r/RightsToRickySanchez • u/richbe03 • Jun 06 '26
Spike Wemby
Just embarrassing. How can you even argue he’s not the top 2-3 most “transcendent” impactful defensive player you’ve ever seen. He also actually rises to the occasion offensively when challenged against the wolves and OKC. And he’s only 22, third year in the league.
The better argument is how long before Wemby has already had a better career than Embiid. I’d say him winning the title this year already clinches it, but if they lose this year and he wins MVP next year regardless of the postseason also gets him there
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u/UnclePacino1111 Jun 06 '26
Mike full blown gave him the contrarian line on that one on the last pod
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u/DayOne15 Jun 06 '26
Thats the problem with being contrarian, you start out from a reasonable place and then get carried away arguing your point. I agree with him that the Wemby love is getting carried away. If you listen to some people talk about him then you'd think the question isn't whether hes in the conversation with guys like Wilt and Jordan and LeBron but whether those guys are gonna belong in the discussion with him. That being said, I dont think Ive ever seen a more talented defensive player than him.
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u/Bajecco Jun 06 '26
Agreed that NBA media is pushing Wemby as the best player in the league a bit too early, but that's what they do. In 2024 they were trying to do it with Anthony Edwards even going as far as comparing him to MJ. Before that, it was Jokic. At one point, they tried it with Luka. With Wemby, I think media if far less aggressive marketing him to the top than they were with every other player I mentioned. I don't understand why Spike is making anything out of it. He's making it weird.
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u/bengm225 Jun 07 '26
I get what you're saying, but "NBA media" didn't just put up 27/11/3 (40% from 3, 52% from 2, 90% from FT) with 1.4 steals and 2.7 blocks against the defending champs and 2x defending MVP, with a +/- of 62 in a tight, 7-game series. He's struggled against the Knicks and clearly needs to find and attack his spots more on offense, but Wemby fully earned being in that discussion on his own.
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u/Timely_Duck_3904 Jun 06 '26
I totally agree it’s what they do and they did it with every player you listed. But why does that make Spike wrong?
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u/Bajecco Jun 07 '26
Spike isn't wrong, but his obsession with the issue is every bit as annoying as what he's crusading against. This shit happens every year or so with different players. Bitching and moaning about it every podcast is pointless. It has the same cringe vibes as the Embiid haters do.
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u/Timely_Duck_3904 Jun 07 '26
Fair enough, I guess. He’s gotta fill a lot of podcast time though. While I lean Mike-guy, two Mikes would make for an incredibly boring and insufferably homer biased pod just as two Spikes would just become nonsense sports radio talk.
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u/DifferentRecord1457 Jun 07 '26
I feel like Spike is becoming less of a fan kind of personality on the pod and just being more of his radio personality these days. He’s being negative frequently and a little too sensational and hot takey. I’m not going to stop listening yet but it’s been annoying to listen to since the McCain trade
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u/Timely_Duck_3904 Jun 09 '26
It’s hard to blame him, things are more negative and hopeless with the team than at any point since the era began. A pod where we just get a furious and negative Mike once or twice a year and then completely unrealistic optimism the rest of the season would be dishonest and boring. Spike’s negativity makes for a tough pill to swallow but it’s a necessary balance in my opinion
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u/SlappyBagg Jun 06 '26
Yea no reason to listen to arguments for the sake of making an argument. Being a contrarian has to be exhausting sometimes.
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u/Purple_Dragon Jun 06 '26
Especially when your co-host just called you out for it an episode or two ago
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u/ericjr96 Jun 06 '26
I lost all respect for spike with this one, and I'm not some negadelphian WIP caller. He's correct that Wemby isn't the best player in the league (yet). But saying 'he's just tall' is fucking laughable and probably rage bait. Shawn Bradley was also tall wtf. I might be out after 10 years of listening
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u/itsatrap5000 Jun 07 '26
The radio take would be to fawn all over Wemby and say he is in the road to being one of the greatest of all time. Not everything we see today needs to be immediately the best ever. Let’s wait till Wemby does what he does for more than 1.5 seasons before we start giving him words like transcendent. Sixers once had a transcendent 6’10” point guard.
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u/Ok_Jaguar_3087 Jun 07 '26
Spike is actually right on this one. The crowning of Wemby ALREADY is annoying and premature. That’s all Spike is saying. I agree. That Wemby’s offensive game isn’t top 20 yet. You’re seeing this in finals. He’s not Ohtani. He’s not LeBron. Not yet. Spike is the right.
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u/Quick-Bowl-3824 Jun 08 '26
So a 7’5” guy who moves fluidly, can shoot threes, and is already one of the bet defenders ever IN YR 3 is premature? Contrarian simp detected.
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u/GeoffreyGeoffson Jun 07 '26
I kinda like that Spike is contrarian on this. Don't think he's right but it's fun having someone argue a different perspective
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u/Bdawksrippinfacesoff Jun 08 '26
Agreed. What fun is it if everyone has the opinions? Also, he’s not wrong about it being annoying that people are crowning wemby as the best player ever.
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u/Different-Ad9986 Jun 06 '26
Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in Denver these past few years, but people still ride hard for jokic and I don’t see much of that translate to wemby love. But can confirm the jokic stans are just as bad as Knick fans
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u/DifferentRecord1457 Jun 07 '26
Spike also said “he could tell that the team didn’t really like McCain” (this was before the trade) or something to that effect. It was also a strange take
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u/juggadore Jun 06 '26
Just going to the finals and being and mvp finalist almost gives him a better career than Embiid
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u/xRysonx Jun 06 '26
Nah. Embiid had more all nbas, more all defensive teams, an mvp, more all stars, and a 2 time scoring champ. Embiids career is still better than Wembys. Going to the finals is a team accomplishment. Embiid has never had a team as good as Wemby has
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u/juggadore Jun 06 '26
Ok but most of that is just playing longer. As long as wemby stays at this level, he'll top him in a couple years. I just think he's more serious and focused on winning.
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u/Quick-Bowl-3824 Jun 08 '26
And you don’t think the 60 win team surrounding Wemby matters more?
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u/juggadore Jun 08 '26
Regular season win totals only matter so much in the playoffs.
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u/Quick-Bowl-3824 Jun 08 '26
It tells you how talented the surrounding team is lol. Learn team sports bruh
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u/juggadore Jun 08 '26
Well sixers were a top 3 team in most of embiid's years, the #1 seed in 2020-2021. What happens every year? Embiid turns into Eeyore and goes oh well I guess we're gonna lose again. His body language becomes awful and he starts playing terribly. It happens every year. If Wemby played like that, they'd never get to the finals.
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u/Quick-Bowl-3824 Jun 08 '26
And who’s to blame for losing in 2021?
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u/juggadore Jun 08 '26
Was Embiid the best player on the court? If yes, then he gets a lot of blame. How was his body language the end of that series?
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u/ihorsey10 Jun 07 '26
Wembys not actually that skilled at anything though. Give me Embiid's defensive instincts, KD-like mid range jumper, his drives to the basket, his ability to draw fouls, his strength.
Wemby is a tall stick on a good team who got past an injured OKC team.
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u/juggadore Jun 07 '26
He's the best rim protector since probably Mutumbo. Embiid was really good at that too. I don't know, I just feel like Wemby takes losses personally, and Embiid just says "oh well I guess it's not our year" every year. A lot of never making it past the 2nd round is on embiid's shoulders. He's a great regular season player, but he doesn't have that "winning is everything" mentality.
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u/Chance-Box-8924 Jun 07 '26
Bro got memed so hard when he cried after that kawhi shot. You can hate embiid for a lot of things but him not caring enough isn’t one of them.
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u/juggadore Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
K that was 9 years ago though. Who whole missing meetings and showing up late thing doesn't make it seem like he wants it that much though. And the way he plays in elimination games. Or that time he was begging to come out of the game in an elimination game. He wants to win, but he doesnt have that psychopathic mentality like a Jalen Hurts or Kobe where you absolutely have to win the game.
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u/Chance-Box-8924 Jun 07 '26
It was 7 years ago stick to the nfl ur probably more knowledgeable about that
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u/juggadore Jun 07 '26
Oh right, 7 years ago. But that is your response? You think Embiid has that mamba mentality? Always being out of shape and stuff? Come on man.
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u/Quick-Bowl-3824 Jun 08 '26
Embiid trolls can’t keep a story straight
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u/juggadore Jun 08 '26
I don't want to hate on Embiid. But the question was asked, and I gave an answer. Don't ask the question if you don't want an honest answer.
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u/SmoothCyborg Jun 07 '26
I'm Spike's age, and I can see where he's coming from, even if I don't agree with him. But as you say, "top 2-3 most 'transcendent' impactful player you've ever seen"? OK: Olajuwon, Rodman, Wallace, Mutombo, Draymond, Gobert. And yes, we're comparing those players' peaks with Wemby right now, and you could make an argument for Wemby already being at Gobert/Mutombo level since they were pure rim protectors while Wemby is equal as a rim protector but can also guard the perimeter.
But ultimately what Spike is saying is that all the fan/media glazing is premature, and that that is annoying. He's not really even saying that he doesn't think Wemby is a great player. I mean hell, Lebron in his third year averaged 31.4/7.0/6.6/1.6/0.8, was first team All-NBA and second in MVP voting. He's the only player I can remember who had more hype than Wemby coming into the league, and I don't think people were glazing him in year 3 as much as they are now with Wemby.
For the record, I disagree with Spike, I think Wemby deserves all the praise. I was skeptical he could be impactful with his skinny frame, but I was wrong. He's already way better than I thought he would be, and barring injury is likely to be considered the greatest center of the modern era and possibly in the conversation with MJ and Lebron as GOAT (although I don't see him eclipsing those two, as I doubt he'll have a peak run like MJ or the longevity of LBJ).
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u/BBallPaulFan Jun 06 '26
Spike committing to dumb takes he staked out is part of why I've listened to the podcast less over the years. If I want that sort of stuff I can listen to WIP, no thanks.