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Welcome back to another Boxing with 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:14.480 Chris Mannox. As always, you can listen to the show 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:18.639 live on the AMP app. Just follow Chris Mannix on AMP. 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:38.400 All Right, there is a debate raging right now on television, 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:47.120 on podcasts, on social media about the MVP voting in 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:51.440 the NBA, specifically as we come down to the final 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:55.680 month of the regular season, the voting for this year's 0:02:55.840 --> 0:03:02.720 MVP where there are probably three, maybe four top candidates 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:08.040 for that award, and in general, I feel like there 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:12.480 has been some attacks on the voting and the voters 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:17.200 over the last couple of months about the process. Some 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:22.840 of them can be dismissed rather easily. I mean, I 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:25.200 don't want to get too deep into what Kendrick Perkins 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:29.560 said on ESPN about race and voting. Because of race, 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:36.640 his take was pretty quickly dismissed after, you know, when 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:38.760 he pulled his stat out of his ass about eighty 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:42.920 percent of NBA voters are white, and ESPNA to apologize 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:46.840 on air because of that. I don't look at that 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:50.600 take as being anything that I want to jump into. 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:53.800 But Nick Wright, who was the host of First Thing 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:58.240 First on Fox Sports one, the What's Right podcast, he 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:01.080 has been making some points that have bothered me. Okay, well, 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:03.320 real quick, before we get to Hi, Chris, thanks for 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:05.240 having me on. Before we get to the points I've 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:08.240 made that have bothered you. Can we spend two minutes 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:12.520 on the Kendrick stuff for a moment? Okay, yeah, okay, yes, 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:14.440 I know you're talking a little bit about this on 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:17.280 Colins Show, but let's yeah. Let me ask you this. 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:23.919 Do you think that the NBA world, fans and media 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:27.200 mostly fans, but throw media as well, would have been 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:31.800 quicker to recognize that Alex Caruso is an awesome player 0:04:32.200 --> 0:04:36.840 if he wasn't a prematurely balding white guy, because I do. 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:42.719 Do you think that sometimes white players get reflexively dismissed 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:46.200 at times, not because people are out and out racists, 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:49.720 but because of preconceived notions or whatever, and that the 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:53.480 average white player gets treated like they're a below average 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:56.600 player until proven otherwise. Do you think that it wasn't No, well, 0:04:56.800 --> 0:04:59.200 you're assuming kind of a fact, not in evidence. I 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:01.840 don't think Alex Russo is an awesome player. I think 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:04.599 Alex Kaso is a useful player who can defend a 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:07.159 couple of positions and is a valuable player on a 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:09.200 championship team. But I don't think anything I has to 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:12.720 do with I think of Alex Caruso in kind of 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.520 the same ways I thought about Malik Monk last year 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:17.040 with the George kind of the same ways that I 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:19.720 think of Malik Beasley right now with the Lakers. Sure, 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:22.000 maybe awesome was the wrong way to put it. The 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.520 point that I was trying to lead to is, while 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:29.320 I understand JJ got very upset because he didn't understand 0:05:29.360 --> 0:05:32.520 the difference between saying race might be playing a factor 0:05:32.760 --> 0:05:38.839 and calling people racists, I do think I believe that 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:45.920 our evaluation of basketball players at times cuts both directions 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:49.839 against non black players, which is I think the app 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:53.680 the typical white player gets downgraded a bit in the 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:58.040 view of the average fan, and I think that the great, 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:03.679 undeniably awesome white player sometimes gets a few extra bonus points. 0:06:04.080 --> 0:06:07.320 I think we have a long history can document that, 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:10.880 and I do think that is not calling anyone or racist, 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:15.200 and so in just in defense of Kendrick, I think 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:20.880 that that it is his point that once we have 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:24.640 a guy that is undeniably great, if they're white, that 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:29.920 sometimes they get a few extra percentage points credit. I 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:32.440 think we have a long history of that, and I 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:36.880 think Nash benefited from it, and I think maybe yokiches. 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:40.120 But if we remove race entirely from it. We can 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:42.040 still have this discussion, but I didn't want to just 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:46.440 dismiss I thought Kendrick got accused of calling people racist 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:48.720 when he was not calling people racist, And why was 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:51.320 it if there was an implication. Look, you can't come 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:57.280 out and say inaccurately that eighty percent of the voters 0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:00.839 are whites and not at least plant the seed that 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:04.600 race is involved in the discussion, of course, but there's 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:08.800 a difference between the analogy I used on my podcast 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:11.760 today is and I do my podcast with my son 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:16.640 who is black. If someone sees us together and says, 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:18.880 I saw you guys doing the podcast, I had no 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:22.520 idea that you're dad. Race is a huge reason why 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:25.640 they didn't think I'm his dad, But that that is 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:28.200 not at all a racist thing to assume. Do you 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:33.040 follow me? Sometimes racist a factor without the people being racists. 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:34.960 But I don't. I know. That's not why you brought 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:36.600 me on. You brought me on because of the things 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:40.800 I've said that are incredibly, unimpeachably accurate, and you don't 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:42.920 know what to do with them. Here's my biggest problem. 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:46.400 And we can get into the minutia of what you 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:54.160 said and your points specifically, I know that you prepare 0:07:54.680 --> 0:08:00.160 fastidiously for your show. You are extremely prepared every morning, 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.920 now every afternoon, for every podcast that you do. What 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:07.080 you've been doing over the last month, and I first 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:09.760 heard it when you filled in for Colin on The Herd, 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:12.840 and I heard you talking about it a little bit 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:17.440 with Colin earlier this week. What you've been doing is 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:23.920 you have been implying in some ways even calling the 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:27.520 people that vote for MVP lazy. And you have been 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:31.680 implying that the people that vote for MVP are not 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:35.840 doing the kind of diligence they need to do a 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:38.200 vote like this. And look, I have been a voter 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:42.520 for the better part of a decade. And look, you 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.480 do a lot of reporting on your show, like you 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:48.120 will make phone calls to people to try to bring 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:51.640 some sourcing onto the show. This has been a position 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:54.960 that you've taken for several weeks now. You've talked about 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:57.880 this topic. This has been a pressing topic on television. 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:01.360 You have taken this position. And maybe you can tell me, 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:04.160 but I don't know that you've reached out to one 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.959 actual voter to discuss the process. You haven't reached out 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:10.440 to me, I could tell you my process. In fact, 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.640 I'm real quick. I'm going to tell you my process 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:17.720 because when the end of the season comes around last week, 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:21.720 last two weeks, putting aside the build up to it, 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:24.440 right Like, so, I go to dozens of games every 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:28.319 single year. I watch hundreds of games every single year. 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:30.959 I don't watch every Nicola Yokich game in the same 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:34.440 way I don't watch every Joel mb game. You can't 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:37.319 do it. What I also do, though, is I've got 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:43.199 a whole slew of NBA people that I talk to, converse, text, 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:46.800 whatever on a regular basis, and I will send message 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:49.080 to them and I will say, simply, who would you 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:52.360 vote for MVP? It's not a poll. I don't vote. 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:54.440 I don't take numbers and vote on the outcome. But 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:57.240 I take note of what they say and how they 0:09:57.320 --> 0:10:00.160 say it and their argument, and I factor that into 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:04.400 my decision to vote for MVP. So I did take offense, 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:08.439 and I was insulted by the idea that you were 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:11.880 putting to the people that watch you on TV, the 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:14.920 people that follow you on social media, that voters kind 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:16.920 of just get to the end of the season. Look 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:20.560 at the raptor rankings and decide who knows to vote. Okay, 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:24.360 that was the implication, whether whether you think it or not. Okay, 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:27.160 So it wasn't just the raptor rankings to be fair, 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:33.720 but the I don't think people are. I didn't call 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:38.040 the current voters lazy. I never said it. I called 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:41.480 him arrogant, and that I stand the cousin of it. 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.000 That that's kind of a cousin. No, No, I didn't 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:46.760 mean those are I'm I don't know. No one has 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:50.160 ever called me lazy about anything. Everyone has always called 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:53.120 me arrogant. So I don't know if they're how related 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:57.680 they actually are. So you, I am not doubting how 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:02.120 much people watch or any of them. I am questioning 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:07.800 whether or not the current crop of voters believe all 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:12.480 that they have it right and every other era generation 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:15.880 of voters have had it wrong. Because in order for 0:11:15.920 --> 0:11:20.200 this guy to win last year, they had to say Nope, 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:23.680 winning not as important as everyone else has always said 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:27.319 it is. And this year they have to say nope, 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:31.479 everything is siloed. It is one year in time, snapshot. 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:38.079 No history matters, because we have seen we have seen 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:44.560 so many great players win back to back and then 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:48.800 be essentially deemed ineligible the third year, and this current 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:52.360 group of voters is saying they were wrong. That the 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:55.400 voters who did that, some of whom are the same 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:59.720 voters that did it to Jannis three years ago. We 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:02.720 have right, they have it wrong. I find that galling. 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:07.320 And I would also say this, the current group of voters, 0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:09.880 do you when you're calling making these phone calls when 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:11.840 you're talking, In fact, I will just ask you directly, 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:14.880 is Nikola yokis the best player in the league. I'm 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:16.880 not asking about MVP, I'm not I'm asking is he 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:21.160 the best player in the league? No, okay, if we 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:26.440 just go to back to back MVPs, so Wilt Russell 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:30.920 best player, best player, Kareem Moses was at least arguable. 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:33.360 Some would say no, but he was the best player 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:38.559 then on the greatest team ever, H Bird Magic, Michael Duncan, 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:45.960 not leaving anybody out. Nash set him aside Lebron, Lebron again, 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:50.640 Steph Jannis, now Yoki. So that's twelve, now thirteen names, 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:53.200 eleven of them. If you did a straw polesy, the 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:55.760 best player in the league would have won it. Nash 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:59.520 probably wouldn't have won it. And now Yoki. So again 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:02.400 you're last year, you guys jam you guys said we 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:04.280 know better. You don't have to be the best player 0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:07.800 in the league. Okay, I want to jump in on 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:13.080 that just for for context here, two years ago, I 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:16.760 voted for Yokis for MVP, his first MVP. I thought 0:13:16.800 --> 0:13:19.199 it was better than Yannis that year, simple as that. 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:21.520 That's not if Yannis was what coming off the two 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:24.880 straight about better than thought others were better than honest too, 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:28.960 that year, I thought yokich is primary competition in that 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:32.800 seventy two game season was Embiid. I didn't vote for 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:36.080 Embiid because Embiid played fifty one of those games, and 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:39.280 games played matters even in a fifty seventy two games season. 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:43.520 Fifty one was just too little, right, So the fall 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:46.400 I said, if you remember that year I was advocating 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:49.880 for Chris Paul, Yeah, there was. I don't I don't 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:52.920 think there was voter fatigue when it comes to I 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:55.760 don't think there was a standard set when it comes 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.079 to Yanni. I don't think Yes played to that level 0:13:58.160 --> 0:13:59.880 that year. Oh, I don't think he was on that 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:02.800 same level. While I didn't vote, wouldn't have voted for Yannis. 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:05.240 I think what was being held against Yannis was the 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:07.600 playoff flame outs. Yeah, but I think you just guy, 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.120 wouldn't you wouldn't You just said you wouldn't have voted 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:12.520 against Yannis, So you were having the same mindset. Everybody 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:15.560 else was not to vote for Yannis because he wasn't. 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:17.760 But for me it was because of the playoffs. But 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:19.880 I but just so you know, I would have voted 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:23.680 Chris Paul because if if you're gonna, you can't. In 0:14:23.760 --> 0:14:27.520 my belief, and again all of the history of voting, 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:30.080 belief was, first of all, you can't really win three 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:32.520 in a row under almost any circumstances. But if you're 0:14:32.560 --> 0:14:36.160 going to, you better also be winning championships along the way. 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:39.960 So Jannis, to me, went into that year de facto ineligible. 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:42.320 I know people get mad at that, but I but 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:45.560 also a lot of the people are now voting for Yokis. 0:14:45.960 --> 0:14:48.680 We heard the pod, We heard them talking about that 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.600 with in regards Yannas. But go ahead, so I interrupt you. 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:54.920 So that last year, so two years ago, I voted 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.880 Yokis the seventy two game season. Last year I voted 0:14:58.000 --> 0:15:02.160 mb because mbad played six eight games. He was dominant 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:04.520 on both ends of the floor, and as far as 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:07.520 intangibles go, I gave him beat a lot of credit 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:10.200 for navigating the Sixers through that car wreck that Ben 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:13.840 Simmons drove God too, like, I thought he deserved something 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:17.640 a plus because of that. But to go back to 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:22.640 two years, the year before that, Yokich, sorry, even last year, 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:24.400 last year when Yokis did win, even though I didn't 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:27.320 vote for him, he did win. I think a lot 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:31.640 of people gave him credit because he played outstanding and 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:34.720 even though the Nuggets were not a top three team. 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:38.200 Take a look Nick at the guys he was playing with. 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:41.080 Did you do you see the guy hold On? In 0:15:41.240 --> 0:15:44.520 Game five of that series against Golden State, they got 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:47.320 beat in the first round. Golden State eventually won the title, 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:49.840 so they got beat by the best team that was 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:53.200 out there. In Game five of that series, the last game, 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:58.720 Yoki started the game with Jeff Green, Monty Morris, Aaron Gordon, 0:15:59.040 --> 0:16:03.640 and Will Barton. Who is winning at least at a 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:08.200 playoff level against a champion, against the eventual champions. Who 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:11.440 is winning? But that is where the logic gets circular, 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:14.640 and that is what is so frustrating. Everyone says, you 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:17.800 can't hold the first round loss against him because it 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:21.880 came to the Warriors, which is why it behooves you 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:25.800 to not play the Warriors in round one, which is 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:30.800 why we don't give the MVPs to six seeds because 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:34.000 they likely will get bounced in round one because they're 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:38.320 playing an excellent team. And so I don't And I 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:40.680 understand you didn't vote for him last year, and last year. 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:46.000 I advocated last year for Luca because everyone's everyone's talking 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:49.560 supporting cast. Luca was without his second best player, Tim 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:53.200 Hardaway junior. Now Jaalen became a second best player and 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:57.520 that team won more. And do I feel vindicated that 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:00.360 the two guys I've had the last two years, one 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:03.480 of them in Luca made the conference finals beating the 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:07.040 one seed Suns, and the other one Chris Paul, swept 0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:10.359 Yokich's team out. Yeah, a little bit, but I but 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:15.000 it is it is to me there there there, we 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:19.919 keep moving the goal posts, and you said at the 0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:22.560 top of the show, there are three and then you 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:24.359 said maybe four. I don't know who the fourth would be. 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:27.919 To me, Yo kitchen beating Janis have separated themselves. I 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:30.480 was giving I'm giving Luca a puncher's chance in the 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:34.639 final twenty games. Okay, that's fair enough. They'd have to 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:36.240 go like twelve and three or something to get the 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:39.720 record up there, because his numbers are unbelievable, and Luca 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:42.840 was my preseason pick. But it's they haven't one enough. 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:47.080 But what was so frustrating me? And you asked me 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:49.280 something earlier that I'm not trying to skirt like, did 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:52.240 I call a lot of voters? I did not. I 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:56.600 was reacting directly to Bond Timps's column and the fact 0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:00.800 that it was not close. And that is what to 0:18:00.920 --> 0:18:05.520 me is where whether it's what Perkins brought up, the 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:10.399 history stuff I've brought up to me, everything should be 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:15.480 looked at if in a year where Imbed is averaging 0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:18.320 more points than anyone has averaged in forty years not 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:22.800 named Jordan, Kobe or Harden, when Jannis has the best 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:27.320 record of all of them, right, and when both of 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:32.639 those guys are demonstrably better on one end of the court, 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:37.119 to say it's a runaway, to say it's a route 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:40.639 to me to get back to your original point, does 0:18:41.560 --> 0:18:45.760 make one thing that the advanced numbers, which are not 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:51.800 a perfect science are having a wildly disproportionate impact on 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:55.240 this discussion. I don't think that's a hot take. I 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:59.840 think it's not a hot take. But one thing I 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:02.359 think that has to be worked into this conversation that 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:06.240 we're having on March ninth is that, you know, Tim 0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:11.199 Bontemps asks voters, you know for their top five. I 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:14.040 think it's January, February, late January, probably I have to 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:15.560 go back and look at my text messages when he 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:18.480 actually asked me for my top five. When he asked, 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:21.200 everybody takes a while to compile them all that that 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:24.760 was before the fifteen game winning streak by the Bucks. 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:27.679 That was before they jumped into the top spot in 0:19:27.720 --> 0:19:31.200 the Eastern Conference. When I started talking about it, it's 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:34.320 when it's when I made you mad. So yeah, but 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:37.119 this was all before. But this was before the Bucks 0:19:37.119 --> 0:19:40.080 were on a tear when we voted. This was before 0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:42.040 the Bucks went crazy and got the top spot in 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:44.520 the conference. I guarantee you if there was a new 0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:49.199 straw pull taken right now, dead heat at best, a 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:52.240 dead heat between Janie and yokis right now for the top. Well, 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:55.560 if that's I'm gonna check real quick. If that's true, 0:19:56.240 --> 0:19:58.600 then you can make a lot of money, or you 0:19:58.640 --> 0:20:00.960 can't because you vote on it, so you're not allowed 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:04.960 to gamble on it. But let me just check the 0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:10.800 latest MVP odds. And I'm not acting like Vegas is unfallible, infallible, 0:20:11.160 --> 0:20:16.640 but I do believe that that Yokis is still he's 0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:21.840 minus two sixty and embed and Janis are four to 0:20:21.920 --> 0:20:23.920 one or seven to one at the one that I'm 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:26.160 looking at. Don't quote me on it. Maybe that's changed 0:20:26.160 --> 0:20:27.920 to be in the last you know, in the last 0:20:28.000 --> 0:20:33.480 day or so it so the oddsmakers say he's overwhelming, 0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:37.040 and so again maybe it would be a dead heat. 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:40.200 But can I ask Can I ask you a question 0:20:40.240 --> 0:20:45.399 as a voter, because I'm really written not by you, 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:49.119 I'm really sick of being lectured on it. This is 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:52.879 a regular season award and it's about this season and 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:58.040 this season only, because again I'm just basing on how 0:20:58.080 --> 0:21:00.760 we've done voting in the past, and in the past 0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:05.719 it does say Everyone saying it's just a regular season 0:21:05.720 --> 0:21:10.040 award and it's about this season this season only implies 0:21:10.560 --> 0:21:14.399 that every single person starts the year in the exact 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:17.119 same spot in the MVP race. And I don't believe 0:21:17.200 --> 0:21:21.800 history tells us that's true. I think that this year, 0:21:21.960 --> 0:21:25.600 in a weird way, I think Imbid probably started ten 0:21:25.680 --> 0:21:28.399 bases ahead of the pack because it's like, man, this 0:21:28.400 --> 0:21:31.840 guy's finished second and back to back years he's closed, right, 0:21:31.960 --> 0:21:34.760 And I think that Jannis finished well ahead of the 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:37.200 pack when it's like, dude, since he last one in 0:21:37.320 --> 0:21:40.159 MVP did win a finals with a fifty piece and 0:21:40.200 --> 0:21:42.360 he hasn't won it since. And you know, so there's 0:21:42.400 --> 0:21:47.840 different things. Right. Let's say Yokits wins this year, and 0:21:47.960 --> 0:21:51.159 let's also say the Nuggets they're definitely gonna be the 0:21:51.160 --> 0:21:57.920 one seed they get worked in round one. Okay? Should 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:03.199 that have any were sent impact on his ability to 0:22:03.320 --> 0:22:10.160 win a fourth straight next year? No? Okay? Okay, well 0:22:10.200 --> 0:22:13.119 then then we we can't agree. If you truly do 0:22:13.560 --> 0:22:18.120 you're saying no, it shouldn't. Would it would it? Probably? 0:22:18.760 --> 0:22:24.480 If if your scenario plays out, it probably would, But 0:22:24.600 --> 0:22:26.679 you don't think probably would. I don't think it should. 0:22:26.720 --> 0:22:29.560 I think we are told to vote on this award 0:22:29.760 --> 0:22:32.760 as a regular season award. We're told that it's it's 0:22:32.800 --> 0:22:34.760 it's how we're supposed to vote. But I thought there 0:22:34.840 --> 0:22:36.879 was no there was no I thought there was no 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:40.160 definition of valuable. There's not a definite no. But it's 0:22:40.240 --> 0:22:43.360 a it is build as a regular season award. Well, 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:45.879 but that's just because hold on a second, that's just 0:22:45.920 --> 0:22:51.959 because the voting. You guys submit your ballots before the playoffs, right. 0:22:52.320 --> 0:22:55.439 I understand that I can't assume something's gonna happen, like 0:22:55.480 --> 0:22:58.560 I didn't know two years ago that Jannie was gonna 0:22:58.600 --> 0:23:01.639 barrel through the Eastern content. I'm not saying no, of course, 0:23:01.760 --> 0:23:04.720 and I'm not advocating that the league MVP should be 0:23:04.800 --> 0:23:06.639 the guy who plays the best in the playoffs. Now, 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:08.800 if they want to have a playoff MVP award, I 0:23:08.800 --> 0:23:11.400 think that's kind of a fun idea. Not necessarily, it's 0:23:11.400 --> 0:23:14.840 a little different than finals MVP. Like as a four instance, 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:17.440 like in twenty eighteen, Lebron's last year with the Cavs, 0:23:17.480 --> 0:23:20.320 he could have been playoff MVP, you know what I mean, 0:23:20.400 --> 0:23:23.880 even he wouldn't have been finals MVP. Separate thing. What 0:23:24.000 --> 0:23:32.000 I'm what I'm saying is that if and I'm not 0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:35.320 saying this is Yoki because and this is what is 0:23:35.359 --> 0:23:39.320 frustrating for me is I and I've done some of 0:23:39.320 --> 0:23:41.320 this to myself, and some of it has been to 0:23:41.440 --> 0:23:45.880 me disingenuous, other media members tarring me, but fair enough, 0:23:46.680 --> 0:23:49.400 I have been painted as if I think the guy stinks, 0:23:50.119 --> 0:23:52.520 like I think he's an average player. I think he 0:23:52.680 --> 0:23:57.959 is undeniable at worst, one of the eight best players 0:23:57.960 --> 0:24:01.000 in the sport, probably one of the six best, and 0:24:01.480 --> 0:24:06.159 if you incorporate injury risk, he's skyrockets to one of 0:24:06.160 --> 0:24:08.160 the three best. You know what I mean, Like, that's 0:24:08.200 --> 0:24:11.000 where the and so that's where I that's where I 0:24:11.119 --> 0:24:18.480 have it. But I do think there has been because 0:24:18.520 --> 0:24:26.240 it's not like his numbers, the old school numbers are 0:24:26.280 --> 0:24:28.600 off the charts in any way except for assists for 0:24:28.680 --> 0:24:33.320 his position, right, it's the in a league where we're 0:24:33.359 --> 0:24:35.480 seeing more guys score thirty help, We've had two guys 0:24:35.520 --> 0:24:38.399 score seventy this year. He's averaging in the mid twenties 0:24:38.440 --> 0:24:41.200