The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 03/25/2021 - HOUR 1 - Harden, Browns, Lakers

Episode Date: March 25, 2021

James Harden's style of play doesn't work in the playoffsThe Browns have a chance to be one of the best teams in the leagueThe Lakers shouldn't go after Kyle LowryGuest: Chris Haynes Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10. I was having trouble

stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. It is a Thursday. A lot going on today. Loaded show.

In Los Angeles, it's called The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. An hour from now, Joel Clatt live in studio, we will have our own mock draft. We've done this, we did this about a month ago with Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL Scout. I dominated. So Joel Clatt comes in, sits on the couch, and we go through half the first. round we'll do a mock draft which i'm very prone to do at home all the time very excited about this the clasters rolling in has the courage to be beaten badly on television so i i do respect that joy taylor

is joining me how are you joy i'm great feels like spring is almost here i know really does april's just around the corner i went for a walk yesterday it was beautiful outside unbelievable Very nice. Very nice. So Charles Barkley, who I'm a big fan of, listen, James Hardin is doing a great job in Brooklyn. But we see this all the time. We've talked about this with Lamar Jackson. Right now he's a great regular season quarterback. Is he a great postseason quarterback? We've seen this A-Rod was a great player, but he was never quite as good in the postseason. That's James Harden. He's a dominant regular season player. He's not as dominant in the postseason. And my belief has always been because he doesn't. get the whistle in the playoffs. Referees get out of the way. And the further the playoffs go, the conference finals, the finals, I mean, it's wrestling. Refes do not want to

decide it. They want the stars to decide it. The refs don't have a favorite. They're favorite swallowing the whistle. And you just don't get the whistle. And Hardin's game is built for the whistle. So was Carl Malone. But let's listen to Charles Barkley, who made quite a statement on James Hardin a couple of days ago.

He is the most awesome offensive player I've ever seen. Listen, Michael and Colby were better players from the guard standpoint. But as far as offensively, they couldn't shoot threes like him. They were not as great as dribbling the basketball, going to the basket, getting filed. I mean, this guy, every time he goes to the basket, he's going to hit somebody and get two free throws. Except in the playoffs.

If you look at James Hardin's regular season numbers and his postseason numbers, his field goal percentage goes down, his free throw attendance, go down, his three-point percentage goes down, his points go down. They don't plummet, but they're not the same. Whereas Michael Jordan and Kobe were often at their greatest in the playoffs. We keep falling for three or four things in sports. One of the things we always fall for is the quarterbacks in the draft from big-name schools. They don't dominate the league. Go look at the last year's eight division winners. Not a single one was from a football power. Look at Tua. because from big name schools, being a quarterback is all about comfort.

Receivers are wide open. You never get hit. NFL quarterback is all about discomfort. Can you just get hit constantly? We keep falling for that. The star quarterback from the big university, the Alabama quarterback, you know, look around the league. That's not who dominates the league.

It's guys from Boston College and NC State and Miami of Ohio and Cal. that's one of the things we fall for. The second thing we always fall for is the flashy point guard in the NBA that can't shoot. Derek Rose, John Wall, Russell Westbrook, if you can't shoot and you're under 6'5 in this league, you will never dominate it. You will never be a huge factor in the playoffs. You've got to be able to shoot.

Now, if you're LeBron and can drive or you're 6'9, you're a dominant wing or a big, that becomes less important. But if you're 6'4 or under and can't shoot, you become actually a point. playoff liability. The third thing in sports we always fall for is the 12-year $400 million baseball contract. None have ever looked good halfway through it. The Mookie Betts deals, the first one that has a chance to not be awful because he's great, he's healthy, he signed it young enough, so by the end of it, he'll be out of his prime, but he won't be an old man. And that has a chance to be a good one. And even the last three years of that,

and Mookiee's the best player in the game or second best, you're way overpaying for him. James Hardin's regular season dominance is falling into this category. If I have to hear another person tell me how great he is in the regular season, he's Carl Malone. And I covered Carl Malone. Carl Malone scored the second most points in league history. That's insane, right?

In the history of the planet. Carl Malone scored the second most points. more than Michael, more than LeBron, more than Kobe, more than Akeem, more than Shack, more than everybody except Kareem. No rings, two final trips. Well, Carl Malone depended on the whistle. Look at the top five scores of all time. Kareem's got six titles.

LeBron's got four. Kobe's got five and MJ six. Carl, zero. Why? Don't tell me he didn't have help. John Stockton's a top five point guard ever. Jerry Sloan was a top two or three coach in the league. Mark Eaton led the NBA during that time with Carl Malone, blocking shots four times,

five times first or second team, all defense. So he had first or second best rim protector, first or second best point guard, top three coach, and Carl, and they always had, and by the way, one of the great home court advantages, I got no rings, got two trips. Wasn't like the West had dominant teams every year because Carl Malone depended on the whistle. I covered some of those series, Utah, Portland. Portland. It's not that he didn't ever get the whistle, but you don't get it in those big deciding games. James Harden, similarly, has 23 times in his career scored over 50 points. Never in the

playoffs. Because to score 50 points, you've got to get to the free throw line a lot, and you do not in the playoffs. That is the difference. Kobe didn't depend on the whistle. Larry Bird didn't depend on the whistle. Michael Jordan didn't depend on the whistle. Michael Jordan didn't depend on the whistle. Magic didn't depend on the whistle. They would get the whistle, but they didn't need it to definitively cement their game. And Harden does. It's not to say this team can't get to the finals, but that ball-centric style, how many years are we going to see it? It rolls in the regular season. It dries up in the postseason. As many of you know, It's unfortunate.

It's very hurtful, but Cleveland doesn't like me. I have been more right on the Cleveland Browns than any team in the last three years, Joy, as my witness. I told you John Dorsey would not work as a GM, right. I told you Freddie Kitchens disaster. Right. I told you Kevin Stefansky finally was a grown-up, it would work. And I told you Baker Mayfield's talented, but he's not number one pick talented. And the Browns, the numbers tell you, are better when he throws less.

This is interesting. Jadavian Clowny is close to signing with Cleveland. Now, Jadavian Clowny is one of those guys that he's never quite lived up to the hype. But now he's undervalued. He can play. He's a good player. Now, he's not worth big money. He's not as good as his hype.

But the idea that Jadavian Clowny isn't good is ridiculous. Last time he was playing for Seattle, there was a playoff game. He made plays all over the field. Jadian Clowney's a good football player. He got so hyped out of college. that we expect him to like be Mike Tyson and knock everybody out. And that's just not what he is. He's inconsistent.

But he's a really good football player. And my takeaway of Clowny signs with Cleveland, they are now the third most talented team in the NFL. Tampa 1, Best Roster, Kansas City 2, and Cleveland 3. Well, Tampa just won a Super Bowl and Kansas City won it two years ago. No more excuses for Baker Mayfield. Competent head coach, competent GM, best offensive line, great weapons, and they have done a great job to solve the back end of their defense this offseason.

They really have. John Johnson, tremendous safety. So this morning, if Clowny signs with Cleveland, there are four overwhelming favorites in the AFC, Kansas City, Buffalo, Indy, and Cleveland. Baltimore's close, but not in that group. It is go time. It is go time for Baker Mayfield. This is a stacked roster if they get Clowny.

you'd have Clowny, you got Miles Garrett, Olivier Vernon, just as pass rushers? Folks, this is a big deal. Don't buy into this. Clowny's overrated. Clowny can play. Not worth big money, and Cleveland's not going to give him big money, but Clownie can play. Clowny's a playmaker. And when you have a team as good as Cleveland that got to the playoffs last year,

you're looking for playmakers. You're not going to get Trent Williams left tackle on the market. You're not going to get that. But guys that can make plays in big spots, absolutely. I take Jadavian Clowny tomorrow for that. I just don't want to build my franchise around him. And Colin, I see stories this morning. Would Cleveland be the favorites in the AFC North?

Of course they would. I called it a week ago. Of course they would. Cleveland is and should be favored to win the AFC North if they land Clowny. I'm not saying, listen, I said this last week before they had Clowny, but this is a real pickup. a real football player. Don't listen to anybody. Dude can play and make plays. All right. I just heard a terrible trade idea in the NBA and I don't get it at all.

Terrible Laker trade idea. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. What's up everyone? It's me three-time NFL All-Pro Sean Murray. And I have a new sports podcast called The Lights Out Podcast with Sean Murrayman. This podcast is special to me as I get a chance to talk to some of the best who've ever done it on the field or the track. So whether it's talking to a Super Bowl champion or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, the Lights Out podcast will bring it to you the only way I know how to. I'm giving you the best insight from the best who's ever done it. Listen to Lights Out with Sean Merriman on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't

realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way.

Open your free, our heart radio app, Search Learn the Hard Way and listen now. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app,

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Joel Clatt has the courage to come in here and go against me. Imagine that in a mock draft. Very excited for it. You are taking your career in your own hands when you're talking to the master of the mock draft. Okay, so this one doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Today is the NBA trade deadline, right? And there's some trades that Bulls made a big trade to get from with Orlando today. This one I don't get.

Sometimes you have to accept your fate. Okay. This is a condensed season. A bunch of games back to back to back. The Lakers are old. Or two stars are old. They won the championship. So they played the most possible games last year.

And it's the shortest off season. You've got to come to terms with this was not going to be great. There were some predictable health issues for the Lakers. So there's a story out there this morning. The Lakers are considering bringing Kyle Lowry of the Raptors over and basically getting rid of Dennis Schrooter, KCP, Montrez-Herald, Taylor Horton Tucker, draft picks. Timeout. First of all, when the Lakers were healthy, they were clearly the best team in the league.

Why panic? Secondly, Kyle Loury's 35. The Raptors are 18 and 3 the last two years when he doesn't play. he's not dominating Eastern Conference Points Guards. Listen, you've got to just understand your fate. AD's back in two weeks. You've got eight games during that period. If you go one in seven, and the Lakers aren't good with that AD in LeBron,

let's see, go one in seven, you're still 29 and 23. You're probably six or probably seventh in the West. LeBron comes back two weeks after that. You're good. But you have to accept your fate. you have your two stars. One is Brittle AD and one is older LeBron. Okay, you have to accept it.

It's a condensed schedule, more games in a shorter time. Shortest offseason. You played the most possible games. You could see some of this coming. This was going to be a struggle. That's why they went out and got a Schrooter. That's why they went out and got a Montres Herald. They wanted younger players and more depth because they got kind of a scheduling

break last year, believe it or not, with the pandemic where AD and LeBron could rest for four and a half months. This feels like a panic move to me. I don't get it. It's nothing against Kyle Lowry, but if he's your answer, I'm not sure I want to know the question. The Western Conference is stacked. You're going to go one in seven over your next eight games. You're not out of the playoffs. You're going to be 29 and 23. That's fine. And you were the best team in the league clearly when LeBron and AD were healthy. And AD's back in two weeks. I mean, unless the Lakers know something we don't know about AD's health or LeBron's health, that it's far worse. Then that's different.

But this feels like, I'm sorry, but I like KCP. I used to be a huge doubter, but he's a big shot guy in the playoffs. Horton people really like. He's a unique talent. I don't think Kyle Lowry's the answer. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Well, the Bears already had Nick Foles on the roster when they signed any Dalton's who a one-year deal. Dalton said he was told he's going to be the starter next season. And the team's social media backed that up with a statement. They tweeted a picture of Andy Dalton in a bear's uniform with the caption QV1. This kind of feels tone deaf. Yes. Like, you're trying to, we all know that you wanted Russell Wilson.

And you actually went after James Winston and Jimmy Grimson. and Jimmy Garoppolo. Now, the Bears didn't want Wens, but we know you wanted Deshaun Watson. So just like, if Andy Dalton's your answer, don't go to, don't do that on social media.

I agree. It felt a little wild. Like, you can't, you can't pitch that kind of performance and that kind of talent acquisition to your fan base and then come up with Andy Dalton and push it as this is something that is supposed to be celebrated.

Like, we all know Andy Dalton is not as good as Russell Wilson, Deshawn Watson. Also, they tried to sell us their devotion to Trubisky and bailed on him the minute they could. So Bear fans lived through this experience of you, of people questioning Trubisky, and you go, no, no, rock solid. The second you could get rid of him, you got rid of him. Right. And look, it sounds like we're picking on Andy Dalton, but look, this is, this is, it's not about that. It's about the fact that, you know, he had a four and five record last year and had a 64.9 completion percentage, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

He's out of his prime and he wasn't great in his prime. And it was two and 11 with the Bengals in 2019. So it's not an overreaction to say that's kind of a ridiculous statement. Like I really don't know what the bears are doing. It felt like a panic move anyway. Like I would feel I would feel more optimistic. if they had even gotten someone like a Marcus Mariotta. Yes.

And I don't think that Marriota is anything to be excited about, but at least it would have been like interesting. Mariotta is a better, he is a, Marriota is what they thought Trubisky was going to be. I've been told this before. Marioita has got about a 500 record. Mario is a better athlete than Narbisky and a better thrower of the football. If Mario, if Tribesky was Marioita, they'd, remember, Tennessee bailed on Marioada about a year before we all thought they should have.

Marioita subbed for one game last year and was great on television against the Chargers. Trubisky's a poor man's Marioita. So if you're going to upgrade, if you're going to move to another quarterback, get somebody built to run around because A, that's the league, B, that's your offense, and three, you don't have a great offensive line, so it's needed. And it's not like you weren't in the trade market. We know you tried to trade for Russell Wilson, and you were willing to give a haul for him. Now, I don't think you should give that same amount for Marcus Marriota, but if you were willing to make a trade like that, why wouldn't you be willing to trade for Sam Darnold?

You know, the worst part about this story is I have to say critical things of Andy Dalton, who's a very good person. Well, we're not criticizing him personally. I know, but it's been like seven years of just crapping on the guy, and I just feel bad. I feel a little guilt. Maybe I'm getting old and vulnerable. I feel bad. Are you getting soft in your old age? I might be.

I ate nothing but bread yesterday. I saw. I am getting so. Garlic bread, pizza, sandwiches. Well, you're in a bad area for that because it's like great restaurants. They're all Italian. Listen, pasta was my comfort food during the past year, as you guys can tell and have let me know. God, just stop saying that.

More ravishing than ever. Could you stop for that? I'm fine. I'm healthy. That's all I care about. It's all the matters. The Seahawks are working to fix the relationship with Russell Wilson and give him some help that he wants on the offensive. They traded for guard, Gabe Jackson, and re-signed their center, Ethan Posick,

and they added tight end, Gerald Everett, and kept running back Chris Carson. Those are good moves, by the way. Those are very solid. All those moves I like, those are all good moves. Apparently started to ease the tension. Jeremy Fowler is reporting that Russ and Pete Carroll have had positive communication in the past few days. Oh, like that. And the coach is hearing the quarterback's concerns.

Still a long way to go, but it seems the size are in a better place than they were a few weeks ago. So let me defend Pete Carroll, because people in Southern California where I am beloved, they think I hate Pete Carroll. I love what Seattle did. Gerald Everett is a dynamic athlete. That's a great get for them. Terrific get. And also, you take him away from the Rams in your conference.

Secondly, Gabe Jackson, total upgraded guard. I love that move. What was the other one they did? They re-signed their center. They re-and-I don't love that move. So Gabe, oh, no, they re-signed Carson, the running back. who drives me nuts and he's never healthy, but he runs downhill and he's a good player. They also re-signed their fullback, which was another move I like.

So I got to be honest. I am critical of Pete Carolyn John Snyder. But they went out of their way and did four things that were all good for Russell Wilson. Now it's on Russell to deliver. And my guess is they probably, they may go for another tackle in the draft. They need a corner. I mean, it's a pretty good roster. They need a corner for sure.

But after that, my guess is they'll go and get another offensive lineman. So this is no long with Gabe Jackson, Duane Brown, and the right guard, the kid from LSU, Damien Lewis, this is no longer a horrible offensive line. This is a top 12 talent-wise O line. They're not great at center. With the talent that Russell Wilson has, if you are in the top half of the league of the offensive line, you should be able to make your work. They are. Gabe Jackson was an absolute upgrade.

But, you know, isn't it a nice? you just listen to people? You know, just lend a ear. You guys work together, figure it out. So the NBA trade deadline is today. We will be paying attention to all the tweets and news. But it's over at 3 p.m. Eastern and moves are starting to be made. The Magic are trading their All-Star Center, Nikola Vucovich, to the Bulls.

They'll also send Al-Farukamino to Chicago, and the magic will get Wendell Carter Jr., auto per order and the first round picks in 2021 and 2023 in return. So Zach Levine and Vujovic are two of the four players averaging 24 plus points, 40 plus from three point percentage and six plus three point attempts per game and they're both on the Bulls now. So the Magic Run 14th play so they're clearly

cleaning house and resetting as they should. And they're also sending Evan Fornay to the Celtics and they may there's rumors that they might be sending Aaron Gordon to the Nuggets. And the Bulls are reportedly still interested in Lanzo Ball. I like this for the Bulls. They're in 10th place in the East right now. Well, what they're basically telling you? What is this trade telling you?

They're building around Zach Levine. We're going to get another All-Star. Well, they should. In the East, Zach Levine and Vuzovic are two All-Star-Level players. And if you look around the league, if you have two All-Star-level players, you're a playoff team. Exactly. The Bulls kind of doubled down on Zach.

And they're still looking to get Lonzo Ball, which would be tremendous for them. You know, Lonzo Ball, sometimes, like Jadavian Clownie, we label players and then we don't watch them. Like Clowny now. Clowny's like, no good. No, DeVian Clowny's good. He's just not Miles Garrett. He's not Aaron Donald. He's a good player.

You love him on your team. He is expensive. Like Lonzo Ball, we've all bailed that can't shoot. No, actually, Lonzo Ball's three-point shooting. He's been one of the best three-point shooters in the league all season. I watched him about two weeks ago. I watched back-to-to-back games. I was like, oh, hell.

Lonzo shooting with a ton of confidence right now. Similarly, they both have like these big names. Right. So we kind of put them media-wise and fan-wise in other categories, and then they didn't immediately live up to that or live up to the consistency that we expected from them. Then it's like, oh, they're no good. And they're never going to change their game.

And that's not true. I think the clippers and the bulls could really use Lonson ball. He's an extremely valuable player. Absolutely. Big kid rebounds well, coachable. I mean, obviously, he works on his game and his body. If you look at Lonzo's body three, four years ago and now, he's worked on it. Look at his jumper four years ago.

Look, now he's worked on it. Half of this stuff is, are you willing to work on your game? Well, it takes a couple years sometimes, too. Yeah, the guys now coming to the NBA at 19. They're kids. They can't drink at the hotel they stay at. I mean, literally, you stay at a Rich Carlton. You can't go down to the lobby and have a beer.

Yeah. There you go. Enjoy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. So it is NBA trade deadline. At top of the hour, Joel Klat has the courage to sit down next to me.

We're going to do half of the first round. It's really fun for me because I'm a mock draft dork. And I get first pick, by the way. It's my show. It's the rules. Anytime we do these drafts, I get the first pick. And also, I don't like the second pick because the second pick is the Jets. And I don't like picking against Sam Darnel.

So I don't want to know his family. I don't want to say I'm getting rid of Sam Darnock. So I get the first pick. All right, let's bring in Chris Haynes, Fox Sports NBA analyst, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz the best or no. Okay, I read this Kyle Lowry move and I think, time out. The Lakers are panicking. So before the injuries, Lakers felt like the best team in the league.

And then we all knew, Chris, that it was a condensed schedule. The Lakers had a short off season. LeBron's getting older. AD can be brittle. Like, we knew this was not going to be an easy first half for the Lakers. It's a tight schedule, older players. And I read the story this morning, they're willing to give up the farm on Kyle Auerre,

and I'm like, Kyle's 35 years old. The Raptors are 18 and 3 the last two years. Like, I don't, why would they, are they panicking? Yeah, I think it is a sign of a little bit of desperation. When you look at the Lakers on what they're going through right now, obviously with the Brian James and AD being out with the injuries. But to put KCP out there on the market, And to vote Montres Harrell's name out there right now, you know, I think it wreaks of a little bit of panic.

Yeah. You look back at that offseason, the offseason they just had. And I was a victim, too. You know, I said I felt like the Lakers had arguably one of the best offseason that summer. Well, it wasn't a summer, but last offseason. And I think the Lakers might have played themselves a little bit too. And I have to credit Rob Polinka being a great. and making sure that they didn't stay idle,

but I think they got a little bit too cute. And looking back at it, they probably should have ran back the roster with what they had last year. Because now they're trying to, if they make a move for Kyle Lowry, which I'm not sure that they really have an end on, they make that move for him. Then you got to try to get him into the fold,

then work AD and LeBron back into the fold once they get back. Is there enough time to build some type of continuity going into the playoffs? And so I just think they're in a tough situation right now. I'm not sure that Kyle Lowry or even trade somebody like KCP would do them justice right now. Yeah, I like KCP. By the way, I was always kind of a doubter, and I thought he hit big shots in the bubble last year. He sold me. So Lonzo Ball is interesting, and we do this in sports, that we watch a guy,

especially if he's high profile, and he may disappoint us, and we bail on him. but Lonzo Ball is a much improved player. And to me, there's a real market for him. The Clippers don't even have a point guard. Like, where do you think Lonzo ends up? Right now, the leaders are the Chicago Bulls. And you see what they're doing. They're making moves.

They've got boosted to big for Orlando. So they're really out there trying to compete. But it seems like the Bulls are the frontrun team. The Clippers will love to have Lonzo Ball. They just do not have the assets right now. to make that happen. So that's what I see happening. But David Griffin, the GM of the Pelicans,

he's a GM that's known for playing hardball. He's known for taking it to the wire to try to see, you know, he's trying to get as much as he can at the last possible minute and second. So I think that can go down to the wire. But if I say right now, I think he probably ends up as a member of the Chicago Bulls.

Yeah. So it's interesting. Kyrie informed the team earlier this week. Hey, I'm out. I'm not going on the road trip. He's done this multiple times now, and again, it's a family thing. But it is interesting now that KD's health is a little bit now of a pattern, and Kyrie missing games is a little bit of a pattern. I do wonder, you can say things to the press that you're good with it,

but I wonder if there is concern in Brooklyn right now about Kyrie. This is the second time. He's just said, I got stuff to do at home. Yeah, it is. it seems to be problematic. It definitely does. And without knowing why Kyrie is out,

we know it's a family matter, but without knowing why, I don't want to speculate, but obviously this isn't the first time. And I know people will point to the fact that the team said, label the personal family matter, but then it also was his birthday

during that the time that he was out. And so, you know, I think Brooklyn is I think they're just in a situation where they're trying to appease all their stars and try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. I don't know if that sets a good precedent, but at the end of the day, if they come away and win that Larry and Brian trophy later in the summer,

I guess it was all worth it. But, you know, until then, we have to calculate after the end of the season to see what some of the just appease into everything. Every little whim we'll be able to judge if it was worth to buy that. By the way, I want to circle back on the Lakers. The only way the Lowry deal makes sense to me is the Lakers know something about AD's health or maybe LeBron's and they think they're in trouble. Then I would get it. We got to get Lowry here because we may not have one of our stars for a while.

You know, it's funny. The Lakers signed AD to a long contract. AD smartly understood, listen, man, I get hurt. I'm taking the money. I'm taking the extension. And I do look at the Lakers now, and I wonder, I mean, is there something they know about AD if they come to the conclusion that, listen, he's a 55 game player in a regular season, and that's what he is. That's his history. Well, he's done a pretty good job of staying healthy since he's been a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. I just think this year, with the condensed offseason, that they wanted to make sure they work

careful and that if their body needed time to rest, they were going to give them that time an apple amount of time. And now with this injury, with LeBron James as well, you know, they're not going to rest those guys back because first and foremost, the priority is being healthy as possible for the playoffs. So with that being said, yeah, they know that they need to acquire talent to be able to give LeBron as he ages, give AD the time that they need, or even time that they don't need just to stay just to stay fresh and so I think that's what we're going to see uh you know

they got a good end on andre drumming so we'll see what happens as the so we were two and a half hours away from the deadline um see what happens with him but now they have to make moves if you you build this team around lebrana ad you got to make moves on the edges to make sure you got prominent guys that can come in field time by time and still keep the team afloat so those guys can be healthy for the playoff all right follow chris haines on Twitter as well. We got a couple hours for the trading deadline. Orlando sent their all-star to the Bulls or Chicago doubling down on Zach Levine. There also, there we go. Chris right there's got this is what's happening. He's breaking stories as we speak. Don't you love that? He was literally

brave. Remember we had Jay Glazer on one time and he got a call right as he was on the air? This is a very busy time for the insiders. Chris Hane. Coming up, we finally got a story, confirmation on a prediction we made about Sean McBey and Jared Goff and why they moved to Matt Stafford. The story came out yesterday. We guessed right. We predicted right. Very interesting. That's next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Heard weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. What's up, everyone? It's me three-time NFL All-Pro Sean Mariner. And I have a new sports podcast called The Lights Out Podcast with Sean Murray. This podcast is special to me as I get a chance to talk to some of the best who've ever done it on the field or the track.

So whether it's talking to a Super Bowl champion or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, the Lights Out podcast will bring it to you the only way I know how to. I'm giving you the best insight from the best who's ever done it. Listen to Lights Out with Sean Merriman on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skisks of a win. hits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it,

and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little camp? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all right. just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Improve your diet, improve your protein.

Butcherbox.com slash her two free pounds of ground beef in every box, life of your membership. Butcherbox.com slash h-E-R-D. So it was February 1st that I went on the air. The Rams made the big Matt Stafford deal, and they got rid of Jared Gough. And it was surprising. But what had happened during the season, remember, Sean McVeigh gets hired. He's this brilliant young coach.

He comes in and saves Jared Gough's. career. And they won like 70% of their games together. They got to a Super Bowl. And they were, you know, he was kind of the next young star. He outduled Patrick Mahomes in a game. And then all of a sudden last year, publicly, McVeigh went after him. And so when they made the deal with Detroit for Matt Stafford, that day I went on the air February 1st and I said, let's go find the day it blew up. Because this had been a really good relationship. And I had theorized, I said, when they lost a San Francisco, I said, Kyle Shanahan does not consider Cliff Kingsbury a threat to his reputation

or Pete Carroll because of his age. But Kyle Shanahan surpassing him in his own division as the best young coach, that's going to hit his ego. And Shanahan is 4 and O against McVe in the last two years. and when Shanahan beat McVey with Nick Mullins, I said, that was the moment. It has now officially been confirmed. That was the moment. ESPN story.

After that loss, McVeigh called out Gough in front of his teammates and laid into him after the game and then laid into him. He had multiple turnovers in that game. There's one of them right there. So we said, let's find the moment the relationship died. Listen, we, we, anybody that's been through a relationship, there's a night, there's an epiphany, there's a moment when the relationship ends. She's, she's, you know, the woman comes home, he doesn't get it. He just doesn't get me.

Or he says the same thing. She's crazy. I can't take it. There's a moment. This was the one we guessed and it's now official. This was it. After the game, apparently McVeigh called him out and, and Goff just, just was done with it.

didn't want to be called out. That's not his personality. That's not what works. And what's also interesting, and there's some ego at play here is that McVeigh-Kyle-Shannahan and Matt LaFleur, the Packer coach, they were all in the same staff on the Washington football team. Well, LaFleur now is winning 13 games a year. And Shanahan is beating McVeigh and more recently got to the Super Bowl. So McVeigh is sitting there thinking, time out. My career now is being question. I'm the third most successful of those young three, and I'm not having Goff get in the way of it. And what's interesting about this, here's why I think it's actually a really good move, is that, and I've said this, who you do trades with matters. For years and years, Belichick made

moves when the bills in Cleveland and Detroit stunk, because he knows if he sends players to lousy franchises, they probably won't flourish. And he's getting players at the time Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit were awful. One still is. He's getting players who in his culture will elevate. So Belichick made a lot of moves. West Welker from Miami. Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit, Miami at the time. Bad teams, bad cultures, where Bill knows if I send a player there, it won't come back to haunt me. The reason the Rams moved to Stafford is so smart is that they, you know, I'm sure they tried to go after other teams. But Stafford is going from an absolutely poorly run franchise to a well-run franchise with a good O line and great gifts and a capable GM and an excellent coach. So there's no dispute.

Stafford's going to get a lot of MVP votes this year. I'm not into that stuff, but he will. So he's getting an elevation of culture. So Matt Stafford's going to be good. But the Rams also privately know that Goff now is going to have much less of a culture, much less of an online, much less of a coach. So one year from now, that trade's going to look even more brilliant. As Stafford comes and flourishes like the Patriots did in a really good culture, Stafford's going to have time to throw, a lot of weapons, going to be very happy. Stafford in a year we're going to be like, wow.

And Goff, and I feel bad for him, is going to the worst. NFL culture by far. So Goff's going to trend down. And so a year from now, this move is going to look genius. So who you trade with matters, but we did find the actual moment that the relationship went into the tank. It said here it was cussing out Goff. Goff felt crushed.

Goff didn't know who to go to. Good story. By the way, I saw this. Joy was talking about this. So the Chicago Bears are, we always blame the quarterback and we blame the players and we blame the coach. We never blame the GM. The bears don't know what they're doing. They don't know what they're doing.

Totally tone deaf. They went out and put Andy Dalton, quarterback one, on their Twitter account. Now, this is ridiculous for a lot of reasons. We know they pursued Deshawn Watson and Russell Wilson and James Winston. we know they pursued other quarterbacks. We know Andy Dalton was not their first choice. Everybody knows that. Chicago knows that.

Fans know that. So to trump this on social media is again tone deaf. And this is an organization that kept telling us how much they loved Mitch Trubisky and then bailed on in the minute they could. Is that sometimes players need to escape places. Matt Stafford escaped the Lions. I mean, he went to them and said, it's just over. Like, I'm done. And the Lions, to their credit, were willing to send him to an

NFC power, the Rams. Carson went to me, the stories came out. He escaped Philadelphia. It was just toxic. Owner, GM, coach. It was toxic. Matt Nagy needs to escape Chicago, because I think he can coach. I really do. And do an Andy Dufrain in Shawshank Redemption and get in a tunnel and just leave the grounds. In fact, you've heard of escape from Altona Traos. Matt Nagy, escape from Chicago. That's the actual movie poster. He is right now, he's trapped. Like, I feel bad for him. I think you have a really good coach. And this has happened before, by the way, in the NFL where you have a good coach, and he's got a bad owner. They got a bad general manager. I don't think Chicago knows what they're doing. And what they're really bad at, they're really bad at the optics. So this is a team

spent a lot of money on Mike Glennon, invited him to a draft party, and at the party drafted, moved up for Mitch Tribesky. At the draft party. Okay. I mean, this is an organization that made it, did not refute any of the Russell Wilson trade rumors. When you're trading for Russell Wilson and your Chicago and the rumors come out, you just deny, deny, deny. You just get out of that because the chances of landing him were about 5 percent.

And so you have to be able to, they call it seeing around corners. You have to be able to see trouble before it happens, right? There's an instinct to it, the great GMs and coaches, smart people have it. Can you see around corners? You knew the chances of getting Russell Wilson were slim and none. And I applaud them for going for it. But once you didn't get him, whoever you got would be a huge settle, whether it was James or Andy Dalton.

So what you do in the Russell Wilson stuff is you downplay it constantly. These are rumors. Some of this stuff is just nonsense. You don't light it up because you're not going to get him. A part of the reality of running a company is everybody can see the obvious crap. Can you see around corners? Can you see like if we do this, that's going to happen. Once you just kind of went all in and embraced the Russell Wilson stuff, you were just

begging for your fan base to be let down with the end result. Andy Dalton, quarterback one. What are we doing as a franchise? What are you doing? All right, Joel Clatt. We are going to have our mock draft. I'm very excited for this. Mock draft with Joel Clat.

Listen, he's not going to win. Hopefully he's a good sport. That's coming up. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. Yep, that's me, Cliford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford. and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.