Family Dinner Debates: Would You Pick Up Air Bud's Team Option?

 We're in the thick of the holiday season which means the air gets colder, the days get shorter, and you spend more time than usual with extended family members. Time with family is nice, there's no doubt about it, but after the initial catch-up small talk there can be a lull until one of the uncles gets drunk enough to trigger your Antifa cousin. Nobody likes talking politics, nobody likes talking about their job, and in reality if you talk about your recent vacation I'll just attach to one detail in the middle of your story and ask a hollow question about it at the end to prove I was listening.

But we don't have to talk about these things, what we can do is rouse up a debate so meaningless that in the end no one has to vent on their Instagram close friends story about Uncle Steven's off-color comment about seeing his Jewish landlord at the gas station.

Which begs the question, if you were an NFL or NBA general manager, would you pick up the fifth-year team option on Air Bud's rookie scale contract or would you let him become a restricted free agent?

We'll have to look at the sports separately...

NBA

If we're being entirely honest with ourselves, Air Bud was ass at ball on his own but there's a perfect teammate out there lurking in the league that could set the league by storm.

I'm not the first, nor the second, and probably not the third person to analyze AB's hoops game. He was a stat stuffer, there's no denying that, 10 points 5 steals and 5 assists is nothing to sneeze at for a debut but the underlying metrics show Bud's run of glory would be less sustainable than Linsanity.

The glaring issue with Air Bud's game that advanced analytics and sabermetrics indicate is that he is, in fact, a dog. Also consider this stat provided by Mel Magazine, Air Bud puts up an 80% Field Goal % With Kid Throwing Ball at Head but a measly 0% without an assisting toss.

It's evident that Air Bud just cannot create his own shot, even Andray Blatche would be a better option in isolation, but there are other players on the court for a reason so given the right teammate AB could thrive. Josh Framm isn't going to be that guy, his dad had a better chance of landing that plane than he does of being in the NBA. 

But Air Bud is used to clowns and Ben Simmons loves to pass the ball when he's right next to the hoop which makes for a dangerous pick-and-pup combo that could sneak a team into the play-in tournament.

Verdict

Unless there's another player in the league who is willing to pass up completely open layups, let alone to a dog, 29 of the 30 teams in the NBA should not pick up Air Bud's fifth-year option. The amount of money saved in mopping drool off the court will be worth it alone.

NFL

The gridiron is a different scene for the blonde pup out of the Pacific Northwest. "Golden Receiver" is a borderline insulting title for a dog who's skillset is not limited to just splitting out wide. Line up Air Bud in the slot or backfield and he'll still weave through your defense with the grace of a Russian ballerina. The Great Tacoma Flood of 2000 wiped out most of AB's high school film, but upon reviewing what we had, these are the stats we can account for:

615 yards from scrimmage on 12 touches for 11 visits to six point land. Find me a more dynamic athlete with that level of efficiency. Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, and both teams from the PAC-12 must've been lining up at the Framm's doorsteps trying to get their hands on the future Heisdog. It shouldn't go overlooked that he also forced two fumbles and took one to the house for good measure. Air Bud was a swiss army knife on the field but the volume of plays and level of effort it took to dominate on both sides are what ultimately led to injuries that took him off the field.

Verdict

Look, Air Bud isn't playing both sides of the ball under my tutelage. You don't take Randy Moss & Barry Sanders combined and make him play defense. I'm absolutely exercising the fifth-year option on Air Bud's contract, but pay day beyond that is going to depend on his projectable durability.