The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 03/05/2019

Episode Date: March 5, 2019

Colin says the Lakers season ended last night and now they are entering the crazy rumor stage of the season.  He thinks Antonio Brown went on LeBron's show to find sympathy because NFL players have none for him.  He ranks his top 10 NBA players this season and you'll be shocked where he has LeBron.  Plus, Redskins TE Vernon Davis comes in studio to talk about his combine and his role in one of the most legendary NFL press conferences ever  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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

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Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to her. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com Or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app

by searching herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, on a Tuesday, this is the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We are live and about to be rainy again, Los Angeles, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Very, very busy show today. Joy Taylor is joining me. Usually at this time of the year, I'm. I'm on my soapbox yelling, LeBron should be MVP.

This is outrageous. In one hour from now, I will list for you who I think the 10 best players in the league have been this year. Stats, games played, productivity, wins, power. So an hour from now, I'll essentially give you my MVP voting and how I've come to terms with what this year has been for LeBron James. and Joy Taylor again joining us on a Tuesday. Joy, how are you? I'm great. Good morning. Good morning.

The LeBron Laker thing, they lost again last night to the Clippers. They're stages, right? They always talk about stages of death, right? Like, you know, like there's the grieving part. There's the accepting part. There have been stages of this whole Laker-Lebron thing. There was the recruiting stage. Can we get him?

Can we get him? And then there was the LeBron's a Laker stage. And there's a power struggle stage. Who's going to get their way? and now we have entered the fourth stage, which is the rumor stage. Season's over, now the rumors start. The big rumor out there today is Luke Walton is done. I can confirm, I've heard this from three different sources I've trusted.

And I've also been told, Ty Lou, 75, 80 percent chance will be the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. So we had the recruiting stage. We got LeBron's a Laker stage. We got the power struggle stage. And now we have, all right, this one's done. Rumor stage. You're going to hear a lot of rumors. The Luke Walton one is in full swing.

LeBron's going to win this. He doesn't have a close friend on the roster, not close with the coaches, not necessarily close with the ownership. He is close with Magic, who's got his own power struggle in the building with Jeannie Bus. LeBron's going to win this power struggle. he's going to get his coach. Tailu's a solid head coach. The rumors are very persistent and very strong now.

We have entered the rumor stage of LeBron as a Laker. My belief, what the Lakers, this is the highest probability this morning of what they'll look like next year, although it's not set in stone. Tailu is your coach. LeBron is your star. Anthony Davis, via Clutch Sports, is also next to LeBron. And then Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, one of those two will not be traded to get Anthony Davis, and that's your team. That is a good team.

It is certainly a more interesting team. It is not a top five team in the league. It is not Golden State. It is not Houston. It is not Philadelphia. Joy and I, boys, like the Sixers a lot. They're growing, but it's not Philadelphia. I don't think it's Milwaukee.

I don't. And I don't think, frankly, Kyrie there or not, I think, Bob. Austin has got more depth, more picks, more players, and would land somebody else if Kyrie left. It is somewhere between 6 and 12 in the NBA. LeBron's really smart. LeBron's been around a long time. Do I believe LeBron thinks my guy Ty Lou and Anthony Davis and let's say Brandon Ingram, we're winning a title.

No, I do not. This rumor stage is going to get really, really, really. tasty here over the next three months. Kyrie Irving's name is going to start surfacing. LeBron's very good with shooters. Clay Thompson's name is going to start surfacing. LeBron's great with shooters. Kevin Durant's name.

Many will dismiss it. I am told he doesn't want to leave California. That's what I'm told. You're going to now we have entered the rumor stage. some of these will be silly, some will be more concrete. The first big rumor now that's coming out is it's over for Luke. I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying it's fair.

Many people can deny it. I'm told Tai Lu is probably the next guy. And it's interesting as I'm driving to work this morning, I'm thinking about LeBron James. And every great player in NBA history, and I'm just going to talk great ones, even they have had a hole. Magic, not a very good defender. Larry Bird, so, so athletically. Michael Jordan didn't have the greatest shooting range, to be honest with you.

Mostly a mid-range guy. Kobe Bryant, not always the best on-floor teammate. Charles Barkley, Lord, he was talented. Practice, effort, defense. Sometimes Charles, a little apathetic. Wilk Chamberlain, kind of a flake. LeBron James. Well, he can shoot, he can drive, he can handle.

Oh, God, he can pass. He's strong physically. I've never seen LeBron as having a hole in his game. Not saying he's an A plus at everything. But in his prime, he could defend, he could pass, he could shoot, he could score, developed a low post game, took him about seven, eight, nine years, and developed into a really nice three-point shooter. The hole in LeBron's game to me has always been. He struggles with authority.

I'm not a psychologist. I'm not going to try to play one. Push back on Riley, push back on Gilbert, push back on coaches, especially when he's introduced to a new coach. David Black, get out of here. Eric Spolstra. I want you out of here. Pat Riley won't.

Luke Walton, you're not my guy. I want you out. LeBron has struggled with authority. That's the hole in his game. And this year, it has completely been on. display. The difference is he can't give you 42 minutes a night. LeBron was always the player that could just sort of overwhelm you, overwhelm, take a bad roster, take a MozGov, take guys that didn't move well, take flaky guys, J.R. Smith, take the

always enigmatic Mario Chalmers, take an older D. Wade, take a Kevin Love, who's not a great defender. LeBron could always just burrow through all of it. He just can't anymore. but he does remain one of the smartest NBA players, not just this year ever. And the projected Laker team next year is Ty Lou, LeBron and Anthony Davis, and one of the young guys. I do not believe that LeBron James thinks, that's a title team.

So we are in the beginning stages of rumors. The Luke Walton won. is the hot one today, I believe it to be true. Aligning with Ty Lou, he could finally have a guy in the room on the plane that's his guy that he trusts. But you're going to hear Clay Thompson. You're going to hear Kyrie and you're going to hear Kevin Durant. We're going to have to sift through all of this stuff. But I do not believe that a player as smart as LeBron James looks at that projected team on the picture

on FS1 right now and says, those are my guys. That's a bunch of titles. Nope. Don't believe it. I don't believe one of the smartest NBA players looks at that. There are no shooters on that team outside of LeBron. There are no great shooters on that team. So the rumor season has started.

Luke is the first carnage, but it has just begun. We're going to sift through them together. I want to segue to this. I find this interesting. I'm not sure if you do. but when we're little boys and we all got to make choices, right? You kind of make a choice. If you're kind of socially, let's say you're a little boy and girls don't like it and you're not very athletic and you hang out with kind of the techie kids, you make a choice.

Or let's say you're an athlete, you have choices. I want to be a football kid or a baseball kid or a hockey kid or a basketball kid. The story is Antonio Brown, one of the five most talented wives. receivers in the NFL. Some say ever. The Denver Broncos said yesterday and they're desperate for a wide receiver. No, no, thank you. By the way, the Jets and the Colts have over $100 million in cap space. They've reportedly told him, no, no, no, thank you. The two teams that want him are Oakland and Arizona. I don't know if you've heard, they're not great and they're sort of dysfunctional. So when you're a little boy, you make choices. And this lead topic today, this is for all you nine,

10-year-old kids, 11-year-old kids, 12-year-old kids, 13-year-old kids who are really, really talented, and you can pick a sport. If you want to be empowered, don't pick football. In baseball, you will make the most guaranteed money if you're great. I mean, they have a 13-year contract. In basketball, you will be promoted and marketed. You could even make money on your shoes. In football, you're going to be really replaceable.

No, I said it. You're not going to make as much money. You wear a helmet so you won't get endorsements. Your ego, nobody's really interested. You're not going to have a lot of leeway. And you're going to have very little power and leverage. So for all you 9, 10, 11, 12 year old little kids who are choosing sports, just know. Baseball's the money.

Football's the startum. Football fall in line. and what's happening now is players that are as gifted as Antonio Brown are watching Bryce Harper sign a 13-year contract. I want some of that. And they're watching NBA stars, LeBron, Durant, people fawn over them. I want some of that. And that does not exist in the NFL.

The business model of the NFL does not give you a 13-year deal, does not give you a 10-year deal, does not give you a seven-year deal, nor are they going to market you over team. In fact, Antonio Brown has been working out in Los Angeles. In order to be accepted and appreciated and kind of glamorized here in Los Angeles over the last month, he actually surrounded himself with basketball players.

LeBron, the TV show is called The Shop, and here's how basketball players treated the football stock. I'm a little banged up, so I meet with Coach Tomlin, I'm telling him like, hey, man, I'm a little band up, so I'm going to need a little time to get right. So he's like, if you're banged up, man, just, you know, you can just go home. So I'm like, damn, that's where we're at. Damn, how are you at? We lose a game.

He's like, damn, A.B. should have ran the better route. Why would Ben do that? The type of guy he is. He feels like he's the owner. Bro, you threw the shit to the D line, man. How the fucking I'm going to get me a better off? So Antonio Brown went to basketball people to find sympathizers. Dude, we get it.

Bull. But yet the football player, the Hall of Fame or First Ballot, friend of Antonio Brown, here's what the football player, the legend the star, told him. I love A.B. He's Mr. Big Chess is a good friend of mine. But I don't think he's going to brought it the right way personally. You know, to be able to play with an all-time quarterback like he's able to play with,

I don't think he understands how good he has it. You know, it's, it could be, it could get tough out there. That's football. That's the business model. So when you're 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and you're a great high school athlete. Colleges are looking at you. And you got options. You'll make your money in baseball.

You'll become a star in basketball. but in football, get in line. Denver, desperate for a receiver, pass. Jets, Colts, 100 million cap space, hard pass.

Arizona and Oakland, Washington, be here to be. Very interested. We all make choices, and we all choose industries. And if you choose football, just know, you're going to have to go

to baseball and basketball guys to find sympathizers. Because one of the classiest guys in the history of the NFL and one of the smartest guys, Larry Fitzgerald, his to take away on AB. What are you doing? Called him out. And that's the reality of choices. And increasingly with baseball players signing these 13-year deals, 10-year deals, and with basketball players increasingly being, and I'm for it, marketed and promoted.

I'm not against either of those. I don't like tenure contracts in baseball, but football players are watching that, and there's jealousy. Remember these pro athletes, it's the private jet club. It's really the VIP club. All pro athletes are in each other's charities and golf tournaments. They go to the same ritsy executive clubs,

and they fly the same planes, and they often lease planes together. And football players increasingly want the money of baseball and the fame of basketball. And that business model, I'm sorry, It doesn't exist. Tom Brady's the best ever, takes pay cuts, gets in line, gets yelled at by his coach. That's the business model.

It's what it is. But if you're a football player, Antonio Brown, it ain't baseball. You're not getting that deal. And it's not basketball. That doesn't mean you can't hang out with basketball players and they can't laugh with you, but it's not hoops. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you,

exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsLice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host and your favorite therapist, Kier Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing.

That man, hell get to fly. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramel sending on the Army. He's going. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines.

I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about balligan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team.

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarter-final. or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Lakers officially out.

It is the lead story today. Should be for any show, frankly, Chris Broussard in 15 minutes. It's a mess now. officially rumor stage has started in Los Angeles. And the worst kept secret in the league now, I'm being told last 48 hours, Luke Walton's done, not saying he should be, but he is. And the name that will surface, and there's going to be a lot of names surfacing around the Lakers now. Remember, we came out a year ago, over a year ago, and said LeBron to the Lakers, we got a lot of pushback.

But one of the reasons I heard that was from people in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry saying, LeBron's making it clear to people beyond the velvet rope. He's coming to Los Angeles. That's why when he signed with the Lakers, Jerry West went out publicly and said, big deal. Everybody knew he was coming to Los Angeles because Jerry West, he's also at the Bel Air Country Club. He's behind the rope.

He's in that circle of big names in Los Angeles where the rumors really start from. And so the NBA has a history of blaming the coach. So as the seasons unfolded, the first carnage is going to be Luke Walton. But I thought this morning it was time for delicious pie. It's the blame pie. And I think there's a lot of blame to go around with this first disastrous season. So where would I put the percentages? I would say we'll have a pie charge for you.

20% of the blame is on LeBron's groin. Shame on you, LeBron's groin. He missed 17 straight games with a groin injury. Okay, that's the longest. streak of consecutive games missed in his career. The team has gone six and 12 without him in the lineup, and that's when the disarray really started. I think almost a quarter of the issues have been LeBron's injury.

The second thing, but I'd put it at a higher percentage because I think leadership matters 30% on Magic and Rob Polinka running the team. This will be the sixth straight season without a playoff berth. LeBron did come to Los Angeles, so Magic Land, Land, handed him, but again, many people believe LeBron, Entertainment, Maverick Carter, that was going to happen anyway. And by the way, the roster is kind of a mess of one-year contract, goofy guys, Michael Beasley, Rondo, can't play or stay healthy, Lance Stevenson, never been a go-to guy. Not guys that really connect with LeBron, not LeBron's type of guys. So I think they get 30% of the

blame. Then I'm going to give 12.5% blame, number one, to clutch sports. That's the group that represents LeBron. Rich Paul leads that. It's his agency. And they represent Anthony Davis. Listen, that whole trade thing, they were too aggressive, too many leaks. I mean, it was like the White House. There was a leak every 15 minutes. You got to put some blame on they didn't handle it well. Rich Paul, smart guy will do fine over time, but it was his first big move, his first and it was kind of a mess. And too many stories got out. And your job as an agent is to keep stuff out of the papers, not into it. I'd also give 12.5% blame. to Luke Walton. Now that seems very low, but I don't care if you had Greg Popovich. How many games are you

winning with Lance Stevenson, a bunch of kids, and an aging LeBron? Now, I do think Luke Walton struggles to find an offensive identity. His substitution patterns are way too random for me. I watch coaches out at timeouts. He's not great at that. Magic Johnson, according to the LA Times, in November, Magic Johnson had a shouting match with him and demanded that Luke create an offense that was identifiable. I watch every Laker game. That's my biggest complaint. His substitution patterns are weird.

They're not very good out of timeouts. And frankly, I don't know what the hell that offense is. I would also then blame 10% on Lanzo ball's health. I'm not blaming Lonso. I'm blaming his ambiguous health. He can't stay healthy. And by the way, they are 20 and 14. The Lakers are, when Lanzo and LeBron have both played.

they're pretty good he developed a better three-point shot he got bigger and stronger i start i thought he started playing really well before he got hurt attacking the rim some of this is just la lonso got hurt and lonso was developing into a really nice player on this team and much more i think dependable from the outside than rondo five percent of the blame i'd give to spring hill entertainment that's maverick carter that's lebron that's all his that's his entertainment company um lebron's been involved in 20 projects since coming to Los Angeles. It's not the end of the world, but I don't love that a lot of this stuff is being done in this season and is airing in the middle of losing streaks. I do think that kind of permeates a locker room and is kind of bad. I'm separate from

everybody else. Five percent, I blame on the pelicans. They muddied the waters. They got ticked off. They were immature. Ade Demp's their GM got fired. They just wanted to make the Lakers hurt after the AD rumors came out. And so they just called anybody who would listen, made stuff. up, dirty the waters, but I'm not going to make the percentage huge because they have a right to do that. And you can't put blame on another team in the NBA. It's on you. And then 5% I think is father time. Folks, LeBron's in his 16th season. He turned 34 in December, including playoffs. LeBron has played almost 12,000 more minutes than the second most Joe Johnson. That's almost four NBA seasons. So I think when you look,

If you want to create the blame pie, I think the largest share goes to the people running the franchise, Magic and Rob Polinka. Then I think LeBron's injury, clutch sports, Luke Walton, fall in line, taking parts of it. Then I think there's a bunch of five percenters. But in the end, this is where we're at now. Because you know the way the world works now. It's nobody's fault individually. It's not my fault, not your fault. God be somebody else's fault.

And if you had to create the pie, to me, that's what it looked like. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsClyce brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClyce on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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, Kear Gaines, as 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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have

have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart. I'm Tom Bow. On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polic.

I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals.

The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen to Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. This has always been the time of the year for the last 10 years, where I get on my soapbox and I'm like, can we stop arguing?

LeBron's the best player in the league. Like, this is stupid. He's the best, he's a Swiss Army knife. And for 10 years, I've been saying that. And, you know, my brand, whatever that is, is very pro Tom Brady and pro LeBron. okay it is when people complain about me it's all you ever talk about is tom brady and lebron well if they were bad players and i talked about them that'd be stupid but they're the greatest of all time arguably so i think it's pretty smart um but even i have to admit this has been lebron's lost season even counting

his rookie year there's been a lot of things optically physically it's been his worst year not statistically so i thought to myself this morning um i'm not an awards guy but if did my top 10 NBA players the seasons they've had this year. Not overall. I mean, LeBron's greater than any player in the last 10 years, right? Then it's Kobe and then it's, but what are the 10 best years in the NBA? Ten best players right now, the years they have had. And I'm going to, so it's kind of my MVP race. My top, if I was going to vote for the MVP and I had 10 votes, here's where I'd vote. Ready to go? No, one, Paul George.

Number one. Paul George. First of all, he's at career high for him, and he's playing with Westbrook. This needs to be noted. He's playing with ball-centric Westbrook, and yet Paul George, career high, and points, assists, rebounds, and steals. He is shooting over 42% from three. Holy Lord, that's good. His plus minus is almost plus 10 a game.

Second in the NBA and scoring. And by the way, when Paul scores big over 30, they're 21 and 4. He is not one of these guys that when he goes off, the team is less of a team. No, Paul is scoring over 30 or more. They're 21 and 4. He is now second, leaves the NBA in steals. He is the best two-way player in the NBA and had not missed any games until recently at an injury. Okay, so he has had.

He is the best player. He's my MVP of the league right now. Number two is Janus. Number two. Okay, I get everybody loves Yonis. He's missed five games. The Bucks have a winning record when he's missed five games. Oh, by the way, his bucks are just as good when he's not on the floor.

I looked it up. 7.7. Now, I'm not saying he's not great. He's a remarkable rebounder. Longest player in the league. Leads the Bucks in virtually everything. Bucks have the best record in the NBA. He's going to win the MVP.

But I always go to that plus-minus thing. He's on the floor, they're not in the floor. They're like 7.7. So I don't think he matters. I'm not saying he doesn't matter a time. Paul George, to me, having to play with Westbrook and doing what he's doing and shooting well into the 40% range for three-pointers,

Janus is my second best player. Number three. You know, we're forgetting Kevin Durant's amazing. You know, Kevin's had an amazing year. His best assist year ever. Do I think he coasts a little more defensively than Paul George? I do. But he's only missed one game this year.

He's averaging almost 28 a game. The Warriors do have the best record in the West. He is their best overall player. Career high in assists. I can't put him over Paul George this year because I think Paul's giving me a more intense passionate defensive effort. And I think Paul's had to play

with a tougher teammate in Russell Westbrook. But Kevin Durant, I'd put number three. Number four. I'd put Steph Curry. Again, because of James Hardin, we're not paying attention to Steph Curry, who, by the way, is third in the NBA, averaging 28 and a half a game. Now, I'd dock him because

he has missed 11 games. But this is where I give him credit. When Kevin Durant misses games, and he's only missed one this year. They have a winning record. The Warriors, the reigning dynasty, are under 500. In the 11 games, Steph Curry has missed. He is just off, points assists.

He is just below his unanimous MVP. Once again, because he's not loud and dramatic. And he's not a drama king. We don't pay attention. Steph Curry is having an unbelievable NBA season. Number five. James Hardin. I know, I know, I know. But I do think Curry's defense, he at least gives me a better effort consistently than

James Harden. Also, when Hardin goes into, I'm just going to take over the game and not pass, the Rockets are 11 and 11. He's had the deal with some injuries. But I really believe, and I'll say it again, Steph Curry, if I started a franchise tomorrow, Steph and James Hardin, I'm taking Steph Curry. Play as well with others. Best shooter of my lifetime. Incredibly efficient. Can play with multiple stars. Unbelievably coachable. Best ball handler since Isaiah Thomas. Hardin would be my fifth best player, my fifth MVP choice. Number six. Joel M.B.'s having a monster year. You know, listen, first couple years couldn't play. He's really into the social media stuff. But,

He's top five in scoring, second in rebounding, career highs and everything. Unlike Ben Simmons, his game's getting better. Ben Simmons has been a real disappointment for me this year. Apparently he spent the offseason hanging out with his girlfriend because he can't shoot any better than last year, and it's his big flaw. Joel M. B.'s had a monster year. Now, he has missed nine games, but when he misses, despite all their talent, they're sub-500 when he's out. That shows you the impact of Joel M. Bid. I'd make him six. Number seven. Denver Nuggets on the show.

Nicola Jokic leads the Nuggets and everything. Nugget fans, here you go. Second best record in the West. He's a great passing, great passing big. When he has nine plus assists, they're 22 and 3, he plays every night, only miss one game. The Denver Nuggets deserve something on this show. Jokic, if you look at all the numbers, how much value to the team, how many things he does, well, his availability, I have him seven. Number A.

Kauai Leonard. Listen, they're a better team than last year, and last year they were the number one seat in the East. So he has made them better. He's the second best two-way player in the NBA. He's actually having a great year. Career high in points, career high in rebounds. The big knock on him, and I think it's fair,

is he's falling into this load management crap. He's missed 18 games this year. And by the way, the Raptors are 13 and 5 without him. I do think he is the second best two-way player in the NBA, though, and that to me has tremendous value. I don't think there's a lot of elite two-way players. Clay Thompson is, Kauai Leonard is, Paul George is the best. LeBron used to be. Number nine.

LeBron James. He's not having a terrible year. By the way, the Lakers are still 24 and 22 when LeBron plays. He's averaging 27 a game, eight and a half rebounds, eight assists, and when he's on the floor, the Lakers are plus. 6.9 better. 6.9 points better. I know we're going to bury LeBron this year. He is not close to being defensively the same player. Some of that's the injury.

Came back and he's not in shape. But I'd say he's having the ninth best year in the NBA. Number 10. Damian Lillard. Again, this guy just comes every night. He's missed only one game. He's not a very good defensive player. I mean, he's really not a two-way player.

He's a gifted offensive player. He is really, it's funny, when he came into the league, We all knew he was talented, but I'm like, you know, he had kind of a quirky-looking shot. He's shooting 47% this year. That's a tremendous number in the NBA. He is a 47% from the floor guy, and the Blazers now have added Rodney Hood and Ennis Canter. This may be a team capable of winning a couple of playoffs series. They are currently tied for third in the West, and so there you go.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games,

from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

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

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. American soccer is about to explode.

The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart for Chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan.

I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals

or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows, without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night bases on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying.

He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like, After you go through a training camp with that, I said, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. All right, let's bring on a guy who is going to get some Hall of Fame votes. He's still a member of the NFL, Washington Redskins, got to two Super Bowls, one one with

Denver. Vernon Davis now joining us in the herd on a Tuesday. You know, it's interesting because a couple of days ago, we sat down, Vernon, good seeing you again, as a staff. And we were talking about the five greatest NFL combines. And you were two. Mike Mamula was a guy we never watched in college. Went to the combine and like blew up, you know, bench press Delaware. You were the, you were one of the first guys that I ever saw go to the combine. I didn't watch a lot of Maryland games. And I'm like, good Lord. Do you remember it? Do you remember specifically how big?

Because the combine wasn't as talked about. It wasn't as televised. It wasn't as big of a deal. You were at the beginning of that. Yeah, I vividly remember. It was a great day. All I remember going out there and I was like, hey, I have to get this done. I have to get this done.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So I have to take advantage and own it, own it. So I went out there and I did my very best because, that's all I could do. 42 inch vertical. You did like, I don't know how many times you lifted 222 pounds over 30 times. 220. 30, I believe it was 33.

33 reps. So you jumped. Now when you watch the combine today, there are some players who sit it out. And I do kind of understand that. If I was number one left tackle, what's the point? Number one quarterback. What's the point? Do you sympathize with guys who go into the combine as the number one guy at their

position and say, I'm a pass. Would you do that? No, no, no. I just, I try to stay in compliance and do what I'm supposed to do. And, you know, any opportunity I get, I'm going to try to take advantage of it because I know that it's going to produce good fruit. And, you know, and it did. You know, I look back on my career and, you know, how I started up to this point now. And I'm very pleased. Okay, so 13 years in the NFL. There's financially you don't need to come back. You've done well, smart guy. You can do a lot of things. You go into broadcasting. You go into a lot of things. Your brother, Vante has gone down to Florida. He's starting up some sort of business, medical business or something. You could do many things. Why do you continue to play football?

I play football because I'm passionate about it. I love it. It's nothing like that locker room. When you go in the locker room, you see guys who are in there, guys who have the potential to have, you know, great careers and just guys you've cultivated a relationship with. It's the atmosphere. And I think a lot of guys who leave the game, they know that they can't get that back, that atmosphere. It's just hard to find. It's few and far between. But when you have something good and you know that, you know,

you've been doing this all your life, it's something that you always want to have. You want that to resume for, you know, as long as you're continuing to live. You know, when you broke into this league, tight ends were just emerging. There was a long time, Vernon. It was a running back league and as a quarterback league.

you came into this league about 13 years ago and we started talking about oh, tight ends own the middle of the field. And it's a different NFL now. I mean, Gronk was huge in the Super Bowl. Travis Kelsey, Zach Ertz. You know, Jordan Reed, one of the guys you play with. Been heard a few times, but a remarkable talent. When you look at the NFL, take my audience to the advantage of being a tight end

is when you leave the line of scrimmage, say, against a zone, are there advantages to being a tight end over a wide receiver getting open? Yes, there's a ton of advantages when it comes to being a tight end. Now, usually in the past, you would have these tight ends who were 6'6, maybe 265, 270 pounds, guys that could run well, but they could be covered by linebackers and safeties and corners. Nowadays you have the guys like Jordan Reed, Grunkowski, who are huge. I mean, these guys are 65, 6, 6, 6,000 to 260 pounds that can run by corners.

They can run by safeties. They can run by linebackers. Now, what do you do? I mean, they can take the middle. They can sit down in zone if they're going cover two. I mean, the sky's the limit for these guys. So what do you do? Now, you can't, you have to find a safety that can't.

run like a corner. You know, he can't be slow because he got to keep up for these guys. These guys can really run now. So you have to find that safety. Like when you go nickel, nickel, you have five defensive backs out there, right? Who are you going to put on that tight end, especially if they go two tights, right? They come out. Like I said, you have to find those, that nickel guy that can really run. He's big. He's fast. Because tight ends nowadays, the tight end position is really evolved. By the way, we have multiple guys now who are basketball players who move into football. And again, Colts have one of them.

They are long. You know, I want you to talk a little bit about a couple of quarterbacks because you've played with several quarterbacks. What do you do if you're the Cowboys and you have Dak Prescott? So he's won a lot of games. Yeah. He's not a huge arm talent. He's got great leadership qualities.

He appears to be like a guy you can depend on. Won the division two out of three years. When you're on the sideline, when you're watching Dak Prescott, would you pay him big time franchise money? I think he has the potential to make big franchise money. I do over time if he can show that he can be consistent. He's still young in the game. We have to keep that in mind.

He has time. Just give him time and see what happens. I'd say one or two more years. And if he does well, he exceeds our expectations, then you pay him, pay him the money. You give him what he deserves. Jason Whitten is returning for the Cowboys. Antonio Gates returned to the Chargers this year and actually was really good late in the year.

Gronk's an old guy may retire. Very good Super Bowl AFC championship. Jason Witten now coming back to the Cowboys. He sat out a year. How productive do you think he can be? I think Jason has, his knowledge of the game is unprecedented. He knows the game. He's been playing for so long.

And we see what he's done. I mean, you look at the milestones that he's been able to create. He's going to do well. I think he's going to do well. Yeah, he's a little rusty. He needs to get back into it. But I think once he finds his niche, he'll continue to blossom like he's done in the past. If I say Jason Witten, what do you think of as a tight end?

I'll give you a handful. What's his strength? His strength is to be able to recognize zone coverage and sit down in that zone coverage. He's really, he's not the fastest guy on the field, but he has. has this innate ability to be able to create separation and get open and find that zone. That's what Tony Romo loved about Jason Whitney.

He knows how to sit down. We have these routes that we run where you look at the coverage. You see if it's zone, if it's cover one, whatever it is. He just knows how to get open, especially in zone coverage. Do you,

if I say gronk to you, what do you think? Whoa. Wow. Wow. what are we going to do about this guy? I mean, we're talking about a kid who can run really well. He's big. I think he used to be a much better runner. Yeah, but he can still move.

I mean, his size and the way, I'm just thinking that I have to put two guys on Gruncowski because there's no way we can stop this guy. I mean, this guy is a man. He's explosive. He's fast. He's strong. I just think a great football player, someone who's definitely, changing the game.

You know, there's a classic moment. When you were in San Francisco, you developed into a star in the league. And Mike Singletary came there, and it was pretty rough for Mike. It kind of devolved. You could just tell fairly early in the process. It just wasn't working. It wasn't right. Right.

For whatever reasons. He got into this classic rant where I'll play the rant again. And Mike Singletary, it's probably the most famous Mike Singletary moment. Let me play the rant. I would rather play with 10 people. and just get penalized all the way until we've got to do something else. Rather than play with 11 when I know

that right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team. It is more about them than it is about the team. I cannot play with them. Cannot win with them. Cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win.

How'd that land for you? It was, I remember going home and watching that. You know, I could, I was like, wow, my career is over. This guy is ripping me apart. But I started understanding. I just kept thinking about it. It was going back in my mind. I won winners.

I won someone that's more that's all about the team than about themselves. I told Vernon. And so you kind of, you. I just thought about it. I went in the next day. We had a heart to heart. And I started to understand. I was like, hey, this guy is, we're meant for each other.

I mean, without him, my career probably wouldn't have lasted because I was a young guy coming in the league and I thought I had it all figured out. You know, I thought it was okay to go out there and get penalized and put my teammates in a rough situation when it comes to advancing the ball and winning games, right? I was hindering them from doing that. So I had to be a better person. to be there for my team is I had to be a leader. I had to be in compliance with the team and what the coaches wanted and expected of me. So, you know, I learned my lesson. I listened and

I just started to just become a good teammate, pretty much. Yeah, I've heard the same stories about Shannon Sharp here at Fox Sports One. Guys who played with him early, he said he was different later than he was early in his career. He was a different teammate. By the way, what do you do with Antonio Brown, who's a remarkable talent, but he's very outspoken. If you represented Antonio Brown, you're his agent tomorrow. And what would you tell him? Now, he's calling out Ben. He's calling out Tomlin.

He said something the other day, which I don't think is great when he said, I don't need football, which is probably true. There are certain things in life that are true. I'm not sure you should vocalize them. If you were his agent, what would you tell him? I know, I know from the past and, you know, sometimes we get these players to come in who are, I mean, they're stars. They're unbelievable when you watch them play on Sundays.

I know Antonio wants to, he wants to make it known that, hey, this is what I want. This is what I expect. And you know, you guys help me out. Give me this. I'm calling him. You know, he's a star. I would help him. I would give him advice.

I would advise him to do things differently. Just support, say great things about, you know, always be there to support your teammates, even though when things aren't going well for you. Because at the end of the day, you know, from learning my lesson, I learned that it's not about me, you know, it's about the team. If we're making decisions, we're making them together. We're going to support each other. Even when I know someone's wrong, I have to encourage them and be there for them because I know that as long as I'm playing this game, I'm not going to always be who I am. At some point, my career is going to decline. I'm going to decline.

And someone's going to come in and say the same thing about me. So we just have to be compassionate when it comes to our teammates and others and always come from a banana. nevolent place when we're talking about people because you never know what someone's going through. Yeah, you know, the other thing about the NFL is, I was saying this earlier, you could have played other sports. Some of you guys at 14 years old could have played hoops and you could have done multiple things. Right. And they said A-Rod, by the way. If A-Rod wanted to, he could have been a quarterback, he could have been a baseball player. Football is a sport that really tests your discipline. Yeah. You wear a helmet. You're not going to make money. You're going to get cut. You

Don't get 10-year contracts. The league doesn't mostly market you. The football players, I was thinking about this the other day that I know that are friends of mine, they almost all share a common trait. They're very disciplined. Football in a weird way has a military feel to it. You get in line behind the sergeant. You show up every day.

You play and work hurt. You know, in baseball, you get a 13-year no-cut deal. In basketball, you're promoted over the sport. I mean, often the star is bigger that yon. is the bucks, right? But in football, you don't get a lot of leeway. It's Vernon. It's hard emotionally. Yeah. They beat you up. Don't you feel like sometimes you're constantly giving to football, or do you feel it gives you back? I feel like I'm constantly giving to football, but, you know, I have so much respect and love for this game. Past, present, future. I respect it all. And I, you know,

I've always, from the time that I was young up until now, I learned that no matter how long I'm in this game, I can't, I have no control. Only control I have is going out on Sundays and performing. When it comes to decision-making and bringing in guys and going to coaches and making sure that I'm in the game plan, I have no control over that. I just have to do my part, play my part, be the best teammate I can be, support my brothers, and play this game of football.

pretty much just do my job. Yeah. Nutrition brand you're part of now. Timeless Sports Nutrition. Tony Gonzalez, by the way, like you, very much into the nutrition. Taking up acting, new movie called Hell on the Border, a Western thriller. So you got the acting thing. You know, by the way, Tony Gonzalez, nutrition and acting. Okay, by the way, Gronk has a nutrition brand, and he's going into pro wrestling.

So you tight ends are made for Hollywood, man. Everybody's looking for a six-seven cut guy, handsome guy. Handsome guy Vernon, good seeing you. Yeah, good seeing you as well. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in.

I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice. iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life

12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite unhumored 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys?

This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Look.

Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Brett, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I would. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow.

Then after that game seven, Marquis coming to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.