With the NFL coming back this week, we decided to look across each conference on two separate podcasts. First, we looked at the NFC and discussed: 

-Bears picking Trubisky over Foles

-Was the Khalil Mack trade worth it?

- How much does Yannick Ngakoue help the Vikings

-Who wins the NFC North

-Who is the best QB in the NFC South and overall best team

-Clowney possibly to the Saints

-Dak vs. Wentz who would you rather have going forward?

-Who wins the NFC East?

-Do the Seahawks overtake the Niners in the West?

-Do the Rams bounce back? 

-Kyler Murray is the real deal.

Enjoy!

Emmette and Keith are back. Rashawn starts off expressing his displeasure seeing how great Jimmy Butler is performing in the playoffs and no longer a Bull. We recap DEN-UTA game 7 and choose between Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell going forward. We preview DEN-LAC and HOU vs OKC game 7 and decide how much trouble the Raptors are in (hint: A LOT). Enjoy!

Emmette and Ketih join Rashawn again to discuss the NBA postponing Wednesday's games. This action was led by the Milwaukee Bucks, because in Kenosha, Wisc. unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot in the back seven times by police as he walked away from a situation. We talk about the state of the country, how historic this protest is and still discuss some basketball on the back end. Enjoy!

Thanks to my good friends Emmette Knuckles and Keith McCarthy for coming on to talk NBA playoffs. They are starting, like, right now... but we break down each series. And it is really good, so enjoy!

Jim Boylen's gone!!! And the Chicago Bulls' rebuild can officially begin with (hopefully) competent executives at the helm. I reached out to Jack Silverstein, who I met through legendary Chicago sportswriter Rick Telander, to discuss his upcoming book "6 Rings" and all things Bulls. We just so happened to choose the day Boylen was fired. We obviously discuss that, we get into Jack's motivation for writing this book and the great things he's finding out about the 90's teams during his research. We also touch on the Last Dance's back-and-forth format, the misstep of not covering Jerry Krause more in the docuseries and Jack's favorite Scottie Pippen trade rumor. Enjoy!!!

The Rashawn Franklin Pod is International!!!!!! Thanks to Canada's finest the True North Views Podcast from coming on to discuss the resurgence of Coke Rap in hip hop. I didn't want this to be a Griselda appreciation podcast, but it is impossible to mention the current state of rap without these guys -- who are on an incredible run. We discuss the masterpiece that Westside Gunn's "Pray for Paris" is, Which album we prefer from Freddie Gibbs -- Bandana or Alfredo. Daringer and Alchemist's ability to cook up these beats and which album we are looking forward to most between Benny, Conway and Boldy. I also declare that BENNY THE BUTCHER IS THE BEST RAPPER IN THE GAME, a take I will stand by for a long time. This was a great discussion. Check it out!!!

Our third and final installment of this talk included Kevin Kaspar. Kevin is a former D-1 basketball player (WKU) and current professional player in his home country of Turkey. We talked about Kevin's college recruitment process, his feelings about athletes being able to make money off their likeness, and his journey to playing professionally. He also played with number 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett in high school, so I HAD to ask him about that. Another great conversation. Enjoy!

Rashawn is joined by Katie Lever and Emmette Knuckles to continue the discussion on the financial value of the NCAA recruit, specifically the NCAA finally caving and allowing athletes to earn money off their names, images and likeness. Katie is a former D-1 athlete at WKU and current PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin studying NCAA rhetoric. She provided incredible insight on the topic and will soon publish a book on the relationship between the NCAA and its athletes. It was a great discussion. Enjoy!

Rashawn is again joined by his good friend Emmette Knuckles. This time they had a timely discussion on the financial value of the (mostly Black) NCAA recruit and player. We first talked about Emmette's uncle, Holman Harley, and his experience as a West Virginia recruit in the 80's. His uncle was also instrumental in helping Tim Duncan pick Wake Forest when he was deciding on where to play -- Emmette tells that story as well. We break down the worth of the college athlete based off a study by USF professor Richard Borghesi, discuss the trend of top players heading to HBCUs, talk about student-athletes being able to make money off their likeness and celebrity and also discuss if the G-League could be a viable option as a minor league system for the NBA.

One of my favorite episode to date. Enjoy!

Rashawn is joined by former ProFootballTalk writer Mike Wilkening to draft NFL QBs ahead of the 2020 season (spoiler: Patty Mahomes was the first pick). We also discuss the NFL’s arrogance regarding COVID, what the Big Ten’s conference-only schedule means and more. Enjoy!