The Grant Napear Show - March 28, 2012

Today on the Grant Napear show there was a lot of discussion about Magic Johnson's bidding group purchasing the Dodgers, the NFL's rule changes regarding replay challenges and the Sacramento Kings. Grant took calls about what listeners thought regarding the Dodgers being sold to Magic Johnson's bidding group, the pros and cons of the new NFL replay and overtime rules, as well as the Kings's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. Grant interviewed Sean Elliot and Scot Pollard.

Sean Elliot the Spurs television color man talked about the Spurs. Grant asked about San Antonio's success and how they continue to have it year in and year out, and Sean said that it was possible because of San Antonio's ability to plug guys into their rotation. He said that DeJuan Blair, Daniel Green, and Kawhi Leonard are all fitting in well as young guys along with the veterans Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli.

Next, Sean talked about the Spurs's matchup against the Kings. He said that the Kings do play the Spurs well, citing the Kings giving the Spurs their first home loss of the season. Sean noted that the Spurs do not take the Kings lightly and their coach, Gregg Popovich emphasizes bringing the right amount of respect and fear to games against the Kings. He talked about the Spurs being very aware of the talent of players like Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins.

Grant also asked about Tony Parker's possible NBA MVP candidacy. Sean said that Parker should be a top 5 candidate because with an aging Tim Duncan and an injured Manu Ginobli, Parker has been able to step his game up to a new level to keep the Spurs in contention for a top seed in the Western Conference. Sean said that he thought the Spurs would be a .500 team without Ginobli, but Parker has elevated his game and kept San Antonio as a contender.

As far as San Antonio being a contender this season, Sean said that Memphis beating them last year was an anomaly. According to Sean, the Spurs could have been in the NBA Finals last year had Manu Ginobli been healthy. Sean said that San Antonio had Oklahoma City's number, along with Dallas's number. This year he said that no team matches up with them well, and they could find themselves in the NBA Finals again.

Next, Sean discussed his alma mater Arizona and the Pac-12 conference. He said that the conference is in a tough situation in a down year, but thinks that the conference will be back to prominence soon. He also talked about the Pac-12 not putting any quality teams in the NCAA tournament this season.

Sean also gave his thoughts on some of the Kings players. He talked about Jimmer Fredette and how he is on the right path to success. He said that as long as Jimmer continues to put his work in before games and remains patient, he'll find success in the NBA. Grant also asked about what matchups to watch tonight, and Sean said that Isaiah Thomas will be exciting to watch despite not getting much hype. Sean also said he'd have an eye on Demarcus Cousins tonight, who will be matched up against Tim Duncan. Sean said that the matchup down low would be fun to watch because of Cousins's talent, and Duncan playing better as the season has progressed.

Former Kansas Jayhawk/Sacramento King and Kansas radio personality Scot Pollard joined Grant to talk about the Jayhawks's Final Four matchup against Ohio State. Scot was in disbelief that despite Kansas being a two-seed, and their rich basketball history, Kansas was still the underdog in the Final 4 game. Scot talked about how great of a coach Bill Self is and how this year's Kansas team is relatively weak compared to years past. Despite all of that though, Scot still believes that Kansas will not be able to take down the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Final Four and reach the National Championship game.

Next, Grant and Scot looked at the other side of the bracket at Kentucky. Scot said that Kentucky is the most talented team in the country. According to Scot, Kentucky has the most talented team in the country. However, he doesn't think that John Calipari is a great coach. Calipari is a great recruiter and motivator, but nothing else. Should Kentucky play Ohio State in the National Championship Game, like Scot thinks they will, Ohio State will beat Kentucky in a close game because Thad Matta is a better coach than Calipari. However, Kentucky is talented enough to overwhelm any team in the country, in which case the coaching aspect doesn't matter so much.

Next, Scot and Grant talked about the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan, whom Scot played against in college and the NBA. Scot said that he got the best of Duncan their freshman year in college, but after that, Duncan owned him. Scot said that Duncan is a student of the game and one of the all-time greats. He said he's a genius at using his body and taking advantage of his smarts around the basket.

Scot went a little more in depth about Ohio State in talking about their matchup with Kansas in the Final Four. He said that the Buckeyes's point guard Aaron Craft will be the X-factor in this game. Craft is widely regarded as the best on-ball defender in the country, and could cause the Jayhawks to struggle if he puts the clamps down on defense.

Finally, Scot and Grant talked about Andrew Bynum. Scot suggested that Hollywood and the LA lifestyle has gotten to Bynum. Scot disagreed with the idea that Bynum should extend his game beyond the 3-point line. He said that Bynum needs to be in the post and in the key dunking the ball and blocking shots.