The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 06/28/2019

Episode Date: June 28, 2019

Colin looks over the 5 potential scenarios in free agency for the Lakers and thinks if they can't get Kawhi Leonard then they shouldn't go after a max player. He compares Kawhi to Thanos because they destroy dynasties. Kevin Durant mentally isn't even close to LeBron James in terms of ego and toughness and that's why he's contemplating leaving the Warriors. Plus, Sports Illustrated NBA Writer Chris Mannix explains the Warriors plan if KD leaves and who would be the best fit for the Lakers. 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 search heard.

This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a lively Friday. In Los Angeles, this is the herd, wherever you may be, and however, you may be listening. We're live in Los Angeles, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, different shades of blue, supporting America. Joy Taylor is joining me. you've got the beautiful almost light blue. Yeah, it's like a summer blue, I guess.

I've got the denim blue. We are supporting America, the United States women's national team in a few hours, takes on France. And we'll be one of the most watched women's national team games in the history of the country. Yeah, I'm very excited for this. So am I. So yesterday, last hour of our show, crazy time. It was great.

Joy and I's favorite kind of show, just breaking news. Yeah, just live TV. going off the rails. Yes, it was just absolutely wonderful. And so I wake up this morning and here's the various reports we're hearing. One report says that the Lakers, Kauai is their first choice and Kairi is their second choice. That's what we said at the end of yesterday's show. We said we absolutely believe Kauai Leonard, that's what I've been told. What they want to get is Kauai Leonard. Second is Karee. That's not my second. That's their second. Third is Butler. Fourth is DeAngelo Russell. Now there's other reports saying this morning, if they can't get Kowai and Leonard or

Kyrie Irving, they're just going to throw a bunch of stuff together with that $32 million. But I thought this morning what is interesting, and this is where it's fun to be a sportscaster and hopefully fun to be a viewer or a listener, there are five different scenarios going forward to play with LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma. And each has a completely different feel to them. Each would have a different vibe. And I thought, I'm going to do. I'm a different. I'm to give you the five scenarios, give each one kind of a moniker or a name and what I think they would be. So let's start with the first. This, I think, would be the best team. It would be Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the very talented young player, Kyle Kuzma. Let's call this

team NBA champions. This would be the greatest collection of talent ever. Kawhi Leonard's arguably the best player in the game. If he's not, LeBron is, and Anthony Davis is the most skilled big, and Kuzma's a terrific young player. You'd have, with no KD in the league next year, three of the top five players, I don't think you'd need an incredibly deep bench. It would feel, it would have on its best nights an unfair feeling. Tyson in his prime, Tiger in his prime, the Warriors' first year.

two years with KD, where you kind of felt like, okay, they're in the finals. Everybody's crossing their finger for a twisted ankle. This, I think, is the best possible team. I don't think it's going to happen, but I would call that team NBA champs. The second team is Kyrie Irving, LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma. I would call that the Drama Kings. I think they would, on their best nights, be the most offensively brilliant. I don't think they'd be as good defensively.

LeBron's not the defensive player he used to be, and Kyrie doesn't like the defend. I think they would be very good. I don't think this is a sustainable unit for more than a year or two max. Kyrie Irving has bailed on Brad Stevens. He's bailed on LeBron. He'll choose the net over the Knicks. He's a hard guy. I just had a conversation with two NBA guys two nights ago, and they love Kyrie and they're flumming.

by him. I would call this the drama kings. The third team is Jimmy Butler plus LeBron plus Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma. I would call this team dynamite. Athletically dynamic, emotionally dynamite, as in implosion. Jimmy Butler and Kyle Kuzma, I think, would struggle. Kuzma wants to be Jimmy

Butler. Jimmy Butler's going to try to fend off Kyle Kuzma. You'd have four essential forwards and no guards. I don't think the chemistry would be great. I do think defensively it would be excellent because I think Kauai Leonard is going to take his 15 games off a night and Jimmy Butler won't. I think on a nightly basis,

they would be the most consistently stellar defensive unit. A.D. Butler and Kuzma, I think are excellent defensive players. And in spots, LeBron can be. But again, Jimmy Butler, a third scoring option? This is Team Dynamite because, They would be athletically dynastic, but they would implode. The fourth is the DeAngelo Russell-Lebron A.D. Kuzma team. I would call this the redeem team.

DeAngelo Russell, back to L.A. to redeem himself. LeBron James, redeeming himself after a bad first year in L.A. Anthony Davis, proving once and for all he can be a go-to guy past the first round in the playoffs. and Kyle Kuzma showing everybody, hey, I was the right guy of all the young guys to keep. I would call this the Redeemed team. And then finally, the fifth team. This would be LeBron A.D. Kuzma and a collection of Darren Collison, J.J. Reddick, Bogdanovich. I would call this team the Lakers because this is the team's history.

two stars, an emerging star or very good player, and then excellent role players. This is what won a title for Wilton Jerry West. This is what won a title for Shaq and Kobe, several. This Kareem Magic, several years later, James Worthy, very good role players. This feels like the Lakers I have watched my entire life. You've got two of the top players in the league, one very note. worthy, a wilt, a shack, a Kobe, a magic. And then another all-time great. And then you have one, a worthy, a kuzma of an emerging, excellent player, and then role players that are

very redeemable, very sustainable, understand their role, don't shrink in the moment, have a history of hitting big shots, you're Robert Ories, your Derek Fischer's, you're Rick Foxes, Byron Scott's, that team, to me, is the most sustainable. Just enough egos, not too many players that come to the arena every night, no load management, guys that want to play, half the team hungry, trying to get a first ring. Two or three of the guys already have a ring. So in review, we go from the NBA champs, the Drama Kings, team. dynamite, the redeemed team, and finally, the Lakers.

There's only two that I really, really feel strongly about. The Kauai Leonard team, I think of all those at its best, there's never been anything quite like it, and this team, the Lakers, which is the history of the franchise I've seen. Egos, but not too many, not too many mouse to feed, not too many press conferences, not too much drama. So that this morning is where we're at. I will say there is a development happening and it is like I'm not I'm not supposed to root, right? There are individual athletes and a lot of it's just theater and playful. I love Tom Brady. I love I love the way wake up's in the morning, wake up in the morning. It's football and family. Obviously, I think LeBron's been very valuable to

my show, the great Swiss Army knife of my life in basketball. No players ever done more at the top level. I love the NFL. I love the NBA. So those guys have really been a part of my show for over 10, 12 years, almost every day, certainly every week. 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. 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 athletes 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 Slic Life 12 in 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 wrapped up in the chase

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

or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Games, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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 basis on offense. And when

IT's friends stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will 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. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliver 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 walks up to me, he goes, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office, blue with 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I am not supposed to root, but I live in Los Angeles. I know people who work for the Clippers. And Kauai Leonard now will interview with the Lakers as well as the Clippers and the Raptors. This, of course, is the Clippers' worst nightmare.

The Clippers, all year have done everything right. It was the most overachieving team in the league. The front office, you got Balmer. The energetic semi-young owner, very pro-player. You got Jerry West, the logo, the icon. Michael Winger, Lawrence Frank, smart young analytic guys. Everybody gets along in the organization. The players are, you know, you got your Lou Williams, your old guys.

Everybody likes the players. You had the best bench in the NBA. You overachee, beat the Warriors twice. When they were healthy, they've done everything right. The Lakers, meanwhile, have been an utter tired. fire for a year. And the Lakers now will get an interview with

Kauai Leonard. A, it's the power of the big brand, but it would be an absolute gut punch for the Klipper franchise. It would be a gut punch. They have done everything right. Recruiting

him for a year. They went to his games in Toronto, making sure he could spot them. You know what this is? This is potentially the Ray Allen shot of free agency. Remember that? James catches puts up a three. Long go. Rebound Bosch. Back out to Allen. History pointer. Fass! The Spurs led the series three, two. Champagne was on ice. Security had the ropes out. Goggles were ready. Spurs led by five with 20 seconds left.

They had been the better team in the series. The trophy was in the building. And Ray Allen hits a three. pump the brakes we're going to overtime. Miami rebounds and wins the series. San Antonio never recovered from that shot. They never recovered. I don't know how the Clippers recover. Somebody joked yesterday on Twitter. Maybe Steve Ballmer just goes and takes the franchise back to Seattle.

Never forget this. With the Red Sox lost to the Mets. Remember the Bill Buckner air, the late Bill Buckner. 86. Red Sox didn't recover for 20 years. The next year, the Red Sox were below 500. They emotionally could not recover from that moment. The Spurs could not emotionally recover from that moment.

I think this would be such an awful, emotional kick to the you-know-what. And I'll tell you about Kauai Leonard. I want you to think about this for a second. He is the most unique player in my life. Think about this. If Kauai chose the Lakers over the Raptors and the Clippers, he would have destroyed in his career, the Spurs Dynasty by leaving, the Heat Dynasty, fourth year became the MVP,

the Warriors dynasty this year, the Raptors' future, and the Clippers' soul. He's the Thanos of the NBA. He literally is. I mean, he would have just crushed all these teams. The Clippers' soul, the Warriors' dynasty, the Raptors' future, Popovich's 20-year run, and the Miami guys' dynasty. Yeah, and Thanos didn't have a whole lot to say either, so they've got a lot in common. He spoke volumes in very few words. Listen, I would ideally, living in Los Angeles and knowing people in both organizations,

I would like to see the Clippers get Kauai and the Lakers do the LeBron. A. D. Kuzma, collection of cool veterans, a raptor feel to it, where I got a lot of Lowrys and Sergeabotkas. Oh, I can't imagine how devastating this would be. How devastating it would be if Kauai chose the Lakers. What's going on, everybody? John Middlecough, three-and-out podcast, brought to you by the Colin Coward Podcast Network. If you like Colin's show, you'll like mine. I talk all football. Coming up on this show, talking how NFL free agency was saved by trades. Drew Breeze passes the torts to Zion.

Who could become the next Zion of NFL quarterbacks? And the over-under for the AFC South. Again, three-and-out podcast with me, John Middilkoff. I think the Kemba Celtics move will be the next shoe to drop. I think you're going to hear a lot of rumors. I would not be surprised again. Chris Haynes told me yesterday. He left this set and said, something's going to break in 20 minutes.

And sure enough, it did. There was a feeling today more news could break. I want to start our second hour with this is, you know, we pay a lot of attention. We watch sports. And we can see almost we think everything. We can see the size of players, the speed, we can see the anger, we can see the joy, we can see the skill, and we can see the talent. Now, there's one thing we can't see, and that's the game plan, the playbook.

But the other thing we can't see, but it shows itself over time is mental toughness. And this is what really separates great from legend, good from very good. The ability for LeBron James and Tom Brady for 15 years to get rid of the noise, to be motivated by criticism, not beaten down by it, to not listen to external noise, they keep it very tight. LeBron and Tom Brady. Family and then there's business. It's a very simple life.

LeBron always jokes. He's on his inflatable raft in his pool contemplating things. It's basketball. It's family for both LeBron and Tom Brady. They have businesses, but those businesses, again, there's an Uber focus. And that's what I think separates LeBron from. Kevin Durant. Is that think about this this morning, what is happening according to reports.

LeBron once again is recruiting stars to join him, regardless of what people say, and Kevin Durant is running from stars because of what people say. Burner account, Kevin, seeking validation, Kevin, upset because of a small market newspaper headline, Mr. Unreliable Kevin. this is the difference. It's not just in talent. Kevin Durant is a greater natural offensive player than LeBron. He is.

He's a better shooter. We've never seen Kevin Durant, a seven-foot-one guy who shoots like that. I mean, Dirk Novitsky is a little like him, but he's far more athletic, better defensively. And I think this separates. This is what I think separates Tom Brady from a lot of other really talented guys. I think it's what separates LeBron from really talented. smart guys. Remember, when magic unraveled, he didn't unravel physically. He first unraveled mentally. This was the strength of Derek Jeter. He didn't have prolonged slumps. He didn't need a therapist.

Arod was more talented, but the emotional discipline of Derek Jeter is why he's a legend. And this morning, I mean, can you imagine Tom Brady doing what Kevin Durant's doing and saying, you know, I want to prove I can do it without Belichick, I'll sign with the Detroit Lions. You would laugh him off the planet. You would say that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. And I think I really do believe this is the difference with LeBron and KD. For 15 years, LeBron's been the king and Katie's been second. And I said this year, for the first time ever, I felt Kevin jumped ahead of him. And nine months later, after I said that, Kevin's running from the best staff in the league. The best combination of owner, coach, GM talent.

And LeBron once again is doing what he does. He doesn't care what you say. He's going to join forces and recruit a bunch of great players. And it's just crazy. I think the Kevin Durant, if he goes to the Knicks, is one of the craziest things I've ever seen in sports. And I am four. You know me. I supported Kevin Durant.

I am four player mobility. You don't go to a terrible owner and a terrible roster. That's just not smart. That's Brady going to the Lions. That's not smart. And I think Kevin Durant is smart, but smart people make bad decisions. I think this is interesting. It's not getting a lot of play.

And I'm not generally somebody who cares about uniforms and numbers. I don't. I'm in the data. I'm boring. I'm kind of a dork. I like all this stuff with data and analysis and I'm nerdy with football. But LeBron James is giving Anthony Davis his number 23 jersey. And I think it's the right thing to do.

And again, it shows just LeBron's willingness to adapt to bring talent in. But I like LeBron going back to number six because I think LeBron owns six. And I think very few players own a number. When I think of number two, the only player I think of is Derek Jeter. When I think of number three, the only athlete I think of is Dale Earnhardt. That's it. When I think of number four, I think of Brett Farr. When I think of number five, I think of the greatest baseball player catcher I've ever seen.

I think of Johnny Bench. And when I think of number six, I think of LeBron James. Colin, Colin, what about Tom Brady at number 12? I don't think of Tom Brady at 12 because I grew up with Joe Namath and I grew up with Terry Bradshaw. So it gets diluted. Well, what about number seven? Well, seven is Joe Feisman to me. To somebody that's 60, it's Mickey Mantle.

To other people, it's John Elway. I don't think any one of those owns the number. What about number eight? Well, yes, there's Kobe Bryant. But you know who I think of number eight? I think of Troy Aikman. I think of Steve Young. There's very few numbers that athletes,

own. And I think LeBron is, in my mind, he's six. And I don't think it's the end of the world, but it is special. Michael Jordan is 23. That's all I think of. It doesn't matter that LeBron Ward, it doesn't matter. Michael's 23. And I think it's part of his brand, part of what makes him special. I think it's, I don't think Derek Jeter is the greatest baseball player I've ever seen, but God, he's the two. He is the captain and he's number two. And so, Joy and I, we're talking about this this morning. You think all great players connect to a jersey individually, and they don't. You give me a number, and I'll tell.

So Joy has a series of numbers, and I may whiff on some of these because I generally don't memorize, but you give me a number, and I'll tell you the first person I think of. Well, Wade is number three. So you're off on that. So to you, you're a D-Wa, is a Miami girl. But I'm fully with you on LeBron and Six. I never liked him wearing 23. I felt like for the level of what LeBron is, he needed his number.

And also, obviously, you know, he won his championships in Miami wearing six. So number seven, you said Joe Thysman. I think of Michael Vick. Okay, there you go. See, that's generational. But you don't think of Tom Brady when you think of number 12. First thing I think of is Joe Namath. I think of Joe in the Jets jersey.

Again, that's when I started loving sports. So here I am in the 70s. I'm like an 8, 9, 10-year-old kid. This is when I'm getting into sports. Joe Namath was, and then after Joe, in the mid to late 70s, it was Terry Bradshaw. And I also think Aaron Rogers jumps out to me as a 12. Yeah, yeah. So number 13, who do you think of?

Wilts Chamberlain. Dan Marino. See again, my, that's funny. So the first great player I ever saw on television, the first football game I watched was the 72 Super Bowl. So 1972, I was eight years old. That's when I started watching sports on TV. Wilt wore the headband for the Lakers and it was a CBS game with Brent Musburger

doing the play-by-play on CBS. Wow. Wilt Chamberlain, in my mind, is 13. Number 21. I think of Dion Sanders. I don't have one. I don't have, so you have Dionne. There's too many.

Okay, I don't have a 21. Tim Duncan, Dion Sanders, Ezekio Elliott. It's a blur to me. Kevin Garnett. It's a bunch of guys. Hibberto Clemente. Yep. Number 24.

Ken Griffey Jr. Kobe. Okay. So again, I'm a kid. from Seattle. He was the kid. I mean, when you were a Mariner fan, they draft him, he goes through. I mean, he was, you know, Mariners

when I was, we didn't have baseball forever. So Ken Griffey to me is 24. Number 32. OJ. Simpson. I can see that. I can see that. I mean, I think of magic. Yeah. And I think, for the record, anybody, virtually everybody under 50 thinks magic.

But I think of OJ Simpson. But I can understand OJ. Like, that's, I feel like that's a shared number there. Number 33. Karim. Yeah, I agree with that. Now, Larry Birdwar 33. Yeah. But I don't, that doesn't jump out to me. I think of, see, again, I think of the sky hook. When I was young, Kareem after Wilt was the first dominating NBA unstoppable player. And I used to mimic him as a kid in the driveway doing the sky hook.

How'd that go? I was okay. I would beat my friends, yes. What about 34? Shack. I think Walter Pates. All right. Okay. But see, he was on a lot of bad teams.

So the teams I loved in the 70s were the Steelers, the Raiders, the Redskins, Roger Stauback Cowboys. So Walter was on terrible bear teams. So even though he was, you know, I remember, generally, I remember the numbers on players

who were in the biggest moments. Right. The bears were never in big games. What about 88? Michael Irvin. See, I agree. I think that's one of those numbers that he... First of all, he was a star.

Right. The team was awesome. They won a bunch of championships. I mean, it's the Cowboys. It's just, it's iconic. Yeah, Mike alone's 88. All right, number 99. So that's Sam.

Our producer loves hockey. You got to answer this correctly, or this could change our relationship. Everybody's going to say, Gretzky. Who do you think it is? Jason. Jason Taylor. Oh, your brother. Yes, he failed that, miserably.

I was so busy, look. at his handsome face. I didn't even know what number he was. He wore a helmet. He did a Newtragena commercial. He was actually, he was the face of Neutrigina for a while. You had a brother who was a model who tackled people. Yeah. He also did a, he also did a calendar once. Oh boy. A long time ago. Oh, brother. Yeah. I've joked with him a lot about that. So this goes back to I like LeBron at 6. I do too. I think when you're that great, you got to own your number. And it's amazing to me how many great players don't. And I that as a Brady fan, I think Tom Brady probably as a kid growing up, he thinks of other 12.

I think over time you can ascend into that number. To me, I think Brady has passed into that number, especially if you look at the jersey sales every year. He's always at the top. I think he has taken over 12, even though there are great quarterbacks that are still in the league now. I mean, luck and Rogers, as you said, that we're 12. But I'm so with you on 6. I think it's a great move. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays and noon Easter. They're 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 SportsClice 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. 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. SportsSlice 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 Sliced Life 12 in 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. 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, 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 healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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 basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass 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. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. 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 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, rec, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Paul. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. NBA reporters work all year to cover the NBA, but really the next five days are the most competitive. Everybody wants the story. It's a lot of fun. I've said this before.

The NFL is the sport we watch and bet. The NBA is the sport we talk about. And much like international soccer, it is star. driven, merchandise propelling, and Chris Manick, Sports Illustrated senior writer, cover the NBA for 15 years. All right, Chris, it's going to be a very interesting next three to four days. I imagine we'll start seeing rumors by tomorrow. Let's start with Kemba to the Celtics. I think it's a great fit. Do you think it happens? With the Lakers, Kemba, with another option, a realistic option, now that we know they can get close to that max contract number. From talking to other

teams that have been in the Kemba Walker sweepstakes, they're not operating like it's over. Like, they have not been given kind of a head nod or whatever about the situation with Boston. But I think that there's still some wiggle room here where Kemba, you know, doesn't wind up with the Celtics. As far as, I think it's a great fit. I mean, Kemba's not the talent that Kyrie Irving is, but he's just a cut below. and I think a far better fit for that locker room than Kyrie was. I think when you factor in all the toxicity of last year

and everything that went into it, getting Kemble Walker and flipping him for Kyrie Irving is a huge win. Yeah, and you still have Jason Tatum, who's growing as a player and Jalen Brown and a good GM that will make moves. You know, how surprised are you that the Clippers have been going after Kauai all year? The Lakers now have gone after him for an hour since they developed cap space.

Are you surprised the Lakers got a meeting? No, if that's how it plays out, and again, I've been told specifically what Kauai is going to do and who he's going to sit with come July 1st or June 30th, whatever. But I'm not surprised just because of what's on the table. And, you know, when you have LeBron and Anthony Davis, you warrant at least a meeting. Now, if it turns out that Kauai Leonard chooses the Lakers over the Clippers, that's a pretty devastating blow for L.A., because they've done just about everything possible within league rules and some Kauai Leonard to let it be known that he was their top.

You know, they quite literally sent a representative to virtually every one of Kauai Leonard's games this year. in a way just to show him with a picture of a polo shirt on that they were interested. And they've done a lot of shadow recruiting of this guy. They've got a good team. They've got a great infrastructure in that front office. And they've got a elite level coach who relates well to players. If they wind out losing out to the Lakers, who like you said,

have really only been realistic for Kauai for about an hour, that would be a pretty big blow for L.A. You know, the Lakers cleared cap space. They're, of course, saying they knew what they were doing all along. Critics like me say, it feels like they bailed water to get there. Do we know now about the language of the contract? I mean, in the end, the Lakers can say, you know, we got our space. Now, the downside is they have nobody else.

I mean, they got three players. In hindsight now, what do you think happened? We're doing all along. That's been my read of the situation that the machinations, of it, some of the details were glossed over a little bit when it came to this. One thing I remember about the Lakers is that, you know, they don't have a front office deep in experience. Like, there's not a lot of guys that have been longtime front office workers who have been

involved in complicated deals working for them. I mean, you contrast that with the clippers who have, you know, not only Lawrence Frank, who's running things, but Michael Winger is there. I mean, these are high-level NBA executives. not to mention Doc Rivers has ostensibly been an NBA executive for a while in the dual role he had for multiple years. So I think that I do think they missed out on a couple things. All credit to them to recover, Colin, because I had reported early in the week that there really wasn't a lot of interest in these Lakers, you know, players they pawned off on the Wizards.

And because they didn't have a lot in the way of draft considerations, I didn't know how they were going to get a deal done. but the Wizards clearly had some interest in one or two of those guys. And now they have an opportunity at the very least to eventually get a third star. There is a report that the Lakers will go after Kauai, and if they don't land him, their second option is fill the roster out. Give me some idea of, you know, I've thrown names out like Darren Collison or JJ Reddick. is there, if they, if it's just LeBron A.D. Kuzma and a bunch of guys, can you give me a couple names on the bunch of guys who would fill it out in your opinion?

Yeah. I think that's, if that's the way they go, it's 100% the right move. Because you make a play for Kauai Leonard. He's going to be 28 in September. You know, you can have a Kauai Anthony Davis core for the next five, six years, if not longer, and build a roster out from there. But after that, you know, championships are won with a great team, not necessarily great players. And I'm not sure that Campbell Walker is worth, you know, the cost of multiple players or Kyrie Irving is worth the cost of multiple players. I mean, there's going to be, it's going to be interesting to see on June 30th.

I mean, some of the role players comes off the board pretty quickly at a big number. I think Malcolm Brogden is going to get a huge offer sheet in his first days out there. Then if you're the Lakers, you're kind of looking at the board. some of the unrestricted role players, like the guys you mentioned. I'd put Danny Green in one that could be a good candidate, great locker room guy, selfless as won championships, can make open jump shots at a championship level. He's someone they would consider. If they need to get another big man, I mean, Robin Lopez is out there, you know, not a floor spacer, but a hardworking guy that can balance out. And we've seen over the years, Colin, that Anthony Davis

has benefited at different times during his career having a big body play alongside. Those are two names, but I think the Lakers are going to have to let the dust set a little bit in the first couple of days before they scoop up some of these role players. By the way, if KD does decide, regardless of his destination, so you're Bob Myers and Steve Kerr, Katie announces he's leaving, you max Clay Thompson, and then what do you do? Like what is the plan B in your opinion? If everything, I wouldn't leave, but if he leaves, regardless of the destination, what is the current NBA dynasty do?

developmental year, but maybe it is, you know, for that team, because you're just going to have Steph and a bunch of other guys, you know, Clay, not back until probably March at the earliest, and even then, who knows, we've seen, in lost years, it might just be, they might just say, Clay, take the year off. I mean, unless something is working for him at that time when he's healthy. You know, there are some free agents out there, some younger guys that maybe you take a flyer on and see if you can, you can develop at a low number, a Stanley Johnson type out of of a Detroit or somebody, I'm not sure to think of the names, but the younger guys out there that maybe you can take a flyer on now on a short-term multi-year deal, and then next year,

when you get Clayback, you can have some of that depth you were lacking over the last year. Yeah, see, that makes sense to me. It's just, if you do it that way, you at least position yourself to be a player in 2020, because it's now going to be all about, I expect a rant to go. I mean, anyone that says they knows what Kevin Dorett's think, I think, is just lying. Because at this point, he's an odd guy to read. But if he does leave, it becomes all about Clay and Steph. And you want to find the best players for the next three years who can play alongside Clay and Steph.

And that's what I think this next year should be about. Finally, Chris Mannix covering the NBA since 2003, friend of the show. Every year, there's a shocker, or at least every other year. that we all kind of go, wow, and that's what makes this soap opera so much fun. I kind of think Jimmy Butler's that guy. I wouldn't be shocked if he ended up, if Kauai Leonard's like, listen, I don't want to be just the guy I just did that. And Kauai is like, bring another guy in. I kind of feel I know where Al Horford's going, but could he be a shocker?

Jimmy Butler, Horford, could they potentially shock us? But Jimmy Butler has always been about the money, as long as the Sixers come to the table with something in the five-year range that he's going to stay. Yeah. Because the way I've been told there, they've been told there, it's political. They've just given up too much to go get him. And the same thing with Tobias Harris. They can't allow money to get in the way of all this. Forfe of things going to be interesting.

I don't know if, you know, there's a lot of talk about Horford having a four-year max on the table. I don't know if that's true, but I know there's four or five teams that are eager to give Al Horford a four-year contract that's going to well exceed anything Boston was willing to give him. So I think he could be that second star that teams look at and say, all right, we got Kauai or we got Kevin Durant or we got even Kyrie Irving. Let's bring in Al Horford because at least we know out of Al, who's been remarkably consistent over the last, you know, four or five years of his career. You know what you're going to get. By the way, if Kyrie does go to the Nets, maybe the wild card is DeAngelo Russell. Now, we're hearing today, Lakers have reservations about giving him the $27 million they could give him. They have $32 million in cap. They could pay him $27.2.

You know, he is immature. LeBron tends to like veterans and mature guys that he trusts. Could he be a wild card and end up finally Andrew Wiggins and Carl Anthony Towns get a guard? because DeAngelo, to me, wouldn't turn down a big Max deal. Could he be a wild card? They like him a lot as adding him to that young core. But for some of the reasons you just mentioned there, there's some skepticism around the league about what exactly DeAngelo Russell is going to be.

In other words, the skepticism that this is kind of the arc that he's going to continue going on, All-Star this year, all-NBA next year. you know, they did a lot to kind of coax all this out of DeAngelo Russell in Brooklyn. I mean, Kenny Ackinson and that organization, I mean, they really rebuilt him over the last couple of years. And he can, you know, be kind of difficult to deal with himself. He shoots a lot of those floaters, which he made a lot of in this past year. I watched a lot of Nets games living in the Northeast. I mean, I think he's certainly on the path to being a full-time starter and a top half of the league starter, but is he a consistent All-Star in this league? And that's something I think

there's still a number of teams that have reservations about. Yeah, it's funny about the T-Wolves, Chris. I was saying this the other day. They've been selling me, Carl Anthony Towns and Wiggins, for like four years. They've been selling their fans on that. And I know that ownership group is like, all right, we've got to start. We've got to make the playoffs. I actually think DiAngelo Russell for them is a really good fit.

You can't keep selling the same thing. Like the Celtics have rebuilt, but they've won playoff series. I mean, Minnesota's not getting into the playoffs, and Denver's young, and Portland will be better. I think DiAngelo, and I'm with you on this, I watched him implode in Los Angeles. I don't know what he is. I really do not have a – by the way, I had a month ago. The only thing I've said on the air, I believe to be true, I had an NBA player in the NBA currently, and a former NBA All-Star tell me they were told Kyrie has told people he's going to Brooklyn.

That's the one thing I believe. Do you have one you feel strongest about this second? Hey, Thompson, going back to the Warriors. That's cheating. It is cheating, but it's one of the more, and it's a cop-out, but even when you talk to agents and talk to different executives, there's a lot of fluidity to what's going on now. And once the dominoes start to fall,

you'll probably immediately get some clarity there. But right now it's still, there's just a lot of moving parts out there. there. But I agree with you just to turn it back to Russell. I agree with you on Russell because you put him in that team, they've got a terrific developmental coach. Like, don't let anyone Everlanders is there because his last name is Saunders. If he didn't have this job, like Miami, Philadelphia, the Lakers, they were lining up to give him a high-level assistant job. I think you give Ryan a full training camp and not the aborted mess that last season was at the start of the year with this group. I think that Minnesota team could surprise them and

Russell looks like a pretty good fit with that group. Good talking to you, buddy. Have an eventful and hopefully successful prediction weekend. I'll do what I can, Colin. 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.

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This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. 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 walks up to me, he goes, A, ref. My mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

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