The vibes were at an all-time high and an all-time low simultaneously to start today's show. In a PMT first, Big Cat had to play the ending of the show at the very beginning to explain why Zac and Memes were ready to go to war in the booth. It turns out Zac snagged Memes’ go-to lottery ball number, 11, and actually hit it, leading to a meltdown of epic proportions. Memes was so heated he demanded a trade and retracted his Knicks fandom, which is a tough look with the NBA Finals starting today.
NFL Trade Chaos
While the booth was imploding, the NFL decided to go nuclear with two massive trades. Myles Garrett is officially heading to the Rams, and AJ Brown is now a New England Patriot. Big Cat actually likes the deal for Cleveland because they aren't competing for anything real this year and need to stock up on assets.
The Myles Garrett trade to the Rams is a win for both teams
I know this is lame, but My take is wins all around. [The Rams] have proven that they can do this... basically, as an organization, realized that they can figure out a way to still compete without having draft capital. And the Browns, I think is, it's, it's very smart for them because they weren't gonna compete this year for anything meaningful. Now they have two first round picks.
The Browns are positioning themselves to draft a franchise quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft
It feels like the Browns are building to a point where they gotta get the QB next year in the draft. And if they do, a lot of the other things are starting to fall into place. ... they now have two first round picks. Now they have flexibility.
Big Cat also pointed out that we are witnessing history with Garrett moving, as he’s a defensive player of the year in his absolute prime.
Myles Garrett is the best player at his peak to ever be traded in NFL history
I would say he's probably the best player who's ever been traded in terms of he's the defensive... he just set the sack record. He's the defensive player of the year. I'm saying like the peak, peak powers, Myles Garrett just had.
On the other side of the league, Hank is over the moon about AJ Brown landing in Foxborough. He thinks getting a true WR1 for Drake Maye is the move of the century, especially since the chemistry in Philly was clearly toxic.
Jalen Hurts is a 'drama king' compared to Drake Maye
Drake Maye not a drama king. So I, I don't anticipate, you know, the reason it's not, it wasn't the players or the skillset [in Philly], it's just they had drama that they couldn't get over. [Jalen Hurts] by deductive reasoning is a drama king.
AJ Brown sought out the Patriots because he craved the accountability he was lacking in Philadelphia
AJ Brown, deep down he craves accountability. And he knew that he wasn't getting it in Philadelphia. ... He needs a real like head coach, like stern figure telling him like, 'Hey, when you step across this line, you're a member of the Patriots organization.'
Max, predictably, isn't buying the hype and thinks the Diva tendencies that plagued AJ Brown's time with the Eagles will eventually follow him to the AFC East.
AJ Brown will eventually turn to 'shit' in New England because of his diva personality
I disagree with the fact that you think that this isn't gonna turn to shit because it probably will turn to shit at some point because that's just what AJ Brown does. He was really excited to get traded to the Eagles. He was really excited to play with his best friend, Jalen Hurts... and then he went on to Mike to say like, you guys all thought I was a hater... well, you can't say that I'm not.
NBA Finals with Kirk Goldsberry
Friend of the program Kirk Goldsberry joined the show to give us the analytical deep dive on the Spurs vs. Knicks matchup. The big story is obviously Wemby, who Kirk says has a "Nope" factor that literally forces players to turn around mid-drive.
Victor Wembanyama turns elite offenses into the worst in the NBA when he's on the floor
He essentially turns really good offenses into terrible offenses... in these playoffs when he's on the court, the opponents have a offensive rating of 99.2. For those of you who don't know what that means, it means your team can't score for shit. It would be the worst offense in the NBA.
Victor Wembanyama is already the best defender of his generation
When we came into the league Big Cat, we were like, this guy is gonna be the best defender of his generation and he already is. It's incredible. And it's not just the blocks... it's a lot of invisible stuff that he does that just deter shots.
While Wemby is a freak of nature, the Knicks have a secret weapon in their Nova-style toughness. Kirk explained that if the Knicks' role players can keep the floor spaced, the Spurs might be in trouble.
If Josh Hart hits his three-pointers consistently, the Knicks' offense becomes nearly unbeatable
If Josh Hart starts making threes, that's gonna put the Spurs in a tough position right away. And to your point, it might make The Knicks just unbeatable because The Knicks are the hottest offense in the league right now.
He also put into perspective just how much a title would mean for Jalen Brunson. Forget just being a Knick legend; we’re talking about entering the pantheon of New York sports immortals.
Jalen Brunson will reach Jeter-level status in New York if the Knicks win the NBA title
If they win this. This is like Jeter. He would be elevated to folklore status immediately. 'Cause this would be the most important championship in New York in a very, very long time for a fan base that's been starved.
Florida State’s Return to Glory
FSU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Luke Loucks made his studio debut and brought along the legendary 2020 "COVID Champion" banner that Big Cat has been obsessed with for years. The banner is officially staying in the Barstool office, and Coach Loucks was a great sport about the team’s weirdest piece of memorabilia.
The 2020 FSU basketball team was a Final Four caliber squad before the tournament was canceled
That team was rolling as probably a Final Four team. ... they had four draft picks, two lottery picks and two second round picks. ... they were loaded for a college team. And that's why they had a good amount of, like, to me, the best college team, best basketball teams. ... That team to me had it all.
Coach Loucks also shared some insane stories from his time with the Warriors, specifically regarding the work ethic of Steph Curry. Hearing about Steph hitting 105 straight corner threes while Loucks was just trying to keep up as a young coach puts the greatness in perspective.
Steph Curry works harder on his conditioning than anyone in the history of sports
He works harder on his condition than anyone in basketball I've ever seen. And it's, it is nonstop... even before Play Style, I was teaching and coaching these guys... He ran off 67 straight threes... he runs off 105 straight corner threes. I'm like, what am I looking at? This is this, there is a few moments in that where as a young coach, like, what am I watching right now?
Bears Stadium and Hot Seat/Cool Throne
Big Cat took some time to vent about the never-ending disaster that is the Chicago Bears stadium situation. Between Indiana offering the world and Chicago politicians playing games, Big Cat is pointing the finger at the guy at the top.
Bears President Kevin Warren is most to blame for the stadium debacle
If I went blame power ranking the blame, I'd say Kevin Warren one just because before Kevin Warren was hired, the Bears had purchased Arlington Heights... And it has gone sideways since then. I do think Kevin Warren is somehow bungled this whole thing because he's the one who's supposed to be... hired to seamlessly get this done.
For Hot Seat/Cool Throne, PFT is getting back into his golf lab for the internet invitational, while Zac suggested a White House cage fight to settle the presidency. PFT, ever the D.C. native, is mostly worried about the humidity and the gnats.
The White House cage fight is a bad idea due to the oppressive D.C. heat and humidity in June
My concern with this... being from DC I can tell you that late June, mid to late June, oh it's gonna be hot outdoors. ... It's gonna be 90% humidity and you're gonna get gnats buzzing around your head. ... I think it's a bad idea.
To wrap it all up, the guys hit on the new College Football Playoff schedule, which Big Cat thinks was designed by someone who hates logic.
The College Football Playoff schedule is poorly designed with a nonsensical month-long gap between rounds
The college football playoff schedule officially announced And it fucking sucks. January 25th is the national championship game. The first round is taking place over a month prior December 18th is the first game. That is so fucking stupid.
Max capped off his redemption day by hitting his number 44 on the lottery ball machine, proving that sometimes the sun shines on a spicy meatball.

