A new story from The Bill Simmons Podcast
Automatic TRANSCRIPT
I don't know if your stockbroker was telling you about Jamar, jabbar's last couple games, but there's been some real signs of life. Yeah, it's starting to come together. He looked good against the Celtics last night, but he had 30 points, a couple of games ago, but there's some signs. My stockbroker was pleased. I'm excited. You and I, when we talked about him, it's just he's so fun to watch because he can score at such a high level. And I think he gets the opportunities and gets the shots. He can deliver, but you know. Well, he's on a ridiculous team. You can't pick a worst team to be on, then that rockets team that it's clear they're going to get rid of everybody after the season. GM coach, everybody. The team that it's just basically whoever has the ball over half court gets to decide what happens. And just a bunch of guys who spread out everybody goes one on one, I would love to see them play the point guard at some point in his career. It's not going to happen this year, but at some point it'd be nice if somebody could think about him and have him in his thoughts as they ran a play. But from what I've seen, I'm not scared off at all. I think he's been pretty good in the defensively. You know, he's there. So anyway, hold on to your stock. All right, you remember when Beck, what is it? Yeah, my number one bed is I made it about the national title because I felt like it's the number one pick. So why not? So I have a split national title options for you. One of them is my head, one of them is my heart. With my head, I believe the Arizona wildcats are gonna win the national championship. And I say this because I think Arizona is a team that knows how to win tournaments. They went to the Maui invitational, they did not even play their best basketball. They have a proclivity Bill to get up in games and then just completely start to coast and just start taking bad shots and they just, you know, they almost toy with the other team. That's my only fear with Arizona. Sometimes they play that way. And the guy that does that, his name is Kirk cresa. So there is a red flag in the sense that I think one of those guys, he does guys. Yeah, I think he could shoot him out of a game, but I also think they have the 17 year old phenom. Boswell, they're back up point guard. And I think Boswell can come in, steady the ship, be the actual point guard of this group, and to Bellas their best player. He is a guy that is almost jokic like where he can start the break himself. So a lot of the times, you know, to Bellas and bolo, they're 5 man. They play a little high, low game together. He can start to break himself. They can almost take Kirk Kris out of the game. And if that's how Arizona plays and I think that's how they will play that's how they've shown that they're going to play in tournament play. And then they have Courtney ramey, who was a Texas a few years ago. He can get hot when you some games. Henderson as well as another shooting guard that can get hot when you some games peli Larson, their small Ford is a guy that KO and all of our draft experts at the ringer will have moving up their boards. I think is the tournament plays out. And you can get them at plus 1500. I think Arizona at plus 1500 as a two seed, the last time they went to the national championship and wanted in 97, they were in the south region, they're in the south region this year. They beat three one seeds on their path to a national championship. I think that they would potentially have to beat three one seats to go in the national championship. I think they would have to beat Alabama and the elite 8. I think they'd have to be Purdue in the final four. And I think they'd have to be Kansas in the national championship game. So I think it's the same path that loot had back in 1997. So I like them at plus 1500. And then my heart. By the way, you could go, you could go plus three 80 for them just for the region. Plus one 50 in that region, but just quickly on the Arizona thing. I'm with you. It does seem like Brandon Miller, I don't know on a scale of one to ten is like a 9 for what we're usually getting out of a pro prospect who can score. Coming into the tournament. Like how many times has somebody this talented as a score than in the tournament is a freshman? Usually the freshmans are always works in progress in some way. I mean, you're talking to that point, like Carmelo Anthony. Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Yeah. Right. But Durant's out in two rounds, but carmella won the whole thing. And whether he's going to be as good as those guys, I have no idea, but the body of resume in the way that scouts and people like kos are talking about him just projecting. It does seem like this. I can't wait to watch him. Anyway, so what is your heart say? Yeah, I worry about Alabama. I think Alabama is kind of like I said on my show and once my podcast, they're the elephant in the room, you know? Like, they are literally just in the corner. They're the best team in the country by far. They're playing their best basketball and I think everyone is expecting Noah Clowney and Brandon Miller and Bradley to kind of have an off night, like what auburn did against Miami, but I don't know. They scared me. They did lose a game that was weird to Oklahoma this year. I have to point that out because that game sticks in the back of my mind. It is possible. But yeah, they're scary team. My heart says that which is a tough path, but I think the Yukon huskies are another fascinating team. At plus 2500, Yukon went to the Phil knight invitational. They won that tournament. Like I said, I like teams that win tournaments. I like the way that their roster is constructed. I like to know go. I like cleaning off the bench Jo I've been cleaning a freshman. They got two 7 footers. I think you're gonna need three bigs legit to go win a national championship this year. Especially if you get matched up with a team like Purdue with Zack Edie, you gotta have bodies to throw at him. So I like the way that Yukon is constructed. I think they got a really tough draw with iona. Then they would play saint Mary's. If things shake out the right way in the second round, Randy Bennett one of the best coaches in the country. That's a tough matchup. But if Dan Hurley can survive those first two games and get to the sweet 16, I think Yukon is a bad matchup for anybody. And when they play good teams, Yukon, they play the best of anyone in the country. When they play high quality basketball when they play high top quality basketball teams, they play top quality basketball. That's what they're known for. And also, if you want to bet on them, they remind me of the O four team, they also have this guy at Jordan Hawkins who reminds me of rip Hamilton. He runs around screens to get open. He's a fun player to watch. He's going to be a first round pick and also final point with my heart. Luke Murray, who I'm a big fan of Luke Murray, son of Bill Murray, on staff, so Bill Murray is a husky. You can get behind Bill Murray and Luke Murray and the huskies at plus 2500. So there you go. That's my heart pick.