The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 07/21/2021 - HOUR 2 - NBA, ratings, Paul

Episode Date: July 21, 2021

Is Giannis the new face of the NBA?Sports ratings are bringing in the moneyWhat the Suns should do with Chris PaulGuest: BJ Armstrong 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.

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

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

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

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. It's hour two and a Wednesday. We are live in Los Angeles, and it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. By the way, I did not tell you this, Joy, and I don't talk about this stuff on the air.

It's kind of private among executives, but our ratings came back in Los Angeles. Highest rated my show has ever been in Los Angeles. Joy is a huge component to that. Great job to the staff, blah, blah, blah. Nobody cares, but I thought I'd rub it into the people I'm crushing. Sorry. Thank you guys for watching. I do not like to rub it into inferior talent.

But in this instance, I felt it was necessary. Okay, BJ Armstrong in a couple of minutes. So we were talking about super teams, Joy. Yes. Okay, so let's start with this. I think they're totally over-hap. We have a super team in college football. All you college football fans in Alabama love that, but you don't like NBA super teams.

So NBA super teams are overrated. as I said, they come with two fatal flaws. Stars are very expensive, so K.D. Kyrie and Hardin, forget Bench. They're not taking pay cuts. Second thing is you have egos. And two things that get blown up in America, rock bands and NBA teams,

because you can only have so many lead singers, right? So what constitutes a super team? So let's say a super team is when you have two superstars on the team. So that would be LeBron and AD right now. that's a super team. When KD, not before, but when KD joined Steph Curry, because Clay is not a superstar, Draymond's not a superstar. So when KD and Steph were together.

And then DeWaid and LeBron, Bosch wasn't a superstar, darn good. So those three. So two years were the Lakers, four years with the heat, and three years with the Warriors. Nine years. Five titles. Should have been four, but Ray Allen hit a great shot. nine years, five titles. It ain't that super.

The Avengers have one loss. Nine years, five titles could have easily been four. And by the way, look at Brooklyn. That's the current super team. You think that has a long shelf life? I mean, seriously, you think that has a long shelf life? I'll tell you what has a long shelf life. The Spurs.

That thing lasted first title to last lasted 15 years. Milwaukee reminds me of the Spurs. 26-year-old superstar young guy that doesn't get hurt. Great system. A lot of depth. Well, nobody wants to play in Milwaukee. Well, Drew Holiday did. Janice does.

I don't want to hear that. Nobody wants to play in Portland. Dame does. I always hear that. Nobody wants to play in Blank City. Yonis seems happy as heck. And if he's happy, they're fine. So you start looking around.

The current super team is Brooklyn. They have no rim protector. They have no bench. And if I ran the team, I'd get rid of Kyrie Irving. I would go KD, James Hardin, and a better bench and a rim protector. I would do it tomorrow. And also, Milwaukee now is a champion. What does that mean?

They're going to play with the confidence of a champion. I mean, Joy and I talked about this yesterday. Our only, we both liked, I think, Milwaukee yesterday. We both said, though, God, they're going to get tight. Three minutes left. They lead by. I mean, the beginning of that game was a disaster on both ends. It was awful.

The teams were tight. Well, they won't be tight. They're champions now. So they'll play with an unbelievable. confidence. And I do think, I'm going to play a bite from Janice, super teams make great headlines and great movie posters. But it's always a shorter movie than you think. And it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, Obviously, I wanted to get the job done.

But that's my stubborn side. It's easy to go somewhere and go winning championship with somebody else. It's easy. I could go. I don't put anybody in spot. But I could go to a super team and just do my part of them in a championship. Still won. But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way.

And we did it. Yes, they did. He's so likable. The hurt brought to you by Jersey Mike's subs, B.S. above. Let's go to BJ Armstrong, multiple titles, three of them with the Chicago Bulls and All-Star as well. BJ Armstrong is now NBA agent. He is joining us live. So, I mean, from your perspective, 26, five-time All-Star, Finals MVP, defensive player of the year, two-time MVP. Is it his league this morning, BJ?

Without question, Colin, this is his league. He's established itself. It's not as a superstar, he's the best player in the league on both sides of the ball. And what's scary about him, every time you watch him, every time I watch him, I go, this guy is scoring 50 points a game without a consistent jump shot, let alone a three point shot. These 50 point games at some point, Colin, are going to be 60 and 70 point games once he has a consistent mid-range shot. Yeah. And he's just an amazing, amazing talent. And he's figured it out. He's figured out what all great players have figured out. He gives 100% 100% of the time.

He's a remarkable player, a remarkable talent. He's playing in an era where we talk about shooting, analytics, so forth and so on. And he's the best player without any of those things, just because he understands who he is and what he brings to the game of basketball. You know, it's interesting. The one fly in the ointment of analytics, and this is interesting, of the seven teams that shot the most

threes, BJ, combined they had one playoff series win. And I was thinking about that this week. The last three teams to win are the Raptors, big and physical, the Lakers big and physical, and the Bucs big and physical. And I'll throw this at you and you tell me, because you're an agent and you represent all sorts of shooters and bigs. The one thing where analytics can't measure it is that at the end of seasons,

officials let you play. And finesse teams and jump shooting teams. teams. BJ, they don't get to the free throw line. Efficiency becomes overrated because of the sheer volume of free throws the Raptors get. The Lakers got. The Bucks got. So this analytics for the NBA in the regular season where it's a volume play, I get them. But I do look at this and I think, okay, this is the third year in a row, BJ, where a team that's not known as a three-point team that's kind of ugly, that's kind of physical.

and the refs swallow the whistle, and that's not baked into analytics, that finesse does not work late in seasons. Am I nuts? No, you're not nuts. You've hit it dead on. In the regular season, you can play a certain style of play. But as you just said, Colin, let's identify there's levels to this. There's regular season basketball, there's playoff level basketball,

and then there's championship caliber basketball. In order to do that, Colin, you have to exercise the totality of the game. And that means you have to get the best shot that's possible because the teams you're performing against are going to take away something. And that's what championship caliber of basketball is all about. You make adjustments on the fly and you have to be fundamentally sound at all areas of the game if you're going to play that. And you just can't be a one-dimensional team. And I think that's what analytics doesn't take into account because when you look at this Milwaukee team, they adjust it. And their best player, you know, Janus, which is simply amazing.

I mean, I can't tell you last time I've seen a player and said, I've been this excited about because what he's done is he's really pushed the reset button on what it means to be the best player. He's not only the best player on the perimeter. He could be the best player in the post. He does it in transition. Now he's doing it in the half court. He can rim protect. I mean, he has the totality and the aspect of the game, the way the game is played today. He's really just a phenomenal, phenomenal player. You know, it's interesting. We get caught up in super teams. And I like to remind people, the Bulls, the best basketball team I've ever seen, were not

a super team. Michael and Scotty, the two best players. This was, it was a long journey, couldn't get through Detroit for years, you know, couldn't get through the Celtics. And San Antonio was not a super team. The old Celtics, 11 titles, they were not a super team. Do we, and by the way, don't get me wrong, when Katie and Steph and Clay are playing together, it's a tough out.

But it is funny about the super teams. In your business, the agent business. And players ask you about joining forces. Do you ever have discussions with some of your clients and say, listen, there's a downside of super teams. There's going to be a lot of salaries, no bench. I mean, I think sometimes it's overstated how great super teams are and how they just run the league.

And I don't see that to be true. Well, what these super teams have done if they stole the headlines. Okay, the game will never be replaced by the three elements of the game, right? You have to defend, you have to rebound, and you have to share the ball. You know, instead of saying super, I've replaced that with really one word, best. Who's the best in the league? And if your best player is the best defensive player, Janus, if he's the best rebounder or one of the top, that means he's going to limit the shot, Janus.

And now this young man is playing what the best player does in a lot. league. He plays a blended style of play, which means he can get his players involved, like Chris Middleton and Drew Holliday. And by the way, he can score 40, 50 points and carry the team when necessary. So when you peek into that best player stratosphere like he has done now, there's no stopping him. He's the best. It doesn't matter because in a 48-minute game, Janus can dictate the game because he's the best player on both sides of the ball. Now, the super team can dominate teams who can't peek into that category. This young man right now is now he's in that rare, he's in the rare air where the only the best players live. Not the great players,

the best players. He can dictate the game. And now it really doesn't matter because he can affect the game without scoring. And if he does score, if he does get a consistent jump shot, this league is going to be in trouble because there's no stopping him. By the way, if you represented as an agent Chris Paul. Lakers came knocking. He could opt out or stay. What would you, what would you suggest? Well, I think Chris Paul has to figure out where he's at in his career because, you know, Chris Paul was playing against perhaps the best defensive guard in the league. You know, everyone's talking about what was wrong with Chris Paul. And I just said, you know, if I can be honest here, he's 36 years of age. And he has two problems. Drew Holliday.

That's the only problem. Yeah. Drew Holliday. is that good on the defensive side of the ball. So when you look at how you win games, you know, these guys are great. And we talked about Chris Paul and Chris Paul, what he's done. He's a Hall of Famer without question. But Drew Holliday, he's a competitor.

And he took the challenge. And you know what? He did something against all smaller guards that all of us smaller guards play. Size and length is the one thing that doesn't deteriorate with age. Drew Holliday is a bigger guard. He's bigger than Chris Paul. And he just,

wore Chris Paul down during the course of the series. And he's a terrific, terrific player. And you can see why everyone in the league, all these executives are always trying to get taller, bigger point guards. Because length is one thing that doesn't go away. Us smaller guards, we require two things. We have to have speed and quickness in order to be effective. And Chris Paul is 36. I mean, he's 36, Colin.

Yeah. Good seeing you, BJ. You brought it today. You brought, you were our MVP. You had all sorts of great stuff. It's always great seeing you, man. I appreciate it. Matt, thank you for the kind words. It's always a pleasure. Thanks, guys. One of the truly good guys, executive vice president, managing exec for the Wasserman Media Group, which is massive in Los Angeles.

So, yeah, it is Yonis's league this morning. And, you know, it's really interesting what he said. I don't necessarily think Yonis needs to be a three-pointer. I think he is so gifted at what he does. I do believe he could really use a nice mid-range jumper, four or five of those. force people to come out. But he is, and I said this earlier, he is physically, there are things, you know, I think about this often.

If you'd have taken the all-time greats, who would win in a game of one-on-one? Like Michael against LeBron, LeBron is 30 pounds heavier and stronger, and I do think he could have bullied Michael in a game of one-on-one potentially. And at his prime, you know, Michael was lean and strong, but LeBron's 30 pounds heavier, and that's not 30 pounds of Doritos.

That's like 30 pounds of muscle. When you look at Janus, if he could develop a mid-range game, there's no player in league history that could stop him. He's too quick for the Kareem's. He's just too long. I mean, when you start watching, some of those things he does last night, you're just like, you know, because about two years ago, Kauai was pushing him away from the basket, and he was uncomfortable.

But we've seen this. Michael Jordan did become a better, three-point shooter over time, work ethic, and LeBron did develop a low post game. That was an issue against the Mavericks. And it's always hard work. And Janus, you know, he's outside of four feet, their limitations. If he develops a 12-footer, that length, there's just nothing like it. I mean, there is just nothing like it on the market.

And why shouldn't he? He's developed into what he is today. He didn't come in the league this way. No, he's not done. He's 26. Your peak is somewhere 26 to 31. So he's at the beginning of his peak and already got a title and a finals MVP. 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. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college.

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

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 a little kill? Well, you can

find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84

is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me,

your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the middle health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

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

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. It's the summer of Janus and Aaron Rogers. Aaron Rogers rushed to social media. last night after the Bucks vanquished the Phoenix Suns.

Aaron said, incredible job by Wes and Mark Peter John Horst. Our GM made some incredible moves. Our stars played like stars. Can't Stop 34 champs. Yes, he mentioned the general manager. That did appear to be a fairly obvious shot at the Packers GM. Milwaukee, and I'll say this, without any reluctance, has now the least manipulative superstar in America and the most manipulative superstar in America.

And it is interesting and it's not lost on you, I'm sure, if you thought about it. Green Bay today, the Packers are exactly where the Bucks have been the last two years. I want you to think about this. The Packers are exactly right now where the Bucks have been the previous couple years. On the doorstep of a title, amazing regular seasons, led by a guy. who's MVP of the league. I mean, last two years, Bucks have the best record in the East,

but they can't knock the door down. The difference, of course, is Janus worked harder and burrowed through it. Aaron Rogers on that same doorstep is demanding an exit. The epitome of leadership, and it's always been wildly undervalued by fans, it's called leadership. Doesn't show up in the box score. Janice has elite leadership traits.

He trusts teammates. He's not passive aggressive. He's not manipulative. He's incredibly coachable. He's patient. He takes criticism and doesn't get defensive. Aaron is gifted but does not have great leadership traits. Passive aggressive, aloof, vindictive.

at times petty, whereas Janice is optimistic. Sometimes Aaron feels cynical. It is interesting how they're juxtaposed in the same market, is it not? The Packers today are the bucks the last two years, just inches away. But the Packers never give Aaron Rogers. Devonte Adams is a top three receiver and Aaron Jones a top. five back. David Boktiari is the highest rated pass blocking left tackle in the NFL, and their tight end had 11 touchdowns. The defense isn't dominating, but Kenny Clark is great.

Zadarius and Preston Smith are excellent. Their young safeties are fantastic, and Alexander, one of their corners, to me, is a top two and three corner in the league. let's stop with the Packers. Don't give Aaron enough. Nobody is saying they couldn't use a pass rusher. Hell, 90% of the league would die for a Bosa brother. Nick or Joey, take your pick. But there are a lot more stars.

I mean, elite players playing next to Aaron. Then there are Janus. Mignonas is number two is Chris Middleton. He would not have started for the Warriors dynasty a few years back. Would not have started. Alexander, Devante Adams, Aaron Jones, David Boktiari, Kenny Clark would start for everybody. It would start for everybody in the National Football League. Joy with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Her. Line News. Sponsored by Mercedes-Bets, the best or nothing. Well, Janice was incredible in the finals, winning his first title and finals MVP trophy, and he was able to do that with the small markets, Milwaukee Bucks that drafted him back in 2013. And he spoke about accomplishing his goal about winning without needing to join a super team. Obviously, I want to get the job done.

But that's my stubborn side. Like, it's easy to go somewhere and go win a championship with somebody else. It's easy. I could go. I don't put anybody in spot. But I could go to a super team and, you know, just do my part and win a championship. But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way. And we did it.

It is easier to win when you have multiple superstars on the team. Well, if he joined the Lakers tomorrow, they would win. Right. But I wouldn't say that it's easy. If it was easy, then the heat would have won four straight championships. It's easy er. It's easier. Yes.

It's almost like I've had some financial success in my life, and it's due to, I wasn't granted or gifted a lot of money. I've had a couple of friends who parents did very, very well, and they were gifted with some inheritance. It doesn't mean they didn't work hard. Right. It doesn't mean they don't appreciate it. But it's easier to make money when you start with it. Yeah, it's the conversation of privilege. Right.

Right. Nobody said you didn't work hard. You didn't have to work as hard. Yeah, the hedels worked hard. We're not saying. They lost the first year that they came together. Yeah, they worked hard. And they lost the last year that they were together.

But it is nice to dump it into Bosch and know he's going to make the basket. I would call that a basketball privilege. Yes. What I love about what the Bucks have done, and it's a good timing for this, what's happening with Janus and the Bucks and them winning the championship. And look, had the Sons won, it would be the same conversation, only it would likely be Booker. And then we would be talking about Chris Paul finally, you know, contributing to a team and winning a championship. That's what was so great about this finals.

It wasn't the Bucks, the hardworking Bucks against the super team sons. Like you had CP3, so you had a little bit of elements of adding a superstar. Chris Paul is not won a championship. So I don't think you can put him in that category. That was what's so great about this finals. Yonis had critics, myself included. I was very skeptical about what the box were going to be able to do this. He shoots 34% outside of four feet.

I was one of these. He's got to develop a shot. And he had a massive hole in his game, which was making free throws. If you are constantly going to the basket and getting fouled and you can't make your free throws, that is points you're leaving on the table. Like that matters. So what I love about what happened last night is not only did they win because of him, because he had an all-time performance and a great finals,

he crushed his free throws. It was remarkable to watch. And, yes, they're not a super team. So all of these things make it easy for us to root for him. He is the best player in the league right now. He wasn't before this. Like, you can't say you're the face of the league and the best player in the league when you've got LeBron James and Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.

We've got to win a trophy. In this league, you have to have a championship. You don't necessarily have to win finals MVP, but that just adds to it. Like now he is in not only that category, he is the best player in the league right now. But prior to this championship, I don't think you could say that. By the way, and this is the first time in my life, and it's not a good or bad thing, it's a real thing. Forever I defended domestic players. I'd said this for a year.

Dick Vital said this years ago and got heat. He said we pick apart domestic players because we watch them all the time, and we elevate international players. And for a long time, I thought that was true. But it's no longer. The best player in the league is from overseas. The defensive player of the league, Rudy Gobert, is. from France, the MVP Yokic, Serbia,

the best young player is Luca from Slovenia. Folks, what we are seeing now, international players are running the league. Well, I think not unlike the NFL, which is still very much a domestic game, even though we have international players,

the NBA is an international sport. There are leagues, very competitive leagues all over the world. And you're seeing this now with the Olympics. By the way, I just looked at a mock draft, not this year. This year's draft will have Cade Cunningham, Jalen Suggs, Evan Mobley, you know, USC, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State. The following year after that, the number one pick, they believe, is an international player.

So I think it's great. I mean, and I've said this before, the three-point shot, what I really love about this championship, this is three championships in a row where big and physical beat three-point shots. Yeah. My knock on the NBA, and I love the league. So I talk about it, 30% of my show is NBA. And I get pushed back on that. We both love the NBA.

One of my criticisms of it is aesthetically, it can get very repetitive in the regular season. Three, three, three, three, three. You know, even home runs to me get boring. If the league was all dunks, it would get boring. Like, at some point, what I love about playoff basketball is it wasn't all about threes. No. All the highlights were showing you are mid-range. Last night was so physical.

It was, and I love this kind of basketball. In your faith, that's why I love Zion. Yeah. I love John Morant, a little guy who will drive the lane and jam on you. It's like, I think the game needs layers. And there's a fabric to basketball when it's, I get a dunker, I get an intimidator. Those Pistons teams, people thought they were ugly. They tackled people.

But they could, Isaiah was elegant. Lambeer was a bully. Joe Dumars played. There was layers to the Pistons. Well, at the end of the day, basketball is a contact. sport. Everyone thinks basketball players are soft or something because it was flopping and a little bit of three-point shooting.

It's a contact sport. How valuable was Drew Holiday in this series against Chris Paul? He eliminated him. He didn't shoot great every night, but that's not what mattered. How valuable was PJ Tucker throughout the playoffs? You have to have every aspect really or just an incredible

amount of luck to get and win a championship. And I think that they have everything that need to win a championship and they did it in the right way. So players around the NBA are congratulating Janus and the Bucks on their championship win. LeBron tweeted salute and congrats, Janus, you earned that bleep. Steph Curry said, A, enjoyed watching greatness out there tonight. Greatness.

Congrats, bro. Kevin Durant tweeted nothing but respect for the Milwaukee bucks franchise, the city of Milwaukee and those loud ass fans, incredible playoff run fellas. It was great. So great to have the fans back. So wonderful. Phoenix fans were amazing. Buck's fans were amazing. It was so cool to see all the fans outside. Not for me personally, but it looked like a good time for everyone who was down for that.

I can't do crowds like that. And Rudy Gaubert added so happy for Yannis and Milwaukee, man, amazing to see what happens when you put your heart and your soul into something and stay genuine and true to yourself. Inspirational. Totally inspirational. And Powell Gassal replied to Kobe's 2019 tweet, challenging Janus to win a title following his first league MVP. Kobe tweeted my man MVP greatness.

Next up championship hashtag Mamba mentality. He was talking about Yonis winning his MVP and Powell Gasol responded. He did it brother with a little hard emoji. Hashtag Mamba mentality. Hashtag Kobe's legacy, which was very nice. And I don't have any problem with any of this.

No, it's great. People get like competitors, I don't think each other. Listen, man, over it. At the end of day, these guys are still fans of basketball too. They're going to watch the NBA finals, just like the rest of us. I thought it was absolutely great. I thought the series was fantastic.

They were great competitive games. They're flawed teams. It's not art. This is not Picasso and Rembrandt. Yeah, it wasn't always beautiful. No. No, I mean, listen, Milwaukee got their start can't hit a free throw half the time. And Drew Holiday has weekends.

He can't shoot. Chris Ball had a couple games. He couldn't shoot. So this is not a Rembrandt. But the quality of the intensity of it was fantastic. It was. Finally, Nick Sabin and Davos Winnie are competing for worst takes today. We'll get to Davos later.

But college athletes are now able to earn money off of their name, image and likeness, and I've already capitalized on that new rule. Alabama quarterback, Bryce Young, hasn't started a game for his school yet. Yeah, he's from L.A. But Nick Saban revealed he's already made a lot of money. He said, our quarterback has already approached ungodly numbers, and he hasn't even played yet. If I told you what it is, it's almost seven.

It is amazing. He hasn't played yet, which is pretty amazing. It is. He's not happy about it, is Nick Saban, that he's making his money without playing yet. I don't want to hear this for many coaches, especially Nick Saban, who's earned over $92 million from his college head coaching salaries throughout his career, not to mention his speaking engagements and commercials and his salary this year. Not that he hasn't earned it, every penny. but, well, man, it doesn't, no, no, thank you. Like, so what if Bryce Young hasn't played? That's actually great recruiting for you, Nick. You can make close to seven figures before you ever even touch the field.

No, no. As the quarterback of Alabama. Listen, I just laugh at these fans who think a 12-team playoff and name-image likeness is going to change college football. No, it's not. No. Because Alabama cares more. They've got a better system.

the teams that are going to flourish over the next 10 years. I'll give you nine of them. Alabama, Clemson, because Davao is staying in it. Oklahoma will be great. Ohio State will be great. There'll be another SEC team, probably like Florida with Dan Mullinner, are going to be really, really good. Notre Dame, if Brian Kelly keeps coaching for five years,

it's going to be really, really good. And then one of these West Coast teams, I mean, Oregon's already really good. So if Cristobal stays, they're a recruiting machine out west. Oregon will be really good. This is not going to change any of that. We're not going to suddenly have, you know, coastal Carolina as a wrecking ball through college football. Well, I think it's more about, like Nick has said in the past,

that he refers to all the praise as rat poison, and he believes it inflates his players' egos to a fault. And so the idea is they're going to, these student athletes are going to make all this money, and then they're not going to work as hard. And you can't have it every single way. Most of these kids are not going to make it to the pros. And if they do make it to the pros, and even smaller percentage of them

are going to make massive amounts of money as pros. So you can't talk about how you need to get an education because that's the most important foundation for your life. But also don't make any money while you're getting this education and making billions of dollars and millions of dollars for our school and billions of dollars to the sport.

You can't have it every single way. Think about Nick. If any coach says, I'm worried the players will make money and not work as hard. So what you're telling me is as Nick Saban has gone from a millionaire at Michigan State to 4 million at LSU to 12 million at Alabama, he doesn't work as hard. I'd argue Nick Saban is more relentless than he's ever been. People that are great are not driven by money.

Money's a reward for great. I have known in my life three or four what I would call great talents. None of them have most don't wear a watch. none have a third car, none have a boat. People that are great are not motivated by money. They want it, their respect of it once they've done it. But they're motivated by whether it's ego, pride, accomplishment. Bryce Young, if he's going to be great.

He's going to be great regardless. Also, so what if you're motivated by money? Money is nice to have, and you need it to live your life. By the way, I'm getting free sandwiches today and we're rolling in it. We like freebies and money on the show. Who cares if he's making money? Some people are motivated by money We see guys all the time that make it to the league

And we have all these ridiculous expectations of them They just wanted to make it to the league and make some money That's okay too To your point, if you're gonna be good or great You're gonna be good or great regardless of whether you're making money or not Because guess what? There's been good and great up until this point And they weren't able to make their any money off name, image likeness.

Relax. Good stuff, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays and noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time,

but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Gottlie, on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 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 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 Clivert 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. 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 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, so. 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 podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth.

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines. We have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now.

What's the difference between a Mercedes AMG skeptic and believer, a split second time it takes to fire up the ignition and hear the gutsy engine roar. Mercedes AMG driving performance. So I've been in the stock market since 1989, investing something every month. My dad was in the stock market, and I'm in the stock market, and I've lived through three crashes, and I've never pulled a penny out. Not once. In fact, all three times it's crashed, I've waited about a month, and I've put every red cent I own into it. I never overreact when the stock market goes down.

Two days ago, it went down 900 points. I invested more. I don't worry about it. Because I know it's a good business. The NBA ratings were apparently poor for these finals. It doesn't matter. The only thing keeping the lights on at Fox and NBC, CBS and ABC, is live sports. You have it or you're dead.

Nobody's watching scripted dramas. Nobody cares. Last night, 10 million people watched. That's 9.5 million more than every other Drecky thing on TV. That's the reality of it. matter if it's wrestling, we got that. NFL, we got that. Big 10 football, we got that. Big 12

football, we got that. Baseball playoffs. Fox has that. NASCAR, we have that. We got sports everywhere. It's keeping the lights on. It's paying joy and I. It doesn't matter. The NHL has no ratings. Nobody watches hockey outside of Buffalo. And they just signed a new contract. People bid on it. Everybody

bid on hockey. Bid on hockey. ESPN alone paid almost 700 million and nobody watches it. And that doesn't count the Canadian broadcasting companies that pay it a fortune. Billions of dollars. It doesn't count the other partner with the NHL that will pay hundreds of millions. And the NBA crushes hockey. It's not even competitive.

It doesn't matter. You have to have content. And the only thing in America today that drives numbers is live sports. The NBA is reportedly going to ask for three times what they currently make, and they'll get it. And it's up in two years. Remember the Kaepernick story? All the conservatives freaked out. Oh, the NFL ratings are down.

I just rolled my eyes at all those idiots. The NFL just asked all of us, every network, pay us twice as much. Okay. What are we going to do? What's CBS going to do? What's ABC going to do? What's NBC going to do? You pay the NFL, you pay hockey, you pay baseball.

The reason I came to Fox, they had a lot of sports on television. By the way, that's why I came. I didn't go to MSNBC. I interviewed. I didn't go to CNN I interviewed. Fox had a lot of sports. Murdox like sports. I'm in.

I like it too. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Ratings are irrelevant. I thought the series was fascinating. I like basketball more than most and not as much as some. But if you look around what is driving all the revenue for all the networks, it's sports. Hell, I used to make fun of wrestling.

And I can remember my last few years at the other place I used to work, saying on the air, it's time to put wrestling on broadcast television. It's content. I remember saying that on the air at the other place. And I used to call wrestling fans booger eaters. And I was like, no, it's time to put it on the network. I mean, I feel lucky. I'm in a network that has the best international event in the world, the World Cup.

And in my opinion, the best NFL package. That's the best domestic product. We also have the first or second most popular college product, Big Ten football. We've got baseball playoffs, which say what you want about baseball. Baseball playoffs are Yankees and Cubs and Dodgers and Giants and Braves. They're always great. We got some speed racing. We got some boxing.

So the NBA talk, it doesn't matter. Hockey gets huge money. And nobody, I mean, you go look at the numbers of hockey. There have been times this show is beating a hockey game. I'm not joking. Well, it's the last live thing on television that you have to watch. Everything else is on demand. I don't need to be in front of my TV to watch my favorite scripted show.

I can stream shows. I can stream movies. I can stream new movies that come out from home. The last live thing. you have to be butt on your couch in front of your TV for his sports. That's it. By the way, there's a story today. Magic Johnson came out with some tweets last night.

And he said if Chris Paul opts out, he should join LeBron and the Lakers. It would guarantee a championship. Now, by the way, Fox Bet has the Brooklyn Nets favor to win the championship next year. I do not believe they will. They have the Lakers second, Milwaukee third. That's not necessarily disrespect. Because if Kyrie was dependable and Hardin was health, and Katie was healthy. They'd be a tough out. It's hard to beat three stars, and three stars usually

do win at least one title. And I do think the Lakers actually match up with the bucks really well. The way to beat Milwaukee, you've got to have a body to put on Janus, folks. That's just the way it is. That's why the Utah Jazz or the number one seed, we don't take them seriously. They just don't have a body to match up with LeBron. They just don't. And so I do think Chris Paul, A.D. and LeBron would feel like Drew Holliday, Middleton, and Janus. It would feel like, and you have two veteran coaches both with titles, Boodintholder and Frank Vogel. If I was Chris Paul, I'd stay in Phoenix.

I think it's a good fit. I think he's valued. I think it's a great stay for him. And it's fun to be part of a young unit and come back, run it back, and see if you can win it again. But I could see LeBron calling him, and I could see LeBron saying, hey, dude, you ain't beating Milwaukee without a big. you guys have DeAndre Ait, we got A.D., who's better?

I could see LeBron making that call, and Chris Paul loves Los Angeles, and LeBron's a good salesman, and LeBron and Chris Paul are tight. I could see it happening, and I do think it would make the Lakers the favorite. But my gut feeling is Chris Paul is happy where he's at. I think Phoenix is cool. I think it's a fun run. He loves the coach. He should.

It's a good roster. Phoenix needs to go out in the market and get a Bobby Portis. They need to get a big body. That's what they need to do. And by the way, DeAndre Aiton, it's going to get better. He's going to be better next year than this year. And Devin Vucker is going to add to his game and get better next year than this year. Everybody on that roster except Chris Paul will be better next year than this year.

Chris probably won't. You take Chris Paul from 31 minutes to about 28. How many games next year? 72. If I ran, how many, we're going to have 72 games next year? If I was it 82 next year, I would just sit down with Chris Paul. I'd say you're going to play 68 games. I'd just take out 14.

I'd give you two games off before the All-Star break and one off after the All-Star break. I'd give him a huge two-week mid-season break. I'd give him the last week of the regular season off. I'd give him about 14 games off. I'd take him from 31 minutes down to about 28 minutes and keep playing Cameron Payne. And I'd probably try to go find another young guard on the market. But to me, if I was Chris Paul, I like the Phoenix Operation. I like the roster.

I like the guys. But I will say this. The magic, and he's brilliant on Twitter, the magic tweet, it would make sense. You could see him going and playing with AD and LeBron. I could see LeBron talking into it, and they would be a handful. What else is he need in his career as a championship? There's something to it. Hot water that never runs out.

Tankless made simple.com. Navian tankless water heaters. 15-year limited warranty. We like sports here at Fox. 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, S&L'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 I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. on the Look Back at it podcast. In 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 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 podcast. 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 Clifers Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliford Show on the I-Heard radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast, And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.