KD & Suns Burnt Out? (Hour 3)

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Minimum $10 per order. Additional terms apply. 23rd streaming on Hulu. Alrighty, way we go. Our number three of our radio program.

That's right. It is the Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. It's time to update you on some of the biggest stories in the world of sports with some audio.

Carlos Ortiz. Let's get to a little bit of a news brief. Time for your daily news brief.

We get you caught up on the rumors, reports and reconnaissance from the day in sports. So our poll question today, who wins the Nuggets and Timberwolves series? Denver in six, Minnesota in six, Denver in seven, Minnesota in seven.

The early returns right now. Minnesota in six is at 8.2%. Minnesota in seven is at 21.2%. Denver in six, 24.7% and Denver in seven.

The winner right now, 45.9%. You can always find that at Zach Gelb or at INF Sportsnet. So this series looked like it was over after two Minnesota walked into Denver. They opened up a can of whoop ass and then Jamal Murray and Nicole Jokic walked into Minnesota and they not only won game three, they also won game four. Michael Malone after game four said everyone prematurely gave up on the Denver Nuggets.

What I found is Rudy T is right, man. Never underestimate the heart of a champion. I mean, they were quick to write us off. But these guys, we won a championship a year ago. We went into Miami, won two games in a row. This team has been tested time and time again and we found a way to solve whatever's been thrown at us. This series is a long way from being over.

We're not celebrating. It's two to two. So now you have to find a way to win game five. But what I found about our group is that they do believe in themselves and more importantly, they believe in the man next to them. And we have a group that is acting as you would hope a championship team would act. And they had a bad game. We owned it and we moved past it and we played better. When people say that you prematurely gave up on a team, it also comes with how it was like egregious to give up on that team. I don't think it was egregious when Denver was down 0-2, when you lost two games at home to think, OK, Minnesota is going to find a way to just split either games three and four and then they'll be up 3-1 and they'll find a way to win the series.

And I think a lot of people thought how I thought that this could still go six, but Minnesota was going to win the series. But a big reason because of that and why you had that confidence was because Jamal Murray was acting like a child in game two. You saw him throw a towel to referee, a heating pad on the court and do the money signed to the official. So that told me not that Jamal Murray is necessarily frustrated with the officiating, that he was frustrated that he wasn't healthy. And if Jamal Murray isn't healthy, then the Nuggets don't win a championship or get out of the second round. And then look, Jamal Murray, after some rest, boom, was really damn good.

Nicole Jokic back to being this unstoppable force. And now this series is at 2-2. So I don't think it was crazy that people gave up on Minnesota. I mean, gave up on Denver.

It was warranted because they acted, especially Jamal Murray, like a clown in game two. But now they've reeled this back in and yeah, I'm not saying that this series is over. You tell me Minnesota wins the series. I'm not going to call you a dummy, but a lot of people now believe, including yours truly, that, hey, Denver is going to be back to winning the series. And going in, I thought Denver in seven. Then after two games, I thought, okay, Minnesota in six. Now I'm back Denver in seven.

Let's go to Anthony Edwards on the long layoff between games two and three. And we know after yesterday, you did have this series get tied up at two apiece, but a lot of people believe game three was the momentum changer, which how dominant Denver was. I think the three days hurt us actually. Yeah, I think having those after those two days, after those two wins, they gave us like three days off or three days before we play again.

And I don't really like that at all. But I think that's why we came out sluggish game three. But I don't think they got any momentum. I mean, we won two games. They won two games.

At this point, it's just whoever wins two games. So I don't know how people look at it, but I look at it like I'm happy. We're competing at the highest level. And I'm smiling about it because I'm happy. I'm ready to go play.

If we play tomorrow, I'll be ready. So he's not wrong. The layoff did not help Minnesota because you had Jamal Murray who was dealing with an injury and you give him some time to get healthy. And Minnesota was ready to just issue the nail in the coffin when they were up 2-0.

So that layoff did behoove Denver. But I don't want to hear that. Like you drop two games, no one wants to hear excuses. And then you end up saying, oh, you don't feel like momentum has shifted? Momentum has shifted.

Now you got to steal it back though. You had the momentum after game two. After game four, momentum has totally gone back to Denver. And in the best of three series, people are going to pick the best dynamic duo in the league in Nicole Jokic and Jamal Murray to get the job done. Let's hear Charles Barkley. He was on Inside the NBA as he is, as always, with the legendary show. And he said, stop comparing Anthony Edwards to the great Michael Jordan.

Please, America, please stop the Michael Jordan stuff. This guy's had one good playoff run. And he's a great player. I think he's going to be a great player. He's a really nice kid.

We root for him. Is he close? No, hell no. Close to who? Close to who? They both black?

You're not close to Mike? He's not close to Michael Jordan? At 23. Michael Jordan was getting, remember, he was going like, I'm just asking. At 23. I love at 23.

Do not do that. So the GOAT debates have ruined every way that we have looked at sports. Because you know what the standard is, right? In the NFL, it's Tom Brady. In the NBA, it's Michael Jordan. In hockey, it's the great one in Wayne Gretzky. So you have these standards and you have these iconic names that everyone knows without question, they're the GOAT of their sport. And then you start to find characteristics in other great players that haven't done nearly even the same realm of possibilities as an accomplishments, what a Brady, a Gretzky or Jordan has, but you see some small similarities and you say, okay, they have a mentality like that. And I'll be the first one to say it. I've done this.

I did it with Anthony Edwards. I said he has a Michael Jordan mentality. That's not me saying he's Michael Jordan, but he has the mentality. But our obsession, especially nationally about who's the GOAT, which I don't even love that conversation.

It's my least favorite radio. We have to do LeBron. And I've said this 9,000 times, LeBron up against Michael, my least favorite radio, but even just look at the NFL. Brady's considered the GOAT. He retired for like a year or two, and now people are the same homes as the GOAT. So you see a few characteristics from the GOAT in someone else. And that's what the conversation now becomes. But people aren't saying Anthony Edwards is Michael Jordan. Like there's a difference in saying someone is Michael Jordan or someone has a mentality or someone is similar to one of those great players. And that's where I think it gets confused and where people take a little excerpt of what someone said and they make it out as if you're saying, okay, Anthony Edwards is already on the same level as Michael Jordan, which no one would say that.

Here is Jalen Brunson. The Knicks are up 2-0. Now it's 2-2. They're not making any excuses even with after all the injuries that they have suffered for losing the last two games. I mean, we can talk about fresher legs. We can give us all the pity that we want. Yeah, we're shorthanded, but that doesn't matter right now. We have what we have and we need to go forward with that. So there is no, there is no, we're shorthanded. There is no excuse.

There's no excuse whatsoever. I love Jalen Brunson. I do. I think he's a phenomenal player and he's a better leader, which is tough to be a better player than what he is on the court than to do what he does from a leadership perspective. The Knicks are one of those teams. They have every right to use injuries as an excuse. You have Julius Randoloff for the season. OJ Ananobi now out. You have Mitch Robinson out.

Hardinstein dealing with the shoulder. Brunson playing on one foot. They're running out of gas because they're running out of bodies and they don't sit there and make excuses. They still know, hey, there's still games to be played in this series. This is 2-2. You're going back to the garden. You win game, game five, then you're expected to win the series.

And that's the, you got to follow the beat of your leader. And Jalen Brunson is, is sending out the right beat. Let's go to Reggie Miller. This was on TNT during a game. He takes a shot at, is it LeBron?

Let's listen up. Stu, there's only two names that you could think of here. It's Kevin Durant, or it's LeBron James. But when he talks about that, like Mount Rushmore of players, Durant's not on that.

LeBron is. Reggie Miller, I have no problem with that opinion, but you can't give an opinion about LeBron and leave it ambiguous. He basically gave you the answer to the test, but give us the full answer to the test. Don't just be like, oh, it's option A, B, C, or D. I would really suggest picking A.

No, tell me A is the right answer for sure. And when you're an analyst now, which Reggie Miller has been for a long time, you should not be afraid to call out LeBron James. But there's a lot of people in the NBA community with LeBron and KD that are annoyed with them right now because they're blaming the coaches when the coaches are, you know, there, there could be a problem, like Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham, no one's gonna say they're the greatest coach ever, but I don't think they're a top two or three reason why those teams did what they did this past year. So still, where are you at right now with LeBron? I like to ask you this like once a week. I know that you were on the line of thinking last time we talked, it'll probably be back, but you'd be fine if he leaves.

Is that the same? Yes, I think he's back, but if he leaves, I wouldn't be heartbroken. Would you want him back with Bronny and JJ Redick? Like if that's the trio, would you rather have them back or not back?

I mean, if he, so if he's not back, that means I don't have to deal with Redick as a coach. Yeah, I'd probably, I'd probably take that. I'd probably take that. I'd probably take LeBron leaving and some type of a not JJ Redick head coach, you know, someone who has had success in the past and has experience as a coach or an assistant coach.

Yes, I would take that. Let's go to Mike McCarthy. I've not heard this yet, but there was, I guess this weird quote over the weekend on the return of Ezekiel Elliott.

Listen up. Felt like he never left. So, you know, but he definitely puts you on, you know, puts you on guard, you know, cause he's old school, you know, he's an old school guy and, you know, he'll go up and smack a 60 year old man in the ass and it hurts. So, I mean, you know, so it's those kinds of things that, you know, you just enjoy them, you know, enjoy, not to enjoy getting smacked in the ass, but just enjoy, enjoy his personality and having them back in the building and things like that. I've never heard a head football coach say, you know, I got smacked and I got smacked in the ass and it hurts. Never heard that one. That's a, that was an interesting way of putting it by Mike McCarthy.

I'm stunned by that. Play me that again, Carlos, one more time. Felt like he never left. So, you know, but he definitely puts you on, you know, puts you on guard, you know, cause he's old school, you know, he's an old school guy and, you know, he'll go up and smack a 60 year old man in the ass and it hurts. So I mean, you know, so it's those kinds of things that, you know, you just enjoy them, you know, enjoy, not to enjoy getting smacked in the ass, but just enjoy, enjoy his personality and having them back in the building and things like that.

What is he, Carlos, translate this for me. What is he trying to say that he enjoys getting hit in the ass by, by Ezekiel Elliott? Yes, he's trying to say he enjoys getting smacked in the ass by Ezekiel Elliott because Ezekiel Elliott's leadership, though he's old school and that's the qualities that he's looking to bring back to the locker room by having Zeke smack old dudes in the ass. Mike McCarthy goes home, honey, Zeke smacking me in the ass again.

I absolutely love it. We go from Mike McCarthy getting smacked in the ass by Ezekiel Elliott to Urban Meyer, who used to kick his kicker in Jacksonville. Now back in with Fox, Urban Meyer, he, I guess, is going off on NIL now.

Let's hear Urban Meyer. There's these things called collectives where they go out and get money from donors and they get this big giant mass of money and they pay players and that's not what the intent is. Name and likeness is, that's America.

America's built on name and likeness. If you, if Lou Holtz or Urban Meyer or Marvin Harrison Jr, CJ Stroud, they want to go, you know, use their name and help sell cars, help a business. That's great, but to have a 17 year old demand money for a visit to pay these players, you know, a lot of money to go visit a, you know, a charity for 20 minutes and they write a check for $50,000.

That's cheating. You know, that's not what this is all about. So I'm very disappointed in where it went. Think about this coach, these other sports, you know, if you're a woman basketball player, like the great girl from Iowa and she, they want to put her on a billboard and pay her, they should be able to do that, but that's not what happened. What's happened is the arms race of collecting money from donors and the donors are simply paying players. And that's what I understand is happening and I don't like that.

You may not like it. You're not coaching anymore. You made a lot of money coaching. So now since the kids are finally legally getting the money, you have an issue with it on how they're getting it. How is it any different than probably back in the day when you had someone that was a graduate assistant just drop a bag of cash off? Were there not demands Urban when you had people do that?

Give me a break. I think coaches are just, they come off so lame now when they bitch about NAL. The great coaches will adapt that are actively coaching. Urban doesn't need to adapt, but him just kind of poo-pooing on the whole thing. Just it's ridiculous.

Really is. So UFC over the weekend, they had a fight night and Derek Lewis, I guess one and he threw his jockstrap into the stands and I guess a media member caught it. And now he's having Dana White sign it in the post-match press conference. At first, when I heard this, I was watching it and I'm like, his cup is, is it a drinking cup? And then I'm like, oh no, this can't be a drinking cup.

This has to be, this is a jockstrap, right? At least this is what I thought it was judging by Dana White's reaction. Sue looked at me like, did you think this was a drinking cup? I may or may not have thought until this second that it was a drinking cup. So now I'm wondering who's right here. I watched the clip. I did not see what the reporter was holding, but judging by Dana White's reaction, I thought this was a a jockstrap.

But anyway, listen up to the, to the audio. It's really lucky, fortunate to get that there's Lewis' cup. Would you mind sign it? I would prefer not to, but I mean, you were very lucky to catch that.

Yeah, it was, it was right in front of me. He signed it. So I really like it.

It's your lucky day. I was, I really would like you to sign it. Okay. Sure. All right. Thank you, Dane. All right. Why don't you have him sign it? Oh, he did?

All right. So this is a thing with Derek Lewis. He takes his shorts off after the fight and he like throws it around like it's a t-shirt or like a rally towel.

Like I'm going to the garden tonight for the Rangers game. How they have those rally towels, they wave it around like that. And I guess he threw it into the crowd and then he had Derek Lewis sign and then Dana White afterwards. That is a very interesting press conference. And Dana's eyes at first were like, you want me to sign this? This is a good moment for it? Like what the heck are we doing?

Alrighty. We could shut it down there. You always want to end a segment talking about another man's jockstrap, right? Carlos Ortiz, imagine if I ended the show and let's say, I just threw my boxers at you.

And then you had to go to like management and do a press conference. Hey, will you sign Zach's box? Get Marek and Hurley to like sign on the strap.

They're game news. What's the smell? Oh my God. That's disgusting. I'm not kidding. There's some memorabilia you would like.

I've never sat her and said, I want a game use jockstrap. You know, let me get that signed. Who's buying that? It's a funny bit by the reporter.

I don't think he was serious, but he's making good content out of that. But does this guy like, like does he go home and he hangs it up in his wall? You know how he did the like Mike stuff last week? Does he put the boxers on with the jockstrap and go be like Derek? Oh geez, Louise. Coming on back.

It is the Zach Gelb show on the infinity sports network. Learn more and plan your summer with Sean Paul. Some 41 30 seconds from Mars.

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That's right. Season five of the Kardashians is here. Just when you thought life couldn't get any faster, they're punching it into overdrive. Chris, Courtney, Kim, Chloe, Kendall, and Kylie are back and continue to defy expectations in all their endeavors. So get ready to go behind the glitz and glamour of the most iconic family on television.

The all new season of the Kardashians premiers, May 23rd streaming on Hulu. All right, the onsite offsite time right here on the Zach Yelp show on the infinity sports network, a segment that we do every Monday and Friday. Stu, what do you got cooking for me today?

All right, Zach. So we start when the NFL Broncos head coach Sean Payton spoke to reporters over the weekend about the league's new kickoff rules and predicted that there would be double digit touchdown returns this season with a lot more big plays. To put that into perspective, there were only three kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2023, four in 2022, and there hasn't been double digits since 2008, where there was 11. So onsides offsides, the new kickoff rules will end up being a positive thing for the NFL.

I'm going offside because I think it's too gimmicky. And I don't like what the NFL is doing. They try to care about player safety. They're like, oh, we got to get the kickoff out of the game. Then they'll add extra regular season games. They want to add another extra regular season game, but you know, they care about player safety. I know they'll tell me, oh, it's because we're eliminating some of the preseason games. So now they try to eliminate the kickoff and now they want the kickoff back in. So they just go to this gimmick. Just be honest. You don't really care about player safety and go back to the way the kickoffs used to be.

I don't need to create this gimmicky thing. So the new kickoff rule will end up being a positive thing for the sport. I'm going to say offside. Next one, Stuart, we got now Colts rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell has selected number 10 as his jersey number for the upcoming season. And the reason why he gave for choosing it was because there were 10 wide outs selected before him in this year's draft.

So onsides offsides, you liked the idea of a player picking a number based off of how many players were taken before him. He got drafted by the Colts, correct? Yes, the Colts. Oh, I could hear the take now. This is the toughest that we need. This is the Indianapolis Colts. Anthony Richardson's got his guy. Let's go. You thousand percent know.

He's already hyping himself up over this story. You like the idea of a player picking a number based off how many players take. I like that level of pettiness. I really do. So even though we had some fun at Hickey's expense right there, I will go onsides.

And you know what pains me to say this? I think the Colts are gonna have a good season this year. I'm really intrigued to see what Anthony Richardson could do. That team should have made the playoffs last year without Anthony Richardson. Now you get him back.

You start paying people. You know, he did a nice job in the draft too. I got the first defensive player off the board and like to lie to. I like what the Colts are are starting to do and what is going to be a very competitive AFC South. So the Patriots surprised some last month in the draft when they selected Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton in the sixth round after drafting Drake May with the third overall pick.

The team's new executive vice president of player personnel, Elliott Wolf, joined the Adam Schefter podcast this weekend to defend the move. So I had the opportunity to watch Joe play live the last game of the year against Vanderbilt. And you know, I got there really early and watched him warm up and just watching him throw the football is unbelievable. I mean, 6'5", 245 pounds. He's got a rocket for an arm. He's athletic. We feel like there's some things that we can work with and develop. It was just one of those picks where there was there was too much talent in him to pass that up. So onsides, offsides. It's a good move for teams in the NFL to draft a second quarterback in the draft after taking one in the top five, like the Patriots did here and like the commanders did when they took Kirk Cousins after RG three years ago.

Yeah, because they're an afterthought and no one actually think it's an actual competition, but it's good insurance to have. You draft a quarterback, even though Joe Milton has underachieved for most of his college career, we know the arm that he has and how far he could throw the football. But you take him in the sixth round. There's no expectation. No one thinks he's taken Drake May's job. But if let's say Drake May gets injured, doesn't meet the hype. The guy's at least been in your system for a few years and you could give him an opportunity and see with his back up against the wall.

When he finally gets the opportunity, if he could find a way to sink or swim. So I have no problem with that when it's done in the proper round. Now you draft a quarterback in the first round and take some of the second rounds or third round. I don't really make sense to me, but you have that big separation. I think it's fine and it's worked out in the past. So it's a good move for teams to draft a second QB and the draft of taking one in the top five, like the Patriots did here and like the commanders did when they took Kirk Cousins after drafting RG3.

Yeah, I do. On sides. I like that. Now during Saturday's game against the Mavs and Thunder, OKC frequently sought out Dallas's Derek Lively II intentionally fouling him multiple times throughout the game. Despite him being only a 52% foul shooter, Lively made eight out of 12, including four out of four down the stretch. Now the league does have rules that limits the hack-a-shack type of fouls late in the game after two minutes remaining in each quarter. But on sides, off sides, you think that the NBA should expand the rule to limit the hack-a-shack strategy? If that's a strategy you want to use, I don't have a problem with it. So I'll go offside here.

The thing I will say, though, is I think it's smart. We're in the final two minutes of each quarter. If you then violate that rule, you get a free throw and then the ball back. So I don't want to see that necessarily at the end of the game.

I like the way that this is currently constructed. So videos surfaced on social media yesterday of the Seattle Mariners dropping hot dogs out of the sky on parachutes for fans to catch and eat. Yeah.

Oh, so onside, offside. Is that why Marash hasn't been in the office? He's in Seattle.

How about that? I think it's his birthday today. So happy birthday to Sean Marash, who, by the way, once berated me for saying it was my birthday because it wasn't a milestone birthday. This dude doesn't have a milestone birthday.

He's tweeting today, you know, I don't want people because I'm in my late 30s saying it's some irrelevant happy birthday, but I just want to point out the Rangers usually win on my birthday. Like, what the heck are you talking about, you hypocrite? Can't be that guy. Can't be the guy that's very hypocritical by him. Marash being a hypocrite. I'm shocked. Who would have thunk it? Oh, right. Carlos thousand, but I would never think he'd be a hypocrite. Continue.

What do you got? So onside, offside, catching a free hot dog at a sporting event is better than catching a free t-shirt. Absolutely. You don't even know if the t-shirt's going to fit. It could be too big.

It could be too small after one wash. It's usually crappy material. I'd much rather get a hot dog than a t-shirt. And here's the dumbest thing.

I know it's on a Thursday, so this is my PSA. A lot of times with these ranger playoff games that I go to, they put a t-shirt on the seat. Then they have a t-shirt toss and you have people trying to fight for the t-shirt.

Dummy, turn around. There's a free t-shirt on your seat. I'd much rather get a hot dog than a t-shirt for free at a game. And I will say this, the Sixers do this promotion. It's like bricking for chicken.

I think it's called, if you miss two free throws, the opposing team, they miss two free throws. Everyone gets like free Chick-fil-A the next day. The first or second year they did this, or it's at least the first time I saw it in person. This was like years ago. It's back when I lived in Philadelphia.

I was sitting all the way up top in the auxiliary press box. They had someone press a button and Chick-fil-A came falling down, raining down from the ceiling. So you had Chick-fil-A like a box of chicken nuggets on a parachute, falling down. Now that's something where I beat the crap out of someone for free Chick-fil-A.

A t-shirt? Give me a break. So yeah, I'd much rather get the free food at a sporting event than some crappy t-shirt. All right. And last but not least... By the way, catching a free hot dog at a game is better than catching a free... Yeah, onsides, onsides, onsides. Onsides.

All right. Last but not least, as we discussed towards the end of last hour, the Lions are signing quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year $212 million contract that includes $170 million guaranteed according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Now onsides, offsides, you believe that Goff is a top 10 quarterback in the NFL right now?

I do not. That is offsides, but that does not mean that him having the second highest average annual value salary for a quarterback is a bad decision. Because you get paid when it's your time to get paid and you could be a good quarterback and you get great quarterback money. That's what's here with Jared Goff, but that team is ready to win now. Like this is the first time in my life that you could say you walk into this season believing that the Lions are a team that can win the Super Bowl. That they are a top five team entering this NFL season. But Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, CJ Stroud, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, you know, even Brock Purdy. That's 10 right there.

Carlos was counting. So that's 10 right there. I think those guys are better than Jared Goff. But you could argue he's right on that 10-9 line.

Like you could make a case for it. I just think he's just on the outside, but this contract is deserved and you can win with Jared Goff. So I do not think he is a top 10 quarterback in the NFL.

All right, that's onside offside. Real quickly, finish the sentence for me, everybody. The Detroit Lions this year will, and then tell me how far you think they're going to go. So win 11 games and reach the NFC championship game. OK, Carlos win the NFC championship game.

Oh, so it'll be in the Super Bowl. Manny, what are the Lions doing this year? I feel like Manny's going to just rain on the parade that are the Detroit Lions.

See, Manny's not happy as a sports fan, so now he won't let anyone else be happy. How dare you cast aspersions? I think they'll make they'll make the NFC championship game.

OK. I'm going to say the Lions lose in the Super Bowl. I'm with Carlos and I would love to see. And maybe this is just because I, you know, I just make fun of Manny for free.

For for trying to raid in someone's parade. I would be in the mood this year for just a torture of Super Bowl. And what I mean by that is you have two fan bases that never won.

And they just go at it, right? Like, imagine we get a Bills-Lions Super Bowl or a Browns-Lions Super Bowl. Like, I don't think the Lions have a shot. I mean, I mean, the Browns have a shot of going to Super Bowl. But you just take two fan bases that have been dragged through the mud and you and you finally get them there.

I think that would be awesome. You know, even if you get in an AFC or NFC championship game. You know, a few years ago, we had the possibility of Browns and Bills. People are like, imagine those two fan bases with the dog pound. Here we go.

Brownies. And then the Bills mafia just throwing people through tables. But that would also require the Bills to, you know, get their act together this year, which I think the Bills can. You know, you could be a Super Bowl Bills and Lions. That'd be really fun.

That would be fun. Why? You don't like that, Bills and Lions? I mean, I don't. It's not exactly. I don't think that's what the NFL really wants. And why not? It's the I mean, you get Josh Allen going up against the Lions.

That'd be awesome. Against the Lions. Again, two passionate fan bases? The Lions, they're Lions.

Who asked you? Are you with the Giants in the Super Bowl? The Giants are awful. They stink. I have no, no faith for the Giants right now. Do you, Carlos? No, of course not.

I'm not a moron. I don't care about the Giants right now. I'm just asking because, you know, the Giants start off 2-0. They got two easy cupcake games we're going to start having. Oh, we're back. Giants are back. We're gonna have you two just being a bunch of idiots. I promise you, I will not, will not do any of that if the Giants win two games because I think they're going to stink. Yeah, yeah. Carlos definitely will.

Yeah, I might. He'll be taking his shirt off, be thrown into the sand like Derek Lewis did to the reporter with his jockstrap over the weekend. Maybe my wife will have me on the Ring camera.

Maybe she'll catch some, you know, accidental footage. Where did you get that from? I did like your birthday poster, Marash.

Well, what did you post on Instagram? I got a chuckle out of it today. It's a very heartfelt message. I'm like, even though he might be ass on the mic, off the mic, he's an even bigger ass. Yeah, I was going to comment on that.

Use a wide lens for that picture with the two of you. I can make that joke. Big people to big people can make that joke. Used to see Sean's response to that one on his Instagram story. What was it? He said, oh, Carlos, he had to go back into the way fat era of myself.

I wasn't that it wasn't that long ago, brother. Yeah, that was a wide shot of Marash. Now, Marash lost some weight. No, he looks good. He's he's on the Peloton thing. He looks good.

Goodish. Until I saw Marash without a shirt on when he was getting made into a chicken cutlet at that boomer in G Alive. You know, I thought Marash looked a little bit better than that now, but no, Marash does.

He's looking better. That was as someone that has lost a lot of weight. You hate when then like people it's a big life event or it's some life event. And then people post a photo of you when you were like really fat.

It's like, oh, can you can you use a better photo? You went into the the the the what's the word I'm looking for? The archives. The archives.

Thank you. Did you have another picture of you two together, though? You got you were just hanging out with them a few weeks ago. Yeah, we did. Well, you think I just take photos every time I hang out with people? I saw a photo of you with him on on on Twitter. I don't remember that photo at all. He made too many beers.

That's why it's very possible. Lot of Baileys. You said a lot of Baileys? Lot of Baileys. Oh, OK. First I said, I thought you said a lot of babes. I'm like, both you two are married.

And then I heard and I go, oh, you must have said Baileys. All right. Anyway, let's take a break. Here's the latest sports update. We'll play you some Stephen A. Smith audio when we return about Kevin Durant. What's up? I like Stephen A. Smith. I don't. You know what?

Only speak when we ask you this. I like Stephen A. Smith. I'm a fan of Stephen A. Smith. Here you go. All right. Here's the next update with Manny Rodriguez.

All right. So we know three games for this upcoming NFL season. It will open up on September 5th. The schedule comes out on Wednesday, by the way. Ravens at Chiefs Friday, September 6 in Brazil will be the Packers and the Eagles. And now we know Tom Brady's first game as a broadcaster for Fox. The Dallas Cowboys home at Jerry's World on September 8th, 4 25 p.m. Eastern on Fox against the Cleveland Browns. You know, that's a good Sunday 4 o'clock game, 4 25 game for week one.

Cause like you don't burn. It's not two mega mega opponents. Like don't get me wrong. Ravens and Chiefs isolated spot on a Thursday. Everyone's going to watch.

You want to do a special Brazil game. I wish you wouldn't do a game that has a lot of good potential with the Eagles and the Packers. And I don't love that necessarily being a Friday, but I'm okay with an isolated spot. You know, Sunday, that first people said you have a few games going on in the 4 o'clock 4 25 p.m. Eastern time window. I get why you go with the Cowboys. Putting Cleveland there is a good spot because Cleveland's not great. They're not bad. You know, they're a team that could be 10 or 11 wins. It could also be a nine win team or an eight win team. You know, they have one of the more talented rosters in the NFL and it doesn't seem like, you know, there's a ton at stake in that week one matchup.

So I do like that matchup between the Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns for week one on a 4 25 p.m. Eastern time game on Fox. Okay. It's time to answer our ask the pros question of the day. It's brought to you by O'Reilly Auto Parts. Bill in Arizona says, Zach, do you think Kevin Durant will see the end of his contract with the Phoenix Suns? You could submit a question by tweeting at INF Sportsnet or at Zach Gelb using the hashtag ask the pros.

Think O'Reilly Auto Parts for all your car care needs to guarantee low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. So Kevin Durant, I guess, is not happy right now. We know Frank Vogel is out as their head coach. Butenholzer is going to take over the reins there, but it seems like Mr. Durant is still not thrilled. This was on first take earlier this a.m.

Here is Stephen A. Smith will play in two parts of this. Here's part one talking about Kevin Durant and some of his frustration. Here's where Mike Woburn didn't go into details that all of us covering the NBA are fully aware of. Kevin Durant in Phoenix is a problem.

It is a problem. We don't see it because the stats are there. Him and Booker average 27 points per game and what have you. But they say Kevin Durant is never happy. They say that he went more than a month without even talking to the head coach. They say that he doesn't look happy there and all he wants to do is play when the game starts and tip off time arrives. But when it comes to ingratiating yourself with your teammates and getting along with everybody and stuff like that, he just lives in his own world.

A lot to to unpack there. Let's hear one more though. This is the next part of Kevin Durant getting discussed by Stephen A. Smith. He's not hated. He's not despised. He's not doing anything negative. He's not being somebody that's two-facing and behind people back doing stuff. No, that's not who Kevin Durant is, but keeping to himself.

Why does that matter? It's similar to what he was doing in Golden State before he ultimately departed, which is what was driving Draymond Green crazy, which is why they ultimately got into it on the court in that Clippers game and what have you. Because you hear stuff, you hear stuff, you hear about the level of unhappiness, et cetera, et cetera, and you get tired of it because when you don't want to talk and when you don't want to answer questions, you don't want to lead in a very visible way where that forces other people to have to step up and take on a level of culpability that they don't want to stomach.

You don't know exactly what is true and what is false. Stephen A. Smith has a big background, though, covering the NBA. I know now a lot of us look at Stephen A. Smith as a character on First Take.

I have a lot of respect for Stephen A. Smith, but he was an old school journalist back in the day. The thing is, though, I'm so tired of Kevin Durant. Just retire already. You know, you wanted to be a villain in Golden State.

Then you were annoyed that you weren't getting enough credit by people on Twitter with egg faces. Then you end up going to Brooklyn to try to do it your way. You team up with Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving was a royal pain in the ass in Brooklyn. He didn't have it in you to tell Kyrie to shut up.

Okay. You finally get your way. You get traded to Phoenix. Frank Vogel comes in. I'm not saying Frank Vogel is a great coach.

But after one year, you get rid of him. And I know Mike Budenholzer has won a championship. But just like Frank Vogel, he's won a championship, too. So why is Budenholzer going to be that much better than Frank Vogel?

And the thing that annoys me and all that commentary by Stephen A. Smith. Durant wasn't talking to Vogel. And the teammates aren't annoyed at him. So, like, he's just showing up.

He's being aloof. You know, doesn't have a good attitude. Doesn't that attitude drain the room by what people are afraid to call it out, Kevin Durant? Like, that's what people are afraid. Because they know he runs the organization. And Matt Espio is probably gonna do whatever he says. I'm just so tired of an NBA superstar like Durant. You take no accountability. You lose. You make it as if you know what doesn't stink.

And it's never your fault. It really sucks that this is now how we have to talk about Kevin Durant. This guy was on a trajectory of being a top 10 player of all time. I'm not gonna sit here and say he's not a Hall of Famer. I'm not gonna sit here and say he isn't a top 20 player of all time.

But he was on a trajectory of being a top 10 player of all time. And whenever Kevin Durant retires, and I'll answer the question that was asked, I'll answer the question that was asked of me by Bill in Phoenix or Arizona. When Kevin Durant's career ends, though, which I don't think now, he'll stay in Phoenix. 2026, you already started to drop this stuff that, oh, you know, he's about how he acts in the locker room.

He's gonna, this guy never takes accountability. He likes playing basketball, though. It appears, though, like it feels like he doesn't like playing basketball.

But how upset this guy always is. So that's why I say just retire. So no, I do not think Durant is gonna finish his career with the Phoenix Suns.

But it's a joke that he won't. The Nets did everything you asked. Phoenix has done everything you asked. And the reality of the situation is, you and your teams have not been good enough when they need to.

That's as simple as it is. Your teams haven't been good enough. But no accountability ever happens, none. It's always, oh, a coach's fault. Or, like, what is Durant not happy about? You're not happy you're not winning.

Okay, I get that. But happy to a point where you basically show up and you're detached from your locker room. If that Stephen A. Smith stuff is true.

It's just ridiculous. All righty, that will do it for me today. I will be back tomorrow. Shane Beamer is gonna join us, the head football coach. JJ McCarthy is gonna join us later in the week at 4 p.m. Eastern time.

We'll see who else will pop up on the show. I am out Friday this week, but we are here Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for some kickass shows. I'm gonna make my way to Madison Square Garden. Puck drop gonna be at about 7 p.m. Eastern time. Delta 9 Brian says, should I be looking for Zach at the Canes Rangers game tonight? You will probably not see me. I'm not where I sat for the Knicks game the other night.

Which is right behind the bench. I think I may be sneaking my way into a luxury box tonight though. I'm in section 210 if anyone's there, but I got invited into a luxury box tonight. So I'm gonna be doing my best mirage in honor of his birthday.

Be drinking and eating a whole lot. We'll be back tomorrow everybody at 3 p.m. Eastern, noon Pacific. Thank you to always for tuning on in.

Big thanks to Carlos with the K, Manny Rodriguez, and Stuart Kovacs as well. Alrighty everybody, talk manana and let's hope the Rangers eliminate the hurricanes tonight. We out. Bye-bye.

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