The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 05/31/2019

Episode Date: May 31, 2019

Colin isn't worried about the Warriors even after the game 1 loss because almost nothing went right for them and everything did for the Raptors.  He believes that Kawhi might stay in Toronto and it has nothing to do with the outcome of the Finals.  Plus, FS1 NBA Analyst Chris Broussard tells Colin why he still likes the Warriors in 6 despite the game 1 win for the Raptors.  Presented by Perky Jerky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ah, here we are on a Friday. Loaded. Absolutely packed. This is The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are live in Los Angeles, which is going to be sunny again on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is here. So fired up today, so many things.

Game one in the books. Fantastic. Both you and I thought Toronto would play really. well and probably win, and they did. We got a lot to talk about. First of all, Kevin Durant expected to return midway through the finals, according to Chris Haynes, who's on our network all the time, Chris Haynes, FS1 contributor. Kevin Durant's coming back game four.

That's the best case scenario for Kevin Durant. But I want to get to this game specifically before I get to that. So let's talk about last night. Fairly predictable. Boogie Cousins going to play, not going to play. Kevin Durant not playing. Toronto's great at home. Toronto's got experience. Toronto's on cloud nine.

Biggest game in the history of the franchise. Just a tsunami of energy in the building. Fantastic. Fantastic. Facility fan support. And Golden State had 10 days off and they looked like it. They shot 36% in the first half. They had 10 turnovers.

They weren't getting back on defense. Their offensive and defensive rotations were totally out of rhythm. And yet, with six minutes left, they were in the game. Outside of Steph, nobody played well. They did a very good job on Kauai Leonard. They did a very good job on Kauai. But outside of Steph, nobody really played that well. And for Toronto, everybody, everybody, their second best player, their third best player,

their fourth best player, their fifth best player. Mark LaSaw at his best game ever as a Raptor. Seyakum was 14 and 17. Fred Van Vleet was throwing crap up from all over the court. Danny Green had a terrible series against Milwaukee. He was good last night. So everything went right for the Raptors. sometimes you walk into a building and you just have a feeling.

This is why Vegas had them favored. It's going to be a tough one. And they were behind early and you just kind of felt it the whole night. It's going to be Toronto's night. Everybody was all synced in. They were rested enough but didn't have, you know, that malaise of 10 days off. And by the way, when you're an old team, it's not like Golden State was burning it in their practices. They're trying to get boogie healthy.

They're trying to get Gigi healthy. So there's three reasons why everybody's going to say, this morning. Colin, give Toronto respect. Number one, Golden State's a dynasty. Don't bail on dynasties. Okay. The five times Steve Kerr ever trailed in the series with Golden State, they've won all of them. Very resilient team. MJ's bulls were very resilient. Championship teams are, that's one of their strengths. They almost all have veterans. They almost all have trailed series. So don't bail on the Warriors. The second thing is, Vegas had him favorite in the game, and Vegas has this series going six games.

It's not about beating Golden State's about beating them four times in two weeks. A lot of people beat Miami and Dwayne. A lot of people, but over the course of four years, it was hard to beat them four times in two weeks. It was hard with Duncan and the Spurs, the Showtime Lakers, MJ's Bulls. MJ's Bulls struggled with Utah. Utah could beat him. Phoenix beat him. Seattle beat him.

Portland beat him. Knicks could beat him. Couldn't beat them four times in two weeks. The third thing is, listen, New England's been in nine Super Bowls. The NFL current dynasty, been in nine Super Bowls. Never scored a touchdown in the first quarter. Why? Two weeks off is a long time, even for dynasties and champions.

Listen, 10 days off is double the All-Star break. You are not going to come in in rhythm. I thought Golden State's defense was the bigger problem. I thought they gave up way too many easy baskets. missed assignments. I thought their defense was poor. Offensively, they'll be fine. They're the warriors.

Now, there are two things for Toronto that are real, and these are not going to go away. Number one, there's a word in the NBA that fans never talk about, but it's all scouts talk about. And that word is length. Toronto is long. Seyakum and Gassal and Danny Green's long for a guard, and Nibaka and, and, um, and, um, um, and, um, um, Kauai, and they're long. And what does that mean? They make you take more difficult shots.

They change the trajectory of your shot. That kind of length, they get tipped passes, tipped balls, the second rebound. Toronto's really long. And I know it doesn't really matter, but the longest team I've ever seen in NBA history was Jordan's Bulls. They would have Pippin was long and Harper and Rodman and Coom Coach. outside of Steve Kerr, just arms everywhere, tipped, passes everywhere, second shot. That's not going away. Golden State's not going to shoot 60% in any of these games.

They're going to make Golden State change the trajectory down low, perimeter. That's a real thing with Toronto. You saw that against Milwaukee, Orlando, and Philadelphia. They got guys out of their rhythm. Here's the second thing about Toronto, and this isn't going away. They're resilient as hell. They trailed Orlando 1-0. They trailed the Sixers 2-1.

They trail Milwaukee to a. This is the advantage of veteran teams. That's why I didn't buy into Denver. It's why I didn't buy any Milwaukee yet. They're just too young. You know, it's just like life. You know, my 18-year-old daughter, you know, she doesn't have that resilience built up. You know, a bad Instagram photo can wreck her afternoon.

You get older in life. Things that your house has to catch on fire for you to go crazy. Like, right, veteran NBA teams have a certain resilience. Gassal's been in a lot of games. Kauai's been in a lot of games. Ibaka. Kyle Lowry. These guys have been in big playoff games, home road.

So those two things, they have real length, and that's going to give Golden State some offensive issues the whole series. It's real. And they're resilient. They've got a bunch of old guys. They're a lot of 29, 30, 31 guys who have played in the playoffs. So Toronto's feisty, resilient, tough. I still like Golden State in this series. And I'll get to the Kevin Durant coming back in game four in a couple of minutes.

But I do want to talk about this as I'm watching the game. I am not a taxed gypsy. I can do this show. If it wasn't simulcast, I could do it in Wyoming, no state tax. I could do it in New Hampshire, no state tax. I live in California. I just moved from Connecticut. It's not the two highest tax states in the country.

I'm not a tax gypsy. Okay, I just want to live where I want to live. I live by a beach. I don't want to have it 29 degrees in October. So, okay, I'm somebody that doesn't worry too much about taxes. But I do think if I was a pro athlete, I think about it a lot. Because as a pro athlete, I got like two contracts to make real money. That's it.

I've already had 12 in my life. I could have another five, right? Pro athletes had the first contract you don't make much. Team controls it. Second and third you make a lot. And by the fourth, you could be old and hurt. So I just want you to think about this. Story out this morning, Kauai Leonard dealing with knee tendinitis.

Oh, okay. I know we all think Kauai Leonard's going to stay or leave Toronto based on winning and losing. Let me just remind everybody. He left $31 million on the table leaving San Antonio. Are we all sure this isn't going to come down to dollars? If he left Canada to go to the Clippers, he'd give up $49 million. I've got to be honest with you. I'm a pro athlete.

no way in you know what I'm giving up 80 million. And again, I'm not a tax gypsy. But Toronto's well run. Toronto's got a good roster. It's Toronto. He can kind of hide, right? It's a hockey country. I'm sitting there last night and I'm like, never forget.

The Raptors were totally cool with him sitting out 20 games. Non-issue. Not an issue. They didn't like that in saying. I'm telling you, non-issue. Secondly, Toronto's already said, $20 million penhouse, free. Food. Kauai and dine, free.

Don't kid yourself. That stuff matters. Nobody likes free stuff more than celebrities. It's amazing. You could give a George Clooney a free coffee mug. They'll run across the street and traffic for it. Celebrities love free stuff. Here's a $20 million penhouse for free.

You don't think that has a little... I don't know. I have to think about that. Here's the other thing. The East is a lot easier than the West. Kauai plays hard. Kauai's not going to last forever. Kauai's already missed an entire season almost with injuries.

Are we sure he's going to give up 80 large? Now, I will tell you this. I don't think he should have ever left San Antonio. I really think he made a mistake. They let him rest. Great owner. No state tax. He can be quiet.

I mean, I actually think. San Antonio was perfect for Kauai Leonard, but that's over. And it didn't work out, and he left. And it says nothing against the Clippers. But Paul George, who had had injuries, stayed in Oklahoma City, even though he was from L.A. Kevin Durant, according to Rick Buecher, is fluctuating back and forth on leaving Golden State due to his most recent injury. Kauai Leonard's got tendonitis. He's dealing with 10.9.

Are we sure he's not thinking, do I want to give up $80 million? I can't do this forever. He's already got a house in L.A. He already bought it. It's already done. You know, I'm sitting there watching this thing last night. And, you know, we are all caught up because it's not our money. We're all cut off.

But, oh, you got to go. Is Kauai Leonard really an L.A. guy? It's not like he's, you know, he's got this, like, Shaq, Shaq, when he went to Orlando to L.A., you're like, Shaq wanted to be a movie star. He wanted to be a hip-hop star. Orlando was too small for Shaq. Shaq had so many aspirations.

And now you see him, he's on every TV commercial. Blake Griffin, like he wanted to be in L.A. Blake Griffin had stand-up comedy, real estate. He had aspirations, TV shows, podcasts. Kauai, I could argue, the perfect place for Kauai was San Antonio. The city of, in Texas that doesn't get a lot of fanfare. So I'm watching last night, and I'm just watching this game.

And then I read that headline this morning, and I think, we're not considering that money thing. And when these athletes, Paul George and Durant get hurt, one of the first things they think about is, I better take the guaranteed money. Kevin Durant right now would have to give up money to go to the Knicks. Paul George would have a lot of money to go to the Lakers. Kaui Lenders is going to have to give up a lot of guaranteed.

money, guaranteed money to go to the clippers. I'm not sure. Injuries change everything. 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. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness.

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Highlights are trending. Opinions are flying. 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

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Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Coming into the playoffs, especially after last year, we kind of felt like the Houston Rockets were the number two team. They've got Daryl Morey, one of the top GMs. They have James Hardin, MVP candidate, the Chris Paul Harden thing worked, Clint Capella.

I mean, they, you know, CJ Tucker, they had Golden State beat last year. And then Chris Paul got hurt. They had him beat, right? It felt like that. But I'll tell you something. It feels like a little bit of panic. A little bit of panic here. According to reports, Mike Dan Tony has ended contract extension talks with the rockets.

Well, the problem is they just fired his staff. So how do you put a staff together when the coach doesn't get an extension and has got a year left? So, you know, Daryl Morey is the GM smart guy. He said this week, I'll trade everybody. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Mike Dantone got his staff fired. Everybody down to the videographer. And he's not getting an extension.

What good assistant coach is going to go, yeah, I'm going to jump on board for a year with Mike Dan Tony. The good coaches have jobs and the good ones that lose their jobs. That's not ideal. Number three, Tillman Fretta went out yesterday, talking about he and Daryl Morey, and in no uncertain terms, they are movers and they are shakers. We're going to do whatever it takes to be successful and be every year, the rockets are always going to be one of those teams.

Okay, you're going to always, there's always going to be a little noise because I'm a deal guy and he's a deal guy, okay? And we're going to always be trying to make ourselves better. That's what I've always done in my company. That's one of the reasons we get along so well. Oh, everything's okay. we're going to be okay. That's not the way I operate, and that's not the way they operate.

Okay. So every year, you're going to see us trying to make ourselves better. Okay, I don't have a problem with that. But there's two things going on here. Number one, Darryl Morey, he is over Mike Dantony. Okay, he's over him. Here's the second thing. This is something I don't like about analytics.

It not only reduces players to numbers, but it makes managers and head coaches very replaceable, very disposable, very interchangeable, and in Major League Baseball, think about this, 162 games, 25% of Major League Baseball managers make under a million. So the football coach at Boise State makes in 15 games, 13 games, 12 games, makes three times more than a quarter of baseball managers, and he makes more than all but about three baseball managers. That's 162 games. They're irrelevant. The Yankees are paying Aaron Boone a million bucks.

Boise State's football coach. Twelve games makes almost four. So this is what I don't like about analytics, but it works in baseball. Because in baseball, the culture of baseball is very rearview mirror. Tradition, don't celebrate, don't speak out, listen to the manager. So it's okay. It kind of works in major league baseball to have the manager be sort of a puppet for the upstairs guys, right?

But the NBA is different. The NBA is a star-driven league and should be. Okay, five starters, two great ones can change everything. God, in Toronto, one great ones changing everything. So for an NBA coach, if you're heavy into analytics, to be seen in the clubhouse or the locker room as a figurehead or a puppet is a disaster waiting to happen. You need strong coaches in the NBA.

Because to begin with the culture of the NBA, it's a players league. It's a stars league. I'm okay with that. Baseball is not. I mean, you know, baseball is about rearview mirror, not today, yesterday. Respect to the manager. Good God, you had a home run. You can't even look at it.

Basketball's not that. Celebration, players, gassed up, shoe deals, PR. If you have a coach in that locker room that's a figurehead, he's going to get trampled. I mean, Brad Stevens had power and struggled with Kyrie. Guys with Phil Jackson had two fistful of rings. He struggled with Jack and Kobe. So you could have powerful coaches in these locker rooms that are respected by the star player.

Greg Popovich. You know what I mean? This idea you can just throw a figurehead in there. And, you know, I mean, the GM's doing the lineup. It's all about analytics. Not going to work on the NBA. strong leadership. And so, you know, listen, it kind of feels like, Houston here, a little bit of panic.

Chris Paul's contract's getting burst by the day. We don't have the right coach. James Harden's turning 30 really quick. Golden states in the finals again. The window's kind of closing. Nobody's going to make a deal on Chris Paul. Clint Capella against the Warriors, we can't have him on the floor. You kind of sense here

I'm not saying it's man overboard, but it does feel like the walls are closing in a little on Houston, a team we thought was the second best and may end up in the finals a month ago. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Let's bring in Chris Broussard,

voice of NBA, FS1. Okay, I'm going to throw my crazy theory at you is that Paul George stayed in Oklahoma City, and a lot of it was comes off an injury and thought, I'm not giving money back. Kevin Durant, I talked to Rick Buecker the other day, and Durant's having second thoughts because he's hurt and he's thinking, you know, that guaranteed money. I'm Kauai Leonard. There's a story out this morning he's got some tendinitis he's dealing with. He gave up 31 million to leave San Antonio. He'd give up 49 million guaranteed to leave here. Chris, come on now. That's 80 million large. Well, the money, no question. At a certain point, and I'm one that if I'm having,

happy in a place. I'll take a little less than I could just get anywhere else. But 80 million? I mean, that's a lot of money. For a guy that's had injuries. Right, right. So there's that. There's, what you mentioned is the team. I mean, they set what I think could be a bad precedent by letting him sit out 22 games for rest. But wherever you go from here, are they going to be as open to doing that? You know Toronto next year, if Kauai wants to sit out 22 games for rest, they're going to let him do it. So there's that. There's also, and let me first say this, gun to my head, I still would say clippers.

Yes. Just because of L.A. Okay. However, you cannot underestimate the impact of a bonding experience. People get married from a great month together. Yeah. A great weekend together. Josh Goldman just told me a great night together.

You never know. Watch out for gold. But anyway, he's one of our behind the scenes guys. This is a great bonding experience that they're having. I mean, the crowd, I've been in that arena during the playoffs. It is incredible. You see Jurassic Park. Everybody in the city is giving free stuff, houses, food, getting to the finals.

I even want to say, it looks like he's a little bit, a little bit coming out of his shell. Yeah. You know, he's talking to the media more. He has to carry the load of being the man. on the team with the media. You never know how this could affect the guy at 27 years old because he's having such a great experience this year in Toronto. No, I think it's a real thing.

And let me say this. I think Golden State's going to win this series. But I will say this, is that because of the length, even their guards, Danny Green is long, Gasol, Seacum, Ibaka. And if OG Anmanobi comes back, that's another long time. Length forces you to take more difficult shots. Change projectory.

I did think Golden State was rusty. I do think they'll play better in game too. But Toronto's not shrinking. Listen, they made Philadelphia inept late in game situations. They made, who else? Philadelphia a couple of times looked at Milwaukee was inept offensively. This is a defense that creates problems. Golden State, they're not shrinking.

Like I can see Toronto. giving them six, seven games of trouble. Yeah, I'm with you in that. I think they still win. I picked them in six and still feel fine about that pick. But Milwaukee, we all talked about how if they had gotten to the finals, their length would have bothered Golden State. And it's the same thing here.

But the difference is these guys in Toronto are better individual defenders. I was surprised, and I'm with you, I think it was rust last night. I think it was a little bit of complacency. Yeah. Where I think against Portland, Golden State coasted a bit, paste itself. We don't have KD. Our depth isn't what we'd like it to be. So we know with one or two second half surges, we can put Portland away. I think they kind of felt that last night. And Toronto, to its credit, wouldn't let them surge in the third quarter, which they usually do.

So I think there was a lot of that. However, I was impressed by Toronto's defense because they have not faced a motion type offense like this in the playoffs. It's been one-man shows throughout the Eastern Conference. So give them credit. Every one of those guys, Seacom, Lowry, obviously Kauai, Mark Gassau, these are all league defenders at one point

or another, and Seacom will be. So, yeah, I thought they play well, and I think it's going to be a good series. So we know that Paul George stayed in Oklahoma City, and many people suspect, and I think this is true, he had had a major injury, and Paul

did not want to leave all that money on the table. So Kevin Durant now has got an injury. There's a report by Chris Haines. He could come back in this series and will about game four, which I, let's start with this. It is the perfect scenario for him, right, to come back and save the team? Colin, it is, I talked about the worst case scenario if they went it without him. The best case scenarios, they're down 0-2-21. Katie comes back, saves the day, wins the finals for him, probably would be finals MVP if that happens. You erase that entire narrative that they didn't need you. And now people saying, well, if they were going to lose to Kauai in the finals,

they probably were going to lose to LeBron, especially LeBron and Kyrie. So now all of that's going. The rings aren't viewed as cheap, aren't viewed as easy by those who have that viewpoint. So I would say this to Kevin Durant in that scenario. Stay at least one more year. If you come back, save the team and win. Stay at least one more year. because now, again, you've erased that scenario.

You don't have to deal with that anymore. Why not go for four straight? Nobody's done it since Bill Russell, not Kobe, Shaq, Michael, Duncan, nobody. This would be your way. I've said for KD to kind of getting in that top 10, getting to that top five maybe, he has to do it with his own team

or just get out of the scenario where people think your team doesn't need you. If you can separate yourself from them by one, in four straight, that's the way to get in there without leaving. And then if you want, you can always leave the next year, right? Like, you'll be 31 years old, 32 years old, you'll still have plenty left, and you get to look at the free agent landscape. Where does Kai Rigo? How do the Clippers look this year?

Is LeBron really faint? I could go there and save LeBron. Years ago, all types of stuff. Years ago, I was told by a manager the most powerful word in broadcasting is no. Do you want to be on this broadcast? No. and managers leave and go, wait a minute. Why? Like, it gives you power. I think if you asked LeBron personally, if it, and I said this at the time last year, I said, take the year off and just watch the landscape.

Kevin Durant, by the way, one more year in Golden State, win or lose, all the big stars are kind of fastened to a team. that the free agent class isn't nearly as tasty a year from now. I don't think it's bad advice. Now, I do want to talk about this, is that we thought coming into this season, and even before the series, Houston was the second best team in this league. I'm watching the last week,

Darryl Morey's like, I'll trade everybody. Mike Dan Tony's staff's fired. Chris Paul's contract looks worse by the day. Are they panicking? No question about it, Kyle. Like, this is such a bad look. one, you never want to put your coach in a situation where you basically pick his coaching staff.

I mean, you're essentially saying, go ahead and get out of here. So I would understand it if Dan Tony, out of pride, just said, I'm out. I hope he doesn't, but I'd understand it. So that's number one. That's a bad look. Number two, why are you letting it leak that your entire roster is available? Okay. Why is James Hardin's name out there?

I know it's unlikely they trade him. but he should be like everybody but hardened. And Chris Paul, knowing that the likelihood of being able to trade him is nil or very slim, CP3 is not going to like this. He's a superstar. He's not used to seeing his name and trade rumors unless he asks for a trade. He's on nine commercials. Right.

Like, it's easy for LeBron and Magic Johnson to say to Ingram and know, hey, it's part of business. It means people want you. names in the trade rumors. Let LeBron's name get in trade rumors for real and see how much he likes it. Do you know, Rich Paul once texted me? Rich Paul, because I said, you know, maybe you have to consider trading LeBron. And I say this lovingly to Rich Paul. Rich is like, did I just hear you say good trade LeBron?

I sorry, Rich. I did me. I was kidding. Rich. I mean, you're absolutely right. A superstar. So this is not going to sit well with Chris Paul. I guarantee you he is sure.

stewing over the fact that his name, he came to you, he left the Clippers and his name is now in trade rumors, you don't want me? I'm an albatross. Houston's getting too public. Like there's a lot of, they're becoming the Steelers. It's like, stop, stop leaking crap to the media. Now what I will give, the one thing I like that Darryor Mory is doing is I am, Colin, I'm not one of those guys that feels like you can't have a coach going to the last year of his deal.

Like he's a lame duck. No. A lot of people work in the last year or they did. I'm in my last year or my deal. Let's get that done, by the way. But I'm in the last year of my deal. Like, come on. If you can't coach your team because you're in the last year of your deal,

you shouldn't be coaching them anyway. I'm not with giving them a one or two year extension when you know in your mind this might be there last year. So I'm with Mory on that. What I think Houston should do, stop putting everybody on the market. don't have these leaks, let Dan Tony pick his staff, and see if he can come up with some tweaks and changes to the offense. Get more movement player-wise, ball-wise, and see if he can do that. And if you can't do it in a year, we'll start all over after that.

Okay, I want to go back to the finals. So your crazy cohort on radio, Fox Sports Radio, odd couple, Rob Parker, he thinks, he said something yesterday in the show. He said, listen, this is good if Toronto wins in the NBA because it shows that you don't need five, guys, what you need to star. Do you think if Toronto won this series? And again, Vegas has it going six. We all kind of have it going six. I mean, Joy and I yesterday said, we thought Toronto win the opener.

If Toronto did win this, do you think it would be, it would cool down a little bit? The got to have four stars. Could it have a resonance beyond just its series? I don't think so because, number one, this wouldn't be the first time we've seen this. In 2011, Dirk Novitsky was the only star. Jason Kidd was old. He wasn't the Jason Kid we all know and love. Tyson Chandler was not a star.

Jason Terry was a really good player, but not a star, superstar. So it was Dirk Novitsky beating three superstars. Two superstars and Chris Bosch, a star. So we've seen it before. Every Blue Moon, Detroit in 2004, won it without a real superstar. A lot of really great players, but no superstar. 1979, you know, Seattle Sonics, you know, that was your team.

B-plus guys. Right. So this wouldn't be completely unprecedented number one. So I don't think it would change things. Here's the, and I debated this with Rob, super teams are not new. What's new are the player-generated super teams. The Celtics of Byrd

were a super team. The Showtime Lakers were a super team. For that one year, Philadelphia, with Moses Malone and Dr. Jay, we're a super team. Kobe and Shaq was a super team. The differences that they were generated by the front office and ownership. What Rob doesn't like is players generated. Which, by the way, that almost cracks me up. It's okay if the old guy uses players like chess pieces. When the players like, I want to say in my

short career, but it's like, whoa, whoa. Hey, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told Milwaukee, I'm out of here. People forget that. People forget that. And by the way, Milwaukee, to their credit, got a ton of good players for him. Like, they were good for years after that. But, You know, this idea that players, I always say this, we are so unfair to players on this. And I'm tough on players. I got players tweeting me all day, hate me, right? If my career lasted 12 years, you don't think I'd want some say in my career? No, you've got to be kidding me.

Especially when guys have seen coaches or executives who they think don't know what they're doing. I mean, LeBron, we know he likes to be a boss. You know, he likes to run things. So he said, why can't I put a team together? You know, everybody, these guys are doing it. I know more about the game than them. Yeah. So.

By the way, Lakers this year could use more LeBron influence. Right, right. Okay, we've got a minute left. What do you make of this Drake beef? Joy is like, no big deal. They're all friends. I am never buying another Drake CD. I am over Drake.

Go on the CDs, huh? My albums. You'll download, but no CD. You know, they have a whole stream device. I am done with Drake trash talking. No more albums, right? No, no, I love it. I love it.

I think Adam Silver said, look, don't touch anybody. Don't roam 15 feet up and down the sidelines. Other than that, you can do your thing. I'll give him a pass on the wristband because he was covering up the KD. Steff tattoos. Otherwise, that's mad corny. Like, you might as well put on the headband and the shorts and be out there in full uniform, you know? So I'll give him a pass, though, because I know he covered up.

the KD Steph tattoos, but I like it. This is Spike Lee all over again. Spike Lee, Reggie Miller. I don't like you trash talking Steph Curry and Draymond Green. I, for game two, he should be going at Draymond Hart. Oh, you're the best defender ever. See, I'm just destroyed you. You can't shoot. Try to get in his head. I think Drake should do that in game too. Almost convince me there. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.

Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levan this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive?

The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them?

On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout, Kate Martin, and rising hockey star, Leila Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you,

but don't ever feel like you don't feel on. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world.

Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. 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 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, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so rapidly. up in the chase, that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about All healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. As I watched the game last night, and I do think Toronto's really resilient, and I do think Toronto's length forces you to change shots. We just can't say KD's not there.

They put Boogie Cousins in, and he had one brilliant pass, but he wasn't effective either against their pigs. And should Golden State be really, really afraid here? And I'm just going to throw a couple things out to you. The Raptors are now 3-0 against Golden State. The Raptors are favored to win Sunday. They would be 4-0 against Golden State. Nobody's 4-0 against Golden State. There were teams that beat Michael Jordan's Bulls.

Not a lot of 4-0s against Michael Jordan's Bulls. And if the Raptors won this series, let's say, in 7, they would have played nine times this year, and the Raptors would be 6 and 3 against the Warriors. is this going to be one of these moments in sports? And one comes to mind where if the Raptors win, guys like me are going to say, oh, I should have seen this coming. I'll give you an example.

This happened back in 2010 when the Packers and Aaron Rogers won a Super Bowl. And I remember when the game was over and I went back and I looked through all the games and the season and the stats and I went, oh, God, I should have picked up on this like week 12. Green Bay was the best team in the NFL. But Green Bay had only a 10 and 6 record in the regular season because they had a flurry of injuries. I swear to God, their entire linebacking corps got hurt. They had this great young tight-in, Jim Michael Finley got hurt. Their running back Ryan Grant got hurt.

Their offensive line was all beat up. They were a mess physically. So you looked at their record and you went, oh, Green Bay is 10 and 6. But all their losses were four points in or less. Two were on the road in overtime. One was to New England and Aaron Rogers didn't play. Meanwhile, despite the injuries, they blew out six teams. Nobody blows out anybody in the NFL.

They blew out six teams. And then, by the way, in the playoffs, if I recall, they blew out a couple of playoff teams. So when the season was over, I went back and I said, oh, my God. You know, this is a team that had a flurry of defensive injuries, offensive line, their best running back, their best tight end. And every loss they had was like, road, good team, overtime. You know, and I look back and I'm like, oh, God, that was the best football.

Even though they were 10 and 6, it was a mirage. It was like they were the best football team in the NFL. When they finally got healthy at the end of the year, I mean, if you remember that Super Bowl, they were clearly better than Pittsburgh. And so I look at Toronto, I just want you to think about this. They are 3 in 0 against them in favor to go 4 and 0 as of Sunday. If Toronto wins the title, they will not only be. six and three against the Warriors this year.

They will not only be 41 and 19 when Kauai played, folks, they were 17 and 5 when Kauai didn't play. Who's the only other team in the NBA that loses their best player and kicks the crap out of people?

Oh, Golden State. So, I still think Golden State wins. But there are these moments, you know, they don't, talk a lot. They're in Canada. They were 17 and 5 without Kauai Leonard. Now I know it's the East and I'm not going to break down every game. But I've told you this before. Very few teams in the history of sports

can lose their best player and still be really good. The reason I think Jordan's Bulls are the best team ever, they lost Michael Jordan and they'd won 57 games. The next year they went 55 without Michael. One of the reasons I think the Warriors are the second best team ever, very close to the Warriors. They lost Kevin Durant. They're like 32 and 2 without Kevin Durant. Don't forget the Raptors 17 and 5 without Kauai. This supporting cast is pretty good.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. And now it's time for another episode of as the Lakers turn. Oh, boy, here's the ninth story in 12 days. Josh Hart, good young player off the bench from Villanova, was talking, he was on a podcast, and he started talking about all those crazy trade rumors in January between the Pelicans and between the Lakers. At the time, it was almost hysterical.

There were nine Lakers on the trade block USA Today, the Athletic, the L.A. Times, every newspaper had him. And so Josh Hart was on a podcast, and he talked about how chaotic it was. I think it just was so bad just because it was so public. I think that was the biggest thing. And it was like...

Everything that was going to leak down. Everything was going to leak that. Whether, and obviously, I don't know. It could have been true, could have not been true. You know, I mean... Nobody's really talking to you. Yeah, you don't know the policies. I was like, you know, you had no idea.

Like, really nobody... Like, you seemed like nobody was untouchable, honestly, besides Braun and KCP. Like, that was literally, like, the only untouchable pieces. It was just a weird situation just because you had no idea. Well, the problem, LeBron and KCP, so Josh Hart's telling you, we all thought we were

all getting traded, except those two, because those two are represented by one guy, Rich Paul. This is the schism in the locker room, and I think it's real. I don't want to hear that players make a lot of money. I make a great living. If my name was coming out that I had to move my family constantly, it would affect me. And I'm in my 50s. I'm a grown-up. for a 22, 23-year-old kid who comes to the Lakers, and most of these guys, it's a dream team.

And then your name gets thrown into the papers, freaks you out. You think Lonzo Ball wants to end up in New Orleans? It freaks you out. It affects your life. Your friends are texting you. Your buddies are calling you. Your girlfriend and your wife's on you. Your kids don't know.

It's mayhem. And so to me, this means two things. It's real, and that's how all the young guys felt, because Josh is one of the young guys. So the two things I think of is, number one, the Lakers have to make a trade. I would love Bradley Beal, but Washington doesn't have a general manager now, so they're not going to make a move. And I think they need to make a move here as soon as the season is over. Okay? And I think the guy is Anthony Davis.

Now, the bad news is the Pelicans do not want to trade them to the Lakers, so you're going to have to not only offer up a lot. You're going to have to win it. You're going to have to show Gail Benson, the owner of the Pelicans. Listen, David Griffin's going to have to go to the owner of the Pelicans. can say, okay, the Lakers are giving us two extra draft mix and another extra player. You're going to have to slam dunk this thing. So Gail Benson has to take the offer because the Lakers are just giving you a ton. But I do think the Anita's second start to get over this negative press every 15 minutes.

The narrative now is horrible. And I would do it the first day that free agency opens. The first, the season ends, the next, the first day I can make a trade, make it, change the narrative. Secondly is Josh Hart's comments tell you there's a gap here. The young players feel like there's LeBron and his dude, and Anthony Davis could only make it worse because Anthony and LeBron are both repped by Rich Paul. So my takeaway is go get Anthony.

I think that's probably going to be the guy you can get, unless Washington hires a GM fast. And losing some of these young players, you kind of burn the bridge. You kind of burned it. Like a lot of them just feel like we're not part of the group. And I think chemistry, Toronto is showing you this. Denver showed, Portland showed you.

Chemistry's a real deal in this league. Unity, cohesion. Everybody's on the same plane. It's a real deal. It matters. So that's the latest Laker drama. This has been as the Lakers turn. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on.

A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Life is full of hurdles. So how do you keep going?

On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions about the challenges that shape them and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in front of the entire world, Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.

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, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. 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 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. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.