The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 05/28/2021 - HOUR 1 - Lakers, Patriots, Brady, Rodgers

Episode Date: May 28, 2021

The Lakers are dominant when Anthony Davis is playing wellMac Jones looks like he has a way to goTom Brady is sending a message to the PatriotsIt doesn't look like Aaron Rodgers has much leverageGuest: Ric Bucher 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. 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 IHard 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, Clifford 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, unfilled 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 I Heart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. 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. 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 iHeart Radio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Friday as we head into a holiday weekend. We are live in sunny and beautiful Los Angeles. This is The Hurt, wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. So many things to talk about today.

Today is one of those days. Good night, sleep. A lot of top. Topics, easy show, flies by. It's a pleasure to have you in on a Friday. We've had a very good week, and Joy Taylor is joining me. So we're starting to get a sense now. We're halfway through the first round,

and it feels like we're getting to the end of the first round because some things are very clear. Yeah, some of these series are going to end a little sooner than I'd hoped. Yeah, yeah. Well, let's talk about Sons Lakers. You know I would have voted Chris Paul MVP. How do the Sun's look when Chris Paul is still playing but not 100%? They are not the same team.

Let's talk about the Lakers because if Chris Paul is not going to be 100% now, the series, there's a couple days off now. Sons Lakers do not play until Sunday. That's great news for the Suns. Get an extra day off, get Chris Paul healthy. He's not there and they're not the same team. But we all know LeBron's the last. leader. I talk about this all the time. The NBA is full of talent. There's not very many

leaders. LeBron's the leader of the Lakers. And it's money in the bank. You get that leadership every night. But once again, you see who the Lakers are when Anthony Davis is aggressive. But you don't get that with Anthony Davis every night. So whereas LeBron is the team MVP most valuable, there's got to be some sort of bridge award for Anthony Davis. And I would say he is the team's MIP. He's the most impactful player. That third quarter was everything. Okay, 18 points, five rebounds, played every minute, and they blew Phoenix off the floor.

Phoenix is a good team. Phoenix is a two seed in the West. The Superior Conference of two seed, Phoenix, good team. So LeBron's leadership and consistency, again, that's an automatic deposit. You get that every night. I mean, he'll have maybe two halves a year he doesn't play well. So you can always bank on LeBron's consistency and leadership. You get that every night.

But when AD is aggressive, they not only beat teams, they crush good teams. I mean, DeAndre Aiton is a good young big. But AD had a crazy thing happen to his body. And I had a gross spurt in high school. I went from 5-7 to 6-2 over the course of a summer. I never forget my high school basketball coach. Oh, I got myself a quarterback. I got myself a shooting guard.

Anthony Davis was 6'3 as a junior in high school. And then he was basically 6.11 as a senior. So Anthony Davis was a guard. And last night in the third quarter, you can see some of that guard come out. You can see that junior year of high school. For a big, he runs the floor better. He's more fluid. He can handle the ball better.

it on the deck and drive. He can pull up and shoot a jumper, pull back and shoot a three. That's where he is different than other bigs. And DeAndre Aitin's a really good young big. But A.D. just took over the game last night. There's nothing DeAndre Aiton can do. You're talking about in baseball, they call it a five-tool player when a guy can run and hit and steal and power.

Boy, when Anthony Davis is locked in, you are looking at a big that can do everything. He'll put it on the deck and take you to the basket. He'll drive right through the middle of the lane. He can pull back and hit a three. He can handle the ball. Very comfortable. Runs the floor, very fluid athlete. I mean, he hits the floor a lot.

You ever notice that with AD? And that's Kevin Durant, too. Kevin Durant and AD get hurt a lot. They hit the floor a lot because they handle the ball so well. They're driving to the basket. Porzingis, by the way, for 7.6. Kind of a slasher at 7.6. Used to be a slasher was 6-7.

Porzinger is a slasher at 7-6. So Porzingis and KD and AD to hit the floor all the time because they're driving. And you got a lot of body. That's why nobody loves a 6-5 running back. You want a small guy that goes through, right? Don't want your legs too exposed. AD is big and he's crashing to the floor all the time. But part of that is he grew up a guard and had a growth spurt.

And so when you watched that third quarter last night, LeBron's the most valuable player. He is, AD is the most impactful player. and if Chris Paul is not ready to go Sunday and at least 90, 95% this series is over, Frank Vogel after the game. AD, even though he had, you know, was thinged up with his knee and was a little bit hobbled, really committed to what worked for us in game two, which is really running the floor, being the first big down, putting pressure on their transition defense. And that opened up a lot of driving lanes for Brown, who mentally made the decision, you know,

get downhill and just live in the paint and live at the rim. And he was dominant during that stretch. And, you know, those two guys really reverse the whole course of the game. Yeah, I thought the third quarter for the Lakers was the best they have played since last year in the bubble as a team. That was a great, great quarter of basketball. You're not going to get that every quarter in the NBA. You can't ask athletes to be all engaged and focused like that and play at that level for

games. But third quarter was the difference in the game. So, you know, listen, there's a million different reporters and a million different blogs. Everybody's got an opinion. I remember when I grew up, there was the media. And at the time I was a kid, I wasn't in the media. There was no talk radio. The fans only got a voice with a letter to the editor, a newspaper.

That was it when I was like 15, 18. There was no talk radio. Fans didn't get an opinion. Now fans get an opinion everywhere. I could literally talk to our president on Twitter. You could talk to anybody you wanted. Tom Brady, Phil Mickelson, it's great. But there's also now, because everybody has an opinion, and there's so many media outlets.

I didn't grow up. There was no Twitter, obviously. There was no social media. There was no such thing as blogs. When I was a kid, there was barely cable television. Media is everywhere. So it's important that, for me anyway, I'll just speak for me, there are just certain media I listen to, and it's a pretty small group of people I trust.

Tom Curran in New England, we've brought him on this show. He's as good a local NFL reporter as the league has. When I used to live in Connecticut, when Tom talked, he broke stories, he was legitimate, he's not surfing for clicks, he knows his stuff, he's never hyperbolic. He just gives you the straight skinny. And a good reporter should be occasionally ticking off local people. That's the sign of a good report. If everybody loves you, you're a hack.

If you're not ticking off local fans a little bit, you're not doing your job. And that's Tom Curran. So Curran comes out at OTAs. He said, I just finished watching Patriots first OTA. One thing that stands out about Mack Jones' new quarterback is his size and lack thereof. Not just compared to Cam Newton. He's shorter than Jarrett Stidham. He really will need to fill out his frame as well.

His arm isn't really live. You know, these are just observations relative to how far he may need to go. go fortunately except for the height, the other things can improve. What did I bang on before the draft? Trust your eyes. You only have one chance to make a first impression in life. He looks tiny next to camp. He's smaller than Stidham.

Remember I kept saying, when Trey Lance walks into the 49ers, you're going to go, ooh, that's a pro athlete. 64, 220. Justin Fields. I kept saying Justin Fields walks into a camp. even if he's not great at the line of scrimmage for a couple of years, you're going to go, ooh, 6-4, big arm. That's a player.

That's a baller. Mack Jones is the shortest of all the first-round quarterbacks. He's the least athletic. His arm is not close to a Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, not close. Worst NFL body, that stuff made Instagram, right? That made social. Now, a Patriot player yesterday, Kendrick Bourne said, oh, quote, he has a lot of swag and confidence. He is a leader.

So was Tim Tebow, and I heard that about Johnny Mansell had swag. And you could say that about Drew Locke. In the NFL, you need a gift. And the reason you need a gift is because the plays rarely go as they're designed. In fact, Nick Sabin and Bill Belichick, in their careers, have struggled not against all quarterbacks, but quarterbacks with a gift. Belichick struggled with Cam three times. Saban's struggle with Johnny Mansell. Johnny, for all his faults, had a gift.

He could move. Why do you need a gift? Because when the play breaks down, how do you escape? Lamar Jackson's got his legs. Russell Wilson's got his elusiveness. Cam and Big Ben had their size. Play breaks down, one guy can't take him down. Mahomes and Aaron Rogers, the ability to escape and make any throw,

sometimes not looking. The great quarterbacks have a gift that when the play, the line of scrimmage, a teammate runs the wrong direction, you can do something. You've got an ability to do something to save the play and not only save it, often enhance it. Mack Jones, protection breaks down. Teammate runs the wrong route. Play is screwed. That happens all the time.

protection breaks down 10 times a game of your 60 plays. Player runs a wrong route or he gets bumped out of his route. That happens in our eight, nine times. Running back can't block the oncoming linebacker, misses his assignment. Players trip, fall, held up. And so, you know, people can say, well, what about, what's Brady's gift?

Well, Brady played in a much more patient NFL when he broke in 20 years. ago. You would give guys two and three years to develop. Tom was not. Tom didn't have a gift initially. Now, Tom did get drafted as a six four and a half, 225 pound athlete. Tom Brady walks into a room. That's a big fella. Tom Brady in every room he walks to in America. That's not like if he walks to a corporate event. If Tom Brady goes for a speaking engagement, if he is talking to a advertiser, Tom's the biggest guy in every room. Six, four and a half. half, 225. 25.

I've been at a party with Peyton Manning. He didn't know who I was at the time. Peyton Manning's huge. Peyton Manning doesn't look like the rest of us. I'm tall. I'm 6-2-200 almost. Peyton Manning's way bigger than me. Heads bigger.

His hands are bigger. His chest is bigger. His shoulders are bigger. Got to have a gift. Manning, it was the brain. I mean, Peyton's probably the smartest player that's ever played the game. Probably the smartest single guy that's ever played the game. He changed the game.

Brady was given time in a more patient era to develop into the best pre-snap guy the game currently has. Also, he's actually, you know, he was drafted by a baseball team. He's bizarrely elusive in the pocket. He's been doing it so long. So what I say about Mack Jones is this is why I said, you cannot draft him number three. Now, the Patriots, to their credit, didn't give up any picks, didn't move up, just sat there at 15. So the Patriots deserve credit. They were not going to give away picks to get him.

But this is why he can't go three. walk in the locker room guys look around and go like dude that body shirt off that size that arm if tom curran says it i believe it and tom curran's probably getting heat today from patriot fans that's why it's good if your local guy's not making you occasionally uncomfortable he stinks she stinks whoever it is all right uh not great news for aaron rogers uh just want to throw that out there a little something going on today and um God, there's good stuff. By the way, Portland and Miami.

I'm not going to scold either of you, but it's a reality check for the heat and the Portland Trailblazers around the corner. 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. 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 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped 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 kill? 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 y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks. 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.

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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way 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. here 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, Keir 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. Still

running around using QuickBooks. Might as well be quicksand. Bigger your company grows, faster you sync. Get rid of that old software. Go to net suite.com slash heard, one-of-a-kind financing. NetSuite.com slash h-E-R-D. So this is just interesting,

just kind of fun. Now, there's a lot of different like terms that if you don't use social media and I don't use it enough to be too savvy, but who you've been ratioed, that's geeky. And there's the flex. There's a term that you use called flex. You're flexing. And I think there is a difference, between a flex and a reminder.

So if I go to my social media and I take a picture of my house and the pool, that's a flex, right? That's obnoxious. But in the winter, if I just take a picture of the sunset, which anybody could take a picture of, it is a reminder to a company I used to work for in the middle of a blizzard, Uncle Colin made the right call. That's a reminder.

I can be obnoxious. Tom Brady is hosting OTAs this week without the coaches. He wanted to do that in New England. They wouldn't let him. Tom Brady has made sure everybody in the world sees that Bruce Ariens is allowing him to take Antonio Brown, Gronk, Mike Evans, anybody that wants to show up, Blaine Gabbert. players only OTAs.

They can use the facilities, weight room, field. Bruce Ariens says, no coaches because Brady hates OTAs. It is not a flex by Brady here. It is a reminder. Just posting pictures on Instagram of the beautiful sunset

to people who didn't understand you had that option instead of blizzards. Belichick would never allow this. Tom's not flexing. Tom's not, Tom's not, you know, lined up with a Super Bowl trophy in his hand. It's not showing you the rings in his room. He's not doing the standings. It's not a flex. It's a reminder by Tom Brady that all you had to do was occasionally two, three times a year, say, hey, Tom, good job.

occasionally hit on a wide receiver in the draft. Let me control the OTAs with players and not have to go through coaching in meaningless OTAs as I've been the best quarterback in the league for the last seven to eight to nine to ten to twenty years. Big difference. That's not a flex. Tom at the OTAs is a reminder. Had the Patriots just been a little less rigid,

They would not have a losing record. They would not be inferior in their own division to Buffalo. They would not have any chance to beat Kansas City. This little sunset picture. It's nice here, not nice where you're at. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Oh, my poor heat. Taking some lumps. Ooh. The bucks have pushed the heat. So the brink of elimination, taking a 3-0 lead in the series. No team in NBA history has ever given up a 3-0 series lead. So it's not looking good for the Miami Heat.

Once again, Milwaukee wins in a blowout, 1134. The six players scoring in double digits. The Bucks made 48.3% of their shots compared to 37.6% made by the heat. They will compete in game four on Saturday with the chance to sweep. This has been brutal. This has been brutal. Yeah. But, you know, I was talking this morning to Miami.

And here's the deal. Like, a lot of people are calling the heat bubble frauds. That's like the fun thing to say. Oh. And I mean, that's a nonsense thing to say. Like, if they're bubble frauds, then the Lakers are bubble fraud champions. Like, they're fraudulent champions. Although Lakers are pretty good right now.

Lakers are good. But the Lakers made improvements to their squad in the offseason. And the heat obviously did not do that. The Bucks also made improvements to their squad. They have Drew Holiday and PJ Tucker. They deserve credit for that. That's taken a massive amount of pressure off of Chris Middleton and Yonis for that matter. They're better, no question.

They're better defensively. And the heat have been struggling. Tyler Hero's averaging 7.7 points in this series. That's not enough. That's not enough points. I'm not going to say they're a fraud. I think what's happened is this is kind of who they are. last year suddenly we elevated Bam-O-A-Bahue to a star and it's like,

no, he got work by AD, he's getting work by Yonis, he's a good player. I'd like to have him on my team. I think we elevated people, we overvalued a little bit of, beyond Butler, who's very good. He's not having good, Jimmy Butler's a really good player. We started overvaluing everybody and it's like, no, they got, Duncan Robinson can shoot. That's about it. Bam-O-Dabeyu's a nice 15-point-a-game guy. Whenever he plays good bigs, that's about what he gives you, 14-15.

I just, like the bubble was what it was. That's right. Like, you had Janice, who's back-to-back MVP. Somebody had to win. They should have won. The heat played well, and they won. That's right. They got to the NBA finals.

They took the Lakers to six games, and this is a new season. So, I mean, you can talk about what happened in the bubble. Like, everyone else had a fair opportunity to win in the bubble, and they didn't. So that was last year. This is a new year. There's their new teams. We very rarely see people run it back. I mean, what the Bucks are doing is really unprecedented, bringing back

all of their starters. Like in any sport, you're going to have turnover and you're going to make changes or improvements. So, I mean, look, the heat have to take their out. Like, I very much believe you can brag and pound on your chest when you do well. And when you lose, you got to take the out. Like, you got to be self-aware. Big L. I don't want to hear about fans leaving the stands, though. I mean, come on. Like, they pulled that last week with the Warriors, like Warriors fans leaving early. Fans leave early. Nobody likes sitting in traffic after watching their team lose. You have a little edge to you this morning, Joe. Yeah, well, you know. I'm irritated.

The Nuggets jumped to a 2-1 series lead over the Blazers, thanks to a huge performance by Austin Rivers last night. Yeah. This is a fun game. Scored 21 points with 16 in the fourth quarter. Yeah. He also made a team high five three-pointers, and after he said it felt really good to have this performance, especially after sitting at home waiting for a team to give him a chance

earlier this season. This is a fun part of the playoffs when you have a player pop and contribute in a big way. He was on the couch. He was on the couch. Yes. Absolutely. He was traded from the Knicks to the Thunder, then the Thunder waived him. He signed with the Nuggets after Jamal Murray got injured. But he played a massive role for them last night.

And Damien was on fire, as he usually is, 37 points. C. James McCollum at 22 points. So they needed this. And it opened things up for Yokich, so they couldn't double team Yoghish anymore because they got to keep somebody on Austin Rivers. Portland needs a reboot. I feel like I've seen the same team for about six years. I feel like, let's go get him a legitimate number two star. Like they're so Dame-centric. It's nothing against. It's just Portland. Portland needs, it's okay, they've been good.

But they peaked a couple years ago when they got the conference finals. It's like it's reboot time. Let's get clippers go get swept. Paul George is on the market. Paul's a better two than a one. The Blazers feel a little bit like the heat, a little bit like the Raptors, where you have a good coach, you have a good system, you have a good culture, you have a good fan base, you have a strong front office, you make,

improvements, you tinker with the roster every single year, but when you look at what the bigger brands and the bigger teams are doing, bringing in stars. And that's just kind of what it feels like. That's why the Raptors were able to win that championship, because they were just right there, but what do you need? Kawhi Leonard. Now you have a championship. Yep. So that's kind of how it feels with these teams. They're very competitive. They're great during the regular season. And then you get to the playoffs and you get up against, you know, likely the MVP. And this is what happens. Yeah. All right. Tim Tebow. The day after Trevor Lawrence said Tim Tebow has looked great at practice.

Great. The quarterback turned tight end is trying to prove he deserves a spot on the Jags roster. And he caught every pass thrown his way on Thursday, Colin. That included two that went for touchdowns. You can see he's added about 15 pounds of bulk. I mean, he's big. Tim's big now. Listen, the bod is on point.

That's what we know is going to. Yeah, he's always in great. We know that that's what's going to be. Tim has bulked up. I mean, you look at him right now. That is a tight end body. Well, he's going to have defensive. If he makes it, he's going to have NFL defensive ends coming for his head.

Linebackers ready to blow him off his stance. So he went for two touchdowns, one from Lawrence and one from Gardner Minshu, but he did not drop a pass all practice. Well, it is, you're playing air, so let's not. I mean, again, I don't want to be, I want to be very fair on Tebow. I don't like being marginalized, but not dropping a pass for any other times. Biden in the league would not be a story. No.

That's what you say about your eight-year-old son. Jackson went to practice today. He did not drop a single pass. Here's the thing about this story, because you're right. Nobody talks about not dropping passes in practice. Now, if you look awful in OTAs, then that's a story. But you're supposed to catch every pass. There's no one guarding you.

There's no chance anyone's going to hit you. You should catch every pass. That's the bare minimum of what you should do. With Tebow, anytime you're critical, you're hate. But I don't know. Me personally, I would feel embarrassed if I was in this situation. It does feel a little bit like they're taking care of Timmy. They want to make sure Timmy doesn't get injured by the press.

Like it's just let's stop reporting that Timmy caught every pass against air. Like it's beneath Tim Tebow. It's going. Is it? I don't know. I just feel like, okay, Tim is. I mean, he's not reporting this. He's not responsible for this.

And he's a star and he is polarizing and people want to know what's going on with him in practice. So if he's a star, you don't report that he caught every practice against air. Well, he's a star. He's, he's obviously very famous, but he's also infamous. So this is why they're reporting on this. Like to your point, any other tight end, you're not going to be like, oh, Travis Kelsey caught every ball in practice. Like, to the slow news day? Like, who cares?

Of course. Interesting. I thought that segment was very fair, very balanced. I don't know. You get mad to me if you want to. I've got enough problems with the heat. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. You know, it's interesting with Phoenix because Chris Paul's not 100% and so this is the Devin Booker time to step up and he has not. He's had the worst plus minus of any son's player in the last two games combined. Rick Buecker brought to you my Mercedes. these bends the best or nothing. You know, it's, this is why I thought Chris Paul,

I would have given strong consideration for most valuable player, is that as great as Devin Booker is, Rick, the last seven, eight quarters, where's he gone? Your take away on what you're seeing with Booker. Well, we're seeing why the Phoenix Suns weren't a success until Chris Paul came to town, that for all the numbers that Devin Booker has put up and all that I've heard from players, current and former,

about how this guy is an underrated superstar. We're seeing the hole in it. You know what he is? He's the next Carmelo Anthony right now. In terms of he can be your best scorer. He can be a great scorer, but he cannot be your leader. You need somebody else to do that. Carmelo Anthony played his best basketball

when he was with either Chauncey Billups or Jason Kidd on the Olympic team. or now with Damien Lillard. We can appreciate him for what he is. But now with Chris Paul out, you're asking Devin Booker to do all the things that you asked him to do the last few years that weren't successful. And I can't help but feel like the Lakers have their number, have his number, rather, and that they know that he's an emotional player. They can wind him up. And there's one thing about playing with spirit and playing with emotion.

And then there's being emotional. And he so easily gets into these one-on-one battles and the trash talk and gets completely distracted from, you know what, I need to run this team. I need to make good decisions. He has a little Russell Westbrook in him and that when things get bad, he thinks that playing faster is the answer and as a result he turns the ball over more and his decisions are more erratic. So he is making the best case for Chris Paul as MVP that anybody has made all year long. Chris Paul didn't get the love because they looked at the numbers and they looked at Devin Booker's numbers and said, oh, well, he's not, is he even the best player? No, he may not be the best player on the team or the most talented, but Chris Paul is the most valuable. And that's why he was on my ballot.

So Miami's lost three games by 29 points for more this year, 29 or more, all to Milwaukee. So I do think it's fair to say Milwaukee's a better team this year. They went out and got Drew Holiday, who's a terrific underrated player, has been for a decade. And PJ Tucker, they're a better team and they're young players. And Middleton now is not asked to be a star. He's asked to hit some shots. And that's what he is. He can be a shot maker.

But it is interesting with Miami. You know, there's the old term lightning in a bottle where the heat lightning in a bubble and all this is just sort of fraudulent. No, I wouldn't say that. It's a different Miami Heat team, as Joy aptly pointed out. They've made some personnel changes, and they bet on some guys that have not paid off. They moved off of Jay Crowder. They moved off of Kelly Alenic.

They bet on Duncan Robinson and Tyler Harrow. And they've now become more of a finesse team when that wasn't what they were last year. So I just, I feel as if they shifted. And when it comes to these particular matchups, it's as simple as looking at what happened in overtime in game one. Last year, when there was a need situation for the Miami Heat to stop the Milwaukee Bucks, they had Jay Crowder, Bam Out of Bio, and Jimmy Butler to guard Janice Antecoompo, Chris Middleton, and Eric Bledsoe. Now, this year, they've got, and they had in overtime, you had, BAM out of bio on Janus, you had Jimmy Butler on Drew Holiday, and now you were left without

Jay Kreider with Duncan Robinson guarding Chris Middleton. Now it is switched where you can just match up hunt and find that difference. And John Horace, the GM there, has done a really nice job of shifting the mentality and just the vibe around this team. They were, for the most part, still a finesse team, the Milwaukee Bucks were. But adding PJ Tucker, adding Drew Holiday, and sneakily adding Bryn Forbes from the San Antonio Spurs, has really changed the way they look at themselves. PJ Tucker said it the other day, we're dogs. Like, you didn't think of the Bucks as dogs last year.

They didn't have that. That was the Miami Heat. The Bucks have added that, and that's given you that vibe that you've, that you've needed around Yanisanta Tocompo to lift this team. I think they are, I mean, everybody's all hot and bothered about the Brooklyn Nets. You need to take a look at what Philadelphia is doing to Washington and what the bucks have done to Miami. They're beating better teams by the same margin. Yeah, we picked Milwaukee on this show. I did to win the championship and I think there are nights. They're very inartistic, but to your point, they're a more physical team and match up

well with Brooklyn. So listen, the playoffs are giving us blowouts, they're giving us competitive series, and then they're giving us a Greek tragedy called the LA Clippers where if they lose tonight, it's going to be a sweep, it's

Kabloom, Steve Balmer. You know, it's one thing, Rick, to lose. There's another to be humiliated as a public figure, as a mayor, as a sports owner, as a talk show. You know, everybody's got bad ratings book. Everybody has a legislation that doesn't pass. You don't win every day as a public

figure. But to be humiliated is different. And if the clippers lose tonight, what happens? What does this team look like in three months? Yeah. Well, that's the difficulty. And it's a difficulty when you build a team around a core that is flawed at its heart. I mean, nobody in the league would say no to pairing Kauai Leonard and Paul George. That said, did they all, and the GMs that I talked to, did they all look at it and go, well, you don't really have a leader between those two guys? And so you're going to be good. You're going to be potent. But can you ultimately get the job done? And you can change all the pieces around it. And it's not going to answer the inherent problem that your two best players are not leaders.

And we see this. The warriors were as much as they could be because of the leadership of Steph Curry. I would say the Grizzlies are being as much as they can be because of the leadership of John Moran. The sons with Chris Paul were as much as they could be. All those teams overachieved as a result of their leadership. When you don't have leadership,

when you don't have a best player, one of your top players who's holding everybody accountable, you are going to underachieve. You still may be good because you have the talent, but you're never going to realize your potential. And that is the issue. Now, the thing is, you could take apart this Clippers team. You could send Paul George someplace else. You could potentially trade Kauai Leonard, although I see that being a difficult thing to ultimately do. and they could go someplace else and have success, the success that you wanted, because they're not

the leader on the team now. And that's the challenge that Balmer faces. For me, you need to break it apart and start over, as painful as that might be. Or you're just going to continue to get the same results. It is flawed. I thought, and mistakenly so, like getting Rajan Rondo would add that piece. But what I've seen so far is, Kauai Leonard and Paul George have this unearned arrogance that, no, we got this, we can take care of this, we'll run this. Because the moments that I see Rajan Rondo in charge are the best moments I've seen of the Clippers. I need Kauai Leonard and Paul George to be ancillary, complementary players, and to do the dirty work and allow Rajan Rondo to operate. Crazy as that might sound. But if you want to win, you put your ego aside and go, I'll do

whatever is necessary to get it done. And I simply do not see that from the Los Angeles Clippers' best players. Yeah, well, broken down. Rick Buecker, have a great weekend, buddy. Thanks again, man. You got it. Not great news. Just a little bit of, you know, it's so funny listening. to people talk about, oh, Aaron's got all the leverage. Aaron Rogers maybe should have all the leverage. I think he lost even more leverage yesterday. That next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

What's up, everyone? It's me three-time NFL All-Pro Sean Marion. 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's 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 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped 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 kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. 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 know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. 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, Keir 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. By the way, many hosts take the day off on Memorial Day, not Joe and I. We will be here as you're barbecueing on Monday. Very happy to do that.

Committed. It's exciting. It's like summer's here. Not us. We all will be grinding Monday. So I do not believe in coincidences. I've said this over and over and over and over again. I'm not going to write a third book.

It's too hard. but I may write some articles over the course of my career to just on broadcasting and this whole business I've been in for years. Everything happens for a reason. Everything happens for a reason. So yesterday, according to the Sports Business Journal, the ratings came out on Aaron Rogers in Jeopardy. He is not the most popular. Ken Jennings, who was once a contestant, very popular, very good, a whiz. Ken Jennings' ratings beat him substantially. So when Ken Jennings was on, they got 10 million viewers. When Aaron was on, they got nine.

A million viewers is a lot. That's something in our business. And 22% of Jeopardy fans, they want Ken Jennings. And that's a lot. And then Aaron Rogers, that was closer to 15%. On the same day, that came down. The Packers leaked it to the media that they're not budging on Aaron Rogers trade situation. Just wanted to double down on that.

Everybody keeps telling me, oh, I heard an analyst another network in a colder part of the country tell me, oh, Aaron's got all the leverage. Let's think about this. He's going to lose $50 million if he retires. He's lost the fan base in Green Bay. You hear that sports radio chatter, and now he lost leverage with Jeopardy. we also know that he sees and hears everything we know that because mark schlareth put out just a singular tweet about denver having interest in aaron and aaron immediately deemned mark that is not a criticism

of aaron but he's you know he's not married with a bunch of kids he's on that social device he's good with social media he hears and sees everything and so and i want you to just think about this for a second. Because I've said, I think, Green Bay did a lousy job communicating with him. But I remember reading this years ago from, it was a legendary comedian that 99% of you have never heard of, Jackie Gleason. In the 50s and 60s, he was the funniest guy in America. And he was, he was like Tony Soprano, if Tony Soprano was funny. He was this just big, tough everything. And I remember reading one time, he said, if he got power, you should never have to use it. It is unspoken. It is understood. Don't mess with that guy. So when Russell Wilson used his,

I'm disappointed muscle, I'm deeply disappointed muscle. It was really the first time Russell had ever used that muscle. And Seattle reacted immediately. Aaron has, you know, he was Mr. Go Hawks, Go Hawks, Go Hawks, go Hawks, enough already. And then he exercised. the I'm disappointed muscle. And the organization, oh, whoa, whoa, Mr. Go Hawks. And they worked really quick to give them a deal and get him a better old line.

But Aaron now has exercised his, I'm disappointed muscle a dozen times. So Green Bay is used to it, prepared for it. They dealt with it with Fav. They're over it. And now they have more leverage. leverage. Aaron doesn't have the leverage. That's why the way he wins this is by having the stomach to deal with it. Leverage is when you don't need a stomach. I got leverage.

When you need a stomach to deal with something, that means you're getting blowback in places. So Aaron's going to lose money. He's already lost the fans, a big chunk of him. Looks like he's going to lose the Jeopardy job. And by the way, not only does Green Bay have his contract, they could franchise tag him for years. So for Aaron to come out on the side he wants to, it's all about does he have the stomach for it? I don't think he does. I think he likes to be liked more than most athletes. I mean, everybody likes to be like.

You like to be like, I like to be liked. Everybody likes to be like. I mean, LeBron James said after that first year in Miami, I don't like being the villain. I don't want to be the villain. I like, I smile when I play basketball. Project Johnson didn't want to be a villain. I think sometimes Kobe and Michael Jordan kind of liked it a little bit, but you also like to be liked.

I mean, Michael wanted his general manager to like him, right? He loved Phil Jackson because Phil Jackson liked him. He even liked Doug Collins who got fired because Doug liked him. Michael wanted to be like. We all want to be liked. That's why he did the last dance. I wanted to give you a documentary about his life, so you'd watch and talk more. I don't know.

I just look at this. And he's not retiring. got to get over this. Aaron's not retiring. For other reasons I'll talk about later. All right. Hour one on a Friday flew by. And I haven't even touched,

scratch the surface next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a hear, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite offers. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

It 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford 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, unfilled 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 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.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.