REAL TALK! with Doc and Marlon
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REAL TALK! with Doc and Marlon
NFL Free Agency is Underway!
We dive into the whirlwind of NFL free agency moves and how they're reshaping the league landscape for the upcoming season.
• Chargers sign Najee Harris for one year at $9.25 million
• Raiders trade for Geno Smith, reuniting him with Pete Carroll and extending Max Crosby
• Justin Fields gets a fresh start with the Jets on a two-year, $40 million deal
• Josh Allen becomes highest-paid player in NFL history with $330 million deal
• Rams make splashy move acquiring Davante Adams for two years, $46 million
• Seahawks surprising three-year, $100 million commitment to Sam Darnold
• Patriots making significant moves with multiple free agent signings
We break down our NFL Mock Draft picks 11-21, highlighting potential team fits and impact players including Will Campbell to the 49ers, Tyler Booker to the Cowboys, and Mikel Williams to the Falcons.
Cleveland Cavaliers riding a 14-game winning streak with a 54-10 record, positioning themselves as serious Eastern Conference contenders behind Donovan Mitchell's stellar play.
SGA making his MVP case with Oklahoma City Thunder as they continue dominating the Western Conference with their young, athletic roster.
Join us for our March Madness bracket challenge! We'll be sending out invites after Selection Sunday for everyone to participate in our free pool.
And welcome everybody, welcome, welcome. Welcome to another episode of Real Talk. Doc, how you doing today?
Speaker 2:Doing fine, brother, let's do it. Doing fine. A lot of action going on in the sports world. Let's hit it.
Speaker 1:A ton of action as we're recording this, the NFL Free Agency. Obviously, if you're living under a rock and don't know what's been going on the past 12 hours, uh, we are recording this on Monday night. Um, yeah, so the the latest news uh, chargers did sign Najee Harris one year deal for uh 9.25 million, so that's obviously good for us. I didn't know if the charges were going to try to bring back JK Dobbins or not. It looks like we're going to be moving on from him. I wish him the best. He actually did really well for us. We cut Gus Edwards a couple days ago. So, yeah, we're going to go ahead and roll over with Najee Harris. We're just sticking with free agency.
Speaker 1:In the Chargers we did bring back Khalil Mack One year, $18 million. So we kind of had to do that. But my only big question mark is receiver. You know DK Metcalf. I thought we were going to try to trade for him. The tough part is with trading for him, doc and you can pick up after this is they were wanting a first-round pick and then they said they dropped it down to a second. But you know he was going to want that $30 million a year and it looks like Pittsburgh was willing to do that. But is that necessarily a great deal, getting like dk metcalf knowing that you got to give up a second and pay him 30 million dollars a year?
Speaker 2:no, I'm glad you all didn't do that, man. Look, that's pittsburgh's problem they've yet to get a quarterback. I'm glad you guys still stood pat man, because now you can go into the draft and do what you have to do with uh, first rounder and take it from there. You know Lamar Conkey is going to be your two you saw what he did last year as a one and I'm just great. Najee Harris can catch the ball out the backfield. So you know you guys are okay. So I'm glad you didn't do that, even though Metcalf is a stud. But still, it goes. Noted, man. They got to get someone to throw him the ball and you know George Crickens is a prima donna and there's going to be some bickering by week eight. Why so good job on that.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, it's bound to happen. That's just who he is and you know. Obviously wish him the best, but that's just what comes with those type of receivers and knowing that you're locking them up for five years, $30 million a year so that's something you got to think about. So when we look over at the Raiders, your wife's Raiders, they ended up trading for Geno Smith. He's now linked back up with Pete Carroll and also they gave Max Crosby a three-year extension, making him at that particular time, the highest paid non-quarterback. So how are your wife's Raiders looking so far, with the addition of Geno and extending Crosby?
Speaker 2:well, they got to upgrade tremendously at the quarterback position. Now you got some. You got Brock Powers, who's all pro as a rookie. You love that and it's one of those things where now you can work because remember they they signed Max Crosby, uh, also to a big contract, so your cornerstones are set.
Speaker 2:Geno Smith threw for 4,300 yards you know, and if they do, what I expect them to do is get a running back. Ashton Gentry, they're set. Geno has two years left in him, you know, and they greatest haven't had a 4,300-yard passer since Rich Gannon 20 years ago. So yeah, that's a good deal, big-time deal. You know the production will be there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, looking at the staying in the division, looking at the Chiefs and the Broncos, didn't make a ton of noise. Broncos did get Greenlaw I believe he tours Achilles a couple of years back Three year deal for him. They did get a safety I don't even want to try to pronounce his name Three year deal for him too as well. So not a ton of action other than those two teams. For the most part, I like to think they're at least set to compete. Obviously, the Chiefs are the Chiefs, they don't need an introduction and the Broncos they've been up and coming. So what about your Falcons? What do you guys think about how you did so far in free agency and who you lost and who you got?
Speaker 2:Well, we lost a ton of people. Man, give us a D it's one of those things where you lose a cornerstone locker room guy, defensive top man Grady Jarrett, who's an all-pro before the serious knee injury. A D-tackle interior lineman needs about two years to come back from ACL and he only had a year. He had a solid year last year, but not a great year. So now we've got to go into the draft not only looking for an edge rusher, but we've got to get a DeTackle. So five seconds after we released him he goes to the Bears at three years, $43 million. That's how good he is, the value of the Bears. They gave him that contract. And the Bears are doing the right thing because they signed our starting center, drew Dallman. So they're building in the trenches to protect your boy, you know, caleb Williams. But yeah, you know it hurts, brother, you know, but it's needed, you know, to help us go through our due process for the NFL draft, because obviously we're going young, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, nfl draft because obviously we're going young. You know, yeah, absolutely. And when we look at just teams, you know I want to talk about going young. Uh, you know fields, you know definitely could have. We were talking about pittsburgh and he could have possibly signed there but pittsburgh wasn't. I mean, he wasn't going to sign to pittsburgh if he was going to be a backup. So, uh, looking at him going over to the jets, I, you know two years, you know $40 million total. I like it. What do you think of this new Justin Fields team with the Jets?
Speaker 2:Well, I think he's going to excel there, man, because you still got Garrett Wilson and you got the big running back, bree Saul, so this will fit right into Justin Fields' skill set. I don't think they're done at that position, but it's neat to hear out there. Justin Fields is free from all the turmoil. He's going to the big city in New York. You know how New York media is, but I think he can handle it. He's only 26. He's a hard worker. He's not a prima donna. He will be there for OTA, so it's going to be him and the new head coach there, aaron Glenn. So they're going to grow together. I like the move. Actually, fresh start for Justin Fields.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And then, looking at this, this is very interesting with the Giants because we know that Rodgers kind of reached out to the Giants and got the temperature of it a couple weeks back. So, looking at the Giants, they're going to draft a quarterback which we're going to get into the drafts in a little bit later with some Doc Mock picks. We're going to get into that. But we know that they're going to draft a quarterback. Is it going to be as far as free agency with Rodgers? Is he going to go there or is he going to go to Pittsburgh? It sounds like he's probably going to go to Pittsburgh. Going to go to Pittsburgh. It sounds like he's probably going to go to Pittsburgh. I'm hearing that a deal could be done tomorrow, but where do you think the best fit is for Rodgers?
Speaker 2:this coming up year. The Giants are a disaster brother and you know I don't see no reason why the Giants will even pursue Aaron Rodgers. Know that they're going to be rebuilding, you know, and get out of New York, get out of MetLife State and that whole deal, go to Pittsburgh. I think he's going to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has a solid D borderline great, especially with TJ Watt and Mika Fitzpatrick. At least now you've got an offensive line to protect you, because they've been drafting an O-line the last two years. Then you've got Pickens and you just signed Metcalf. So it's plausible for aaron rogers to go to pittsburgh.
Speaker 1:It just makes more common sense, you know yeah, and then, uh, looking at um, the bills, josh allen, big extension, six-year uh deal worth 330 million, 250 guaranteed. So a lot of that money now is tied up, uh, in josh allen. So so they did go ahead and sign Josh Palmer. So now shout out to Clover I'm somewhat of a Bills fan now, that's my guy for had him for at least about five years with the Chargers. So they did get Palmer. They got a couple edge rushers too as well. So what does this mean for the Bills and Josh Allen, knowing that he has this big contract?
Speaker 2:Happy for Josh Allen. He was my other league fantasy quarterback and he won it all. But he puts up numbers Arguably the best quarterback in the league. Lamar Jackson has a strong case, but Buffalo wasn't going to let him go and test the waters. They had to lock him up. That's not a distraction. You can redo his contract later down the line. It's team-friendly. He can put in the signing bonus and release some cap money. But this is the biggest contract in NFL history 300-something million, you know and he's earned it. Unlike the guy in Cleveland, deshaun Watson. Josh Allen is an icon. He runs the football with authority and he throws the football with authority, with a cannon of an arm. And Buffalo has the iconic figure for years to come. You know that. And Buffalo has the iconic figure for years to come. That's their quarterback. He has shattered all kinds of records from Jim Kelly. Now it is time to win the bowl. Every year For the last two or three years we've been saying this, so there's no excuse. I'm happy for Josh Allen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, another sneaky team that's doing really good in the drafts is the Rams. They ended up extending Stafford so they got him on, I believe, a two-year deal. They got Jimmy Garoppolo as a backup, which I know it doesn't really mean much, but a backup Stafford is, he does get hurt a lot. But also to get Devontae Adams, that's a huge deal Two years, $46 million, $12 guaranteed. Puna Ford came from the Chargers. He's going to be there to stuff the middle three years about $30 million. Definitely going to miss him and it looks like Cooper Cup is going to get released because they did not find a trade team for him. So what does this mean for the Rams going into this season?
Speaker 2:The Rams were a third and two stop away from going to the bowl, arguably the most impactful free agent signing. You can make a strong case for that because Devontae Adams is only 32, and he still has wheels. He showed nothing with the Jets because your boy Rogers was tripping. Now he goes to Stafford, who has a cannon arm in and of itself and he's considerably younger than Aaron Rogers, and this is LA. He's back on the West Coast. He went to Fresno State in California and it's one of those things where I look for big things, arguably a 1,500-yard season, you know, from Devontae Adams. You know, and him and Puka Nakur, I know Mike and the OC loves this and they got an O-line to protect Stafford and protect the quarterback and pass routes. And Devontae Adams, if he showed nothing else, he showed that he could still go deep with the Raiders or the Jets. He's only 32, so you can make an argument for the other signings, but this is the most impactful signing, I think, for a team that can go to the Super Bowl right now.
Speaker 1:As a Chargers fan, I wanted him. I didn't want a long-term big deal, five-year deal. If I could have got Devontae and you know, keenan Allen is still out there, and this is just a prediction I think we'll probably go cheap and end up re-signing Keenan and Mike Williams to the team to kind of rekindle them. Well, not rekindle, but just repair them, if you will. Or you could say rekindle but rekindle them back with Herbert and this new look offense. So we'll see what happens. But Devontae definitely was somebody that I wanted, so I know he's going to do great things in LA. So staying in that division. The Seahawks traded away Geno Smith and they ended up getting Sam Darnold Three years, $100 million, 55 guaranteed. So they ended up cutting Tyler Lockett, traded away DK Metcalf, so I have no clue other than Smith and Jigba. I don't know who Sam Darnold's going to throw to, but he followed the money, which I 100% get it. I understand. But what does this mean for Sam Darnold and this Seahawks team?
Speaker 2:Well, it's a fresh start for sam donald and pacific northwest. I know, uh, they went 14 and 3 last year in minnesota with him, but you don't have justin justin jefferson, so who is he going to throw to, you know? And they have to go into the draft looking for receiver help too, you know, and, uh, they have to run it back up there in this third year. So they have to address some of these and really their first waiver for the agency is done. I'm expecting that coaching staff, who's done a pretty decent job, to help out Sam Donald man. Otherwise he's stuck Because now, even though he got his money and arguably he did good, but it's one of those things who are you going to throw to? You're not going to be running heavy getting Sam Darnley. You have to throw somebody. You can throw to somebody. So, yeah, that's one of those situations, this tricky situation. It comes somewhat sticky because you're in a competitive division with the Rams and Arizona Cardinals who's coming up, and, you know, the 49ers, of course. So we'll see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right. And then we got Josh Swett going to the Cardinals signing a four-year contract worth $76 million, 41 guaranteed. And then we have Hassan Reddick going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a one-year deal. So who do you think is going to have a bigger impact, hassan Reddick or Josh Swett?
Speaker 2:I think Hassan Reddick will, and I think the coach down there Bowles is a defensive guy and he's going to put him to work relative to that. Hassan Reddick wants that five sacks in a game for the Eagles and I just think that oh, was it the Cardinals? This is one of them. I like Josh Swett. You know Redick is a little bit younger, maybe by a year, but I just feel like Arizona's a tricky team. Now. They got some players over there. They'll shock you in one weekend out of the NFL season like they did this past year, but they need help in other areas too. I think, reddick, to answer your question, it's going to have more of an impact down in Tampa.
Speaker 1:Yeah absolutely Absolutely. And then another team too. The last team I want to kind of dive into real quick the B-Curms Patriots.
Speaker 2:Yeah, patriots.
Speaker 1:And I'm trying to find them. I had them there. We go right here, okay, so I'm going to just run through this list real quick. I know I'm going to get all these names wrong, but they got. Oh, josh Dobbs, two-year $8 million deal. Mack Hollins from the Bills, two-year $8 million deal. Austin Hooper, re-signing him on a one-year deal. Uh, morgan moses, three-year deal, 24 mil. Harold landry, three years on the edge rusher. Uh, harold harold landry, three-year for a 43 million dollar deal. Milton williams, the big one four years, 104 million dollars. That's a huge one. Uh, in the middle as well, k Kairos, tonga, one year, 2.7. And then the last one, carlton Davis three years, $60 million. So they got a lot of money over there in New England and I think they honestly, up until this point, they for sure won this free agency.
Speaker 2:I think so too, man, because you're giving Drake May, who's a second-year quarterback out of North Carolina, some help and some promise there. You know he has the arm talent. The coaching staff there last year did nothing as far as helping him out. This year, I think the fact that you signed some of those people, especially the big ones you know, now you're going into camp, you know, with some positive energy. Now they got the fourth pick in the draft. I got them taking out Lou Carter as an edge and now they address some of those needs. I still think they should do that go to a premier pass rusher, but who knows? Now, because they address something, they give the Patriots and their fan base credit, man. You know they moved on from Tom Brady era to the Drake May era, so I think they did a tremendous job of fulfilling some needs in the first wave of free agency. Good job on the Pats.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. All right, so now you want to just go ahead and do Doc Mock 11 through 20. What do you say?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, let's do that. Man, 11th pick in the draft and I love this. The 49ers they're going to select their offensive tackle Will Campbell, you know, and get out of LSU Now. You can slide him in the guard because Trent Williams is not getting any younger. He can learn under Trent Williams and move him back out to tackle. So I got the 49ers going in the Cowboys at 12. I've got them picking Tyler Booker, the offensive guard, massive guy from Alabama, 6'4", 352, 6'4.5, to be exact, just a mauler road grader type. The Cowboys need that because they've lost some people. They lost Zach Mountain, a former All-Pro at guard right guard. He retired. So you plug in, play the kid from Alabama, you take it from there.
Speaker 2:Number 13, the Dolphins I got them taking Will Johnson, the step cornerback from Michigan. You know, a shutdown guy, and this is what the Dolphins need. The Dolphins can score, they just can't stop people. And this is a start. Bring him south from Michigan to the South Florida, tremendous athlete, and then you can take it from there. Man, you know, when you think of Will Johnson, shoot. You think of Charles Woodson, you know, as far as shutdown guy, same school, michigan At 14, the Colts I got them taking Malachi Starks to safety from Georgia.
Speaker 2:You know, last year they picked up Latu from UCLA, so this year I think they're going to address defense again, you know, on the back end, and Malachi Starks was an All-American and three are starting for Kirby Smart Bulldogs and a tough player can tackle, can play in space and I think they're going there. 15 is my Falcon. I got the Falcons taking Mikel Williams. You know, the edge rusher from Georgia, 6'5", 265. He's a Trevon Walker clone Might be even a little bit better From Columbus, georgia, former parade All--American five-star recruit for Kirby Smart and the number one defensive end prospect coming in and he's propelled him. He had a slight injury this last year at Georgia but he still had two sacks against big competition against Texas and I think he had two sacks against Clemson, you know, before he hit the ankle injury. So I got Mikel Williams, the edge rusher going to Falcons.
Speaker 2:Number 16, I got the Cardinals taking Jahid Campbell, the big linebacker from Alabama. He can play in space, a Nick Saban recruit and this guy is a former five-star in and of itself. The Cardinals need defense man going against Stafford and some of the offenses he faced in this division. So Jahid Campbell, the linebacker from Alabama. You could play him in the box or you could probably put him on the edge in a pinch, but he's mostly a guy in the middle, much like Orlando McClain from the same school a decade ago At number 17, the Bengals I got them taking Shamar Stewart, the edge rusher from Texas A&M. This guy is 285 pounds, 298.64. He's a guy that you could probably put in because you know their edge rusher is gone. You know his name escapes me. He's a big time. He has 17 and a half sacks. He's a free agency. You know, for Cincinnati they need to replace him with a guy like Shemar Stewart.
Speaker 1:Hendricks, hendricks, hendricks, that's his name Hendricks.
Speaker 2:He's gone so they got to replace him. This guy is a plug and play right from day one. Number 18 is Seahawks. I got him taking James Pierce Jr, an edge rusher from Tennessee. We just got to be talking about the Seahawks giving the quarterback, sam Darnold, help on the other side of the ball. This guy's a pure edge rusher, big-time school, sec school, tennessee. Rick Havitt I think he had like 11 1⁄2, 12 sacks made the All-SEC team and an All-America team. I think he's 235 pounds on a 6'4", 6'3", 6'4" frame. So they'll put weight on him up there in the Pacific Northwest. James Pierce Jr, the edge from Tennessee, goes 18 to the Seahawks.
Speaker 2:Number 19, the Buccaneers I got them taking Matthew Golden, the receiver from Texas, and I say that because he's going to compliment Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in a big way for Baker Mayfield. I know they don't have a problem with scoring, but Godwin's coming off a significant injury, even though he had a contract issue today. They kept him down at Tampa. So Matthew Golden, the speedster from not as fast as Xavier Worthy, but he's up there. He's 4'3" to help out Mike Evans who's getting older. Plus, matthew Golden has a little height on him too 6'1", 6'2", whatever the case may be, and I got him. 19 going to the Buccaneers. Now 20 is interesting.
Speaker 2:The Broncos Colston Loveland, the tight end for Michigan. I'm not saying he's Brock Bowers, but if the young quarterback out there needs a weapon, it's a tight end. This guy is 6'5", 255. You can go down the scene and help out the quarterback there in Denver. Sean Payton will put this guy to use. I got them taking the tight end to help out Cortland Sutton and some of the other weapons they have out there in Denver, you know, because they need help. You know, and you've got to continue to put the pressure on the AFC West, especially the Chiefs and the Chargers scoring. So Colton Loveland, the tight end for Michigan. So that's number 20. I love it. I'll probably go to 21,.
Speaker 2:The Steelers since they had to pick up the big receiver, let's do just 21 and shut it down 21,. I got them taking Walter Nolan, the defensive lineman from Ole Miss, because he's going to help out Cameron Hayward, who's thinking about retiring. I don't think he's retired yet, but this guy here is 6'5", 305 at Ole Miss. Cameron Hayward is not getting any younger and you help out TJ Watt with a defensive line. And plus, pittsburgh is known for a defense. You know they signed an offensive player today in a big way. So I got to go on Walter Nolan, a former five-star recruit I think he was number three or four in Rivalscom recruiting rankings when he came out of high school, you know, started at A&M but then transferred to Ole Miss and had a tremendous year. He could play the five technique, the three technique, anything Put him on the edge, I mean by that. So yeah, walter Nolan, that's it, 11 through 21. I love it, and then we'll go 22 to 32 next week. Okay, all right.
Speaker 1:Now I got a little hypothetical. I know you said you don't do trades, but I think we have to at least have the conversation which we haven't talked about it yet, knowing that Miles Garrett got his money and he wanted out of Cleveland and I guess they said, hey, we'll find a way to make you stay, and it's $40 million essentially he's going to get per year. Looking at what that would do potentially to Micah Parsons, do you see the Cowboys possibly finding a way to package in a trade with Micah Parsons at 12 or something like that? Do you think you could see anything like that happen?
Speaker 2:The Cowboys have taken a tremendous beating for not signing their guys on time Going back to Dak. They could have avoided the drama with CeeDee Lamb. I think they will do the right thing. Marlon, to answer your question, I don't see that happening. Michael Parsons is a cornerstone type player on the edge rusher. A playmaker can play the run and rush pass and he's only 24, 25. They'll be doing an injustice if they move him, but they have to get this right this year. You know, because they screwed up some cap money by waiting too late for some other things last year. And Micah Parsons although he's not on Lawrence Taylor's landscape, not even close, as he proclaimed, or some other people were claiming, this guy's a playmaker on that side of the ball and he loves to win no, I don't see that happening. They better get this done before training camp.
Speaker 1:I hear you Anything else you got on the NBA before we get to anything else on the NFL, before we get to the NBA.
Speaker 2:No, I really love what Ryan Pose is doing up in Chicago, giving the champ in New Mexico some props and some flowers, because last year this kid took a beating and then he's addressed both sides of the line of scrimmage this year, Ryan Poles. So they already had a solid defense, but now it's up to Ben Johnson to do what he can to protect the fundamental footwork for Caleb Williams. And, as I referenced, I love what the Raiders did with the quarterback position and I definitely love what the Rams did with Devontae Adams. That's it, brother.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Okay. So going into some NBA, cleveland Cavaliers with 54-10. I mean, with the way they've been playing, I think 13-14 straight, something like that, it's incredible. 24-9 at home, 25-6 away I mean, with the way they've been playing, it's just been incredible. It's definitely going to be hard for Boston. The Knicks I don't think the Knicks can compete with them. The Bucs I don't really think any other team can compete with this team in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 2:So how are you feeling right now?
Speaker 1:just overall, with the Cavs and getting ready, gearing up for the playoffs.
Speaker 2:I think you hit it right. You know Cleveland's on a 14-game winning streak. They got Garland, they got Mobley, they got some other guy I forget his name. It begins with an S. This is a two-team with depth and they can give Boston a run and take this thing from Boston. Now, Boston, you know they did a number on the Lakers the other night, but Boston's the team to beat and I think Cleveland can do it. Man, 54-10. You think about that.
Speaker 2:Right now they're on a 14-game winning streak and it seems like Mitchell Donovan. Mitchell is on a big-time mission. Now, he's not going to be an MVP Hunt, you know, but his name should be mentioned as honorable mention because he's carrying this team. Man, you know, and who would have thought that, coming from Utah? A couple of years, Rumor was he was going to Knicks. He's from New York. But Cleveland, they upped their ante, One of the best starts in NBA history. Man, they're up there with the Bulls as far as record at this time, but 54-10,. The Golden State Warriors went 73-9. But you've got to put them in the top five as far as record go. That remains to be seen if they close the deal. As far as the finals and all that, the Eastern Finals, but I love Cleveland, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And then the other side with OKC. I mean, they're young, they're deep, they're long, they can pretty much run with anybody. So it's going to be tough for any team to compete with them. You want to tell me, going to state, I'm taking OKC. You want to tell me, Houston, okc, I mean even Lakers. Now Denver would be the only team I think could possibly hang with them, but it's going to be tough. So what do you think about this Western Conference, how it's going to play out.
Speaker 2:Well, they're playing Denver right now, starting to kick off right now, so to speak, or something. But they blasted them. Yesterday Denver made a little run on OKC, flexed their muscles Speed, shea Gildress, alexander, you got Dort, you know. You got the other cat Allen. They got Jeff man. They got You've got the other cat Allen. They've got depth man. They've got people that can put the ball in the hole, plus they play defense. If Chet Holmgren, the big guy, 7'3 guy, can stay healthy with Hardenstein, the sky's the limit. They've got size and speed. Chet Holmgren has to stay healthy, though he misses time. He's skillful, rebounding, block shots and and all that can put in a J. But Hardenstein can go to the rack and provide toughness, but you know they can score. Sga is my MVP right now. I don't see nobody touching him. You know I look forward to a Cleveland versus OKC matchup. The West, the Strongs it is. They're no match for OKC when they're all here, especially that guy Dort, and I love Allen yeah.
Speaker 1:That was going to be my next question. Who's the MVP?
Speaker 2:It's SGA, it is, you know you got to give it up to Joker for pulling up 31, 22, and 22. That's an all-time performance. Right there, it's up there with Will 22 rebounds, 22 assists. In's an all-time performance. Right there, it's up there with Wilt 22 rebounds, 22 assists, in addition to 30 something points. But he's not sustainable. Sga. They can rock you for 50 and laugh. He had 40 yesterday on Denver. It's one of those things where I love Joker has three MVPs. I'm not tripping, but this is SGA's year, brother yeah, we, we.
Speaker 1:There was a uh Lakers in a Boston game on Sunday.
Speaker 1:I believe it was Saturday or Sunday uh, yeah and and, and we saw a little back and forth before. First it was a little competitive and then Celtics just started to pull away. So, as as we look at this Lakers team and we know LeBron got hurt, so he said it's going to be day-to-day but it's probably going to be a couple weeks until he's back. When we look at this team, now that LeBron is out, what does this mean for Luka, as he's trying to control this team and make it his team, moving forward, knowing that LeBron could be out two to three weeks?
Speaker 2:Luka said he's going to get everybody involved. Remember, they're missing Hashimura too, ryu, and they're missing another cat, you know. So it's not just LeBron, they're missing some solid pieces, man. You know the big center, you know the skinny kid. He's been playing tough, though I forget his name, so it's not just him. The Lakers have three starters or other starters out and Hashimura, the center, and LeBron.
Speaker 2:And to answer your question, luka, he knows how to dish the rock and knows how to pick his spots for scoring. They lost to the Nets tonight, but I think they'll be okay in the long run. You may drop down to six seed, but I think if they go three and three on this road trip or this tough stretch, eight-game stretch, they'll be fine. You know, because Denver they've been losing too, you know, in Memphis. So I think the Lakers, if they can get three and three the next six games, they'll be fine and Luka's going to do the best he can to be the ultimate team player. He did it for Dallas, especially when Kyrie Irving was out last year. I know he's in a new uniform. You don't want Luka to say he has to score 40 or 50 for them to win, because that puts pressure on Austin Reeves and Kinnick. I mean yeah, dalton.
Speaker 1:Kinnick and all that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so I think the Lakers are going to see the real Luka fishing the rock, doing the things he needs to do, getting free throws, getting to the free throw line, and that's Lucas' game. So the Lakers will be fine, I'm not worried about that. How?
Speaker 1:are you feeling about that?
Speaker 2:Devastated because, as a baseball fan, an MLB fan, on both leagues, al and NL you like to see the best players and the Yankees are their it factor. They're the team, they're a franchise, if you will, going back decades and decades. So losing him and losing their number two pitcher for a month or two I forget the Cavs' name, but they lost him too. And you already lost Soto, you know, and Stanton can't even pick up a bat. So that's four guys off last year's World Series team that is either injured or Soto's with the Mets. So you know, but Stanton, he produced in the postseason team that is either injured or so does what they met. So you know, but Stanton, he produced in the postseason.
Speaker 2:This is devastating for them. You know, aaron Judge, he can carry a team for a month or two with his homers and all that, but it's hard depth and going down the stretch, I see Baltimore winning that division. The Orioles, you know, you can make it talk about Toronto too, with Guerrero. But this is devastating for the Yankees, devastating for the game. Fans want to see the best and Gary Cole was up for the Cy Young last year. So Tommy John, that's two years man, he's up in age, he's 36. And that's a devastating blow for the Yankees, really just for the sport.
Speaker 1:You know, when you look at you know like just the, you know if Brady was out or if Mahomes is out or just any of those big-name players. You know Kobe or LeBron or whenever they're out. It's tough for the sport. So, yeah, definitely speedy recovery. But it's just like and I know Kyrie is obviously not of that magnitude, but you know Kyrie with his injury, I mean he's obviously out for most of next year. Yeah, you know, with that knee injury.
Speaker 2:And these guys are old man Kyrie's 35 and Doug Cole is 36. He'll be 37 this year. So you know, when you do a Tommy John surgery or do an ACL in Kyrie Irving's place, it takes time, man. You know, even though modern technology says otherwise, when you're dealing with a pinched elbow, relative to Cole, you still that takes time. That's going to be treacherous to come back. So the Yankees, I wouldn't say they're done, but Stanton, the health of Stanton, it kind of hurts Judge too. I mean they've had ungodly injuries, man, their second pitcher is hurt too. For the Yankees, now it's lucky they signed Max Reed. He has to be the ace, my former Atlanta Braves. So you know, it's one of those things where the American League is going to be competitive. I just don't see the Yankees competing because it is shocking news.
Speaker 1:Yeah absolutely, so, all right. So we got Selection Sunday coming up this Sunday and we will be sending out. We did let a couple of you. Well, a couple episodes ago, we let everybody know that we're going to be doing a, a bracket with everybody. So we will send out the invite, uh, and everybody can join. We'll do a free one. We're not gonna do any money, but we'll do a free one and um, we want everybody to join and and um, you know, yeah, I mean I'm gonna win. I'm just letting everybody know now I'm gonna win it all, but we definitely want everybody to join.
Speaker 1:So yeah definitely looking forward to this election. Sunday, March 16th.
Speaker 2:Yeah, to see how skillful our listeners are in picking the teams and something that's so unpredictable you might see a 16-team shocker one. Don't laugh, it can happen, it's happened before and Auburn has shown some kinks in their armor. Being a one seed, a number one team in the country, alabama walked into their house and won on the last second. I'm ready, baby, I'm ready for this. St John's is a story too. With Patino, they only got four losses. Big East man. When you think of St John's, you think of Willie Glass or Walter Berry, chris Mullen, mark Jackson, bill Winnington I can name them all. Man you know, in the 80s, big East Monday, so Ponce, to repeat Patino what he's doing up there in the city of New York, the maker for basketball.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love it. I love it, I love it. Okay, all right, doc. Well, shoot, that's all I got for our listeners. You got anything else for us today?
Speaker 2:No, no, this, this is great man. Free agency, shocking names, you know, and just changing teams. You gotta love it, man, and I love to be in conversation with you and the listeners. God bless you all.
Speaker 1:All right, we will catch you guys next week. Peace, peace.