WEBVTT - Hollywood Bound 0:00:02.400 --> 0:00:05.840 If you thought more hours a day, minutes a week 0:00:06.000 --> 0:00:09.400 was enough, I think again. He's the last remnants of 0:00:09.400 --> 0:00:13.039 the old Republic, the sole fashion of fairness. He treats 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:15.920 crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the rich 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:20.000 pill poppers in the penthouse to clearing house of hot 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.720 takes break three for something special. The Fifth Hour with 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:29.840 Ben Maller starts right now. That it does. I hope 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:33.320 you have a great weekend here as we have seven 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:36.880 days of content now um on the radio show five 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:40.040 days and now this podcast, which in theory the way 0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:41.800 we do this, we put it up on Friday, and 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:43.720 we want you to listen to one on Friday and 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:46.600 then one on Saturday, and then Sunday night, or you 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:49.720 do Saturday and Sunday, but Sunday night for us on 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:52.919 the West, that we come back and do the overnight show. Uh. 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:54.560 So that's how it works. It is the Fifth Hour 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:58.560 because you know, four hours on radio or clearly not 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:02.880 enough according to my bosses. Uh. And we are amazingly 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:05.920 in the air everywhere. In fact, you could argue that 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:09.240 the podcast has a larger reach than the radio show. 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:15.280 The vast power of the massively important I heart Podcast Network, 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:20.200 which is available wherever you get podcasts, and it's a 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:22.920 lot of fun. Uh. So David Gascon is with me. 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:27.480 So Gascon, It's been two weeks of torture for me 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:30.520 because my voice last week was messed up. I had 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:34.280 a lisp because I bit my tongue eating a hot pizza, 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:38.160 which was so stupid, and that took like a whole 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:43.199 week to to recover, and and now I am sick, 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:46.680 but I'm almost over it. This is not good for 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:49.200 my health though, to have to get up early to 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:52.600 do this podcast for my normal schedule, and then to 0:01:52.680 --> 0:01:56.440 add insult to injury. Someone was a little late today 0:01:56.960 --> 0:02:01.120 and it wasn't me. It's to be fair. Um, you 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:03.280 just raw out of bed and you pop on a 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:07.960 stupid little um zephyr and turn on and pop goes 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:11.280 the leasel where I have to drive seventy five minutes 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:14.680 in traffic through Los Angeles. Well that's not true, actually, 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:17.480 I mean you're you're downplaying my importance here. What I 0:02:17.520 --> 0:02:19.959 do is I get up, I have to go. I 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:23.280 have to walk down the hallway, I go make a 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:27.200 I make a left turn. Then I go and I 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:29.120 washed my face a little bit and then I get 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:31.799 out of that hallway. I walked back down the long hallway, 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:33.880 and and then I have to make a right turn. 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:36.800 After the left turn, I make a right turn. I 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:39.760 then have to walk all the way through this room 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:44.920 and into the studio and then I have to turn 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:46.799 some things on here to do the do the show. 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:49.280 It's very difficult. This is very hard. This job is 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:53.840 not that easy. I had to wake up early this morning. 0:02:54.280 --> 0:02:57.240 I had a prep for some games this weekend. Then 0:02:57.280 --> 0:02:59.560 I had to work out, and then I had to 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:01.560 drive my asked all the way to the studio. Well 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:03.920 I did, do you know, let's do a pissing contest. 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:06.480 I had to do the overnight show last night and 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.800 then had to drive because I lived near Vegas, uh forever. 0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:14.240 And what whose fault is that? My wife? That's her fault. 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:18.160 But but anyway, I'm here and fine, so on with 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:21.320 the show. We're in a good mood. Here's what's on 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:25.000 the menu for Benny's Bistro this week on this edition 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:28.720 of the podcast. That's some mara we have that we 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:32.359 also have. Give me the props, Give me the props. 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:37.480 Hooray for Hollywood. Study This a staple. It's in the bag. 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:42.720 That's listener questions and don't stick to sports stories of 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:47.120 the week. Are you prepared? I'm fully prepared. I have 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:50.720 I take a long time to get this thing prepared 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:56.400 for you. I'm I'm happy this thing comes to fruition. 0:03:56.480 --> 0:03:59.160 It's like it's like baking a cake or maybe uh 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:01.320 got thin. It's giving around around the corner. So it's 0:04:01.320 --> 0:04:04.360 like preparing a turkey for you. Well, you are a turkey, 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:06.440 so you would know about preparing a turkey because you 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:10.280 are with an amazing joke. Thank you. I'll be here 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:13.280 all all hour or whatever this is. It probably won't 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:14.800 be an hour because you were a little late, so 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:17.159 it'll be a little less because they kick us out 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:19.800 of this studio at a certain time because they turned 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:22.599 into a pumpkin. The carriage literally turns into a pumpkin. 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:27.799 That's a more right. So the twenty nineteen twenty NBA season, Wow, 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:32.760 it's crazy, man, that's that's crazy. NBA season kicks off 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:38.000 next week Tuesday, Clippers and Lakers, a game. I will 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:40.960 be in attendance add at the clip Joint. And there's 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:43.479 all kinds of controversy. It's been a big topic on 0:04:43.480 --> 0:04:48.200 the radio show overnight, Lebron James, Steve kerg Greg Popovich, 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:53.159 all of them suddenly being being unable to speak of 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:55.679 what's going on in China. Well, Darryl moorey the Rockets 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:59.080 GM has now become a symbol of hope for the 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:03.640 people of Hong Hong because of that tweet, and it's 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:07.080 just why not Lebron James On the other side, you've 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:09.799 got good versus evil In the eyes of many, Lebron 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:14.240 has been vilified and some calling him the Hanoi Jane 0:05:14.880 --> 0:05:19.080 of the NBA for spewing what many people deemed pro 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.520 Chinese rhetoric. Uh. We talked about that on the radio 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:27.120 show and Lebron um making himself the victim here cozying 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:32.080 up to a dictorial, oppressive communist government in the People's 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:36.000 Republic of China. Um. So that's that's the back story. 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:37.160 I mean, I don't know how you would have missed 0:05:37.200 --> 0:05:40.240 the back story. We can't assume you're aware of everything. 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:44.360 And then we have this new development regarding Darryl Moore, 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:46.479 a couple of new developments. That's why we call it 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:52.720 that tomorra, a cyber attack, wild story. I don't know 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:55.240 if you get the wall Street Journal or not, but 0:05:55.400 --> 0:05:58.520 I somebody had forwarded me in this story. It's it's 0:05:58.680 --> 0:06:02.880 nuts from this week and Darryl Morey was the target 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:07.480 of a coordinated harassment campaign by the Chinese state government 0:06:08.120 --> 0:06:10.600 and it was all on Twitter, and it played out 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:14.599 in real time on that fateful day. And when on 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:18.200 October four, Darryl Morey sent that tweet out which was 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:21.560 supportive of the people of Hong Kong. In the twelve 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:26.560 hours after that tweet, all right, uh, Darryl Morey the 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:31.039 Rockets GM, his Twitter account was flooded with amazing, endless 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:34.560 comments of pro Chinese rhetoric and it was like over 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:38.800 more than sixteen thousand times and twelve hours. And some 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:45.039 of these analytical types from Forensic Research Labs analyze this 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:51.279 and they they said, based on their analysis that of 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:54.320 these comments over others like almost two undred thousand comments, 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:58.240 but twenty two thousand or rather came from accounts that 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:02.680 have no followers at some point that last week. That 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:05.560 that means these people likely started these accounts just to 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:10.200 attack Terrell Morey. We're from accounts that had fewer than 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:13.400 thirteen followers. And uh, and if you don't know how 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:16.200 the Twitter game works if you're not on Twitter. Um, 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:18.240 there's a lot of box there's a lot of dummy 0:07:18.240 --> 0:07:21.280 accounts on there, and you know, the numbers are inflated 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:25.760 on how many people are actually really using the platform. 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:29.520 But the other thing you're the way the story is 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:36.440 being reported is that this was a direct assault from 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:41.040 the Chinese government. Meaning the way they break this down 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:47.640 the troll mobs, it was an orchestrated activity by the 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:52.200 people who run me accounts. It wasn't it wasn't just 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:55.520 a bunch of bots, it was actually people in China. 0:07:56.240 --> 0:08:00.200 They believe that we're doing this. That one of the 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:02.200 one of the people I in this Wall Street Journal 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:04.920 story guests and it was quoted said, I am not 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:08.920 saying this is a state affiliated operation, but the guy 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:11.440 says he's done this for professionally, says I've only seen 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:14.440 so many brand new accounts used at one time when 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:20.680 it was a state affiliated operations. So that's just like, 0:08:21.000 --> 0:08:24.120 how does that work just the the Chinese government? Do 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:28.680 they you know, hit a button and then the mob attacks. 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:31.400 Is it like like in the old days you blow 0:08:31.440 --> 0:08:36.040 into the bugle um propaganda wise? How do you actually 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:39.280 input this with having people how do you pay out 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:41.240 these people? Or do you pay out these people? I 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:44.400 think that's the bigger question. It's like turnstile if you're 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:47.120 because you not only have to activate an account, but 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:49.880 then obviously you're putting in a password and then you're 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:52.079 typing up the step. Now, the luxury is with Twitter 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:55.520 is you can have multiple accounts on your same profile. 0:08:55.800 --> 0:08:58.720 So I know that you have some shadow accounts that 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.320 you used to pack yourself on the back during your 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.839 you know, eleven o'clock to three three am show. So 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.920 when you just lied, do you have just lied on 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:11.040 the podcast? You have just lied on the podcast. You 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:14.440 can go from one account to another and then you 0:09:14.520 --> 0:09:18.400 just light somebody up, so around the clock we go. 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:21.959 I would imagine you get someone in foreign intelligence, and 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:25.240 you probably get some of the military that's gonna hop 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:28.120 on it and start activating accounts and start sending stuff 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:31.480 out to Darryl Moore. This is amazing. When you first 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:34.440 told me this story, I was I was perplexed because 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:37.240 of how short of a window that is to generate 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:40.559 that kind of volume as astronomical. Be sure to catch 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:43.240 live editions of The Ben Maller Show weekdays at two 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:47.240 am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:50.120 the I Heart Radio app, um a couple of other things. 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:53.559 It is crazy. I mean, I don't know troll mob, 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:58.240 but the Twitter is actually banned in China, you know, 0:09:58.440 --> 0:10:00.680 that's the thing about. And I have talk to some 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:02.960 people over the years that have gone to China and 0:10:03.000 --> 0:10:06.680 they tell me that it's very odd the Chinese people 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:11.160 because many of them use the websites we use, even 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:13.000 though they're banned in China. How do they do that? 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:17.079 They use a VPN, VPN, they use a VPN and 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:20.880 it'spparently like the Chinese government even somebody told me the 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:24.439 Chinese government even sells these like they're fully aware. They 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:26.640 are fully aware, but they're making money on it so 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:30.080 they don't really care. And and so it's this odd 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:32.840 thing where you know, all these things are banned, but 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:35.839 you know you can do them. So it's it's another 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:38.440 thing now. So this is full disclosure though, but this 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:40.920 is the second time that something has come up in 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:43.319 a country and in a regional part of the world 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:46.079 that you have advised me to go take a job. 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:49.359 In two years ago, you said I should go to Bluefield, 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.920 West Virginia for a job that would have paid two 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:56.000 or twelve dollars an hour. And last year you told 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:58.960 me to take a job in China as a correspondent 0:10:59.080 --> 0:11:04.160 for a local agency, a news agency. Next next year, 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:06.200 I'm gonna tell you to take a job in Afghanistan 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:11.480 or Syria or Iran. Yes, not North Korea. Well, I 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:14.840 don't think you're good enough for North Korea. I don't 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:17.440 think you are. Yeah, uh, this, I was trying to 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:21.200 help you out. I wanted you to experience poverty. You 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:24.000 chose not to experience poverty. I think you would be 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:29.160 a great propaganda guy for a communist government. You would. Yeah, 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:34.040 this is a loaded subject that it is loaded for you, 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:37.199 but not for me. I'm gonna I don't know that 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:39.480 I'll ever go to China, probably after my last couple 0:11:39.480 --> 0:11:42.880 of monologues on the radio. I'll not be allowed in China. Um, 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:44.880 because as soon as you hit the tarmac, don't they 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:49.080 take pictures of you? They take video images of you 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:52.360 and and isolate your face. And I think they do all. 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:53.560 I mean, I don't know, that's what they say. And 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:55.880 then on the internet, in the dark Web, I don't know. 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:57.760 It was just to finish up on this come and 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:00.680 move on. But the Adam Silver, the commissioned the NBA, 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:06.079 spoke this week and he waxed poetic about the fallout. 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:10.160 He admitted that the NBA has been hurt financially, said 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:12.840 he had no you know, the people of China asked 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:17.000 the Chinese government asked the NBA to fire Darryl Morey 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:21.400 and uh and the NBA obviously hasn't done that, at 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:24.760 least at this particular moment. Adam Silver says, the losses 0:12:24.800 --> 0:12:28.280 have already been substantial. Our games are not back on 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:31.240 the air in China, he said, and we'll see what 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:34.120 happens next. Now, somebody I know that works in the 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:38.680 NBA told me that this is going to destroy future 0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:42.600 salary cap numbers. That there's so much it's not the 0:12:42.600 --> 0:12:44.760 most money, but so much money that comes from China 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:48.480 that they're gonna have to downgrade future salary cap numbers 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:52.280 for teams because of revenues being down if China doesn't 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:57.040 capitulate with the NBA, which would affect you know, these 0:12:57.080 --> 0:13:00.160 teams that have these super Max contracts they've given out to, 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:03.800 like the Rockets have James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Ironically, 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:08.280 Darryl Morey's team UM as an example, so and then 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:10.320 the other the other, just to put the final touch 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:14.120 on this. What happens next, Like the NBA is hoping 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:16.520 this will just go away. People will move on once 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:19.120 the season starts next week. People will just be excited 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:22.840 about that. Uh. And they're trying to work as liaisons 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:26.760 with the Chinese government to kind of massage their shoulders 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:28.800 and make them feel okay with But at the same 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:31.360 time they have to they have to. They can't cross 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:34.680 the line here in America. UM. And so it's a mess. 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:37.480 And the protests are going to continue. My theory on this, 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.640 the obviously are gonna stop. That will at some point. 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:43.679 If you look at the history be bloodshed, a lot 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:46.920 of bloodshed involving these protesters in Hong Kong. Um. There 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:51.880 is a point of demarcation for the Chinese government. People 0:13:51.920 --> 0:13:54.960 are gonna be sent to prison camps. Uh. They already are. 0:13:55.200 --> 0:13:57.959 And Lebron James can say he don't want to talk 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:00.640 about this, but it's gonna follow him around. He is 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:04.160 now a symbol for the communist Chinese government, at least 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:05.800 in the eyes of the people of Hong Kong. Whether 0:14:05.880 --> 0:14:08.000 that's fair or not. And I listen. I understand I've 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:11.760 taken shots at Lebron, okay, but I know that a 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:14.040 lot of this is just piling on. People have been 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.760 waiting for Lebron to step in it, and now he's 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:19.480 stepped in it, and so people are are dancing on 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:22.600 his grave. But he does deserve it in this respect. 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:26.480 All right, moving on, we give props now, we won't 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:28.600 do too many, but I love these prop bets for 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:30.800 the NBA season. Here, I've got a few of them. 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:34.880 Gascon uh, And you can bet the l A Clippers 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:38.760 will win the NBA Championship. You get plus four ten 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:44.320 or you can take the field at minus five fifteen. 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:46.560 Keep in mind, the Clippers have the top odds to 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:48.880 win the NBA Championship. So would you rather take the 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:54.280 Clippers or the field? I think with those numbers, I 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:58.200 would probably be compelled to take the Clippers. See that's 0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:00.720 the that's why you're wrong. I would go the other way. 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:02.560 And I and I love the Clippers, and I'm man, 0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:05.000 I hope they're good as everyone says. It bothers me 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:07.880 that everyone's licking and um, you know, doing all that 0:15:07.920 --> 0:15:10.680 with the clips and giving them a bubble bass I'm 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:12.760 not used to that, um, used to them being the 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:15.120 punching bag. I believe they'll have a very good team. 0:15:15.160 --> 0:15:17.560 I don't think they'll be great during the regular season 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:21.120 because Paul George is gonna be out. Um. But if 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:24.560 Kawhi Leonard, if I'm right that he is the modern 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:29.960 Dame Michael Jordan's defensively and offensively combined both better. Probably 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:32.960 defensively than Jordan. Jordan was good, but uh, you know, 0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:36.040 not quite as good offensively as Jordan. But in that area, Um, 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:39.600 the Clippers will be amazing in the playoffs. But yeah, 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:42.240 I mean I've always been of the position you bet 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:46.000 on the field and the reason you do that well, 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:48.080 obviously have more chances? Can you have more bullets in 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:50.800 the chamber? With these other NBAS thirty NBA teams, you 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:53.320 get twenty nine even though really there's only about seven 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:56.600 or eight if you win the championship. Yeah, I mean 0:15:56.600 --> 0:15:58.680 that's two. But the other thing is, I hate to 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:01.520 say it, but knock on would this doesn't have me happened. 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:04.640 But you know, let's say Kauai gets hurt or George 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:08.080 gets hurt later in the year, the Clippers aren't winning 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:11.240 a championship if either one of those things happened. So um, 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:13.280 so you have that operatorny. I mean, I would do 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:14.880 that with every team. And you can do the same 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:17.120 thing with the Lakers. The Lakers are plus four sixty 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:20.520 five um, the fields minus six thirty. I would do 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:22.840 the same thing, same concept. Lebron could get hurt. He 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:26.800 got hurt last year. Anthony Davis is a walking injury. 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:30.760 He's like the operation game um with all the injuries. 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:34.520 So I think that's a suckers bet and that's just 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:38.920 my my position. Now, another like spinoff bet on this, 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:43.760 which I thought was interesting, is a California team winning 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:48.240 a championship at plus one thirty five. The field winning 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:51.400 the NBA Championship is minus one fifty five. I would 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:55.360 actually consider betting on a California team because you get 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:58.400 the Lakers and Clippers in that, and you get Golden State. 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.720 Assuming Clay Thompson does the back for the playoffs. That's 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:05.360 three of the roughly eight teams that could win the championship. 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:08.280 That's value. I believe you're getting some value in that 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:10.480 you do. But here's the thing, and this is not 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:13.480 a hot take, but I'm of the opinion that with 0:17:13.640 --> 0:17:16.880 Golden State and the injuries that they have and also 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:19.200 the fact that they lost Kevin Durant, I see them 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:22.159 as a bottom tier team in the Western Conference, like seven, 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:25.919 eight seed or potentially missing the playoffs. I think it 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:29.040 goes that low. Yeah, I don't. I think they'll win 0:17:29.240 --> 0:17:32.440 enough against the ship bag teams in the NBA. They's 0:17:32.480 --> 0:17:35.399 just the horrible teams that I think they will find 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:40.000 a way to be in the middle probably lower there. 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:41.720 Not gonna be a top four seed, but I think 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.600 they can be in that five six range, not seven 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:45.840 or eight. I think they'll be in the fives. It 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.320 still means you've got to go on the road, um 0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:52.600 the first round of the playoffs. But that's that's interesting 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:55.120 to discuss. Now you can do that with every team. 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:57.919 My my answer as far as the overall teams, they 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:03.119 just take take the field some of the player or 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:06.920 team props in general. Um, this is interesting here Clippers 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:11.680 to make the playoffs or not make the playoffs. Um. 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:14.240 And and this is something when you might bet a 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:16.760 little bit, just again based on the theory that players 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:18.440 will get hurt and they might not make the playoffs 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:21.040 because it's so close in the Western Conference. But you 0:18:21.160 --> 0:18:24.720 gotta think with this much talent, they're gonna make the playoffs. 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:26.560 I mean they might not win, but they're gonna make 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:29.200 the playoffs for them. And then you get some value 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.040 that the Phoenix Suns to make the playoffs are plus 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:36.119 one thousand, which is they have no chance. They have 0:18:36.160 --> 0:18:38.320 no chance. All right? Um, moving on? How about this 0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:42.359 Janie ident to Coombo, the Greek freak will win the 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:46.240 regular season m v P or take the field? I 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:48.520 gotta go. I gotta go with taking the field on 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:51.760 this one. He won it last year. I think it's 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:54.760 one of those things where it's much like Lebron and 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:57.800 previous m VP winners, is that people feel that it 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:00.480 gets a little bit over too saturated. Plus the fact 0:19:00.520 --> 0:19:02.760 that he's not in the major major media market. You 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:06.040 have Kawhile Leonard Kawai going from the Eastern Conference the 0:19:06.040 --> 0:19:08.720 Western Conference. If he has a monster's season, he is 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.399 in Los Angeles. I think that ESPN, T and T 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:15.360 will elevate him. Lebron James is coming back, obviously, Anthony 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:18.200 Davis in l A. I think there's too much firepower, 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:21.119 and then who knows, Steph Curry could go off not 0:19:21.160 --> 0:19:24.359 saying that he will, but that's the one that's stop, period, stop. 0:19:24.400 --> 0:19:26.840 Steph Curry is the guy here because if the Warriors 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.640 are a middle seed in the West, Curry is gonna 0:19:29.720 --> 0:19:32.479 have to average like thirty five points a game. And 0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:35.399 we know he's like, he's like Clayton Kershaw. There's regular 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:39.040 season Curry and there's playoff Curry, and uh, you know, 0:19:39.080 --> 0:19:41.240 he's like Cody Bellinger, who you know, in the regular 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:43.000 season it's all his home runs and then in the 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:45.200 postseason they throw sliders low and away and he goes 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:48.360 fishing all the time, hit hand home runs. Um, but yeah, 0:19:48.400 --> 0:19:51.280 I think it Curries plus five five, you could take 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:53.480 the field of minus seven fifty. That would be one. 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:56.600 Although he's also injury prone. But if any of these props, 0:19:56.640 --> 0:20:00.359 I would take him as the as the m v 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:04.160 p UM for sure. How about this Rookie of the Year, 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:09.000 He's a rookie, all right, Zion Williamson will win the 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:13.600 Rookie of the Year minus one ninety the field plus 0:20:13.680 --> 0:20:17.720 one sixty five. Wow. I would actually take Zion Williamson 0:20:17.760 --> 0:20:21.400 even though he could get hurt because historically guess Guard 0:20:21.760 --> 0:20:24.680 and I have studied this because I'm a degenerate. The 0:20:24.800 --> 0:20:27.879 number one overall pick in the NBA draft. It seems 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:29.800 like the number one or two pick or three pick 0:20:29.880 --> 0:20:32.760 has won the m v P pretty much every year. 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:37.480 Very rarely does a pick outside of that win the 0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:40.119 Rookie of the Year. Be sure to catch live editions 0:20:40.119 --> 0:20:42.720 of the Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern 0:20:42.840 --> 0:20:45.960 eleven p m. Pacific. Outside of your shoddy voice, I 0:20:46.080 --> 0:20:49.560 like the selection because you also go into the season. 0:20:49.680 --> 0:20:52.520 Was Zion Although he is a top pick, he's not 0:20:52.560 --> 0:20:55.360 going to a bear cupboard. I mean a Lonzo ball 0:20:55.480 --> 0:20:57.920 is there, Brandon ingram Is The ball is not that good. 0:20:58.040 --> 0:21:00.159 I know, well, okay, he's not a good shooter. His 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:02.600 room always looks like he's glazed over. I don't know 0:21:02.600 --> 0:21:04.800 what's going on with him exactly, but I'm saying he's 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:06.760 not He's not playing with a bunch of scrubs. It's 0:21:06.760 --> 0:21:09.000 not like he's in Phoenix right now. It's not like 0:21:09.040 --> 0:21:11.520 he's in Sacramento. It's not like he's in Memphis. So 0:21:11.560 --> 0:21:14.600 he's got personal around him. And plus, like you mentioned, 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:16.640 the way that he has been elevated when he played 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:19.280 at Duke, that's gonna carry on over the media market 0:21:19.280 --> 0:21:22.240 there in New Orleans. We're gonna try to wrap around him, obviously, 0:21:22.240 --> 0:21:26.280 propel him and make that market somewhat relevant, especially in 0:21:26.280 --> 0:21:29.240 the Western Conference and a down season for Golden State. 0:21:29.240 --> 0:21:31.040 They need to prop somebody else up. Want to do 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:33.120 it with the top pick in the NBA draft from 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:35.560 this year, Yeah, I think you gotta go with Zion, 0:21:36.359 --> 0:21:39.600 although I you know the other name here obviously, the 0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:42.879 second thing, John Moran, who I loved in college and 0:21:42.880 --> 0:21:47.600 the tournament. But I think Zion's got so much behind 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:50.119 him and the NBA needs him to be a star 0:21:50.240 --> 0:21:53.840 of the next generation here, so he would really have 0:21:53.920 --> 0:21:57.600 to be out of whack to not win the award. 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:03.480 All right, Moving on, ry for Hollywood. Hooray for Hollywood. 0:22:04.320 --> 0:22:07.720 So there's a rumor in the building, Gas Guy, that 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:12.960 you have been cast or are about to be cast 0:22:13.119 --> 0:22:17.439