[MUSIC] >> Fan, Morning Joe Sports at 5'9" of the Fan Bananas. Brant, gutting, a more comprehensive post-season preview, I think, tomorrow. >> That'll be the day for it. >> Okay. >> The day before game one. >> I'll do my homework, the post-season, leave some Bruins. >> Well, let's dip our toes in the water right now. >> Yeah, gonna test your out. >> I mean, maybe this is an obvious question, but what individual player may believe to player has the most pressure on them going into this post-season series? >> I don't think that's obvious at all, cuz there's not, I think for an obvious answer, one would have to like immediately pop to mind, I think. >> One does for me, I think it's really the same enough. >> Really? >> Yeah, cuz he- >> I mean, just for his career, because he's an unrestricted free agent, I suppose he has the most on the line. >> Yeah, that's actually- >> That's the guy I look at. It's all, it's like financially, it's a place in the league, it's where are you gonna go after this, given the way the year went. I think he is the guy that has the most to kind of gain or lose one way or another in this playoffs. >> To me, it's the guy that couldn't break the 70 goal barrier. >> Oh, that bum. >> Yeah, who's gonna finish maybe fourth in the heart trophy voting? I tend to think it's third and like he'll be a finalist and Nathan McKinnon's gonna win it. It's Austin Matthews who needs to avoid this narrative that people are so ready. Like their fingers are hovering over their keyboard that like, yeah this guy just cared about getting his cookies during the regular season then disappeared in the postseason. After the five game series against the Panthers last year where he didn't score a goal where people like forget the what five goals he scored in the six games against the lightning in the first round and being instrumental in some comeback victories in that series. But that'll be, he's just trying to avoid that, right? Like this is an incredible regular season, you cannot take that away. Some people will try to. Some people will be desperate to. Some people will love to use that as their number one argument against this Leafs team that they cared so much about the regular season despite the fact they've had like one really good regular season. And it came in the North Division bubble which resulted in the most embarrassing series defeat in this era's history. But yeah, okay, that's the guy. Number one, you're right, like as far as, so Austin Matthews isn't gonna not have an NHL career next year, which is a possibility for Ilya Sampson off. If he looks like the guy that finished the season in his last two regular season games and the guy that was offered to the entirety of the league and everybody said thanks. But no thanks. Like he is the guy that, yeah, his accountant certainly has the most on the line. But legacy narrative, it's Austin Matthews. Yeah, I think, I think you're right there. I, if I want to like twist the question in a way, I think I could get to it being Mitch Marner, just because we talked about it. He is the guy who hasn't had the stretch this season where he seems to have been carrying the group. I mean, it had, it's been months since you've seen it on a knee lander, but you did see it for months with Matthews again, I know he didn't get 70 score 69 goals. He carried this team for long stretches and Marner was good for the limited games he played this year. Again, the 85 points, you're happy with his production, but I just don't feel like he had that little stretch where he kind of put the team on his back and I'm not calling for that. I'm not a recipe for the Leafs to win a series, but I do think him having that, just that it was the most of, if we're just going to look at the big three forwards there, it was the most lackluster regular season for him. So I think him having a kind of big first round series could maybe not change the most, but bolster at the most. Yeah, he's kind of the forgotten man on this team. Really feels that way. All right. Time now for our insider brought to you by Don Valley, North Lexus, where you can expect excellence online and in the showroom, visit Don Valley North Lexus.com. Today's insider, the great Craig Simpson of Hockey Night in Canada. How's it going, Craig? Good. How are you doing? Doing okay. So that was some sort of hockey game yesterday. What did you make of game 82? Well, I think everybody knew going in, you know, it's the oddity or I guess it's one that you hope you have that you're in the playoffs and the last game doesn't matter and you don't need it to stay alive, you know, coming on the heels of what two nights ago, the nail biting games with, you know, Washington trying to stay alive and Detroit coming down to the wire, you know, those are the exciting games to watch when everything's on the line. They're also the most heartbreaking for the teams that don't make it. So I guess in some regard last night's game, you should be happy that you have it because both teams are in the playoffs and it doesn't mean anything. But it was unique. You know, it's not often you have two milestones where, you know, for Kuchar, I'm trying to get 100 assists. The fact that that's only happened with four other players before and one of them being McDavid this year was pretty special and, you know, I feel bad for Austin Matthews looking to become the ninth guy, those score 70 and I'm not surprised that that two drop was able to get it on home ice, just disappointed that I think you got a feel of how difficult it was to get open and score when, you know, the likes of Matthews trying to get it done in the last game of the year. Yeah, I've just, it's funny. I've got the highlights on right in front of me here and yeah, I'm his dad freaking out at every single chance he had, man, like, you think Matthews wanted it. I guarantee you the father did for sure and yeah, it's disappointing that he doesn't get it. Do you think that, you know, we've talked about it being a little bit of the wind set out of the sails. You know, I was the one who said that leading into it, but now that it's here, I do feel like they can all kind of move on. Obviously, it's disappointing for the team that they, because I do look at the 70 goals as a team accomplishment to a certain extent, like, do you think there is any element that it was a little deflating for them or do you think that with the playoffs here, that any of that just kind of goes away because you're just excited for the playoffs. Well, I think in the moment you could see it, you know, every player is trying to help their teammate get, you know, what everybody on that team was hoping for. So there's no question the disappointment is there. I even saw, you know, TJ Brody hadn't scored in 110 games and when that puck went in and didn't hit anybody, it's like, oh, man, like that, because now it takes away a power play, it takes away a chance, you know, that, that you, I think you could see it on his face, too, that, you know, you're all trying to help your teammate get there. Those individual goals, you know, are obviously important to the guy who's having him. But as a teammate, man, you're looking at something that hasn't happened often and it's been 30 years and so, you know, you're, you're equally trying as hard to make it happen and hope that your teammate can get, get it done. So I know that it has been disappointing. But now this is like every year, you know, you'd be thankful that you're in the playoffs and now the focus is solely on going forward on that. And I think it's pretty easy to put that aside and get focused on what's the most important thing. Yeah, and that's the way they will be evaluated. But we do have a sample of 82 games to, to evaluate before we get to that and obviously number one goal was to get into the postseason. That was never an issue for this team. Would you, would you call it a successful 82 game regular season for this Leafs team? Oh, well, I mean, successful in the sense that, yeah, you, if, if you're in the playoffs and you've got an opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup, I guess that, that's one check of the box. I don't, I don't think it was an exceptional season, but I, I think it was one that the way things started from a goaltender perspective and then the questions that were there, I think they survived it well. They had a lot of, you know, different guys who played significant role of sort of getting them to, you know, even Martin Jones playing last night, hey, he played 14 out of 16 games a stretch for this leaf being that if he doesn't hold the fort and the least allow them to keep their head above water, you know, might be a very different story. So like every season that has a few twists and turns, but I don't necessarily think it was a, as solid a season as the last two under Sheldon Keith, but I think in some regards, it might teach them more and get them more prepared for playoffs, you know, having had some struggles, having had to fight through, having to have guys get through some adversity and become maybe better players through it. And you hope that that prepares them well and get them into a spot where, you know, you can go into playoffs and put all the regular season stuff behind you and just make sure you play your best hockey when you need to and that's starting on Saturday. So they're going to play Boston. I mean, I think back to the last Leafs Bruins game and I remember Joel Edmondson had just got traded and he was watching it and it was a pretty like testy physical game. And he was saying, Oh, I wish I would have could have gone down there right, right there. What do you think adding the types of players that your living has added? I mean, you can include Edmondson as a trade deadline pickup. You can loop, you know, and Dolby and Bertuzzi in there. This is a different feeling Leafs team in that regard. How much do you think that that helps them and does it matter that it's Boston as opposed to Florida? Well, I think it probably does matter your opponent. I'm not sure who it's like the old added, you know, be careful what you wish for, right? We saw that last year that, you know, on the playoffs, I think every Leafs fan was glad it wasn't Boston in round two and all of a sudden Florida finds a way to beat you anyway. So I think you have always have to be careful about picking your boys into who your opponent is going to be. Now that you know it's Boston, you know, the history with them and you know what type of team they are, I do think that, you know, what you hope for from this Leafs team is that you have a little bit more grit, you have a little bit more ability to play a hard physical game. You're not going to be, I don't, you know, the notion of being gritty and playing harder isn't about fighting or anything like that, it's about, can you play a hard checking game? Can you handle, you know, the bottom six of your opponent, which I think quite frankly has been, you know, a question mark going through with this Leafs team all along. Can you get some production out of those bottom six guys? I think you're going to need them in a series against Boston. I think probably more than even last year, the Leafs are better suited to hopefully have a little bit more impact in that role and little these fun to watch how this one comes together. I think you got two motivated teams in Boston, I think has to be a little bit shocked that they're the way they finished to get one goal of their last two games to not win that division, I think was a little surprising to all of us and it'll be interesting to see how that matchup comes together starting Saturday. Yeah, do you think it all was like a motivation for the Bruins to get into this matchup? I don't think so, like I've lived it as a player, lived it as a assistant coach with Evanton, you know, it's not a type of game that you pick and choose, how you want to finish and nobody goes into a game saying, oh, we're going to lose the last two games so that we get it so it's so I just think it is, it's another good reminder of how the balance of just playing the last two and maybe not being as sharp and not being as motivated all of a sudden you stumble a little bit and things like that can happen throughout the regular season and that's why come playoff time, it's a whole new world and I don't think you can try to play poorly your last couple of games to get a certain opponent, I do think it just sort of transpires and now the key is okay, you know your matchup, now you've got to get focused on trying to be the best you can but it matters the most. So this feels like a very fluid Maple Leafs lineup right now that, you know, we're still not even 100% sure who the sixth defenseman will be for game one and that there's, you know, a near 20 goal score that's not going to play in game one in Nick Robertson. Is that a feature or a bug? Like is it good that, hey, like Mitch Marner can be with John Dvaras and away from Austin Matthews and William Kneelander can be on a third line and then you can put them all back together or is there an issue with there being maybe no consistency game to game with this team? Well, I think ultimately if you had the depth and you had a lineup that you knew was going to be a successful looking one and you didn't have any holes in it, then yeah, you'd go, you'd want to have the sense of, oh, I know exactly what our lineup's going to look like, this is the best version of us and, you know, this is how we're going to start, but that's what I said. I think the challenge with this team was trying to find that balance and depth and I've said that Chris Cuffford in a number of times, you know, my experience with coaching and Edmonton or Craig McCavish is, you know, when we had a team that you put your lines up on the whiteboard in your coaches room and you start fiddling and get, okay, we need to have a third line that can be a checking line and just start moving pieces and you make that third line that you look at and go, oh man, yeah, this looks good. But then you look at the other three and you go, well, but I don't like that and I don't like that. You know, moving one or two pieces ultimately at times, you know, ruins a couple of the other lines and I think that's been an issue for Toronto, you know, all the way through. So the fact that you've had some performances that give you an opportunity like Bobby McMahon and having what 15, 14 goals, the Robertson 14 goals, you know, to me, those, I think I said it last night, the problems the Leafs have had in their playoff failures hasn't always been about defending. It's been in key games and games four through seven. They have been able to score and they haven't been able to get the big goals when you need it and they've clearly been lacking that depth throughout the bottom six. And that to me is something that, you know, maybe they do have a little bit more balance this year. Maybe they do have the ability to have a rely on a couple other guys and I think that's going to be really important coming through this club, right? And it's who's able to step up and become that guy who maybe can score the big goal that they haven't been able to get it. Yeah, and honestly, like maybe for the first time since like cadre was still a leaf, it does feel like they have a few more of those guys. And I mean, not that he's going to to Ben's point, not that he's going to start the series. But Nick Robertson is showing this propensity to be able to come in off the bench and score goals and not that I'm calling that. But man, if you get one out of him in the in this series, it certainly would be a be a pretty big shot to the arm. I sometimes think what I'm about to ask you about is overstated, but I also can't be blind to how much it matters. Sheldon Keefe in the last couple of post seasons has gone against some experienced experienced head coaches, Paul Marie's and John Cooper. It's a different animal this time now. Jim Montgomery, I'm not I'm not knocking his ability, but just there's a lot. There's less of an NHL track record there. How do you look at the coaching match up in this series? And honestly, how much in the grand scheme of things does it really matter? Well, I think it always matters, but it's hard to judge because your views on the coaches are skewed to what the results have been. And as you know, some of the best coaches don't necessarily still, you're not the guy who scores the goal. You're not the guy who makes the save. And sometimes even the best laid plans are best executed. It don't allow you to win. So I do think it's an element. That's an interesting concept because, you know, look at even Jim Montgomery last year, it would be who had the best season in national hockey league history and your your out seven games into the playoffs. So I do think it does matter. I think how you work your bench, how you work your match ups. I'm a firm believer having, you know, lived it as a as a player and watched how match ups become critical in as you get deeper into the playoffs. You know, can you beat the guy next to you? Can you take advantage of maybe a coach, you know, not being hard on a match up then get that one chance in a game that might be the difference maker, you know, one goal in one of those critical games, elimination games or trying to eliminate an opponent can be the difference. And sometimes that is how your coach handles your bench, how your coach works guys together. So I think Sheldon's shown a good propensity to understand that match up in game. And I'm not sure there's an advantage one way or another between these two coaches. But I will tell you there is no question when you go into a series, you look and say, this is a time where, you know, maybe on at home ice here, I can take advantage of my last change or making adjustments to maybe get that one goal that will be the difference maker because as you've seen so often, you know, it's amazing once you get into playoff action to how important, you know, a momentum changing goal or a critical time can turn a whole series around. Craig, this was much appreciated. I wonder if you're not like Luke Fox who did not prepare for a trip to Boston. Like you bought, you brought your Boston clothes, right? You weren't just in Florida man mode. Well, you know what I said, it was a bit of a shocker. It's not like I brought my golf clubs with me or anything like that. It sounds exactly like you brought your golf clubs with you. I think we're all a little bit surprised that it happened the way it did. But I love Boston. My two Stanley Cubs were against the Boston Bruins. So there's always an affinity to have playoff hockey around Boston. And I think for Toronto, it is a bit of a shocker. I thought last night, I thought both coaches were surprised that even for John Cooper talking about the floor to match up, I don't think he was thinking that was going to be in the cards. No, I don't think so. And that's one of the better rivalries actually in the recent history of the NHL. 16 and sunny in Boston on Sunday, though, I will say. Oh, let's get OK. Well, my shorts will be OK. There you go. Craig, appreciate it. Thanks, man. All right. Take care. Craig Simpson, Hockey Night in Canada, our insider brought to you by Don Valley, North Lexus, where you can expect excellence online. And in the showroom, visit Don Valley, North Lexus dot com. Sheldon Keefe has the experience. Yes. In this matchup. Yes. I know I was just like I had to look at it factually. Yeah. And also, I mean, Jim Montgomery does have a series victory with the stars. Yep. That's right. But just one tied on postseason victories, too. What the what has to give here? Finally, the answer to the question we've all been waiting for. Who of Jim Montgomery and Sheldon Keefe can get to the second round for the second time. Yeah. Because I like I do. I do think it is often overblown. Like I remember back to the math to the Montreal series and so much as he Sheldon Keefe got out coached because Philip DeNo couldn't get Matthews away from him, which OK, there's an element to that. You know what I would say to that. Austin Matthews who in short time will go on to score 60 and 70 goals in NHL seasons should probably be able to shake and bake against Philippe DeNo as good a defensive center as he is. That is where I tend to fall on these things that we look at coaching failures is that's really a superstar failure that the coach couldn't potentially find a way to help along. So I do think it's overstated, but it's not lost on me. Like look at the guys, he's gone against. I've been Cooper and Maurice and you know, Jim Montgomery. I want to Jack Adams. No slouch. He's one championship at college level, which again, like is a pretty we're seeing as more of an indicator of kind of NHL possibility or success. So it's not to say that this is a bad coach he's going against. But this is not a guy who has Stanley Cup ring or not a guy in Maurice who has such a long track record. So yeah, it'll be interesting if there's any difference there. I think it'll play out mostly the same as it has to be perfectly honest, but it's different this time around. Yeah, there's pressure on Jim Montgomery as well. Big time. Yeah. I mean, if they bow out in the first round again with him as the head coach, I don't know if he's getting fired this offseason, but he's it's unnoticed going into next year. You'd certainly think. Yeah, it's how it would work here. I'll tell you that. Well, yeah. I mean, that's not a fair comparison. Well, no, but they it's like they also, I don't I can't remember if it was fired or like his contract was done and they let him go. But the guy who won the cup last year used to coach there in Bruce Cassidy, like that's who he replaced. So that adds to the pressure as well that Cassidy was good there. It's like, Oh, great. You're as good as Bruce Cassidy. Congrats. You're able to keep the machine running. Like I'm just putting Toronto rules of playing here. Man, it's like the seat would be not a little warm. Wouldn't be toasty. Be like when you have the heat warmer crank up or the seat warmer all the way, not just like the first level. Yeah. And we met, I said, who has the most pressure on them going into this postseason? I meant player, but yeah, like Sheldon Keith. And again, though, also, like it's like there's pressure. It's like he's just going to win a series or he's gone. Like it's like, I don't think that's pressure. That's like your your livelihood is on the line. But I don't over the course of two weeks. That seems like a lot of pressure. It is a lot of pressure, but I look at it is I just feel it from such a different perspective, a player versus a coach. Yeah, he's going to change some things. But yeah, it's like he's just sitting there watching this unfold. We all are to a certain extent as his fingers on the buttons. Yeah, turn in some dials. But by the way, do you think? True term time. Do we think Austin Matthews wanted to just like get the Mosquito zapper when Keith was in his ear at the end of that game going? No, enough. I don't smiling. No, no, I don't know. I'm sure it was something sweet like, man, you had a great season. Of course, of course it was. And we did all put yourself in the shoes. You just you yeah, 79 and then you you miss a putt and come over to you right around. Amen. Like, honestly, let's talk about all the times you ripped out. Yeah, because I bet he was like, he hit so many posts this year. Just put yourself in those exact shoes. Did you feel better or do you want to punch me? And I like, I don't think this is a Matthew's doesn't like Keith thing. But I saw him at the end of that game. And it's like, of course, for Keith's sake, you're going to go over and say something. But if Austin Matthews could have, he would have tased them right then and they're just like, get away. Hey, baby. I don't know. I'd like to think that if somebody said, Hey, don't worry. That was a great round of golf. I'd be like, you're right. That was a great round. Are you playing with your dad today? No, he's not playing today. No cards today. Oh, right. Of course. Okay. Well, I hope whoever you play with comes up to you after you miss a putt for some score on 18 and says, Hey, let's talk about all the other ones you missed because it was so good. Here's the thing. Don't do that. If I like make a triple bogey on like 18, that's the thing. If it's like, whoa, it was like, it was kind of a triple bogey. No goals, right? I guess you're hitting a lot of good drives, but it's like that's the equivalent of all the shots he took. It's like a lot of good drives gave yourself looks. Not the new show for it. Yeah, more disappointing. In fact, yeah, hit a good drive. You chunk a wedge. Like that's worse. Yeah, so much worse. All right. And I know that so well. So does our next guest. Not the joke. Like you would never hit a bad shot, but like, man knows golf though. Gosh sure does. Michael Grange next as the fan morning show continues, Ben Annis Brent Gunning Sportsnet 590 the fan covering the blue jays from an analytical perspective, Jay's talk plus with Blake Murphy. Be sure to subscribe and download Jay's talk on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Fan morning show Sportsnet 590 the fan, Ben Annis Brent Gunning, the hammer coming down on jonte Porter and for life from the NBA for a couple of different things, one of which was revealing confidential information to known gamblers and gambling on the NBA himself. Let's talk to Michael Grange Sportsnet's Raptors reporter. How's it going, Michael? It's going good. How are you doing? Doing very well. I'm about to play golf and in mere moments. Although, yeah, Nick Kipro said like I'm stupid for playing today, even though it's like fine, it's not raining, but whatever because it's kind of what we saw. Yeah, we call them fair weather golfers in 26 degrees. Yeah, no country club clipper. You know him. Yeah, it's like I'm glad those people exist because it just clears out the golf course for me. So yeah, I know I know where Kipper plays. He's soft rock. Yeah, I'm going to enjoy myself. Okay, so jonte Porter. Yeah, I'm waiting for some one on one like 60 minute style thing from him to hear from him, which I'm sure all the reporters are grinding on. And I imagine you're very much in the running to do it, Michael. But what do you know about jonte Porter? I'm not that much other than, you know, I have multiple occasions to speak with him, you know, when he was with the team. And he was wonderful. And, you know, just comes across as, you know, just really bright, really modest, really, you know, amiable approachable, like he couldn't be a nicer guy. And, and, and, and, and, and, and my, would come across as very intelligent bright guy, really seemed to appreciate his opportunity, his second life in basketball. I mean, people probably by now are familiar with this story where, you know, he essentially, you know, went from a first round prospect to being undrafted to almost having to retire all because of injuries. And then, you know, kind of getting, you know, being able to kind of engineer this comeback, you know, I had people within the organization saying they expected to offer him a contract. Now it would have been a, you know, probably wasn't going to be like full of guarantees in multiple years, but he was probably going to get a, you know, chunk of money to come to training camp. And if he made the team out of camp, he would have been good for about two million bucks. And so that's what I know, you know, and just staggering that he someone would find himself in this situation. And then almost to the point where you're like, I almost feel like there's another shoe to drop. Like he somehow it's going to come out. He was coerced somehow it's going to come out that somebody was trying to leverage him in some certain way or, you know, maybe, you know, it's, yeah, it just seems unfathomable that based on the fairly limited details that have made the made public, that somebody would take this level of risk for I think what in the end ended up being a $21,000 gain, just absurd. Yeah, that's the, that's the thing I think most people keep coming to. I mean, whether it's some type of coercion, whether it is just a compulsion. And that is what I tend to believe that there has to be something more than just the compulsion part of it. But I'd just be speculating and guessing, what do you, I mean, this didn't affect the Raptors season. But like, what do you think if anything, this is done to the org? Like, has it kind of throwing them for a loop? Is it a shock? Again, like, this isn't the reason the season went the way it did. And this doesn't, you know, up end their future plans here. But I cannot imagine that this didn't kind of, you know, take the organization aback for lack of a better term. Yeah, I think that's a good term. I mean, I mean, you know, it's not like we can suggest that John Tae Porter was a pivotal part of the Raptors future or culture. I mean, he was new to the group. He was, you know, I think if you were going to make any contextual comment, it would be, you know, we've made, it's been a while since they've been able to find a contributing type player via the G League via two-way route. So, I mean, he was shaping up to be potentially a kind of a win for the organization in that sense. I think, you know, I did talk to some people in the organization yesterday and, you know, they kind of said, look, we, we, you know, we saw the comments beside Jeremy and publicly about due diligence, et cetera. And, you know, my understanding is they talk to their people who have, you know, live and work in the G League, right? Like, this is their job is know who G League players are. And it's probably, and in that league, there's only so many of them that are actually NBA potential. So, you know, you can, it's probably not that hard to drill down. And, yeah, and I, and not clearly, they, you know, there's this story that really jumped out to me was a couple of years ago on the action network, I think, if I might be, I think that's the, yeah. That's right, yeah. He was like, he had an MVP account or some, some sort of element. Yeah, he had an MVP account with one of the, one of the big, you know, draft teams are dandel or whatever it was. And, you know, so he was, and he was, so this is when he was in his G League years, and he was betting thousands and thousands of times for a cumulative amount of millions and millions of dollars. And, you know, that, and I think the one that does jump out to me is he also had this discord, and I don't know, like, I'm not even sure I know what that is, but it's basically an online sort of Twitter type platform. And he had a subscription based service where he was touting stock tips and crypto and some sports betting, you know, and I'm sure, for 49 a month, so Ben, you probably could have afforded that, you probably have some great opportunity. And, you know, and that was pretty, right? Like, I mean, I mean, you know, that, that, that surface very quickly after this stuff, it did, way public. And so, you know, I think from an organization, I think a lot of other organizations are going to have to go, okay, we really got to sweep this stuff. Now, just like you used to sweep, you know, is Zizia guys stays out all night as you get some kind of substance predilection, you know, is this family going to be an issue? Like, you know, they do all that stuff. And I think, you know, really sweeping and digging deep on, is there any evidence that this guy is a gambling enthusiast, I think probably has to be part of the equation now. Yeah, it probably could have happened to any organization of the 30 in the NBA. I would think so. Yeah, but I don't know. Like, maybe this is why it took him so long to get back to the NBA's. Other organizations knew that he was, you know, a little out there in that respect, but, you know, it's very clear there's a compulsion. Like, that's no, you can't not argue that, but I guess the question is, you know, at a certain point in that same article, you know, they kind of, he did seem, he gambled a lot, but not on a professional gap, basketball. And so, you know, you just wonder if, you know, why would he, especially when he's all of a sudden, that is, you know, the opportunity is right at its feet. Did he start changing that habit in a way that clearly is causing his career? Like, I mean, that's the one that we don't know. Yeah, I love to find out. Like I said, and like you agree that it could have happened to any franchise, it did happen to the Raptors though, right? Like, it can't happen again to the Raptors. So do they, do they specifically change their protocols? Because they're the team, right? Like you've played on your team and yeah, it could have happened to somebody else, but it happened to you. I think it's just exactly what I said is, you know, this stuff is sort of new, you know, it's not brand new, but it's new-ish. And in terms of the prominence of betting and, you know, actually, you've got Adam Silver making the point that, you know what, like, maybe we've got to talk to all these gambling people we're partners with and say having, you know, individual prop bets is, you know, maybe there's got to be some sort of threshold there where, you know, it's got to be, you know, there's got to be some, you can't have individual prop bets on guys who play nine minutes a night. That's a bad idea. You know, so that's something I think the league needs to address. And I think organized, they see the Raptors specifically, like I said, to the extent they were kind of would check in on, you know, is this guy got a problem, a gambling problem? Like now that's got to probably move way up high on the list alongside other kind of psychological, social, you know, checks and balances they look for. And, and, you know, it's probably as simple as that and how you do that. I don't know. I mean, there's, there's probably ways. Yeah, I mean, when this story first came out, my immediate reaction was we need to have John Tae Porter prop bets. Like we can't just nuke those. I understand you can't make it a one guy. But yeah, like the idea that it's on the, you know, the ninth man on a team that's going to win 20 some odd games. It's like, I think we'll all look, I love placing a docket down just as much as anybody else. But I think we'll all survive if I can't bet the overunder on, well, I never can't again on John Tae Porter. But that's the thing I keep going to with this. You mentioned the idea that gambling now is maybe something that, and this is just like a wakeup call, right? Maybe it's for all NBA teams. Maybe it's for all teams across sports. But like when we talk about the idea of a compulsion, I mean, just with the, and you know, I'm not talking about John Tae Porter, I'm talking about guys who are more established here. But just the amount of money these guys make, I imagine a lot of us would look at what they gamble and say that is a compulsion. But it's not to them because, you know, 10 grand to them is 10 bucks to, to us, like, and there's nothing wrong, I don't think with somebody who wants to bet on another sport, or if they like UFC or whatever it is, like, I think that's the interesting kind of crossroads rat here is just what is exactly palatable to us in this new world? Yeah, I mean, what's the Charles Barkley line, right? I don't have a gambling, you don't have a gambling problem, you can pay your debt, right? Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan, yeah. So, I mean, although, you know, that was an interesting one because gambling at that point wasn't legal. And so his way to gamble was getting in, in, in close association with some pretty shady dudes. And, you know, I think all the kind of myths around that have fairly been debunked. But, you know, I think like the secret suspension, you know, you're not a buyer of that? No, not one bit, not one bit. And don't even get started on the murder of his father, like, because it's pretty tragic. So anyway, but I mean, the point being that the, like, this has sort of been around the game forever and there's plenty of examples. I do sort of subscribe to the theory that, as it's legal, there's more checks and balances and monitoring going on. You know, but an interesting point is, is, you know, if this was a, you know, we talk about compulsive and you talk about addiction. And, you know, now you're in, as a business, you're in debt with companies that let's face it sort of prey on that a little bit, right? Like, I mean, you know, that's people who bet like me, you know, 10 bucks on the Super Bowl once a year, I don't make any money for Pendle, so to speak, or whatever I'm supposed to be saying in our station. But, you know, the, like, there's, there is money we made on somebody who just can't, who just constantly bets. Some of those people can do it. Just, you know, they can't take it or leave it. Others truly can't. And so it's all, there's a kind of a health and safety side of it, where if this was another type of addiction, how would we monitor to deal with it and the rest? And, and, you know, I, I'm kind of okay with, yeah, like, this is a, the, the rail, third rail you can't touch. And, and, you know, I think it, it may be appropriate for the, you know, the NBA player association of the league to, you know, look, we're not going to see this very often. Like, I mean, it's, it's, you know, it's pretty sensational, but I'm sorry, where you're just not going to see case after case of, you know, players doing this. But in the case where they do, or they otherwise do have some kind of gambling compulsion that to develop, you know, there needs to be treatment options available. You know, for those players, I think that's a reasonable thing to do, that if you're going to, you know, be part of the machine that promotes gambling to the extent, pro sports leagues and many companies do now, you know, you need to accept the technology that there's going to be some victims. So I think that's probably a work discussion. And I'm no expert. I really am not. But, you know, someone did make the point to me that sure, John State Porter or the equivalent, you know, prop bets. Yeah, some of the most 80 grand on John State Porter on the unders. You know, that's, that's going to stand out because I bet there wasn't three people doing that. There was only one. And, you know, and, and so that's really interesting. But somebody betting, uh, 500 grand on the unders for Little Bond James, for Jimmy Butler, for, you know, pick a star, that's not going to stand out. And that's a really interesting quandary is, you know, like, like, why would any of these players who's established and rich and successful want to, you know, participate in that kind of stuff makes no sense. But again, you know, you know, if you, it's not inconceivable and it would be much, much harder to catch into tech, I think, you know, on that front. So that's kind of an interesting wrinkle to this that people really haven't talked to all that much. It's, yeah, it's, it's ridiculous that you can have on there's individual prop bets on marginal players. But, you know, it wouldn't be all that hard for, you know, for the players who actually do attract a lot of betting action to participate in in some kind of skill like this on a different scale. Yeah, it's hard to believe that somebody, yeah, it's one thing to give up theoretical $2 million on a guaranteed NBA contract. If you're John T. Porter, it's quite another to give up, you know, you know, your whatever $50 million max deal. Yeah, I don't know. But it's contextual, right? Like, I mean, you know, so many games in regular season are meaningless, right, for various reasons. And, you know, let's just play devil's outfit. You're, you're a guy who's making, you know, the mid-level $15 million near the end of your career. And, you know, you show up, let's make it even a star, like a well-known guy. And, and a game means nothing to anybody that, you know, the seasonings are set, whatever you want to say, we all notice hundreds of games like that near the end of the year. And, you know, I'm just going to say, I tweak my knee in the second quarter, and I run all the enders, and somebody put, you know, 500 grand on my enders, parlayed them, and that's worth a $10 million payout. Yeah, I get five, he gets five, everyone's happy. I mean, why wouldn't that happen? I have no idea. Yeah, I'd like somebody to put $5 million in my unders as well. All right. I don't have the money to bet, but whatever we're doing, I'm taking the other. Can we do something on your golf game, Ben? Can we take the over? Over is the play there. All the overs. Yeah, looking forward to getting out there, walking. No cards today, Grange, because it's so soggy, but yeah, gotta walk. You've been training all winter for this. Yeah, absolutely. So you're fighting the good fight. Yeah. Yeah, that's why I lifted all those weights was to go out there and walk 18 holes. All right, Michael, always a pleasure. Thank you, as always. All right, back to you guys. See you up, Michael Grange sports that's own. I still tend to think like, I mean, what is, okay, in this day and age, even like the marginal player, right? Like, yeah, if you spend five years on an NBA roster, you're rich beyond most people's wildest dreams. So what, for an extra five 10 million bucks, you're gonna risk what John T. Porter did? That's the thing. It's like, well, John T. Porter, how could he throw it all away? It's like, what? Really? I mean, yeah, I guess there was something there. And yeah, there are things more important than money. So I'm told in life, like, like playing professional basketball. But yeah, it's, it's an easier argument to be made. I think it's still clearly anybody of sound mind would say risk, not worth the reward there in the quarter case. And that's why he becomes, for me, a sympathetic figure with what is probably in Grange's right to raise the possibility of something, some other shoe to drop here, some other part of the story, or some severe, severe gambling addiction that he couldn't kick. But yeah, the idea of, and everybody could tell it and even Grange is like coming up with an example. He's like, you don't want to even use a name. No, of course not, right? But yeah, I mean, who is the roster player? Like, John T. Porter is not an NBA player. And like, he was going to maybe make $2 million next year. Yeah. Like, that's what we're talking here. This is, this is not some other sport. This is not Caitlyn Clark making 90 grand, right? In the WNBA. Now, by the way, she's apparently on the verge of signing this deal with Nike. Yes, she's going to get her own shoe. And yeah, I think she's going to be okay. Yeah, she's going to be fine. But I just, that, that one, I never thought was really going to be an issue. It's the, yeah, the John, we don't need these player props on John T. Porter. Did money use a name in the NBA? But throw a little Caitlyn Clark under the bus. No problem. Hey, all right. We know where you stand. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I agree. I know you're just making a point. And you're right. Those are the, I think the thing you say about is if you're somebody that's going to have even a five year NBA career, I just think the thing that, and I'm not saying you're blind to this, but so many of us are is like, and not to make everything about the Leafs, but like Nick Robertson has proven he can be an NHL player and he barely has a career right now. Like the idea that you're so certain you're going to have a five year career. If you're not one of these, I don't want to say star level player, but a guy who just like waltzes in and is in the league, it is far from anything that's promised. So I do think not that I think this is some epidemic. And I think there's a thousand other John T. Porter's out there. I don't. And I think this deterrent is enough to, you know, push that away for almost all people. But the idea that if you're some guy who's like, I'm going to have a five year NBA career, why are you like, I keep having names pop into my head and I don't want to use any of them? But it's like, why are you so sure you're going to have a five year career? It's in the cards. Yeah. But if I'm offering you again, if you're this untoward shady figure in a parking garage somewhere, and I'm offering you the chance at five million bucks, it's like, there is enough there that even one more person I think would think about it. I don't know. It's just such a key situation. It's about to happen too. Also, it has to be said. What once we opened everything up again, like it was bound to happen with somebody. Yep. And because of legalized gambling, it's easier to detect. Yep. This is true. Do you think we hear from John T. Porter? Yes, I think we have to. Not like we have to. I just think either there's like, I think there's another shoe to drop and there's more to the story. And I think eventually it's going to come to a point where he wants it to come to light. Maybe or maybe there's just so much shame there that he's like, I've embarrassed my family enough. And my brother still is a significant player in this league with the championship and trying to win another one. Like I'm just going to slink off into the background. And maybe when his career is over, I'll write a bone or I'll do the tell all, but not in any, not anytime soon. What's he going to do? Like, I mean, I got, I'm being a little flippant here, but like, you know, he's got to do something with his life. Like I imagine he gets back on discord, hawking cryptocurrency or whatever it was. He again, I understand as little as grain, just to what happens on in there. And again, I don't even know what's going on, but like, he's going to have to, unless he's just going to go play basketball in, I don't know, like, some backwater ninth division league somewhere, which I don't even know if they want him. I don't know. Maybe it's like a draw. It's like the guy banned by the NBA, but he's going to have to do something. And I do think part of that will be a public platform of some, I don't pretend to know Johnny Porter is financial situation. He's like, it's got to work. I guess I guess. Yeah. Unless you want to be your brother's manager or some 25. He's forgot how much money he's got. He's like, what, 25 years old, 26. It's got a lot of life ahead of him. Like, it's going to have to do something. It's, it's really weird. Um, and boy, I never thought Alex Rodriguez's image could be rehabilitated, but now he's like an accepted member of, I just, I just thought of this. You know what it will be? What he will be like the guy who goes to, like he will give talks to college basketball teams. That's like what he's going to do. He's going to go in and pay the bills. Well, I think, like there are people who do this with like not gambling, but it's like, hey, like, you know, like they bring in people to talk to football teams all the time. These people go on tours, like it's not going to, it's not going to make millions of dollars. Like he was in the NBA, but I think I actually think, especially if it's the sympathetic figure and there's some other shoe to drop here, then I think we definitely see him end up being effectively like, uh, don't do what I did. Learn for me, kids. Not a Pete Rose, like signing baseballs in Vegas. I don't think so. Probably not. All right. We'll be back. Better start off. Yep. It's been the fan morning show. Sports at five nine of the fan Ben Dennis, Brent Gunning. Good morning. So nothing accomplished.
