The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 07/16/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: July 16, 2021

Colin reacts to some BIG news out of the NBA: Trail Blazers G Damian Lillard is expected to request a trade in the next few days. He lays out the best options for Lillard to end up with and which rumored teams have the best and worst chances to acquire the 6-time All Star. He also explains why the rest of the NFL should be concerned about the Buccaneers this season as they look to win back to back Super Bowls. Plus, 2-time NBA Champion Mario Chalmers joins the show to tell Colin which team is best suited to close out the NBA Finals.   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Best of Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart radio app by searching Heard.

This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. It is a Friday. How lucky are we? Major Breaking News live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. I prepared football stories all day today, a little NBA finals, and then 30 minutes before the show. We get major news. It is official. According to Henry Abbott, somebody I trust, true hoops.

Damian Lillard, in days to come, will request a trade. Joy Taylor, I love Fridays. When we get, you know, in Fridays, it's known in the PR world as a news dump. If you have bad news as a company, you dump it late on Friday and the media doesn't cover it. But in our world, it's a news triumph that on a Friday show right before it, we get major. your breaking news and here we go with Dame Lillard. This summer has been crazy. It has. This is a big deal. This is

league altering news. He is a superstar. He is arguably the best shooter in the NBA in a shooter's league. Steph Curry, Dame, that's it. There's no others. All right? He is a star. So I've got a lot of thoughts about this. According to

Henry Abbott, Lillard, in days to come, plans to request a trade. Now, first of all, he's earned it he's been there nine years um i believe stars lebron gives the cab seven years you can't get him a bona fide number two you got to go uh Portland has never really gotten him a great two they've got a three to a four in c j McCullum good player very nice player but they need another star they couldn't get it for him. This is also the way this needed to work. Dame is so popular and so committed and so beloved and has been so loyal, he has to initiate the trade. It has to be clear and definitive. I am

requesting a trade. And you'll have your meatball fans, your fan boys, your pom-pom waivers won't get it. But this is the way it has to be. Dame has to come out and say, hey, I want a trade. And he'll take a hit for 48 hours, 72 hours. You know, there's always those resentful fans who don't appreciate great players like Dame, but he has to do this because he's too popular for a GM to trade him. Dame has to lead this. It takes courage. That's what Mello did in Denver. It's what LeBron's does.

The star player, it's what Dwight Howard did in Orlando. The star player has to demand this trade, and he takes the hit for it. Anthony Davis took the hit for it. But in the end, who gives a rip if some fan you'll never meet is unhappy with you on Reddit? Who cares? So Dame has to do this. Now, the second part of this, they are going to have 25. to 30 teams that are interested.

It's a Shooter's League. He's unbelievable. He's totally committed. He plays hard every night. A little bit of a defensive liability. So is Steph Curry. You don't get everything, okay? So now, Portland needs to make a decision because Philadelphia is going to come hard.

Boston's going to come hard. The Knicks are going to come hard. Dallas is going to come hard. The Clippers are going to come hard. I think the Lakers should go after him and trade 80. That's just my opinion. So let's just talk about what Portland can do. So does Portland want to remain viable?

Still be a playoff team. Because it's hard. You know, Portland doesn't have a baseball team. They don't have an NHL team. They don't have an NFL. You know, they got basketball team. That's what they got. Are you ready to go into the dumper and rebuild for four years?

Are you ready? Because all those great Phoenix players you see in the finals, those young guys were in the crapper for several years before Chris Paul got there. are you ready to go there? That's certainly a viable option. If you're ready to totally rebuild, and I know this is terrifying, and I would lose sleep if I was a GM,

do you call up Golden State, get both their lottery picks and James Wiseman and Andrew Wiggins? You'd have to take Wiggins for the contracts. So you basically say, we're going to be lousy, but we are building our future. This is a great draft.

The top four players in this draft are all going to be all-stars. Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs, Mobley from USC, Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State. This is a great draft. Your first four guys are all-stars. Could be more. So do you want to go to Golden State? Give them Dame, Clay, Steph, terrifying. I'd throw up in my mouth.

They're going to walk back into your facility, drop 90 between the three of them. It's going to be awful. It's going to be the most talked-about team in the league. It's going to get disgust in your city. it's going to be awful for three years. You're going to be bad. They're going to be great, and they'll probably win a championship. But you're going to get two lottery picks.

You're going to get James Wiseman, who would be a lottery pick. He'd be the first, second or third pick this year. Your future is set. Your future is set. And you get Andrew Wiggins, who for a year, C.J. McCollum, Andrew Wiggins, you got Biggs. You'll be a... But then you're going to have to move Wiseman. You're probably have to move Wiggins out.

And it's a rebuild. You take the Wiggins contract and move it. It's not a long-term thing. Are you ready to do that? So Golden State is an option if you're just ready to get a bunch of kids or the clippers. Now, before you roll your eyes at this, consider the clippers. Paul George and Dame. Oh, come on, call it.

Time out. You're not going to get another guy as good as Dane. You tell me the last time an A-plus got traded for an A-plus. I'm waiting. It doesn't happen. What you could get with Paul George is an A-plus in Dame and an A-minus in Paul George. By the way, Paul George, for about a five-week stretch in the regular season this year, after the All-Star game, was arguably the best player in the league.

You watch them in the playoffs. He is a really, really good player. He's not Dane, but he's great. He's also, I mean, he averages 21 a game in the NBA. Dame averages 25. He's also a bigger athlete than Dame. He's also a significantly better defensive player. Paul George is a top 10 defensive player in the league.

He's long. He's committed. He's strong. He's not Dame, but he's darn good. And the Clippers probably have to throw in another player. And you have C.J. McCollum, 23 a game. Paul George, 2021 a game. And Portland's got good bigs.

You're a playoff team. And you'll probably get another starter in the deal. You're viable. Are your championship team, doubt it, but you're viable? Or do you want to go to the Golden Stateway? And just give us kids. We're going to be awful for three years. The Warriors are going to be amazing.

They're going to be the talk of the league. We're going to have to not watch, turn the television off. And those are just two of the options. Because remember, if Dame goes to Miami with Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley is on the phone this morning, that changes the trajectory of that franchise. guys. If Dame goes to Boston with Jason Tatum, and the Celtics are going to be on the phone this morning.

I mean, they'd win the East, right? Jimmy Butler and Dame would win the East. Jason Tatum and Dame would win the East, or certainly be in the conversation. Luca in Dallas, Mark Cuban, terrified that Luca will not sign long term. Luca Dame, I'm sorry, but that's two of the four most explosive offensive players in the league, right? So this is, this really comes down to what's Portland want to be. Do they want to watch?

Because a Golden State has got two lottery picks in a strong draft and they'd give you Wiseman. That's your future. You got your future big. Two young stars in the draft. The draft full of shooters, guards, playmakers. By the way, Philadelphia is also, Darryl Morey is going to call Portland. Now, Philadelphia is a team that is getting discussed a lot.

I would be very, very careful if I was Portland on Philadelphia. So what you're hearing, Daryl Morey would love this deal. Mbid and Damien Lillard, you win the East. You are in the finals. That one I won't even argue. Miami and Boston, I think you could be. M. Bid and Dame and Tobias Harris, you are in the finals. So Daryl Morey is going to try to make that deal.

Here's where I'd be very, very reluctant if I'm Portland. So Dame is committed. He plays every night. He is a great teammate. Ben Simmons is indifferent and arrogant and eloof. He'll never be loved by Portland like Dame. The optics, aesthetics are not good. Dame makes everybody better.

everybody loves him totally committed loves basketball Ben Simmons is cool, aloof, indifferent, kind of arrogant. I don't like that. I don't like the optics. The second thing is if you trade for Ben Simmons, Philadelphia can offer you a bunch of long athletes. They've got all sorts of wings that can't shoot. Ben Simmons can't shoot.

If you trade with Philadelphia and they start throwing long athletic guys and Thibol and Ben Simmons, don't get me wrong. you will be the best defensive team in the West, but you will have such a shooting deficit. Let me give you an example. So let's say you get Ben Simmons and Thibel, who's a wing, went to the University of Washington, great defensive player, and Simmons, great defensive player for Dane. No question, you have gone from an average defensive team below average to excellent. But now C.J. McCollum faces the other team's best defender.

C.J. McCollum averages 23 a game. He's not as good as Paul George who averages 20, but Paul George on his teams often faces a very elite defender. In the playoffs, with Kauai Leonard out, Paul George faced your best defender. In Indianapolis, he faced your best defender. In Oklahoma City, your best wing defender. But if Dame leaves Portland and Ben Simmons came,

then C.J. McCollum, a good player, a B-plus player, now faces your best 6-6 or under defensive players. So C.J. McCullum's efficiency, if you trade with Philadelphia dips, and I get no shooting back. So now in the West, you can't win the West on defense. You've got to have offense in the West. You can win the East on defense. Philadelphia, very good. Milwaukee's in the finals. Milwaukee's got one guy that can shoot. So you can win the East just on defense. I mean, Toronto, very big, very strong, very good defense. Milwaukee, mostly defense, tough, strong, bullies.

You can get to the fight. In the West, you've got to score points. There's just too many good young players. So if you make this trade with Philadelphia, you get Simmons and Thibel. They're long, they're athletic, they're good, good NBA players. You've got two guys who could be all NBA defense for the next seven years. But now McCollum carries the offensive load. I mean, you take Steph Curry away from the Warriors and Clay Thompson now draws

the number one defensive assignment. Clay's efficiency goes down. So Philadelphia can give you a lot of interesting pieces. I don't know. Golden State gives you the future. The Clippers give you viability today. Don't kid yourself. Paul George, C.J. McCollum, Portland's Biggs, and maybe the Clippers throw in another top bench guy.

That's a real, that's a playoff team. That's a playoff team. CJ McCullum averages 23. Paul George 2021. Nerkich is a really good player when he's healthy. That's a good basketball team, even in the West. So this is league changing. This is league altering.

You do not get A plus for A plus. You got to get out of that. These Portland fans, whoa, Paul George. How are you talking about? Paul George is the top 15 player in the league. He may be 15th. maybe he's the 16th I mean he's up there

that's as good as you're going to get then you've got to get pieces how does he fit can I get another bench player or a starter or a draft pick I don't think the clippers have much draft capital they gave it all up to get Kauai and Paul right love days like today

seriously if I was doing I used to do Portland local radio if I did local radio today I'd just literally say all right cancel all the other shows let's go nine hours phone calls Damian Lillard Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care 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. 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, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Big story today. Henry Abbott says Damian Lillard very soon will request the trade.

And by the way, it's what he should do. Portland's not close. Chauncey Billups is a rookie head coach. He's not going to elevate the Blazers to anywhere they haven't already been if he can even get to where Terry Stott had been. So we don't know. You can talk yourself into this.

Portland's a non-championship team. Again, the very interesting, the most interesting trade partners are the Clippers with Paul George, an A-Minus player for Dame, Golden State, which can give you your future, and Philadelphia. So Philadelphia could say you get Ben Simmons, if you gave me Ben Simmons,

Thibel and Seth Curry. So Seth Curry, I would demand that he can shoot. You got to give me a shooter in this. Philadelphia can probably give you a little bit of now and the future. But here's my problem. I don't believe you can build an NBA franchise

around Ben Simmons. I don't think he has the personality for it. And Dame does. There's only about 10 guys in this league, I think have the first. personality I can build around. Devin Booker looks like he's got the right personality. He's grown up. He's engaging. He can handle the media. Teammates like him. He's big and big games. You know, Steph Curry, LeBron James. Go look at the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard's a top five player in the

league and look at their difficulties because of Kauai's personality. It's not just how good of a player you are. Anthony Davis is a one as a player. He's not a leader. You can't build around Anthony Davis's personality, semi-committed player, hurt a lot. It's not just that. Dame plays every night. He's totally committed to basketball. He's great at it. He's a great teammate. He travels well, takes the guys out. The old guys like him. The kids like him. That's, it's Ben Simmons, nobody likes him. Like you can't build around. I always said this about Carmelo Anthony and Westbrook. It's not that they're not great players. They're Hall of famers. I can't build around their personalities. Like Carmelo had no self-awareness. Westbrook's

best friend, he said, is the ball. It can't be that. Dame's best friend is Nurkich and C.J. McCa. He gets along with everybody. So the Philadelphia is going to get all the talk on this deal, and they've got a lot of interesting pieces. Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, Stibald. But your A is hopefully Simmons. I wouldn't want him leading my franchise. I think we always undervalued the quality of a guy and a guy's personality. The NBA is the smallest locker room. You know, baseball, a third of your roster is down in the bullpen. They're not even in the dugout. In the NFL, as Joey knows, or brother of a Hall of Fame player, at halftime, the defensive guys go to the right, the offensive guys go to the left. If they can't stand each other, I mean,

literally go to a football practice. The offensive guys down there, the defensive guys are huddling over there. Basketball, 13 dudes, private plane. around each other all the time. It just takes, and if your star player is difficult, nonverbal, aloof, it affects everything. That's why Tim Duncan and Brady are so valuable. Like, Tim Duncan was perfect. He was committed. He let Pop yell at him.

He was very Brady-like. You know, with Duncan, he didn't need to score. If you told him, hey, the final shot's going to go to Manu. He's totally cool with it. Like he had a very Brady quality is that when you look at most dynasties, State with Steph Curry, LeBron, D. Wade, we're on one. You know, when you look at most dynasties, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, it's not just their games, it's their personalities, their toughness, their courage,

they'll take the big shot, they're coachable, they'll listen, they engage other teammates. I mean, Michael was feisty, but there's pictures all over, you know, the internet of him playing cards with the guys on the plane and steaks and wine and golfing with his buddies. and it matters. So Philadelphia is going to get all the talk in this thing. I'd be very, very cautious if I was Portland with Ben Simmons and his casual indifference. It's what I used to always say about Jay Cutler, the quarterback for the Bears. You couldn't deny his talent.

Jay Cutler has a huge arm. He was smart. He went to Vanderbilt. He had a huge arm. I don't want to build my franchise around Jay Cutler. And I know Jay. And Jay was talented. but there was an indifference to him, a casualness.

I struggle with that. The great teams have a committed player who other players hover around, improve around, relate to, connect to, and Simmons doesn't have that. He just doesn't. It's not in his DNA. It's not who he is. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm John Middukoff, and I host the Three in Out podcast.

Do you like football? Do you like the NFL? Do you like the NFL draft? Quarterbacks, coaches. Well, I talk about it all on the show. I used to work for Andy Reid as a scout. Now I give you my unfiltered and raw opinions on everything that goes on the NFL. And you know we're talking college football because of how important the draft is year round.

Listen to the three and out podcast with me, John Middlcombe, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

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

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 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 a 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 finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your 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, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. Adam Schaefter and Peter King now share the same sentiment.

They have reached the same conclusion. So Peter King about a month ago talked about this very thing on his podcast. And now Adam Schaefter publicly saying, in my opinion, I don't think we'll see Aaron Rogers show up in Green Bay with three years left on the contract as it currently stands. there has to be, I think, some sort of stipulation that makes it clear the Packers will trade him after the season. Now, presumably, if you're a Packer fan, Green Bay would still have leverage. They would just say, okay, in a year we're trading him, make the offers.

That's what David Letterman did when he left NBC. Make offers networks. CBS made the best offer. And it was a big long runway. Letterman had a long time. Make your offers. Sit here in my beach house. make the offers.

So Green Bay would still have leverage, okay, as long as Aaron's healthy at the end of the year. And Aaron would see light at the end of the tunnel, would not be as bitter. Now, I think this is incredibly strange, and I think it would torpedo the season. So Tom Brady told Howard Stern, remember they did that big long interview? He told him, I knew I was leaving. But that was a thought. That was just a thought. if you know you're leaving your company and keep it to yourself, it's not disruptive.

But a stipulation is probably a contract. That's different. A thought and something on paper is different. First of all, it's official. It would be public. It would leak in two minutes. It would be discussed every week. I think it would essentially torpedo the season.

And when you know you're leaving a place and Brady said, I knew I was leaving. Remember how testy Tom got his last year in New England? First time I ever saw him, like yelling repeatedly kind of at teammates. Like he'll yell occasion. Like, you know, remember the Chicago game Thursday night with his team? But I mean, literally discouraged generally on more than one occasion with his teammates. He got testy. Like Tom knew he was leaving.

And Tom was being very human. When you know you're out the door, there's a big difference between, you know, it doesn't happen until it happens, right? there's not a team till there's a team. And so I think this would be so weird. Also, Aaron no longer trusts the Packer front office. So he'd want it on paper. You're not going to let it hang out there.

Well, Green Bay tends to be pretty protective of the brand and a little rigid. So they may resent that they're forced to sign a deal. And Aaron doesn't trust them. So he would resent it if there isn't a deal. So this is a mess. and I've said before, I would flush this season down the toilet if they didn't play in the NFC North, where Detroit's awful, maybe the worst team in the league, certainly in a discussion. Chicago is going to be starting a rookie quarterback, so they're not a viable Super Bowl contender.

Minnesota, I love their coach, and there's a lot of their roster I like. We don't think Kirk Cousins in big spots can measure up with Tom and Aaron and Russell and Patrick and Josh Allen. Even the DAC and the, I just don't think he's that guy. So it's a mess. So Peter King and Adam Schaefter, incredibly well-tied-in guys, have reached the same conclusion. There's going to have to be a stipulation made. And I believe Aaron would want it in writing because he doesn't trust him. And I don't think a rigid franchise wants to put anything in writing and be told you have to do something.

This is just not going to be a good year for the package. It feels like the last year of the kids in high school and you know you're getting a divorce after they get out of the house and you're just trying to make it work until then. That's a perfect way to put it. We're just trying to make it work for a year. Yeah. Does that sound like a Super Bowl team? Like just keep it together until they get to college and then we'll break it to them when they're adults. Let's just over.

Green Bay and Aaron just keep it together for a year. And then we'll, that's just not a Super Bowl team. I don't love it. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. There's always a story behind the story. The first book I wrote, you heard me.

That was the theme of my book. There's always a story behind the story. You want to be BS or you want the truth? Damien's not happy. I know that. Okay, Dame's not happy. Aaron Rogers isn't happy. when dames DMing me and he's interested in my opinion on something,

which he's not very often, he's testing the waters. He's unhappy. He's been here nine years. And remember, dames got the money box checked. He got his money. And dames got the respect box checked. He's a Hall of Famer and everybody loves him. He doesn't have the win box checked.

He wants to win games. Okay, fans. So don't pretend you can relate to him. Money is $100 million plus net worth. Respect first bout Hall of Fame. are loved. He's got music, he got shoes. They don't have any wins. He wants wins. Get him in Portland. This team is not a championship team. Hell, you couldn't beat Denver without Jamal Murray. Golden State's rebooting. LeBron and AD are healthy. So he wants win.

Well, Chauncey Billups doesn't mean anything. Chonzie Billups has not taken this roster of the title. So it's all about checking boxes that we've seen this time and time again. You know, Kevin Durant. The money box, it's checked, it's done. The titles box for Kevin Durant. Okay, that was checked. He wanted, he wanted Brooklyn to him was like, I just want to be my own guy. Like, it's all about life checking boxes, right? You as a parent check boxes. Okay, we got the 401k, my wife and I, we won't be on the street. Okay. Our kids college is paid for. Check. Do we, we're all checking boxes in life. Dame's gotten to the point now where the only box that is unchecked is winning and playing in the finals.

You put him on Philadelphia with Joe L. M. Bid, and that team's getting to the finals. If you got, if you had Joe Lambed, Dame Lillard, and Tobias Harris, that team's making the finals in the east, maybe not in the West, but in the east. So, you know, the I, everybody's going to deny it. And by the way, Dame is in the middle of, you know, working out for the Olympics. The Olympics start July 23rd. opening ceremonies. Basketball is like July 25th.

So remember this. Does Dame, because Dame will be asked about this today, tomorrow, the next day. Does Dame want to disrupt the Olympic experience with this story? No. I mean, the last thing Dame wants to do is the whole Olympics is about Damien Lillard going to basketball teams. Remember years ago, the baseball all-star, it was the baseball postseason. And A-Rod was rumored to be getting traded. and A-Rod's yapping about getting traded during the World Series.

And at the time, I think it was Bud Seelig's like, shut up. Stop it. We're in the middle of a World Series. I don't want A-Rod trade talk, you know, leading all the shows. Commissioners don't like that. So USA basketball, Dame Smart, he doesn't want this story to take over the Olympic experience. This team's already got enough issues. They just signed Javelle McGee as their rim protector.

They got enough issues. Bradley Beale can't play Kevin Love. So I'm not going to listen to Blazer players or local media in Portland who's rooting for him to stay. And I don't even think Dame wants to address this. Now he wants to get through the Olympics. And then the minute the Olympics are over, boom, let's talk about it. And he's in no hurry, right?

Like he's going to have a million suitors. Everybody in the league wants Dame. I mean, listen, Golden State has Clay Thompson and Steph Curry. And they want Dame. They have the best back court in league history, and they want him. I mean, that's like Kansas City saying, you know what? We want another quarterback. We know we've got Mahomes.

We want another one. So everybody in the league wants Damian Lillard. Everybody in the world wants Damian Lillard. The Warriors have the best back court in league history. Second is probably Gail Goodrich and Jerry West in the 70s. The Warriors have the best back court at least in the last 15, 20 years, and they want him. So this is one of these things where Dame is probably not going to want to get into it. He doesn't want to blow up the Olympic experience for his teammates.

He's not a selfish guy like that. He's not a media hog like that. Dame's got great self-awareness. A lot of these pro athletes don't. Dame's got self-aware. He doesn't want to be, he didn't want this story to get out there. That's all we'd talk about. We'd be in the middle of the Olympics and nobody would care.

He didn't want to do that. And so you just, you always want to get the. story behind the story. And the story behind the story is, Dame has one box in his career that's unchecked. Money done. Respect, done. Hall of Fame, done. Beloved at his city, done. Sells merch, done. Shoe deal, done. Music, done. It's all done. I want to win games. There's a reason we don't talk about Alex English. Great player. Didn't win enough games. There's a reason we play about, we talk about Scotty Pippin. You want a bunch of games. You know, that matters. You want to be, you know, 40 years from now, Dame, it's not ego. It's like, you know, he wants to be in conversations.

Everybody does. It's almost as if that's the point. I mean, it's, it's, it's, it's, yeah. I mean, yeah, it's sports. It's not, all players want money, but, you know, does Dame feel like a guy to you that, that really at this point in his career, I need a Bentley. No, what he needs is a Kauai Leonard. What he needs is a Luca. What he needs is a Luca. What he wants is an Embed. He's not, he didn't care about the Bentley's. He's not, that's not going to drive Damian Liller. When you get to be as good as Steph Curry and Dame Lillard, not about, it's not about the bling and the money and the, no, it is about, he is in a unique group of players in the history of the game. He's in a tiny little, I mean, how many guys

have played in the NBA? I mean, 5,000. He's in the top 70, 60. I mean, I don't have a list with me, but Dame's one of the 50 best NBA players I've ever seen seriously I don't know where he is on that list but he's somewhere on it he wants to win games because you know who did kareem and magic and russell and kobe and shack and staff and katie all the air guys got rings you know like barclay's the one we even we even talk about barclay a lot because he's such an exception how was barclay that good and didn't get any rings like dan merino we don't talk about dan marino we don't talk about Dan Marino. We talk about Elway. We talk about Montana. We don't talk about Marino. So, Dame, does he want to be Marino? No. He wants to be a guy that we talk about.

We talk about Dirk Novitsky. More than we talk about Dan Marino. I mean, really. And Dan's maybe the best thrower of the football ever. Just a pure thrower of the football. Dan Marino could be it. 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. interesting about Brady is that, and I'm sure all of you have thought of this, so it's not some revelation here, but now he's going to be healthier. Now he gets the preseason. Now he knows the system. Now he knows the coaches. And now he knows the teammates. All these other Super Bowl level teams, Buffalo, Baltimore, Cleveland, Rams, Seattle, Casey, San Francisco,

they're going to have a battle in their own division. They'll probably win the division in most cases, but they'll have a battle. Not Tampa. New Orleans, rebuilding. Carolina, rebuilding. Atlanta's got a, and it's a quarterback league, right? New Orleans doesn't know who their quarterback is. We don't know if Sam Donald's any good in Carolina.

And Matt Ryan generally with a new staff takes about a year to get up and running. So the NFL regular season concludes January 9th. I think you're looking at a Tampa team that could have the playoffs wrapped up, December 9th. Huge advantage. I can rest starters. I can bury a playbook. I can, I mean, this happens. This happens in the NBA when you got a one or a two seed wrapped up.

Doc Rivers used to do this when he was with the Celtics, and he just buried the playbook. We're just going to go play. Our talent will win mostly get. We're going to bury the playbook. We're not going to use any of our best inbound play. We're going to make you go back and figure out what we're going to do. You bury the playbook. No tricks.

Vanilla. They're good enough to win most of those games. You rest your starters. That is a huge advantage instead of fighting. Now we have another game in the season, fighting until week 17. And I got to tell you something. Timing is really important. Now, I've said this before.

I'm not good at doing stuff. I am good at quitting stuff. I used to have nine Greek yogurts a day, and then the doctor said, stop it, and I haven't had one since. Outside of coffee, I could quit anything. I'm a good quitter. I'm not a good doer. You got floss three times a day. And my teeth don't fall out.

I can't do that. I'm not a good doer. You know, doctors say, do this, and the dentist says does this, and my wife says, I'm not a good doer. one of the only things I think I do really well. I exit well. Every company, I've left four different companies. They all were kind of a mess after I left. It wasn't because I left.

It was my timing was good. I have good timing. I'm not always good entering places. I'm great leaving places. I tell the story years ago. I was at a party in Las Vegas in my 20s. True story. I don't know if I've ever told this on the air.

True story. There was a party in Las Vegas. Vegas I went to. And it was sketchy. There were a lot of guys with handle more moustaches and velour shirts. And I just got a bad feeling about this party. I was a sportscaster in Las Vegas. It just did.

People were a little. I leave the party. The next day in the paper, cocaine bust. Same party. I would have been like front page of the paper. And I was just like, there were rooms that were closed off. And I just was like, I got to exit this party. Huge.

So Brady's timing is great. And you know Brady thought about this. So Brady, what do we know about the NFL? Quarterbacks, you have a great quarterback and a great coach. You are a problem. Mahomes and Andy Reid. Sean McDermick, Josh Allen. Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh, A, A, A, A, A, A, A.

In some instances, A-plus, A-plus. All-A-plus. I'm not even counting Justin Herbert. I'm not counting Baker Mayfield. We know Herbert's great. Kevin Stavansky won coach of the year. I'm not even counting those guys. The top of the AFC is going to be no fun.

No fun. Brady's like, bye-bye. I'm going to go to the NFL. F. Drew Brees retired. Matt Stafford at the time, Lions. Aaron Rogers, by the way, with his tantrum, is Tizzy.

One of the only viable contenders to beat them. They're now a mess. You got a lot. Dak, is he have the right coach? Does he have a good enough defense? Dax's coming off an injury. There's a lot of Daniel Jones. Sam Darnold,

do we know? Kyler Murray's great, but is his coach? I mean, there's really only one guy there, one guy, Russell Wilson, Pete Carroll. That's it. That's the one you worry about. That's the one you think, Russell's great, Pete's great, they got playmakers. D.K. Matt Kaff, that's the one you look at. And you think, okay, we need home field advantage.

But Seattle is in a brutal division. So Seattle's going to lose games. Seattle will not play. They will not host Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the playout. It'll be in Tampa. It'll be the furthest trip that Seattle is. battle could make in the NFC, the furthest trip would be Tampa and that's where they'll go. It will not be in Seattle.

Seattle's division's too tough and Tampa's is a mess. Everybody's rebuilding. Brady's timing. This is something no athlete would ever admit this because it would look like the athlete is saying, I want an easier route. But as you get older as an athlete, don't you think about that stuff? Like it's literally he goes into a division. Everybody's rebuilding.

the top of the AFC is just great coach with great quarterback. It's Mahomes, it's Reed, it's Harbaugh, it's Lamar, it's McDermott, it's Josh Allen. I'm not even counting Baker and his coach of the year. I'm not even counting Justin Herbert and his coach. Those guys are great. We don't know what's going to happen to Deshaun Watson. I mean, maybe he lands on a good team, but I don't know. There's something about Tom just, I mean, Belichick's the best coach ever, right?

They're a mess. He knew. He knew there wasn't anybody out there on the market they can get. I'm it. Bill's going to get stuck with, you know, kind of a second level guy. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Mario Chalmers played for almost a decade in the NBA. You know him well.

He was part of the Heedles. The two-time NBA champ still lives in Miami. I'm not going to tell you where. He's joining us now live. So I want to take you back, Mario. in these big, intense games. And I'm watching Game 4, and it was essentially the last three minutes was Milwaukee's entire season.

If they go down 3-1, it's over. And it's interesting because Mario, when you played for the heat, you had a veteran team. LeBron had been around. You were actually fairly young. Badi A had been around. Mike Miller, D. Wade, you don't as has a. It was an old veteran team. Phoenix is a bunch of kids outside of Chris Paul and Crowder.

And part of me, Mario, thinks, man, are they going to be able to close this thing out? Like, young guys in these big spots, take me back to your career in Miami and the advantage of playing in big games with veteran players. What do they do? It's all about experience.

I think that's the biggest thing. You know, for us, going into our first finals versus Dallas Mavericks, the only person that had been there before was probably DeWade and Eudonis Haslam. So going into there, we didn't really know what to expect. So it was a little different challenge. And then going into year two, we played OKC, we had the advantage over them because we had

just been for the finals. And we knew the hunger. We knew the chip that we had on our shoulders. And we knew the extra work that you have to put in to get there. You know, Milwaukee's a funny team. They've got really one shooter, Mario, like Chris Middleton. And it's a weird team of old guys and bullies and tough guys. You know, PJ Tucker can have a great game and not score any points.

Are you kind of surprised? We're in a shooters league. There's never been more shooters in his league. And Milwaukee with one is in the finals. Does it surprise you? And that does surprise me at all because I always say when it comes down to playoffs, you've got to be able to execute and a half-court offense. And Milwaukee's such a good defensive team.

Their length is bothering everybody. They're bothering, you know, teams, and they're bothering the guards of Phoenix and they're being physical with them. So, Phoenix just has to figure a way to figure it. I have Milwaukee just keep playing the same way, and it's going to be a tough series. Phoenix was a team that had all these young players, and then Chris Paul comes in. And Mario, you played with LeBron. LeBron's demanding.

I remember going to heat games and watching LeBron yelling at teammates during the timeout and barking. Chris Paul can bark. He can be tough. It has worked with this young Phoenix team. Tell me when you play with LeBron, and you get a very verbal, outspoken guy. and you were a younger guy. Is it tough? Did you enjoy it?

Did you like it? Did it help? It definitely helped just because you knew what to expect. Once you had the best player in the world, rooting for you, and trying to get you to bring the best out of you, it shows that he cares. It shows that he needs you. He wants you to be there along the side and to help on the team. And, you know, for me, I never wanted to be the weakling on the team.

So I was right there pushing myself, just trying to keep up with those guys and do what I can. Who do you like? games left tied it to two games in Phoenix, one Milwaukee. Mario, who do you like going forward and why? I still say the sons. I've been saying the sons since the playoffs started just because I like the chemistry of their team. And like I said, I've always been a Chris Ball fan. He's been a mentor to me since I came into the league. And I just think his basketball IQ in the way he controls the game, I think he's going to be able to figure out and be able to dictate and be able to get Phoenix back on top

and get him going the right way. So Chris was a mentor to you early. Do you remember the first time you met him? Where were you at? First time I met Chris was when actually we played the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City. And I think that's when they was out there for that. That's when they relocated. So that was the year I met them probably, I want to say, 06.

That was the first year I met him. So a couple other stories. Let's talk about Damien Lillard on the trade block. gut feeling is Damien is not going to talk much about it for a month because he doesn't want to disrupt the Olympic stuff. He doesn't want to, you know, this story will just take over the Olympics. And I think he'll kind of downplay it. But with Damien Lillard, he is a smaller athlete. He's not a great defender. I mean, if you were Philadelphia, how much, I mean, how valuable do you think Dame is in this league? I think he's very valuable. He's one of the few guards that can do anything

off the dribble. Can create any shot, can make any shot, and he's a team player. And with this league, you got to be able to do both on the offensive end. And like you said, he's not a great defender, but, you know, at least he tries. He tries to be there and be a good team defender. And I think for Philly, I don't know, it would be interesting to see how him and B will work together. I think they could be a big dynamic with, you know, those two in a pick role and the way they can execute and play off each other. But just on the defensive end, how good would they be together? and that'd be the big thing trying to figure out for Philadelphia. You know, is it interesting, Mario?

You could shoot a jumper. There are certain things you can teach a guy to do. You can teach a guy to be a better defender, a better team defender. But there are certain things, like, to me, shooting and passing that are somewhat like natural. Like, some guys just naturally are, they just see the floor. LeBron was that. He's the floor. Ben Simmons literally was terrified to shoot this year.

Did you ever see in your whole career a guy that could not shoot? and then became a decent shooter. Is it possible? To me, I think it's possible. I think the biggest thing with Ben Simmons is confidence. You know, once you get your confidence going, you're able to knock down any shot. You know, you talk to anybody that can score or any shooter,

and that'll be the main thing they tell you. So for him, it's just getting his confidence, because you watch him in the summertime, he's knocking down jumpers. He's doing that from the outside, and when he gets to the league, it's just a different ballgame. So it's just for him being a mental thing, getting his confidence right,

and just getting in the gym and working on it. And that'd be the biggest thing for him. He can do it, but is he willing to do it? That's the real question. By the way, you played with superstars in Miami. We have our Olympic team now. And it's a weird roster where they just added Javelle McGee. We didn't have a rim protector before that.

It is, it's a lot of stars. And you're asking guys who were dominant high school college, A.U players to now share the ball. Go to the first 10 to 15 games. LeBron, Bosch, Wade, all these guys. Is it hard? You would think the more good players you have, the easier it gets. But was it hard for that first 15 game to figure out, okay, who's taking the shot out of the timeout?

Who's taking the shot? Go back to those first 15 games in Miami with the Super Team. It's definitely tough to figure out who's going to take the shot. And, you know, with the coaches, they just got to figure that out with the players. They've got to be able to tell whichever one is better at that situation. We never has a better matchup or whoever's a better finisher at the end. It's just the thing where it's a respect thing. You've got to understand your role and be able to, willing to pass the torture,

be able to step down and let somebody else take the shot. And with our team, we struggle with that at first. But for DeWay to take a step back and let Brian, you know, be the main guy in our team, that was big for our team. That's what really helped us take the next step. By the way, you tweeted three days ago you want to work out with the Lakers. Were you serious? Definitely serious.

You still in shape? Definitely still in shape. I've been playing the last couple years in Greece, so it's not like I haven't been playing. I'm playing in the big three right now. I'm still sharing the shape. And for me, I just think with my knowledge and the way I've been in any basketball situation, I think I can help any team, not just the Lakers, but for them to say they're looking for a playmaker, somebody that can make a difference on the court.

That's always been my role with the heat. That's always been my theme with the NBA being a difference maker. So I feel like I could still do that. By the way, I had a friend just go to Greece. he told me it was the greatest time he ever had in his life. Do you like playing over there? I did like playing in Greece. Greece is very nice, a great country.

Yeah. Good luck to you, Mario. Continued success, and thanks for coming on. Thanks for having them, Colin. Appreciate it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman

help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs, Bantor. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.