JR SportBrief Hour 2

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Price and coverage match limited by state law. It is the JR Sportbreeze Show here with you on the Infinity Sports Network. I'm coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia.

Super producer and host Ryan Hickey is holding down for us on the boards in New York City. And you, thank you so much for listening wherever you might be. You can listen to the show anywhere by the way. On the free Odyssey app, A-U-D-A-C-Y, you can lock in on your local Infinity Sports Network affiliate. You got Sirius XM?

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We've been hanging out for an hour already. If you've missed it, hit rewind on the free Odyssey app. You can start from the beginning.

You can hit pause. You can do what you want. It's your business. We talked about the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated. We talked about Mike Trout. You had a baseball player? How about this guy is already eliminated, at least temporarily, from the baseball season. He has a torn meniscus. We haven't even gotten to May.

Got to May. And Mike Trout is already out. Alan Sliwa is going to join us next hour. ESPN LA, Lakers Radio Network knows all about the Lakers. We'll get into LeBron, Bronny, his future. How long does it take before they fire Darvin Ham? And then we'll talk about some of the good teams. It's like we got a changing of the guard in the NBA. Young players, Shaq Gilgus Alexander and Anthony Edwards. It's a beautiful thing when you got new blood in the league, right?

How about this? This is the first time since 2005 that there is no LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Steph Curry here playing in the second round. It's almost 20 years that these three men have participated in the NBA and not just participate, actually do some damage by winning the series. And so it's a new day. It's a new era.

And let's see about whether or not these Denver Nuggets can continue rolling to another championship. We're going to get into basketball in a minute. If you want to call me up, you can do so.

It's 855-212-4227. If you utilize the internet, I am everywhere. People like to complain. I am at JR Sportbrief. So go ahead, take your pick. Facebook, IG, Twitter, X, whatever it is. If people complain there, if you complain, I'm there as well.

Staying the hell out of people's complaints. Now, outside of that, I just told you that Mike Trout is out with a torn meniscus. He needs surgery. He leads Major League Baseball.

Tied for the most with 10 home runs. The Angels are already a disaster. They have a record of 11-18. Complete trash.

Another season going nowhere. Rendon is out hamstring. Otani is out for good.

He said, screw this place. I'm going up the road to play for the Dodgers. And then Mike Trout is out again.

And it made me think. How the hell can certain fan bases actually stomach going to these games? If you happen to be a fan of the Angels right now, why would you?

I don't know. You got to quit going to the games, right? I mean, the White Sox, they have a record of 6-23. It's been said that the White Sox are going to be terrible for the next several seasons on the south side of Chicago.

The Astros, I don't know, maybe they can go on a run. They're 9-19. They just sent the Bregu down to the minor leagues. Former MVP. And then in the National League, you got the Marlins. Terrible. In the National League East, they have a record of 6-24.

And it made me think. For as much money as these ball players make, Mike Trout is going to make $35 million every single year through 2030. That's six more years of this man clocking 35 per and he can't stay healthy.

He can't stay healthy enough to even tie together his shoelaces. And so when I think about a team like the Marlins, they're playing in Miami. They got this giant spaceship of a stadium that was taxpayer funded.

The team is garbage. Like how much is a ticket? And I said eight bucks. Hickey, how much did you say? Four. Cut yours in half. In order to see the Marlins take on an equally garbage team in the Colorado Rockies tomorrow, it's 7-21.

They play tomorrow in Miami. One ticket costs five bucks. Five bucks to get in. Five bucks.

You sound surprised. Five bucks? Five bucks? In the city of Miami, where there's a million different things to do, where they heat at some point, struggle to get fans in when they're good?

Now you have a six-win Marlins theme on a Wednesday night? Five bucks? Five dollars? Hickey, I don't think I can go to McDonald's.

Can I get something? Do they still got a dollar menu at McDonald's? They do. I'm pretty sure they do.

And so what is it? End up like a dollar and 20 when it comes to tax, right? Oh, absolutely. You can't just go in there with one dollar and expect to walk out with food.

You can't do anything for five dollars really anymore. My point is, and by the way, Joel Embiid is going to play. He's going to try to play. New York Knicks are trying to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid, not only does he have bad knees, Joel Embiid was suffering from a migraine earlier today.

Go ahead and put that in addition to his Bell's palsy. Joel Embiid is in the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. Joel Embiid is going to play.

Let's see how dirty he is today, who he steps on or who he decides to kick in the process. But on the ticket side of things, like Hickey, you can't buy anything for five bucks. Like to go out to be entertained? A matinee at the movies, right?

Maybe if you go on a Friday morning. What is it, six bucks, seven bucks, eight bucks to go see a movie? I think.

Oh, I was going to say more than that. I think movies now. Movies are like 15 bucks. To go on like the discount day for a matinee?

Like when nobody's there? I would think so. Nah. I haven't been in a- Still a deal, you think? I haven't been in a long time.

Same. I think I could go like for eight bucks, I think. Borderline, we'll say borderline. Well, five bucks to go to a baseball game? I'm expecting to sit there for what, two and a half hours?

Five bucks? That's pathetic. It costs, so you mean to tell, think about it this way. This is how backwards this is. It costs more to eat inside the stadium than it is just to show up. Isn't that backwards? For the cost of one beer, you could probably buy three tickets. If you think about it that way. Oh my God.

A nice little three for one deal. You know, there's just some fan bases that I just feel very bad for. The Marlins. I guess at some point over the next 10 years, the Marlins will win a World Series. They'll sell away all of their players and then they'll go back to being trash. This is pretty much what they've done for their entire existence. So, hey, maybe going to Miami is the move. Maybe I need to go to Miami, pay my five dollars to see the Marlins and just go about my life after that. Pretty pathetic. The team is going nowhere.

Anyway, 855-212-4227. Speaking of a team that's moving on up, and we've talked about the Lakers being eliminated. We talked about the Clippers not with or without, I should say, Kawhi Leonard. I do want to show love to another team that actually, they did their job.

Like they eliminated the squad. They swept them and they moved on. It is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yesterday, they bounced the Pelicans out of the postseason.

The final score, 97-89. Shane Gilgas Alexander, a growing star here in the NBA, an MVP candidate, dropped 24 points and also had 10 rebounds to get these damn Pelicans the hell up on out of here. Up next for the Oklahoma City Thunder, they're waiting to see who's going to come out of this series between the Clippers and the Mavs. Now, if we got more Clippers dropping like flies like Kawhi, I'd give the Mavs the slight edge, but these two teams are going to beat the hell out of each other for seven games. And in Oklahoma City, I think it's going to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Because the Clippers are too old and injury prone, and I think the Mavericks, they don't have enough depth behind Mr. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. I could see Oklahoma City legitimately moving on to the Western Conference Finals.

And their head coach, Mark Dagnall, he was just named Coach of the Year. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the second youngest team in the NBA, they just finished with a record of 57-25. The only team younger than them? The San Antonio Spurs. Victor Winbunyama and a bunch of G-League-ers. This squad, the Oklahoma City Thunder, they haven't had this much success since they had some aging stars.

This is crazy to say. At one point in time, the Thunder were in the NBA Finals against LeBron James about ten years ago. Taking on LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. And they had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.

Now, this is an Oklahoma City Thunder team. You think about the depth and the pieces that they have, they're young. Shay Gilgus-Alexander, Chet Holmgrom, Jalen Williams, who's like a 6'2 power forward. My bad, he's 6'5, but he's still small.

This is a young squad looking to make noise. And everybody loves Shay Gilgus-Alexander. This guy's in underwear commercials.

He's wearing funky clothes and fashion. He's Canadian. Hickey, everybody loves Canadians, right?

Yeah, sure. Rocky Bullwinkle, name another famous Canadian. Drake, right? Yeah, people love Drake. He's Canadian. Kendrick Lamar hates his guts, I've heard. Yeah, another diss track out there. Yeah, people hate him.

Anyway, Shay Gilgus-Alexander, much loved. And Mark Dagnall, the head coach of the year, he said, my young squad, we don't roll over. We don't play no games. We get after it.

Listen to him. Yeah, we get tough players and everybody, you know, we play 11 guys tonight, and the whole 11 guys contributed and made plays in different parts of the game. But guys play with great confidence, and I think, you know, when we play offense the way we did in the fourth quarter, you know, the shots will go in a little bit more. So, you know, we really moved the ball, you know, down the stretch. We didn't do a great job of it through the flow of the game. But when we needed to, we really worked together, executed, got great shots. The guys delivered, hit big shots, all of them. Oh, listen, that's what a coach is supposed to do, right? You got to big up your team.

You got to big up your players when they do a damn good job. And quite frankly, this is what they were supposed to do against a Pelicans team that had no Zion Williamson. You might recall Zion played in the first game, or not even. Zion last played in a play-in, and he hasn't been seen since. He pulled his hamstring after dropping 40 points because Zion Williamson, he can't stay in shape. And so we won't see Zion again until next year, and I'm sure it will be his other hamstring. And I guess if you're Zion Williamson, this postseason or this offseason, it will be a success if Zion is not on TMZ. If he doesn't have women claiming to have his children, if he's not splattered all over the tabloids for his eating habits and his relationship habits, Zion needs to just lay low. Lay low, get on a treadmill, and come back healthy next year.

Maybe do some yoga. And so the Oklahoma City Thunder, they move on. And the same way that their head coach, Mark Dagnault, showed love to his players, his star player, Shay Gilgus-Alexander, he showed love to head coach Mark Dagnault.

Listen to this. So me and Mark started coaching the year I became like my role change as a player. And to see his growth from that beginning to where it is now is amazing. I've never really had a relationship with a coach on this professional level like I have with him.

And it just makes it easy to play. I think I can say that for the guys across the whole team. He's so easy to play for because he's humble. Like you say, he doesn't love taking credit. He doesn't care about himself. He's selfless. When he messes up, he owns it. And then because he's that way, he can get on us.

He can hold us accountable because he holds himself accountable. And it's just rare to see at this level. So, yeah, we don't take it for granted.

I don't take it for granted. Deserve coach of the year for sure. He got what he deserved. Oh, hey, Hickey, I need Kleenex, man.

I need Kleenex. Very nice appreciation. That is, you know, we've seen it in the postgame interviews with the Barkin and everyone hanging out. This is a very tight knit team. And that just is not from player to player. As you could just hear from Shay right there, that's coaches and players alike. Yeah, they're doing press conferences.

They're hanging out in commercials together. It's fun, like, to be an Oklahoma City Thunder fan. Y'all sucked for quite a few years. But it looks like you have the foundation of what may ultimately be a championship contending team. Now, do I expect the Thunder in the NBA Finals this year?

No, I don't. I think that they would be ridiculously ahead of schedule if they did so. I mean, when you think about the teams that are remaining in the West right now, the Thunder, they are awaiting the winner of the series between the Clippers and the Mavs. I already said the Clippers and the Mavs are going to beat the hell out of each other. The Thunder will probably pick the bones.

And then we already have the other matchup set. We got the Minnesota Timberwolves. And then we also have the defending champion Nuggets. And so if you look at the defense that the Wolves have played, you look at how Anthony Edwards has played, you think about the size of Minnesota, you think about the experience of the Nuggets. Oklahoma City, they're on a great ride. I think they'll take the ride to the Western Conference Finals.

But I find it difficult after that. And this is just part of the process, I believe. You take one step, you get into the postseason, you win a round, you win two rounds potentially, you come back next year as one of the favorites to maybe even go to the championship one step at a time. And the other interesting thing, talking about Canada, how we all love Canada. Yeah, the people in Oklahoma City Thunder, in Oklahoma City, they love Shea Gilgus Alexander. I'm sure they also love, at least in Denver, I know they love Jamal Murray.

There must be something in the water in Canada. We got two stars out of the six, quote unquote, that are doing damage in the NBA. Jamal Murray hit that shot last night to basically send the Lakers packing. His second game-winning shot of the series. And afterwards, the other Canadian, Jamal Murray, he talked about how he got that shot put down.

Listen to this. Well, it was basically a timeout. So we didn't, I think we had two timeouts and they didn't have any. So when I looked at Coach, we called the play, I looked back, asked him if we should go right away.

I think it was only a two or three second difference, maybe four. And we knew what we were going to get to. We were going to get the last shot. Yeah, man, I think it was just, it was, that was the timeout right there. I think I'm an extension of him out there. So I was able to relay the message. Everybody got to their spots.

I got to mine and we were able to close it out. OK, that's another Canadian. I guess he's so used to damn winning.

He's just like, OK, when is the next round? The NBA is full of international players. And I know Canada is right next door. People don't always think about Canada when you think international players. You automatically, you know, think of Doncic, you think about Djokic and what he's been able to do in future Hall of Famer. It is a wild ride in the NBA right now. You think about the players that are considered old, the Durants, the Currys, the LeBrons, the Westbrooks.

And you think about the next generation of stars, the young stars, they're coming from places not named the United States of America. I mean, you can look at Anthony Edwards and say he's probably the next explosive big time star. But even Anthony Edwards from a couple of months ago, he talked about Djokic and he's just like, oh, he's the best guy in the league.

That's what he told Complex. Where do you rank yourself currently in the league right now? Do you feel like you're one of the best players?

Yeah, for sure. Definitely Djokic's first, though. You think Djokic is the best player in the NBA?

Yeah, I got to give Djokic his flowers. How he looked on that playoff run, like, he just dominated everybody. Like, it started with us and then it went to Phoenix and then he played the Lakers. Like, he swept. Like, he just went through everybody. When he did that, when he killed A.D., it was just like, all right, yeah. There's no one like this.

A.D. is the closest person that can guard him in the league. So it's like, oh, my God. So, wow. Nikola Djokic is the best player in the NBA. Hands down.

Hands down? Yeah. Better than KD, Bron, Doncic. I mean, they did they thing already. They, you know, they on the back end of their career. So Djokic's like, he here. Oh, that's wild.

That's wild to say. People talk about the same with Anthony Edwards. They say that he's here.

He's arrived. Minnesota Timberwolves just swept the Suns. Even his own teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, he talked about this American superstar.

Listen to this. Playing with my man on my right, man, it's just, it makes more special to be able to do it with someone that got so much admiration for, so much respect for, and the future's so bright for him. I got to put my sunglasses on in a way because it's so bright for him. Who would have thought Anthony Edwards putting on for the United States of America in an NBA that is currently dominated by international players. I could care less where anybody comes from as long as the product is entertaining. But Anthony Edwards, he might have to carry the torch. I know he's on the Olympic team, but damn, you think about the stars, the Che Gilgus Alexander's, the Jokic's, the Doncic's, the Embiid's. Yeah, I'll still count him in coming from Cameroon. Anthony Edwards is carrying the torch for the USA. And how about this? He showed a lot of love to Mr. Jokic.

He has a chance and an opportunity to knock him off. Game one between the Timberwolves and the Nuggets, that game will be on Saturday. We don't know what's going to happen with the Timberwolves head coach, but you know what? We'll get into that. And then we just got to put a wrap on the Pelicans because Charles Barkley has some thoughts as to where they can go on vacation. We'll talk about that. We'll get into the Bears.

We have so much more to do. It's the J.R. Barkley Show on the Infinity Sports Network. Right now, the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, they are playing close in Madison Square Garden. The 76ers on the verge of elimination. They lead the Knicks 18 to 17, about two minutes to go in the first.

I guess you could call this a defensive battle. Obviously, we'll keep you up to date on this game as things continue on. Joel Embiid, after suffering from a migraine earlier today, he is in action.

He is still out here on the floor. In addition to the man who he decided to pull out the air, Mitchell Robinson. So we'll keep you up to date on what might be another elimination game. Right before we went to break, we talked about the Oklahoma City Thunder. They got the Pelicans the hell up on out of here last night. They win 97 to 89. And they swept them.

No shock. There was no Zion Williamson. No reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder could not go out there and take care of the Pelicans.

And it's been, I got to say, it's a series that's like, hey, why do I want to watch this? There's no Zion. I don't need to watch Brandon Ingram jack up shots with C.J.

McCollum. Complete waste of time. And so I ignored this series. And I would say some of the best commentary surrounding this series had nothing to do with the basketball. So after Saturday night, when the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Pelicans 106 to 85, Charles Barkley basically said the same thing on TNT. Charles Barkley said, can we get New Orleans out of here?

There's no reason in watching them. And a matter of fact, he said that they need to go on vacation right now. And typically people say, hey, I'm going to Cancun.

People are going to Mexico on vacation. Charles Barkley sat on television and said they don't even deserve to go to Cancun. They got to go to Texas.

Listen to what city he named. Disappointing New Orleans. Where they going, Chuck? Galveston.

Dirty ass water. We're not even going to sit in the Cancun, we're going to sit in the Galveston with that dirty ass water being washed up on the shore. You people think they're in the beach. We're not going to sit in the Cancun. Y'all drive, y'all quit. Drive your ass down to Galveston.

Come on, man. They need to drive, man. We're not getting them no plane ticket to the beach. We're sitting there at the Galveston, Texas, right with that dirty water washed up on the beach.

They can't even get in no water. Oh. Hickey, have you been down to Galveston? I have not, no.

No, I haven't either. I mean, I've been to Houston a bunch, but I haven't been down to the Gulf. And I mean, I don't think anybody's going to confuse the Gulf of Mexico, you know, with the waters out towards Florida on the other side, reaching out towards the Atlantic. But I mean, damn, what did Texas do to Charles Barkley? I mean, he's always talked about, you've heard about the big old women in San Antonio, right? Oh, one of the best bits he's done.

Recurring bit, too. Now, I know I'm not, never mind. I was going to say, I know I'm not Charles Barkley.

And I mean, I said something and people looked at me kind of crazy. He talked about big old women in Texas. But it's Charles Barkley, right? He can say what he wants?

A few people get a pass. Charles Barkley is definitely one of those people. Charles Barkley told a joke one time about how women don't need a watch because there's a clock in the kitchen.

That's what Charles Barkley said. I don't know if he said that. Yes, you never heard him say that? No, not that one.

I've heard him say a lot of things on the air, including some very derogatory names on the air. But I've not heard that one. Charles Barkley said, Kenny Smith asked him, hey Chuck, why don't, why don't, why isn't there a clock? Why don't women need to wear clocks?

He says, because there's a clock on the stove in the kitchen. That's what he said. Oh my goodness.

Wow. Never, never one to pull punches. Charles Barkley continued on. After yesterday and some of the criticism that he did receive, Charles Barkley said Beyonce's mother reached out.

You heard that correctly. Charles Barkley talked crap about Galveston, Texas. And Charles Barkley said Beyonce's mom and Jay-Z reached out.

Beyonce, her mama, they from Galveston, Texas. And Charles Barkley, I guess last night on TNT, he gave somewhat of an apology. Listen to this. I don't want to be high after Jay after Chuck. I apologize. I do not want to be high after Jay after me. So how do you like Galveston now?

It's beautiful. We're not going there. Would you go on vacation? Oh hell no, I ain't going on vacation.

You've got a chance to wipe the slate clean here. You've got to just say, I would go to Galveston. Let me tell you something, if that water's so dirty, I'd rather go to San Antonio. I'd rather go to San Antonio with them big old women. No, nope, I'm not going to Galveston.

I mean, I want to go to the beach down in the river, walk and watch them big old women walk around. So you know what? So you know what sets him off. Okay, so you know what we're going to try.

Would you rather go Chuck? San Antonio. That's why they invented Victoria's Secret, Jack. Why is it secret? Because them little women down there, they can't get in them cute little underwear.

They wear bloomers down in San Antonio. Oh my God. Somehow.

Victoria's Secret down there. Wow. He's the only person that can say that.

You're right, Hickey. He's the only person that can say that. Big old women in San Antonio talk about the water quality. I don't know how he goes to Texas. Maybe he doesn't. Charles Brockley, just go wherever the hell and do what you want. Anyway, the Pelicans, the team that plays on the golf in New Orleans, they don't got to go to Galveston to partake in the waters.

I don't know if you'd want to, but they certainly can. Good luck to Zion Williamson. I guess maybe we'll see you next year. And for a man who had so much hype and pomp and circumstance, we end another season without seeing Zion on the court. And I don't even know if it's safe to say that. We'll see him to start next season. That's just how things go for Zion Williamson. It's the JR Sport Reshow here with you on the Infinity Sports Network, 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4227. Talking about the future of a franchise. When we come back from break, I do want to talk about the Chicago Bears.

We had a guest on yesterday, my main man Emry Hunt. He had some interesting thoughts about what the Chicago Bears are able to do. And then also, Deion Sanders in the news today, not for good reasons. Seems like Deion might have been a little too harsh at Colorado. We're going to talk about it on the other side of the break. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief.

Galveston, a great American beach city. Just don't take Charles Barkley's word for it. He called it muddy water that nobody would want to visit. Only Charles Barkley could do it. Not me. I got no problem with Galveston, Texas.

Not a problem at all. Neither do the Oklahoma City Thunder. They sent the Pelicans there after eliminating them last night. And I think this is a great opportunity to let you know about the Navy Federal Credit Union Player of the Week. Sponsored by the Navy Federal Credit Union who proudly serves the Armed Forces, DOD, veterans and their families. Their members are the mission.

You can learn more at navyfederal.org. I told you about Canadian Thunder star Shay Gilgus-Alexander. The man destroyed it last night. Ten rebounds.

Two blocks. OKC closed out the Pelicans. They beat them 97 to 89. The Thunder held New Orleans to under 100 points in all four games of the series. And these Pelicans? Well, not the Pelicans.

They are at home. The Thunder. They are the youngest team in NBA history to ever win a playoff series. I guess all of those picks and all the tanking has worked out for the Oklahoma City Thunder. And they had to trade for Shay Gilgus-Alexander. Let's keep in mind, he was traded from Los Angeles for, guess who?

Paul George. I wonder if anybody in Clipperland would like to have that trade back. It's tough, man. Trying to nail things and find that player to turn your franchise around.

It is tough. And let me remind you, we just came off the heels of the NFL draft. And so here you have all these teams trying to turn around their fortunes by picking up a player in the draft. Drafting a quarterback. We had six of them drafted in the first 12 picks. And we know who went number one.

His name is Caleb Williams. And now he's a member of the Chicago Bears. We all had to wait about five months for it to happen. And I don't know if I looked at the Bears as, you know, automatically turning the tide. I know they have talent. I know they have depth. When you think about the wide receivers that he's going to be throwing the ball to, they pick up Rome Adunze from Washington. They already have D.J.

Moore. They pick up Keenan Allen. DeAndre Swift now comes over. We know he can be a dual threat at the running back position. And so this is a squad that can go out there and do some damage if Caleb Williams is half the quarterback that everybody expects him to be. I mean, you think about some of the mock drafts and some of the comparisons. People are putting him in the range of maxing out as a Patrick Mahomes.

It sounds crazy if you ask me, or even an Aaron Rodgers. And come on, these are two Hall of Fame caliber QBs. Caleb Williams, he got people hyped. I mean, even our guests last night, my main man, Emery Hunt, who breaks down all levels of football for CBS Sports HQ.

He was here with us last night. And Emery, he had a high praise for what this man could do for the Chicago Bears next season. Listen to this. It's weird to say this about a rookie starting quarterback, but both Washington and Chicago could potentially be playoff teams in the NFC. We know the NFC is weak, weaker than the AFC. But, man, Chicago has a lot of talent.

And this is the part I want people to understand. Justin Fields led Chicago to seven wins last year and the ninth overall pick. The first pick came from Carolina. So the Bears were on the cusp last year. They just didn't have enough firepower in the offense.

And now they got that. Defense got better. And Caleb Williams is going to help them improve a little bit.

You know, he's going to do what Justin Fields was doing toward the back end of the season. So they should at least win nine or ten games this year. Hickey, that would put them, I assume, in the wild card. You would think battling it out in the NFC North, it would be between them and the Lions.

The Minnesota Vikings are certainly behind them. It's tough, right? Like, am I expecting it? No.

Would I be shocked? I don't think so. But the Lions are the cream of the crop and then you still have the Packers there. This is, it's going to be tough for all of them.

It is. That division, I mean, you could make an argument, maybe is as tough. If not, maybe then the second toughest division in the NFL next year with all four teams in good spots going forward here. But I'm with Emory.

I'm in on this Bears team. You look at not only what they have offensively, but two defensively. They were the best rush defense in the NFL last year and 12th in scoring. And another kind of like the offense, there was a lot of young pieces there.

So you think they'll grow and get better with another year in the system. And that should be on paper a top 10 scoring defense. So you have that offense of the top 10 scoring defense. That's a very well-rounded team and more well-rounded than the Packers and the Vikings and just in the division alone. I hope this works out for Bears fans. Like what have they had to cheer for? There's not a Chicago Bears fan alive who's ever seen a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards because it has never, ever happened. Like that is just mind boggling to think about, especially the way the current NFL is constituted. Everybody's airing the ball out.

They've never had a 4,000 yard passer. I want to see Caleb Williams light it up just because I'm here for a good story. I'm here for some success. I mean, he's he's made fun of, you know, people made fun of him crying in mom's arms. I even made fun of him a little bit yesterday when he was gave us the most.

How do I say this? It was the the least enthusiastic Go Bears that I've ever heard in my life. And I just I want to see him have success. And so right now, DraftKings has them has their win total at about eight and a half right now. The Bears haven't had a winning record since 2018.

Eight and a half is it sounds about right. Sounds appropriate. And I think all the fans out in Chicago, they certainly deserve it. They've been suffering for a long time right now.

I don't see. But I think it's tough, though, because I don't see the Lions going anywhere. I think the Packers are going to pretty much stay the same. And I guess everybody's just going to have to beat up on the Vikings.

I guess Sam Donald and J.J. McCarthy, that combination there is going to feed everybody some wins. And Hickey, you said you believe that J.J. McCarthy is going to be starting right out of the shoot, right? I do.

Yeah. Experienced starter. I think he's, you know, I mean, played in a pro style system. I don't think there's a lot of refinement that needs to happen. I think he'll start right away.

I'd love to see it. I'm here for success for everybody, even though I know a lot of these dudes are going to be facing failure. And speaking of facing failure, the New York Knicks and the 76ers are currently tied at 28 all. There's about nine and a half minutes to go in the first half. This is an ancient score, especially the way that basketball is played today.

And I got to take note. Hickey, you're a Knicks fan. I'm a Knicks fan. I don't ever remember seeing this in the front row of this potential closeout game. I guess the Knicks, are they trying to intimidate?

Are they trying to encourage on the sideline? Patrick Ewing, Latrell Sprewell, Marcus Canby, John Starks. Who am I missing?

Am I missing anybody? Carmelo was there. I don't know if he's in the same section you're talking about. He is. They're all sitting right there together.

I've never seen that in my life. You want to talk about intimidation? Now, this would never happen because of the current situation. But if you really want to get the building going, make peace, bring Charles Oakley to town. Oh, my God. You put him right there in the front.

You talk about intimidation. Put Charles Oakley right there, front row. Oh, boy.

Oh, boy. That'll get the crowd going. Charles Oakley is going to be ancient by the time they bring him back. Well, let me let me not even say they bring him back. Charles Oakley will be ancient by the time he decides to just, I don't know. But between the two of them, men fences because he's so headstrong.

He didn't appreciate the words that Dolan said. They don't appreciate the lawsuits. I don't know if they're still open or if they've settled or what the case might be. But when you I still can't believe they walked out a legendary player, one of the most beloved players in Knicks history.

And one of the few times where the New York Knicks have actually had success. They walk the man out in handcuffs like you can't make this stuff up. You cannot. You think he's going to be back in there one day? No. James Dolan does not seem like someone who forgives and forgets. That grudge seemingly will be going on as long as he's the owner. And I think Charles Oakley is in the same space. He's also a guy that I don't think he I don't think he sits around forgiving or forgetting. Just a wild situation.

You're correct. If Charles Oakley is ever back in Madison Square Garden and he's able to stand there with a camera in front of his face. He is going to get one of the loudest ovations. They will stand up and they will give him a round of applause just for how hard he played as a New York Knick. And so the Knicks in Philadelphia currently tied at 28 all just sad. I remember that that vividly, you know, Chris Staps Porzingis was supposed to be the future of the Knicks. This man is standing at the free throw line. And in my head, I'm going, this guy must think the Knicks are trash. Like he's standing at the free throw line and they're walking out a legendary player.

Just not not the site that that you want to portray to the world. And speaking of Chris Staps, he has his own issues. Chris Staps Porzingis with that calf strain. Nobody knows when Chris Staps Porzingis is is going to be back.

Nobody knows. Tomorrow the Heat, the Celtics have an opportunity to knock off the Heat tomorrow. Boston leads three to one and just maybe, maybe they'll be able to get some time off. But Chris Staps, seven foot three calf injury.

Nobody touched him. I don't know if I want to feel that confident about Chris Staps Porzingis returning. The Celtics are probably going to have to go on a little bit of a run to the finals before we see this man. Luckily for them, the Celtics, they should knock off the Heat. Their next opponent is going to be from that series that nobody is watching. The Celtics will have a chance to take on either the the Cavaliers or the Magic.

So good luck to them. This little easier for a road, I guess you could say for Boston. It's the J.R. sport re-show here with you on the Infinity Sports Network. Eight five five two one two forty two twenty seven.

That's eight five five two one two forty two twenty seven. We're going to take a break. And when we come back, first of all, I'm going to go ahead and get myself some tea. And then we're going to talk more Lakers. We're going to get into the Lakers and what the hell is going to happen with them in the off season. In about 30 minutes, we'll have a conversation with Alan Sliwa, who does work for the Lakers radio network. And then more immediately, I want to talk about Deon because Deon Sanders cannot catch a break. I think he ticked off some of his his ex-players.

I'll explain. It's the J.R. sport re-show. Infinity Sports Network. Hey everyone, Boomer Esiason here. The NFL draft is behind us and your favorite team is now gearing up for week number one. The free Odyssey app puts you right in the middle of the pro football conversation with the biggest sports radio stations from across the country. The local voices who know your team the best, giving you their unfiltered takes on the current state of your squad. It's always football season right here on the free Odyssey app.