The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 07/06/2021 - HOUR 1 - Rodgers, Paul, NBA

Episode Date: July 6, 2021

Aaron Rodgers comments about mental healthReasons why players like Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers are frustratedWhat makes Chris Paul so interestingGuest: Chris Broussard Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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.

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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. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. Get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Tuesday NBA finals start tonight. Great to have you in. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me.

We've had a good couple of weeks of shows. The NBA, when leagues rarely do this, the finals were supposed to start Thursday. And then Saturday night in an unprecedented move, they said, that's too much time off. Baseball through the years has not done this, and I wish they would, where teams just sit around for a week. And the NBA moved the finals up to Tuesday. So tip of the cap to the NBA, and all leagues take notice. The real estate is wide open. We have nothing to talk about.

And the NBA is like, why don't we just move that game to Tuesday? And you're going to get Tuesday, today, and tomorrow, free publicity. I thought it was a great move by the league. It never happens. I wish people were more flexible. You know, Joy, it's like, you know, years ago, the NFL is like 20 years ago on Sunday nights, that becomes a flex schedule. Right.

Let's like go find the best teams that are interesting and put them on Sunday night. And I love when leagues and networks say, why make the fans sit around for five days? Let's figure it out. Well, it also takes the anxiety away from your partners as well. Right. You know, even though we don't have MBA, we are still talking NBA every day. And like, how are we going to drag it out? We don't have to. We have a game one tonight.

Can't wait. I want to talk about this. I think America is too caffeinated. We're going too fast, and I think it's eroding our mental health. I try to give myself at least 45 minutes a day. Joy knows this. I go home. I go to a room. I turn off the lights.

I close my eyes every day, and I think. There is a big difference between being alone and lonely. I am not lonely. I am in my thoughts. Reflective. We don't do that in America. Got to get our kids in the minivan and get them to a soccer practice and get them to a baseball practice. I got to get my wife this and my husband that and my kids that. You ever give yourself an hour? By yourself. Backyard. Cup of tea. Thinking about you and the day. Aaron Rogers has been in the NFL for 16 years. 13 of

those, he has been a star. This offseason, he wanted a break. The greatest basketball player, most of us have ever seen Michael Jordan. He took one, too, actually a couple. Dave Chappelle, one of the funniest human beings on the earth, took a two-year sojourn, a break, a hiatus, a sabbatical. You ever seen what pressure and intensity does to our presidents? They go in with a full, beautiful head of hair, and it comes out gray. We don't give ourselves enough time with ourselves. Aaron Rogers talked about the offseason. He plays in a golf round today with a couple of golfers and Tom Brady.

It'll be fun, I'm sure. But he talked about the intensity of the offseason and mental health. And here's Aaron. Sometimes the loudest person in the room is not the smartest person. Sometimes the loudest person in the room is not the person who has all the facts on their side or the truth on their side. Sometimes there's a lot of wisdom in silence. Sometimes there's a lot of wisdom in being selective on what you say. And this off season, I spend a lot of time working on myself. The total package, not just my physical self, the workouts, but my, in my spiritual self,

with my own mindful practices, my mental health as well, and that's what I've been doing this And I'm very thankful for that time. I like that, Aaron. You know, people sometimes with pressure compartmentalized things, you know, and then there are people that just need to hide and they get away. You've seen it in music with stars at young ages taking their own life. It's the pressure, it's the intensity. And now you add the avalanche of negativity and trolls on social media.

And people tell you not to look at your phone. I've said that before. but even I sometimes look at my phone because, you know, somebody calls, you go to Twitter, Twitter's got information, there's Instagram, and we're all human beings. You sometimes want to see what people think about you, and it's negative, and if you're young, and you've got a million people from a million angles coming at you, it's tough. I like this, Aaron. Adam Silver said this not long ago, my players are rich, and they're all miserable.

Maybe NBA players need to give themselves more time to think about themselves, right? I'm not a big believer in coincidences. If you've listened to this show for years, you know that. I'm not a believer in fate. I'm not a believer in coincidences. You and I will make choices over the course of our lives and results are via those choices. If at 45 you're miserable, look in the mirror. It's not mom and dad's fault nor the presidents.

When I think of this last year for Aaron Rogers, I also think of Russell Wilson. So Tom Brady's somebody that they're both kind of chasing, right? I mean, Kevin Durant wouldn't admit it, but he was kind of chasing LeBron. When you play in an era in a time with a goat and you play the same position as the goat, Tom Brady goes into the NFC, gets everything he wants. The GM's like, what do you want? And the coach is like, what do you want? And the players are like, Tom, what do you want?

And he walks into the NFC and just wins everything. And maybe it's a coincidence, but Russell Wilson and Aaron Rogers, the two players close to Tom's age that are certainly in the conversation with Tom for, you know, greatest current quarterback, right? We know the Mahomes, Josh Allen, but Aaron and Russell Wilson, those are mid-30 guys, right? They got Tom's chops. So Tom walks into the NFC, gets everything he wants from his GM, everything he wants from his coach, everything he wants from the locker room, everything he wants from the organization. and both Aaron and Russell start making demands to their respective organizations. Russell Wilson for the first time ever says, not go Hawks, go get me some players. That was very unique for Russell Wilson, the ultimate team guy.

And then a couple months later, Aaron's like, no, I'm going to go public. I don't like my bosses. Now, this could be a total coincidence. or it could be what Kevin Durant for years has faced. When you're in an era, you're facing a Tiger Woods, you're facing to Michael Jordan, you're facing the LeBron James, you're facing a Tom Brady, and they're getting what they want, and you're being compared to them all the time, and you're not getting what you want.

I get it. I understand it. I understand Russell Wilson's frustration. I get Aaron Rogers' frustration. And maybe this is a reach, and maybe it's strictly, completely coincidental. But this offseason for Russell Wilson and Aaron Rogers, two of the greatest quarterbacks I've ever seen play, as they sort of, they want what Tom wants. They want more titles and they want more support and they want people to listen to them.

And damn it, they've earned it. And they're both right. And I like this, Aaron. However you do it, you can do it, MJ's way or Dave Chappelle. way or Aaron Rogers way. However you do it to get right with yourself, give yourself time. We have a nation of doers and caffeinated people. We're on our phones and taking kids to practice.

You deserve more time with you. Good for Aaron. All right. So tonight, tonight we have the NBA. final start. And I'm okay with ambiguity. Remember that show The Sopranos? That was really good. It went on for years and years, HBO. It was very good. And then the final episode happened. And Tony Soprano, the mobsters in that diner with his family and they're playing music. And it goes to black. And there was this sketchy guy that walked in the diner and you're thinking,

That guy whacked Tony? I was a music that was playing. What was the music? It was a song that was playing. And he's there with his wife and his kids. And I'm not really sure how that ended. And I don't like it because it wasn't perfectly wrapped for me. And I don't like anything that's inconclusive.

I don't like ambiguity. I want my movies to end happily or sadly. But I need an answer because I can't. And I really mad if you disagree with my answer and my interpretation of the Sopranos, I know what happened. None of us really do. It's ambiguity. It's inconclusive.

And most people cannot handle that. They need a nice, tidy ending to make them happy as they drive home from the theater. That's why I love the ending of the Sopranos. It took people off. Made you think. It wasn't easy. And that's why I like Chris Paul. He's not easy.

We like our stars to jump like Michael and Kobe. Be powerful like LeBron and Shaq. That's not Chris Paul. If Janus wins a title, we'll still see him as a flawed player. We should not see Chris Paul that way, but there's this weird thing with Chris Paul. We don't think he plays like a star should. It is not neatly wrapped in a package the way I need to see it. He is not vertical.

He is not powerful. He is nuanced and smart and clever and a leader. And he does a lot of little things that are hard to wrap your brain around, hard to see, hard to contextualize. I want my player to have big hands, palm the ball, and dunk over that player.

That's a great player. We want him to have titles and to play a certain way, even if they're small. Dame and Steph, got to be able to hit threes. They're small, Westbrook Iverson. Got to be super fast. Break ankles.

Chris Paul doesn't do any of that. Chris Paul is ambiguity. It's inconclusive, right? That's why he needs a title. So you can say, Chris is great. No, Chris has been great for years. But Chris is like the ending to the Sopranos. He leaves some of it to interpretation.

There's nuance. I'm not sure. Why doesn't he do that, but he does that well? Not everything's laid out perfectly for you. and I think that's why I like him. The same reason I love the ending of Sopranos, it frustrates people. My life hasn't been a series of happy endings. It's been weird.

I've traveled a lot. A bunch of states, eight of them, nine of them now. I've lost count. Hell, I've lived in three houses in L.A., and I've been here five years. I'm okay with it. I'm comfortable with non-traditional beginnings and endings. Most people aren't. And I love that Chris Paul isn't easy.

he makes you think all the time. Sometimes he drives you nuts. He drives coaches nuts. He drives teammates, nights. But that young group of guys in Phoenix loves him, the coach loves him, the fans love him. And he works for Phoenix now. And that's all I care about. He works for Phoenix now.

Can't wait for the finals tonight. All right, a lot of stuff today. Chris Bruce isard going to stop by. about a bunch of stuff. Devin Booker telling the critics to be quiet. Lakers, trade rumors. We've got good stuff today. 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 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 you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table. right now. 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. 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.

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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.

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tankless. So as we talked about to start the show, Aaron Rogers getting very reflective. He took time off. You know, this offseason didn't go to camps he didn't really need to go to anyway. Let's not kid ourselves. Preseason is useless for guys like Aaron Rogers. Tom Brady, totally useless. Tom Brady goes to a new team last year. They have no camp. They have no preseason. He wins the Super Bowl. New coach, new GM, new players, new playbook. It's all a bunch of nonsense. the preseason to me is, you know, if you want the young guys to play, but Sean McVeigh proved years ago, you don't have to play any of your starters. You can start the year 8-0.

And I don't think Aaron and Russell and Tom, these guys don't need to go to these mini-camps. You don't want to be controlled anymore. I totally get it, just a waste of time. So what does all this mean? Like what he was saying yesterday, what has the last month been for Aaron? And what it feels like for me is he's kind of setting the table for returning to football. And so he's talking publicly about his absence. So therefore, when he comes back to do football, he can talk football.

And if they ask him about his offseason, he can say, well, I discussed that already. So like when Tom Brady left New England, there were signs. And I do think, you know, there were signs. He put his house up for sale. He did a documentary calling out the franchise. There are signs that Aaron Rogers is going to play for the Packers this year. Number one, the Packers aren't budging. They're not taking any calls.

Aaron, I know it seems silly, but he rejoined the Green Bay Country Club, where you mostly play in July, August, and September. And he's now explaining his absence. And what does that mean? Hey, I reflected. I took time off, mental health, so he can go back into the football grind, head down, and play. And by the way, there is something to what he said yesterday.

he's also telling Packer fans and the Packer executives, oh, I was working. I was just working on the mental side of the game, not just the football side. But I do think this year, what does it all mean? I think it's going to be a fascinating year. And I'll give you a comparison in a second. But the Packers didn't draft Jordan love to sit for three years.

All right. Secondly, Aaron and the executives still don't see eye to eye on stuff. the issues have not been resolved. And oh, by the way, Tampa is still, Tom Brady still, the best team in the division in Seattle's gained ground on Green Bay. So it's going to be a fascinating year. Is Aaron going to be more vocal when he's disappointed this year? More aggressive knowing he's on his way out.

Will Jordan Love get real snaps in real games? You know, Green Bay's got to get ready for the next step. So you know what this feels like to me? And it feels a lot like it. And I think Kevin Durant and Aaron Rogers, high profile, both can be a little prickly, whatever. But it feels like the final year, Kevin Durant and Golden State. There were rumors he was unhappy. You know, GM had said something at a parade.

Didn't necessarily sit well early. You know, it was just, it was getting to the point where Kevin's got his own personality and it wasn't really his team. He wanted a little more say. It felt like Steph's team or Kerr's team. And because of that, I have this sourced. Executives, coaches really felt like all year with KD. They were kind of walking on eggshells.

Don't offend him. Don't tick him off. And it's a weird place to be as a team. Now, Golden State was still very good because they had so many great players. That's a little bit what it feels like with Aaron Rogers. The issues haven't been resolved. We know he's not totally happy. He'd like more control and say.

It feels like the operation there is going to do what they're going to do like they did with Fav and players are not going to set precedents. So the issues with Katie in the last year were never really resolved. It was Steph's team. It was. And the issues with Aaron aren't really resolved. The Packers going to do what the Packers do. So is everybody going to be walking on eggshells?

It just, it's going to be a fascinating season to watch. Will Aaron be more vocal? Will Jordan Love get snaps? The issues aren't resolved. The NFC could be better. now Stafford's a ram. Seattle's gotten better. Brady's got all the guys back. What if Garoppolo plays and they're good? Is Green Bay the fifth best team in the NFC? How's that sit with Aaron? You know, listen, Joy and I, we like interesting and Green Bay will be interesting. Joy with the news.

All right, it's game one of the NBA finals tonight. Janus is officially listed as doubtful for tonight's game. He's still recovering from hyper-extended knee that he suffered in game four. of the Eastern Conference Finals. He's reportedly going to fight tooth and nail to be in the lineup. And Mike Boodenholzer said the situation for Janus is currently day to day. This sucks. Obviously, we'd love to see Janus and we'd love to see the Suns and the Bucks at full speed for the NBA finals. And you want the stars.

It's been a rough year for injuries, especially to stars throughout the NBA. And it's definitely affected this playoff run, as it does every single year. but it does feel like there's a little bit more this year. And the sons are healthy, and that's why they're there. And overall, the Bucks have been healthy through the playoffs, and that's why they're there. You know, but I'll say this. The Hawks won without Trey, Bucks won two without Janus, sons won without Chris Paul.

The one thing it does, it is interesting. So the sons are going to have to prepare for two teams. No Janus and Janus. And that means two different looks in the half court set. And we've seen the Hawks, the Sons, the Bucks win without their star. You don't get to the finals on one guy. Right. So we know that Brooke Lopez will get more minutes and more points.

And Middleton will get more point. And Drew Holliday will get more freedom. So I do think long term you'd want Janus in the finals. But for a game, I get a little better Drew, a little better Chris, a little more Brooke Lopez, Portis. I think Milwaukee can hang. Now, they may get blown out. But there is a slight edge. They're clearly capable of winning games.

without Janus. You know who they aren't capable of winning without was Drew Holiday? Remember early in the year, Drew got hurt. We all went, whoa, whoa, whoa. Is Drew the most valuable player on that team? Well, they're not going to win the finals without Janus. I don't believe that. They need some.

Can they drag this out a few games? Can they make it competitive without him? Yeah, I think this will still be a long series. But my anxiety about the Janus situation is you don't want to see a Kevin Durant situation. where he, you know, he comes back. It feels like the players wanting to come back. He's not 100%. And then boom, you have an injury that takes you out for an entire year.

That's what you don't want to see. Now, it's the finals. So you want to do everything you possibly can to be on the court, obviously. It's just I don't, this is the time when you want to rush somebody back, but we've seen what happens when you rush someone back. And then they're out for an entire year. Right. So it's like I would not want to be the person to have to make that call to put Janus out there or not.

but the Sons are not the Hawks. The Hawks had an incredible season, and they were great, but the Sons are better. They're in the finals and the Bucks. So I think that they can hang to your point, but they're not going to beat the Sons without Yonnas. Long term, they need him.

Do they need him tonight to win? No, I think they'll be competitive tonight. And I think this is going to be a long series anyway. I'm also hoping for a long series. The Sons are favored by six tonight. So I would like the Sons tonight with six. And the Sons are favored minus 200 overall to win. the series, according to Foxbat.

So the Lakers, in the conversations for a lot of moves this off season, they need to make some moves. And the latest report is that they're interested in Demar de Rosen. Bleacher report suggested that a deal could make this happen. This is a deal that could happen. They proposed to the Sun sign and trade

Demar de Rosen to the Lakers in exchange for Montres Herald, Kyle Kuzma, and the 22nd pick in the draft. I actually really like this move for the Lakers. I'd like to keep Montres Harold, although it kind of seemed like some weird stuff happened at the end of the season. With the Clippers, too. His Clippers and Lakers, it just, whatever it is about his personality with

both, something doesn't rub right. I just don't get it. He's six men of the year. Like, he's a very valuable player. So I would like to keep him, but it just doesn't seem like that's working. DeRosen average, 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.9 assist last season with the Spurs. He's a very consistent player. Athletic. 12 NBA seasons. Nine with the Raptors, three with the Spurs. He's a four-time All-Star. I would actually really like this move for the Lakers. Well, it's interesting because analytically, he doesn't shoot threes. And so we just cast away guys that don't shoot threes. But what we see in the playoff joy is the mid-range game is really

valuable. So the bottom line is Derozen in playoff games, half court, get your buckets. And what the Lakers don't have right now with brittle AD sometimes is AD's hurt, who gets us buckets. He's also a veteran player. LeBron likes playing with veteran players. He's a very smart player. LeBron likes playing with smart players. Not that Kyle Kuzma and Montres Harrell aren't smart players. That's not the point. But if you're going to bring somebody in, you want to bring someone in that is the style that LeBron

likes playing with. Now this would kind of imply that the spurs are resetting a little bit. So is Popovich going to do that at this point? I don't know, but this would make their team much younger and it would kind of be a rebuilding year. Montres Harrell is an expiring contract and

they get a draft pick. So the coups aside, If you are rebuilding a little bit for San Antonio, you're like, we get a draft pick and a strong draft and an expiring contract. And Kuzma's a nice player. Yeah, it's fine. We give Kuzma a hard time, but Kuzma is a nice player. He can start for a championship team. Yes.

Absolutely. So, Trey Lance was drafted this year, and someday we'll take Jimmy Garoppolo's job as the 49er starting quarterback that could have caused some tension between the two. But instead, Jimmy G. has taken this opportunity to mentor the young rookie, which I think is very nice. So far, Trey Lance says nothing but good things to say about Jimmy. Yeah, it's been awesome. He's a great guy. I mean, one of the best people I've been around. And I've been fortunate to be around some, I think, really, really great people.

And, you know, guys that are going to play today and guys that are still in that locker room right now, Jimmy's just like it. And that organization is the same exact way. So I just feel, like I said, very blessed and fortunate to be where I am and be able to be a part of something like this. I will. I've heard Garoplo's a good guy. I've heard that for multiple people. Well, I mean, the locker room loves him.

He still has a lot of support in the locker room. So I don't doubt that at all. I just think this is a very smart move by Jimmy G. And we talk about it all the time. It's better to be a lubricator than an irritant. You know that they brought him in to be the future of the franchise. And he said he did talk about like he thought about for a second, should I ask for a trade. And then he, as we never do, as you mentioned in your opening rant, we don't really take the time to think things over.

I like to give things a couple days, let my emotions. subside, talk to a few people, sit with myself, think about what the decision is that I'm going to make before I make it. He did that. And he's like, you know what? I'll go out and win the job or I won't. But if I don't win it, I want, you know, to have a good reputation and a good situation on the way out. There's a long runway for quarterbacks who are great in the locker room, who have skill, which Jimmy G has, and are good teammates. Like, that's, we see a lot of guys have very long careers in that space. And I'm not saying that Jimmy G is, like, going to go be this journeyman backup. I don't.

think he's at that point in his career, but he does have a long injury history, and this is a good thing for him to do. Also, you know, Denver's looking for a quarterback. If you told me today, Garapolo is a starting quarterback for Denver. I'd be like, okay, that feels like a playoff team. You know, it's very funny. Maybe it gets Garoppolo so shockingly good looking or something. There's this, like, animus or this disrespect for him. We know Kyle Shanahan's a great coach. look at his record without Jimmy G. It's terrible. Jimmy G, the year he started, got to a Super Bowl.

I think that Shanahan's thought of is so brilliant, and their defensive line was so frighteningly good that we think that he managed his way to the Super Bowl. And it's like, no, he outplayed Mahomes for three of the four quarters in the Super Bowl, and had he completed one more pass on a deep throw, he didn't miss it by a mile, Jimmy G would have a Super Bowl.

So it's like, if Jimmy G. can stay healthy, San Francisco's a top three team in the league. Well, that's the issue. His story has become that he is inconsistent only because he can't stay on the field. I think he does not think. He does have the ability to lead a team to a Super Bowl. He did it.

It's the same thing with Jared Goff. He has the ability. He did it. Whatever you think about, you know, who managed what or whatever, like coaches matter too. Like, they deserve some credit. They do a lot. You know, the guy has to still go out on the field and perform what the coach is asking him to do.

I think Jimmy Giesel has a long career ahead of him. He just has to figure out how to stay healthy. And the writing's on the wall with the 49ers. So why not make it a good situation? Yeah, totally agree. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Lie News. Good stuff today. Oh, by the way, top of next hour, I'm going to do what I always do before Super Bowls, a world series, before the NBA finals. I take what I believe, who has the most top 10 players, where do they stand? And my thing has always been

whoever's got the more good players generally wins the Super Bowl barring a weird injury or something during the game. Chris Broussard now brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, best or nothing. You know, it's funny about the Chris Paul legacy is that it does feel like he has to win a championship because he's not vertical.

You know, he's not a wizard. He's not Westbrook athletic. He's not as dynamic. And so a lot of the stuff he does is intelligence and subtle and nuanced and smart and leadership and coaching. And fans struggle with that, Chris. They need to see it.

And a lot of what he does is really clever and very nuanced. And you have to be in a huddle at practice on the floor to see it or hear it. So I do kind of think, I thought about this driving in today, I do think winning a title for him really does Chris elevate him to another level that he deserves, but I don't think people would give it to him unless he won. Is that fair? Yeah, I think that's fair. Like what I feel like is right now he's kind of grouped together with a John Stockton, a Jason kid.

Maybe Steve Nash, some would throw in there and a few others. Winning this championship would separate him from them. And for me, what it would do is make him a top five point guard of all time, number five on my list. And many other people are saying the same thing. You put him there with Magic, Steph, Oscar, and Isaiah Thomas. And here's how big it would be, Colin, if Chris Paul leads this team to the championship. He would be one of only three small players to lead a team to the NBA championship in the 74-year history of the league. Wow.

The other two, Isaiah Thomas and Steph Curry. That's it. He would be the third. And so this would be huge for him. It's the only thing that's really missing from his resume. Some people might say an MVP, but Isaiah Thomas doesn't have an MVP. Nobody thinks Steve Nash is better than him. If he wins this championship, it will be huge.

And all of the, it's such a glaring absence on his resume in part, Colin, because some of the losses that have kept him from winning the championship, some of them have been on him. Yeah. Whether it's a bad turnover, a mistake, a bad game at the wrong time, or just injuries. but if he goes ahead and wins his championship, it will erase all of that, put that stuff on the periphery, and this will be the crowning achievement of his career.

You know, some are saying, you know, the sons are lucky. I mean, LeBron A.D., you know, A.D. is hurt, blah, blah, blah. Your takeaway on the critics of the Sun saying it's been a fairly easy, negotiable route to the finals. I mean, it's undenial. that the injuries have helped them. But here's the thing. The sons were injured too.

The sons, Chris Paul, we know, was playing with the bad shoulder in the first series. And by the way, the Lakers still had a guy named LeBron James. All right? And then in the second round, okay, Jamal Murray wasn't there. That didn't stop Denver from playing well at the end of the regular season and beating Damien Lillard in Portland. Now, I'm not saying Portland was on the level of Phoenix, obviously.

But going into the playoffs, I think people have Portland Phoenix. They're kind of close. You had Dame versus Chris, things like that. And they swept them, swept the MVP. And then with the Clippers, yes, I do believe if Kawhi Leonard was there, the Clippers win that series. However, Chris Paul, because of COVID,

was out for the first two games. Chris Paul played with torn ligaments in his wrist. Campaign got hurt in that series with the ankle injury. Devin Booker suffered a breast. broken nose. Like, they were banged up too. So it's not fair to hold it against them that they have, you know, been the least injured of the teams. Because here's the other thing, Colin, it's not like they're an eighth seed or a seven seed. They were the second seed. Right. So they showed throughout the regular season, they're a legitimate contending team.

You know, Joy and I had this discussion yesterday. It's pretty interesting. You would like to give Chris Paul a long contract. And in baseball, you know many of these eight and 10-year deals. You just sort of bake in the last four years. The player wins, you get hosed. He's no longer great. But Chris Paul's interesting. What if Devin Booker wins the MVP of the finals?

Certainly plausible. And D'Andre Aiton is actually as good or better than Janus. Outplays him on certain nights. And then you own the sons and you're like, I don't know. Chris Paul's fine. but if Booker takes over the series and looks a little like a young Kobe and you're like, well, that's the guy. And by the way, they've won games in the playoffs without Chris Paul, the COVID protocol.

Phoenix is in a weird situation where, you know, Chris is older. He's had injury issues. Do you necessarily give him that four-year contract if Booker's the MVP and Ait now plays Yonis? No, it's a great question. And I look, sometimes I can be a softie. And if I was Robert Sarver, the owner of the Sons, if he leaves us to a championship, then I'm willing to give him the three years 100 million. And I know that last year on the deal, yeah, it's going to kill me because he's not going to be very good.

But we got a championship. And who knows? Maybe they can, you know, can they win another one in the next two years? We'll see. But look, here's where it gets sticky. What if the Knicks or someone else decides we want to. getting a bidding war with the sons. And we'll try to take him now.

Chris doesn't need to leave. I don't know why in the world he would leave Phoenix at this point. But what if he was entertaining it for the money? The sons have the Trump card in that they can offer him four years. Right. Now, four years at big money, that's scary. Because now you're looking at two years of him being bad. Right.

I do think Chris is the type of guy that, like, he may not be starting at the end of his contract, even if it's only three years. Maybe campaign or someone else by that point is starting. I think Chris could accept it, but it still jacks up your cap. But you know what? For a championship, for Devin Booker, you know Devin Booker wants him to get paid. Yeah. He's got a great relationship with Manny Williams. I think it's worth doing it just for keeping the goodwill in the locker room and among your players. Yeah, you know, the other thing, Chris, is that Cameron Payne has emerged as a guy who can score points. The advantage the sons have, which the Brooklyn Nets don't, is that if you pay Chris Paul, you don't have to play him 44 minutes.

He could get down next year to 28 minutes a game. I mean, these playoffs, they've won without him 31 minutes. So if I'm Robert Sarver, the owner, I say to myself, I may just go to Chris and say, Chris, I want you to play 60 regular season games. We'll give you 12 road games off. I want this thing to work for three years, and Cameron Payne's going to play more. I think Chris Paul would accept that role. Do you? No, that makes sense.

Yes, I think he would. You will see how well he's playing. But, yeah, I think Chris would accept that. And look, Robert Sarver has been cheap for years. Right. That's one reason they didn't make the playoff for a decade. And so now pay up a little bit. You're getting the championship, maybe.

We'll see. Not writing the bucks off. But, yeah, I agree with you on that one. All right. Finally, Demarcus DeRosen of the Lakers is a rumor. You know, credible source. What do you make of it? Look, if I'm either team, I wouldn't jump into this trade.

Like, if I'm the, yeah, I like DeMar Rosen. But if I'm the Lakers, I still want to poke around and see, is there a better move I can make? And if I'm the Spurs and I'm giving, obviously DeRose is a free agent. But maybe there's a better sign in trade that they can make and get more than, say, a Kyle Kuzma, who's solid and a Montrez, Harold, and a draft pick. So I wouldn't rush into it if I'm either team. Obviously, the draft is coming up. That's when a lot of moves are made. DeMarre, though, he would help.

He wouldn't have been a good fit with LeBron in the past when LeBron was the entire system, right? Because when LeBron was the system, he needed jump shooters. Yeah, he worked with D.Way. It was a different NBA back then. The three-point shot wasn't quite as prominent. But now you need, LeBron was better lately with guys that can shoot. shoot the basketball around him. And DeRosen, that's just not his forte as far as the three-point shot.

But now LeBron's off the ball more. You can even put him at the point guard and have him play like a real point guard. And DeRosen, I think, would work because their defense was great, right? They just couldn't score, especially when Anthony Davis was ailing. That's right. So this would give them a third score. So I'd put it on the back burner, keep an eye on it, but I wouldn't jump into it if I'm the Lakers.

Great stuff. Chris Broussard, Fox Sports, and. NBA analyst. Final start tonight. Can't wait. Thanks, buddy. Yep. All right. Good stuff. De Rosen's one of those moves like he's an adult. I know this sounds, you know, old school, but he's a grown-up. You get 20 a game. He's not hurt very much. Got a good athletic body. He can make baskets in the playoffs. He's a great number three. You can win a championship as he is your number three with LeBron and AD and then him. You know, with Kuzma, it's a little hot and cold, Montres Harold, last couple teams, locker room stuff. KCP, again, sometimes I love him, sometimes he disappears.

DeRosin's a really good three. And he's like a grown-up. Like he's an NBA guy. He's been around the league. He plays hard. He shows up. He gives you 21. And he's a situational get-a-bucket dude.

That's good. Not every player has to be LeBron. Like, it's okay. Dude's athletic, a lot of mid-range stuff. He plays hard. Play some defense. Been around the league. You know, he shows up, prepared, ready to go, and healthy.

All right. I'll take that. All right. I can leave, everybody's got flaws. Now LeBron's old. He's got a flaw. Everybody's got a flaw. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

What's up, everyone? It's me three-time NFL All-Pro Sean Mariner. And I have a new sports podcast called The Lights Out Podcast with Sean Mariner. This podcast is special to me as I get a chance to talk to some of the best who've ever done it on the field or the track. So whether it's talking to a Super Bowl champion or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, The Lights Out Podcast will bring it to you the only way I know how to. I'm giving you the best insight from the best who's ever done it. Listen to Lights Out with Sean Merriman on the IHartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

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 all 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

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

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 middle 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, Kear 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. At Mercedes AMG, given 110% isn't possible. It's mandatory.

Squeeze every last drop of performance. perfection out of their coop, sedans, roadsters, Mercedes AMG driving performance. It's interesting. This is an interesting finals tonight. So, Sons, Bucks. The Bucks and the Sons had the second and fourth fewest lineups in the NBA. So this is really a story of continuity. So the Bucks only used 12 starting lineups all year.

That's not very many. Consider injuries. You know, sometimes you just give a guy more minutes. off the bench, a guy goes on a road trip, third, fourth game. Only 12 lineups for the box. Only nine for the suns. Okay, Brooklyn had 38. Lakers had 25, Celtics had 37.

So this is a interesting series in which it's a lot about continuity, health and development. Developing young players, mostly healthy. They played a lot together. It's also a slow build. There's no microwave here. This was roasted in the oven. This was the slow cook.

Everything tastes better with a slow cook. There was no microwave here. Brooklyn's a microwave. Throw it together. Heat it fast. Hope it works. It's not the way it worked here. None of the top three players for the bucks are lottery picks.

I mean, all the sons did is basically get rid of Ricky Robio and add an old Chris Paul. Walla in the finals. So this is not what a lot of people are doing in the NBA. And I'll tell you why I think it's effective. I don't know if the nation is captivated by the United. this. But if you look at Milwaukee's television ratings and Phoenix's TV ratings, locally, they're very good. Whose aren't? The Lakers in Brooklyn. True that. Lakers, local TV ratings, not good. Brooklyn's, all those stars, local TV ratings, not good. Because the fans in Milwaukee

and the fans in Phoenix, you feel like you've been on a journey. You're reading a book. And you're getting close to the final chapter and they throw a Chris Paul at you or a Drew Holiday. That's what the story is here. The bucks were slowly roasted, slowly developed, slowly built, smartly drafted, and then let's give him Drew Holiday. Smart veteran guard. Sons were smartly developed. They get the right coach.

The players get better. Let's add the old smart Chris Paul. And I think for fans, that's easy to put your arms around. That's easy. It's not just get this star and get that star and throw them together. I've said this before. There was something magical about the Showtime Lakers. And it was the old Kareem and the fresh magic and they've got to be Scott.

And then they got James Worthy. It really felt like you knew the team. You knew their personalities. You knew the guys. You liked the guys. You saw them in town for years and years and years and years. And people forget Shaq and Kobe. They were together for years before they started winning titles.

It felt like L. These Lakers kind of feel thrown together. There's another trade rumor today. I don't think it goes as dead. deep with fans. 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 head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people

are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J.

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

Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliford 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 them.

muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.