PMT DB
PMT DB
Mark Titus on NBA Playoffs, Coach K Rumors, and Harambe's Legacy
It is a somber yet celebratory Friday as we honor the five-year anniversary of the passing of our sweet prince, Harambe. Big Cat and PFT Commenter reflected on how the summer of 2016 truly defined the early identity of the show, from the tie-dye shirts to the endless memes that helped build the AWL community.
PFT CommenterWithout Harambe getting shot, Pardon My Take might not exist
Without that fucking gorilla getting shot, I don't know if I'd be sitting next to you right now, Big Cat. One of the seminal moments of Pardon My Take — getting sued by ESPN, Adam Morrison's bunker, and then the summer of Harambe.
While the meme eventually became the calling card of the most annoying people on the internet, the guys think enough time has passed for a genuine, ironic comeback for the Cincinnati legend.
Big CatThe ironic resurgence of Harambe is due for a comeback
I think we actually are getting close to having it [Harambe] be funny again. The resurgence. Because it was very funny for that summer. Then it was like very lame. But now enough time has passed where if you just drop a Harambe, it's like, oh, that's actually kind of funny. The ironic resurgence of Harambe is due.
NBA Playoff Heat and Jersey Crimes
Turning to the hardwood, the guys stayed up late to watch the Lakers take care of business against the Suns. Big Cat is officially out on Phoenix, sensing that LeBron has flipped the switch and is ready to steamroll through the Western Conference once again.
Big CatThe Lakers will win their series against the Suns
The Lakers are up 2-1. They're going to win this series. The Suns, I feel bad for them. I don't know how the Lakers don't come out of the West.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat are putting up a pathetic showing against the Bucks. PFT Commenter isn't surprised, as he’s never been fully sold on Jimmy Butler being the guy who can carry a team through a non-bubble environment.
PFT CommenterJimmy Butler is not a top 15 player in the NBA
I've long said that Jimmy Butler is not a top 15 player in the NBA. He doesn't look at all like he did last year. I don't know what the difference is.
Speaking of the playoffs, the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden has been incredible, but the aesthetics have been a disaster. Big Cat went on a tear about the Knicks' alternate jerseys, which looked more like a low-budget sci-fi flick than a basketball uniform.
Big CatNike's NBA jerseys are an abomination
What Nike has done with jerseys is an abomination. Whatever the Knicks were wearing was so fucking bad. It was like, it looked like if they made a movie set in the future and like New York City set in like 20, I don't know, 90, this is what the Knicks are wearing.
This led to a shocking revelation from Bubba, who admitted he is colorblind and has been hiding it from the show for years. Bubba’s condition explains a lot, but he still has very strong opinions on how sports should look on television.
Liam (Bubba)Home teams should always wear white in every sport
In any sport, one team should wear white... the home team should just wear white. Yes. That's it. And then the away team wears color. They can maybe switch it between a couple different colors. But the home team should always wear white.
The Return of Fans and Arena Chaos
The guys also addressed the recent string of bad fan behavior in New York and Philly. While everyone is happy to have crowds back, Big Cat thinks the "sports are better with fans" tweets have an expiration date.
Big CatThe 'sports are better with fans' honeymoon phase will end by Thanksgiving
We're in a nice honeymoon phase where it is incredible to turn on a game and just be like, oh, my God, this is awesome... I think sometime around Thanksgiving, if you're still doing that, if you're still pointing out the extremely obvious sports are better with fans, you're late to it.
To solve the issue of fans spitting or throwing popcorn, Big Cat proposed a 50/50 roulette wheel where players can call out a specific fan to fight in the middle of the court. If the wheel lands on "no fight," the player owes the fan their game check. It’s the kind of high-stakes litigation the NBA desperately needs.
Mark Titus Joins the Show
Our good friend Mark Titus joined the show for a classic "shoot the shit" session that covered everything from his hot new look to the internal dynamics of the L.A. Clippers. Big Cat questioned whether Kawhi Leonard possesses the vocal leadership needed to keep that team from imploding.
Big CatKawhi Leonard is not built to be a true 'alpha' leader on a team
Kawhi just can't – isn't built to be like the true alpha because he doesn't – you do at some point have to be the guy who like yells at your teammates and like, hey, go over here, do this, do that.
Mark Titus agreed and suggested that the Brooklyn Nets have inherited the Clippers' old mantle of being a high-talent, high-drama experiment that could go off the rails at any moment.
Mark TitusThe Brooklyn Nets are the 'new' L.A. Clippers
I think the Nets are the new Clippers in that regard. They're obviously very good. They're super talented. They're the favorites to win it. But can it work? Do they have production after the first three guys? ... Is Kyrie nuts? And is James Harden a little too? Can those three personalities mesh? That's what the new Clippers are to me.
In the college hoops world, Titus brought some spicy rumors regarding the coaching legends. Between the transfer portal and the changing landscape of the game, Titus expects the old guard to start heading for the exits sooner rather than later.
Mark TitusOld-school college basketball coaches like Jim Boeheim will retire soon due to the transfer portal
It wouldn't surprise me if all these old guys just do what [Roy Williams] did where they just like wake up one day and they're like I don't I don't want to do this this is this is insane i don't want to like get into i don't know how to log on to the transfer portal i don't want to do this.
One of those exits might be more choreographed than others, with Titus hearing whispers of a massive farewell tour for the leader of the Blue Devils.
Mark TitusCoach K will do a farewell tour starting next season
Tate [Frazier] put it in my ear that Coach K is going to do a farewell tour this year... He definitely has sources. He has people that said there's a plan in place. He said it out loud, and I listened to him make the case, and I was like, that makes a ton of sense.
Bears, Buckeyes, and Wing Lifestyles
The conversation naturally turned to Justin Fields and the intersection of Chicago and Ohio State. Titus, a noted Ohio State fan, sees a lot of similarities between the biggest icons in the state’s history.
Mark TitusUrban Meyer and LeBron James are the same person
Urban Meyer and LeBron were the same person. I was like, I'm going to use this to get what I need out of it. I'm going to use the state of Ohio. And then once I get what I need, I'm gone, and that's that. And I saw through it.
Big Cat is trying to remain optimistic about Fields, despite his deep-seated distrust of the Bears' ownership and management. He fears the team is too incompetent to actually nurture a generational talent.
Big CatThe Chicago Bears are a cheap, incompetent franchise run by accountants
The Bears are a cheap franchise... The McCaskeys, that's all their money is tied up in the Bears because it's the family heir... an accountant runs the fucking team and they do shit where it's like, all right, well, we'll keep this coach or, you know, we won't have as many scouts... they just want to basically sell 1985 memorabilia.
Titus made sure to put a flag in the ground: if Justin Fields doesn't become a superstar in the Windy City, don't you dare blame the Buckeyes.
Mark TitusIf Justin Fields fails in Chicago, it is the Bears' fault, not Ohio State's
If Justin Fields in Chicago does not work out, it is the Bears' fault. Do not blame this on Ohio State quarterbacks. Put that one in the Bears. Don't blame Justin Fields. That's all I'm asking.
To wrap things up, the guys revisited an old grudge involving a Final Four trip to Minneapolis where Big Cat and Stanford Steve tried to invite Titus to "go get wings." Titus still doesn't understand the ritual, whereas PFT Commenter views it as a major life event.
PFT CommenterGoing to get wings is a lifestyle event that requires planning a week in advance
I do that typically like once every two weeks. I make a wing day... We're talking about wings like we have a gangbang scheduled for next weekend. Show up 7 o'clock sharp.
Pour one out for Harambe and enjoy the holiday weekend.
