The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 06/01/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: June 1, 2021

Colin compares Aaron Rodgers’ absence from OTAs to what Russell Wilson did earlier this year when he expressed his frustration with the Seahawks organization. He thinks one young star in the NBA has a serious flaw that might not be fixable. He also explains why Anthony Davis’ latest injury should not be a surprise since this has been happening his entire career. Plus, former NBA All Star Cedric Ceballos joins the show to break down the remaining NBA playoff match ups.   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, 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, 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 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The Best of 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 Heard. This is the Best of the Hurd with Colin Cowan. Howard on Fox Sports Radio. It's a Tuesday. Welcome in, live in Los Angeles. This is The Hurd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are on I-Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1.

The Lakers season will get gloomier tonight. I like the Suns to win. I'll talk about that in about 15 minutes. Joy Taylor is joining me today. Joy, how are you? I'm great. Another fan out of the stands last night. Oh, Lord.

I was wondering what was going through Dwight's mind. Like, I could see Dwight leaning over him. Like, I don't know if he said something to him or what was going on. But it was, as usual, a scene. It was a scene. I do want to start with this, though. I think this is very interesting. So if you listen to me, you know I've always said,

information only gets out if one of the parties wants it out. I've got all sorts of secrets in broadcasting, and I've never seen them printed because I don't want them out. Fox has all sorts of secrets that I've never seen printed. They don't want them out. Stuff gets out if somebody wants it out. So Green Bay, it's crazy. The coincidences here are amazing.

Once again, it is leaked from the Packer's side. We will not trade Aaron Rogers. that got out because they want it out and they want Aaron to see it and Aaron's agent to see it and you to see it. You being America and the fans of the Packers. Now, for the record, Aaron doesn't have to show up contractually to the OTAs. It doesn't really matter. In a week, they have mandatory mini-camp. Then it'll get interesting.

If Aaron doesn't show up for that, they can find him a lot of money. Can, don't have to, can. But it is interesting. we know that teams have all the power in this stuff, right? In the NFL, they have all the power. It's the weakest players union. Even though it is really a star-driven league, especially quarterbacks, it's not viewed like the NBA.

The CBA favors the players in the NBA. It favors the owners and the teams in the NFL. But it is interesting that when Russell Wilson voiced unhappiness, the Seahawks folded immediately. And that's interesting. Aaron has gone public for three to four years with his unhappiness. And they've never once folded. This is his nuclear option.

I'm not showing up to OTAs. And they still won't fold. Now, why would that be? And I want you to think about this. Aaron's clearly the more decorated of the two. He's got three MVPs. Russell Wilson can't get an MVP vote. He's got more national commercials.

He's more known. I mean, Green Bay feels like a small town that lives and dies by the quality of their quarterback. But yet, why did Seattle fold with a Hall of Fame head coach and a loyal fan base and Green Bay won't? Now, you could argue, well, Seattle's in a brutal division. You can't screw around with quarterback. Green Bay is in a weaker division that maybe they could win about 9.5. nine, ten games with a backup quarterback. You can certainly argue that, but I think both of us realize neither Seattle or Green Bay

has a successor to the throne. I don't buy in Jordan Love. So why would Green Bay not only Notfold won't even budge and continues to push, push, push, push, push? I want you to think about this. Because Joy and I can both attest, I won't speak for her, I'll speak for me. big corporations don't like bad PR. They generally fold. Big corporations do not like bad PR.

The stock price can go down. Advertisers can flee. Bad PR for Aaron Rogers and Russell Wilson. They're individuals. What do they give a rip? Sometimes it makes you more of a dog, more of an alpha. You know, you're like you're more of an independent guy. Fans love that, right?

The barstool brand. We're not corporation. And then sometimes bad news is, strangely good news and you've seen that with certain conservative talk show hosts where that's bad PR no it's good PR I can't but corporations don't like don't like bad PR and this is bad PR for Green Bay right and it was bad PR for Seattle but Seattle folded think about this comedians always say you've got to know the room before you tell the jokes some stuff works in the south some stuff's funnier in New York or L.A. that wouldn't play on

in the Midwest. Seattle is techy, young, millennial, a very independent city, geographically and emotionally, I'm from there. They're anti-corporation. They'll support the individual. So those phone lines in Seattle supported Russell Wilson. Screw the Seahawks. Who were they before Russell Wilson? Green Bay is the Midwest. You put your head down. You're a farmer. Don't get too cool for the room, hot shot. Did Aaron, like a bad comedian, simply misjudge the room and the temperature in it? Russell Wilson often goes to the internet, Instagram. He's at children's hospitals.

Even when he was struggling with management, he releases those workout videos. I am grinding for you. Fans love that. I am putting in 12 hours in the... Arizona Sun, that's where he trains. It's 109. I'm out here. Working, grinding for you, Go Hawks.

Aaron posts Hawaii pictures with his celebrity friends on guitar. Ponytail doesn't really resonate in Milwaukee. When Russell handled

his situation, it felt sincere that he was genuinely hurt. that he loves his team. He wants to be a Seahawk forever. Aaron's was held to a different level of pettiness. He released information to multiple reporters on draft A to humiliate the franchise. He did not only skip OTAs, but so did all his best receivers.

Almost as if it was orchestrated. Aaron, I believe, has misjudged. his popularity in Green Bay. He's never been a perfect fit. He's California cool. They wear cheese hats in their 40s and 50s. But Green Bay's front office listens to Milwaukee Radio, hears from their fans.

They still write letters and go to Yahoo and send them emails. And the fans in Green Bay are not defending and yelling at the organization. Brian Goodenkins and Mark Murphy are hearing fans say, let's move on. He's abandoned us. He's not one of us. In Seattle, it was different. Russell Wilson at Children's Hospitals,

grinding in the Arizona heat in the off-season. Go Hawks. This stuff matters. Why do the Packers refuse to fold and keep leaking stories were not budging. Seattle folded in a day. I mean, they got Pete Carroll. He's a Hall of Famer. Like Pete Carroll needs to fold for anybody? He's going to be in Canton. It's interesting to watch the two organizations. Green Bay's executives have now leaked multiple times in the last two weeks. we're not budging.

And my opinion is, I have watched major teams and corporations through the years react to bad press. And Green Bay's executives aren't getting bad press from their fans. They've been through this before with Fav and it worked out okay. And maybe they're misguided and Jordan loves terrible and they'll be bad forever. But it is interesting to me why Seattle folds and Green Bay won't. You would think, right, like Green Bay needs Farr, more than Seattle, a more sophisticated city needs Seattle gets free agents. Green Bay can never get free agents. They couldn't get a free agent quarterback of Jordan Love can't play.

But I think Aaron, to some degree, has misjudged the temperature in the room. That he feels like he's abandoning celebrity friends in Hawaii doing jeopardy. A lot of people in the Midwest are saying, he ain't one of us. He's not us. He's abandoning us. And I think Green Bay's front office hears it and senses it. And we had a talk show host, former Packer that hosts a show, Leroy Butler, remember him coming on saying his audience in Milwaukee is popular show? Pro Packer, anti-Aren.

I can assure you having grown up in the Northwest, it was the opposite with Russell Wilson. It was get rid of the GM. run of the coach, Russell's our guy. This stuff matters. I just, I'm trying to figure out why one franchise folded and why the other keeps leaking, doubling, tripling,

quadrupling down on, we're not budging. I think a lot of it is one quarterback is seen as part of the city and one is seen as really talented but has always had one foot out the door. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper 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 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'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 a 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 yeah yeah literally but just so y'all know I mean at this point

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 so 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me,

your host, and your favorite therapist, Care 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 conversational. 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, Keer Games, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. So last night in an NBA game, Philadelphia is going to beat Washington, but Washington, Scotty Brooks, the head coach, employed a strategy.

Let's foul Ben Simmons, who's an amazing player, but he can't shoot. And his free three, throw percentage has never been good for a guard like 60% in the playoffs it's like 50%. So they fouled him over and over and over. And Doc Rivers, and I agree with Doc. Doc's like, I'm not taking him off the floor. He's Ben Simmons. And the media is like, how do you have him in there? And it's like he's our point guard.

He's Ben Simmons. So let me just say this about Ben Simmons. I'm a fan. And I've been saying this for years. He does three things at a plus level. Passing A plus, defending A plus, the ability to finish at the rim A plus. So I like Ben Simmons. It's not that he can't shoot.

I wish he was better at that. But Magic Johnson came into this league and it looked like he was shooting a set shot. What concerns me with Ben Simmons, and I don't think you can modify this or change this or coach this up, is his casualness, his lack of nonchalance, his. is like, this is basketball. That worries me. Zion can't shoot yet. But Zion has that Kobe LeBron thing where every offseason, and I'm not asking everybody to be Kobe and LeBron.

Like, I get it. Michael Jordan. I understand. Not everybody is that. That's unrealistic to be Brady. But what always turns me off for people I've hired and in pro athletes is the non-shadow. shallant. Does it matter to you? And with Ben Simmons, four years, he's not improving at the shooting. He's just not putting time in. And that's what worries me. And I'm a fan of Simmons. But there's three

types of pro athletes. There's three levels of pro athletes. Marginally talented, but they work their ass off. And you just keep them on a roster. They just, they're good in the room. They work. They don't have a 48 inch vertical. They're not great shooters. And the league's full of these guys. They're on the bench, but they work hard. They're coachable. The second level is super talented, but apathetic. They got their money. They're good.

They show up occasionally. Then there's the third level, which is hard to hold anybody to. That's Kobe. They're talented and obsessive. So that's like 1%. And I'm being generous. I'm one, one and a half percent. I think Simmons is in the second one.

if it's A, B, and C, he's B. He is really, really talented, absolutely gifted, but I'm not sure he cares. And I've got to be honest with you. I think it's harder and harder to find guys who are obsessive. Athletes now can make $10 to $15,000 to $20,000 on a tweet. They can make $100,000 to $200,000 on an Instagram post. The shoe companies are pouring money into athletes.

So money's coming in, seven different revenue streams. I'm already great at this, this, this. I'm making the playoffs. I'm making money. What worries me about Simmons is not that he's not a great shooter. Not everybody is a great shooter. It's that it's not getting better. It's that he's not bothered by it.

That he's not really going into an off-season. I can remember LeBron J. And LeBron, again, it's hard to hold anybody to LeBron's standards. But remember when LeBron went to Miami, had the Dallas series, and struggled posting people up. And we all finally found a hole in LeBron's game. It's like, oh, wait, he's got no low post game. He couldn't post up J.J. Brea. The next year, in an offseason, LeBron comes back.

And it's like, okay, he solved that problem. That's what the great ones do. I mean, there's some things athletically, Tom Brady is never going to be blank. But he keeps, and this is what I've said about Lamar Jackson. I have defended Lamar Jackson. Lamar's not perfect. He throws a little bit of an ugly football. Every year, he changes his traps.

He changes his body. He works at it. He is committed. He is bothered by losing. I mean, you can see Lamar Jackson during games. He can't hide the frustration. He is furious with himself when he loses. God, I love that quality.

I love that quality in Lamar Jackson. He is so bothered when he loses. He's as mad at himself as the guy in the upper deck. and sometimes with Ben Simmons, this the nonchalance and, man, what is, man? He had a quote here yesterday. There's just basketball. I don't know if you can change that. Like, I don't think you can teach what Lamar has, that reservoir of self-imposed pressure.

You can't coach it. Lamar's got it. It's innate. He's probably had it since he was five. If you went to his parents and asked him, it's like, oh, that's the way he was doing that and that's the way what. And I don't think you can upgrade it if you're nonchalant. Like I just think that it, like I've said this about Drew Locke, Denver Bronco quarterback,

Jay Cutler, they're too casual. You can't teach. It's just like this is who they are. And that's what worries me about Ben Simmons. Zion can't shoot either. But what I see in Zion is this need to fix his issues. Nonchalant is just, it's just, it's just, what do you do with it? What do you do with it?

That's what worries me about Ben Simmons. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast inside the Parker for 22 minutes of pipe and hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday. do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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 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'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. 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 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. 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, Ryan, Korn, and 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, Keir Gaines, as 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. I like the sons tonight to win because AD's not going to play, overwhelmingly not going to play. AD's got a groin strain. And it's just, I mean, I've had one of those in my life, and they do not go away. And I couldn't even jog.

Forget playing a competitive sport. And it is interesting is that this is the way the NBA works. You're a great college player. You get drafted in the top 10 and overwhelmingly go to a cruddy team. And we don't watch you. We watch the Lakers or the Celtics or the Warriors Dynasty or the Jordan Bulls or the Kobe Magic Lakers. We don't watch the bad teams in the NBA. And a lot of times they don't make the playoffs.

So most of you did not watch Anthony Dave. unless you lived in New Orleans. And then he becomes a Laker. And I hear Laker fans saying, man, he's hurt all the time. Well, yeah, that's kind of, it's like saying suddenly Paul George is struggling in the playoffs. That's kind of been Paul George's thing. He's a great athlete, great player. But he struggled in the playoffs at OKC and in Indy, but it's now the Clippers are a very high

profile team because of Kauai Leonard, the Doc Rivers left, the firing. AD has been hurt a lot. his first year in the league. He was like a 19-year-old kid. He missed 18 games. Next year he missed 15. Next year he missed 14. Next year he missed 21.

That's a quarter of the league. At the time, he was 22 years old. He had a couple of good years, 2016, 2017. He got healthy. Following year, missed 26. This year he's missed 36. Those are big chunks of games. And I've said this.

KD and AD are hurt a lot, but they're very unique. They're slasher. So when I grew up with basketball, if you were seven feet, you're a post. You're back to the basket. But Kevin Durant is a great ball handler. For a seven-footer, he's terrific. And what does that mean? He drives the basket.

He can beat guys off the dribble. He is a slasher. Slashers were always like Pippin, 6-7. They weren't seven-footers. What does that mean? AD similarly, he was a guard his junior year of high school. Then he had a growth spurt. So A.D. is a slasher.

Now, he doesn't like to play the five. He doesn't even want to be a center. He tells people, I don't want to be a center. I'm a four. Well, of course, because his junior year of high school, he was a hard. And so AD and KD drive the lane, put the ball on the floor, and they get tripped up. And it's a long way to fall at 7-1 to that hard NBA tile. And they're AD and KD. It's a big difference. Donovan Mitchell falls or Westbrook does. You're like, okay,

you watch KD and AD hit the floor. It's like a building toppling. You're like, ah, it's just always uncomfortable. And I think it leads to their brittleness. they're banging on the floor, their slash. So their gift actually becomes a little bit of a liability. Little bit of a liability. I mean, AD hits the floor a lot. He hits it hard. He's banged up.

And I just think you didn't watch him in New Orleans, but this has really become his reality. He gets hurt. And I don't think the Lakers, I think when Chris Paul has been on the floor in this series, outside of the third quarter in game two, I think Phoenix has been better. and I just think it's totally unfair to say, oh yeah, he'll come back with a groin strain. No way. Come on, be honest. Anybody watching this show who's had that kind of injury, you can't go play an NBA game with that.

Luca's injury, reportedly this morning, there's been some, it's healing fast. Chris Paul's injury. But a groin strain, that to me feels like series over. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. He was an all-star, a dunk champ, 11 years in the NBA, now of Vice President Bigwig four years for the Dallas Madricks.

Cedric Sabalas is now joining us live. I have so many things I want to hit on. First of all, let's, we've been talking fan behavior today, and so let's just start with that. Sometimes guys like me are guilty, Cedric. We're prisoners of the moment. And I watch these actions and I think, man, these fans are terrible. And then Joy brings up, this has probably been happening for a long time. And now you can just see everything.

Right? We all have phones. That thing in Philadelphia could have happened 30 times. We just didn't see it. So when you look at the fan behavior, are we overreacting to it? I mean, when you played, was this like every road trip there'd be a goofy fan doing something? Yeah, goofy fan is one thing. But, you know, dumping popcorn on Russell Westbrook's.

spitting on Trey Young and the young lady that was in the front row, those type of things, it gets ridiculous. And I think now is to a point that, you know, we're talking about it now. You know, we've got the NBA playoffs going on now. And we're talking about it and we're giving them attention. I even thought last night in Philadelphia, the guy was hired because he had advertising on. The other players had, the other fans, they had on jerseys and, you know, fan stuff. this guy had an advertising shirt on.

Like he was just trying to get, you know, a couple of hits. And then people noticing that company. So this guy might not have been. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. He's trying to advertise knowing that this is going to get played on every national television show. It's going to get replayed off of phones, all that stuff.

So I think that's when it's going to get really dangerous where guys are trying to, you know, getting paid to run out and do some things. You know, it's, let's talk about Dallas Clippers. So when you played for the Lakers, that is a winning organization, the culture, the family. There's a certain confidence when you were a Laker that you would succeed in the playoffs. This is what you do. The Clippers are different. And so the minute they struggle in the playoffs, the ghosts hover over the franchise.

And go back to your NBA career. Was it different in the postseason being a Laker? because you made the playoffs eight times in 11 years. Does it matter when your history is ridden like the Cubs with losing, gagging? I mean, take me to that space for the Clippers right now because I felt coming into the playoffs after they lost those first two, Cedric, I'm like, oh boy, the shoulders are tight with the clippers. Talk a little bit about that. Yeah, it's real difficult.

As a Lakers, especially that mystic, I'm coming in. You start going into the playoffs. You're expected. I think my first round in the playoffs against Seattle, we end up in upsetting. I think it was a seven. We were a seven seed or six seed, and we ended up in upsetting Gary Payton and Sean Kemp. So then that mystique kind of takes over. We end up losing, taking David Robinson to six games.

But I think the most important thing about, you know, playing for a big organization like that is understanding your expectations on what they are. I mean, obviously, we made the transition from the magic era and then on to the Shaq and Kobe era. and they weren't expecting us to be this. You know, the Clippers come in here. They make these transactions, Kauai, George, you know, they let Doc go. They are looking for a championship. I don't think our Laker fans were looking for a championship with myself, Nick Van Exo, and the rest of the guys.

We weren't looking for a championship. That's why they love watching us so much. But they are looking for a championship. When you go into the beginning of the season press conference talking championship and then you lose your first two games, it puts a lot of pressure. But what it also does, it brings you guys together. And I think that's what the road trip did. Maybe if they lost the first two in Dallas and then went back to L.A.,

that might have been a little different because they had time to separate from each other and not be on the bus, not be on the plane, not be in the hotel room together. I think it really brought them closer. And then when you're the enemy, you're coming into dangerous territories because AAC was rocking, those two games, three and four. It brings you guys closer together, and I think that's what they did. I want to talk about Luca. So he was an international player and he was very, very young.

And I've talked to your boss, Mark Cuban, about this. So how crazy. You go from Dirk, the best international guy, to Luca. And, you know, Mark said, there are some things we learned with Dirk Dinovitsky, we won't do again how to protect him, how to promote him. Did you know instantly as a former NBA player when you saw Luca? Because I looked at his video and I thought, yeah, look, it's international. I don't know.

What did you see instantly, Cedric, and go, oh, okay, like this guy's a star. Well, first, you know, playing in a professional league at 14, 15 years old, that's what I saw.

I mean, regardless of, he came over here and was a flop, the fact that he made a professional team at 14, 15 years old. I mean, I'm in junior high school at that time. Still playing with my GI Joe,

you know, so and this guy's traveling all over the world, being a professional, that was the first part. But then the second part, the fact that I thought, you know, I've made the comparisons with him and Larry Bird. And this guy is faster than Larry Bird. He's strong than Larry Bird.

Obviously, he's not a winner like Larry Bird has already proven and done all these MVP things. But he's just 22. But the way he controls his body, the way he understands angles, the way he constantly can get to the basket or get any shot that he wants. You know, it's just Luke of Magic. I call him triple donchitz because he can get a triple double any time he wants. That's funny. You know, I love Ben Simmons. I want to talk about this last night.

So years ago, they had Hackashack. Now it's Hacka Simmons. They want him at the free throw line because he can't shoot. Now he's a great defender, A plus defender, a plus passer, great finisher at the rim. But I said this morning, the thing that does concern me a little, and I'm not expecting everybody to be Kobe and LeBron, where they're obsessive and they're off seasons. They literally take a day off and then they go into the wait room the next day. Not everybody's going to be that.

It does worry me, though, Cedric, and I want you to take me into your career and the mind of players that he not only can't shoot, but he doesn't appear bothered by it. Last night, he's like, yeah, it's no pressure. It's basketball. And I think to myself, no, I want it to bother you. I want you to work on it. And I'm a huge fan of Ben Simmons, but he's getting worse. It's this nonchalant sort of attitude in regards to his shooting. Am I overreacting or is that a real?

thing? I think it's a real thing, but I think with Ben, he's thinking about it and it's affecting other parts of his game. When they hacked the Shaq, Shaq knew, hey, I can't shoot free throws. My hands are huge. The ball is too small. It is what it is. And then his big thing is saying, hey, I made it when it counts in late game situation.

But he didn't let that affect him being dominant. He's making it a point to let everybody know because they know it's 50 million cameras on him when he's making or missing free throws. that there's no big deal. So I think that's affecting his play also. I went through the same scenario. I think I was shooting maybe in the low 60s, my first year in the league.

I got with Jeff Hornacek, the great Paul Westfall, the rest of the piece. And they changed some things around in the summer, made me do some orthodox way of shooting free throws, but it worked. You know, I ended up shooting in the high 90s later on in my career. But I think when you start thinking about it, and now he's not only thinking

about it, but he's thinking about everybody wanting him to be reacting and thinking about it and show it in his emotion. So he's got that two things working for him right now that I think he just needs to avoid. If he makes him, he makes him. It's more important things that he does on the basketball court

than make those free throws. And sometimes psychologically, some of the coaches are filing him on purpose just to get his psyche going and maybe make him make mistakes on the floor. Cedric Sabalas, the vice president corporate relations with the Mavs, 11 years in the NBA, a dunk champ, an All-Star, got to the finals, 93 with the Sons.

So I said this, when Chris Paul has been on the floor and, like, healthy, give me 30 minutes, outside of a third quarter in game two, I think Phoenix has been better. I do not think LeBron at this point can go Superman. I just don't think he can. Your thoughts about tonight's game with no AD and the Lakers' Sun series going forward, Cedric? Yeah, healthy-wise with Chris Paul. I just need Chris Paul the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter, regardless of what goes on in first through third.

I mean, that guy is just dangerous when it comes to late game situations. He's very crafty. He keeps the ball in his hands. He makes right plays. This is a scenario I think Chris Paul has been in before. But I think in game ending series or game changing series, he usually gets into altercations. He got in with the clippers.

OKC same situation. when he was in New Orleans. He'd get in situations that throw his games off. I think the maturity has shown. I think Aiden can be a key to this. I always said that at the beginning of the season when they got Chris Paul that it would make Aiden so much bigger and better in his situation. Maybe not the rim protector.

I think the son's won, Coach Monty Williams once, but effectiveness on the boards. Yeah. Get you 10 to 20 points. Excellent situation. LeBron has done this before. He's gotten into the finals with a subpart team. Even though you had love on that team

when you went to Cleveland and then also you had Shaq and Logoskis on that team. But they weren't at the best level at AD. But I think he's going to need AD maybe game six and seven to get throughout the suns. Tonight I don't think it's going to happen. Yeah. What a pleasure.

Cedric Sabalos, former NBA All-Star, now vice president of the Dallas Maverick. Say hi to Mark Cuban. Loved having you on the show, Cedric. You're always a gift for us. And thank you again. Anytime.

Thank you. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd, weekdays and New Neon, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. I saw this story this morning and let me first support Tim Tebow. So the story comes this morning from Albert Breer argued that some of the challenges for teams when Tebow Mania happens to a franchise is there's one, quote, common complaint I've heard from past coaches about it. It's not that he's actively fueling it, but he doesn't do anything to

calm it down. Now, let me support Tebow here. Then don't bring him on to the team. It's not Tim Tebow's job to be a football player and simultaneously a PR department head. Okay? Don't bring him on if you can't handle the circus. That ain't Tebow's fault. Very positive. Now I'm going to have to be bad Uncle Colin. I will say this about Tim. He's a good guy. I know Tim. He's a good guy. I know. I've met his brother, good guy. But he's not naive. Tebow Mania is a brand. And Tim knows it's a brand. And it's a very lucrative brand. He's not naive. When he left Denver, Jacksonville wanted him and the Jets wanted him. He chose New York. Why? Because he was going to get more publicity. Remember, lots of people run for president. Have you ever noticed this? Somebody runs for president and you think, well, they're polling at like 1%.

they have no chance to be president. He doesn't, she doesn't. Why do they run for president? Because their speaking fees go up. You get talked about on CNN or Fox News or MSNBC for weeks, months on end. Instead of charging $10,000 for a speaking engagement, you charge $30,000 to $50,000. That's a real career. Rudy Giuliani makes money now on speaking engagements to conservative groups, like hundreds of thousands, millions a year, right?

That's a business. Tebow mania is a brand. It's a business. Tim chose New York because you get on television a lot. Half of the building at ESPN is jet fans. Yankee fans and jet fans rule the building. And so it's a lot of jet coverage and it's a lot of Yankee coverage. And so, and I'm, this is not to say that Tebow's a bad guy.

He's an opportunist and it is a brand. I mean, Urban got hired on January. 14th, a month later, almost exactly, Tim retired for baseball. Okay. Isn't that dumb guy? He can connect the dots here. So my only point is, the story today is Tim doesn't slow down the circus whenever he comes to town and creates a circus.

And I will defend him on that. It's not his job. You bring Tebow in. That's why I go in the air and I warn people. Okay, here comes a circus. even joy who's well researched he won't be a quarterback two days later i'm put a quarterback i mean this is what and by the way i'm sure you know when that was brought up tim is like oh i can certainly do that i uh this is part of the tbo thing i have heard about since denver it's now a brand

it's now a thing it's speaking engagements it's advertisements it's marketing and it is not his if teams are willing to bring him on, then it's not his job to put out the fire. It's your job to do homework knowing you bring him in. There will be a fire. But he is also, he chose the jets over Jacksonville. Like, this is a brand. Don't be naive.

Tim's very well aware of business, the business of Tebow, which is substantial, especially in the South. It is a substantial seven-figure annual business. 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 High Heart 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 Clifford 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 IHard 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. 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing.

How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.