Takes

The Chicago Bulls would have won the 2012 NBA Championship if Derrick Rose hadn't gotten injured.

If D. Rose doesn't get hurt, I think we break through that year... We had a roster where we could play. I think we were like the number one or two defensive team in the league. We were top five in offense. I mean, we were a very complete team that year. And then, boom, Derrick Rose gets hurt. And it just... It took the air out of the balloon for us, you know what I mean? Because we all thought that was our year to win the whole thing.

Darren Rovell is a 'Debbie Downer' for analyzing athlete business ventures like Marvin Jones Jr.'s cupcake shop.

Darren Rovell from the rafters telling him that the most important part about opening a franchise is to understand that franchisor fees come off gross sales, not net sales... and basically shits all over Marvin Jones Jr.'s dream and tells him that he made a terrible investment... He is Debbie Downer in real life. What a fucking asshole.

Steve Rosenblum's column blaming Roquan Smith for getting his car robbed is a nonsensical 'Take Quake'.

Steve Rosenblum, who is provocateur, the Chicago Tribune... likes to just figure out the most nonsensical take out there... the premise of his article was Roquan Smith, who had his iPad stolen... it was his fault that he got robbed... at this point you could ask how a student athlete... is able to afford a 2018 Beamer... Steve Rosenblum... did no fact checking whatsoever and wrote this hot topic.

I was 100% confident the Capitals would beat the Penguins once game six went to overtime

I knew it was going to happen. We all knew it was going to happen. I was so confident in that team when it went to overtime. If we had lost that game, the whole series was over. There's no chance that we're going to come back. That's a mental midget thing.

Zach Miller's gruesome non-catch against the Saints was definitely a touchdown

It was a touchdown. Yes, it was a touchdown... and almost lost his leg for a non-touchdown. It was crazy.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are 'light work' in the playoffs based on my 2015 experience

I have been at war with Tampa before, the 2015 Stanley Cup. It was light work, even though we were down a little bit, but it was light work. They're not that hard to beat. I'm going to teach you a couple things about what Tampa hockey looks like.

Joel Embiid should stop talking trash and worry about breathing through his nose in the 4th quarter

Joel Embiid, I get it. You're funny. You're good on Twitter. The Rihanna thing. Cool. I actually like your game a lot. I think you're going to be a great player. But, dude, you run out of gas every fourth quarter. You can't talk shit when you can't even speak. Stop talking shit and worry about breathing through your nose.

Michael Jordan is definitively better than LeBron James

I'm exhausted by the debate too, but guess what? I'll still stand here and say MJ's better. I don't care.

Tom Brady looked like a 'plastic weird doll' at the Met Gala

My other hot seat is Tom Brady for looking like a plastic weird doll... Take away the clothes. His face looked weird. I definitely don't understand fashion. I don't, but I don't think it was a fashion. Take away the clothes. His face looked weird.

Younger players learn differently now because of the 'BlackBerry' technology shift since 2006

I think we deal more with the way these younger players learn and the way they've learned the advent of so many different technologies that didn't exist. Maybe back in '06, even 2006, when I got hired, the BlackBerry was your main thing... I was still hitting [the button] two, three times to get like a 'C'.

The best drafts in NFL history are built in the 2nd through 4th rounds

I think the key for us are we try to look closely at what are the things that these players that we've hit on have in common... the great drafts in our league history consist of second rounders, third rounders, fourth rounders.

Winning a Super Bowl makes a quarterback 'elite' regardless of other stats

I think when you win a Super Bowl at that position, the way he [Joe Flacco] played, you're elite. When Joe won, that was kind of a contract big year. And look, it's still the ultimate team game. And you bring up Trent [Dilfer]... Ultimately, your defense has to be playing well, and you've got to be playing well as a team.

Every woman past the age of 22 adds one pillow to her bed every year

I think it's just every woman who gets past the age of 22 decides that every year they're alive, they need to add one pillow to their bed. And then just eventually they end up with an entire house of pillows. And you're not allowed to sleep on them.

Brad Stevens is the best coach in the NBA

I mean, I think [Brad Stevens] is the best coach in the game. He's a mad scientist.

Ben Simmons is playing like a rookie because he can't shoot

It's a real problem that [Ben Simmons] can't shoot. He's playing like a rookie. So this actually... I've changed my mind now. He is a rookie based on how he's been playing.

James Harden is officially on my enemy list

James Harden, he's got to be the most annoying player in the entire world to guard... He's infuriating to watch. You know what? I've turned the corner on James Harden. I used to like him. I don't even like watching him play basketball... I'm putting James Harden on my enemy list. There we go. I have a feud now.

Brad Marchand licking people is one of the funniest things to happen in sports

The biggest story, maybe the funniest sports story of 2018 is Brad Marchand licking people. He can't stop. It's actually a great litmus test for who has a sense of humor because the people who get legitimately upset about that, fuck them. That is one of the funniest, trollest things to do.

Nobody in hockey analysis actually knows what they are talking about

Here's what I've learned about hockey analysis. Nobody knows what the fuck they're talking about ever... Hockey is the toughest sport to... You could put a lineup of five random guys in the NHL and just put them on a team, and I would not be able to tell you who's good and who's bad.

Tuukka Rask is good but bad in big moments, which makes him not good

The Tuukka Rask thing to me... if he was good, you wouldn't have to tell people he's good. He's good but bad in big moments. So it's like, is that really good? So that's kind of bad.

If you sue someone for steroid accusations, it proves you didn't do them

I think Albert Pujols like, if you sue the guy for saying you did steroids, then guess what? You didn't do steroids. That's very... Absolutely true.

Brad Stevens is a great coach who has no business being up on the 76ers without Kyrie Irving

You see Brad Stevens. That's a great coach... Not that those [Celtics] guys aren't good, but do they have any business being up 1-0 in the second round without Kyrie? Gordon Hayward, all those guys. The biggest thing for me... is the coach's adjustments game to game.

Being an NBA referee is an extremely difficult job

It's a very hard job, and they do their best. And one time I tried to ref one of my kids' camp games, and it was really hard, so I understand what they're going through.

Jeff Green is a bad basketball player despite his good performances against the Raptors

Jeff Green stinks. I thought he was dead. Jeff Green's been on a million NBA teams and he stinks everywhere he goes, and somehow he is lighting up the Raptors.

LeBron James literally owns the entire 'state' of Canada and the city of Toronto

LeBron owns them. He literally owns the entire state of Canada and the city of Toronto.

The Indiana Pacers were the toughest competition for the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference

What if the Indiana Pacers were the toughest competition for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East? I'm just saying. You can now say that.

I have zero confidence in Barry Trotz because he is garbage

Listen, I'm still very confident. I have zero confidence in Barry Trotz because I think that he's garbage.

Mickey Callaway and Dave Eiland are the real deal for the Mets

I believe in Mickey Callaway and Dave Eiland. I think that that might be real. Like, I have more faith than a Met fan would normally have in what's going on.

Escapability is the most important trait for modern quarterbacks

The most important thing is quarterbacks need going forward... it's escapability.

The Curse of Apollo in the Kentucky Derby is absolute BS

To be honest with you, 2018, it's absolute BS. It should have gone up in flames six years ago with a horse named Bodie Meister... now this year there are two horses, Justify... and Magnum Moon... it matters not even a little bit.

Kurt Warner deserved the Monday Night Football job over Jason Witten

I actually think [Kurt Warner] should have gotten the job [over Jason Witten]... Your point that you should probably get it over Jason Witten because Jason Witten has never spoken into a microphone... That's a good point.

The Toronto Raptors are the softest team I've ever watched

The Raptors are the softest team I've ever watched. And having Fred VanVleet take the game-winning shot in overtime, how do you have DeRozan and Lowry and you have these guys... they shrink in every big moment. They're so soft that they made Kevin Love look like the tough guy.

Tom Brady doesn't feel valued enough by the Patriots

I actually do think, though, that Tom Brady thinks that he's not valued enough at work. ... Like anything that he does on the football field is because he's just such a weirdo... and the Belichick system values exactly what you're valued and Tom Brady probably thinks he should be valued more.

Jeff Bezos is building rocket ships just to liquidate his $100 billion

He figured out that the way that he's going to be able to spend money is by just building rocket ships and just going to different planets. That's the only thing that he can do to liquidate $100 billion in a lifetime, so that's what he's going to do.

The Celtics can't guard Joel Embiid

You're going to have to continue to get it to Embiid, who has moments in the game where he's like, enough of this crap. Like, none of you guys can guard me. I'm just going to do something stupid and get to the hoop and score.

I would take LeBron James for the next five years over Brad Stevens

I'm going to go ahead and take whatever LeBron is probably for the next three, knowing that year four and five, I would imagine at some point this dude is going to slow down. As great as Brad [Stevens] is, I still think that this is a player's league.

Brad Stevens is the perfect personality to be a head coach in today's NBA

I think the most important attribute you can have as an NBA coach is your personality. Most of these guys do understand X's and O's. But if the team doesn't listen to you, you have to do it in a way now where the guys don't totally shut you off. And [Stevens] has this unbelievable passive confidence that it's like the perfect combination of personality to be a head coach in today's NBA.

Russell Westbrook's style of play keeps a franchise hostage

The style of play [Westbrook] has kept your franchise hostage. And for the most part, you weren't going to win. And now we've watched this two years in a row. You're lying to yourself if you see the same approach in Game 6 and go, 'yeah, this will work.' One team has a guy that runs isolation, the team passes it the least of any team in the NBA. Which team would you rather play? Of course they're going to pick the first team, and that's who their team is.

Tyronn Lue is not a very good NBA head coach

You know what's funny? Yeah, I don't know. I don't think [Tyronn Lue] is very good. I'm trying to be nice about it. ... The rotations are still a mess. And they weren't very good in the finals last year either.

LeBron James is now the fourth-best player of all time

I am now moving LeBron to fourth best all-time, right ahead of Kobe. So that's big of me. I've seen enough. You've got MJ, Magic, Bill Russell.

Ty Lue's decision to save Tristan Thompson for Game 7 was a genius coaching plan

Tristan [Thompson] Kardashian was basically the— I mean, he didn't play the entire series... Ty Lue... was saving all his energy... It's actually a genius plan by Ty Lue. [Fresh legs] for game seven.

The Wizards core needs to be blown up

The Wizards need to be blown up. We said this on the show. That core does not work.

Brad Stevens is the best coach in the NBA

And then the Celtics are, I mean, we've said this before, but Brad Stevens is the best coach in the league.

Tom Wilson's hit on Brian Dumoulin was clean

I think it was a pretty clean hit, too. So he was skating behind the guy, right? It was Dumo. So Dumo was a friend of the show. So Dumo was skating, and then Wilson was behind him, and then Dumo just hit the brakes and almost threw his head into Wilson's shoulder.

Every draft grade list should be required to give at least one F

Mel Kiper's grades are so fucking funny. He won't give anyone an F, which is bullshit. Like, if you do grades, you should have to give at least one F. You should have to.

No matter where we go in our careers, people will try to take us down for our past

It's almost liberating because it taught me that no matter where we go with our careers, people are going to try to take me down for my past. And that's fine because at this point, the biggest takeaway was don't get caught in a situation where internal politics and people with an ax to grind can determine your fate.

Going to ESPN was a mistake fueled by the brand's legacy seduction

I think it was a mistake for sure. It was a mistake to go back to ESPN. I'll be honest. We got, speaking for myself at least, got a little bit seduced by the fact that, hey, we're going to be on ESPN. I mean, I grew up watching ESPN. It's a brand.

Sometimes you don't need legacy media to reach the 'next level' in your career; you can reach it on your own

The natural evolution of what we had created on the podcast was putting it on some kind of television platform... when in reality, the lesson I learned... Sometimes the next level isn't needed. Sometimes you go to the next level on your own.

Television as a medium is dying

Yeah, that's the problem they're having is TV's dying. Right. Nobody watches TV anymore. It is, but it isn't. It's dying.

Jason Witten is a surefire Hall of Famer

[Jason Witten] will be [a Hall of Famer].

If you played for the Cowboys in the last 15 years, a media gig is waiting for you

If you played for the Dallas Cowboys in the last 15 years, you have a media gig that's waiting for you. T.O. in the booth. They should put T.O. and McNabb in the booth together.