The Grant Napear Show - June 1, 2012

Today on the Grant Napear Show, the main topic was overrated players throughout sports. Grant asked who the most overrated players in the MLB, NFL, NBA and other sports are. He took calls on why people thought players including Blake Griffin, Tony Romo, LeBron James and Brandon Belt are all overrated. Grant interviewed Scott Howard-Cooper, Eric Karros and Fred Biletnikoff.
Scott Howard-Cooper from NBA.com joined Grant today to talk about the NBA Playoffs. Scott is covering the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs series. He talked about how the Oklahoma City area is generally all about college sports, but the fans have embraced the NBA more than anyone could have ever expected. He said that Oklahoma City is a lot like Sacramento because the Thunder isn't just a team, but they're part of the community.

Next, Scott and Grant talked about the Spurs' 20-point loss in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Scott said that the Thunder displayed the effort and focus that their head coach, Scott Brooks wanted to see. Oklahoma City down 2-0 in the series played like it was an elimination game by leaving it all on the court and playing hard for all 48 minutes. Scott said that San Antonio will respond, and despite game 3, this is still the Spurs' series to lose.

Grant also asked about comparing this Spurs team to the last Spurs team to win a championship. Scott said that the conversation is fascinating because the teams are so different. He said that no team with long term success in the NBA has ever been so drastically different over time. The Spurs used to win using a ton of defense, but now they have shifted to more of an offensive approach. Scott said that the shift in philosophy while maintaining success speaks to the greatness of Gregg Popovich as a head coach.

Finally, Scott and Grant discussed the NBA Draft Lottery. Scott said he isn't surprised that fans continue to say the lottery is fixed. He thinks that people assume the NBA isn't fair because the Tim Donaghy refereeing scandal negatively affected the league's image. In other sports, if a ref blows a call or something, it is just a "blown call." Only in the NBA do people assume a fix is in. Grant and Scott talked about why the system is not fixed like many fans think it is, however both agree that the lottery system is flawed and requires change.

Eric Karros from Fox Sports was on with Grant today to talk about Major League Baseball. Grant and Eric talked about the Giants and Dodgers. The Giants currently trail the Dodgers by five games, but that is with Tim Lincecum struggling and the Giants having a much more difficult schedule than the Dodgers. Eric said that the Dodgers will compete in the National League West, but playing without Matt Kemp and going on tough road trips coming up will be an indicator of how good the team is.

Eric and Grant also discussed the Chicago Cubs, Umpires and summer heat in the Midwest. Eric said that the Cubs didn't have expectations coming into this year, and with their lack of talent, there isn't much room for error if they want to compete in the NL Central. They talked about umpire scrutiny in the wake of Russell Martin's comments about Laz Diaz. Eric said that in the digital age, there's a lot more of a spotlight on umpires, as people all over the country can get information about every game rather just the local ones. Grant and Eric also shared stories about baseball during the summer in the Midwest.

Fred Biletnikoff joined Grant today to discuss his foundation and his upcoming golf tournament. Fred's foundation was established to support young women recovering from substance abuse, and giving educational courses in preventing domestic violence. The golf tournament starts on Monday, and is in support of the foundation. Fred said the tournament gets unbelievable support from athletes and other celebrities, and since everyone there is so willing to participate, it is a very fun and relaxed atmosphere.

Next, Grant and Fred talked about the Oakland Raiders. Fred said that he likes what the Raiders have done by cleaning the slate with the organization. He said that the organization is re-starting a lot of things and there is a lot of new energy for the organization. Fred also discussed the NFL's rule changes in regards to safety, and how he thinks the league is taking good steps in helping players with injuries.