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Let's talk about it. Let's talk about that alien. That we just witnessed last night. There is sign of. Of uh no human life.
None! Last night You want to talk about a multi-screen night if there ever was one? I had the Spurs and Thunder on one screen, I had the Canadiens and the Sabres on another, and I had Michael Jackson's 1992 Dangerous Tour on my other laptop. I had a lot happening in the man cave last night. The vibes were terrific.
Not so much if you're an OKC fan though. You are on the drive here on WS, JS, coming out of the gate blazing. Will Dalton rocking with you. W D to some. Let's get into this game last night in OKC because I really hope.
I really hope SGA enjoyed. Those back-to-back MVPs he just had? Got celebrated in mid-court last night before the game. You know? That's nice.
Enjoy that. Because Victor Wimbinyama is about to start stacking 'em. He's about to start stacking them. Wimby His Spurs, they are here and they're here to stay. You know what I'm talking about.
So Last night in this game, which again, just an absolute thriller. Double O T affair. It felt like It felt like every time the Thunder tried to get a little something. cooking, firing on all cylinders. Spurs said nah.
No, no bueno. It's what they did. And There's no better example of that than this clip right here. With Thirty seconds to go in the first overtime. And Wimby pulls up and does this from the logo.
Spurs got numbers one of the Down behind the plate. Five on four. Wemby's gonna pull a deep three. Oh! Oh my goodness.
A logo shot! 28 footer ties it at 108. Time out, thunder! If you don't know where he pulled from, here's a shot. on our YouTube channel on X, if you're watching there.
This shot was taken after the game. Um By Tom Petrini of Sports Illustrated. This is the vantage point of where Wimby was when he pulled that shot. To tie that game up at 108 apiece in single overtime. It's insane.
I mean that is just Otherworldly. It's what it is.
So And the fact that As Morgan graces the screen there, the producer of this show running things. The fact that The Spurs did this? Without De'Aaron Fox on the floor. That there's something to be said about that. The fact that they did this in the best environment in the NBA.
Double O T took him to do that? And the Spurs went in there and made it happen to steal game one on the road. of this Western Conference final. This is the Spurs time. I really you know, I felt going into this playoff that this was going to be the emergence of Wimby, the emergence of these Spurs, not in the sense that we didn't already know about him, because we did.
We've known about Wimby. But I don't know, I feel like every superstar. Every great team that eventually wins a title, minimum one. They always have that one playoff that's like they establish themselves. It's like they pop finally.
I think the Warriors had that in 2015. When Staff finally won his first one to going up against LeBrons, Halves 2.0. I think Jokic had that with Denver in 2023. I think that was the case there. I think Tatum had it a couple of years ago in Boston.
I think this is that moment for Wimby and the Spurs. And These spurs aren't going anywhere. They're young Wimby's twenty two years old. 22 and he's doing this stuff. Here was Stephen A.
Smith. on First Tape this morning talking about the youth of the Spurs team. San Antonio, you look at everybody 22 years and younger. They got like the key nucleus of their team, like five or six dudes that's younger, that's 22 years or younger. They're not going away, they're trying to kick down the door.
To claim something Oklahoma City has with no intentions of giving it back in the foreseeable future. Yeah. They're very young. They've got these guys locked up for a long time. Dylan Harper looks like Just They struck gold.
They struck oil with him. I mean, that dude plays like a veteran already. And I know we've said that about Con Knipple around here. I know we've said that about VJ Edge coming to Philly. But Dylan Harper's doing this on the biggest of stages.
The only one bigger than this is the NBA Finals, which I think the Spurs are going to be getting to. It may not take seven games.
Now On the thunder end of things, You're going to hear Thunder fans go, Well, SGA, I didn't have a good game. Chet, he did not have a good game either. Really struggled defending Wimby. And that might be true. It is true.
But I Why do you think that is? I think the Spurs had a little something to do with that potentially. Just saying.
So. And Chet Holmgren, he's taking a lot of heat today. Again, that was his matchup, Wimby. That was the guy that that has to go up against him. And it kind of was a flop in game one.
We'll see if he responds in game two. But I mean, Wimby, again. 22 years old, this guy. Do you guys realize this is the worst he's going to be for the next decade? You know how this works.
I mean, LeBron's, you know, all the great. They pop around this age, you know, in terms of like really making an impact on the league. That's saying mild. I mean, 41 points, you guys, 24 boards. It's just insane what he did last night.
And Michael Wilbon. He's somebody that's seen it all. He's all the way back to MJ and the Bulls. He's been around a lot. Here he was earlier today speaking to how special this was.
When those players on his own team were staring at him in awe late in the game, that clip where he's looking at them and they're all looking back at him. Do you know how many people get that in the history of basketball? It's a real small number, and there's some great players who never got that. That's true. Small time greats that never had players.
Look at, I mean, you guys are going to see the picture all over social media of them just staring at Wimby.
Somebody made like a Hobbit reference. Because they look so small compared to him. Yeah, there's that. Uh Yeah, Victor Wembanyama. These Spurs.
They're here and they ain't going anywhere for a while. This series is going to be a classic. It is, if last night was any indicator. But OKC has some work to do. Uh on their home floor in game two.
336-777-1600. That's the number to call. I want to hear from you. What was your reaction to last night, what we saw from Wimby? It's just crazy.
You know, great sports moments. We got to share that. We got to do it. Morgan Corson, he produces this show. He runs things on the board over there.
Did you? What did you end up 'cause you had options. What did you end up watching last night? Yeah, I watched the hockey game, but I came in this morning and I watched the highlights, the extended highlights from this Spurs Thunder game, and I was blown away by how the coaches were able to on both sides get Wemby into and out of the picture. And some of the highlights you saw that or I saw that They got Wemby out on the wing guarding Chet, and SGA just had an easy drive to the basket.
On the other hand, I saw how easy San Antonio was to get Caruso guarding Wemby for an easy little lane as well.
So I was very surprised by that and. Wemby blew me away but by how he played yesterday. It was a phenomenal performance from him. I think it's only going to be a six-game series. I was going to say seven, but it's probably going to be a six-game series going in favor of the Spurs if it goes the way it's been going.
Is there anything that the Thunder can do to slow him down? 336-777-16 Thunder is the number to call. Uh we want to hear from you. But as Morgan just mentioned right there. That wasn't the only.
Banger of a game going on last night. Canadians Buffalo Sabres. That was happening. For a chance to play the Carolina Hurricanes, And It was a show. It absolutely was.
This one also went to overtime, and it was Alex Newhook. The second player in NHL history with multiple Game 7 clinchers in a single postseason. It's Montreal, it's Carolina, Thursday night Eastern Conference final. Hit the horn. I love that anytime we talk Keynes or he hits the horn, I just naturally go and grab my beer skate that's in the studio.
It's like my security blanket. It's what I treat it. It's like a teddy bear. I can't sleep at night without it. That's what that's like.
Buffalo's just Heartbreak City, man. I mean Tough go of it. It was the first time they'd even made the playoffs in forever. But if you just look at between Buffalo Sabre's history and then you factor in the Bills. Just can't for the life of them get past Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
And then, when he's not even in the playoffs, they can't even get to the AFC title game. Just brutal, man. Just brutal. But Moving things forward. Buh bye, Buffalo.
You're out of here. It's all about Montreal and Carolina at this point. This is the third time In Keynes' playoff history that They get to see Montreal. And Let's look at the last two times, shall we? 2002.
Beat him in the conference semifinals. Keynes ended up going to the Stanley Cup final that year. They lost to Detroit, then 2006. Anything interesting happened that year? That you might have to remind me.
I don't know. Beat him in the first round that year. Kanes went on to win the Stanley Cup.
So, what you're saying is, is when the Kanes face Montreal in the postseason, they get to and win a Stanley Cup. Is that what happens here? Is that what I'm hearing? Vegas certainly thinks so this year, but The Canadiens, they went 3-0 against the Canes this regular season, outscored them 18-5, or no, 15-8. Put whatever stock into that you will.
The playoffs in regular season, two completely different games. But This is the first time. In the conference final for Montreal since 2021, obviously the Kanes have been there two the last three years. Last year, of course, most recently, got boat raced by the Florida Panthers. Um The thing that makes Montreal dangerous, if we take a look at this objectively.
You know, and all, you know, we could sit here and be like, the Kanes are rested, they're fresh. They haven't played since May 9th. You know what I mean? But Montreal, they're young. They're very aspiring.
They've taken advantage of opportunities when they've gotten them. And I mean you watched this game last night. I mean tell me what you saw. They struggled at times to generate shots, and I just think that was Buffalo carrying momentum. I think it was 18 minutes without a shot, or with only one shot on goal.
But they looked really dominant in the first period. They scored two in the first period. Buffalo crept back in, but they didn't let their heads go down. They kept attacking. Um even when they couldn't, they didn't commit stupid little penalties or anything bad with that.
And they kept grinding. And by overtime start, they had kind of gotten the momentum back into their hands. And it was a grindy Overtime. I think it was about a ten-minute overtime where they were just going back and forth, looked like anyone's game until the slap shot came in that the goalie really didn't even have a chance of getting to. It's a dangerous team.
It's a dangerous team that's coming in to face Carolina. Um And you know, they are They've had two Epic series so far. Two seven-game sets. The most recent against Buffalo, Lightning before that. They've played in probably the two best playoffs series so far, and you're probably about to see it a third against the Hurricanes.
But Be that as it may, they have not seen a team like the Hurricanes just yet.
So. While the Kanes are not going to be sweeping this one, they're not going to be getting the brooms out this time. I do like the Hurricanes to handle this in six games. It's what I like. Game one.
Thursday night. Raleighwood. Hit the horn! Uh Yeah Love the Beer Skate. David Glenn, going to join us in hour number two from the NC Sports Network to get you know, he's been a Kanes fan for a long time, been covering the sport.
Just about not my bear skate over. He's been covering. Kane's hockey for a long time in this state, so we'll get his thoughts on that. Getting news in the world, greatest entertainer, the hardest working man in show business. Ladies and gentlemen, the stop is show!
Will Dalton is live, local, and locked in. You're on the drive. We heard from Dave Canalis yesterday, the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, as we welcome you back. To the drive right here on WSJS. And There were a couple things to come out of it.
We pulled you a few of the highlights. Got his reaction to the schedule release, having some primetime games, three to be specific. Starting the year at home, but let's not start there. Let's actually start with. I would probably say the most um Yeah.
Substit substantive. You get what I'm trying to say. It's not like I talk on the radio for a living. The thing with the most substance. That's probably the better way to put it.
To come out yesterday. was the fact that Turk Wharton. Had to have a neck surgery, apparently. He was on pace. After missing some time last year, he was on pace to be back for training camp, but then he had to have a neck surgery.
Here was Dave Canalis telling what little bit he could on that. Basically, you know, it was about a week and a half ago, just was feeling a little bit of discomfort and went in and talked to Denny and Denny was like, well, this is something we should take a look at. And, you know, they found some things that needed to be addressed, you know, from a surgical standpoint. And so it was like, you know, obviously with the timetable of the season and all those things, like, this is something that needs to be done now. And he's recovering great.
And we'll just take it week by week and see where he's at. Yeah, so that's um that's not great news. Not great news at all for the Panthers. But I will say this.
So This is a pretty big opportunity for Lee Hunter. The nose tackle out of Texas Tech taken in the second round. Um who the Panthers moved up to get. It's pretty significant for him because now it's like, all right, he's got a chance to. To step in, and I thought he was going to step in and make an impact already, but now he really has a genuine opportunity to do so.
Um now, Dave Canellis did make it a point to say that They did not draft. This is not something that the issue with Turk Wharton, that's not something they knew about going into the draft, and that's why they took Lee Hunter. He clarified that. But. They did trade up a couple of spots to get Lee Hunter.
They've got a group of young players that... You know, despite being rookies, could really step in and make an impact already in year one. Monroe Freeling, the tackle they took in the first round out of Georgia is one of them. Sam Hecht at center is a possibility. Lee Hunter.
So here was Dave Canalis speaking on. Mainly Lee Hunter and his opportunity here, but he spoke about all of these rookies, the physical rookies that he has.
Well, it's very important now, just depending on what the timeline looks like. And I don't have specific dates right now with all that, but you know, to get big young bodies into the program is always a good thing. You know, with Monroe and then with Lee, you know, right off the bat with the first two picks, quality players who we expect to be in the mix to compete, you know, to help our team. And it was just, you know, philosophically speaking, it's like best available, absolutely. And then when these, when these, you know, big Physical violent players come along, you know.
We were really excited to be able to add those guys, and now in a different way, you know, Lee, Cam Jackson, you know, guys, these guys that we've brought into our program are going to really need to, you know, step up for the guys in different roles. I'm very excited to see what Lee Hunter is going to do. I think he's going to be very impactful. They call him the refrigerator. The the fridge is what they call 'em.
I mean the dude's ma could you imagine getting hit by that dude? And he, again, he channels Derrick Brown's game. in terms of the violence with which he plays with Wouldn't want to be on the other side of that. Just wouldn't. And he's a great run defender.
And that's something that while the Panthers were better when it came to defending the run last year than they were in the year prior, but I think they were still like they were below the middle of the pack. They were 28th-ish in rushing yards given up last year.
So this. It's obviously unfortunate what happened to Turk Wharton. You don't want to see that at all, but... It's an opportunity here for Lee Hunter to potentially step in and show you something. Dave Canals did confirm.
That there will be a couple of joint practices. It's the Jags. With the Texans, second year in a row, they've had a joint practice with The Texans, they were in Houston a year ago.
So that's cool. Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud. They're boys, so that's nice to see them out there working together again this preseason, this joint practice season. Lastly, Dave Canalis did.
react to The schedule, this is a bit of a longer clip, kind of describing some of the things that he liked on the schedule there. They do open open at home against the Bears. They've got three primetime games. They have a significant stretch of the season at the end that's at home.
So here Dave Canalis was on that. The structure of it is really appreciative for being able to get that home game right off the bat starting the season. We're all very excited about that. Um The prime time games Championship moments, truly, championship opportunities against great opponents. We gotta have that.
It brings out the best in us, it calls upon our best on a weekly basis. We're not looking past any games, certainly. You know, these are, as I, of course, take the philosophy of every game is a championship opportunity. I try not to pass judgment on what the schedule is going to look like because we don't know. You get in four or six games, and teams look different every year.
And so, while you may try to make an assumption about what a team may be or not, you just really can't. You really just have to respect each opponent and take the most recent information we have. But certainly, having you know, finishing the season at home. The last game at home is exciting, but also four out of those five to be able to play at home is big. Yes, it is.
Mm-hmm. As you get towards the end of the season and When you have some playoff implications that could be in the mix. Those home games, they They come in real handy. They really do. We got a We gotta talk some bets.
That's what we gotta do. Placed three last night. Nah. Let's let's just get into it. Dalton's dollars.
Stack it up, stack it, stack, gotta stack it up. It's time to cash in. Welcome to Dalton's Dollars. Come being a lion! Show me the money.
Breaking down the board and building the bankroll.
Okay, here's what we did. Here's what we did right here. Chad Holmgren I liked him to go over eight and a half rebounds. That did not cash. He did finish with eight.
Took him double OT, the second OT, just to get that eighth one. He was stuck on like six and seven for a while. Yes, I did do the motion six, seven, for those of you not watching on YouTube.
So that didn't hit. Jalen Williams, J Dub, was back for OKC. Had him going a combined over 19 and a half points assist, exceeded that by almost 10. STROVE DEVING! And we took the thunder to cover as six and a half.
Point favorites. That was never looked like it was really going to hit, and it did not.
So, one and two last night.
So now, overall, in our summer bet, since we've started to keep a record.
Now eight and five.
So we're still in the positive. We're still in the green. Let's add to it tonight, though. Let's do that. Game one, Knicks.
Calves tonight. Jalen Brunson. He's the engine that makes this thing go for the Knicks. But I want to go over six and a half assists on this number here. SHOW ME GO LIGHT!
Yeah. I do because even though He is the focal point offensively, as we know. He's an initiator, too.
So I like that over six and a half assists. On the other side for Cleveland, Jared Allen. I like him to go over 12 and a half points. Troll being divided! He's been in a groove lately.
He also looks like a 70s, 80s basketball player. I ain't mad at that. Got the frog, got the headband. Not mad at it. Because he's averaging 17.3 points a game in the last three.
Against Detroit, so. And yo, he's going up against Durin in that one, so. Had to create his own space a little bit. I like him to go over 12 and a half points. Uh in tonight's game one.
Action One baseball bet to place. Reds, Phillies, it's a Chase Burns night. Chase Burns. Pro Dake. I like him to go over six and a half strikeouts.
SHOW VENGAS! I do. He, um. He's been over that number in six of nine starts so far.
So. That's what we got on the card tonight. Three picks. Jalen Bronson over six and a half assists. Jared Allen over 12.5 points.
Chase Burns over 6.5 strikeouts. against the Phillies. Spend Dalton's dollars. You ever just have something stuck in your eye and you can't get it out? No matter how hard you try.
It's what I've been working with for about the last half hour. It's terrific. It's good. Not distracting at all. Back to the Triad's longest-running live sports talk show, The Drive.
Live, local, and not afraid to ruffle feathers. Back at it on the drive, right here on WSJS. David Glenn joins us in hour number two of the NC Sports Network. Want to talk some NFL? Cause when don't I?
Okay. I was thinking about an exercise we could do. Where We take some of the trendier teams from last year, some of the bigger names. And we take a look. We look at their record from a year ago and we determine are they going to have more or less wins this year.
Thought it might be a fun thing to do. And so we do it right now in this or that. It's this or that with Will Dalton. Two choices. One answer.
No fence, sitting. You're in or you're out. This or that. Morgan, the floor is yours.
So I have eight teams here today. Started off with the Denver Broncos had 14 wins last year. Will they have more or less? Denver. Shout out to Bonix.
I'm a believer in Bo Nix. A bow lever? Yes, I'm a belie a believer. Bow time. See, that let's just pretend there's a world where Bryce Young didn't come to the Panthers and somehow the Panthers drafted Bo Nicks.
You can't tell me that wouldn't be the perfect spokesperson for Bojangles. It would. Bojangles, Bowtime, Bo Nicks. It could have been perfect, a perfect marriage. But I think the Broncos are going to have less wins than that this year.
I think um I don't know. The AFC is just so tough. I mean, they were. Potentially Bo Nicks playing in that AFC title game against your Patriots away from Bo Nicks and the Denver Broncos going to the Super Bowl. And Sean Payton is just begging to get back to a Super Bowl.
I mean, when you look at some of the situations he had in New Orleans. Like the Minnesota Miracle. That awful no call against the Rams in that playoff game. There's been some opportunities for Sean Payton to get back and... I am a believer in these guys.
They added Jalen Waddell. It's a great ad. Wouldn't shock me at all if they go to a Super Bowl this year, but I think they have less than 14 wins to do it. I had to slide this next team in there. America's team, the Cowboys, are always being talked about as being better than the year before.
Last year, they had seven wins. I think they have more. I think they have more wins than that this year. I love their draft. Caleb Downs, love what they did there.
Another year for the head coach. And despite a lot of the criticism, I'm a believer in Dak Prescott. I think he's a. Oh. He's probably a top ten quarterback, I'd say.
You don't think so? The DAC attack has faded. The DAC attack! He's probably top 15 at the worst. I wouldn't put him in the top 10, though.
That's I guess that's up for debate. Um Cool. They're gonna have a potent offense again. They had a really potent one last year. What was the problem, though?
The defense, they've addressed the defense, they've made some upgrades there.
So, I don't think the Cowboys are a contender or anything. But I'd say they win over they win over seven games. I'll do that. The Kansas City Chiefs only had six wins last year. Yeah, they're gonna exceed that.
Let me tell you. The Chiefs, I'm telling you, they're gonna be back. Like it or not. Swifties Fire it up. They are going to be back up.
Patrick Mahomes is going to be rejuvenated. I love their draft. Monsour Delane out of LSU. Love that. And the addition of Kenneth Walker.
I know Travis Kelsey regressed last year, but he's still a security blanket for Patrick Mahomes. And Yeah. I don't think enough people are talking about the Kansas City Chiefs, quite frankly. They're gonna win far more than six games. The Cincinnati Bengals.
Yeah. Six wins as well. The Cincinnati Bengals. A fringe Super Bowl contender they are. It's what I like.
When you got And you got this guy right here. Joe Shysty When you got him as your quarterback, You're in the mix.
So much so that Even with them being well behind last year, people were talking about: hey, if they just went out these last four or five games, they could still sneak in the playoffs.
So The addition of Dexter Lawrence. Things they did in the draft, matter of fact. Two. Offense wasn't the problem with them, much like the Cowboys. Defense was the problem.
And I think they've shared that up. And. Yeah, Bengals win a lot more than what they did last year. Boom. Super Bowl champ Seattle Seahawks.
Had 14 wins last season. I think they're gonna take a step back. I do. I think this is still going to be really good. I still think they're going to be one of the better teams in the NFC.
I don't think they win 14 games, though. They lost some stuff. And Cool. I'm I'll be curious to see if Sam Darnold can replicate what he did. this past year.
He's 114 with Seattle. He won 14 with the Minnesota Vikings the year before that. Can he do it a third year? I don't think so. Not saying he's gonna be bad.
I'm saying they're not gonna win 14 games. Maybe give them like 11 or 12. The ravens Won just eight games last season. They'd be winning more or less games. I think they win more.
They were a little bit disappointing. A little bit. They were a lot of bit disappointing last year when you factor in who they have. On their team, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry. Like, that's when you got that, you want to consider yourself one of the best teams in the AFC.
That's one of the best quarterbacks in the AFC.
So, one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And now they've got a new head coach.
So, The Ravens will what was it, eight, you said? They will win more than that. May I put them in maybe the 10. 10, 11 win category perhaps. The Rams.
Won just twelve games last season. They're the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl this year. Ooh. They were a muff punt, perhaps, away from going to the Super Bowl and not Seattle. They win.
13 games this year. Just one more better. One more. How about the Panthers? Yeah, get them in here.
Eight wins last season. Had a lot of pieces in the offseason on the defense and free agency, a lot of good pickups. In the draft.
So they can have more or less than eight wins this upcoming season.
Well, Vegas seems to think they're going to have less. Yeah. Which is a joke. When you look at the free agency had, a free agency they had, the draft that they had. The weapons that they're putting around Bryce Young now.
They're going to have 10 wins this year. Ten. Ten. That's what we got right there. They go over that for sure.
And Bryce Young gets his extension, and they win the division outright. That's been this or that. Love talking about the shield. Love that. Wanted to make you aware of.
The second annual Northwest Piedmont Supporters of Wounded Veterans Poker Run. It's brought to you by and sponsored by the Triad Enforcers Motorcycle Club. May 23rd's going down. And it's happening in Clemens. You can get more information on this on our website, wsjs.com.
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Welcome to the drive. Do you guys know the ACC baseball tournament well underway? It's what we call live action. We'll do it live.
Okay. Look out. We'll do it alive!
So I was watching. I was watching Duke NC State earlier. Duke is a 16 seed. What are you shaking your head about? This is atrocious.
It was pretty bad. Uh this game started at 9 a.m., you guys. Former baseball player here. I'm no stranger to early starts. I hated them.
Whether it was like travel ball. The college games, because a lot of times when you get to the conference tournaments, because you have so many games to play throughout the day, you have to start. early like this. And like if you draw The 9 a.m. game, like it's just, I don't know.
For me personally, I was never a big fan of it. Just takes a little while to get the juices going, and 9 a.m. is like, boy, that's early. Duke, a sixteen seed. NC State a nine.
This game was something else, man. I was watching. I think it was the seventh inning. And Duke knotted things up at 8, 8. The final twenty-one to twelve.
when it was all said and done. It's tied eight, eight and seventh inning, you guys. And Duke had bases loaded, NC State pulled their pitcher out, and they just. Busted it wide open. A four and a half hour game.
This thing ended at like one, almost 30. Gross. Out in Charlotte. We'll keep you posted on that throughout the show. But sticking with the ACC only basketball, or formerly ACC basketball that is.
What exactly is going on at LSU? What exactly is Will Wade doing? Have you taken a look at this? I have seen this.
So It turns out That Will Wade is putting together a roster here of like. exclusively almost like Euro league and Former pro players. And when I say former pro, I mean G-League. Today Will Wade added the 2024 Big East Player of the Year. And a former G-Leaguer, R.J.
Louise. I'm gonna ask DG about this. Because David Glenn, when he joins us at 5:15, like this reeks of desperation, what Will Wade is doing right now. throwing this thing together. And you recall But he He said several weeks ago that the reason that LSU had been very quiet in the transfer portal.
was because there weren't very many good players in it. Which I mean, listen. The players at the top, maybe. If I'll give you this transfer portal, maybe wasn't the deepest it's ever been, but like when is the transfer portal ever like s super deep? You know what I mean?
And you can find good bench players from these mid-major teams that are like pretty solid players that might not start, but could be pretty good role players off the bench. Yeah. Um But at the top of the portal, I mean, again, you had names like Juke Harris, Florey Badunga, Blackwell that ended over at Duke, just to name three that you could choose from. Like, there were good players in this portal. There were.
Um But according to John Rostein on this move to get R.J. Louise, There's like the reason this is such a desperate move for Will Wade. Like John Rostein is reporting, there's literally a 2% chance that he's even going to be cleared to play because of the G-League stuff. Like it's just Ah. I don't exactly know what he's doing.
And I'd like to think I mean, listen, we say what we say about Will Wade mainly because he's a liar and he's kind of slimy. Not kind of, he's slimy. NC State fans found that out firsthand. But I mean Maybe he knows I I would like to think he knows what he's doing. to a point.
So maybe he's got a master plan here, but I don't know what's going to come of this first year at LSU for him. I mean, just looking at what they have, it's so unorthodox. A very unorthodox roster they've put together so far.
So You've got Two Euro League players here, Bryce. Desert and Marcio Santos. They're EuroLeague guys. They're 23. You got Mo Diabase, he's from Kentucky.
Abdi Bashir, He's from Kansas State. Divine Ugakukwa. Nailed it. He's from Michigan State. R.J.
Lewis, who may probably isn't even going to play. And then Yam, great basketball name, Yam. Madar, who's 25 years old and was drafted in 2020. Exactly! How's that supposed to work?
That's not even like he was drafted last year. He's been pro for like five years now. Waited. Will Wade. Everybody.
Not sure what's happening over at LSU. We'll get David Glenn's thoughts on this. in a little while. But Did you know? That the New York Mets Weirdly enough, I've been one of the hottest teams in baseball lately.
Unfortunately, I did know this. You did? Have you been following this? Yeah, seven and three in their last ten. It's a Metz miracle, I guess.
Now I don't know if it's gonna help their playoff chances at all. I don't know if this is gonna stick. I I still think they're a bottom three team record-wise. Oh, yeah, 100%. I mean, they had the worst record in baseball like a week or so ago.
So nice little stretch for him. It had to come at the expense of my New York Yankees. Lost two out of three in the Subway Series this weekend. That's not great. But Yeah, I mean, just looking at some of the teams they've beaten here lately, Yankees.
Got a series going with the Nats right now. They actually beat the Nats. Yes. 16-7 in twelve innings last night. Gross.
16 to 7. What's with all the high scoring baseball games lately? Duke and NC State, 21-12.
Now you got Metz Nat, 16-7. And then they swept the Tigers before the Yankees.
So I'd say Mets are coming along. I don't know how much I. When we talk to Will Pelagic, the voice of Charlotte FC, We'll see how much optimism he has. But Is this fool's gold? I really don't know.
Sports talk for people who yell at the TV. You're on the drive, the triad's longest-running live sports talk show. Nibbling on Sponge Cake Watching the sun back at it. on the drive right here on WSJS where we welcome in David Glenn of the NC Sports Network. We like to bring him in for his ACC expertise, but also his hurricanes, hockey expertise.
DG, how are we doing? I'm doing great, Will. It's a fun time of year. Always good to be with you. Yes, it is.
Let's get right into it with. a couple of college hoops items because I saw this roster that Will Wade is starting to put together. at LSU. It features a guy that got drafted, I believe, in 2020, or was a G-leaguer of some kind. He's got a couple of Euro-Leaguers.
The bigger question is How big of an issue do you think it is for college sports, these former G-Leaguers, former draftees from years ago, trying to enter college basketball? It's a big deal because if Will Wade gets away with it at LSU, that just, I won't say opens the floodgates, but it expands the floodgates. And it makes people who thought they had either exhausted their college eligibility or had too much professional experience to be eligible for college, it's going to make them ask themselves questions about whether they still have some eligibility remaining.
So the NCAA, as you know, did this to itself. Right? Within the past few years A lot of the schools that we follow have signed guys that have made a lot of money in Europe playing basketball. And yet the NCAA has kind of tweaked its definition of professionalism to make them available. In the ACC and otherwise.
They say they still have hard and fast rules, a few. About, you know, if you went through the NBA draft, etc. But they've lost a couple of lawsuits.
Some of them they kind of won on appeal. Remember the Alabama player that was available and eligible and then not eligible for March Madness.
So the NCAA. Thinks it can still enforce those eligibility rules, even through lawsuits. And Will Wade is absolutely playing the role of pushing those boundaries as far as he possibly can. David Glenn with us here on WSGS of the NC Sports Network, transitioning over. To a Carolina Hoop headline that I was reading into.
So, Matt Abel, speaking of guys who played for Will Wade. He's got an interesting decision that he's actually going back and forth on. You know, he's going through the NBA draft combine, had a really nice combine if you were watching it. And Carolina fans might be shocked to know that this isn't a guy that's just locked in for next year. He's kind of got one foot.
With the heels, one foot in the draft, and he's trying to make a decision. He said that the first round possibility is going to play a big role, and he says he goes kind of back and forth on this. If he decided to stay in the draft, how big of a loss would this be for Carolina? How big of a hole would Michael Malone have to fill there? I think it's a big deal because Matt Abel would either start for the Tar Heels or he'd be the first guy off the bench.
As he was for NC State in his freshman year in college, where he averaged almost 10 points a game, he shot 36 or so percent from three-point range. He had a bunch of steals, he's a creative, defensive player. He's a future pro. There's no doubt about it. And what's interesting nowadays, keep in mind.
Second round NBA draft picks do not automatically get guaranteed money. You have to negotiate. A first-round NBA draft pick. Automatically gets two years of guaranteed money, and that's millions of dollars.
Well, if Matt Abel gets a promise from somebody that he'll be picked in the first round. He would have to turn down guaranteed millions to stay with the Tar Heels. It sounds to me like nobody has given him that promise yet. And if you're Matt Abel in today's rules. You could just forego being a second-round pick, go to Carolina and make plenty of money the way it works now in revenue sharing and name image likeness.
And then, if you have a good year with the Tar Heels as a college sophomore, then you're a first-rounder next year. And there's that guaranteed money waiting for you then.
So he might be able to get the best of both worlds. But he has what, you know, a week roughly or so to make his decision without jeopardizing his college eligibility. Yeah, I think it's May 27th or 28th or something like that that they have to withdraw if they're going to go back to college. David Glenn with us here from the NC Sports Network, getting to some hockey. Because you've been covering the hurricanes.
You've been a fan of the hurricanes for a long time in this state. And we now know, we haven't seen them play since May 9th, DG. It's crazy. We know they're going to get the Montreal Canadiens after an overtime thriller in game seven last night with Buffalo. Got a feel for Buffalo fans, football and hockey.
Just. the way they come up short on things. What was your reaction? How do you feel about the draw for Carolina getting Montreal? I got the question from buddies and readers and viewers.
The same thing was, which team would you rather play from the Kanes perspective? And even though Buffalo was the first place team, My answer was that I would rather play the Sabres. And there's a handful of reasons for that. Number one. No team in the entire National Hockey League.
Did better during the regular season against the Canes than the Montreal Canadians. Three, no. Not only was it three games and they were all Montreal wins. There is no other team in the NHL that went 3-0 against the Carolina Hurricanes during the regular season, period. Montreal is the only one.
The goal scoring aggregate over those three games was Canadians 15. And hurricanes ate. I mean, geez, that's what the Kanes have been doing to other people during the postseason, right?
So that's a little nerve-wracking. And then the other thing: the two hottest goalies in the National Hockey League playoffs this year. are good news, Frederick Anderson of the Carolina Hurricanes. Bad news. Jakob Dobish of the Montreal Canadians.
He's a young guy. He played a little last year, but he's technically a rookie in the NHL. And I'm old enough to remember a couple of legendary Canadians' goalies who, as rookies, Led their teams on surprising Stanley Cup runs.
So in Montreal, they're all hoping this is like Patrick Waugh and Ken Dryden part three. We'll see. But those are two elements that I think make it. Just a little gut-wrenching, even if you feel, as I do, that the Carolina Hurricanes have obviously played brilliant hockey during their 8-0 playoff record. David Glenn of the NC Sports Network with us here on WSJS.
I will ask you about this factor. Because The Canes have not played since May 9th. They've had a couple of long vacations in these playoffs.
Meanwhile, Montreal. They might have played in the two best series so far. The first one went seven against the Lightning. This one went seven against Buffalo.
So one's been just going through these grinders. And the canes have just been kind of coastal.
Now that's a testament to how good they are. But I mean, they've been coasting along. How much of a factor do you think that could play come Thursday night when they start this series? Jordan Martinook joined the David Glenn show recently and said. That rarely is anybody 100% healthy at this time of year.
And the benefit of this downtime. Has been guys getting closer to 100%. Even if you're not at 100%, it's got to feel better to be at 95 than at 75 or whatever.
So, I do think the Kanes will be the healthier team than the Canadians, right? Canes have played the fewest possible playoff games, eight. Canadians have played the most possible playoff games with 14, right? But I'll give you a stat that I do not like to say out loud, Will. In the modern format, brace yourself.
You might know this already. In the modern format, since the year 2000. There have been eight series. Where one team was coming off a sweep of its previous opponent. And the other team was coming off a game seven.
A long, exhausting series. In seven of those eight series, it was the game seven team. that went on to win the next round, not the team that got the rest. How much weight do you put on that? It's a relatively small sample size.
I mean, you know, scientists would tell us too small of a sample size to draw too many conclusions. But seven out of eight over 26 years, that can't feel good, right, when you say it out loud. Or I'm sure the Kanes have gotten questions about it. And if you're the Canadians, who by the way are one of the youngest teams in hockey. You know, maybe they're too young and dumb to realize that they're the underdogs.
And maybe they're going to play carefree after hearing stats like that. And obviously, beating two quality opponents in the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres. It is interesting because A little bit of a different situation given how far they went. But somebody was describing, Nanalyst was describing the Charlotte Hornets earlier in the year when they were just cruising. And they used the term they're naive enough to believe they can win, and that's why they are.
And it is funny. That's kind of what I thought about with the Canadians a little bit because they're a young team and they're rolling right now. Last thing for you on the way out, you mentioned your. Chat with Jordan Martinook, which I did see on the NC Sports Network. What were some of the highlights to come out of that?
Well, he's just a fun guy, as you know, being around that team. I mean, they call him Marty Party, and there's almost nothing you can't ask him that he's not going to have fun with. I did a little rapid fire where I asked him to just give me like a sentence on maybe six, maybe eight or 10 of his teammates, I guess. And he elaborated on, you know, who he's close with off the ice, or you know, he called Jacob Slavin. The NARS trophy winner, if it was just for defensive defensemen.
For fans who aren't familiar, the NARS Trophy goes to the guy voted the best defenseman in the NHL because Jacob Slavin is as good as anyone on earth at defending against goals, but doesn't score a lot. He doesn't win that award.
So, Martinook wants like a defensive defenseman award that Jacob Slavin would win every year. And he talked about his respect for. You know, Rod Brindamore, and he said one of the reasons that the overwhelming majority, when NHL players get anonymously polled, right? They're not putting their name to it, so they feel free to say whatever they really feel. Rod Brindamore is one of the most frequently mentioned coaches.
When you ask other NHL players, besides your own coach, what's a guy that you'd be really excited about playing for? Rod's one of the top three answers to that question. almost every year. And then there's a tiny number of players when they're asked who would they not want to play for in the NHLs, a tiny number say Rod because they're afraid of his intensity and his work ethic and his defensive system or something else. And Marty's answer was basically.
As long as you know who Rod is coming in, and everybody knows who Rod is because he wears it on his sleeve, he doesn't hide anything, he's like. He's the ultimate coach to play for. And even, you know, he's like, the guy's ripped. It's not like he doesn't set the example for our physical fitness. And in every other way, he's not asking us to do anything he didn't either do himself as a player or is still doing now as a head coach and as a former captain, obviously, on that Stanley Cup team.
So, you know, that's the essence of that relationship. You know this. Rod Brindamore and Jordan Martinook, and guys like Andrei Svechnikov, and the owner, Tom Dundon. They all arrived at the same time. Yeah.
And that was eight years ago. And the Kanes had missed the playoffs nine years in a row prior to that group's arrival. And now they've made the playoffs eight years in a row and done some damage in the postseason, four of those times. Um so it was interesting to get his deeper thoughts on what was obviously the biggest fork in the road in the history of that franchise. Nobody goes from missing the playoffs nine straight times to making it eight straight times.
That's never happened in the history of hockey, except here. And those are among the names that made it happen, starting with the owner Tom Dundon, and then his first big decision, obviously hiring Rod Brindamore. That is a conversation you can find on the NC Sports Network YouTube channel, DG and Jordan Martinook. DG, we appreciate the time as always. Go Kane's Thursday night, and we'll talk to you next week.
Thank you, my friend. Keep up the good work. There he goes. David Glenn. It's good stuff.
He always dives deep on those. on those conversations. He gets the interesting nuggets. I did not know the one about the The times a seven-game set winner had gone up against somebody who'd want to sweep. I did not know that.
I did not either. That's fascinating because it's like. I don't know, I mean I see it from both sides. It's like, okay, you're well-rested, and that could benefit you. But also, the team that's played two seven-game series is like.
You know, you've been circulating, you've been playing, you haven't been stagnant, so it's just like you just keep flowing into the next series. I see it. I see it from both angles, I really do.
