The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 06/18/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: June 18, 2021

Colin explains why he's not impressed with Bucks after their game 6 win over an exhausted Brooklyn Nets team. He believes it was time for the Mavericks to start over and begin rebuilding around Luke Doncic after releasing GM Donnie Nelson and head coach Rick Carlisle. He also points out the main difference between a player like Tom Brady and another great QB in Aaron Rodgers. Plus, NBA champion Antione Walker joins the show to react to Colin's list of the top 10 players in the NBA under 25. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the 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. Thanks for listening to the Best of Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching Heard. This is the Best of the Hurd. with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio.

Ah, it is a Friday. It is great to have you in live from Los Angeles. It's the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. It's I-Heart Radio. It's Fox Sports Radio. It is FS1. Packed today. Clippers Jazz tonight.

Nets lost of the bucks last night. Phoenix just sitting around waiting for this party to go. Get started. Phoenix Suns are just, all right, we did our job. Well, they probably have a little anxiety. Little, Chris Paul. Yes, but, you know, you like the extra rest. So here we sit this morning.

It is, I mean, you just, there's so many things. Last year we had the bubble, and it was the year of the young teams doing better than expected, and this year it's the healthy teams that are doing better than expected. The Phoenix Suns are the really healthy team. So let's just start with Brooklyn, Milwaukee. Listen, Brooklyn's playing five and a half guys. James Harden right now is about 50, 60%. That's what they're playing.

Brooklyn's playing with five and a half guys. They looked exhausted by the end of the game. I know fans always want me to give their team credit. Listen, the Raptors won a title because Golden State stars were all hurt. You weren't the best team. I can't give you credit. Visa's in the credit business. I'm not.

Milwaukee's shooting 20. 58% from three-point land. 68% from the free throw line. If Kyrie was healthy, if Hardin's 90% series is over. It'll be over this weekend. Brooklyn's going to win it. But when Kyrie was healthy, and again, that's what two other stars, you know what I mean? Kyrie was averaging 23, 24 game five.

He'd be the difference. Hardin would be the difference. You don't even need both of them to beat Milwaukee. If you just gave me Harden it 100% in KD, you'd win the series. If you give me the first two games, I basically got KD and Kyrie healthy. They blew Milwaukee out. The games weren't even competitive. So, and I, you know, it's funny because there's this sense, oh, the stars always get the calls.

The truth is about the NBA. And they did a study on this years ago. It's far worse in college than the NBA. Home teams get the calls. Because of the proximity of fans to the game, they're right on the floor. Referees hear that. And they are influenced more than an NFL official, 20 yards from the crowd, a hockey official. There's glass, baseball, you're miles away.

But in basketball, officials, because fans are right on the floor, they're screaming, foul, come on, foul. We're human beings. You're influenced. Now, college basketball, according to the study I read, way worse than the NBA. NBA, NBA reps are just better. less influenced. But the home teams get the calls. And think about this. Where does the average NBA series start and finish at home for the better team? The better team had the better record. They get the first two at home. They take a lead. And there's middle games for the road team.

And then the better team gets the last game at home. So when you're watching the first two games of a series, your first thing you see is, oh, the stars are getting the calls. And if it goes to a deciding seventh game you're seeing, well, the stars got the calls. No, the home team got the calls. If you watch this series, Milwaukee is allowed to play hyperphysical at home. The refs are letting them grab and pull. How can you tell? Look at the stats.

The nets are shooting almost 50% at home and 41% on the road. What, Kevin Durant forgets to shoot on the road? The three point line, it's even worse. 42% for the nets at home, 28% on the road. So their officials are actually, in this series, the influence of the officials has been very much pro-Milwaukee. They're letting the more physical team grab and clutch at home. This was for years the secret sauce of the Utah Jazz was Stockton and Malone and Jerry Sloan. They were always the best home team in the NBA, but they were strangely average on the road for being a great team.

Why? Because they played so physical. And the only team that could beat him was Chicago who had a relentless Rodman, Jordan, Pippet, Ron Harper, Rodman. They were even more physical. But Milwaukee right now with Drew Holliday and PJ Tucker and Brooke Lopez and Forbes, they're a more physical team now. They were finessed two, three years ago. They're physical. And it's giving them a huge break at home.

So fans think the stars get the call. The home team gets the call. Look at Milwaukee at home. They're a totally different team. And, I mean, nothing against Janus and Middleton. But the Nets are not only tired offensively, they're tired defensively. When Middleton and Yannis combined to shoot 64%. I like them.

Ain't that good. That's better than Michael Jordan. They're not that good. So I look at Brooklyn as a shot fighter, a tired team. They got to go home, sleep in their own bed, get up for game seven. You know Hardin will be better in game seven. He was better last night than he was in game five. he'll be better in game seven, probably 75, 80%.

I mean, after the game, even the coach for the net. Steve Nash sounded tired. We weren't well tonight offensively. You know, out of rhythm, out of sync. You know, we definitely didn't play the way we wanted to play, the way we planned to play. And I would say that for the entire game. You know, we had a couple stretches where we played okay,

but really didn't play the way we wanted to play offensively. But just not a great game from us. We just didn't have our best stuff tonight. And, you know, we got a game seven on our home floor. It didn't have their best stuff. It's hard when people are tackling you. All right. So I talked to Mark Cuban last night briefly.

Mark Cuban has gotten rid of his general manager. And he moved on. And his coach, Rick Carlisle. I'm not going to tell you everything, but I will say this. The one thing Mark did share with me with Luke. Luca, Luca's 22 years old. He became a global sensation in the last six months. It's hard.

It's hard for 32 years old. 42-year-olds. 52-year-olds. He's 22-year-olds. He's emotional. He and Rick Carlisle sometimes argued, oh boy, end of the world. He had a lot of technicals this year.

Mark told me yesterday, hey, we're just working through it. Great kid. Great kid. Fantastic kid. He's 22 years old, became a global star. Give him a break. So here's what's really happening. and Mark Cuban didn't tell me this, but this is my belief on what's happening in Dallas.

So we all know in life that if something happens to us earlier and we kind of screw it up, and then we have the second opportunity to do something, our first experience will influence our second experience. So they drafted an international star, Dirk Novitsky, and wasted a lot of time with him. They drafted him in 98, and they didn't get a title until 2011, and they were rarely special. Then they draft Luca, who plays a lot like Dirk. You can't stop him, except he's better than Dirk, and he's 22, and he's international, and it ain't going to screw this thing up. There is a sense of urgency in Dallas.

We got our second Dirk Novitsky, and he's better, sooner. And it's ramped everything up, and they've had him for three years, and they've only made the playoffs twice, and they got bounced early in both. of them. I get it. You had Dirk. Don't get me wrong. Dirk had a great career and you should be very proud of the championship. It was a crazy team. But you drafted him in 98 and you didn't win a title until 2011 and you were rarely special. And I talked to Mark about this months ago and he said, hey, we made some mistakes. And then it's almost like you photocopied him and you got Luca again. And Della's like, okay, okay, okay. We got the better version of him.

even Dirk came out last week and said, no, Luca's better than I was. And it's like, okay, it's natural now. They're not going to waste any time because there was a sense with Dirk. And this is my opinion. They kind of wasted some time. So Donnie Nelson, let's talk about him. The race for Luca is to get a number two. Porzing is ain't it.

Hardaway is not it. Good players, not it. Donnie Nelson, the year before Luca, had the number nine pick in the draft. He drafted a bust Dennis Smith. You know who got drafted after that? Donovan Mitchell. If Donovan Mitchell was drafted with Luca, this team's in the finals multiple times. Can't make those mistakes.

Can't make those mistakes. It's not like he went Donovan Mitchell to a borderline all-star. Bust four picks later, Donovan Mitchell. Time to go. You also wildly overpaid for poor Zingas. Time for the GM to go. Rick Carlisle, good guy. Three years, two playoffs. You're 61. He's 22. Generationally, it's probably not perfect.

I mean, Stan Van Gundy, Zion. Generationally, probably not perfect. It's amazing Joy and I get along. I'm like the Stan Van Gundy of hosts. But the reality is, this is the natural progress. aggression when you had Dirk and draft Luca. They're not going to mess around here in Dallas. I've been saying this for two weeks.

It is now a race to get Luca a two. If I'm Luca, I do sign an extension. But Mark's got pressure on him now. The GM whiffed on Dennis Smith and overpaid for Porzingis. That's going to trap you now if you sign Luca to a massive contract if you can't unload that. Then the NBA, he's got to match salaries, so good luck getting rid of that massive contract for a big that gets hurt and super expensive. And by the way, Luca doesn't get along with him.

They don't get along very well. So, you know, we can all freak out. But when you get a superstar this young, and by the way, when Luca has been in the playoff so far the two times, he's averaged 34, 10, and 9. Dallas is not keeping up with Luca. Luca is carrying them. I mean, he has to be on the floor. You watch the Dallas Mavericks against the clippers.

He's off the floor. They're not even the same. They're not even a playoff team. I mean, so they have to draft somebody that can give Luca five and a half, six minutes, a half off, let him play off the ball a little. You can't ask this kid to play 47 minutes without a two. You see how exhausted Duran. And Duran's the best score in the world with 10 years of experience on Luca. And you can see him last night.

I mean, he's still great. but he's not quite the same, just in back-to-back games. So, you know, this is one of these classic, oh, my God, what's going? Mark Cuban, what's going on? I talk to Mark. He's like, listen, we've got a 22-year-old superstar. He's a global superstar. He's a great kid.

We're just working our way through this stuff. And it's just you land these stars. You got to get stuff right and you got to get stuff right fast. And I've said this. The draft now is a total crapshoot. Increasingly, you get one year a tape from college or no years of tape, a kid goes to G-League like Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs. The two top picks next year.

Suggs, you get one year of Gonzagafiel and film and green, you get one year a G-League film. I mean, you're guessing, you're projecting on some of these kids. I mean, they're both going to be good. Sugs and Green are both going to be good, but how good? How much do you know? It's not the NFL where I got three and four years of tape. So they got to get on this stuff. A 61-year-old coach, Rick Carlyle, emotional guy, Luca and he,

He had some tension. Boom, it's time to go. Rick's had a great career. He's fine. He'll get a job somewhere. But it's time. Blot up. Let's go.

GM overpaid for Porzingus. Butcher the Dennis Smith big. Boom. It's time to go. Fresh start. Let's get a little younger around Luca. Let's get whoever you ought to get. Let's get a little younger.

Let's get some new eyeballs, a new voice, new sound, new look, new vibe. It's okay. It happens. This is the NBA. But there's a lot of stuff now. Oh, there's chaos. The media's a little hyperbolic sometimes. I got a little bit, I don't know.

You made the playoffs. You took the Clipper 7. It's not the end of the world. It's just time to get a new GM and a new coach. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotes.

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

A win is a win. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the 6th. 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 what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Concord. his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called the 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? I'm 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 Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. After 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 ball. So listen to Point Game on the, iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Talked about Luca and Dallas, I think it's the natural progression of having Dirk, then getting Luca, the general manager overpaid for Porzengis, bust on the Dennis Smith pick, Donovan Mitchell drafted after, you know, my feeling is they just have a sense of urgency and that Dallas has proven it can be a good basketball city. They can win a championship to very, very solid organization, top to bottom.

not perfect. Now, Zion is unhappy, reportedly, in New Orleans. These are two different stories. According to reports, Zion family wants him out of New Orleans and the Pelicans. Stan Van Gundy got a lot of the heat because he was a, you know, he's pretty rigid guy, demanding coach, and Zion's family didn't like that. But let's just, let's try to contextualize this here. Anthony Davis, get me out of here.

Zion, his family, get me out of here. We went and looked up this morning when Chris Paul left. He wanted out of there. Three stars, get me out of here. It's not a small market thing. Westbrook loved Oklahoma City. Damian Lillard loves Portland. Donovan Mitchell, John Stockton Malone,

love Salt Lake City. Milwaukee historically has kept a lot of their stars. Don't make this a small market issue. San Antonio, Kauai is the exception. Tony Parker liked it, Duncan liked it, Robinson liked it. Kauai just had a Greg Popovich issue. Small market, John Moran has no issues. If you watch Memphis, the team that they're putting together,

he's got no issues there. Let's not say this is all small market. Vancouver is one of the great cities in America, in North America, Vancouver, B.C. Stevie Francis couldn't get out of there fast enough. And it has beautiful women, beautiful scenery, big city. They're New York Knicks.

They can't get anybody. It's New York. Nobody wants to play in Washington, D.C. It's like our sixth biggest city, seventh biggest city. Don't blame small market. This is New Orleans. It's a college football town. It's an NFL town.

And the Benson family, proud, proud owners of the Saints have done a very good job. I think they cared more about that pass interference call or no call against the Rams than they did about. retaining Anthony Davis. Remember what happened. The NBA had moved a team from Charlotte to New Orleans. And then the owner, see you later. I want to sell the team.

But the NBA was demanding the new owner had to stay in Louisiana and New Orleans. Well, the Benson family is the richest family, I think, in the state. There weren't a lot of offers. They went to the Benson family who owned the Saints and said, well, you take them. They gave the Benson family an unbelievably low price, $338. million bucks. And that was a decade ago. They could sell them now for four to five times that. With Zion, you could sell that team tomorrow for four to five times that. So, you know, this is like a side hustle. I mean, they're a, they're saints owners. The saints are a great

franchise. That's where their passion plays. This was a, hey, it's a good price. And Gail Benson, according to John Hollinger, who's a well-connected guy, he said, the Bensons are not currently seeking to sell, but they're losing money while finishing in the lottery has not been an enjoyable side venture to the main business of running the Saints.

So, you know, Anthony Davis felt like, this isn't really, I had a massive agent text me yesterday. He said, see? This is the second third guy that wants out. Nobody's taking a shot at New Orleans.

But, you know, let's be honest about this situation. The Benson family owns the Saints. They do a great job. The Saints are incredibly well-run. One of the great GMs, one of the great coaches, just had one of the great quarterbacks. They've been fantastic. Now, I mean, we always say Michael Jordan couldn't play baseball. Randy Moss tried basketball. It's hard to be great at two things. It's also hard to be great owning two sports franchises. The Benson's loyalty and their passion is football and they're great at it. The basketball, and then we got a good price on it. And the players can feel that. And, you know, listen, New York City is great, but it's never felt like a college football town.

Phoenix is great. It's never really felt like a hockey town. New Orleans is great. It's never really felt like an NBA town to me. It feels like an NFL town that's the South that's college football. And I think the players kind of feel it. The players feel like, and you're Zion, you're this emerging super, I'm not even sure if you're emerging. You're about an hour from blossoming into his family, his,

agent probably in his ear. You know? Like John Morant looks at his team and thinks, man, we've done a good job. We made the playoffs. We've done some good moving around here. We got good players. I mean, I watched Memphis.

I'm like, I mean, they weren't as good as Utah, but Utah was the number one seed. They were really good. Pelicans can't get into the playoffs. Players aren't happy. Players want out. So don't confuse Lucas situation with Zions. Dallas has a history of being pretty well run.

playoffs, middle of the country, big sophisticated city, they've won a title. They were the first NBA team, if I recall, to really go with their own jet. Like they've always been way ahead of the curve in terms of treating their players. So, you know, Dirk Novitsky could have left multiple times. He had no interest going anywhere. That tells you about that franchise. And even the problems Luca has had, reportedly, he's going to sign an extension because he knows it's a good place. He just doesn't love all the people there.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book and all the best guests. do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. ESPN did an article about a month ago, the best 25 players under 25. It's insane.

I mean, you get to about 23. They had, at the time, they had Trey Young like 16. I mean, you know, some of these guys, all of them are getting better fast. Like they're getting better. There's no. I mean, nobody's hit their ceiling yet for the guys I'm listening. I think they're all going to get better, some significantly better. So I'm guessing here because they're all so young.

They don't come out of college like Ewing or Duncan, where you have an established offensive repertoire. So just Trey Young's growth in the last three months is substantial. But if you were a GM of the 25 best players under 25, you get 10 to build your franchise around. Now, we're all GMs here. So there's six components that I've, would consider. Your talent. Just watch you. Wow. Then your productivity. A lot of guys are talented.

They're not that productive. Leadership. Can you run the show for a decade? You're a grown-up. You're a craftsman. Compatibility. Do you get along with others? That's, does, you know, Luke has got early indications. He can be feisty. Health. You know me on Biggs. Heard early. Heard often. And then I would say, potential. Some of these guys' ceilings, Bam, Otabayu's a nice player. I think he's closer to his ceiling than John Morant, who may not even be scratching the surface. So these are the 10 in order. I'm a general manager. And again, a lot of this stuff is these are kids. Let's start. Number one. So I would go Luca. Why? He's already had more 40 plus playoff games than Duncan

Magic Lillard, Reggie Miller, Ewing, Drexler, and Oscar Robertson. He's not close to his ceiling. I don't think, I think his conditioning will get better. I think his strength will get better. I think he'll be able to occasionally get off the floor for a few minutes. I'd put Luca one. That's an easy one. Number two.

Now it gets hard. I got to tell you, I see Trey Young, he's averaging 29.5 point in the postseason. That's four more than he averaged in the regular season, and that's against two excellent defensive teams. His ceiling, he's just scratching it. He averaged nine and a half assists this season. That's the highest of any player under 25. So he's a total playmaker.

You got some Mahomes here. He can run. He can throw. He can score. He can assist. And he's getting better fast. Fast. Number three.

Number three. I think I'd go Jason Tatum. I've already had 50-point games. Now, his ceiling, he's pretty close to it. I think he's a 26, 27-point-a-game guy. Now, now, I'll say this. He's not at his ceiling because his points, rebounds, and assists have increased the last four years. He is not at his ceiling. But I think we're getting close to it, and that is about a 27-5-point-a-game guy. Very dependable, can put it in the deck, can drive, can score at the rim, can show. shoot. I get a lot with him. And he's coachable. Stevens can be demanding. He's coachable.

Number four. I mean, I'll go Devin Booker. Now, the leadership thing, he's talented, but they really needed Chris Paul to get to the next level. That's a little ding on him. Talent's insane. He's a natural score. By the way, better shooter from the field, better shooter from three, better shooter from the free throw line this postseason than the regular season. What is that? tell me he's good in crisis he's been a better playoff player than a regular season guy that's a big one but the leadership thing i don't know he may just be a great talent number five john morant ain't close to his ceiling uh i could have him low i could he may be two rookie of the year

everything got better in his second year uh like trey young his confidence is through the roof i don't even know where his ceiling is like he of He and Trey Young, no idea what the ceiling is. It's insane right now. And he's got, he's more athletic than Trey Young. But Trey Young at some point has been on the road just so productive I have Trey ahead of him. Maybe a big mistake by me. Number six.

Donovan Mitchell's been a little banged up this year. Plays on both ends. Again, I think he's closer to a ceiling. Sealing's good. He's averaging 33 and a half. ceiling is great. But I think he indicates how good the list is. Because I think he of all these players, he and Tatum are really close to their ceiling.

And I love it. But John Morant and Trey Young could have another 25, 30 percent to their game. I mean, if I said Trey Young average 34 next year, would you be shocked? I wouldn't. Number seven. Zion health's a factor. It's all health. Doesn't defend.

his game is he's great at what he does but there's holes health frightening heard in college heard in the NBA now he's averaging 26 a game that's the most ever for a player 20 year younger his ceiling's insane um i'll probably regret this one but there is a health issue and he needs the right coaching don't take him out in three land all day let him be what he is which is a gifted bucket guy. Free throw line. A lot of Carl Malone here. Don't try to make him Jason Tatum the shooter. Number eight.

Jamal Murray, torn ACL bothers me. Very good player. The injury is something. It's something, but he's great. Number nine. Lamello ball. Rookie of the year. Unbelievable. Way better than I thought. No health.

I mean, he had a little injury this year. But again, we really don't know what he is. If he's this good now, what is? What is next year. I mean, this had not been a great organization. He wins rookie of the year. What happens when he gets real teammates? Does he double his assists?

Number 10. Deeran Fox. Nobody talks about him. He averages 25 and 7. And his scoring average has gone up every year. I think he's kind of close to his ceiling, but who's he played with? So just look at these players. And again, Bam Outabai, he was a good player. But I don't think he's nearly as

dynamic or as versatile offensively as these, I think it's a guard wing league. And obviously, a lot of you are saying, I'm living in the moment on Trey Young. Yeah, I am living in the moment. I'm watching it against two great defensive teams. He's eating them alive. I am living in the moment. I'm watching what I'm seeing against the Sixers on the next defense. And these are veteran coaches, Doc Rivers, Tom Tibado, eating him alive.

What am I supposed to do with that? 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. Antoine Walker is now joining us live. All right, Antoine, you saw my goofy list. Am I overvaluing Trey Young too? Am I nuts on that? I don't know if he's two.

He's a terrific talent. He's one of the, I call these guys a hybrid point guard. They're not traditionally great point guards and like a Chris Paul, who's a real true point guard. These are point guards that have unbelievable scoring ability. For his size, though, he's really gutty, really tough to see what he's doing against Philly when they got guys 6869 on him. His patience to be able to change his game up. He's maturing right in front of our own eyes on the biggest stage in the playoffs. So he's headed that way.

I don't know if he's number two, but he's very close. Let's go to my list again. Is there anybody on this list that you would absolutely have, like John Morant, I'm guessing. He could end up being a battle for number one. On my list, is there anybody, I got Luca won, Trey Tatum, Booker, Morant, Donovan, Zion, Jamal, Lamello, Deere, anybody too low in your opinion? Probably Zion. I would probably put Zion in that top five of under 25, just because of the impact that he can have on a team or franchise.

You can put a, you get some pieces around him. You can actually make a deep run to win the championship. He's that good. So I think Zion, John Moran has been too inconsistent for me. He hasn't, he hasn't been there all season long. He had spurts. He turned it on the playoffs, but I thought he could get that done night in and night out. So some nights I think he takes it.

But I think Zion should definitely be in your top five. All right. So let's talk bucks. So yesterday I got on this. where because LeBron and Durant are so gifted they can do virtually anything, we think all these guys can do everything. And Janus, Milwaukee has tried to make him into a three-point shooter, and it just doesn't look good.

He's not natural. And last night, they said, nope, no threes. Just do what you do, and Brooklyn couldn't stop him. Sometimes I feel like, because LeBron is such a great Swiss Army knife, Antoine, that coaches and GMs feel like their guys got to do everything. everything and you were in this league for 12 years. Guys can usually do one or two things at a high level. Everybody's not everything.

Do you think with Janus, Milwaukee is better served just being like, be the best defensive big, be great within seven feet, and just stay there and do your thing? Well, I think it's tough because he's a two-time MVP and he's had a lot of success and he's at the individual accolades at the age of 26. So it's very difficult sometimes as a culture. and for people around him to tell him that, hey, you probably need to get the three-point game out of your game. And I'm pretty sure he spends a ton of time in the summertime shooting a bunch of threes.

But you can't be good at everything. I was not necessarily a great free-throw shooter. It wasn't a great 15-foot jump shooter. I can make it occasionally. I made free throws when they count it. So you've got to figure out what you're really good at. And the space that teams are planning with, he has to play from 15 feet in. That's when he's at his best at.

We saw that in game six where he's attacking the basket. Obviously, he's a freak of nature in transition. M. LeBron James, those guys are unbelievable in transition. So you're going to get eight to ten points that way. He just has to figure out how to be more an effective score without shooting a three-point shot. Not saying he can't never take a three, but it's not a part of his game. And when he's shooting threes, those are empty possessions for the buck.

So he did a terrific job of that. Hopefully he continues to do that in game seven. But I still worry a little bit, Colin, about. his free throw shooting. Having the ball in late in games, I still worry about that. That's something that he has to understand that he's not a great free throw shooter. I may have to give it off

to Militin who's a better free throw shooter than I am and who is a great score too. By the way, speaking of free throws, it's one thing if a big isn't a great free throw shooter. It's another if your point guard's not. Have you ever seen or played with a great player

that lost confidence? and if not, fine, but how do you get it back? What do you do if you're coaching Simmons? Well, I think one thing with Simmons, you've got to continue getting the gym and practice and find a routine you like. I think Doc Rivers made a mistake in taking them out that game

and not allowing him to be in to get fouled. You've got to try to get over this phobia. So now that's in the players here. You lose the confidence of the team. You at home, now you got $15, $20. of people now that don't want to see you get foul late in games. So I think that's something with the coach has to show you confidence. Your teammates have to show you confidence.

But it's something he has to continually work on, finding the routine that he's very comfortable with. And Ben Simmons shot is not as bad, I think, as Janice. Yeah. So I think Ben Simmons shot is really, really close to getting fixed. And he doesn't miss as bad as John has been. So it's about confidence. And sometimes that's a little coaching when a coach has to show some confidence in you and leave you in the game in that situation.

So Doc may have made a mistake and taking them out. We'll see as this series continues if Ben Simmons can get past that. But that's a tough thing to do to a player, especially a young player like that. You know, speaking of Zion, story breaks yesterday that his family is not happy with New Orleans. Chris Paul didn't like playing there. A.D. wanted out.

Story about Zion wanting out. John Hollinger reports, they would be the team that would relocate their own by an NFRA. owner. They're great NFL owners. This kind of feels like a side business. You know, it would be easy for people to go, come on, Zion, you're like 20 years old. Stop making demands. You could make that argument to me. And then there's me thinking, listen, you don't want to waste six years like Anthony Davis did. Where do you land on the Zion story? I can understand why New Orleans went in a different direction. And college, every coach cannot

coach young, young players. That's why I was so surprised that Tibbs had so much success in New York. But Stan Van Gundy, I played for Stan Van Gundy in Miami. It was a short time. I went to a full training camp, 20 games before Pat Riley, ultimately fired him and came into goal. But Stan Van Gundy's a screaming and a yeller. Not saying that he's screaming in the yellow that you at every play, but he's a coach that's emotional into the game. And some players are not going to be receptive to that. He's going to run really tough. film sessions, point out all your mistakes. A lot of guys cannot sometimes don't, young guys don't respond to that. And that's sometimes with these GMs, we recycle the same coaches all the

time. That's why you have to get young, new, fresh blood coaches because the league is younger. So you have to get younger coaches that can actually relate to these guys. And I think that's what the problem is there. And I think that's what Stan had is problem. Because Stan is a different type of coach. He's a veteran coach. He's a screaming. He's a yelling. He's going to get out to you. He's not going to let you make a lot of mistakes.

And sometimes young players do not accept that and do not react very well that. He's got a very young team. And on top of the Zion's family, they got to get out the way. It's too early in Zion's career for family to be going to the press and making demands. Let Zion fill it out. He still is a ways away from where he needs to be as a pro. So let him get some consistent in his game. Let him have multiple all-star years.

before the family start making demands. I hate to see that when you see the family gets involved. In the big leagues now. He's a grown man now. You don't need the family involved now. He can have a little self now. He's a big boy. Your family ever chirp?

My family was not the kind of family that chirped in my ear. Joy, was your family a chirping family? We're chirpers, but not with the media. Antoine, what was your family like? We talked with sports. I'm a sports family, so we talk, but not to the media. That's all behind closed doors. But I know not to bring that to the forefront.

But I just think Stan was the wrong coach. We used to start having those older veteran coaches with those guys. We got to get younger coaches to coach these younger players. Yeah, no, I mean, look at Steve Nash. Katie likes him. Nash likes him. I mean, that's a lot of this whole world in sports is relationships. Andy Reid works as an old guy because Andy's a young spirit.

When you listen and talk to Andy, he's young. Belichick feels old. Andy's old feels young. To your point, it's Carlisle and Lucas, 61-year-old. old coach, 22-year-old kid. Antoine, great seeing you again. Yes, thanks. Thanks, thanks. I see you again, too, Colin.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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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,

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get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conkie, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021. podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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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 Tab Ramos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. You know, there are very few people. A lot of artists write songs and sell merch. But they don't, they're not the Beatles. They don't change in industry. I don't know hip-hop particularly well,

but like Biggie Smalls or Tupac, like, kind of changed, you know, and I'm just kind of riffing here, but there are people that write songs and they're really good, and then there's Biggie Smalls that kind of changed everything. And you're like, oh, that's... Nick Saban didn't just change to Alabama. He changed the SEC. He changed college football.

It is now a one or a two team sport. That's great. Jim Harbaugh made Michigan better. But hell, he hadn't even changed the Big Ten. still can't beat Ohio State. Nobody can ever beat Ohio State in the Big Ten. There's a big difference. And, you know, Michael Jordan, don't kid yourself, made the NBA global.

LeBron inherited that. Michael made it global. Michael will always be more popular than LeBron. The look, the glamour, the style. Michael's more popular than LeBron. We can argue who's better. But Michael made the sport global. It wasn't global.

It was domestic. You watch college guys. If you had an international player, it was always like, nobody care. Michael's like everybody's looking for the next Luca. Everybody. So that's the difference is that there's a lot of people that make money and they, you know, they write songs or they act. And then there's people that you look at and you're like, oh, like that James D. Dean, you know, that kind of, that kind of actor where for 30, 40 years, tough guys are trying to be him.

And I look at Brady and Rogers. Tom Brady literally in one year changed the league. His team is now the team. Overwhelming favorite. He changed the NFC. Dormat to the Kings. It's like almost unfair. He also changed by leaving the AFC.

Mahomes now. Andy Reed, it's their conference. Josh Allen, the AFC East, is his division. Belichick's reign is a super genius. They were under 500. That's a lot of change. Aaron Rogers, like KD, he's talented. But let's say he left Green Bay and went to Denver.

He wouldn't be favored in his own division. He wouldn't even change the AFC West. I mean, some of that is we don't know if Vic Van GEO is great. We don't know about his new GM, but there's a big difference between making commercials, doing jeopardy, being great, transforming the league. Brady has transformed the league. Look at how many general managers are in this league from New England. Look how many offensive coordinators and assistance. And you could say, well, that's Belichick.

No, I saw Belichick last year without Brady. And I saw Brady last year without Belichick. How'd that work out? Now, we always argued Brady Belichick, who gets the credit? They're both great. But we've got to go 60-40 Tommy here, right? We all good on that. It's 60-40 Tommy now.

It's not a 50-50 split. I love Pete Carroll. Is 60-40 Russell Wilson. We got to be fair here. I love Andy Reid, but it's 60-40 Mahomes now. We saw a bell. a check break. It's not an even split. All those weak draft picks

that Tom made look special, they're not. New England had to go to the free agent market and spend $100 million. So it just, it just, there's Sabin changed so many different things. The Beatles. Bob Dylan, Biggie.

These are rare. Don't conflate that or confuse. Like whenever we talk Michael and LeBron, You know, I hear a lot of people, you know, and LeBron's great. Don't get me wrong. But you don't quite understand how big Michael Jordan was. Let me tell you something.

I've been at games with LeBron. I like LeBron. He does more things well than Michael. Michael was not only the best player. He was a best looking player. He was the most stylish player. He was the most glamorous player. He was the winningest player.

He was the most clutch player. Like LeBron, there's little dents in the armor. Now, the knock on Michael, he didn't embrace politics. Well, let's be fair about that. Most athletes were told back then, stay away from that stuff. When I got into sports casting, don't talk politics and religion. Now I often get criticized. You don't talk politics.

I mean, well, how come you don't talk about? Well, because I was trained. When I got into this business, you don't talk religion and politics. And so I try to stay away from them unless there's a Drew Brees situation or a Kaepernick situation. Or there's a moment, a LeBron situation. I'll talk about it, two, three times a year. But I come from the people tune to me for sports, not politics.

If I'm going to talk it, it better be a jab. I better not spend around on it. But it is interesting. As good as Aaron is, if he moved, NFC wouldn't change. Tom would still be the favorite. Kyle Shanahan and Tom would. I mean, it's like Kyle already beat Aaron head-to-head in the NFC championship. Tom just beat him twice last year, head-to-head the NFC Championship.

Wouldn't change the NFC. It wouldn't change it at all. I mean, it would change the NFC North. But even that argument is, even that argument. Green Bay is the best run organization in the NFC North, right? I don't think you can dispute that. In terms of developing players, now, let's be fair, they don't get free agents. You can't blame them for that, right?

Like Buffalo's not exactly a free agent hub. Memphis and the NBA is not a free agent hub. So the NFC North, the Packers would still be the best organization the day he left, and for a year they'd be the best roster still. I mean, they would be. Tom left New England. It unveiled how bad some of those offensive draft picks were. It's like, nobody can get open.

These Titans are terrible. They don't have a star running back. And again, this is not a shot at Aaron. it is because Aaron, I've always said, is KD. You know, Brady's, you know, now the NFL is not an international sport. It's a domestic sport. Basketball is more international. Baseball is more international.

Soccer is really international. Hockey's more international. So Tom, there's limitations on how international Tom can be. But Brady is like Jordan. He changed everything. The shoe deals. I mean, even now the NFL, it does feel bigger with Tom than it did 20 years ago. feels broader.

Well, I think that's the difference between a great player and the greatest player. Right? Yeah. They transformed things. Michael Jordan was the greatest player. He transformed the entire... He didn't just transform the league. He transformed basketball globally, like on every level.

Muhammad Ali did this in boxing. Tiger did this in golf. Yeah. Like if you said three biggest athletes ever, like I would say, Ali, Michael. tiger in my life. Like even in broadcasting, Oprah owns her own network. Yeah. She wins. Howard's probably second. Stern probably second. But it's like, you know, Oprah is like, oh, no what, I don't work on the network. I'm going to own my own network. That's like, okay,

that's the way to do it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite, unhumored me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashed. Others say it's unleashed.

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

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits. my basketball and college football journey or my career in sports media. Well now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple 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 a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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