PMT DB
PMT DB
Alex Caruso on NBA Titles, Maxx Crosby to the Ravens, and the LIV Golf Conspiracy
Monday's show kicks off with the massive news that Maxx Crosby is officially headed to Baltimore. It is a terrifying move for the rest of the AFC North, especially considering Joe Burrow now has to survive a schedule featuring Crosby, Myles Garrett, and TJ Watt. Big Cat and PFT look at how the Ravens are shifting their entire team identity to win now.
PFT CommenterMaxx Crosby to the Ravens is a great move that makes their defense scary
Congrats to the Ravens. Congrats to Jesse Minter. This is a good, a great move. Their defense is gonna be scary. I love the transition from Maxx Crosby was always meant to be playing in a badass uniform. Raiders to Ravens, it's like, okay.
While the Ravens are getting aggressive, Big Cat wonders if this signals a shift in how the organization views its own ability to find gems in the later rounds of the draft. It feels like the front office has realized the clock is ticking on their current window with Lamar Jackson.
Big CatThe Ravens are abandoning their draft-and-develop philosophy because they've drafted poorly lately
The Ravens feel like the team for however long, I mean, pretty much their entire history, it's like what they do is they draft really well. They don't have to do these type of moves. And then they do this move... maybe the Ravens haven't drafted as well recently. So now they do have to join everyone else and be these guys.
Big CatThe Ravens have a three-to-four-year window with Lamar Jackson to go all in and win a Super Bowl
Are the Ravens basically saying Lamar Jackson, he's 29, he's got, we got like a three, four year window where we're gonna have to go all in here? You're kind of forking the road. Are you trying to keep your draft capital to keep reloading around Lamar Jackson? You're like, 'Hey, let's go win this right now.'
Beyond the blockbuster trade, the NFL's 'legal tampering' window is about to open, and the market is already looking insane. Specifically, the value of centers has skyrocketed to a level that has Big Cat and PFT questioning if the position has become the most valuable commodity in the league.
Big CatThe NFL center market is currently the hottest position market in the world
The center market actually feels like it's the hottest market out there. The Packers signed their center who started seven games signed for 11 million a year. The center market just might be the hottest market in the world.
NBA Return and College Chaos
In the NBA, Jayson Tatum is back and looking like he never left, which has Hank feeling himself and his 15-to-1 futures bet. The guys look at the landscape of the East and the reality that the MVP race might be decided by the trainer's room rather than the stat sheet.
HankThe Celtics are completely back with Jayson Tatum returning to form
He looks so good. The Celtics looks so good. They're, they're so back. Missoula is such a good coach. And he's not forcing it and like trying to take over. 'cause when your team's already second on the east, you don't need to come back and be a superstar.
PFT CommenterThe top NBA MVP candidates might be ineligible due to the 65-game rule
There's a good chance that like the top two guys or the top three guys aren't eligible. Yeah, we're on games missed watch. For like what Shai, Wemby and Jokic, right?
As we approach Selection Sunday, the college basketball bubble is officially a disaster. Everyone on the bubble lost this weekend, leaving the committee with a mess of 15-loss teams to sort through. Big Cat is planting his flag for Miami (Ohio) after their perfect regular season, while also warning everyone about the dangers of the 8/9 seed line.
Big CatMiami (Ohio) deserves a tournament bid for finishing 31-0, regardless of schedule
Miami, Ohio is so simple to me in that they should a hundred percent be in now that they've run the table and won. They're 31 and oh and they won every conference game. If you win every game in your conference and your 31 and oh on the last weekend of regular season, you should be in, no matter what happens in the conference tournament.
Big CatThe 8/9 seed line is the worst possible spot in the NCAA tournament bracket
I saw someone saying that like it was novel and being like, wow, I've, I've just found this crazy thing. You don't wanna be on the eight nine line. No you don't. Nine line eight line is terrible.
Alex Caruso in Studio
Our good friend and one-and-a-half-time NBA Champion Alex Caruso joins the show to talk about his transition to the OKC Thunder and his evolution into an all-time elite role player. Caruso breaks down the art of the transition steal and why he watches so much Premier League soccer to help his spatial awareness on the court.
Alex CarusoDennis Rodman is a role player because anyone who isn't a 30-point-per-game scorer is a role player
I would say [Dennis Rodman] is. But like, it's like, I think anybody who's not a 30 point a game scorer, you know, like the 20 to 30 like takes most of the shots is pretty much a role player.
He also gets honest about the NBA Cup, admiting that while the money is great, the atmosphere in Vegas for the semifinals and finals is a bit of a mind-fuck compared to a true playoff series. He's got some ideas on how to fix the format to make it even more intense for the players.
Alex CarusoThe NBA Cup would be better if the higher-seeded teams hosted home games throughout the bracket instead of playing at a neutral site in Vegas
I think it would be much better if they just did it like playoff series where they just had whatever the tiebreakers are and just have the better team, whatever team is ranked higher, host the game all the way. Maybe the championship you do neutral site... but like leading up to it, the best games in the cup are the games that lead up to Vegas.
Big Cat and PFT also make sure to remind Alex of his place in the PMT hierarchy, specifically where his various achievements rank compared to being on the cover of the upcoming 10-year anniversary book.
Big CatWinning a Thunder NBA championship and appearing on the Pardon My Take book cover are more significant than winning the NBA Cup or the 2020 Bubble title
I think it goes: Thunder championship, book cover, NBA Cup second place, NBA Cup third place, and then the bubble championship. [74 in Tahoe] is up above the cup games. People gotta talk about it more.
Who's Back and The Half-Marathon Debate
Who's Back of the Week features a deep dive into the LIV Golf conspiracy. After rumors swirled that John Rahm was unhappy, he suddenly finds himself in the winner's circle in Hong Kong. Hank is convinced it's just pure skill, but Big Cat and PFT are smelling some Saudi interference to keep the stars happy.
HankJohn Rahm's win in Hong Kong wasn't a coincidence after rumors he was unhappy
John Rahm won the individual event. First time winning on Liv. It's huge. Huge for him. Definitely not a coincidence. No, he did not say he chose to stay on Liv, but he won. It sounds like they're keeping him happy.
Big CatPhil Mickelson will win a LIV Golf event this year
Phil's gonna win one this year. Phil's gonna win one this year. They're getting him ready to... if you just say you want leave, they'll just give you a win.
To wrap up the show, the guys get into a heated debate about running records after a new mark was set in the half-marathon. While Hank respects the speed, Big Cat refuses to acknowledge it as a real athletic achievement, sparking a classic PMT argument about what actually counts as a 'real' race.
Big CatThe half marathon is a joke of a race that isn't a 'real' accomplishment
Half marathon's gotta be the lamest thing to break. Call it a 10,000, what is it? 10,000 meters. Half marathon is bullshit. Make it a full marathon or make it a 10K. It's just a joke. It is a joke of a race. In principle it is a joke.
Good luck to everyone on their conference tournament bets this week.
