The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 07/01/2021 - HOUR 1 - Chris Paul, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard

Episode Date: July 1, 2021

Chris Paul is finally going to his first NBA FinalsThe two seasons Kawhi Leonard has been with the Clippers has been a disappointmentPaul George career up to this pointGuest: Antoine Walker Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go. It is great to have you in live from Los Angeles on a Thursday. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Well, this is a good day for me. I'm not going to be, not going to lie here. This is a good day for me. I like Chris Paul. I think the sons are a great story. I'm happy for Chris Paul. Underappreciated.

Joy Taylor is joining me this morning. This is a day I am happy. I'm not supposed to root necessarily, and I don't really for teams, but there are people that I like, people that I root for. And Chris Paul is one of those people. So I'm happy today. I thought it was a great scene last night. I watched the game amongst our people at a sports bar. Yeah.

It was actually like almost a Clippers bar. A lot of Clippers fans in there. Watching a game in a sports bar when you have like the local teams fans there, you get the ride like the waves. Yes. It's always very interesting. But it was,

I'm really happy for Chris Ball. Yeah, let's start with this. It's hard for all of us to get your life to all come together at once. I remember when I got out of college, I didn't have any money, and you finally get all your bills paid, and your car breaks down.

They're like, oh, I don't have $600. dollars? Then you get the $600 for your car and something else breaks. It's hard. And then you get older and it's like, okay, you finally get a boss you like. The marriage is going great. And when your kids gets in trouble, you got to bail them out of son. It's hard to get your life to come together. I was thinking about Samuel L. Jackson, the great actor. He was acting in the 70s. But then he got Pulp Fiction and he got a red hot director and a perfect co-star and in a amazing script and they got real money and it all came together. The critics loved it.

You loved it. I loved it. The box office was great. It's an all-time top 20 film. It all came together. They've been acting since the seven. It's hard for it's all come together. 16 years in the NBA tunnel.

And last night, Chris Paul finally, it all came together. The thing about the clippers. He goes to the clippers and he carried him. yet it was Blake Griffin who still can't shoot. Blake Griffin, little. He could shoot a little. That everybody loved Blake Griffin. He was flashy.

He was jumping over cars and slam dunk contests. Everybody loved Blake. Blake's team. DeAndre Jordan was always chirping at Chris Paul. Yet his entire offensive NBA career comes down to lobs from Chris Paul. But he was always chirping. DeAndre Jordan was chirping. And they had the worst owner.

And they were embarrassingly cheap. same town as the Lakers. Never got the respect. The Clippers never had a 50 win season, ever. Chris Paul arrived. They had five straight. And yet every time they lost, he got blamed. He was like an A-plus actor who signed up for a low-budget film. And because the low-budget film didn't win the Oscar, it's Chris Paul's fault. No, the only reason you watched the film was Chris Paul. That's the only reason you pay any damn attention to the low-budget film was Chris Paul.

But every time the Clippers lost, well, you didn't win the Oscar. He didn't win the title. Donald Sterling owned the team. You think you're going to win titles? That's why Phoenix is great. They were desperate. They needed direction. And they're like, Chris Paul.

That's exactly what we need. He comes and they deliver. Phoenix had the worst record in the NBA for nine years. Here comes Chris Paul. They're in the finals. And I got to tell you something, feeling underappreciated is a very powerful thing for men and women, boys and girls, young and old, black, white, Republicans, liberals. It's very powerful to feel underappreciated. It's why Tom Brady left New England.

It was not the money. We talked too much about money. That's why Aaron Rogers is pissed at Green Bay. Not the money. That's why Russell Wilson went public in Seattle. It was not the money. It was, come on, man. I'm carrying the load here.

Give me some help. Can I have a say? But at least with Aaron Rogers, at least with Russell Wilson, at least with Tom Brady. Their value is understood. We understand their value. But Chris Paul had the double whammy. Not only was he underappreciated. He doesn't even get nominated for MVP's.

We don't even understand his value. I mean, even Clipper fans, poor Clipper fans didn't, you know, they'd lost so many games, they'd won so infrequently. They didn't even understand that Chris Paul was the key to the franchise. For years, they thought it was Blake Griffin. Everybody's, oh, Blake Griffin can jump over a Kia. That's the guy. He could not shoot when he was a Clipper. Can shoot a little bit now.

And so last night for Chris Paul, this season for Chris Paul, he finally got the director and the script and the co-star and the buzzer. and the budget and the critical acclaim and the box office, finally after all these years. He got a coach who had him before and gets him. He's got two dependable wings. I love Jay Crowder. Even on bad nights, I love Jay Crowder. He's got a true shooting guard,

so when he passes, he gets credit for the assist. He's got a guy at the rim in DeAndre Aiton who loves lobs, and God, there's nobody better than delivering those than Chris Paul. It is hard in life for young, people, you're out of college, you got no money, you're scraping by, you finally get the bills pay, you finally get the refrigerator full, and your damn car breaks down. And it's a $647 bill, and mom and dad, they don't have it either. I appreciate, because I know how hard it is, you ask anybody in the entertainment field to get it all together. You got the receivers,

but the O line stinks. You got the running game, but you got no perimeter speed. That was Brady and New England. To bring it all together, even the special teams are good and the coach is good. That's Chris Paul last night. Sixteen years, the coach, the wings, the two guard, the big, the fan base, all finally 16 years came together and here was Chris after. I'm just so happy for all the people around me. You know what I mean?

And to do it here in L.A. with the Clippers, this is my family too. I gave six hard years to the Clippers. We fought hard. A lot of these fans, Billy Crystal, that's my family. You know what I mean? You know what I mean? So to do it here against a team that I got the utmost respect for, I'll always be a clipper. I love these fans.

Good for CP3. Great night. Great night for sports. Great sports moment. Let's talk about somebody who didn't play last night, Kauai Leonard, because after the game, Paul George, to his credit, always going to be. goes to the mic, win or lose. Paul's always there, win or lose, great game, bad game.

He's always there, deserves credit. But he did say after the game, if Kauai Leonard was here, well, it would be a different series. Yeah, but Kauai Leonard is never consistently there. Let's be honest about Kauai Leonard. It's like when you go to a theme park. God, theme parks would be great if you didn't have to wait in line. but you always do, so you've got to bake that in, right?

At the end of a seven-hour day at a theme park, you're on rides for about 28 minutes. You're eating for an hour and you're in line for five hours and 45 minutes. There is no theme park without lines unless you're like from Dubai and own a country or something. The rest of us have to wait in lines. You bake that in. And you bake in, Kauai Leonard is not always there. The last time Kauai Leonard was physically reliable. was 2016, 2017.

I know, by the way, he got hurt at the end of that year, too. The Spurs, knowing how great he was, the winning Spurs said, we're just done with it. We're just over it. Now, the Clippers historically are a losing franchise. Better in the last 10 years, but a losing franchise. So they're just going to hold on to him, and they should. But, I mean, the Spurs literally just said, we're exhausted.

And as long as Kauai is your centerpiece, you're not going to communicate well. You'll probably struggle at the end of games because that's when communication's key, and you're not always sure he's available. And by the way, lots of stars bring a little bit of a, I don't know if it's baggage, but a lot of stars have issues.

I mean, Kevin Durant can be a little Aaron Rogers. He can be a little prickly. LeBron is very controlling. No coach is safe. Chris Paul can be demanding. Outspoken. Go right after. after your stars.

Kauai Leonard. I'm not really sure if Kauai wants to play tonight or Kauai is healthy. And that is part of who Kauai Leonard is. But you can't give me the if Kauai was here. Listen, if Kauai was healthy, the Clippers would have been a number one seed last year, a number one seed this year. But he's not. In the two years with Kauai Leonard as the center piece of the team, he's not the icing.

Now he's the cake. In two years, you've had two disappointing regular. season, bumpy, one disaster in the playoffs, and whatever this year was in the playoffs. Right? It feels a little hollow. Because when Kauai misses all those regular season games, the payoff is he'll be ready for the playoffs. Like, that's why you allow it, right? Like, okay, he's going to miss some regular season games, but it is. So he is fresh as a daisy in the postseason. But when you miss the 20, you're not available here, it's hollow and it's exhausting. So two years, again, with Kauai as a centerpiece, two disappointing regular seasons,

one disaster in the playoffs, and whatever you label this as. If Kauai was healthy, if I was 6'9, I would have played college basketball at a really good school. I'm not. And if you could go to a theme park and there would be no lines in August, it would be so enjoyable. But instead, you're sweating your arse off, you're sitting in line for 45 minutes, for a minute nine of absolute gut-wrenching thrill. This is what the clippers are going to be.

Hard to figure out a riddle wrapped in an enigma. If Kauai's your guy, if he's the cake, this is what it is. You're never quite sure what you get week week and season to season. All right. You know, I was watching this stuff. There was obviously that dirty play late in the game. I'm going to discuss that.

It's also, to me, really interesting that I think I think more of KD than I ever have after he lost to the box. And I think I think more of Paul George with the Clippers after he lost this series. Katie and Paul George have a lot of similarities more than you think. We'll talk about that. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. A win is a win.

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

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

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. 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 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. 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. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't

know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, is 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. Casper's Fourth of July sale is here. They're celebrating their bed white and blue, 30% off bundles. Exclusions could apply, enjoy some of their best products for one great price. their best-selling bundle at casper.com. So you don't always have to win a series to be appreciated. And KD., Kevin Durant and PG, Paul George, have a lot of similarities in this postseason.

First, KD. and PG, their initials are their nickname. They both bailed on Westbrook. They're both perennial all-stars. And they both chose the number two team in their city, the Brooklyn Nets and the L.A. Clippers. Both teamed up with an erratic, unpredictable, brilliant, but injury-prone co-star. Kyrie Irving for KD.

Kauai Leonard for Paul George. And both had heroic Game 5 performances in the series they eventually lost. They just ran out of gas. They both ran out of gas. I thought Paul, George, looked a little tired last night. He didn't have a terrible night, just didn't play as well as he did in his heroic Game 5.

KD. Paul George, go look at their stats. Once the star, the co-star got hurt, they're playing 43, 44 minutes, 35 and 10 and 30 and 10. KD and PG. The difference, though, is this. And this is the separator, is that Kevin Durant chose Kyrie over a great situation. Paul George chose Kauai because he's never had the ideal situation. That's the difference.

Kevin Durant left championships. He left stability. he left a great coach and a great co-star and a great roster and a great GM. Kevin Durant left great. And as I often say, be very careful about trying to get happier than happy. Paul George has never had an ideal situation. L.A. Kid goes to the Pacers. They don't attract stars.

They could never really get the roster to compete. And then he decides to go to, there's Oklahoma City, and there's a trade. And then he gets Westbrook, and Westbrook's hard to pull. Claywood and that doesn't work. KD. would tell you that. And then he goes to the Clippers and gets Kauai. And by the way, it's still a great fit. I do think Kauai and Paul George, I think it works as long as you understand that Kauai is highly unpredictable, non-communicative, very low, verbal, and gets hurt a lot. But that's where they separate and that's where I've got a little sympathy for Paul George. It's very hard in professional sports. The harder you work in college, the worst

business you go to. For the rest of it, that's not the way it is. We generally have at least a couple of choices out of college if we've worked really hard and come out with a great GPA, good connections, great internship. You may get a couple of offers. It's not the way it works for basketball players. The greater you are, the lousier GM, often the lousier roster, coach, owner, it's all bad. And Paul George, not that the pacer's were lousy, has never really had an ideal fit. And he's seeking that. And he's moving to find that. That's why I always defend players on mobility. Katie had it and left. Paul talks about the Clippers, the series, and the season. The narrative of me not being a postseason player or all of that is I never understood it.

I came up short again. I'm proud of what we did as a team. I wasn't out to prove nothing to nobody, but to show up as a leader for his team put us in position to get to where we got to. Again, it came up short. My good wasn't enough. But there's room for improvement. By the way, I will say this. If Kauai was healthy, we've discussed that he's often not.

I do think the Clippers have a deeper roster than Phoenix. I love the Phoenix starting five, and I love how they're constructed. I think the Clippers have the deepest, most talented roster in the NBA. I really do. And I think Dallas figured that out in game seven. Takes them a while to figure stuff out because they got so many dudes that can play. But no excuses. It's over.

Phoenix deserved the win. There's no question about that. But we also have to acknowledge this is a really good clipper team. This is a really deep, deep roster of Joy with the News. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Janice had an MRI on his injured knee yesterday.

Luckily, he avoided major structural damage. but the hyper extension was confirmed and he is listed as doubtful for tonight's game five and the timetable for his return is unclear. The Hawks could also be missing Trey Young again. He's listed as questionable as well as Clint Capella who suffered an eye injury after taking an elbow to the face late in game four.

So it could be a pretty starless night to night for game five. The Fox bet has the Bucks favored by three. Well, the Bucks also have a roster that is capable of being competent, we should expect them to be, even without Janus. Brooke Lopez, you have size, Drew Holliday, Chris Middleton,

PJ Tucker, got a coach in a system that's been intact for years. So Milwaukee, without Janish, is still better than Atlanta if Trey Young doesn't play. I don't know. You'd think. Because they didn't have Trey Young last game.

Well, I know. And they had Yonnes for the first half. That speaks to Milwaukee in the frustration following that. This is, I mean, listen, if the clippers can beat the Sons without Kauai Leonard. And Kauai is probably a more, he's got more dexterity as a player than Yonis.

He can do more things. You should be able to beat Atlanta without Yonis. If you're facing Atlanta without Trey Young, what's the line on that game tonight, by the way? Bucks are favored by three. Yeah, they should be. Bucks should win tonight. Will they?

But they should be favored. They should, yes. But again, like every time that Atlanta is counted out, Atlanta just plays with a different sense of urgency to me than the Bucks do. Yeah. It's just a very inartistic game that the Bucks are playing right now. And not having Yonis obviously is huge and it sucks. We want to see all the stars out there and everybody at full capacity playing against each other.

May the best team win. But we've seen throughout these playoffs, that's likely not going to be the case. You're going to have some sort of injury or someone's going to be out for one reason or another. That's how this is going. Now, this is the second straight year that Yonis has dealt with an injury in the postseason, because you remember he had the sprained ankle against the heat. So overall, he's not an injury prone player, but this is two years in a row now in the postseason

that he has been unavailable. I think I'm leaning towards Atlanta tonight, just because Atlanta just keeps seeming to find a way. Now, Trey Young is questionable, so he may, him and Clint may still play tonight. We're likely not going to see Yonah since he's doubtful, but we'll have to wait till closer to the game to find out. So the sun's eliminated the clippers,

130-103, game 6 win last night to advance to their first NBA finals since 1993. And Jay Crowder, who's become an unbelievably crucial player if you want to make it to the NBA finals, said they knew the night was theirs when Pat Beverly pushed Chris Paul. We know they broke. We know we broke them. I mean, there's no better sign of defeat, you know, in that moment, you know, that moment where it's like competition meets and we just can't do it. You can't do anything else to help your team overcome that situation.

He's just broke. Once we knew we got the game won, we knew at some point they were break. And I think that's basically what you saw. You saw a breaking point with one of their leaders in their locker home. Yeah. And then that's a great feeling to have, especially in the playoffs. Such a great feeling. Guys like Jay Crowder really never appreciate.

So when Chris Paul, who plays 30 minutes a night, when he's off the floor, Jay's the only guy that's ever played in big games. And Crowder's one of those guys. You know people around the league like him because he's played with a bunch of different teams. He's out of work very briefly. And in this series, he had a couple of moments when he didn't shoot terribly well. But Jay Crowder is what the league used to have a lot of, right? Like Jay Crowder is big, he's tough, he talks, he's physical, he's coachable, he'll coach players.

Not always hot, not always offensively gifted, but in spots can be really crucial. But Jay Crowder to me is one of those classic kind of old school temperament, old school game, although he can shoot threes. He's done a good job with that. But I think guys like Jay Crowder never kind of quite get the love. He's a winning player. Yes. He's a winning basketball player. There's a shame badie a component.

Like if you put Shane on teams or Chauncey Billups had this, they just kind of, they work a little harder in practice. they push the young guys. They give you a physicality. You can't, you know, and hockey, you always have your great player. And then you've got the tough guy that protects your Gretzky. Make sure, you know, there's always a guy behind. And Jay's one of those guys like, you don't mess around. If there's a skirmish, Jay's got your back.

He's always there for you. I like him a lot as a player. I do too. And he comes through in big spots. Yep. But that moment last night with Pat Beverly and Chris Paul was, I mean, just what are you doing. It's so Pat Beverly. But it's such a cheap shot. Like, whatever it is, you know, you have an issue with Chris Paul, like maybe flots, maybe didn't, whatever. But like,

pushing somebody in the back when you're, when you're down in that way. Like, it's just, that's like, that's embarrassing. That's an embarrassing thing to do. It is funny how many fans are so deeply bothered by flopping. But Kobe could do it. Chris Paul could do it. Dwayne Wade could do it. A lot of great players flop. And what you're basically saying, let's be honest, you're flopping is selling the moment. You're selling... It's a little bit manipulative, which is, well, no, it is

manipulative. That's why fans don't like it. Okay, aren't great coaches manipulative? Nick Saban, Mike Shishovsky, are chewing officials out early to set the tone. I can't believe... Belichick will do this all the time. I mean, you know, you'll hear, if they mic

Mike Belichick, he'll go to the official. Jack, Jack, I mean, what how can we do, Jack? I mean, if you look at that situation, Jack, They're just pinching our guy. Jack, Jack, you're better than that. Jack, how's Susie doing? How are the kids, Jack? Sports is a lot of manipulation. The officials, the teammates. That's just the way sports is. I get it why it's frustrating for fans. I don't like it when it's egregious. When it's a ghost foul, no one was touched and they're flipping over backwards, like they're jumping into a pool or something. I don't like that. But listen, if you make contact with someone and they exaggerate it, like you got to, especially if you're somebody who refs are paying attention to, you got to be more careful. It is a part of the game.

You also know that Chris does it. Right. So be extra careful. So when Boogie Cousins goes and throws an elbow, it's like, Boogie, you know he's going to flop. Yes. You have to own it now because it's not a new act. No, you have to manipulate back. Like, you have to protect yourself from that.

So I don't know if you heard Colin, but college sports is over. A calamity! My gosh! You had such a good run. Everything's fine. Kids are just going to be able to make money off of their Instagram now. So the NCAA has suspended their rules, prohibiting athletes from selling their rights to their names, images, and likenesses, and approved an interim NIL policy for all student athletes. So starting today, they can make money from endorsements or any other venture.

They'll also be allowed to sign with agents or other representatives to help them acquire any monetized deals. It's intended to last until federal legislation is passed or more permanent rules created by the NCAA because different states have different rules on this. or different laws and different schools have different rules on it. So it's not really like a blanket thing. Like it's going to vary depending on where you go to school and what state your school is in. But the NCAA will not be punishing you for it. So the goal of the interim policy is to give them the ability to do it, but allow states to still regulate that they're not going to make money off of the school's likeness.

And, you know, obviously they don't want this to become a recruiting thing, which already exists anyway. Well, I never worry about the kids too. I do worry about some skeevy boosters. I never worry about like kids are fine. Yeah, but skeeby boosters have always existed. Yes, they have, but now this almost feels like to me, hey, skeeby booster, it's a free-for-all.

So there will be. Nothing's going to be perfect. It's going to be a little clunky at first. I do think that everyone who's in the sheer state of panic that college sports are ending and it's all going to become professional now and it's going to be a free-for-all and kids are going to get taken advantage of here and there. I just want to point out to all those people that are, in this state of panic.

One, sit down, have a glass of tea, and calm down. Nothing is going to end the world. Like, just stop overreacting to everything, first of all. Second, I don't know if you know this, but there's, like, other students that go to college who aren't athletes, and they make money. They're allowed to go to work. They somehow manage to go to work, receive a check. They can make money off of their social media.

Plenty of kids do it. And somehow they manage to finish their education and go on to nice lives. So why couldn't athletes do it? it's this idea like they're just children who are going to get taken advantage. There's other children that go to college with them and they somehow managed to do it. You know, it's funny about this. This is what I see in politics. Whatever party loses, liberals are conservative.

Whatever party loses, it's panic. Yeah. This president will end the country. Well, it's just not the guy you voted for. It's like there's a panic porn element to America now. If your side doesn't win the argument or the election or the legislation, it's end of the world. No. We'll be fine with Democrats in the White House for four years, and we survived four years with the previous president, and we were fine with skeevy boosters

when we didn't pay the players, and we will eventually be fine with skeevy boosters when the players get paid. Stop with all the panic porn. Like we're okay. The world's not ending because you lose an argument or you lose an election or your side doesn't get what they want. It's absolute panic porn. And also, the focus is always on the top kids and the top programs. Well, these kids are going to get pulled here or pulled there or, you know, they're going to take money away from the program. Stop focusing on the small percentage of kids that may shift some money wherever. There's still all of those other kids. My younger brother played college football.

I was a college athlete. My older brother was a college athlete. There were rules in place that you couldn't have a summer job or you'd lose your scholarship. You couldn't work. You couldn't go like mow lawns and get paid from a landscaping company. Why does that make sense? Any other student can do it. In a weird way, this is not totally analogous, but it is like legalizing pot.

If I wanted pot my whole life, I could get it. Just legalized to find it all over the world. Legalize it and tax it. Like, stop pretending we couldn't get pot. It's like sports gambling. $4 billion a year in America before the Supreme Court said you can gamble on sports, $4 billion a year in America was exchanging hands gambling sports. So players been getting paid forever.

Let's just legalize it and take kind of the dark market out of it, right? So you don't have drug dealers and degenerate gamblers running it. You've got like companies. You've got like the cannabis industry now. And there'll be winners and losers in that industry. Everything is not going to be perfect. But that doesn't mean that it wasn't coming. And if you were paying attention to any social media,

this was inevitable anyway. Yeah. So was, by the way, the legalization of pot and the legalization of sports gambling. It's coming anyway. Get used to it. Joey with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Maybe I should sponsor some USC football players. And, you know, maybe I should become a boo. Listen, you could have some at Herd Burger. That's legal now. Well, I don't know if I have to look at California. I don't want to speak too freely.

But should look into it. Yeah, California is a lot of it. is highly regulated. We're not sure what's legal yet here. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVarrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion.

Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arrington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space. For honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill?

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 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. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking.

Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, is 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. Joy is really educating me on this new NIL. decision, name, image, likeness. It's very important. Herd Burger is going to change recruiting fundamentally in Southern California

as we know it. Just kidding, UCLA fans. I love you too. Chip Kelly's my friend. I love you too. Antoine Walker, 12 years in the NBA, a title of a three-time All-Star joins us live

as we watched last night. Sponsored by Mercedes Ben's the best or nothing. So, you know, I said this, is that I, Kauai Leonard as a great part of a team is fine. As the centerpiece, as the cake of the team, he's not as reliable as a D. Wade in his prime

or a LeBron in his prime or a Kobe in his prime. I still think he has incredible value. Does he ever frustrate you? Would he frustrate you as a teammate? He's not verbal. He doesn't communicate. You're not quite sure what the injury is. Would that frustrate you?

It definitely would. And you know what frustrates me more as I watch game three and four in L.A. And he sat in the suite. That frustrates me more. This guy's arguably the top five player in the league. Do you think how valuable he'll be on the bench to say a Terrence man who's out there, who's a young guy in his first playoff series, how valuable he would be helping giving instructions? And last night, I know he's selling the bench in game six.

But he set out in a suite, games three or four. That's the problem that a guy with Kuwait Leonard. I know he's not a vocal leader of those things, but when you've got a guy of his skill set and what he's able to do on the court, you have to be a better teammate than that. Just imagine if Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Monagher, know who he didn't bring him along

when he first got into the league. So I just think he needs to figure out as a pro. He doesn't have to be a vocal leader. That's just stuff that's not his DNA. But he has to be a better teammate, especially when you've got young guys, you're trying to bring him along, and you're trying to win a championship.

Yeah, really well. Well, well put. I said earlier for Chris Paul, it took him 16 years, but he, you know, he's like an actor that finally got a great director, got the money, got a great co-star, got a great script. And the fans liked it and the critics liked it. Like it all came together for him. And, you know, when he was a clipper, you know, he would take all the heat, you know, when they wouldn't win. And I'm like, time out. You guys have never had a 50-win season.

He gave you five straight. I did feel like last night, finally America's going, oh, yeah, he's great. Did players always know Chris was great? Yeah, he's, you know, I think players respect to him. Everybody always thought he was one of the top guards, top two or three guards in the league for as long as he's been playing. I think what happened last night is that he's in that conversation now of top five point guards ever. And especially if he's able to win him an NBA title. And it's just based off what he's been able to do through our.

his career. These last two years alone basically let you know that he's one of the top five point guards to take two young teams, the Oklahoma City team into the playoffs and then obviously defeating Stats and the finals. He just had tough luck. He's been injury from and he's got been injured in the wrong spots, always at a bad time. So people sometimes say, oh, well, he's hurt, he won't get it done. But Chris is a winner. He changes organizations. He makes players better. and he takes you to the playoffs. He's that type of player. He's a winner, and I think he's arguably a top five-point guard

to ever play the game. Yeah, you know, it's interesting. In this league, the great ones really eventually get there. There's KD eventually won titles. Steph won titles. LeBron won titles. Jack Kobe got titles. MJ Bird.

And I do feel like Isaiah Thomas, who's maybe the second best point. He got a title. Eventually, the greats almost always get there. Now, Charles Barkley is an exceptional. although Charles would tell you he was sometimes a casual practice player. And same with Iverson, not really a practice guy. But in the end, I think Chris is going to get what he deserves, which is an NBA championship.

Where do you stand this morning? I compared KD. and Paul George in the fact that they had to play a bunch of minutes. Their co-stars weren't available. And they played a bunch of minutes, and they were heroic. Both of them in game five, and then they looked exhausted in game six. In the end, this morning, Antoine, where do you sit with the, Paul George. I have a new level of respect for him.

I thought he was terrific throughout the playoffs. He had some bad moments where, you know, obviously two fritos. He had a couple sub-part performances, but I thought he rebounded really well from last year's playoff performance in the bubble. I thought he showed up in big times and really extended these series. He was terrific in a bunch of meaningful games. So I feel good about him. I don't put him.

as their leading star, but he's definitely a great co-star. And I think he's ready to continually, if Kowai can come back, and I don't know what he's going to do contract-wise. But I think they'll be right back in the mix. I think he's got over that little phobia in the playoffs. I think he played well enough in meaningful games to get over there. By the way, you are friends with Patrick Beverly, and he had an ugly moment at the end of that game last night.

What's your takeaway on that moment? So disappointing. He's from Chicago, passing the West Side. We're good friends. I love him to death. He's a tremendous competitor. He's had to work as hard as anybody to make it to the NBA and to have a career.

And last night to me, I thought he was one of the shableness of his career was the way he played in the playoffs, and he threw it all the way last night with that play. I don't condone that. You know, he could have hurt Chris Fall. And this guy's got a good chance to be in the finals. And, you know, you can't be a sore loser. You got to take the good with the bad.

And Pat knows better than that. So I was very disappointed. And my friends and all of us watch the game that all know him from Chicago, we were disappointed that he did that because Pat's too good of a player. And he had too good of a series to even do that. I think that's one of the series where he could have shook hands and felt good about himself and felt good about the team performance. But instead, you know, he makes a bone hair and play like,

like that. So I don't condone it. I'm tremendously disappointing. Yeah. By the way, you know, a lot of people said if Kauai was there, the Clippers would have won. If Kauai would have been healthy, would the Clippers have won, in your opinion? I think it would have been seven games. I don't know. I just think the Phoenix Suns team was well put together. Chris Paul was tremendous. If he doesn't, you know, I don't know if Chris Paul falls out of rhythm. him if he doesn't get the COVID protocol. Last night, he finally got his legs back. That was evident when he was able to make threes.

He had a stretch there for three games where he was not very good, but I think he was not good because he had to sit out for 10, 14 days. So, you know, he lost his rhythm after coming off a tremendous second round. I still think the Phoenix Suns win. I think they were deep. I think they were very deep. The young guys were playing an incredible level. And I think Aiden was the difference.

I don't think even the Kaua plays, they can answer the difference in the moment. We haven't talked about Aden and nobody's talking about it, but he had a monster series. Yeah, no, DeAndre Aiton did have a monster series. And you know what? I'll say this, he likes being a big. He likes being around the rim. Not all these guys, Anthony Davis wants to be outside. DeAndre Aten wants to be around the rim.

And I appreciate that, your thoughts. Without question. If you saw him, I mean, and we saw so many teams. teams have to take their big out when teams play small. You didn't have to do that with him. He guarded really, really well. He stepped out on the perimeter, took on that challenge. He stayed inside, rebounded the basketball.

From 15 feet in, he was just, it was automatic. I think he shot 70% from the field. So he was just terrific. And you got to give him a lot of credit for that in Monty Williams for developing this guy and having the confidence in him to believe that he can play when teams go small. But just an unbelievable series. people got to give him his credit because he is one of the major reasons, if not the reason, a lot of Feene's sons are advanced into the finals.

Good stuff, Antoine Walker, three-time All-Star, NBA champ with a heat in 2006. Great seeing you, bud. All right, thank you. Thanks for having to show. Yeah, I mean, listen, nobody got hurt with Patrick Beverly. It was more of a tantrum, but it is fairly rewarding when you can break a man's spirit. Forget physically. Like Michael Jordan broke a lot of guys' spirits.

Nobody would push Michael, but it was a moment where Chris Paul just broke Patrick Beverly. Yeah, it was an emotional snap, but like he could have hurt him. He did have shoulder issues. Yeah. So it's not like, like he's lucky he didn't hurt him. I don't think it was his intention, even though he, it was obviously an emotional moment. I don't think it was his intention to hurt him, but he very well could have. He's still a big guy. And it was a cheap shot. Yeah, it was a cheap shot. I think he's like a smaller Rodman. He's just an annoyance. And I think you just, when you roll the dice as a franchise, Rodman eventually wore out everybody. Coaches, teams, owners, Michael Jordan.

I think there are certain players. Every roster probably needs one. The annoying guy. Yeah, well, yeah, to Anton's point, he had a great series. Like, he was very valuable. And he could have walked away from that saying, you know what? I left it all out on the court in the right way. And we just, we didn't have enough.

But instead, you, you like, cheap shot, push Chris Paul, get ejected. So that's the end of the series for you. And that's how we're going to remember you at the end of this series. We're not going to remember all that you did during the series. We're just going to remember that you, you know, lost your cool. You got broke by the sons and Chris Paul. And then you got kicked out. Yeah.

He looks silly. By the way, it's a new world today. As Joy pointed out, college athletes can now be paid. It will be interesting to see state by state what's allowed, what's not. But the NCAA, frankly, it's primary, I don't know if it's its primary, but primary or secondary function is to make sure everything's above board and players, athletes don't get paid. Well, now that that's been knocked out and you don't have to monitor that with the same level of scrutiny, what's the value of the NCAA? There's some value.

I mean, they still pick up a lot of bills. You know, the men's and women's basketball tournaments pay for everything. Yeah, you can focus on the logistics of that. Yeah, let's worry about that. that. But money got to stay green. And can you imagine how much money Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush would have made? Yes. Wow. Our two next. 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 headwriter,

Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does you 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. 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, 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, unfills of Conversation. 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It 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. 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. Human 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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human.