Latest / The So-Called Sports Analysts / Episode 11 - NFL off-season Winners and Losers and NBA Award predictions

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Episode 11 - NFL off-season Winners and Losers and NBA Award predictions · The So-Called Sports Analysts

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Welcome, welcome, welcome, Welcome back to another episode of the so called
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Sports Tenner List. I am your host, a Fonso Portillo. This is
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episode number eleven. And I know this wasn't posted Saturday morning at six am
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how it usually is, but I was kind of enjoying my spring break just
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a little bit because I am a college student, just relaxing for a little
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bit, and I just wanted to make sure my notes were perfect. I
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prioritize quality over quantity. But I just want to discuss that real quick.
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But we're gonna go ahead and get straight into it. And I know I
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said we're gonna talk about the NFC South today, but I'm gonna go to
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a different direction to start off with. I'm gonna talk about the NFL offseason
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and as far as who's made the best moves, who's made the worst moves
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so far? Because if I just talk about those certain divisions or certain teams,
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whenever I get to those divisions, it's gonna be pointless. So anyways,
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let's get let's go ahead and get straining to it. So the biggest
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winner that I have in the off season so far, it's March nineteenth right
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now, as I'm recording this so as of March nineteenth, pre draft,
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pree everything I have Chicago Bears. The Chicago Bears being the biggest winners of
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the NFL off season. Obviously, they traded the number one overall pick with
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the Carolina Panthers. They got the ninth overall pick, a second pick or
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a second round pick, then a first overall or a first round pick from
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twenty twenty four, second round pick from twenty twenty four, and a pretty
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good receiver in DJ Moore who is a number one receiver, which should no
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question questions about. It should help justin fields and his progression right away because
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it makes your number two and number three receiver down Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool
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actually be those number two and number three and not have to face those number
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one cornerbacks or that number one coverage. And also to mention, they signed
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t J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmund they got two of those for a total
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of ninety million. And Roquan Smith, who they did trade away there were
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Baltimore Ravens. They ended up having to pay him. I believe it was
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a one hundred million dollars for four years, which that's a smart move right
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there. That's good GM. And then you added Nate Davis. He's a
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offensive guard. He was a top ten Pro Football Focus rated offensive guard throughout
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the entire year, and you added him to the offense. And they still
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have over fifty million in cap space and they did signed Onto Foreman, so
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they have good pieces around there. And Justin Fields, it puts him in
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a very interesting position because now he's in a situation where he has to show
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the front office and the Bears organization that he is the future of that franchise.
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Because say, if it does happen to not pan out, you have
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your first round pick and have Carolina's first round pick next year, maybe you
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do trade Justin Fields and those picks together and possibly get or trade up to
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get that number one overall pick. Go get a Killub Williams, who has
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been one of the highest rated prospects in two or three years. As far
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as for quarterbacks since Trevor Lawrence or you could even surround Justin Fields with even
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more weapons, so he has no excuse as far as that. I don't
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expect them to make the playoffs, but I do expect them to have at
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least or in the ballpark from six to nine wins. Yeah, so six
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to nine wins I expect around that area, maybe make a playoff push.
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They do have one of the easier schedules in the league, so maybe they
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can't take advantage of that. And obviously, when you have a winner,
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there has to be a loser, and the loser that I have in this
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situation is a Philadelphia Eagles. So they've lost so far Javon harvegrave tj Edwards,
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Kauzier White, Marcus Epps, Andre Dillard, Johnson Gardner, Johnson,
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Miles Sanders, and they've retained so far Darius Slay and James Bradberry. So
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obviously you have Darius Slay and James Bradberry, who are two good pieces as
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far as for the cornerbacks, but you did lose key pieces as far as
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with Javon harvegrave T, j Edwards, Kauzier White. And I know they
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drafted na Kobe Dean last year in the second round. You drafted Jordan Davis
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last year in the first round. So you have people that can fill in
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for those gaps, but are they really ready to take that jump and they
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need to be having that same production that those guys were having right there,
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and that's gonna be tough to feel. And who knows. Jordan Davis,
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he was very injury prone last year, and that's usually what happens. As
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far as with the bigger guys, they usually get hurt easier. As far
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as from being way too aggressive, any always is a nose tackle and that
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always is a nasty spot to play. And then one of the other reasons
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that I have Eagles as a loser is because you still not have resigned Jalen
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Hurts to a contract. And I don't know why any franchise they still do
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this to this day, they do not pay their quarterbacks early. If anything,
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this just this just should show to you right now. As far as
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with Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens could potentially lose a top three quarterback in
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the NFL because they did not pay him early after having his best season in
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the second year. And there's been After looking at all the reports rumors,
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I've been looking for it, seeing if there's possibly contract extension talks, but
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there's been nothing about it. I guess it's just they've been worrying about everybody
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else. As far as retaining some other free agents what they still have not
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done. But the salary is only going to be going up for Jalen Hurts
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because when Jalen Hurt sees Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson,
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whatever he does get paid, this offseated because he is gonna get paid by
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whether the Ravens or somebody else. He's gonna want big money and it's only
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gonna go up and him seeing Daniel Jones get forty million a year. Just
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me, if I was in Jalen Hurts's position, I would say, okay,
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I won at least ten to twenty more million because I beat Daniel Jones
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and the head to head playoff game, I was second in MVP, MVP
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runner up or I was a runner up MVP. I did make it to
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the super Bowl. I did lead one of the best teams in the NFL
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to the best record in fourteen and three. So he has all these things
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over these quarterbacks that are getting paid, and there's already been talks to bring
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up my Cowboys. There's already been talks to extend Dak. And I'm not
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trying to argue who's better Dak or Jalen Hurts. But whenever Dak does get
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paid, I do believe it's gonna be in between the forty five fifty million
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dollars range when he does get paid, and Janal Hurts is undoubtedly gonna be
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wanting more, so it's only gonna be costing more for the Philadelphia Eagles.
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And obviously, when you pay a quarterback more money, there's gonna be less
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money to go around for everybody else. And that's why that's my biggest problem
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right there. The Philadelphia Eagles should have paid Jalen Hurts already, and I
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don't know why. Maybe they're trying to figure out something, trying to get
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a bargain basement deal, but that's not gonna work for you because even more
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and more quarterbacks are getting more power. Just look at Aaron Rodgers with the
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Green Bay Packers. He controlled that franchise for ten to fifteen plus years.
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And speaking of Aaron Rodgers, one of my other winners that I do have,
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so with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears, those are my two
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big winners right there, and the biggest loser. But these next teams that
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I'm going to get into, there are some of the teams that got small
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wins some teams that have got small or that got small losses. So I
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don't believe it's a big shift like these two teams I just talked about,
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but it still should make a difference. And I I just mentioned the New
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York Jets. I know it's not official yet, but I'm pretty sure everybody
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who's watching this podcast did see what Aaron Rodgers said as far as his intentions
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of wanting to play for the New York Jets. And the only thing that's
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holding it up right now is just trade compensation, which I expect to get
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done soon. I don't know if it happened before the draft, but either
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way, it's gonna happen. The Packers want to move on from Aaron Rodgers.
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The Jets they want Aaron Rodgers. They want competent quarterback play. So
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with bringing in Aaron Rodgers, you have a team that won I believe it
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was seven games seven eight games last year and could have sneaked into the playoffs.
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I believe they lost to the Patriots the week before. I believe it
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was a part return touchdown that's what costs him a playoff playoff appearance. But
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with having Aaron Rodgers, you should win in that division. I'm not gonna
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say it's gonna be a four or five game jump, but you should win
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another two three games just with having solid quarterback. Playing Aaron Rodgers is more
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than solid enough. And I believe he is a top ten quarterback, potentially
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top five. But those weapons he does have around him can make him a
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top five quarterback because you do have Garrett Wilson, you have a live More,
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you have Adam Lazard who was just brought in there. There's been rumors
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about Odell Beckham, c j Ozama, Bruce Hall. So you have good
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pieces around them, and you have some offensive linement that are gonna be coming
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back. So you're gonna have McKay Beckton coming back, Elijah Vera Tucker coming
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back. So they both lost them or they lost them both last year in
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the season. So it's gonna solidify that offensive line and only going to create
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more space for BRUEs. Saw on the run game. Run game opens up,
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play action, play action opens up the other passes. I go on
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and on about that. Then they have a solid defense. It's gonna be
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a tough division and it's gonna I believe it's really a toss up because you
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have the Buffalo Bills, you have the Miami Dolphins, you have the New
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England Patriots, and you have the Jets. All in that division, they're
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all trying to make playoff appearances. I'm not trying. I don't think they're
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all trying to win, but they're all trying to make playoff appearances and potentially
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win a playoff game or two. So it's gonna be a tough division.
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Nobody's really taking in that division. You usually have one to two two teams
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and a division that are trying to tank or trying to get worse, but
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that's not the case for this division. So Aaron Rodgers should be an obvious
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upgrade and it's going to be exciting to see Aaron Rodgers in a situation where
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he has a defense, has a skilled position players to actually compete for a
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championship. Now, one of my losers I have is the Cincinnati Bengals.
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So the Cincinnati Bengals, I know they did sign Orlando Brown, which I
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do believe that was overpaid right there, because Orlando Brown, Yes, he
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did look solid for the Chiefs, but if you really look at the film
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and break it down. He had to get chips from the run backs,
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from the tight ends, and he was mostly one on one and he was
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getting beat every once in a while, i'd say every third play, which
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is not good as far as for a left tackle. And he's gonna be
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playing right tackle for them. So not only is he going to a new
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team where he got overpaid, but he's going to a new position where he
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did not want to play. But he's still should be decent. But you're
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in a division where you have the Baltimore Ravens who always have a good defense,
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the Pittsburgh Steelers who have t J. Watt, and the Browns who
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have Miles Garrett. So that's gonna be exciting to see. But you also
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did lose Von Bell and Jesse Bates, your two starting safeties, which are
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the most important positions as far as on your defense, especially when you go
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up against Josh Allen, Patrick, Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence and
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all the other QB's in the AFC that I can mention, but you need
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secondary players in that in that defense that they have in order to succeed.
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And yes, I know they do have good pass rushers. But your pass
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rushers can only do so much. You need some type of secondary players or
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some people that could just at least make a play, and they don't have
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that no more. In the defense. And then going on the offensive side,
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they lost Hayden Hurst and some man j P. Ryan. So those
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weren't pieces that were major. Obviously, they weren't the Jamaar Chase, the
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t Higgins that Joe Mixon. Will see how that goes as far as with
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that situation as far as off the field, maybe does get suspended or not,
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so they may be in the market for a running back. But anyways,
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so they lost little pieces that people they may not notice, but there
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are big pieces as far as from them competing for a Super Bowl and competed
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and win playoff games. It's just those little moves right there. And yes,
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I know they have some draft picks coming up, but those were really
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solid pieces right there. And another reason why I say they are a loser.
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Like I mentioned about the Philadelphia Eagles, they have not paid Joe Burrow
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yet. Joe Burrow, he has proved just as much, maybe even more
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than what Jalen Hurts has proved. So the market is gonna be going up
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every single year. Every time you don't pay them, it's gonna be getting
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more expensive. So I don't know why it makes no sense to me,
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But anyway, let's move on to a winner. Let's think positive now.
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So a winner that I have is my team, the Dallas Cowboys. They
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retained majority of their players that were big players for them last year, and
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they also got a top ten cornerback in the league with his name being Stefan
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Gilmore. So you have improved that defense in which that defense during the playoff
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game against San Francisco was already a top three defense and the only weakness they
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really had was a defensive tackle and cornerback number two. So this is gonna
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make this is only gonna make the Dallas Cowboys defense even more explosive, more
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bound to make a play, lead the league in turnovers again for the third
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straight year, potentially, and you're not gonna be able to throw away from
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Trayvon Diggs because you have a good cornerback, good to great cornerback and Stephan
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Gilmore. And yes, I know he is going to be thirty three years
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old, I believe, but he is still more than capable enough he's not
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gonna have to guard the number one receiver. That's gonna be Trayvon Diggs assignment.
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And how I said they retained some free agents. You retain Donovan Wilson
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and who was one of the leading tacklers for their team. Same thing with
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Laton Vanderish. You resigned Tony Pollard for a one year deal. We'll see
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how that goes. And you got Cooper Rush a solid backup and not only
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big loss I could think of as Connor McGovern, but even at that as
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a Cowboys fan, Connor McGovern, he was not that big of a factor.
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That's why you drafted Todder Smith so he could play guard. You'll still
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have Tyron Smith there. So they somehow got better in the off season where
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I didn't think they could get better. I thought, if anything, they
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were going to be on the loser side of the board. And there's been
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rumors. It's all speculation right now as far as for them trading for a
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receiver potentially of Brandon Cooks, Jerry Judy, DeAndre Hopkins, so who knows,
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maybe they will jump into the stratosphere. As far as a big winner
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like the Chicago Bears and one of the other losers that I have is the
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San Francisco forty nine ers. It may sound weird to say, yes,
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I know they did get Javon Harvegrave, but they spent a lot of money
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on that. I believe he's going to be making twenty million a year for
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the next four years. So your front four is going to be looking very
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nice, Nick Bosa. You have Eric Armstead, you have Javon Kinlon,
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Javon Harvgrave, so that looks very nice. Oh, Nick Bosa, let
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me not forget him. Obviously he is or he just won a Defensive Player
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of the Year. But so you have those five players on the defensive line.
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But what made the San Francisco forty nine as so good is they had
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depth and they had people that can rush the pastor no matter who was in
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you had guys like Charles A. Minna who you had Samuel Ebucom so he
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had good pieces like that that are gonna be little losses. Not to mention
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you lost Mike McGlinchey. You're starting right tackle and they have nobody they have
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to replace, so you're gonna have to try to draft somebody. Or you
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have Jimmy Ward, who was a safety for you, Emmanuel Moseley, who
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was your number two cornerback for you, and then you have a Ziz I'll
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share. I don't know if I pronounce that right, but he was one
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of the best linebackers in the league last year. And obviously you lost Jimmy
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Garoppolo, who was your second best quarterback on the roster. So those were
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big losses right there. Yes, I know they made the splash play,
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but they lost a lot of pieces in that time. And the last two
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winners I'm going to talk about because I don't have any other big losers as
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far as that is. The New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins. So
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the New York Giants, they somehow were able to keep Daniel Jones on reasonable
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contract. It's four years, one hundred and sixty million averages out to forty
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million per year, and then you retain, say Kwon Barkley on a prove
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it deal, see if he could do it again, potentially pay him.
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He is one of the best running backs in the league when healthy. And
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you got Darren Waller, who is a top three tight end and last year
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he had an entry bug. But if you really look at his record,
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he does not get injured that much. It was just outlier year, so
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I expect him to play at least another twelve to fifteen games. For I
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was gonna say the Raiders, for the New York Giants and Brian Dayball.
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He is a really good coordinator and can make up or head coach and can
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create some plays for Darren Waller and get him open. And not only does
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that help out the past game and Daniel Jones, but it lightens up the
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box for sa Kwon Barkley, so it can make them even more deadly.
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Then you have the Miami Dolphins who got Jalen Ramsey, one of the best
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quarterbacks in the league. Pair him with Xavier Howard. Now they have one
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of the best duos in the league. So now you replaced your number two
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cornerback with Jaylen Ramsey. And it's kind of a similar situation to the Dallas
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Cowboys. They did not have as good a as a defense as the Cowboys,
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but now you're not gonna be able to throw the ball as much on
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them. You're gonna have to run the ball, and with you having quarterbacks
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in the AFC, like I mentioned earlier, it's gonna be harder for them
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because they're more of a past first offense. Then you still have your offense
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with Tuah. We'll see how that goes. They signed Mike White, so
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they signed them more than capable enough quarterback to back up Tuah. And you
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still have Tyreek Kill, Jaylen Waddle and those pieces around them, and you
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re signed Jeff Wilson, so they had plenty of pieces around them and they
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can really make a run. It sounds crazy for potentially a conference championship.
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I'm not gonna say Super Bowl because we still don't know about two us health
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and if he will play this year, but just what I've seen from the
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moves and looking at if everybody was healthy, they could potentially reach the conference
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championship. And also to mention what the Miami Dolphins, you had two four
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a stretch for about six seven games. He was looking like an MVP candidate.
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But speaking of MVP candidates, let's talk about the NBA race. Who's
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the favorite MVP right now or a favorite to win MVP and it's coming down
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to the wire. This is one of the closest MVP races I've actually paid
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attention to in a while. And so you have obviously your top three being
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Joel Embiid, Nicolea Yoki and janis Aneta Kumpo. And there's about eleven to
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or ten to twelve games left for the NBA until the playoffs start, and
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as of right now, I would have Joel Embiid as the favorite to win
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the MVP. And the main reason I say that there's two factors to it.
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Joel Embiid these past fifteen games ten fifteen games has been playing absolutely ridiculous
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and they are only increased or rising up the standings. I believe they're second
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now on the East after the after the Celtics, they lost to the Jazz.
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So not only are they one of the top seeds now, but Joel
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Embiid is putting up the stats and he's been averaging over thirty five points ten
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plus three four assists, and it's just ridiculous what he's doing. He's dominating,
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he's proving that he is a top three player in the league. I
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never really believe that Joel Embiid was a top three player in the league until
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these past ten to fifteen games because he is dominating and completely confusing defenses on
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what to do. And let's not get it twisted. Yes, I know
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it's a regular season, but these teams that they've been playing is the Boston
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Celtics, is the Cleveland Cavaliers, it is the Nuggets. So you have
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teams that are still competing for seating and even the Lord teams that you are
23:41
playing, they're playing for the playing. So you're playing teams that are actually
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trying to win games. And the reason why I do give the favor to
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Joel Embiid is the other reason being is that if you look at the MVP
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races in the pass, the guy who always finished number two will always have
24:04
a slight edge in a close MVP race because they want to give it to
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the guy who did not win it last year. Just look at James Harden
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with Russell Westbrook when Russell Westbrook averager triple double, James Harden won it that
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year. When James Harden won it that year, Janice was second in MVP
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voting. And then look at the following year Johannis won MVP, or he
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could even go back to two thousand and six, two thousand and seven when
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Steve Nash won MVP, Kobe was second in MVP. The MVP race then
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in two thousand and eight, Kobe won MVP in a close MVP race with
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Chris Paul, So they always give the adds to the guy who finished number
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two last year. And then another thing that did happen that I didn't even
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talk about as far as favor and embiid was Nicola was the runaway favorite to
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win the MVP. But these past ten games, he's not been looking like
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the MVP we've seen these past two years, and history is against him.
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Like I've mentioned, there's been very few players in NBA history to win three
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MVPs in a row, and that is Bill Russell, Will Chamberlain, and
25:27
Larry Bird. So three players in NBA history have won three MVPs in a
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row. So Nicola Yoki is doing that would be very crazy to me because
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those are potentially ten players or players that are in the top ten in NBA
25:48
history, and I don't know if Nicolay can reach that. He does have
25:53
the potential, but that's just very crazy to me. That has not happened.
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If Jordan didn't win three MVPs in a row, Kobe didn't shagged in
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it, Lebron didn't, then he should not win three MVPs in a row,
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and I'm sorry, that's just how history is. And in the past
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five games, they've been one and four and he's been averaging twenty five points,
26:18
starting, rebounds, eight assists, which are still really good numbers,
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but compared to Joel Embiid and Jannis, they don't look like numbers that are
26:29
eye popping and amazing like there were the past two years when he was averaging
26:33
triple doubles or averaging twenty eight ten and seven. I believe that was his
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that was his stats for the first MVP year, but I could be wrong.
26:44
It was around that area, but still he does have a great case
26:48
for it. They're twenty four and one the Denver Nuggets. When Nicola Yokis
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does have a triple double, that's a ridiculous stat right there. He does
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fit the mold for an MVP being one of the best players on the best
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team with one of the best records. So he does fit the mold for
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most of that because there's only been few MVPs that have not been top four
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seeds. So seedings do matter, and the top seed does matter when it
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comes to a close race, and I believe that the Denver Nuggets, they
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do have a slightly better record than the Philadelphia seventy six ers, so that
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may play a factor right there. And obviously all these advanced analytics that I
27:36
know a little bit about, but I know the MVP voters, they do
27:38
favor Nicola Yoki in that aspect, so he still does have a great shot
27:44
for it. And let's just say, I won't be surprised if it happens,
27:49
but I think Joel n Bat should win it. But somebody who is
27:55
a long shot for the MVP, because it's really a two man race.
27:59
It's been a two men raced for these past three years. It's been the
28:03
same guys in Nicola Yokis and Jewel Embien. So the guy that's a long
28:07
shot is Jannista Kompo, so Jannis, they've had a really great season so
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far. I think what's really killed Yannis as far as him being in the
28:22
MVP race as he has missed some games, and even when Jannis has been
28:27
out, the Bucks still have looked dominant. I believe for a stretch there
28:33
were twenty two and twenty two and two in twenty four games, which is
28:37
ridiculous, and Yannis didn't play half of those games. But still Yannis.
28:42
He's past ten games, he's been averaging twenty seven points, ten rebounds,
28:48
seven assists, So kind of saying similar stats to Nicola Yokich, And like
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I said, with Yokich, as far as fitting the mold, he does
28:56
fit the mold as well. They're the first team to clips the playoffs,
29:00
have the best record in the league and leading in the East, which is
29:07
the tougher conference. So maybe as far as the tougher conference, that may
29:11
play a factor right there, but I don't see it playing a major factor
29:15
as far as determining determining, oh, okay, they're gonna win MVP because
29:22
they're in this conference or that conference. I don't believe that's how it works.
29:26
But like I said, it's a long shot for Yannis. I don't
29:30
think he will win it. I would I would really be shocked if he
29:33
does. On a one to ten scale. As far as him win an
29:37
MVP, i'd probably give him a zero point five. So and he's already
29:44
won MVPs. He had back to back MVPs, so there could be some
29:48
voter fatigue right there that I didn't even mentioned. As far as with nicolea
29:52
Yo kids, So there's some voter fatigue. Joel Embiid hasn't won MVP,
29:56
so no voter voter fatigue want to get him over the edge. That can
30:00
happen right there. So I believe Joel Embiide on a scale of one to
30:04
tend his chances to win MVP. I believe as of right now, as
30:11
of March nineteen, twenty twenty three, I believe he has a scale out
30:15
of one out of ten eight to win a VP. And then Nicola Yokich
30:22
has the one point five because there's a mixture of voter fatigue and he has
30:26
not played well. And we talked about the a VP Awards or the a
30:33
VP Award, but let's talk about the other awards, the other awards that
30:37
are mentioned as much as MVP, And the award that I'm going to start
30:41
off with first is the Defensive Player of the Year award. And there's three
30:45
guys who are in my running right now, and that's Brook Lopez plays for
30:52
the Milwaukee Bucks, Jared Jackson Junior plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, and Robert
30:57
Williams a third who plays for the Boston Celtics. So my favorite candidate right
31:03
now, as far as the favorite to win it is brook Lopez. Brook
31:07
Lopez, he's been averaging two and a half blocks per game this year and
31:12
he's been a key defender, especially when Jannis and at the Kumbo he's been
31:17
out and they've still been one of the best defensive teams in the league.
31:22
And he's become a big factor as far as their defense has become Drew and
31:29
brook Lopez as far as protect from the paint. It's also made Jannis a
31:33
little bit more flexible and not have to just stand in the paint. He
31:36
could guard a wing defender or take some place off. And he's looked the
31:41
best as far as defensive wise, he's looked in his entire career. I
31:47
don't know how. Maybe he's aging like Wine, he got better, and
31:53
I think what really does help him is that they didn't take a drop off
31:57
when Jannie went out, and that favors brook Lopez right there. And the
32:05
guy who I do believe is number two as far as defensive player of the
32:08
Year is Jared Jackson Jr. The only downside as far as with Jared Jackson
32:15
Jr. Is that he doesn't average over thirty minutes a game. There's been
32:21
very few Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year candidates to have
32:29
under thirty minutes a game, which sounds ridiculous, but when you think about
32:34
it, it makes sense. And Memphis they've been a top ten defense all
32:38
year, and like I said, with brook Lopez, he's the elite rim
32:44
protector and he sets the tone for them defensively. And yes, I know
32:51
that he may not get the credit that he should get as far as because
32:54
you have a Dylan Brooks there who's just a scrappy guy. Same thing with
33:00
Desmond Bine. You have to have somebody protect the paint, and especially with
33:04
the Memphis Grizzlies, the way to beat them since you have versatile defenders is
33:08
getting to the paint. So you have Jaren Jackson Junior their majority of the
33:12
time, and Steven Adams. He's been out I believe, twenty games this
33:17
year. So Jaren Jackson Junior had to step up and he has done that
33:22
this year, so he has to get some credit. But I do believe
33:25
he is a second favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. And the
33:31
player lastly who I think has a shot to win Defensive Player of the Year
33:36
is Robert Williams. He is the most of most important defender on the Boston
33:42
Celtics. People may say Marcus smart, but like I said, what the
33:45
Memphis Grizzlies, he is the rim protector. He does he does the dirty
33:53
work and he hides some of the defensive liabilities or defensive apps that some players
34:00
may leave. You still do have Marcus Mark, Jason Tatum, Jelen Brown
34:06
who are good defenders, and I believe that does bring his case down a
34:08
little bit. But even with Robert Williams on the floor, they have a
34:19
one or four point point eight rating as far as that's how many points they
34:22
give up. But without Robert Williams on the floor, they give up one
34:28
hundred and eleven points. That's about a six six seven point difference right there.
34:34
So that just shows how much of an impact he makes and it may
34:39
not show up on the stat sheet. He may not get all those blocks
34:43
like Brook Lopez and Jaren Jackson Junior does, but he hides a bunch of
34:47
the stuff or a bunch of the glaring gaps that the Boston Celtics leave.
34:54
And final prediction who I think will win Defensive Player of the Year is Glopez
35:00
has had a great year injuries, they've all taken to the account with all
35:05
three of these players right here as far as with some of their teammates.
35:08
And I believe brook Lopez he has the most significant jump as far as from
35:15
his teammate getting injured, which is Jannis, who was a defensive Player of
35:19
the Year candidate. So and he does deserve it, no question. And
35:23
the next award we're going to talk about is the most improved proved player.
35:30
And I believe this is no question right here, no debates. It's Laurie
35:36
Marketing. Laurie Marketing. He was a Chicago Bull. Like I said,
35:39
I am a Chicago Bull fan. When he was on the Bulls, he
35:43
had some spurts where he looked great, but you never saw something like this
35:46
for an entire year. Laurie Marketing. He's been averaging twenty five points a
35:51
game, eight rebounds, and he's been shooting fifty percent from the field.
35:55
Just last year in Cleveland, he was the averaging fifteen point into game,
36:00
five rebounds, forty five percent from the field. So not only is he
36:04
scored more points, but he's getting more efficient. And he made an All
36:07
Star team this year, and he's looked like a big piece and actually looked
36:14
like a solid piece for the Utah Jazz's future after they just traded away Donovan
36:20
Mitchell because he was in this trade package and Laurie marketing. He's only twenty
36:25
five years old, so he still has plenty of room to grow and even
36:30
get better. So I believe there's no point of bringing up anybody else.
36:35
You could bring up Shay Gilgas, Alexander or Jelen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburden,
36:40
but they were already good enough players where they would have to be averaging thirty
36:45
five points a game to really be in this conversation. Because most improved player
36:50
it's about somebody who was just average turning into an all star player. And
36:54
those players there were already all Star caliber players. So the next award that
37:01
I'm going to talk about is a sixth Man of the Year, and it's
37:05
a two man race, just like the MVP. It's obviously these aren't MVP
37:10
type players, but they're still key contributors to their teams. And those two
37:16
players are Malcolm Brogden and Emmanuel Quickly. So Malcolm Brogden, he's been averaging
37:22
about fifteen points a game, four rebounds, four assists and then shooting or
37:28
has a sixty two percent true shooting from the field, So true shooting that
37:32
takes into account as far as all the good shots, bad shots, mid
37:36
rang shots, three point shots, layups, and gives an overall true shooting
37:42
average as far as the good shots you take in the bad shots you take.
37:47
And Emmanuel quickly he's been averaging fourteen points a game, four rebounds,
37:52
three assists, and then fifty seven percent true shooting from the field. And
37:58
this is a tough one. I believe it could go either way because you
38:02
have a strong case for both of them. So Emanuel quickly he stepped up
38:07
in a big role, especially since Jelen Brutson he's been out and he yes
38:12
he's still eligible for sixpandother year, even with a couple of games he has
38:15
started. But he has kept the New York Knicks out of the play in
38:22
area where it's a scary place to beat, especially in the Eastern Conference,
38:29
because you have some teams who could potentially go off from the three point land
38:34
and you could be bounced out. So Emanuel quickly he stepped up as far
38:37
as that part, and he has these scoring sport spurts, and he's kind
38:43
of like a low wheel type. Obviously he's not as short, he's a
38:46
little bit taller and a better defender. But he has these outbursts where he
38:52
could drop thirty to forty points. I believe it was a week and a
38:54
half two ago he dropped forty points, forty plus points against the Boston Celtics.
39:01
It was on a Friday night, I believe. And speaking of the
39:06
Boston Celtics, Malcolm Brogden he does all the dirty work for the Celtics,
39:12
and the only downside for Malcolm Brogden is he does not have these scoring outbursts
39:17
burst like Emanuel Quickly does. He's just gonna give you your solid fifteen maybe
39:22
twenty points, played good defense, control the temple as far as for the
39:27
second unit, and does what he has to do. He is just as
39:31
valuable to the Celtics as Emanual Quickly is to the Knicks, potentially even more
39:37
because every once in a while you're gonna have Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum not
39:43
be producing, and Marcus Smart he can facilitate the offense, but not as
39:47
good as Malcolm Brogden can. But if I did have to choose one of
39:52
these players, I would choose Emmanuel Quickly. I would favor him just a
39:55
little bit. Like I said, the scoring outbursts at does I guess it
40:00
attracts more fans right there and attracts or voters attention because Malcolm Brogden, he
40:08
does not put up those numbers. It's just consistent. Emanuel Quickly, it's
40:13
up and down, up and down. But I would give it to a
40:15
manner. Quickly doesn't have as many scores on his team, can't facilitate the
40:21
offense, and he plays over forty He could potential to play over forty minutes
40:25
a night with that Tom Thibodeaux offense or just team in general. But the
40:32
other award that we're going to be talking about, or the second to last
40:37
award, is a Rookie of the Year. Again with the most improved player
40:40
of the year. There's no contest. It's Paulo ban Carroll. I hope
40:45
I said it right, and I've been trying to pronounce it right, even
40:50
off camera. But Paolo ban Carroll, he's looked really nice this year and
40:54
he is progressing very well. He kind of reminds me of a better version
40:59
of a Arlow's boozer. A three level scorer, not that much athletic,
41:04
but is explosive at times. He's been averaging twenty points a game, seven
41:08
rebounds, about four assists, fifty three percent true shooting from the field,
41:14
so he is effective and efficient his jump shot. It's only getting better as
41:17
the season goes on. And he is young. I believe he's nineteen years
41:22
old, and he has a potential to be a top twenty player in the
41:27
league. And he has a little bit of finesse to his game, and
41:32
he doesn't have to rely on his quickness, so that means even when he
41:37
does get older, he won't slow down as far as offensively. Defensively,
41:44
you could tell he has the tools to be one of the better defenders in
41:47
the league because he is six s eight six nine. Who knows if he
41:51
will grow because he still is young. But he should be Rookie of the
41:55
Year, no question. And the Orlando Magic they have right future with him.
42:00
And the last a word that I'm going to talk about is coach of
42:04
the year. So coach of the year this one, no question. It
42:09
should be Mike Brown. You can make a case for Joe Massoula, but
42:15
again Boston Celtics. They have been sliding as of lately, so I would
42:21
give the edge to Mike Brown as of right now, second best record in
42:25
the West, now, the best offense. After being with the Golden State
42:29
Warriors last year, I thought he would have stayed there another year try to
42:32
find a better job because there wasn't that really appealing jobs. As far as
42:39
for the NBA, and with the Sacramento Kings, I thought it would have
42:45
been a two three years slow rebuild because we saw Darren Fox and Demonte Saboni's
42:51
last year with almost the exact same team other than Keegan mur Murray I couldn't
42:58
pronounce his name right. I don't know why. And Kevin Herder, but
43:01
he's turned this team into one of the better offensive teams in the league.
43:07
And they have the second best record in the West, like I said,
43:09
and they've won forty three games, and they could potentially get the one seed
43:14
the way the Nuggets they have been sliding. Just last year, the Kings
43:19
that were thirty and fifty two. Now they have forty three games and they
43:22
have plenty of momentum, and they would be they would be one of the
43:28
favorites to be getting out of the West. But the only thing is that
43:31
they don't have playoff experience, so who knows, maybe they could be a
43:35
sleeper team that goes far because they've had great coaching Darren Fox. He looks
43:40
like an All NBA player, Demontra Sabonis looks great and dynamic. They flipped
43:45
a switch from last year and this credit or the credit should be given to
43:51
Mike Brown and that's why he should win Coach of the Year. But that's
43:54
gonna go ahead and wrap it up, guys. I appreciate you guys listening.
43:59
You guys could follow me on Twitter at Alfonso or at Underscore Alfonso zero
44:04
three or Instagram underscore Alfonso zero three Underscore. That's alf O Nso you guys
44:12
could could listen to this on Spotify, our iHeart Radio Spreaker. And next
44:19
week we're gonna be talking about the NFC South and overview of it are.
44:22
We're going to be going over the NBA, the updates as far as who's
44:27
in the plan in who's not, and potentially all the other news that can
44:31
happen. I appreciate you guys listening. You guys, take care and I'll
44:35
see you Guys next week,