Nick Wright on Lakers surge, NBA playoff fixes, Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese | Colin Cowherd Podcast

So let's welcome in Nick, right, you know, I'm you love him first things first what's right with Nick, right? So I was saying in my six seven minute preamble to you is the ultimate respect to women is they can handle themselves And that Caitlin Clark is not a lamb To be able to get to the highest level of any division one sport baseball football hockey wrestling women's basketball You've been mocked. You've been taunted. You've been boxed out. You've probably taken a punch These women are feisty and they talk trash and the ultimate respect isn't rushing to their defense and she's They can handle themselves. She's nobody's underdog Colin. She listen. Angel Reese is awesome. Angel Reese is you some of the people? Commenting like oh who is Angel Reese to trash talk. She was the fourth leading scorer in that game She also set the all-time record double doubles in a season was the first team all-american was the MVP of the goddamn tournament So Angel Reese when they win the championships allowed to talk trash if she wants now Caitlin Clark was the best player in the country and I know for some people because of Angel Reese's race and size They looked at her talking trash different than Caitlin Clark Clark talking trash. It's nonsense and Caitlin Clark Didn't ask for anybody's protection Caitlin Clark dished it out knew she could take it the whole thing and What I find so there is the reaction to The trash talk which I know you talked about we've talked about everywhere to me there was there were Obviously an obvious Massive racial component to who is and who is not allowed to trash talk but then there is the what could have been absent of the trash talk the bigger story, which is The success of this tournament and can women's basketball at the collegiate level become women's tennis which is on par if not at times exceeded the interest in men's tennis because We as a country have shown we will watch women's sports if It up there is it's not an inherent sexism like we won't watch women's sports What we need is to feel like we're watching the best product possible and I feel like in tennis The men's serves became so powerful Then yeah, there wasn't serving volley Plus then all of a sudden Serena comes around and you have a massive American starts like a perfect storm It's like it's a better product. It's more entertaining all of it Women's college basketball is a better product in men's college basketball Flatly because the things you need which is consistency of roster continuity Stars are there in the women's college game in a way. They're not in the men's game Yeah, and I think women's college basketball can have a huge moment here because that LSU team scored a hundred and two points in a regulation college Diego State wasn't gonna score a hundred and two last night if they got a third half by themselves But I guess that's a little disrespect to them it There is just it's a hell of a product the shot. Yeah, awesome And yeah, we understand you're not gonna get the same level athleticism you get for the men's game We can go to the NBA for that and I like the attitudes. I like the personalities. I I like the stories I really my my daughter my youngest daughter who's of my two daughters the bigger sports fan has asked me, you know Why don't I watch more women's sports? I've never had like the greatest answer for her She's nine and we I was like we can go to some WNBA games but the WNBA verse the NBA one is just clearly from basketball wise a Superior product but the cop the female college games were awesome. They were and Here's the other part of it. I wonder if with NIL Colin if there's not way more money Playing in college then going to the WNBA. I wonder if for Kaitlyn Clark, can she not make more money? like whatever her sponsors will be wouldn't they prefer She be staying in college as long as possible because those ratings they're gonna get more viewers more Everything then at the WNBA level. So I think that sport can really have a moment right now. I really do Yeah, and I think the men's final four the women blew out ratings the men's was one of the least watch because you had Underdogs and be between the transfer portal in men's college basketball and the one-and-done culture You can't name any starters the average college fan This morning couldn't name two players for San Diego State and they were in the title game So I I and I do think that doesn't it doesn't completely puncture the NBA But mobility Adam Silver's always been more concerned about it than I would but I think one of the reasons the Warriors continue to get the best TV ratings and the Celtics are right behind them is Because it's the same group of core group of guys for like six years and that really matter That's why Brooklyn had all these stars and terrible ratings. By the way, the Lakers Last three years have had terrible ratings because the rosters constantly in flux well, and the NBA doesn't need to do a better job in my opinion of Marketing its next generation Steps 35 runs 38, you know what? I mean a Durant's an old 34 because of the injuries like you're gonna your your really Living ratings wise off a group of players who should not still be excellent You know, they're very the fact that LeBron's going on 20 years of super high level play and relevance That's borrowed time and now maybe they're gonna try to transfer that to Bronte, but that's a hell of a bet there me Well the other thing what can we take? Sometimes I will see a business out there With the volume we have over 30 employees now, but I'll see a smaller business and I'll say oh I like what they're doing. So I think you see this with big companies all the time. They look and see what young Ascending companies do and What can the NBA take from college sports? Well, the quality isn't close But the urgency is amazing and if I was Adam Silver You cannot have seven game first round series if you're looking for upsets, which clearly Clearly the urgency and the sudden-death nature of college men's basketball Some of these ratings in the early part of this tournament between no-name teams get huge numbers So I think if you want to pass the baton From the veterans to the kids you got to have some shorter series where sometimes a young team comes in with chutzpah and energy Memphis and upsets a really good team that now we know over time that young team in the NBA won't win four series But I do think the NBA playoffs could use more upsets well or let me give Because the counter to that will always be how much more how much benefit are we getting from less revenue less? Inventory of our most valuable time of year, which is postseason games, right? Someone give me an actual answer Why of all sports the NBA has not gone to Drafting your playoff opponent. You want the regular season to matter if You are the one seed if you are Denver if you have earned it once the field is set You pick who you play that would be a massive reward And if you're the two seed you get you get to pick next as opposed to what we're gonna have happen Which is now all of a sudden you're gonna have I can't I it's gonna be unbelievable to watch in these finals 120 hours of the season the Lakers have been fighting like hell to avoid the plane and Now honest to God, I believe they might on the final day of the season Be the sixth seed and the risk Falling back into the play-in to avoid moving up to the five where they have to play Phoenix You're gonna have the Lakers Warriors Clippers in like this staring contest of like Who wants to play like who wants to guarantee they're not in the play in? But if you do that and the other two teams take the night off you now all of a sudden congrats you avoid the plane Let these teams draft their playoff Opponent it would so let me get in the east a team that I know you've liked historically, Boston Boston has been better than Philly Boston has not over the course of the year been better than Milwaukee, but they didn't beat them twice by 40 points You know, Boston's big reward for their season is gonna be Miami in round one. Congratulations Boston, you know what I mean? Philly who's been worse than them? Philly's gonna get a Shell of a Brooklyn T and it's like, okay, you know McHale bridge is a nice player, but that's fine That's absurd. It's ridiculous let and that would add intrigue and it would add import to the regular season and Every first round series would feel like a grudge match because the team would be like you picked us Why'd you pick us? Why didn't you be and so I wish they would do that I I've encouraged that for all across all sports, but nobody the leagues don't want to do it well, I do think they're gonna do a midseason tournament in the NBA I I think what's happening analytics to be honest do not always help sports in baseball It slowed the sport down right? It was home runs. It was strikeouts It was like does anybody hit a single anymore? So they finally got rid of the end by the way more singles more stolen bases more plays at the plate more action The ratings are up. The games are better more of everything, but I do think the NBA The analytics are telling general managers rest your stars Because this sport is so taxing So in baseball you go into a town and you hang out for four days and a third of the team doesn't play They're in the bullpen But in basketball and hockey and especially basketball because you're not on the ice for 45 seconds then off a player who's abnormally large anyway, right like a seven-foot one guy who Travels gonna be harder for him regardless of the plane. So he's gonna play the 40 minutes both ends Burn through 7,000 calories get on a plane land in a city at 4 in the morning go to bed quickly get up shoot around Frankly have you seen old basketball players? They're all bent over. They all look like hell. So go ahead Sorry, the analytics are telling you play stars less so even though This this minimum number of games for awards sounds like on its face It's it will solve it for a veteran player. He's not gonna a veteran guy. By the way, Janice He doesn't care about awards anymore. He wants to be healthy for the Celtics in the playoffs Yeah, it's got I don't know that there's a solve it is because it's the constant conflict between the GM and this cross sports the GM slash head coach whose only incentive and obligation is winning and ownership in the league who theoretically should Only incentive should be we're an entertainment product. How do we maximize our entertainment value? Like the the only thing I could compare it to is the schedule I live in New York City the Broadway schedule is Insane you get Mondays off still do seven shows a week They're two and a half hour shows, right? And a lot of these there's a show I went to with my you know My daughter's a senior in high school. She's a theater major. It's what she wants to go into Show called funny girl the Fanny Bryce story the main character The star of it now is this girl from Glee who is legitimately fun on and The moment she signed up to do it tickets through the roof They you know, they announced she's not doing Thursdays or whatever, but she's doing every other show they do My guess is I can't prove this but she probably would be slightly better If she was only doing three shows a week, but Broadway understands our entire purpose is Entertainment, we're not competing, you know, we are here to entertain the audience therefore make money So you are out there every single night Can you imagine if if Broadway had the same type of thing the NBA it's like well You know we've looked at it and she's really only gonna be able to peak performance on three days a week and we're not gonna tell the audience any idea what three days those are gonna be until they show up and you kill them and So, I don't know what does it is I don't know what the solve is I the NBA keeps trying to do it but I don't think Adam Silver is quite a Harsh enough and to force it because he's in a partnership with the players But this does go ahead because I have a different question, but go ahead Well, because I don't think there is a solve and that's okay NASCAR's audience is old every every sport has a hole and a problem NASCAR sport is old How solvable is it? NFL's got a concussion issue It's grown men tackling each other it's not going away Baseball's got a pace issue and a lack of scarcity. There's a billion games. That's not going away hockey relevance Gretzky helped a little briefly college basketball one-and-done culture. The truth is the NBA problem like every sport Cricket had a pace problem Soccer there's just so few elite players That if you get one and you face teams that don't have one you just dominate for a decade so I don't feel bad for the NBA because it I think you can Mitigate some of the issues but every sport has an issue This is really the primary one for the NBA stars sitting you won't completely solve it But I think like concussions less hitting in practice better helmets. It will take out about 30% of it and for the record If you give me 30% more stars playing it won't be on talk shows because they did it 10 years ago And it was never a topic right that that's right. No, that's 100% correct All right one. I don't know where else you want to go. But when you're talking about college basketball and then wrestling guys it Brought me to something that I mentioned on TV today that I want your thoughts on Alright, so everyone saw the victor win benyama highlight the seven foot five alien did a step back three missed it went and got his Own done and got his own putback done. I also saw a video of the pregame workout. He does for his feet He does like these foot stretch things to whatever to try to keep his feet healthy And then I heard saw this quote from a Western Commerce general manager saying we're all gonna feel like idiots for not tanking I am Quietly very concerned and my entirety is the entire reason for my concern is literally Never have I ever seen someone taller than 7 3 Not be ravaged by injuries ever. Yeah, not once and this guy is Going to be playing on the perimeter Yeah With on that type of wear and tear Colin, I don't care how far back we have to go Ralph Sampson his feet Killed him Rick Smith's Arvita Sabonis. We yell Ming Sam Bowie And I don't know if he was seven that's quite as tall but yet Greg Oden who wasn't quite as tall Durant even had the Jones fracture and now seems you break or Zingas that poor Zingas Yeah, all of them forget the super tall guys even minute ball and you and some of those guys that have dealt with some tragic stuff I Everyone is talking that people like he would go number one in the draft if LeBron weren't No, he wouldn't die. The thing is I I get it if you tell me Wim Benyama is gonna be healthy for 15 years Yeah, he's one of the three greatest prospects ever. Maybe the best prospect ever I don't know, but I have seen I am So when Chet was coming up, I was like the skinniest player I've ever seen Yeah, and we got Wilds and brew killed me for it on the show. I was like skinniest player I've ever seen he played one summer league game against LeBron and we've never do we've never seen him yet since then um Wimby concerns me because when you're so tall Your agent is lying about your height in the other direction Alarm bells go off for me because I don't know man I just what makes him so special is what would terrify me and here is The reason I was thinking about it have the Pelicans helped or hurt Zion. I don't know I know they've been as cautious as possible He's played 120 games in four years. Maybe you can tell me if they were, you know more old-school with him He'd be out of the league by now a hard time believing it. I think maybe That the being so cautious with everything with him has not been the best for him I I can totally see the same thing happening with this kid. He comes into the league has a little minor thing They're like, I'll give it six weeks. Like I don't know it makes me nervous. It makes me nervous Yeah, yeah, we just recently came to terms with size matters for quarterbacks I remember pushing back on Kyler Murray and like guys he's significantly smaller then Anybody's ever been and I remember very early an all-pro defensive lineman in the NFL who I know Played him year one and said brother. He's not gonna be in this league seven years. He does not like to get hit He goes I hit him. He winced does that worry you about Bryce? Absolutely, but I have another theory on that. So people were very uncomfortable. I didn't like Baker Mayfield I said as a one he's too small He's not that so we're coming to terms with Drew Brees was the outlier that size matters in quarterbacks I said the same thing about Chet Holmgren I said if I had one pick I wouldn't take him but Oklahoma City had so many picks So these such a physical uniform unicorn you owe it to yourself to take it take the take the flyer I'm fine with it. I just I don't like most or least Biggest or smallest anything, right? Yeah, I like that And I I know I can get burnt on it But this is and I'm curious what your theory on Bryce is because Bryce is clearly The best on film prospect. It's not even arguable, but then I'm like wait They're saying he's thinner than Kyler I don't know if I think he might be undraftable for me like he's so small So I that he's too small like the biggest or the smallest just concerns me I want to see someone else do it first. What's your theory on Bryce? Okay, so my theory is you can't treat every investment like a 401k So a 401k you put money into and never take it out until you retire But you can also day trade stocks you can buy stuff and sell it you can flip houses There's a lot of equities and there's a lot of investments that aren't built for long term And those are also excellent investments. So Not every quarterback you draft is built for 10 years but if Carolina said to themselves listen our doctors say You're gonna get three really good years out of him and by year four he'll deteriorate to stabilize the organization Wouldn't you still take him? Oh, that's interesting. Okay, and just okay. That's it. Yeah So what you don't want to be in the NFL is Indianapolis a rack but in that division in the NFC Frank Reich's a good coach you bring him and By the second year you draft a quarterback in the sixth round the third year you draft one in the fourth round the fourth year You draft one in the second the Patriots every other year drafted a quarterback with Brady There's an argument to be made you should draft a quarterback every year anyway But if you believe Bryce is the best quarterback and if you just got three years, which for any size is small I mean, I think two is going into year four Let's say it let's say realistically Kyler gives you two more years and then retires and goes I'm done well, you had Josh Rosen and everybody was getting fired and Kyler got you to the playoffs and so It's like Chet Holmgren if you told me we're gonna get four really good years from him 40% of the first round of the NBA is a bust go for it Okay, so the that's interesting that if it's just you're looking at it as and three years I don't know if I'd spent it with just three years. I think that would concern me But if you're like, hey this guy's going to give you his full rookie contract his fifth year option and one franchise tag and You're never gonna have to give him the massive deal That's right, and you're going to instantly be relevant have the quarterback on the roof on the cheap deal That's something I've never really considered that idea But that I just and by the way, and maybe he defies the odds Maybe he is Drew Brees and you know because he is so accurate and seems like such a good kid It just seems like so small in a big man's game The NBA playoffs are upon us 20 teams get in all Trying to get that one crown For last-minute amazing deals to watch your favorite NBA team. It can be the Warriors It could be the Kings. It could be the Sixers. It could be the Bucs To get great last-minute deals on amazing tickets check out game time the fastest growing Ticketing app in the United States. It's called game time. It doesn't stop by the way with the NBA They've got NHL tickets Major League Baseball tickets by the way Those Major League Baseball games they last 30 minutes less. So get there early. They've also got concerts and Comedy shows they've got everything at game time download the game time app and The redeem code is Colin C O L I N $20 off your first purchase Terms apply download the game time app enter the code Colin C O L I N for $20 off Here we go. NBA playoffs baseball season just starting here in April NHL as well No matter where you live get out. Have some fun this week and this year download the game time app last-minute ticket deals lowest prices Guaranteed you mentioned to the Colts and you asked me on the show today about Lamar would you did Peter King said that he believes the That the Ravens would just give you Lamar straight up for the fourth pick. Would you do that if you were in? Just a four pick for Lamar Jackson Yes I number four overall pick This year's draft you give them that and you got to give Lamar a deal Peter King says he thinks the Ravens would say yes To that they wouldn't try to match. They wouldn't they didn't fourth overall pick Lamar straight up. Yes Yes, because I think in the NFC he would dominate in the AFC he'll make you very viable and and I also think That Indy's in a situation now We're at best they're going to get the third best quarterback unless somebody leaps them in a bad quarterback class or Lamar Jackson You just and you can take a deep breath and say we're off this damn treadmill. So I think the Lamar conversation Has been so I don't know that any conversation has ever frustrated me more because it it seems like To me Obvious where he is as a player. He is clearly not a Top five quarterback in football just clearly not and I understand he won a unanimous MVP get it I understand that some of the folks would be like here are just his passing stats. Not his rushing stats I'm like, honestly, I give a ----. I watch the games. I know he's not a great passer. I know he's not I Know there are you know Mahomes burrow? Trevor Herbert Allen those five guys are better than him. I understand Justin Herbert doesn't it if Justin Herbert were It's like hey, you can have him for two first-round picks. There is somebody what offered him a contract by now I know this to be true, right? There's those five guys I also know that right now if you're actually ranking quarterbacks going down the list Dak Prescott's like 10th and Dak, I think Lamar's better than Dak. You might say Dax. Yeah mark, whatever it is at worst Lamar's the 10th best So he's not one of the absolute no-brainers. He's still better than 20 starters So like let's all take a deep breath teams are so desperate for quarterbacks You give Daniel Jones 40 million a year for four years So so again, so is he perfect no Does is he hurting himself by not having an agent? I think unquestionably. Yes It is it frustrating that he hasn't The passing wise he's actually awesome at some of the really hard stuff It's the layups that yeah, he's not great at has never gotten great at and it's frustrating sure But does it still seem baffling to me that a team like Detroit? Isn't like hmm. We damn near made the playoffs with Jared golf. We have extra first-round picks We're in the soft conference in a division that next year the most established quarterback is gonna be Kirk Cousins Yeah, we'll pay Lamar Jackson and maybe go to the Super Bowl even though he's not perfect I I do think there's something else so We both admit his unorthodox personal Representation hurts and that the injuries really hurt There is a third thing that an executive in the league told me about a year ago. Is that if you bring him in? you better go find a backup that works for him if he gets hurt and it's a it's a different offense than Your typical offense so you've got to make some real staff changes And if he's a franchise guy, you got a sign you got to bring in a whole new group And it's almost like in our space There's people that do play-by-play and there's people that are Analysts and then there's guys like you and I that are opinionists and generalists Well, we don't work doing games or hosting a show, right? you have to bring in people who create topics for you and I so Lamar is unique and that he's not your classic drop back, but he's a better thrower than you think He does have an injury issue one of them kind of freaky in the pocket But he's got such a dynamic style of which you should absolutely Lean into that there is a okay if we bring him in an indie Okay, Shane Steichen What do you have to do to your staff to do this? And and so now I'm not saying there aren't a lot of things you can't do with Lamar You can do with other quarterbacks, but he is such a listen I talked to Sean Payton about Russell Wilson when he was not the Broncos coach and I said, what would you do? And he said I'd get him back to playing Basketball on grass he goes Russell's at his best playing basketball on grass. Well, that's not Drew Brees So you're literally bringing in staff and people and personnel that work with basketball on grass So Lamar's that to a I would say an even hyper version of that So he's a very I guess what I'm saying is the downside to unique is that you have to build people to support Unique and it's not as easy as conventional none of it's that's what listen Do I think the league as a whole doesn't want to do guaranteed deals? Obviously do I think the owners might be you know at the owners meetings to ask around you're not gonna It's you're not doing guaranteed. We're not we're not going down there. You know, the Browns screwed us. We're not going for sure so do I think there is that level of collusion if you sure But as I said before if Trevor Lawrence We're done with his contract franchise tagged and for the whole league It was like Trevor was like hey I want a fully guaranteed deal and it's gonna cost two first-round picks Five of these teams would have said I don't care who gets mad at me I'm doing so part of the reason there hasn't been a hot Lamar market is because of the things that you're talking about There are some limitations and it is not simple But there is still a massive instant upside particularly for an NFC team We're going into next year the best quarterback in the conference I think Jalen Hurts has earned that but he's only shown to us for one year and then after that it's Kurt and I'm sorry, it's Stafford coming off an injury or DAC or whomever we have no idea and so that part of it is It is and I my theory on that is I think most of these teams are waiting until after the draft Because if you like if we sign Lamar, we're gonna be better So our pick in the future years will be worse than the pick this year. So might as well Spend our you know use our pick this year and then the two first round picks We'd have to give up are gonna be in the 20s or whatever it is I also think when I saw the report that the Patriots were shopping Mac Jones that I'd keep an eye on Belichick and I'm glad you brought that up. So it's interesting and I'm gonna use our business again as a comp so You were given a shot at FS1 and you have succeeded But it does matter that you've had success as your first big Syndicated cable opportunity if you would have failed there's a chance you would have never gotten a second opportunity, right? Same for me at ESPN radio if I tank I'm my careers. I go back to doing local radio There's a big gap between local and where I've Ascended to so Mac Jones. I defend I disagree with Eric Mangini on this So Belichick is still pissed off that Mac Jones sought help outside of the building Last year when they gave him Joe judge as a quarterback coach and Matt Patricia as a coordinator and I thought Had I gone to ESPN? Because in the NFL drew Brees is an outlier you bomb in the first one Star quarterback, you don't get a second chance. Mostly, right so and This isn't Deshaun Watson who did star in Houston had personal issues. Yep, but what we knew he could play So had I gone to ESPN replacing Tony Kornheiser and they would have given me a sales guy to help with content not taking it seriously and I bitched to my boss and he wouldn't listen My only out would have been to leak it to the press. What a -----show Management was so I told Mangini. I understand there's a sense that well Mac Jones He's not allowed at this point in his career and my takeaway is timeout timeout timeout His career is three years you F it up. He's gonna be viewed as Insignificant and people will never give him a franchise job again So they literally Belichick takes this big wild zany swing max like the hell you doing I'm a quarterback. Nobody else has to deal with this and he starts leaking ---- Right, he's losing the locker room So it the Matt Jones situation is interesting is that I kind of I thought of my ESPN days I thought the hell do you do if this iconic coach is effing you? Yeah. Okay, so I hear you Let me give the counterpoint to that Because you're right that if you would fail to the ESPN your career goes differently or whatever but I also know enough about the business and know enough of Where you were when you got that job you were not quite Mac Jones You were closer at that point to Joe Burrow You were going to get a huge opportunity somewhere and had massive success in a bunch of places What listen I I said for I'm not trying to be humble here because I said for years Before you knew me that I was the second best radio guy in the country I was 27 years old saying it saying second only to you. So I always believed I was extraordinary but I was Just kind of doing okay ratings wise in Houston when I got the shot on it at FS1 I was not the first overall pick just like Mac wasn't and So let you so if you are Bill Belichick in this example, and I am Mac Jones and you say I Colin Cowherd Successful for 20 years. I Want you to come work with me? Trust me, Nick I know it might not make a lot of sense to you But I need you to follow this and my first year doing it. I Overachieved and my second year you're like, I want to try some new things and I'm out there Trademarking my name doing the gritty after segments. I'm like man. **** this old man. He doesn't know anything You might be like your career exists because of me asshole What are you doing? And when I when I put you on the bench and I had someone else host and zappy all of our ratings went up So maybe maybe you need to go work somewhere else and see what they see how that works for you so I I Understand that the that Mac maybe was frustrated. I also understand Belichick may be thinking buddy You can't throw the ball 35 yards in the air. I Can't trust you to throw a Hail Mary So did I maybe make a mistake with having the special teams coach and the astrophysicist be your offensive coordinator? Sure, do I need you? constantly showing up my coaches throwing things yelling at people when you have not been part of the solution and The thing that really hurts Mac and there's the point I keep making on the show The Patriots had two games last year where they scored 28 points They were the two Bailey's happy starts. It's not like those games Josh McDaniels came back for a cameo appearance It was the same staff is the same everything. And so I also think Belichick knows What will he should know? Even if Mac reaches his full potential Will it be a day in his life Mac Jones is better than my homes Allen burrow pervert Lamar if he stays Trevor Lawrence now, we're at six in his conference Just Sean if to Sean ever comes back who knows, you know, the dude comes back to where he was if you know There's Russell Wilson. There's Aaron Rodgers There's two of guys who all they're upside that they have shown in their careers, right? There is a possibility his best case scenario is eighth best quarterback in his own conference I'd be looking for an upgrade. You know what I mean? I would if I were bill and maybe Mac wants it. I don't think Mac is a special talent and So I could be wrong on that. I just I've never watched him in like wow that guy's got it No, it's good pushback you probably won that one that was good. Well, that's just because I called you Belichick and I was Mac Jones So you have been By the way, you're in New York City. I don't know if you could hear the the pro Trump Can I tell you something interesting real quick about that? New York is fascinating in this regard. So I Didn't live here. When was the Super Bowl here a decade ago? I don't know. I was here for the game, but I didn't live here. Obviously I was doing local radio in Houston and We came and did the Super Bowl and every all the New Yorkers now, maybe that's because the actual games in Jersey I don't know. That's what I didn't know but they were like, yeah, you can't tell the games going on It doesn't it's not Super Bowl week. It's just a week in New York City, man when I tell you that That every part of today in New York City felt like every other day I've been in New York City now. I wasn't I'm sure at the courthouse. It felt like a big thing but and in the surrounding few block area, but there is a Weird part and it I kind of today to me and I'm not a New Yorker I mean, I've lived here six and a half years now, but it's not where I'm from. You know, I'm from Kansas City That it did feel kind of cool that you're in a city that is says so much going on with so many people that an unprecedented historic political criminal event thing is happening 30 blocks a 12 minute bike ride from where I was and there was no sign of it There was you know I mean there was there was nothing New York's a weird place like that Like that just the city just keeps moving no matter what's going on anywhere else in the city When you're a city the size of New York in LA the only thing people generally suffer from Simultaneously is horrific weather Yeah We were you were we're all in LA going, okay, it's 28 straight days of rain Where's the arc this it's insane right like and in New York's had, you know, like blizzards and that kind of stuff No, it the the Trump stuff is You know, I saw 60 minutes did an interview which by the way they've interviewed terrorists so I would not schedule You know the woman they put on Taylor green the MTG I would not have but they've interviewed terrorists So it's sometimes you have to shine the light on ignorance So but my takeaway is the ratings were down like 35% so 60 minutes took a controversial stand and it backfired and the truth is She's not Interesting. I mean for 60 minutes to lose 30% of their audience. Is that even though you could take a very popular? polarizing figure like Tucker Carlson and he may win cable if You introduced him at Yankee Stadium. He would be booed out of the stadium Is that Twitter is not real life? Social media is not and either is cable television. Is that what? creates clicks Most people don't want to watch wildly political Wildly polarizing figures and are not rooting for him and Trump if you're still clinging to Trump Democrats aren't statistically independents aren't moderates aren't and a lot of Republicans aren't but if you go to Twitter you think oh He's been reborn The Biden team is praying He's who they face see, so it's so this is a fascinating political thing and this is where I Think and this is where maybe I'm glad I'm not in this Business because sometimes I feel like I'd be good in politics want to run for office. My wife tells me I'm not allowed to run for office. I also feel then sometimes I'm like, I'm so glad I'm not involved in it but it is a Tough line to walk from some of The folks so the Lincoln Project for example has gotten a lot of I think deserved criticism lately for yeah trying to Walk these two lines simultaneously Trump is a unique threat to American democracy our way of life Unique in a way no politician we've ever had has ever been Walking that line and also pretty clearly walking that line God, we hope he gets the nomination because he'll be easier to beat like well, hold on like wait Just wait a second here Because I might also think he would be easier to beat than DeSantis now The more stories are you about DeSantis eats chocolate pudding and treats people. Maybe he's not ready for the national I'm not certain but you can't you I don't think you can say You can simultaneously say this one guy is gonna wreck the country forever Also, we want him to come as close as he can to the presidency So the guy we want to win wins that strikes me as a little contradictory in certain ways Can I say something about the 60 minutes thing? So this was where I thought the preemptive criticism was insane and Then despite being insane ended up being correct I thought the same thing you thought when they were like we're interviewing Marjorie Taylor Greene and everyone's like How could you give her a platform? How dare you? I thought same thing. I'm like didn't Mike Wallace talk to the Ayatollah. What did yes Yes, I'm like and isn't that considered like the greatest like one of the greatest television journalism moments ever um, so I'm thinking I'm like everybody calm down and Before you criticize something before you see it the idea of great journalism is shining a light Yeah, I mean like I would I there's a lot of Horrible figures that I would really like to see an interview with assuming we are it is going to be done in my eyes properly and then this lady Said, you know, she's asked, you know, why do you call? Democrats pedophiles and she's like well essentially because they are and The response is Wow, and then they move on and I'm like, oh the critics were right You totally do you like what are you doing? Like if you're gonna do it if you're gonna do one of these interviews with someone and again This is not I know you have a ton of a ton of viewers this of all political stripes So I am this is not an attack on conservatives It is an attack on Marjorie Taylor Greene If you think Marjorie Taylor Greene should be the next vice president United States You're not gonna like me because I think you're crazy. So like Right, but if you're gonna interview someone in of that extreme, right? You have to be ready for it to be Confrontational enough that they leave that they're like, ah, you know angry pissed off and walk out It can't be that the end of it you like smile and shake hands in my you know What I mean in my opinion I agree totally great other side of it If you if there was a Democratic politician who had raised a significant prominence as she has Whose their platform was if you have over 200 million dollars in the bank We should come to your house and burn you that you know what that person we should You should treat like a lunatic and you should and you should Excoriate but it doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to them So I was disappointed because I thought everyone criticizing the fact that they were doing the interview was wrong But then the interview ended up they didn't I didn't think they did a great job with it, but I don't know. Yeah, no 60 minutes it had terrorists on so my take is Leslie Stahl probably wasn't the person that should have Been assigned to the Story, that's how I feel Having seen it. I didn't say the thing that for him, but having seen it. I feel like something you need. Sometimes you need confrontational journalists And something like that the you but there should I don't think it should just be we'll never talk to this person and pretend It's one thing to be like we don't want to give a platform to someone who doesn't have You know what? I mean? Like some right some Right White supremacist Twitter troll. Why give them a platform? This person is a prominent member of the United States Congress. They have a platform You're ignoring them is not going to make them go away Very good Nick, right? That was um, boy. That was 50 minutes of fun. I Have some questions here. There's no need this was better. Okay. All right, by the way just real quick But so we don't have to end on Politics just three minutes here before I right now this moment. Have you do you have a lean? headed into the NBA playoffs I'm gonna say Boston Matches up with Milwaukee, but somehow I think when given equal rest I don't think the last game Celtics Bucks is fair. They come off a wild shootout drew Hall They went from 51 points to six. I'll say Milwaukee and seven over Boston gets to the Eastern gets to the NBA Finals Wiggins is in shape, but he's not in game shape Sacramento is actually a really good first round Matchup for them because they know Mike Brown's tendencies the coach. They're deep at guard control a lot at Deere and Fox No experience against the most experienced playoff team So I do think and the travel for an old team like the Warriors the travels a bus ride There's some there's a dream on said Draymond said he likes that matchup because of the travel. Yeah So it's unique if they get Sacramento and Wiggins gives you 16 and cominga gives you another 20 I think they escaped that Phoenix in the first round and Wiggins is just not ready to play 28 minutes. I don't think they can do it because Steve Kerr said Steve Kerr said Wiggins is in shape, but he's not in game shape There's a whole and by the way big difference between game shape and NBA playoff second round game shape So I think if they get Sacramento and Wiggins can kind of play his way Into game shape for about a 10-day stretch and then the second round then I think they would be ready They're so deep in ours. And that's yes Yeah, and also I thought I don't think Phoenix again Chris Paul is on the precipice of kind of going off that cliff I mean, you've got Peyton deep in Genzo clay pool stuff. It is the deepest guard group I think in it. I don't remember a guard group that now they have no frontcourt scoring without Wiggins But I think they're built to really beat Sacramento I don't know if if Draymond's game works against yokich. It kind of doesn't right? He's a little flummoxed by him. So I guess my my my thing is there's a way for the Warriors to get there But it has to be specific teams. It's the Clippers maybe with Paul George not at 100% Chris Paul struggles in a series Phoenix, but I think if Boston or Milwaukee gets to the final they'll beat Probably and and it'll probably be Denver Okay, I don't listen I I gotta see the man I would be very surprised if Denver gets passed round two very surprised and to be in the listen the Warriors Lakers or Clippers Could be the eight seed any one of them and any one of them could bounce them Denver in round one Some my son on podcast today said to me Would the Warriors winning be the worst thing for your career Nick's career and because I've written them off again and I said Absolutely, not and this is what I want you to take on then we can go. I Said I think the worst thing for my career would actually be the Lakers winning and he couldn't understand why and I said, I Think if we're talking long like what is long-term the best for me? I think LeBron becoming I Think it becoming the popular opinion the majority opinion that LeBron's the greatest player ever is Actually bad for me. I think that if that debate if it's everyone's like it's like it'll be like two days of like Wow, Nick was right good for him and then on to the next thing like it's in my interest for the LeBron Jordan debate to stretch on as long as possible and a LeBron winning the championship in the finals MVP this year at least moves that to a coin flip in the eyes of most people and And it really changes the math on that in a way that that's what's interesting If the Lakers were to win the title this year Then Anyone that says I'm not just counting the rings in the LeBron Jordan thing is not only just counting the rings But the written ring count would now just be one one ahead because every other thing it would be like, okay Who played longer is more for all these other things? So while it would feel great in the moment I actually think long term was It would be it would not be because that is the opinion people still to this day on the street The number one thing people say to me is do you really believe LeBron's better than Jordan? And if everyone believes LeBron's better than Jordan, I don't know how much that hurts me I'm not sure but so you disappear into the broadcasting It's like Oh Nick Nick's. Oh the guy who agrees with everyone on my homes and everyone on LeBron good for him All right, I love you Colin see you buddy