The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 06/04/2021 - HOUR 2 - Clippers-Mavs, Patriots, Packers

Episode Date: June 4, 2021

More on the Clippers-Mavericks series so farMac Jones is not looking good at Patriots practiceWhat will happen if Aaron Rodgers continues no-showGuest: BJ Armstrong 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. On The Look Back at It Podcasts. In 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me.

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

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Hour 2. It is a Friday, live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. BJ Armstrong, who played with the great MJ, will be joining us. So good to be here on a fresh week is just flying by. So I got a couple of thoughts here. I got a bunch of stuff I want to get out before we get to BJ Armstrong, Joy.

We're both wearing blue today. I don't even know why. I just noticed that. Really? I don't know. What team were we celebrating? So I was thinking about LeBron this morning. And I grew up in the Pacific Northwest.

I can remember the first time I had Starbucks. I was in a Ford Explorer. I was in Las Vegas. And I'd heard about it. It was in the 80s. and Starbucks started 1971 in Seattle. The first store is by Pike Place Market. But it wasn't until the mid-80s where it exploded.

And, you know, Vegas is not exactly a coffee market. It's 110, you know, scorpions are, say, like, simmer down the heat. So I remember pulling into a Starbucks. I'd heard a lot about it for my friends, and I went to a Starbucks and I ordered it. And it was the best coffee. There was nothing else to compete with. Like, it was the best coffee. Like, it was just everywhere.

It was like McDonald's. It was everywhere in every corner. But now, because there's, the quality of coffee making in America. It is such a gigantic industry has improved. And this is no shot at Starbucks. I haven't been to a Starbucks in years. It's just not, it is more iconic than its coffee is good.

They're just better coffee. I live in up the road. There's a place called Alfred's significantly better coffee. Everybody in our family is like, it's better coffee. Pete's better coffee. It's no shot. But I watched LeBron last night. LeBron's legacy and iconic stature is now better consistently that his game is.

Like he disappears in games. He doesn't have the leverage. He doesn't get his height. Now, by the way, the Frappuccino I get at Starbucks is still great. Like, I don't drink it, but people love it. And LeBron has his moments. But you do get to a point where, like, the stature is better than the reality. Like Peyton Manning at the end.

Denver's defense won that Super Bowl. It wasn't Peyton, although he's all-time great. top five. But I do feel that you do get to a point when somebody's legacy is better than their actual work. And I kind of feel that. The second thing in the NBA playoffs, here's who's getting a huge break and nobody's talking about this. So Utah's been good for years with Quinn Snyder. They've always had one issue. They're very good at guard and they've got a great defensive big. They're not good in the wings. They're not, they can score. They're not super athletic in the wing. LeBron was a nightmare.

Kauai is a nightmare. A great wink, Kevin Durant would be a nightmare. LeBron's out, and tonight, Kauai could be out. Huge, huge break for Utah. The teams they would face, what's Phoenix? Phoenix is about guard play and a big. Well, what is Denver? Well, Yokic, you know, they're a big.

They can defend the big. You start looking around the NBA now, and even, even Milwaukee. He's got like a great big and Drew Hall, then your guard play. Like, now, again, Brooklyn, I think would beat Utah. That's not a great matchup. They just could not handle Kevin Durant. But in the West, Utah's been good now for years. They do not match up with LeBron at the wing.

They don't have anybody that can stop it. It doesn't matter. They just got, they can't do it. And Kauai and Paul George is a nightmare. They're built to compete. Pete with Luca. Mike Conley. I mean, they can put bodies on him. I mean, Luca's going to get Lucas stuff. But Dallas, I mean, Dallas has subsize and Dallas has the great Luca. But it's like they're in hard away, but they'll match up fine with the Dallas better than Dallas than the

clippers. But I think Utah's gotten a big, big break with LeBron out and potentially Kauai out. So I think if you ask Utah privately, they'll take on Dallas. I don't know how they did in the season, I forget, but I would take Dallas if I was Utah. Who Utah does not want to face is Brooklyn. That doesn't work at all. That's a bad match. I think they can beat anybody. I think Milwaukee is decent enough match up. Philadelphia, they'd match up with okay. I think Phoenix they'd match up with Denver, they match it with. They do not match out with Brooklyn. That is just, that's bad news. You know, they actually, Utah actually, who its credit, actually matched up okay with Michael Jordan and the Bulls twice because they had Brian Ron.

who was a great defensive guard. So Michael Jordan had a lot of bad games against Utah. They beat them both times, but they matched up with those teams really well. Because if you kind of go back to what the Bulls just had, it was Harper, it was, it was, it was, it was, it was, it was a lot of good, you know, your Paxons, your current, they got a lot of points from the back court. And Utah had a great defender in the back court. Stockton, by the way, would play defense as well. So let's bring on BJ Armstrong. Three-time NBA champ is now.

joining us live. So, you know, it's interesting. Everybody talks about LeBron's legacy, and I'm like, don't worry about LeBron's legacy. It's fine. But Kauai's is interesting, B.J., because this is two years. They're way too talented to be this lousy at the end of games. We all blame Doc Rivers. Well, Doc's doing pretty good in Philly.

Ty Lou is no slouch. He knows what he's doing. He's got a title. This team should not be nearly this bad at the end of games. they've lost every home game in the playoffs. You know, you talk about Kauai, BJ. What made Michael great was not only his relentless list as his talent, but Mike would get in your kitchen and timeouts.

Mike communicated. Mike was verbal. Mike was not passive aggressive. If there was a problem, BJ'd go right to you. I mean, he's yelling. With Kauai, BJ, and you as an agent know this, not every athlete is comfortable with being verbal. is Kauai just a really talented too,

but you need a different kind of guy to be the centerpiece of your franchise? Well, Colin, it appears to be with a talent like Kauai Leonard. Without question, Kauai is one of the elite players in the NBA. He is without exception a lead player, and his talent warrants that respect and what he's been able to do. I mean, what he's done speaks for itself throughout his career.

However, what we're talking about is a, personality that requires him to do something that maybe he's not comfortable with. And that's to be confrontational at times. And all great leaders, you know, you got to do what you have to do. And, you know, you talk about Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan was comfortable being uncomfortable. And if need be, he would make you uncomfortable because in the end, there was one thing that he was, you know, he was what he wanted, which is performance. You know, it all came down to winning with him. It was just, he was very single-minded focus that way. So I think in the end, Kauai Leonard right now is at a place where he's got to allow his personality,

which may not be very verbal, he has to come out, let the guys know where he's at, and be able to really force his will upon the team because his talent is, you know, he's without questioning any elite player in the NBA. You know, the old saying in the NBA, a guy is loyal until he's not. And I love Dame, but I think he is just exhausted from dropping 50 and losing. he's still got another four I mean he's a smaller guy but he's got I mean he's a terrific player if you can shoot like that you can play in the NBA for a long time right deep down I know he's disappointed is this just like one bad night or you know as somebody who's an agent there's

going to be a lot of suitors there's going to be people in his ear BJ they're going to be like dame you're 30 bruh you've got to move what do you think transpires here well I think there will be a lot of fielders and a lot of takers for a talent like Damien Litter throughout the NBA. However, Damien has shown the ability, you know, he's very loyal. And he's been very loyal to the organization. And he's a competitor at the highest level. I mean, what he did in this last series, I mean, he's just an amazing, amazing competitor. What he was able to do and score the way he's able to score.

However, I think, Colin, you made some great points. He's got to figure out at this next phase of his career, you know, he's roughly around 30, 31 years of age. You know, how much longer can a smaller guy continue to play and move? And these guys seem like they're getting faster and faster every year, like John Morant, so forth and so on. So he's at a place in his career where he's saying, I got to be able to make a run at the next three to four years. And what's going to give me the best, you know, the best chances to do that and achieve? Because you clearly know the way he plays, he has one focus. And he wants to win and he shows up every night.

So I think he has to sit down, you know, right now he's very emotional. So, you know, over the summer, whenever the time is right, I think he will sit down and make the best move that, you know, he feels will be comfortable for him moving forward with his career. You know, it's interesting. I'm going to throw a theory out to you and you tell me if it's wrong. I have no problem. I really don't. You rip in my theory. So here go.

It's really hard to find a great player like Dame. It's hard to find a number two. Finding a Pippin's hard. And I argue, like, Mark Cuban's a smart guy. They could never get Dirk a two. in his prime. They can't find Dame. Portland's drafted a lot of good players.

They can't find Dame a two. It's hard. And I look at Luca and I think, listen, man, they thought Porzingus was a two. He's an expensive three. That's what he's become. Is it harder as a somebody who's an agent? Because it used to be,

you could get three and four years a tape out of a college guy. If you screw that up as a scout, you're a bad scout. now I get, if I'm lucky, 30 college games of tape. That's all I get. So there's more whiffs in the draft. We're asking, I mean, the NFL scout, I get four years of tape. I better not screw up that linebacker. NBA scouts getting 30 games,

99% of the players that Jalen Suggs at Gonzaga played against are not NBA guys. How do I know I was going to play against NBA guys? So that finding that two may be tougher now than it was in the the MJ era. Am I right or wrong on that? Colleen, you're absolutely right. Finding a star player is a very difficult thing, especially today, because there's just not enough tape. It's not enough tape on these guys to actually properly evaluate. You don't know, you know, who's who. I mean, you look at Yolkich. Yolkid was a second round pick, okay? And he could possibly or potentially be the MVP this year in the NBA. You know, you look at players, you know, some of these players aren't

drafted. You know, players coming from Europe. Players are coming from all over. There's just not a traditional way to properly evaluate players in a league where you're seeing the players get younger and younger and younger. So you're absolutely right. Finding a number one player is very, very difficult. Finding a number two player, I mean, it's almost impossible the way these guys are playing. You've got to find combination. And then, Colin, there's a thing called chemistry. You got to find guys where it just works. We don't know why it works, but it works. So, you know, Luca Donchich, you know, I had an opportunity to watch this young man for many years over in Europe. I thought he was going to be a good player, that I think he was going to be this Luca that we're currently seeing? No, but you know what?

Suddenly he's ascended to this level. I saw Janus play over in Greece. That I think he was going to be back-to-back MVP? The answer is no. So again, it's very difficult, but when you find him, you roll with it. And you know what? It's hard to put these combinations together because that's the one thing that the analytics doesn't show. The chemistry and the bringing a team together that works for the entire group. You're a perfect guest today. I was just talking about this last hour with joy. Is that not only was LeBron great in his prime, but he had a superpower. He could tell Rich Paul, clutch sports, or he could get on the phone and say, I want to play with you. And Chris Bosch and Kevin Love, in their prime, would go play with LeBron, give up stats, give up points.

I mean, literally Chris Bosch, there were nights he had to be LeBron's valet. And he's a first-team all-N-B-A guy. Kevin Love was a perennial 25-12 guy. LeBron now, if he called a John Morant, Jop be like, you're old. You're my Robin. I'm not your Robin. And I watched LeBron last night, and I thought the imagery, you know this as an agent. There are, everybody wants to play with John Morant now.

Everybody wants to play with Luca. I think a lot of the stars, they would take LeBron's call out of respect, but why would I saddle myself to LeBron? I think the titles are done. I think the Lakers will blow it up and start over, but I watched last night, it's no, it's no knock on him, but the superpower of attracting a top five player, BJ, I think it's over. That's my interpretation, your thoughts.

Well, I think age catches up with all of us. And certainly let's not, you know, this is a very vulnerable state that LeBron is in because he's been great for so long. But, you know, let's call it like it is. You know, LeBron is getting older. And once you get older, you know, the games in which you're able to carry a game and close a game, it begins to diminish. And that's what you're seeing. LeBron James without question can still finish a game. But now he's at a place in his career, we're having to carry a 48-minute game for 82 games or the regular season, in the case we're talking about here with these shortened seasons that we have, it's getting very difficult for him. You added injury there, and you can see how difficult it is. So I think

it's important for the Lakers right now. If they're going to continue to compete for championships, Anthony Davis is going to have to be the best player on the team, in particular in the regular season. He's going to have to carry the game, which will allow LeBron James to do what LeBron James can do right now still at this level he can finish a game but getting there and playing and doing the regular season and all those things look we all get older and once you get older you just your body doesn't heal you know you know you know father time doesn't pass anyone so it's just getting more difficult for him in that regard but still let's let's you know Ron James is still an elite player at this league even at his age I mean he's coming into what you know year 19 but right now it's getting

more and more difficult for him to do that on a very consistent basis or what we've come to expect from LeBron James. BJ Armstrong, have a great weekend. Always love having you on the show. Perfect guy today, three-time champ. Good seeing you, man. All right, you too. Thank you. All right, BJ Armstrong, one of my favorite guys, really good guy. Joy. Yes. Mack Jones, quarterback New England. Had a stinker yesterday. Terrible practice. Can I say something? Of course I can. I think Belichick's making a big mistake here.

I think he's making a big mistake. As a parent, this is something I've learned through having a lot of kids. He's making a mistake with Mack Jones. I want to discuss this next. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. A win is a win.

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

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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. 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 Kim?

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

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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 on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. Tomorrow on Fox, it's one of the greatest rivalries in sports as the Red Sox take on the Yankees or the Dodgers Battle the Braves or Cubs Giants. Tomorrow, 7 Eastern on Fox in the Fox Sports app.

Check local listings for the game in your area. So Mack Jones had a lousy practice, rough day at practice for the Patriots story is. So I want to talk about this for a second. I got some stepkids, I got some biological kids, I got six, a lot of them. You learn very quickly. One size does not fit all. Some are quiet. Some are verbal and outspoken.

Some are a little insecure. Some are super confident. Some are social. Some do not like crowds. That's the way kids are. They're all different. And it's weird, right? You're like, shouldn't my kids be the exact same?

Same mom, same dad. Same childhood. same schools, same. They're not. They're often complete opposites. There's the middle child syndrome, you know, doesn't get the attention. So New England, Bill Belichick, rookie quarterbacks, he makes it hard on it. Makes them wear dorky numbers.

And, you know, take a little steam out of the ego. I don't think it works with Mack Jones. I think you have to do the opposite. I think you have to sell him to the players. I said a couple days ago, video has surfaced of Cam Newton and Mac Jones next to each other. Mac Jones looks pathetic. He looks like a ball boy. Nothing fits.

He looks tiny. Next to Cam Newton. The players see that. Cam's an Adonis. Mac Jones looks like somebody Cam would call and say, you park my car. he doesn't look the part. The opposite should take play. You don't have to do this with Justin Fields.

Justin Fields is 6-4-220 a man. Okay, when Justin Fields walks on the field, you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. The girls, the guys, the coaches, the fans, like, whoa, Mac Jones, we knew this. Body needs to fill out. He's not ripped. He's not big. He doesn't have a big arm. What you're doing here is you're marginalizing him even more.

The opposite should take place. You should go out of your way to make him look great in his uniform, great at practice, everything to benefit him. Because the players are looking at that like I am. If you walked on the field, that's the quarterback. You've got to be kidding me. That wouldn't turn my head at a junior college practice. So I know this is why I'm not a big believer in one size fits all. And I used to think it did.

In my 20s and 30s, I was like, winner loser, black white, a lot of gray and. life. But this Mac Jones thing, you've got to sell this to players. Because Mac Jones arm, players don't buy it. Mac Jones body, players don't buy it. Mac Jones in the shower. That doesn't look like a Justin Fields. Tom Brady, 6-5. I've been in a room with Peyton Manning. That's a pro athlete. I mean, you're in the room with some of these guys. You're like Cam Newton, Big Ben, Peyton, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Farr. If you watch him throw one time at practice, Oh, okay, Patrick Mahomes. I mean, two years ago, at practice, Peter Schrager called me up and said,

Mahomes is insane. We told you yesterday, Justin Herbert at practice, Deshaun Watson at practice. You don't have to sell that. You don't have to protect those guys. Those guys jump off the field. Players are like, bam. What is that? Mack Jones, give him a legitimate number.

Make him look the part. reportedly terrible practice rough day. Would that look? I don't know. I don't like it. Systems are meant to be tweaked at all times. Joy with the news. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. To your point, that's why I really don't love rookie quarterbacks who are taken in the first round sitting behind someone. It's their team. It's going to be their team. Give it to them. Give it to them. Lean in on it.

If they go out there and they fail or they struggle and you have to have a conversation with them, maybe it'll humble them a little bit. You hope that's not the case. But it's your team, but you're not ready yet. It's harder to sell that. So Anthony Davis was back in the Lakers lineup for game six last night.

Very short-lived. Very quick. He didn't even make it a full quarter before re-aggregating his groin strain. And after the loss, he said the team's injuries ultimately led to their downfall. We were rolling. We had the pieces. We just, you know, couldn't stay healthy. A lot of that, you know, was me.

You know, you have a main guy that's not on the floor. And then you have another guy, your two main guys, that's not able to participate. It's just tough for an extensive amount of time. So that's all. really was. I don't know what he was out there for. Yeah, I mean, it was, I don't know.

I think did Anthony feel a little pressure that, I mean, let's be honest. He's hearing what people are saying. And so he's like, okay, I'm going to give this a go. But I mean, if you watched him, I mean, like he was in, yeah, I mean, he was in real pain. He's like, Booker's in front of him, making six threes in a row. Any move and he's going around him. Like, he can't, he can't move.

he's holding his leg as he's trying to defend. I don't understand what he was out there for. I don't understand how the doctor. I mean, they were, you know, Charles and them were talking about it. I don't understand how the doctor even clears him. But, and look, I don't know what he's feeling at the beginning of game. Maybe he felt like he could go. But it was very obvious, very quickly he wasn't able to go.

I mean, look, I'm glad he said a lot of that as him. Because, yes, the reason why they didn't win last night, taking nothing away from the suns and nothing away from, Devin Boker's performance, but they were not in the game. They were never in the game, and that's because Anthony Davis was not out there. Like, you have to have your best players. We know that LeBron is not 100%. No one is 100% at this point in the season.

Now, some people are a little less percentage than others, obviously, and some are older, and some have more wear and tear on them, like LeBron, like CP3. But you build your team around an injury-prone player, and this is what is going to happen. Yeah. At one point or another. Like, not having him through the regular. season for a stretch, okay, you can overcome that as long as he's healthy for the playoffs, but he's not. What happened with the Lakers is not shocking to me. This is what Anthony Davis is.

There's a reason why, obviously different sport, there's a reason why Tray Lance is in San Francisco, and Jimmy Garapolo was just in the Super Bowl. He cannot get on the field. You can't build your team around somebody who is not available. This is why I've been saying for two years to trade Ambide because his value is going to go down. I mean, if Embed now comes back, plays two games, gets hurt again, what's his value on the market? I mean, Embedd has. value, but this morning, AD's value in the market is significantly less than a year ago. You're only as talented as you are available. Yeah.

You can be the best player in the world if you can't get on the court. That doesn't help. So look, I mean, I am not thrilled about the idea of watching the NBA playoffs without LeBron James and them. I know everyone, you know, LeBron James haters are like celebrating. And I'm going to really enjoy watching his son's team. I think that you can be two things at once. I know like the internet can't process that.

That's a lot to deal with. But, like, you can, I can be disappointed that I'm not going to see LeBron James to the rest of the playoffs and simultaneously happy for the Sons. Two things can happen. Speaking of the Sons, Chris Paul has a player option with the Sons worth over $44 million. But he reportedly intends to decline the option in the off season and hopes to secure a new multi-year deal worth around $100 million over three years. I'd love to give him two. He wants three. Well, yeah.

I mean, he's at this point in his career. He's going to push for more years. I mean, look, contract structures are very complicated, obviously, but I wouldn't mind the three years if it's, you know, if in the ends we can move some things around. But everyone wants to talk about how great Booker was last night, and he was absolutely phenomenal and incredible. But the sons were terrified at the beginning of this series.

Why? Because Chris Paul was injured. Right. He brings an immense amount of value to this organization. No, he's not the one putting up for. points. As soon as he touches the ball, the entire game slows down. It's like everyone's like, okay, like, what are we going to do now? What's the plan? There's a completely different tone when he is on the court. So I do think that he deserves this contract. Like it might

sound like a lot of money, but he has changed this organization. Yeah, I mean, I don't doubt is value. I mean, I think the way it works in pro sports, to get what you want, you got to swallow some bad years. Like these baseball contracts for 10 years with Mookie Betts. You're going to get six great, two okay, and two, you're getting crushed on it. But if you can win two World Series, Chris Paul reportedly wants like a hundred million three years. I would love to have him for two more. I don't want to pay for the third. But if I keep Chris Paul for two years and I'm in the Western Conference finals once and the finals twice, it's the price of doing. You're not going to win. It was the Danny Aange criticism. You don't win every trade. If you can get Chris Paul,

you're going to have to pay one lousy year, but you're going to sell, you're going to get season tickets the next three years with him, your season tickets, your merchandise sales. By the way, this owner, this Robert Sarverd guy, by the way, was running through coaches, running through players. This is, don't screw this up. Don't screw the formula. Don't screw it up, pay the extra year.

Itching to do it. That's right. Just pay the extra year. Mookie bets, you're going to get clobbered at the end of it. Everyone complains about teams being aggressive and spend. all this money and like they complained about the Rams and it was freaking out about the dollar dollars yeah he's not even there anymore listen the Fox or I heart at some point I'm gonna I'll be talking in circles and my dentures will fall out but I'll sign a big contract to be the last

one the last two years I'll be terrible yeah but we're crushing right now we are crushing so you got to pay for it rolling over people so cam Newton didn't have long to learn the Patriot system last year after signing so late in the summer this season he has a lot more time to prepare and Josh McDaniels says he's noticing the difference. He was certainly in a point when he got here that was a unique situation having really no experience and exposure to our system prior to training camp starting. He has a different grasp of the offense, a different understanding of the terminology. And now we're working on refining the precision, the details. I don't want to be.

dramatic or anything, but I do think the Patriots are going to be a lot better than people think next year. I'm not even a Cam fan. He's easily their best quarterback. And by the way, and again, I've been critical at Cam. Cam Newton goes, gets signed right before the season. There's no preseason. The receivers are terrible.

He's got no receivers, no tight ends. Edelman hurt. He gets COVID. But at the end of the year, last seven, eight games, you're like, oh, they're winning games. with all those opt-outs. This is one of the best future bets in the league this year. So Cam gets a camp, he gets OTAs, he knows the playbook.

They go and get Nelson Aguilar, Kendrick Bourne, Jonu Smith, Hunter Henry. Their offensive lines already very, very good, and their running backs are fine. Like, listening to Boston media, lament Cam Newton. Tom Brady left after 20 years of loyalty

because it's like, we have no players. Yeah. like Cam's gonna be fine. You could, I don't think you can win the division, mostly because of Josh Allen and Buffalo. You could win about four divisions in the NFL with this, with Cam. You're not going to win the AFC West. You're not going to win the NFC West.

You're not going to win your division because of Josh Allen. But this idea that Cam was a total disaster, he got COVID. He was terrible for two weeks after it. Maybe you've heard of COVID. People, I have, I have, I have, I have guys. who are like great athletes, great shape, knocked them out for six months.

So it's like, New England's going to be fine. They're going to be a playoff team this year. They have eight opt-outs returning. They were very aggressive in the off season. This isn't the same division as it was last year. Cam Newton is not a rookie. He's capable of learning this system. He needed some more time in it.

And everything you said is true. It was a very choppy season for everyone last year, but especially for the Patriots in Cam Newton. He did injure his right hand in practice today. He stayed in the field but didn't throw again. I don't think it's anything to freak out about, but I just want to put that out. There's a little update on Cam. The Boston media was just absurd.

I mean, you can't, whoever's going to, we talked about this yesterday. You don't want to be the guy that replaces the guy, right? No question. You want the opportunity, obviously, but you have to understand when you're stepping into that role, there's going to be some unrealistic expectations from some people because that's what they're used to seeing and dealing with. Yes, when you put things in perspective, everyone just simmer a little bit. It's okay to have a little down here after a legend. leaves you. And it wasn't even his fault.

They were two and one before he got COVID and they were five and seven after he came back. There you go. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line. Nice guys finish last. No, they don't. I will

prove it with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next. Plus an update on Aaron Rogers. 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. Hey, it's me, Rob Parker.

Check out my weekly MLB podcast Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk, featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your friends. 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 Cliverts 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 Clivert Show on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple, podcast or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping. the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 with Little Kim? 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 a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. 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 all day, but just so you 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, so. 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 Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience

in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Hot water that never runs out.

Go to tankless made simple.com. Tankless made simple.com for a Navian tankless water heater. Very efficient save on your water bill. Two NFL stories. Number one, a Green Bay Packer, offensive coordinator, Nathaniel. What's his name? Hackett. Went word salad yesterday.

Jordan loves doing this, this, this, oh, does it? Just word salad. Just a bunch of words doesn't mean anything. So let's give you an Aaron Rogers update. So he missed OTAs. They're not mandatory. He doesn't get fines. No big deal.

Next week, mandatory three-day minning camp. Green Bay could fine him. We'll see if they do. He'll be a no-show. The fines don't matter. He's still playing the ukulele. He still wants to make it known. He's upset.

So I do not believe he'll go to three-day mandatory minicamp. And the fines, if they do fine him, who cares? 90,000. Whatever. Aaron and Green Bay gets interesting July 27th. Because that's the start of training camp. And if by July 27th, he doesn't report, what's really interesting is not in Green Bay. It's the phones in Denver, Washington, and Miami.

They will make calls. Denver's got Drew Locke and Teddy B. Not good enough. Washington's got Ryan Fitzpatrick. Not good enough. Miami's got two and not good enough. And all three rosters are playoff rosters with Aaron Rogers. So I'm going to double down on something I said yesterday. There is a way to play this right. So listen, if Aaron no-shows this year, the Packers aren't going to be great with Jordan Love. We'll all acknowledge that.

Green Bay can't control that. They can't control Aaron currently, and they can't control Jordan Love's development. They can't control it. What can they control? They can control Aaron Rogers' first year by trading them at the trade deadline eight, nine weeks in. Listen, if you're going to be bad and you know what Jordan Love, you're crossing your fingers on, you know, 10 and 7 or 9 and 8, right? It is a winnable division because Green Bay is well-run, good players,

and the division's kind of a mess. But I can't control Jordan Love how good he is, and I can't get Aaron back into camp. But I can control trading him to, let's say, Denver, let's use Denver, October 20th, whatever the date is. Why does that matter? because if you trade him to Denver July 27th, he doesn't show up to camp and you trade him there.

Look at Denver's schedule. Now, Denver historically is great in September because of the high altitude. Teams come out of camp. They go to Denver. You go back 30 years. Denver's great at home in September. Even average Bronco teams. Denver was a fourth place team.

Look at their schedule. If you put Aaron Rogers there, in training camp. He's got at the Giants win, at the Jags, when Jets at home, win, Baltimore. That schedule's got Raiders twice, Bengals, Detroit, Philadelphia. It's got the NFCEs.

Aaron's going to have a great September. He may start the season 4-0 in one of their toughest out of conference games, late September, Baltimore, up in the mountains. That is a 11-12 win potential team with that schedule. That's a fourth-place schedule. That is a easy schedule. But if I send Aaron there and he's got a, you know, he opens up, you know, at Dallas, a couple weeks later, he gets the Chargers, Kansas City, gets Kansas City and the Chargers both. Two times.

All right. And by the way, he's learning the playbook on the fly. All right. Maybe I sent him there week eight. Opens up with Washington's pass rush. Doesn't know the playbook. All right. Next week they're at Dallas.

You know, say what you want. They're scoring points. He's still not really ready with the playbook. Listen, you can't control Jordan Love getting better. So it's going to be choppy if you go with him. But the media is not going to talk about Jordan Love. if Aaron goes to Denver and week eight, that's all guys like me you're talking about. And so Aaron's not going to be great.

Jordan Love's going to be great. I can live with that. What I don't want, I trade Aaron now and he crushes. And everybody's like, Packers are idiots. For 18 weeks, you're getting crushed the front office. So if Aaron can be petty, you can at least be clever if you're in Green Bay. Get him to the AFC, trade them at the trade deadline. Here's another one. I've never been a fan of this. Nice guys finish last. No suckers do.

Naive guys do. And sometimes nice guys are naive guys. Sometimes nice guys are suckers. But I do not believe nice guys finished last. I've known a lot of smart guys, a lot of good guys, a lot of family guys who are nice guys and they're doing really, really well. And I think it's a terrible message. Be a schmuck, you'll do better. Nice guys don't minutes last. But I was thinking about this this morning is that Bruce Ariens, he'd been coaching forever. He retired at one point, went to CBS, came back. They had to talk him back into it. And he was talking, Clyde Christensen, the Buccaneers quarterback coach, said yesterday, Brady was not 100%. He didn't get a preseason. He was not 100%. People just don't

understand. Tom's going to be better this year. Like, Tom's going to be Much better this year. And I thought, Bruce Ariens is a good guy. This is what he deserves. Andy Reed deserved Patrick Mahomes. Andy Reid's been one of the best guys in the league. Everybody loves. His rivals love Andy Reed.

Everybody loves Ariens. One got Brady and one got Mahomes. I don't want to hear that nice guys finish last. Ariens is one of the most loved guys in the league. He's going to end his career. with the goat. He said this week, I look, Tom, look at our receivers.

I mean, Arian ended up with one of the best GMs in the league, the greatest quarterback, the most ridiculously stacked roster in a decade in the league. Nice guys don't finish last. And Andy Reid took a bunch of C-plus quarterbacks to the playoffs. Andy Reid got to Super Bowls and NFC championships with B-B-Me-minus quarterbacks. His last 10 years, he gets Mahomes. That's exactly what Andy Reid should get.

So all you grumpy coaches doesn't guarantee anything. Belichick, it's not Enwell. It'll look good. And I don't buy the Mac Jones going to be the next thing in that division with Josh Allen. So it makes me happy that Andy Reid and Bruce Ariens, this is how it's ending. Superstars all in, have their health, totally committed. Nice guys don't finish last. It's a terrible message.

By the way, A's and the Golden Knights in your Discover card key matchup. Discover matches all the cash back. You're earning your credit card into your first year. Amazing because it's accepted at 99% of the places in the U.S. to take credit cards. Go to discover.com slash yes. By the way, Joy tells me I'm not on Twitter that the internet is just dancing on LeBron's loss last night. Well, I mean, you had to expect that.

Bad? Look, people have been waiting forever for LeBron's. to lose in the first round and it finally happened. And, you know, people, it's not like, oh, I've been waiting to be right about this, how we were talking yesterday. Like, sometimes we know we're right about some stuff, but we're just going to have to wait. Like, LeBron losing in the first round, it's not something to be right about. Listen, LeBron won titles in three places.

Michael couldn't win games in a second place. Michael couldn't make the playoffs in a second place. LeBron won titles in three places. Well, they're saying, like, you know, LeBron wasn't really like playing hard last night. He's 18 years in the league. I mean, I think it's laughable. Also, I just, like, now we are watching the postseason without LeBron James. So, like, I can be thrilled for the Sons and happy for them and excited to watch them and still simultaneously be sad.

I'm not going to watch LeBron James in the playoffs. Listen, if you give me Brooklyn and the Sons? No, it's a great finals. I think it's great. All right, hour three on a Friday in L.A., it's the hurt. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 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, 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 iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your. your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok 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 Jay. 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 mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

to look back at it on the IHeartRadio 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 IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.