots in this game than Jason Tatum did. He's still had eleven assists. They're not making shots, and the Celtics defensive scheme has been we're gonna single cover guys, We're gonna sing will cover guys and not allow the role players to get hot. The guy who should be able to take the most advantage of that is Kyrie.
Because Kyrie, with his skill and ball handling as great as Drew Holliday is, and as good as Derek White is, he still shouldn't be struggling to this level if they're not doubling him. And so if people think I'm making an excuse for Luca, what what grade would you give Luca Demons through two games for his performance through two games?
As just say A B plus plus plus.
So B plus is what where I've landed at it because he's held to a higher standard eight. But he's certainly not the problem. What is true is he has is Defensively, he hasn't been good. There's there's no question. But what I will say, the MAVs would have signed up for Boston scoring one oh seven and one oh five. They're not losing because of their defense. Now maybe they will in a future game, but the MAVs defense has been good enough. Their offense is doing nothing, and that's
been that's been the problem. Here is the other truth for Luca. He for them to win the series, he has to be an A plus. I think that he's going to have to have the MAVs path is if they are gonna win the series. Luca has two games where he is unstoppable forty plus points and double digit assists. You need two of those. You need Kyrie to have one excellent game and one game where the MAVs role
players catch fire from three. I think the catch fire from three role players game is likely to be game three, but we see. Listen. If what I'm asking of Luca sounds too much, I don't think it is. What he needs to do is what Yannis did when he was down two to zero in the finals. That's the path Yannis in that game too much like Luca played really well, had forty two and four and twelve with four assists,
but they lost. In the final four games of that series against the Suns, he averaged thirty seven thirteen and five and a half assists. That's what is going to be necessary for the MAVs to win is for Luca to go on a run similar to what Yannis did. And when Yannis did that, he got rightfully crowned the best player in the world. If Luca does that, sorry Jokic, folks, I think Luca will be rightfully crowned the best player in the world. If if he doesn't, then Jokic's probably
retains that title. And if Luca is just if he is thirty, ten and ten. The rest of the way, the Maps don't have a chance. They are not good enough to beat the Celtics without Luca being a plus. And that's what we're seeing. And if we want to say, if he's not a plus, he's an f, so be it. I don't look at it that way. I do think
Boston deserves a ton of credit. I think Boston's defense has been excellent, and Boston not having a weak link in their five man starting lineup is a huge There's nowhere to hide defensively because all five guys can score, and there's no easy matchup offensively. And again, if people are hearing this and like, well, Nick, so why did you pick the Mavericks. I pick the Mavericks because it's very difficult for me to go against a team that
has the best player in the series. Correctly anticipated and we'll talk about this more in a moment, that Tatum might struggle a bit, and I I this is where I totally whiffed. I thought the Celtics lack of competition up to this point in the playoffs was going to set them at a huge disadvantage, and I.
Were the opposite way. What go ahead? To get they're super rested, they haven't played anybody serious and everybody's on full ten. The Mavericks came out, I wouldn't call it a dogfight. Obviously they beat the They beat the Timberwolves pretty swiftly, but they had to play a lot more tougher guys, and I think I think it's catching up.
And the series against Oklahoma City was brutal, even though it only went six games. That you know, the timberl series was you're the road team, You're playing a team coming off their emotional high. There's there and those if you remember the timberl series, those first three games, for first two games in particular, came down to the final minute. And so yeah, that does take something out of you. I mean I thought it would because they still then got eight days off. I thought they were going to
be rested and peak challenged. Instead, it hasn't looked like that, and the Celtics have had no problem at all turning the switch from all right, these teams can't beat us. To need full attention to detail, and they're giving it that.
I helped a lot. I wonder what that looks like if we don't have porzingis in that first, and we also.
Might find Listen, the Porzingis injury is uh yeah, there are two right now flies potentially in the Celtics. Ointment one is is house hurt is is porzingis? Sorry? How hurt is porzingis? That's a real question mark to the point to where I would if I were Boston, I
would strongly consider resting him in Game three. I know it's the finals and that sounds ridiculous, but you have a margin of error here, and what you don't want is him to go out in Game three not one hundred percent and then reaggravate I understand it's the other leg, it's not the leg he missed forty days with, but reaggravate that or the other one, and all of a sudden you're without him for the rest of the series. The other issue for Boston is what Jason Tatum are
we going to get? Because winning the championship with your alleged best player playing at this level would be wildly unprecedented, And so we'll talk more about that in a moment, but I know there are some pictures and some moments from game one that we want to go through.
Yeah, so we showed you the meme of you at the game already, We've got a couple more for you. So is the second one? Yeah, what's what's going on there?
Oh?
There? Oh, these are the Getty images right there. I mean at this, I'm just saying, can you please drive past Sam Hauser? Like, can you please drive past Sam Hauser?
Uh?
Your mom, I think in that moment, is glancing down seeing what people on Twitter are saying about her after the picture with her and Simmons and Riscilla went mini viral. All right, what's the next one?
The third one? Here is the Luca You're behind Luca. Oh, oh, that's.
I'm doing my thing where I lean. Luca hits this shot where I do like a lean and then bang. And also that we don't have a yeah, so I'm hoping he makes it. We also don't we don't have a picture of it. And once again, your mom's on Twitter. But uh, the there is right before Prichard's buzzer beater, I'm standing and as soon as he hits it, I sprint to the tunnel because I don't don't want to
hear like the Boston crowd roar. Like if you watch the game footage, you can see me stand up, watch it, and then book it like I am out of here and so yeah, so that was me the game. By the way, I'm not going to say his last name because I don't know that he wants me to. But a huge shout out and appreciation to Kansas City native my new friend Chad, who I had met Chad before. Chad's again, I don't want to give too much of
his personal information. Very very successful, sharp guy who's done very well for his life in a bunch of businesses. He's from Kansas City, lived in Cali for some time, is back in Kansas City. A year ago, Chad invited me to a Warriors Kings game, but I couldn't get out to California. The reason I had those seats was because on Friday, Chad sent me an email and said, I have two extra seats for Game two of the finals. If you and Demanse want to go, I've got them
for you. And I said, well, Demanse's in California. And I even looked at flights like is there a way I was trying to see, is there a way for you to get to Boston and then get back to LA in time? At right and it was just not gonna be you were gonna it was the It was to be flying for half the time, right, You've been flying for half the time. You'd have to miss Monday at work, which I know you don't want to do.
And it will also be weird, Like, hey, guys, no notice, but I'm missing Monday because I'm gonna be court side at the finals. It just be weird, you know what I mean? For you politically at work. I felt like, so I didn't even tell you at first, and so I emailed them back. I'm like, buddy, I will definitely go. Demanse can't. He had also mentioned Wilds. I knew Wilds was not going to spend that much time traveling. I was like, but you know you can if you want to.
It's they're your tickets whereever you want with him. But I know my wife would come, and he was like, I'd love for your wife to come, and he was great. So shout out to Chad and U. John, the guy who you saw in those pictures, former big time college baseball pitcher and professional pitcher, John who was there with us as well, had a great time with those guys. It was a hell of a night. All right, let's go on to the Celtics.
John, all right, so Jason kids trying to play some mining games with the Celtics. He went on the podium and said that Jalen Brown is the best player at not Jason Tatum. So obviously Tatum hasn't been playing well Jalen Brown has. So do you think there's some truth to what Jason Kidd is saying there?
So here's what I think in a vacuum, Jason Tatum is better than Jalen Brown. He has more accolades, he has more natural talent, he's bigger. I understand that. But right now, it's not just that Jalen Brown is out playing Jason Tatum. Drew Holliday's out playing Jason Tatum. You could argue Derek whitees out playing Jason Tatum. Chris STAPs in limited minutes, you could argue is out playing Jason Tatum.
And I don't want to hear about Honest to god, I don't want to hear about his rebounds and assists numbers. I understand they're good. If you're watching these games, demons A, he looks scared. He said after Game one he was nervous and then after game two he's like, Oh, I'm not gonna let my ego get in the way of us winning a championship. Other guys are rolling, buddy. You took twenty two shots. No one else on your team took more than fifteen. It wasn't a oh, you're doubling me,
so I'm gonna get other people involved. You couldn't hit shots, you miss layups. You were one for seven in the fourth quarter. He is right now Finals history since the merger, the worst field goal percentage of anyone ever through eight career finals games, dating back to the last finals in At this point, it's a thing, and it is. It is a testament to the team that Brad Stevens put together, that your best player can be playing like this and
you're up to zero in the finals. But I don't think there is any I don't I don't think there is an argument to be made that, oh, wait, Tatum's actually been better than people are giving him credit for. Tatum's been really bad and the Celtics are winning despite that, your thoughts as a Celtics than.
I think it's crazy, But I'm I'm not mad at it. Obviously, I'm the Celtics fan. I get how it's annoying for everybody else, but I love the facts and like are considered the best player can play like Kaka and we still win. I think it's I think it's awesome. We got five guys that could do it. I hope that what Tatum is saying is like with his ego, really hope that it's not getting to him, But like we're human, so I feel like it probably is to say I think it has to get to him.
I don't think it's I think it'd be one thing if it were a I'm playing well, but one of my teammates is playing great and they're getting the credit. I think that would be I think that's easier to deal with, even if you know what I mean. You all, everyone wants to be the star of the movie. I get that, but that would be a situation where it's like, hey, you know what I mean, the we're winning, I'm playing fine, this guy's playing great, that's awesome. That's not what's happening.
Drew Holliday is playing great, Jalen Brown's playing very well. But the reason Tatum's where he is is because Tatum is playing so poorly. And so it's I think that would get to anybody. I think that now what he has going for him is because they're up to O demans. It's not as if I'm costing my team a chanceampionship. But let this, Let game three go the MAVs way and Tatum play mediocre and then all of a sudden, see you know what I mean, how he's feeling.
And then on the other's just gonna get ratcheted up, right, Yeah, the pressure is going on on the other side of it. He's going to go back to Dallas and they have the two games, and if he shines there, I think that everybody kind of forgets about what's happening in the first two games.
He's still the big favorite to win finals. MVP. Yeah, so, which is crazy to me, But that to me says Vegas thinks that if he is just good, not even great the rest of the way, because he has the rebound and assists numbers that already look really good, They're like, man, he's going to finish these finals if he has a couple good scoring games averaging twenty four to ten and eight, and people are gonna say and that people are going to revisionist history, be like, Oh, was he really that bad?
Early on? His efficiency has been terrible? All right? You want to ask them follow ups here? Yeah?
Yeah. Do you think that Brown's contracts has anything to do with this? Like both for his mindset and Tatum's.
Well, I think Jalen Brown's something to prove. Jalen Brown didn't make all NBA. He's always been in trade rumors and his contract became something of a punchline. So I think he's at he has something to prove, but I think it's been in a positive way. What else?
And the Finals continue to go this way and Tatum never gets his moment? How do you think that affects the team going into next season?
If they win? I don't think it affects him negatively at all. Maybe you get that bonus of Tatum being a champion, but also having a little chip on his shoulder. If they lose, that's a whole nother discussion. If the Celtics blow a two to zero finals lead, would be just the sixth team in NBA history to do it, and do it because Tatum, you know, spirals the whole time. That has serious US ramifications, But it would be premature right now, to talk.
About that, like, like, what do they even do with the team.
Oh, I don't think they do. I think they run it back. I don't think they do anything significant. I'm just saying how long of a tail that would have on Jason Tatum the basketball player. Like the Celtics were up to one in the finals previously, Tatum didn't play well and they lost. But you were playing the Warriors with Steph Curry. You were twenty four and twenty five Tatum and Brown, and so you know, it's like, ah, you weren't really supposed to win, even though they kind
of were once they were up to one. This would be a different story entirely. What else?
Uh, Yeah, Brad Stevens keeps getting all the credit for the Celtics team. What about Danny Ainge. Danny Ainge and how much credit does he deserve?
Well, listen, the Tatum and Brown, the KG piercetrade that Danny Ainge pulled off, and that netted you Tatum and Brown. Of course he gets credit for that. But Brad Stevens put the rest of this team together, and and I I think, hold on, let me check.
Derek wait, I could say they're both equally important at this point.
Like the second half of sure, and so Derek White was traded on February tenth, twenty twenty twenty two. I think that was Brad Stevens. Let me check to make sure. So February of twenty two is when he was traded. When did he take? Yeah, so Brad, that was so Brad Stevens, was Drew hollow was Drew It was Derek White. Obviously the Drew Holliday trade, obviously the Christaps trade. Those
are all Brad Stevens. So Brad Stevens I think gets Brad Stevens, by the way, being a great college coach, being an excellent NBA coach, and seamlessly transitioning to the front office and crushing it. Well, I mean, what a run by that guy. There's no no denying it all right now?
With that, like, I don't know, is there a chance that he ever becomes like a commissioner? Oh?
Wow, I'd never even thought of that. I guess maybe, yeah, I mean, that's not that used to be. How commissioners got hired a lot across leagues came from within a team and then ascended to the league office. These days, it seems to be more like league office lifers that move up. But yeah, maybe I mean the theo Epstein who helped build the Red build the Red Sox and helped build the Cubs and now kind of does bigger picture stuff. He was, you know, Steve Alhway's got it.
Seems to have the brain for almost everything. All right, next classic category one by me? Next go ahead.
So the Lakers are still on the on the hunt for their head coach after Dan Hurley turned down. There was it six year's seventy million that would have made him the sixth highest paid coach according to WOJ. So are you excited for JJ Reddick to become the lakers new head coach?
No?
But I mean I saw this coming, Guys. I don't want to pat myself on the back. But on this show on Thursday, I said I didn't buy Hurley. On TV on Thursday said I didn't buy Hurley. On TV Friday, when the whole world was measuring drapes for Danny Hurley's Lakers office, I said, I didn't buy it. The Lakers are not well run flatly and now they have made in the since in the last five years, they've had multiple coaching changes, They have made two very different mistakes
now multiple times with two of them. First one was publicly go after Tyloo after firing Luke Walton want Tylo, lowball him, don't get him, settle on Vogel, and then you have the embarrassment of the entire world knowing you're the Los Angeles Lakers and you didn't get your first choice. Whoever you hire is not your first choice. That is now going to happen again. Another mistake. After they fired Vogel,
Rob Bolinka did not hold a press conference. So the next time Rob Bolinka spoke to the media was when they were they the press conference for Darvin Ham. And guess what that press conference turned into relitigating firing Vogel. So you have Darvin Ham sitting there awkwardly while Rob Bolinka's answering questions he should have answered a month prior.
What happened this time they fired Ham, never addressed it to the media, and now whomever they hire, that press conference is going to be about what happened with Ham because you never dealt with that, and what happened with Hurley because you're publicly missed on that. And so there are two options as to why Dan Hurley is not
the Lakers coach. Option one, they publicly targeted a guy, leaked it, let wog know, let everyone know, uh, made a big story of it, and then they were unable to land their candidate, either out of cheapness or incompetence. That's option one. Option two is this, they never expected to hire Danny Hurley, but they wanted the world to know, or at least believe, Oh, we're not settling just for you know, JJ Reddick. We're going after the best and
the brightest, and oh darn, what do you expect? Nothing we could do and it was pr Both of those options suck. Both of those options screamed incompetence. And one of my favorite scenes for one of my favorite movies ever, Ace Rothstein saying to the guy in casino after somebody hits three jackpots in a row, which there was a scam. Either either you were you're too incompetent to know you're being scammed, or you're in on the scam. Either way
you gotta go. Either you really wanted Danny Hurley and you couldn't land him, or this was all a pr ruse that you thought would work in your favor because you couldn't game out. We're gonna look either super cheap or super incompetent, and you thought this was gonna be a pr win either way. Someone tell me what Rob the Lincoln, the Lakers front office has done in a decade to show you they know what they're doing. Well, Nick,
they won a championship. If not for the fact that Lebron James graced your organization with a free agency decision six years ago, you're in the wilderness for a decade as the Lakers. They're a poorly run mom and pop operation,
that's what they are. And so I and the fact if this was all just Bobby Hurley, I'm sorry, that's his dad, Dan Hurley, leveraging the Lakers through Adrian wodron Erowski, who literally wrote a book on Dan Hurley's father that is in the camera shot of all of his ESPN appearances, the Miracle at Saint Anthony or whatever it was. And you couldn't see this coming from a mile away. I saw it coming six days ago on this podcast. So
I don't know what they're gonna do. I honestly don't probably end up settling on JJ, but I really hope Lebron leaves Man. And here's the other thing. They fired Darvinham six weeks ago, Buddy, they still don't have a coach. The draft is in two weeks, free agency opens in three weeks. They don't have a coach. It's remarkable, It's absolutely remarkable. Go ahead, what'd you want to say?
Do you think this is anything more than a leverage play by Hurley? Or as you like, there's that side of it, or as you kind of extension.
Here's what I know. Somehow the Lakers got publicly associated with Jason Kidd, even though he has a better job for a better organization, and that ended with Kid getting a rais and an extension. Somehow, the Lakers got publicly associated with Tylu even though he has a higher paying job for the richest owner in sports, and that ended
with Tylu getting an extension and a raise. Somehow he got the Lakers got associated with Dan Hurley, and that ended with Dan Hurley getting a raised in an extension. People can draw whatever conclusions they want. Everyone thinks that Caitlin Clark discourse is uncomfortable. Now give it like another two days. We'll discuss why plus do a little tennis corner with my Guy Alcarez. Next, What's Right? Welcome back in What's Right? With Nick Right? This is so perfect.
By the way, Christian McCaffrey's going to be on the cover of Madden. Good for him. I obviously have a different candidate that I think would have made.
A little more ago three years ago.
Mahomes, What about Travis Kelcey, I don't know, maybe the most famous football player, who's the greatest tight end ever. I don't know. Probably some more units. Guys, listen to EA Sports. I'm not telling you I'll do your business. But if you want to sell units to people who will never even open the game, maybe throw Travis kels just an idea, just thought it could be a good marketing idea. Maybe throw Travis kelce on the cover. It's just listen. I'm not I'm not here to tell you
guys how to do your business. Uh, but go ahead and put Christian McCaffrey on there. That's fine. Rich so many has this is Gabe here today? I want Gabe's live reaction if he's here today. No, no Gabe today, that's fine. Gabees are resident Jets fan. Aaron Rodgers not attending Mini camp and it is not an excused absence, therefore he's subject to being fined. Sola said Rogers had a previous engagement, an event that is quote important to him end quote. This is no Ta's This isn't the
optional part of the off season. This is the Jets mandatory mini camp and Aaron Rodgers something you know had are not something came up, not a family emergency which any could happen to anybody. Oh man, I'm double booked. The old I'm double booked. What am I gonna? I got? I was double booked. Uh, you know the A few weeks ago, I had a I had a charity event I needed to do, and I needed to go to the premiere of the Black Twitter uh documentary that my
friend Princess Penny created. Shout out to Prentice, great guy, creator of Insecure, created the Black Twitter documentary on Hulu. And I was sick to my stomach that I was double booked, and I had to reach out to Prentice and say, I can't be there. My wife can go. You know, she was gonna go anyway. She's she can go and bring and bring someone kind of you know, represent on our behalf because I'm committed to a charity event that I you know, I had to, and Prentice
understood because he's a great guy. That sometimes you're double booked and it forces you to choose either what's most important or where you're most needed. Aaron Rodgers is double booked with the team that pays him forty million to lead them to a super Bowl, that he's played three snaps of NFL football for their mandate first mandatory event of the off season, and something else, and thus something else took priority. Okay, I mean, okay, do what you
want with that information. But that is what it is.
Could it could be something it's like super important. I wonder if it'll ever come out what it is.
But uh, here's the thing. I would be much more careful with how I discussed this if it were an unexplained absence, because then you don't know if you know someone's in a hospital something, you know what I mean, don't you know?
Because the explanation is it's something that's very important to me.
Had a Robert Salas said, quote, Rogers had a previous engagement an event that is important to him. I mean, what more do I need to know? What more do I need to know? It's not an excused apps. So it's not birth of a child. It's not last second came up, so an emergency. It's June eleventh. I knew I had something going on. I shouldn't have committed to that. Oh what else did you have going on?
Oh?
Mandatory mini camp for the team. I'm the quarterback of that. I'm talking about how I'm gonna be the leader. Okay, all right, cool, let's see how this works out, all right, Demonse, Let's talk Caitlyn Clark.
Yeah, So, the the Olympic roster was released and there was one notable emission in there, and that is Caitlyn Clark. She says that she's using the snub as motivation. And my question to you is, if you were in charge of Team of USA, would you put Caitlyn Clark on the team.
Maybe? So, I don't think this is simple, Mike, can I Can I guess your take Demonse real quick before I I before we do it, and I guess yours.
And you tell me if I'm right on my take on like if she like if I would put her on the team. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think your take is she's not yet one of the twelve best players. She's gonna have plenty of Olympics in the future. She would be taking a roster spot from someone else, and being famous doesn't mean you are deserved Olympian yet. So this is not a controversy, is that, am I? I should have just let you give your take. Really, I'm sorry, but I wanted to see correctly. Oh okay, but.
Yeah, it was, it was.
It was.
It's not super far from that, but but yeah, I mean, I think I would have put her on the team. You would of her, wouldn't I would have put her on the team.
I mean.
But that's let me be honest. I'm not super in tune with all that. I know a few of NBA stars that are that are up there. I don't know eleven girls that are better than her yep at the moment. But that's just that's just me.
That's because you're not locked into the league, which is totally fine. So, but you're you're so I so I just guessed wrong about where you were leaning you were leaning of. It's not like she's a bad player. She's obviously a really good player, and she would bring eyeballs to it. Here's the here's here's why. Let me back up. Here's why it's going to get ugly. If it's not already ugly, it's going to get ugly because this is about to jump into the worst parts of American politics
there are. Because unfortunately, some of our most craven politicians have seized on this as a white grievance, as all this poor white girl being picked on in this black league, and Nikki Haley, who might be the next Vice president of the United States, tweeted this. Let me get this straight. No player on the Olympic team has scored more three
pointers this year in the WNBA than Caitlin Clark. Tell me you don't know anything about sports, without telling me you don't know anything about sports, rather than saying scored more three pointers. Only one woman on the Olympic team has more assists than Clark, and the US is not gonna include her on the Olympic team. I think the Olympic selection committee should be asked, do we want the best team to represent our country or not? Okay, if it is purely have the best team, she doesn't deserve
to be there. However, there is a legitimate argument that that is not what the Olympic team is actually because if it's purely to have the best team, Diana Tarazzi's not one of the twelve best players now. Diana doing what she's doing at forty two is remarkable. She might be the greatest player ever. And much like Caitlin her numbers. She averages the exact same number of points, the exact same number of rebounds, on the exact same field goal
percentage as Caitlin. Now, she's one assist and one turnover a game and Caitlyn is six assists and five turnovers a game. So call that almost a wash, But statistically they're almost identical. Diana got a legacy spot and leadership as well. I'm fine with it, just like I would have been fine with them saying Caitlin's super famous and she's a good player, let's put her on there. I'm also fine with them saying we don't want to take a spot from someone else. I actually think there is
a totally reasonable argument on both sides of this. I also think this whole oh my god, squandered opportunity, think of all the eyeballs that would have been there, is miss guided because she wouldn't have been playing that much. And if folks are only watching to watch Caitlyn. If they turn on the game and Caitlyn isn't starting and isn't the first sub off the bench, and we go the whole first quarter and she doesn't play, they're turning
it off anyway. So I think it would have had more media coverage, But there's a push and a pull to that media coverage. That media coverage would have been Caitlyn almost exclusive. So I don't think it's simple. I
actually think this one's complicated. I also think that the Christine Brennan article where a couple people from USA Basketball said that one of the reasons she's not on the team is because they didn't want to deal with the blowback from her millions of fans being pissed she's not playing more is one of the most ridiculous rationales I've ever heard. That is once again folks pretending like Twitter
is real life. These the Olympics are in Paris. What the hell do you care about what someone tweets from Indiana? Like you're like, oh, we don't want to deal with it. What are you dealing with your mentions? Like, honestly, do you think folks today, Caitlin Clark fans are gonna fly to Paris in August and cause upheaval the Olympic Games because she's not getting run. Just a dumb argument, like what are we talking about? Everyone is scared of mean tweets,
so that was I thought that was foolish. I also think anyone and this is where I'm going to make all of my colleagues mad, because colleagues I greatly respect are diametrically opposed on this issue, and I think they're both crazy. I think that if you get on TV and say it is absurd to even consider putting her on the team, here are the twenty women who are better than her. It is simply about the best twelve
person roster and this shouldn't even be a debate. I think that is being a little disingenuous, especially with Diana's inclusion, and especially because we've won the gold seven Olympics in a row. It would be twelve in a row. But there was one year in ninety two that the Soviet Union fake reformed and they had like eleven countries represented on one team and they beat us, or they won the gold. We win every year by twenty points. We weren't gonna risk the gold by having the league's twenty
third best player instead of the twelve best player. So that's first of all. I also think that if you go on TV and say, oh my god, what an idiotic decision to put her on the team, what a massively missed opportunity, squandered attention, I think you're being a little disingenuous on how much attention it would it would Garner, and that there are real consequences of giving a roster spot to someone and taking it away from someone else.
So I actually think this is nuanced. Unfortunately, here's my prediction. At a White House press conference, probably the doucy guy from Fox News, but maybe someone else is going to ask the White House spokesperson, does the President have a comment on Caitlyn Clark. They're going to say no. And then in the next thirty days, Caitlin Clark's name is going to be an applause line at a Donald Trump rally. And this young lady didn't ask for that, and she
didn't deserve it. But there is a segment of a and I am not saying this about Caitlin Clark fans, I promise you I am not. But there is a segment of America that if there is an opportunity to take ostensibly the white athlete side against the big, mean, bullying black athletes, they will seize to that like moths to a flame. And there are craven, uh disingenuous politicians that are going to use her as a cudgel in
our never ending culture war. And I think this Caitlin Clerk conversation is just going to get uglier and uglier. I feel badly for Caitlin. I feel badly for the women that have helped build the WNBA that are seeing this what could be a great moment consistently hijacked. And I just think it's gonna get worse and worse. And by the way, she's an alternate, she's one of the
first alternates. And if she gets picked and a goon Ba Wale from the Dallas Wings does not, when she's averaging twenty six, five and six, and you know it has been one of the best players in the whole league this year, it's gonna get even worse. Man, So I am pessimistic about our Caitlyn Clark conversations moving forward. Uh So I'm on the record on all of it. We'll see how it turns out one sidebar thing. This
is actually good for Caitlin the basketball player. A month off, A month off, not in the spotlight the team, if you I don't know, if you guys notice last week when I saw them out of their brutal schedule, they then had four days off and she dropped a thirty piece in her next game. She played poorly this weekend, but they have no more back to backs, the schedule softens up massively and she will end up being more fresh, more rested, and play well at the end of the year.
And I think the fever to twelve to the fevers records terrible. But twelve team league and eight of them make the playoffs, so you don't have to have a great record to make the playoffs. I think they could squeeze into the playoffs. I also didn't like her coach yesterday, coming out yesterday saying our team doesn't try hard enough. Like that, whenever the coach is like, can't coach effort? A coach knows their seats getting a little hot. All right, let's talk tennis for a moment, demanse.
Yeah. So on Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev to win the French Open. At twenty one, Alcarez became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam on all three surfaces.
What do the dog gets, demanse? What are the three s?
Clay gass, right, yep. Yeah, and there's clay grass.
Just just just called hard concrete, concrete, yeah, hardcourt. Yeah, we'll give it to you. You got the two harder ones. Good job? Is he tennis car corner? You thought it wasn't gonna get anything in there? What are the four majors? Do you know? What are the four majors?
Major? What are they called? French Open? Yes, the Grand Slam.
No, that's one of the Grand Slams. They're all four. There are four Grand Slams.
The French Open, the US Open, yep.
And one other location, yes, and the last one, the one where we talk about strawberries and cream and we use accents and we talk about the All England.
British Open, and it's on grass, British British Open, wimbled that's.
Golf, Wimbledon, Wimbledon. There there you go, You're there, We're in there.
Go ahead, as you were with the all getting bounced early and Yokovic getting hurt was the Was this the official passing of the torch?
Yes, we man there was this time when Federer. I mean, this is where I wrote, going from federal at all, Djokovic right in Nicolosaker as truly sublime. What a brilliant talent this kid is. I was watching this live on my computer on the train to Boston. I mean, he's unbelievable and at twenty one years old, doing what he's doing and already having this resume is I mean, just I don't I don't think unprecedented is a fair word, but he's bordering up against unprecedented. And so in twenty
twenty two he won the US Open. I was there for the no, I was there for to see him losing the semis the next year. So once he really got rolling was the US Open in twenty Okay, here's what he did has done since then. Didn't play in the Australian Open in twenty twenty three, then made the semis of the French last year, won Wimbledon last year when the semis of the U or sorry, lost in the semis of the US Open last year. I was at that the Australian this year made it to the
quarters and then he won the French. So in his last six majors he has won three, lost in the semis twice and lost in the quarters once. He's gotta be the favorite at Wimbledon. He's, well, he's gonna be the favorite and everything. I'm gonna get to watch him at the US Open this year. I can't wait.
And so he is.
He's on one hell of a pace man and he has a lot of youngest ever records and this last one is the most notable win a Grand Slam on the three different services. It's on believable. All right, demanse Uh, let's move on to the last topic and then we'll get in to our f one minute.
Yeah, so Lamar Jackson was not a huge fan of you leaving him out of the top five.
You tweeted tu and he said, yeah, we can show you. You can show you the first tweet.
Uh.
He said, I don't even know. Uh, I don't even know buddy. Or what what did you do to buddy? The guy asked, said, I don't even know you. I don't even know dude. I mean his thing. He's been on the TV show maybe he didn't recognize me. I don't know, but that wasn't really the problem tweet. The problem tweet was then, you know, he sent out a picture of some type of monkey that I don't know what type of monkey it is, but it's the monkey with the real long nose, and it's about me. So
such his life. I root for Lamar. I I'm just honest that he's not one of the five quarterbacks that I could pick if I were starting a team. He's not. He's not one of them. Here is the best part of It's a what probiscus monkeys? Proboscis? Okay, whatever it is. That's what he tweeted a picture of that. Here is
what I love about this so much. The clip that went viral of me doing my top five mid so it's chopped up and midway through that discussion of top five quarterbacks, somehow our sunglasses conversation came up and Demanse was handed pit vipers, those silly like baseball player sunglasses. So in this clip that has now been viewed millions of times, Demanse and I are talking quarterbacks. I'm doing
my ranking. Demanse pushes back. I respond, Demanse then pushes back again, and that third time it goes to Demanse without explanation, totally straight faced. He's wearing these sunglasses, and it just is such a hilarious situation where we're just doing quarterback rankings and then for no reason mid segment, it looks like Demanse put on a pair of the world's worse sunglasses, and I just love it. Brings me
so much joy to Monse. Knowing that Lamar Jackson was sitting at his phone one day and saw a clip involving you where you're all of a sudden wearing those sunglasses, it just legitimately makes me happy.
We don't mention anything about it, and it is like straight on pace and we're still talking exactly.
Because it's chopped up. There's no acknowledgment, there's no anything. It's just all of a sudden, you go from looking normal to wearing these sunglasses. Makes me so happy. We had an F one race this weekend, which means we have our first ever F one recap minute with Sierra Fedel. That's next plus your questions What's right? All right? Welcome back in What's Right with Nick Wright. So as we
are doing now our F one correspondent Sierra Fidel. If there is a race that weekend, she will give us a preview on Thursday and then a recap on Tuesday. I tried to watch the race from my hotel room in Boston. I was not able to do it. It wasn't on any of the channels that we had in Boston. Before I went to the game, I did. I do know Max verststap in one. I also know that Sierra's notes from the last time were again not to be
afraid to show personality, to give real predictions. I don't know how much predictions will work in a recap, and I told her that last time her background was a little too empty. I have not seen this yet. We will see it. I'm told it's about two and a half minutes long, a real race recap. Oh, I'm now seeing a preview.
Oh.
Not only had she had a plan to the background, there's a little race car behind her. Now that's smart.
I like that.
Here is our F one minute with Sierra Fidel.
Hey ya, it's Tuesday, so that makes his time for a race recap with me. Sierra Fidel, And let me tell you the last Grand Prix that just took place in Montreal, Canada, was probably the most exciting race of the entire Fuen season thus far. Two things that happened
that nobody expected. Number one are double for our DNF Now, Charles the Clerk has finished in the top four for the entire F one season thus far, so the fact that he didn't finish this weekend at all is a little bit upsetting, and Carlos signs who had faith in oh no, So that everybody's predictions off, including mine. Number two, we have both Mercedes and the top four finishers this weekend, which nobody going into the weekend pre qualifying, nobody would
have expected that. Now, the disappointment in the Ferrari garage, as well as the disappointment for a Ferrari fans, did not only start on Sunday. They finished Q two and qualifying, which means they started in eleventh and twelfth on the grid.
Now on Sunday we have the Grand Prix, but before the Grand Prix we have qualifying which sets the grid up for the actual race on Sunday, So we have three sessions of qualifying kind of in a knockout format where the top five slowest drivers are eliminated essentially, so their lap times are recorded, sets the grid sets the stage for the race on Sunday, so the fastest pat time is rewarded with pole position. This weekend, George Russell got old position which enabled him to start in the
very front in the Grand Prix on Sunday. With that explained, Ferrari started eleven and twelve on the grid, meaning they got knocked out in Q two. Everybody was disappointed. Everybody had the head in the hands. Everybody was confused as to why they were performing this badly. Considering Charles m clerk just won his home race in Monaco last weekend,
we were all just a little shocked. But the disappointment didn't just start there, but our actual top program pre finishers this weekend, we're number one Extra Sappened, two Lando Norris, three George Russell and four Lewis Hamilton. Let me just say this matters. Appen may have won this race, but it's starting to become more difficult because these teams are
definitely stepping up. As the twenty twenty four Formula One season continues to progress, it's becoming more and more competitive and that's what we want to see and it makes the coming races more trying to watch. So I hope you guys tune in. That's it for other race recap in Montreal, Canada. I'll see you next time.
All right, great work, Sierras So DEMONSI here's what suck out to me. Sierra gave a prediction before the race of her top four, and then she's spent a good deal of her race recap explaining why that prediction went awry. This is this is a common theme, especially and if you're new to sports media, but even if you're a veteran in sports media, it's sometimes less about to you what actually happened and more about why you didn't get
it exactly right. So we heard a lot about why's le clerk and sayings, my guy, didn't you know what went wrong for them? And less about you know, how Lewis Hamilton or whomever did what they did. I also would like to dive into further why it's tightening up for Verstappen, because it seems like Verstappen wins every race. Now. I don't know clearly enough about this stuff to know. I would think he has like an insurmountable lead, but maybe he doesn't. But there was Sierra with the f
one minute our first race recap. I wish I could have watched it, hey the or watched the actual race. But I'm I'm I'm dipping my toe into the f one waters thanks to our you know, my goddaughter, your godsister, Sierra Fidel, go ahead, demant.
Yeah, I mean I was just perplex on now too. Ferraris didn't finish.
Yes, was there? That's the other thing, Sierra, since you're watching this, uh one other just live note? Did they crash?
Like?
Is that the reason you don't finish? You gotta get in mind if I don't know what's happened, Like, did they why didn't they finish? I assume there was a crash. That would be the only reason I don't finish, But I don't know. Uh and so the so the raps Downing says a single Ferrari DNF is crazy, but a double Ferrari DNF is unheard of.
Uh.
Player one fast cars in Canada doesn't get more exciting. Uh And Scott Frazier says Montreal brings the best out of everyone. Yeah, and dnf is did not finish that I knew that that one I was able to deduce, why can't Nick by Sierra Mike? Does he require two hundred thousand subcount for the mic purchase? Listen, we are doing this in steps. Not only is Sierra at some point soon going to have a mic, she is also going to have a uniform, if you will. But we
just wait and see as it comes. And they're also telling me to tell you guys like rate and subscribe to the channel. All right, Deman s let's ask a couple questions. Then I have to get to work.
Okay, then that was a little insulting, but Scott Murphy.
Explain that did not finish. Yeah, yeah, I mean that one maybe thought the audience didn't know, but I could have figured that out. But go ahead.
Scott Murphy asked if every team added their goat at his peak to their current roster at the beginning of the season, what two teams would have met in the finals?
Well, so that's trick, Like, does does the Calves adding peak Lebron? Uh take current Lebron off the Lakers? Like that? You know what I mean? That's a real question because if the current Lakers got to add peak Kareem, Oh, you know what the Calves add Peak No, so here's the Or do the Bucks get to add Peakluel Sinder because no one's beating that Giannis and and peak Kareem slash Like. I don't that that's a great question, but it also I I I almost need to investigate more
who loses who? Like, do the Lakers get to keep current Lebron and just add you know, peak Kareem or do they lose current Lebron because he's moved over to the to the Calves to be peak Lebron. I'm not sure. All right, next makes sense?
Nick Wright Muse asked, what are the chances we see you in Dallas with Mahomes for Game three or four?
Uh?
Well, no, zero percent. I'm in Dallas for Game three. I would say it's possible I'm in Dallas for Game four. Uh listen, I don't wanna. I wouldn't be in. I'm not gonna invite myself along with you know, it'd be Patrick's plus one. But if I were in Dallas for Game four, then i'd see Patrick. But there's no chance I'm there for game three. There's a slight chance I'm there for Game four. Let's see how game three goes first. All right, go ahead, last one.
Demansey producers ask, if you had to choose between playing a young Snape or a young Count Dooku and movie and a movie slash TV show, which role would you choose?
Yeah, well so, I mean so that's oh, that's Snape.
Oh uh, I'm just saying you look so much like the other guys.
I'd pick Count Dooku since he's based on me, and since Disney owes me millions of dollars of royalties. All right, fun show, I gotta go to work. I'll see you guys on the Herd in a little over an hour. See on TV in a little over three hours. What's right? Hey, thanks for watching. If you're still here, do me a favor. Hit the subscribe button, then hit the bell so you can be notified when we have new episodes. After you've done that, one more favor, go to your favorite audio
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do all that cool stuff. Thanks guys,