JR SportBrief Hour 1

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It is the J.R. Sportbrief show on CBS Sports Radio. I hope you had a tremendous Friday. It's Friday night now. I'm here to have a good time. I'm going to be hanging out with you for the next four hours. It doesn't matter if it's Friday or Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday. This is when I get started, 10 p.m. Eastern Time, 7 p.m. Pacific.

Thank you to everybody locked in all over North America. It's a basketball weekend, folks. Women's Final Four. Men's Final Four.

There's NBA. We got a lot to talk about. We got a lot to do. I'm coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia. Shout out to super producer and host Dave Shepherd. He's coming to you live from New York City.

You want to holler at us? It's simple. We got a phone number. The line works.

We have paid our bills. The number is 855-212-4CBS. That's 855-212-4CBS. Speaking of all the basketball that's going to be taking place this weekend, right now, one and a half of the Women's Final Four is already set. LSU, the Lady Tigers, they beat Virginia Tech 79 to 72 about an hour ago. LSU is going to its first national championship. Right now, this minute, this second, we have Iowa. They currently lead South Carolina led by Dawn Staley. The score there happens to be 13 to 11.

This is still the first quarter of the game. We'll definitely keep you updated as everything continues on. And it's not just college basketball on the men and women's side that's in the news this entire weekend. The NBA, in about two hours from now, they have a self mandated deadline to figure out a new CBA for next season. And Adam Silver says if we don't come to an agreement with the NBA Players Association, we will opt out on June 30th. Could be a whole lot of bluffing, but let's see what takes place and what happens in approximately two hours from now. So I assume we'll be able to share with you some type of news next hour and previewing the men's final four. We'll have a conversation with college basketball expert Deshaun Tate. I even heard something on the NFL side that the NFL is considering opening up a division in Europe.

OK. It looks like we might have been there and done that. There are some important matchups tonight in the NBA. The Lakers are taking on the Timberwolves. Last night we talked about Shohei Ohtani and the crap team that he plays on. One of his teammates, Anthony Rendon, decided to kind of rough up a fan yesterday. We didn't see the video of Bradley Beal slapping a cap off of somebody.

But we did get video of Rendon grabbing a dude by the neck and attempting to slap the living hell out of him. So we got a busy Friday night. Hopefully wherever you're at, whatever you're doing, nobody's trying to slap the living hell out of you.

And let's just go ahead and have a good time. Shep, how are you this evening? You doing OK? Doing good there. And no one's trying to slap the hell out of me. So that's a plus.

How are you, my friend? That's always a good thing. The less people getting slapped on a Friday night, the better. Tell that to Chris Rock.

Sorry. Chris Rock got slapped a year ago and he got paid 50 million dollars to talk about it. So I guess getting slapped when you're Chris Rock ain't too bad.

Wherever you're at, whatever you're doing, folks, I hope you seriously are well and safe on this this Friday night. OK, let's get into this. And women's basketball isn't something we spend a whole lot of time discussing. It's not the most popular of sports. You know, I'll sit down and watch a women's game if I know who's participating. But I'm not going to sit down and fool folks that, hey, I'm just all into women's college basketball or that I'm all into the WNBA because I'm not.

I'd be lying through my damn teeth if I was. I'm supportive of women's basketball. I'm supportive of all women's sports. I don't really care. But the fact of the matter is, for years, I have always found the women's NCAA tournament to be some of the most exciting basketball that I've seen. It doesn't matter if it's men or it's women's. And a lot of times I don't know who or what the hell I'm looking at.

I'm potentially looking at WNBA prospects. I've watched LSU on and off throughout the course of the year. And that's been because of Angel Reese.

Shout outs to Angel coming out of the DMV. And now we see tonight or we witnessed if you did see it, I watched the second half of it. We watched LSU go into the final quarter of the game, go into the fourth down nine points. They were losing 59 to 50 at the end of the third. They outscored Virginia Tech 29 to 13. And Kim Mulkey, you might know the name Kim Mulkey, used to play basketball, played on Team USA, coached at Baylor for about 20 years, has won three championships. She's in her second year coaching LSU. And here in the second year, they're already going to a national championship. Nine new players this season.

This is LSU's first title appearance. Angel Reese went out there and had a double double. All of these games are being broadcast on ESPN and they spoke to Holly Rowe after the game. Angel Reese, her teammate Alexis Morris, they were enthusiastic about being there, about the win.

Listen. We had to play defense. We had to come together and believe in each other and play defense. The game wasn't over. We've been in situations like this before.

So just trust in the coaches and listen to each other. You guys held them for almost six minutes without scoring. When on that run, Alexis, part of it fueled by your tough baskets.

How'd you do it? I'm a senior, man. And I got to be the glue for this team offensively, defensively. I know my team needed a sport, so I have to trust in myself and in my teammates and in my coaches. That's why we're competing for the national championship on Sunday, baby. We just made history. You guys had nine new players. Nobody thought you would be standing where you are tonight. How?

How have you done it? Hey, we trust God. And God got us here. We believe in each other.

All we got is each other. I'm super happy for this team. We just made history. We just made history, baby. Right here.

Put that on the mattress. Here we go. Oh, good for them. And now we just got to wait to see who they will take on on Sunday afternoon. I'm going to sit down and watch that game. There's so many things to watch. I don't even know where to start. It's like a basketball overload, a championship level basketball overload.

So much going on. And I mentioned to you Kim Mulkey. There are quite a few things you might remember her for.

She had quite a few comments unsolicited about COVID. She coached at Baylor for I told you about 20 years. I remember her mostly for coaching Brittany Griner. She went perfect with the Baylor Bears in 2012. That was one of her three titles that she won.

And in this tournament. I don't know who the hell makes her clothes. Kim Mulkey comes out in some of the most let's let's just say frilliest of outfits.

If she wasn't a coach, if she wasn't a I guess a national figure, if she wasn't out there to be seen. You would look at this lady and go, oh, there's something wrong with her. She wore gigantic flowers from her elbow.

Excuse me. I don't know my body parts from her shoulders to her cuffs. Just gigantic flowers about the size of her face on each side of her sleeves. And God bless her. She could do what she wants.

Just like what Claude Frazier walks around like an old pimp. She can do exactly what she wants. You can't miss her. And not just because of what she wears. You can't miss her yelling at her team, yelling at the squad, yelling at the coach, yelling at the refs. This little point guard lady is yelling at every body. There's nothing quaint. Quiet. Or just reserved about her.

Especially for a woman from the south. She is loud as hell. There was a story about how when she got to LSU, she looked at her team, told them to turn around and look up. And said that there are no banners here.

I'm here to change that. And now with LSU going to their first national championship game, they're looking to change that. Kim Mulkey spoke after the game as well. She spoke to March Madness on their Twitter account.

This is what she had to say. Coach, this team is called Showtime for a reason. How is LSU able to outshine Virginia Tech 29-13 in the fourth quarter to pull away? Defense. Unbelievable defense. I told them in that last time out, you play like this is the last two to three minutes of your life that you'll ever play basketball. Don't wait because you got ten minutes.

You got to go now. I thought Alexis Mars was the best guard on the floor. Bar none. She played her defense and she got after it and made big shots. And then we got on the boards. We were being out rebounded 11 at the half. And then I got to see Angel Reese get on the boards.

And Ledasia. The end of the second quarter or in the second quarter, Flau'jae and Ledasia got in foul trouble. And I didn't think the guys coming in off the bench did too much.

They kind of did some bad things. And I challenged them at halftime. I'm one lucky coach. Look at that LSU section. And I get to play for the national championship again with a new team. One more game.

And you made it a priority hug. Everyone on your team, what's special about this group that's keeping you all dancing? They just grind. They have some of the biggest personalities. They're all over social media. They just, I'm blessed.

That's all I can tell you. Thank you, coach. Oh, that's sweet.

Not as mean and angry after the game, after the win as she typically would be. Congratulations to Kim Mulkey. And shout outs to all my friends and my family. All my folks out in Baton Rouge. I love it out there.

I need to go soon. I'll be, I don't know who to root for. I'm probably rooting for LSU by default here. But they're going to take on either Iowa or South Carolina. And we know the Gamecocks, they're led by Dawn Staley. She's been coaching the squad since 2008. Before that, she was their head coach at Temple. She's won two titles here with the Gamecocks, most recently last season. And Dawn Staley is, she's a legend too, man.

A legend out of Philadelphia. And then we got Iowa, the Hawkeyes. Man, Kaitlyn Clark, did you see her about a week ago beat Louisville? Did you see her go out there and put up a 40-point triple-double? The first that we've ever seen in the NCAA tournament. 40 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. And to the shock of nobody, right now Kaitlyn Clark at the start of this game has 11 points for Iowa.

They currently lead 24 to 15. It was just a few days ago that Kaitlyn Clark, she got an award. National Player of the Year. She was given that award by coach Lisa Bluder. Shep, is it Bluder or Blutter?

How do you say this lady's name? Oh man, I'm pretty sure it's Bluder. I'll triple check.

I'm pretty sure it's Bluder though. Hey, how about we just do a rock? You ready?

Are you ready? You don't have to worry. It doesn't matter what her name is, okay?

Sorry. Anyway, Lisa Bluder, the head coach of Iowa. She presented her with the award. Take a listen to this.

This is from near Twitter. Hey Kaitlyn, you know how proud all of us are of you and what you've done on the court. But what you've done on the court has far exceeded what you've done in our community and around this country in getting little girls excited about playing basketball.

But no place has it been better and felt more than at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. So here today I just want to let you know, you are the AP National Player of the Year. You did it. Way to go kid.

National Player of the Year. Are you kidding? That was awesome kid. So happy for you. Thank you.

Thank you. It wouldn't be possible without every single one of you. I really mean that.

I'm lucky that I'm here because I know it probably wouldn't be possible at other places. So thanks for believing in me and having my back. Oh, we love coaching you. Oh, it's so sweet.

They put the dramatic music underneath it as well. Shout out to Shep, what's her name? Coach Bluder. Shout out to Coach Bluder. Right now, Coach Bluder leads South Carolina 26 to 21. Dawn Staley, she didn't have to hand out any awards prior to the Gamecocks going out here, but she spoke as well right before the Final Four got started.

She talked about why she is proud of South Carolina. This isn't just about what this team has done on the court. I mean, you have to prep for being able to be as successful as we have.

And they come every day, like every single day. They've created habits in which they just get the job done. They don't ask about how long is practice.

They don't ask what drills are on the practice cards. They just say, okay, this is what we have to do. Let's get it done. And it turns out to be, you know, one of the most, like, just they're lean. There's no extra to what they, you know, what they do. And I just, I'm really proud of them. I just hope that we're able to win a national championship because they've done it the right way. And they're just exemplary of what you want every student athlete to be.

Oh, that's nice. They're not jerks. They show up to, I want to say work, might as well be work. They show up. They don't complain. They're ready to work.

They're not jerks. And so, yes, I've enjoyed what I've seen so far. I enjoyed watching LSU beat Virginia Tech. Here in the studio, I got my eye on Iowa and South Carolina. I can't wait to see who comes out on top in this game. And I'm going to sit down on Sunday, unless I fall asleep, and I'm going to watch the national championship.

That's just the facts. I'm going to be watching the men's championship, the Final Four tomorrow. I'm going to be watching it all. If there's a ball that bounces, if there's somebody throwing a ball, if there's a baseball player yoking up a fan like Rendon, I'm going to watch it. We got a lot to do over this weekend. And for my WWE fans, I know all my people out in LA, they're checking out WrestleMania. It's a busy, busy weekend.

We're just getting started with a busy, busy night. 8-5-5-2-1-2 for CBS. That's 8-5-5-2-1-2 for CBS. I'll keep you updated on the women's Final Four. We know LSU is going. Who's joining them? Is it Iowa?

Is it South Carolina? Are you going to be watching the women's national championship? We're going to talk about the men's national championship. A matter of fact, when we come back from break, I want to tell you about two dudes that won't be playing in the national championship.

The next time we see them playing, they might be playing in the NBA. It's the JR Sport Brief Show on CBS Sports Radio. Happy Friday, folks. More on the other side.

Don't move. Call him now at 8-5-5-2-1-2 for CBS. That's 8-5-5-2-1-2 for 227. It is the JR Sport Brief Show on CBS Sports Radio. Open up the show, filling you in on the women's Final Four. You may not have watched the damn game all season, man, but these games are pretty awesome. According to The Wire here, we know LSU is going to the championship game on Sunday. This is their first time, led by colorful personality head coach Kim Mulkey. Iowa and South Carolina, they are battling it out right now for that second spot in the championship game. Iowa leads 31-29 in the second quarter. If you've never watched a women's basketball game, check these games out.

They're pretty awesome. Looking in on the NBA side real quick, I want to bring your attention to this. The Los Angeles Lakers, they're trying to forge ahead, man.

I mean, there's been a lot of talk about this being a wasted season for the Lakers. What do you do with Westbrook? Westbrook is gone.

He's now on the other LA team. They bring in somebody like Rui Hachimura. LeBron James goes down and then he's hurt.

They have someone like Jared Vanderbilt. They bring in D'Angelo Russell. Austin Reeves has been playing out of his mind. And right now, unless there is a massive collapse, the Los Angeles Lakers lead the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The team directly above them in standings, 1-12 to 99. There are about three minutes left in this game. The Lakers are trying to avoid this dumbass play-in game. And Anthony Davis, to his credit, is playing out of his mind. Anthony Davis, 36 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks.

LeBron James still trying to show a little bit of life and get acclimated to the team. LeBron, 15 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists. D'Angelo Russell has 12. Austin Reeves has 13.

Jared Vanderbilt has 12. And every Los Angeles Laker is pretty much contributing tonight as the Lakers try to climb the standings with almost no games left. That's where we stand. Meanwhile, in a few minutes, this game is getting underway. The Nuggets are taking on the Suns.

And we talked about this a few nights ago. That Nikolay Jokic playing in a few, a handful more games than Joel Embiid and then also Giannis Atetokounmpo. But tonight, as Denver takes on Phoenix in 90s night, shout-outs to everybody at Footprints Arena.

I guess they'll be wearing, I don't know, colorful clothes and big clothes from the 90s. The Nuggets won't be playing, man. Jokic won't play. He got a calf injury. He didn't play last night.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is sick. Michael Porter Jr. is not playing due to rest. Jamal Murray is resting.

And I get it, y'all are getting ready for the playoffs, but I mean, damn. Nuggets don't play enough defense to be out here resting. What the hell they resting for? Hey, Shep, why they resting?

Shep doesn't even have an idea why they resting anyway. We'll see what happens. Sorry about that. Just making sure we had our update guide ready to go.

Yeah, no problem. So, why the Nuggets are resting? Yeah, I mean, I know why they're resting, but they just play offense.

They don't do nothing. So, I mean, that's an older team. Like, Aaron Gordon's got to be close to year 10.

Uncle Jeff has called Uncle Jeff Green for a reason. Nikola Jokic has never... Jamal Murray and Porter? Those are younger guys, but they've also been injury plagued. Murray ain't done nothing but rehab. He should be fresh as hell out there.

But social Porter, what is his... He done played all year long. We expect his back to give up now in, like, game number, I don't know, 77?

What are we doing here? Well, JR, I mean, again, they do have... I mean, the Grizzlies, they're not catching them. So, the Nuggets have the number one spot locked up. It's the same thing with the Bucks. Like, I know the Bucks got blown out by the Celtics. So, let's quit on the season.

No, no, no, no, no. Let's rest and maintain our bodies while we have the number one seed virtually locked up. While we go into the playoffs relatively healthy. And, JR, I don't need to tell you this, okay? The West this year, number one, number two, and number three, they might as well reverse the seeding in terms of how great these teams are because they can get knocked off so easily with how deep the West is.

Think about this. Five through eight, it's going to be the Lakers, the Clippers, and the Warriors. Those three teams, not the Nuggets, not the Kings, not the Grizzlies, had the best shot to win an NBA title at the beginning of the season. And those teams, with the exception of Paul George being out, are relatively healthy now. Yeah, I know. That's why the Denver Nuggets should be going out there and playing ball.

I understand the rest idea. I understand that if I was running a team, I'd be doing it too. But this is the part that sucks about the NBA, and I get it, it's the end of the season, and this is not something new. This has been going on for years.

This predates LeBron, this predates Jokic, Giannis Atteracumpo probably wasn't even born. But the fact is, just go out there and play ball, man. Like, y'all going to Phoenix, and I'm just thinking from a fan's perspective, okay, we'll get into this later on in the show. I'm not going to talk about it right now. Because they really care about the fan these days.

No, we'll get into that later on in the show. The point is right now, y'all are telling the fans that these end of season games don't matter. And you take the approach of, oh my god, we're picking and choosing. We talked about the NFL a couple of days ago, a couple of nights ago. And the fact that the NFL is ready to take the team's play two times a year on Thursday. So what's to stop the NFL from, I don't know, five years from now, when they've expanded to 18 games a season from saying, man, we want to drop a game in on Tuesday, or we want to drop a game in on Wednesday. It was ten years ago when Mark Cuban said that I don't know how the NFL is going to be in ten years.

Well, they're doing plenty fine, by the way, Mark Cuban. But I think his larger point was the NFL is getting greedy. Like, there's not a matter of scarcity when you're giving people NFL every single damn day. Let's give it to you on Sunday. Let's give it to you on Monday and Thursday. At the end of the year, let's give it to you on Friday.

And Saturday. And, my God, maybe one day they'll wake up and say, we'll give you NFL on Tuesday and Wednesday. Like, let's actually think about the fans. Like, everybody looks at the fans as the next new sucker. We talked about this with Major League Baseball last night.

Everybody's a sucker here. Like, oh, well, yeah, well, the baseball fans, they still show up. And even if they don't show up, we still make enough money. 162 games. Like, why do we care?

Well, big deal, right? NBA could do better. Denver Nuggets are going into Phoenix. And the Suns, man, they just, they're going to wax them. Because Denver wants to rest its player with the torn ACL. They want to rest its fat potential MVP candidate.

They want to rest the guy with the bad back. And they are resting themselves to get their asses whooped in the playoffs. Congratulations to the Denver Nuggets. And then also congratulations to those Los Angeles Lakers. I guess the Lakers are trying to peak at the right time.

How about that? It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. When we come back, we're going to talk about some individuals that want to make it to the pros. I'm going to tell you about two basketball players.

I'm going to tell you about an NFL player. And I'll talk to you. 855-212-4CBS, that's 855-212-4CBS. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. You are my favorite national host. You always have an interesting perspective on everything. Hey, well, thanks.

Is that a nice way of calling me crazy? You are listening to the JR Sport Brief. Call in now at 855-212-4CBS. It's the JR Sport Brief Show on CBS Sports Radio. You know, right before the break, I gave you a quick update on some of the NBA games. Denver Nuggets are taking on Phoenix, and Denver is taking the rest approach. We talked about half of the women's championship being set in college basketball. LSU moving on to the final, waiting on South Carolina and Iowa to finish their game. Right now, Iowa leads at halftime, 38-37 against South Carolina. And then in a few minutes, I want to tell you about some individuals who, they're trying to make it to the pros.

855-212-4CBS, that's 855-212-4CBS. Before we do any of that, let's go to one of my favorite states. Let's go to Oregon. Let's go to Eugene. Let's talk to Cameron. You're on CBS Sports Radio. What's up, Cameron? Hey, JR. How's it going? I'm terrific.

Go ahead, please. All right. Dame in Portland, right? What's the best way that you recommend to get him a championship while he stays in Portland? I don't have an answer for that.

I don't think there is one, which is why I think sooner than later it's time for him to go. All right. I mean, that is a realistic perspective, but also a sad one. Yeah, well, I mean, life sucks. It hurts. The poor guy went to the Western Conference Finals a few years ago, and half the Warriors or a couple of the key Warriors were hurt, and they still got their asses whooped, man.

That was the peak. I watched the Blazers. I watched them with my own eyes a couple of weeks ago here in Atlanta, and I think I said something more derogatory, a little bit.

I said the team is full of who the hell are these guys? Cameron, you watch this team consistently, right? Yeah. I mean, to be honest, this season I kind of like tuned out once they started consistently losing. But yeah, yeah.

Over the years I have. Who's the second best player on the team? I'd say Nurkic. Oh, OK. He still plays basketball consistently. I wouldn't say consistently.

Yeah, it's it's sad, man. And I know Damian Lillard has talked about for years staying loyal and appreciating it and not jumping around and not going anywhere. He has made more money than I want to say maybe 95 percent of NBA players who have ever picked up a basketball. He does not need money.

He's from the West Coast. I presume he's very comfortable with his life, his lifestyle, what he's been able to do. In a couple of years, he's going to be out here making 50 and 60 million dollars.

Should he choose? Like, what's the what's the downside here for for Damian Lillard? Nothing, unless he just wants to continue out the rest of his career in obscurity. He's already 32. He's going to be 33. He ain't getting younger.

It's time to go see this man playing some some decent games. I'm sorry it won't be in Portland. Yeah, but I guess like what moves would you recommend Portland makes in the off season? Blowing it, blowing it up. Blowing it up? Yes, there's nothing left to do. Blow it up.

You send Damian Lillard somewhere else, you blow it up. That's it. OK. Sorry Cam. Hey, good luck in, I don't know, five, six years. That's how long it's going to take. I'm just being honest. I don't think it's going to be.

Thank you, Cam. I don't think it's going to be the Sacramento Kings here, man. But where where the where the Blazers going?

Where have they been? This was LaMarcus Aldridge's team. LaMarcus Aldridge basically stepped the side, got moved the side so it could be Damian Lillard's team.

And what have they gotten out of it? Nothing but exciting moments from Damian Lillard. It's one of the most clutch players the NBA has ever seen. You can look at the numbers and look at the stats.

They indicate such. When you start getting into the last five minutes, last three minutes of a game, he becomes otherworldly. His shooting percentages actually go up. He ain't winning nothing in Portland. Save that man. Free that man from the Portland Trailblazers. There's nothing important for him but but love.

He is loved out there. You can't go two feet. You can't go two miles.

You can't go two yards. There is something related to Damian Lillard. He is loved, loved. I would walk into places and I'm like, oh, they got a photo of this guy up in the restaurant. Like, OK. And it's not like he was there. They just want to have a photo of him up.

And by all indications, everything that I've ever seen, experienced. Just a good dude, man. Doesn't bother anybody. Minds his business. Does his music. Knocks down three point shots.

Is absolutely electrifying. Is accommodating to the fans who appreciate him. He's a big boxing fan.

He just minds his business, man. Free Damian Lillard. Send him to the New York Knicks. Send him to the, I don't know, the Brooklyn Nets. Send him anywhere but Portland. And for Portland, I'm sorry. Y'all ain't winning a damn thing. It's going to be a while.

With or without Damian Lillard. It's best for everybody just to, quite frankly, move the hell on. Sorry. I wish I had more optimistic news, but I just don't. Speaking of optimistic news, we're going to talk about the men's Final Four at the top of the hour. Let's briefly touch on some individuals who aren't playing in the Final Four because their teams got the boot. I'm talking about Brandon Miller. I'm talking about Marquis Noel.

I want to say Marquis Noel was very exciting throughout the course of the tournament for Kansas State until they fell to Florida Atlantic. And I want to say the same for Brandon Miller, but he had a crap game on the way out the door losing to San Diego State. Brandon Miller has pretty much made it clear he's going into the NBA draft.

Marquis Noel has made it very clear he's going into the NBA draft. Now, what's the difference between Brandon Miller and Marquis Noel? Well, Brandon Miller is not 5 foot 8 and Marquis Noel is 5 foot 8. Probably listed generously at 5 foot 8. I have heard that this man is a little bit closer to just flat being 5 foot 7. Brandon Miller, he's been compared, at least from an early portion of his career, to a guy named Paul George.

Paul George, similar body type, 6'8", 6'9". Brandon Miller able to shoot the ball, go to the basket, handle. Like I said, he had a crap game against San Diego State near defense shooting 3 of 19. And there's a lot of talk that Brandon Miller, after Victor Winbenyama, that there's a possibility that Brandon Miller, who went to Alabama for one year, goes into Alabama, goes out, and then becomes the number 2 overall pick behind Winbenyama. Even above Scoot Henderson, who's been participating or was participating for the NBA's G League Ignite team. And so Brandon Miller, a lot of controversy surrounding him over the past couple of months. We know about that shooting January 15th, where he was not charged with anything.

But he has been a cooperating witness to that young lady's murder. And it ain't gonna matter too much if he can knock down 3's. And so Brandon Miller, on his way to the NBA, it's just a matter of where he gets drafted. Maybe your Portland Trail Blazers will give him a look.

And then Marquise Noel, good luck to him. Shortest guy in the NBA? Shep, who's the shortest dude in the NBA right now? I wouldn't even know.

That's a great question. So Jose Alvarado would be the closest, I would guess. He's 5'10", 5'11".

Who? Jose Alvarado? I don't even think he's that short. I don't think he's that short. You talking about from the Pelicans? Yeah, I don't think he's that short.

I would assume that the shortest guy has to be 5'11". I don't even know. Man, who's the little dude from the Mavericks? I know he's out the league.

Parea, yeah. He's been out for a while now. Kennedy Chandler played this season. He was pretty short. And then McKinley Wright of the Mavs? He's a bunch of bench plays. Right, but in terms of a guy who plays, they can list Jose Alvarado at 6' all they want.

I've seen them play in a playoff series. He is significantly shorter than Chris Paul, and Chris Paul at 6'. Yeah, there's a lot of dudes listed incorrectly. I saw Evan Mobley the other day, and he's listed at 7' or maybe 6'11".

I said, uh-uh, hell no, there's no way in hell. This guy is sub-7. But Marquis Noel is going to have an uphill climb in the NBA. If he can go ahead and buck the system and be a 5'7", 5'8 point guard, I would certainly love to see it. It's going to be difficult. You can do that on the street. You can do that at college. Trying to do that against NBA defenses, and them dudes are 6'9", and moving like gazelles.

It's going to be tough. We gave you a top-6 list earlier in the week talking about some of the biggest underdogs in sports. Every time I even think about Muggsy Bowes being 5'3", it just makes absolutely no sense. Shep, do you think we can pull that up where Glen Rice and I think it was Alonzo Mourning, they were just bigging up Muggsy Bowes at 5'3". The way he commanded the court, he wasn't a scorer. He played defense and was able to steal the ball even though he was half of everybody's size. He's just a pain in the ass. And so bringing in a dude 5'7", Marquis Noel, yeah, go ahead, light it up in the garden.

Light it up at Kansas State. He's going to get a look. I don't know if he's going to be drafted.

He's going to be on somebody's G-League team, and he's going to have an opportunity, and he's going to have a chance to really go out there and show what he can do in the pros. Absolutely. And Jarryl, we do have that sound.

And very quickly, we need to remind ourselves of this. We had a 5'5 guy a decade ago playing in the NBA. He was a legit 5'5", an Earl Boykin. Yeah, Earl was out there. Earl was. Let's see what Marquis Noel can do. Listen to Muggsy Bowes' teammates just big him up for being the smallest guy out there.

Listen to this. He wasn't worried about being the guy with the most points or being the star on the team or a guy on the paper. He just wanted to lead his team to make sure he got the assist to help you score as easily and as quickly as you could. I remember him basically taking me under his wing and just telling my young fella, all I want you to do is run. Don't let me beat you down the court. And he was serious. He said, I'll find you.

Just run. I owe a lot to Muggsy because Muggsy gave me an opportunity to go out there and get extra shots because if it wasn't for his pinpoint passes, it probably would have been a little more of a struggle. Man, shout out to all them short dudes in the NBA out there busting ass. Even John Moran. I don't know what they list him as. John Moran, he's smaller than whatever the hell they list him. 6'2", he might be 6'2".

And even if he is or is not, he is certainly as skinny as he looks on television. Amazing what he's able to do out there on the basketball court. So good luck to Marquise Noel and Brandon Milliman.

I hope you make better decisions when you get to the next level. It's the J.R. sport re-show on CBS Sports Radio. When we come back, we won't talk about the professional level. We're going to take a look at the Final Four on the men's side.

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