Hour 2: Does Draymond Have a Point About Wemby?

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Here's our next ESPN hockey night double hudder tonight Quinn Hughes in the wild will face

Matthew Kitchuck and the panthers at seven eastern then Conor McDavid and the oilers will take on jack iql and the golden

Nights coverage dropped at the point at six eastern on ESPN 2

My first one would be that

Defense is 50% of the game

And that is undervalued so far in the MVP race

Because

I believe I'm the most impactful player defensively in the league

So that was victor women yama earlier this week

And then when be backed up as talk by dominating get again last night finished with 19 points 15 rebounds been a ridiculous

Seven blocks in this first 123 98 win over the grizzlies now people around the league took notice of his comments earlier in the week including warriors

Forward draemon green listen him

I hated it and I absolutely loved it

And the reason it's because the reason I hated it

Is

Because until winby said defense is 50% of the game. It was like oh man. No one realized that

Right like no one realized that 50% of the game we play is on that end of the floor

So he comes out and make this profound ass statement

And it's like oh

Of course it is and everybody's like oh man. He has a great point. Hello

You think

So I hated it because he had to do that for that to then be said all of a sudden you turn on TV and everybody's like actually

Maybe with me as the MVP and I can agree with that maybe he is

But the fact that he has to come out and remind people hey y'all see what I do over there

It's like an indictment on the game of basketball

And everybody

You know talk all of this stuff about all man you gotta play both sides and

Everybody want to crush Luca donches when Luca doesn't live up to the standard of defense

But we got this guy defending entire teams and no one took it into account

Until he said well number one defense is 50% of the game

An indictment on the game does draemon have a point when he says that jay will I see you shaking in your head? What do you think?

No, it's uh, it's not an indictment on the game. That's draemon's indictment on media

And the way the game is covered and that's what he really means to say here

because

Fast of all people like the people on this show when windy or steven a or I talk about wimpy we're talking about

We're having conversations about him maybe being the most dominant player in the history of the game

And it always starts with what he does on the deepens of in that he blocks out the sun or every shot that comes towards the

He can contest or deflect or change or alter shots around the rim

We we're talking about him in a historical context with shack in the way even though shack wasn't as defensively mind it as

He was like dominance on the deep midst of in so I to mean this has always been whether it's draemon with new media

Where is draemon in the way the game is covered and it's such a

Large

Spare of people that cover this game. I don't know why draemon only focuses on those people that only focus on offense

Yes, offense sells yes offense mix the game faster

Yeah, we're going to talk about why do we love Kay cunningham?

Because he defends on both sides of the floor

He dies up and he tries to give you buckets

Why do we love jill and brown because he tried to strap up sga last night in the fourth quarter

And he's a two-way player

The players that we're talking about in the MVP conversation are playing on both sides of the floor

And it's meaningful to them in the way their DNA is built

So I think it's an indictment on media not on the game of basketball windy. What do you think?

Yes, absolutely. This is again another strawman argument like I love the draemon is solo quesias

I love when he has these post game sessions

He did that earlier this year when he thought he might get traded hit a very raw

Revealing discussion with the media about how he's feeling and like athletes doing that

I think is amazing

I wanted to keep doing that but this is

Frankly, it's preposterous. Of course

The MVP has been based on defense for generations. I mean shagel is Alexander is an excellent defensive player

All four years LeBron won MVP. He was first team all defense. Um

How far do I got to go back he had chemilizer won Tim Duncan

Michael Jordan

I think he won six MVPs for those years. I think he was all defense

Well, what do you think it didn't matter? Yes, Tenacumpo

He's both of his MVPs. He was all defense one year. He won the MVP and the defensive player of the year

I think a key or I think a cream-up duljabar

Steven A I think he made all defense 11 times. I didn't look it up

I'm sure a bunch of them came in the years when he won all those MVPs

Yes, there are certain years when there are offensive players who may win the MVPs such as when yokeuch is won it

Which I think is kind of the undercurrent. Maybe he's talking about here. I don't know

But you know and like he he referenced Evan Mobley in this rant

Last year from the beginning of the season to the end everybody knew we have a Mobley was having a great defensive season

He won defensive player the year he once said he was second team all NBA

This is a strawman argument. He wants to take pot shots go ahead

But it's it's not based in reality the the media and the award voters have always recognized the importance of defense when selecting the top players

Yes, Victor said that but we all knew Victor was going to be a great defensive player that didn't sneak up on all of us

It wasn't like we know none of us knew

He was probably going to be the unanimous defensive player the year before he made those comments the other day

So go ahead and take pot shots. I got it but but the results of how the voting is gone for generations do not match what he is just saying

Listen

It's it's a strawman's argument to a some degree not completely windy, but to some degree you're right and Jay's points are very very valid as well

But can we really keep it a buck and talk about why Drey Martin Green said what he said

Is because Drey Martin is somebody that at times feels underappreciated

Do y'all know that Drey Martin Green is in this eighth year consecutive year where he hasn't even averaged double digits and points

Eight straight years since he has averaged

Less than ten points again

And we call him a Hall of Famer a future Hall of Famer

We remember that he's a four-time champion and we also say

Steph Curry and Clay Thompson and those boys don't have a championship without Drey Mongray

So clearly

This uh, there's some feelings there as an elite defensive player who was a former who is who was a former defensive player of the year

Who was a top three candidate for defensive player of the year in this league on at least three or four occasions

That's who Drey Mongray is and that's who the individual that was talking

The problem that he that that he has is you know what the lack of recognition for those who prioritize defense

And my point is how come you ain't blame in the league

Look at the changes that was infused into the league the league wanted more offense

The league has compromised defenders. You have all world defenders

Hall of Famers who are retired obviously who've complained about what the league allows now

Compared to what they did back in the day. They want to be able to put their form on you. They want to be able to get physical with you

Now you can get teed up thrown out of the game or at the very least get six fast for passing gas

It's that damn bad

Sometimes in the NBA circles things have changed, okay? How come he didn't bring that up

Dreymon knows that

Dreymon knows that the median guilty of that it's the league but he didn't say that

Because he's new media and because he's new media

He's looking at the old guard or conventional media and he's challenging us to cover the game in its completion

Wendy I don't think he's completely wrong about that

I do think there are cases he can point to where us as media members could do a better job and highlighting stuff

You know with a bit with with with the same energy as they say keep the same energy. Don't lose energy

Don't lose the intensity keep the same intensity

I get that part

But you're also writing highlighting that it hasn't been ignored

We just haven't been as low-quacious about it as he would like us to be

But here is where we drop the mic on Dreymon green when it comes to what he said

You know who else hasn't talked about it Dreymon

you

You've had your podcast views

We don't hear you talking about that that much

Because we listening to what you're saying you listen windy don't you don't you listen to what he has to say Jay

Haven't we all acknowledged how knowledgeable and what a basketball so vaunt we believe him to be

We've said all of these things. We've quoted him on numerous occasions on his podcast on his show

That he owns

We ain't hear you talking about that before

So if you missed it

What you knocking us for missing it for you do it for a living

And you didn't talk about it that much

That's all I'm trying to say

I will say when I heard this sound from Dreymon green

I felt like he was almost missing what we were saying like when we loved what when he was saying on Monday

It was because he pointed out how many times he beat the thunder the defending champs

He pointed out yes, what he's doing defensively

And he also talked about how scoring points a certain way matters more

It was like the list he gave for his reasons of being MVP is why we all put it on blast and he did it

Not because of what

Dreymon knew all of that but that wasn't the point he wanted to make the point he wanted to make was the part about defense

Because that's something he hangs his hat on and so somebody a contemporary bringing attention to what makes

Dreymon green a whole of famous Dreymon point of that out and he's not wrong

He's not wrong in terms of the fact that we could highlight it a bit more

My point is you knew media bruh

You got a microphone you got a camera when you've been talking about it

You haven't

Yeah, three of a four wippy came along and seven feet five and swatting everything out all over the place

You weren't talking about that and you've been a top three candidate for defensive player the year on at least three or four

occasions plus you won the damn award and you didn't highlight it what you talking about us for

You didn't do it. That's my point

Also Jay will you're the only one who has not used

Laquatius today, so let's try and work that in

Coming up here on first take Adam silver with a strong message to NBA teams yesterday about ending tanking

Are we confident that the commissioner has a quick fix? That's next time first take

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Here are tomorrow's women sweet 16 match-ups on ESPN and the ESPN app Notre Dame and Vanderbilt will tip the day off at 230 Eastern the North Carolina will take on number one seated Yukon

Followed by Minnesota swearing off against another one seat in UCLA. That's at 730 night capped off by Duke and LSU

Let's get to a quick take here on first take the Atlanta Hawks won their 14th game in their last 15

In the overtime last night against the pistons. Stephen A. Do you think the Red Hat Hawks can maybe win a first round playoff series at this point with the streak

They're on

If if if you go up against somebody that sleeps on them

They're talented enough where they could do some things and they're elevating and confidence and let's keep it a buck

They're better since tray young is going

And you know, you know, you're not trying to indict him because he can play and you know that but he's a volume shooter

And what have you and obviously he's miniature in size and so he was a defensive liability a lot of times

That's not the case now you look at these guys in a way they play and you look at Johnson

Who's the clear star and leader for this team and what he can do on the basketball court?

Atlanta is not a joke. They are not a team to take lightly

You've got to come to play to beat them otherwise. You're going to go home

They could pull an upset. I doubt it will happen

But I'm not sleeping on the possibilities. I'm impressed by what I'm seeing from them

I was impressed by Atlanta last night too. I watched this game. It was on ESPN

But then they blew a 21-point lead like I thought they had this in the bag

They had to win it in over time. It's those kinds of things they got to have how to get over the hump

I know it happens in a regular season. You're right

For most part of this NBA season tanking has been a hot topic of discussion commissioner Adam silver spoke Wednesday on the subject

Following the NBA board of governors meeting listen to this

I

Do think ultimately this is a decision that needs to be made at the ownership level

It has business implications has basketball implications has integrity integrity and implications for the league

So it's one that we take very seriously

And we were going to fix it but full stop

There is an aspect

of team building

That is

Called a genuine rebuild

You know rebuild with integrity

The problem we're having these days is

It's become almost impossible to distinguish between

The tank and a rebuild

Yeah, because usually we use the tank to start the rebuild but nonetheless do you think Adam silver can stop tanking windy?

I want to see the plan

So I'm not going to say yes or no to that question until I see the plan

He implied that the plan will be coming very soon here because

He he is calling an un you know scheduled

Board of governors meeting in May where apparently they're going to try to ratify this. I just want to point something out

The first change to anti-tanking was in 1985. That's when the lottery system was begun. It's Patrick Ewing

Correct. It was an envelope blah blah blah

Since 1985 guys

They have changed the lottery system four times

So I'm going to give the first change being the lottery itself then four more changes

That's five this will be six and my supposed to now believe that the sixth change will mean that it's going to work

How do I know like you know, I will tell you this

Right now

Teams are incentivized to lose this is why I don't I'm not really attacking anybody who's tanking because

These are good people doing the correct strategy thing

It may be the wrong thing for basketball business

But if you brought in a consultant you brought in the top business consultants in the world

And to tell them please evaluate what these teams should do they would advise exactly what these teams are doing

The incentive is there to tank that is what they are doing strategically

So what I would like to see is a system that incentivizes winning

We could spend the next five hours listening to to to to ideas to do that

But I want to hear an in system that incentivizes winning

That's what I want to wait and then I will make my judgment on whether it can work even a

Go ahead Jay. I'll go last go ahead Jay. Go ahead Jay

I think

You know windy to your point there there's some smaller things, but I'm with you on seeing

In totality how Adam silver decides to go about this

The one thing that we always talked about are you know like depth and taxes right and what are people know

What do people mostly find around taxes they find loopholes and I think

Constantly with this new revision there are loopholes that are always found and teams are always scheming and how to be in a position of a vantage

I think removing protective picks

Arden win records or trying to find a way to incentivize the floor to win more

Maybe you know once we get by the eight teams that are in the playoffs and synthesizing that 9 10 11 spot to increase probability for a higher

But something drastic needs to occur. I just don't know if I trust in the league's ability and by the way

I also just want to state for the record like the league in totality is pretty healthy. It's in a really good space

Competition wise. It's one of the best I've ever seen right so I don't want this to overshadow

That because it turns into that

But they have to find to this and they have to find a way to not make this the main theme that continues to rear is ugly head

To take away from the game being in a great place about the expansion in Seattle and Vegas about NBA Europe

And about the youth leagues that the NBA is really focusing on continuing to develop this game

Well, let's go through a couple of things and let's point to what Wendy pointed out and alluded to because it's very very important

When you're talking about modifications that took place. He's right first time was 1985

No, in the second was what second time was guys you ready for this Shay Jay Wendy

1986

Third time

1990

Fourth time

1993 so so think about how soon those things transpired is like damn you got to change it that quick

That's how bad it is right and so it's not that it's bad flagrantly in terms of numbers

It's just that you knew that there's something that needed to be done when you're talking about modifications that took place

2019 what do they do? They modified the curb taken by flattening the odds and making sure that the top three peaks

All had an equal 14% chance at the number one pick in the NBA draft

Do you know since that year the number one pick

Has not gone to the team with the worst record since 2019 hasn't happened the team with the worst record is yet to win the draft lottery

Okay, so again

Mission accomplished, but still talking about the same problem

So what does this come down to guys this comes down to owners and it comes down to really deciphering what their objective is

Some owners would prefer box office attractions to winning

We don't talk about that enough. It's we don't talk about the dude that gets you to walk through the turn styles

And how that's good for business why is that relevant to bring up because as we've seen the age of analytics

Take fold and I want to be very very clear about what I'm saying here

I'm not a guy that knocks analytics

I'm a guy that knocks this notion that analytics is new and innovative and it just arrived

It's been here for decades

You know you had Pat Riley using analytics in the late 80s early 90s people don't realize that

What I'm talking about is the dependency on it where you get people that never had any kind of association with basketball

That are now running basketball teams and what's their claim to fame their numbers experts their data experts

The data analytics guys and that speaks the same language Jay looking right at you when I say this

That speaks the same language as those owners

Why would an owner love that because it gives the owner the impression he actually knows basketball

You can't do that with a player that played the game

Particularly at a hall of fame level that went through it

But you never played the game you trying to talk to him about basketball decisions whether he's the coach or the GM

That's a resistance that an owner an individual in a position of power doesn't want to have to deal with you

Want somebody in a subordinate position that speaks your language that caters to the agenda that you have

And if you have somebody that's box office let's say for example

Steph Kirby wasn't winning four championships LeBron had it won four championships

But let's just say they got deep deep deep deep into the playoffs all the time

Do you know how many owners would have preferred that rather than having a team that want a championship with no

Star power with nobody that makes you walk through the turnstiles

They just played a right way and they win think about the Detroit pistols

We love Chanty billups rip Hamilton takes y'all prints Rashid Wallace Benny Wallace Lindsey Hunter and a crew

We loved them a lot of people in Detroit loved them

But when you look at the

National and the global landscape of the Detroit pistons they didn't necessarily resonate

They resonated during the bad boys days because they had Isaiah Thomas

That's why is the bad boy pistons even as great as they were

Isaiah Thomas was star power

some owners prefer that

Over just winning

That's the challenge that the league has to work to overcome

It's that element right there and only the owners can assist in staring it in the right direction

I remember in February the NBA fine the jazz and the Pacers for

Manipulating the integrity of the game or whatever it was they rested healthy players

The Pacers have gone one in 17 since that happened it did absolutely nothing and since the day they were fine

They have won one game

So I hope Adam silver can fix this but unfortunately this still remains well

They're genuinely not good though this year they're genuinely not good this year

I mean they went one and seven but they do we look at them and go like this I understand exactly doing both

Yeah, it's a problem all right coming up next should Arizona be on upset alert tonight

Which one seed is most in danger of losing in the sweet 16 that tips off tonight. We'll tell you that next

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Let's go to a quick take now. You're on first take the nugget speed the maps

142 to 135 behind some big unbelievable

Individual performances by Nicole Yokech and Jamal Murray Murray finished with 53 points and the joker at a ridiculous

23 points 21 rebounds at 19 assists

It's like a different meaning to triple double

Steven a what is more impressive in today's NBA Murray's 53 or Yokech's 23 21 19

Well, of course is Yokech's because it's a triple double the man can jump on to a curve and you can't stop

I just continue to marvel at his greatness

He can't jump onto a curve and there's nothing you can do about him

He's an exceptional passer

He's an exceptional scorer with a great feel for the game

He never cheats the game with effort and he just wobbles up and he wobbles in and out of arenas just destroy

One piece of competition after another there's no one that can compare with what and what he brings to the table

I can't say enough about him

But I also look at your mom Murray who I've always been a fan of and I am telling you right now

I don't give a damn who you point to in the Western conference if Jamal Murray is going to give you games like that

Denver can beat anybody

You cannot similarly dismiss Denver when Jamal Murray and Yokech are clicking yeah

It has to be both of them because okay seeing San Antonio are that good and the Lakers are not anything to sneeze at either

Uh, but if both of them are clicking they can beat anybody

Yeah, uh right now the nugget's a game and a half behind the Lakers in the Western conference

Let's go to the NCAA tournament tonight the sweet 16 will start we get to see the red hot Arkansas razor backs and the number one

seed Arizona Wildcats go at it Arkansas won the SEC tournament they beat Hawaii and Highpoint Arizona won the big 12 tournament

They beat Long Island University and Utah State three one seeds will be in action this coming weekend

Which one seed should be on upset alert the most in the sweet 16 J. Well, what do you think?

I'm probably gonna go Michigan

Just because I think the style styles make fights here, right?

And Alabama is a team that's and I'll get into NATO's and my feeling about NATO's later Steven it will we have our next topic

But I do believe Alabama style and which they're able to

Flare out shoot a ton of threes can negate the sides of Michigan which Michigan

Pumbles you with their interior presence. So I believe you know, I watched Alabama

score 17 to 18 threes against Texas Tech their ability spread out all the bigs bring you on a perimeter and do things off the bounce

Liberian Phylon

I don't know if you're a watch this David should Pills get

Phylon Phylon Phylon Phylon Phylon that's the name that you need to know tonight

SA is a dude that can take over and potentially beat the number one seed of Michigan

Wow, I get you. I'm not dismissing that. I will tell you for me personally

It's your boys at Duke going up against St. John's

I think St. John's got a legitimate shot to take him St. John's again, they listen

I'm saying I'm telling you. I mean, I'm just if they're able to get away

With instigating a physical confrontation Jay

And you have anybody on St. John's that can be a threat from you from three point range

This game is going to come down to the wire and St. John's can do it

And primarily because of the injuries that Duke has incurred

Combined with the fact that the physicality

That St. John's brings to the tables the coaching of a guy like Rick Patino who's gonna make you

He's gonna try to make you use your bench

Because it's gonna try to he's gonna try to drive you to the point of exhaustion

It's gonna be really interesting to see what happens

I know that Duke is the better team. They've been the better team all year

But St. John's in went 30 games by accident

And I think that if it's the officiating is going to be something to monitor

Only from the standpoint of what are you going to be allowed to get away with is it going to be called tightly?

Or they're gonna be allowed to play and if they're allowed to play

Obviously both teams it could serve both teams well

But I think it'll serve St. John's better because it'll put him in a better position to push this wire to wire

And with that reality being the case

I think under those circumstances they can end up victorious

Okay, go ahead as I can say one last thing shade. Yeah, I think

Tonight tonight. I'm betting against the hype

Of various a cup junior

You know, so if if you're trying to sell me there is a cup stock

I'm not buying it not tonight. No, I look I he's special could be a top three pick

But I say if he if he beats Arizona is the best defensive team in the nation ever doing right

Ivan the auction kickoff to kink off who is six seven long seven foot wingspan can literally block out the if he's able to do it tonight

On this type of stage. I'm gonna come on to show tomorrow. I'm just gonna bow down like if he's able to get done

They're gonna be safe like I'm gonna bet against it tonight

I know colapari well enough to know he's gonna call a lot of picks for screens for this brother to make sure you get that

Six seven cat off of him no doubt about it

But Bradley and burries are no joke either. That's a bad court to you know, that's that's something

But those are that's a tandem rather than pay attention to so I get that and I get what you're saying because I do think that

Arizona's the elite team I'm with you

I picked them to win the national championship

But I've seen stars ascend and take and take your places that you didn't think they could and my attitude is this

You're saying you don't see that guy tonight. I have a weight and see attitude about the guy that night

I've been waiting for this match up because I want to see if

Darius A.C. of junior is going to be the same dude

We've been talking about going up against Arizona tonight

That's what I've been waiting to see Jay because I think that's going to submit his stature if he's average

And thirty and seven coming into this Jay if he shows up and drops thirty five thirty six tonight

Against Arizona even in a loss. Let's say for example. It's a tight game

Uh, in a play here. They're decides to outcome

But Darius A.C. of junior is ballin and putting up thirty plus on these brothers

I don't think there's going to be any more question marks about who the hell he is

So we just laid out all the games that are going up against one seed tonight

But in terms of most intriguing sweet sixteen game who you guys got if you want to go back to when you already brought up

No problem. Jay most intriguing sweet sixteen game

I'm going to watch the Illinois game

Now I there is there's a lot of players in the draft, right

That we're going to end up talking about when we get closer to the NBA draft

But whenever I talk to scouts Stephen A is the one thing that almost gets used a little bit against Darius A.C. of junior

Scouts love talking about positional height and size

When you think about what the league is now you have wings six seven six eight

You have guards six five. That's why people love names like Kingston Fleming's who six four six four and a half

The name and this game is Keaton Wagler now look

I'm not saying he is this. I think people always complete when you say a name or you say this guy gives you shades of this guy

People at home assume that he is like I'm not saying that

But there are shades of Stefan Curry with the way Keaton Wagler shoots the rock from anywhere on the court for Illinois

And they get up a lot of points in a hurry and positional size wise

He's six six six seven and he can shoot that ball from anywhere

So I think you're going to see a very dynamic game with the way ill Illinois is able to play and that's a game

I'll keep my eye on Illinois against Houston. I don't blame you

I don't blame you for that, but I'm going back to Arkansas

Arizona

I don't give a damn about anything compared to what I care about with this game

I want to see what Darius A cup junior is going to do against Arizona

That's what I want to see air you got most people guy Arizona within the national championship

Well, what you gonna do about it Arkansas and let me tell you something Darius A cup junior ain't the only reason

That's the biggest reason for the intrigue as far as up concerned seeing what he's going to do

But I don't want to use the word put on blast. I've known John colapari

Over 30 years. I was covering temple as a beat writer

For the Philadelphia Inquirer when he was a U-Mass with Lou Roe and Mike Williams and Marcus Cambian all of those brothers

John colapari and I go back a long ways

A dear friend of mine is an assistant coach on his staff long time assistant proves a flint

Used to coach a Drexel his assistant coach in U-Mass and and and Arkansas now whatever brother

I love dearly haven't seen in a long time, but got a lot of love for him

John colapari

When you consider the greatness of this man in terms of being a recruiter some of the great great players that he's had playing for him at Kentucky

At Memphis

You know at U-Mass whatever again the Lou Roe's the Marcus Cambian's the Mike Williams the the derrick roses of the world

You know John wall shake you'll just Alexander. I mean of the list always warning on and on

That's right. That's right one

Championship to show for it

Zero final four appearances since 2015

This is John colapari we're talking about here and when you think about the elite

Coaches in college basketball in terms of their names

Cheshavsky comes to my Roy Williams comes to my bill self comes to mind j right comes to mind people like that

John colapari

Has been lumped in to that category by some and I'm saying no

I need more the athletes that you recruit the big time plays. Yeah a lot of them are one and done

Because those are the quality of cash that you get coming through your program

I need a run bro from John colapari

Maybe not a national championship, but I need you back in the final four

I need to see that you know what that that there's you know

You know that there's a culminating point there's a fruition that comes to it to this all at the end

I get to find a format

You know you John colapari at some point in time, you know

We all want we all want to hear from him

We all want to get quotes from him

We all want to hear him bless us

You know what his soliloquies about the state of sports and college sports and all of this other stuff

We know who to hell John colapari is and he deserves the praise and the acclaim. I love him. Love the death

But I need a run

Since 2015

Nah, no, I need more than that from John colapari and I want to see it from him too. So I'm intrigued by both stories both of them

I'm excited for iso and hurly to go up against it michigan stay you con it's been a few years

It's a big 10 team was in a final four as well. I feel like michigan states. Maybe our best chance

All right coming up how appealing is the vacant North Carolina job

Jay

Steven a both have a lot to say oh my goodness after this. That's a lot of riding

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The UFL is back for season three. We'll have to kick off weekend matchup Saturday afternoon defenders

Battle Hawks at noon eastern then Sunday night the debut of Columbus aviators who will take on Orlando storm at eight eastern right here on ESPN and the ESPN app

So the attorney general for florida james uthmeyer made news in the sports world

Uthmeyer was appointed attorney general in 2025 by ronda santis and is running for election in november to retain the job

He says that the rooney rule and other rules designed to encourage diversity in hiring and interviews for coaching positions are illegal

In a letter uthmeyer ass NFL commissioner roger cadal to confirm by may first that it would no longer enforce rooney rule practices

Or florida could take quote civil rights enforcement action and quote uthmeyer said yesterday

NFL teams and their fans don't care about the race of the coaching staff

They want a merit-based system that gives their team the best chance to win

Stephen a do agree disagree your reaction to this

Of course, I disagree and of course he's wrong. I'm going to be respectful

He's the you know as attorney general you're the chief legal officer in the state of florida

You know form a chief of staff for ronda santis who for the most part

I don't think we can deny regardless of whether we agree a disagree

Uh, he's he's done a pretty good job

I you know

I have a home in the state of florida and I'm here to tell you something right now

I don't think they're doing a bad job. I just disagree with them on several points and this happens to be one of them

Let's talk about the rooney rule for a second a rule that was implemented in 2003

And I'm going to read a quote from the fritz polyd alliance

interim executive director michelle c maia ship once what what was said

By how once upon a time quote

Talking about the rooney rule. It doesn't cap who a club can consider or dictate

Who gets hired and it's not a hiring rule

What it does is increase fair competition and ensure a true merit-based process by opening the door

Beyond the traditional tap on the shoulder system. So the best candidates from all backgrounds are actually seeing

Evaluated and can compete that is what she said

Okay, so why are we here today? It's very very simple the political climate that we're living in

And I think that it's fair to say that at this particular juncture

Shay I would know a little bit something about that. Okay, I don't agree with what the florida attorney general is saying

I think it's it's incredibly obvious that what they're trying to say it's that this is a system that's discriminatory

Against white males and it's all very very consistent with the current administrations pushed to eliminate

Fair, you know policies that in any way give blacks an opportunity to completely be to to be in a fair and equitable system

I don't think that's denied. I don't think that's capable of being denied as we sit here today in the year 2026

23 years after the rooney rule was implemented

Regardless of the modifications that took place whether it be in 2009 to extend general manager interviews

2016 to 2018 that applied to coordinated roles 2020 required multiple minority interviews for top jobs

And then they added in 2022 assistant pipeline incentives and draft position incentives

There's still only three black head coaches in the national football league right now

There were three

in 2003

Where's your progress? Most importantly, where is the harm?

To the white coaches out there who have gotten jobs or have been candidates for jobs in the national football league

You can't point to a need for the attorney general to take this position against the national football league

I personally think it's a bunch of pomp and circumstances. You know what a lot of bunch of noise signifying nothing

But instead of nothing one could easily argue

It's them catering to a base with a bar of individuals out there who happen to be white males who feel victimized by a system

They have run and they have benefit off of for decades and the mere notion of fairness needed to be implemented into the equation

Where you're talking about not hiring folks just interviewing them

Literally sitting down and talking with them not virtually not over the phone

Talking to them face-to-face so you can meet them see them get to know them allow them to ingratiate themselves with you to a little to a small degree

Just to have an idea of who's most qualified for a particular job

They're resistant to that

Now what does that tell you that tells you somewhere along the way that good old boy system that once existed

They want to get right back to that where they don't even happy the jobs is not enough

They don't want to even have to consider you for a job if they so choose not to

That basically is what they're saying

23 years after this policy started which started because of the porosity of or the scarcity of of of black coaches

Despite the fact that when they got the opportunity their winning percentages were higher

And they were still letting being let go at a quicker pace and obviously recidivism as it pertains to you know

God's coming back and getting another job or whatever they were you know white coaches were benefiting from that more so than black coaches

despite all of those realities

Here they come again

Going after the private industry that is the national football league that is not compelling you to hire anybody

They're just saying you're compelled to at least talk to folks

A diverse group of qualified candidates and give them a look see and because of that

The attorney general for the state of Florida wants to push back on that

Those are the indicative of the times that we're living in where they clearly seems people that are aiming to attack

The status quo because they want to return to the good old days

That's what's going on here and unfortunately the attorney general of the state of Florida who one could easily argue

Is doing a good job

Sticks his nose into this situation where it really really doesn't belong

But we should be surprised the irony of it all is that the books that are in the state of Florida are one of the teams that has a black head coach

So maybe this relax maybe he doesn't like that

Maybe he doesn't like that maybe uh come on. I don't know. I've never met him

Coming up here on first take you don't want to miss jay will he's going to come back and has a

Reaction to the bank it you and see job don't go anywhere

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All right, so jay will you and see fired hubert davis yesterday. How attractive do you think that job is

I think it has a chance to be the most attractive job in America if the administration is willing to invest

In basketball the way they invested in football

They let go matt brown. They went out and got billbell check right yeah

So now when you look at with all you hear is by NIL budgets and about a school like North Carolina

You hear Kentucky spin in 22 million. It's time for North Carolina to reinvest into its basketball program

They brought in Jim Tanner, which is a big time general manager

I think the school needs a CEO to help that next head coach two names. I'll have for you steven a natives

Head coach Alabama playing the sweet 16 tonight offensively. I think to rejuvenate that program and I'll give you a name right

I'm in Chicago right now there's Billy Donovan played here, you know

One back-to-back championships of Florida

Here with the Chicago Bulls. What better to do that than a guy who's been coaching in the Bronx

NATO chess Billy Donovan know all I would say to North Carolina is this you know how much money dupes dedicating to its program

You do the same. It's due North Carolina match Duke. You're right

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