The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil question which team has the better “core four” between the Clipper and Nuggets. How does Jamal compare to James Harden? Will Aaron Gordon be the defensive force he has in past post seasons? Will Norman Powell continue to be a “Nuggets killer”? Zach and Phil revisit CU’s decision to retire Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders’ numbers. Was this move premature? We hear Coach Prime address the issue and claim if Shedeur Sanders wasn’t a “Sanders” this wouldn’t be a problem. If Shedeur wasn’t a “Sanders” would the university even be retiring number 2? DenverSports.com’s Jake Shapiro joins the show to break down the Nuggets and Clippers playoff series. Will Michael Porter Jr. shrink in this series like he has in the past vs physical defenses? What defensive schemes will Ty Lue throw at Jokic and the Nuggets?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil dive into the Broncos draft prospects as we are only a week out from the first round. Could the Broncos get aggressive and trade up to draft Ashton Jeanty? How much of a gap is there between Jeanty and the rest of the running back draft class? How much will Sean Payton be involved in the Broncos draft selections vs George Paton? We hear from Avalanche GM, Chris MacFarland on Gabe Landeskog’s potential return and the importance of Val Nichushkin to the team. Why would the team wait to play Landeskog until game 3 of the series? Should we be concerned about Val potentially slipping up and missing playoff games for the third straight post season? We wrap up the show with the biggest stories in Denver sports today.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Phil and Richie cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys discuss if the Broncos should be aggressive and trade up for Ashton Jeanty. Is Jeanty a “can’t miss” prospect?  What would the guys be willing to give up, to ensure the Broncos could draft Jeanty? Richie and Phil react to Jeanty comments about the Broncos and how much they have been in talks. With the Nuggets and Clippers playoff series around the corner, we pick who will be the Nuggets x-factor in the series. Who needs to step up the most for the Nuggets? Will we see a fully healthy Jamal Murray in the 2025 playoffs? Will Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun be able to limit Kawhi Leonard and James Harden?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Phil and Richie debate if Gabe Landeskog should be on the ice for the Avalanche come playoff time. Is it fair to ask Gabe Landeskog and Avs faithful to wait until next season to see him in an Avs jersey? Does Avs coach Bednar have to protect Gabe from himself and rule him out of the playoffs? Today’s “Three Count” features the Rockies having the worst start to a season in franchise history, the Warriors securing the 7th seed in the western conference with impressive performances from Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry, and former Tennessee quarterback, Nico Iamaleava finding a new home at UCLA. What are the top five positions of need for the Broncos in the upcoming NFL draft?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Phil and Richie examine the potential fits for rookie running backs for the Broncos. What does each top end rookie running back bring to the table? What position group on the defense needs to be added to from the draft? Phil walks us through what his draft experience was like as an undrafted free agent. How will Sean Payton and George Paton split their duties when it comes to selecting players during the draft? We pivot the Nuggets and Avalanche and question what will be the toughest thing each team has to overcome to make it out of the first round. Will David Adelman inexperience come back to haunt the Nuggets? Will the Avalanche’s depth be able to continue to shine in the playoffs? How will a first-time playoff goaltender perform for the Avs?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Phil and Richie debate if the Broncos would and should trade up in the draft to select Ashton Jeanty. Is Jeanty the running back that could take this Broncos offense to the next level? How much are the guys willing to give up to the top 10 of the draft? How important is it for the Broncos next running back to be a “three-down back”? Phil explains his frustration with CU for retiring Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s numbers. Does CU need to stand up to Coach Prime and tell him no? We wrap up the show with the biggest storylines in Denver sports today.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Cecil. The guys discuss Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter getting their numbers retired at Colorado. Are both guys deserving of having their number retired? What are the betting odds saying about the Nuggets and Clippers series? Should Nuggets nation be supremely confident in the Nuggets walking through their first round series? Why are the odds shifting away from the Nuggets as the days go by? Zach asks Phil, if he could magically have either Gabe Landeskog 100% healthy or Val Nichushkin 100% guaranteed to be reliable for the Avs playoff run, who would he pick. We look at the history of Sean Payton trading up in the first round and wonder if we are in store for this this season with the Broncos. Could the Broncos trade up for a stud in Ashton Jeanty or Tyler Warren or could they draft at 20 and then trade back into the end of the first round for another player?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the University of Colorado retiring both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders’ numbers. Is the university rushing this process since the players both left the program within the year? Phil explains why he has a problem with CU having Hunter and Sanders jump the line to have their number retired and lists the players he believes should have that honor first. Is CU erasing their history by only honoring their most recent stars? Does it take anything away from Travis by having Shedeur receiving the same honor even though Hunter won a Heisman? Today’s “Three Count” includes Travis Hunter saying he won’t play football if a team restricts him from playing on both sides of the ball, the NBA’s play-in tournament kicking off tonight, and the Rockies ending their scoreless streak at 32 innings. Zach and Phil react to ESPN’s Field Yates and Mel Kiper Jr.’s alternating mock draft. Who do they project the Broncos to select with their 20th and 51st picks?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil examine the betting when it comes to the Nuggets and Clipper playoff series. How have the odds changed since the series was announced? And who are the current odds favoring in this first round matchup? What does Jokic and Clippers center, Zubac’s history say about their matchup? Zach asks Phil, if he could magically have either Gabe Landeskog 100% healthy or Val Nichushkin 100% guaranteed to be reliable for the Avs playoff run, who would he pick. Between the Avalanche and the Nuggets, which team will benefit from a week off before starting the playoffs? Will either team come into the playoffs rusty? We look at the history of Sean Payton trading up in the first round and wonder if we are in store for this this season with the Broncos. Could the Broncos trade up for a stud in Ashton Jeanty or Tyler Warren or could they draft at 20 and then trade back into the end of the first round for another player? Are the Broncos close enough to go for it and mortgage some of their future?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the University of Colorado retiring both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders’ numbers. Phil explains why he has a problem with CU having Hunter and Sanders jump the line to have their number retired and lists the players he believes should have that honor first. Is the university rushing this process since the players both left the program within the year? Does it take anything away from Travis by having Shedeur receiving the same honor even though Hunter won a Heisman? We hear from Fox Sports and former CU Buff Joel Klatt and his thoughts on the university retiring Hunter and Sanders’ numbers. Should it be alarming that so many former Buffs disagree with the university’s decision? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com’s Aniello Piro joining the show.