The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 06/17/2021 - HOUR 3 - Clippers & 76ers and B.J Armstrong

Episode Date: June 17, 2021

In hour 3, Colin recaps the Clippers historic game 5 against Utah. The 76ers epic meltdown against the Atlanta Hawks. BJ Armstrong joins the show to talks scouting players in the league, Luka Doncic's unhappiness and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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iHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. By the way, this is funny, Joy. So, you know, in the NBA now, and you know this, is that the kids enter the NBA now at 19 or 20 years old. So there's a lot of projecting going on. And that's why I'm not going to. going to crush an NBA general manager if they whiff on a pet. You're projecting now. It's kids. In the NFL, I usually have three years of you starting on tape. If I whiff, it's on me.

But in the NBA, you're 19. Just to give you an example of how hard it is, lamello ball was a great example. I thought he was all sizzle, no steak, rookie of the year. A lot of my guys didn't like him. Here is Trey Young for the Hawks is great. Oh, I am sure. Now, listen, this is what people. thought about Tray Young. And when he came out, two guys that scouted the NBA that I trust, I asked him. And they were 50-50.

They're like, this could go sideways fast. Here's what they said about Tray Young. He lacks size, strength, and length, and explosiveness. And it shows when he's trying to finish at the rim. No mid-range game. Hit just four jumpers all season that were threes. Led the country in turnovers.

Tendency to be nonchalant with his execution. Shot selections wild. he'll take quick shots from deep early in the clock instead of probing or patiently looking for opportunities. His frame is small, it's a concern. Defense lacks elite athleticism. Now he's a star. Well, so maybe because there is less tape

and less evaluation on these players that scouts should start looking at what are the raw talents that you could develop. Yeah. And, you know, does your character match someone who is, willing to develop and can develop. Yeah. I think it's as a parent is, I mean, I'm growing as an adult.

The idea that my kids are, my daughter is older than some NBA players. She's 20. She's older than NBA players. Are you got to be kidding me? So you're the idea, I mean, Trey Young's scouting report. Now, there was some good. He had great range, quick, very twitchy. But this is, I mean, you, like, I remember Luca came out.

And I had a scout, and he's like, well, he's going to score a bunch, but bad body, can't defend, a little temper, but he'll score a bunch. We didn't know he'd be that. You can't stop him. LeBron, his rookie year is like complimenting him. He's like, that guy is one of the 10 best players in the league. He's 20.

Well, I also think you have to keep in mind the body things. Like, everyone said that about Lonzo. It's like he's very young. Guys tend to put on all the weight. You know, women, our bodies tend to change from the time that we're 19 to 25. I didn't get this ripped overnight. Okay, whatever. All right.

Well, the Clippers pulled off an amazing road win over the Utah Jazz last night without Kauai. I don't know if we've ever seen that kind of performance by this Clipper franchise. Consider all the circumstances. Was that the greatest night in Clippers history? I'm dead serious. Now think about this.

At Utah. best home team in the league. Kauai Leonard's out. The Jazz played their best quarter of the year. The pressure on Paul George and his playoff reputation. No Lakers LeBron, so the West is wide open. You're massive underdogs. And you have an impatient owner who's unhappy with how you underachieved last year.

And the Clippers played a at times flawless basketball game. First, even when they went down 02, last night was an example of why I said I still like them. They're just a deeper, more athletic team. I mean, Reggie Jackson's a 10-year journeyman. He's been a reliable stud in this series. Marcus Morris, forgettable player, right? He's been excellent, big shots. Paul George, easily after Kauai Leonard, he's the best two in this series.

And Ty Lou has had one for the ages coaching. series. He's been fantastic. But last night is also why they're the most maddening team in the league. I mean, think about this. Utah hit 10 threes in the first quarter. They were virtually perfect.

Clippers were down one. What? What? Who could survive that? We would have never guessed that Clippers would survive that without Kauai Leonard. Paul George, who's never in his career. I mean, there's Indianapolis pressure.

There's O KC pressure. No, last night was pressure. Steve Balmer's unhappy. Kauai is out. The world's watching. LeBron's out of the way. This is your moment. Oh, Paul George had his best game, not only as a Clipper,

he may have his best game as a pro. This is why they're maddening. That was a snake pit last night. I mean, I literally gave the Clippers no chance in that game. That first quarter was the wildest first quarter in the league this year. Utah was flawless, couldn't miss. Clippers down one. Most down one.

First of all, Ty Lewis had an unbelievable series. His manipulation of lineups, last night he goes small. Rudy Gobert ends up with no blocks. Once the last time Rudy Gobert played in a big game didn't have a block or six, he had no blocks. This has really been an illustration. This, I hate to say this, but it almost felt like Lakers. We've had dozens of games in the last 10, 15 years. Lakers just step up in the moment.

Kobe, the shack, the dunk, the moment. We've had individual players. LeBron, K.D., Chris Paul, give us moments. You got Paul George's reputation. You got the Clippers' reputation. And that's what I got. I hope every Clipper had a second Hineken flying back to L.A. Today is one of those Savor the moment. Now it's the NBA so you play tomorrow so you don't get much of one. You don't get a third beer on the flight home. That was

an amazing performance. That was unbelievable. To overcome and withstand that first quarter by the Jazz, half this league would have been down 20 and to do it without Kauai. Now, it should be noted that a lot of times a team

will lose a star and for a game they elevate. It's like the substitute teacher. You know what I mean? Like everybody's nice to the substitute teacher. You have these moments where the star leaves or an important person leaves. And everybody kind of rallies around. It's like this micro community.

And everybody plays above themselves. But Reggie Jackson's been good in multiple games. Morris hit shots in multiple games. Paul George has been good in multiple games. Tyloo's been great. This is a savor the moment. You're not going to have a lot of time to celebrate. Savor the moment.

Because that's when you contextualize it, you consider all the circumstances, is the pressure on Paul, the pressure from Ballmer, the pressure from the LA media. You're playing the same building as the Lakers. And you gave us that in that snake pit is unbelievable. That is a great clipper moment. And they haven't had a ton of them. And they haven't answered the bell in spots like that.

But that was amazing. I just sat there in the first quarter. I'm like, they are just going shot for shot with the best three-point shooting team in the league who was having their best three-point shooting quarter of the season. Clippers trailed by one. Wow. Here's Paul George after. You know, it was no secret.

I knew I had to be big tonight. And I've got to be big going forward. Believed in myself. My teammates trust me. T. Liu trusted me. And, you know, I thought we just, we lived in a moment. And we just played our hearts out tonight. Is this what playoff P looks like?

Sure. Now let's shift to a more catastrophic ending. Been watching the NBA a long time. Not sure I've ever seen anything as hideous as what happened to the Philadelphia 76ers. But it almost had to be that way. We've all heard the term before in life. You take a step back to take two steps forward. You know what I mean?

You dissolve a business. you dissolve a relationship, you take a step back to move a couple steps forward. In a weird way, this may not be terrible. Now, I'm sure Philadelphia Sports Radio this morning is measured and nuanced. But for years and years, the media in Philly, the GMs, the one that got fired, the other one, now the new one, Darry, coaches. Oh, and Bede Simmons, it works, it works, it works. This thing is going to work.

It's like a Hollywood couple. They're beautiful people. It's going to work. But every time you see them, it looks clunky and they argue and you're like, well, but they're both doing very well in their careers. Their children are beautiful. And then one time they have a fight and they, at a Christmas party. And on the way home, the couples acknowledge, yeah, it doesn't work for us.

It just doesn't work for us. The Sixers needed this. Because they have been telling me for years, oh, and because they have been telling me for years, Oh, and Bede Simmons worked. They don't. Simmons needs the open lane to score. He doesn't trust himself. He doesn't even want to go to the free throw line.

He's petrified. He's terrified. But he's gifted. Embeded is unbelievable. But he's still hurt. You almost needed to me. You needed this moment. So now Doc Rivers and Daryl Morey, when they meet,

are not going to sit there with platitudes and go, you know, it'll come together. We can. It is a mess. Sometimes you need a big blow up. You need a mess. You need a fight. You need a catastrophe to go, oh, crap. This isn't going to work.

And it's okay because we've been talking ourselves into the Sixers for years. Every time I question it, I brought their coaches on. I bring their GMs on. I talk to Doc. Everybody's always, oh, he talented, super. I know it doesn't quite look like it fits. But this morning, nobody can say, you know, that's really. going to win championships. It doesn't work.

Simmons only works if the lane is open. You have to have Ben Simmons is your point, surround him with shooters, take that pressure off him. Embed, there's a bunch of places he fits. Hopefully with a point guard that can shoot. But he's going to clog the lane up. He's the closest

thing we've seen in 15 years to shack. He's going to clog the lane up. You've got to give him the lane. He gives you 28 a night. He's a monster talent. But the two together don't work. And Simmons, and you can tell it usually gets worse before it gets better. The couple that fight, it gets worse, worse, worse than the blow up. This is getting worse now.

Embed now resent Simmons. Simmons now is not even indifferent. He doesn't want to be coached by it. Doc Rivers now after the game, you know, is trying to tiptoe and walk around. What is clear is that Ben Simmons has missed more free throws in the playoffs. Then the Atlanta Hawks team has. Seth Curry and Ambide were the only guys that scored after the break for Philadelphia. Ben Simmons, in the last two second half, has taken two shots.

It doesn't work. Simmons needs a new start. Simmons needs an open lane. Simmons need lots of shooters. You can't give up on Ben Simmons. He's talented. There's something there. He's too cool and indifferent for my taste.

I missed on this evaluation. But he's too good of a player not to have him. somewhere around for some organizations. But we were just going to talk ourselves for years into this thing works. You needed that. It crystallized everything. This just doesn't work. I mean, good God, you put Hardin Kyrie and Katie together, an hour later, we're like,

whew! I mean, you put Katie, Clay, and Steph together. You're like, only one ball hour later. It can't take this long. if you're in therapy twice a week nine years into a relationship it can't be that hard at some point you've got to be able to sit down on a television with each other on a Tuesday night and you both got a cold and you feel like crap and somebody's crying upstairs and you're happy you're just happy being together just kind of works just kind of hang out together we just kind of like each other this doesn't work

And I honestly think, though, this won't play well in Philadelphia today. You kind of needed this. A complete utter disaster to wake everybody else to go, yeah, we probably got to blow this stuff up. We probably got to start this thing over. It's good for everybody. Simmons will go to a better place. Ambide probably stays. You'll get some shooters.

Darryl Morey likes to make moves anyway. Doc Rivers has moved around the league. He's moved around players. Some like him, some don't. It's time to move on. By the way, here's Doc Rivers. talking about Ben Simmons and his free throw nightmare after. You play minutes without Ben, right, during the game.

And so I think we're equipped for that and we're ready to do that. Obviously, we did it again tonight. Do you want to do that is a better question. And the answer would be no. But, you know, when Ben makes him, we get to keep him in. When he does him, we can. And that's just the way it is. Listen, I didn't like Carmelo, but he will be a Hall of Fame or top 10 score.

Andrew Wiggins is underachieved, but he gives you 18 a night, pretty good with the Warriors. Greg Oden, bust, but it wasn't his fault. He fell apart. Ben Simmons was given God's greatest gifts and is just wasting them away. He's too expensive to bail on. He's got value in the league. You just got to find the right spot, and it's not Philadelphia. Start over. B.J. Armstrong, three rings with a Chicago Bulls.

going to talk about dysfunction and dealing with it and players who lose confidence like Janice and Ben Simmons. Most of you know of M-Drive and one of their top products is M-Drive boost and burn. Strength, energy keeps you at the top of your game. Summers here, it's a formula that helps shed unwanted pounds. You lean up, you look good. It's packed with clinically tested ingredients that boost healthy T-levels, testosterone, and burn body fat. A little straight little Drive, feel look your best. Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Walla, vitamin shop, all have it. Or go to MDriveforMen.com. It's free shipping and a 60-day moneyback guarantee. What's to lose? Check it out. MDrive for Men.com. Keeping off the weight gets tougher with age. Fight back with

MDrive boost and burn. Don't let it define you. It's just part of life, getting older. Boost your healthy testosterone levels. MDrive from N.com. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what 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

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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. American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Ty Bramos.

I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polisic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions.

If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos

on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely.

Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. Wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Sidebar. Why did you get hard salsa?

instead of beer. Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar something here? Just hit it. Oh, what are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album?

Oh, I would. Come on. Can you believe? I would buy it. Cutts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky.

I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky. I'm not an alcoholic. You are. I'm not a killer. I love this team, and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh.

Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. NetSuite by Oracle, number one cloud financial system, no matter how big your business grows. NetSuite is there for you. NetSuite.com slash herd for those ready to graduate from QuickBooks. BJ Armstrong's got three titles. He made an all-star team. He's now an agent representing players.

I bring him on from time to time because I think he's. He has an understanding of the game. And what we saw last night was a crazy night in the NBA. B.J. Armstrong now joining us live. So we think great players have confidence and it never dips. But we know we've watched players like Alex Rodriguez and baseball gets into their head and they can't hit in the postseason. We've seen that.

Sometimes you'll see in the NFL a player gets the drops. A wide receiver just gets in his head. He gets the drops. We got Ben Simmons and Janus. They have no interest going to the free throw line. I mean, you can tell. Yonis is doing followways against James Harden. He doesn't want to initiate contact.

And I'm thinking to myself, you know, your Bulls team, we thought of it as the ultimate alpha team. But were there moments where guys had slumps and guys didn't play well? And have you seen this from even All-Stars in your career? You know, Kyle, that's a great question. And when you have great players, it's the one thing. thing that I can honestly say, if that great player doesn't believe in themselves, then as a role player, why should I believe in you? That to me is the key to excellence. That's the key to making a championship caliber run. Yes, it's going to be nights where you don't shoot the ball well.

Yes, there's going to be nights in this case where you're not playing or you're shooting well from the free throw line, but you have to maintain the ability to believe in yourself and have confidence. I don't think as much with Janus, but with Ben Simmons right now, the only thing that bothers me as I'm watching this Philadelphia 76ers team play, is Ben Simmons has lost complete confidence in his ability to shoot the ball, in particular from the free throw line. He's not even looking to score. And the case was Janice,

Janus, to me, is on his journey. He's doing what all great players do. He's still instinctive, and instinctively, he's still very aggressive. Even though he's not converting from the free throw line, I think he's still playing with his instincts. And I don't think it is as big of deal for the Milwaukee Buckstar as it is for this Philadelphia Sixers, you know, talking about member Ben Simmons.

Yeah, no, I mean, to your point, it's affecting Simmons game completely. With Yannis, by the way, he has shot the free throws better before the playoffs. Like this year, he's getting better at the free throw line, and he is mostly still aggressive. So, you know, it's funny about in that game, young players. When Trey Young came out, we were just reading his scouting report, and it was like crazy. like can't defend, not elite, not dynamic, can't, can't, can't, can't, can't. And now you'll watch him. And I think sometimes we forget that it just takes time.

I talked to Gary Payton the other day. He's like, man, I stayed in college for four years. I didn't even understand the NBA, my first two years in the league. And Gary became a Hall of Famer, one of the great players in league history, is that now the league's all 18, 19-year-olds. Has it, you know, you're an agent, you're looking for young talent. is, I mean, why, I mean, just take me through the process of as an agent looking at players now. You basically have to project and guess when guys are good.

Well, Colin, you sound right now like an NBA scout and an NBA executive. We don't know. That's the whole problem. We can talk about it. We can dissect it. We can make projections. Colin, we can't forget this. The college game as you are evaluating these players, whether it is at the collegiate level or in Europe or in high school,

in some of the cases, that's a totally different game than the NBA game. Trying to project how these players are going to handle stress, trying to project how these players are going to continue to develop and play and play at what position and handle stressful situations. We don't know. Trey Young, we know he's not big. We know he's not the strongest guy. But there's two things, Colin, you can't measure as you're evaluating a player.

You can't measure his heart and you can't measure what's in his mind. And right now, you can see that this young man, even though he's not his, he's not the biggest, strongest player in the NBA. This man has a huge, huge heart. He takes big shots. The moment, the bright lights aren't too big for him. And he's playing magnificent basketball right now. And yes, you know, no player is perfect.

Certainly he's not a perfect player. But what I love about him, he's not allowing what he doesn't do well. He may not be the best defender. He may not be the most powerful guy on the court. But he goes out there, he competes, and he competes at a very high level. Yeah, he's not afraid to take risk. He's a big swinger. He'll go for big shots.

And again, the reality is the belief in yourself, it has to be greater than everybody else because everybody else is going to doubt you in life. And he's got a huge belief system. Now, there's a couple stories today. Zion's family not happy with the Pelicans operation. And then Luca not happy with the Don Nelson firing. Let's talk about Zion for a second. Okay.

It's very interesting, BJ. It used to be a player in the 70s, you had your salary and that was it. And then in the 80s, 90s, you had your salary and the shoe money. Now you've got salary, shoe money, and social media money. There's a third revenue stream. And my belief is players like Zion will be more willing to move off a team and not sign that contract extension. They can make the money off shoes, Instagram, whatever it is.

They may not get it all back, but they'd rather be happy. When I read that Zion story this morning from The Athletic, his family members chirping in his ear, I don't remember young guys chirping, but young guys didn't have the leverage they do today. Your thought on the resolution, what would you do if you're New Orleans today? Well, I think New Orleans right now is in a very, very tough position.

If what was being reported is true, you know, then I think they have a problem, and I think they understand that they have a problem that this player who's still on a rookie contract may look to move and put them in a very, and put them in a very difficult position. So I think right now, if you can go back to the essence of basketball or the essence of sports, winning covers a multitude of sins. Yes, they're not winning right now.

Yes, things aren't looking great. But let's see what happens if you can take the time, if you're the New Orleans Pelicans and say, can we put together a team over the next couple of years that maybe will change his mind if, in fact, those stories that we're being. that's being reported right now are true. Now, Luca, meanwhile, there are stories he liked Don Nelson. There's a little bit of dysfunction in the organization, according to an article. Do you feel differently about the Luca situation than you do about the Zion situation

where his family's chirping in his ear? Well, I feel much different about the Lucas situation because of the following. Luca Donchis now is a first team all-MBA player. Luca Donchis right now is a star. with that level of attention and recognition now comes the expectations. I think the honeymoon period is over. Last year, it was fun. You said they lost in the first round, and I think we all agreed, especially in the media,

that this team was ahead of schedule. Now you're saying, okay, we got Luca, you know, we got a player, Porzengis, big name. Now, when are we going to win? When are we going to get out of the first round? So right now, I think this team in Dallas, they're moving to the next phase of this. build process, which is we have to meet the expectations of our best player. They have an MVP without question, an MVP caliber player in Luca Donchitz. With that comes, how do we win the final game of the season? Because Luca Donchis now has raised the level and the expectations

of everyone there in Dallas. You know, it's interesting. KD. had a night the other night where it was just an insane performance, 49, 17, 10. He played all 48 minutes. Take me back to your years with Michael. You know, he'd do it about maybe once, twice a year, where somebody's sick, somebody's hurt, and Michael takes over. What is it like to be on the floor? You're all great athletes. You're all the best high school player. You're the best A.U. player. You were your best college player like you. You were the best player in your conference in college, BJ. And then you get into a game and you're playing with a player who's doing something that you're like, yeah, I can't do that. I mean, take me to that with that KD performance.

Did you ever have those with Michael where you were kind of an observer to history? Well, you know, every player during the course of their career, they get into what we call that zone. You hear so many players, you know, get into that zone. Well, watching Michael, Michael seemed like he had a special cheat code to get into that zone. He was always in the zone. And he could get in there at any time. at any place that, you know, he needed to go there. Watching Kevin Durant the other night, Colin, was just incredible.

And we can't forget the following. He's coming off of a major injury, an Achilles injury. And to watch this young man prepare his body to be able to play not 40 minutes in the game, but the entire game under the duress and stress and the magnitude of the game and perform at that level is something spectacular. So I just hope, because I'm 53 now, I just hope that. he's able to get ready and play again because playing 48 minutes, I don't know how my body would feel. So I just hope that he's ready to get back out there on the court. But what an incredible performance.

And yes, you are absolutely right. These players, they're all good, but some of them are just special. And Kevin Durant, he showed you why he's one of the elite special players to ever play when it comes to scoring that basketball. Good stuff, BJ Armstrong. Good seeing you, bud. Appreciate you stopping by the show. Hey, thank you for having me as always. You guys be safe. All right, Summers here. Get active. Shed pounds. MDrive, boost, and burn. Go to MDrive for men.com. Free shipping 60-day. Moneyback guarantee. Joy Taylor with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, the Mab's part of ways with longtime GM, Donnie Nelson yesterday. Reports had surfaced that Luca was upset with the move. And today, he spoke about it from Slovenia as he trains with the national team. He said it was kind of tough for me. I really like Donnie. I've known him since I was. a kid and he was the one that drafted me. It was tough for me seeing that, but I'm not the one making decisions there. Sam Amick tweeted earlier today. It appears that Luca will likely still sign the Supermax, but from this vantage point, that dynamic is all kinds of bad right now. Luca is close

to Donnie. Luca doesn't like Haraballo's influence. And there's the Luca Carlisle component. Yeah, not great. The Athletic is reporting that Nelson's stalemate with Cuban led to the firing. It wasn't a mutual thing like the Mavs said it was. He had an issue with the shadow GM situation that Valgaris was encroaching on his influence and making decisions on personnel moves and strategy. I don't see Luca leaving. Luca is eligible to sign a five-year rookie max extension projected at $201.5 million. If he does choose to sign elsewhere, he'll be limited to a four-year contract with a 5% raise, so he would be sacrificing anywhere from $43 million to $77 million in total salary if he does that. Without an extension, he'd be a restricted free agent in the 2022 off season.

I don't know that these, I don't know that these stories are so much about I'm going to leave and so much it's about I could leave. So let's make sure you keep your urgency at the same level that my urgency is. That's fair. And I think that when we're talking about moves like this, you know, LeBron has shown that he will exercise his influence maybe over coaches, who's going to be the coach, personnel moves. We know he's involved with that. But LeBron has also proven he kind of knows what he's doing. He knows what he needs around him.

He knows how to help build a team. Like, I think he proved that in Cleveland. He didn't have that say in Miami, but he also didn't really need to. You have Pat Riley there. Pat Riley is able to do that. We've seen him do that time and time again. But when he went to Cleveland and won a championship there, it was like, okay, you know what? LeBron, you should listen to LeBron.

He knows guys. He has relationships. He knows things about what kind of players are. He can bring in a player that nobody else would take, and they end up being big for them in the postseason. I don't think everyone's trying to do that. I don't think Luca and Zion are trying to hand-pick their coach or hand-pick their teammates.

I think they're just saying, I'm going to keep developing. I'm going to focus on what I do well, which is play basketball and represent the team. Let's make sure that the expectations that I have to carry as a player are met with the expectations that you have to carry as a front office owner and organization. That's more what I think these stories coming out about the unhappiness is about. Not necessarily I'm going to leave, but I might, so let's make sure you're working as hard as I am. Fair. I like that. Good take.

I don't think everybody wants to be the GM. Yeah. So Kauai Leonard missing last night's game made it an NBA record eighth All-Star to miss this time this postseason. Chris Paul would be the ninth, obviously not for injury purposes. LeBron didn't hold back. He shared his thoughts on the increased injuries this year. He tweeted in part, they all didn't want to listen to me about it at the start of the season.

I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well-being of our game of the players, which is ultimately the product and benefit of our game. If there's one person who knows about the body and how it works all year-round, it's me. I speak for the health of all of our players, and I hate to see this many injuries this time of year. Sorry, fans, wish you guys were seeing all your favorite guys right now.

It's a little self-absorbed, isn't it? Nobody knows their body like me. Well, he is always healthy. He does spend a lot of time and money and energy in being at peak performance all the time. I don't 100% agree that this is the statement that needed to be put out right now. And I don't think that the injuries are 100%

due in part to the shortened off season and the condensed season. But I think it's fair to say that some of it is. Yeah, yeah. The Donovan-Mitchell injury looks like just fatigue. I think the Hardin one is probably fatigue as well. You can pick and choose. And maybe all of them are and maybe none of them are. There's always injuries. We can go back through every single season. There's always injuries. There's always injuries late. There's injuries early. Injuries are part of the game. I just also think it's fair to say what other choice did the NBA have? Not a lot. I mean, listen, we all have the I told you so, Gene in us. I'm not going to, it just feels.

I told you so, lamella ball will be great. I told you Baker was a reach at number one. But we all have it in this. But I just think we all have to, you know, and I'm seeing this with political talk show hosts a lot. Stop trying to win the pandemic. Like everybody, conservative, liberal, I knew what was going to happen. Both sides have whiffed on a million things. You literally, literally knew nothing.

because you didn't know that the pandemic was coming. You did not know anything. I totally agree. When it comes to the pandemic, stop telling everybody everything that you know. You don't know anything. On any side, no matter what it is.

Just make your own decisions and mind your own business. Did a really good job. By and large. Yes. It did an unbelievable job. I'm not trying to rank anybody, but the season stopped. They moved everyone into a bubble,

didn't have any positive tests, spent so much money, put an actual product on television. for us to watch as fans that wasn't perfect, but they made it happen and finished the season. And they had to get another season in. So I think his opinion is fair and maybe he is right. But it's just what else were they supposed to do? They had to get the season in. It's unfortunate. Of course we want everybody healthy. Of course we want to see all the stars. Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt. We want to see the stars in the biggest moments. But injuries happen.

So EA Sports released the cover for Madden NFL 22. And it features both Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. This is the second cover for both quarterbacks, and it's the first time in 12 years, the two players have been on the same cover. The last two players featured together were Larry Fitzgerald and Shui Pal Malu and Madden 10 when Patrick Mahomes was much, much, much younger. Brady was still in the league then. That's what Madden should be. Just give me the two best quarterbacks and do it. I'd like that they mix it up, give different players. From now on, give me the best old quarterback and the best young quarterback. Well, it might get a little repetitive if they do it That way.

You know what? Nothing wrong with having an oatmeal four days a week. I eat the same breakfast every day, Monday through Friday. This is the first time that a player in a buck's uniform will be on the Madden cover, though. Really? Yes, that's cool. I actually, I love this cover for a lot of reasons. We were talking about this a little bit in the break.

You were talking about it earlier also about how Brady is aging. And I don't know that he would be aging as well as he is publicly, you know, through social media and being on Madden and just the new, you know, kind of tan, sun-kissed young old guy reaching out, you know, wrapping his arms around the league, guy if he was still in New England. I don't know. I think that being in Tampa has given him, and especially winning the Super Bowl there, has given him the flexibility to really, like, blossom. Well, by the way, I used to work at a company that was very restrictive. Work here and nowhere else. And now I work at a company that's much more open. Yes, it changes. you. The company, New England Patriots, were IBM. You work here. That's it. No side gigs.

Tampa's like, we stink. Do whatever you want to do. Just show up on Sundays. I don't know that it's, it changes you. I think it just allows you to be authentic. So this was probably always him, but we just looked at him as this corporate guy that always says all the perfect things and go team. And, you know, he's now being able to be probably who he is and just enjoy that, which is nice in his latter years. Like he's really getting, we're getting the full personality of Brady. He's funny. Yeah. He even read, didn't he go after me or something on UFOs one time? Yeah. What did he say? How do you know I haven't seen a UFO? Yeah. I mean, in the end, I like the way Tom is aging. He's fun. He's appreciative. He's teaching. He's growing.

Give me a new playbook. Give me a new coach. Give me new stuff. You don't have to fall for every new thing. But don't be cranky. Yeah. Don't, don't be really. It's okay to learn new things. It's encouraged, in fact. Believe it or not, even Tom Brady would admit he doesn't have all the answers in football. So as you yell on Twitter, you don't have all the answers in politics. Because Tom would acknowledge he's learning football all the time. I say it all the time.

It's a sign of intelligence to be able to admit that you don't know everything. Only dumb guy knows everything. No. Isn't that the truth? You know, even Einstein. bad interior decorator. Nobody knows everything. Joy with the news.

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players And IHeart Podcasts

So I'm Leigham. This is my best friend Janet. Hey! And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider.

This is a podcast we're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Well, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar?

up here just take it. What are y'all doing? Micropones? Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. Oh, I would buy it. Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You're lucky. I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Oh. Oh.

Listen to soccer mom. on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before.

And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out.

real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the balls. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Spa like comfort, tankless made simple.com, 15-year limited warranty. It's called Navian tankless water heater. So it seems like there's a different, you know, we got all sorts of holidays yesterday. It was National Mascot Day.

I got to live my dream as a mascot. I was the shake at the Miami Hurricanes. baseball. For a season? No. No. They let me run in the shake race. It was very prestigious. I won. Okay. So we're going to play a game called Mascot or Mask Not? Okay. So you tell me on National Mascot Day yesterday, you're going to try to fool me on what's really a mascot and what's not

in the country. Actually, might not have one. I don't want to give out fake news. Delta State University, the fighting okra. That's funny. The fighting, see, this comes down to is my staff's smart enough to come up with that. I say I say that's a mascot. It is. It's real. Yes. Ocar's delicious.

Look at that. That is fascinating. A fighting okra. That's the thing. Wichita State. Buzzer the bolt. Well, they're the shockers. That's the Wichita State shockers. So buzzer the bolt is

a mascot. Fake. Their mascot is Wushok the shocker. That's terrible. Yeah, Buzzar the Bolt is way better. Buzzer the Bolt is way better. We'll gift you that. Guys, Scottsdale Community College, Artie, the artichoke.

So adorable. You know what? I'll get me honest with you. In the deep recesses of my mind, I think I've heard this before. I'm going to say mascot. It is real. Yeah. I also love artichokes.

That's actually, you know what? I didn't know that, I didn't know they grow in that heat. but that's, look at that. That's not a terrible mascot. It's not. Makes you want to eat vegetables. Yeah. Very healthy mascot.

UC Irvine, Peter the Anteater. Well, they are the ant eaters. We know that. UC Irvine are the antiters. Now, that seems a little cheesy to me. I'm going to say mask not. They are cheesy. That is it?

It's Peter the Anteater? It's real. Aunt eaters are kind of unfortunate-looking animals. Yeah, they didn't get. Am I allowed to say that? Yeah, they're not great looking. Yeah. There's certain animals.

They're not the most aesthetically pleasing animal. They're not an aesthetically pleasing animal. It's a good way to put it. Syracuse University. Juicy QC. Okay, again, that feels juicy QC? So Syracuse is the orange. You guys are trying me with these names.

Okay, so the Syracuse orange, juicy QC. Again, too smart for our staff to come up with. I say it's a mascot. Their mascot is Otto the Orange, which is a much better name. By the way, half our audience knew that. I did not. Dartmouth College, Keggy the Keg. Now, Dartmouth is known as a party Ivy League school. Like of all, it's New Hampshire, right?

So of all the Ivy League schools, Dartmouth is the... They're the ones that get down? Well, it's not exactly Harvard. Harvard is very... Dartmouth's fine. Nobody's critical. criticizing it better than the school I went to, but it's known as the party Ivy Leag. So I'm going to say Kegie the Keg is a mascot.

It is. They do not shy away from it. Can you imagine? Kegi sounds like a girl as a guy, Kegi. Look at that. I don't know. South Dakota State University, Monty the Monuments. Well, that's where the monument is up there.

The Mount Rushmore is in that area, right? Monty the monument Like it's so obvious I'm going to say mask not You're right Their mascot is Jack the Jackrabbit That ain't real clever either

So Yeah University of Louisiana Lafayette Cyan the hot pepper Oh god That's so fitting I'm hoping it is a mascot It's yeah

It is That's a good mascot There you go That's a good mascot University of Maine, bananas, tea bear. All right, they are the main bears. Banana's tea bear? Now, again, that's too random to be made up.

That's a mascot. Yep, correct. There he is, bananas. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Idaho State spud the potato. Now, hold on a second. The Idaho is the vandals. Idaho State, what are they?

That, again, okay, I'm going to be right on this. That's too obvious. That's too obvious. So I say mask not. Correct. It's Benny the Bangle. That's right. UC Santa Cruz.

Sammy, the banana slug. Well, they are the banana slugs. UC Santa Cruz, they are the banana slugs. And again, why would our staff come up with Sammy? I think that's a mascot. This is like beating the staff. Yeah, that really is. It's critical.

Yes. All right. South Central Louisiana State University. Dirty the mud dog Oh, I'm for that That's mascot just on I'm rooting for that to be true This is a fake Mascot is from a fictional film

Known as the Waterboy May remember it Adam Sandler fame That's their mascot? The mud dogs Water sucks, it really really sucks Oh it's not a school Yeah

Oh, it's a staff Oh made up school from a movie Listen you guys, you know I just, you got to play slow with me. I don't even own a pair of tennis shoes. Gay to read. All right, we'll see you tomorrow. Great day.

Third. I actually watched that a couple days ago. I've never seen Waterboy. 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 Acapella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators,

and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford

and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam Jay. 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 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. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.