The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 12/03/2020 - HOUR 2 - Lakers, Clippers

Episode Date: December 3, 2020

The Lakers are still looking goodClippers had a chemistry problem last seasonGuests: Greg Cosell, Chris Broussard Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 Hurd. listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go. It is our 2 on a Thursday.

We are live in Los Angeles. This is the Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Fox Sports Radio, Iheart Radio, and FS1. You know, it's funny when I used to work at another company, they've dribbled up. I don't know what happened to them. But when I used to work for the other company,

probably the first time you ever heard of me. Joy Taylor's joining me. This show's called The Hurd. I'm the Hurd guy. And so this company, it's 15 years ago almost today. 15, 16 years ago, I got hired by another big company, right? And when I came in, I was a West Coast guy. Right.

So ESPN had a bunch of East Coast guys. Everybody was from the East. And I remember when I first worked there, I said, I got nothing against Pittsburgh. But it's basically Northern West Virginia. Why doesn't anybody ever talk about, like, like Los Angeles and San Francisco and Seattle. Oh, how dare you? And everybody was like, whoa.

So I started doing radio on ESPN and I got, and I hit in Los Angeles. And I remember people used to come up to me all over the country and airports. Everywhere I was at, this was for like 10 years. And they used to thank me. This was like a thing. They'd be like, hey, I just appreciate you acknowledging the West Coast exists. Because before you, it was Mike and Mike and all these shows.

they were just like east, literally there was nothing west of the Mississippi, maybe Chicago. And so I, I, so when I do a 10-minute segment on LA, it's like, yeah, that's what I do. That's how, that's my jam. That's what I roll. Like, we matter out here. Like these stars, all athletes have homes out here. Even if they don't play, they have homes out here. Well, I guess, I'm not going to spend all day talking about Indianapolis.

I mean, you, so I grew up in Pittsburgh, which is, what did you call it, north, northern West Virginia? Yeah. It is not. Pittsburgh's the East. coast. Don't at me either. It is. They put French fries on their hamburgers. We put French fries on our salads. Okay. So it's not really the East Coast. But I will say though, if you haven't, if you've grown up somewhere like that and you lived your life there, California and Los Angeles

feels like it might as well be another country. Yes. It's so far away. It's just not, it just is like New York, Philly, Miami. This feels like, you know, it's, Here's the other thing. Same time zone. All my friends out west have been to New York because for business. Right. When I moved to ESPN, people, like 45-year-old men had never been to Seattle, Denver. Like Ryan Rosillo is a buddy of mine.

He always jokes about it. He's from Boston. And he's like, he and Bill Simmons are from Boston. They both live in L.A. right around where I live. Rissillo is like a neighbor. And he always jokes. Rissillo, to his credit, always says all these Boston guys are like, why would you have a leave? And he's like, you never have.

You don't know what it's like. It's called no winter. It's a whole thing. They think like Martha's Vineyard is going to, is going to Europe. Yeah. I mean, I had, I went to L.A. once, twice before I moved here. And it was only because Jason was on Dancing with the Stars. So, like, had the privilege of coming out and seeing him in the show.

And, like, didn't even really go around L.A. like that. Like, the furthest I had ever, West side had ever been in Kansas when he was playing them in college. Right. I get a new concept of the West. Coast. I never feel I have to apologize for Los Angeles. No, there's lots of people that live here. 10 million people in our county. Yes, California's a big place.

Yeah. Let's go to Greg CoSell. NFL Meat Sandwich, NFL Films, 41 years. If you bet it, if you do fantasy, if you love football, he's my favorite. He is now joining us live. By the way, just thinking something off the top of my head. Years ago, you and I were at San Diego. Yeah. At a, you remember the Steve Clark's camp. Without question.

I remember well. And I asked you, and to your credit, I said, Greg, I'm going to lean on you. I watched Mitch Trubisky. I do not understand it. And you said to me, he's a front leg thrower. This is probably not going to be great. You were way early on it. Everybody was falling in love with him.

And you said, Colin, I've looked at tape. Front leg thrower, that ball's going to duck. And nobody, I always refer to that if I talk to scouts. I'm like, CoSell told me. So to your, now I want to talk about another quarterback who I think is more talented, but he is struggling. It is Lamar Jackson. And I've said, can he break through whatever this is?

People get filmed. They throw stuff at you. If you're Baltimore, what would concern you about Lamar? Well, I think where do you have to get to with Lamar, and I've always believed this. I believe, and Bill Walsh was the one who taught me. this really, Colin, you have to get to a point where your past game and your run game can work independently of one another. And what happens in the NFL, because there's really smart coaches, is they figure out how to better defend the multi-dimensional run game of the Ravens, as good

as Greg Roman is, and he may be as good as there is in designing run game concepts, but defensive coordinators figure it out. So now you have to be able to throw the football, and you have to be able to throw the football independent of all those run game concepts in any given game. So now you get to a drop-back passing game in which you have to be able to understand your concepts in complete detail and understand defensive concepts in complete detail. That's how quarterbacks are able to eliminate what's not there quickly and isolate what is there quickly within the structure of the offense and a comfort level in the pocket. He is not at that point So what happens is because he's always been able to rely on his legs is he now moves prematurely.

He leaves the pocket prematurely at times. And yes, he'll make some special runs because he's that special. But he will also leave a lot of throws on the field that are there. Kansas City can win multiple ways. They can win finesse. They can win power. That is generally rare. Generally, there's ways teams can win.

And the Brown's Titans play this week. and they do feel like there's a certain formula for them to win. The running games excelling. And I think Tennessee is a better version of Cleveland. What does the film say? Well, you're hit it right on the head. They're mirror images of each other philosophically. But I think you're right that overall the Titans pass game is better than Cleveland,

more consistent. But both those teams still have to figure out just what I said about the Ravens, how they can throw the football if the run game is. not the driving force. I think that Tannehill has shown over the last number of weeks, he's done a much better job off the run game of getting to, let's say, his second read, which becomes critical because teams understand where do you want to go with the football off your play action pass game, and often they'll take it away. So they'll take away, for instance, A.J. Brown on a lot of those inbreakers at times, then you've got to go somewhere else. And Tanahill's done a better job of that in

recent weeks, for instance, hitting Corey Davis, who's become a little more of a volume target in the past two, three games, but not as the number one primary on those plays. So they've done a better job of that. Right now, Baker Mayfield is still struggling. He's very inconsistent. You can see he plays very fast. There's a frenetic movement to him. But then he'll also make two or three throws a game that remind us all while he was the number one pick when he came out of Oklahoma. And so he's still trying to figure out how to be more composed, more comfortable in the pocket, and play just with a little more poise. There are things that are correctable and there are things as a quarterback that are not. Jared Goff is in a really bad stretch of turnovers, fumbles and interceptions.

And I've always felt with Goff that when he's comfortable, he's very good. When he's uncomfortable, he's a liability. are his flaws, Jared Goff. Are they correctable? I would say an answer to that, that Jared Goff is kind of what he is, and I think we all know what he is. I think he's a programmed quarterback who is very system-based. And again, most quarterbacks are. That is not a pejorative negative statement.

But he is really like that. So when the system works and McVeigh has a phenomenal system and he can drop back and be comfortable in the pocket, and he gets what he expects coverage-wise, which comes from coaching and play-calling, then he looks really good because he throws the ball really well. When he doesn't get that for whatever reason, it could be coverage-based. The Niners did some great things in coverage this week. And Jimmy Ward, by the way, is a really overlooked player in the Niners' defense, but they did some really good things in coverage.

When he gets pressure where he's not comfortable in the pocket, then his efficiency drops. He's not going to become a different player, Colin. This is who he is. So he becomes very much a function of this scheme. I want to talk about Aaron Rogers because I don't really care about awards. I'd give him my MVP. I don't think he's as good as Mahomes, but I think he's more valuable to his team. So Matt LaFleur comes in, and I thought Matt LaFleur was very good in the first half last year,

but young coaches often aren't great after intermission. That's where the Belichick's and Pete Carrolls are. This year, I think Green Bay is in a better job. although they've had some clunkers in the second half of, you know, making adjustments at half. But I will say this. This year, this is the second year with Matt LaFleur. Last year, you could argue, well, he's no better than he was with Mike McCarthy. So it wasn't about Matt LaFle.

This year, Aaron looks much more comfortable to me. What are you seeing with him and LaFleur? That's just what it looks like for me. The body language is emotionally better. Why is he so comfortable? And you're 100% right, Colin. And think of this. What are we not seeing as much this year with Rogers that we've become used to seeing,

him running around and leaving the pocket? We're seeing way less of that. This offense now, this past game is a very desirable combination of being highly schemed where they win with the route concepts, but also Rogers being very aggressive when he sees one-on-ones. Because when he sees one-on-ones, whether it's on the out-one, whether it's on the outside or whether it's in the slot, if it's man coverage, he's going to throw that ball. But yet they're also very schemed, and you see a lot of plays where the design, the concept wins.

The touchdown we're seeing right here to Robert Tunyon is a great example of that. So this is now a really good mix. I know people like to say for whatever it means that, oh, Rogers has bought in. I don't know exactly what that means. I don't know what's an Aaron Rogers head. I can only tell you that the film shows that this offense is. is really well-schemed, but yet Rogers will be willing to turn it loose anytime he sees those one-on-ones.

So now I want to go to Brady on this because I said this week, we looked at his numbers, 28 TDs, 11-11 picks, 94-passer rating, 65, data, blah, blah, blah. And I said, listen, considering Evans was hurt early, so was Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard leaves. Fournette came right before the season, new coach, new system. I'm like, maybe we're being ridiculous here. He leads the NFL, I believe, in completions. Only Mahomes. Only a few of the stars have more yards.

And I'm like, are we over-analyzing this? Is Brady actually having a pretty darn good year? Like, what is the film say? Well, it's a different offense. He's very used to an offense that's very rhythmic-based in terms of quick game-type throws. Three-step drops, bang-play action, five-step drops, ball comes out.

This is a little bit of a different offense in terms of the vertical element to it. And by vertical, I don't mean throwing the ball 40, 50 yards down the field. So what that means, Colin, is it means you're in the pocket for just a bit longer. Think of it this way, and the audience will be able to appreciate this. Three-step timing is 1.5 seconds, the ball's out. Five-step timing is 2.1 seconds. Seven-step timing is 2.6 seconds. So when you start getting into more of the five-step and the seven-step timing, you're just in the pocket longer.

And that changes the timing and it changes your mental clock. So there's more of those deeper kinds of throws in this offense. And the offensive line has been a little bit of an up-and-down struggle this year, and he's been under a little more duress because the ball doesn't necessarily come out as quick within the structure of this style of offense. So while he's not had a bad year, there's been more what we would call. negative plays that were not used to seeing when he was in New England. I want to talk about the Steelers. Obviously, in the NFL, Seattle and the New York Giants, I think, are better today than week two. I think the Bears and the Niners and the Steelers are worse than week two or three. Teams have ever flow, right? Some of it with Pittsburgh is now. Bud DePree is now up for the year. Devin Bush is out. Two really, really high-end linebackers out.

And I watched them last night, but I want to talk about the running game specifically. You would have never wanted Big Ben at this point in his career to throw 50. times against RG3 in a MASH unit in Baltimore. They can't. By choice. They didn't have to do that. That was by choice. So let me ask you, is their run game, why, the Steelers, they have a very good offensive line.

They, you can't, you can't crowd the box because Ben will beat you deep. They have good receivers. Right. What is up with their running game? What is it? Well, by choice, they're having been dropped back an awful lot, Colin. You know, earlier in the season, there was a three or four week stretch where James Connor, and I know he's on the COVID list, and hopefully he gets back okay, but there was a three

or four week stretch where James Connor was very effective. He was averaging 17, 18 carries a game. Their run game looked pretty solid. Then he had a couple of games where it wasn't that good, and then it seems like they've totally abandoned it. I mean, look, what's sustainable and what's not sustainable is always open to debate with smart, reasonable people. I just, to me, you don't want Ben Rafflesberger dropping back by choice 45, 50 times in a game. Yes. Now, a lot of their past game is very quick game now. And sure, they do take their shots, but they try to get the ball out of Ben's hands

pretty quickly. But I think they're going to need some kind of run game. I don't want to throw out the word balance because that's a cliche, and it can mean many different things to have many different teams. But I just don't think 50 dropbacks by choice is something you want to do every week. Finally, our big play. Let's just talk Mahomes. You know, every great quarterback has a unique quality to them.

Mahomes has something that I don't think I've ever seen. The back pedal where he'll take a long, and he'll just keep, because he has so much confidence in his arm, he just keeps backpedaling. He just waits for the receiver to break. It's special to watch and you saw it. I do wonder if Kansas City sometimes, because they score so brilliantly and quickly,

if they're not urgent enough at times with their series. I guess it's a Golden State Warrior problem. When you can score so fast, you know you can score so fast. You don't always play with urgency. But let's talk a little about Mahomes. Well, he's pretty good. I mean, you know, we spoke about Rogers earlier. I mean, I think you can easily make the case that Rogers and Mahomes are the two best

throwers in the game. And Mahomes is truly, truly special. And he's just one of those guys. There's really not a whole lot more to say about him. And of course, he's getting better mentally the more he plays. And I think he's one of those guys that really understands how important that part of the game is. And certainly Andy Reid does. But he is just absolutely special as a thrower.

And we're seeing him here throw. This was the first touchdown to Tyree Kill. The play I want to show was actually the second touchdown to Tyree Kill. And we can end up to – and this is it right now. So let's actually take a look at this and we can break it down. So this was the second touchdown that we're talking about to Tyree Kill. And this was something they do very, very often, and they do very, very well. And what they do here is they line up in what we call a one by three set.

And we call it a one by three, not a three by one, because it's the tight end, who's the single receiver to the boundary side of the field opposite the trips. And here what the bucks show, they show a two deep coverage, two man coverage, two deep safeties, and man to man across the board. But they will rotate to cover one, a single high man cover. with that safety taking the back. What's the matchup here? It's Tyreek Hill, Carlton Davis.

And they love when Hill is in the inside slot to trips to run this deep over route. They'll run it against man. They'll run it against zone. It's a staple of theirs, and he just runs away from Carlton Davis. It's really not terrible coverage, but it's just very difficult to cover.

In man coverage, he's running away from the deep safety, so the deep safety provides no help. So it's just a speed issue. And obviously Mahomes just put it right on them. But they're a very, very difficult defense, very difficult offense to defend. Yeah. Greg CoSell NFL films over four decades. Great seeing you again, Greg.

Thanks, Colin. Appreciate it. You bet. Look at that. We got new information on LeBron this morning. New information. We may have to get back to that LeBron MJ debate. New information coming in.

Wow. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day. a week within the IHeart radio app. Search heard 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'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 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 conversation. with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio, app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do 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 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the 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, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

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Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. In two days, it's the fight event of the fall as undefeated Earl Spence Jr. takes on Danny Garcia for the World Welterweight Championship, available on pay-per-view or buy the fight on foxports.com slash PPV and watch on any screen you want. Boxing is one of the last things that gets me to pay-per-view. it's one of the last a five, I shouldn't say that.

UFC does too. UFC in boxing. I mean, there's a lot of stuff I just don't do pay-per-view on, but there's just something about your, and it's always one of these things. Like, I know the fight exists. I don't buy it in advance. And I'm just sitting there, and there's some psychology.

This is why, by the way, they always, like the Tyson fight, they keep pushing it off because everybody's like me. Like, it's $50. And it's like, and I always rationalize it like, this is a business expense. I've got to watch this anyway. I may not talk about it a ton on the air, but I'm going to talk about it a little. And I like watching fights.

But it's like one of the last things like, I'll just drop 75 bucks and be like, hey, call a buddy over. And it's like, I got the beers. Bring over some chips. Let's watch a fight. Well, I always say this. Like boxing and UFC, it's an event. Well, you always say it's an event. But it's like you're watching history.

Right. Because no matter what, this is not going to happen again. Right. Like if you miss a NFL game on Sunday because you're watching another NFL game. Right. That team is going to play next week. week and maybe even if it's the last game of the season, most of that team will be back next year. So, like, you may see it again.

Right. It's why the playoffs are so big. That's why March Madness is so big. Like, you're only going to see this collection, like this group of people one time do this thing. If you're watching a boxing event, like, it's got my retire and you never fight again. Like, you have to be a part of that night. Yeah. I'll watch it.

I guarantee you that. Joy with the news. No. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Don't you just love Wednesday afternoon NFL games? I thought it was, I just sat there and I was like, it was just, I just grabbed my computer.

I literally had chips. That's my weakness. And I sat there with guacamole and chips and I, with a Diet Coke and sat and watched the game for two hours. It's really, uh, there's, look, it was not an ideal for anyone involved. But, you know, to having sports on at all these random times after not having sports for five months, I'm like, I'll take it. I'll take it. I'll take it Wednesday afternoon game. Why not?

So the Steelers remain undefeated. They beat the rabbi. 1914 yesterday, not a very artistic win. How many passes did they drop? God, they didn't do anything well. It was something, and Mike Tomlin was not pleased. I'm really disappointed in our performance tonight. We did enough to win, but that's all.

It was really junior varsity, to be quite honest with you, and it was in all three phases. We couldn't run the ball effectively when we needed to. We dropped too many significant passes, very catchable, makeable passes. We didn't make significant passes. plays in the special teams game. A kickoff coverage unit wasn't good enough.

We turned the damn ball over. We gave up big plays in critical moments on defense. Can't have it. They converted a long run on a possession down. A quarter half, unacceptable. They had a 70-yard touchdown late in the game. Unacceptable. I feel like when Mike Tomlin is upset, he's upset at me.

Like when you're listening to him, like, you would not interrupt that man. If he is scolding you, you're going to sit there and listen to every word he says. And when he is finished, if he has given you an opening to respond, you will. And that's only if he's given to ask you a question. Otherwise, you're going to sit there and listen. I've always appreciated Tomlin's ability not to sugarcoat stuff. To me, he's a man's man. He's not trying to sell me something.

Like Mike will say, we're great, we're not afraid. I mean, he's always asked these questions. This is why he's going to be a great television broadcaster. He ducks nothing. there is no salesmanship. He is telling you he is as honest. He should be a politician because he would just tell you, wear a damn mask.

And you'd be like, well, Mike said to wear a mask, I'm going to wear a mask. There's no fluff to him. There's no agenda with Mike other than be good. And if you're not, I'll call it out. And this is what you want to hear after. I mean, just the start of that game was a disaster. Steeler fans have been whining all you. You're like the seventh best team in the league this morning.

I'm done. They are undefeated, and if you're a fan, you're going to hang your hat on that. What's the value of that this morning? If you're a fan, but if you're Mike Tomlin, you got to keep it real. That was not the performance that you should have had against that Ravens team. They had no one. It's embarrassing. We talk about good losses.

That was a bad win. A bad loss. A bad win, yes. And that's what he said. They did enough to win, so there's that. But there's no reason the Steelers, and I don't think that they do. I don't think the team themselves walk away from that game, feeling good about that performance. Also, they lost Bud Dupree towards ACL, so he is out for the season.

Bad news, because he was having a good year. Yes, Alex Highsmith will replace him, who is a third-round draft pick rookie. Bud Dupree had 31 tackles, eight sacks, 15 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles. Obviously, they lost Devin Bush earlier in the year during his ACL, so another really big loss. Not good for the Steelers overall. I mean, look, I still think the Steelers are a great team, and they're very good. You're going to get a number one seed probably. Yes, and that's what you want because there's only one by this year.

They'll lose to Tennessee. No, I don't think you're going to lose to Tennessee. But it's like, look, they have, that's a significant injury. That's not what you want. And that was not the performance that you wanted against the Ravens, who had, obviously, we all know what the situation with the Ravens is. So Texans receiver Will Fuller's seasons over due to a PED suspension. He's also in the final year of his rookie deal.

And Sean Watson is making it clear he wants Fuller to stay in Houston. You know, Will's my brother. The whole organization knows that too. And, you know, make sure that we get them back for next year, especially in this organization. But, yeah, I mean, that's very important. So definitely one guy that I'm going to be working on this last month and all season for sure. They got to watch out because they have Tunzel's law expensive and Deshaun and J.J. Watt. And you pay their, you know, they become the Cowboys, which is you're really thin and poor at certain spots, but you got five stars. Like, I would struggle to pay Will Fuller.

he's been hurt too much. And then this would tick me off. No one you have a contract here, this would, if I went GM, not a fan. I mean, if Deshaun has a, like, how much else are you going to take away from Deshawn? I know, but I'm a general manager. Remember, he was talked about being traded.

And after the deadline, Watson said it would have been hell if the team had traded him. I know, but I can't pay will for them. I can't, if you're not responsible enough with this and you've had injuries, I can't pay him. Now, the left tackle, I told you a month ago, I think J.J. Watt, who by the way, he wants to play in a winner. I don't know why they don't deal J.J. Watt. You can't tell me there's not, it's too late now.

They'll have to do it next year. But I would take J.J. Watts' salary for a year. I think with everything that happens this season with the Texans, they were just like, let's just, let's keep what we have in place and make these kind of moves when we have our new head coach and our new GM. And, you know, we're into our next season. But I'm with you. I don't think that J.J. Watt finishes. his career in Houston. Both people win. He wins and the Texans get salary cap relief. Yeah. So all three of the Ball Brothers are now in the NBA.

I saw this. So who signed with Detroit? Leangelo Ball has agreed to a non-guaranteed one-year deal with the Pistons. Remember, he played in Lithuania after he left UCLA. He went undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft. He played in LaVar's JBA League. And then he signed with the G League in Oklahoma City. How did he do there?

He didn't play a game before the season was canceled due to the pandemic. So he was a practice player in December of 2019. What's hit your end of this stuff? What's his rep? Like you like that, ballslife.com? He, uh, do like ball's life. You're really into that. So tell me what's his game.

The underground NBA hoops scene. I am. He shoots a lot. He's a good shooter. He's a little physical. He's not as quick as his brothers. He's still very big. He's got a better looking jumper.

There's a lot of people that actually feel like he should be playing tight end rather than pursuing a basketball career. But he wants to play basketball and obviously was good enough to be on a G-League team. And now is a non-guaranteed one-year deal with the Pistons. So he's going to try and make the team in camp is what's happening. He's not super quick on this video. He doesn't have the speed of his brothers now. He's a good shooter and he's not as quick. He's a bigger physical player.

But the bigger story, obviously, is LeVar. If you're listening, I would really. appreciate it if you'd speak some manifestations over my life. Because whatever this man says comes to pass when it comes to his sons. Like he said that he was going to do this. And this is an incredible story. Like he's, all three of his sons are currently in the NBA. So that was going to happen.

Okay. Nobody believed it. I used to get hate mail because I would defend the war ball. And I said, he got three kids offered to UCLA. I hope my kids can get into a trucking school. And so I'm like, I'm not going to bag on any dad who gets three boys. offered to one of the best universities. You know, UCLA has more people apply to UCLA than any?

It has a huge international connection. So I used to get hate mail. Like, how do you defend this, blah, blah, blah? I'm like, A, he's entertaining. B, he brags a lot, but that's sports. So is Connor McGregor. People brag. And bottom line is, his sons, you know,

I was watching all this Chino Hills stuff on the internet. They were like crushing people. I'm like, they can play. He's an AAU dad. He's an AAU dad. And if you spend any time around, around AAU sports, that's what it is. Now, obviously, he's over the top, and he says things that nobody agrees with.

That's fine. But at the end of the day, everything you just said is true. And look, like, there's, look, most people who haven't had a father in their life would love to have someone like the bar ball in their life campaigning for them. No family is perfect, but he's great television. Can't deny that. And what he said was going to happen, happens no matter what you say. Like, nobody's going to risk their job to make LeVar Ball happy.

Like clearly they feel like his sons are talented enough to be in the NBA and they're all there. Every time I ask him to come on the show, he comes on. Like I always, I think he gets me. I get, I like him. I mean, I think he's goofy, but who cares? I'm goofy. I mean, I don't. The bottom line is, loves his family. The boys love

Levar. They're loyal to a sometimes. Yes, and shout out to Tina, because she's been through a lot and she clearly holds the whole family together as well. So she deserves a lot of credit as well. Good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd.

Line news. Yeah, I was going to say it's interesting because Anthony Davis signed yesterday with the Lakers. So he's not now. His contract and LeBron's contract the day before, a 24-hour period, they both signed. That means Yonis is not going to come play here. That's better for the league. Let Yonis stay in Milwaukee, which I think he'll probably do. Maybe Miami, but stay in Milwaukee.

But it's interesting. When LeBron first came to L.A., they had a bunch of young kids. They weren't very good. So our whole takeaway was, mine was, I was like, can they win one? That'd be unbelievable. Unbelievable. You win a couple in Miami. You go to Cleveland and you win in Los Angeles.

But now we've got new information. Number one, LeBron and AD's chemistry is like the closest stars. I'm trying to even put any two together. I don't know if there's ever been two stars that like each other this much. Magic and Kareem got along. They were very different people, but they got along. Okay, so that's number one. Number two is they've already got a title.

Number three is they had the best off season in the league. That's indisputable. And number four is, oh, Golden State's not in the way. And you start looking at all these Western contenders. So let's take Oklahoma City. They lost Chris Paul. Let's take the Denver Nuggets. They lost Jeremy Grant.

The Clippers lost Landry Shamit and Montrez Harrell and their head coach. The Rockets, although not a huge threat, lost Westbrook. They're coached and their GM. Portland, Utah are good, but they don't match up with, they don't have anybody to guard. LeBron. So Utah just does not match up athletically with the Lakers at all. They just don't. They don't have a wing defender, and they still don't, and they know it.

And Portland, I think they got Robert Covington, so he's a long, rangey player. But they're kind of too back court dependent, frankly. So we've got new information. This feels like to me, this L.A. thing, this Laker thing, is not going away and you start putting up those. Remember, when Tom Brady, Joe Montana was four for four,

he was the goat. The minute Brady won a fifth, we didn't care about his Super Bowl losses. Like he beat Atlanta, we didn't even argue about it. The next day it was like, okay, Tom's the goat, Joe's runner up, even though he wasn't perfect. You start looking at this, Michael's six for six. It's always been six for six. If LeBron gets to six or seven, much like Brady, Montana, we're not going to care about the losses. We're just going to go, LeBron won more. Perfection matters until somebody trumps it with more titles and more volume. I mean, Magic was in nine finals and won five. If Magic has got seven of nine, we're not talking about Michael all the time.

So you start looking at the way this thing is going up and down. And what they're adding in L.A., we've got new information. This is a force to be reckoned with Chris Broussard's around the corner of the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays and noon east. 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 you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for Raw, Unthinker. filtered 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. 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 Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast. I'm Sam Jette. 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, 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. They're finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for basketball. black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the things, 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, Keer Game. is 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 Hardway and listen now.

Let's get right to Chris Brousard. Don't want to waste any time. The former New York Times sports writer, Fox Sports NBA analyst now joining me live. Don't want to waste any time. Westbrook, John Wall, trade. There was a draft pick. I don't care. It's the NBA draft. It's all about prospects anyway. I loved Westbrook Overwall is a trade piece. I mean, I think Westbrook's a much better player to you. Yeah, especially at this point. I mean, he was better than John Wall anyway.

But John Wall hasn't played a game in almost two years. He hasn't played a full season in about three years. So we have no idea what he's going to come back with. The only guy you can point to who came back from an Achilles injury and was the same is Dominique Wilkins. Now, that's a good sign for Walker's Wilkins was athletic explosive as his wall, but it's no guarantee he's going to be the same player. But even if he is, I think Washington won this trade because Westbrook makes them relevant.

They haven't been relevant for a few years out of the playoffs. Now you're must-see TV. Everybody wants to see what Westbrook and Bradley Beale can do. They'll put shooters around him. They've got Davise Bertrans and they'll play off Westbrook and see what they can do. Look, I give them a shot to make the playoffs in the East, and this is what Westbrook has that Wall doesn't, even though both of them were explosive athletes.

Westbrook plays with an aggressiveness and a ferocity that is so unique and so dynamic that it's an X factor. For your team and for the opponent, it keeps the opponent off guard, off balance, because this dude is so unique and dynamic, and it's kind of like a boxer with a knockout punch. He might not be technically sound. You know, can't do it.

Deonté Wilder, can't do much else. But he can always catch you. That threat is there, right? That's Westbrook. So at least you got that. I mean, you're not winning a championship in Washington, but you're relevant, you're sexy, you're a lot more fun than you were two days ago.

So LeBron and Anthony Davis are locked in now for a couple of years. A lot of stars in this league do not get along. Why do those two get along so well? Well, one, LeBron is just, he's great at things like that. I mean, obviously, he had his issues with Kyrie, but a lot of that was just Kyrie was the young gun and didn't want to hear from the older guy. But a lot of this, Colin, is where they're at in their career. Okay.

LeBron has done so much individually winning championships. He's not threatened by AD whatsoever. So he's ready to mentor him. he doesn't mind if AD gets some shine or even the shine. At this point in his career, he's ready to mentor him. And when you bring two young guns together and they're both still climbing, that's when you often have problems. Shaq and Penny,

they could have been one of the greatest duos ever, but they were both young guns and they were worried about who was getting the credit. In Philadelphia, the people will tell you that's the problem with Embed and Simmons, is that they're fighting for credit. Who's the man? Who's the star on the team? Shaq and Kobe obviously had success, but they were still both so close in age,

both in their prime and young and climbing, that they butted heads about that. Kareem and Magic didn't know, because Kareem had won a championship. He had his five, six MVP's Magic rookie year was his sixth. And he had been a while without winning, so he didn't mind a young gun coming in and helping him.

And Magic wasn't threatened by Kareem. It was more like a big brother, little brother relationship. And that's what this is. This is big brother, little brother versus two little brothers who are fighting for daddy's attention. So I think that's a big part of why they do get along so well. And there's no threat there from each other. You know, yesterday the athletic broke a piece that was pretty remarkable on Kauai, Paul George, the Star Treatment. and you know the NBA's got one king it's king James but there's a lot of guys that want the treatment like

paul george and they they don't have anything to show for it were you surprised by the animosity apparently behind closed doors with this clippers team well i wasn't surprised just because i had been hearing it you know for the past few months that there were issues there that it was really you know montres harrow lou williams and pat beverly were bothered by the culture change where, you know, before those two, the two stars got there, they were the little engine that could. They had a culture, work your tail off, you know, and those three got a lot of shine, even though they weren't really stars. And then you bring Kauai and Paul George in and everything changed culturally. And that was a problem. I was told to the, yeah, obviously some things Kauai did

rub guys the wrong way, not really practicing, not really being connected to the team, flying in and being late for flights coming from San Diego. Obviously, that rubs you the wrong way. But for the most part, guys, what I was told, were not as bothered by Kauai because he delivered. If you're going to get star treatment, they all understand. They've been in the league long enough to know. They're star treatment for guys.

But when you deliver, guys can live with it. Paul George wasn't delivering. When he's giving you 10 points in a playoff game, guys are going to be bothered by why are you getting this star treatment? I said this a few months ago. There were people on that roster that thought they were as good or better than Paul George. And I'm not talking about Kauai. So they were the ones looking at it like, how is this dude getting all this special treatment?

And I think I'm better than him or at least as good as him. Why am I getting that? So that was the problem. But I tell you what, Colin, I think that they're going to be better for it this year. I think they'll be humbled. I think they'll be motivated. Obviously, they got Mantra's Harold out. They think that's addition by subtraction.

Serge Ibaka is a great chemistry guy, locker room guy. He's close with Kauai. He can bring out the fun guy in Kauai. So I think the Clippers will be better. People are writing them off at their own peril. Lakers should be the favorite. No question about it. But don't write off the Clippers just yet.

Chris Broussard, odd couple with Rob Parker. It always looks so well-appointed. So look at him. He's just very classy. You bring some dignity and class to our show, and it's certainly from where I said it's certainly needed. Good to see you, buddy. Good to see you, man.

Love this show. All right. It's the streaming service, everybody. You should like if you're into a bunch of stuff. Discovery. Discovery Plus all the shows, Food Network, Discovery Channel, HGTV, plus exclusive originals. You won't see anywhere else.

It's coming in 2021 Discovery app. Here's some of the thing, the athletic article. Joy, share this. with you yesterday. Kauai Leonard and Paul George were the only players to have their own personal security guards and trainers. Now, I will say for pro athletes, sometimes they have their own trainers. That's not.

If you have the money, a lot of guys, Russell Wilson's probably got his own trainer, Tom Brady. Leonard and Paul George had the power over teams' practices and travel schedule. James Hardin has that in Houston. I don't love it, but it's what they had. Kauai was allowed to live in San Diego and commute from there, which often made him late for team flights. That I don't like at all. Guys don't want to sit in, don't make anybody sit in a tarmac.

Kauai Leonard and Paul George typically didn't speak to the media until at least 45 minutes after games concluded under the guise of postgame treatment workouts. Don't love that either. So I'll give you a trainer. I'll give you a trainer. A lot of guys have trainers. Your body is your,

you know, it's your commerce. And I don't have a problem. I don't love it, but I do get asking Kauai and Paul George. What's the best time to practice tomorrow? I kind of get that. I don't like you telling us when the plane leaves. I don't like you being late to the plane. And just talk to the media. LeBron James literally walks off the floor every game and goes right to the media. He could be in Memphis. If the king can talk to the media, don't give me this talk to the hand stuff. Nonsense.

Just go give 45 seconds to the young guy or gal that's on the sidelines asking NBA questions. Come on. The king does it. All right, hour three, Greg Jennings around the corner. Live in L.A., it's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends. on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, 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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfields of conversations. with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrating.

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.