The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 06/24/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: June 24, 2021

Colin discusses Trae Young's run through the playoffs, the Hawks winning game 1 over the Bucks and what this tell us about the Eastern Conference since LeBron James signed with the Lakers. He agrees with Steve Kerr saying Kevin Durant is more talented than Michael Jordan even though MJ is still the GOAT. He believes one young quarterback in the NFL is in line to get a contract extension, but the team should hold off on that. Plus, longtime NBA veteran Olden Polynice joins the show to tell Colin why the Clippers could be in big trouble tonight down 0-2 to the Suns in the Western Conference Finals. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

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

Thanks for listening to The 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 iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. It is a Thursday. 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. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1.

Joy Taylor is joining me, those pesky Atlanta Hawks. I told you, you can't count them out. You just can't. You know, it's funny. I always try to trust my eyes. You know, you talk to NBA, GMs, they'll say, trust your eyes and then go to the analytics. Don't go to the analytics first. What do your eyes tell you?

The eyes tell me the Eastern Conference is bad. It's like, just because you win the PAC 12 doesn't mean the fourth best team in the SEC isn't better. You can win the NFC East. If the Cowboys win the NFC East, I think the third best team in the NFC West, Rams, Niners, Seattle, or Arizona is probably better. And that's how I start my show today. The Atlanta Hawks took a lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. They were sub-500 at the All-Star break. They don't have an All-Star.

There's a difference between hate and being honest. Those aren't very good teams. Let's be honest about that. Think of what the Hawks have done so far. They've beaten the Knicks who don't have an elite score on their roster. Think about it. The NBA is a global game. New York's America's biggest city.

That franchise doesn't have one elite score. Then they beat the Sixers. Ben Simmons can't shoot, the second best player. And Joel M. beat as a torn miniskas. And now they lead Milwaukee, who's number one player, Janus, also can't shoot. That's the East. Since LeBron left the Eastern Conference,

mercenary Kauai Leonard won the East literally packs his bags goes to Toronto, wins the East, leaves and the number five seed Miami Heat with a bunch of kids win the East.

You know, it's funny. Milwaukee didn't even really play that poorly. They did what Milwaukee does. Chris Middleton had a bad shooting night over nine on threes. I mean, that happens with Chris Middleton. And Mike Boodenholzer didn't make any adjustments. Mike Boodenholzer never makes adjustments. Going to double Tray Young? He wouldn't

double Kevin. He wouldn't double Kevin Durant. You could say, well, you know, it's just, it was a bad night for Milwaukee. They didn't play particularly bad. I mean, Budenholzer did what Budenholzer does and Middleton has stinkers all the time. I mean, in the West, the Clippers and the Suns were missing MVP-level players. Chris Paul and Kauai. The game was unbelievable.

I mean, you had nine guys on both teams, 18 total, that contributed backup players like Cameron Payne were insane. I mean, you took Janice and Trey Young out of this game. It's unwatchable. It was barely watchable. There's a reason that that game last night will not get a huge TV rating, and there's a reason that Sons and Clippers got a big number. You can't fool America.

I've said this before. America will always watch what they find the most dynamic or captivating. The SEC Championship every year in college football gets a bigger rating than 95% of the bowl games. Because everybody knows in America, they got more good NFL players. That game's not going to get a rating. I mean, this sums it up. Milwaukee's final two, three point a game. attempts. We're taken by two guys that were old for 13 on threes. That's who they went to for their

final two, three point shots. Two guys that were old for 13. And I think Tray Young's great. And nobody would deny that. I think he's the number one point guard in the east because I think he's better and more dependable than Kyrie Irving. I do. And I think James Hardin and I consider a shooting guard more than a point guard. I think Tray Young's the number one point guard in the east. But think about this if he was in the West. You'd take Luca. over him. I would take Steff over him. I'd take Dame over him and I'd have to consider John Morant and Jamal Murray and I'd take CP3 over him since CP3 has been in the league forever and wins everywhere. I mean, Dame and Steph are better players than Trey Young. They are, let's not be prisoners

of last night. Steph's a better player by far than Trey Young and Dane's a better player than Trey Young. Steph can't make the playoffs in the West and Dane can't get past the first round. It's not, hey, Tray Young's terrific. He's a great story. He's fun to watch. Atlanta's fun. I mean, they're, you know, but, but we, we understand in sports. This is part of sports that we understand. Some golf tournaments, the courses are harder. They used to have golf tournaments in, like, Las Vegas invitational guys would be 35 under bar. Then you go to the U.S. Open, you know, and guys are like, you know, you watched last weekend, Brooks Kepka, Bryson DeShambo, everybody except John Rom went into the tank because the course is too hard. And then you have these

desert courses where guys are 35 under after the weekend. The Eastern Conference just isn't very good. In fact, it's bad. And LeBron and Kauai left it. Now it's really bad. It's injured guys. I mean, the Celtics got injuries. The Sixers got injuries.

The Knicks can't shoot. Philadelphia can't get along and can't shoot. And I'm left with Atlanta needing three more wins, a team that was sub-500 on the break from getting to the Eastern Conference finals. I love Trey Young. It's a great story. He's going to get a lot of guys. drafted. I don't know how you guard.

Trey Young, Damon, Steph. When you have an NBA that you can't hand check so they can get past you and they're great ball handlers and they're quick and they have the kind of range two steps over the half court line they can shoot, I don't know how you defend these guys. You can try to trap

them. Good luck. They're all quick and great ball handlers. All I know is when I watch Trey Young, I think to myself if I'm an NBA general manager and I'm drafting and there's a six-nine wing and then there's a guard that can shoot, I'm taking the guard. I am taking the guard.

But I watched that game last night, and my takeaway is these teams, it would not. They look like first round and outers in the West. They just do. I've got to be honest. So this is interesting. So Steve Kerr is going to coach some USA basketball and Kevin Durant's going to play for it apparently. And, you know, Steve Kerr played with Michael Jordan, the best player in most eyes

in the history of basketball. We can argue about he and LeBron Magic, whatever. just for the time being for the argument. MJ is the best player ever, and it's certainly a legitimate argument. And Steve Kerr played with him for years, and he also coached KD. And I do think what he says is accurate here. Here's the tape. I think he's more gifted.

I really do. I mean, it's saying something, but Kevin is a different, entirely different breed. I mean, 6-11 with guard skills, unlimited three-point range, passing, shot blocking at the rim. It's just stunning. And watching him this year was really, really gratifying. I think KD is more gifted than Michael Jordan. I also think Wilt was more gifted than Bill Russell and Kareem. They were just better centers. Certainly Kareem was. I think Westbrook is more gifted than Chris Paul. Chris Paul is a better player. I think Dominique Wilkins is more gifted than almost everybody that he played with, Carl Malone, Larry Bird. But I think Carl Malone and Larry

Bird were better players. On the all gifted team, Westbrook and Wilt, K.D., Dominique, T. Mack, Shaq, gifted is not what becomes goat. And it really points out something that's important.

The relentlessness, the obsessiveness of Kobe and Michael and Montana and Peyton Manning and Brady and Jeter. We don't talk about Jeter like that, but Derek was, may have been single in New York, but his focus and drive and willfulness is legendary around Yankee circles, is that it's not just talent.

And I'll give you a great example. So much of sports is really formed by your personality. So Michael had brothers and brothers pick on each other. I didn't have the classic brother. I had a sister. So I'm more finesse. I'm a lover or not a fighter. Michael grew up with brothers who beat up on him, picked on him, scored on him.

And there's a value in that. you find, you go and look at the UFC and look at the tough guys and boxers, they often grew up with brothers. And they're banging on each other in the yard and fighting over pizza and fighting over the bicycle and fighting over the skateboard and fighting. And that creates this toughness. Michael came into the league and he inherited a guy named Orlando Woolridge. Now, I want you to think about this. Orlando Woolridge was Russell Westbrook if Westbrook was a three, not a two. Woolridge, like Westbrook, was hyper-athletic, 20-plus a game, really well-liked by players, ripped, cut, looked like a bodybuilder, hyper-athletic, Alleyoop, slam dunk champ. He was Westbrook as a three, not a gifted shooter, but a great score and a great athlete.

And when Michael inherited him, the first year, they average almost the same. What did Michael do? Bulldozed him. ran over him, took him on at practice, any chance he got. And Warridge was a good guy. Woolridge confronted him, went after him, and got him out of town. Kevin Durant had Westbrook. Durant was way better than Westbrook the first year they played together.

Durant averaged 25 Westbrook 15. There was no question who the better player was. You knew Michael was better than Orlando Warridge, but initially, Woolridge was giving you like 23 a night. He was a slam dunk champ. What did KD do? What KDOs does. He grumbled a little here.

He wasn't happy with it, but he never confronted it. He didn't go after Westbrook at practice. He didn't confront him. He didn't confront the coach. He went and asked Sam Presti, give me more love. He got mad at the newspaper that said he was unreliable. If KD was Michael, he'd be in Oklahoma City. He would have gone right after Westbrook, moved him out of town,

because Westbrook's hard to play with. And Orlando Warridge, a great player, could be hard to play with. I mean, he was one of these guys. volume guy. He was hyper athletic, played a certain way. Michael just moved him. Let's get him out. And KD. doesn't have that personality. If there's issues, he leaves. Golden State staff Draymond issues, he leaves. And I believe Kevin Durant is on the all gifted team with Wilk Chamberlain, Tracy McGrady. Just, I mean, it's just like they can do things nobody else can do. I think Steve Kerr's being totally honest. I don't think we've ever seen anything like him.

But both of them, very early in their careers, had a hyper-athletic, strong, muscular, vertical, all-upe, unbelievable talent. And Michael made sure it was very clear, this is my city, this is my locker room, this is my team. That's just Michael's personality. And the Bulls moved off from Orlando Woolridge very quickly. In fact, Michael even broke a leg, didn't even play for a while. And they still made sure they got him out of town. And it wasn't because Woolridge couldn't play or Woolridge was a bad guy.

That's the difference. Michael confronted coaches, issues, barriers, GMs, everybody. He used to mock the general manager. He would mock Jerry crap. People say he's mean. Let me tell you something. NBA players got a very short shelf life. You got to go right after what you'll want.

I mean, Kobe said in Los Angeles, I'm going to Chicago. Get me a player. Shack left. Get me a player. I'm out of here. They got him Palgisal. And that's not Kevin's personality. And that doesn't mean he's a bad person.

But when Steve Kerr says he's more gifted, he is more gifted than MJ. MJ, I've told you the story. Mark Few coach Gonzaga was on this USA basketball team a few years ago and went to the practices. And I just asked him about KD. And he's like, Colin, it's the best basketball players in the world. And KD was unstoppable. You could defend West.

broker, defend Kyrie, or you can defend everybody kind of. You can't defend Katie. I mean, Michael Jordan didn't have Katie's range. I'm not sure he handled the ball that much better. Wasn't it long? Katie does everything, but it goes to show that it's beyond that. It's not just talent. It's a focus, a drive, a relentlessness.

You can't be passive aggressive. That's the difference between Brady and Aaron Rogers. one's a little more passive aggressive, one's confrontational. So much of life in sports is above the shoulders. Because KD's smart, we know that. That's not the issue. But Michael growing up with brothers, tough, picked on them a little bit. He went through that and Michael comes out as resilient, as tough, as feisty, as nasty.

And that is a huge, it's not even. like it's not Michael's athletic ability. That defines Michael. When I think of Michael, the word I think of is relentless. It's not talented. It's not gifted. When I think a KD, those are the words I think of. Rick Buecker was on our show the other day talking about that.

He's had the opportunity to be the leading scorer in the league. He's had the opportunity to be a big fish in a small pond. He's had an opportunity to be a chance. Now he is leading the Brooklyn Nets, and yet there still seems to be this, I don't know, difficulty in appreciating where he is and what he has and that he's still trying to prove something. I think KD loves to play. What he's trying to get out of playing the game is still an uncertainty to me. And an uncertainty to a lot of people.

Michael never questioned that. Michael, I'm going to be the greatest basketball player of all time. I'm offended. I am deeply offended if you don't know that. We don't even argue about it. I am the best ever. That is what I'm going to be. And you may say that's obnoxious, but that's what it takes to be number one.

I mean, I heard a story yesterday. Tom Brady has been fighting for players to practice less. You know, he keeps telling these players, no OTAs, we should have fewer practices. Brady is using that as a competitive advantage because he's practicing with his teammates of the local high school. Why everybody else isn't. You want to be a goat in sports? That's what it takes. It often does.

That competitive edge in relentlessness, relentlessness is what it takes. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast'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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. We pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan, Ryan, Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

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

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. So it's interesting, Baker Mayfield's

agent said he thinks a contract will get done this summer. Jack Mills, I think something will be done this summer. He obviously wants a long-term contract for Baker Mayfield. I think Cleveland should wait a year. And it's interesting because Cleveland has low sports self-esteem. And when teams have low sports self-esteem, they often rush to sign somebody who gives them a little love.

They have a little success. And the team is like, Ryan Fitzpatrick Buffalo Bills had a really good September and the bills signed a new long contract. The hell are you doing? You sign him like Washington signs Ryan Fitzpatrick. He's been with nine teams and 17 years. But teams that historically lose, it's usually bad owner. Cleveland does not have great ownership. Their owners impatient.

And so Baker gives them a playoff win, and it would be very easy for Cleveland to go, he likes us. Let's give him a 10-year deal. I think Kevin Stefansky and Andrew Barry are such smart guys, coach GM. They'll be able to hold off this impatient, impulsive owner. All you got to do is hold him off for a year. Because Baker last year, the number one running game and the number one offensive line in the head coach of the year, he had 26.

TDs, eight picks, 3,500 yards, completed 63% of his throws. It's okay. Wasn't like his first year. It was okay. It doesn't look like Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, to me, it's okay. So I think they'll be able to hold him off. But it's, you have to remember, be patient. The Buccaneers had James Winston.

In year two, James Winston, 4,000 yards more than Baker, 28 touchdowns, winning record, 86 passer rating. They just kept pushing it off. That's how they end up with Tom Brady. Marcus Marietta. Remember that Tennessee. Marcus Marietta, year two for Tennessee, had a winning record. 26 TDs, nine picks, 61% completion percentage.

96 passer rating. They didn't rush. Now they have a better quarterback. Is that you got to just, goff got signed early. How'd it work? Carson Wentz got signed early. How'd it work? There's this rush now to sign the quarterback early.

And there are times like with Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, it makes sense. They're generational talents. Mel Kuiper at Josh Allen is the 10th highest-grated quarterback in the history of covering the draft. That's how good Josh Allen was. So in Baker's case, what is the rush? Let's see him now as Joe Burr. gets better? What if Joe Burrell this year looks great? And we know Lamar is great. And you have Baker who could be the third best quarterback in a division. Let's just wait. There's no hurry on this

stuff. And also when you pay Baker, some of these players are going to leave. Let's see it then. Again, Dak Prescott rookie deal when you can just keep signing and signing and signing, when 13-3 is a rookie. Offensive line is great. You can pay them all a fortune as the team has become more DAC reliant. They're jammed up against the cap. Dax's last 16 games, he's 6 and 10. Doesn't mean he can't play. It doesn't mean he doesn't deserve money. There's a lot of things about DAC. I like more than Baker in terms of intangibles. But low sports self-esteem is a real thing.

Teams with histories of losing usually have two things. Bad owners, impatient, impulsive owners, Browns do. And any little success, they just rush to overpay it. NFL, there's two rules. Pay great money infrequently and wait as long as you can to pay it. And the exceptions, even the Mahomes deal is a team-friendly deal. So I don't think Cleveland should pay Baker now. Play the season.

Let's see him with success. What if Joe Burrow ends up being as good as he looked in the first five games? And you're looking at Lamar and Joe Burrow twice a year. and it's like, do we have the third most talented quarterback in the division? That's not a recipe for winning. That's why the Rams got to the playoffs and got rid of golf. Because they felt like, hey, Russell, he's not Kyler. 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. Hey, it's Ben, Ben, host of the fifth hour with Ben Maller, along with my trusty sidekick, David Gascon, would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spin-off of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnight's on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports, and more every

week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. 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

where you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose.

and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do a little count? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all right, But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast. Learn the Hardway with me, your host. and your favorite therapist,

Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You know, there's been talk about LeBron and Steph Curry playing together and LeBron recruiting him.

And so Joe Lacob came out and one of his quotes was, listen, if Steph wants to leave, he could. He's a free agent. He's earned the right. He said, I said that with Kevin Durant. I'm still friends with Kevin. I like Kevin. He took less money when he was here. He really helped us.

We were able to get a couple of other players. So players don't usually do that. And I have great respect and admiration for Kevin Durant. And I would for Steph Curry, no matter what happens. Here's more Joe Lakeb of the Warriors talking about Steph and resigning, because he could leave if he wanted to. My full expectation is that Steph will be with us for the remainder of his career. I think he wants that.

We want that. I think we all want to see what it looks like right now with the draft and free agency first. I think that just makes sense to see where we're going, and Steph sees where we're going. Yeah, I would say this. if I had to do a list of the five American athletes and I'm talking charity duration the love meter how deeply embedded are the fans into you how are you into them do you feel like you are the city there's five athletes and all the pro sports that and I'm talking you

got to have champion you got to be great I would say Steph is number one Sydney Crosby hockey Pittsburgh number two. Big Ben, although some people are tiring of him, quarterback Steelers number three. Clayton Kirshoff of the Dodgers is the Dodgers. For a long time, they let a lot of guys go. He was the first guy. They went bank on. He is the Dodgers. And then I think Damian Lillard in Portland feels like he really is. That city, those guys are so big. I think a general manager would struggle to move them knowing the blowback you would get. And I think with Steph Curry, he just, and I get it if Steph looks, there's arguments.

And I mean, he's the highest paid player in the NBA, like $42 million. It is really hard to get good players around Steph Curry. He costs so much money. It's, you know, it's the Aaron Rogers Russell Wilson thing. There are just limitations how good the Seahawks O-line can be or Aaron's defense can be when you're paying them that. But the thing about Steph is that this is why I didn't like Durant leaving. It's not just that he's part of the city and the city's part of him.

It's just that it is hard. I've been in this business 30 years. When you get a good boss and a good co-worker and good teammates, there's a sea of money out there. There's not a sea of great chemistry. It's hard to find. You got a good owner. You've got a good GM. You've got a good coach.

you have a great teammate in Clay and Draymond. I don't think you can equal that in the NBA. You see coaches bouncing around and I think that's hard to leave. I think I've said it before. There's a sea of money. There is not a sea of great management. And when you get it, hold on to it for dear life because it often doesn't even last long because a crazy owner fires a GM, a nutty owner gets rid of a coach.

It's tough. 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. So pro football focus is doing something this week, and I'm a sucker for lists. I don't want to give it too much credit because sometimes I think people who do these lists are just trying to annoy us so we talk about them. NFL Network does the top 100 every year. You know, has Brady 99 or something, T-O-2 or something. You know, they just do this to get me to talk about him.

Pro football focus is doing a list, and what's really interesting, interesting. So so far, doing top 50, they've done 40, and there's only three quarterbacks. Dak Prescott 50, Josh Allen 40, Russell Wilson, 22. So they have 10 players to go. Well, Aaron Donald's going to be in there. DeVonte Adams for the Packers is going to be in their receiver. Travis Kelsey for the Chiefs tied end is going to be in there. Quentin Nelson offensive line is going to be in there. I'd be shocked if Khalil Mack wasn't in there. and they don't have Justin Jefferson anywhere on this list, and I think you could include him or George Kittle.

So the truth is, there's a room for about three or four quarterbacks, maybe just three in the top ten. And my guess it's going to be Mahomes, Aaron, and Brady. And that's interesting. Because if this is their list, and they grade every player, every play, DAC is their six best quarterback in the NFL. Now, you know, I've said before, I've got about 12, maybe I'm too low, but it's interesting.

He's, Dax like art. His stock went up when he didn't play. The longer he's around, he's just worth more. So it's interesting. Last year he played four games, and I took those four games. Because it can't be just based off last year. And then I went to the previous year's final 12 games. So let's give him a season.

Let's give him 16 games. So it's interesting. Dak Prescott's last 16 games. He's 6 and 10. That's not all his fault. The defense stinks. He completes 64% of his throws. good, not spectacular.

30 TD's 11 picks, above average, not spectacular. Passer rating 97. Now, passer rating 97, 98. Let's round it up 98. What does that mean? That's about 12th or 13th on average in the NFL. There are 10 guys, 100 or higher. So that passer rating is about 13th.

That completion percentage is about that level. The winning percentage is not good. And most of those wins are over the Giants and the Washington football team. But pro football focus. So, you know, maybe this is the data Jerry sees. has him, if this list has Brady Mahomes and Aaron in the top 10, which I think you'd have to put them in there, I don't know what they'll do with Deshawn Watson, but PFF has never graded Lamar Jackson very highly. So I don't think he'll be in there.

They'll have Dak as the sixth best quarterback in the NFL. That is interesting. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Olden Paul and East played in the NBA for 15 years. actually one of his teammates was Nate McMillan who is now coaching the Atlanta Hawks and Olden has had a camp down in Long Beach it's called Olden Paulinease's pro camp and Javelle McGee when he was a little kid, a little younger kid, went to that camp and was wearing Olden's shoes not long after that, Javale McGee.

So I had just talked to him during the break and say, you ever have any really good players and Javelle McGee is one of those guys. So Olden Paulinez now joining us from Long Beach just down the road here about 40 minutes. You know, it is funny. You played. I remember Nate McMillan. He was a defensive-minded guy. He was scrappy.

He was tough. He was out of North Carolina State. And it's funny. They gave him the Atlanta job, Olden. And Atlanta wasn't a great defensive team earlier in the year. And they'd become a better defensive team. And, I mean, obviously we're all talking about Trey Young. But Nate McMillan, they were a sub-500 team, basically.

When he got the job, they weren't very good. Talk a little about Nate and what he adds. a locker room? Well, Nate has been a coach, even when he was playing, he was a coach. And that's the one thing we loved about Nate being his teammate. He knew the other team's plays. He knew how to get guys in position. He wouldn't start to play unless everybody was in their spots.

And I think the toughness and tenacity that he brings, also the fact that he is a really good coach as far as, like, communicating with these players. And a lot of times we forget that the generations change and you can't stay your same individual self. You have to change and morph into what it is. You may not like it or agree with it, but you do have to change. And I think that's what he's done. Perfect example is what he's done with Trey Young. Yeah.

He didn't tell Trey Young not to shoot long threes. He just said, hey, there's a time. and a place for it. And Trayon bought into that. Yeah, no, it's a really good point. You've got to be able to, we've seen this in the NFL with Bill Belichick. With Cam Newton, he put his arms around him. Cam's the opposite of Brady, but he's like, listen, these are new players.

They have new attitudes. I've got to put my arms around him, to your point. It is, it's funny. You played with the Clippers on two different occasions, and you've been in these playoff wars before. The sons, Chris Paul's just sitting around rested. The sun's got rid of the Lakers fast, rested. The Clippers are now in a seven-gamer, in a seven-gamer.

Now, Kauai is out. Paul George, you are a cippers guy, but do they or do they not look exhausted at times at the end of these games? They do look very exhausted, specifically Paul George. You know, he's logging a lot, a lot of minutes and a lot of responsibility. And it kind of showed, I thought, in the free throws. He's a 90% free throw shooter. but I think it was just him being tired more than anything else.

He didn't choke like a lot of people are saying. I think he was just really tired. So when he missed the first one, he tried to overcompensate the second one and then brick into McEl Bridges' hands. And that's when you know that he was tired because the force of that second shot. And normally it's just a soft hit,

but it really ricocheted long. So I know he's exhausted. You know, you called the Sons earlier. We had talked about this. You know, it's really interesting, Olden. You've got all these young players, and they're all like peaking. And so, you know, like last year, Miami, the Miami Heat get to the finals, and you're like, it was a little lightning in the bottle. The Easter's weaker.

They were just kind of really hot, but I don't know if we bought into Miami long term. I watch Phoenix, and I'm like, oh, this is sustainable. These guys, like Booker's a star. You tapped into this about a month ago. You were big on the sons. Why? I was big on the sons because of Devin Booker, DeAndra Aiton, and Chris Hall. Chris Paul was that missing piece, that stable veteran leadership.

But I looked around and saw what they needed and how this NBA game is played. Deontra Aitin is a prototypical big. He can make threes, but he does now. rely on it. He doesn't shoot them at a consistent level like a Yonis or some of these other guys Embed, who wants to stand out then shoot threes. So he's taking the route of I'm dominating inside. So now it's putting pressure on defenses. Devin Booker is an all-star. He's a superstar in the making. And McKell Bridges, Jay Crotter, give him toughness on the wings, which is what you need in the NBA, long-armed wing defenders that can also score.

But again, Chris Paul was the key. He was the difference maker. You know, Olden, a lot of guys, a lot of veteran players say he's a pain in the butt. But every time he plays with young guys, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Phoenix, young guys, they gravitate to him. Is it possible that Chris is just his personality?

He's built to be a mentor for younger raw. Of course he is. And that's what the older guys get mad about because Chris Paul's a leader, but they want him, because you got to remember Chris came into different situations when he went into Houston. So now James Harden was the leader of that team supposedly, but Chris Paul is a natural born leader. And so for him to take a back seat to James Harden, it was not conducive to that team. And so they started budding heads. And to me, it happened also, you know, okay. So it's like, it's just situations like that. Born leader wants to leave.

And when he has the younger players, they gravitate towards him. And he does a heck of a job. You know, you played on the Kings, the Sonics Clippers, twice, jazz pistons. We were talking about Steph Curry. He's a free agent. He could leave, right? Pretty quickly here. And it's funny, even though you bounced around, you probably, ideally, would have preferred

to stay with like the Kings or a Super Sonics. When you look at a Steph Curry, what would you tell a young player? I saw a story last week. Zion, his family wants him out of New Orleans. And Luca's all feisty in Dallas. All your experience, what would you tell a Luca or a Zion or an older player, Steph? Because you were the classic NBA player. You moved around for teams who needed you.

Yes. And it was a great situation. It's funny, at the camp, one of the kids asked me what was your favorite team. I said every last one of them because it meant I was in the NBA. You know, and as long as I'm playing in the NBA, it didn't matter what team I was on. I enjoyed all of them. Now, for Zion and Luca, remember this. Family and business do not mix at all, at all.

Tell them to stay out of your business. You know, bottom line is you're getting paid to work, do your job. If you're not happy, figure it out. But that's between you and your representatives. Don't let your family get involved in the basketball business because everybody wants to think they know everything about the game. And honestly, they don't. So those guys need to settle down, try to be like, you know,

Reggie Miller, Kobe Bryant, those guys, Tim Duncan, who play with one organization. Build that team into your likeness if you want to. But don't grovel, don't complain. Don't make a mess out of your career. Because you could end up somewhere, which is worse than where you are. So you liked every play.

You never had a situation where you were like, get me out of here. No. I loved them all because I was, like I said, I was playing. And so did I have problems? Yes.

Was I not having sometimes? Of course. But that comes with like playing time and everything else because I want to play. So what did I do? I go to a job manager. I talk to him. If he doesn't want to deal with it,

you know, then I go to a coach. but there's a way to deal with this stuff. You just try to make the best of it because, again, it's still the best job in the world. You get to play basketball for a living. Guys need to relax. It's not that big of a deal.

Okay, it's called Pro Camp. Show your shirt there with Olden Paulinez in Long Beach. Fifteen years, my friend. Oh, this way. I can tell your voice is hoarse from yelling at those kids. Yes, I'm done. Get in the chair position, play defense, not all about shooting threes. Good seeing you, Matt.

Oh, my goodness. Thank you, Colin. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

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

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

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

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.